Some News for Mon Mar 28, 2011
STARTERS
I had a great weekend in New York attending the USA v Argentina game. Nothing is better than being there in person.
I mostly need to thank Geoff, my host. My deepest gratitude to you sir.
I also need to thank Adam and Yvonne who let me hang around their place a lot.
And then all the great folks I spent time with: Susan, Will, Brett, Don, Shawn, Greg, Jack, and finally, Geoff's excellent friends.
JACK WARNER ODDITIES
Slappy Jack will have a 6th term as CONCACAF dictator as he is unopposed in the upcoming election.
TEAM USA
The second game of Friendly Match Week is Tuesday in Nashville!
dN
Steve Davis of Sports Illustrated tell us to expect USA lineup changes in Nashville on Tuesday.
dN
Edson Buddle was released from the squad and has gone back to Ingolstad. Only Juan Agudelo and Jozy Altidore are left as genuine forwards.
dN
George Vecsey of the New York Times gives us a rare inside look at Team USA and coach Bob Bradley planning.
dN
My Thoughts:
I have heard a lot of talk, and now read several articles discussing the USA coming out against Argentina in what would be called a 4-2-3-1 formation. The problem is that they put players on the field who's natural positions would fit into a 4-3-2-1 position much better. On Saturday they lined up Mo Edu in front of Jermiane Jones and Michael Bradley. But Edu kept drifting back into the spot he is most comfortable, and none of those three EVER plays with two fellow defensive midfielders, so none of them are comfortable in the end. Then you leave Jozy Altidore all to himself up top, and he is neither a holdup or speed forward to can make a defense pay all by himself. Finally, you start the game with two very weak fullbacks, and two ill-passing centerbacks, forcing the two wide midfielders Dempsey and Donovan who should be in the attack, all the way back helping cover against crosses. What a useless lineup. No wonder Tim Howard worked hard to keep his team in it and looked good doing so, he was the only one given the best chance to do so.
dN
Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated writes about Juan Agudelo the hottest property in town.
dN
The official USA team blog.
dN
Matches & Scores:
-Sat Mar 26
USA 1-1 Argentina - USA goal by Juan Agudelo. Arg goal by Esteban Cambiaso.
Venue: New Meadowlands Stadium - East Rutherford NJ
-Tue Mar 29
USA v Paraguay
Venue: LP Field - Nashville TN
dN
Paraguay roster.
G:
Justo Villar - Valladolid
Diego Barreto - Cerro Porteno
D:
Paulo Da Silva - Real Zaragoza
Victor Hugo Mareco - Brescia
Marcos Caceres - Racing Santander
Antolin Alcaraz - Wigan
Aureliano Torres - San Lorenzo
Dario Veron - UNAM Pumas
Miguel Samudio - Libertad
M:
Enrique Vera - Liga de Quito
Marcelo Estigarribia - Newell's Old Boys
Osmar Molinas - Olimpia
Cristian Riveros - Sunderland
Nestor Ortigoza - San Lorenzo
Celso Ortiz - AZ Alkmaar
Edgar Barreto - Atalanta
F:
Osvaldo Martinez - Monterrey
Oscar Cardozo - Benfica
Edgar Benitez - Pachuca
Lucas Barrios - Borussia Dortmund
dN
USA roster
G:
Marcus Hahnemann - Wolverhampton
Tim Howard - Everton
David Yelldell - Duisburg
D:
Carlos Bocanegra - St Etienne
Jonathan Bornstein - UANL Tigres
Timothy Chandler - Nurnberg
Jay DeMerit - Vancouver Whitecaps
Eric Lichaj - Leeds
Oguchi Onyewu - Twente
Tim Ream - Red Bull New York
Jonathan Spector - West Ham
M:
Michael Bradley - Aston Villa
Clint Dempsey - Fulham
Mikkel Diskeruud - Stabaek
Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy
Mo Edu - Rangers
Benny Feilhaber - AGF
Jermaine Jones - Blackburn
Sacha Kljestan - Anderlecht
F:
Juan Agudelo - Red Bull New York
Jozy Altidore - Bursaspor
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY
If the last name of Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis pronounced K-rice, then why is the last name of New England goalkeeper Matt Reis pronounced Rees. Shouldn't it be Rice, or does it have a Farve in it?
MLS MATCHES, SCORES & STANDINGS
Week 2
Matches & Scores:
-Fri Mar 25
Seattle 1-1 Houston - Sea goal by Steve Zakuani. Hou goal by Geoff Cameron.
Venue: Qwest Field - Seattle WA
Attendance: 36,204
-Sat Mar 26
Toronto 2-0 Portland - TFC goals both by Javier Martina.
Venue: BMO Field - Toronto ON
Attendance: 20,086
Columbus 0-0 New York
Venue: Crew Stadium - Columbus OH
Attendance: 10,306 (record low opening day)
Philadelphia 1-0 Vancouver - Phil goal by Carlos Ruiz.
Venue: PPL Park - Chester PA
Attendance: 18,591
Chicago 3-2 Kansas City - Chic goals by Diego Chaves(PK), Gaston Puerari & Marco Pappa. KC goals by Matt Besler & Teal Bunbury.
Venue: Toyota Park - Bridgeview IL
Attendance: 12,157
New England 2-1 DC - NE goals by Zack Schilawski & Shalrie Joseph(PK). DC goal by Charlie Davies(PK).
Venue: Gillette Stadium - Foxborough MA
Attendance: 12,914
Dallas 0-2 San Jose - SJ goals both by Chris Wondolowski.
Venue: Pizza Hut Park - Frisco TX
Attendance: 11,022
Salt Lake 4-1 LA - SL goals by Andy Williams, Javier Morales(2, 1 via PK) & Paulo Jr. LA goal by Juan Pablo Angel.
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium - Sandy UT
Attendance: 20,507
Chivas 0-1 Colorado - Colo goal by Quincy Amarikwa.
Venue: The Home Depot Center - Carson CA
Attendance: 13,027
dN
EJECTIONS:
Omar Bravo - KC - Red Card
Dejan Jakovic - DC - Red Card
Eric Hassli - Vancouver - 2 Yellow Cards
Mikael Yourassowsky - Toronto - 2 Yellow Cards
dN
Standings (2 Games Played):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
6 Philadelphia Union (+2 GD)
4 Chicago Fire SC (+1 GD)
4 New England Revolution (+1 GD)
4 New York Red Bulls (+1 GD)
3 DC United (+1 GD)
3 Sporting Kansas City (0 GD)
3 Toronto FC (0 GD)
1 Houston Dynamo (-1 GD)
1 Columbus Crew (-2 GD)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
6 Real Salt Lake (+4 GD)
6 Colorado Rapids (+3 GD)
4 LA Galaxy (-2 GD) (3 GP)
3 San Jose Earthquakes (+1 GD)
3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC (+1 GD)
1 FC Dallas (-2 GD)
1 Seattle Sounders FC (-2 GD) (3 GP)
0 CD Chivas USA (-2 GD)
0 Portland Timbers (-4 GD)
DU NORD PLAYER OF THE WEEK AND OTHER STUFF
I gotta give it to Marco Pappa of Chicago not just for his really good play but also the way he picked the KC defense apart to score the game winner.
MY THOUGHTS
The Attendance numbers fell into three categories:
Sold Out Strong
-Seattle - the usual loud green machine.
Toronto - despite all the talk of fan unrest the stands were still packed with red. No less an intimidating stadium.
-Philadelphia - expected, loud and proud.
-Salt Lake - has become the toughest place in all of MLS for away teams, and the crowds are growing.
Terrible Opening Day
-Columbus - 10,306 - all time low for opening day.
-Chicago - 12,157 - was Blanco really propping this team up for his two seasons and this what we should expect from now on? Not on opening day.
-New England - 12,914 - the ownership can clearly not be embarrassed into changing the way they operate.
Pathetic Drop Offs
Dallas - half the number from the week before makes opening day seem fake, not future.
Chivas - they did reshuffle the whole organization so it will take time, but this is year 6 and they still stink.
dN
More:
Wondo with 2 good goals, the first one was excellent.
Snacks Thorton is killing Chivas with his slow decisions and poor distance off the line (which has always plagued him.)
With Omar Cummings off playing for Jamaica and Conor Casey not starting due to a calf injury Colorado still gets it done.
RSL's Andy Williams is playing the best soccer of his MLS career right now. So is so calm and relaxed, yet hard working and perfectly positioned every time his team needs him.
And then there's his teammate Javier Morales. Wow.
It didn't hurt Salt Lake this weekend that the Galaxy played like a bunch of clowns.
Juan Pablo Angel got his first goal in a LA uniform.
Matt Reis in New England was up to his usual tricks again, coming out to claim a high ball with his knees and cleats up to warn away anyone going for the ball. Of course that means he injures a player or two every season and goes unpunished for it because "he is protecting himself." But he is the only keeper to consistently hurt players. And he does it on purpose with no remorse.
-It lead to yet another incident this weekend where Dejan Jakovich of was the victim and pushed Reis to get away from him, then when other Revs players confronted Jakovich he got a red card.
Marko Pappa had a spectacular goal for Chicago. Dancing through 3 KC defenders and drilling home a nice low shot to the corner. Gorgeous stuff.
Teal Bunbury used his great speed to get a goal for KC. We knew he was fast, but his cool finish was what he needs to do to be a top notch player in MLS.
Eric Hassli of Vancouver sure did earn his red card with two late cheap shots on Philly players legs.
Sebastien Le Toux and Pescadito Ruiz combined for an easy Union goal. I bet we see that combo several times this season.
TFC's second goal was just a thing of beauty! Portland had a corner kick and Steph Frei came out to claim the high ball, then he looks up-field and quickly punts it about 75 yards dead on to a running Javier Martina who lets it bounce once then lasers a a shot from the top of the box to the far corner. I love it.
New fullback Mikael Yourassowsky of Toronto had one of the funniest debut's in recent MLS history. He got booked once in the 55th min, then as they tried to kill off the game was slow play and stalling tactics he took his sweet time leaving the field when being subbed off and mad the ref so mad he finally got booked again making TFC play the final few minutes with 10 players. The look on his face was priceless.
MLS TEAM & PLAYER NEWS
General News
Real Salt Lake midfielder Javier Morales was named the league's Player Of The Week.
Steve Davis of Sports Illustrated with five things you should know about Week 2.
COLUMBUS CREW
Did you know that some hardcore Crew supporters opened their own bar last spring? Via Columbus Alive.
NEW YORK RED BULLS
With starting keeper Greg Sutton injured and backup Bouna Time off with his national team, the Bulls brought in a replacement on Friday named Alex Horwath who started on Saturday and kept a clean sheet on the road. Not bad at all.
REAL SALT LAKE
The team has just signed head coach Jason Kreis to a new 2 year contract extension.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
Forward Omar Salgado has been given a special waiver by FIFA to play for Vancouver starting immediately. Being under 18 he was not allowed to play outside his home country without his parents being permanent residents too.
The team has signed crunching Canadian midfielder Kevin Harmse.
NASL NEWS
David Downs the former Chief Executive of the USA World Cup bid committee has been named the new Commissioner of the NASL. That's a pretty big name for such a small league.
USA U20 TEAM
The USA squad is in the CONCACAF U20 World Cup Qualifying with their first game on Tuesday.
dN
Group Stage Matches & Scores:
-Tue Mar 29
USA v Suriname - 7pm CT on ESPN3.com
-Fri Apr 2
USA v Panama - 5 pm on ESPN3.com
dN
Roster
G:
Zac MacMath - Philadelphia Union
Cody Cropper - Ipswich
D:
Gale Agbossoumonde - Djurgardens
Greg Garza - Estoril Praia
Moises Hernandez - FC Dallas
Sacir Hot - New York Red Bulls
Sebastien Ibeagha - Duke
Perry Kitchen - DC United
Zarek Valentin - Chivas USA
Korey Veeder - Columbus Crew
M:
Sebastian Lletget - West Ham
Amobi Okugo - Philadelphia Union
Moises Orozco - UANL Tigres
Dillon Powers - Notre Dame
Kelyn Rowe - UCLA
F:
Eder Arreola - UCLA
Conor Doyle - Derby County
Joseph Gyau - Hoffenheim
Omar Salgado - Vancouver Whitecaps
Bobby Wood - 1860 Munich
CONCACAF U20 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
The tournament begins today in Guatemala, and 4 teams will advance to the World Cup in Colombia.
dN
FIFA.com with a tourney preview.
dN
Group Stage
Matches & Scores:
-Mon Mar 28
Canada v Guadeloupe
Cuba v Mexico
-Tue Mar 29
Suriname v USA
Guatemala v Jamaica
-Wed Mar 30
Guadeloupe v Costa Rica
Trinidad & Tobago v Cuba
-Thu Mar 31
Panama v Suriname
Honduras v Jamaica
-Fri Apr 1
Costa Rica v Canada
Mexico v Trinidad & Tobago
-Sat Apr 2
USA v Panama
Guatemala v Honduras
dN
The top 2 from each group advance to the knockout rounds, and the 4 winners of those games advance to the World Cup.
dN
Standings:
Group A
Guatemala
Honduras
Jamaica
Group B
Panama
Suriname
USA
Group C
Canada
Costa Rica
Guadeloupe
Group D
Cuba
Mexico
Trinidad & Tobago
AMERICANS IN EUROPE
Game Action:
ENGLAND - League One
Mike Grella - Swindon Town - started and played 83 min but they lost 2-1 at Brighton & Hove.
Frank Simek - Carlisle United - went the distance but lost 2-1 at Brentford.
TURKEY - 1. Lig
Freddie Adu - Caykur Rizespor - started but was subbed off at half time as they drew 2-2 v Altay.
dN
Coming Up:
ENGLAND - League One
Mike Grella - Swindon Town - Tue Mar 29 at Exeter City
Frank Simek - Carlisle United - Tue Mar 29 at Yeovil Town
AMERICANS IN MEXICO
Game Action:
LIGA DE ASCENSO (2nd division)
Joe Benny Corona - Tijuana - started but was subbed off in the 65th min but they lost 2-0 at Irapuato.
Marco Vidal - Leon - started and played 73 min as they won 2-3 at Lobos BUAP
CONCACAF
FRIENDLIES
Matches & Scores:
-Thu Mar 24
Cuba 0-1 El Salvador
-Fri Mar 25
Panama 2-0 Bolivia
S Korea 4-0 Honduras
Jamaica 0-2 Venezuela
-Sat Mar 26
USA 1-1 Argentina
Mexico 3-1 Paraguay
Costa Rica 2-2 China
-Sun Mar 27
St Kitts & Nevis 0-0 Grenada
El Salvador 0-2 Jamaica
dN
-Mon Mar 28
Guatemala v Bolivia
-Tue Mar 29
Costa Rica v Argentina
USA v Paraguay
Mexico v Venezuela
Belarus v Canada
Cuba v Panama
China v Honduras
SCOTLAND
Controversy flashed back and forth in Scotland after Brazil took on the national team in London this weekend where the Scottish fans mercilessly booed little Brazilian wizard Neymar, which he later claimed was racially motivated. Several Scottish supporters groups have come forward to deny this saying that he was simply the villain who scored two goals against them, so of course he took the most heat.
-The biggest spark to the blow up was a banana on the field, but it was thrown out of the stands on the end that was almost all Brazilians.
UEFA EURO 2012
No upsets on Friday as Spain, Italy, Netherlands, France and Serbia all won.
On Saturday England, Germany and Ireland were victorious. While Norway & Denmark drew, and Russia was held to a scoreless tie.
dN
QUALIFYING
Matches & Scores:
-Fri Mar 25
Spain 2-1 Czech Republic
Hungary 0-4 Netherlands
Slovenia 0-1 Italy
Luxembourg 0-2 France
Serbia 2-1 N Ireland
-Sat Mar 26
Wales 0-2 England
Germany 4-0 Kazakhstan
Norway 1-1 Denmark
Bulgaria 0-0 Switzerland
Armenia 0-0 Russia
Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 Romania
Ireland 2-1 Macedonia
Albania 1-0 Belarus
Andorra 0-1 Slovakia
Cyprus 0-0 Iceland
Malta 0-1 Greece
Georgia 1-0 Croatia
Israel 2-1 Latvia
dN
-Tue Mar 29
Lithuania v Spain
Netherlands v Hungary
Czech Republic v Liechtenstein
Sweden v Moldova
N Ireland v Slovenia
Turkey v Austria
Belgium v Azerbaijan
Romania v Luxembourg
Israel v Georgia
Estonia v Serbia
AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS
Egypt struggled with a road loss at South Africa.
Ghana won big on the road.
Senegal, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Algeria all won.
Togo, Morocco and Cameroon all lost.
dN
QUALIFYING
Matches & Scores:
-Sat Mar 26
Burkina Faso 4-0 Namibia
South Africa 1-0 Egypt
Mali 1-0 Zimbabwe
Senegal 1-0 Cameroon
Rwanda 3-1 Burundi
Kenya 2-1 Angola
Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Uganda
Chad 0-1 Botswana
Malawi 1-0 Togo
Cape Verde Islands 4-2 Liberia
Tanzania 2-1 Central African Republic
-Sun Mar 27
Cote d'Ivoire 2-1 Benin
Nigeria 4-0 Ethiopia
Madagascar 1-1 Guinea
Mozambique 0-2 Zambia
Algeria 1-0 Morocco
Congo DR 3-0 Mauritius
Niger 3-1 Sierra Leone
Congo 0-3 Ghana
Sudan 3-0 Swaziland
-Mon Mar 28
Libya v Comoros
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES
Matches & Scores:
-Wed Mar 23
Chinese Taipei 0-2 Turkmenistan
Pakistan 1-3 India
Maldives 2-1 Kyrgyzstan
Bhutan 0-3 Afghanistan
Palestine 0-0 Philippines
Myanmar 0-2 Bangladesh
Cambodia 0-3 Tajikistan
-Thu Mar 24
Cuba 0-1 El Salvador
-Fri Mar 25
Lithuania 2-0 Poland
Montenegro 1-0 Uzbekistan
Estonia 2-0 Uruguay
Panama 2-0 Bolivia
Turkmenistan 1-1 India
Pakistan 2-0 Chinese Taipei
Maldives 0-0 Tajikistan
S Korea 4-0 Honduras
Afghanistan 2-0 Bhutan
Bangladesh 0-3 Philippines
Myanmar 1-3 Palestine
China 1-1 New Zealand
Jamaica 0-2 Venezuela
Austria 0-2 Belgium
Cambodia 3-4 Kyrgyzstan
-Sat Mar 26
Portugal 1-1 Chile
USA 1-1 Argentina
Mexico 3-1 Paraguay
Colombia 2-0 Ecuador
Costa Rica 2-2 China
Jordan 1-1 Kuwait
N Korea 0-2 Iraq
-Sun Mar 27
Brazil 2-0 Scotland
St. Kitts & Nevis 0-0 Grenada
dN
-Mon Mar 28
Guatemala v Bolivia
-Tue Mar 29
Germany v Australia
Portugal v Finland
Ukraine v Italy
England v Ghana
Costa Rica v Argentina
France v Croatia
USA v Paraguay
Mexico v Venezuela
Greece v Poland
Ireland v Uruguay
Oman v Tunisia
Belarus v Canada
El Salvador v Jamaica
Cuba v Panama
Slovakia v Denmark
Colombia v Chile
Equatorial Guinea v Gambia
Peru v Ecuador
Gabon v Cameroon
China v Honduras
Nigeria v Kenya
Cyprus v Bulgaria
Jordan v N Korea
Qatar v Russia
Kuwait v Iraq
Morocco v Botswana
I had a great weekend in New York attending the USA v Argentina game. Nothing is better than being there in person.
I mostly need to thank Geoff, my host. My deepest gratitude to you sir.
I also need to thank Adam and Yvonne who let me hang around their place a lot.
And then all the great folks I spent time with: Susan, Will, Brett, Don, Shawn, Greg, Jack, and finally, Geoff's excellent friends.
JACK WARNER ODDITIES
Slappy Jack will have a 6th term as CONCACAF dictator as he is unopposed in the upcoming election.
TEAM USA
The second game of Friendly Match Week is Tuesday in Nashville!
dN
Steve Davis of Sports Illustrated tell us to expect USA lineup changes in Nashville on Tuesday.
dN
Edson Buddle was released from the squad and has gone back to Ingolstad. Only Juan Agudelo and Jozy Altidore are left as genuine forwards.
dN
George Vecsey of the New York Times gives us a rare inside look at Team USA and coach Bob Bradley planning.
dN
My Thoughts:
I have heard a lot of talk, and now read several articles discussing the USA coming out against Argentina in what would be called a 4-2-3-1 formation. The problem is that they put players on the field who's natural positions would fit into a 4-3-2-1 position much better. On Saturday they lined up Mo Edu in front of Jermiane Jones and Michael Bradley. But Edu kept drifting back into the spot he is most comfortable, and none of those three EVER plays with two fellow defensive midfielders, so none of them are comfortable in the end. Then you leave Jozy Altidore all to himself up top, and he is neither a holdup or speed forward to can make a defense pay all by himself. Finally, you start the game with two very weak fullbacks, and two ill-passing centerbacks, forcing the two wide midfielders Dempsey and Donovan who should be in the attack, all the way back helping cover against crosses. What a useless lineup. No wonder Tim Howard worked hard to keep his team in it and looked good doing so, he was the only one given the best chance to do so.
dN
Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated writes about Juan Agudelo the hottest property in town.
dN
The official USA team blog.
dN
Matches & Scores:
-Sat Mar 26
USA 1-1 Argentina - USA goal by Juan Agudelo. Arg goal by Esteban Cambiaso.
Venue: New Meadowlands Stadium - East Rutherford NJ
-Tue Mar 29
USA v Paraguay
Venue: LP Field - Nashville TN
dN
Paraguay roster.
G:
Justo Villar - Valladolid
Diego Barreto - Cerro Porteno
D:
Paulo Da Silva - Real Zaragoza
Victor Hugo Mareco - Brescia
Marcos Caceres - Racing Santander
Antolin Alcaraz - Wigan
Aureliano Torres - San Lorenzo
Dario Veron - UNAM Pumas
Miguel Samudio - Libertad
M:
Enrique Vera - Liga de Quito
Marcelo Estigarribia - Newell's Old Boys
Osmar Molinas - Olimpia
Cristian Riveros - Sunderland
Nestor Ortigoza - San Lorenzo
Celso Ortiz - AZ Alkmaar
Edgar Barreto - Atalanta
F:
Osvaldo Martinez - Monterrey
Oscar Cardozo - Benfica
Edgar Benitez - Pachuca
Lucas Barrios - Borussia Dortmund
dN
USA roster
G:
Marcus Hahnemann - Wolverhampton
Tim Howard - Everton
David Yelldell - Duisburg
D:
Carlos Bocanegra - St Etienne
Jonathan Bornstein - UANL Tigres
Timothy Chandler - Nurnberg
Jay DeMerit - Vancouver Whitecaps
Eric Lichaj - Leeds
Oguchi Onyewu - Twente
Tim Ream - Red Bull New York
Jonathan Spector - West Ham
M:
Michael Bradley - Aston Villa
Clint Dempsey - Fulham
Mikkel Diskeruud - Stabaek
Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy
Mo Edu - Rangers
Benny Feilhaber - AGF
Jermaine Jones - Blackburn
Sacha Kljestan - Anderlecht
F:
Juan Agudelo - Red Bull New York
Jozy Altidore - Bursaspor
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY
If the last name of Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis pronounced K-rice, then why is the last name of New England goalkeeper Matt Reis pronounced Rees. Shouldn't it be Rice, or does it have a Farve in it?
MLS MATCHES, SCORES & STANDINGS
Week 2
Matches & Scores:
-Fri Mar 25
Seattle 1-1 Houston - Sea goal by Steve Zakuani. Hou goal by Geoff Cameron.
Venue: Qwest Field - Seattle WA
Attendance: 36,204
-Sat Mar 26
Toronto 2-0 Portland - TFC goals both by Javier Martina.
Venue: BMO Field - Toronto ON
Attendance: 20,086
Columbus 0-0 New York
Venue: Crew Stadium - Columbus OH
Attendance: 10,306 (record low opening day)
Philadelphia 1-0 Vancouver - Phil goal by Carlos Ruiz.
Venue: PPL Park - Chester PA
Attendance: 18,591
Chicago 3-2 Kansas City - Chic goals by Diego Chaves(PK), Gaston Puerari & Marco Pappa. KC goals by Matt Besler & Teal Bunbury.
Venue: Toyota Park - Bridgeview IL
Attendance: 12,157
New England 2-1 DC - NE goals by Zack Schilawski & Shalrie Joseph(PK). DC goal by Charlie Davies(PK).
Venue: Gillette Stadium - Foxborough MA
Attendance: 12,914
Dallas 0-2 San Jose - SJ goals both by Chris Wondolowski.
Venue: Pizza Hut Park - Frisco TX
Attendance: 11,022
Salt Lake 4-1 LA - SL goals by Andy Williams, Javier Morales(2, 1 via PK) & Paulo Jr. LA goal by Juan Pablo Angel.
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium - Sandy UT
Attendance: 20,507
Chivas 0-1 Colorado - Colo goal by Quincy Amarikwa.
Venue: The Home Depot Center - Carson CA
Attendance: 13,027
dN
EJECTIONS:
Omar Bravo - KC - Red Card
Dejan Jakovic - DC - Red Card
Eric Hassli - Vancouver - 2 Yellow Cards
Mikael Yourassowsky - Toronto - 2 Yellow Cards
dN
Standings (2 Games Played):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
6 Philadelphia Union (+2 GD)
4 Chicago Fire SC (+1 GD)
4 New England Revolution (+1 GD)
4 New York Red Bulls (+1 GD)
3 DC United (+1 GD)
3 Sporting Kansas City (0 GD)
3 Toronto FC (0 GD)
1 Houston Dynamo (-1 GD)
1 Columbus Crew (-2 GD)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
6 Real Salt Lake (+4 GD)
6 Colorado Rapids (+3 GD)
4 LA Galaxy (-2 GD) (3 GP)
3 San Jose Earthquakes (+1 GD)
3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC (+1 GD)
1 FC Dallas (-2 GD)
1 Seattle Sounders FC (-2 GD) (3 GP)
0 CD Chivas USA (-2 GD)
0 Portland Timbers (-4 GD)
DU NORD PLAYER OF THE WEEK AND OTHER STUFF
I gotta give it to Marco Pappa of Chicago not just for his really good play but also the way he picked the KC defense apart to score the game winner.
MY THOUGHTS
The Attendance numbers fell into three categories:
Sold Out Strong
-Seattle - the usual loud green machine.
Toronto - despite all the talk of fan unrest the stands were still packed with red. No less an intimidating stadium.
-Philadelphia - expected, loud and proud.
-Salt Lake - has become the toughest place in all of MLS for away teams, and the crowds are growing.
Terrible Opening Day
-Columbus - 10,306 - all time low for opening day.
-Chicago - 12,157 - was Blanco really propping this team up for his two seasons and this what we should expect from now on? Not on opening day.
-New England - 12,914 - the ownership can clearly not be embarrassed into changing the way they operate.
Pathetic Drop Offs
Dallas - half the number from the week before makes opening day seem fake, not future.
Chivas - they did reshuffle the whole organization so it will take time, but this is year 6 and they still stink.
dN
More:
Wondo with 2 good goals, the first one was excellent.
Snacks Thorton is killing Chivas with his slow decisions and poor distance off the line (which has always plagued him.)
With Omar Cummings off playing for Jamaica and Conor Casey not starting due to a calf injury Colorado still gets it done.
RSL's Andy Williams is playing the best soccer of his MLS career right now. So is so calm and relaxed, yet hard working and perfectly positioned every time his team needs him.
And then there's his teammate Javier Morales. Wow.
It didn't hurt Salt Lake this weekend that the Galaxy played like a bunch of clowns.
Juan Pablo Angel got his first goal in a LA uniform.
Matt Reis in New England was up to his usual tricks again, coming out to claim a high ball with his knees and cleats up to warn away anyone going for the ball. Of course that means he injures a player or two every season and goes unpunished for it because "he is protecting himself." But he is the only keeper to consistently hurt players. And he does it on purpose with no remorse.
-It lead to yet another incident this weekend where Dejan Jakovich of was the victim and pushed Reis to get away from him, then when other Revs players confronted Jakovich he got a red card.
Marko Pappa had a spectacular goal for Chicago. Dancing through 3 KC defenders and drilling home a nice low shot to the corner. Gorgeous stuff.
Teal Bunbury used his great speed to get a goal for KC. We knew he was fast, but his cool finish was what he needs to do to be a top notch player in MLS.
Eric Hassli of Vancouver sure did earn his red card with two late cheap shots on Philly players legs.
Sebastien Le Toux and Pescadito Ruiz combined for an easy Union goal. I bet we see that combo several times this season.
TFC's second goal was just a thing of beauty! Portland had a corner kick and Steph Frei came out to claim the high ball, then he looks up-field and quickly punts it about 75 yards dead on to a running Javier Martina who lets it bounce once then lasers a a shot from the top of the box to the far corner. I love it.
New fullback Mikael Yourassowsky of Toronto had one of the funniest debut's in recent MLS history. He got booked once in the 55th min, then as they tried to kill off the game was slow play and stalling tactics he took his sweet time leaving the field when being subbed off and mad the ref so mad he finally got booked again making TFC play the final few minutes with 10 players. The look on his face was priceless.
MLS TEAM & PLAYER NEWS
General News
Real Salt Lake midfielder Javier Morales was named the league's Player Of The Week.
Steve Davis of Sports Illustrated with five things you should know about Week 2.
COLUMBUS CREW
Did you know that some hardcore Crew supporters opened their own bar last spring? Via Columbus Alive.
NEW YORK RED BULLS
With starting keeper Greg Sutton injured and backup Bouna Time off with his national team, the Bulls brought in a replacement on Friday named Alex Horwath who started on Saturday and kept a clean sheet on the road. Not bad at all.
REAL SALT LAKE
The team has just signed head coach Jason Kreis to a new 2 year contract extension.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
Forward Omar Salgado has been given a special waiver by FIFA to play for Vancouver starting immediately. Being under 18 he was not allowed to play outside his home country without his parents being permanent residents too.
The team has signed crunching Canadian midfielder Kevin Harmse.
NASL NEWS
David Downs the former Chief Executive of the USA World Cup bid committee has been named the new Commissioner of the NASL. That's a pretty big name for such a small league.
USA U20 TEAM
The USA squad is in the CONCACAF U20 World Cup Qualifying with their first game on Tuesday.
dN
Group Stage Matches & Scores:
-Tue Mar 29
USA v Suriname - 7pm CT on ESPN3.com
-Fri Apr 2
USA v Panama - 5 pm on ESPN3.com
dN
Roster
G:
Zac MacMath - Philadelphia Union
Cody Cropper - Ipswich
D:
Gale Agbossoumonde - Djurgardens
Greg Garza - Estoril Praia
Moises Hernandez - FC Dallas
Sacir Hot - New York Red Bulls
Sebastien Ibeagha - Duke
Perry Kitchen - DC United
Zarek Valentin - Chivas USA
Korey Veeder - Columbus Crew
M:
Sebastian Lletget - West Ham
Amobi Okugo - Philadelphia Union
Moises Orozco - UANL Tigres
Dillon Powers - Notre Dame
Kelyn Rowe - UCLA
F:
Eder Arreola - UCLA
Conor Doyle - Derby County
Joseph Gyau - Hoffenheim
Omar Salgado - Vancouver Whitecaps
Bobby Wood - 1860 Munich
CONCACAF U20 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
The tournament begins today in Guatemala, and 4 teams will advance to the World Cup in Colombia.
dN
FIFA.com with a tourney preview.
dN
Group Stage
Matches & Scores:
-Mon Mar 28
Canada v Guadeloupe
Cuba v Mexico
-Tue Mar 29
Suriname v USA
Guatemala v Jamaica
-Wed Mar 30
Guadeloupe v Costa Rica
Trinidad & Tobago v Cuba
-Thu Mar 31
Panama v Suriname
Honduras v Jamaica
-Fri Apr 1
Costa Rica v Canada
Mexico v Trinidad & Tobago
-Sat Apr 2
USA v Panama
Guatemala v Honduras
dN
The top 2 from each group advance to the knockout rounds, and the 4 winners of those games advance to the World Cup.
dN
Standings:
Group A
Guatemala
Honduras
Jamaica
Group B
Panama
Suriname
USA
Group C
Canada
Costa Rica
Guadeloupe
Group D
Cuba
Mexico
Trinidad & Tobago
AMERICANS IN EUROPE
Game Action:
ENGLAND - League One
Mike Grella - Swindon Town - started and played 83 min but they lost 2-1 at Brighton & Hove.
Frank Simek - Carlisle United - went the distance but lost 2-1 at Brentford.
TURKEY - 1. Lig
Freddie Adu - Caykur Rizespor - started but was subbed off at half time as they drew 2-2 v Altay.
dN
Coming Up:
ENGLAND - League One
Mike Grella - Swindon Town - Tue Mar 29 at Exeter City
Frank Simek - Carlisle United - Tue Mar 29 at Yeovil Town
AMERICANS IN MEXICO
Game Action:
LIGA DE ASCENSO (2nd division)
Joe Benny Corona - Tijuana - started but was subbed off in the 65th min but they lost 2-0 at Irapuato.
Marco Vidal - Leon - started and played 73 min as they won 2-3 at Lobos BUAP
CONCACAF
FRIENDLIES
Matches & Scores:
-Thu Mar 24
Cuba 0-1 El Salvador
-Fri Mar 25
Panama 2-0 Bolivia
S Korea 4-0 Honduras
Jamaica 0-2 Venezuela
-Sat Mar 26
USA 1-1 Argentina
Mexico 3-1 Paraguay
Costa Rica 2-2 China
-Sun Mar 27
St Kitts & Nevis 0-0 Grenada
El Salvador 0-2 Jamaica
dN
-Mon Mar 28
Guatemala v Bolivia
-Tue Mar 29
Costa Rica v Argentina
USA v Paraguay
Mexico v Venezuela
Belarus v Canada
Cuba v Panama
China v Honduras
SCOTLAND
Controversy flashed back and forth in Scotland after Brazil took on the national team in London this weekend where the Scottish fans mercilessly booed little Brazilian wizard Neymar, which he later claimed was racially motivated. Several Scottish supporters groups have come forward to deny this saying that he was simply the villain who scored two goals against them, so of course he took the most heat.
-The biggest spark to the blow up was a banana on the field, but it was thrown out of the stands on the end that was almost all Brazilians.
UEFA EURO 2012
No upsets on Friday as Spain, Italy, Netherlands, France and Serbia all won.
On Saturday England, Germany and Ireland were victorious. While Norway & Denmark drew, and Russia was held to a scoreless tie.
dN
QUALIFYING
Matches & Scores:
-Fri Mar 25
Spain 2-1 Czech Republic
Hungary 0-4 Netherlands
Slovenia 0-1 Italy
Luxembourg 0-2 France
Serbia 2-1 N Ireland
-Sat Mar 26
Wales 0-2 England
Germany 4-0 Kazakhstan
Norway 1-1 Denmark
Bulgaria 0-0 Switzerland
Armenia 0-0 Russia
Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 Romania
Ireland 2-1 Macedonia
Albania 1-0 Belarus
Andorra 0-1 Slovakia
Cyprus 0-0 Iceland
Malta 0-1 Greece
Georgia 1-0 Croatia
Israel 2-1 Latvia
dN
-Tue Mar 29
Lithuania v Spain
Netherlands v Hungary
Czech Republic v Liechtenstein
Sweden v Moldova
N Ireland v Slovenia
Turkey v Austria
Belgium v Azerbaijan
Romania v Luxembourg
Israel v Georgia
Estonia v Serbia
AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS
Egypt struggled with a road loss at South Africa.
Ghana won big on the road.
Senegal, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Algeria all won.
Togo, Morocco and Cameroon all lost.
dN
QUALIFYING
Matches & Scores:
-Sat Mar 26
Burkina Faso 4-0 Namibia
South Africa 1-0 Egypt
Mali 1-0 Zimbabwe
Senegal 1-0 Cameroon
Rwanda 3-1 Burundi
Kenya 2-1 Angola
Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Uganda
Chad 0-1 Botswana
Malawi 1-0 Togo
Cape Verde Islands 4-2 Liberia
Tanzania 2-1 Central African Republic
-Sun Mar 27
Cote d'Ivoire 2-1 Benin
Nigeria 4-0 Ethiopia
Madagascar 1-1 Guinea
Mozambique 0-2 Zambia
Algeria 1-0 Morocco
Congo DR 3-0 Mauritius
Niger 3-1 Sierra Leone
Congo 0-3 Ghana
Sudan 3-0 Swaziland
-Mon Mar 28
Libya v Comoros
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES
Matches & Scores:
-Wed Mar 23
Chinese Taipei 0-2 Turkmenistan
Pakistan 1-3 India
Maldives 2-1 Kyrgyzstan
Bhutan 0-3 Afghanistan
Palestine 0-0 Philippines
Myanmar 0-2 Bangladesh
Cambodia 0-3 Tajikistan
-Thu Mar 24
Cuba 0-1 El Salvador
-Fri Mar 25
Lithuania 2-0 Poland
Montenegro 1-0 Uzbekistan
Estonia 2-0 Uruguay
Panama 2-0 Bolivia
Turkmenistan 1-1 India
Pakistan 2-0 Chinese Taipei
Maldives 0-0 Tajikistan
S Korea 4-0 Honduras
Afghanistan 2-0 Bhutan
Bangladesh 0-3 Philippines
Myanmar 1-3 Palestine
China 1-1 New Zealand
Jamaica 0-2 Venezuela
Austria 0-2 Belgium
Cambodia 3-4 Kyrgyzstan
-Sat Mar 26
Portugal 1-1 Chile
USA 1-1 Argentina
Mexico 3-1 Paraguay
Colombia 2-0 Ecuador
Costa Rica 2-2 China
Jordan 1-1 Kuwait
N Korea 0-2 Iraq
-Sun Mar 27
Brazil 2-0 Scotland
St. Kitts & Nevis 0-0 Grenada
dN
-Mon Mar 28
Guatemala v Bolivia
-Tue Mar 29
Germany v Australia
Portugal v Finland
Ukraine v Italy
England v Ghana
Costa Rica v Argentina
France v Croatia
USA v Paraguay
Mexico v Venezuela
Greece v Poland
Ireland v Uruguay
Oman v Tunisia
Belarus v Canada
El Salvador v Jamaica
Cuba v Panama
Slovakia v Denmark
Colombia v Chile
Equatorial Guinea v Gambia
Peru v Ecuador
Gabon v Cameroon
China v Honduras
Nigeria v Kenya
Cyprus v Bulgaria
Jordan v N Korea
Qatar v Russia
Kuwait v Iraq
Morocco v Botswana
posted by brucio at 16:53
5 Comments:
I suggested to Grant Wahl that we nominate you to run against Slappy Jack but I haven't heard back from him. He must be too busy running his own presidential campaign.
Great blog and great to meet you. Viva la ballena azul!
"If the last name of Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis pronounced K-rice, then why is the last name of New England goalkeeper Matt Reis pronounced Rees. Shouldn't it be Rice, or does it have a Farve in it?"
In German, ei makes the "I" sound, as in Jason Kreis, and ie makes the "ee" sound, as in priest or thief.
In German this almost always holds true (I don't know of any exceptions) but because the English language is a big screwed up mishmash of Germanic languages and Latin languages, this is not a rule. For example you have relieve and applied, and you have feisty and receipt.
I'm guessing both Jason Kreis and Matt Reis are of German heritage (Kreis means circle in German, and Reis means rice). A German speaker would say Kreis just how it is pronounced normally, and would pronounce Reis like we say "rice". My guess is the pronunciation of Matt Reis's last name was changed when his ancestors moved to the US.
Aaaaah, the idiosyncrasies of language. How we love/loath thee.
Chicago Home Opener attendance is almost always this bad when the weather is horrible. It was 30 degrees and windy out.
2009: 1163 announced, it was raining and crappy.
2010: 20,276, it was 67 and nice out for April.
Weather still plays a large role in attendance.
Post a Comment
<< Home