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    Guest
    Vancouver Whitecaps are hoping it will be third time lucky as they reached their third Voyageurs Cup final under the new format with a comfortable 5-2 aggregate win over FC Edmonton.
    Fortunate to head into the second leg with a one goal lead, Vancouver won 2-0 on the night thanks to a stunning 40 yard strike from Corey Hertzog and an equally stunning headed own goal from Shaun Saiko.
    It was always going to be a tough ask for Edmonton to get themselves back into the tie and they showed nothing on the night to make anyone think that they were capable of doing that from the first kick to the last.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Martin Rennie had said pre-game that he was going to go with a strong Vancouver side to ensure the Whitecaps claimed their place in the final. There weren’t many that were expecting such a strong set of starters though, with both Camilo Sanvezzo and Darren Mattocks starting up front, alongside Tommy Heinemann.
    Vancouver had the first real chance of the match in the sixth minute when Camilo flicked on a deep Greg Klazura cross and Tommy Heinemann hit it wide with his first time volley.
    Camilo gave Lance Parker some trouble in the Edmonton goal in the 13th minute with an inswinging free kick, as the home side carried most of the play.
    Camilo had a shot from just inside the box in the 25th minute which didn’t trouble Parker too much, but for all the possession they were enjoying Vancouver were doing little with it and the visitors were getting to see a bit more of the ball.
    A lot has been made of the finishing of Mattocks in recent weeks and the knock that has given his confidence. If the striker needed any reminding that his luck wasn’t in these days, it came in the 31st minute when he ran on to a Gershon Koffie pass and crashed a fierce shot off the right hand post.
    Edmonton just couldn’t find a way past a more organised Vancouver backline than has been seen for many a game and the home side were posing the only real attacking threat.
    Koffie fired a fierce 25 yard drive narrowly right in the 39th minute and Mattocks missed another great opportunity when he directed a Heinemann cross over from close range a minute before the break.
    Edmonton headed in to half time content that their plan of soaking up the early Whitecaps pressure was working, but although still in the tie, their plans of hitting on the counter hadn’t even begun to get off the ground.
    Both teams made changes at the half but the play continued where it left of, with Vancouver controlling proceedings.
    Parker let a low Camilo shot slip through his fingers and out for a corner and Edmonton were nearly punished for that mistake when Russell Teibert fired a shot into the side netting from the resultant corner.
    As if Edmonton’s task wasn’t hard enough, Adrian Leroy made it all the harder in the 51st minute when he was sent off for a last man challenge on Corey Hertzog, pushing the Caps substitute over as he chased down a long ball on the edge of the box.
    Vancouver forced a string of corners but it ended up being a stunning long range strike that saw them break the deadlock in the 58th minute.
    Teibert nodded a neat ball into the path of Hertzog, who hit a stunning 40 yard volley into the bottom right hand corner.
    And it was another stunning finish which made it two to Vancouver on the night when Shaun Saiko rose brilliantly and directed a perfect header into his own net from a whipped in Teibert corner in the 67th minute.
    Hertzog had the ball in the net again in the 79th minute but was ruled offside in as tight a call as you’re likely to see this year.
    His fellow sub, Erik Hurtado, had a great chance two minutes later when he headed a corner wide left, as the Caps started to turn the screw.
    Andy O’Brien nearly got his name on the scoresheet two minutes later after a crazy game of pinball in the Edmonton box ended with a fine save from Parker from the Irishman’s header.
    Shaun Saiko nearly pulled one back for Edmonton moments later when he broke free and Brad Knighton, who had little to do all night, let his shot squirm through his fingers but was able to recover.
    And that was the last real action of the match.
    It was a comfortable win for the Whitecaps in the end. Whether they needed as strong a team out there to get the job done is debateable. How this will affect the line up in Salt Lake at the weekend is now the question.
    Will there be tiredness? And did the likes of Leveron, Teibert and Hertzog do enough to get the call to the starting eleven? We’ll soon find out.
    Away from the action in the League, will it be a case of third time’s the charm for Vancouver as they head into another Voyageurs Cup final?
    On the plus side, they don’t have to play Toronto, who seem to have the hoodoo over them in the competition. On the negative side, they do have to play Montreal, who are one of the form teams in MLS right now and have to go into the final as heavy favourites.
    Maybe the underdog role will favour the Whitecaps. We’ll find out in a few weeks.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - 0 FC Edmonton
    ATT: 14,892
    VANCOUVER: Brad Knighton; Greg Klazura, Andy O’Brien, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Jun Marques Davidson, Gershon Koffie, Russell Teibert; Camilo Sanvezzo (Kekuta Manneh 61), Tommy Heinemann (Erik Hurtado 74), Darren Mattocks (Corey Hertzog 46) [subs Not Used: Simon Thomas, Alain Rochat, Nigel Reo-Coker, Daigo Kobayashi]
    EDMONTON: Lance Parker; Eddie Edward, Mallan Roberts, Adrain Leroy, Antonio Rago; Chris Nurse, Neil Hlavaty, Robert Garrett, Michael Nonni (Daryl Fordyce 46), Massimo Mirabelli (Shaun Saiko 59); Michael Cox (Sadi Jalali 71) [subs Not Used: John Smits, Elvir Gigolaj, Edem Mortotsi]
    <p>
    Guest
    Why don’t Canadian clubs ask for transfer fees when youth players sign their first professional contract?
    Yesterday we showed how FIFA mandates that transfer fees must be paid back to youth clubs. We also went into the details of why that practice isn’t more common in Canada.
    Today, we’re hearing from Gary Miller, the head of Bryst Academy (a part of the SAAC private academies group) on why Canada has it so backwards with its professional development and why the idea of paying for players – a practice used everywhere else in the world – has never taken off here.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    “It’s never really been pushed. I think the first one it happened to was Calgary Foothills who got money back for Owen Hargreaves. I think there have been one or two other groups who have got money. But it’s not really publicized here, because they (clubs local and abroad) don’t want people to take this and run with it. And start demanding fees,” Miller said.
    “The other thing that happens here in North America, because there is a lack of a professional game or environment is that a lot of people have to pay fees for youth training. As soon as you enter into that environment there is a thought process that if the family had to pay for the training, why is this organization getting money back from the pro club – because they’ve already been paid for their services, so to speak.”
    That’s changing though and Miller said it’s time to looking at Canada through a more professional prism.
    “The amount of work that is being done with youth players, it’s becoming more of a professional environment – whether it be with the academies, the MLS academies, Edmonton with the private academies, some of the better clubs – they’re investing a lot of time and energy into the development of players,” Miller said. “If we can set something up in terms of fee structures, on the development of players then I think it would bring a lot of groups together. People would start to realize that if they do invest the time and energy in young players there is going to be a payoff for them.”
    He maintains we’re not there yet but sees that as something that is changing.
    “It’s part of a lack of professionalism in the game — our whole game is being driven by volunteers. But now more and more organizations are being set up as for profit businesses. They want to be looked upon as a professional organization. It’s been tough to move that through, even at the CSA level.”
    Miller points to the arrival of the OPDL as a sign Ontario and Canada are beginning to see the benefit in professionalizing soccer development.
    “Once the OPDL starts to roll out over the next few years and you start to see top quality 13-15 year old players being set out on the shop table for assessment and review by national coaches and so on, some of these organizations are going to say, ‘what are we getting back from this development of these top young players?’” Miller said.
    Everywhere else in the world, where there is a professional development, professional fees are paid back to the youth clubs for their part in driving the game.
    “Maybe someone from FIFA has to come in and speak tt the CSA about how this is working in the rest of the world. Because at this point, even the CSA, are reluctant to get involved.”
    Tomorrow we’ll speak to Jason deVos, former national team player, TSN analyst and a member of the group organizing the OPDL on what clubs like Toronto FC should be doing to better help the youth game.
    Guest
    The banner read “No Impact Since 2008”. Members of the Montreal supporters group UM02 were angry and, in truth, they had every right to be. After losing to Toronto FC 2-0 last Wednesday night in Toronto the Impact have gone, incredibly, nearly five years without a victory in the Canadian Championship. It’s a winless streak that stands at a Paul Mariner-like 13 games currently. Wednesday night, for Montreal to advance and eliminate Toronto, the Impact won’t just have to win for the first time since June 25th, 2008, they’ll have to win by three goals.
    The interesting question is how much owner Joey Saputo, head coach Marco Schallibaum, and the rest of the Montreal Impact can really afford to care. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The expectation was probably that a mostly reserve line-up, reinforced by the influential Patrice Bernier in the middle of the park, could at least grind out a draw against a similarly second choice Reds and leave the Impact merely needing a home win to advance while keeping the first team focused on league success.
    Whether that decision had an influence or not the second half of the strategy was successful and a win over a woeful Chicago side on the weekend has vaulted the Impact back into first place in the Eastern Conference. Toronto meanwhile suffered a demoralizing home defeat to the New York Red Bulls that quickly took the sheen off the club’s first win since their home opener in early March.
    Really, both sides have ample reason to continue their strategy of fielding predominantly reserve line-ups: Montreal doesn’t need success in the cup to substitute for poor league form and Toronto’s youngsters and back-ups did well enough to deserve a second go. Injuries, fluctuations in form, and a marquee new signing will likely result in some rotation in both squads but it wouldn’t be shocking if relatively similar line-ups to those from last week take the field in Montreal.
    The name Toronto supporters will be watching for on the club’s official Twitter account is that of Matias Laba. The signing of the Argentine central midfielder to a Young Designated Player was announced just ahead of the Red Bulls match and it has been suggested that he could be ready for action and begin his integration into the squad as early as the game in Montreal.
    More important could be the availability of Justin Braun. TFC’s attack has looked more potent with the big American putting himself about in a target man role and causing problems for opposing defenses but the injury that forced his removal in the first half against New York means he’s unlikely to be back in the team. Whether Toronto’s attack can adjust and whether head coach Ryan Nelsen risks starting Robert Earnshaw are both open questions.
    Ultimately, this is a game that is more likely to be decided by defense rather than offense. Because of the two-legged nature of the tie and Montreal’s failure to pick up an away goal the Impact will have to concentrate as much on preventing Toronto from scoring as they do on scoring themselves. While the Reds will know that a single goal will likely be enough to put them through they’ll also know that holding the Impact to a goal or less will see the tie out for certain.
    So, while both teams have an incentive to attack they have an even greater incentive to not risk anything at the back. Montreal can absolutely not afford to concede the first goal while the Reds will be comfortable with the score line and unlikely to take needless chances. Unless the players ignore the tactics of their coaches or the match becomes an unexpected goalfest – which would favour Toronto – do not be surprised if the opening half is a cagey affair with only careful attempts at moving forward in numbers from either side.
    Of course TFC have shown over recent weeks that they’re decidedly uncomfortable administering a one goal lead in the closing stages of a game, so, if victory remains within reach, it’s fairly certain that the Impact will pile on the pressure in the closing stages. The young Reds held out last week in Toronto though and have left the club in a great position to advance; unless Montreal can overcome that two goal deficit their lack of Impact on the tournament is set to continue.
    Guest
    The <i>West Coast Soccer</i> podcast - the buses of the podcast world and two of them are coming at you at once this week with our look at what's been happening with Vancouver Whitecaps, and football in BC, Canada and throughout North America.
    One of our guests in this episode is <b>Steven Sandor</b>, editor of <a href="http://www.the11.ca" target="_blank"><b>the11.ca</b> and your go to guy for everything you could possibly want to know about FC Edmonton.
    Lots of talk about the Eddies, as they prepare for the second leg of their Voyageurs Cup clash with Vancouver, and some interesting going ons in NASL.
    We are also joined by <b>Philippe Germain</b>, editor of <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?2807-soccer-plus" target="_blank"><b>SoccerPlus</b> for some more NASL talk and a chat about the great start to the season made by Montreal Impact, with some interesting stuff on what their fans are thinking of how the team treat the Voyageurs Cup.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Have a listen.
    You can listen to this week's podcast (and the previous ones) on iTunes <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/westcoastsoccerweekly/id491781299" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> or download it for your later listening delight <a href="http://westcoastsoccerweekly.podbean.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> or have a listen on one of the players below.
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    Guest
    It's Episode 39 of your <i>West Coast Soccer</i> podcast, our regular look at what's been happening with Vancouver Whitecaps, and football in BC, Canada and throughout North America.
    Our guest this week is <b>Ben Rycroft</b> from Metronews Toronto, CBC and, of course, here on Canadian Soccer News.
    Lots of talk about Toronto, as they prepare for their Voyageurs Cup clash with Montreal and come off the back of losing yet another late goal .
    There's also your regular dose of Whitecaps chat, as we pick over the bones of the draw with Dallas, last week's scraped win over Edmonton and ahead to Real Salt Lake and discuss who their 'Dangerman' is.
    We also look at what Whitecaps are and are not making the grade and discuss some of the latest transfer rumours around the club.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Have a listen.
    You can listen to this week's podcast (and the previous ones) on iTunes <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/westcoastsoccerweekly/id491781299" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> or download it for your later listening delight <a href="http://westcoastsoccerweekly.podbean.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> or have a listen on one of the players below.
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    Guest
    On most days, Canadian soccer is generally a pretty backwards place. If we were half as good on the development side of the game as we are at playing the politics of it, we’d be giving the Germany’s and the Brazil’s of the world a run for their money.
    And even when everyone agrees on something needs to be changed, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to happen. Some are afraid of upsetting the apple cart. Others are just too mired in their own bureaucracy to ever hope of pushing the game forward an inch.
    But where the contrasts to the rest of the world are most obvious is in the money.
    Everyone knows that we’re largely a recreational soccer country. And that’s fine. And everyone knows that we need to better professionalize what we’re doing. And that’s starting to change. But when you start to look at some of the other factors that come along with professionalizing the game – standards that exist everywhere else in the world – people here get a little sensitive.
    Primarily I’m talking about parents and administrators getting uppity about the idea of clubs buying and selling players.
    For a second, lets put aside the misnomer that MLS does not pay for players. They do. Publicly they say they don’t. But that’s becoming a harder and harder truth to tell in the face of so many obvious lies.
    Instead, lets look at what CSN found within FIFA documents last week.
    FIFA mandates when one player leaves a youth club and signs with a professional club that professional club must pay a fee for that player. Not suggests. Mandates. You can find all the details in its Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.
    Here is a sample.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It goes further
    This is standard practice for everywhere else in the world, outside of North America. When a player signs his first pro contract, the team that he signs for sends money back to all the clubs that have developed him.
    To use a recent Toronto FC example, when Jonathan Osorio was signed, the team would have paid out money, dating back to when he was 12-years-old at Brampton Youth SC.
    But this simply doesn’t happen here.
    The reasons, as I’ve heard them generally told, are three fold.
    The first is that Canadian and U.S. laws prevent the purchase or sale of children. This is another misnomer. As long as the player is over 18-years-old, which is the minimum to sign a player in most countries, he is no longer considered a minor. The FIFA document lays out further parameters around that.
    The second is more of a stigma issue – Canadians are brought up with a different mentality when it comes to sports. The traditional route, which is engrained in us from the second we can kick a ball, is that you go to college, get drafted, go to the pros and move on.
    Now, that’s not necessarily the route players end up taking these days, but the idea of buying and selling a player isn’t just foreign to families here, it’s looked on with a level of disgust. In part, because in the youth system, parents pay to have their kids play (and the club already receives compensation in that form) but moreover because the idea is socially frowned upon.
    Those are community standards that may change over time and let me explain why.
    The third major reason that Canadian youth clubs don’t benefit from professional clubs paying those fees, is that the youth development system here is so badly fractured that it is seen as a third world country (as part of researching this I learned FIFA informally ranks development tiers). Canada, presently, doesn’t do enough to ‘qualify’ (which is really just a way of saying we don’t have enough leverage presently) for what is considered professional development compensation. This isn’t an official ranking but an informal standard that is often used to help determine the amount of compensation.
    That’s about to change however.
    Next year, if all goes according to plan, the OPDL will flip the development model on its head. If you need a better understanding of what it represents you can read Paul Varian’s piece here on it. Or check out Jason deVos’ recent column explaining more of the particulars.
    But essentially, it means clubs will begin to formally professionalize the standards for their development. For those that join the OPDL program (and I’ve been reminded it’s a program that is still not yet off the ground), significant financial investment will be made. Which likely means, in a few years time, as they are now, clubs are going to be asking themselves what they get out of it — other than a warm fuzzy feeling that they helped develop the next Osorio.
    That on its own is fine but over the next couple days CSN will share a few interviews that help better explain why the landscape is changing and why the idea of monetizing players can not only help our game but will be required to help sustain development.
    Guest
    There is little doubt that TFC's start to the season has put the club in a hole. With just seven points in eight games, the Reds sit 16th in a 19 team league.
    How you view that depends on your perspective. Those that wrote this season off before it began are actually pleasantly surprised that TFC is doing even that well.
    However, there is a subset of fans that believe that more should be expected of the club.
    Regardless of perspective, few are talking about just how tough TFC's start has been. Sure, they've been at home, but they have played a schedule heavily peppered with the league's top teams.
    Or have they? Is it possible that TFC's schedule is relatively the same as every other team and any attempt to paint it as being harder is just Toronto fans making excuses for another slow start.
    Let's take a look at where the Reds strength of schedule stacks up league-wide.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    By looking at the average points-per-game figure of the teams that each club have played we've ranked all 19 teams strength of schedule through the first two months of the season.
    Is it a perfect measure? No, of course not. No measure is. However, it is an additional factor to consider when handicapping whether a club's standing on the table is over or under stated.
    If a club is low on the table, but has a high strength of schedule ranking it's more likely that they can move up the table when they start to play weaker sides. Conversely , a highly ranked team with a lower SoS ranking might be due for a correction.
    The rankings:
    [TABLE=width: 500]
    [TR]
    [TD]Team[/TD]
    [TD]SoS[/TD]
    [TD]SoS rank[/TD]
    [TD]Actual standing[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Toronto[/TD]
    [TD]1.72[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [TD]16[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Chicago[/TD]
    [TD]1.63[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [TD]17[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Vancouver[/TD]
    [TD]1.54[/TD]
    [TD]3[/TD]
    [TD]13[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Colorado[/TD]
    [TD]1.48[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [TD]14[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]San Jose[/TD]
    [TD]1.48[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [TD]12[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]DC United[/TD]
    [TD]1.46[/TD]
    [TD]6[/TD]
    [TD]19[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Portland[/TD]
    [TD]1.42[/TD]
    [TD]7[/TD]
    [TD]7[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Galaxy[/TD]
    [TD]1.40[/TD]
    [TD]8[/TD]
    [TD]4[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Seattle[/TD]
    [TD]1.40[/TD]
    [TD]8[/TD]
    [TD]18[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Dallas[/TD]
    [TD]1.39[/TD]
    [TD]10[/TD]
    [TD]1[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Chivas[/TD]
    [TD]1.38[/TD]
    [TD]11[/TD]
    [TD]9[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Kansas City[/TD]
    [TD]1.34[/TD]
    [TD]12[/TD]
    [TD]6[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]New England[/TD]
    [TD]1.34[/TD]
    [TD]12[/TD]
    [TD]15[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Montreal[/TD]
    [TD]1.24[/TD]
    [TD]14[/TD]
    [TD]2[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Salt Lake[/TD]
    [TD]1.24[/TD]
    [TD]14[/TD]
    [TD]11[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]New York[/TD]
    [TD]1.19[/TD]
    [TD]16[/TD]
    [TD]3[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Houston[/TD]
    [TD]1.17[/TD]
    [TD]17[/TD]
    [TD]5[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Columbus[/TD]
    [TD]1.15[/TD]
    [TD]18[/TD]
    [TD]8[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Philly[/TD]
    [TD]1.14[/TD]
    [TD]19[/TD]
    [TD]10[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]
    The most obvious weakness to this measure is that weaker teams tend to lose, which in turn pushes their SoS number higher (by virtue of the fact that they are increasing their opponents PPG number). However, that does even out as the year goes on. Looking at this list two months into the season is early, but not without some merit.
    Focusing on Toronto, it's clear that, even when compared to other teams that are subjectively seen to be weaker, Toronto has had a significantly difficult schedule to start the year.
    Does that mean we can expect the Reds to shoot up the table as the year goes on? Of course not, but some correction can be reasonably expected to occur.
    The teams that really should be concerned are those that have a mediocre standing and low SoS ranking -- I'm looking at you Columbus and Philly. Those teams may look to be in better standing than Toronto right now, but they might not be as far ahead of the game as it looks on first glance.
    Montreal's low ranking is likely evidence that a correction can be expected there as well. However, the Impact also illustrate another flaw of this measure -- a point on the table is better than a projected one.
    Guest
    The Impact is back on top in the Eastern Conference after a convincing win over a poor Chicago side on Saturday.
    Hear both coaches' post-game comments as well as those of a few Montreal players following that win. We go over this result and set the tone for Wednesday's ACC tie against Toronto with Raphael Larocque-Cyr, Marc Tougas (CP) and Ben Rycroft (CSN/CBC).
    We also discuss the importance of Tim Leiweke's arrival with MLSE with our U.S. correspondent Jonathan Tannenwald as well as the resurfacing news that Manchester City's owners are the leading bidders to install a second team in New York City.
    We also hear from Canada's MNT striker Olivier Occean in Frankfurt telling our onsite reporter François Marquette on Monday that his short term future might lead him out of Germany into Asia or England.
    Canada's U-20 MNT assistant-coach Philippe Dos Santos revisits the opening games of the UEFA Champions League semifinals and what are the odds of seeing Barcelona and/or Madrid coming back from the dead this week. Also the latest on the possible destination of Jose Mourinho next season.
    We also talk with Sophie Drolet on the NWSL's first weeks of action as well as on the early qualifying draws for the FIFA WWC Canada 2015.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    All this and more in our 75 minutes show: SoccerPlus - April 29, 2013
    This podcast is also available for you to subscribe directly on the Canadian iTunes Store and on Stitcher Radio.
    Cheers!
    Guest
    As an extension to Canadian Soccer News’ MLS Week in Review, here are further details regarding the performances of the Canadian players who saw the pitch in MLS this week.
    Kyle Porter, Nana Attakora, and Jonathan Osorio claim our top three spots this round, narrowly keeping Wandrille Lefevre from the podium, though he deserves an honourable fourth-placed mention.
    Find out what they did to deserve recognition, as well as who else earned their keep this weekend.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Kyle Porter
    Kyle Porter put in a shift for his struggling DC United against the Columbus Crew.
    Starting a second consecutive match on the right-side of midfield, he was extremely active on both sides of the ball.
    Defensively, he was tracking runs - once following Eddie Gaven all the way across the field and deep into the defensive third to snuff out any trouble - winning one registered tackle, making three recoveries and two clearances.
    Offensively, he was on corner and free kick duty – it was his corner kick that eventually led to DC’s disallowed goal, after Chris Korb had collected the half-clearance and sent it back in - and took a pair of shots – one on target, nearly scoring, the other blocked.
    Twice he played lovely curling crosses into the area for Lionard Pajoy - who gave up prematurely on the first and was denied by Andy Gruenebaum on the second - and also put a quality ball into space behind to right-back to spring the Colombian in attack.
    He couldn’t hold his run and was offside for a threaded Marcos Sanchez ball, and later pulled into a great position for a shot at the top of the box, but Korb fizzed a shot over, rather than pass.
    Porter was cleaned out by Gaven in the corner, earning one of three free-kicks he won on the night. At times he again struggled in possession – conceding 16 times – but completed 31 of 43 passes, given how static and uninspired much of DC’s play was it is hard to fault him entirely for those numbers.
    His performance earned him on-air praise from Duncan Oughton, the Columbus colour-commentator, who was impressed with the graduate of the second-division.
    A special subsection on Porter’s link up with fellow Canadian, Dwayne De Rosario:
    The two nearly combined for a goal when De Rosario made a nice run from deep to latch onto a ball from Pajoy, then touched over to Porter on the right-side of the box. Porter unleashed a right-footed blast bound for the bottom corner, short-side, but Gruenebaum got down quickly and just managed to push it on to the post.
    It was then Porter’s turn to play provider when a cross from the right nearly picked out De Rosario for a spectacular acrobatic overhead attempt that failed to connect.
    Nana Attakora
    Nana Attakora made his second straight start – and third consecutive appearance for San Jose, as the left-sided centre-back, alongside Victor Bernardez.
    He dominated his mark, Jose Correa, for much of the night, winning headers at each end – seven that night, blocking crosses, cutting out through-balls, while nearly being decapitated – well, not really - by a high boot from the forward.
    He snuffed out a quick counterattack attempt by ushering Carlos Alvarez harmlessly into the corner and later used his size to block the diminutive attacker away from a loose ball; making a trio each of interceptions, clearances and recoveries
    While he couldn’t clear Chivas’ first goal from the line – it trickled beyond his reach – he made amends by helping to create the late, game-tying goal by shirking a tackle and sending a ball down the left-side of the pitch for Salinas to cut-back to Cordell Cato.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_RHUAeL4R5Q?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    He had a headed attempt on goal, after Steven Lenhart had popped the ball out of the hands of Chivas keeper, Dan Kennedy, but Joaquin Velasquez was able to clear it away from the line.
    It was great to see him confidently striding out of the back – one of two successful dribbles - and playing a similarly penetrative ball into space for Justin Morrow to cut-back to Adam Jahn, though his attempt was deflected out for a corner. Attakora completed 38 of 49 passes on the night.
    He showed excellent hustle to keep balls in play on a few occasions, extending the spells of pressure with crosses.
    Coach Frank Yallop could be heard on the broadcast, remonstrating with the referee that Nana was constantly being held on set-pieces, evidence of his threat in the box.
    Jonathan Osorio
    Jonathan Osorio replaced Andrew Wiedeman after 67 minutes, for his fifth straight appearance – four from the bench – and seventh of the season for Toronto FC.
    He scored his second goal for his hometown club, again it was wasted by a late-concession, but it was a beauty.
    Darren O’Dea lofted a deep free-kick into the area, prompting New York keeper, Luis Robles to rush out and swat it away. He missed and Ryan Richter calmly poked it back to Osorio, who switched it onto his right foot to make space and placed a shot in off the underside of the bar, over the heads of the retreating defenders.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0vYttYpZuhA?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    For those keeping track that is two goals in 129 minutes of play, prompting the question why he has not seen more time – that said, he looked overmatch in his lone start against Dallas and he put in a full shift in Wednesday’s Voyageur’s Cup opener.
    In his 23 minute cameo, his stat line reads: three passes attempted and completed; one shot on target, one goal; and one successful dribble.
    Wandrille Lefevre
    Wandrille Lefevre, a France-born permanent resident, replaced Alessandro Nesta after 54 minutes as the right-sided centre-back, alongside Hassoun Camara for Montreal; his first appearance in MLS.
    Three minutes into his debut he had his first assist, sending a long ball up to Andrea Pisanu in the middle, who played out to Andres Romero, where he cut in and struck a screamer, earning goal of the round plaudits at the main review.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eOtcgFlvntk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Not bad for a first appearance.
    He was later fully initiated into MLS when he was wrongly booked for an excellent tackle, dispossessing Joel Lindpere by poking the ball away, if slightly from behind, prompting a yellow card from the flustered referee.
    In less than one half of football, he was near-perfect, completing 22 of 25 passes, making six recoveries, three interceptions, and two clearances, but struggled a little to cope with the sheer physicality, thrice conceding possession and once failing to keep up with the bustling Maicon Santos, who broke past him for a tight-angled shot that skimmed off the top of the bar.
    Post-match, when asked about his first match, he remarked, “Things happen very quickly when you get on the field as substitute, I didn’t even have time to get nervous. I knew that I was coming in as a central defender despite being a natural midfielder, so I just told myself that I can’t make any mistakes keep it simple.”
    Fair to say he achieved that aim.
    Will Johnson
    Will Johnson started and completed his eighth match of the season for Portland, extending his iron-man streak – having played every minute of every match for the Timbers.
    On the whole, it was a rather quiet night from Johnson. A reprisal of the more defensive role he is apt to fulfill away from home, where he tends to not get too involved in the attack, preferring to orchestrate the midfield, clog up spaces, and squash any potential fires before they start.
    He spent much of the match hovering in front of the back four, cancelling out the threats of Benny Feilhaber and Graham Zusi, while often dropping deep into his own box and marking dangerous opponents on set-pieces.
    His newfound celebrity, as star of a surging side, prompted a physical approach from Kansas City, he was fouled harshly several times at the start of the match and had a heavy collision with Aurelien Collin when trying to force a Diego Valeri rebound over the line.
    He completed 55 of 64 passes – a look at his passing matrix depicts how integral he is to the side, even on a quiet night - and made six each of interceptions and recoveries, as well as two clearances.
    Dwayne De Rosario
    Dwayne De Rosario made his second straight start for DC, playing as a second striker, off the shoulder of Pajoy.
    It has been a tough start to the season for Dwayne - preseason suspension followed by a muscle injury has disrupted his flow - and he struggled at the offset of the match. He didn’t look too spritely, perhaps as a result of the delayed start interrupting his pre-game routine.
    He sent a nice ball from the right to the back-post, but it was caught easily by Gruenebaum, whereas a corner kick failed to beat the first man and a free-kick routine, where he only touched it forward a yard for a teammate rather than assume the responsibility, ended with a shot straight at the wall.
    His frustrations reached a boiling point when he was shouting at the referee - who admittedly made a meal of the match and often got in the way of play - after Dejan Jakovic was called for a very weak foul. Fortunately, Dwayne bit his tongue, offering, “How is that a foul?” by way of criticism; tame compared to some of the saucier language overheard this weekend.
    Come the second half he looked more himself, stinging a drive from distance that troubled the Columbus keeper, though his long-range, daisy-cutter of a free-kick came to naught. He did get on the end of a tidy back-heel from Pajoy on the right-side of the box, but his attempt was denied at the short-side.
    His passing was a little more crisp – competing 45 of 58 – and his shooting more accurate – three of five on target forcing saves, the other two blocked, and two off-target; adding four recoveries and one interception to his haul.
    He was caught in possession 16 times, which is pretty standard for him, most of which were in the attacking third at least. He also conceded one foul, clattering into former trade-mate, Tony Tchani.

    Dejan Jakovic
    Dejan Jakovic started his fifth straight match at left centre-back for DC and though he didn’t have a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, his centre-back partner had a mare, as DC conceded three first half goals.
    The downfall began early when Brandon McDonald mishandled a pretty routine pass from Jakovic, allowing Gaven to steal in requiring two excellent last-ditch tackles from McDonald.
    Jakovic was caught in no-man’s land between the triangle of Jairo Arrieta, Dom Oduro, and Federico Higuain on the first goal.
    He responded with a nice surging run up-field, earning his side some ground and showed an impressive burst of pace to match Oduro step-for-step on a lung-busting chase after a long ball down the pitch – he was shoved, gently, into the advertising hoardings for his troubles.
    He attempted to quell the onslaught and was out like a flash to hurry a Higuain shot that went off-target.
    As usual he was precise with his passing, completing 42 of 50, and was stoic in defense, making nine recoveries, seven clearances, and five interceptions, while winning three fouls and conceding none; though he did concede one corner kick.
    But it was an off-night for DC.
    Patrice Bernier
    Patrice Bernier’s unblemished attendance record for Montreal took a hit on Saturday, when he was omitted from the starting lineup for the first time since last July in league play.
    He did, however, play the full Voyageur’s Cup match on Wednesday, as one of the few regulars in a makeshift lineup.
    He entered as a second half substitute in the 61st minute, coming on for Felipe, after Montreal had their precious goal.
    He completed an impressive 22 of 24 passes, made two blocks and a recovery, won a foul, but conceded possession four times and committed a single foul on Chris Rolfe in a dangerous attacking position – Daniel Paladini sent his attempt wide.
    It is safe to assume Bernier will lead out his side in Wednesday’s opening round decider against TFC.
    Ashtone Morgan
    Ashtone Morgan had a tough afternoon on Saturday. He too played the entire match on Wednesday night, but it was not fatigue that bothered him; it’s adapting to his defense first role.
    He got forward much more than Ryan Nelsen has allowed him previously, especially when Toronto went forward late in the second half, and was much better on the ball than he has been, completing 38 of 54 passes.
    He contributed seven recoveries, three clearances, and a single interception, while winning one tackle and one foul. But it was his poor clearance that fell straight to Peguy Luyindula in the waning moments that led to New York’s game-winner from Tim Cahill – who crushed Morgan in the air on the finish, adding insult to injury.
    With outside backs in limited supply – and falling to injury – expect Morgan back out there on Wednesday night in Montreal.
    The Rest
    Toronto’s Terry Dunfield is still out with a knee strain, while Emery Welshman returned midweek going the full ninety, but was not in the 18, despite a strong performance – he should reappear on Wednesday.
    Montreal’s Karl Ouimette and Maxime Tissot were also left out of the game-day squad – expect them both back in the lineup come Wednesday.
    Russell Teibert and Doneil Henry were unused substitutes for Vancouver and Toronto, respectively; again, Wednesday.
    Guest

    MLS Week in Review – Round 9

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The ninth round of MLS play concluded on Sunday and the yellow cards just keep on coming.
    28 players were booked this round, as well as three dismissals for straight red cards, bringing the three week tally up to 89, or 3.17 per match; a dramatic increase from the opening week of the schedule that saw a mere 18 through nine matches, or exactly 2 per, without a single red card.
    Whether the matches are more in need of cautions as the tension ratchets up and players round into form, or the bleeding of younger officials is causing a steady rise in the count, is a matter of debate, but it is a trend worth watching.
    Name-taking aside, there was a flurry of action – eight matches on Saturday alone - that saw the good (plenty of two-goal contributions), the bad (old habits dying hard in Toronto and DC’s losing slide continued), and the utterly ridiculous (score-board fire in Columbus, what?).
    27 goals were scored – only a single penalty kick and own-goal each this round – as three away teams won, somewhat shocking for a league that preaches home dominance, and three draws littered the schedule.
    Before digging into the results, the goal of the round nominees:
    Plenty of candidates to highlight this weekend, Toronto’s Jonathan Osorio squeaking a shot in off the underside of the bar from outside the box; Tim Cahill powerful turn-back-the-clock headed winner; Kekuta Manneh’s tidy finish; Diego Fagundez’s well-worked winner; Ryan Johnson’s towering corner kick header, and finally, Drew Moor’s expert shirking of his mark to score the opener for Colorado.
    But none of those made the cut – fret not, they are included in the highlight packs below.
    Goal of the round for the ninth weekend of MLS play goes to Montreal’s Andres Romero and his stunning blast to open the scoring against Chicago on Saturday afternoon.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The play began with centre-back Wandrille Lefevre, just moments after replacing Alessandro Nesta - forced off with another muscle concern.
    The homegrown product, in his first league appearance, sent a long ball from the back up to Andrea Pisanu in space in the midfield. The Italian collected and turned, spotting the run of Romero down the left and played him in accordingly.
    Romero, face-to-face with the out of position Logan Pause - filling in at right-back after a rash of injuries and suspension to Wells Thompson - cut inside onto his right-foot, having leaned Pause off-balance to the outside, moved towards goal and unleashed a blast to the far-top corner that left goalkeeper Sean Johnson rooted helplessly to his spot.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eOtcgFlvntk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Lovely strike.
    Results in Brief
    Toronto 1 – New York 2
    Another late goal saw TFC drop further points at home as they were outworked by New York from start to finish.
    Tim Cahill, fresh off a midweek spat with analyst Taylor Twellman over whether the designated player was contributing enough value to his club, scored a brace – his first goals since last August. The first came in the 39th minute when the much-maligned Roy Miller was laid down the left by Jonny Steele. Miller then played a low cross into the box, where it was dummied by Thierry Henry, falling to the unmarked Cahill, who calmly stroked a left-footer into the bottom, near corner.
    Jonathan Osorio leveled the score in the 83rd, sweetly striking a shot from outside the box in off the underside of the bar after New York keeper Luis Robles has gone walkabouts on a deep Darren O’Dea free-kick. Robles whiffed and Ryan Richter played the loose ball back to the young Canadian, who switched onto his left to make space, before placing his shot over the covering defenders and in.
    But Cahill, a man possessed, would not be denied and Toronto would concede a fifth goal after the 75-minute mark. A poor clearance from Ashtone Morgan fell to Peguy Luyindula outside the area; he laid Henry down the left-side of the box to hang a ball to the back-post. Cahill, looking very much his old self, rose over Morgan to nod home the winner in the 89th minute.
    Ryan Nelsen lamented the lack of characters who take control in those desperate minutes as their winless streak at BMO Field climbs to eleven matches; New York’s Mike Petke will take enormous pride in the fight his team displayed on the road, winning back-to-back matches for the first time this season, despite absences – Dax McCarty and Juninho – in the midfield.
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    Montreal 2 – Chicago 0
    An uneventful first half – and one largely silent, as Impact supporters let their feelings regarding an understrength midweek lineup in the Voyageur’s Cup be known – gave way to a contentious second that saw two goals, a controversial red card, and more than its fair share of befuddled gesturing.
    Andres Romero opened the scoring – marking CSN’s goal of the round – before Fire Captain, Jeff Larentowicz was shown a red card for clipping the heels of Andrea Pisanu as he strode towards goal.
    Larentowicz appeared to attempt to hop over the limbs of Pisanu, who slide inside the box. At first it seemed a penalty kick was in the making – with Patrice Bernier customarily cradling the ball in preparation – but then the foul was moved outside the box. Was it denial of a goal-scoring opportunity? Larentowicz could hardly be said to be the last man.
    Either way, he was off and Montreal had their precious lead. Marco Di Vaio doubled the advantage in the 76th with a low dribbled hit on the swivel that snuck into the bottom corner, after MLS debutant Daniele Paponi, stretched to lift a chipped ball from Jeb Brovsky back into the path of his fellow countryman.
    Montreal’s Marco Schallibaum will feel vindicated in resting his starters and taking the league match, but will again face the wrath of the fans should his side fail on Wednesday in the return leg; Frank Klopas and the Fire have a case to feel aggrieved at the confused dismissal of their leader and have indicated they may appeal the red card.
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    Vancouver 2 - Dallas 2
    On the back end of a home-and-home series it looked as though Dallas would easily dismiss the struggling Whitecaps, but injury and substitution changed the match, allowing Vancouver to claw back for a draw from two goals down.
    A cruel own-goal – Kenny Cooper’s touch to a Michel corner-kick ricocheted off the back of Andy O’Brien – opener the scoring in the 9th minute. Matt Hedges made it two for the visitors when Michel’s deep free-kick was headed high in the air, towards his own keeper, by Bradford Rusin – yes that is his name. Joe Cannon came to collect, but Hedges got the first touch, redirecting the ball into the unguarded cage with the right-boot.
    Kekuta Manneh, the 18-year old Gambian speedster, seldom seen since the opening match, scored one and set up the other after joining the fray for Jun Marques Davidson in the 54th minute. A fast break down the right saw Camilo’s initial attempt parried; the ball fell to Tommy Heinemann towards the right, who sent it back into the middle, where Manneh took a touch to settle before lacing it past Raul Fernandez in goal in the 72nd minute.
    Manneh’s blistering pace created the second three minutes later, dispossessing Zach Loyd on the right touch-line before blazing a path in-field towards the end-line and finally centering a ball for Camilo to finish, with the aid of a redirection off the recovering Jair Benitez.
    Jackson was dismissed shortly thereafter, ending a six-minute spell that altered the match, for swinging a hand violently as he wrestled with Alain Rochat, effectively swatting the Swiss defender in the face.
    Martin Rennie will take solace from having dropped further points at home – and extending a winless run to six in the league - in the effectiveness of his substitution. Dallas’ Schellas Hyndman will lament the physical play that saw George John and Andrew Jacobson – key members of the team’s spine – removed either side of half-time.
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    Columbus 3 – DC 0
    A bizarre score-board fire in the moments prior to kickoff may have delayed the match, but only helped to stoke the embers of the Crew attack as they demolished a sluggish DC with three first half goals.
    With a full complement of four attackers – Dominic Oduro, Jairo Arrieta, Federico Higuain, and Eddie Gaven - in situ for the first time this season, each would find their way onto the score-sheet as Columbus took advantage of an off-night from Brandon McDonald.
    It could have all been so different for United, had Perry Kitchen’s goal not harshly been ruled offside, with two DC attackers not interfering with play deemed to be active – recalling the Kyle Porter goal that was disallowed when the two sides last met earlier in the season.
    But Oduro scored the first shortly thereafter from good work by Gaven and Arrieta on the left, that allowed the Costa Rican to send a goal-mouth cross from the left into the path of the sliding Ghanaian in the 15th minute of play. Right-back Josh Williams extended the lead eleven minutes on getting on the end of a Higuain corner kick for his third of the season – reminiscent of his goal against Chivas in the season opener.
    Higuain then rounded out the first half with a stoppage-time conversion from the spot after McDonald bundled over Arrieta, who had gotten goal-side all too easily.
    Robert Warzycha’s Crew began a three-match home-stand in style, spreading the scoring around after being shutout in Chicago the previous week – and his son Konrad made his debut after impressing in reserve matches and training, donning the old man’s former number, 19. Ben Olsen was quite literally left tearing at his hair with incredulity at his club’s fifth-straight loss – winless in six – and woes in front of goal – four goals through eight matches.
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    New England 2 – Philadelphia 0
    An emotional evening in the Boston suburbs saw the re-jigged Revolution offense finally click with a pair of second half goals against the Union.
    Kelyn Rowe and Lee Nguyen were given central roles in the midfield and the two combined to open the scoring in the 61st minute. Rowe played in to Nguyen, who slipped a return ball down the right-side of the box. Rowe then picked out Diego Fagundez near the spot, who finished smoothly with his right-foot into the far-side of the goal.
    Nguyen then crafted his own chance, cutting in from the left, sliding Sair Sene through on goal. The Frenchman’s blast was parried into the middle, where Nguyen, continuing his run, was on hand to finish simply.
    The Marathon Bombings, Kevin Alston’s leukemia diagnosis, and a heart-felt anthem sung on Autism Awareness night by a sweet young lady, left not a dry eye in the place, and encouraged Jay Heaps’ New England to their first win in six – dating all the way back to opening day. John Hackworth’s Philadelphia could muster little by way of opposition, ending their unbeaten run at three and keeping Jack McInerney from extending his lead atop the goal-scoring charts.
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    Kansas City 2 – Portland 3
    Portland extended their impressive run – unbeaten in six, while winning three of their last four – with another comeback having conceded twice in the first half hour.
    Chance Myers scored a brace – first, getting on the end of a right-sided long Matt Besler throw-in with a near-post header in the opening minute of play and then in the 29th minute, somewhat fortunately, when a passage straight off the training ground broke down. Graham Zusi’s right-sided Zusi free-kick was intentional hit low to Benny Feilhaber at the top of the box; he lifted in for Aurelien Collin to touch across to the streaking Myers for a simple finish after failing to get on the end of Feilhaber’s initial ball.
    A Ryan Johnson goal split the two strikes from the full-back, getting on the end of a left-sided Diego Valeri corner kick, rising well over Besler and placing his header over Paulo Nagamura at the far-post.
    Darlington Nagbe tied the score four minutes after KC had gone back in front with Ryan Johnson playing provider. Valeri slid the Jamaican striker down the left and he squared to the wide open Nagbe for a simple finish into the empty net.
    Rodney Wallace grabbed the winner in the 58th minute, when Diego Chara’s defense-splitting pass victimized the goal-scorer Myers, playing Wallace in for a low finish.
    Peter Vermes’ side have now conceded five goals combined in consecutive losses after only allowing three through the first seven games of the season; Caleb Porter’s stylish juggernaut just keep rolling, especially on the road, where they are yet to lose this season – the league’s sole unbeaten side away from home.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kNf2-VgpmEo?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Salt Lake 0 – Los Angeles 2
    A high-profile match, one deprived of its stars – no Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, Carlo Cudicini, Alvaro Saborio, or Robbie Findley - saw a youthful Galaxy side hit twice early to stun Real at home.
    Mike Magee scored his sixth of the season, fittingly in the 6th minute of play, with a free header at the back-post from a right-sided Juninho free-kick. Charlie Rugg scored his first professional goal - on his debut – seven minutes later, forcefully knocking in a goal-mouth cross, after Jack McBean played out wide to Hector Jimenez on the right.
    Brian Rowe kept a clean-sheet on his debut with the aid of the goalkeeper’s friends, Messrs Post and Crossbar, making several excellent stops along the way.
    It was not all good news for LA; McBean suffered a fractured left-clavicle – collarbone, for the non-doctor-ly types – after a heavy collision with Nat Borchers, prompting another debut – the highly-rated Gyasi Zardes, who, if pundits are to be believed, would have been the undisputed first-overall pick in the draft, had he not qualified as a homegrown product for the Galaxy.
    Jason Kreis criticized his side’s slow start, pondering whether they mentally prepared themselves for a tough match given the absence of big names, musing about lying to them when he wrote the oppoent’s lineup on the chalkboard pre-match. Bruce Arena’s Galaxy somehow keep on producing young players who can step into the league to not miss a stride without their starters in place.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/trD_zKD0Vuw?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Chivas 2 – San Jose 2
    A bitterly physical match, whose only surprise lay in the lack of a sending off, pitted El Chelis’ fouling Chivas against Frank Yallop’s bruising Earthquakes – or los Terremotos, en espanol, as Chivas’ new bilingual posts have instructed.
    Fresh off a fractious match against Portland and with Alan Gordon still suspended, Steven Lenhart seemed intent on causing enough ruckus for two, with unending feuds against Joaquin Velasquez and Mario de Luna that shockingly resulted in only one yellow card between the three - to de Luna, for time-wasting.
    Chris Wondolowski opened the scoring in the 40th minute, ghosting in off the back of the defense on a quickly taken right-sided Shea Salinas free-kick that caught the Chivas back-line napping. Howls of offside were ignored and unfounded, as the striker scored his fourth of the season with a simple right-footed touch into the bottom corner of the goal.
    Chivas came to life after the half-time break on two goals four minutes apart, both created by Jorge Villafana, who was not afforded a registered assist on either.
    The first came in the second minute back from the break, when Villafana drove a left-sided cross through the goal-mouth, de Luna stabbed at it, but appeared to miss, only to see the ball strike Busch and rebound in off the outstretched leg of the Chivas defender for his first goal in MLS.
    Tristan Bowen smashed the second after Carlos Alvarez had slid Villafana down the left on the counter. The wide player cut down the side of the area and pulled a low cross back towards the spot, it was missed by Alvarez, but fell to Bowen towards the back-post, who had checked up his run, sending a low shot back against the grain to the bottom left-corner of the goal.
    Lenhart was removed as his battles had reached the point of farce – and a card of some colour was imminent – and San Jose pressed in search of an equalizer. Nana Attakora provided the spark, shirking a challenge and leading a pass down the left for Salinas to chase, his cross into the centre found the streaking Cordell Cato, whose first-time touch nestled in the net at the near-side.
    El Chelis praised his side’s effort in coming back after a poor first half – to banish the threat of an April spent goal-less, having gone 262 minutes without; while Yallop’s Terremotos are now winless in five matches, but can take some heart in finding their goal-scoring boots, having only scored six in their previous nine matches.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Z5sT9d9zXp8?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Houston 1 – Colorado 1
    The lone Sunday fixture saw Colorado travel to Texas in attempt to halt Houston’s record-breaking unbeaten run at home; they did not.
    For a spell it appeared they might, after Drew Moor powered in a header in the second minute of first half stoppage-time, ditching his marker, Ricardo Clark, to get on the end of a left-sided Dillon Powers in-swinger.
    Moor would be victimized for the leveler in the 66th when Giles Barnes took it upon himself, collecting a long Tally Hall goal-kick, inching the defender back and to the right – back and to the right - to make space for a stunning blast high to the near-post.
    The Rapids’ injury misfortune continued when Hendry Thomas planted a leg awkwardly and was forced to leave the match, though Martin Rivero, who fractured his foot in preseason, returned from the bench. Brad Davis was needlessly red-carded in the 95th minute for a silly lunging challenge on former teammate, Nathan Sturgis, as his blood boiled in frustration at the referee.
    Dominic Kinnear’s Dynamo see their home unbeaten run stretch to 30 in MLS and 36 in all competitions – the record now solely their possession – but will not remember this afternoon fondly, with their perfect record this season at BBVA Compass Stadium blemished with a draw and the dismissal – and suspension – of their captain, Davis. Oscar Pareja should marvel at the fight his side has evidenced, stretched to their limits by an injury plague of outrageous proportions that will see them without as many as seven potential starters next weekend.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5t-Oks-m9bo?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Overheard
    The weird electro-funk track that played under the lineup cards on the Dallas broadcast was out of place, if oddly soothing.
    Jay Heaps threatening to go all Voodoo if New England hadn’t scored, jokingly admitting in his post-match comments that, “We were about to sacrifice a live chicken pretty soon if one of those didn't go in during the second half.”
    The field-side microphones were all particularly observant this weekend, leading to all sorts of misadventures. From Lenhart’s incredulity - and language - at getting punched in the back by Velasquez, responding in kind, and demanding a card, to some harsh criticism from a Columbus defender of referee Sorin Stoica’s blank-ing clueless performance.
    See It Live (We’re Seeing It Live)
    The score-board fire in Columbus was unbelievable and Dwayne De Rosario’s look of shock as he covered his mouth and nose with his jersey when the broadcast went live with the announcement of a delay delineated the situation perfectly.
    Ben Olsen’s screaming fit that same match, with Agustin Viana and then Robert Warzycha, after the defender/midfielder left the field for treatment only to return and immediately fall to ground, prompting the referee to needlessly stop the match with DC attacking. Viana was bizarrely yellow carded before he was subbed off.
    Upcoming Fixtures
    The return legs of the Voyageur’s Cup first round (semifinal) take place on Wednesday in Montreal and Vancouver, as if it need be mentioned; as does the CONCACAF Champions League Final with Santos Laguna and Monterrey having tied 0-0 in Torreon last week.
    Thursday: Portland-New England. Saturday: San Jose-Montreal; Philadelphia-Seattle; Columbus-New York; Colorado-Toronto; Salt Lake-Vancouver. Sunday: Kansas City-Chivas; Los Angeles-Houston.
    Parting Thoughts
    A few questions to ponder and discuss:
    With both series in the Voyageur’s Cup delicately poised, the first goal in the second legs could well prove crucial. Who wants it more? And who will field a lineup that indicates such a desire? Can Montreal overcome their two-goal deficit? Can Edmonton upset Vancouver?
    In league play Montreal faces a difficult trip to the West Coast, with a match in San Jose; will schedule congestion and fixture pile-up after an inactive April catch up with them? Toronto travel to altitude to face Colorado, is another late, deciding goal in the offing with the thin mountain air affecting late-game legs? And Vancouver, can they arrest their worrying slide? Away to Salt Lake makes that task all the more difficult.
    What is it with youth at LA? Do the players succeed because of the system or the system because of the players? Is Portland for real? Is Caleb Porter’s re-build this year’s KC, destined to take the league by storm with their high-tempo, no fear attitude? Has Seattle used their bye week to good effect? Do they begin their climb out of the Western basement in Philadelphia? Or does Jack McInerney lace up his scoring boots upon returning home?
    Is Petke’s New York as good as they’ve looked through the last two, or as inconsistent as they were in the previous eight? And what of Sporting and Salt Lake, struggling after periods of domination, is it just a phase or sign of something more?
    Finally, the last match next week is a re-match of the last two MLS Cups. Can LA assert their dominance? Or will Houston find revenge on the road?
    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
    The extended look at the Canadian performances of the weekend will be up as a separate post later this evening.
    Guest
    The images and emotions from Toronto FC's 2-1 loss to New York this weekend. All photos are courtesy of Chris Hazard
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    Lambe is understandably a little hesitant in going after that ball


    Earnshaw has had limited success in getting control of many passes coming to him. Is it a limitation of the service, or just the team timing?

    Agbossoumonde (spelling test to follow) attacking the ball on a corner

    Silva has shown some good confidence and is not afraid to battle for the ball. MLS is a physical league and he is a willing participant

    O'Dea brings his experience and tenacity to the box on every corner.

    This was a miss by Robles for NYRB that led to the Osorio goal. It was not the first time that he was high in the box. In the 1st half, Earnshaw made a great attempt to chip him, but he was a little long


    Osorio gets his 2nd goal of the year at home.
    He is a local player.

    Bostock was showing signs of fatigue late in the match (came in at the half), which is likely due to the full 90 min he played on Wednesday. With the busy schedule over the next 2 weeks he will need to fight this and be physically prepared for the team

    The New York winning goal

    Full Slideshow
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    Guest
    Episode six of <i>"There's Still Time"</i>, the AFTN podcast, and it's our first post game special.
    Recorded at BC Place after the Dallas game, Steve and myself are joined by Andrew Bates to chat about the comeback, the terrible defending, the diving, the missed opportunities and what the Whitecaps need to do to try and get a MLS win again.
    We have post game audio from Caps coach <b>Martin Rennie</b> about Darren Mattocks and Steve takes part in an interesting threesome with Dallas coach <b>Schellas Hyndman</b> and the Province's Marc Weber.
    Our main guest this episode is Vancouver Whitecaps' defender <b>Greg Klazura</b>, who made his season debut against FC Edmonton in the Voyageurs Cup on Wednesday. We have a fun chat to Greg about the Eddies game, how he's settling in to life in Vancouver, the frustrations of waiting for his MLS debut and of course his famous headband and faces. And just why was he wearing gloves in nine degrees weather?!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    And there's still time to look ahead to Wednesday and what may lie in store in the second leg against the Eddies and who we'd like to see the Caps face in the final.
    Going forward, we're planning to do several of these post game pods this season, with different guests and co-hosts, and a lot more audio from the locker rooms.
    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"><b>HERE</b></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!
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    Guest
    The Vancouver Whitecaps say that there is no plan to field a NWSL team in 2014.
    SI’s Grant Wahl Tweeted April 14 that the Caps and Toronto were both actively involved in talks to bring professional women’s soccer to Canada next season.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Hearing Vancouver and Toronto are 2 MLS ownership groups interested in owning NWSL teams next year.</p>— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) <a href="
    ">April 14, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    However, Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi told CSN that there was nothing to the rumours today.
    He called the report “inaccurate” and said that the ‘Caps would be focusing on the men’s side of the club for the immediate future. He did not rule out eventual involvement in the women’s game, but said that that would only happen “when we’re ready.”
    In the meantime, the ‘Caps will continue to focus on the youth side of the women’s game.
    We will have more reaction and comment on this story soon.
    Guest
    When I was growing up, we'd routinely collect the neighbourhood kids for games of road hockey on weekends. One of them was a Portuguese kid named Tobias, about five years younger than me. He'd bring his stick and plenty of enthusiasm -- but at around 4 p.m. on any given Saturday or Sunday, his broom-toting mom would beckon him back to the house with shrill calls of "Tobias!... Tobias!"
    It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner... quite frankly, none of us really understood why he was being ripped away from our games at 4 p.m. with such regularity. But we'd come to expect it. Check your watch. It's getting close to 4 p.m. Time for what we all know is coming.
    "Tobias!.... Tobias!"
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Every once in a while, she'd fail to emerge at the expected time. We'd take this as a positive sign. Maybe she'd finally calmed down. Maybe he'd actually be able to stick around for full games. Hell, maybe she'd fallen down the stairs and we wouldn't have to hear that shriek anymore (hey, kids are assholes, what can I say?)
    But soon enough, there she'd be, twice as loud -- as if to compensate for her delinquency -- with the cry we all knew was going to come. Why, oh why, did we think she'd ever stop? We would need to always keep an eye on our watches at 4 p.m., even if she missed a week here and there. We'd never truly be rid of her interference, no matter how our games were going, or how old we got.
    I tell this story for two reasons. One, as an attempt to take everyone's minds off of another catastrophic, points-dropping, last-minute concession by Toronto FC. And two, as a way of reminding us all that the occasional hiccup should not make us forget certain inalienable truths about the universe: Tobias's mom will always call him back in the house at a strange time. And Toronto FC will always, always, always make things terrifying at the ends of games.
    Now, on this occasion, many TFC fans will take solace in ... well, not much of anything, really. You can only slam your head against the wall so many times until you eventually slump into unconsciousness, as it were.
    At the end of the day, both teams earned a point... oh, wait, sorry, scratch that, New York got three and Toronto got none. Damn, I can't just totally cut and paste it this week.
    That's not to say there weren't high points... I guess, maybe. I just watched the "Game in Six" highlight pack, so all I can say is, uh, that Jonathan Osorio kid's really coming along, eh? Maybe he'll get the call for Canada before too long. Though then he'd probably have to miss TFC games, which would make their situation all the more dire. Sigh.
    So, here the Reds sit, with seven points from eight league games... and a fanbase likely participating in one (or, in a bit of cognitive dissonance only long-time TFC fans can successfully pull off, both) of the following activities:

    bemoaning the fact that it could have very easily been 13 points, if not for the late concessions against Philly, Los Angeles and Houston and New York
    happily shrugging "hey, that's seven points better than last year at this time! Progress!"

    Both of those are a little bit dangerous. The first, because if you're still thinking about what might have been when it comes to points TFC could have earned, you're surely on the verge of driving yourself batty. And the second, because it's not especially helpful to use the worst start in the history of the league as a benchmark of any sort.
    That being said, clearly there is some progress (it'd be nearly impossible for there not to be)... probably. I guess. I dunno. I'm starting to think it'd be much, much better for all of us is they just got thoroughly shellacked so we wouldn't need to holding our hearts in our hands all the way into second-half injury time. Remember, two losses and a win earn you just as many points as three draws.
    Clearly there is some depth on this team (relative to previous years) and clearly they are attempting to establish some sort of a rhythm, even if the final product isn't there yet. Ugly as it may have been, a point acquired is a point acquired -- even if it really coulda, woulda, shoulda been three.
    And as for the late-game collapses?
    Well, it's potentially instructive to know that one week, Tobias never came out to play road hockey. We knocked on his door, no answer. The next week, same thing. Turns out, he moved away without telling any of us. Something we'd come to expect after years and years of the same... all of a sudden, without explanation, it stopped.
    So, hey. There's always hope.
    Even if, y'know, it's getting harder and harder and harder to actually believe that.
    .
    Guest
    <center><i>** Match report and post game reaction from Vancouver Whitecaps v FC Dallas. **</i></center>

    Vancouver Whitecaps battled back for a share of the points against the Western Conference leading FC Dallas in an incident packed game at BC Place on Saturday.
    After falling two behind to more poor defending Kekuta Manneh and Camilo Sanvezzo scored two goals in the space of four second half minutes to salvage what had been looking a forlorn cause.
    Although the comeback will make most of the headlines, it was yet another game when the Caps defended terribly and created chances but were unable to take them time and time again.
    It took the introduction of substitutes Manneh and Tommy Heinemann to kickstart the Caps and Caps coach Martin Rennie will now face some hard team selection questions for the upcoming games.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Rennie made another play for the MLS tinkering title with four changes from last week's starting line up. Daigo Kobayashi returned after being rested and the three players that came on as subs last week, Darren Mattocks, Camilo Sanvezzo and Gershon Koffie, all started.
    It didn't take long for Dallas to continue where they left off last Saturday and give the Whitecaps defence a torrid time.
    With just over a minute on the clock, Jackson got on the end of a through ball and turned Brad Rusin inside out. Gershon Koffie came in late to clean up the mess, cleaning out the Brazilian in the process and received the first card of the game.
    Vancouver responded and had a great chance to open the scoring when the ball broke to a free Darren Mattocks in the box but the Caps striker, who was already short of confidence, could only manage a poor shot which Raul Fernandez stuck out a leg and turned away.
    As if Dallas weren't giving Vancouver's defence a hard enough time, they were doing it to themselves and it cost them dearly in the 10th minute.
    Andy O'Brien played the ball back to Joe Cannon and the veteran keeper dillied and dallied twice under Dallas pressure and his weak kick out fell was eventually deflected for a corner.
    The visitors whipped a dangerous inswinger into the six yard box and with Kenny Cooper sandwiched between Cannon and O'Brien, the Irish international jumped to clear the ball but only managed to turn it into his own net.
    It was the second week running that Vancouver had fallen behind to an own goal, but just the latest defensive blunder to hit the team this season.
    The Caps had a quick break in the 17th minute, ending with another poor effort from Mattocks.
    The game fell into a bit of a lull, with the Caps dominating possession as you would expect from a home team being one goal down, but not doing much with it. Dallas seemed content to examine the BC Place as closely as possible.
    Nigel Reo-Coker was definitely proving to be the engine in the Whitecaps machine and the rage in it too and twice in the space of three minutes he played perfect balls into the six yard box that Mattocks could not get on the end of.
    In the 37th minute he pushed Jair Benitez off the ball to deliver a cross which Mattocks just could into position for in time. Moments later, it was the same move and an even more precise cross that just missed the toes of Mattocks' boot by millimetres.
    Vancouver finished the half with a bit of pressure, but were worryingly nearly caught out twice by quick Dallas counter attacks.
    They survived and headed into the half, still in it but badly needing to convert some of the chances they were creating.
    It took Dallas less than two minutes of the second half to double their advantage and once again it was down to terrible Vancouver defending.
    The Hoops won a free kick just inside the Caps half and Michel played it into the box. Brad Rusin was only able to knock it towards his own goal and Matt Hedges nipped in between a stationary Alain Rochat and Jun Marques Davidson to easily knock it over Cannon and into the net.
    Some blame will be laid at Cannon's door for not coming off the line earlier, but he was probably expecting one of his two players in front of him to deal with the danger.
    It was now going to be an uphill struggle for Vancouver but they came within the width of the post of pulling one back in the 49th minute.
    Koffie played a long through ball towards Mattocks. Half time Dallas sub Woodberry tried to intercept it but couldn't, setting the Jamaican free. He bore down on goal and sent the ball over a committed Fernandez only to watch on in agony as the ball crashed off the right hand post.
    The visitors were now happy to sit back and allow Vancouver the ball, with very little creative output coming out of the possession.
    Dallas had a great chance to add a third in the 65th minute on a three on three break.
    With the Whitecaps defence all at sea and caught upfield, David Ferreira played in Jackson but Cannon sprinted over thirty yards off his line to get to the ball first.
    Mattocks fluffed another effort in front of goal from a great cross in from the right from Kekuta Manneh, but his blushes were somewhat spared by the linesman's offside flag.
    Vancouver made another switch, introducing Tommy Heinemann and the big striker had an immediate impact in the 72nd minute.
    Heinemann did well on the right and played a perfect ball in to Camilo in the centre. Fernandez produced an amazing stop to keep out the Brazilian's rocket and the rebound fell for Heinemann to play in Manneh.
    The Gambian showed great composure to coolly slot home his first ever MLS goal and bring the Caps within one.
    Dallas were looking most danger to Vancouver on the counter and Cooper bore down on goal in the 74th minute before blasting wildly over.
    A minute later and the Whitecaps were amazingly level.
    Having had a couple of wild swipes since coming on as sub, the goal gave Manneh a boost and he turned provider for the equaliser. He hit the byeline and played the ball across to Camilo and his shot deflected off Benitez to tie things up.
    As if the Caps comeback hadn't ignited the game enough, the game exploded in the 78th minute when Jackson was sent off for striking Rochat in the face after the pair tussled near the sideline.
    Vancouver were now pushing hard for all three points and Manneh hit a long range effort in the 82nd minute which Fernandez couldn't hold and Mattocks rushed in for the rebound but directed his effort
    As the game headed in to stoppage time Reo-Coker's long ball took a bounce and fell to Camilo in the Dallas box but his flipper shot was easily stopped by Fernandez.
    Dallas weren't out of the game as an attacking force themselves and Blas Perez, who had been having a quiet match, brought a great goalline save out of Cannon with a fierce strike from the edge of the box.
    That was the last goalmouth action of the half. Vancouver may have fought back well and taken a point from the Conference leaders, but there is no doubt that they should have come away from the game with all three points and need to work on their continued missed opportunities.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - 2 FC Dallas
    ATT: 19,967
    VANCOUVER: Joe Cannon; Young-Pyo Lee, Brad Rusin, Andy O'Brien, Alain Rochat; Jun Marques Davidson (Kekuta Manneh 54), Gershon Koffie, Nigel Reo-Coker; Daigo Kobayashi, Camilo Sanvezzo, Darren Mattocks (Tommy Heinemann 70) [subs: Brad Knighton, Jordan Harvey, Johnny Leveron, Russell Teibert, Erik Hurtado]
    DALLAS: Raul Fernandez; Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd, Jair Benitez, George John (London Woodberry 46); Andrew Jacobson (Je-Vaughn Watson 41), Michel, Jackson, Kenny Cooper, David Ferreira; Kenny Cooper (Fabian Castillo 79) [subs Not Used: Chris Seitz, Bobby Warshaw, Eric Hassli, Bradlee Baladez]
    <p>
    <b><u>Post Game Reaction:</u></b>
    <b>Martin Rennie on game:</b>
    "I'm so proud of the players for how they dug themselves out of a very difficult situation. I thought we started the game really brightly. We had a chance to go one nil up and then we really let ourselves down on the goal that we lost. Multiple mistakes leading to a terrible goal against. And then I thought we played quite well.
    "In the second half I thought losing that goal the way we did, I couldn't believe we were 2-0 down considering how we were on top for most of it. But that just showed great character, guts and then the quality of Kekuta.
    "I can't believe we didn't win that game. We had some fantastic chances."
    <b>Schellas Hyndman on game:</b>
    "Give the Whitecaps a lot of credit. They fought really hard. Put a lot of people forward, created numerous opportunities and unfortunately we had a man down, had a 2-0 lead and came back and survived a tie"
    <b>Martin Rennie on Dallas players timewasting and diving:</b>
    "I'd like to tell you what I think about that. I've been in soccer in North America for seven years now, maybe a little bit longer, and one of the things I like about it most is the fair play, and the honesty and integrity and the lack of diving. You'll have to judge yourself, you saw the game, if that was the case today or not."
    <b>Schellas Hyndman on Dallas' reputation for diving:</b>
    "You know what. I have such a hard time sleeping at night I worry about it so much."
    <b>Schellas Hyndman on red card:</b>
    "I think it was build up. If you look at the video. Rochat was grabbing Jackson, pulling him and Jackson lashed out and got a red card."
    <b>Schellas Hyndman on the jumbotron:</b>
    "You guys do a great job showing videos when your team gets fouled but you don't show videos when anybody else gets fouled and that ain't right. It's a great way to instil the fans. I think we have a little bit of an issue with that."
    <b>Martin Rennie on Darren Mattocks:</b>
    "First of all, I was really, really pleased with his work rate today. One thing I've kind of questioned is his work rate for the team and his work rate for the team today was by far the highest that he's shown yet.
    "His running of the channels, his closing people down, was what we're looking for and as a result of that he got many chances. And some days they don't go in and some days they don't."
    <b>Darren Mattocks on scoring funk:</b>
    "I'm not going to stress about not scoring because as a striker that's the way it goes sometimes."
    <b>Brad Rusin on the game and fightback:</b>
    "I think ultimately we showed heart today and desire. Some games are not going to go your way. Again, we gave up two pretty soft goals in my opinion but ultimately we fought back and got a draw."
    <b>Andy O'Brien on poor defending:</b>
    "I think a lot of the goals that we've conceded have been unlucky, scrappy, we could have done something about them.
    "He's a little bit inconsistent with his finishing as you'd expect from an 18 year old but that goal was fantastic. He showed great composure, but not only that the run after that to set up the second goal was real high quality."
    <b>Martin Rennie on Kekuta Manneh:</b>
    "Kekuta's just 18 years old. He's got incredible potential to be a very, very, very good player and today he showed that."
    <b>Andy O'Brien on Kekuta Manneh:</b>
    "He's got the world at his feet and that's not blowing wind up his backside. He's a very exciting talent and he demonstrated today what he's capable of. From our perspective we hope that he does that week in and week out but he should be very proud of himself tonight."
    <b>Kekuta Manneh on first MLS goal:</b>
    "It always feels good to score, especially with my first professional goal. Really excited about that. Thank my teammates and the fans for that support."
    <p>
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