Chivas USA - Where are they now?

Here's a look at what the players from Chivas USA's final days did in MLS this season:

Dispersal Draft:

1. Dan Kennedy - FC Dallas - 16 GS, 30 Saves, 19 GA, 5 Shutouts, 7-5-4
2. Matt Dunn - New York City FC - 1 appearance (waived in June)
3. Thomas McNamara - New York City FC  (exp draft) - 19 Apps, 15 Starts, 5 Goals, 3 Assists
4. Donny Toia - Montreal Impact - 31 Apps, 29 Starts, 1 Goal, 0 Assists
5. Caleb Calvert - Colorado Rapids - DNP (On Loan to Charlotte Independence)
6. Kris Tyrpak - DNP (waived by San Jose in Feb, played w/ Austin Aztec & San Antonio Scorpions)
7. Marco Delgado - Toronto FC - 20 Apps, 19 Starts, 3 Goals, 3 Assists

Others:

Bobby Burling - Colorado Rapids - Waiver Draft - 22 Apps, 22 Starts, 2 Goals, 0 Assists
Carlos Bocanegra - Did Not Play, Retired
Tony Lochhead - Did Not Play in MLS
Martín Rivero - Did Not Play in MLS, Plays for Aldosivi (Argentina)
Nigel Reo-Coker - Montreal Impact - Waiver Draft - 28 Apps, 20 Starts, 0 Goals, 2 Assists
Agustín Pelletieri - Did Not Play in MLS, Plays for Tigre (Argentina)
Michael Nwlioh - Did Not Play in MLS
Akira Kaji - Did Not Play in MLS, Plays for Fagiano Okayama (Japan)
Eric Avila - Orlando City SC (Loan from Santos Laguna) - 21 Apps, 15 Starts, 1 Goal, 2 Assists
Andrew Jean-Baptiste - Did Not Play in MLS, Released by New York Red Bulls in June
Marvin Chávez - Did Not Play in MLS, Plays for San Antonio Scorpions
Ryan Finley - Did Not Play in MLS, Plays for Charlotte Independence
Trevor Spangenberg - New England Revolution (Loaned to Richmond Kickers) - DNP
Nathan Sturgis - Houston Dynamo - Reentry Draft - 18 Apps, 15 Starts, 1 Goal, 2 Assists
Oswaldo Minda - Did Not Play in MLS, Plays for Barcelona (Ecuador)
Jhon Kennedy Hurtado - Did Not Play in MLS

Designated Players:

Cubo Torres - Houston Dynamo - 11 Apps, 3 Starts, 0 Goals, 1 Assist

Postseason Goal Scorers by Nationality - Conference Finals Leg 1

Lots of goals this weekend as the conference finals kicked off with both home teams coming away with two-goal victories. Here's how all of the postseason goals break down by nationality of the goal scorer. Kei Kamara leads everyone with three goals in this year's postseason while Liam Ridgewell became the fifth player to score in this year's playoffs after not scoring during the regular season.

Argentina (3)

Federico Higuaín (Columbus) - (1) - 8 goals in 32 appearances
Ignacio Piatti (Montreal) - (1) - 9 goals in 26 appearances
Maximiliano Urruti (Portland) - (1) - 4 goals in 30 appearances

Austria (1)

Andreas Ivanschitz (Seattle) - (1) - 1 goal in 6 appearances

Canada (3)

Patrice Bernier (Montreal) - (2) - 0 goals in 20 appearances
Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas) - (1) - 5 goals in 28 appearances

MLS Cup Conference Finals Diary, Leg 1

11/22/15

All right, time to watch the first leg of the Conference Finals. We'll start off with the Red Bulls taking on the Columbus Crew and then we'll follow that up with FC Dallas against the Portland Timbers. Hopefully we can get through both games, but that will really depend on whether or not my poor laptop can hold it together and if my wife can hold off on going into labor (due date is tomorrow). Let's start with Columbus vs New York...

The big story for Columbus is the fact that they're without their starting center back, Gastón Sauro, who's on a yellow card suspension. Sauro has been a tremendous addition to a defense that had issues all year, but tonight it'll be on Tyson Wahl teaming up with Michael Parkhurst in the heart of the Crew defense. Here we go!

0' - WOW. So the game has been going for all of 10 seconds and Justin Meram already has the Crew up 1-0. Taylor Twellman made the comment before the game started that this game would have some fireworks, and so far it has not disappointed. Ethan Finlay got absolutely trucked my Matt Miazga on that play too, but funny how those plays don't seem to hurt as much when you score.

U.S. Settles For Draw in Trinidad and Tobago

So, the U.S. played a feisty Trinidad and Tobago side to a 0-0 draw and people are freaking out a little bit. My favorite comment though came from @benpkaufmann:

Phenomenal performance if we're in the WC needing a tie w/ Brazil. Qualifier v Trinidad? Not so impressive #USMNT #USAvTRI

Similar stuff from @Metro_Soccer:

Yes, Klinsmann said a draw would be good enough on the road, and no, it should not be. Trinidad isn't Argentina or Brazil #USMNT #USAvTRI

Looking Back at Previous World Cup Qualifying Cycles

In preparations for this afternoon's World Cup Qualifying match against Trinidad and Tobago I decided to take a stroll down memory lane and look at how we fared in previous World Cup Qualifiers over the last four World Cup cycles. Not surprisingly, the U.S. generally has performed pretty well sporting an overall mark of 44-12-12 between 2000 and 2012. Here's some of the more notable observations I made:

1) Earnie Stewart was a beast during the 2002 World Cup Qualifying cycle scoring 8 goals in a 12 match span. He only scored 19 international goals in his entire career. He didn't pile them up against just the minnows either scoring against Mexico, in Costa Rica, and in Honduras.

2) Eddie Johnson scored goals during qualifiers during the cycles of 2006, 2010 and 2014. The only other players to do that were Carlos Bocanegra and Landon Donovan.

3) Clint Dempsey, an omission from the current squad, scored 8 times in World Cup Qualifying for the U.S. during the 2014 cycle.

4) The last American to score in a World Cup Qualifier in Trinidad and Tobago was Ricardo Clark (2009).

5) For all the talk about how Mexico is such a tough place for the U.S. to play, the U.S. has lost every World Cup Qualifying match they've played in Costa Rica going back to the 1990 cycle and have been outscored 19-6 over their last eight matches. You have to go back to the 1985 CONCACAF Championship - the precursor to the current World Cup Qualifying - where the U.S. drew 1-1 inCosta Rica to find a qualifier the U.S. didn't lose there.

6) The U.S. had just 7 shutouts in 16 World Cup Qualifying matches during the 2014 cycle. Only one of those shutouts came on the road, and that was in Mexico.

7) Of all the U.S. players who scored against St. Vincent and the Grenadines, only Jozy Altidore had previously scored for the U.S. in a World Cup Qualifier.

8) The U.S. lost in Trinidad and Tobago in 2008, 2-1.

9) Jozy Altidore's first international hat trick came against Trinidad and Tobago in 2009.

10) Dating back to last cycle, the U.S. has won four consecutive World Cup Qualifying matches.

U.S. U-23s Throttled in Loss to Brazil, 5-1

An early 1-0 lead quickly became a distant memory as the U.S. U-23s found themselves on the wrong end of a rout in Brazil. The two teams went into halftime tied at one goal apiece before the floodgates opened up and Brazil wound up winning 5-1. The U.S. were outscored 7-2 in their two game series with the Brazilians. It was a disappointing trip for the U.S. as they get ready for next year's two-game series with Colombia to determine the final spot in the 2016 Olympics. Colombia split two games with Brazil earlier this year in the South American Youth Football Championship, dropping their first match 2-1, before beating them 3-0. Here's a look at how MLS was represented in the Starting XI of today's defeat:

Starters vs Brazil

Dave Romney - LA Galaxy
Eric Miller - Montreal Impact
Dillon Serna - Colorado Rapids
Matt Polster - Chicago Fire
Khiry Shelton - New York City FC

USMNT and CMNT MLS Contingent Results

For the U.S. vs St. Vincent and the Grenadines