Jump to content

  • Articles

    Manage articles
    Show all categories
    Guest

    Panic trade? TFC adds Bobby Convey

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    If this were 2007, it would be an exciting time for TFC fans.
    The addition of Bobby Convey, a solid player that has had a long and successful career in MLS and for Reading, in 2013, however, might not prove to be as thrilling.
    After all, this is a nearly 30-year-old player, coming off an injury not too long ago, that comes with a $215,000 cap hit.
    He's played 112 minutes for Kansas City this year, registering just two shots on goal.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Convey played for Kevin Payne and with Ryan Nelsen at DC United.
    Hopefully, KC is covering some of the cap hit, but that information is not yet known.
    TFC did not give much of an asset up to get Convey, just a 3rd round pick. This was completely a salary and roster spot dump by KC.
    Whereas the addition of a veteran player isn't the worst thing TFC can do at this point, this trade does raise some questions. Namely, is it a sign of the Reds management panicking a bit in light of the 8-game winless streak? Convey is not a long-term solution and his addition goes away from Payne's stated desire to sign younger players.
    It's also fair to question what type of scouting network Payne and Nelsen are relying on. Seemingly every player TFC has brought in has direct links to one of the two men's past. That's fine, and common, in world football, but it would be nice to see some more variety in the signings.
    Guest
    Women’s soccer is hot right now. With the Canadian men…struggling…the CSA has put almost all of its attention on the women and is riding the bronze medal win for all it is worth.
    The direct result of that push is the sold out June 2 “re-match” against the Americans at BMO Field. We should not discount the importance of selling out a stadium, something neither TFC nor the Canadian men have managed over the last 12-months.
    The glow of the Rings is strong and the women are attracting all kinds of fans that couldn’t spell soccer last June. Keeping these fans is going to be a challenge, but with a World Cup coming in two summers (and an almost forgotten u20 World Cup next summer – side note: You might want to get around to naming the damn sites soon CSA) there will be plenty of ways to keep fans engaged.
    Winning will help, which is tricky. John Herdman quite rightfully is using 2013 as a experimental season and there is as much chance the 21,000 fans leave BMO Field scratching their heads after a 4-0 shellacking as there is of a rambunctious celebration – the Americans are really much better than Canada now and, well, always. Sorry.
    The excitement around women’s soccer has lead to some loud whispers coming out of both Toronto and Vancouver about possible expansion bids in the new NWSL. As I wrote yesterday at The Equalizer, there appears to be something to the rumours.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In Vancouver’s case, the rumours started the minute they pulled the plug on the W-League team. The logic of killing the elite amateur squad a year before launching a fully pro outfit is debatable. On one hand, you would think that they would want to be visible in a year leading up to a launch. On the other hand, you can understand how they might want to fully focus on preparing an expansion team bid.
    Regardless, Vancouver has a long association with he women’s game (although not everyone agrees that they have been fully committed to it). If Canada was to get a team, Vancouver was always the most obvious place for it to go.
    Toronto is a different story. For one, with apologies to the Toronto Lady Lynx, there is no real history of high level women’s football in T.O. For another, TFC executives have told us multiple times that they aren’t interested in starting a women’s team.
    Just this past December, Paul Beirne told a season ticket holder townhall that they “had to get their core product right first” before even considering a women’s team.
    Fair enough. The core product is a bit of a mess. However, it seems unlikely there will ever be more of a perfect storm for a women’s team launch as there is now.
    Which brings us back around to the rumours. As I said in the Equalizer article (where I spell out the logic of the potential bid in more detail. Please go give it a read), the silence from official parties tells me that there is probably something to it.
    It’s not a sure thing yet – for one, we don’t know if NWSL is looking to Canada right now, especially when they aren’t in California yet. However, it seems more and more likely that fans of women’s football will have a club fix in T.O. and Vancouver very soon.
    Whitecaps and TFC fans: Tell us in the comments if you’d support a women’s team.
    Guest
    Fan 1: "How was the first leg of the Voyageurs Cup final?"
    Fan 2: "It was pretty stale mate"
    Vancouver and Montreal played out a goalless draw tonight in a Voyageurs Cup final first leg lacking excitement and action, along with goals.
    The Whitecaps turned Stade Saputo into a car park, parking an entire fleet of buses on the way to being outpossessed two to one in a tight defensive display that left the Impact devoid of ideas and unable to break down a resolute Caps side.
    It's hard to knock it. It may not have been pretty to watch, but it was a clinical performance that got the job done and saw Vancouver come away from Montreal still very much in with a chance of lifting their first ever Voyageurs Cup trophy.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Whilst Montreal put out a strong starting eleven, experimental is perhaps the nicest word to use to describe the line up that Martin Rennie went with for Vancouver.
    There were five changes to the starting team that beat Los Angeles Galaxy at the weekend, and many of them were surprises. Brad Knighton returned in goal for Joe Cannon, whilst Young-Pyo Lee sat out at right back and was replaced by Nigel Reo-Coker, playing his first game in that position in North America. More surprising was Brad Rusin slotting in as the holding midfielder instead of Jun Marques Davidson, with Alain Rochat playing in left midfield.
    It was a defensive line up, with the Whitecaps hoping to keep the scores close or scoreless and give themselves a fighting chance in the second leg. It was also a line up that lacked a real attacking edge and had all the makings of being a far form exciting cup tie, and so it played out.
    Vancouver kicked off and Matt Watson had the first shot of the game, firing wide after just 15 seconds.
    It wasn't the shape of things to come and the game quickly settled into a possession based encounter, with both teams happy to let the other side knock the ball around in their own half and with neither side troubling the other's goal.
    Marco Di Vaio nearly brought the game to life in the 19th minute, when he collected a long ball forward from Hassoun Camara and curled a low 22 yard effort on goal, which Knighton was forced to get down to his left to save.
    Patrice Bernier came close to giving Montreal the lead two minutes later when he shot low through a crowd after some nice work from Justin Mapp. Knighton was somewhat unsighted and relieved to see Bernier's effort go narrowly past the right hand post.
    Vancouver got their first shot on target in the 32nd minute when Rochat forced Evan Bush into a save from a blistering strike from just outside the box, after Matt Watson had done well pressurising Collen Warner to win the ball for the Caps.
    The visitors nearly had the lead from the resultant corner. Teibert whipped it into the box, but Mapp cleared Rochat's header off the line and the Caps just couldn't put the resultant scramble away.
    Vancouver finished the half looking the livelier side, if not exactly a constant attacking threat, with their shut down tactics having the desired effect on Montreal, who looked devoid of ideas with how to break down their opponents.
    It had been a robust first half, with each side committing eight fouls and the home side picking up three bookings for some really hard challenges.
    The Impact came out with more impetus in the second half and dominated the early possession. The Whitecaps were happy to let them do so, as apart from a couple of unfulfilled threats, they were having trouble just getting dangerous balls in the Vancouver box never mind breaking the deadlock.
    Montreal had a couple of scrambles in the Vancouver area before Russell Teibert had the Caps' first effort of the second half in the 64th minute, with a long range shot that went well wide.
    The home side, who have looked so lively in matches this year, were being continually frustrated with the Caps cat and mouse tactics and although they kept taking the game to Vancouver, their attacks were constantly breaking down before they got into the box.
    The game continued to be played at a slow tempo, with Vancouver hardly getting out of their own half.
    A wild, long range Mapp shot that flew over and a Jeb Brovsky cross-come-shot that ended on top of the Caps net, was all the Impact had to show for all their possession, as the game moved into the final minutes.
    Vancouver could have done with a map of their own it seemed. One to enable them to find the way out of their half.
    Montreal were clearly frustrated and their added urgency saw them going to ground to try and win a late penalty, but referee Silviu Petrescu was having none of it.
    Mapp had a shot on goal two minutes into stoppage time, which Knighton spilled at first, but quickly recovered with two Montreal ready to pounce.
    Vancouver had a rare foray forward when substitute Erik Hurtado tried a long range shot, which Evan Bush easily held.
    Montreal had a late scare when Jeb Brovsky had to leave the field, and later went to hospital, with blood covering his face and a suspected broken nose, after he headed the back of Jordan Harvey's head.
    The final whistle came as a relief. More of not having to watch any more of the match, as opposed to Vancouver coming away with a draw.
    The Whitecaps went in to Montreal and did what they needed to do. They shut up shop and have given themselves a great chance of lifting their first ever Voyageurs Cup in two week's time, although Montreal may still be narrow favourites with the away goals rule in force.
    Vancouver have never played at home in the second leg of the final before, but they will need to be very wary of conceding and play a lot more attack minded if they are to make their dreams become reality.
    FINAL SCORE: Montreal Impact 0 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
    ATT: 12,016
    MONTREAL: Evan Bush; Dennis Iapichino, Matteo Ferrari, Hassoun Camara, Jeb Brovsky; Collen Warner (Felipe 62), Patrice Bernier, Justin Mapp; Andres Romero (Blake Smith 72), Andrew Wenger (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 81), Marco Di Vaio [subs Not Used: Troy Perkins, Sanna Nyassi, Karl Ouimette, Wandrille Lefevre]
    VANCOUVER: Brad Knighton; Nigel Reo-Coker, Andy O'Brien, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Brad Rusin, Alain Rochat (Erik Hurtado 79); Gershon Koffie, Matt Watson, Russell Teibert; Darren Mattocks (Corey Hertzog 65) [subs Not Used: Joe Cannon, Young Pyo-Lee, Jun Marques Davidson, Kekuta Manneh, Tommy Heinemann]
    <p>
    Guest

    CanWNT looks to the future

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The Canadian women’s program is looking to the future. For the second year running they are gathering the best Canadian players between the ages of 17 and 23 for a camp.
    Called the EXCELeration program, it is designed to provide a bridge to the full national team set-up for players,
    In the past, Canada has struggled to integrate new players into the national team. That has lead to what is effectively two golden generation eras, each with a core of players that played a long time together.
    In the case of the current group, it has allowed for some slow progress over the years (and, of course, a bronze medal), but everyone involved in the program has admitted that they would benefit from being pushed from below to a greater extent.
    The roster for the camp is below the jump.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    GK- Dayle Colpitts | USA / Virginia Tech
    GK- Sabrina D’Angelo | USA / University of South Carolina
    D- Molly Allen | AUT / LUV Graz
    D- Jade Kovacevic | Unattached
    D- Rachel Melhado | USA / University of Louisville
    D- Rebecca Quinn | USA / Duke University*
    MF- Emma Fletcher | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    MF- Parkes Kendrick | USA / FC Portland
    MF- Kinley McNicoll | USA / University of Wisconsin
    MF- Sabrina Santarossa | CAN / CS Vallée Richelieu
    MF- Danica Wu | USA / Ohio State University
    F- Mélissa Busque | USA / Seattle University
    F- Haïsha Cantave | USA / Darton State College
    F- Katie Kraeutner | University of Nebraska
    F- Kelley Monogue | USA / Texas A&M
    F- Christabel Oduro | USA / University of Memphis
    F- Nichelle Prince | USA / Ohio State University*
    F- Jenna Richardson | USA / Oregon State University
    For some of those players, the camp will also serve as a preparation towards the 2014 u20 World Cup, which will be held in four yet to be announced cities in Canada.
    Guest
    KEY PLAYERS
    Attacking
    After struggling to score in MLS, Darren Mattocks was finally able to get his second of the season late in the game against the Galaxy. Despite being an insurance tally for him the goal should be a confidence boost for the 2012 second overall pick. Another motivation going into this match is how Montreal passed on selecting Mattocks with the first pick of that draft.
    Whether he starts or comes off the bench for the Impact, Marco Di Vaio has been one of the most consistent scorers in MLS this season. Despite being 36 the former Serie A striker has had no trouble in being able to handle the normally younger and more athletic MLS defenders. Since arriving last season Di Vaio has scored eleven times in 26 appearances for Montreal earning his Designated Player status.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Defence
    Playing in every match so far this season, Andy O’Brien has been the work horse and the anchor for the Whitecaps backline. He will need to keep the defenders organised and calm, especially if he has one or two new fullbacks playing against the Impact. In addition to that he will be going up against one of the top scorers in MLS in Di Vaio, who he has met in Champions League play.
    With Nesta unlikely to start, the leadership of the backline will fall to Matteo Ferrari, who is another veteran of Serie A. A physical presence for the Impact, Ferrari is dominant in aerial battles and is a threat to score on set pieces as he scored the winner last week against RSL.
    WHO’S ON FORM
    After scoring two goals against the Galaxy this weekend, Russell Teibert continues his strong play at home. With Kobayashi out due to injury, the former residency player will get called back into the starting eleven for the Caps. The question will be whether Teibert will play in the wide attacking role or will he be moved inside.
    Under the new coaching staff it seemed as if Justin Mapp was going to struggle to find his place in the starting eleven. However in his last four starts the former Philadelphia Union player has scored two goals and two assists. If he starts on Wednesday against the Whitecaps then expect the American to be a threat to attack from the wing.
    PROJECTED LINEUP

    Vancouver Whitecaps (4-3-3)
    R to L - Joe Cannon; Y.P. Lee, Andy O’Brien, Brad Rusin, Jordan Harvey; Jun Marques Davidson, Nigel Reo-Coker, Gershon Koffie; Russell Teibert, Darren Mattocks, Kekuta Manneh
    Montreal Impact (4-5-1)
    R to L - Troy Perkins; Jeb Brovsky, Hassoun Camara, Matteo Ferrari, Dennis Iapichino; Justin Mapp, Patrice Bernier, Felipe Martins, Davy Arnaud, Andres Romeo; Andrew Wenger
    2013 RECORD
    Vancouver Whitecaps:
    3W-3D-4L-12P
    7th in Western Conference
    Last Match: 3-1 Win vs LA Galaxy
    Montreal Impact:
    6W-2D-2L-20P
    4th in Eastern Conference
    Last Match: 3-2 Win vs Real Salt Lake
    OVERVIEW
    For the third straight season Vancouver Whitecaps find themselves in the final of the Voyageurs Cup final with the chance to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League tournament. This time they will not be facing TFC but an older rival in the Montreal Impact as they look to win their first Canadian title after many years of heartbreak, controversy and ultimately failure.
    The Caps will start the first leg with some changes to the line-up that defeated the Galaxy on the weekend but Joe Cannon seems likely to be the starter in goal. In front of him he should have Andy O’Brien and Brad Rusin pairing up in the middle as Johnny Leveron looks to get a break. Another change could be at left back where Jordan Harvey might see the start ahead of Alain Rochat with YP Lee remaining on the right side.
    The midfield is unlikely to change with Jun Marques Davidson as the holding midfielder while Nigel Reo-Coker and Gershon Koffie will play in an attacking role. Up top Rennie could go with the hard working Corey Hertzog or the pace of Darren Mattocks who has a vendetta against Montreal. On the wings the Caps will have Russell Teibert and Kekuta Manneh on the right and left side with both players able to move in centrally for added support.
    So far this season the Whitecaps have yet to win this season in MLS action with their last two matches against RSL and FC Dallas being their poorest performances of the year. While they did win in their last trip to Montreal two years ago, against a NASL side, they have not fared well playing at Stade Saputo.
    The Caps are most likely to play a conservative game hoping for a cleansheet with a chance to take the title at home in the second leg. However, if they can use their pace up front against a seemingly slower Impact backline, Vancouver could steal an away goal which would put them in a better position heading home.
    Who the Caps face up top is unclear due to Di Vaio starting on the weekend and playing 90 minutes against RSL on the weekend. A bigger concern for the Whitecaps will be how they can slow down Montreal’s midfield that consistently has been the strongest part of their eleven.
    <p>
    Guest
    A final match before a much expected break for Les Bleus.
    Game day (once more) in Montréal and we talk Whitecaps with the Vancouver Province's Marc Weber who's been covering that team for the past few seasons.
    Marc Tougas (PC) and Patrick Leduc (RDS/La Presse) discuss all things Impact.
    We also go to Philly with Jonathan Tannenwald (Philly.com) to have a look at the MLS players that could (or not) join the USMNT in the short or mid-term, including Montreal's keeper Troy Perkins.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Click here to listen to our weekly show: SoccerPlus (May 15, 2013)
    Guest
    As an extension to Canadian Soccer News’ MLS Week in Review, further details regarding the performances of the Canadian players who saw the pitch in MLS this week.
    Russell Teibert, Maxim Tissot, and a combined third to Doneil Henry and Nana Attakora claim the top three spots, with Dwayne De Rosario and Will Johnson earning special mention for their goals this round.
    It was busy week in MLS, midweek matches and a full slate of weekend fixtures, meant many players – Canadians included – had double duty this round.
    Find out what they did to deserve recognition, as well as who else earned their keep this weekend.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Russell Teibert
    Russell Teibert’s Vancouver ended a long winless run with a 3-1 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday – their first over one of the premier clubs in MLS.
    It was in large part thanks to Teibert’s thirteen-minute brace that the Whitecaps took the match after the first hour had passed largely without incident.
    In the 63rd minute, Nigel Reo-Coker charged up-field and dished out to his buddy, Teibert, on the right.
    Teibert cut in-field on rookie full-back Greg Cochrane – a player with whom he battled all night, retreating slightly towards the top of the box and unleashed a left-footed strike before Marcelo Sarvas’ pressure could dissuade him – or block the shot.
    His dipping drive found its way through the crowd and past LA keeper, Carlo Cudicini, nestling into the far-netting for his first professional goal. His face, as he celebrated, was the definition of incredulous joy, running to the bench to celebrate with Carl Robinson, apparently.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vH7reSkz6nQ?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Then in the 76th, brimming with confidence, he struck again.
    Receiving the ball from a short Y.P. Lee layoff, Teibert moved in-field – again from the right – and played a nice straight ball down the side of the box for the curling run of Gershon Koffie approaching the end-line, dragging the LA centre-backs deep. Spotting the opening space – and not tracked by the other LA defenders - Teibert surged into the box to receive a lay-off from Koffie to one-time a similar left-footed strike to nearly the same spot, past Cudicini for his second.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5yGVrKaaa2E?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Thus began the shirts-off party, for which he was booked.
    Of course, it nearly wasn’t meant to be, as the Niagara Falls-native began the match on the bench and was only introduced when Daigo Kobayashi left the match after fourteen minutes.
    His raw numbers from the night do not do justice to his import on the match – four recoveries, one each of clearances and interceptions, while completing sixteen of 24 passes – aside from the two goals from two shots on target, with a further attempt blocked.
    Some have heralded this as his breakout performance – that, of course, remains to be seen – but after a total of 520 league minutes through his first two seasons with the club (2011 and 2012) his potential has only begun to show in the past month and a half, featuring in all but one of Vancouver’s last six league matches, starting four.
    Being Mother’s Day weekend,
    and his post-match interview, having been named Man of the Match – both in situ and at Big Site (MLSsoccer.com), is definitely worth a watch.Maxim Tissot
    Maxim Tissot’s start for Montreal on Saturday – his first, in their 3-2 win over Salt Lake, was not as flashy as Teibert’s – as a left-back, it was never likely to be – but having played a mere two minutes in the league thus far and been on the bench in New York, he showed himself well after announcing his presences in both legs of Montreal’s Voyageurs Cup series against Toronto.
    He was strong in defense – outmuscling Sebastien Velasquez, forcing a turnover and quickly transitioning up-field with a hopeful long ball that was collected by Felipe who lifted it over the back-line to Marco Di Vaio in the box.
    And adventurous getting forward – without over-committing – making a nice overlapping run to cross for Felipe in the middle, but the Brazilian touched his finish wide.
    Though he did at times struggle with the fluid attack of Salt Lake – facing the tough decision of whether to allow Javier Morales space to shoot on goal or force the veteran to pass over to rookie Devon Sandoval wide open on the right. He chose wisely, stepping to the more-dangerous Morales, forcing the pass, which Sandoval chunked off-target, negating the chance.
    He was partially at fault for Salt Lake’s go-ahead goal,
    – Garcia flicked the service on to the back-post where it was eventually turned in by Kyle Beckerman.But undaunted, soon found redemption, when, three minutes on, he helped create Di Vaio’s equalizer.
    Tissot started the play with a throw-in from the left-flank; he received a return touch from Blake Smith and continued his run in-field towards goal. Confronted with space, he continued to approach the box before laying a ball into the feet of the well-positioned Andrew Wenger.
    Wenger held off a challenge and touched the pass into the path of Di Vaio, who finished confidently tying the match at two.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XReV6-RJVAE?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    The Gatineau-native would complete 31 of his 42 passes on the day, adding six recoveries, four clearances, and two interceptions, while conceding one foul – on Garcia – for which he was booked.
    Doneil Henry
    Doneil Henry, sporting a bandage for much of the match after a clash of heads with Attakora, put in a brave performance for his struggling Toronto FC, who once again capitulated late, falling 2-1 at San Jose to the Earthquakes.
    Making his first league start of the season – and only second appearance – the Brampton-native showed just how dominant he can be in the air, battling with rookie forward Adam Jahn all night at one end of the pitch and with Attakora at the other.
    He got the better of Nana on the Toronto goal, winning a flicked-header on a Darren O’Dea lofted free-kick, sending it on to Justin Braun who finished to open the scoring, picking up his second career assist.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a1G_4yFW-E0?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Recalling his glorious strike in the Voyageurs Cup against Montreal, he later had one of his two shots blocked by Attakora, from the scramble that ensued after another O’Dea free-kick.
    Completing 17 of 22 passes on the night and adding a whopping fifteen clearances, seven interceptions, and three recoveries, he also blocked two shots – including an important last-ditch challenge on Chris Wondolowski in the box.
    His five corners conceded is indicative of how panicked TFC were at times.
    Doneil made an intelligent, strategic handball to hold up a counter – Matias Laba was oddly booked for that one – and was later shown a yellow for delaying a Jahn throw-in, basketball-style, which led to a minor scuffle.
    Nana Attakora
    Nana Attakora was on the opposite side of the pitch that evening, but was equally as impressive in the air – winning seven headers and two headed-shots, though both were off-target.
    His passing wasn’t great – completing 27 of 42 – often struggling when attempting to switch the play with longer, raking, cross-field balls, as San Jose tends to do.
    But it was his clipped service into the box that led to the Joe Bendik-O’Dea collision that saw both require treatment after laying prone on the pitch.
    The North York-native made six recoveries, four clearances, and three interceptions; won three tackles, conceding one foul and winning another.
    The aforementioned clash of heads between Attakora and Henry forced Nana to miss San Jose 4-0 drubbing in Seattle on Saturday, as he was held out with concussion-like symptoms – perhaps part of the reason why the Quakes were so dominated by the Sounders, with Nana’s run of five-straight starts interrupting his partnership with Victor Bernardez.
    As will be discussed, many other Canadian players put in performances that warranted this third spot, but there was something about seeing both Attakora – playing left-sided centre-back - and Henry – right-sided - on the pitch at the same time that warmed the heart of the Canadian soccer fan.
    In time, with the rawness of youth polished, this could be a future centre-back pairing for the national team – or at least, important members of the pool. One hopes they exchanged jerseys after the match as a token of good will after a hearty battle.
    Nobody will win an aerial challenge against this duo and goals will be scored for Canada from set-pieces – a valuable weapon in the wiles of CONCACAF. With Dejan Jakovic, perhaps a slightly more cultured – and experienced - defender in the fold as well, this trio will provide a solid foundation for the rest of the team.
    Will Johnson
    Will Johnson completed his tenth and eleventh matches – having played every minute - for Portland with the Timbers taking points from a midweek road match in Dallas (1-1) and winning their Sunday affair at home against Chivas (3-0).
    The Toronto-born Johnson scored his fourth goal in the final moments against Chivas, setting a new career-high – after collecting a short corner kick on the left, he found the space to walk in across the top of the box and hammer a right-footed curler low to the far-bottom-corner past Patrick McLain in goal.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eND_ZS2C7ac?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Goal-scoring aside, Will has looked a little less-explosive these past few weeks; no real surprise given a more defensive outlook to his role in the team.
    His passing is as tidy as ever – 42 of 48 in Dallas and 31 of 39 against Chivas – though he played a few poor ones – he was bailed out by a Diego Chara after committing a turnover in midfield with a poor ball – and missed the occasional tackle – a sliding effort on Michel led to a good chance for Dallas with Blas Perez’s header striking the post.
    In Dallas he had his hands full tracking the movement up-field of David Ferreira and those back into the midfield of Perez, as well as tangling with Eric Hassli and Kenny Cooper on occasion; Chivas – and their confusing midfield muddle of a formation – was a whole different challenge.
    He failed to track the run of Je-Vaughan Watson from midfield, on the play that eventually led to the Dallas penalty kick, but more often than not Will is clogging up the middle, identifying danger, and trekking out to double up on attackers and snuff out trouble.
    Nothing of particular note in his stats – won three tackles, lost one; six recoveries, five clearance, five interceptions, winning three fouls and conceding an equal number in Dallas, while winning two tackles, conceding one foul, while making four recoveries, one clearance, and one block against Chivas – other than a further indication of his defensive-minded midfield roaming, overseeing the match rather than really getting stuck in.
    Dwayne De Rosario
    Dwayne De Rosario, making his four and fifth straight starts for DC, finally grabbed his first goal of the season against Dallas on Saturday, on a free kick from the left of the arc.
    The dead-ball was touched slightly inward by Kyle Porter then stopped by Nick DeLeon before De Rosario smashed it low past the wall into the far-bottom corner of the goal with his right-foot.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-lTN4y4Dp8U?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    It was the 101st goal of his MLS career, ending the long wait for another after reaching his century in August of last season.
    Playing his usual in-between role as a second striker/attacking midfield, the Scarborough-native started to come to life this round after a slow build to match sharpness.
    Against Houston midweek – when his side fell at home 0-4 – Dwayne let loose a left-footer from some twenty yards that took a slight deflection, causing Tally Hall some trouble after making space for the shot with a nice move to the inside.
    He also played a clever ball over the top for striker-partner Rafael, but the chance came to nothing, and later threaded another ball down the left for the Brazilian, though Corey Ashe was out quickly to cut it out.
    He completed 43 of 54 passes, had three shots blocked and two off-target – including a free-kick he sent over the bar; made six recoveries, one clearance and one interception, winning two fouls and conceding possession only thirteen times – which is pretty good for him.
    On the weekend in Dallas, he was slightly more withdrawn, behind Casey Townsend.
    Prior to scoring, he was involved in a nice short free-kick routine on the left that made space for a shot – it deflected off Perez, but Chris Seitz was alert to retreat to the short-side and save the attempt.
    He made a nice surging run and threaded a ball to Marcos Sanchez that led to another deflected shot – continuing the theme of becoming more and more lively as the season progresses.
    He was constantly barking at the referee and was later booked for a tangle with Jair Benitez – earning a Yellowtail yellow card – his first caution of the season.
    Completing 27 of 40 passes, De Rosario had two shot on target, won four fouls, had four of seven dribbles successful, and committed an offside – the winning of fouls, dribbling, and being offside are more akin to what one expects from an in-form De Ro, and he is slowly getting there with a struggling team.
    As one of the leaders at DC, their struggles have troubled him.
    <iframe src="http://player.theplatform.com/p/9KPFDC/TMRr3YD6Euak/embed/select/92KMNw3TxkAH?autoPlay=true&params=zone%3Ddc_united" width="533" height="300" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>
    Adding this after another defeat, “I’m always going to play to win. I don’t care if we’re 0-25. I’m playing to win. It’s tough. It’s a tough one to swallow, especially when you come out here and you fight back in it.
    You give up a goal and we could have easily put our heads down, especially from recent results. But, we bounced back. The way we played… We were unlucky to hit the post, but we showed some resilience and that’s a plus going forward. We have two big games at home so it’s a must, must, must win.”
    Kyle Porter
    Kyle Porter also made his fourth and fifth consecutive starts for United in round eleven.
    He had a nice early battle with Houston’s Andrew Driver that earned him praise from the commentators – Driver was later booked for grabbing a hold of Porter’s leg, comically holding it aloft to prevent him from heading towards goal.
    The Toronto-native continued to man corner kicks, picking out Rafael with a right-sided out-swinger that the striker could not keep down and on target.
    He earned a dangerous free-kick at the edge of the box – that may have been a penalty – when Brian Ching leaned in causing him to whiff on a shot.
    And it was his left-sided in-swinging corner that was met by De Rosario at the back-post for DC’s best chance of the game. Dwayne placed his header down and back against the grain only to see Kofi Sarkodie block it on the line once and then again on the follow up at the other post on the rebound.
    Porter completed twenty of 34 passes against Houston, winning two fouls, three tackles and contributing one each of clearances, recoveries, and interceptions.
    Against Dallas, he sprung Townsend with a nice ball behind the back-line – the striker could only hit the post – and was soundly dispossessed – one of twenty – by Michel leading to a Jackson blast just wide; completing 21 of 35 passes – two key; winning five tackles and adding eight recoveries, two clearances, and an interception on the night.
    Dejan Jakovic
    Dejan Jakovic’s week did not begin well.
    His side was rocked early and often by Houston – Jakovic himself was made to
    , when he tried to step to Will Bruin, only to be shirked easily, it was that Bill Hamid turned over to Bruin for Houston’s second, and he was the man marking – to use the term loosely - Bruin . Though he was helpless - caught in two minds, whether to play the shot or the pass - to have any impact on
    with numbers bearing down on him in the box after centre-back partner Brandon McDonald had committed early with a failed diving challenge.It was a bad night for DC, but Jakovic still completed 24 of 30 passes, making eight clearances, six recoveries, five interceptions and one block.
    Against Dallas it was equally tough, though the result was slightly better.
    As with Will Johnson, the rotational nature of the Dallas attack, the way they stretch in the middle and use pace out wide, was troublesome and his duel with Panamanian Perez was of particular interest to CONCACAF watchers.
    He was
    on the play that led to Dallas’ opening goal.He committed a dangerous giveaway when a clearance bounced off Jackson straight to Perez, Jakovic scrambled back, but Perez played back out to Jackson whose low shot strafed wide.
    The Croatian-born defender completed 21 of 27 passes, made five interceptions, four recoveries, two clearances and won a single foul.
    DC has admittedly been struggling, but it a measure of Ben Olsen’s faith in his Canadian contingent that despite those troubles all three have been constants of late in the starting eleven and remained in an altered lineup for their second match of the week.

    Patrice Bernier
    Patrice Bernier returned to the starting lineup for both Montreal matches – in New York and home to Salt Lake – after a brief hiatus to attend to Voyageurs Cup duty.
    Against Red Bull he manned the defensive midfielder role, shielding the back-four and dealing with the central duo of Tim Cahill and Juninho, as well as being aware of the machinations of Thierry Henry and Fabian Espindola – once the Argentine replaced the injured Peguy Luyindula after 25 minutes.
    He was
    , starting the break that led to New York’s first goal on the night, but other than that put in another stoic performance.He completed 70 of 78 passes – his completed passes matrix is a pleasure to look at – made nine recoveries and a single each of clearances and interceptions.
    Against Salt Lake, as the more defensive of a central pairing in a 4-4-2 alongside Felipe, he held down the middle of the park against the quick passing Salt Lake midfield, tangling with Morales, in particular, on several occasions.
    He was dropping very deep to start attacks, sent a nice curling ball to Wenger – his header went over – and had a right-footed free-kick from close at a tight-angle that he couldn’t keep on target.
    The Brossard-native complete 40 of 52 passes – a staggeringly low number for him – and conceded possession seventeen times – staggeringly high; an indication of the Salt Lake pressure in the midfield.
    In keeping with his more defensive deployment this season, he made seven tackles and an equal number of interceptions, two clearances and fifteen recoveries, while committing only a single foul.
    Jonathan Osorio
    Jonathan Osorio had another brief cameo appearance for Toronto – his ninth – coming on for Justin Braun in the 77th minute with his side looking to protect a point in San Jose.
    He was solid on the ball, as usual, completing seven of eight passes, but conceded possession twice, while making two recoveries and an interception.
    The Rest
    Karl Ouimette and Wandrille Lefevre were on the bench for Montreal in New York, while Lefevre remained there for the match against Salt Lake.
    Guest

    TFC waives two

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Toronto FC have waived two players to make room for the loan signings of last week.
    Ashton Bennett and Taylor Morgan have both seen their last action as Reds.
    Both were Supplementary Draft picks that made limited appearances for the club.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    The war is not won for the Montreal Impact, but the club’s management team can congratulate itself from winning the first battle after turning the tide of its inaugural campaign in Major League Soccer.
    The arrival of Marco Schallibaum, the team’s collective efficiency on the field and Marco Di Vaio’s production are all main factors explaining why the Impact is the most improved MLS club of the first quart of 2013 compared to the nine first games of 2012.
    Montreal has a 5-2-2 record after nine games in 2013 (26.5 % of the season) for a total of 17 points against eight points (2-5-2) at the same stage last season.
    These nine points of improvement puts Montreal ahead of FC Dallas (+8) and Toronto FC (+7) among the best improved teams of Q1. Dallas has a very good start in 2013, leading the Western Conference standings after missing the playoffs in 2012. As for TFC, it’s tough to do worse than 0-9-0 in 2012.
    The bottom-dwellers of 2013’s Q1 are the San Jose Earthquakes (-12), the Seattle Sounders (-10) and DC United (-9).
    Nine of the 10 playoff spot teams after nine regular season games in 2012 made it to the post-season tournament, the only exception being Colorado who dropped out in favor of the MLS Cup champs LA Galaxy in the Western Conference.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Team standings after nine games in 2013 (Q1)
    1. Dallas 20 points (+8)
    2. Montréal 17 (+9)
    3. Houston 17 (+5)
    4. Portland 14 (+6)
    5. Los Angeles 14 (+4)
    6. Kansas City 14 (-7)
    7. Philadelphia 12 (+5)
    8. Columbus 12 (+1)
    9. Seattle 12 (-10)
    10. Chivas 11 (+2)
    11. New York 11 (-5)
    12. Real Salt Lake 11 (-5)
    13. San Jose 10 (-12)
    14. New England 9 (-)
    15. Colorado 9 (-3)
    16. Vancouver 9 (-8)
    17. Toronto 7 (+7)
    18. Chicago 7 (-8)
    19. DC United 4 (-9)
    Guest
    Ten of 19 MLS club climbing including TFC, Montréal and Vancouver dropping in the April 2013 issue of this exclusive standings.
    Two Copa Libertadores group phase wins have shot Brazilian giants Corinthians on top of SoccerPlus’ monthly Americas Club Standings for the period ending on April 30. The Sao Paulo-based club has set the table for a Round of 16 home and away series against Argentine side Boca Juniors who were leading the ACS last month.
    Little movement happened in the Top 10 this month as Sao Paulo (2nd) also moved up one spot, to drop Boca Juniors from first to third, where as countrymen Tigre climbed three positions to fourth. Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield (8th) and Brazil’s Fluminense (9th) also moved up a spot each while Universidad de Chile (9th) slipped down five places. There only one newcomer in this month’s top 10, Colombia’s Deportes Tolima (10th), pushing out Paraguay’s Libertad (16th, -6) from the select group. Seven of the Top 10 teams are involved in Copa Libertadores’ Round of 16 in May.
    The Club of the Month is Argentina’s Tigre (4th) which won a Primera Division match and three Copa Libertadores matches, including the home leg of its Copa Libertadores Round of 16 series with Paraguay’s Olimpia (12th).
    Ten of MLS’ 19 clubs have moved up in the standings during the last month. Such is the case for Toronto FC (+9, 132nd), with a cup win and three league ties, while Montreal (-13, 173rd) and Vancouver (-9, 182nd) dropped a little in April. Expect the latter two latter to pick up a few spots at the end of May with both of them moving to the Amway Canadian Championship title series.
    These standings use every game played by CONCACAF and CONMEBOL’s 480 first division sides during the last 12 months. The point system leading to these standings is based on the one used for many years by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Clubs pick up points with the results in their national league, national cup tournaments and FIFA sanctioned international tournaments, including the CONCACAF Champions League, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and the Carribbean Club Championship. Each tournament and league has its own IFFHS-attributed coefficient.
    Therefore, it is to be expected to see South American clubs lead these standings month after month due to the more important value of the Copa Libertadores compared to national leagues and the CONCACAF Champions League. Each month, we will be back along with the CONCACAF Top 10 and the movement of the 19 MLS clubs, including Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.
    AMERICAS CLUB STANDINGS TOP 10
    (for results obtained from May 1, 2012 to April 30, 2013)
    1. (2) Corinthians (BRA) +1
    2. (3) Sao Paulo (BRA) +1
    3. (1) Boca Juniors (ARG) -2
    4. (7) Tigre (ARG) +3
    5. (5) Grêmio (BRA) -
    6. (6) Emelec (ECU) -
    7. (8) Velez Sarsfield (ARG) +1
    8. (9) Fluminense (BRA) +1
    9. (4) Universidad Chile (CHI) -5
    10. (14) Deportes Tolima (COL) +4
    CONCACAF TOP 10
    1. (1) Monterrey(MEX) - ; 13e / -
    2. (3) Tijuana (MEX) +1; 23e/+4
    3. (2) Santos Laguna (MEX) -1; 25e/-4
    4. (6) Toluca (MEX) +2; 35e/+10
    5. (4) Tigres UANL (MEX) -1; 38e/ -
    6. (5) Seattle (MLS) -1; 39e/+1
    7. (7) Herediano (CRC) - ; 41e/+5
    8. (8) Los Angeles (MLS) - ; 46e/+1
    9. (10) Olimpia +1; 51e/+10
    10. (9) Alajuelense -1; 55e/+3
    MLS STANDINGS
    1. (1) Seattle - ; 39th / +1
    2. (2) Los Angeles - ; 46th / +1
    3. (3) Houston - ; 60th / +8
    4. (4) Kansas City - ; 108th / -21
    5. (5) Salt Lake - ; 117th / -9
    6. (6) San Jose - ; 129th / -10
    7. (8) Toronto +1; 132nd / +9
    8. (9) New York +1; 145th / +1
    9. (10) Philadelphie +1; 156th / +2
    10. (7) DC United -3; 169th / -36
    11. (14) Columbus +4; 172nd / +9
    12. (11) Montréal -1; 173rd / -13
    13. (12) Chivas -1; 178th / -15
    14. (15) Chicago +1; 181st / +1
    15. (13) Vancouver -2; 182nd / -9
    16. (16) Dallas – 199th / -2
    17. (18) Portland +1; 215th / +9
    18. (17) Colorado -1; 219th/ -1
    19. Nouvelle-Angleterre – 228th / +5
    Guest
    The countdown is on! Only slightly-less-than-two-months to go until Canada kicks off the 2013 Gold Cup against mighty Martinique! I'm feeling more excited than "Macho Man" Randy Savage hopped up on a combination of equine steroids and Slim Jims! Ooooh yeah!
    Alright, there's no actual reason to be especially jazzed up about the Gold Cup today (or, in the minds of most North Americans, ever), but the breakthrough two-goal performance of the Whitecaps' Russell Teibert over the weekend has gotten me thinking about which Canadian MLSers will feature at the CONCACAF showcase tournament.
    Of course, such things are impossible to know at this point -- players could get hurt, or their fortunes could change... and hell, we don't even know who'll be coaching Canada in the tournament! -- but hey, with a little less than two months to go, let's lay down some odds on which Canadians currently in MLS will be cruelly ripped away from their club sides for the Gold Cup this July.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Now, of course, these percentages are all completely subjective, based on my personal opinion. And, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm of the mind set that Canada should use this Gold Cup tournament to try out (and, ahem, cap-tie) as many promising young players as possible. Feel free to let me know how wrong I am in the comments section below.
    Anyway, onto the odds...
    100%: Dwayne DeRosario (DC United): Say what you will about DeRo (try to limit the profanity, though), he can still get the job done at 35 years of age -- and he is one of the few instantly recognizable, marketable players the CSA has on the men's side. That marketability factor will probably be even more important if the team still has no full-time head coach, and the personnel decisions are being made by CSA brass (i.e. technical director Tony Fonseca). The reality is, as long as he's healthy and willing to be called, DeRo is going to keep getting the call for Canada.
    100%: Will Johnson (Portland Timbers): Despite his contentious sending-off against Atticus and the Green Machine a few weeks ago, Johnson has excelled as captain of the Timbers, in the same way he'll hopefully excel as the future captain of Canada. Much like DeRo, if he's healthy, he's an absolute lock.
    98%: Dejan Jakovic (DC United): Jakovic is as close to a lock as you can get, but he loses two percentage points simply because DCU will presumably kick and scream about having to release two of their regular starters for the Gold Cup (given that DeRo got hurt on international duty last year, they'll be especially leery). But, if the squad is still trawling the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings in a month's time, hopefully they'll have already written the season off and have no problem releasing both DeRo and Jakovic.
    75%: Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps): Teibert definitely earns extra points in the "what have you done for me lately?" category, but the slow-and-steady approach to the 20-year-old's integration into the first-team line-up appears to be paying off. He's already made several appearances with the CanMNT, and if he keeps up his current form, he should be one of the youngsters to get a close look at the Gold Cup.
    65%: Nana Attakora (San Jose Earthquakes): No-longer-young Nana is clearly a favourite of the CSA brass -- he suited up multiple times for Canada even while in MLS purgatory last year -- and now that he's back as a semi-regular starter for the Quakes, he's probably worth a look for a Canadian side that needs to consider its post-Kevin McKenna options at centreback.
    40%: Kyle Porter (DC United): Probably a bit high for the former FC Edmonton man, but he has scored a goal in MLS (sure, it was ruled offside, but that was a pretty contentious decision) and established himself since joining DCU this season. Also, our pal Jono over at Out of Touch made the point to me on Twitter yesterday that Porter could help fill a need for the Canadian team as an attacking wide player.
    35%: Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC): Some will say this is a wildly out-of-whack figure to attach to a young player who was largely unknown prior to this year, and hasn't yet come close to even proving himself as a regular MLS starter, never mind a national-team player. Others will say it's a just reward for a promising youngster that shows the kind of creative spark Canada so desperately needs. Which camp you fall into probably has a lot to do with what your area code is. For what it's worth, mine's 416.
    33%: Patrice Bernier (Montreal Impact): Bernier is a long-time, loyal servant of Canadian soccer -- and by all accounts a classy guy -- but he turns 34 this year, and if the national team is looking ahead to the future (as they should be), he'll likely be one of the veterans that's on the outside looking in. (Then again, if the decisions are being made by CSA brass, Bernier's probability probably gets a bit of a bump.)
    15%: Maxim Tissot (Montreal Impact): The 21-year-old could possibly see himself thrown into the Canadian defender soup at some point, after a few solid performances this season. But read that sentence again. Twenty-one years old. A few solid professional performances. Enough for a call-up to a friendly? Maybe. Enough for a call-up to the Gold Cup? Probably not yet.
    15%: Karl Ouimette (Montreal Impact): See Tissot, Maxim. And replace "21-year-old" with "20-year-old".
    10%: Terry Dunfield (Toronto FC): Considering he's missed essentially all of TFC's action this year due to injury, and is another central midfielder on the wrong side of 30, his chances of seeing the field at the Gold Cup this year are minimal. If healthy, he'd have a much higher percentage, given his status as one of those truculent "character guys" from whom youngsters could ostensibly learn.
    7%: Doneil Henry (Toronto FC): Has he done enough to earn a spot on a Gold Cup squad? Not really. But insofar as he has plenty of experience with Canadian youth teams, and Canada's got that post-McKenna CB conundrum to wrestle with, there's always a chance.
    3%: Kyle Bekker (Toronto FC): Hey, remember him? Yeah, the #3 pick in this year's draft, who earned his first CanMNT cap before playing a single professional game, has certainly fallen off the radar (and TFC's team sheet) in recent months.
    2%: Caleb Clarke (Vancouver Whitecaps): He showed some spark for the Canadian U20s in World Cup qualifying, but that hasn't yet translated into playing time for Vancouver this year (and has been the subject of rumours about a loan to NASL or USL-PRO). Why? Well, because the Whitecaps hate Canada. Obviously.
    2%: Ashtone Morgan (Toronto FC): Speaking of TFC youngsters who've fallen off the map this year, the #NastyLeftBack has had a campaign to forget so far in 2013. He could still have a future with Canada, but to get a call-up based on his current form would be preposterous. (Even so, Canada's situation at fullback is such that Morgan's actual chances are likely much, much higher than I'm admitting here.)
    1%: Simon Thomas (Vancouver Whitecaps): Yeah, he's already seen the field for the Canadian men's national team, but so has Massih Wassey. This percentage isn't meant to reflect a player's talent level, by the way, just the reality of the situation. Thomas simply just isn't far enough up the goalkeeper depth chart to figure for Canada... yet.
    1%: Wandrille Lefevre (Montreal Impact): I will freely admit to not knowing much about this player or his eligibility for Canada -- but he apparently could play for us if he wanted to (and if we wanted him to), so hey, welcome to the list!
    0.5%: Emery Welshman (Toronto FC): His probability is greater than zero by virtue of the fact that he is a) eligible to play for Canada and currently signed with a professional soccer team.
    0.1%: Quillan Roberts (Toronto FC): See Welshman, Emery.
    0.1%: Maxime Crepeau (Montreal Impact): See Roberts, Quillan.
    0%: Gershon Koffie (Vancouver Whitecaps): Not now, not ever. Sorry everybody. However much he may love this country, he's never going to play for us, unless FIFA changes its eligibility rules or decides to give him a special exemption. Neither of those is going to happen in time for the 2013 Gold Cup, though.
    Special bonus reader participation section:
    Sure, this article is supposedly about "MLSers who could make the cut", but I've heard time and again how Shaun Saiko's ongoing exclusion from the men's national team setup is a grave injustice. What do you folks think? Does the FC Edmonton man deserve a look? How about any other Canadians plying their trade for the Eddies, or elsewhere in NASL?
    .
    Guest

    MLS Week in Review – Round 11

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Round eleven of MLS action has come and gone; a jam-packed week featuring six matches on Wednesday night and a full slate of nine over the weekend.
    41 goals were scored – one own-goal, one from the spot, and another missed attempt, courtesy of New England’s Sair Sene; 44 yellow cards displayed – only two reds: one rescinded (Salt Lake’s Carlos Salcedo for mistaken identity) and the other to a very angry Marcus Hahnemann on the Seattle bench, after the handball on Kansas City was missed.
    A staggering six away wins, in a league marked with struggles on the road, are worthy of note, with Houston’s four-goal demolition of DC at RFK Stadium leading the way.
    There has been a strange current of foresight running through these opening weeks of MLS.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    First there was Caleb Porter’s text message cajoling Will Johnson to score from a free-kick against San Jose – which he duly dispatched to win 1-0 over the Quakes. Then there was Philadelphia’s Amobi Okugo, who told his teammate, Danny Cruz, he’d score against Seattle – little did Okugo know Cruz had two in him that day.
    This weekend saw a third, as Dallas’ Je-Vaughan Watson went so far as to tell his coach and call his mom in Jamaica – on the weekend of Mother’s Day (Hi Mom) – that he was going to score for her, which he did, nabbing the game-winner over DC on Saturday.
    Premonition aside, back to business; before the results, the nominees for goal of the round.
    Leaving aside Thierry Henry’s bicycle kick from midweek against Montreal – enough ink has already been spilt over that strike – there were some wonderful contributions this week.
    Mauro Rosales’ lovely curling direct free-kick; the individual effort from his teammate, Lamar Neagle, to grab his second of the afternoon as the Sounders routed San Jose; Jackson’s finish, after some strong hold up play from Eric Hassli, was definitely worth a watch – or two, as were Russell Teibert’s brace - each as enjoyable as the other; Dwayne De Rosario finally getting off the mark, with that familiar low free from the left side, outside the eighteen and all three of Portland’s goals – they are simply stunning in attack.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In that vein, Portland’s second goal earns the nod for this week.
    Darlington Nagbe muscles his way through the midfield on the right touch-line playing ahead to Ryan Johnson. Pressured by Steve Purdy, Johnson curls toward the near corner flag and plays back to Nagbe.
    He slips in-field to the red-hot Rodney Wallace, who takes a nice touch to elude the pressure of Joaquin Velazquez and threads to Diego Valeri, shredding the Chivas defense and solidifying the Timbers dominance in the affair.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7hLRk2cK6Q4?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Valeri makes his finish look simple, lifting a right-footer over the sliding Patrick McLain, towards the far-side. This Portland team, under the tutelage of Porter – as well as the equally strong, if less excitingly so Dallas - is the story of the first months of the season.
    Midweek Matches - In a Sentence (or Two)

    Will Bruin scored a brace – the eighth and ninth of his career versus DC – and added a pair of assists – on goals from the British contingent, Giles Barnes and Andrew Driver, as the Dynamo ran roughshod over a struggling United.
    Dominic Kinnear’s Houston picked up a second consecutive road win, their only two of the season, with DC falling to a sixth-straight loss, tying a club-record.

    A Thierry Henry brace, including a turn-back-the-clock bicycle kick, were enough to keep New York in front of a surging Montreal with Marco Di Vaio notching in stoppage time and nearly drawing his side level moments later, striking all three bits of the woodwork with one attempt.
    Mike Petke’s Bulls picked up a fourth consecutive win, rising to the top of the Eastern Conference – tied with Houston – while Marco Schallibaum’s Montreal saw their unbeaten streak end at three in the midst of a trying schedule of seven matches in twenty-one days.

    Ryan Guy’s lovely volley from the top of the box gave New England the lead at home, but a late push from Salt Lake erased that advantage with Devon Sandoval scoring his first and Colombian sensation, Olmes Garcia, forcing home the winner.
    Jay Heaps was left in agony when his strikers quarreled over who would take the injury-time penalty kick and Sair Sene had his weak effort saved; Jason Kreis must appreciate the effort and never-say-die attitude of his side, shorn of their first-choice strike pairing of Alvaro Saborio and Robbie Findley.

    Kei Kamara’s return to Kansas City was ruined in the final moments when Aurelien Collin whiffed on a pass bound for Djimi Traore, who controlled and hammered home from close range in the 94th minute.
    It was a third shut-out loss in their last four matches for Peter Vermes’ Sporting, while Sigi Schmid’s Seattle continue their rapid ascent up the Western Conference, unbeaten in four, notching a third clean-sheet during the run.

    Two in-form sides, both entered undefeated in seven, tied in a controversial fashion with Darlington Nagbe’s back-post finish cancelled out by a 77th minute Kenny Cooper penalty kick, against his former employers, after Andrew Jean-Baptiste was adjudged to have fouled Blas Perez in the box.
    Schellas Hyndman’s side escaped a near miss, their perfect home record merely dented, not broken, but dropped their first points in Frisco; Caleb Porter was fined for his post-match criticisms of the official with both sides stretching streaks to eight matches.

    When late-goals-for hosted late-goals-against the ending was inevitable – Chris Wondolowski poking a flicked corner kick into the Toronto goal after Adam Jahn had cancelled Justin Braun’s opener to snap San Jose’s six-game winless streak.
    Frank Yallop reportedly tore a strip off his Earthquakes at half-time and it worked, with Ryan Nelsen’s side again capitulating having taken the lead – a third-straight loss and now winless in eight.
    Results in Brief
    Chicago 0 – Philadelphia 1
    The first leg of a fractured home-and-home series – the Union host LA between – witnessed Jack McInerney continue his scintillating form, scoring his league-leading seventh goal of the season.
    Stretching back to the removal of Piotr Nowak last season – an obstacle to regular playing time for the twenty-year old – McInerney has now scored 15 goals in his last 30 appearances and is leading his side’s charge to relevance in the East.
    Sebastien Le Toux’s quickly taken free kick was lobbed over the Chicago back-line, where McInerney controlled it with his right before touching it in with his left. It was far from a clean strike – Fire keeper, Sean Johnson, got a piece – but as is often the case with an in-form striker, bounces go their way and it found the back of the net.
    Frank Klopas’ struggling Chicago side – tied with TFC on seven points – have failed to click after an offseason midfield reconstruction; Klopas opted to field Patrick Nyarko, a midfielder, as the point-man of their attack. Nyarko proved dangerous but Union keeper Zac MacMath was up to the task, making several impressive saves.
    John Hackworth, fresh off a fractious meeting with Seattle – that saw three red cards and Hackworth fined for his comments – will have enjoyed the victory, but must brace for a tough three-game week.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X_Sx6kH9VXw?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Montreal 3 – Salt Lake 2
    Montreal, in the midst of an exhaustive schedule of their own, dug deep and found enough to out-gun Salt Lake in the end.
    An unfortunate Matteo Ferrari own-goal in the first ten minutes – deflecting a Lovel Palmer strike that looped over Troy Perkins in goal – opened the scoring; Felipe responded scuffing in a low Justin Mapp cross from the right before half-time. Kyle Beckerman – powering in a loose ball after a Javier Morales corner kick - put RSL back in front in the final quarter of an hour, but the Impact’s resilience showed once more as Marco Di Vaio tallied his sixth – all in their last eight matches, finishing some clever passing by Maxim Tissot and Andrew Wenger, before Ferrari found redemption with a 93rd minute winner, smashing in a corner kick that found him unmarked in the box.
    Marco Schallibaum’s rotation policy through this difficult stretch has proved valuable – and must continue with the final series of the Voyageurs Cup starting on Wednesday; while Jason Kreis will lament the collapse from his side due to a simple lack of concentration on a late set-piece.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bkQ-8XThx5M?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Seattle 4 – San Jose 0
    Seattle’s climb up from the basement in the West after a Champions League-induced coma at the start of the season was kicked up a notch with their impressive display over San Jose on Saturday.
    Neagle’s brace – finishing off a rampant counterattack and then single-handedly making space for a low shot to the short-side as he cut in from the right – and goals from Rosales – the aforementioned free-kick - and Obafemi Martins – pouncing on a defensive clearance from Justin Morrow that struck fellow centre-back Victor Bernardez and fell kindly for the Nigerian striker – marked their best offensive display of 2013.
    Coach Schmid’s Sounders are now unbeaten in five – three wins and two draws – having gone winless through their first four matches – to sit in seventh in the West; while Frank Yallop’s San Jose face a trying run – four of their next five matches on the road – as they try to sort out both defensive and attacking issues.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/usLOqP84WwE?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Vancouver 3 – Los Angeles 1
    It was a shirts-off, coming out party for Mr. T (yes, much of that was said on-air - sigh) with Canadian boy, Russell Teibert scoring the first two goals of his professional career thirteen minutes apart to bring to life Vancouver’s match against LA after a lifeless first hour.
    Nigel Reo-Coker surged up-field after a one-two with Darren Mattocks and dished out to his buddy, Teibert, who cut in across the top of the box onto his left-foot to unleash a low drive to the far-post beating Carlo Cudicini in goal.
    Teibert, full of confidence, added a second after threading Gershon Koffie down the right-side of the box and receiving a lay-off in return for a similar left-footed drive, low to the far-post.
    Not to be outdone - either on the pitch or in the hair-department - the Galaxy’s highly-touted prospect Gyasi Zardes, scored his first professional goal, coolly redirecting a right-sided Jose Villarreal – another starlet who scored his first career goal in this fixture last season – cross on to the far-side past Joe Cannon to rattle the nerves, if only for a moment.
    Darren Mattocks ended his long goal-less run, notching his second of the season – first since the end of March – with a predatory turn-and-strike after a Teibert throw-in on the right was worked towards the near-post by Koffie and Jordan Harvey.
    Martin Rennie, who lambasted the softness of his side last weekend, will find validation in ending a long seven-match winless run in style and celebrate a first-ever franchise win over LA; Bruce Arena’s Galaxy have now lost two straight and eagerly await the return of Robbie Keane, whose absence has been keenly felt.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D-5lkH-HLLk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Columbus 0 – Colorado 2
    Oscar Pareja’s motley Colorado, despite the lengthy injury bug, continue to find ways to win, handing the Crew of Columbus yet another shut-out loss.
    Edson Buddle - healthy of knee, but lacking in game-fitness - scored his second in as many games (both against former clubs), capping off a powerful bit of interplay from Danny Mwanga and Atiba Harris, who chested a left-sided cross into the path of the streaking Buddle for a sliding right-footed finish at the far-post.
    First-year midfield sensation, Dillon Powers, added a second – and his second of the season – on another long-range bomb, this time, fortunately so, after a severe deflections off the foot of Columbus defender Josh Williams that handcuffed Andy Gruenebaum in goal.
    It was a second-straight win for the Rapids and fourth clean-sheet for goalkeeping hero, Clint Irwin; Robert Warzycha’s crew fall to a second consecutive loss, having been shutout in three of their last four contests.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wDYq0ZSCiaU?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    New England 1 – New York 1
    The Revolution’s ten-year unbeaten run at home against their East Coast rivals continued, but coach Jay Heaps will rue how his side threw away victory once more – after the midweek penalty kick debacle - against a Henry-less Red Bull.
    Teenage Diego Fagundez forced in a right-sided Chris Tierney corner kick at the second time of asking, swatting in his own rebound after his initial attempt was cleared off the line. But Lloyd Sam drew New York level straight from the restart, as Kosuke Kimura and Andre Akpan exchanged passes on the right before the latter threaded through Sam with a diagonal ball for a low right-footed shot that squeaked past Bobby Shutteworth in goal.
    The draw extends New England’s winless run to three matches and stretches Mike Petke’s New York’s unbeaten run to five.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7K43eTEh1_U?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Dallas 2 – DC 1
    A desperate DC fought valiantly but could not see out a result against the red-hot – unbeaten in nine - Dallas.
    Jackson opened the scoring in the 11th minute, receiving a through-ball from Hassli and lifting his finish high into the goal past Joe Willis who was selected over regular starter, Bill Hamid. De Rosario scored his first of the season from a free-kick, a right-footer sent low to the far-bottom corner from outside the box.
    But a set-piece goal – Dallas’ eighth of the season – in the 77th minute, when Watson bundled a right-sided Michel corner kick in at the far-post, handed Ben Olsen’s side a club-record seventh straight loss.
    Schellas Hyndman’s side retains their lead atop the league with a stunning 24 points from eleven matches.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vCtxkBULlEM?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Portland 3 – Chivas 0
    Caleb Porter’s Timbers roundly beat El Chelis’ Chivas with an attacking display to stretch their own unbeaten run to nine matches.
    Marked by career-high goals from Wallace and Will Johnson – their third and fourth, respectively – either side of the goal of the round from Valeri.
    Wallace, holding off the pressure of Eric Avila, deftly finished with a left-footer on the counter after Ryan Johnson had sprung him down the left in the 34th minute. Valeri doubled the lead – his third of the season – in the 70th, before Will Johnson’s 92nd minute strike, cutting in from the left across the top of the box to lash a right-footed shot across the keeper to the far-bottom corner, rounded out the scoring.
    Plenty to celebrate in Timber town as they solidify their position in second place – behind only Dallas – in the West, while Chivas’ quick start – and strong defense - has evaporated, going winless through five, having conceded nine goals in their last three outings.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pYakgSzcPKg?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Houston 0 – Kansas City 1
    The marquee match of the weekend, rife with grudge, as the Dynamo have knocked Sporting from the playoffs in the last two seasons, took place late on Sunday evening to close the round.
    With revenge on their minds, Kansas City turned the tables on Houston, putting in a performance reminiscent of their hosts, grabbing a 73rd minute set-piece goal – Aurelien Collin flicking a left-sided Seth Sinovic long throw towards the far-side of the net and in – and then holding on for dear life as the Dynamo ratcheted up the pressure.
    In holding the lead, KC become the first side to win in Houston side 2011 – a run of 30 league matches and 36 all competitions – and the first ever to defeat the Dynamo at their not-so-new BBVA Compass Stadium.
    Dominic Kinnear offered his congratulation to opposition coach Peter Vermes post-match – and will secretly be glad to not have to talk about the streak any more – while Vermes’ side celebrated their scalp as a group on the pitch as though there was a trophy to be had – to be fair, defeating the Dynamo has been a hurdle they had yet to mount.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lUkpNgKu7qc?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    CanCon
    As per the last few weeks, the Canadian Content section will be up as a separate post midday on Tuesday.
    Overheard
    Kasey Keller takes a shot at Toronto FC when discussing San Jose’s winless streak having come to an end against the Canadian side – “can’t really count them, can you?” Ouch.
    “Wigan Athletic’s Roger Espinoza, formerly of Kansas City, has become the first player to win the [coveted] FA Cup and US Open Cup double.”
    Carnìval Real – note the accented I – some sort of pre-match festivities at the Rio Tinto outside of Salt Lake sounds magical – probably just bouncy castles, human foosball, and the like.
    Portland’s John Strong with one of the best lines of the weekend, describing a Wallace slip as being “on a turf goblin”; the Timbers’ broadcast team of Strong and Robbie Earle is consistently one of the better ones in the league. No wonder they are both moving on to bigger things with Earle bound for NBC’s Barclay’s Premier League coverage and Strong to replace Arlo White on the NBC MLS matches.
    See It Live
    The officials this weekend all wore black armbands in remembrance of amateur referee, Ricardo Portillo, who succumbed to his injuries after a week in a coma having been punched by a youth player in a dispute over a yellow card.
    In less-tragic circumstances, Salt Lake’s Devon Sandoval’s run-in with an official - cleaning out an assistant referee in their match against New England - was good spirited; they shared a smile and neither was hurt.
    Claudio Bieler getting blanked by half of the Kansas City coaching staff as he looked for some hand slaps after being subbed was equally entertaining.
    Chivas’ Mario de Luna’s run-in with a Portland ball-boy, who turned away from giving him the ball late in their match, brought about the most recent flare up in the discussion of their antics, unprofessionalism, and kids involved in a game for adults – still never cool to shove a kid though.
    Upcoming Fixtures
    A lone midweek fixture this week on Wednesday night the same evening that Montreal and Vancouver begin their Voyageurs Cup final series with the Impact hosting the Whitecaps at Stade Saputo.
    Wednesday: Philadelphia-Los Angeles. Saturday: Toronto-Columbus; Vancouver-Portland; Philadelphia-Chicago; Houston-New England; Seattle-Dallas; San Jose-Colorado. Sunday: New York-Los Angeles; DC-Kansas City; Chivas-Salt Lake.
    Parting Thoughts
    A few questions to ponder and discuss:
    Montreal and Vancouver – following dramatic wins on the weekend – return to cup competition midweek in the first leg of the Voyageurs Cup Final at Stade Saputo, who takes the advantage? And will viewers outside of those cities tune-in?
    The Whitecaps then face a difficult task, returning home to face Cascadia rivals, Portland, on Saturday. Was the win over LA a sign of things to come, is Teibert for real, or will their old flaws rise to the surface once more?
    And what of poor TFC; are the latest loan signings the answer to their late-game woes or just more of the same from a constantly disappointing front office? Is patience wearing thin already? Or does Nelsen and Co. have the backing of the board and the fans?
    Surging Seattle take on league-leading Dallas in a must-see match on Saturday; while New York and LA face off in the cross-continental battle of the stars. Who wins when unstoppable force meets immovable object and does money overpower money in financially-restricted MLS?
    Struggling DC face a difficult prospect – home matches against two of the stronger sides in the league, Kansas City and Portland – sitting on a seven-game losing streak. Should they lose both, they will tie Toronto’s nine-match losing run from last season – an unthinkable task at the start of the year. Can they escape that ignominy?
    Just what is a Kolache?
    So much going on, enjoy the soccer.
    Until next weekend.
    Each week James takes a look at the league as a whole.
    You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View
    Guest
    Episode eight of <i>"There's Still Time"</i>, the AFTN podcast, and it's our second post game special.
    Recorded at BC Place after the win over Los Angeles Galaxy, it's quite a cock-a-hoop mood for once with myself and Steve.
    We bring you audio from both <b>Martin Rennie</b> and <b>Bruce Arena</b> on the game; two goal hero <b>Russell Teibert</b> talks about his standout performance, what it means to him and doing it for his watching family; <b>Darren Mattocks</b> talks about the relief of breaking his goalscoring drought; and <b>Nigel Reo-Coker</b> chats about the game and of being a proud mentor.
    We also look ahead to the upcoming Voyageurs Cup final and gets the thoughts of Rennie and Teibert on the match with Montreal.
    We're joined for a special roundtable chat on all of this, and the Caps PDL win on Friday night, by two guest co-hosts: <b>Benjamin Massey</b> from <a href="http://www.maple-leaf-forever.com/" target="_blank"><u>Maple Leaf Forever</u></a> and the Two Fat Bastards podcast, and <b>Andrew Bates</b> from <a href="http://team-bates.com/littlerubberpellets/" target="_blank"><u>Little Rubber Pellets</u></a>.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    You can listen to this week's podcast on iTunes <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/aftn/id628306235" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
    Or download it for your later listening delight <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/mobile/" target="_blank">HERE</a> and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    Or you could just listen on one of the players below!
    <p>
    <div>
    <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0" width="210" height="25" id="mp3playerdarksmallv3" align="middle">
    <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain"/>
    <param name="movie" value="http://playlist.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://aftn.podbean.com/mf/play/pfwc72/AFTNPodcast08.mp3&autoStart=no"/>
    <param name="quality" value="high"/><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/>
    <embed src="http://playlist.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://aftn.podbean.com/mf/play/pfwc72/AFTNPodcast08.mp3&autoStart=no" quality="high" width="210" height="25" name="mp3playerdarksmallv3" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"/></embed>
    </object>
    <br/><a style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; padding-left: 41px; color: #2DA274; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: none;" href="http://www.podbean.com">Podcast Powered By Podbean</a>
    </div>
    <div>
    <audio controls="controls" id="auidoplayerhtml5podbeandd027cc2ed43a4ba79ef33d6b4b04faa">
    <source src="http://aftn.podbean.com/mf/play/pfwc72/AFTNPodcast08.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" autoplay="no">
    Your browser does not support the audio element.
    </audio>
    <script type="text/javascript">
    var audioTag = document.createElement('audio');
    if (!(!!(audioTag.canPlayType) && ("no" != audioTag.canPlayType("audio/mpeg")) && ("" != audioTag.canPlayType("audio/mpeg")))) {
    document.getElementById('auidoplayerhtml5podbeandd027cc2ed43a4ba79ef33d6b4b04faa').parentNode.removeChild(document.getElementById('auidoplayerhtml5podbeandd027cc2ed43a4ba79ef33d6b4b04faa'));
    document.write('<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0" width="210" height="25" id="mp3playerlightsmallv3" align="middle"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /><param name="movie" value="http://playlist.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerlightsmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://aftn.podbean.com/mf/play/pfwc72/AFTNPodcast08.mp3&autoStart=no" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed src="http://playlist.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerlightsmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://aftn.podbean.com/mf/play/pfwc72/AFTNPodcast08.mp3&autoStart=no" quality="high" width="210" height="25" name="mp3playerlightsmallv3" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /></embed></object>');
    }
    </script>
    <br/>
    <a style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; padding-left: 41px; color: #2DA274; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: none;" href="http://www.podbean.com">Podcast Powered By Podbean</a>
    </div>
    <p>
    Guest
    Last week, Duane and I made the trip to the Toronto FC facility at Downsview Park to attend one of the training sessions for the Canadian Women's National Team. The promise was that we could take pictures for the first 15 minutes of the practice and there would be opportunities for interviews upon completion of the practice.
    We watched as the women walked from the field house to the furthest pitch in groups, like friends reuniting with smiles and light conversation. There was an obvious comfort level between them, with the shared success the team has had under John Herdman.
    There were a couple of groups that formed during the initial warmups, with some of the more senior players going to far side of the pitch, while the younger players also stayed together, starting to build their own chemistry.
    I would have liked to stay longer and seen how they interacted with each other in this environment, without the TV cameras, the national broadcasts and the pressure of 20,000+ fans. The moments away from that spotlight are where the bonds are built, where mistakes are allowed to be made and the pressure is more self directed in an attempt to improve.
    We only have a few more years of the current team leadership before they leave the game, there is the World Cup, followed by the Olympics, these will be the final laps for many senior members of this team before they pass the torch.
    I hope that the team building chemistry takes hold with the younger members of this team and they also find a way to be an inspiration to the future members of this team, because in a country that has had very limited success in the soccer world, these women have given all of us a reason to cheer.
    You can see those photos after the jump
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <param name="movie" value="http://www.photoshelter.com/swf/CSlideShow.swf?feedSRC=http%3A//photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Canadian-Women-National-Team-Training-May-29-2013/G00001H8DrWHcTfY%3Ffeed%3Djson"></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#AAAAAA"></param><param name="flashvars" value="target=_self&f_l=t&f_fscr=t&f_tb=f&f_bb=f&f_bbl=f&f_fss=f&f_2up=t&f_crp=f&f_wm=t&f_s2f=t&f_emb=t&f_cap=f&f_sln=t&imgT=casc&cred=iptc&trans=xfade&f_link=t&f_smooth=f&f_mtrx=t&tbs=5000&f_ap=t&f_up=f&btype=old&bcolor=%23CCCCCC"></param><!--[if !IE]><!--><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.photoshelter.com/swf/CSlideShow.swf?feedSRC=http%3A//photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Canadian-Women-National-Team-Training-May-29-2013/G00001H8DrWHcTfY%3Ffeed%3Djson" width="475" height="400" ><param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#AAAAAA"></param><param name="flashvars" value="target=_self&f_l=t&f_fscr=t&f_tb=f&f_bb=f&f_bbl=f&f_fss=f&f_2up=t&f_crp=f&f_wm=t&f_s2f=t&f_emb=t&f_cap=f&f_sln=t&imgT=casc&cred=iptc&trans=xfade&f_link=t&f_smooth=f&f_mtrx=t&tbs=5000&f_ap=t&f_up=f&btype=old&bcolor=%23CCCCCC"></param><!--<![endif]--><a href="http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Canadian-Women-National-Team-Training-May-29-2013/G00001H8DrWHcTfY'>http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Canadian-Women-National-Team-Training-May-29-2013/G00001H8DrWHcTfY"><img src="http://www.photoshelter.com/gal-kimg-get/G00001H8DrWHcTfY/s/475/400" alt="" /></a><!--[if !IE]><!--></object><!--<![endif]--></object><br><a href="http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Canadian-Women-National-Team-Training-May-29-2013/G00001H8DrWHcTfY'>http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Canadian-Women-National-Team-Training-May-29-2013/G00001H8DrWHcTfY">Canadian Women National Team - Training - May 29, 2013</a> - Images by <a href="http://photohazard.photoshelter.com">Chris Hazard</a>
    Guest
    After seven attempts, Vancouver Whitecaps finally beat Los Angeles Galaxy in a day of firsts at BC Place.
    A second half brace from Russell Teibert and a stoppage time clincher from Darren Mattocks gave the Caps a 3-1 win over the MLS Cup Champions.
    Despite some nervy late moments, the Whitecaps came through with a massive and much needed win for the team as they enter one of the key parts of their season.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Back at home, Martin Rennie again rang the changes, with Darren Mattocks returning as the main striker and Jun Marques Davidson making a surprise return in the DM role.
    The team was looking like it was set up with a cautiousness in defence in mind and less of a cavalier home team line up against one of the deadliest attacks in MLS.
    The visitors threatened early and Joe Cannon had to make a save from Jose Villareal five minutes in.
    Darren Mattocks had a couple of half chances before the Whitecaps best chance of the match so far came when he connected with a great cross from substitute Russell Teibert in the 15th minute, but the Jamaican's header was easily held low by Galaxy goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.
    Villareal nearly played in Omar Gonzalez in the 23rd minute after some neat build up play left Johnny Leveron unsure of whether to track the ball or the man. Andy O'Brien was back covering and got the vital foot in to divert the ball for a corner which came to nothing.
    Gonzalez then came close to giving Vancouver the lead in the 36th minute when he volleyed a Nigel Reo-Coker cross straight at his keeper but Cudicini parried well.
    The teams headed in at the break with the visitors outshooting the Caps and enjoying a 60-40% percentage edge in possession. Dangerous stats to give any side, never mind the high firing MLS Cup winners.
    Vancouver attacked from the start of the second half and Reo-Coker cracked one off wide left just 38 seconds.
    The game quickly fell into a lull which the Whitecaps tried to snap it out of with a break which saw the LA defence scrambling to block a couple of Caps chances and then Gershon Koffie blast over the resultant corner.
    LA came within inches of taking the lead just past the hour mark.
    Vancouver had been giving Hector Jimenez a lot of room and the left and he whipped a great cross in to the back of the box which Gonzalez met superbly, but could only look on as it went just past the right hand post with Cannon beaten.
    It was a miss that was to cost the Galaxy dear two minutes later.
    Teibert got the ball on the right cut into the box, but finding no room, made some on the outside and buried a low drive into the bottom left hand corner to give the Whitecaps an unexpected 63rd minute lead.
    It was the young Canadian's first professional goal but he wasn't finished there and added a second in the 76th minute in a move in which he both started and finished.
    Collecting the ball in the middle of the LA half he ran goalwards and played a pass to Koffie. The Ghanaian took a touch and a turn and played the ball back to Teibert, who continued his run and buried it into nearly same spot.
    Cannon tipped over a deflection in the 81st minute, as LA pushed to try and get back into the game.
    And they did just that in the 86th minute when sub Gyasi Zardes rose well to head home a Villareal cross from eight yards out.
    It was a nervy BC Place and Mattocks had a great chance to ease some of those nerves seconds into it when he did everything right, bore down on goal but fell to his knees in anguish as Cudicini pulled off the save.
    As the resultant corner came in, the ball fell to Mattocks inside the six yard box and to the relief of everyone, spun on a sixpence and fired home to give the Caps an unassailable 3-1 lead.
    Moments later it was a victory and a day of first.
    Vancouver's first MLS win over Los Angeles, Russell Teibert's first goals as a professional Whitecap and Darren Mattocks first goal in what feels like a very long time.
    It was an unexpected but welcome win and one that was much needed standings wise with how other results have played out this week.
    The key for the Caps is now to build on this and string a set of results together in what is a tough string of games coming up.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 3 - 1 Los Angeles Galaxy
    ATT: 21,000
    VANCOUVER: Joe Cannon; Young-Pyo Lee, Andy O'Brien, Johnny Leveron, Alain Rochat; Jun Marques Davidson, Nigel Reo-Coker (Brad Rusin 85), Gershon Koffie; Daigo Kobayashi (Russell Teibert 14), Darren Mattocks, Camilo Sanvezzo (Jordan Harvey 78) [subs Not Used: Brad Knighton, Kekuta Manneh, Corey Hertzog, Tommy Heinemann]
    LOS ANGELES: Carlo Cudicini; A.J. DeLGarza, Greg Cochrane, Sean Franklin (Colin Clark 85), Omar Gonzalez; Mike Magee, Juninho, Marcelo Sarvas (Gyasi Zardes 67), Hector Jimenez (Michael Stephens 73); Jose Villareal, Landon Donovan [subs Not Used: Brian Rowe, Rafael Garcia, Tommy Meyer, Colin Clark, Leonardo]
    <p>
    <b><u>Reaction:</u></b>
    <b>Martin Rennie on game:</b>
    "We put together, in the second half, a decent performance. We took our chances when they came along and for the most part defended well. I thought in the end that was a fantastic win for us."
    <b>Bruce Arena on game:</b>
    "I think they muscled us on a couple of plays that made the difference in the game, to their credit.
    "We didn't come here to lose the game. We're certainly disappointed. We didn't have good reactions from our team. I thought their team reacted better than we did.
    "We could have got a goal early to take the lead in the game, which could obviously be a big difference in the game. But we didn't get it done and they did."
    <b>Nigel Reo-Coker on game:</b>
    "I think the lads need to take a lot of confidence and belief from that. To beat the league champions at home, convincingly as well, you've got to take confidence from that. And now we've got to use that to be a season changer for us and continue to grow as a team and try to achieve what we want to achieve this year."
    <b>Martin Rennie on adversity:</b>
    "People always want to avoid adversity and they think adversity's a bad thing. But adversity is the kind of thing that builds character. It's the kind of thing that makes you stronger. It's the kind of thing that if you approach it properly with your life you learn and you become better.
    "No player is going to become a very, very good player, or a top player, without facing setbacks and knowing how to overcome them.
    "I do think that these kind of things are good for us. They're not much fun. No-one likes losing, or missing chances or getting criticised, but those are the things that reveal your character and those are the things that make you into the person you need to be to be successful."
    <b>Russell Teibert on goals:</b>
    "It feels great. I was overwhelmed to score the first goal, then the second one came and the feeling's extraordinary."
    <b>Russell Teibert on not being in starting line up:</b>
    "I want to be ready whenever the coach calls on me to play. Unfortunately Daigo came off with an injury but whenever I get the chance to step on the field I'm going to take that chance to make an impact on the match whenever I can."
    <b>Martin Rennie on Russell Teibert:</b>
    "I think it will boost his confidence. Adding goals to his performance, we talked about and is something we want to see from him. He took his goals very well today and I was really pleased for him. He's worked a very long hard road from last season to become a first team player."
    <b>Nigel Reo-Coker on Russell Teibert:</b>
    "Very happy for him. Very happy and very proud. I see how hard he works. I've seen how hard he's worked since I've been here. I've seen the potential and what he can do and achieve."
    <b>Darren Mattocks on finally scoring:</b>
    "Obviously the goals have not been coming the last couple of games but I just stick to the drawing board, keep working. We've seen Van Persie go 13 games in the BPL without scoring a goal, and he's a world class player, so everyone can go through droughts. But I'm not finding excuses. I just got to keep working, but I'm very glad that the goal has come, but I just got to keep working out and keep being focussed."
    <b>Martin Rennie on Darren Mattocks:</b>
    "I'm really pleased for him. He's been working really hard on his game. He's got a lot of work still to do. He closed down well today. He put a lot of effort into the game and I'm really pleased for him to get that goal.
    "Darren's a really talented player but he needs to just keep working on his game, putting in extra time. He's been doing a lot more on the training ground and we need to keep building on that, keep helping him do that, but that will definitely help boost his confidence. Scoring goals is certainly confidence boosting for any player but especially goalscorers."
    <b>Nigel Reo-Coker on Mattocks scoring:</b>
    "It's always good for strikers to score, especially after going through a little bit of a goal drought. I told Darren, for 90 minutes you got to keep going, your chance will come and you've got to take your chance. He took his chance and hopefully that will now give him confidence, go on a bit of a run now and take the momentum and belief."
    <b>Nigel Reo-Coker on why he came off:</b>
    "I'm feeling alright. I just felt it's coming to the end of the game now, I gave it all I could give. The legs were saying no, can't do any more, so I said bring someone else on fit, so someone who could be fit, just in case someone runs past me.
    "I didn't want to be the one to let the team down. It's about being honest. I thought someone else could come on and hopefully not concede a goal."
    <b>Martin Rennie on Daigo Kobayashi's injury:</b>
    "He went over his ankle. He doesn't seem to think it's too serious but I haven't had a chance to ask the medical staff yet."
    <p>
×
×
  • Create New...