Wednesday, December 31, 2014

5 Offseason Moves I Really Like

Here's five moves that have been made this offseason that I think will pay dividends in 2015:

1) Kei Kamara to Columbus - Kamara averaged 10 goals and 6 assists a year for Kansas City between 2010 and 2012. He went to England in 2013, but after stints with Norwich City and Middlesbrough, he returned to MLS in October where he was picked up by the Crew. While this technically isn't an offseason move, I'm going to count it anyways because Kamara wasn't eligible to appear for the Crew during the 2014 season. Kamara is 6'3" and even at the age of 30, he's been a contributor for Sierra Leone's National Team scoring against the Ivory Coast in September during the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He'll be a nice complementary piece for the Crew offense alongside Justin Meram, Ethan Finlay and playmaker Federico Higuain.

2) Dan Kennedy to Dallas - Kennedy has spent the last seven seasons with Chivas USA and in his four years as a starter, never saw his club win more than 9 games or place higher than 7th in the Western Conference. That said, Kennedy is a tremendous goalkeeper, and now that he's on a winning franchise, he really has a chance to do some big things. Dallas must have confidence in him because they're letting go Peru's National Team Keeper, Raúl Fernández, who was an all-star in 2013 and allowed just 25 goals in 20 starts last season.

3) Erick Torres to Houston - We talked about this the other day, but I think Torres is a huge addition for Houston. In 2014, Torres scored more than half of Chivas USA's 29 goals this past season, and will be an immediate upgrade for Houston who had only two players, Giles Barnes and Will Bruin, score more than 4 goals in 2014.

4) Bernardo Añor to Kansas City - Añor was traded to Sporting a couple weeks ago after turning in a career year for the Crew in which he scored 6 goals, 2 of them as a substitute. With Sporting losing midfielders Lawrence Olum (21 starts), Sal Zizzo (13 starts), and Antonio Dovale (14 starts), and the fact that those three combined to score just three goals, Añor has a chance to step in and immediately provide some help to the offense. 

5) Robbie Findley to Toronto - Robbie Findley scored 12 goals for Real Salt Lake in 2009 and turned that into a spot on the U.S.'s 2010 World Cup squad for whom he made 3 appearances. Since then, he had an unsuccessful stint in England for Nottingham Forest and Gillingham before returning to MLS in 2013. He made just 16 appearances and 8 starts for Real Salt Lake last season and saw just 25 minutes of action in the postseason. Despite the concerns of his career being in complete decline, I think playing with Michael Bradley and potentially alongside Jermain Defoe could work out really nicely for him and TFC. At worst, he's a credible striker with some pace that can come off the bench. Finally, with Toronto's perennial struggles, bringing in someone who's played for a winner and scored in an MLS Cup Final (that his team went on to win) could go a long ways to changing the culture in the clubhouse.

10 Things to Watch in MLS in 2015

1) What will the league be like without Landon Donovan? The league hasn't had a season without Captain America since 2000, back when Carlos Valderrama, Preki and Roy Lassiter still patrolled MLS fields.

2) Can Seattle win the triple? Last year the Sounders claimed the U.S. Open Cup and the Supporter's Shield. With Donovan gone from the Galaxy, Seattle's stiffest competition in the West, is this the opportunity the Sounders were waiting for?

3) Was Lee Nguyen a fluke? Nguyen came out of nowhere last year to score 18 goals for the Revolution after scoring just 9 goals over his first two MLS seasons. At 27 (now 28), Nguyen hardly seemed poised to be a breakout candidate, but there he was leading the Revs all the way to the MLS Cup Finals. Can he repeat this performance or is he a one-hit wonder?

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

MLS Postseason Goal Scorers by Nationality, Final

Never did finish this, so here's the final tally:

ARGENTINA (1)

Federico Higuain - Columbus Crew (1) - Regular Season: 11 goals in 29 games

AUSTRALIA (1)

Tim Cahill - New York Red Bulls (1) - Regular Season: 2 goals in 23 games

BRAZIL (5)

Juninho - LA Galaxy (1) - Regular Season: 0 goals in 34 games
Michel - FC Dallas (2) - Regular Season: 8 goals in 25 games
Marcelo Sarvas - LA Galaxy (2) - Regular Season: 3 goals in 28 games

Monday, December 29, 2014

Weekly Top Tens - 12/29/14

Get used to this fact, I like lists... Here's a rundown of some of Europe's leading scorers.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE LEADING SCORERS

1) Sergio Agüero (Argentina) - Manchester City - 14
2) Diego Costa (Spain) - Chelsea - 13 
3) Charlie Austin (England) - Queens Park Rangers - 12
4Alexis Sánchez (Chile) - Arsenal - 10
5) Papiss Demba Cissé (Senegal) - Newcastle United - 9
6) Robin van Persie (Netherlands) - Manchester United - 8
6) Wilfried Bony (Ivory Coast) - Swansea City - 8
6) Graziano Pellè (Italy) - Southampton - 8
6) Wayne Rooney (England) - Manchester United - 8
10) 5 tied with 7

Sunday, December 28, 2014

And We're Back

It's hard to keep an active blog going when you're deployed for six months out of the year, but we're back all the same. Hopefully everyone enjoyed their holidays, and without further ado, let's get down to it.

Houston Gets Cubo Torres - There weren't a lot of bright spots for Chivas USA in 2014, but the emergence of 21 year-old Mexican striker Erick 'Cubo' Torres was certainly one of them. With 15 goals in 29 starts, Torres accounted for over half of Chivas USA's goals last season, and now he's bringing his talents to Houston. The Dynamo had just two players tally more than four goals last season, Giles Barnes and Will Bruin. Add Torres into the mix and the trio is almost certainly going to be more productive than last year's stable of strikers that included Omar Cummings, Mark Sherrod, Jason Johnson and Bryan Salazar, a foursome that combined to score just 5 goals in upwards of 1500 minutes. With a veteran core that consists of National Team veterans Brad Davis, Ricardo Clark, and DaMarcus Beasley, Houston is almost sure to rebound from a disappointing 8th place finish in the Eastern Conference. Let's not forget, this is a Houston team that is just two years removed from back-to-back MLS Cup Finals appearances. If you're looking for an early favorite to rebound from a subpar 2014, here's our early selection.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Americans in the UEFA Champions League

Big week for Sacha Kljestan and Anderlecht as the American played all 90 minutes of their epic come-from-behind draw against Arsenal. Trailing 3-0 through the first hour, Anderlecht scored three times in the final 30 minutes to erase what appeared to be an insurmountable deficit. It was a bit of a reversal for Anderlecht who in their previous match squandered a 1-0 lead late against Arsenal and fell 2-1. Former MLSer Andy Najar assisted on the equalizer.

David Yelldell - GK - Bayer Leverkusen - Yelldell again took his typical back seat to Bernd Leno and Dario Kresic as Leverkusen defeated Zenit St Petersburg 2-1.

Joe Gyau - MF - Borussia Dortmund - Gyau continues to rehab his injured knee. Dortmund won without him, 4-1 over Galatasaray and currently sit atop Group D a perfect 4-0.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

MLS Postseason Goal Scorers by Nationality, Part II

8 more goals in the first leg of the Conference Semifinals. Here's your updated postseason goal scorers by nationality:

ARGENTINA (1)

Federico Higuain - Columbus Crew (1) - Regular Season: 11 goals in 29 games

BRAZIL (2)

Michel - FC Dallas (2) - Regular Season: 8 goals in 25 games

CANADA (1)

Tesho Akindele - FC Dallas (1) - Regular Season: 7 goals in 26 games

ENGLAND (4)

Dom Dwyer - Sporting Kansas City (1) - Regular Season: 22 goals in 33 games
Bradley Wright-Phillips - New York Red Bulls (3) - Regular Season: 27 goals in 32 games

FRANCE (1)

Peguy Luyindula - New York Red Bulls (1) - Regular Season: 5 goals in 26 games

USA (7*)

Osvaldo Alonso* - Seattle Sounders (1) - Regular Season: 0 goals in 33 games
Charlie Davies - New England Revolution (2) - Regular Season: 3 goals in 18 games
Erik Hurtado - Vancouver Whitecaps (1) - Regular Season: 5 goals in 30 games
Justin Meram - Columbus Crew (1) - Regular Season: 8 goals in 32 games
Lee Nguyen - New England Revolution (1) - Regular Season: 18 goals in 32 games
Chris Tierney - New England Revolution (1) - Regular Season: 1 goal in 24 games

*Alonso defected from Cuba during the 2007 Gold Cup and became a U.S. citizen in 2012.

The 2010 World Cup Team, Where are they Now?

After our article yesterday about Oguchi Onyewu and then noticing that Robbie Findley was coming off the bench for Real Salt Lake last night I was curious as to where the rest of the 2010 U.S. Men's World Cup was at these days. Here's a quick rundown:

Goalies

Tim Howard - 4 years later, Howard's still with Everton and still at the top of his game. He posted another shutout against Swansea City Saturday.
Brad Guzan - Guzan has now emerged as the starter for Aston Villa and continues to make a name for himself in the Premier League.
Marcus Hahnemann - Now 42, Hahnemann is a backup goalie for the Seattle Sounders. He hasn't appeared in an MLS match since last year's postseason when he replaced the suspended Michael Gspurning.

Defenders

Jonathan Spector - The former Manchester United product has been with Birmingham City of England's Football League Championship since 2011.
Carlos Bocanegra - Bocanegra returned to his MLS roots in 2013 joining up with Chivas USA. He made 18 appearances for the Goats this year before suffering a concussion in July which led to his subsequent retirement.
Oguchi Onyewu - As discussed yesterday, Gooch has signed on with Charlton Athletic. He went unused as a substitute Saturday in their match against Sheffield Wednesday.
Steve Cherundolo - Cherundolo announced his retirement in March after 16 seasons with Hannover 96. He's now an assistant coach on the club's amateur team.
Jonathan Bornstein - After five seasons in MLS, Bornstein went south of the border in 2010.  But since signing with Tigres UANL, he's struggled to find playing time and is currently on loan to Querétaro.
Jay DeMerit -DeMerit tore a tendon in his ankle in June and since announced his retirement appearing in parts of the last four seasons with Vancouver.
Clarence Goodson - Goodson joined the San Jose Earthquakes in 2013, but was limited to just 10 appearances this year after suffering a toe injury.

Midfielders

Michael Bradley - Bradley's first season with Toronto FC was a disappointment as they squandered a fast start and wound up missing the postseason all together. Bradley ended the year with just 2 goals and 4 assists in 25 games.
DeMarcus Beasley - Beasley became the first American to play in four World Cups this year filling the void at left back. He signed on with the Houston Dynamo after the tournament ended making his first MLS appearance since 2004. He started ten games for the Dynamo who missed the postseason.
Clint Dempsey - Deuce returned to MLS last August after a successful run in England, and this year he turned in his best MLS season with 15 goals and 10 assists in helping Seattle win the U.S. Open Cup and the Supporter's Shield.
Landon Donovan - Donovan has announced that he'll retire at the end of the season, but it wasn't because he can't play at a high level. In this, his last MLS season, Donovan finished with 10 goals and a career high 19 assists while the Galaxy finished with the league's second best record.
Stuart Holden - Holden's career has been one of disappointment as a slew of unfortunate injuries have kept him from realizing his full potential. He had his leg broken by Nigel de Jong in a friendly versus the Netherlands in 2010, he received 26 stitches and a fractured femur in a collision with Manchester United's Jonny Evans in 2011, and he tore his ACL in the Gold Cup Final in 2013. He has since suffered additional setbacks during his rehab, but he's still under contract at Bolton.
Ricardo Clark - Clark spent the full year with the Dynamo and scored 4 goals to go along with 4 assists in 25 games. He rejoined the club in 2012 after an injury-plagued stint in Europe.
Jose Francisco Torres - Torres has spent his entire professional career in Mexico playing 6 1/2 seasons with Pachuca before joining Tigres UANL. He joined Tigres in late 2012.
Maurice Edu - Edu spent the 2014 MLS season on loan from England's Stoke City to the Philadelphia Union. While the Union missed the playoffs, Edu started 31 of 34 matches scoring 3 goals and tallying two assists.
Benny Feilhaber - Feilhaber came to MLS after the 2010 World Cup and has now completed his fourth full season in the league. After helping Sporting KC to a title in 2013, he started 30 games this year scoring 4 goals to go along with 6 assists.

Strikers

Herculez Gomez - Gomez left MLS before the 2010 season and has been in Mexico ever since playing for six different clubs. He's currently on loan from Tijuana to Tigres UANL where he's playing alongside Torres.
Edson Buddle - Buddle scored his 100th MLS goal this season with the Rapids, but he appeared in just 18 matches on the year starting 12. Colorado missed the postseason.
Jozy Altidore - Altidore continues to excel for the U.S., but hasn't found similar success at the club level since leaving the Netherlands for Sunderland. He's scored just one English Premier League goal in parts of two seasons.
Robbie Findley - The speedy Findley made just 8 starts for Real Salt Lake this season after being injured for much of the year. He scored one goal, but tallied six a year ago.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Gooch Siting

Gooch!!! I'll be honest, I totally forgot about this guy. Once a mainstay in the U.S. defense, Oguchi Onyewu's career has been plagued by injuries starting with a ruptured patellar tendon back in 2009. Onyewu, now 32, has seen his career take him to France, Belgium, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. He spent last season with Queens Park Rangers, for whom he dressed but never played, and Sheffield Wednesday for whom he appeared 17 times across all competitions. He'll now join Football League Championship side Charlton Athletic in what's being termed a "short-term contract". Charlton enters play today in 9th place with a record of 5-2-7. Hopefully it works out for him, but if not, I'd love to see him finish his career at home in the U.S. Even at age 32, I bet there are some clubs that could use him in central defense.

Link to mlssoccer.com article

MLS Postseason Goal Scorers By Country

In case you haven't figure it out yet, I like making lists. Here's your postseason goal scorers by nationality through the Knockout Round:

BRAZIL (1)

Michel - FC Dallas (1) - Regular Season: 8 goals in 25 games

CANADA (1)

Tesho Akindele - FC Dallas (1) - Regular Season: 7 goals in 26 games


ENGLAND (3)

Dom Dwyer - Sporting Kansas City (1) - Regular Season: 22 goals in 33 games
Bradley Wright-Phillips - New York Red Bulls (2) - Regular Season: 27 goals in 32 games

USA (1)

Erik Hurtado - Vancouver Whitecaps (1) - Regular Season: 5 goals in 30 games

Friday, October 31, 2014

Eastern Conference Semifinal Preview

Columbus Crew vs New England Revolution

Two of the league's hottest teams will face off tomorrow when the Crew take on the Revs. Columbus has won eight of their last eleven and two of three against the Revs on the year, while the Revs have nine wins in their last twelve and just one loss since adding Jermaine Jones into the fold. To make things even more intriguing, that loss came against Columbus on September 20th.

Players to Watch:

For Columbus: Federico Higuain. Higuain tied for the club lead with 11 goals this season including the game winner in their 1-0 win over New England last month. While his brother Gonzalo is the more famous Higuain, don't discount Federico's ability to impact the MLS postseason.

For New England: Lee Nguyen. Nguyen led the league in Game Winning Goals with 9, was the league's highest scoring American with 18 finishes, and has 10 goals in his last 11 matches as well as 5 goals in his last 4. As Nguyen goes, so go the Revs.

Prediction:

New England advances. I'm loving Ethan Finlay and the exciting Columbus attack, but Jermaine Jones and Lee Nguyen are firing on all cylinders right now.

New York Red Bulls vs DC United

DC United is the only American club left in the Champions League this year, and they'll be back again next season thanks to winning the Eastern Conference regular season title. DC tied for the league lead in fewest goals allowed thanks to keeper Bill Hamid, and despite all of New York's weapons, DC scored only three fewer goals on the year. In three matches this season, New York managed just one goal against Hamid, and New York's Big Three of Thierry Henry, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Tim Cahill was shutout.

Players to Watch:

For New York: Thierry Henry. The veteran Frenchman can do it all, and while this was Bradley Wright-Phillips' year, Henry is equally important, if not more so, to their success. Case in point, it was Henry's pass that set up BWP's equalizer against Sporting in the Knockout Round.

For DC: Eddie Johnson. Johnson had a relatively quiet season with just 7 goals, but he's scored in two of the last three games, scored twice in last year's postseason, and has two goals in this year's Champions League. An accomplished finisher with big game experience, Johnson has the potential to be a difference maker in this series.

Prediction:

DC advances. I think there are too many question marks and a lack of consistency for the Red Bulls. They've yet to solve Bill Hamid and DC didn't win the Eastern Conference by accident.

Western Conference Semifinal Preview

Real Salt Lake vs Los Angeles

MLS powers RSL and the LA Galaxy face off in a rematch of the 2009 MLS Cup Finals. This is one of the more evenly matched rivalries in MLS as the three matches this year were split down the middle with a pair of 1-0 games and a 1-1 draw. LA's high-powered trinity of Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and breakout performer Gyasi Zardes will have a tough task ahead of them trying to score goals against U.S. National Team keeper Nick Rimando, but no team gave up fewer goals this season than the Galaxy so don't expect a high scoring series.

Players to Watch:

For LA: Gyasi Zardes. After a run that saw Zardes score 13 goals in 16 games, the 23 year-old homegrown talent has cooled off getting shut out in his last four matches, which not surprisingly correlated to just one Galaxy win. If LA is going to have a chance against RSL, they'll need Zardes to produce. He did have the game winner in their last match against Real Salt Lake in July.

For Real Salt Lake: Alvaro Saborio. Saborio missed almost four months of the season, and the World Cup, with a fractured foot, but he's back now. He's scored twice in six matches since returning and has eight goals in just sixteen games on the season.

Prediction:

Los Angeles advances. It's going to be close, but I don't see Landon Donvoan's farewell tour ending here.

FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders

Seattle has already claimed a double this year taking the U.S. Open Cup and the Supporter's Shield and their first hurdle in clinching a third piece of hardware this season will be FC Dallas. Seattle took two of three matches between the two teams this year, but Dallas did hand them a 3-1 defeat in September. Dallas needed a late penalty to advance to the semis edging out the Whitecaps 2-1.

Players to Watch:

For Dallas: Tesho Akindele. After going two and a half months between goals, Akindele scored the opener against Vancouver in the Knockout Round. If he can be a complement to Blas Perez up top and make the Dallas attack more potent, it will make for a much more competitive series.

For Seattle: Marco Pappa. The Guatemalan midfielder was the hero in the season finale against LA and has a knack for scoring goals on the big stage. Used effectively as a starter and a substitute, he's a terrific sidekick for stars Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey.

Prediction:

Seattle advances. The Sounders have too many weapons and they're hungry for a Championship.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Boyd Scores in German Cup

Terrence Boyd scored his first goal since joining RB Leipzig of the 2. Bundesliga in a 3-1 German Cup win over DFB Pokal. Boyd, who came up with Hertha BSC and Borussia Dortmund's youth clubs, spent the past two seasons in Austria. He signed with Leipzig in June and debuted this month.




Boyd has appeared in 13 games for the U.S. Men's National Team, but is still looking for his first international goal.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Knockout Round Preview

Vancouver Whitecaps at FC Dallas

The MLS playoffs kick off tomorrow night with a showdown between Vancouver and Dallas. The Whitecaps haven't allowed a goal in the month of October including a 2-0 win over Dallas in Vancouver on October 4th. Dallas meanwhile has split its last six with 3 wins and 3 losses. Dallas has the more potent offense led by Blas Perez and Fabian Castillo, but Vancouver's defense anchored by Costa Rica's Kendall Waston and David Ousted, the league leader in shutouts, has been one of the league's best.

Players to Watch:

For Dallas: Blas Perez. The Panamanian striker led Dallas with 11 goals this season including both goals in Dallas's 2-1 win over Vancouver on September 13th and a third goal against Vancouver in a 2-2 draw in July. He also led the club with 6 assists.

For Vancouver: Mauro Rosales. Acquired in a midseason trade from Chivas USA, Rosales, has hit double digit assists in three of his four MLS seasons. Rosales assisted on both of Vancouver's goals in their win over Dallas on October 4th.

Prediction:

Vancouver 1 Dallas 0 - Vancouver has the momentum while Dallas has been inconsistent. Ousted makes it 5 shutouts in a row while the offense does just enough.

Sporting Kansas City at New York Red Bulls

The Defending Champs are on the ropes. Banged up and burned out, Sporting has won just three times in their last thirteen matches. They also got themselves knocked out of the Champions League last week, and they haven't beaten New York this year, most recently falling 2-0 on Sunday night. They have the star power and the experience, but New York has Bradley Wright-Phillips and a rested Thierry Henry.

Players to Watch:

For New York: Bradley Wright-Phillips scored 27 goals this season and scored at least one in all three matches against Sporting this year. With a banged up back line, stopping BWP doesn't sound promising.

For Sporting: Dom Dwyer came out of nowhere to finish second in MLS with 22 goals this year, but only one of those came against the Red Bulls. Dwyer is one of the few healthy bodies for Sporting right now, but he'll need help if his struggling club is going to defend their title

Prediction:

New York 3 Sporting KC 1 - All things being equal I think Sporting is the better team, but they've undergone a brutal stretch of games and I don't know that they're healthy enough to contend with BWP and Henry right now.

Monday, October 27, 2014

MLS Conference Realignment Coming

So if you didn't already hear, Chivas USA is going away after this season which means next year we'll have a 20 team league with the additions of Orlando City FC and New York FC. Here's what the new conference alignment looks like:

EAST

Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, DC United, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, New York City FC, Orlando City FC, Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC

WEST

Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City, LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

So in essence, the Western Conference traded away Chivas USA for Defending MLS Champs Sporting Kansas City, and the Houston Dynamo while the East adds expansion clubs New York City FC and Orlando City FC. So next year in the West, three of the following clubs won't make the postseason: Dallas, Houston, Sporting KC, LA, Portland, Real Salt Lake, Seattle and Vancouver. BRUTAL.

But hey, maybe Toronto will finally make the postseason!

ESPN Article on Chivas USA


Wambach Nets Four in U.S. Rout

The Legend of Abby Wambach continued this weekend as she scored four more goals and added an assist in the CONCACAF Women's Championship capping off a perfect tournament for the U.S. Women. Carli Lloyd added a goal and a pair of assists as the U.S. steamrolled overmatched Costa Rica 6-0.

For the tournament, the U.S. outscored their opponents 21-0 in five matches getting 7 goals from Wambach and 5 more from Lloyd who was named the tournament's best player. Seven other Americans scored at least one goal. Here are the match highlights:


Mexico defeated Trinidad and Tobago 4-2 in extra time behind a pair of late goals from Charlyn Corral to take third place in the tournament and clinch the region's final World Cup berth.

Weekly Recap

Pretty exciting final week of the season as we saw the Supporter's Shield decided not by American icons Clint Dempsey or Landon Donovan, nor by MVP candidates Obafemi Martins or Robbie Keane. Instead Guatemalan International Marco Pappa came off the bench to score two goals and secure the double for the Sounders. We also saw Italian veteran Marco Di Vaio cap off his career with one final goal, Bradley Wright-Phillips tie the league's single season scoring record with 2 goals against Sporting KC, Lee Nguyen add to his MVP campaign with his 18th goal of the season and 9th game winner, and yet another Toronto FC campaign end in disappointment. But the week's biggest disappointment has to belong to the Portland Timbers. Not only were they eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions League with a 3-1 loss to Olimpia, they also watched Vancouver get a late winner from Kendall "Elementary My Dear" Waston to clinch the final playoff spot for the Whitecaps leaving Portland on the outside looking in. For the rest of us though, there are playoffs to look forward to!

Fantasy Soccer - Week 33

59 points this week and a successful Top 10 finish. We'll try and do better next year...

GK - Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake - 7 pts
DEF - Akira Kaji - Chivas USA - 10 pts
DEF -  David Horst - Houston Dynamo - 3 pts
DEF - Lawrence Olum - Sporting KC - 2 pts
MID - Lee Nguyen - New England Revs (C) - 18 pts
MID - Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy - 2 pts
MID - Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy - 2 pts
MID - Fabian Castillo - FC Dallas - 1 pt
MID - Ethan Finlay - Columbus Crew - 3 pts
FWD - Felix Borja - Chivas USA - 9 pts
FWD - Dom Dwyer - Sporting KC - 2 pts

Top Scorers - Final 10/27/14

Top 10 Leading Scorers

1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 27


2. Dom Dwyer (England) - Sporting KC) - 22
3. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 19
4. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 18
5. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 17
6. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 16
7. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 15
7. Erick Torres (Mexico) - Chivas USA - 15
9. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 14
10. Joao Plata (Ecuador) - Real Salt Lake - 13

Top 10 Leading American Scorers

1. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 18
2. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 16
3. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 15
4. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 14
5. Ethan Finlay (USA) - Columbus Crew - 11
5. Luis Silva (USA) - DC United - 11
7. Landon Donovan (USA) - LA Galaxy - 10
7. Will Bruin (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 10
9. Lamar Neagle (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 9
10. Quincy Amarikwa (USA) - Chicago Fire - 8
10. Justin Meram (USA) - Columbus Crew - 8
10. Conor Casey (USA) - Philadelphia Union - 8
10. Jack McInerney (USA) - Montreal Impact - 8

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Herculez!

2010 World Cup veteran Herculez Gomez, the only player to win both the MLS Cup and the Mexican Premier League Championship, tallied another goal for Tigres giving them a 2-0 lead over rival Monterrey in their match last night. The lead wouldn't hold though as Monterrey rallied to end the match in a 2-2 tie. Gomez, now 32, is on loan from Tijuana - Greg Garza and Joe Corona's club. Here are the match highlights, if you want to see Gomez's goal, skip to the 2:00 mark.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Pappa No Stranger to Scoring Big Goals

With a pair of goals off the bench today, Guatemalan Marco Pappa ensured the Supporter's Shield would go to the Seattle Sounders. While a tie would've been enough to clinch it for Seattle, Pappa made sure there wouldn't be any doubt. If the name's familiar, you may remember his goal against the U.S. during World Cup Qualifying.


Americans in the UEFA Champions League

Another quiet round for the Americans as once again, only Sacha Kljestan dressed, and he wasn't called upon in Anderlecht's 2-1 loss to Arsenal.

David Yelldell - GK - Bayer Leverkusen - Yelldell took his typical back seat to Bernd Leno and Dario Kresic as Leverkusen defeated Zenit St Petersburg 2-0.

Sacha Kljestan - MF - Anderlecht - Kljestan dressed, but once again went unused, this time getting passed up in favor of Leander Dendoncker and Matías Suárez. Anderlecht squandered a 1-0 lead over Arsenal giving up goals in the 89th and 91st minutes to fall 2-1.

Joe Gyau - MF - Borussia Dortmund - Gyau injured his knee in the U.S.'s match against Ecuador on October 10th and is out until January. Dortmund won without him 4-0 over Galatasaray.

Friday, October 24, 2014

U.S. Women World Cup Bound

With a 3-0 win over rival Mexico, the U.S. Women have punched their ticket to the 2015 World Cup in Canada. Carli Lloyd led the offense with a pair of goals in the first half while Christen Press added an insurance goal in the second. The U.S. will now take on Costa Rica who edged Trinidad and Tobago in the other semifinal in penalties. The tournament final will be held on Sunday at PPL Park, the home of the Philadelphia Union.

Here's highlights of the goals:

CCL Goal Scorers

Here are your goal scorers at the end of Group Play in the Champions League by club. América leads all teams with 19 goals led by Martín Zúñiga's 5. Zúñiga is matched only by Saprissa's Ariel Rodríguez. Marco Di Vaio leads the MLS contingent with 4 goals for the Impact while DC United's Eddie Johnson is the only American in the tournament with more than one goal.

#1 DC United

Eddie Johnson (USA) - 2
Fabián Espíndola (Argentina) - 2
Conor Shanosky (USA) - 1
Chris Pontius (USA) - 1

#2 América

Martín Zúñiga (Mexico) - 5
Oribe Peralta (Mexico) - 3
Luis Gabriel Rey (Colombia) - 3

Emilio Sánchez (Mexico) - 2

Gil Burón (Mexico) - 2

Moisés Velasco (Mexico) - 1
Michael Arroyo (Ecuador) - 1
Ventura Alvarado (USA) - 1

Gonzalo Díaz (Argentina) - 1

CONCACAF Champions League - Match Day 6 - Round 1 Wrap-Up

The final eight spots are set with Olimpia, América, Alajuelense and Saprissa all clinching their groups. They'll join DC United, Pachuca, the Montreal Impact and Herediano in the quarterfinals. Costa Rica has the most teams advancing with three while Mexico has two, the U.S. and Canada each have one and Honduras has one. Here's the seeding and match-ups for the next round:

(1) DC United vs (8) Alajuelense
(2) America vs (7) Saprissa
(3) Herediano vs (6) Olimpia
(4) Montreal Impact vs (5) Pachuca

Here's a rundown of the final matches of the group stage:

TUESDAY

DC United 1 Tauro FC 0

A fluke header by Conor Shanosky, who hasn't played in a regular season game this year and has logged all of 5 appearances in 5 seasons with the club, helped DC United complete a sweep of Group 4 to clinch the top seed in the Champions League Quarterfinals. With the group already clinched, DC rested the majority of its starters with only defender Chris Korb, who came on late as a substitute tallying double digit regular season starts this year. Joe Willis made 3 saves in net to earn the shutout as DC ended up the only team in group play to win all four of their matches.


Jose Torres' Free Kick Goal Sends Tigres Through to Copa Mexico Semifinals

Jose Torres' left-footed free kick goal gave Tigres all they needed to knock off Toluca in the Copa Mexico Quarterfinals as they advanced on the strength of a 2-0 win. Torres, who turns 27 next week, was a member of the 2010 U.S. World Cup Squad and has appeared in 26 matches for the United States.


Thursday, October 23, 2014

She Kicks Like a Girl

And boom goes the dynamite! I know we posted this with the highlights yesterday, but this one deserves a second look. Hats off to Meghan Klingenberg. Not a bad way to score your first international goal.


Najar Scores Vs Arsenal

Former MLS Rookie of the Year Andy Najar nearly provided Anderlecht with a huge upset over Arsenal yesterday when his goal gave them a 1-0 lead in the 71st minute. But Arsenal would not be denied equalizing in the 89th minute and then stealing the match in the 91st. Najar spent three seasons with DC United before moving to Belgium to play alongside American Sacha Kljestan at Anderlecht.


 

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

U.S Women Clinch Group - Advance to Semifinals

Abby Wambach scored 2 more goals, while Carli Lloyd, Meghan Klingenberg, Christen Press and Morgan Brian all scored 1 as the U.S. routed Haiti 6-0 to finish a perfect 3-0 atop Group A in the first round of the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship. The U.S. now advances to the semifinals where they'll face Mexico on Friday. Costa Rica, the winner of Group B, will take on Trinidad & Tobago in the other semifinal match. Klingenberg's goal was the first of her international career. Lloyd and Press each added assists. Here are the highlights:

Top Scorers - 10/21/14

Top 10 Leading Scorers

1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 25
2. Dom Dwyer (England) - Sporting KC) - 22
3. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 19
4. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 17
4. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 17
6. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 16
7. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 15
7. Erick Torres (Mexico) - Chivas USA - 15
9. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 14
10. Joao Plata (Ecuador) - Real Salt Lake - 13

Top 10 Leading American Scorers

1. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 17
2. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 16
3. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 15
4. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 14
5. Ethan Finlay (USA) - Columbus Crew - 11
5. Luis Silva (USA) - DC United - 11
7. Landon Donovan (USA) - LA Galaxy - 10
7. Will Bruin (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 10
9. Lamar Neagle (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 9
10. Quincy Amarikwa (USA) - Chicago Fire - 8
10. Justin Meram (USA) - Columbus Crew - 8
10. Conor Casey (USA) - Philadelphia Union - 8
10. Jack McInerney (USA) - Montreal Impact - 8

Fantasy Soccer - Week 32

67 points this week, moving on up! Into 7th place out of 125 among the Round 30 guys.

GK - Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake - 9 pts
DEF - Heath Pearce - Montreal Impact - (-1) pts
DEF -  David Horst - Houston Dynamo - 3 pts
DEF - Lawrence Olum - Sporting KC - 1 pt
MID - Lee Nguyen - New England Revs (C) - 24 pts
MID - Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy - 2 pts
MID - Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy - 4 pts
MID - Fabian Castillo - FC Dallas - 3 pts
MID - Ethan Finlay - Columbus Crew - 14 pts
FWD - Joao Plata - Real Salt Lake - 1 pts
FWD - Dom Dwyer - Sporting KC - 7 pts

Weekly Recap

RESULTS

THURSDAY

New England 2 Houston 1

FRIDAY

Real Salt Lake 0 Portland 0

SATURDAY

Montreal 1 Toronto 1
FC Dallas 1 Colorado 0
Philadelphia 2 Sporting KC 1
DC United 2 Chicago 1
Vancouver 0 San Jose 0

SUNDAY

Columbus 3 New York 1
Seattle 2 Los Angeles 2

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Who is Greg Garza?

By request from one the blog's favorites, Superman Cory, here's a rundown on what you need to know about U.S. left back Greg Garza. Yes, he's not an MLS product, but if you're a loyal follower of the blog, we give you what you want.

Garza's a 23 year-old left back who plays in Mexico for Club Tijuana alongside fellow National Team hopefuls Joe Corona and Paul Arriola. He started his professional career in Portugal with Estoril, but made just four appearances for them before coming back to North America. He's seen his role with the Xolos increase in each of his four seasons entrenching himself as their starting left back. His performance south of the border has garnered some attention from Jurgen Klinsman and he's recorded his first three CAPs for the U.S. appearing in all three post-World Cup matches, while starting the two most recent ones. 

Saturday, October 18, 2014

U.S. Women Blast Guatemala 5-0

Another win for the U.S. women as they cruised to a 5-0 win over Guatemala and are now on the verge of advancing to the next round of the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship. Tobin Heath led the offense with a pair of goals while Carli Lloyd, Whitney Engen and Megan Rapinoe all chipped in with one apiece. The U.S. now needs just a draw in DC against Haiti on Monday to clinch the top spot in their group. Here are the highlights:




The U.S. women have now ripped off 5 straight wins and are unbeaten in their last 11 matches.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Highlights of USWNT vs Trinidad & Tobago

It wasn't convincing Wednesday night, but three points is three points. Abby Wambach's 171st career goal for the U.S. - let that number sink in for a while - was the difference in the match as the U.S. edged Trinidad & Tobago 1-0. Alex Morgan provided the assist by drawing keeper Kimika Forbes, who had been otherwise unbeatable, out of position giving Wambach the clear header. Here's the highlights.




The U.S. takes on Guatemala tonight as the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship continues.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

On a Silver Plata

Two goals for diminutive Ecuadorian striker Joao Plata on Monday vs El Salvador. These were the first two international goals for the 5'2" Plata who is in the midst of his best MLS season with 13 goals for Real Salt Lake. Ecuador won the match 5-1.




Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Fantasy Soccer - Week 31

65 points this week! Into 24th place out of 125 among the Round 30 guys.

GK - Stefan Frei - Seattle Sounders - 3 pts
DEF - Nick Hagglund - Toronto FC - 6 pts
DEF -  David Horst - Houston Dynamo - 13 pts
DEF - Lawrence Olum - Sporting KC - 7 pts
MID - Lee Nguyen - New England Revs - 8 pts
MID - Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy - 2 pts
MID - Brad Davis - Houston Dynamo (C) - 10 pts
MID - Lamar Neagle - Seattle Sounders - 3 pts
MID - Ethan Finlay - Columbus Crew - 7 pts
FWD - Quincy Amarikwa - Chicago Fire - 1 pt
FWD - Dom Dwyer - Sporting KC - 5 pts

Jozy's Back

It wasn't the result we were looking for, but great to see Jozy Altidore find the back of the net again. That makes 24 in his U.S. career which ties him for 5th all-time  with Joe-Max Moore.


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Top Scorers - 10/14/14

Top 10 Leading Scorers

1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 25
2. Dom Dwyer (England) - Sporting KC) - 21
3. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 19
4. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 17
5. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 16
6. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 15
6. Erick Torres (Mexico) - Chivas USA - 15
8. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 14
8. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 14
10. Joao Plata (Ecuador) - Real Salt Lake - 13

Top 10 Leading American Scorers

1. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 16
2. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 15
3. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 14
3. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 14
5. Luis Silva (USA) - DC United - 11
6. Landon Donovan (USA) - LA Galaxy - 10
6. Ethan Finlay (USA) - Columbus Crew - 10
6. Will Bruin (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 10
8. Lamar Neagle (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 8
8. Quincy Amarikwa (USA) - Chicago Fire - 8
8. Justin Meram (USA) - Columbus Crew - 8
8. Conor Casey (USA) - Philadelphia Union - 8
8. Jack McInerney (USA) - Montreal Impact - 8

Weekly Recap

We're a little behind this week, so here's the abbreviated recap:

RESULTS

WEDNESDAY

Houston 1 Toronto FC 0

Portland 3 San Jose 0

FRIDAY

Sporting KC 2 Chicago 0

Vancouver 1 Seattle 0

Monday, October 13, 2014

Iceland Stuns Netherlands



So generally we focus on MLS or the U.S. Men's National Team, but when a team like Iceland, who has never made it to a World Cup or European Championship, stuns a team like the Netherlands, it warrants some commentary.

 

Cubo Torres Gets His First Goal for Mexico

Everything coming up Chivas USA right now. In the past week, Chivas USA defeated Real Salt Lake 1-0, Colorado 2-1, and now Erick "Cubo" Torres has scored his first goal for Mexico's Senior National Team, a game winner against Panama. Almost makes you forget the fact that between July 12th and October 5th, they went 0-11-1 during a 12 game stretch and were shutout 9 times.


Sunday, October 12, 2014

The 20-Assist Club

Landon Donovan currently sits at 19 assists with 3 games left in the regular season. One more would give him 20 (trust me, I went to MIT). Just how big of a deal is that? Well in the league's history it's happened exactly once, way back in 2000. Some guy named Carlos Valderrama playing for a team that doesn't exist any more. Donovan hasn't gone 3 games without an assist since July. Valderrama had a league record 26 assists for the Tampa Bay Mutiny during the 2000 season.


Saborio, Keane Pace MLS in Busy Week of International Duty

Lots of MLSers in action this week for International duty, and a few even found the back of the net. Here's some highlights:


 

Álvaro Saborío (Real Salt Lake) gave Costa Rica an early 1-0 lead over Oman with a headed goal off of a corner kick. For Saborío, it was the 33rd time he'd scored for Costa Rica, good for the 3rd most all time. He's also the sixth most capped player for the Costa Ricans with 94 career appearances.




Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy) set a EURO tournament record with the fastest hat trick in tournament history when he scored his third goal against Gibraltar in the 18th minute. He also became the all-time leader in goals during Euro Qualifying as he increased his tally up to 21 for his native Ireland. Ireland won the match 7-0.


Saturday, October 11, 2014

David Villa Scores in Australia

Spanish International and New York City FC Striker David Villa kicked off his loan with Melbourne City FC of the Australian A League by netting an equalizer against Sydney FC. Villa, who didn't start, was on the field only about 15 minutes before scoring. In addition to Villa, Melbourne City also has former English Premier Leaguer Damien Duff.


Friday, October 10, 2014

Diskerud's Goal vs Ecuador



Landon Donovan with the assist to the assist to the assist. Count it!

After the World Cup - Goalkeepers

So I thought it'd be interesting to see how the U.S. roster is performing post-Brazil. Let's start with the goalies:

Tim Howard - Everton - Howard continues to be Everton's starting keeper appearing in 10 games between the Premier League, Carling Cup and Europa League. He has just one shutout (against West Bromwich), and Everton has won just twice. His most impressive performance came during one of those wins when he made 12 saves against VfL Wolfsburg (Germany) in a 4-1 Europa League win. The Toffees currently lead Group H of the Europa League by 2 points.

Brad Guzan - Aston Villa - Guzan has started all seven of Villa's Premier League matches and has them in 10th place with a record of 3-3-1. Villa is actually in the midst of a 3-game losing streak after picking up 10 points in their first four matches. While Guzan has conceded 8 goals to powerhouses Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City, it hasn't all been on him as his club has been held scoreless each match. Guzan has three shutouts already this season against Stoke City, Newcastle and Liverpool. He also started the USA's 1-0 win over the Czech Republic making one save in the opening 45 minutes.

Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake - Rimando has started 14 of a possible 15 games for RSL posting a record of 7-4-3 with a pair of shutouts, the second of which came against DC United and broke Kevin Hartman's all-time record of 112. Rimando also started the MLS All-Star game against Bayern Munich and spelled Guzan in the win over the Czech Republic.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

10 MVP Candidates

With the 2014 regular season winding down, let's take a look at 10 players who could make a case for the league MVP in no particular order:

1) Robbie Keane - Striker - LA Galaxy - Keane is third in the league in scoring, but the two players with more goals than he has have combined for 12 fewer assists. Keane has been a part of 33 goals in 28 games meaning he's accounted for half of LA's goals this season. More importantly, he has 5 game winning goals, and 6 game winning assists, meaning he's directly contributed to 11 of LA's 17 wins. Now 34, Keane is in the midst of his best season, and has the Galaxy on the brink of a Supporter's Shield.

2) Landon Donovan - Midfielder - LA Galaxy - Perhaps the sentimental favorite as Donovan enters the twilight of his professional career, Captain America is enjoying one of his most productive seasons. Donovan became the league's all-time leading scorer with 144 goals and distributor with 136 assists this year surpassing Jeff Cunningham and Steve Ralston respectively. His 19 assists are a career high and he's been at his best during LA's current 10-game unbeaten streak scoring 6 and assisting on 12 while LA is 8-0-2.

3) Obafemi Martins - Striker - Seattle Sounders - The Nigerian born striker leads Seattle in goals (17) and assists (10) as he has paired nicely with Clint Dempsey while propelling Seattle to a league-high 19 wins. Martins has been especially hot lately scoring 9 times in Seattle's last 8 games including four 2-goal games.

Vote for Tesho

This is awesome. And in case you're wondering, that's 3-year starter Matt Hedges co-starring in the video clips.



Monday, October 6, 2014

Fantasy Soccer - Week 30

So, I got my feet wet with the Fantasy Soccer thing this past week. Finished with 60 points, good for 46th among the 125 players who joined this round on mlssoccer.com. Not great, but not horrible. And hey, overall I'm in 31,789th place. Nowhere to go but up! Here's a look at my roster:

STARTERS (60)

GK - Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake - 9 pts
DEF - Nick Hagglund - Toronto FC - 3 pts
DEF - Zach Loyd - FC Dallas - 2 pts
DEF - Lawrence Olum - Sporting KC - 7 pts
DEF - Heath Pearce - Chivas USA - 8 pts
MID - Landon Donovan (C) - LA Galaxy - 14 pts
MID - Lee Nguyen - New England Revs - 6 pts
MID - Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy - 3 pts
FWD - Quincy Amarikwa - Chicago Fire - 5 pts
FWD - Dom Dwyer - Sporting KC - 1 pt
FWD - Joao Plata - Real Salt Lake - 2 pts

Miguel Ibarra - What You Need to Know

Today Miguel Ibarra, a midfielder with Minnesota United of the North American Soccer League (NASL), became the first lower division player to be added to the U.S. National Team camp since 2005. For a lot of folks, this comes as quite a surprise given the plethora of talent we have scattered across North America and Europe. But Jurgen Klinsmann, who brought Stanford striker Jordan Morris to the Czech Republic for the U.S.'s most recent friendly, doesn't appear to be limiting his search for the best combination of players. So, what do you need to know about Miguel Ibarra? Here are the highlights:

*Ibarra played collegiately for Taft Community College in 2008 and 2009 before transferring to UC-Irvine for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Ibarra won the Co-Offensive Player of the year for the Big West Conference in 2011 in addition to being named first team All Conference.

*Ibarra was actually drafted into MLS as the 27th overall pick in the 2012 SuperDraft by the Portland Timbers. Portland opted to pass on him though and he signed with Minnesota in March of 2012. Of the players drafted after him, only Philadelphia backup striker Antoine Hoppenot could be considered to have had any significant success in MLS (7 goals in 67 matches).

*As a rookie in 2012, Ibarra helped lead Minnesota to the Soccer Bowl where they fell in a shootout to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. He followed that up in 2013 with a Best XI performance, and now in 2014, has broken out with career highs in goals (8) and assists (5) in 21 matches. Minnesota clinched the 2014 NASL Spring Season title, and hold a 4 point lead atop the table in the Fall Season. Minnesota is in the midst of a 4-game winning streak during which Ibarra has scored 4 goals.

*Ibarra has already received some buzz in the MLS with speculation that expansion clubs Orlando City and New York City FC will try to acquire him before the start of next season.


Sunday, October 5, 2014

MLS All-Time Assist Leaders

With an assist an Robbie Keane's second goal of the night on Saturday, Landon Donovan moved ahead of Steve Ralston and into sole possession of first place on the all-time assist list for MLS. Here's a look at your top 10 with active players in bold:

1) Landon Donovan (2001-2014) - 136 assists in 331 games
2) Steve Ralston (1996-2010) - 135 assists in 378 games
3) Carlos Valderrama (1996-2002) - 114 assists in 175 games
4) Predrag "Preki" Radosavljevic (1996-2005) - 112 assists in 242 games
5) Brad Davis (2002-2014) - 111 assists in 334 games
6) Jaime Moreno (1996-2010) - 102 assists in 340 games
7) Marco Etcheverry (1996-2003) - 101 assists in 191 games
8) Cobi Jones (1996-2007) - 91 assists in 306 games
9) Any Williams (1998-2011) - 86 assists in 332 games
10) Chris Henderson (1996-2006) - 80 assists in 317 games
10) Mauricio Cienfuegos (1996-2003) - 80 assists in 206 games

Your next five active assist leaders are:

12) Dwayne De Rosario (2001-2014) - 77 assists in 340 games
19) Justin Mapp (2002-2014) - 65 assists in 297 games
19) Javier Morales (2007-2014) - 65 assists in 183 games
22) Brian Mullan (2001-2014) - 58 assists in 323 games
31) Kyle Beckerman (2000-2014) - 46 assists in 350 games

Another Record for Donovan As Galaxy Win Again - MLS Weekly Recap

THURSDAY

Chicago 1 Philadelphia 1

The Fire set an MLS record with their 17th draw of the season with a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer against the Philadelphia Union. Amobi Okugo's 88th minute goal seemed a sure bet to send the Philadelphia faithful home happy, but Robert Earnshaw had other plans. The Fire's super-sub capitalized on a turnover by Philadelphia keeper Rais Mbolhi to set a new MLS record for parity. Earnshaw now has 3 goals in just 174 minutes of playing time.

FRIDAY

DC United 0 Sporting Kansas City 0

United clinched a playoff berth, becoming the first Eastern Conference club to do so this season, thanks to another shutout from Bill Hamid. Hamid has now posted back-to-back clean sheets, and five in his last eight matches. Unfortunately for DC, he was matched by Sporting's Andy Gruenebaum who made a season-high seven saves in posting his second consecutive shutout as well.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Americans in the UEFA Champion's League

Quiet round for the Americans as of the now three players on Champions League rosters, only Sacha Kljestan dressed, and he wasn't called upon in Anderlecht's 3-0 loss to Joe Gyau's Borussia Dortmund.

David Yelldell - GK - Bayer Leverkusen - Yelldell again took a back seat to Leno and Kresic as Leverkusen defeated Benfica 3-1. Yelldell hasn't appeared in a competitive match since July of 2011 when he conceded 4 goals to Dynamo Dresden in a 4-3 loss in the German Cup (DFB-Pokal). He last dressed in May for a league match against Bremen.

Sacha Kljestan - MF - Anderlecht - Kljestan dressed, but was passed up in favor of strikers Frank Acheampong (Ghana, Age 20), Gohi Bi Zoro Cyriac (Ivory Coast, Age 24) and Nathan Kabasele (Belgium, Age 20).

Joe Gyau - MF - Borussia Dortmund - The 22 year-old Gyau dressed for four Bundesliga matches in September making his debut as a substitute in the 73rd minute on the 24th against Stuttgart. He has yet to dress for a Champions League match.

MLS Players Who Have Scored in a World Cup Game

There are currently eight active players in MLS who have scored in a World Cup match. The league will add to that list next year when David Villa and Kaká join with expansion clubs New York City and Orlando. Frank Lampard will join the league next year as well, but his goal against Germany didn't count thanks to some quality officiating. Here's a rundown of the goal scorers and some of their goals.

The Americans

Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy/USA 2010, 2002 (5)
-06/14/2002 vs Poland
-06/17/2002 vs Mexico
-06/18/2010 vs Slovenia
-06/23/2010 vs Algeria
-06/26/2010 vs Ghana

 



Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders/USA 2014, 2010, 2006 (4)
-06/22/2006 vs Ghana
-06/12/2010 vs England
-06/16/2014 vs Ghana
-06/22/2014 vs Portugal




Michael Bradley, Toronto FC/USA 2010 (1)
-06/18/2010 vs Slovenia

 



Jermaine Jones, New England Revolution/USA 2014 (1)
-06/22/2014 vs Portugal




The Europeans

Thierry Henry, New York Red Bulls/France - 2006, 1998 (6)
-06/12/1998 vs South Africa
-06/18/1998 vs Saudi Arabia (2)
-06/18/2006 vs South Korea
-06/23/2006 vs Togo
-07/01/2006 vs Brazil

 



Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy/Ireland - 2002 (3)
-06/05/2002 vs Germany
-06/11/2002 vs Saudi Arabia
-06/16/2002 vs Spain



Jermain Defoe, Toronto FC/England 2010 (1)
-06/23/2010 vs Slovenia

 



The Aussie

Tim Cahill, New York Red Bulls/Australia 2014, 2010, 2006 (4)
-06/12/2006 vs Japan (2)
-06/23/2010 vs Serbia
-06/13/2014 vs Chile
-06/18/2014 vs Netherlands

 



The Future

David Villa, New York City FC/Spain 2014, 2010, 2006 (9)
-06/13/2006 vs Ukraine (2)
-06/27/2006 vs France
-06/21/2010 vs Honduras (2)
-06/25/2010 vs Chile
-06/29/2010 vs Portugal
-07/03/2010 vs Paraguay
-06/23/2014 vs Australia




Kaká, Orlando City/Brazil 2006 (1)
-06/13/2006 vs Croatia





Frank Lampard, New York City FC/England - 2010 (0?)

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Top Scorers - 9/30/14

Top 10 Leading Scorers

1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 24
2. Dom Dwyer (England) - Sporting KC) - 20
3. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 17
4. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 16
5. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 15
5. Erick Torres (Mexico) - Chivas USA - 14
7. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 13
7. Joao Plata (Ecuador) - Real Salt Lake - 13
7. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 13
7. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 13

Top 10 Leading American Scorers

1. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 16
2. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 13
2. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 13
2. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 13
5. Luis Silva (USA) - DC United - 11
6. Landon Donovan (USA) - LA Galaxy - 10
6. Will Bruin (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 10
8. Lamar Neagle (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 8
8. Ethan Finlay (USA) - Columbus Crew - 8
8. Quincy Amarikwa (USA) - Chicago Fire - 8
8. Conor Casey (USA) - Philadelphia Union - 8
8. Jack McInerney (USA) - Montreal Impact - 8

Monday, September 29, 2014

Donovan Ties Ralston's Record - MLS Weekly Recap

WEDNESDAY

FC DALLAS 3 SEATTLE 1

David Texeira, making just his 5th start of the year, and first since May, scored twice to propel Dallas to a big 3-1 win over the Seattle Sounders. Texeira scored in the match's opening 10 minutes, but Seattle eventually equalized through a long-range blast by Lamar Neagle. Texeira then put Dallas up for good in the 78th minute and Blas Perez added an insurance goal for Dallas in the closing minutes to put the game out of reach. Prior to Wednesday, Texeira hadn't scored a goal since April. Andres Escobar assisted on both of Texeira's goals. 

FRIDAY

NEW ENGLAND 3 SPORTING KC 2

This whole Jermaine Jones to MLS venture is really paying off for the Revs. After New England blew a 2 goal lead in a 3 minute span in the second half, Jones rescued them with a long range strike that found the back of the net and propelled the Revs to yet another win. Since his signing, the Revs have won 5 of 6 games with Jones contributing a goal and three assists. New England is now in second place in the Eastern Conference. Dom Dwyer added his 20th goal of the season in a losing effort for Sporting.

Martins, Morales, Donovan Reach Milestone

This weekend, Seattle's Obafemi Martins, Vancouver's Pedro Morales and LA's Landon Donovan all reached double digit goals and assists on the year making them just the 2nd, 3rd and 4th players to reach the milestone this season (Robbie Keane was the first). This milestone has been a surprisingly hard one to reach over the years with only 28 individuals reaching it since the league's inception in 1996. For Donovan and Keane, it marks the second time in their careers with Keane accomplishing the feat last year and Donovan doing it way back in 2005. Preki and Jaime Moreno are the only players in league history to accomplish the feat more than twice, both of them doing in 4 times. What makes this year even more unique is that it marks only the second time in the league's history that more than three players accomplished the feat in the same season. You have to go all the way back to 1998 to find the only other instance of this happening. Here's a list of all the players in MLS history to notch at least 10 goals and 10 helpers in a single season.

2014

Robbie Keane - LA Galaxy - 17 Goals, 14 Assists
Obafemi Martins - Seattle Sounders - 15 Goals, 10 Assists
Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy - 10 Goals, 18 Assists
Pedro Morales - Vancouver Whitecaps - 10 Goals, 10 Assists

2013

Diego Valeri - Portland Timbers - 10 Goals, 13 Assists
Robbie Keane - LA Galaxy - 16 Goals, 11 Assists

2012

Thierry Henry - New York Red Bulls - 15 Goals, 12 Assists

Friday, September 26, 2014

CONCACAF Champions League Match Day 5 Results

Big week in the Champions League as 4 of 8 group winners were decided following the results of this  week's matches. Pachuca, Montreal, DC United and Herediano all clinched berths to the quarterfinals while big clubs León and the New York Red Bulls were eliminated from the competition. Here's a rundown of all the week's matches.

TUESDAY

Sporting KC 3 Real Estelí 0

Claudio Bieler scored a pair of goals and Sal Zizzo scored one as Sporting turned in a dominant performance at home to defeat Real Estelí 3-0. Sporting dominated possession holding the ball for nearly 2/3 of the match while outshooting their opponents 17-7. Eric Kronberg made 3 saves to earn the shutout. With the win, Sporting pulls three points ahead of idle Saprissa with next month's showdown in Costa Rica all that remains on the schedule. Sporting defeated Saprissa 3-1 behind a pair of Toni Dovale goals last week.

Portland Timbers 6 Alpha United 0

The Timbers improved to 3-0-0 in the tournament with a decisive 6-0 win over Alpha United. Alpha United finish the tournament with 4 losses and were outscored in their group 17-1. Portland got goals from Jack Jewsbury, Gaston Fernandez, Michael Nanchoff, Fanendo Adi and a pair from defender Norberto Paparatto. Portland has a 3-point lead over Olimpia who they'll face in Honduras next month. When the two sides met in Portland last week, the Timbers upended them 4-2 behind a pair of Maximiliano Urruti goals. Ten different Timbers have accounted for Portland's fourteen goals through their first three matches.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Best Names in MLS

10 More Reasons to Love Major League Soccer:

1. Hunter Jumper (Chicago Fire, Defender). With a name like that, how could he not be destined for greatness?

2. Mamadou "Futty" Danso (Montreal Impact - Defender). The guy is pretty good with his heady too.



3. Dilaver "Dilly" Duka (Montreal Impact - Midfielder). Anyone else know his given name was Dilaver? My money was on Dilbert. Or Dilligan.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Top Scorers - 9/23/14

Top 10 Leading Scorers

1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 24

 

2. Dom Dwyer (England) - Sporting Kansas City - 19
3. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 15
3. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 15
5. Erick Torres (Mexico) - Chivas USA - 14
6. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 13
6. Joao Plata (Ecuador) - Real Salt Lake - 13
6. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 13
6. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 13
10. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 12
10. Sebastien Le Toux (France) - Philadelphia Union - 12

MLS Weekly Recap

FRIDAY

Real Salt Lake 5 Colorado 1

RSL made it a sweep of the Rapids this year overcoming an early 1-0 deficit to rout their rivals 5-1. Joao Plata scored his 13th goal to tie the match, and Javier Morales, Chris Schuler and Carlos Salcedo all added goals of their own. Designated Player Sebastián Jaime made his first start for RSL logging 70 minutes up top. Jaime, who is from Argentina, spent the last few years playing in Chile for Unión Española for whom he scored 44 times in 123 games.

SATURDAY

Portland 3 Vancouver 0

Diego Valeri scored a brilliant goal early and Fanendo Adi scored twice in a 5-minute stretch during the second half as Portland shut out Vancouver 3-0. Vancouver entered play holding a one point advantage for the 5th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but Portland was the better team in Oregon on Saturday and with the win they vault over the Caps and into 5th place. Adi now has 8 goals in this, his first MLS season. Donovan Ricketts made 4 saves to earn his 4th shutout.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Searching for the Next Great American Striker

The last two World Cups the MLS has seen Edson Buddle and Chris Wondolowski sneak onto the U.S. roster and actually see the field in big games. While I wouldn't go as far as to say that either one was the solution to our offensive woes up top, the fact remains that MLS is a viable option for the U.S. National Team when it comes to strikers. So as we begin the cycle for the 2018 World Cup, let's take a look at 5 players in MLS who could conceivably work themselves into the conversation:

1) Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy - Age 23

Zardes just turned 23 this month, but he leads all American born players in MLS with 15 goals this season. Zardes has 3 2-goal games this year, enjoyed a stretch where he scored in 4 straight games in July and August, and recently had a stretch of three games where he scored 5 times. His emergence as an offensive weapon alongside Robbie Keane is a big reason the Galaxy have gone 7 straight matches without a loss.


Friday, September 19, 2014

CONCACAF Champions League Match Day 4 Results

Eight more matches in the books with big wins for MLS as DC United, Portland, Montreal and Sporting KC were all victorious. All four clubs now find themselves in the driver's seat of their respective groups meaning it's highly likely that MLS will have four teams in the Round of 8. In other action, América dropped a dime against Puerto Rico Bayamón while Luis Gabriel Rey, Martín Zúñiga and Marvin Ávila all notched hat tricks in their respective matches. Two match days remain in this round of the tournament. 

TUESDAY

DC United 2 Waterhouse 1

DC United needs just one point in their next two matches against Tauro FC to clinch a place in the next round of the Champions League. Fabián Espíndola scored twice, the first on a brilliant individual effort that saw him split three defenders and deftly loft a shot over the outstretched hands of Richard McCallum, and the second a header off a cross from Ghanaian defender Samuel Inkoom, as United defeated Jamaica's Waterhouse FC in Kingston, 2-1. Things got exciting late as DC's Taylor Kemp was sent off in the 70th minute, and Hughan Gray converted the ensuing free kick. But Bill Hamid and the United defense would hold from there though as the U.S. keeper made 6 saves to preserve the victory. DC will host Tauro FC next Wednesday.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Americans in the UEFA Champions League

Only two Americans are on active rosters for the 32 remaining clubs playing in the UEFA Champions League this year. Here's a rundown of how they fared on Match Day 1.

David Yelldell - GK - Bayer Leverkusen - The 32 year-old Yelldell is currently the 3rd string keeper behind Bernd Leno, the youngest GK to play in a Champions League match, and Dario Kresic, a former youth national team keeper in Croatia. A lot's going to have to happen before Yelldell makes an impact for Bayer Leverkusen who he's yet to play for in a league match despite signing with the club back in 2011.

Sacha Kljestan - MF - Anderlecht - Kljestan is in his 5th season with Belgian powerhouse Anderlecht setting a professional career high with 8 goals in league play last year. He scored in the Group Stage of the Champions League in 2013 against Olympiacos (Greece), in the Third Qualifying Round of the Champions League in 2012 against Ekranas (Lithuania), in the Group Stage of the Europa League in 2011 against Lokomotiv Moscow, and in the Third Qualifying Round of the Champions League in 2010 against The New Saints (Wales) in 2010. Kljestan came into the match against Galatasaray Tuesday in the 66th minute up 1-0, but Anderlecht couldn't hang on to the lead yielding a late equalizer to Burak Yilmaz.

Cooper Top Scorer in 2014 U.S. Open Cup

Despite not playing in the U.S. Open Cup Final, Kenny Cooper won the 2014 U.S. Open Cup Golden Boot with 6 goals, 2 more than the next closest goal scorer. Cooper scored twice in the 4th Round against PSA Elite, once in the 5th Round against San Jose, once in the quarterfinals against the Portland Timbers, and twice in the semifinals against the Chicago Fire. With 13 career U.S. Open Cup goals, Cooper is tied for second in the modern era behind only Philadelphia's Sébastien Le Toux who has 14. Other MLS players who finished in the Top 10 in scoring in this year's tournament are:

Fabián Castillo (Colombia) - FC Dallas - 4 Goals
Gastón Fernández (Argentina) - Portland Timbers - 4 Goals
Deshorn Brown (Jamaica) - Colorado Rapids - 3 Goals
Blas Pérez (Panama) - FC Dallas - 3 Goals
Sébastien Le Toux (France) - Philadelphia Union - 3 Goals

Sounders Win 2014 U.S. Open Cup

For the fourth time in six years, the Seattle Sounders are the U.S. Open Cup Champions. This one certainly didn't come easy though. Maurice Edu headed in a free kick in the first half to give Philadelphia an early 1-0 lead, and while Seattle had plenty of opportunities it took a failed clearance to set up their first goal, a header from Chad Barrett. Then Seattle's depth was put on display as Obafemi Martins, in the Top 10 in MLS for both goals and assists this season, Marco Pappa, the winner of the Top Scorer and Best Player Awards at the 2014 Copa Centroamericana and Gonzalo Pineda,  a starter on Mexico's 2006 World Cup squad, all came off the bench for them in the second half. With the score still tied at 1, the match headed into extra time and Martins set up Clint Dempsey's game winner and added an insurance goal of his own to leave no doubt in the match's outcome. With the win, Seattle becomes the first club to clinch a berth in the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champion's League.

 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Top Scorers - 9/16/14

Top 10 Leading Scorers

1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 21
2. Dom Dwyer (England) - Sporting Kansas City - 19
3. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 15
4. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 14
4. Erick Torres (Mexico) - Chivas USA - 14
6. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 13
6. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 13
6. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 13
9. Sebastien Le Toux (France) - Philadelphia Union - 12
9. Joao Plata (Ecuador) - Real Salt Lake - 12

Brek Shea to Birmingham City - MLS Weekly Recap

SHEA OFF TO SOLID START FOR BIRMINGHAM CITY

It wasn't a win, but Brek Shea delivered an assist in his first start for Birmingham City in what ended as a 1-1 draw against Leeds United. Birmingham has just 5 goals in their first 6 league matches and sit in 20th place entering play this afternoon. Shea played 67 minutes and left with his club up 1-0. Fellow American Jonathan Spector saw action as a substitute entering the match in the 79th minute.

MONTREAL 2 LA GALAXY 2

Landon Donovan recorded yet another assist as the Galaxy rallied from a 2-0 deficit to draw with the grieving Impact, 2-2. Montreal defender Karl Ouimette lost his sister to cancer last week, and his club rallied around him early putting themselves in a position to pull off an improbable victory. Marco Di Vaio opened the scoring with his sixth goal of the season while fellow designated player Ignacio Piatti added a second. Piatti now has 4 goals and an assist in his last 3 games. Dilly Duka assisted on both Impact goals. But Gyasi Zardes' 15th goal of the season brought the Galaxy within one and Robbie Keane and Donovan set up Alan Gordon to tie the match just 5 minutes later and that's the way it would end. The 23 year-old Zardes has 5 goals in his last 3 games.

NEW YORK 1 DC UNITED 0

Bill Hamid made 5 saves and nearly bought a point for 10-man United, but England's Lloyd Sam scored in the 90th minute to give New York back-to-back wins for the first time since April. Thierry Henry picked up his 12th assist on the year on the game winner tying a career high for him since coming to MLS in 2010. Henry had 15 goals and 12 assists in 2012.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Top Scorers and Standings

Top 10 Leading Scorers

1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 21
2. Dom Dwyer (England) - Sporting Kansas City - 18
3. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 14
3. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 14
3. Erick Torres (Mexico) - Chivas USA - 14
6. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 12
6. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 12
6. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 12
9. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 11
9. Sebastien Le Toux (France) - Philadelphia Union - 11
9. Joao Plata (Ecuador) - Real Salt Lake - 11
9. Jermain Defoe (England) - Toronto FC - 11

USA Wins, Sporting Struggles - Weekly Recap

USA 1 Czech Republic 0

Playing with a largely non-MLS roster, the U.S. began the road to World Cup 2018 with a 1-0 friendly win over the Czech Republic. Alejandro Bedoya scored off a rebound of an effort by Mix Diskerud for the only goal of the match as Brad Guzan and Nick Rimando, the only MLS player on the roster, combined for the shutout.

Philadelphia 1 Toronto FC 0

33 year-old Conor Casey scored the only goal of the match as the Union won their second match in a row defeating Toronto FC 1-0. Joe Bendik made 6 saves in a losing effort for Toronto who lost defender Ashtone Morgan to a red card in the 77th minute. Zac MacMath made 3 saves to earn his 4th shutout, and the 27th in his 4 year career despite being just 23 years old.

New England 3 Sporting KC 1

Sporting lost for the third straight match, conceding three goals each time, as they fell to Jermaine Jones and the Revolution 3-1. Making his first start, Jones' errant header resulted in a Sonny Saad goal to put Sporting up early, but Jones redeemed himself with an assist on Teal Bunbury's equalizer. Then it was the Lee Nguyen show as the club's leading scorer struck twice in the second half to propel New England to a big home win.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Top Scorers and Standings - 9/1/14

Top 10 Leading Scorers

1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 20
2. Dom Dwyer (England) - Sporting Kansas City - 17
3. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 14
3. Erick Torres (Mexico) - Chivas USA - 14
5. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 12
6. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 11
6. Joao Plata (Ecuador) - Real Salt Lake - 11
6. Sebastien Le Toux (France) - Philadelphia Union - 11
6. Jermain Defoe (England) - Toronto FC - 11
10. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 10
10. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 10
10. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 10
10. Will Bruin (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 10

Guardians of the Galaxy - MLS Weekly Recap

The Galaxy continued their surge as they snatched 6 points in matches against DC United and Chivas USA outscoring their opponents 7-1 and getting goals from six different players. Landon Donovan finished with a goal and four assists and suddenly the Galaxy find themselves just 2 points behind Seattle on the verge of pulling ahead into first place in the Western Conference. Here's a rundown of all the week's matches.

Los Angeles 4 DC United 1

Landon Donovan and company continued their surge scoring 3 times in the first half against the previously red hot DC United, cruising to a 4-1 win. Even with their leading scorer Robbie Keane unavailable, Landon Donovan continued his solid form delivering an insurance goal and a pair of assists while Alan Gordon, Omar Gonzalez and Baggio Husidic all chipped in with goals as well. Gonzalez's goal was his third this season, a career high, in just 13 matches.

Friday, August 29, 2014

CONCACAF Champions League - Match Day 3 Results

Eight more matches in the books including the Red Bulls tournament debut. Hat tricks were the trend as Ariel Rodríguez (Saprissa), Darío Carreño (Pachuca), and Fredickson Elvir (Olimpia) all found the back of the net three times in their respective matches. Here's a quick rundown of all the Round 3 tilts.

TUESDAY

New York Red Bulls 2 CD FAS 0

CD FAS officially became the first team eliminated from the competition as they dropped their third straight to an MLS club, this time 2-0 to the New York Red Bulls. Playing without Bradley Wright-Phillips and Thierry Henry, the Red Bulls were still able to generate enough offense getting goals from Frenchman Saër Sène just two weeks after his trade from New England, and English midfielder Lloyd Sam. Deposed starter Ryan Meara made three saves to earn the shutout.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Roster Announced for USA - Czech Republic on September 3rd


Here's the roster for the USA's upcoming match against the Czech Republic. It's got some new faces on there including players who have yet to appear in a match for the U.S. Senior Men's National Team, as well as some familiar faces for U.S. Soccer Fans. Of the 21 players on the roster, 17 are based out of Europe, 3 play in Mexico, 1 is still in college and just 1, goalkeeper Nick Rimando, is active in MLS. That said, there are several MLS veterans on the team (highlighted in yellow): Guzan (Chivas USA), Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Orozco (Philadelphia Union), Ream (New York Red Bulls), Shea (FC Dallas) and Altidore (New York Red Bulls). It will be interesting to see who gets used up front alongside Altidore as the four other strikers on the roster have an average age under 20 and collectively have 1 CAP between them. Even if you count Julian Green among the strikers, you still only have four total appearances. Less than a week until matchday, I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Top Scorers and Standings - 8/27/14

Top 10 Leading Scorers

1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 20
2. Dom Dwyer (England) - Sporting Kansas City - 16
3. Erick Torres (Mexico) - Chivas USA - 14
4. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 13
5. Joao Plata (Ecuador) - Real Salt Lake - 11
5. Sebastien Le Toux (France) - Philadelphia Union - 11
5. Jermain Defoe (England) - Toronto FC - 11
8. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 10
8. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 10
8. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 10
8. Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 10

Sunday, August 24, 2014

This Week's CONCACAF Champion's League Schedule

The third round of Champions League matches kicks off on Tuesday with eight more matches on the calendar. Just one MLS team in play this week as the Red Bulls take the field for the first time in this year's tournament on Tuesday. They face an early 6 point hole after the Montreal Impact twice defeated CD FAS in the first two rounds. Here's a rundown of all of the week's matches:

AUG 26

Saprissa (Costa Rica) vs Real Estelí (Nicaragua) - The first time these two teams met, Saprissa needed a second half equalizer to salvage a draw. Real Estelí now takes to the road after taking a point from each of their first two home matches giving them an early lead in Group 2.

New York Red Bulls vs CD FAS (El Salvador) - The Impact dealt CD FAS a pair of one goal losses to start the tournament making this essentially a make-or-break game for both clubs. New York is the last of the 24 teams to take the field, and they'll do so with home field advantage.

Comunicaciones (Guatemala) vs América (Mexico) - The tournament's two top scoring teams will do battle in Guatemala City in a match that will go a long way in determining the outcome of Group 8. With Bayamón (Puerto Rico) clearly out of their league getting outscored 11-1 through two matches, it's no doubt that one of these two teams will advance. Comunicaciones' striker Rolando Blackburn is tied with Montreal's Marco Di Vaio with a tournament-best 3 goals.

The Wild, Wild West - MLS Weekly Recap

Quite a race out west as Dallas, Seattle and Real Salt Lake all found themselves deadlocked atop the powerful conference following Dallas's win over Real Salt Lake on Friday night. While Seattle pulled back in front after their win in Portland on Sunday night, Sporting Kansas City wasn't so lucky over in the East as they lost big to DC United and fell behind them into second place. Meanwhile, Landon Donovan found the back of the net twice this week with a pair of game winners as the Galaxy slowly creep back into contention. In other news, Jermaine Jones is finally coming to MLS having inked a deal with the New England Revolution as the Revs make their playoff push. Jones is just the latest current or former U.S. National Teamer to sign an MLS contract in the past year joining Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu. Here's a look at the entire week in MLS:

LA Galaxy 4 Colorado 3

Landon Donovan and company rallied from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 to pull off an improbable victory over the struggling Colorado Rapids. Omar Gonzalez, substitute Alan Gordon and Donovan all scored in the second half for the Galaxy while Robbie Keane, who assisted on Donovan's game winner, scored his 13th goal of the year in the first. Former U.S. National teamer Edson Buddle scored his 100th career MLS goal in a losing effort. Buddle had been sitting at 99 goals since early April.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

CONCACAF Champions League - Match Day 2 Results

Eight more matches in the books with every MLS side in the tourney with the exception of the New York Red Bulls in action. Here's a look at this week's results highlighted by wins by Portland, DC United and the Montreal Impact.

TUESDAY

Portland 4 Alpha United 1

Portland took their show on the road to Guyana and rode goals by Congo's Steve Zakuani, Argentina's Maximiliano Urruti, Nigeria's Fanendo Adi and Jamaica's Alvas Powell to a 4-1 victory over Alpha United. Zakuani's goal was his first in a Timbers uniform since joining the club after 5 seasons with the Seattle Sounders. Alpha United's first goal of the tournament came just before halftime when Lilo scored on a free kick to cut Portland's lead to 2-1.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Real Surges Past Seattle Into First, Dallas Destroys the Quakes

HOUSTON 2 PHILADELPHIA 0

Will Bruin's third goal in his last four games, and ninth goal of the season propelled Houston to a 2-0 win over the Union in Houston. Tally Hall made a pair of saves to earn his 7th shutout of the season the the 35th of his career.

REAL SALT LAKE 2 SEATTLE 1

RSL rode a Joao Plata goal and an own goal to a 2-1 victory at Rio Tinto Stadium as they leapfrogged past the Sounders and into first place atop the Western Conference. The 5'2" Plata now has 11 goals on the season. Chad Barrett scored the loan goal for Seattle who could not build on their 6-0 rout of Chicago on Wednesday and fell for the third time in their last four league matches.

MONTREAL 1 CHICAGO 0

The Impact snapped their 7 game losing streak thanks to a late goal from Marco Di Vaio. The Impact, who also debuted their newest Designated Player, Ignacio Piatti, got a pair of saves from Evan Bush who earned his first career win and first career shutout in his 6th ever start for Montreal.