Friday, October 30, 2015

Playoff Match-Ups (Conference Semifinals)

EAST

Columbus Crew (2) vs Montreal Impact (3)

2015 Meetings

6/6/16 - Montreal Impact 2 Columbus Crew 1
7/11/15 - Montreal Impact 3 Columbus Crew 0

Season in Review: Colorado Rapids

Record: 9-15-10, 37 pts, 10th Place Western Conference
Goals For: 33
Goals Against: 43

Team Leaders

Goals: Kevin Doyle - 5
Assists: Dillon Powers - 6
Shutouts: Clint Irwin - 8
All-Stars: Drew Moor, Sam Cronin, Clint Irwin

Year in Review

No team scored fewer goals than the Rapids in 2015 and ultimately their attack would be their undoing as they missed the playoffs for the third time in four years. Struggling to find a lineup that could bring results, the Rapids did not have a single field player with more than 25 starts. Youngster Shane O'Neill, who represented the U.S. during the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, only made four appearances before being transferred to Apollon Limassol in Cyprus. Dillon Serna was on the U.S. U-23 squad that finished third in CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying this month, but only made eight starts for the Rapids this year. Jamaican striker Deshorn Brown scored 10 goals for the Rapids in both 2013 and 2014, but was sold to Vålerenga (Norway) in March, and the Rapids never did figure out a way to replace him. Irish International Kevin Doyle failed to duplicate Robbie Keane's MLS success scoring just five goals in 20 appearances, but that was still enough to lead the team. In total the Rapids were shutout 11 times in 2015 and scored just one goal in 16 other matches. Still, Colorado offered glimpses of promise with a pair of three game winning streaks before going 1-6-1 over their final eight games. SuperDraftees Dominique Badji, Joseph Greenspan, and Axel Sjöberg all stuck around over the course of the season, and the Rapids brought in some young talent in Lucas Pittinari (23) and designated player Juan Ramírez (22) this year. Ultimately though, if not for Clint Irwin's heroics in net, the season could have played out substantially worse.

What's Next?

The Rapids have an open Designated Player spot on their roster so I would expect them to go after someone, either a striker or central midfielder, who could dramatically boost their attack. As the lowest scoring team in the league, they need to do something to generate more chances. The other thing they need to figure out is if they can contend right now, or if they're building for a year or two from now. The Rapids boast a number of players on the wrong side of 30 on their roster: Marc Burch (31), Bobby Burling (31), Kevin Doyle (32), Maynor Figueroa (32), Nick LaBrocca (30), Drew Moor (31), James Riley (33), Vicente Sánchez (35), Marcelo Sarvas (34) and Sean St. Ledger (30). While there is certainly value in having veteran leadership and experience on your roster, I think the Rapids went too far in that direction and have somewhat stifled the development of some of their younger talent. I would expect a lot of the older guys to be gone next year, and see Colorado embrace the youth movement while building for a big-time run in 2017.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

USMNT Vets Showing Disturbing Lack of Composure/Maturity

So last night's ejection of Jermaine Jones in stoppage time got me thinking of a disturbing trend among some of the more senior players on the U.S. Men's National Team. Multiple times this year we've seen our guys getting stupid ejections for club and/or country; not for fouls, but for interactions with referees. Here are four instances now:

3/31/15 - Jozy Altidore gets a yellow card for a foul, then curses at the referee and gets sent off against Switzerland. The U.S. had a 1-0 lead at the time of the foul, and after going down a man surrendered the equalizer.

6/17/15 - Already down to nine men following an injury to Obafemi Martins and a second yellow for Brad Evans, Seattle's Michael Azira was sent off in the 113th minute of a 2-1 game in the U.S. Open Cup against Portland. Clint Dempsey then took it upon himself to take the referee's notebook and rip it up whereupon he too was sent off. Seattle went on to lose 3-1.

10/14/15 - Altidore wasn't even in the match against the New York Red Bulls when he received a red card from the bench for "abusing the assistant referee."

10/28/15 - After a non-call on an apparent handball that, had it been called, would have given New England a penalty kick with a chance to equalize in their playoff game against DC United, Jones lost his mind, shoved a referee and sealed the Revs' fate with a stoppage time ejection.

U-17 World Cup Update

The U.S. may be out of the U-17 World Cup, but CONCACAF has a pair of teams in the quarterfinals thanks to wins by Mexico and Costa Rica. Meanwhile just two European clubs remain in the tournament following losses by Germany, France and Russia in the Knockout Round. Of the eight teams that are remaining, none have won all four of their matches.

Knockout Round Matches

Brazil 1 New Zealand 0
Mexico 4 Chile 1
Nigeria 6 Australia 0
Belgium 2 South Korea 0
Croatia 2 Germany 0
Mali 3 North Korea 0
Costa Rica 0 France 0, Costa Rica Wins 5-3 on Penalties
Ecuador 4 Russia 1

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Playoff Match-Ups (Knockout Round)

EAST

Montreal Impact (3) vs Toronto FC (6)

2015 Meetings

5/6/15 - Montreal Impact 1 Toronto FC 0 (Canadian Championship)
5/13/15 - Toronto FC 3 Montreal Impact 2 (Canadian Championship)
6/24/15 - Toronto FC 3 Montreal Impact 1
8/29/15 - Toronto FC 2 Montreal Impact 1
10/25/15 - Montreal Impact 2 Toronto FC 1

Season in Review: Chicago Fire

Record: 8-20-6, 30 pts, 10th Place Eastern Conference
Goals For: 43
Goals Against: 58

Team Leaders

Goals: David Accam - 10
Assists: Harry Shipp - 8
Shutouts: Sean Johnson - 4
All-Stars: None

Year in Review

Chicago made a lot of noise this past offseason bringing in players like David Accam, Kennedy Igboananike, Adaílton, Guly Do Prado, Jon Busch, Michael Stephens, Joevin Jones and Shaun Maloney. Unfortunately, most of the moves didn't pay off. Do Prado parted on mutual terms in early August after fifteen scoreless appearances while Maloney, the Scottish International, was transferred to Hull City a few weeks later after scoring just 3 goals in 14 appearances. Big Brazilian center back Adaílton failed to provide stability along a back line that surrendered a league worst 58 goals, and overall the club just never really got into a groove peaking with a three game winning streak that ended in early April; in Chicago's final eight matches, they lost seven times. Several midseason moves fell flat for the Fire as well including their trade of Quincy Amarikwa to the Quakes for defender Ty Harden. The Fire then watched Amarikwa - who went scoreless in 14 games for the Fire this season - finish as the Quakes second leading scorer with six goals and third on the club in assists with four. Harden, meanwhile, made just three starts for Chicago. The Fire also had to endure winning the rights to Didier Drogba only basically having to trade him to Montreal instead. And you all know how that Drogba guy ended up doing up north. Finally, Mike Magee - who scored 21 goals in 2013 - never fully recovered from last season's injury and was limited to just 3 starts while being held scoreless. It wasn't all bad though despite the club record 20 losses. Accam finished the season with ten goals and Igboananike added seven more of his own. Harry Shipp showed his rookie season wasn't a fluke with a solid second season including eight assists, SuperDraftee Matt Polster garnered USMNT U-23 attention with his performance, and Joevin Jones showed tremendous versatility playing all over the field while making 28 appearances. Finally, Gilberto, although a consolation prize following the loss of Drogba, finally gave the attack some consistency and credibility as his five goals were the fourth most on the team despite his appearing in just ten matches.

What's Next?

The Fire have an open Designated Player spot on their roster so they could go out this offseason and make a splashy signing to go along with Accam and Gilberto. It will be interesting to see how they use that though as their biggest needs aren't necessarily in flashy positions. There's no question that Chicago will need to address the issues along their back line going forward. Offensively, despite their shortcomings in 2015, this group has the playmakers to be competitive in the East, but adding depth to their attack certainly wouldn't hurt them. Goalkeeper becomes a bit of a question mark as well with ongoing rumors about Sean Johnson's departure overseas, but even if he leaves, they do have veteran Jon Busch, as well as Alec Kann who made six saves in the season finale on the roster. The Fire last made the postseason in 2012, and they have their work cut out for them, but they at least appear to have some pieces in place to begin to turn things around.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

The Legend of Robert Earnshaw

34 year-old Robert Earnshaw logged just 43 minutes for the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2015, but managed to score a pair of goals. Last year he scored three goals in just 174 minutes, and he also scored in the 2013 season finale. Putting that all together, in Earnshaw's last 306 minutes on the field, spanning 15 matches, Earnshaw has six goals on 16 shots. If you're keeping track, that's 1.76 goals per 90 minutes. Here's a look at his goals that include three game winners, two equalizers and four strikes after the 80th minute:

10/26/13 - Tor vs Montreal, 16th minute, W 1-0, Game Winning Goal
8/23/14 - Chi vs Tor, 70th minute, D 2-2, Goal tied game at 1
8/30/14 - Chi vs Dal, 83rd minute, W 1-0, Game Winning Goal
10/2/14 - Chi vs Phi, 92nd minute, D 1-1, Goal tied game at 1
3/28/15 - Van vs Por 90th minute, W 2-1, Game Winning Goal
10/25/15 - Van vs Hou 93rd minute, W 3-0

Not bad for a guy who has been on three teams in three years and started just two regular season matches in the last two.

Top American Goal Scorers in MLS in 2015

Here's your top American goal scorers during the 2015 season in MLS:

1. Chris Wondolowski (San Jose) - (16) - 14 goals in 26 appearances for San Jose in 2014
2. Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC) - (13) - 3 goals in 7 appearances for NYRB in 2008
3. Ethan Finlay (Columbus) - (12) - 11 goals in 29 appearances for Columbus in 2014
4. Will Bruin (Houston) - (11) - 10 goals in 27 appearances for Houston in 2014
5. Charlie Davies (New England) - (10) - 3 goals in 18 appearances for New England in 2014
5. Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders) - (10) - 15 goals in 26 appearances for Seattle in 2014
5. Benny Feilhaber (Sporting KC) - (10) - 4 goals in 31 appearances for Sporting KC in 2014
5. Chris Rolfe (DC United) - (10) - 6 goals in 23 appearances for DC United/Chicago in 2014
9. Mike Grella (NYRB) - (9) - First MLS season
9. C.J. Sapong (Philadelphia) - (9) - 2 goals in 20 appearances for Sporting KC in 2014
11. Ricardo Clark (Houston) - (8) - 4 goals in 25 appearances for Houston in 2014
11. Sacha Kljestan (NYRB) - (8) - 1 goal in 10 appearances for Chivas USA in 2010
13. Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution) - (7) - 9 goals in 14 apps for Chivas/Revs in 2013
13. Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy) - (7) - First MLS season
13. Lee Nguyen (New England) - (7) - 18 goals in 32 appearances for New England in 2014
13. Kelyn Rowe (New England) - (7) - 5 goals in 27 appearances for New England in 2014
17. Quincy Amarikwa (Chicago/San Jose) - (6) - 8 goals in 32 appearances for Chicago in 2014
17. Jeff Larentowicz (Chicago) - (6) - 6 goals in 33 appearances for Chicago in 2014
17. Jack McInerney (Montreal/Columbus) - (6) - 8 goals in 30 appearances for Impact/Philly in 2014
17. Patrick Mullins (NYCFC) - (6) - 4 goals in 21 appearances for New England in 2014
17. Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy) - (6) - 16 goals in 32 appearances for LA in 2014

Top MLS Goal Scorers in 2015 By Country

Here are your top MLS goal scorers broken down by country. In total, 47 countries were represented this year. Where nationalities are a little fuzzy, notes have been added at the bottom:

Argentina - Ignacio Piatti (Montreal Impact) - 9
Austria - Andreas Ivanschitz (Seattle Sounders) - 1
Belgium - Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact) - 2
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Baggio Husidić* (LA Galaxy) - 2
Brazil - Kaká (Orlando City SC) - 9
Cameroon - Tony Tchani** (Columbus Crew) - 5
Canada - Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC) - 17
Chile - Pedro Morales (Vancouver) - 6
Colombia - Fabián Castillo (FC Dallas) - 9
Costa Rica - Álvaro Saborío (Real Salt Lake/DC United) - 7
DR Congo - Cedrick Mabwati (Columbus) - 1
Ecuador - Joao Plata (Real Salt Lake) - 4
El Salvador - Darwin Cerén (Orlando City) - 2
England - Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls) - 17
France - Sébastien Le Toux (Philadelphia) - 8
Gambia - Kekuta Manneh (Vancouver) - 7
Ghana - David Accam (Chicago)/Lloyd Sam (NYRB) - 10
Guadeloupe - Ronald Zubar (New York Red Bulls) - 1
Honduras - Boniek García (Houston Dynamo)/ Bryan Róchez (OCSC) - 3
Hungary - Krisztián Németh (Sporting Kansas City) - 10
Iraq - Justin Meram (Columbus Crew) - 6
Ireland - Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy) - 20
Italy - Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC) - 22
Ivory Coast - Didier Drogba (Montreal Impact) - 11
Jamaica - Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo) - 7
Liberia - Darlington Nagbe*** (Portland Timbers) - 5
Mexico - Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy) - 3
Morocco - Mehdi Ballouchy (New York City FC) - 3
Nigeria - Fanendo Adi (Portland Timbers) - 16
Norway - Pa-Modou Kah (Vancouver Whitecaps) - 3
Panama - Blas Pérez (FC Dallas) - 5
Paraguay - Nelson Valdez (Seattle Sounders) - 1
Poland - Damien Perquis (Toronto FC) - 1
Portugal - José Gonçalves (New England)/ Steven Vitória (Philadelphia) - 1
Romania - Răzvan Cociș (Chicago) - 2
Saint Kitts & Nevis - Atiba Harris (FC Dallas) - 2
Scotland - Shaun Maloney (Chicago) - 3
Senegal - Dominique Badji (Colorado) - 2
Sierra Leone - Kei Kamara (Columbus) - 22
Spain - David Villa (New York City FC) - 18
Sweden - Stefan Ishizaki (LA Galaxy) - 1
Switzerland - Adrian Winter (Orlando City SC) - 2
Trinidad and Tobago - Cordell Cato (San Jose) - 3
United States - Chris Wondolowski (San Jose) - 16
Uruguay - Octavio Rivero (Vancouver Whitecaps) - 10
Venezuela - Fernando Aristeguieta (Philadelphia Union) - 5
Wales - Robert Earnshaw (Vancouver Whitecaps) - 2

*While born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husidić is a U.S. citizen
**Born in Cameroon, Tchani became a U.S. citizen in 2013
***Born in Liberia, Nagbe became a U.S. citizen in 2015

2015 MLS Goal Scorers by Nationality

Now that the regular season is over, here's a breakdown of every goal scorer (own goals not included) broken down by Nationality:

ARGENTINA (67)

Mauro Díaz (FC Dallas) - (8) - 3 goals in 17 appearances for FC Dallas in 2014
Fabián Espíndola (DC United) - (5) - 11 goals in 27 appearances for DC United in 2014
Gastón Fernández (Portland) - (2) - 7 goals in 32 appearances for Portland in 2014
Federico Higuaín (Columbus) - (8) - 11 goals in 29 appearances for Columbus in 2014
Sebastián Jaime (Real Salt Lake) - (5) - 0 goals in 6 appearances for Real Salt Lake in 2014
Matías Laba (Vancouver) - (1) - 0 goals in 32 appearances for Vancouver in 2014
Cristian Maidana (Philadelphia) - (1) - 2 goals in 26 appearances for Philadelphia in 2014
Juan Manuel Martínez (Real Salt Lake) - (1) - First MLS season
Lucas Melano (Portland) - (1) - First MLS season
Leonel Miranda (Houston) - (2) - First MLS season
Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake) - (8) - 9 goals in 30 appearances for Real Salt Lake in 2014
Matías Pérez García (San Jose) - (2) - 1 goal in 6 appearances for San Jose in 2014
Ignacio Piatti (Montreal Impact) - (9) - 4 goals in 6 appearances for Montreal in 2014
Lucas Pittinari (Colorado Rapids) - (1) - First MLS season
Juan Ramírez (Colorado Rapids) - (1) - First MLS season
Andrés Romero (Montreal Impact) - (4) - 6 goals in 29 appearances for Montreal in 2014
Mauro Rosales (Vancouver Whitecaps) - (1) - 0 goals in 32 apps for Vancouver/Chivas USA in 2014
Maximiliano Urruti (Portland Timbers) - (4) - 10 goals in 30 appearances for Portland in 2014
Diego Valeri (Portland Timbers) - (2) - 11 goals in 33 appearances for Portland in 2014
Gonzalo Verón (New York Red Bulls) - (1) - First MLS season

Weekly Top Tens - 10/27/15

MLS LEADING SCORERS

1. Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 22 goals, 16 assists
2. Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone) - Columbus Crew - 22 goals, 8 assists
3. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 20 goals, 8 assists
4. David Villa (Spain) - New York City FC - 18 goals, 8 assists
5. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red bulls - 17 goals, 7 assists
6. Cyle Larin (Canada) - Orlando City SC - 17 goals
7. Fanendo Adi (Nigeria) - Portland Timbers - 16 goals, 3 assists
8. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 16 goals, 2 assists
9. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 15 goals, 6 assists
10. Jozy Altidore (USA) - Toronto FC - 13 goals

GAME WINNING GOALS

1 Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 7
1. Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone - Columbus - 7
1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 7
4. David Villa (Spain) - New York City FC - 6
5. Jozy Altidore (USA) - Toronto FC - 5
5. Krisztián Németh (Hungary) - Sporting Kansas City - 5
5. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 5
5. Fanendo Adi (Nigeria) - Portland Timbers - 5
5. Chris Rolfe (USA) - DC United - 5
5. Octavio Rivero (Uruguay) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 5

ASSISTS

1. Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 16
2. Cristian Maidana (Argentina) - Philadelphia Union - 15
2. Benny Feilhaber (USA) - Sporting Kansas City - 15
4. Sacha Kljestan (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 14
5. Ethan Finlay (USA) - Columbus Crew - 13
6. Javier Morales (Argentina) - Real Salt Lake - 12
7. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 10
7. Mauro Díaz (Argentina) - FC Dallas - 10
7. Brad Davis (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 10
7. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 10

SAVES

1. Josh Saunders (Puerto Rico) - New York City FC - 123
2. Steve Clark (USA) - Columbus Crew - 114
3. Stefan Frei (Switzerland) - Seattle Sounders - 111
4. David Bingham (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 105
5. Bill Hamid (USA) - DC United - 101
6. David Ousted (Denmark) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 99
6. Evan Bush (USA) - Montreal Impact - 99
8. Tyler Deric (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 89
9. Clint Irwin (USA) - Colorado Rapids - 88

10. Luis Robles (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 86

SHUTOUTS

1. Adam Kwarasey (Ghana) - Portland Timbers - 13

1. David Ousted (Denmark) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 13
3. David Bingham (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 124. Stefan Frei (Switzerland) - Seattle Sounders - 10
5. Evan Bush (USA) - Montreal Impact - 9
5. Luis Robles (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 9
7. Tim Melia (USA) - Sporting Kansas City - 8

7. Nick Rimando (USA) - Real Salt Lake - 8
7. Bill Hamid (USA) - DC United - 8
7. Bobby Shuttleworth (USA) - New England Revolution - 8

7. Clint Irwin (USA) - Colorado Rapids - 8

SUPPORTER'S SHIELD STANDINGS

1. New York Red Bulls - 60 Pts (18 wins, +19 GD)
2. FC Dallas - 60 pts (18 wins, +13 GD)
3. Vancouver Whitecaps - 53 pts (16 wins)
4. Columbus Crew SC - 53 pts (15 wins, +5 GD)
5. Portland Timbers - 53 pts (15 wins, +2 GD)
6. Seattle Sounders FC - 51 pts (15 wins, +8 GD)
7. Montreal Impact - 51 pts (15 wins, +4 GD)
8. DC United - 51 pts (15 wins, -2 GD)
9. LA Galaxy - 51 pts (14 wins, +10 GD)
10. Sporting Kansas City - 51 pts (14 wins, +3 GD)

CONCACAF FIFA RANKINGS (10/1/15)

1. Mexico (27)
2. USA (29)
3. Costa Rica (42)
4. Jamaica (57)
5. Trinidad and Tobago (59)
6. Panama (65)
7. Haiti (77)
8. Guatemala (82)
9. Antigua and Barbuda (83)
10. Honduras (89)

Your 2015 MLS Ironmen

Only two field players in MLS started all 34 regular season matches for their respective clubs in 2015: Columbus Crew winger Ethan Finlay and Red Bulls midfielder Felipe. Starting every game in an MLS season is more challenging than one might think. Because MLS often does not recognize FIFA dates, international call-ups frequently pull some of the league's top talent away from their clubs. Additionally there is always the risk of injury or suspension which certainly take their toll. Here's a quick sneak pick at this year's ironmen:

Finlay - After two quiet seasons as a reserve for Columbus, Finlay exploded onto the scene in 2014 with 11 goals and seven assists as he seized a starting role midway through the season. Finlay continued to be a force for the Crew in 2015 scoring 12 goals and finishing fifth in the league with 13 assists as he helped the Crew to the two seed in the Eastern Conference. Finlay has never appeared for the United States, and is also eligible to play internationally for Canada.

Felipe - Felipe spent his first three seasons playing for Montreal before being traded to New York this past January. The trade paid immediate dividends for the Red Bulls as Felipe became a staple in the Red Bulls midfield teaming with Sacha Kljestan, Dax McCarty, Lloyd Sam and Mike Grella to provide continuity and consistency throughout the season; a HUGE reason the Red Bulls are your 2015 Supporter's Shield winners. Felipe scored three goals and had five assists on the year. Born in Brazil, Felipe has never been in the international soccer picture.

Here's a rundown of the other players who have started 34 games in a season since the regular season schedule grew to 34 games following the 2010 season:

2014 - Giles Barnes (Houston), Bobby Boswell (DC United), Raymon Gaddis (Philadelphia)
2013 - Darlington Nagbe (Portland), Dominic Oduro (Montreal), Sam Cronin (Colorado), Jalil Anibaba (Sporting Kansas City), Austin Berry (Philadelphia), José Gonçalves (New England)
2012 - Eddie Gaven (Columbus), Drew Moor (Colorado)
2011 - Brad Davis (Houston), Kosuke Kimura (Colorado), Sebastián Miranda (Columbus), Joel Lindpere (NYRB), Jeff Larentowicz (Chicago), Nick LaBrocca (Colorado), Sébastien Le Toux (Philadelphia)

Monday, October 26, 2015

Final Rookie Stats

Here's a look at the 28 MLS Superdraftees who saw MLS action in 2015:

1 - Cyle Larin (Orlando City) - 27 apps, 24 starts, 1906 mins, 64 shots, 17 goals, 1 red
2 - Khiry Shelton (New York City FC) - 17 apps, 7 starts, 824 mins, 13 shots, 1 goal, 1 assist
3 - Romario Williams (Montreal) - 2 apps, 7 mins
4 - Fatai Alashe (San Jose) - 28 apps, 27 starts, 2317 mins, 19 shots, 2 goals, 2 assists, 5 yc, 1 red
7 - Matt Polster (Chicago) - 30 apps, 26 starts, 2422 mins, 12 shots, 10 yellows
8 - Zach Steinberger (Houston) - 3 apps, 29 mins, 1 shot
9 - Clement Simonin (Toronto FC) - 2 apps, 2 starts, 171 mins, 1 shot, 1 yellow
10 - Connor Hallisey (Sporting KC) - 13 apps, 6 starts, 516 mins, 8 shots, 1 assist
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam (Sporting KC) - 22 apps, 10 starts, 1074 mins, 5 shots, 1 assist, 1 yellow
13 - Tim Parker (Vancouver) - 15 apps, 14 starts, 1262 mins, 4 shots, 2 yellows
14 - Axel Sjöberg (Colorado) - 14 apps, 14 starts, 1259 mins, 12 shots, 5 yellows, 1 red
16 - Cristian Roldan (Seattle) - 22 apps, 11 starts, 1114 mins, 12 shots, 1 assist, 1 yellow
17 - Miguel Aguilar (DC United) - 17 apps, 4 starts, 528 mins, 4 shots, 1 yellow
19 - Sergio Campbell (Columbus) - 1 app, 1 start, 90 mins, 2 shots
20 - Amadou Dia (Sporting KC) - 22 apps, 13 starts, 1317 mins, 5 shots, 1 assist, 2 yellows
21 - Ignacio Maganto (LA Galaxy) - 13 apps, 6 starts, 524 mins, 8 shots, 1 goal, 2 assists
22 - Conor Donovan - Orlando City - 1 app, 1 start, 14 mins
23 - Connor Brandt (New York City FC) - 1 app, 9 mins
26 - Joseph Greenspan (Colorado) - 3 apps, 2 starts, 185 mins, 1 yellow
27 - Boyd Okwuonu (Real Salt Lake) - 3 apps, 1 start, 118 mins
36 - Rob Lovejoy (Houston) - 17 apps, 2 starts, 337 mins, 8 shots, 1 goal, 1 assist
40 - Oniel Fisher (Seattle) - 12 apps, 9 starts, 864 mins, 6 shots, 4 yellows
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) - 15 apps, 9 starts, 812 mins, 18 shots, 2 goals, 1 yellow
71 - Raymond Lee (Philadelphia) - 1 app, 12 mins
79 - Manolo Sanchez (New York Red Bulls) - 3 apps, 22 mins, 6 shots

Here's a look at your leaders in various categories:

Appearances: Matt Polster (Chicago) - 30
Starts: Matt Polster (Chicago) - 27
Minutes: Matt Polster (Chicago) - 2422
Shots: Cyle Larin (Orlando City) - 64
Goals: Cyle Larin (Orlando City) - 17
Assists: Ignacio Maganto (LA Galaxy), Fatai Alashe (San Jose) - 2
Yellow Cards: Matt Polster (Chicago) - 10
Red Cards: Cyle Larin (Orlando City), Fatai Alashe (San Jose), Axel Sjöberg (Colorado) - 1

Weekly Power Rankings - End of Regular Season (Week 34)

THE SOCCERSMITH'S MLS POWER RANKINGS

1 - New York Red Bulls (18-10-6) - Clinched their third Supporter's Shield in six years with a 2-1 win over the Fire, but are still looking for their first MLS Cup. Last Week: 2
2 - FC Dallas (18-10-6) - Just missed the Supporter's Shield, but they'll still be Champions League bound next year AND they're getting contributions from everyone. Last Week: 1
3 - Columbus Crew (15-11-8) - Closed out the regular season with a convincing 5-0 win over DC United despite no Kei Kamara. Ethan Finlay needs to get some USMNT love. Last Week: 4
4 - Montreal Impact (15-13-6) - How many goals would Didier Drogba have scored if he played the entire season? 20? 25? Last Week: 6
5 - Portland Timbers (15-11-8) - Darlington Nagbe stepped up in a big way on Sunday. You watching, Jurgen Klinsmann? Last Week: 8
6 - LA Galaxy (14-11-9) - Blew a late lead in the Champions League which cost them the top seed in the Knockout Round AND lost to Sporting Kansas City which means they'll have to win on the road in Seattle to advance to the conference semis. Last Week: 3
7 - Seattle Sounders (15-13-6) - Clint Dempsey scored two goals and added an assist in the opening 20 minutes against Real Salt Lake. That guy needs to show up more often for club AND country. Last Week: 10
8 - Toronto FC (15-15-4) - Will get another shot at Montreal and Didier Drogba this week as the postseason gets underway. Last Week: 5
9 - New England Revolution (14-12-8) - Lee Nguyen and Charlie Davies delivered when New England needed a win. Can they duplicate last season's postseason run? Last Week: 13
10 - Vancouver Whitecaps (16-13-5) - David Ousted made it back-to-back seasons with 13 shutouts, and Vancouver set a franchise record with 16 wins. Last Week: 11

Weekly Recap - Week 34

Jámison Olave headed home a Javier Morales corner kick and Nick Rimando made a pair of saves as Real Salt Lake knocked off Municipal to clinch Group G and advance to the Champions League Quarterfinals... Juan Ramírez came off the Colorado bench and delivered two assists in the final 15 minutes as the Rapids stunned Sporting Kansas City 2-0 and kept the race for the final playoff spots in the Western Conference wide open. Prior to the match, Ramírez had just one assist on the year. Colorado Keeper Zac MacMath earned his first shutout since September of last year while making three saves... Alan Gordon scored his fifth goal of the 2015-16 Champions League, but the Galaxy conceded a late equalizer to Comunicaciones striker Rolando Blackburn causing them to lose the top seed in the knockout round and settle for the fifth spot and a date with Santos Laguna... The Whitecaps became the second team to travel to Honduras this year and lose when they, like Seattle before them, dropped a 1-0 decision against Olimpia. Traveling without most of their key contributors, the Caps were outshot 14-3 and maintained just 31.5% of possession during the match. Paolo Tornaghi made three saves in defeat... With Kei Kamara suspended, the Crew turned to midseason acquisition Jack McInerney and he delivered with a goal and an assist while Ethan Finlay added two goals of his own as the Crew routed DC United 5-0 and clinched the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. With the loss, DC United finished fourth... Lee Nguyen scored less than two minutes into the match and New England never looked back as Charlie Davies and Kelyn Rowe added goals and the Revs clinched the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 3-1 win over New York City FC. The Revs enter the playoffs as the East's 5 seed while City concludes their inaugural MLS season with an 8th place finish... Sébastien Le Toux's first half penalty kick accounted for all of the scoring as the Union ended Orlando City's playoff hopes with a 1-0 win. Andre Blake made five saves to earn the shutout in a match that featured 10 yellow cards and an ejection of Orlando City's Cristian Higuita. Despite the win, the Union end the season in 9th place while Orlando City's first campaign ends with them in 7th... In the span of a few seconds, Montreal erased a 1-0 deficit behind a pair of goals by Didier Drogba and held off Toronto FC 2-1. Montreal now finishes the season in third place in the East while Toronto settles for the sixth seed meaning the two clubs will face off in an elimination match on Thursday. On the bright side for Toronto, Sebastian Giovinco clinched the Golden Boot as he finished his first season in MLS with 22 goals and 16 assists... Darlington Nagbe scored two goals and added an assist as the Timbers routed the Rapids 4-1 on their way to a postseason berth and the third seed in the Western Conference. Rookie and 67th overall pick in the 2015 Draft, Dominique Badji, scored the lone goal for Colorado who ended the season in last place in the Western Conference... Vancouver clinched the number two seed in the West with a convincing 3-0 win over the Houston Dynamo. David Ousted made a pair of saves to reach 13 shutouts for the second consecutive season. With the loss, the Dynamo finished in 8th place in the West... Dom Dwyer's second half game winner lifted Sporting KC through to the postseason as they knocked off the Galaxy 2-1. Robbie Keane scored his 20th goal of the season, but couldn't stop the Galaxy from falling to 5th place in the West. Sporting will enter the playoffs as the six seed... The Red Bulls clinched their fourth Supporter's Shield, and third since 2010, with a 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire. Chicago's Alec Kann made his MLS debut in goal for the Fire and recorded six saves in a losing effort. The Fire end the season with a league-worst 20 losses... Clint Dempsey scored two goals and added an assist in the first 20 minutes as Seattle assured themselves of a playoff berth and a home game to boot after defeating Real Salt Lake 3-1. Real Salt Lake ends the season in 9th place. Luis Gil scored his first goal of the season for Real Salt Lake in a losing effort... San Jose's playoff hopes were dashed as they couldn't hold a lead against Dallas and fell 2-1 against the Western Conference Champions. While it turned out even a win by San Jose wouldn't have been enough, the loss removed all doubt, and kept them from finishing the 2015 season with a winning record. FC Dallas finished atop the Western Conference and will advance to next year's Champions League, but lost the Supporter's Shield to the Red Bulls on goal differential, 19-13.

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch - Week 34

As the 2015 MLS regular season drew to a close yesterday, we saw 11 different rookies take the field across various competitions during the final week of the season. Highlights included Dominique Badji's second goal of the season, Fatai Alashe's second assist of the season, and multiple starts by Sporting KC's Saad Abdul-Salaam, as well as Colorado's Axel Sjöberg and Badji. Here's a rundown of all the rookie action in the final week of the season:

MLS

1 - Cyle Larin - Orlando City - Started vs Philadelphia, 90 mins, 1 shot
2 - Khiry Shelton - New York City FC - Started vs New England, 56 mins
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs FC Dallas, 90 mins, 1 assist
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs NYRB, 90 mins, 3 shots, yellow card
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC -  Started vs Colorado, 90 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Started vs LA, 90 mins
13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs Houston - 90 mins
14 - Axel Sjöberg - Colorado - Started vs Sporting KC, 90 mins
14 - Axel Sjöberg - Colorado - Started vs Portland, 90 mins
36 - Rob Lovejoy - Houston - Sub vs Vancouver, 1 min
40 - Oniel Fisher - Seattle - Sub vs Real Salt Lake, 20 mins
67 - Dominique Badji - Colorado - Started vs Sporting KC, 74 mins, 1 shot
67 - Dominique Badji - Colorado - Started vs Portland, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 goal

CCL

13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Sub vs Olimpia, 28 mins
21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Started vs Comunicaciones, 90 mins


U-17 World Cup Update

Brandon Vazquez (Tijuana) scored his second goal of the tournament, but the U.S. squandered an early lead for the second match in a row conceding four times against hosts Chile and ending their World Cup with a 4-1 loss and last place finish in Group A. The U.S. finishes the tournament in 21st place out of 24 teams with a record of 0-2-1 and were outscored 8-3 in their three matches. Here's a look at some of the other action as group play wrapped up this weekend:

Croatia 2 Nigeria 1
England 0 South Korea 0
Mali 3 Honduras 0
Mexico 2 Germany 1
Australia 2 Argentina 1
New Zealand 2 Paraguay 1
France 4 Syria 0
North Korea 2 Costa Rica 1

Friday, October 23, 2015

CCL Goal Scorers by Nationality

Here's a list of all of your 2015-16 CCL goal scorers through the group stage broken down by nationality. MLSers are highlighted in red. With 5 goals, Alan Gordon has the highest total by an American player in the Champions League since Herculez Gomez scored 6 goals for Santos Laguna during the 2011-12 tourney.

Argentina (12)

Emanuel Villa - Querétaro F.C. - 6
Jonathan Hansen - Herediano - 2
Diego González - Santos Laguna - 1
Carlos Izquierdoz - Santos Laguna - 1
Juan Manuel Martínez - Real Salt Lake - 1
Rubens Sambueza - Club América - 1

Belize (2)

Deon McCaulay - Verdes FC - 2

Brazil (3)

Danilinho - Querétaro F.C. - 1
Ricardinho Paraiba - Santa Tecla - 1
Israel Silva - Motagua - 1

U-17 World Cup Update

The U.S. grabbed a 2-0 lead against Croatia on Tuesday behind first half goals from Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund) and Brandon Vazquez (Tijuana), but conceded twice after the break and were forced to settle for a 2-2 tie. The U.S. now heads into their final match against Chile today needing a win to assure advancing to the knockout stage. Chile drew with Croatia in their opener before falling to Nigeria 5-1. Here's a rundown of some more of the action from the second round of matches:

Brazil 1 England 0
Mexico 0 Australia 0
Germany 4 Argentina 0
Belgium 2 Honduras 1
Russia 1 Costa Rica 1
France 4 Paraguay 3

Upcoming Matches of Interest:

10/23 - USA vs Chile
10/23 - Croatia vs Nigeria
10/24 - Germany vs Mexico
10/24 - Mali vs Honduras
10/25 - Costa Rica vs North Korea

Clinched Spots in Knockout Round:

Nigeria
South Korea
Germany
France

Top Scorers:

Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) - 3
Johannes Eggestein (Germany) - 3
Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria) - 2
Pervis Estupiñan (Ecuador) - 2
Vitaly Janelt (Germany) - 2
Felix Passlack (Germany) - 2
Bilal Boutobba (France) - 2
Nanimato Ikone (France) - 2
Julio Villalba (Paraguay) - 2
Fedor Chalov (Russia) - 2

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

MLS's 20-Goal Scorers

As we enter the final week of the regular season with Toronto's Sebastian Giovinco and Columbus's Kei Kamara neck-and-neck for the Golden Boot, and several other players within striking distance of 20 goals, it's worth noting that no player in MLS history has EVER scored more than 20 goals in a season more than once. Here's a rundown of all the 20-goal scorers in MLS history and a look at how they fared in the aftermath of eclipsing the 20-goal plateau:

Roy Lassiter - 1996, 27 - Lassiter is still tied for the most goals scored in a single season after scoring 27 in the league's inaugural campaign. Lassiter did score 18 goals with DC United in both 1998 and 1999, but failed to reach double digits in his final three season in the league. Career Goals: 88

Raúl Díaz Arce - 1996, 23 - El Salvador's official all-time leading scorer with 39 goals in 68 appearances, Díaz Arce helped DC United win back-to-back titles in 1996 and 1997. He scored 15 goals during the 1997 campaign in just 22 matches, and then scored 18 in 1998 with New England, but split the 1999, 2000 and 2001 campaigns between multiple clubs averaging less than nine goals a season his final three years in the league. Career Goals: 82

Eduardo Hurtado - 1996, 21 - Hurtado tallied 21 goals for the Galaxy in 1996, but reached double digits only one more time (11 goals in 1998) before washing out of MLS in 2000. Career Goals: 47

Updated CCL Scenarios

After last night's three matches, only one group remains undecided in the CONCACAF Champions League and that will be settled tonight between Tigres UANL and Herediano. Here's the updated scenarios for each group with tonight's matches highlighted in red:

Group A

Santos Laguna defeated Saprissa 6-1 in the Group A finale to win the group.

Group B

Tigres UANL (Mexico) carry a three point lead and homefield advantage into their final match with Herediano (Costa Rica) on October 21st, but an Herediano win will send the Costa Rican side through as the two clubs drew 1-1 in their previous match-up.

Group C

Querétaro (Mexico) has already clinched the group so the October 22nd showdown between Verdes (Belize) and San Francisco (Panama) is purely for bragging rights. Verdes won the last match-up 2-1.

Group D

The LA Galaxy have clinched the group, but their October 21st match with Comunicaciones (Guatemala) could influence their quarterfinal seed. The Galaxy won the last match-up between these two clubs 5-0 thanks to a pair of goals from both Alan Gordon and Robbie Keane.

Group E

América drew with Motagua 1-1 to clinch Group E with a record of 3-0-1.

Group F

The Seattle Sounders clinched the group thanks to their 3-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps, but the Whitecaps still have one more match to play on the road against Olimpia (Honduras) on October 22nd. The Whitecaps defeated Olimpia 1-0 on September 16th.

Group G

Real Salt Lake's 1-0 win over Municipal guaranteed four MLS squads in the Round of 8.

Group H

DC United has clinched this group leaving the final match between Árabe Unido (Panama) and Montego Bay United of no significant importance.

Current Positioning for the Quarterfinals is as follows:

1. América - 10 pts (+7)
2. DC United - 10 pts (+6)
3. Real Salt Lake - 10 pts (+3)
4. Santos Laguna - 9 pts (+9)
5. LA Galaxy - 7 pts (+9)
6. Querétaro - 7 pts (+9)
7. Seattle Sounders - 7 pts (+3)
8. Tigres UANL/Herediano - 7 pts (+2)

Teams in bold have no matches remaining while teams in red play tonight. For teams that have not clinched, the higher of the points values was used.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Weekly Top Tens - 10/20/15

MLS LEADING SCORERS

1. Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 22 goals, 15 assists
2. Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone) - Columbus Crew - 22 goals, 8 assists
3. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 17 goals, 8 assists
4. David Villa (Spain) - New York City FC - 17 goals, 8 assists
5. Cyle Larin (Canada) - Orlando City SC - 17 goals
6. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red bulls - 16 goals, 7 assists
7 Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 16 goals, 1 assist
8. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 15goals, 5 assists
9. Fanendo Adi (Nigeria) - Portland Timbers - 15goals, 3assists
10. Jozy Altidore (USA) - Toronto FC - 12 goals

GAME WINNING GOALS

1 Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 7
1. Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone - Columbus - 7
1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 7
4. David Villa (Spain) - New York City FC - 6
5. Jozy Altidore (USA) - Toronto FC - 5
5. Krisztián Németh (Hungary) - Sporting Kansas City - 5
5. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 5
5. Fanendo Adi (Nigeria) - Portland Timbers - 5
5. Chris Rolfe (USA) - DC United - 5
5. Octavio Rivero (Uruguay) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 5

ASSISTS

1. Cristian Maidana (Argentina) - Philadelphia Union - 15
1. Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 15
3. Benny Feilhaber (USA) - Sporting Kansas City - 14
4. Ethan Finlay (USA) - Columbus Crew - 13
4. Sacha Kljestan (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 13
6. Javier Morales (Argentina) - Real Salt Lake - 11
7. Mauro Díaz (Argentina) - FC Dallas - 10
7. Brad Davis (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 10
7. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 10
10. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 9
10. Federico Higuaín (Argentina) - Columbus Crew - 9

SAVES

1. Josh Saunders (Puerto Rico) - New York City FC - 121
2. Stefan Frei (Switzerland) - Seattle Sounders - 111
3. Steve Clark (USA) - Columbus Crew - 110
4. David Bingham (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 104
5. Bill Hamid (USA) - DC United - 97
5. David Ousted (Denmark) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 97
7. Evan Bush (USA) - Montreal Impact - 95
8. Tyler Deric (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 89
9. Clint Irwin (USA) - Colorado Rapids - 88

10. Luis Robles (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 82

SHUTOUTS

1. Adam Kwarasey (Ghana) - Portland Timbers - 13

2. David Bingham (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 12
2. David Ousted (Denmark) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 12

4. Stefan Frei (Switzerland) - Seattle Sounders - 10
5. Evan Bush (USA) - Montreal Impact - 9
5. Luis Robles (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 9
7. Tim Melia (USA) - Sporting Kansas City - 8

7. Bill Hamid (USA) - DC United - 8
7. Nick Rimando (USA) - Real Salt Lake - 8
7. Bobby Shuttleworth (USA) - New England Revolution - 8

7. Clint Irwin (USA) - Colorado Rapids - 8

SUPPORTER'S SHIELD STANDINGS

1. New York Red Bulls - 57 Pts (17 wins, +18 GD)
2. FC Dallas - 57 pts (17 wins, +12 GD)
3. DC United - 51 pts (15 wins)
4. LA Galaxy - 51 pts (14 wins)
5. Vancouver Whitecaps - 50 pts (15 wins)
6. Columbus Crew SC - 50 pts (14 wins, +0 GD)
7. Portland Timbers - 50 pts (14 wins, -1 GD)
8. Toronto FC - 49 pts (15 wins)
9. Seattle Sounders FC - 48 pts (14 wins, +6 GD)
10. Montreal Impact - 48 pts (14 wins, +3 GD)

CONCACAF FIFA RANKINGS (10/1/15)

1. Mexico (27)
2. USA (29)
3. Costa Rica (42)
4. Jamaica (57)
5. Trinidad and Tobago (59)
6. Panama (65)
7. Haiti (77)
8. Guatemala (82)
9. Antigua and Barbuda (83)
10. Honduras (89)

U-17 World Cup Update

The U.S. suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of defending World Cup Champions Nigeria in their opening match of the U-17 World Cup in Chile. The U.S. was outshot 19-5 and failed to put a shot on frame in the match. Adding insult to injury, the U.S. also saw defender Auston Trusty ejected in the 87th minute. The U.S. hosts Croatia this afternoon and finishes group play against hosts Chile on Friday. Here's a look at some of the highlights of the first round of matches:

South Korea 1 Brazil 0
Germany 4 Australia 1
Mexico 2 Argentina 0
Ecuador 3 Honduras 1
Costa Rica 2 South Africa 1
France 6 New Zealand 1
Paraguay 4 Syria 1

Upcoming Matches of Interest:

10/20 - USA vs Croatia
10/20 - Nigeria vs Chile
10/20 - England vs Brazil
10/21 - Mexico vs Australia
10/21 - Argentina vs Germany
10/21 - Belgium vs Honduras
10/22 - Russia vs Costa Rica
10/22 - France vs Paraguay

Top Scorer:

Johannes Eggestein (Germany) - 2

Catching Up on the USMNT/U-23s

Costa Rica 1 USMNT 0

Another disappointing result for the U.S. Men as they have now won just once in their last six matches (1-4-1) following their 6-0 thrashing of Cuba during the Gold Cup. This on the heels of a stretch where the U.S. went 7-0-1 with wins over Mexico, the Netherlands and Germany this summer. While there were some bright spots - the return of Tim Howard, another strong showing from Bobby Wood, some solid play from Lee Nguyen, and Andrew Wooten's USMNT debut - the effort was largely uninspired leaving the U.S. with no momentum heading into World Cup Qualifying next month. While Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is hardly Mexico, neither was Antigua and Barbuda in 2012 and the U.S. needed a 90th minute goal to beat them. It's certainly not time for U.S. fans to panic, but this match in a few weeks cannot be one that's taken lightly. Vancouver's Kendall Waston and Montreal's Johan Venegas both started for Costa Rica in the win.

Weekly Power Rankings, Week 32/33

THE SOCCERSMITH'S MLS POWER RANKINGS

*with the short week last week, the "Last Week" ranking refers to Week 31

1 - FC Dallas (17-10-6) - Three straight shutouts, the best record in the Western Conference, and a chance to clinch the Supporter's Shield this weekend if they get a little help from the Chicago Fire. Things are going Dallas's way right now. Last Week: 3
2 - New York Red Bulls (17-10-6) - The Supporter's Shield is theirs to lose as they have the best Goal Differential in the league and take on the lowly Fire on Sunday afternoon. Mike Grella is quietly have a sensational season for the East's best. Last Week: 2
3 - LA Galaxy (14-10-9) - Ugly showing against the Timbers as the defense collapsed and allowed five second half goals. Despite not playing well lately, the Galaxy are still formiddable. Last Week: 1
4 - Columbus Crew (14-11-8) - Clinched a playoff berth thanks to Federico Higuaín and Ethan Finlay. What's Finlay got to do to get some National Team love? Last Week: 9
5 - Toronto FC (15-14-4) - Impressive win over the Red Bulls, but slipped up against the Crew. Jozy needs to figure out how to keep his temper in check, but it's nice to see some fire in him, even if it's completely misdirected. Last Week: 6
6 - Montreal Impact (14-13-6) - The Drogba train keeps rolling along and Montreal has all three Canadian teams playoff bound after their 1-0 win over New England. Last Week: 8
7 - DC United (15-12-6) - Yes, it was only against Chicago, but it was nice to see United actually look like a convincing winner for a change. Last Week: 10
8 - Portland Timbers (14-11-8) - Huge week for Portland with wins over Real Salt Lake AND the LA Galaxy. Fanendo Adi is probably the league's best striker that most people have never heard of. Last Week: 13
9 - Orlando City SC (12-13-8) - It's probably too little too late, but with five straight wins, Orlando City is showing they'll be a force to be reckoned with in 2016. The scariest thing is that Kaká has only had a minor role in their recent success. Last Week: 12
10 - Seattle Sounders (14-13-6) - Huge late goal by Obafemi Martins kept Seattle above the red line heading into the final week of the season, but they'll need a full three points against Real Salt Lake or they could wind up on the outside looking in when the dust settles. Last Week: 7

Weekly Recap - Week 33

Herculez Gomez scored his first MLS goal since 2008 as Toronto clinched their first playoff berth in franchise history with a 2-1 win over Red Bulls. Toronto, who played without Michael Bradley, also overcame an ejection to Jozy Altidore who was tossed from the bench before ever appearing in the match. Sebastian Giovinco scored his 22nd goal in the win... Mauro Díaz scored a goal and added an assist as FC Dallas shutout Vancouver for the second time in a week, winning 2-0. Jesse Gonzalez earned his fourth shutout in nine career starts. 19 year-old Marco Bustos made his MLS debut off the bench for the Caps... Fanendo Adi's penalty kick accounted for all of the scoring and Adam Kwarasey made a pair of saves to earn his league-best 13th shutout as Portland upended Real Salt Lake 1-0... Two more goals from Cyle Larin sent Orlando City to a fifth straight win as they knocked off their expansion rivals New York City FC, 2-1. Larin now has 17 goals on the season as Orlando kept their slim playoff hopes alive in the Eastern Conference, but Orlando lost keeper Tally Hall in the closing minutes to a knee injury... Anibal Godoy scored the only goal of the match as San Jose kept pace with Portland by upending Sporting Kansas City, 1-0. Chris Wondolowski earned his first assist of the year to go along with his 16 goals... Federico Higuaín scored a goal and added an assist, and Ethan Finlay scored his 10th goal of the season as the Columbus Crew clinched a playoff berth with a 2-0 win over Toronto FC... Ignacio Piatti's second half goal sent the Impact to a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution as the Impact clinched a playoff berth and left New England needing a point in their final match to clinch the Eastern Conference's last playoff spot. Evan Bush made a pair of saves to earn the shutout... David Texeira's goal eliminated Real Salt Lake from the postseason as FC Dallas knocked off RSL 1-0 on Saturday. Jesse Gonzalez made five saves to earn a third straight shutout and helped Dallas become the first MLS team to reach 17 wins this season... DC United scored three times in the second half to turn a close game into a blowout win as United routed the Fire, 4-0. Chicago now has 19 losses on the season, the most in the league... Mike Grella scored 8 seconds into the match, the fastest goal in MLS history, and the Red Bulls struck four times in the opening half en route to a 4-1 rout of the Philadelphia Union. Grella scored twice giving him nine goals on the season... Obafemi Martins scored in the 82nd minute as the Sounders rallied for a draw against the Houston Dynamo. Ricardo Clark scored his 8th goal of the season for Houston as Brad Davis tallied career assist number 122... Portland overcame a pair of goals by Robbie Keane by erupting for five second half scores in a 5-2 road win over the vaunted LA Galaxy. Fanendo Adi scored twice and added an assist for the victors.

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch - Week 33

Cyle Larin continued his sensational rookie campaign with two more goals against New York City FC as Orlando City won a fifth straight match. Larin now has 17 goals this season which is substantially more than all other members of the 2015 SuperDraft Class combined. Otherwise things were pretty quiet as we get ready for the final week of the 2015 regular season. Here's a rundown of all the action from last week:

1 - Cyle Larin - Orlando City - Started vs NYCFC, 81 mins, 7 shots, 2 goals
2 - Khiry Shelton - New York City FC - Sub vs OCSC, 24 mins, 1 shot
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs Sporting KC, 90 mins, 3 shots
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Sub vs DC United, 22 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Sub vs San Jose, 26 mins
13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs FC Dallas, 90 mins 
36 - Rob Lovejoy - Houston - Sub vs Seattle, 1 min



Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Thoughts on USA-Mexico

Saturday was a dark day for the U.S. Men's National Team. What started with a devastating blow to the U.S.'s Olympic hopes when the U-23s were upset by Honduras 2-0, ended with a gut-wrenching 3-2 loss to Mexico that will keep the U.S. out of the 2017 Confederations Cup. I'll leave the U-23s and the Olympics out of this synopsis, but here are my thoughts in the aftermath of USA-Mexico.

1) Where was Clint Dempsey? The former U.S. captain, and squad's current leading scorer, was a complete non-factor against El Tri. And while part of that is because the U.S. never had the ball, the part that concerns me is that he just always seemed to be walking, and seemed out of it the whole game. He had some good moments, for sure, but considering how big this game was, and who he is, I would've expected a lot more. It got to the point where I was expecting Klinsmann to pull Dempsey from the game for Wondo. Now admittedly I'm a bigtime Wondo homer, but I know I wasn't the only one who saw Dempsey's lack of impact on the match. Fun fact, Dempsey has NEVER, in his 12 years with the USMNT, scored against Mexico. It's apples and oranges, but Landon Donovan scored against Mexico 5 times including 2014 World Cup Qualifying, the 2011 Gold Cup, and the 2002 World Cup.

2) The U.S. team is not a young one. Ok, maybe they're not OLD either, but consider the age of some of the guys we trotted out there on Saturday: DaMarcus Beasley (33), Kyle Beckerman (33), Clint Dempsey (32), Jermaine Jones (33), Geoff Cameron (30), and Brad Evans (30) are all on the wrong side of 30. Safe to say, a good chunk of this group won't be around in 2018. We're now a year post-2014, and a month away from the start of the 2018 World Cup Qualifying cycle, and you just have to wonder, what direction are we going? We have younger players in the wings, when are we going to give them a chance?

3) This team seems to lack fitness and toughness. I thought it was pretty evident that by the end of the match, the U.S. team looked pretty gassed. Now I know it was a 120 minute match, and it was hot, and Michael Bradley doesn't count, but the U.S. team (Jones, Dempsey, Altidore, Beasley, etc) just looked run down. Now again, part of that is because we spent 90 of the 120 minutes chasing the ball, but for a team whose identity always stemmed around athleticism and toughness, I felt like we lacked that for the most part against Mexico. And maybe even all summer. As for toughness, I'm not necessarily just talking about most guys lacking Jermaine Jones' physicality, but the mental toughness as well. I already spoke on Dempsey, but now you have reports that Fabian Johnson checked himself out of the match in extra time despite no apparent injury, and he's subsequently been sent home by Jurgen Klinsmann to reassess his approach to USMNT soccer or something like that. So there's that. This was a HUGE match, and if that's the way we had guys approaching it... I dunno... Yes, we battled back from deficits twice, which is great, but we also benefitted from a number of missed chances by the Mexican attack, a handball on Matt Besler that went uncalled, and solid play by Brad Guzan. I don't want to say we deserved to lose, because that's not really fair, but we didn't play like a team that expected to win.

4) How much of the blame should lie with Klinsmann? Certainly some, but at the end of the day, he doesn't play the game. And if you're going to place blame on him for how his players perform, then you also have to give him credit for pushing some of the right buttons. It was, after all, his first two substitutes, Yedlin and Wood, who combined to score the second goal for the U.S. That said, I don't feel like he prepared this group well for this match. How many matches had this group played together since the World Cup? Geoff Cameron and Matt Besler were left off the Gold Cup roster, and they were the starting center backs. We brought DaMarcus Beasley out of retirement, essentially to play in this match. Jermaine Jones and Fabian Johnson were both playing out of position. The fact that we keep trotting out different combinations and formations without ever really settling on something and honing in on a lineup is concerning, and I think that hurt us.

5) Where do we go from here? Hopefully, we go younger. The Costa Rica match is an opportunity to start building towards next month's match against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It's a match we should win by half a dozen goals, but we need to approach it with a sense of urgency instead of a desire for experimentation. With any luck, the group we start today will align with who starts a month from now. Here's how I would line up: GK - Brad Guzan, LD - Brek Shea, CD - Geoff Cameron, CD- Ventura Alvarado, RD - DeAndre Yedlin, LM - Alejando Bedoya, CM - Mix Diskerud, CM - Danny Williams, RM - Gyasi Zardes, FWD - Jozy Altidore, FWD - Bobby Wood.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Weekly Top Tens - 10/12/15

MLS LEADING SCORERS

1. Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone) - Columbus Crew - 22 goals, 8 assists
2. Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 21 goals, 15 assists
3. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 17 goals, 8 assists
3. David Villa (Spain) - New York City FC - 17 goals, 8 assists
5. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 16 goals
6. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red bulls - 15 goals, 7 assists
7. Cyle Larin (Canada) - Orlando City SC - 15 goals
8. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 14 goals, 5 assists
9. Fanendo Adi (Nigeria) - Portland Timbers - 12 goals, 2 assists
10. Jozy Altidore (USA) - Toronto FC - 12 goals

GAME WINNING GOALS

1. Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone - Columbus - 7
2. David Villa (Spain) - New York City FC - 6
2. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 6
2. Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 6
5. Jozy Altidore (USA) - Toronto FC - 5
5. Krisztián Németh (Hungary) - Sporting Kansas City - 5
5. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 5
5. Chris Rolfe (USA) - DC United - 5
5. Octavio Rivero (Uruguay) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 5
10. Kevin Doyle (Ireland) - Colorado Rapids - 4
10. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 4
10. Diego Fagúndez (Uruguay) - New England Revolution - 4
10. Fanendo Adi (Nigeria) - Portland Timbers - 4
10. Will Bruin (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 4

ASSISTS

1. Cristian Maidana (Argentina) - Philadelphia Union - 15
1. Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 15
3. Benny Feilhaber (USA) - Sporting Kansas City - 14
4. Ethan Finlay (USA) - Columbus Crew - 13
5. Sacha Kljestan (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 12
6. Javier Morales (Argentina) - Real Salt Lake - 11
7. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 10
8. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 9
8. Brad Davis (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 9
10. Mauro Díaz (Argentina) - FC Dallas - 8
10. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 8
10. David Villa (Spain) - New York City FC - 8
10. Fabián Castillo (Colombia) - FC Dallas - 8
10. Harry Shipp (USA) - Chicago Fire - 8
10. Federico Higuaín (Argentina) - Columbus Crew - 8
10. Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone) - Columbus Crew - 8

SAVES

1. Josh Saunders (Puerto Rico) - New York City FC - 119
2. Stefan Frei (Switzerland) - Seattle Sounders - 108
3. Steve Clark (USA) - Columbus Crew - 104
4. David Bingham (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 101
5. Bill Hamid (USA) - DC United - 93
5. David Ousted (Denmark) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 93
5. Evan Bush (USA) - Montreal Impact - 93
8. Clint Irwin (USA) - Colorado Rapids - 88
9. Tyler Deric (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 87
10. Luis Robles (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 75

SHUTOUTS

1. Adam Kwarasey (Ghana) - Portland Timbers - 12
1. David Ousted (Denmark) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 12
3. David Bingham (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 11
4. Stefan Frei (Switzerland) - Seattle Sounders - 10
5. Luis Robles (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 9
6. Tim Melia (USA) - Sporting Kansas City - 8
6. Nick Rimando (USA) - Real Salt Lake - 8
6. Bobby Shuttleworth (USA) - New England Revolution - 8

6. Evan Bush (USA) - Montreal Impact - 8
6. Clint Irwin (USA) - Colorado Rapids - 8


SUPPORTER'S SHIELD STANDINGS

1. New York Red Bulls - 54 Pts (16 wins)
2. FC Dallas - 51 pts (15 wins)
3. LA Galaxy - 51 pts (14 wins)
4. Vancouver Whitecaps - 50 pts (15 wins)
5. DC United - 48 pts (14 wins)
6. Sporting Kansas City - 48 pts (13 wins)
7. Seattle Sounders FC - 47 pts (14 wins)
8. New England Revolution - 47 pts (13 wins)
9. Columbus Crew SC - 47 pts (13 wins)
10. Toronto FC - 46 pts (14 wins)

CONCACAF FIFA RANKINGS (10/1/15)

1. Mexico (27)
2. USA (29)
3. Costa Rica (42)
4. Jamaica (57)
5. Trinidad and Tobago (59)
6. Panama (65)
7. Haiti (77)
8. Guatemala (82)
9. Antigua and Barbuda (83)
10. Honduras (89)

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch, Week 32

Not a lot going on this week, with only three matches on the slate, but we did see a trio of Rapids take the field in their Saturday showdown with the Montreal Impact. Here's a rundown of all the action:

MLS

13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs FC Dallas, 90 mins
14 - Axel Sjöberg - Colorado - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins, 2 shots
26 - Joseph Greenspan - Colorado - Sub vs Montreal, 5 mins
67 - Dominique Badji - Colorado - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins, 2 shots


Weekly Recap, Week 32

An early red card for Ambroise Oyongo spelled doom for the Impact as they fell to the New York Red Bulls, 2-1. Didier Drogba scored his 8th goal of the season, but couldn't overcome the 2-goal hole they put themselves in after the opening half. Lloyd Sam scored his 10th goal of the season for the Red Bulls... David Ousted recorded his 12th shutout of the season, and 29th of his career, as the Whitecaps clinched a playoff berth following their 0-0 draw with FC Dallas. For 20 year-old Dallas keeper Jesse Gonzalez, the shutout was his third in eight career starts. Gonzalez has conceded just nine goals since taking over as Dallas's starting keeper... Didier Drogba scored the only goal of the match as the Impact rebounded from their midweek loss to knock off the Rapids, 1-0. Zac MacMath made his 2015 regular season debut in net for the Rapids and made a pair of saves in defeat. The Impact, while winning the match, saw midfielder Andrés Romero leave the match early with a knee injury.

Friday, October 9, 2015

2012 Olympic Qualifying - Where Are They Now?

As the U.S. U-23s get set to take on Honduras tomorrow with a spot in the 2016 Olympics on the line, I thought it would be fun to look back at the ill-fated U.S. squad from 2012 and see where they are now:

Bill Hamid - Now in his sixth MLS season, Hamid continues to man the pipes in DC with 138 regular season starts under his belt to go along with 37 shutouts. After a dismal 2013 that saw him post a record of 2-17-6 in 25 starts, Hamid bounced back to win the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award in 2014. Now 24, Hamid has 2 CAPs for the USMNT.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Weekly MLS Power Rankings, Week 31

THE SOCCERSMITH'S MLS POWER RANKINGS

1 - LA Galaxy (14-9-9) - A late defensive lapse cost them a win against Seattle, but they clinched a playoff berth and they're not on anyone's list of teams you want to meet in the postseason. Last Week: 1
2 - New York Red Bulls (15-9-6) - Big win against the Crew, especially after falling behind early. First team in the East to 15 wins and still in the hunt for the Supporter's Shield. Last Week: 3
3 - FC Dallas (15-10-5) - Thrashed the Dynamo 4-1 and quietly are in great position to actually win the West as they trail LA by just one point with two games in hand. Last Week: 5
4 - Sporting Kansas City (13-9-9) - Sporting will be Champions League bound once again after a shootout win in the U.S. Open Cup. They also showed off their depth knocking off another playoff hopeful, the Timbers, despite starting three rookies. Last Week: 7
5 - New England Revolution (13-11-8) - Not a great showing against the Fire and missed a chance to clinch a playoff berth as a result. Last Week: 2
6 - Toronto FC (14-13-4) - Three straight wins with three goals in each. Don't sleep on Toronto! Last Week: 10
7 - Seattle Sounders (14-13-5) - Chad Barrett scored a huge goal late against the Galaxy to salvage a draw in front of the home crowd. Seattle appears to have recovered from their midseason funk. Last Week: 8
8 - Montreal Impact (12-12-6) - Tough loss again Orlando City, but the Impact are still in great position to make the postseason. Last Week: 4
9 - Columbus Crew (13-11-8) - Missed a chance to clinch a playoff berth when they blew a lead against the Red Bulls, but are still in pretty good shape. Last Week: 6
10 - DC United (14-12-6) - Álvaro Saborío proved the trade for him was worthwhile as his stoppage time winner against New York City FC has United headed to the playoffs. Last Week: 11

U.S. U-20s Lose 8-1 to Germany

The U.S. U-20s conceded six times in the second half and fell to Germany's U-19s 8-1 in Stuttgart yesterday. Enis Bunjaki (Eintracht Frankfurt) scored three times in ten minutes after coming on as a second half substitute to lead the German attack. Germany's Lukas Boeder was sent off in the 74th minute, but the Germans still managed to outscore the U.S. 2-1 while a player down. University of Maryland/DC United Academy product Eryk Williamson scored the U.S.'s lone goal.

U.S. U-23s Complete Sweep of Group A

The U.S. scored four times in the second half as they completed group play of Olympic Qualifying with a perfect 3-0 record following a 4-0 defeat of Panama. Second half substitutes Jerome Kiesewetter and Jordan Morris both scored goals while captain Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake) converted a penalty kick for the U.S. who outscored their opponents 13-2 during their three opening matches. The U.S. will be joined in the semifinals by Canada after their 2-2 draw with Cuba. Canada's Michael Petrasso (Queens Park Rangers) has scored in all three of Canada's matches thus far and is tied with Kiesewetter and Morris for the tournament-lead in goal scoring with three. Mexico and Honduras will face off tonight in Colorado to determine who plays who in the semifinals on Saturday.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

MLS Weekly Recap, Week 31

Week 31:

Sporting Kansas City rallied from a goal down to force extra time against the Philadelphia Union and then outlasted their Eastern Conference opponents in a wild 7-6 shootout to win their third U.S. Open Cup title and deal the Union back-to-back losses the tournament finals. 21 year-old Jordi Quintillà delivered the winning kick... Frank Lampard scored for the third time in four matches, but DC United rallied for two goals after Lampard was substituted off in the 72nd minute and clinched a playoff berth. The loss snapped City's 3-game winning streak... Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore both scored goals as Toronto upended the Union 3-1 on Saturday. Toronto FC has now won three in a row, scoring three goals in each match... The New York Red Bulls became the first Eastern Conference team to hit 15 wins and eclipsed 50 points as they rallied from an early deficit to knock off the Columbus Crew, 2-1. The Crew, stuck on 47 points, missed an opportunity to become the third Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff berth... Cyle Larin extended his rookie record with his 15th goal of the season and Seb Hines made his first MLS goal a game winner as Orlando City won their fourth straight since the return of Brek Shea defeating the Impact 2-1... Chicago overcame an early 1-0 deficit against New England rallying for three second half goals in a 3-1 win. Harry Shipp led the comeback with an assist on the equalizer to go along with the game winning goal... Sporting Kansas City started three rookies and knocked off the Portland Timbers 1-0 thanks to a late goal from second half substitute Krisztián Németh. The goal, Németh's 10th of the season, was assisted by another second half substitute, Graham Zusi... Chris Wondolowski scored his 16th goal of the season and helped keep San Jose's slim playoff hopes alive in a 1-1 draw with Vancouver. San Jose was forced to play the match without Fatai Alashe and Marc Pelosi, as both are away with the U.S. U-23s for Olympic Qualifying... FC Dallas clinched a playoff spot with a 4-1 rout over Houston on Sunday. David Texeira led the offense with a pair of goals as Dallas sits just a point behind LA with two games in hand... Real Salt Lake kept their postseason hopes alive with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids. Luke Mulholland netted the game winner late in the first half... Chad Barrett's stoppage time equalizer capped off another memorable match between the Sounders and Galaxy. With the draw, the Galaxy have clinched a postseason berth while the Sounders remained three points above the red line.

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch, Week 31

Cyle Larin scored his 15th goal of the season, extending his rookie record, and Sporting Kansas City defeated the Portland Timbers 1-0 with three rookies in the starting lineup. Elsewhere, Houston's Rob Lovejoy and Colorado's Dominique Badji each returned to action for their respective clubs. Lovejoy had been out since June when he left Houston's match against Dallas with an injury, while Badji was making just his third appearance since losing his starting job in May. Here's a rundown of all the action:

US Open Cup Final

12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC -  Sub vs Philadelphia, 42 mins, 2 shots


MLS


1 - Cyle Larin - Orlando City - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal

2 - Khiry Shelton - New York City FC - Sub vs DC United, 8 mins
10 - Connor Hallisey - Sporting KC - Started vs Portland, 45 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC -  Started vs Portland, 90 mins, 1 shot
13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs San Jose, 90 mins
20 - Amadou Dia - Sporting KC - Started vs Portland, 90 mins
36 - Rob Lovejoy - Houston - Sub vs FC Dallas, 29 mins, 2 shots
67 - Dominique Badji - Colorado - Sub vs Real Salt Lake, 12 mins

Monday, October 5, 2015

Weekly Top Tens - 10/5/15

MLS LEADING SCORERS

1. Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone) - Columbus Crew - 22 goals, 8 assists
2. Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 21 goals, 15 assists
3. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 17 goals, 8 assists
3. David Villa (Spain) - New York City FC - 17 goals, 8 assists
5. Chris Wondolowski (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 16 goals
6. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red bulls - 15 goals, 7 assists
7. Cyle Larin (Canada) - Orlando City SC - 15 goals
8. Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Seattle Sounders - 14 goals, 5 assists
9. Fanendo Adi (Nigeria) - Portland Timbers - 12 goals, 2 assists
10. Jozy Altidore (USA) - Toronto FC - 12 goals

GAME WINNING GOALS

1. Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone - Columbus - 7
2. David Villa (Spain) - New York City FC - 6
2. Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) - New York Red Bulls - 6
2. Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 6
5. Jozy Altidore (USA) - Toronto FC - 5
5. Krisztián Németh (Hungary) - Sporting Kansas City - 5
5. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 5
5. Chris Rolfe (USA) - DC United - 5
5. Octavio Rivero (Uruguay) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 5
10. Kevin Doyle (Ireland) - Colorado Rapids - 4
10. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 4
10. Diego Fagúndez (Uruguay) - New England Revolution - 4
10. Fanendo Adi (Nigeria) - Portland Timbers - 4
10. Will Bruin (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 4

ASSISTS

1. Cristian Maidana (Argentina) - Philadelphia Union - 15
1. Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) - Toronto FC - 15
3. Benny Feilhaber (USA) - Sporting Kansas City - 14
4. Ethan Finlay (USA) - Columbus Crew - 13
5. Sacha Kljestan (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 12
6. Javier Morales (Argentina) - Real Salt Lake - 11
7. Lee Nguyen (USA) - New England Revolution - 10
8. Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 9
8. Brad Davis (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 9
10. Mauro Díaz (Argentina) - FC Dallas - 8
10. Robbie Keane (Ireland) - LA Galaxy - 8
10. David Villa (Spain) - New York City FC - 8
10. Fabián Castillo (Colombia) - FC Dallas - 8
10. Harry Shipp (USA) - Chicago Fire - 8
10. Federico Higuaín (Argentina) - Columbus Crew - 8
10. Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone) - Columbus Crew - 8

SAVES

1. Josh Saunders (Puerto Rico) - New York City FC - 119
2. Stefan Frei (Switzerland) - Seattle Sounders - 108
3. Steve Clark (USA) - Columbus Crew - 104
4. David Bingham (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 101
5. Bill Hamid (USA) - DC United - 93
6. David Ousted (Denmark) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 89
7. Clint Irwin (USA) - Colorado Rapids - 88
8. Tyler Deric (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 87
9. Evan Bush (USA) - Montreal Impact - 85
10. Adam Kwarasey (Ghana) - Portland Timbers - 73
10. Luis Robles (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 73

SHUTOUTS

1. Adam Kwarasey (Ghana) - Portland Timbers - 12
2. David Ousted (Denmark) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 11
2. David Bingham (USA) - San Jose Earthquakes - 11
4. Stefan Frei (Switzerland) - Seattle Sounders - 10
5. Luis Robles (USA) - New York Red Bulls - 9
6. Tim Melia (USA) - Sporting Kansas City - 8
6. Nick Rimando (USA) - Real Salt Lake - 8
6. Bobby Shuttleworth (USA) - New England Revolution - 8
6. Clint Irwin (USA) - Colorado Rapids - 8
10. Bill Hamid (USA) - DC United - 7
10. Evan Bush (USA) - Montreal Impact - 7
10. Tyler Deric (USA) - Houston Dynamo - 7


SUPPORTER'S SHIELD STANDINGS

1. New York Red Bulls - 51 Pts (15 wins)
2. LA Galaxy - 51 pts (14 wins)
3. FC Dallas - 50 pts (15 wins)
4. Vancouver Whitecaps - 49 pts (15 wins)
5. DC United - 48 pts (14 wins)
6. Sporting Kansas City - 48 pts (13 wins)
7. Seattle Sounders FC - 47 pts (14 wins)
8. New England Revolution - 47 pts (13 wins)
9. Columbus Crew SC - 47 pts (13 wins)
10. Toronto FC - 46 pts (14 wins)

CONCACAF FIFA RANKINGS (10/1/15)
1. Mexico (27)
2. USA (29)
3. Costa Rica (42)
4. Jamaica (57)
5. Trinidad and Tobago (59)
6. Panama (65)
7. Haiti (77)
8. Guatemala (82)
9. Antigua and Barbuda (83)
10. Honduras (89)

US U-23s Rout Cuba in Olympic Qualifying, Clinch Semifinal Berth

Ths U.S. U-23s have clinched a spot in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Semifinals after a convincing 6-1 win over Cuba. The U.S. scored three goals on each side of halftime conceding only deep into stoppage time in a match whose result was never really in doubt. Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart) scored a pair of goals while the U.S.'s MLS contingent contributed a goal and four assists. Jordan Morris, who scored twice in the U.S.'s opener, also added an assist in the rout. The U.S. will wrap up group play tomorrow against Panama. Panama fell 3-1 to Canada on Saturday leaving them on the outside looking in as they trail Canada by two points in the standings. Canada will take on winless Cuba in their final match of group play with a chance to clinch a semifinal berth of their own. Over in Group B, Mexico and Honduras have both already clinched semifinal berths after Mexico defeated Haiti 1-0 and Honduras upended Costa Rica 2-0. Mexico will play Honduras on Wednesday to determine the Group winner.

Here's a rundown of the MLSers who featured for Andi Herzog's U-23s on Saturday:

Starters:

Matt Polster - Chicago Fire - 1 assist
Matt Miazga - New York Red Bulls - 1 goal
Boyd Okwuonu - Real Salt Lake
Luis Gil - Real Salt Lake - 2 assists
Wil Trapp - Columbus Crew (Captain)
Marc Pelosi - San Jose Earthquakes - 1 assist

Subs:

Dillon Serna - Colorado Rapids - Did Not Play
Fatai Alashe - San Jose Earthquakes - Did Not Play

Friday, October 2, 2015

CCL Scenarios

Only one match week left in the CONCACAF Champions League with four quarterfinal berths still on the line. Here's a breakdown of the scenarios that will determine the final quarterfinal draw:

Group A

Saprissa (Costa Rica) and Santos Laguna (Mexico) are tied atop the group with six points, so it'll be winner take all when the two sides face each other in Mexico on October 20th. Saprissa came back from one goal down to win their first match-up 2-1 so a draw will send them through to the quarterfinals.

Group B

Tigres UANL (Mexico) carry a three point lead and homefield advantage into their final match with Herediano (Costa Rica) on October 21st, but an Herediano win will send the Costa Rican side through as the two clubs drew 1-1 in their previous match-up.

Group C

Querétaro (Mexico) has already clinched the group so the October 22nd showdown between Verdes (Belize) and San Francisco (Panama) is purely for bragging rights. Verdes won the last match-up 2-1.

Group D

The LA Galaxy have clinched the group, but their October 21st match with Comunicaciones (Guatemala) could influence their quarterfinal seed. The Galaxy won the last match-up between these two clubs 5-0 thanks to a pair of goals from both Alan Gordon and Robbie Keane.

Group E

América (Mexico) haven't clinched the group yet, but Motagua (Honduras) have their work cut out for them needing to beat the Mexican powerhouse by at least four goals on October 20th to make up for a 4-0 defeat in Mexico on August 5th.

Group F

The Seattle Sounders clinched the group thanks to their 3-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps, but the Whitecaps still have one more match to play on the road against Olimpia (Honduras) on October 22nd. The Whitecaps defeated Olimpia 1-0 on September 16th.

Group G

Real Salt Lake controls their own destiny against Municipal (Guatemala) needing a draw or better at home on October 20th to advance. A 1-0 win for Municipal, however, will be enough to send the Guatemalan club through thanks to the 5th tiebreaker (greater number of goals scored in group matches).

Group H

DC United has clinched this group leaving the final match between Árabe Unido (Panama) and Montego Bay United of no significant importance.

Current Positioning for the Quarterfinals is as follows:

1. DC United - 10 pts (+6)
2. América/Motagua - 9 pts (+7)
3. LA Galaxy - 7 pts (+9)
4. Querétaro - 7 pts (+9)
5. Seattle Sounders - 7 pts (+3)
6. Tigres UANL/Herediano - 7 pts (+2)
7. Real Salt Lake/Municipal - 7 pts (+2)
8. Saprissa/Santos Laguna - 6 pts (+4)

Teams in bold have no matches remaining. For teams that have not clinched, the higher of the points values was used.