Wednesday, July 29, 2015

MLS Homegrowns Draw with Club América's U-20s 1-1, Lose in Shootout



San Jose's Tommy Thompson scored the opening goal as MLS's Homegrown Team played Club América's U-20s to a 1-1 draw in the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game before falling 5-4 in a six round shootout. 19 year-old Houston midfielder Memo Rodriguez assisted on the Thompson goal. Last year's Homegrown game against the Portland Timbers U-23s ended in a 0-0 draw. Here's a rundown of all the MLS participants in this year's game. Starters are noted in bold:

GK

Jesse Gonzalez - FC Dallas - Age 20 - Has not appeared in an MLS match this season
Matt Lampson - Columbus Crew - Age 25 - Has not appeared in an MLS match this season

DEF

Erik Palmer-Brown - Sporting Kansas City - Age 18 - 3 appearances, 2 starts
Justen Glad - Real Salt Lake - Age 18 - 4 starts
Shane O'Neill - Colorado Rapids - Age 21 - 4 appearances, 3 starts
Tyler Turner - Orlando City SC - Age 19 - 4 appearances, 2 starts
Jalen Robinson - DC United - Age 21 - Has not appeared in an MLS match this season
Oscar Sorto - LA Galaxy - Age 20 - 3 starts

MID

Dillon Serna - Colorado Rapids - Age 21 - 10 appearances, 4 starts, 2 goals
Memo Rodriguez - Houston Dynamo - Age 19 - Has not appeared in an MLS match this season
Russell Teibert - Vancouver Whitecaps - Age 22 - 16 appearances, 10 starts, 1 assist
Sean Davis - New York Red Bulls - Age 22 - 6 appearances, 3 starts, 1 assist
Alejandro Zendejas - FC Dallas - Age 17 - 6 appearances, 1 start
Ben Swanson - Columbus Crew - Age 18 - Has not appeared in an MLS match this season
Jay Chapman - Toronto FC - Age 21 - 7 appearances, 1 start
Zach Pfeffer - Philadelphia Union - Age 20 - 19 appearances, 9 starts, 2 goals, 1 assist

FWD

Bradford Jamieson - LA Galaxy - Age 18 - 7 appearances, 6 starts, 1 goal
Tommy Thompson - San Jose Earthquakes - Age 19 - 11 appearances, 4 starts
Anthony Jackson-Hamel - Montreal Impact - Age 21 - 5 appearances
Coy Craft - FC Dallas - Age 18 - 1 appearance
Harry Shipp - Chicago Fire - Age 23 - 20 starts, 2 goals, 5 assists


Tuesday, July 28, 2015

SuperDraft Rookie Stats Through The All-Star Break

Here's a look at your MLS Superdraftees who've seen MLS action in 2015:

1 - Cyle Larin (Orlando City) - 15 apps, 12 starts, 969 mins, 33 shots, 9 goals, 1 red
2 - Khiry Shelton (New York City FC) - 12 apps, 6 starts, 704 mins, 12 shots, 1 goal, 1 assist
3 - Romario Williams (Montreal) - 1 app, 6 mins
4 - Fatai Alashe (San Jose) - 17 apps, 16 starts, 1388 mins, 12 shots, 1 goal, 3 yellows
7 - Matt Polster (Chicago) - 19 apps, 18 starts, 1597 mins, 8 shots, 5 yellows
8 - Zach Steinberger (Houston) - 3 apps, 29 mins, 1 shot
9 - Clement Simonin (Toronto FC) - 1 app, 1 start, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 yellow
10 - Connor Hallisey (Sporting KC) - 9 apps, 2 starts, 246 mins, 5 shots, 1 assist
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam (Sporting KC) - 9 apps, 3 starts, 328 mins, 2 shots
13 - Tim Parker (Vancouver) - 6 apps, 5 starts, 452 mins, 2 shots, 2 yellows
14 - Axel Sjöberg (Colorado) - 9 apps, 9 starts, 810 mins, 8 shots, 3 yellows
16 - Cristian Roldan (Seattle) - 17 apps, 11 starts, 945 mins, 8 shots, 1 yellow
17 - Miguel Aguilar (DC United) - 16 apps, 4 starts, 516 mins, 4 shots, 1 yellow
19 - Sergio Campbell (Columbus) - 1 app, 1 start, 90 mins, 2 shots
20 - Amadou Dia (Sporting KC) - 15 apps, 9 starts, 911 mins, 4 shots, 1 yellow
21 - Ignacio Maganto (LA Galaxy) - 11 apps, 6 starts, 521 mins, 8 shots, 1 goal, 2 assists
23 - Connor Brandt (New York City FC) - 1 app, 9 mins
26 - Joseph Greenspan (Colorado) - 2 apps, 2 starts, 180 mins, 1 yellow
27 - Boyd Okwuonu (Real Salt Lake) - 2 apps, 1 start, 100 mins
36 - Rob Lovejoy (Houston) - 14 apps, 2 starts, 306 mins, 6 shots, 1 goal, 1 assist
40 - Oniel Fisher (Seattle) - 3 apps, 2 starts, 184 mins, 4 shots
45 - Cameron Porter (Montreal) - 2 apps, 1 start, 39 mins, 1 shot
48 - Andy Craven (Seattle) - 3 apps, 67 mins, 2 shots, 1 yellow
49 - Taylor Hunter (Houston) - 1 app, 1 start, 90 mins
67 - Dominique Badji (Colorado) - 9 apps, 6 starts, 492 mins, 12 shots, 1 goal, 1 yellow
71 - Raymond Lee (Philadelphia) - 1 app, 12 mins
79 - Manolo Sanchez (New York Red Bulls) - 3 apps, 22 mins, 6 shots

With the MLS debut of Houston's Taylor Hunter this past month, the total of 2015 SuperDraftees to see the field this season jumps up to 27 with several other members of the draft class dressing for games but not yet seeing the field. Here's a look at the rest of your leaders in various categories:

Appearances: Matt Polster (Chicago) - 19
Starts: Matt Polster (Chicago) - 18
Minutes: Matt Polster (Chicago) - 1597
Shots: Cyle Larin (Orlando City) - 33
Goals: Cyle Larin (Orlando City) - 9
Assists: Ignacio Maganto (LA Galaxy) - 2
Yellow Cards: Matt Polster (Chicago) - 5
Red Cards: Cyle Larin (Orlando City) - 1

MLS Weekly Recap, Week 21

Here's this week's recap. No summaries this week, so if you missed any of the games, check out mlssoccer.com.

RESULTS

TUESDAY

Philadelphia Union 1 New York Red Bulls 1, Philly Wins 4-3 in Shootout - U.S Open Cup QFs
Sporting Kansas City 3 Houston Dynamo 1 - U.S. Open Cup QFs

WEDNESDAY

Jamaica 2 USA 1 - Gold Cup Semifinals
Mexico 2 Panama 1 (a.e.t) - Gold Cup Semifinals
Chicago Fire 3 Orlando City SC 1 - U.S. Open Cup QFs

FRIDAY

Real Salt Lake 2 Sporting Kansas City 1

SATURDAY

Panama 1 USA 1 (a.e.t) - Gold Cup 3rd Place Game
Columbus Crew 3 Toronto FC 3
Montreal Impact 1 Seattle Sounders 0
Chicago Fire 2 New England Revolution 2
Houston Dynamo 3 LA Galaxy 0
FC Dallas 4 Portland Timbers 1

SUNDAY

Mexico 3 Jamaica 1 - Gold Cup Finals
New York City FC 5 Orlando City SC 3
DC United 3 Philadelphia Union 2
Vancouver Whitecaps 3 San Jose Earthquakes 1

NOTABLE GOALS

Erik Ayuk Mbu (Philadelphia) - Ayuk scored the opening goal in Philadelphia's quarterfinal showdown with the Red Bulls despite Philadelphia playing a man down. It was Ayuk's second goal of the tournament and paved the way for a return to the semifinals for the Union.

Benny Feilhaber (Sporting Kansas City) - Feilhaber's ridiculous 2015 campaign continued last week with a goal against the Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup, and then another goal off the bench in Sporting's 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake this weekend. Feilhaber has 7 goals and 10 assists through 19 matches this season.

Darren Mattocks (Jamaica) - Darren Mattocks, who has just three goals for Vancouver this season, scored against the United States AND Mexico this week for Jamaica as the Reggae Boyz took second in the Gold Cup. The 24 year-old striker already has 10 goals for Jamaica.

Giles Barnes (Jamaica) - Brad Guzan? Boom, roasted.



Michael Bradley (USA) - Bradley scored his 15th goal for the U.S. in the loss to Jamaica. It was his second goal of the tournament and third of 2015 for the U.S.

Clint Dempsey (USA) - Dempsey scored the equalizer in the third place game against Panama securing the Gold Cup Golden Boot as he ended the tournament with 7 goals, one ahead of Mexico's Andrés Guardado.

Kennedy Igboananike (Chicago) - Igboananike played only 24 minutes in Chicago's U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal showdown with Orlando City, but scored a pair of goals in the game's final five minutes to send the Fire through to the semifinals.

Joao Plata (Real Salt Lake) - Joao Plata is heating up. The diminutive Ecuadorian striker has scored in two straight and has a goal or assist in each of his last three league matches.

Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC) - With a goal and an assist in Toronto's come-from-behind draw with Columbus, the Atomic Ant now has a goal and an assist in three straight and becomes the first player to pull off the double-double (13 goals, 10 assists) in 2015.

Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC) - Jozy had to watch the U.S. crash out of the Gold Cup from home, but he did convert an 89th minute penalty kick to force a draw with Columbus on Saturday. Altidore has seven goals for Toronto this season. 

Kei Kamara (Columbus) - Kamara scored for the third straight match and continues to lead all MLS players with 15 goals. His previous career high was 11 goals set back in 2012 with Sporting Kansas City.

Ethan Finlay (Columbus) - Finlay scored his seventh goal and tallied his league leading 12th assist in Columbus's 3-3 draw with Toronto. And thankfully, the league addressed one of its most glaring All-Star Game omissions today as Finlay was added to the roster.

Shaun Maloney (Chicago) - Maloney scored his first goal since April in his return to the Fire lineup, but Chicago still blew a lead and were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw with New England.

Lee Nguyen (New England) - Don't look now, but Nguyen has now scored in two straight and has a goal or assist in his last three matches as New England looks to get back in the race. 

Will Bruin (Houston) - Will Bruin scored his ninth goal of the season in Houston's 3-0 win over the Galaxy this weekend. The Dynamo are 5-0-2 when Bruin scores this season. They are 2-8-4 when he doesn't.

Brad Davis (Houston) - The 14-year veteran scored the 52nd goal of his MLS career and first of 2015 in Houston's 3-0 win over the Galaxy. Davis also added an assist giving him 117 in his career, just 19 behind Landon Donovan for first all-time.

Fanendo Adi (Portland) - Adi scored his ninth goal of the season in Portland's loss to Dallas matching his goal total from his debut season. 

Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas) - Acosta celebrated his 20th birthday with his second MLS goal and Dallas's fifth straight win. Acosta has made 11 starts for FC Dallas this year and Dallas's record is 7-0-4 in those games. When he doesn't start, Dallas is just 4-5-1.

Michael Barrios (FC Dallas) - Barrios picked up his first career MLS brace in Dallas's 4-1 win over Portland this weekend. Barrios also had a brace during the U.S. Open Cup against the Oklahoma City Energy.

David Villa (NYCFC) - Villa picked up his fourth brace in City's last six matches and now has 12 goals on the year. With Andrea Pirlo now in the mix, Mix Diskerud back from the Gold Cup, and Frank Lampard's debut on the horizon, watch out for these guys.

Mix Diskerud (NYCFC) - Speaking of Diskerud, Mix returned from National Team duty and came off the bench to score his third goal of the season to seal a win for City over fellow expansion club Orlando.

Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC) - Cyle Larin likely locked up the Rookie of the Year award with a hat trick in Orlando's 5-3 loss to New York City FC. Larin now has nine goals on the year and the only players who have outscored him are Kei Kamara, Sebastian Giovinco and David Villa. 

C.J. Sapong (Philadelphia) - With his seventh goal of 2015, Sapong now has more goals this season than in his previous two seasons with Sporting Kansas City combined. He needs just two more goals to tie his career high set in 2012.

Álvaro Saborío (DC United) - Saborío made his DC United debut in style as he scored and helped them overcome an early 2-0 deficit to beat Philadelphia 3-2. Saborío has 64 goals in his career. 

Octavio Rivero (Vancouver) - Rivero picked up his eighth goal of the season in Vancouver's 3-1 win over San Jose. Rivero's 73 shot attempts are good for fourth in the league behind only Sebastian Giovinco (114), Kei Kamara (96) and David Villa (78). 

Quincy Amarikwa (San Jose) - The Quakes are struggling, but at least they appear to have found Chris Wondolowski some scoring help. Amarikwa has three goals in his last two matches for San Jose.

SHUTOUTS BY:

Evan Bush (Montreal) - Bush earned his career-high fourth shutout in Montreal's 1-0 win over Seattle on Saturday. Seattle failed to put a shot on net during the contest as their offense continues to struggle without Clint Dempsey or Obafemi Martins.

Tyler Deric (Houston) - Deric made three saves and shut out Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane and the Galaxy on Saturday night. Deric has five shutouts on the year.

Gold Cup Final Thoughts

So the Gold Cup is over, and the U.S. is left with a disappointing fourth place finish following their shootout loss to Panama. Here's some final thoughts on the tournament:

1) The U.S. definitely appeared flat in this tournament and the team we fielded didn't play anything like the inspired group we saw beat Germany and the Netherlands overseas. So of course the question comes up, should this tournament cost Klinsmann his job? I say no and it sounds like U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati agrees. Here's my thinking: while the U.S.'s play was poor, a few bad games shouldn't derail what Klinsmann has done. Love him or hate him, there's no debating what the U.S. has accomplished in the Klinsmann era. Wins in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, a Gold Cup title in 2013, emerging from the Group of Death in the 2014 World Cup, and bringing all sorts of new players into the fold (Bobby Wood, Fabian Johnson, John Brooks, Miguel Ibarra, Jordan Morris, Aron Johannsson, etc). Has the era been perfect? No, but like anything, this is a process, and bringing in a new coach now would likely require taking more steps backwards. Does Klinsmann deserve some of the blame for our showing in the Gold Cup? Absolutely. He made some questionable decisions when forming this roster, his inconsistency with starting lineups failed to build continuity and his inability to make in-game adjustments against inferior opponents (Jamaica, Haiti, Panama) definitely hurt us. But I'd argue he's earned enough credit during his tenure to warrant a longer leash than what some fans are calling for.

2) So what did we learn from this tournament? We learned that Joe Corona is not a one-for-one replacement for Kyle Beckerman. We learned that Fabian Johnson is much more valuable in defense than he is in the midfield. We learned that Clint Dempsey is far and away our most dangerous attacking option. We learned that our young center backs, Ventura Alvarado and John Brooks still have a ways to go. We learned that the U.S. suddenly struggles in defending set pieces. We learned that CONCACAF's overall level of play has been elevated and it's no longer just a two-horse race with the U.S. and Mexico. We learned that we have absolutely no idea on a given night who our Starting Eleven might be. And we learned there are still a lot of questions to be answered before the U.S. plays Mexico this fall for a berth in the 2017 Confederations Cup.

3) Speaking of questions that we don't have answers to: When will we see Jozy Altidore in a USA jersey again? Who should be starting in the back? Brad Evans and DaMarcus Beasley are fine, but certainly aren't the future. Are we grooming anyone to take over Kyle Beckerman's role as a holding midfielder? Anyone other than Joe Corona? What is our identity? Attack first? Defend and counter? Can anyone name our Starting Eleven? It changes nightly! I'll leave it at that for now.

4) Mexico is vulnerable right now, especially after an unconvincing tournament win (just ask Costa Rica and Panama) and the fact that they just fired their coach. That makes our October showdown a golden opportunity for the U.S. as a Confederations Cup berth would be a tremendous boost to our 2018 World Cup chances. There's not a lot of time between now and then for Klinsmann to figure things out. I just hope we show up so we don't let this tremendous opportunity go to waste.

MLSers in Action

Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Sub, 60 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal, Made PK
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 120 mins, Missed PK
Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City/USA) - Started, 60 mins
Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes/USA) - Started, 60 mins, 1 shot
DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo/USA) - Sub, 30 mins, Missed PK
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/Jamaica) - Started, 89 mins, 1 shot, yellow card
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Jamaica) - Sub, 30 mins 1 shot, 1 goal

Monday, July 27, 2015

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch, Week 21

This is Cyle Larin's world, we're all just living in it. With four goals this week including his first hat trick, Larin is leaving no doubt as to whether or not he should've been the number one pick in this year's draft. With nine goals on the year, Larin trails only three players in MLS: Kei Kamara, Sebastian Giovinco and David Villa. As for everyone else, Amadou Dia had an assist in Sporting KC's US Open Cup win over Houston, Matt Polster made a pair of starts for Chicago, and Houston's Zach Steinberger made his first MLS appearance in over two months. Here's a rundown of all the action:

U.S. Open Cup

1 - Cyle Larin - Orlando City - Started vs Chicago, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 goal, yellow card
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Orlando City SC, 90 mins, 1 shot
8 - Zach Steinberger - Houston - Sub vs Sporting KC, 26 mins
10 - Connor Hallisey - Sporting KC - Started vs Houston, 54 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Sub vs Houston, 1 min
20 - Amadou Dia - Sporting KC - Started vs Houston, 90 mins, 1 assist
49 - Taylor Hunter - Houston - Started vs Sporting KC, 90 mins
79 - Manolo Sanchez - New York Red Bulls - Sub vs Philadelphia, 40 mins, 3 shots

MLS

1 - Cyle Larin - Orlando City - Started vs NYCFC, 90 mins, 3 shots, 3 goals
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs Vancouver, 90 mins
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs New England, 90 mins, 1 shot
8 - Zach Steinberger - Houston - Sub vs LA Galaxy, 1 min
10 - Connor Hallisey - Sporting KC - Sub vs Real Salt Lake, 11 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Started vs Real Salt Lake, 90 mins
16 - Cristian Roldan - Seattle - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins
17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Sub vs Philadelphia, 14 mins
20 - Amadou Dia - Sporting KC - Sub vs Real Salt Lake, 45 mins
21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Sub vs Houston, 4 mins

Weekly Top Tens and Power Rankings

THE SOCCERSMITH'S MLS POWER RANKINGS

1 - FC Dallas (11-5-5) - Five wins in a row for Dallas with only an own goal and a penalty kick against them. These guys are good. Last Week: 3
2 - Sporting Kansas City (9-4-6) - Easily the most complete team in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals after their win against Houston. What does Benny Feilhaber have to do to get a call from Klinsmann?Last Week: 1
3 - Toronto FC (8-7-4) - Not sure what falling behind Columbus 3-0 was about, but Toronto once again showed off their explosive offense as they rallied for a big draw. Sebastian Giovinco remains my MVP. Last Week: 5
4 - LA Galaxy (9-7-7) - I'll give the short-handed Galaxy a pass for their poor showing against Houston. They're going to need to bounce back this week though to prove Gerrard's debut wasn't a fluke. Last Week: 2
5 - DC United (11-7-5) - Álvaro Saborío scored in his first game with United and helped them rally from a 2-0 deficit to pick up three points against Philadelphia. If the tandem of Saborío and Espíndola can get the DC United offense going, that could offset the loss of Bill Hamid. Last Week: 7
6 - New York Red Bulls (8-6-5) - A disappointing end to the Red Bulls' Open Cup run as they fell in a shootout to their nemesis, the Philadelphia Union. At least now they can concentrate on league play. Last Week: 4
7 - Vancouver Whitecaps (11-8-3) - Pedro Morales is back, and the Caps are back to their winning ways. Last Week: 8
8 - Columbus Crew (8-7-7) - Showed off their explosive offense by jumping out to a 3-0 lead over Toronto. Then showed off their porous defense by letting that lead slip away. Story of their season. Oh, and how did Ethan Finlay not make the All Star Game? Last Week: 10
9 - Real Salt Lake (7-7-8) - Real Salt Lake just keeps hanging around, and now they're in the Open Cup semifinals AND back to .500 in league play. More importantly, they're about to get back to full strength following the Gold Cup. Last Week: 11
10 - Portland Timbers (9-8-5) - No match for red hot Dallas. This team isn't the same when Will Johnson is out of the mix. Last Week: 6

Gold Cup Scorers by League

While the Gold Cup may have been  a huge disappointment for the U.S., more on this later, it'd have to be considered a pretty solid success for MLS as the league boasted 11 different goal scorers representing six different countries for a total of 20 goals. Here's a rundown of all the Gold Cup's goal scorers broken down by the league they play in:


MLS (20)

Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 7
Giles Barnes (Jamaica) - Houston Dynamo - 2
Michael Bradley (USA) - Toronto FC - 2
Darren Mattocks (Jamaica) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 2
Roy Miller (Costa Rica) - New York Red Bulls - 1
Cordell Cato (Trinidad and Tobago) - San Jose Earthquakes - 1
Joevin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago) - Chicago Fire - 1
Blas Pérez (Panama) - FC Dallas - 1
Omar Gonzalez (USA) - LA Galaxy - 1
Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 1
Giovani dos Santos (Mexico) - LA Galaxy - 1***

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Trade Tracker

Following this week's trade between Philadelphia and Houston, we've now seen six trades over the past month that have moved players around (I'm going to assume you're not interested in trades that only deal with money). In case you haven't been following, here's a quick trade recap:

6/26/15

San Jose trades Ty Harden to Chicago for Quincy Amarikwa. Amarikwa gives the Quakes another goal scoring threat to go alongside Chris Wondolowski and we already saw the impact he can have when he scored twice against the Galaxy on July 17th. Harden had only made one start for the Quakes this year, ironically against the Fire, and scored his first career MLS goal and added his first career MLS assist in a 2-1 win.

7/14/15

Houston trades Corey Ashe to Orlando City for allocation money and a 2017 2nd round draft pick. Ashe gives Orlando City some much needed depth in the back after getting squeezed out of the rotation in Houston. After making 20 starts for the Dynamo in 2014, Ashe had yet to appear in an MLS match this season. Ashe had been with Houston since his MLS debut in 2007.

7/16/15

Montreal trades Bakary Soumaré to FC Dallas in exchange for Kyle Bekker. The Canadian-born Bekker returns to Canada where he spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with Toronto FC. He saw only limited playing time in Dallas appearing in 8 matches and making a pair of starts during the regular season. Soumaré was the driver in this deal as he'd become unhappy with his role in Montreal after factoring in their Champions League run this spring.

DC United trades Luis Silva to Real Salt Lake in exchange for Álvaro Saborío. In easily the biggest trade so far this season, United sends Silva, who tied for the team lead in scoring last season, to Real Salt Lake for RSL's all-time leading scorer. Silva had not returned to form for DC after suffering an injury at the end of last season scoring just once and making just four starts this year. Sabo, meanwhile, was having a down year by his standards scoring just three times in 14 appearances. He leaves RSL with 63 goals over parts of six seasons, and should be fresh after not seeing much action for Costa Rica during the Gold Cup.

7/20/15

Sporting Kansas City trades Servando Carrasco to Orlando City for Amobi Okugo. Carrasco, who is perhaps most famous for being married to USWNT star Alex Morgan, had seen his playing time diminish in Sporting's 4-3-3 where Benny Feilhaber, Haitian newcomer Soni Mustivar and Honduran Roger Espinoza had absorbed most of the minutes. He gives Orlando much needed depth as in more than a few occasions this season, City has struggled to put an 18-man squad together. In Okugo, Sporting gets some more experience on their back line where they had been starting a pair of rookies, Saad Abdul-Salaam and Amadou Dia.

7/23/15

Philadelphia Union trades Sheanon Williams and an international roster spot to Houston for allocation money. Williams, who had been with Philadelphia since 2010, saw his playing time diminish with the emergence of Raymon Gaddis and became expendable. Jermaine Taylor's injury in the Gold Cup leaves a gap at the back for the Dynamo that Williams should be able to help fill.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Gold Cup Semifinals

Jamaica 2 USA 1

I'm still a bit gutted by this result. Despite holding a 20-10 advantage in shots, and owning nearly 60% of the possession, the U.S. lost 2-1 to the Jamaicans and will miss their first Gold Cup Final since 2003. Ironically, it was Jamaica's MLS contingent that did the damage as Darren Mattocks (Vancouver) and Giles Barnes (Houston) scored the goals while Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls) picked up an assist. The tournament isn't over for the U.S. just yet though as they have a chance at redemption in the third place game against Panama. The U.S. drew with Panama 1-1 in the opening round. Jamaica, meanwhile, will gear up for their first ever Gold Cup Final. Their previous best finish was fourth place in 1998.

Mexico 2 Panama 1

For the second match in a row, Mexico was the beneficiary of a late (and controversial) penalty, this time allowing them to score the equalizer deep into stoppage time and then later the game winner in the first half of extra time. Despite playing a man down from the 25th minute on, Panama kept Mexico off the board and even took the lead in the 57th minute on a goal by Román Torres. But a questionable handball call against Torres paved the way for Mexico to once again advance to the Finals. Mexico now gets ready to take on Jamaica after going 120 minutes in back-to-back matches, as they seek their third Gold Cup win since 2009.

MLSers in Action

Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 7 shots
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake/USA) - Started, 67 mins, yellow card
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 4 shots, 1 goal
Alan Gordon (LA Galaxy/USA) - Sub, 17 mins, 1 shot
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 assist
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 85 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Jamaica) - Started, 57 mins, 1 shot, 1 goal
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Jaime Penedo (LA Galaxy/Panama) - Started, 120 mins, 3 saves, 2 goals allowed

US Open Cup Quarterfinal Match Summaries

Upsets were the story in the quarterfinals as Real Salt Lake, Philadelphia and Chicago all advanced in a wild round of play. Here's a rundown of all four matches. The semis will pit Philadelphia against Chicago and Sporting against Real Salt Lake.

Real Salt Lake 1 LA Galaxy 0

Steven Gerrard's insertion in to the LA lineup wasn't enough to stop Real Salt Lake from pulling off a narrow victory and knock the Galaxy out of the 2015 US Open Cup. Aaron Maund's 87th minute header, his first professional goal, was the difference in the match as the Galaxy couldn't overcome the absences of Gyasi Zardes, Omar Gonzalez and Jaime Penedo. Real Salt Lake outshot the Galaxy 15-6 while maintaining possession for 60% of the match.

Philadelphia Union 1 New York Red Bulls 1, Philadelphia wins 4-3 in Shootout

Philadelphia survived a first half red card for the second match in a row in the tournament and against all odds, have advanced to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. Conor Casey, who got the start because C.J. Sapong was red carded in Philadelphia's 5th Round win over DC United, was sent off 40 minutes in with the score tied at 0-0. Philadelphia took the lead in the 56th minute but then watched New York tie the match 4 minutes into stoppage time. Still, the Union persevered winning the shootout 4-3. The Red Bulls outshot the Union 34-8 and John McCarthy made nine saves for Philadelphia.

Sporting Kansas City 3 Houston Dynamo 1

Luis Garrido suffered an early ejection, and while Houston was able to take a lead behind a Will Bruin goal, Sporting roared back with goals of their own from Benny Feilhaber, Dom Dwyer and Krisztián Németh as they advanced to the semifinals with a 3-1 win. Erick 'Cubo' Torres made his 2015 debut for Houston, and while he wasn't a factor in this match, the hope for Houston is that he'll add some punch to a struggling offense.

Chicago Fire 3 Orlando City SC 1

Kennedy Igboananike came off the bench to score twice in the closing minutes as the Chicago Fire stunned Orlando City 3-1. The Fire, who have struggled for much of the year, outshot Orlando 20-8 despite losing the possession battle and eventually broke through when Igboananike found the back of the net late. Orlando got a goal from rookie of the year candidate Cyle Larin in a losing effort.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Weekly Top Tens and Power Rankings

THE SOCCERSMITH'S MLS POWER RANKINGS

1 - Sporting Kansas City (9-3-6) - Benny Feilhaber is having a career year, Dom Dwyer's starting to get going, the youngsters are contributing and Tim Melia's been solid in net. Everything's coming up Sporting right now. Last Week: 1
2 - LA Galaxy (9-6-7) - Disappointing showing against Real Salt Lake in the US Open Cup, but boy did they explode after a slow start against San Jose. With Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane, Sebastian Lletget, Omar Gonzalez, Jaime Penedo and now Gio Dos Santos, these guys have to be the favorites, right? Last Week: 2
3 - FC Dallas (10-5-5) - Dan Kennedy hasn't been scored on by an opposing player in four straight matches, all Dallas wins. Offensively Fabián Castillo has been a force to be reckoned with. Last Week: 4
4 - New York Red Bulls (8-6-5) - Handling all of the injuries well and Mike Grella is quietly having a terrific season. Last Week: 7
5 - Toronto FC (8-7-3) - Is there any doubt who the league's MVP is this season? Sebastian Giovinco has carried Toronto so far this season. Now the only question is can he develop chemistry with Jozy and Michael Bradley. Last Week: 8
6 - Portland Timbers (9-7-5) - Silly red card by Will Johnson late against Vancouver. You expect better from a veteran player. Nice to see Diego Valeri rounding into form though. Last Week: 6
7 - DC United (10-7-5) - Bill Hamid's injury is a big deal, but maybe the addition of Álvaro Saborío will offset the loss. Sabo is reunited with his former teammate Fabián Espíndola. The two won an MLS Cup together with Real Salt Lake in 2009. Last Week: 3
8 - Vancouver Whitecaps (10-8-3) - Picked up a point against Portland, but they clearly miss Pedro Morales who's still out with a calf strain. Last Week: 9
9 - Seattle Sounders (10-9-2) - Seattle has been shutout four times in their last six matches. They did welcome Erik Friberg back into the fold, but this is a team that just needs the Gold Cup to be over. Last Week: 5
10 - Columbus Crew (8-7-6) - Two matches against the Fire equals a six point week. Kei Kamara leads all of MLS with 14 goals. Last Week: 12

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Gold Cup Quarterfinals, Day 2

Jaime Penedo saved Lester Peltier's penalty to give Panama a 6-5 shootout win over upstarts,  Trinidad and Tobago. The shootout went 9 rounds with Valentín Pimentel scoring what ended up being the winning penalty. In the nightcap, controversy spoiled a epic clash between Costa Rica and Mexico. A questionable, and that's putting it nicely, penalty call in stoppage time of extra time gifted Mexico a 1-0 when Andrés Guardado converted the spot kick. Mexico will now face off against Jamaica in the semis.

MLSers in Action

Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 66 mins, 1 shot
Joevin Jones (Chicago Fire/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 120 mins, 1 shot
Kevan George (Columbus Crew /Trinidad and Tobago) - 120 mins, yellow card
Blas Pérez (FC Dallas/Panama) - Started, 120 mins, 6 shots
Jaime Penedo (LA Galaxy/Panama) - Started, 120 mins, 3 saves, 1 goal allowed, 2 PK saves
Gabriel Torres (Colorado Rapids/Panama) - Sub, 37 mins, 1 shot
Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls/Costa Rica) - Sub, 41 mins, yellow card

MLS Weekly Recap, Week 20

Here's this week's recap:

Aaron Maund's 87th minute goal was the difference in the match as Real Salt Lake spoiled Steven Gerrard's official Galaxy debut knocking them out of the U.S. Open Cup, 1-0. Gerrard did not start the match but logged 45 minutes off the bench, while Real Salt Lake becomes the first team to clinch a berth in the Open Cup semis... The league's leading scorer (Kei Kamara) combined with the league's leading distributor (Ethan Finlay) for the only goal of the match as Columbus got a much needed win over the Chicago Fire on Wednesday... Quincy Amarikwa scored two quick goals, but the Galaxy countered with five unanswered as the tandem of Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard completely overwhelmed the Quakes' defense. Gerrard finished his MLS debut with a goal and an assist... Sebastian Giovinco notched a goal and an assist as Toronto knocked off Philadelphia 2-1. The news gets worse for Union fans as they lost both Richie Marquez and Andrew Wenger to injuries during the course of the match. Jozy Altidore returned to TFC and turned in an 85 minute shift up top... Lee Nguyen scored in the first half, and the Revs benefitted from a second half red card to Ned Grabavoy as New England snapped their 5-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over New York City FC... Cyle Larin was sent off in the first half and the Red Bulls capitalized riding the man-advantage to a 2-0 win over Orlando City. Bryan Róchez appeared in a match for Orlando for the first time in over two months when he came off the bench in the second half... Benny Feilhaber's career year continued as he notched a goal and an assist in Sporting's 2-1 win over Montreal. Dom Dwyer also scored as Sporting won their third straight and fifth in six matches... FC Dallas won their fourth in a row as they took advantage of Bill Hamid's injury and used a stoppage time winner from Fabián Castillo to defeat DC United 2-1... The Rapids used a late winner from Kevin Doyle to send them to a third straight win and knock off the struggling Sounders, 1-0. The win spoiled the return to Seattle of Swedish midfielder Erik Friberg and leaves the Sounders with five losses in their last six while being shutout four times during that stretch... Joao Plata scored for the first time since September and added an assist as Real Salt Lake picked up their second shutout of the week with a 2-0 win over the Giles Barnes-less Houston Dynamo... A pair of stoppage time red cards spoiled an otherwise exciting match between the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps that ended in a 1-1 draw. Vancouver's Christian Dean, formerly the third overall pick in the 2014 draft, made his first MLS appearance of 2015... Columbus made it a sweep of the Fire on Sunday behind goals from each of their big three, Federico Higuaín, Kei Kamara, and Ethan Finlay. Chicago's Jason Johnson earned a second yellow early in the second half for diving.

Here's a rundown of all the action:

RESULTS

MONDAY

Haiti 1 Honduras 0 - Gold Cup, Group A
USA 1 Panama 1 - Gold Cup, Group A

TUESDAY

Jamaica 1 El Salvador 0 - Gold Cup, Group B
Canada 0 Costa Rica 0 - Gold Cup, Group B
Real Salt Lake 1 LA Galaxy 0 - US Open Cup Quarterfinals

WEDNESDAY

Cuba 1 Guatemala 0 - Gold Cup, Group C
Trinidad and Tobago 4 Mexico 4 - Gold Cup, Group C
Columbus Crew 1 Chicago Fire 0

FRIDAY

LA Galaxy 5 San Jose Earthquakes 2

SATURDAY

USA 6 Cuba 0 - Gold Cup Quarterfinals
Jamaica 1 Haiti 0 - Gold Cup Quarterfinals
Toronto FC 2 Philadelphia Union 1
New England Revolution 1 New York City FC 0
New York Red Bulls 2 Orlando City SC 0
Sporting Kansas City 2 Montreal Impact 1
FC Dallas 2 DC United 1
Colorado Rapids 1 Seattle Sounders 0
Real Salt Lake 2 Houston Dynamo 0
Portland Timbers 1 Vancouver Whitecaps 1

SUNDAY

Panama 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1, Panama Wins 6-5 in Shootout - Gold Cup Quarterfinals
Mexico 1 Costa Rica 0 (a.e.t) - Gold Cup Quarterfinals
Columbus Crew 3 Chicago Fire 1

NOTABLE GOALS

Blas Pérez (Panama) - Pérez scored against the U.S. for the third time in his career, all three times in Gold Cup matches, and now has 38 goals in his international career. He is two goals behind teammate Luis Tejada for Panama's all-time scoring lead.

Michael Bradley (USA) - Not a bad week for the Bald Eagle as he scored his 14th international goal in the U.S.'s draw with Panama and added three assists in their 6-0 win over Cuba.

Clint Dempsey (USA) - After his hat trick against Cuba on Saturday, Dempsey is just ten goals away from tying Landon Donovan for the U.S.'s all-time scoring lead. This was Dempsey's first international hat trick and his six goals lead all players in this year's Gold Cup.

Omar Gonzalez (USA) - Gonzalez scored his first international goal in the U.S.'s rout of Cuba. He scored twice for the US U-18s back in 2007.

Gyasi Zardes (USA) - Zardes hit a nifty volley off of a Fabian Johnson cross to, for all intents and purposes, put the game out of reach against Cuba. Zardes, who scored against the Netherlands last month, has two goals for the U.S.

Giles Barnes (Jamaica) - Barnes, who only became eligible to play for Jamaica this year, scored his second international goal and punched Jamaica's ticket to the Gold Cup Semifinals.

Kei Kamara (Columbus) - Not slowed by his omission from the MLS Fan XI voting for this year's all-star game, Kamara scored in both of the Crew's matches with Chicago this week and now has a league-high 14 goals on the year and 66 goals in his MLS career.

Aaron Maund (Real Salt Lake) - Aaron Maund's first professional goal, an 87th minute header, has sent Real Salt Lake through to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. Maund, in his fourth MLS season, has still yet to score his first MLS goal.

Quincy Amarikwa (San Jose) - In just his second match with San Jose, Amarikwa scored a pair of quick goals, but had his evening spoiled when LA rattled off five in a row unanswered.

Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy) - After a quiet start to the season, the 35 year-old Keane has back-to-back hat tricks, first last weekend against Toronto, and now this week against San Jose. Keane has nine goals on the season, and already has 62 goals in his MLS career.

Steven Gerrard (LA Galaxy) - Welcome to MLS, Steven Gerrard. The English star scored a goal and added an assist in his MLS debut as the Galaxy rallied from a 2-0 deficit to rout the Quakes 5-2.

Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy) - Lletget scored his fifth goal in six games and now has 5 goals in just 466 minutes of play since joining MLS. The Galaxy are 4-1-1 in that stretch.

Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC) - The Atomic Ant continues his stellar first season adding another goal and an assist in Toronto's win over Philadelphia. Giovinco now has 12 goals and nine assists, just over halfway through the 2015 campaign.

Conor Casey (Philadelphia) - Casey scored his first goal of 2015 in Saturday's loss to Toronto. He now has 69 goals in his MLS career (good for 22nd all time). He needs just one more to tie Cobi Jones for 21st.

Lee Nguyen (New England) - Nguyen's third goal of the season snapped a five game losing streak for the Revs. Nguyen led New England with 18 goals in 2014.

Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls) - Just watch the video.



Benny Feilhaber (Sporting KC) - Feilhaber's career year continues as he extended his career high with his sixth goal of the season and reached double-digit assists for the first time in his career in Sporting's 2-1 win over Montreal.

Dom Dwyer (Sporting KC) - Dwyer hasn't been the prolific scorer he was a year ago, but with his goal against Montreal on Saturday, he now has six goals on the season and 30 in his brief career.

Fabián Castillo (FC Dallas) - Castillo has scored or assisted in each of Dallas's last five matches during which Dallas is 4-0-1. With eight goals on the year, the young Colombian is just two shy of his career high set last season.

Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas) - Acosta doesn't turn 20 until next weekend, but now he has scored his first MLS goal.

Kevin Doyle (Colorado) - Doyle has started to find his scoring touch (two goals in the last three games), and not coincidentally it's aligned with Colorado's three game winning streak.

Joao Plata (Real Salt Lake) - Plata scored for the first time since mid September as his return to form appears to be complete. Plata, who scored 13 times for RSL last year, now has a goal and three assists in his last four matches.

Diego Valeri (Portland) - Valeri, who set the Timbers single season scoring and assist records last season, scored his second goal of 2015 in Portland's 1-1 draw with Vancouver.

Ethan Finlay (Columbus) - Finlay continued his recent strong form and now has a goal or an assist in six of Columbus's last seven games.

SHUTOUTS BY:

Jeff Attinella (Real Salt Lake) - Attinella helped Real Salt Lake to wins in both the U.S. Open Cup and in League play as he shutout the red hot LA Galaxy in the Open Cup Quarterfinals and the Houston Dynamo in action on Saturday. Saturday's shutout was Attinella's first of the season and the fifth of his MLS career. In 19 career starts backing up Nick Rimando, Attinella is 5-8-6.

Steve Clark (Columbus) - Clark beat the Fire twice this week, earning his fourth shutout of the year during Wednesday's 1-0 win.

Brad Knighton (New England) - Bobby Shuttleworth's back-up earned his first shutout since July of 2013 while making a rare start in place of the Revs' starting net-minder. Knighton has made just four starts in two seasons with New England, and now has eight shutouts in his eight-year career.

Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls) - The Red Bulls won their fourth in five tries behind four saves from Luis Robles. It was just Robles's fifth shutout of the season, but his next one will equal his season total from 2014 where he made all 34 regular season starts.

Clint Irwin (Colorado) - Irwin made three saves against the Sounders to help Colorado to their third straight win, more than their win total in their first 17 matches combined. Irwin now has 7 shutouts on the season, just three shy of his career high set during his rookie season (2013).

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch, Week 20

Taylor Hunter made his MLS debut this week in Houston's 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake, and Cyle Larin picked up a straight red to highlight Week 20 for the 2015 SuperDraft Class. Elsewhere, Matt Polster made two more starts for Chicago and Sporting KC once again started the tandem of Saad Abdul-Salaam and Amadou Dia along their back line. Here's a rundown of all the action:

US Open Cup

21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Started, 45 mins

Regular Season

1 - Cyle Larin - Orlando City - Started vs NYRB, 32 mins, 1 shot, red card
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs LA, 90 mins, 1 shot
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Columbus, 90 mins
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Columbus, 90 mins
10 - Connor Hallisey - Sporting KC - Appeared as sub vs Montreal, 27 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins, 1 shot
13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs Portland, 90 mins, yellow card
16 - Cristian Roldan - Seattle - Started vs Colorado, 90 mins, 2 shots
17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Appeared as sub vs Dallas, 45 mins, 1 shot
20 - Amadou Dia - Sporting KC - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins
21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Appeared as sub vs San Jose, 8 mins
49 - Taylor Hunter - Houston - Started vs Real Salt Lake, 90 mins


Saturday, July 18, 2015

Gold Cup Quarterfinals, Day 1

So as luck would have it, I actually got to attend both of today's quarterfinal matches, so before we get to our normal Gold Cup rundown, here's my thoughts on each of the two games:

USA 6 CUBA 0

In honor of the U.S.'s six goals, here are six things:



1) Cuba was badly overmatched in this one. I don't know if the defections have taken a toll, but Cuba never really looked threatening at any point in the match. It was so bad, that I had one of my college teammates posit that our Division III collegiate team could've given Cuba a run for its money. While I'm not sure that's a fair statement, it does capture how bad the U.S. made the Cubans look. It didn't help that there wasn't really a Cuban contingent to cheer them on either. Maybe the next Gold Cup will be different.

2) It was only one game, but the U.S. didn't really appear to miss Jozy Altidore at all. Yes, it helps when you're playing against the Cubans, but Aron Johannsson looked more than capable alongside Clint Dempsey in his 90 minute shift. The U.S. didn't even need to bring on its veteran reserve strikers, Alan Gordon and Chris Wondolowski. Fun fact, when the two played together for San Jose in 2012, they combined for 40 goals and 14 assists.

3) DeAndre Yedlin's speed makes him unbelievably dangerous every time he gets the ball, and it was all the more evident against a team like Cuba. I just wish his services were a little more dangerous. If he develops that part of his game, look out world. The one thing that really struck me as interesting was that when Yedlin came into the game, Gyasi Zardes slid over to left mid/wing while Alejandro Bedoya held down left back. I'm not really sure what the driver behind that move was since Yedlin can defend, but nevertheless, there we were. That said, I do not expect we'll see Bedoya patrolling the back line moving forward.

4) I'm not sure I like Joe Corona in the holding midfielder role, but that does beg the question: Since Kyle Beckerman is no spring chicken, who are we grooming to take over that role? Perry Kitchen? Wil Trapp? Alfredo Morales just went home, Tim Ream is almost 30... I dunno. I don't want to say he's irreplaceable or anything, because we obviously did fine after Becks left the game, but I am curious as to what our long term plan is in the central midfield.

5) So our back four certainly wasn't exposed against Cuba, but I still think they're the team's weak link. I'm pretty comfortable with Fabian Johnson on the left side, but the other three spots are all pretty suspect. I wouldn't go as far as to say that we're playing guys who don't belong on the international stage, but they currently aren't one of our strengths. And I'll be honest, I know Timmy Chandler had a nifty assist on the opening goal, but I think the team plays better with Brad Evans back there. And I couldn't begin to tell you which pairing of center backs we should be starting. It wouldn't have mattered against Cuba, but I guarantee it will come up in the semifinals and potentially the finals assuming we can get that far.

6) It's hard to believe that that was Clint Dempsey's first hat trick with the U.S. It's the fourth time a U.S. player has picked up a hat trick during the Gold Cup, with Chris Wondolowski (2013), Landon Donovan (2003) and Brian McBride (2002) owning the other three. Dempsey's now just 10 goals away from tying Landon Donovan for the all-time U.S. lead at 57, and his six goals lead all players in the tournament.

Jamaica 1 Haiti 0



I've got to tell you, I was really impressed with Haiti tonight. No, they didn't win, and they're at least a solid striker away from really being competitive in CONCACAF, but they were a lot of fun to watch. They're fast, they attack, they take players on, and their fans were amazing. Drums and horns and chanting for the whole 90 minutes. It was awesome to experience. Unfortunately, they just lacked creativity and vision in the final third and despite outshooting Jamaica 28-12 and attempting 17 corners while controlling over 60% of the possession, they just weren't particularly dangerous. Jamaica's back four and back-up keeper Ryan Thompson were up to the task. As far as Jamaica goes, I never realized what a beast Giles Barnes is. He definitely plays bigger than his 5'11" listing suggests, and it was his rocket from no angle that was the difference in the match. I like the U.S.'s chances against Jamaica moving forward, but they'll have to contain Barnes if they hope to advance.

MLSers in Action

MLSers combined for six goals in the first two quarterfinal matches. Here's a rundown of all the action:

Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 4 shots, 1 goal
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake/USA) - Started, 45 mins
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 3 shots, 3 assists
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 5 shots, 3 goals
Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Sub, 45 mins
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 89 mins, 3 shots, 1 goal

Gold Cup Goal Scorers by League - Group Play

As we get ready to kick off the Gold Cup Quarterfinals, here's a list of all the players who have scored (for their own teams) so far in this year's tournament broken down by league. MLS currently leads the way with nine goals scored by seven players representing five different countries. Here's the complete list:

MLS (9)

Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 3
Roy Miller (Costa Rica) - New York Red Bulls - 1
Cordell Cato (Trinidad and Tobago) - San Jose Earthquakes - 1
Joevin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago) - Chicago Fire - 1
Michael Bradley (USA) - Toronto FC - 1
Blas Pérez (Panama) - FC Dallas - 1
Giovani dos Santos (Mexico) - LA Galaxy - 1***

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Gold Cup Day 9

Gold Cup group play is over, but not without a couple more surprises. Cuba shocked Guatemala 1-0 behind a second half goal by Maikel Reyes. It was Cuba's first win of the tournament and miraculously sent them through to the quarterfinals despite getting outscored 8-1 in their three matches. Group C's other match saw Trinidad and Tobago go toe-to-toe with Mexico and play to a wild 4-4 draw that saw seven goals after the intermission and both sides score in stoppage team. Yohance Marshall's 94th minute equalizer clinched first place in Group C for T&T. With that, the quarterfinal match-ups are now set. In one bracket, the U.S. will take on Cuba while Haiti takes on Jamaica, and then on the other side Trinidad and Tobago faces off against Panama, while Costa Rica takes on Mexico. The quarterfinals start on Saturday.


MLSers in Action

Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 90 mins, 1 assist
Joevin Jones (Chicago Fire/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 assist
Kevan George (Columbus Crew /Trinidad and Tobago) - 90 mins
Elías Vásquez (Real Salt Lake/Guatemala) - Started, 90 mins, yellow card
Marco Pappa (Seattle Sounders/Guatemala) - Started, 90 mins, 4 shots

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Gold Cup Day 8

Gareth McCleary's (Reading) second goal of the tournament clinched first place in Group B for Jamaica as they defeated El Salvador 1-0. Jamaica caps off group play with a record of 2-0-1. In the nightcap, Costa Rica ended Canada's hopes of advancing with a 0-0 draw. Canada finishes the tournament without a goal in three matches. With one day of matches remaining, seven of the eight quarterfinal spots have been filled. Guatemala can claim the final spot with a win over Cuba, otherwise the last spot goes to El Salvador. Trinidad and Tobago takes on Mexico in the other match tomorrow.

MLSers In Action

Jermaine Taylor (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 9 mins
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, yellow card
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 70 mins
Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Jamaica) - Started, 81 mins, yellow/red cards
Alvas Powell (Portland Timbers/Jamaica) - Sub, 20 mins, 1 shot
Darwin Cerén (Orlando City SC/El Salvador) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Marcel de Jong (Sporting Kansas City/Canada) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Karl Ouimette (New York Red Bulls/Canada) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC/Canada) - Started, 69 mins
Maxim Tissot (Montreal Impact/Canada) - Started, 68 mins, 2 shots
Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps/Canada) - Sub, 23 mins, 2 shots, yellow card
Cyle Larin (Toronto FC/Canada) - Sub, 22 mins
Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls/Costa Rica) - Sub, 16 mins

Monday, July 13, 2015

Gold Cup Day 7

Haiti got an early goal against Honduras and clinched a spot in the Gold Cup quarterfinals following a 1-0 win. The win itself wasn't enough to put Haiti through, but they got some help from the U.S., who battled back for a 1-1 draw with Panama. Blas Pérez (FC Dallas) and Michael Bradley (Toronto FC) traded goals, bur while the U.S. threatened, they couldn't find a game winner. Panama must now wait to see if they can advance as one of the tourney's top two third place teams.



MLSers In Action

Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes/USA) - Started, 45 mins
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Sub, 45 mins, 2 shots, 1 assist
Blas Pérez (FC Dallas/Panama) - Started, 90 mins, 4 shots, 1 goal
Jaime Penedo (LA Galaxy/Panama) - Started, 90 mins, 2 saves, 1 goal allowed

2015 MLS All-Star Starting XI

Here's your starting XI as voted on by the fans:

GK - Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake/USA) - 16 starts, 6 shutouts, 4-5-7
DEF - Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City/USA) - 16 starts, 2 assists
DEF - Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy/USA) - 18 starts, 1 goal, 3 assists
DEF - DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo/USA) - 19 starts
MID - Kaká (Orlando City SC/Brazil) - 18 starts, 9 goals, 2 assists
MID - Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/USA) - 13 starts, 2 goals, 3 assists
MID - Benny Feilhaber (Sporting Kansas City/USA) - 17 starts, 5 goals, 9 assists
MID - Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City/USA) - 12 starts, 1 goal, 4 assists
FWD - David Villa (New York City FC/Spain) - 15 starts, 10 goals, 3 assists
FWD - Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders/USA) - 12 starts, 7 goals, 6 assists
FWD - Obafemi Martins (Seattle Sounders/Nigeria) - 10 starts, 7 goals, 4 assists

Sporting Kansas City leads the way with three members, followed by Seattle with two, and eight of the eleven starters have featured for the US National Team at one time or another. The remainder of the squad will be announced this Saturday. Some glaring omissions from the fans' starting XI?

Kei Kamara (Columbus Crew/Sierra Leone) - 18 starts, 12 goals, 5 assists
Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC/Italy) - 17 starts, 11 goals, 8 assists
Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew/USA) - 19 starts, 5 goals, 10 assists
Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders/Switzerland) - 19 starts, 8 shutouts, 9-7-2

Weekly Top Tens and Power Rankings

THE SOCCERSMITH'S MLS POWER RANKINGS

1 - Sporting Kansas City (8-3-6) - Tim Melia has six shutouts in nine starts, and while Jurgen Klinsmann might not like Benny Feilhaber, we sure do. Last Week: 1
2 - LA Galaxy (8-6-7) - Steven Gerrard has arrived and the Galaxy are over .500. Watch out, MLS. Last Week: 3
3 - DC United (10-6-5) - Bill Hamid is going to be out 4-6 weeks. Can DC United survive without him? Last Week: 5
4 - FC Dallas (9-5-5) - Dan Kennedy hasn't been scored on in three straight matches, all of them FC Dallas wins. Last Week: 8
5 - Seattle Sounders (10-8-2) - Seattle's offense is really struggling without their big two, but at least their young kids are getting some early exposure. Last Week: 4
6 - Portland Timbers (9-7-4) - Not the performance we expected from a red hot Timbers team, but everyone's allowed a slip-up once in a while. Last Week: 2
7 - New York Red Bulls (7-6-5) - There's the Bradley Wright-Phillips we got used to watching last year. Not a bad time for him to hit his stride. Last Week: 10
8 - Toronto FC (7-7-3) - Sebastian Giovinco is amazing. That's all you need to know. Last Week: 12
9 - Vancouver Whitecaps (10-8-2) - In back-to-back losses, we've seen how much Vancouver could use Pedro Morales.  Last Week: 6
10 - Houston Dynamo (6-7-6) - Nice to see Will Bruin finally get back in the scoring column. With Giles Barnes out for the Gold Cup, he's going to need to continue to step up. Last Week: 13

MLS Weekly Recap, Week 19

Here's this week's recap:

Ricardo Clark and Will Bruin both scored as the Dynamo defeated the Wondo-less Quakes 2-0. Nigerian midfielder Rasheed Olabiyi made his MLS debut when he came on as a second half substitute... Bradley Wright-Phillips bagged two goals and an assist in the game's opening 12 minutes as the Red Bulls routed the Revolution 4-1. For the Revs it was their fifth straight loss and they've won just once since May 2nd... Vincent Nogueira scored a pair of goals and midfielder Cristian Maidana added three assists as the Union throttled the Timbers 3-0. Brian Sylvestre earned the shutout in net for the Union who dealt the Timbers their first loss with Will Johnson in the starting lineup. They had been 5-0 in his five previous starts... Playing without Cyle Larin (Gold Cup) or Kaká (red card suspension), Orlando City struggled to generate any offense as they fell to Dan Kennedy and FC Dallas 2-0. The win was Dallas's third straight and they haven't conceded a goal in three straight matches... Dominic Oduro scored twice and Marco Donadel tallied his first MLS goal as Montreal pulled off a 3-0 upset over the Columbus Crew. Kei Kamara, the league's leading scorer, attempted five shots, but failed to put any on frame... Jason Johnson scored the only goal of the match in stoppage time as the Fire surprised the Seattle Sounders 1-0. Homegrown player Patrick Doody made his MLS debut and went a full 90 minutes at left back in the win while Mike Magee made his first start of the season... Colorado scored three times after the 80th minute including twice in stoppage time to shock Real Salt Lake 3-1. Sebastián Jaime scored for the third straight match for RSL, but was also ejected in the 84th minute setting up the Rapids' win... Sebastian Giovinco and David Villa put on quite a show combing for 5 goals and an assist in a wild 4-4 tie between New York City FC and Toronto FC... Defender Kevin Ellis scored the only goal of the match as Sporting Kansas City, despite starting a pair of rookies in defense, shutout Vancouver 1-0.

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch - Week 19

A relatively quiet week for the 2015 MLS SuperDraft Class, but we did see Sporting's Saad Abdul-Salaam make his first start in a shutout win against Vancouver, and RSL's Boyd Okwuonu make his first start in a their 3-1 loss to Colorado. Meanwhile in Gold Cup action Orlando City's Cyle Larin made a pair of starts for Canada. Here's a rundown of all the action:

4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs Houston, 90 mins, 3 shots
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Seattle, 90 mins, 1 shot
10 - Connor Hallisey - Sporting KC - Appeared as sub vs Vancouver, 7 mins 
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Started vs Vancouver, 90 mins
13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs Sporting KC, 90 mins, 2 shots
16 - Cristian Roldan - Seattle - Started vs Chicago, 83 mins, 1 shot
20 - Amadou Dia - Sporting KC - Started vs Vancouver, 90 mins
27 - Boyd Okwuonu - Real Salt Lake - Started vs Colorado, 90 mins
48 - Andy Craven - Seattle - Appeared as sub vs Chicago, 25 mins, 1 shot, yellow card

Gold Cup Day 6

Trinidad and Tobago locked in a trip to the quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over Cuba as they took over sole possession of first place in Group C. Meanwhile the group favorites, Mexico, were held scoreless by Guatemala despite outshooting their Central American rivals 19-3.

Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes/Trinidad and Tobago) - Sub, 8 mins, 1 shot
Joevin Jones (Chicago Fire/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 90 mins
Kevan George (Columbus Crew /Trinidad and Tobago) - 90 mins
Elías Vásquez (Real Salt Lake/Guatemala) - Started, 90 mins
Moises Hernandez (FC Dallas/Guatemala) - Started, 83 mins, yellow card
Marco Pappa (Seattle Sounders/Guatemala) - Sub, 12 mins

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Gold Cup Day 5

Jamaica pulled off a 1-0 stoppage time victory against Canada thanks to a late goal by Rodolph Austin. Canada has yet to score in the tournament. In Group B's other match, Dustin Corea netted a stoppage time equalizer to deny Costa Rica a win and the two countries settled for a 1-1 draw. Real Salt Lake striker Álvaro Saborío assisted on Costa Rica's goal. Tomorrow pits Mexico against Guatemala and Cuba against Trinidad and Tobago in Group C.

MLSers In Action

Jermaine Taylor (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 4 shots
Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Jamaica) - Sub, 25 mins, 4 shots
Marcel de Jong (Sporting Kansas City/Canada) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots
Cyle Larin (Toronto FC/Canada) - Started, 45 mins
Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas/Canada) - Started, 71 mins, 1 shot
Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps/Canada) - Sub, 19 mins, 1 shot
Darwin Cerén (Orlando City SC/El Salvador) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, yellow card
Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls/Costa Rica) - Started, 90 mins
Álvaro Saborío (Real Salt Lake/Costa Rica) - Started, 77 mins, 1 shot, 1 assist

Friday, July 10, 2015

Gold Cup Day 4

The US clinched a spot in the Gold Cup Quarterfinals thanks to a 1-0 win over Haiti. Clint Dempsey scored his third goal of the tournament on an assist from Gyasi Zardes as the US managed a victory despite getting outshot by Haiti 21-6. Brad Guzan made four saves to earn the shutout. In Group A's other match, Honduras got a goal from former DC United midfielder Andy Najar (Anderlecht) as they rallied for a 1-1 draw with Panama. Group B is back in action tomorrow with Jamaica taking on Canada and Costa Rica facing off against El Salvador.



MLSers In Action

Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy/USA) - Sub, 45 mins, 1 assist
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake/USA) - Sub, 7 mins
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 45 mins, 1 shot
Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Mix Diskerud (New York City FC/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Blas Pérez (FC Dallas/Panama) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Jaime Penedo (LA Galaxy/Panama) - Started, 90 mins, 7 saves, 1 goal allowed, yellow card
Gabriel Torres (Colorado Rapids/Panama) - Sub, 2 mins

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Gold Cup, Day 3

Trinidad and Tobago scored three goals in the opening 25 minutes as they pulled off a surprising 3-1 upset of Guatemala in the opening match of Group C. MLSers Cordell Cato (San Jose) and Joevin Jones (Chicago) both scored for T&T while Elías Vásquez (Real Salt Lake) picked up an assist on Guatemala's lone goal. Former MLS MVP, and Guatemala's all-time leading scorer, Carlos Ruiz scored Guatemala's lone goal. In the day's other match, Mexico throttled a short-handed Cuban squad 6-0 behind a hat trick by Oribe Peralta (Club América). Mexico outshot Cuba 44-3. The U.S. is back in action tomorrow when they take on Haiti while Honduras faces off against Panama.


MLSers in Action

Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 goal
Joevin Jones (Chicago Fire/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 80 mins, 1 shot, 1 goal
Kevan George (Columbus Crew /Trinidad and Tobago) - 90 mins
Elías Vásquez (Real Salt Lake/Guatemala) - 90 mins
Moises Hernandez (FC Dallas/Guatemala) - 90 mins
Marco Pappa (Seattle Sounders/Guatemala) - 90 mins, 4 shots

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Gold Cup Day 2

CONCACAF's highest ranked team, Costa Rica, opened the Gold Cup with a 2-2 draw with Jamaica as Group B kicked off play. Costa Rica led 2-1 before Jamaica's Jobi McAnuff (Leyton Orient) equalized early in the second half. New York Red Bulls defender Roy Miller scored for Costa Rica, his second National Team goal in 53 CAPs. Miller has yet to score in six MLS seasons. Miller's Red Bull teammate Kemar Lawrence had an assist for Jamaica. Group B's other match saw Cyle Larin and Canada play to a scoreless draw with El Salvador. Group C kicks off play tomorrow with Trinidad and Tobago taking on Guatemala, and Mexico taking on Cuba.



MLSers in Action

Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls/Costa Rica) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Álvaro Saborío (Real Salt Lake/Costa Rica) - Sub, 31 mins, 2 shots
Jermaine Taylor (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 assist
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, yellow card
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 61 mins, 1 shot
Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Jamaica) - Sub, 29 mins, 1 shot
Darwin Cerén (Orlando City SC/El Salvador) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Marcel de Jong (Sporting Kansas City/Canada) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Kyle Bekker (FC Dallas/Canada) - Started, 86 mins
Cyle Larin (Toronto FC/Canada) - Started, 69 mins, 1 shot
Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas/Canada) - Started, 90 mins
Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps/Canada) - Sub, 7 mins, 1 shot
Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC/Canada) - Sub, 4 mins

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Gold Cup Day 1

The US opened their Gold Cup defense with a 2-1 win over Honduras behind a pair of goals by Clint Dempsey. The US jumped out to a 2-0 lead will both goals coming off of set pieces before surrendering a goal in the second half and then hanging on late to earn the full three points. Next up for the US is a showdown with Haiti in Foxborough on Friday. Haiti tied Panama 1-1 in their opener. Group B will be in action tomorrow with Costa Rica taking on Jamaica and El Salvador taking on Canada.


Monday, July 6, 2015

MLS Weekly Recap, Week 18

Here's this week's recap:

First, the US Open Cup's 5th Round: The Union lost CJ Sapong less than 30 minutes into the match to a red card, but still managed to score twice while a man down and stun DC United to advance to the quarterfinals... Carlos Rivas scored for the fourth time in the tournament as Columbus was shutout 2-0, but more importantly, the Crew's Will Trapp returned after a 3-month absence following a concussion. Trapp had not played in a match since April 8th against Vancouver... Mike Magee scored his first two goals of 2015 as Chicago rallied from a 1-0 deficit and knocked the USL's last representative out of this year's tournament... Joe Willis picked up his second shutout in a row and 19 year-old Colombian Mauro Manotas supplied all of the offense as Houston knocked off the Rapids 1-0... The Red Bulls rocked another crosstown rival as they defeated the Cosmos 4-1, but lost right back Chris Duvall in the process to a broken leg. 18 year-old Anatole Abang (Cameroon) continued his hot streak as he added another goal in the win... Dom Dwyer scored FOUR times, Krisztián Németh scored twice, and Benny Feilhaber tallied three assists as Sporting KC destroyed FC Dallas 6-2. Dwyer needed less than a half to achieve his hat trick... The Portland Timbers couldn't solve Real Salt Lake and despite knocking out their nemesis, the Seattle Sounders, they will not advance to the quarterfinals... Jose Villarreal scored early and the Wondo-less (read punchless) Quakes had no answer as they came up short against their intrastate rivals.

Now, onto league play: Alex came off the bench to score against the team that traded him, but Houston couldn't hold a late lead against Chicago. Patrick Nyarko entered the match at halftime for Chicago making his 2015 debut and scored the equalizer... DC United's Fabián Espíndola was sent off in the opening 30 minutes and the Sounders eventually took advantage behind Tyrone Mears' first MLS goal... Normally on the distributing end, Ethan Finlay scored twice in Columbus's 2-1 come-from-behind win over the Red Bulls. Kei Kamara assisted on both goals while youngster Anatole Abang continued his hot streak by adding another goal for New York. Will Trapp appeared in his first MLS match since April when he came off the bench in the 88th minute... David Villa scored twice as New York City FC knocked off Montreal 2-1. The Spaniard has 5 goals in his last four matches including a pair of braces... New England's struggles continue as they got buried 3-0 by FC Dallas. New England has lost four straight and won just once since May 2nd... Irish international Kevin Doyle opened his MLS account with a game winner against Vancouver. It was just Colorado's third win of the season and their first since May 23rd, ironically also against the Whitecaps... Kaká scored and then earned his first red card EVER as Orlando City was forced to settle for a draw with Real Salt Lake... Robbie Keane scored three times and the Galaxy routed Toronto 4-0 in Stefan Ishizaki's last game as a member of the Galaxy before he heads back to Sweden. Toronto played without Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore who are both with the U.S. for the Gold Cup... Jack Jewsbury scored in stoppage time as the Timbers snuck by the Earthquakes 1-0. Portland has won six of seven and is 5-0-0 in games started by Will Johnson.

Weekly Top Tens and Power Rankings

THE SOCCERSMITH'S MLS POWER RANKINGS

1 - Sporting Kansas City (7-3-6) - Dom Dwyer brought his shooting boots to Sporting's 6-2 rout of FC Dallas during the 5th Round of the US Open Cup. The rest of the league had better watch out if Dwyer and Krisztián Németh stay hot. Last Week: 1
2 - Portland Timbers (9-6-4) - Suffered a letdown against Real Salt Lake in the US Open Cup, but bounced back with a win against San Jose. Portland has won six of seven league matches and is unbeaten when Will Johnson starts. Last Week: 3
3 - LA Galaxy (8-6-7) - Uh oh, the Galaxy are starting to click. Even with Omar Gonzalez, Jaime Penedo, and Gyasi Zardes away for the Gold Cup, the Galaxy advanced in the US Open Cup and routed Toronto on Saturday night. Sebastian Lletget has been tremendous since his arrival. Last Week: 8
4 - Seattle Sounders (10-7-2) - Almost blew a man advantage, but salvaged three points against DC United. Seattle's depth is going to continue to be tested in the coming weeks. Last Week: 6
5 - DC United (10-6-5) - Got knocked out of the US Open Cup by lowly Philadelphia and lost to the short-handed Sounders on Friday. Still, they hold an 11 point lead in the weak Eastern Conference. Last Week: 2
6 - Vancouver Whitecaps (10-7-2) - Disappointing result against the Rapids who've now figured out a way to beat the Caps twice. Colorado has just one win against the rest of the league. Last Week: 5
7 - Orlando City SC (6-6-6) - Nice win in the US Open Cup, and salvaged a point against Real Salt Lake despite playing a man down. Now the question is with Cyle Larin and Kaká both out, who's going to score for Orlando? Last Week: 10
8 - FC Dallas (8-5-5) - Ugly showing against Sporting in the Open Cup, but bounced back with a big win over floundering New England. The question remains, can they sustain their success? Last Week: 11
9 - Columbus Crew (6-6-6) - Ethan Finlay is having a career year and if the rest of the club can match his and Kei Kamara's production, watch out. Granted, we've been saying that for a while... Last Week: 12
10 - New York Red Bulls (6-6-5) - Anatole Abang appears to be quite the find and has added a spark to the Red Bulls attack. But, they need more. Last Week: 9

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch, Week 18

Saad Abdul-Salaam picked up an assist in US Open Cup action while Ignacio Maganto added one of his own in league play in LA's 4-0 rout of Toronto FC on Saturday night. With 2 assists on the year, Maganto now leads the 2015 SuperDraft class. Here's a rundown of all the week's action:

US Open Cup, 5th Round

4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Appeared vs LA, 13 mins, 1 shot
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Charlotte, 90 mins
8 - Zach Steinberger - Houston - Started vs Colorado, 90 mins, 2 shots
10 - Connor Hallisey - Sporting KC - Appeared vs Dallas, 15 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Appeared vs Dallas, 40 mins, 1 assist
17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Started vs Philadelphia, 90 mins, 2 shots
20 - Amadou Dia - Sporting KC - Started vs Dallas, 90 mins
21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Started vs San Jose, 90 mins, 1 shot
26 - Joseph Greenspan - Colorado - Started vs Houston, 90 mins
49 - Taylor Hunter - Houston - Appeared vs Colorado, 18 mins
67 - Dominique Badji - Colorado - Appeared vs Houston, 10 mins

Regular Season

4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs Portland, 90 mins, 1 shot
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Houston, 90 mins
16 - Cristian Roldan - Seattle - Started vs DC United, 90 mins
17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Appeared as sub vs Seattle, 1 min
21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Appeared as sub vs Toronto, 20 mins, 1 assist
48 - Andy Craven - Seattle - Appeared as sub vs DC United, 12 mins, 1 shot

Thursday, July 2, 2015

MLSers on Gold Cup Rosters

The Gold Cup starts next week. Here's a list of the 42 MLSers who are on active rosters heading into the tourney:

By Country:

USA (11)

Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders)
Mix Diskerud (New York City FC)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders)
Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC)
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

US Open Cup Quarterfinal Match-Ups Set

We'll cover this week's matches later, but here's a look at the Quarterfinal Pairings for this year's US Open Cup. Matches will be played the 21st and 22nd of July:

East Regional: New York Red Bulls vs Philadelphia Union

In an Eastern Conference showdown, the Red Bulls will face off against last year's tournament runner-up, the Philadelphia Union. The Union knocked off the Red Bulls in their only match-up so far this season, 2-0 on May 24th behind goals by Vincent Nogueira and C.J. Sapong. While the Red Bulls have beaten up on the likes of the Atlanta Silverbacks and New York Cosmos, outscoring the two NASL sides 7-1, the Union have had a much tougher route to the quarterfinals. After playing the Rochester Rhinos to a 0-0 draw and defeating them in a shootout, they turned around and upset DC United scoring a pair of goals after going down to 10 men when Sapong was sent off 24 minutes in for a hard foul. Cristian Maidana assisted on both of the Union's goals in the win.

South Regional: Orlando City SC vs Chicago Fire

Two teams headed in opposite directions will face off when Orlando City takes on the Chicago Fire in the Southern Regional. The Fire have won just once in their last nine league matches and have dropped their last four including a 3-2 decision against Orlando on June 6th thanks to a pair of own goals by Adaílton. Orlando, on the other hand, is 4-1-2 in their last seven matches and Carlos Rivas is tied for the tournament lead in goals scored with four.

Central Regional: Houston Dynamo vs Sporting Kansas City

Dom Dwyer exploded for four goals in Sporting's 6-2 rout of FC Dallas in the 5th Round, more than making up for their lackluster performance against Saint Louis FC in their tournament opener. Houston, meanwhile, has yet to concede a goal in the tournament with Joe Willis posting back-to-back shutout wins over the Austin Aztex and Colorado Rapids. In their only meeting this year, the two clubs played to a wild 4-4 draw.

Western Regional: Real Salt Lake vs LA Galaxy

The Galaxy shut out the Wondo-less Quakes 1-0 thanks to an early goal from Jose Villarreal, winning without Gyasi Zardes, Omar Gonzalez, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard or Jaime Penedo. Real Salt Lake reached the quarterfinals by shocking the Portland Timbers 2-0 as Portland suffered a letdown following a pair of emotional wins over the Seattle Sounders. Real Salt Lake has been shut out twice by the Galaxy so far this season. The two clubs played to a 0-0 draw on May 6th and the Galaxy rode a Juninho PK to a 1-0 win on May 27th.