8 Thoughts on DC United vs Colorado

*So after two weeks of really captivating, entertaining soccer, the Sunday game of the week was something of a clunker in Week 3. Yes, there was some drama with Fabián Espíndola's late game winner, but overall the play was rather sloppy. The fact that Kevin Doyle's effort where he hit the post in the first half while lying on his back was the best scoring chance in the opening 45 minutes was indicative of the type of night it was. You have to wonder how this game got the primetime slot given how bad Colorado was a year ago. Why not San Jose-LA? Or if you wanted a game already slated for Sunday, why not Sporting KC-Toronto? It's just disappointing that after building some good momentum the first two weeks of the season with a rematch of the MLS Cup in Week 1, and then a star-studded performance featuring Andrea Pirlo, Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley, David Villa and others in Week 2, that this was the best we could do in Week 3.


*Now, this match probably could have been a little bit more exciting had Colorado's prize offseason offensive acquisition, Albanian striker Shkëlzen Gashi, been able to play. But no. Gashi got himself suspended for one match for, get this, running onto the field to celebrate Marco Pappa's game winner against the Galaxy last week. Now, I get it, you shouldn't run onto the field, and suspending him sends a clear message, but COME ON! Just fine the guy. He's brand new to MLS, it was a 95th minute game winning goal, cut the guy some slack. I would think a warning would have been fine in this instance, and then we would've gotten to see one of the league's most intriguing offseason additions on National television. Instead, everybody loses.


*Dominique Badji has to be one of the surprises of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. Taken 67th overall, the freakishly athletic Badji has started all three of the Rapids' matches this season and while he's yet to get on the score sheet, he has managed seven shots. It will be interesting to see if Badji's still in the Starting XI once Jermaine Jones and Gashi return from their suspensions, but regardless, you don't see a lot of 4th rounders have an impact in MLS, so good for him.


*Up until Espíndola scored the equalizer, I was actually leaning towards writing what a disappointing effort he had put forth. Despite entering as a substitute, he offered limited pace and effort, and even managed to put a long range shot so far off target, that it nearly hit the corner flag. Yes, he ended the night with a team-high five shots (and the goal), and the offense certainly seemed to flow better once he entered the match, but considering he's getting Designated Player money, I just expected better from him.


*I feel for Zac MacMath as his days as a starter are clearly numbered now that Tim Howard is officially joining the Rapids this summer. That said, if MacMath continues to make plays like the one that led to the Espíndola goal, he won't have much of a case for staying on the field.


*I actually thought that Patrick Nyarko was one of the more exciting players on the field last night. The nine-year MLS veteran showed an ability to take on the Rapids defenders 1v1 and draw fouls that created a number of dangerous opportunities for DC United, even if they weren't able to capitalize on any of them.


*Marco Pappa is going to end up being a really nice addition to this Colorado squad. He's already directly responsible for all four of the points they've earned this season scoring the game winning goal against LA, and delivering the corner kick that Dillon Powers converted last night. Considering he's had five five-goal seasons, and four five-assist seasons in his MLS career, his ability to impact games on offense shouldn't come as a surprise. You can bet Seattle misses him right now.


*Axel Sjöberg is REALLY tall. At 6'7", he should really win every single ball in the air, right? We've seen how Steve Birnbaum can impact games on the offensive end, it will be interesting to see if Sjöberg can develop into that type of two-way player as well and give the Rapids another attacking option on set pieces.

CCL Update - Final MLS Thoughts

In a word, I'm disappointed. Four chances (eight if you count both legs) for an MLS club to beat a Liga MX side and we went winless with four draws and were shut out in four of eight matches. And so, once again, the CONCACAF Champions League title will be raised by a club from Liga MX and the MLS drought continues. Here are my final thoughts for each of the four clubs:

LA Galaxy - Failed to score in either leg against Santos Laguna despite a "star-studded" roster which turned in an unremarkable performance. We knew there would be chemistry issues in LA with all of the new faces, but I think we thought the tandem of Gio dos Santos and Robbie Keane would be more effective. Same can be said of the central midfield duo of Steven Gerrard and Nigel de Jong.

Seattle Sounders - Seattle actually led on aggregate goals three times in their series with América, but couldn't sustain a lead at all. When they took a 1-0 lead on the road in the second leg, they conceded the equalizer a minute later and the go ahead goal just moments after that. Their three goals scored were by far the most by any of the four MLS sides and Seattle also managed to be the only MLS team not to get shut out in the quarterfinals, but their inability to hold a lead/play well with a lead is what ultimately doomed them.

DC United - For the second year in a row, Bill Hamid was unavailable to United in the knockout round of the CCL. Not to say he would've done any better than Andrew Dykstra, but from a confidence standpoint, DC United likely would have headed into the series on a higher note had he been there. If there's a bright spot for United, it was rookie Julian Buescher who scored a laser-beam long range strike in just his second professional match.

Real Salt Lake - Perhaps the most unlikely of MLS teams to succeed, RSL was a missed penalty kick away from overcoming a 2-0 deficit against Tigres. The addition of Yura Movsisyan looks to be a great one, and Juan Manuel Martinez and Joao Plata will provide additional support on offense for a team that lacked in that a year ago. Still, in big games you have to make big kicks and missing a penalty when down one is a back breaker no matter how you look at it, especially when it's missed by arguably one of the league's best on set pieces in Javier Morales.

Anyhow, despite the MLS's early exit, there is still reason for U.S. fans to follow the rest of the tournament. A pair of American left backs started both quarterfinal matches for their respective Mexican clubs and combined to pitch three shutouts in the quarterfinals with the one goal conceded being Julian Buescher's long range golazo for DC United. With left back a perennial question mark for the U.S., the 26 year old Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna) and 31 year old Jonathan Bornstein (Querétaro) could present some intriguing options for Jurgen Klinsmann moving forward. Villafaña has youth national team experience but has never been CAP'd with the senior team while Bornstein was CAP'd 38 teams between 2007 and 2011 and even scored a pair of goals including one during World Cup Qualifying back in 2009. Here's a look at how all of the American Exports performed in CCL action this week:

José Francisco Torres - Tigres UANL - Started vs RSL, 76 mins, 1 shot
Ventura Alvarado - América - Dressed but did not play vs Seattle
Jorge Villafaña - Santos Laguna - Started vs LA Galaxy - 90 mins
Jonathan Bornstein - Querétaro - Started vs DC United - 90 mins, 2 shots

The semifinals will kick off in two weeks with Santos Laguna taking on América and Tigres UANL taking on Querétaro. Regardless of what happens, an American will raise the CCL Trophy this April.

CCL Rookie Watch

Julian Buescher got his rookie campaign off to a strong start with a brilliant goal off the bench in D.C. United's second leg draw with Querétaro. Buescher was the only member of the 2016 SuperDraft Class to dress for the CCL Quarterfinal matches. Here's a rundown of all the rookie action:

Leg 1

11. Julian Buescher - DC United - Sub vs Querétaro, 14 mins
HGP - Jordan Morris - Seattle - Started vs América, 85 mins, 2 shots

Leg 2

11. Julian Buescher - DC United - Sub vs Querétaro, 16 mins, 1 shot, 1 goal
HGP - Jordan Morris - Seattle - Started vs América, 70 mins

2015-16 CCL Goal Scorers by Nationality - Quarterfinal Leg 2 Update

Argentina (14)

Emanuel Villa - Querétaro F.C. - 6
Martín Bravo - Santos Laguna - 2
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

Canada (1)

Kianz Froese - Vancouver Whitecaps - 1

Cape Verde (4)

Djaniny - Santos Laguna - 4

Chile (1)

Bryan Rabello - Santos Laguna - 1

Colombia (9)

Carlos Quintero - Club América - 4
Andrés Andrade - Club América - 1
Yerson Candelo - Querétaro F.C. - 1
Olmes García - Real Salt Lake - 1
Jámison Olave - Real Salt Lake - 1
Andrés Rentería - Santos Laguna - 1

Costa Rica (12)

Johnny Woodly - Municipal - 2
Marvin Angulo - Saprissa - 1
Jairo Arrieta - DC United - 1
Randall Azofeifa - Herediano - 1
Daniel Colindres - Saprissa - 1
Kenny Cunningham - Herediano - 1
Mynor Escoe - Saprissa - 1
Dylan Flores - Saprissa - 1
David Guzmán - Saprissa - 1
David Ramírez - Saprissa - 1
Deyver Vega - Saprissa - 1

Ecuador (5)

Michael Arroyo - Club América - 3
Joao Plata - Real Salt Lake - 2

El Salvador (6)

Tony Rugamas - Isidro Metapán - 2
Josué Flores - Isidro Metapán - 1
Irvin Herrera - Santa Tecla - 1
Otonel Salinas - Isidro Metapán - 1
Giovanni Zavaleta - Santa Tecla - 1

Finland (1)

Mika Väyrynen - LA Galaxy - 1

France (1)

André-Pierre Gignac - Tigres UANL - 1

Germany (1)

Julian Büscher - DC United - 1

Ghana (2)

Kofi Opare - DC United - 2

Guatemala (2)

Wilson Lalín - Comunicaciones - 1
Carlos Ruiz - Municipal - 1

Honduras (7)

Erick Andino - Motagua - 2
Alberth Elis - Olimpia - 2
Wilmer Crisanto - Motagua - 1
Eddie Hernández - Motagua - 1
Néstor Martínez - Olimpia - 1

Ireland (2)

Robbie Keane - LA Galaxy - 2

Jamaica (4)

Dino Williams - Montego Bay FC - 2
Allan Ottey - Montego Bay FC - 1
Jermaine Woozencroft - Montego Bay FC - 1

Mexico (23)

Oribe Peralta - Club América - 3
Miguel Aguilar - DC United - 2
Alonso Escoboza - Santos Laguna - 2
Luis Ángel Mendoza - Santos Laguna - 2
Sinha - Querétaro F.C. - 2
Alonso Zamora - Tigres UANL - 2
Antonio Briseño - Tigers UANL - 1
Jürgen Damm - Tigres UANL - 1
Ulises Dávila - Santos Laguna - 1
Kevin Gutiérrez - Querétaro F.C. - 1
Raúl Mendiola - LA Galaxy - 1
Víctor Milke - Querétaro F.C. - 1
Javier Orozco - Santos Laguna - 1
José Rivas - Tigres UANL - 1
Giovani dos Santos - LA Galaxy - 1
Ángel Sepúlveda - Querétaro F.C. - 1

Nicaragua (1)

Raúl Leguías - Walter Ferretti - 1

Nigeria (1)

Ikechukwu Uche - Tigres UANL - 1

Panama (17)

Jhonny Ruiz - San Francisco - 3
Ervin Zorilla - San Francisco - 2
Renán Addles - Árabe Unido - 1
Abdiel Arroyo - Árabe Unido - 1
Rolando Blackburn - Comunicaciones - 1
Moisés Gil - San Francisco - 1
Martín Gómez - San Francisco - 1
José González - Árabe Unido - 1
Eduardo Jiménez - San Francisco - 1
Daniel Morán - San Francisco - 1
Jonathan Pinilla - San Francisco - 1
Armando Polo - Árabe Unido - 1
Richard Rodriguez - San Francisco - 1
Enrico Small - Árabe Unido - 1

Paraguay (2)

Pablo Aguilar - Club América - 1
Édgar Benítez - Querétaro F.C. - 1

Saint Lucia (1)

Kurt Frederick - W Connection FC - 1

Spain (1)

Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - 1

Sweden (1)

Erik Friberg - Seattle Sounders - 1

Trinidad and Tobago (4)

Ataullah Guerra - Central FC - 2
Alvin Jones - W Connection FC - 1
Willis Plaza - Central FC - 1

Uruguay (1)

Bernardo Laureiro - Walter Ferretti - 1

USA (20)

Alan Gordon - LA Galaxy - 5
Lamar Neagle - Seattle Sounders - 3
Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders - 2
Conor Doyle - DC United - 2
Ventura Alvarado - Club América - 1
Chad Barrett - Seattle Sounders - 1
Brad Evans - Seattle Sounders - 1
Michael Farfan - DC United - 1
Jared Jeffrey - DC United - 1
Tim Parker - Vancouver Whitecaps - 1
José Francisco Torres - Tigres UANL - 1
Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy - 1

Advantage Mexico - CCL Update

It was a rough week in the CCL for MLS clubs as none of the league's four remaining teams managed to knock off their Mexican opponents in the first leg of the quarterfinals. In total, the four MLS teams managed just two goals (both by Clint Dempsey) en route to two 2-0 losses and two home draws. Now, with backs to the wall, all four teams essentially face must-win games this week if any MLS club is to reach the semifinals. Here's a quick look at each team's needs ahead of their second leg match:

LA Galaxy - Arguably in the best shape of any of the four MLS teams, the Galaxy did not concede an away goal in their 0-0 home draw with Santos Laguna which means they can advance with a 1-1 draw or better.

Seattle Sounders - Seattle blew a pair of leads against América at home and because they conceded two away goals, likely will need a win when they travel to Estadio Azteca. A high scoring draw (2-2 or better) could also be enough to send the Sounders through.

DC United - United held Querétaro scoreless for 70 minutes before conceding twice late in the match. United forced keeper Tiago Volpi into making nine saves, but couldn't get on the scoresheet, and now need a shutout win of 2-0 or better, or they need to win by at least three goals.

Real Salt Lake - Like DC United, RSL went nearly 70 minutes without conceding, and allowed an 86th minute insurance goal to put them in a 2-0 hole against Tigres as they head home. RSL will also need a shutout win of 2-0 or better, or they need to win by at least three goals.

Who's Adding Who - DC United - Update 1

Updates in Red

In

M Lamar Neagle (12/7/15 - trade from Seattle) - Neagle delivered a career year in 2014 with 9 goals and 9 assists en route to a Seattle Sounders Supporters' Shield and U.S. Open Cup Title, but he struggled to have the same impact in 2015. Despite making 23 starts, Neagle had just four goals and two assists last season. Now 28, Neagle joins a DC United attack that tied for the second fewest goals in the Eastern Conference last year.
M Patrick Nyarko (1/6/16 - trade from Chicago) - Nyarko spent his first 8 MLS seasons with the Chicago Fire logging 196 appearances. During a three-year stretch from 2010-2012, he averaged nearly nine assists a year with a career best of 10 in 2010. Nyarko made his international debut with Ghana in 2012.
M Marcelo Sarvas (2/1/16 - trade from Colorado) - A two-time MLS Champion with the LA Galaxy, Sarvas delivered two goals and two assists during the 2014 postseason after an 11-assist regular season. Sarvas joined the Rapids before the 2015 season and was unable to duplicate the success he found in LA scoring just twice and adding only one assist in 25 appearances. The 34 Brazilian has played professionally in Brazil, Sweden, Poland and Costa Rica before coming to MLS before the 2012 season.
M Luciano Acosta (2/15/16 - loan from Boca Juniors) - Just 5'3", the diminuitive 21 year-old playmaker debuted with Boca Juniors  (Argentina) in February 2014 and spent the 2015 season on loan to Estudiantes (Argentina). His loan to DC United is for the entire 2016 season.
M Rob Vincent (2/17/16 - transfer from Pittsburgh) - Born in Liverpool, Vincent has spent his entire professional career in the United States in the PDL and USL. Vincent finished third in the USL last season with 18 goals for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds earning himself a spot on the 2015 USL All-League team.
M Paul Clowes (2/19/16 - SuperDraft) - The 2015 ACC Midfielder of the year was a Second Team NSCAA All-American in his Senior Year with Clemson. He started 24 games in 2015 for the 17-3-4 Tigers scoring two goals and adding one assist.

Out

F Eddie Johnson (11/1/15 - retired)
F Jairo Arrieta (12/7/15 - option declined) - New York Cosmos (NASL)
M Michael Farfan (12/7/15 - option declined) - Seattle Sounders
M Facundo Coria (12/7/15 - waived)
M Perry Kitchen (12/7/15 - out of conract)
M Chris Pontius (12/7/15 - traded to Philadelphia) - Philadelphia Union
F Conor Doyle (2/9/16 - traded to Colorado) - Colorado Rapids
M Antonio Nocerino (2/18/16 - traded to Orlando City) - Orlando City SC

USMNT vs Canada, Final Thoughts

1. Regardless of how it looked, the U.S. comes away from their January camp with a pair of victories, and as we approach the next set of World Cup Qualifiers, the confidence gained from those wins shouldn't be undervalued. Equally notable is the fact that Jozy Altidore scored in both matches, and getting him on a hot streak in 2016 would be huge given some of the other question marks surrounding the USMNT.

2. I thought Brandon Vincent looked excellent in his National Team debut at left back. It wasn't a perfect outing or anything, but he looked confident and comfortable. Canada failed to do anything of note down his side, and Vincent was effective at getting into the attack even forcing a tough save in an attempt on goal. With lots of question marks on defense, it was nice to see a newcomer really seize the opportunity given him in the January camp, and there's good reason to be excited if you're a Chicago Fire fan.

Who's Adding Who - DC United

In:

M Lamar Neagle (12/7/15 - trade from Seattle) - Neagle delivered a career year in 2014 with 9 goals and 9 assists en route to a Seattle Sounders Supporters' Shield and U.S. Open Cup Title, but he struggled to have the same impact in 2015. Despite making 23 starts, Neagle had just four goals and two assists last season. Now 28, Neagle joins a DC United attack that tied for the second fewest goals in the Eastern Conference last year.
M Patrick Nyarko (1/6/16 - trade from Chicago) - Nyarko spent his first 8 MLS seasons with the Chicago Fire logging 196 appearances. During a three-year stretch from 2010-2012, he averaged nearly nine assists a year with a career best of 10 in 2010. Nyarko made his international debut with Ghana in 2012.
M Marcelo Sarvas (2/1/16 - trade from Colorado) - A two-time MLS Champion with the LA Galaxy, Sarvas delivered two goals and two assists during the 2014 postseason after an 11-assist regular season. Sarvas joined the Rapids before the 2015 season and was unable to duplicate the success he found in LA scoring just twice and adding only one assist in 25 appearances. The 34 Brazilian has played professionally in Brazil, Sweden, Poland and Costa Rica before coming to MLS before the 2012 season.

Out:
 

F Eddie Johnson (11/1/15 - retired)
F Jairo Arrieta (12/7/15 - option declined) - New York Cosmos (NASL)
M Michael Farfan (12/7/15 - option declined) - Seattle Sounders
M Facundo Coria (12/7/15 - waived)
M Perry Kitchen (12/7/15 - out of conract)
M Chris Pontius (12/7/15 - traded to Philadelphia) - Philadelphia Union

USA vs Iceland Thoughts

1. First and foremost, it was good to see the U.S. start 2016 with a win. After what can only be classified as a disappointing finish to 2015, it's important for the U.S. to turn the page and start fresh. The 3-2 win, during which we twice came from behind, was far from perfect, but a win just the same.

 

2. The U.S. certainly outplayed their European opponents dominating in virtually every statistical category (Corners 8-2, Shots 16-6, Possession 62-38), but despite not having the bulk of the chances, Iceland was still very dangerous. If not for some poor finishing, Iceland could have easily walked away with a 5-3 win. I'd like to point fingers at the defense for sloppy play, but I'll temper that noting that the defense also scored the tying and winning goals. Still, the first Iceland goal - while a result of a lucky deflection - was also a result of ball-watching. And the second goal came as a result of a heady play by Iceland in generating a quick re-start, but also showed a lack of communication and organization along the U.S. backline (it also involved a brilliant finish by Aron Sigurdson). Granted, this was a group that hasn't played together before and it's the January camp when not everyone's at their fittest, but I still didn't think it was great performance from a defensive standpoint.

2015-16 Champions League Roster Moves

We're just over a month away from the start of the CCL Quarterfinals with four MLS clubs getting set to take the field against their Mexican counterparts. Let's take a look at the offseason moves for each of the four to see how they're setting themselves up for a deep tournament run:

Seattle Sounders - Seattle has parted ways with a number of veterans this offseason losing Chad Barrett, Leonardo González, Troy Perkins, Gonzalo Pineda, Andy Rose, Lamar Neagle, Michael Azira and Marco Pappa. That said, they return the glut of their core contributors including last season's midseason additions Erik Friberg, Andreas Ivanschitz, Nelson Valdez and Román Torres. A solid 2015 Draft Class that includes Cristian Roldan, Oniel Fisher, Andy Craven and goalkeepers Tyler Miller and Charlie Lyon will help the transition phase, as will the addition of the versatile Joevin Jones from Chicago.

D.C. United - Bill Hamid is out for several months with a knee injury, so for the second year in a row, United will enter the CCL Quarterfinals without their starting netminder. While United has added some veterans into the mix in Lamar Neagle and Patrick Nyarko this offseason, Neagle won't be a help in the CCL as he's cup-tied to the Sounders. Additionally, United has yet to make any moves that will offset the loss of midfield stalwart Perry Kitchen.

Real Salt Lake - RSL will be bringing back striker Yura Movsisyan who helped them win an MLS Cup title in 2009 in an effort to bolster their attack. That aside, they've been relatively quiet this offseason, and still have to make up for the losses of Elías Vásquez, Chris Schuler, Luis Gil, Luis Silva and Sebastian Saucedo.

LA Galaxy - By far the busiest club of the four Champions League hopefuls, the Galaxy have added a new starting keeper in Dan Kennedy, veterans in Jeff Larentowicz and Mike Magee from the Chicago Fire, and a young stud in Ghanaian Emmanuel Boateng. They've also been linked to Europeans Ashley Cole, Jelle van Damme and Nigel de Jong. With their only significant offseason departures being Omar Gonzalez and Juninho, the Galaxy look to be pretty good shape.

Four Added to USMNT Camp

Following injuries to San Jose teammates Fatai Alashe and Marc Pelosi, the U.S. National Team added four more players to their January training camp roster: San Jose goalkeeper David Bingham, DC United defender Steve Birnbaum, Stanford's Brandon Vincent and former DC United midfielder Perry Kitchen (currently unattached).  Here's a quick rundown of what you need to know about all four:

Bingham: Bingham led all American keepers in MLS with 12 shutouts in 2015 (finishing third overall), and was one of just four keepers in MLS to start all 34 regular season matches. In four seasons with the Quakes prior to 2015, Bingham had made just five regular season appearances.

Birnbaum: Birnbaum was a finalist for the 2014 MLS Rookie of the Year Award, and followed up his rookie campaign with a solid second season with DC United. Birnbaum made his USMNT debut last January against Chile, his only CAP to date.

Kitchen: Perry Kitchen has been a workhorse for DC United starting at least 30 games in all five of his professional seasons. Kitchen also debuted with the National Team in 2015 earning his first CAP in a February friendly against Panama. Kitchen is currently not under contract with DC United and it remains to see where he'll suit up in 2016.

Vincent: Last, but not least, is Vincent, the least known of the four players added to Klinsmann's camp. Brandon Vincent was a part of Stanford's 2015 National Championship Squad that dismantled Clemson 4-0 in the College Cup Final. Accolades for the young defender include the 2015 College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award, 2015 NSCAA First Team All-American, 2015 NSCAA All-Far West Region First Team, 2015 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, 2015 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, 2015 All-Pac-12 First Team, 2015 Top Drawer Soccer Best XI First Team and 2015 College Soccer News First Team All-American. Vincent appeared in 80 games in his four years with Stanford, scoring six goals in both his junior and senior seasons.

Final Thoughts on the Conference Semifinals

Wow, what a Sunday! All four games were highly contested and just made for some really exciting soccer. In no particular order, here's a bunch of my observations from an action-packed day:

1) Of the four conference semifinal winners, the Red Bulls are the only ones who won both legs of their respective match-up.

2) Substitutes on Sunday accounted for 2 goals (Tesho Akindele, Walker Zimmerman) and 4 assists (Marco Pappa, Blas Pérez, Gonzalo Verón, Cedrick).

3) Every player to come off the bench for FC Dallas on Sunday (Tesho Akindele, Walker Zimmerman, Blas Pérez) notched either a goal or an assist. Akindele and Zimmerman also both scored PKs during the shootout. During the regular season, Akindele (goal) scored just once in fourteen appearances as a substitute, Zimmerman (goal) did not log a goal or an assist during the entire regular season, and Pérez (assist) did not log a goal or an assist in nine appearances as a substitute.

Postseason Rookie Watch, Week 2

Only three teams featured rookies in the second leg of the conference semifinals, and all three of those teams lost. Vancouver's Tim Parker and Seattle's Oniel Fisher both started for their respective clubs, but both sides were eliminated from the competition.

EAST

17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Sub vs NYRB (Leg 2), 9 mins

WEST

13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs Portland (Leg 2),  90 mins
16 - Cristian Roldan - Seattle - Sub vs FC Dallas (Leg 2), 44 mins
40 - Oniel Fisher - Seattle - Started vs FC Dallas (Leg 2), 88 mins

Meet Patrick Foss, Long Range Bomber

So, I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I came across this in a recent Sports Illustrated issue (still catching up on my magazines). Last month, the University of Virginia's Patrick Foss scored two goals on free kicks as Virginia defeated Louisville 3-2. Foss's second goal came from beyond midfield which, to be honest, I had to see to believe. Sure enough, Foss, late in the second half, delivered a game winning blast from wayyyyyyy down town (on his 21st birthday no less). No question it was a terrible play by the keeper, but goals are goals, and it won his team the match. Here's the highlights.



Those are Foss's only two goals this season. He also has five assists for the 9-3-3 Cavaliers.

Postseason Rookie Watch, Week 1

Of the 12 teams to make the postseason in 2015, only three have started a rookie through the first eight matches. While Sporting Kansas City, who started TWO rookies (Saad Abdul-Salaam and Amadou Dia), was eliminated in a heartbreaking penalty kick shootout in one of the most entertaining matches in MLS postseason history, both teams that started a rookie in Leg 1 of the conference semfinals found success as Oniel Fisher and Seattle knocked off FC Dallas 2-1, and Tim Parker and Vancouver shutout Portland on the road in a 0-0 draw. Here's a rundown of all the rookie action through Week 1 of the MLS postseason.

EAST

17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Sub vs NYRB (Leg 1), 6 mins

WEST

12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Started vs Portland, 120 mins, yellow card, missed PK*
13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs Portland (Leg 1), 90 mins, 1 shot
16 - Cristian Roldan - Seattle - Sub vs LA, 2 mins
16 - Cristian Roldan - Seattle - Sub vs FC Dallas (Leg 1), 14 mins
20 - Amadou Dia - Sporting KC - Started vs Portland, 120 mins, 1 assist, yellow card, made PK*
40 - Oniel Fisher - Seattle - Started vs FC Dallas (Leg 1), 90 mins

*Shootout Penalty

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

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

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

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.

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.