CONCACAF's highest ranked team, Costa Rica, opened the Gold Cup with a 2-2 draw with Jamaica as Group B kicked off play. Costa Rica led 2-1 before Jamaica's Jobi McAnuff (Leyton Orient) equalized early in the second half. New York Red Bulls defender Roy Miller scored for Costa Rica, his second National Team goal in 53 CAPs. Miller has yet to score in six MLS seasons. Miller's Red Bull teammate Kemar Lawrence had an assist for Jamaica. Group B's other match saw Cyle Larin and Canada play to a scoreless draw with El Salvador. Group C kicks off play tomorrow with Trinidad and Tobago taking on Guatemala, and Mexico taking on Cuba.
MLSers in Action
Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls/Costa Rica) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Álvaro Saborío (Real Salt Lake/Costa Rica) - Sub, 31 mins, 2 shots
Jermaine Taylor (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 assist
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, yellow card
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 61 mins, 1 shot
Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Jamaica) - Sub, 29 mins, 1 shot
Darwin Cerén (Orlando City SC/El Salvador) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Marcel de Jong (Sporting Kansas City/Canada) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Kyle Bekker (FC Dallas/Canada) - Started, 86 mins
Cyle Larin (Toronto FC/Canada) - Started, 69 mins, 1 shot
Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas/Canada) - Started, 90 mins
Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps/Canada) - Sub, 7 mins, 1 shot
Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC/Canada) - Sub, 4 mins
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Gold Cup Day 1
The US opened their Gold Cup defense with a 2-1 win over Honduras behind a pair of goals by Clint Dempsey. The US jumped out to a 2-0 lead will both goals coming off of set pieces before surrendering a goal in the second half and then hanging on late to earn the full three points. Next up for the US is a showdown with Haiti in Foxborough on Friday. Haiti tied Panama 1-1 in their opener. Group B will be in action tomorrow with Costa Rica taking on Jamaica and El Salvador taking on Canada.
Monday, July 6, 2015
MLS Weekly Recap, Week 18
Here's this week's recap:
First, the US Open Cup's 5th Round: The Union lost CJ Sapong less than 30 minutes into the match to a red card, but still managed to score twice while a man down and stun DC United to advance to the quarterfinals... Carlos Rivas scored for the fourth time in the tournament as Columbus was shutout 2-0, but more importantly, the Crew's Will Trapp returned after a 3-month absence following a concussion. Trapp had not played in a match since April 8th against Vancouver... Mike Magee scored his first two goals of 2015 as Chicago rallied from a 1-0 deficit and knocked the USL's last representative out of this year's tournament... Joe Willis picked up his second shutout in a row and 19 year-old Colombian Mauro Manotas supplied all of the offense as Houston knocked off the Rapids 1-0... The Red Bulls rocked another crosstown rival as they defeated the Cosmos 4-1, but lost right back Chris Duvall in the process to a broken leg. 18 year-old Anatole Abang (Cameroon) continued his hot streak as he added another goal in the win... Dom Dwyer scored FOUR times, Krisztián Németh scored twice, and Benny Feilhaber tallied three assists as Sporting KC destroyed FC Dallas 6-2. Dwyer needed less than a half to achieve his hat trick... The Portland Timbers couldn't solve Real Salt Lake and despite knocking out their nemesis, the Seattle Sounders, they will not advance to the quarterfinals... Jose Villarreal scored early and the Wondo-less (read punchless) Quakes had no answer as they came up short against their intrastate rivals.
Now, onto league play: Alex came off the bench to score against the team that traded him, but Houston couldn't hold a late lead against Chicago. Patrick Nyarko entered the match at halftime for Chicago making his 2015 debut and scored the equalizer... DC United's Fabián Espíndola was sent off in the opening 30 minutes and the Sounders eventually took advantage behind Tyrone Mears' first MLS goal... Normally on the distributing end, Ethan Finlay scored twice in Columbus's 2-1 come-from-behind win over the Red Bulls. Kei Kamara assisted on both goals while youngster Anatole Abang continued his hot streak by adding another goal for New York. Will Trapp appeared in his first MLS match since April when he came off the bench in the 88th minute... David Villa scored twice as New York City FC knocked off Montreal 2-1. The Spaniard has 5 goals in his last four matches including a pair of braces... New England's struggles continue as they got buried 3-0 by FC Dallas. New England has lost four straight and won just once since May 2nd... Irish international Kevin Doyle opened his MLS account with a game winner against Vancouver. It was just Colorado's third win of the season and their first since May 23rd, ironically also against the Whitecaps... Kaká scored and then earned his first red card EVER as Orlando City was forced to settle for a draw with Real Salt Lake... Robbie Keane scored three times and the Galaxy routed Toronto 4-0 in Stefan Ishizaki's last game as a member of the Galaxy before he heads back to Sweden. Toronto played without Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore who are both with the U.S. for the Gold Cup... Jack Jewsbury scored in stoppage time as the Timbers snuck by the Earthquakes 1-0. Portland has won six of seven and is 5-0-0 in games started by Will Johnson.
First, the US Open Cup's 5th Round: The Union lost CJ Sapong less than 30 minutes into the match to a red card, but still managed to score twice while a man down and stun DC United to advance to the quarterfinals... Carlos Rivas scored for the fourth time in the tournament as Columbus was shutout 2-0, but more importantly, the Crew's Will Trapp returned after a 3-month absence following a concussion. Trapp had not played in a match since April 8th against Vancouver... Mike Magee scored his first two goals of 2015 as Chicago rallied from a 1-0 deficit and knocked the USL's last representative out of this year's tournament... Joe Willis picked up his second shutout in a row and 19 year-old Colombian Mauro Manotas supplied all of the offense as Houston knocked off the Rapids 1-0... The Red Bulls rocked another crosstown rival as they defeated the Cosmos 4-1, but lost right back Chris Duvall in the process to a broken leg. 18 year-old Anatole Abang (Cameroon) continued his hot streak as he added another goal in the win... Dom Dwyer scored FOUR times, Krisztián Németh scored twice, and Benny Feilhaber tallied three assists as Sporting KC destroyed FC Dallas 6-2. Dwyer needed less than a half to achieve his hat trick... The Portland Timbers couldn't solve Real Salt Lake and despite knocking out their nemesis, the Seattle Sounders, they will not advance to the quarterfinals... Jose Villarreal scored early and the Wondo-less (read punchless) Quakes had no answer as they came up short against their intrastate rivals.
Now, onto league play: Alex came off the bench to score against the team that traded him, but Houston couldn't hold a late lead against Chicago. Patrick Nyarko entered the match at halftime for Chicago making his 2015 debut and scored the equalizer... DC United's Fabián Espíndola was sent off in the opening 30 minutes and the Sounders eventually took advantage behind Tyrone Mears' first MLS goal... Normally on the distributing end, Ethan Finlay scored twice in Columbus's 2-1 come-from-behind win over the Red Bulls. Kei Kamara assisted on both goals while youngster Anatole Abang continued his hot streak by adding another goal for New York. Will Trapp appeared in his first MLS match since April when he came off the bench in the 88th minute... David Villa scored twice as New York City FC knocked off Montreal 2-1. The Spaniard has 5 goals in his last four matches including a pair of braces... New England's struggles continue as they got buried 3-0 by FC Dallas. New England has lost four straight and won just once since May 2nd... Irish international Kevin Doyle opened his MLS account with a game winner against Vancouver. It was just Colorado's third win of the season and their first since May 23rd, ironically also against the Whitecaps... Kaká scored and then earned his first red card EVER as Orlando City was forced to settle for a draw with Real Salt Lake... Robbie Keane scored three times and the Galaxy routed Toronto 4-0 in Stefan Ishizaki's last game as a member of the Galaxy before he heads back to Sweden. Toronto played without Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore who are both with the U.S. for the Gold Cup... Jack Jewsbury scored in stoppage time as the Timbers snuck by the Earthquakes 1-0. Portland has won six of seven and is 5-0-0 in games started by Will Johnson.
Weekly Top Tens and Power Rankings
THE SOCCERSMITH'S MLS POWER RANKINGS
1 - Sporting Kansas City (7-3-6) - Dom Dwyer brought his shooting boots to Sporting's 6-2 rout of FC Dallas during the 5th Round of the US Open Cup. The rest of the league had better watch out if Dwyer and Krisztián Németh stay hot. Last Week: 1
2 - Portland Timbers (9-6-4) - Suffered a letdown against Real Salt Lake in the US Open Cup, but bounced back with a win against San Jose. Portland has won six of seven league matches and is unbeaten when Will Johnson starts. Last Week: 3
3 - LA Galaxy (8-6-7) - Uh oh, the Galaxy are starting to click. Even with Omar Gonzalez, Jaime Penedo, and Gyasi Zardes away for the Gold Cup, the Galaxy advanced in the US Open Cup and routed Toronto on Saturday night. Sebastian Lletget has been tremendous since his arrival. Last Week: 8
4 - Seattle Sounders (10-7-2) - Almost blew a man advantage, but salvaged three points against DC United. Seattle's depth is going to continue to be tested in the coming weeks. Last Week: 6
5 - DC United (10-6-5) - Got knocked out of the US Open Cup by lowly Philadelphia and lost to the short-handed Sounders on Friday. Still, they hold an 11 point lead in the weak Eastern Conference. Last Week: 2
6 - Vancouver Whitecaps (10-7-2) - Disappointing result against the Rapids who've now figured out a way to beat the Caps twice. Colorado has just one win against the rest of the league. Last Week: 5
7 - Orlando City SC (6-6-6) - Nice win in the US Open Cup, and salvaged a point against Real Salt Lake despite playing a man down. Now the question is with Cyle Larin and Kaká both out, who's going to score for Orlando? Last Week: 10
8 - FC Dallas (8-5-5) - Ugly showing against Sporting in the Open Cup, but bounced back with a big win over floundering New England. The question remains, can they sustain their success? Last Week: 11
9 - Columbus Crew (6-6-6) - Ethan Finlay is having a career year and if the rest of the club can match his and Kei Kamara's production, watch out. Granted, we've been saying that for a while... Last Week: 12
10 - New York Red Bulls (6-6-5) - Anatole Abang appears to be quite the find and has added a spark to the Red Bulls attack. But, they need more. Last Week: 9
1 - Sporting Kansas City (7-3-6) - Dom Dwyer brought his shooting boots to Sporting's 6-2 rout of FC Dallas during the 5th Round of the US Open Cup. The rest of the league had better watch out if Dwyer and Krisztián Németh stay hot. Last Week: 1
2 - Portland Timbers (9-6-4) - Suffered a letdown against Real Salt Lake in the US Open Cup, but bounced back with a win against San Jose. Portland has won six of seven league matches and is unbeaten when Will Johnson starts. Last Week: 3
3 - LA Galaxy (8-6-7) - Uh oh, the Galaxy are starting to click. Even with Omar Gonzalez, Jaime Penedo, and Gyasi Zardes away for the Gold Cup, the Galaxy advanced in the US Open Cup and routed Toronto on Saturday night. Sebastian Lletget has been tremendous since his arrival. Last Week: 8
4 - Seattle Sounders (10-7-2) - Almost blew a man advantage, but salvaged three points against DC United. Seattle's depth is going to continue to be tested in the coming weeks. Last Week: 6
5 - DC United (10-6-5) - Got knocked out of the US Open Cup by lowly Philadelphia and lost to the short-handed Sounders on Friday. Still, they hold an 11 point lead in the weak Eastern Conference. Last Week: 2
6 - Vancouver Whitecaps (10-7-2) - Disappointing result against the Rapids who've now figured out a way to beat the Caps twice. Colorado has just one win against the rest of the league. Last Week: 5
7 - Orlando City SC (6-6-6) - Nice win in the US Open Cup, and salvaged a point against Real Salt Lake despite playing a man down. Now the question is with Cyle Larin and Kaká both out, who's going to score for Orlando? Last Week: 10
8 - FC Dallas (8-5-5) - Ugly showing against Sporting in the Open Cup, but bounced back with a big win over floundering New England. The question remains, can they sustain their success? Last Week: 11
9 - Columbus Crew (6-6-6) - Ethan Finlay is having a career year and if the rest of the club can match his and Kei Kamara's production, watch out. Granted, we've been saying that for a while... Last Week: 12
10 - New York Red Bulls (6-6-5) - Anatole Abang appears to be quite the find and has added a spark to the Red Bulls attack. But, they need more. Last Week: 9
MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch, Week 18
Saad Abdul-Salaam picked up an assist in US Open Cup action while Ignacio Maganto added one of his own in league play in LA's 4-0 rout of Toronto FC on Saturday night. With 2 assists on the year, Maganto now leads the 2015 SuperDraft class. Here's a rundown of all the week's action:
US Open Cup, 5th Round
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Appeared vs LA, 13 mins, 1 shot
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Charlotte, 90 mins
8 - Zach Steinberger - Houston - Started vs Colorado, 90 mins, 2 shots
10 - Connor Hallisey - Sporting KC - Appeared vs Dallas, 15 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Appeared vs Dallas, 40 mins, 1 assist
17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Started vs Philadelphia, 90 mins, 2 shots
20 - Amadou Dia - Sporting KC - Started vs Dallas, 90 mins
21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Started vs San Jose, 90 mins, 1 shot
26 - Joseph Greenspan - Colorado - Started vs Houston, 90 mins
49 - Taylor Hunter - Houston - Appeared vs Colorado, 18 mins
67 - Dominique Badji - Colorado - Appeared vs Houston, 10 mins
Regular Season
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs Portland, 90 mins, 1 shot
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Houston, 90 mins
16 - Cristian Roldan - Seattle - Started vs DC United, 90 mins
17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Appeared as sub vs Seattle, 1 min
21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Appeared as sub vs Toronto, 20 mins, 1 assist
48 - Andy Craven - Seattle - Appeared as sub vs DC United, 12 mins, 1 shot
US Open Cup, 5th Round
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Appeared vs LA, 13 mins, 1 shot
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Charlotte, 90 mins
8 - Zach Steinberger - Houston - Started vs Colorado, 90 mins, 2 shots
10 - Connor Hallisey - Sporting KC - Appeared vs Dallas, 15 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Appeared vs Dallas, 40 mins, 1 assist
17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Started vs Philadelphia, 90 mins, 2 shots
20 - Amadou Dia - Sporting KC - Started vs Dallas, 90 mins
21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Started vs San Jose, 90 mins, 1 shot
26 - Joseph Greenspan - Colorado - Started vs Houston, 90 mins
49 - Taylor Hunter - Houston - Appeared vs Colorado, 18 mins
67 - Dominique Badji - Colorado - Appeared vs Houston, 10 mins
Regular Season
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs Portland, 90 mins, 1 shot
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Houston, 90 mins
16 - Cristian Roldan - Seattle - Started vs DC United, 90 mins
17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Appeared as sub vs Seattle, 1 min
21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Appeared as sub vs Toronto, 20 mins, 1 assist
48 - Andy Craven - Seattle - Appeared as sub vs DC United, 12 mins, 1 shot
Thursday, July 2, 2015
MLSers on Gold Cup Rosters
The Gold Cup starts next week. Here's a list of the 42 MLSers who are on active rosters heading into the tourney:
By Country:
USA (11)
Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders)
Mix Diskerud (New York City FC)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders)
Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC)
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
US Open Cup Quarterfinal Match-Ups Set
We'll cover this week's matches later, but here's a look at the Quarterfinal Pairings for this year's US Open Cup. Matches will be played the 21st and 22nd of July:
East Regional: New York Red Bulls vs Philadelphia Union
In an Eastern Conference showdown, the Red Bulls will face off against last year's tournament runner-up, the Philadelphia Union. The Union knocked off the Red Bulls in their only match-up so far this season, 2-0 on May 24th behind goals by Vincent Nogueira and C.J. Sapong. While the Red Bulls have beaten up on the likes of the Atlanta Silverbacks and New York Cosmos, outscoring the two NASL sides 7-1, the Union have had a much tougher route to the quarterfinals. After playing the Rochester Rhinos to a 0-0 draw and defeating them in a shootout, they turned around and upset DC United scoring a pair of goals after going down to 10 men when Sapong was sent off 24 minutes in for a hard foul. Cristian Maidana assisted on both of the Union's goals in the win.
South Regional: Orlando City SC vs Chicago Fire
Two teams headed in opposite directions will face off when Orlando City takes on the Chicago Fire in the Southern Regional. The Fire have won just once in their last nine league matches and have dropped their last four including a 3-2 decision against Orlando on June 6th thanks to a pair of own goals by Adaílton. Orlando, on the other hand, is 4-1-2 in their last seven matches and Carlos Rivas is tied for the tournament lead in goals scored with four.
Central Regional: Houston Dynamo vs Sporting Kansas City
Dom Dwyer exploded for four goals in Sporting's 6-2 rout of FC Dallas in the 5th Round, more than making up for their lackluster performance against Saint Louis FC in their tournament opener. Houston, meanwhile, has yet to concede a goal in the tournament with Joe Willis posting back-to-back shutout wins over the Austin Aztex and Colorado Rapids. In their only meeting this year, the two clubs played to a wild 4-4 draw.
Western Regional: Real Salt Lake vs LA Galaxy
The Galaxy shut out the Wondo-less Quakes 1-0 thanks to an early goal from Jose Villarreal, winning without Gyasi Zardes, Omar Gonzalez, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard or Jaime Penedo. Real Salt Lake reached the quarterfinals by shocking the Portland Timbers 2-0 as Portland suffered a letdown following a pair of emotional wins over the Seattle Sounders. Real Salt Lake has been shut out twice by the Galaxy so far this season. The two clubs played to a 0-0 draw on May 6th and the Galaxy rode a Juninho PK to a 1-0 win on May 27th.
East Regional: New York Red Bulls vs Philadelphia Union
In an Eastern Conference showdown, the Red Bulls will face off against last year's tournament runner-up, the Philadelphia Union. The Union knocked off the Red Bulls in their only match-up so far this season, 2-0 on May 24th behind goals by Vincent Nogueira and C.J. Sapong. While the Red Bulls have beaten up on the likes of the Atlanta Silverbacks and New York Cosmos, outscoring the two NASL sides 7-1, the Union have had a much tougher route to the quarterfinals. After playing the Rochester Rhinos to a 0-0 draw and defeating them in a shootout, they turned around and upset DC United scoring a pair of goals after going down to 10 men when Sapong was sent off 24 minutes in for a hard foul. Cristian Maidana assisted on both of the Union's goals in the win.
South Regional: Orlando City SC vs Chicago Fire
Two teams headed in opposite directions will face off when Orlando City takes on the Chicago Fire in the Southern Regional. The Fire have won just once in their last nine league matches and have dropped their last four including a 3-2 decision against Orlando on June 6th thanks to a pair of own goals by Adaílton. Orlando, on the other hand, is 4-1-2 in their last seven matches and Carlos Rivas is tied for the tournament lead in goals scored with four.
Central Regional: Houston Dynamo vs Sporting Kansas City
Dom Dwyer exploded for four goals in Sporting's 6-2 rout of FC Dallas in the 5th Round, more than making up for their lackluster performance against Saint Louis FC in their tournament opener. Houston, meanwhile, has yet to concede a goal in the tournament with Joe Willis posting back-to-back shutout wins over the Austin Aztex and Colorado Rapids. In their only meeting this year, the two clubs played to a wild 4-4 draw.
Western Regional: Real Salt Lake vs LA Galaxy
The Galaxy shut out the Wondo-less Quakes 1-0 thanks to an early goal from Jose Villarreal, winning without Gyasi Zardes, Omar Gonzalez, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard or Jaime Penedo. Real Salt Lake reached the quarterfinals by shocking the Portland Timbers 2-0 as Portland suffered a letdown following a pair of emotional wins over the Seattle Sounders. Real Salt Lake has been shut out twice by the Galaxy so far this season. The two clubs played to a 0-0 draw on May 6th and the Galaxy rode a Juninho PK to a 1-0 win on May 27th.
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