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    Duane Rollins
    Dan Calichman may be a good coach. He might even be a great coach.
    However, he's still a disturbing hire by Greg Vanney as an assistant coach. He's a hire that once again demonstrates TFC to be deaf to local concerns and prone to nepotism hires over quality hires.
    Calichman coached for 14 years in Division 3 NCAA soccer. That is a level that is absolutely worse than any of the three local CIS programs.
    It's at a level where no one is on scholarship and no one has hopes of a pro career. If an athlete there has a big chemistry mid-term two days before a playoff game he skips practice to study.
    Meanwhile there are coaches -- good coaches -- in the region that are as qualified to take the position that aren't getting a sniff.
    The truth is, if TFC hired a CIS head coach as an assistant today there would be an outcry against it. That outcry wouldn't be wrong -- Vanney needs a very experienced assistant, just as Nelsen did -- but it would likely be slightly misguided. As stated, they'd be more qualified than Calichman.
    Maybe Calichman will turn out to be great. Maybe.
    What's that old saying about the definition of insanity being repeating the same behaviour while expecting a different result...
    Grant
    Costa Rica establishes itself in the fuzzy region between Concacaf’s Big Two and everyone else.
    After qualifying for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, narrowly missing out on 2010 and then galloping to the quarterfinals of the 2014 tournament, Costa Rica appears to now resemble as close to a sure thing in Concacaf as possible without being the U.S. or Mexico. A bold statement? Yeah, probably, but if you consider some of the Ticos playing in Europe, like Bryan Ruiz, Joel Campbell and Keylor Navas, it's not a super stretch to say they are already there on paper. And although Costa Rica owns this tournament (winning eight of 13 held so far) the manner they arrived in the U.S. -- bearing the pressures of a successful World Cup, a tumultuous coaching change and several new faces -- meant victory would be hard, but anything less a total failure.
    Costa Rica won matter-of-factly. Nothing impressive, just a job done in Concacaf assisted by some shoddy Panama penalties. La Nacion boasts that victory over Guatemala in the final was secured with only one member of the World Cup squad in the starting eleven. It's a pragmatic stance: Taking into account the limited level UNCAF represents in world football, the Copa Centromamericana title must be recognized as a reaffirmation of Costa Rica's superiority in the area.
    Honduras is in shambles
    Los Catrachos bumbled their way past Nicaragua in the fifth-place game, which leaves them needing to beat the fifth-place finisher of the upcoming Caribbean Cup to qualify for the 2015 Gold Cup. Not exactly the stuff of World Cup attendees, no matter how rubbish you were. Honduran manager Hernan Medford can at least plead that he didn’t really pick a good squad. The problem with that argument is it's sort of his job in the first place.
    After Brazil, stories emerged in the local press about locker room divisions between the wealthier extranjeros who play outside the country and those in the domestic league. Medford therefore left a lot of the World Cup team at home, bringing to the U.S. a more inexperienced, ideally less angry group of players. It backfired. Almost really badly. One could argue it would be better for Canada were Honduras to self destruct deeper into World Cup qualifying, but discord within the opposition ranks should be welcomed at any time. What’s best, Honduras still can’t buy a goal no matter who is striking. In three group stage matches against Belize, El Salvador and Guatemala, Honduras managed two goals total. Both of them came versus Belize. Both were own-goals.
    Speaking of shambles, Panama may have psychological problems
    Panama manager Bolillo Gomez says it's time for his charges to "remove from their heads" whatever is making them miss penalties. He says he's never been in charge of a team that's missed a penalty in four straight games before. As always, we're willing to speculate it may go deeper than just missed penalties. Think of how close Panama was to grabbing fourth spot in the Hex last fall before conceding two stoppage time goals to the U.S. at home in Panama City.
    In this competition, they were up again up two goals to none against Costa Rica in the final game of the group stage before conceding two late ones. A win would have meant straight qualification to the final. And after giving up the two tying goals, Gabriel Gomez whiffed a penalty in the 90th minute. The positive spin, which Panamanian players are happy to offer, is that the team showed well despite an injection of new faces. LA Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo trumpets: "We're headed for big things."
    Christ, now Guatemala has hope
    Most seasoned Concacaf watchers would probably not have picked Guatemala to be one of the teams representing Concacaf in the 2016 Copa America. At least not confirmed this early in the process. But on the back of some play largely inspired by Seattle Sounders 26-year-old striker Marco Pappa, who was the competition's top scorer with four goals in four games, Los Chapines came within a goal of doing just that, losing 2-1 in the final at LA’s Memorial Coliseum to Costa Rica.
    Guatemala won all three of its group matches, dumping Honduras, Belize and El Salvador to advance directly to the final. Sure, one tournament doesn’t make a program, but Guatemala has been down right Canad-esque over the past two World Cup qualifying cycles (after what, to be fair, was a pretty great run in 2006 only to be screwed over in the last game of the Hex by Mexico failing to beat Trinidad ). But when teams come out the right side of a bad stretch it can be dangerous for those rivals subsequently facing them in important matches. And yes, I am referring to the nightmare scenario of Canada being drawn into a winner-take-all early round group with this team at the start of World Cup qualifying.
    Correction: This post originally stated Blas Perez missed a 90th minute penalty against Costa Rica. It was actually Gabriel Gomez.
    Michael Mccoll
    "They're fantastic signings for the club," Robinson told reporters. "I'm absolutely delighted to get those two on board, especially now with a couple of months to go till the end of the season because it's important. It's important for them to get to grips with what it's like being a MLS professional, getting used to the environment for January when they come because it's the progression I want as the manager of the club as well as what the club want.
    "I think it's important for the growth of this club that we see players coming through regularly. Not just one year, every three or four years, but every year. They're added to our already talented young pool of players that we've got. I'm delighted to have them both on board."
    It's a delight matched by both players, as they grinned from ear to ear throughout their first media scrums as pros. So now that they've had a small amount of time for it to all sunk in, how does it feel to have signed their first pro contracts?
    "[Monday] was an amazing day really," Froese told us. "It's surreal to say the least. It's a dream come true but the work starts now."
    That was a view echoed by Bustos, although it's their hard work already in the Residency program that has seen them earn their pro deals at 18-years-old. But now that the pair have that MLS contract, neither is going to be resting on his laurels.
    "It's a good feeling because I've pretty much put the weight off my shoulders for how hard I've worked for the past 10, 12 months," Bustos told us. "To know that I've got myself in the team for next season is a good step for me because that then pushes me to fight for a spot on the squad. That realistically, at the end of the day, I want to be in the 18 man squad and sooner, rather than later, be in the 11 man squad."
    Both players have impressed at training this year and they got an initial reward back in May when they started the first leg of the Canadian Championship semi-final in Toronto. Although a spot in the second leg was deprived of them due to a Canadian national team training camp, the experience that both got in that game against TFC gave them a taste of playing for the Whitecaps first team and left them knowing they could perform at that level and wanting more.
    "The experience leaves me with the thought that I can be here and I could play with the squad," Bustos said. "It makes me believe that I can get in the 11 man squad and it shows me that the coaches believe in me. Whenever the coaches give me the chance to get out on the field again, then I'll hopefully take that chance and give them everything."
    Froese agrees and the match helped them realise that they've arrived in football and are playing with and against world class players now.
    "When I saw [Michael] Bradley playing in the World Cup, I was like, 'yeah, I've played against him'!," Froese joked. "Obviously it just shows that we can do it and we can hopefully play, so it just gives us confidence to go and do it when the chance comes."
    And Froese may be getting that chance in the very near future. With six games remaining, Robinson has no qualms about pitching the young star into the mix, whether the Whitecaps are in the heat of a playoff battle or not, and the 'Caps coach has no doubts that he's already capable of playing at MLS level.
    "Kianz is very much in contention," Robinson replied when asked if Froese would only play if the Caps were out of the playoffs. "We don't need to be eliminated or out of it for him to get the opportunity. I think you see today in training what he brings.
    "We know there's areas of his game that need a little bit more focus. I just spoke to him at length about what we're going to do in the offseason, but he's very much in the picture between now and the end of the season. And rightly so, because his performances and his training have fully deserved that. So don't be surprised if you see him soon."
    Signing a MLS contract is already a dream come to true for Froese, but to then play right away and have the chance to shape the club's playoff hopes is taking it to another level altogether, but one he's excited at the prospect of and ready for.
    "That would be unreal," Froese said. "That's my goal for right now. To hopefully get to go on a trip with the team and just be a part of the team and help in any way I can. Obviously that's earned on the field, so right now I'm just focussing on staying consistent and hopefully I get a chance."
    Unfortunately, Marco Bustos won't get his chance to shine this season, having only signed a pre-contract for MLS that won't kick in until January next year.
    It's disappointing, especially with the top form that he is in right now with the Residency, but taking the long term view, this may see him signing a Generation Adidas deal with Russell Teibert moving off his. And in light of Major League Soccer's weird roster rules at the best of times, the Whitecaps didn't want to take any chances.
    "As you know, with the expansion draft coming up, it's a tricky time for all MLS clubs," Robinson told us. "With the protection rule of only ten players, maybe bumping two of them up at a certain time will give the possibility of me maybe losing one or two players and I don't want to do that at this time because I'm building here.
    "I can get one of them on the roster, which is why I think Kianz is slightly more ready than Marco, even though Marco scored five goals on the weekend and beat six men to get his goal of the season contender."
    And what a goal that was. If anyone needed convincing of the talent Bustos has and what he offers the Whitecaps, they should have seen his second goal against San Juan on Sunday. It may have been at youth level but he picked the ball up 40 yards from goal and weaved his way past six players before coolly putting it away past the keeper. Has he scored a better goal than that?
    "I can't remember all the goals I've scored, but I think that's probably one of the best ones I've scored for the Whitecaps Residency," Bustos said. "Going through those bunch of guys and finishing was pretty cool."
    Bustos hit a hat-trick in Saturday's 3-2 win for the Whitecaps U18s over Seattle and followed that up with a brace against San Juan. With the minutes ticking down he had the chance to hit back to back hat-tricks, but could only look on as his shot cannoned off the left hand post.
    "It would have been nice to get the two hat-tricks but at the end of the day we won the game, so that's all that matters to me," Bustos told us when we ask him if he was disappointed at missing out on an impressive feat.
    Bustos has been given the captain's armband for the U18s this season and the attitude and knowledge sharing he has shown since training with the first team, played an important part in the decision to reward him with a MLS contract. The Whitecaps are always keen to see how the young players react when they go back into the Residency environment and Bustos' attitude has been exemplary. So how did the captaincy come about?
    "The two Residency coaches, Steve Meadley and Niall Thompson, had pulled me aside at the end of last season and asked me if I would take the honour of being the skipper," Bustos told us. "They talked to me a little bit about trying to build my leadership to make myself a better pro and I wanted to take the challenge.
    "Just to have that extra leadership skill in me and to lead by example and lead vocally, I think will make me a better player, so I wanted to take that opportunity to make myself better."
    He has already been leading by example, and not just with his five goals on the opening weekend, but Bustos hopes that he and his good friend, and fellow Manitoba boy, Froese can be good role models for other Canadian kids looking to make it in the pro ranks.
    "Knowing that me and Kianz have made it here will hopefully inspire other young kids to follow their dreams and to go forward and hopefully one day they could follow our footsteps," Bustos added.
    With more Residency homegrown talent on the horizon and pushing hard, I don't think he'll have to wait too long for that.


    Guest
    Starting Lineup
    Peiser has retained his starting spot for the past month or two over Devala Gorrick, who turned in bright performances of his own in the spring. However, Peiser has continued to shine, being named to the NASL team of the week for the first time last week. Versatile defender Drew Beckie came back into the starting lineup for the first time after his ankle injury at Indy, coming in at RB in place of Ryan Richter, who is not expected to return from his loan recall by Toronto FC. LB Ramon Soria and CBs Mason Trafford and Omar Jarun retained their starting spots from the previous week.
    In midfield, there was a surprise omission, with Ubiparipovic deemed not fit enough to start with a back complaint. Therefore, the starting midfield 3 in manager Marc Dos Santos’s 4-3-3 formation consisted of anchor and captain Richie Ryan flanked by Nicki Paterson on the left and Tony Donatelli on the right. While these 3 have been together in the starting lineup recently, this was the first time perhaps all season that the three players formed a midfield trio together, due to the good form and durability of Ubiparipovic.
    LW P.R. Mayard retained his starting spot from last week’s match against Carolina, for only his 3rd league start of the NASL season, while Oliver came into the starting XI at RW after his last-gasp equalizer with a header off a short corner vs. Carolina. Tom Heinemann has been converting the chances presented to him the past few weeks and started up top again.
    GK and Defense
    Any doubts about the arrival of Peiser from Academica (Portugal) during the summer break have been truly dissipated with two consecutive game-saving performances from the French veteran. Peiser may very well be named to his second consecutive NASL team of the week after this performance, repelling all shots on target, coming off the line intelligently when needed, and controlling the crosses and set pieces in around the six-yard box.
    At the CB positions, Omar Jarun acquitted himself well with flying headed clearances, his main specialty, in the first half, but injured himself trying to clear a low cross at the end of the half. He has shown to be more likely to be injured, which is not a surprise considering that he is easily the tallest member of the squad at 6’5’’. Mason Trafford was a solid presence, recovering just enough to challenge on a crucial chance in the penalty area for ST Brian Shriver at the beginning of the 2nd half, while Drew Beckie filled in for Jarun in the 2nd half at CB, shifting from his RB duties. Beckie made a wonderful sliding tackle around the 14th minute mark upfield, which led to a loose ball for Donatelli, who created a fantastic chance for Heinemann to open the score from a cross.
    Soria had a shaky start, getting mixed up with Peiser in the opening minutes to nearly concede a chance, but then provided a fantastic cross from the left flank at the 24th minute that gave both Heinemann and Oliver a good shot at a close header, with Oliver converting the chance. Soria then led the defensive efforts in the 2nd half, finishing the match with 12 challenges won, the most among the Fury players. Philippe Davies, who was sent off in an ill-tempered 2nd half in the home match against Tampa Bay two weeks ago, came in at RB to replace Jarun, and provided good defensive work to help preserve the shutout.
    Midfield
    Donatelli was back to the high level he showed from the spring, making the intelligent passes up front that allowed the wingers and forward to get into dangerous positions and creating chances. His cross from Beckie’s tackle led to Heinemann getting one of Ottawa’s good chances of the game. He had such a hard-working performance that he was reported to needing IV fluids after the game.
    Paterson and Ryan patrolled the midfield, sharing the corner kick duties with in-swingers from Paterson’s right foot and Ryan’s left. Paterson lurked around the outside of the penalty area, looking for any loose rebounds to shoot at, while Ryan committed the professional fouls in midfield that was needed time to time to disrupt Tampa Bay’s fluid offense.
    While this was perhaps his first league match for the Fury FC off the bench, Ubiparipovic needed only 25 minutes to make a significant mark on the field, with a clumsy yellow card followed later by a good off-the-ball run to get on the end of Dantas’s lifted through pass in the 2nd half injury time, in what was a rather interesting reversal of their usual roles. Ubiparipovic showed his veteran composure to slot the ball in to send the Fury supporters into raptures in front of their TV and computer screens.
    Offense
    Oliver has shown an incredible athleticism in the air this season for a medium-sized winger, as an astounding 4 of his 5 league goals have come in the air, with 2 of those from CKs. His other goal came from getting on the end of a low cross into the 6-yard box, as he has shown clinical finishing with both his feet and his head throughout the season. One sour point from the match, however, was his flopping and yellow card in the 2nd half, which led to his substitution.
    Heinemann had one of his best games this season as well, with his usual combative approach on long balls (fans must understand that he cannot be expected to win the majority of long balls against two CBs), with a bullet header saved in the 1st half, and a fantastic long-range shot in the 2nd half destined for the corner somehow clawed out by Tampa Bay GK Matt Pickens. Mayard had a hard-working game in his 2nd consecutive start, picking up a hockey assist for his layoff to Dantas that led to the 2nd goal.
    Dantas has shown his versatility throughout the season, as the burly striker has actually had more success playing the CAM position in the Fury’s alternate 4-2-3-1 formation than any other player, including Oliver and Ubiparipovic. Playing as ST after subbing on for Heinemann, Dantas provided his 2nd delightful measured ball from the centre circle that led to a late goal for the Fury FC this month, following up his pass to Heinemann against San Antonio.
    Next Match Preview
    The Fury FC travels once again to southeastern U.S., playing at Atlanta on Saturday at 7:30pm EDT (NASLLive.com). In their last visit to Atlanta, Ottawa struggled mightily after a congested fixture list that included the home and away series vs. FC Edmonton in the Amway Canadian Championships (Voyageurs’ Cup). Ottawa fell 2-1, with Jarun getting a late header in his home state, in a match where the Fury midfield struggled to hold on to possession.
    Atlanta is just one spot above Ottawa in the Fall Season standings, with 11 points from 10 matches, compared to Ottawa’s 9 points in the same number of matches. The Silverbacks also come in at poor form, with just 1 win in their last 6 matches, and having lost 3-2 away to New York. This match will prove to be a titanic struggle for two teams who will be looking to make a desperate attempt at a playoff push.
    Ottawa will have to take into account the dangerous attackers that Atlanta possesses in their 4-2-3-1 formation, including ST Jaime Chavez and LM Junior Sandoval, who was named NASL player of the week a fortnight ago for his display against Carolina and has been on a rampant goal-scoring form.
    CSN OFFC MotM
    GK Romuald Peiser, for his dominating performance in net. Honourable mention to CM Tony Donatelli for his creative passing and pressing in midfield.
    Lineups and Stats
    Ottawa (4-3-3) – Peiser; Soria, Trafford, Jarun (Davies 46’), Beckie; Paterson, Ryan ©, Donatelli; Mayard, Heinemann (Dantas 84’), Oliver (Ubiparipovic 67’)
    Tampa Bay (4-4-2) – Pickens; Hunt, Rodrigues, Mkandawire ©, Wallace; Frimpong (Townsend 68′), Hill, Russell, Mkosana (Morris 68′); Shriver (Walker 83′), Hristov
    Ottawa Goals: Oliver (24′), Ubiparipovic (90+3′); Assists: Soria (24′), Dantas (90+3′)
    Tampa Bay Goals: None
    Ottawa Injuries and Suspensions: Haworth (injury)
    Ottawa Stats Leaders: Shots – Heinemann (2); Challenges Won – Soria (12)
    James Grossi
    Dwayne De Rosario
    De Rosario may have began Toronto’s 1-1 draw in Chicago on the bench before coming on for Dominic Oduro in the 59th minute – to make his thirteenth appearance of the season, nine of which have come as a substitute – but he still made a dramatic impact on the match.
    Shortly after entering, De Rosario tried to get on the end of one cross, chesting a finish towards goal, but Chicago keeper Sean Johnson collected the weak effort easily. De Rosario would fluff another chance before getting his feet under him, slipping as he lined up a volley attempt – pitch conditions being what they were it is hard to fault him.
    Come the 89th minute, the Scarborough, Ontario-native would finally connect, finding himself in the right place when a right-sided Jackson corner kick was sent into the box. Nick Hagglund met the service at the back-post heading back across the high slot to the near-side, where Gilberto directed a header towards goal.
    , pushing past Johnson to level the match at ones.It was his first goal of the season and the 104th of his MLS career; De Rosario, who sits sixth on the all-time list, is now four goals shy of Jason Kreis’ career mark.
    He was not done there either, getting on the end of a stoppage-time cross to direct a header at goal, which Johnson caught and held.
    Given a free role, De Rosario roamed all over the pitch, using his veteran savvy to pop up where he could best put himself to use – he even tracked very deep, giving away a foul deep in TFC territory.
    His in-broadcast post-match interview was were lively and well worth a listen – Toronto is a club that needs all the fight and drive it can get at the moment. Clubs sign experienced players like De Rosario for these very situations, if they are to get out of this funk, he has a crucial role to play.
    He also spoke about scoring and ending TFC’s scoreless drought: “It’s definitely a great feeling any time you score, really, but for us, to come away with a tie, definitely robbed of three points. So it’s bittersweet, for my personally. It’s a great feeling to score my first goal of the season, to help my team get back into the game. I’m more proud of the way we fought and the way we played in the second half, and we were competing for every ball all over the pitch. It’s going to take that kind of mentality to battle through these next games. So, all in all, I’m very pleased by scoring that goal, 100%.”
    As well as what Toronto needs to do to hunt down that ever-elusive playoff spot: “I think pretty much how we played in the last 25, 30 minutes of the game, is what we need. Every game, of every minute; for the reason of the season, it has to be that kind of mindset; that kind of mentality. We have to earn the right to play the way we are capable of playing, but right now, it’s all about battling, battling for results. That’s this part of the season, that’s what successful teams do, and do well. They fight to make it to the playoffs, and we have to do that from now on.”
    Russell Teibert
    Teibert brought his current run of consecutive starts to six with a pair of matches this week, at home against San Jose on Wednesday and away to Dallas on Saturday – they were his fifteenth and sixteenth start of the season, bringing his total appearances to 23.
    On Wednesday, from the left-side of the midfield diamond, Teibert put in another solid performance, helping to spur forward the side to a 2-0 victory, while keeping things tight at the back.
    He sent an early shot from distance sailing well over the bar, before attempting to play provider, showing some neat passing skill to tee up a Sebastian Fernandez chance in the box and then putting a lovely ball forward for Erik Hurtado, who snatched at the chance.
    The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native’s passing down the left was a constant presence, while he collected some seven recoveries, six tackles, two clearances, and an interception in a yeoman’s shift.
    In Saturday’s 2-1 loss in Dallas, Teibert reprised that same role, racking up fourteen recoveries, three interceptions, and a clearance, though he was forced to find his spaces a little wider and his passing suffered accordingly.
    He would pick up a booking in the second minute of first half stoppage-time for tripping up Andres Escobar – it was his third yellow card of the season.
    Teibert did well one play to prevent Mauro Diaz from moving to the inside, forcing the troublesome attacker back out wide and his was his corner kick in stoppage-time that was met by Kendall Waston, drawing an uncalled handball out of Dallas defender Zach Loyd.
    He spoke with the media post-match.
    Tesho Akindele
    Akindele returned to Dallas’ starting lineup in their 2-1 win over Vancouver on Saturday – it was his sixteenth start and twentieth appearance of the season.
    Playing up top with Blas Perez, Akindele was a handful for the Whitecaps defense all evening, pushing high, drifting wide – more to the right than left, and dropping deep as the situation warranted; it is his tireless movement that has made him such a revelation this season.
    His runs have gotten better as the matches wore on as well. There were innumerable times that Akindele would put himself out of reach with the wrong move, but, with further time amongst his teammates, the required understanding has grown. Take this play against Vancouver, when Fabian Castillo surges towards the end-line on the right, rather than try and move to the back-post or come too shallow at the near, Akindele holds his run, pausing to stay in position to receive the pull-back from the Colombian; unfortunately, the ball came in a little too hot for him to redirect on goal with a left-boot.
    The Calgary, Alberta-native displayed one exceptional passage, leaping over the sliding challenge of Jordan Harvey to burst down the right, pulling back a ball to the top of the box and then getting on the end of a Castillo cross to the back-post, cushioning a header to Perez, who was caught napping a little by the unselfishness of it all.
    Perez would not be caught out twice and Akindele picked up an assist on the Panamanian’s second goal of the match,
    towards his teammate above the left-post, who took advantage of David Ousted’s wandering to put Dallas back in front – it was his third assist of the season.His job done, Akindele would make way for Kelyn Acosta in the 82nd minute, as Dallas looked to secure their lead with an additional body in the midfield.
    Wandrille Lefèvre
    Lefevre was one of few Impact players to see the pitch twice this week, coming on as a half-time substitute in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw against LA and starting Saturday’s 2-1 loss in New England – he has eleven starts and thirteen appearances on the season.
    On Wednesday, Lefevre replaced Matteo Ferrari with the Impact leading 2-0, only for Los Angeles to pull back two quick goals within nineteen minutes of the restart.
    The French-born defender was partially culpable for the first, scored by Gyasi Zardes in the 59th minute, for
    , but how it was that he was the lone Montreal defender in the area with four LA attackers present is astonishing – somebody was going to score.He was also one of the defenders caught out by the movement of Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan on the second goal – something that troubles many MLS back-lines. Lefevre did rack up four interceptions, three recoveries, and a pair of clearances in his half of play.
    Come Saturday, Lefevre resumed his left centre-back position, playing alongside Futty Danso is a radically different Montreal lineup. With a vital Champions League match in a few days and numerous injury concerns, Frank Klopas opted for near-wholesale changes – more on that later.
    An early challenge on Lee Nguyen set the tempo, thundering into the midfielder with a hard kick – Nguyen would make them pay for such infractions.
    It was Lefevre’s headed clearance that led to Kelyn Rowe’s opener and the centre-back had a chance to clear the flick from Charlie Davies that led to the second, but he whiffed on the clearance, getting his signals crossed with another defender,
    over the head of a retreating Lefevre.Full of effort, Lefevre would make a last-ditch challenge that hurried a Davies shot, allowing Perkins to focus on the near-side by cutting out the far-side as an option.
    But repeatedly, his enthusiasm (often by necessity) to step into the midfield was exploited by the Revolution. Nguyen walked around him on one occasion, requiring a goal-line clearance from Eric Miller, while Daigo Kobayashi by-passed him in the midfield, leading to a Rowe chance that sailed high.
    Lefevre would see a yellow card in the 65th minute for one such play, stepping in on Nguyen – it was his third booking of the season.
    Despite Montreal’s struggles, Lefevre was near-perfect on the ball, misplacing just three passes all night, while racking up eleven recoveries, five clearances, four interceptions, and a tackle. He would make way for Heath Pearce in the 81st minute.
    Anthony Jackson-Hamel
    Jackson-Hamel, who was an unused substitute on the bench in Wednesday’s draw, made the first start of his MLS career on Saturday in New England – it was his fourth appearance of the season.
    Taking up the right-side of the attacking midfield three, Jackson-Hamel was energetic, but with New England bossing large stretches, could not really get into the game. The Quebec City, Quebec-native did have one attempt at goal, a rather weak header from a Callum Mallace cross that was easily caught by Bobby Shuttleworth.
    He was guilty of being a little too casual in handling Wandrille Lefevre’s clearing header,
    , leading to a turnover and Rowe’s blast to level the match in the 23rd minute. Jackson-Hamel would make amends for that error with some good work in his own box, tracking deep to block a Jose Goncalves shot, closing down the big defender on the back-side of a set-piece.With Montreal looking to spring attacks, Jackson-Hamel was a threat up the right, drawing four fouls and collecting four recoveries on that side.
    He would be replaced in the 75th minute by another of Montreal’s homegrown players, Louis Beland-Goyette.
    Frank Klopas spoke highly of the trio of youngster involved post-match: “I’ve never been in this kind of situation before with all the injuries, but I thought the guys left everything on the field tonight. More than anything, our young players stepped in, took the challenge and I’m extremely happy for them. They reacted well against a strong team. I’m excited about the future of this team.” He continued, “They showed that they have the ability to play in big moments. Sometimes, you throw them in and you see how they react, and it’s great to see that these guys weren’t scared or fazed by anything.”
    High praise indeed from a coach known to rely heavily on his veterans.
    Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé
    Gagnon-Lapare also made his first MLS start for Montreal in New England – it was just his second appearance of the season.
    Alongside Callum Mallace at the base of the Impact midfield, Gagnon-Lapare hand his hands full dealing with the movement and passing of an in-form New England foursome.
    The rookie’s distribution was sound, though he rarely ventured past the half, while collecting seven recoveries, three interceptions, two clearances, and a tackle. The Sherbrooke, Quebec-native committed three fouls and suffered the same number.
    There were times when he looked a little off the pace, chasing the game – not to be unexpected against a side like New England; he definitely grew into the match as it wore on, finding his rhythm, being combative and strong.
    Gagnon-Lapare took a late step on the top of his boot from Teal Bunbury that saw the former American International see yellow and has perfected his ‘foul-by-me?’ perplexed look, contesting a decision for tripping up Nguyen on one play.
    Post-match he commented: “I think we had a good start – a decent start. We contained their pressure well and were good on the counter, which led to the first goal. So I think the start was pretty good but after we conceded two bad goals quickly that gave us a tough time for the rest of the first half. I think it was good at the beginning but couldn’t contain their pressure.”
    Assessing his own performance as well: “I think I did good. Obviously, I’m disappointed with the result because it was in my first game. I would have liked to get out there with a good result but that’s how it is so we have to move on to the next game.”
    Ashtone Morgan
    Morgan, having served his one-match suspension for that red card in Philadelphia, returned to the Toronto lineup in Chicago, resuming his left-back’s role – it was his second start and third appearance of the season.
    Having played so few minutes all season, it is inevitable that he would suffer from moments of rust. One such play was Chicago’s opening goal, where Morgan was at least partially responsible for letting Lovel Palmer get free on a corner kick. Palmer was initially Morgan’s mark when he stayed on one side of the box, but when he darted to the near-post, he was let go, presumably somebody was supposed to pick him up – with Morgan apparently (given his body language and movement) tasked to stay on the back-side.
    Aside from that, the Toronto, Ontario-native looked a little more comfortable out there than he did in Philly, though is clearly still getting up to true match pace. He made several strong runs up the left and was very good in his ball retention in close passing – longer passes and getting that final ball into the box were a different matter.
    Defensively, he added six recoveries, four interceptions, two tackles, and a pair of clearances in a solid outing.
    Kyle Bekker
    With Collen Warner out injured, Bekker returned to the Toronto starting lineup for the first time in three months, lining up in the middle of the park alongside Michael Bradley – it was his ninth start and fourteenth appearance of the season.
    Bekker put a weak early shot on goal in the opening passages when he found himself with a clear view – more a tester than a true effort and never a bad plan against a keeper like Johnson who has been known to spill a shot or two.
    His passing, as usual, was very good, completely roughly four-fifths. The Oakville, Ontario-native took up some of the set-pieces duties for TFC, hitting at least one really good delivery, only for nobody to bother making the run to get on the end.
    Bekker would make way for the more spritely Daniel Lovitz in the 80th minute.
    Karl Ouimette
    Ouimette returned to the pitch for Montreal against Los Angeles on Wednesday, coming on in the 59th minute for the injured Hassoun Camara – it was his tenth appearance of the season, but just second from the bench.
    It was a whirlwind week of emotion for Ouimette, losing his sister Julie to her long battle with leukemia, and when Marco Di Vaio scored the game’s opening goal, he and the entire team came over to the sidelines to celebrate with Ouimette – a fine gesture.
    Taking up the right-back position from Camara, the Terrebonne, Quebec-native was solid, contributing five clearances, four recoveries, and an interception, but was
    , as the Galaxy found their second goal of the game through Alan Gordon.With many members of his family in the stands, the club held a moment of silence for Julie pre-match and much of the talk afterwards revolved around the emotions of the situation. From Ouimette himself: “It’s a nice tribute to my sister. It brings back tough moments, but getting that support from everyone, from my teammates, from the supporters, from my whole family, a lot of whom were here tonight, it does a lot of good. You know you’re well-surrounded, that you’ll be supported no matter what.”
    And from Di Vaio: “We wanted to give him and his family some positive emotions. We are a good group of good guys, and we’re together in good moments and bad moments.”
    Ouimette appreciated the sentiment from Di Vaio: “It was great for Marco to come and see me, and everybody on the team gave me support before the game. I just came back, so it was the first time I saw them since my sister passed away. It was great to have the guys show they're there for me and have my back. It's a big gesture for my sister. The one that was most difficult was the minute of silence before the game. I was away, I'd been thinking about other things, trying to get past these emotions. It's hard not to have my sister next to me.”
    Ouimette spoke with reporters (en français) post-match. He was unavailable for Saturday’s match, staying in Montreal for personal reasons.
    Maxim Tissot
    Tissot began Montreal’s Wednesday meeting with Los Angeles on the bench, coming on for Dilly Duka in the 73rd minute – it was his sixteenth appearance of the season and eleventh as a substitute.
    With the match already level at twos, Tissot was tasked with the dual role of attempting to spur attacks, in search of a winner, while also keeping a lid on the rampant Galaxy, who had already clawed back from a two-goal deficit.
    The Gatineau, Quebec-native played one promising ball forward, spotting the run of Marco Di Vaio, but it was slightly over-hit, running into the reach of the keeper.
    On the defensive side of the ball, he helped keep a lid on Landon Donovan, making one excellent tackle to strip the attacker and tripping him up on the edge of the area on one occasion – luckily, no foul was called, though Donovan was a little shaken up by it.
    Tissot missed out on Saturday’s match with a slight thigh concern, a precaution taken with an eye on this week’s crucial Champions League match against New York.
    Louis Béland-Goyette
    Having signed slightly more than 24 hours earlier, Beland-Goyette made his debut for Montreal in their loss at New England, replacing Anthony Jackson-Hamel in the 75th minute.
    The Pointe-Claire, Quebec-native became the eighth academy player to sign a homegrown contract with the club.
    He did well in his cameo, winning a trio of fouls and providing some good running, but lost track of his mark, Diego Fagundez, on one run, Beland-Goyette tried to catch up having spotted the run, but Fagundez was able to find Geoffrey Castrillon the near-post.
    Having signed a contract and made his debut, he celebrated his nineteenth birthday on Monday.
    Issey Nakajima-Farran
    Nakajima-Farran came on for Montreal in the second half at New England to make his eighth appearance for the club – four of which have come from the bench.
    Replacing Andres Romero in the 61st minute, the Calgary, Alberta-native took up a central midfield role as the Impact tried to find their way back into the match.
    With the Revolution dominating much of the play, he struggled make himself a factor completing nine of his thirteen passes, more often than not in his own half.
    Kyle Porter
    Porter made a second-straight appearance from the bench for DC United in their loss to New York on Wednesday – it was his fifth appearance of the season, all of which have come as a substitute.
    Replacing David Estrada on the left-side of the midfield in the 65th minute, the Toronto, Ontario-native had one look at goal, sending a weak shot Luis Robles’ way in the 80th minute, but with DC reduced to ten men, they were limited largely to occasional counter attacks.
    The Rest
    Kofi Opare and Sam Adekugbe (twice) were unused substitutes, on the bench, for their respective sides.
    Will Johnson was left out of Portland’s lineup for the first time since last August (30th away to Salt Lake to be exact), ending his iron-man streak of consecutive league starts at 35.
    There was some confusion as to whether he was benched or left at home due to his tirade against the referee last weekend, but any conspiracy theories were dismissed post-match when Caleb Porter cleared up the situation: “Going into the game, we decided to rest Will, he's played more minutes than anybody this season. He had a busy week, a long week. He didn't sleep much because his wife gave birth. We knew Zemanski would do a good job. We wanted to give Will rest to gear him up for Tuesday; he will start the Champions League game. It's good to have your captain in those types of games for their experience. We knew he could only play two games, and looking at it, obviously we could've played him Saturday-Saturday, but we decided Tuesday-Saturday is just as good. It works out a little better with him having a really long week and not sleeping much with the baby.”
    Congratulations to the Johnson family on their new addition.
    Vancouver and Toronto, like Montreal, took advantage of their academies prior to the MLS roster freeze. The Whitecaps signed both Kianz Froese and Marco Bustos to the first team, while TFC added Chris Manella.
    All videos and quotes courtesy of MLSsoccer.com
    Each week James takes a look at the contributions of Canadians in the league and the league as a whole.
    You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View
    Michael Mccoll
    Whitecaps fans have been crying out for some new striking talent and although this might not be what they had in mind, and despite their young years, both players have already shown that they have what it takes to play at a higher level.
    The pair started Vancouver's Canadian Championship semi-final first leg in Toronto in May and acquitted themselves well. Both also saw PDL action for the Caps' this summer, contributing six goals between them (4 for Bustos and 2 for Froese).
    Last year saw both players represent Canada at the FIFA U17 World Cup in the UAE, playing in all three matches.
    Hailing from Winnipeg in Manitoba, Bustos made the move to the Whitecaps Residency program in September 2011 from his hometown side FC Northwest, after having a trial with Liverpool as a 14-year-old.
    He played the 2011/12 season for the Caps U16s and started the following season with them as well before current Whitecaps assistant coach Gordon Forrest took over the reigns of the U18s and immediately moved him up a level.
    It paid rich dividends for the Caps, with Bustos grabbing 14 goals in the regular season before going on a tear in the playoffs with 5 goals to send them back to Finals Week.
    Last season Bustos led the U18s in scoring with 19 goals and is captain of the U18 side in this, his final year in the program. And as we mentioned above, he kicked off the team's new season leading by example and scoring five goals in their first two matches (two of them penalties), where he has been playing as a striker.
    Froese is another prairie boy. Born in Havana, Cuba but growing up in Brunkild, Manitoba, Froese joined the Whitecaps Residency program in 2012, having previously trained with FC Edmonton.
    He scored four goals for the U18s in the 2012/13 season and followed that up with 12 regular season goals that saw him second on the team behind Bustos.
    Internationally, Froese has already earned a senior call-up to the Canadian national team, playing and scoring against Fort Lauderdale Strikers in a friendly in January. Most recently he was part of Canada's U20 squad at the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland.
    Both players have been training regularly, and impressed, with the Whitecaps MLS team since preseason and the hope was always to have them signed at some stage this year.
    When we asked Carl Robinson a couple of weeks ago about the prospect of adding them before the roster freeze, he wouldn't confirm but made his preference clear.
    "Maybe. Maybe, yes," Robinson told AFTN. "It would be good. Another two youngsters into the fray would be nice."
    Now he has them, although sadly it's only Froese that is available down the stretch. Too young and inexperienced to be thrown into a MLS playoff battle? Perhaps. But one thing I know about Bustos and Froese from watching them these past couple of years is that not only do they play with a confident swagger and without fear, but they can both score goals and haven't looked out of place playing against older opposition.
    Remember, "if you're good enough, you're old enough", and maybe, just maybe, the Whitecaps have added two players who are actually both.


    James Grossi
    Three beauties are in the running this week, in chronological order, up first from Friday night is Seattle's
    that left Nick Rimando no chance. Prefer a nice build-up to a long-range bomb? How about , scored by none other than Lee Nguyen, but not until after four Revolution players helped skillfully move towards goal, slicing through the Montreal defense. Then there was the unbelievably spectacular, as , beating David Ousted with a dipping smash from a ridiculous angle.On to the results….
    Midweek Results in a Sentence (or Two)

    The Impact looked to stretch their home winning streak – yes, that is correct – to three matches, taking a two goal lead over the visiting Galaxy inside the first half, with Marco Di Vaio and Ignacio Piatti providing the ammunition against a reeling three-man LA back-line. But Los Angeles adjusted for the second frame, drawing one back through Gyasi Zardes on the hour with Alan Gordon leveling just five minutes later.

    A controversial red card to Fabian Espindola for a slightly-raised boot that caught Dax McCarty in the 32nd minute had DC fuming, though they nearly saw out the scoreless result, courtesy some fine play from Bill Hamid. But Lloyd Sam had other plans, popping up in the area in the final minute of regulation to find the winner.

    The Whitecaps may not have scored in over four matches worth of play, but a fortunate penalty decision allowed Pedro Morales to end that streak in the 39th minute after Victor Bernardez was adjudged to have shoved Kendall Waston on a set-piece. Waston himself would add the second in the 56th.
    Results in Brief

    Normally one would save the best for last, but Round 27 of MLS had other plans, as Friday night opened with a classic tilt, previewing a possible playoff meeting between Seattle and Salt Lake, who entered the match in first and third in the West, respectively. With the sides separated by five points, it was glorious chance for the visitors to make up some ground on the league-leading Sounders, whom are en route to a Supporters’ Shield victory.
    Seattle began brightly, Obafemi Martins rattling the bar inside of twenty minutes, but it was Salt Lake who took the lead on the half hour, when Javier Morales beat Stefan Frei with a low shot from the right-side of the area. Centre-back Chris Schuler began the play, picking out Luke Mulholland with a cross-field ball wide to the right, and the Englishman squared a pass for the streaking Morales to finish.
    The Sounders would respond shortly, with Lamar Neagle thumping in his finish from distance in the 38th minute. DeAndre Yedlin poked a bouncing ball forward, which was corralled by Neagle, turning away from Kyle Beckerman to sail a left-footer into the top-left-corner of the goal from some 25-plus yards.
    Martins would find his goal before half-time, registering in the 43rd minute after getting involved in the neat build-up himself. Brad Evans played a ball forward to the Nigerian, who back-heeled towards Clint Dempsey, before making a run into the box for the return, which Dempsey duly poked forward. Martins’ dinked right-footer eluded Rimando to trickle over the line – it was his thirteenth goal of the season.
    Not to be discouraged by relinquishing a lead to trail at the half, Salt Lake came out for the second half alight and it was tiny-heroic Joao Plata who leveled five minutes after the restart, collecting a layoff from Morales on the left before making space for a right-footer that deflected off Osvaldo Alonso, banked off the far-post and nestled inside the near-one for his twelfth of the season.
    The visitors suffered a blow in the 68th minute, when centre-back Nat Borchers was caught flat-footed on a counter, hauling down Martins who was bearing down on goal, correctly drawing a red card for his effort, reducing his side to ten men. Salt Lake would ride out the remaining twenty-odd minutes, absorbing Seattle’s pressure and making occasional forays forward of their own.
    That is, until the 94th minute, when substitute Andy Rose popped up in space at the right-post to get on the end of an Alonso ball in the box, falling to him having bounced off Yedlin, to right-foot in the winner deep in stoppage-time.
    The win, their fourth-straight, would stretch Seattle’s current unbeaten run to five matches, securing their playoff spot and furthering their lead above LA for top spot in the conference and league – though they would have to wait until Sunday to see if it would hold. Salt Lake see their modest two-game unbeaten run end, falling to a second loss in their last four matches.

    Friday’s simultaneous fixture may have lacked some of the form of the other – both sides entered riding four-game losing skids – but it provided nearly as many goals in the end.
    Chivas’ season, most likely their last under that moniker and potentially their last for a while – as talk emerged that the club could be put on hiatus next season – has unraveled of late, following up a four-match winning streak with a long winless one that has them all but eliminated from contention.
    Kansas City too, while not as dire, has seen a downturn in form, having dropped their last four, as well as their last three away, allowing DC to take the initiative in the hunt for the Eastern title. It may have taken them some time to work through their issues, but after forty minutes, they were the Sporting of old.
    Dom Dwyer got the first, taking advantage of a rush-of-blood from Chivas keeper, Dan Kennedy, to pounce on a long Graham Zusi cross from the left, letting it run across his body to right-foot into the open goal. Kennedy thought he could cut out the service, but misread the flight of the ball, allowing Dwyer a relatively simple opener – with his nineteenth goal of the season Dwyer surpasses Preki’s club-record, set way back in the inaugural season of 1996.
    Seven minutes on, in the second minute of stoppage-time, the visitors would double their advantage, Benny Feilhaber roofing the finish on the rebound. The play began with Zusi playing up to Dwyer, who touched down the right-side of the area for Toni Dovale. His low left-footer struck the base of the far-post, but Feilhaber’s late run was fortuitously timed, arriving to get a right-boot on the loose ball.
    The second half did not get better for Chivas with Zusi scoring a third in the 52nd minute, receiving a ball from Igor Juliao, who drove forward and in before picking out Zusi alone on the left. The American international drifted across the top of the box towards the right, smashing a low right-footer to the bottom right-corner of the goal, past a helpless Kennedy.
    Claudio Bieler would cap the rollicking performance with a fourth in the 87th minute, latching onto a weak back-pass from Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, rounding an exposed Kennedy to the right, to finish with a right-footer from a tight angle into the open net.
    Back to their winning ways and given DC’s loss midweek, Kansas City would make up some ground, pulling back within two points of that top spot, but having played one additional game, whereas Chivas’ futility continued, falling to a fifth consecutive loss and stretching the winless run to ten, the longest in MLS this season. Just how tough are things for Chivas? In that winless run, they have scored three and conceded 24. Ouch.

    Saturday began with an early Eastern clash, rife with playoff implications, but not until after an hour’s delay due a rain-soaked pitch. The two sides entered separated by two places – New York in fourth and Philadelphia in sixth – with just a single point behind them; a win for either side would improve their playoff hopes dramatically.
    As such, and given the pitch conditions, it was a tense opening passage, neither side willing to open up, lest they be exposed. The breakthrough would come in the 37th minute from the penalty spot, Peguy Luyindula beating Zac MacMath with a right-footer low to the keeper’s right, having sent MacMath the other way after Ethan White held back Luyindula, attempting to break through and onto a loose ball in the Union box.
    Then, as the rains earlier, the proverbial floodgates opened, with Thierry Henry doubling the lead three minutes later with a dipping shot from outside the area that eluded MacMath, after Luyindula had played wide to Chris Duvall, who found Henry lurking in the middle – it was his fiftieth goal in MLS.
    A minute later, Philadelphia pulled one back, with Pedro Ribeiro scoring his first MLS goal stabbing an Andrew Wenger pull-back from the left to the far-side of goal. Fred played a ball out wide to Wenger, who beat Duvall with an end-line run, Jamison Olave could not clear the firmly-hit pass and Ribero was on hand to direct the finish in.
    The match would settle back into a hard-fought stalemate, Philadelphia pressing for an equalizer and New York looking to see out the result, tackles and half-chances were flying. Wenger looked to have equalized, putting the ball in the back of the net in the 86th minute, only for the offside flag to deny.
    But in the 91st minute, the Union were offered a lifeline when the referee awarded a penalty kick as Ibrahim Sekagya tangled with Ribeiro in the Red Bull box. The centre-back whiffed on a clearing attempt before apparently catching the foot of Ribeiro, who tumbled to the ground.
    Sebastien Le Toux would maintain his perfect record from the penalty spot for Philadelphia, converting his thirteenth penalty for the Union, beating Luis Robles with a low right-footer, slightly to the keeper’s right, having sent Robles diving to his left.
    Though neither side would be particularly happy with the draw – each carrying modest winning streaks into the match – points are precious, no matter how they come, this single one allowing them to keep pace with the rest of the pack, though they did not know that at the time.

    The evening continued in New England, where the resurgent Revolution hosted league-basement dwellers, the Montreal Impact.
    Like Philadelphia, who heavily rotated their side in consideration of the upcoming US Open Cup Final against Seattle, Montreal had another match in their sights: Wednesday’s crucial Champions League clash with New York, not to mention a rash of injuries that saw some ten players unavailable, thereby handing starts to homegrown rookies Anthony Jackson-Hamel and Jeremie Gagnon-Lapare.
    Much to the surprise of all, it was the Impact who took the lead after just thirteen minutes, when a long diagonal ball from Futty Danso towards the left allowed Jack McInerney to take advantage of a stumble from Andrew Farrell, before squaring a ball to Callum Mallace, who scored his first MLS goal, with a neat right-footer past the figure Jose Goncalves, retreating to cover the goal-line with Bobby Shuttleworth out, closing down McInerney.
    The Revolution would waste little time in responding, Kelyn Rowe taking advantage of a modicum of space above the Montreal box to whip a dipping right-footer from 25 yards past Troy Perkins in the 23rd minute. A Jermaine Jones cross was headed clear by Wandrille Lefevre, falling to Rowe, who was given far too much time and space to pick his finish.
    Two minutes later, New England had put themselves firmly in the ascendancy with a wonderful bit of team interplay that sliced open the frail Montreal defenses, culminating in Lee Nguyen scoring his thirteenth of the season. Daigo Kobayashi played up to Nguyen, running the left-channel, who dropped a pass back to Jones. The influential midfield dinked a chip forward, which Charlie Davies flicked into the Montreal area, neither Impact defender could deal with the bouncing ball, allowing Nguyen to collect and move to the right, finishing with a looped right-footer that sailed over a recovering Lefevre into the right-side of goal.
    Montreal would not give in without a fight, playing a tough match that drew the ire of Jones, who was forced off at the half after some run-ins with Mallace. And the Impact would nearly respond at the start of the second half, McInerney beating Shuttleworth with a low shot, only to strike the post.
    Any hopes of a comeback were quashed in the 62nd minute, when Krzysztof Krol saw his second yellow of the half, first for bundling over Nguyen, then for hacking at Rowe, to reducing Montreal to ten men. Nguyen nearly made them pay immediately, walking around the Impact defense, drawing a goal-line clearance out of Eric Miller.
    The win, New England’s fifth-straight - and a third-straight come-from-behind one at that – would help secure the Revolution in third spot in the East, extending their lead over fourth place from two to four points by the round’s end. It was seventh-consecutive away defeat for Montreal, who are still yet to win on their travels this season.

    With New England well in control, the next three Saturday matches kicked off at the same time with two Eastern matches and a Western encounter, between Dallas and Vancouver.
    Separated by five points, with Dallas firmly in fourth and Vancouver clinging to fifth, two points ahead of chasing Portland, an away win would shake up a nearly-decided Western Conference, while a Dallas result could pull them closer to challenging Salt Lake, who were vulnerable having lost to Seattle the previous night.
    Undoubtedly, the story of the match was the premature return of Blas Perez from representing Panama at the Copa Centroamericana, Unsure of whether he would even be available, Super Raton, as he is lovingly known, would score both Dallas goals in a winning effort, but it was his first that had all the kids talking.
    Harmlessly wide on the right, within grasp of the corner flag and largely covered by Christian Dean, Perez surprisingly hit a wicked, dipping right-footer from that outrageous location that caught Vancouver keeper, David Ousted unawares, sailing over the keeper to nestle inside the far, side-netting in the twentieth minute, opening the scoring.
    Pride stung, Ousted would redeem himself with a pair of excellent saves, tipping a Victor Ulloa drive over the bar before coming up big on Fabian Castillo, opening the door for the Whitecaps to equalize in the 67th minute.
    A long punt up-field was flicked on by Erik Hurtado and held up by Sebastian Fernandez, who was run over by Matt Hedges in the process. Mauro Rosales collected the loose ball and poked a stunning ball into the path of Hurtado, continuing his lightning run into the right-side of the area to hit an uncharacteristically calm finish, right-footing a blast past Raul Fernandez in the Dallas goal.
    But Perez would not be persuaded away from the win, finding himself open on the left-side of the area when Michel lofted one of his ever-dangerous free-kicks into the Vancouver area. Midweek hero Kendall Waston and Dallas forward Tesho Akindele combined to knock down the service to the lurking Perez, who right-footed into the left-side of goal, catching Ousted wandering towards the unwinnable delivery.
    Vancouver were perhaps unlucky to not be given a stoppage-time penalty kick of their own when Waston’s header from a Russell Teibert corner kick appeared to strike the outstretched arm of Zach Loyd in the 92nd minute. Cruel though it may have been, it at least spared viewers yet another draw – there were plenty more of those in the offing.

    One of the oldest and most unused clichés in football is the so-called ‘game of two halves’ – aside from being blatantly obvious, as the game is divided into two halves, it emblemizes how significant that half-time break can be for momentum.
    When Houston met Columbus, it was truly a game of two halves.
    Desperate to make their expected late run up the table – they had indeed won their last two and four of the last six to remain relevant, though still mired five points off the thin red line – Houston put the sword to Columbus in the first half, taking the lead after twelve minutes through an Aaron Schoenfeld own-goal before adding a second from Giles Barnes in the 38th.
    It appeared as though it was AJ Cochran who rose up to meet a left-sided, out-swinging Brad Davis corner kick, directing a well-placed header down to the far-side of goal, but replays revealed the first-year defender did not make contact, the service instead rebounded off the face of the Crew forward, tucking neatly inside the post.
    Cochran had the right to be disappointed, but the football gods – another of those oft-used memes – repaid his patience, twice changing the mind of the referee, who had pointed to the spot for infractions from the centre-back, only to waive off the decisions having conferred with his assistants.
    At risk of falling out of the playoff five – the Crew entered the round tied with Philadelphia, but in via tie-breakers – Columbus would rebound, drawing one back within three minutes of the restart and leveling six minutes after that.
    The much-heralded Wil Trapp is best known for his ball-movement and tenacious hounding deep in the midfield, but teams should be warned: if given space, he can indeed bite further up the field. The Dynamo defense was caught napping on a Crew throw-in, Waylon Francis finding Trapp in acres of space above the area, from whence he found the bottom right-corner of the goal with a low right-footed blast above the arc.
    Costa Rican left-back Francis has been a mainstay in the lineup – aside from his World Cup absence – and it was he who set up the second as well, hitting a lovely cross from his side to the back-post, serving up on a platter for Ethan Finlay, who found himself unmarked off the back-shoulder, to head into the goal.
    The remaining forty minutes were a battle, each side went looking for a winner that would not come. Columbus were awarded that second potential penalty kick in the 82nd minute, only for the referee to determine that the ball had indeed struck the face of Cochran and not his hand.
    The draw would better serve the visitors, who maintained their position, level on points with Philly, but ahead and in the playoffs. Houston would remain five points adrift with one less match to make them up.

    Speaking of draws, there is no team in the league as familiar with the bittersweet point that comes after a winless contest than Chicago, though they should perhaps consider themselves lucky to have kept that point in the end.
    And it all started so positively, taking the lead in the eleventh minute over a dispirited Toronto side when Lovel Palmer met a left-sided short-corner kick routine with a header, darting in-front of Mark Bloom at the near-post to direct on to the far.
    The Fire, who entered the round seven points off the pace, sitting in ninth in the East, desperately needed the full points. To all and sundry, it appeared as though they had them wrapped up in the 56th minute, when a woeful TFC were cut open by a Matt Watson ball that put Grant Ward in alone down the left-side of the area. Joe Bendik, Toronto’s most reliable performer the past month or two, raced off his line, but could not win the ball, upending Ward, prompting the referee to point to the spot.
    The sure-footed Jeff Larentowicz stepped to the spot, only to under-hit his right-footed attempt, placing it far too close to Bendik, who got down well to save the penalty and alertly denied the follow-up from Quincy Amarikwa as well – it was the fourth missed penalty kick of the season for Chicago.
    Spurred by Bendik’s heroics and a pair of substitutions that saw Dwayne De Rosario and Luke Moore enter the match, Toronto would string together some purposeful passes, aspiring to put a tough month in the rearview.
    Just as it appeared that Chicago would see out the result, dooming TFC to a fourth-straight loss, Jackson hit a promising corner kick from the right that was met by Nick Hagglund high at the back-post, putting it back across the high slot. Gilberto would rise up to nod a second header forward, where De Rosario pounced inside the six yard box to sweep a right-footed finish past a stunned Sean Johnson in the 89th minute, snapping Toronto’s goal-less drought after 370 minutes.
    Toronto buoyed, Chicago stunned, the visitors should perhaps have taken the victory in final ticks of regulation, when Gilberto took on two Chicago defenders, losing out, only to poke a rolling finish in with a deft touch through Bakary Soumare, who attempted to hold off the hungry Brazilian. Much to TFC chagrin, the referee whistled for the subtlest of fouls, chalking off the goal, sending Michael Bradley – and many others – into a fury of incredulity.
    The draw, Chicago’s fifteenth of the season, equals an MLS single-season record for ties, but does very little to improve their playoff chances, closing the weekend still in ninth, still seven points behind. For Toronto however, the point and the kick of being hard-done-by could just be the catalyst they need to evacuate their current funk, snapping the losing streak, though still winless, just barely, in six.

    Saturday’s round of draws, (er, matches) concluded with a third-straight draw and the fourth of the day.
    The two sides entered in opposite form, with hosts Colorado stumbling down the table on a run of seven-straight losses, dipping down to seventh place, all but ending their chances of a playoff berth. Portland meanwhile were surging, scrapping to put themselves back in the reckoning for that final spot in the West, trailing Vancouver, who had lost earlier that night, by a pair of points.
    It would take 43 minutes, but the Timbers would find their much-needed opener through Diego Valeri left-footing in a volley after a deft passage of play. Diego Chara drove inside and towards goal before playing up to Fanendo Adi, who with his back to goal, cushioned a neat-flick to the left, into the path of Valeri, who finished with aplomb.
    Three minutes after the restart, their fortunes would change however, as the referee awarded a penalty kick to the Rapids for a Deshorn Brown shot that clearly struck Liam Ridgewell in the chest and not the arm, as the referee convinced himself. Dillon Powers would unabashedly step to the task, right-footing a low finish past Donovan Ricketts, going to the keeper’s right having sent the big Jamaican guessing in the other direction.
    Encouraged, Colorado would take the lead in the 66th, when Marvell Wynne surged up the right, playing in to Powers, who moved further in-field and towards goal, finding Marc Burch in space on the left. The Colorado full-back then hit a lovely cross towards the back-post, where Brown had drifted off the shoulder of Jorge Villafana to direct his header past Ricketts.
    Portland would not concede defeat, finding the equalizer in the 76th minute. Valeri once more provided the impetus, putting a ball forward to Max Urruti, who touched it into the path of the Gaston Fernandez, surging into the right-side of the box. Fit-again Shane O’Neill did his best to put off the attacker, but the ball stuck to the foot of El Gato Fernandez, who would beat John Berner in the Colorado goal with a left-footer.
    The Timbers would nearly find the winner in stoppage-time, Berner coming up huge to tip a Ben Zemanski drive over the bar in the 92nd minute, but a single point would have to do.
    Colorado would be glad to end the franchise-record losing streak after seven matches, but the single point would do little to make up ground with six points between them and the playoffs with six matches remaining. The same could be said of Portland, who drew within a single-point of Vancouver, holders of that fifth-spot – that will be one of the many interesting battles remaining, and, as fate would have it, they meet next weekend.

    Not to be left out, Sunday’s lone fixture ended in a draw, with San Jose coming from behind to steal a point from visiting Los Angeles.
    The always combative California Clasico had a little extra emphasis, as recently-traded and former bash-brother, Alan Gordon returned to face the club who deemed him surplus to requirements. His bashing compatriot Steven Lenhart too would make his long-awaited return to the pitch, having missed nearly two months with knee surgery, while AJ DeLaGarza, so recently struck by tragedy, returned to playing. Disappointingly, Landon Donovan, the patriarch of the match, was suspended, having picked up a yellow card midweek in Montreal.
    The Galaxy would dominate the opening salvos, drawing several fine saves from Jon Busch and hitting the post through Baggio Husidic, before finding the opener in the 28th minute, when Omar Gonzalez rose up to meet a right-sided Stefan Ishizaki corner kick, out-leaping both Atiba Harris and Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi at the back-post to head back down to the near-side. Tommy Thompson could not clear the go-ahead off the line.
    Los Angeles earned the chance to double their lead in the 36th minute, when Busch failed to corral a long ball from Robbie Keane, spilling to the foot of Gyasi Zardes. His meek touch towards goal was blocked by Ty Harden, falling to Husidic atop the area; his blast caught the arm of a prone Jason Hernandez and the referee pointed to the spot.
    Keane himself would step to the pressure, calmly lifting a right-footer toward the top, right-corner of the goal, but he was a little too casual, striking the woodwork with his effort, sparing the Earthquakes a two-goal deficit – it was the fourth penalty kick that LA has squandered, with Keane a prime culprit, converting just one of his four tries.
    Handed that lifeline, San Jose would bring on Lenhart, who immediately inserted himself into the mix, getting fouled by Gonzalez and retaliating with a shoulder-punch for which he was lucky to only see yellow. Three minutes after Lennie’s introduction, in the 66th minute, San Jose would find their equalizer, when a Cordell Cato cross from the left was partially cleared by Gonzalez, falling to Jordan Stewart, who alertly put a low drive to the right-post, where Chris Wondolowski was lurking, unmarked and in space.
    He may have been offside, but how Wondo finds himself so open on such occasions is a mystery, taking the chance to roof a right-footer over Brian Rowe, equalizing the match at ones.
    Stifled by the baking sun of a California afternoon, the match descended into a random barrage of fouls, with seven bookings handed out in the final half hour of play, bringing the game total to nine; miraculously both teams finished with eleven men on the pitch.
    With two draws this week, Los Angeles would pass at the chance to surpass Seattle into the top spot – thereby securing their playoff appearance as well – to sit a full three points behind the Sounders come Monday’s tally. Equally, it would do little bar raise the confidence of San Jose, who sit a full nine points shy of fifth, all but eliminated with seven matches to play.
    CanCon
    As usual, the extended look at the Canadian performances of the round will be posted midday tomorrow (Tuesday) featuring a Dwayne De Rosario goal, first starts for Impact duo Anthony Jackson-Hamel and Jeremie Gagnon-Lapare, as well as a debutant appearance Louis Beland-Goyette, slightly more than a day after signing for the first team. Noteworthy, was a severe lack of Will Johnson, though for happy reasons.
    Overheard
    A selection of the best soundbytes from the round:
    LA’s Bruce Arena, shoulders the blame, while pointing squarely at his player’s lack of refinement with some mildly, veiled criticism after a failed back-three experiment in Montreal on Wednesday: “We don't have players that are capable of making the kind of adjustment I asked them to make to a back three, and that's my responsibility. I'd like to see that we have players that have a little bit of a better tactical feel, but it's obvious that some of them don't and it's not the appropriate formation to play, so that's my responsibility.” Interestingly, Arena apparently played some lacrosse in Montreal back in the 70’s, which is kind of awesome.
    Vancouver’s Carl Robinson is so tired of trying to do math that he has given up thinking about the playoffs, at least in terms of what is required: "Every week it seems to change; every result it seems to change” (editor’s note: yes, yes it does). “All I've said all along is take care of your business; that's all we can control. We can't control what San Jose, what Colorado, what Chivas, what Portland do unless we're playing them. We've got to control ourselves and today we did that. I just want to be above that red line. That's what we've got to aim for. If I knew a points total I'd be able to tell you. It could be high, it could be low. It could be two wins, it could be five wins; it could be seven wins. I don't care how many it is, as long as we try and get above that line."
    New England’s Jermaine Jones was not best pleased with how he was treated by Montreal’s combative midfield, with one player in particular drawing the ire – he was forced off at half-time with foot swelling due to getting stepped on: “I don’t know the name of the player, but he tried maybe two or three times, without the ball, to kick me. It’s not nice when you feel like you have players that try to hurt you and this guy tried to hurt me.” He continued ominously, “We got a second game we will see what happens there. He hurt me...I can take it and I’ll see him again.” Is the DisCo allowed to take action on threats? If so, that would be hilarious… the player in question is Callum Mallace
    Carl Robinson continued to drop some wisdom, completely dismissing the middle of the pitch (where he played): "The game is about both boxes. It doesn't really matter what you do in the middle of the field. It's about being precise and being detailed in the two boxes." While very true in one sense, one cannot get to either box without the middle.
    On a more serious note, AJ DeLaGarza was asked about his return to the pitch: “I think when you step between the lines, you’re so focused on what’s going on in the game. I can’t say that I didn’t think about my son, but I don’t think it hampered me in any way.”
    Karl Ouimette too returned to action after a difficult time. Marco Di Vaio scored the opener and dedicated it to his young teammate and his sister, Julie, prompting Ouimette to state: “It was great for Marco to come and see me, and everybody on the team gave me support before the game. I just came back, so it was the first time I saw them since my sister passed away. It was great to have the guys show they're there for me and have my back. It's a big gesture for my sister. The one that was most difficult was the minute of silence before the game. I was away, I'd been thinking about other things, trying to get past these emotions. It's hard not to have my sister next to me.”
    See It Live
    To lighten the mood after a serious round and some difficult quotes, Dave Gantar dropped his red card mid-play in Chicago – if only that was the most hilarious thing he did that night…
    A handful of the best saves of the weekend: Bill Hamid on Thierry Henry; Nick Rimando on Obafemi Martins; Luis Robles on Maurice Edu; Eric Miller clears off the goal-line; Troy Perkins on Charlie Davies; David Ousted on Fabian Castillo; Eric Gehrig’s block on Omar Cummings; Donovan Ricketts on Nick LaBrocca; and John Berner on Ben Zemanski. Nevermind, Joe Bendik denying Jeff Larentowicz.
    Then there was Robbie Keane’s poor attempt in San Jose.
    Even better, was Atiba Harris trying to leave the pitch before referee could book him – leaving the ref chasing down the player to get in the yellow card.
    Controversy
    Fittingly on the week that MLS restated, more formally, their interest in being a testing ground for the use of video replays, the league found itself mired in a whack of controversy:
    There was Fabian Espindola’s harsh red card – given by World Cup standout ref, Mark Geiger no less – for a slight, raised-boot on Dax McCarty, whereas Nick LaBrocca avoided a similar fate for this uglier challenge on Portland’s Ben Zemanski.
    Some odd penalty kicks given: San Jose’s Victor Bernardez ‘shoved’ Vancouver’s Kendall Waston; New York’s Ibrahim Sekagya ‘tangles’ with Pedro Ribeiro; and Portland’s Liam Ridgewell was called for this ‘handball’ in Colorado, while Zach Loyd’s handball was not called. At least this call on AJ Cochran was overturned.
    Then there was the disallowed goal in Chicago, for a phantom foul from Gilberto – having 'watched the replay', it is still not clear exactly what the problem was.
    And finally, what was Steven Lenhart thinking?
    Upcoming Fixtures
    Tuesday sees the US Open Cup Final contested between the Union and the Sounders in Philadelphia, while the CONCACAF Champions League returns with five MLS clubs involved in the fracas. DC travel to Jamaican side Waterhouse FC on Tuesday, while Portland host Honduran club, CD Olimpia. Wednesdays pits Montreal and New York against one another in a crucial all-MLS Champions League tie that will go some way to determining which moves on and Kansas City host Costa Ricans, Deportivo Saprissa on Thursday.
    The league returns for a full round of weekend fixtures on Friday, followed by seven on Saturday, and a solitary Sunday contest.
    Friday: Salt Lake-Colorado. Saturday: Portland-Vancouver; Philadelphia-Houston; Montreal-San Jose; New York-Seattle; Columbus-New England; Chicago-DC; Los Angeles-Dallas. Sunday: Toronto-Chivas.
    Monday (today) is roster deadline day in MLS. Teams have until 5 pm to finalize their squads for the remainder of the season.
    All video & quotes courtesy of MLSsoccer.com
    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
    Michael Mccoll
    With one eye on next week's massive game in Portland, Carl Robinson decided to rest some of his key personnel. The result was a very young and inexperienced starting line-up, especially in the backline.
    Steven Beitashour's hip was still giving him gyp, giving Ethen Sampson his second start in three games. Andy O'Brien was rested, affording Christian Dean his first MLS start in the centre of the defence to partner Kendall Waston. Pedro Morales was also rested, with Mehdi Ballouchy getting the start, whilst Erik Hurtado dropped back to the bench and Darren Mattocks regained his spot leading the attack.
    For Dallas, Blas Perez got the start, despite being listed as being away on international duty, in what will likely anger Vancouver, but there's not a lot they could do about it. They would wish they could.
    Vancouver did well early and the young defence didn't look overawed or overpowered in the slightest. In fact, it should have been the Whitecaps that opened the scoring ten minutes in when a quick break led to Ballouchy playing the perfect ball across to a wide open Mattocks, but the Jamaican's wayward shooting was in full force, with a horrendous effort that flew well wide.
    It was a miss that was to be punished in the 20th minute and it was Perez that did the damage with a wonder goal from the right sideline that looped over David Ousted's head and nestled in the net. It was clearly a hit and hope cross, but the Dane was just out of position enough to be beaten.
    Dallas thought they'd doubled their lead in the 27th minute when Ousted parried a Fabian Castillo shot into the path of Perez but the Panamanian was in an offside position.
    Vancouver got on with the game and broke quickly. As Sebastian Fernandez twisted and turned on the edge of the box, Je-Vaughn Watson brought him down and the Caps earned a free kick as close to being a penalty as possible.
    Mauro Rosales stepped up to drill a fierce kick straight at Raul Fernandez, who punched the danger clear.
    The game was going from end to end and when Vancouver failed to properly clear some Dallas the pressure, the ball fell to Victor Ulloa just outside the Caps' box and the homegrown midfielder unleashed a fierce shot which Ousted acrobatically tipped over to keep it as a one goal game.
    That was to be all the action in the half and Vancouver will have gone in fairly happy with their performance and to still be in the game at just one goal behind.
    The half ended in a slightly bizarre fashion when both sides had an assistant coach sent off at the referee for seemingly chipping away too much at the fourth official.
    The Caps started the second half sprightly but didn't threaten Fernandez in the Dallas goal.
    Castillo had a great chance to put the home side two up on the hour mark, showing some lovely footwork to make space before Ousted came up with the big save.
    Vancouver turned to Erik Hurtado to try and salvage something from the game and the striker blasted over with his first chance of the game moments later.
    And it was to be Hurtado that got Vancouver back into the game with a great finish in the 67th minute after some fantastic work and a final ball from Rosales to set him up.
    The goal reignited Dallas and after a spell of pressure they retook the lead with 12 minutes remaining and it was that man Perez again.
    Kendall Waston rose to head a Michel free kick off Tesho Akindele, and the ball broke to Perez who made no mistake and fired into the empty net after Ousted was left in no-man's land again after overcommitting on the original ball in.
    Vancouver pushed hard in the closing minutes as they tried to salvage a draw, and had a handball appeal for a penalty turned down, but there was to be no second and the Caps made it winless in five at Dallas.
    With Colorado and Portland drawing 2-2, Vancouver remain in the playoff places in the West and now head to take on the Timbers next Saturday afternoon in a massive Cascadian clash.
    FINAL SCORE: FC Dallas 2 - 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
    ATT: 16,792
    VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Ethen Sampson, Kendall Waston, Christian Dean, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba, Mehdi Ballouchy (Pedro Morales 57), Mauro Rosales (Kekuta Manneh 81), Russell Teibert; Sebastian Fernández; Darren Mattocks (Erik Hurtado 63) [suns Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Sam Adekugbe, Nicolas Mezquida, Omar Salgado]
    DALLAS: Raul Fernandez, Moises Hernandez (Jair Benitez 46), Zach Loyd, Matt Hedges, Je-Vaughn Watson, Victor Ulloa, Michel, Fabian Castillo, Andres Escobar (Mauro Diaz 55), Tesho Akindele, Blas Perez [subs Not Used: Chris Seitz, Kellyn Acosta, Peter Luccin, Ryan Hollingshead, David Texeira]
    REACTION:
    VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
    CARL ROBINSON
    On the first Blas Perez goal of the game:
    ."Total fluke. He's out in the corner, Christian (Dean) has done a very good job, maybe could have stopped the cross, but what can you do? We got beat in here last year, I think, by a freak Jair Benitez goal. This time we get done by a goal, but I really didn't think we were in too much danger in the first half prior to that freak goal, as I call it, so it was disappointing.
    On the second Perez goal off of a set piece situation:
    "It was interesting because the free kick hadn't been given, and then suddenly the free kick is given from somewhere so we've got to deal with it. We've got to deal with the set piece. We didn't deal with it. The second ball we didn't do anything. I just didn't understand the refs decision to not give a free kick, then a free kick was given against us."
    Was officiating the difference tonight?
    "No, I was surprised with the free kick that led to the winning goal. I know the guys have said in the locker room that we should have received a penalty in the first half because he was blatantly in the box, and key moments to win games, change games. It was a good performance from the boys against a very good team. A lot of fire in a lot of people's bellies out there. A lot of people getting involved in the game, and it's a defeat so we will take it on the chin."
    RUSSELL TEIBERT
    On tonight's match:
    ."Lot of thoughts. It's a good performance by the team, it was a good performance by Dallas, and we go down and then show a lot of fight to come back in the game. It's credit and testament to our team attitude and mentality and how we believe in each other. We gave up a set piece that I need to watch back to see what happened. Somehow Blas (Perez) gets in the right spot and the ball drops to him and it's 2-1. But we came back again and were pushing for a second goal right to the final whistle. It's a tough one to take tonight, but we need to turn the page real quickly because we have one of the biggest games of the year coming up in Portland.
    DAVID OUSTED
    On tonight's match:
    "I'm disappointed. I thought we had a good opportunity to get points, and did well, but it just wasn't to be."
    His perspective on the two FC Dallas goals:
    "The first one is a fluke. He (Perez) tried to hit a cross that swerves on me and goes in on a dime and button. With that, I could have moved my feet more and maybe gotten to that, but I think I reacted well afterwards, some good saves. The second goal is on my shoulders. I tried to come and help the guys, shouldn't have come out there. He (Perez) gets an easy tap-in. I'm disappointed with my performance today, I hold myself to a high standard and I didn't meet that today. I got three good saves in there, but I apologized to the guys in there. I wasn't at the level I wanted to be today, and they worked hard for nothing today."
    On his defence's coverage against Fabian Castillo
    .I think they (FC Dallas) got through a few times, but nothing that Dallas doesn't do almost any time. I think Ethen (Sampson) was fantastic, took (Andres) Escobar completely out of the match. (Christian) Dean, same thing. He did really well. Tough place to play and a lot of pressure, but both of them did really well.
    FC DALLAS
    OSCAR PAREJA
    General thoughts on the match
    "The game was very emotional with lots of things that happened. In the first half I thought that we couldn’t find the flow and it was probably one of those games where we gave away the ball the most so we didn’t have consistency in the ideas that we wanted because it was very tough during many parts of the first halfIn the second half things got calmer. We had Mauro who brought at lot of ideas and it started growing and everything looked very good. The effort like always is there. What I saw from our players is a team that always gives 110% effort and sometimes we play better than others but the second half today was one of those games where my team is like the other teams are in the top positions."
    Thoughts on Blas’ game:
    "Blas sets the tone for this group in the locker room and on the field also. In the field you saw it. He’s a player who gave all he has and then the game rewards him with two goals today. We needed him today. He played two games during the week and came in the first day after that and said I want to be on the field. That represents what this group is about and I’m glad for him. He sets the path and the boys follow him."
    When Blas told you he wanted to play, did you ever consider not starting him?
    "No, with Blas it’s simple. I look at him on Thursday and asked him do you think you have gas in the tank and the answer is of course and that was it. We didn’t talk about it any longer. He had a couple days where the level of training was low so we made sure that he regenerated well but his heart is there. Blas despite of his age is one of the guys who gives you more running in the game. His numbers are always high and I’m not concerned about his fitness. Unless he’s hurt he’s there all the time."
    You got 35 minutes from Mauro Diaz tonight can you assess his level where he’s at?
    "Mauro’s getting there. Today was a very demanding and taxing game but he needed to come and get his rhythm quick. Mauro knew he needed to get rhythm and make the team play better which is a huge responsibility for Mauro and he did it. That tells me that he’s getting to his best and I’m happy to see that."
    This win opens an eight point gap over Vancouver which could have been a two point gap with a loss how important is this win for your team with the standings so tight?
    "The league brings these emotions and you look at the standings but I’m always in the mode that were one game at a time. I feel today obviously very happy and proud to beat Vancouver and see the boys giving us that effort. We get three points and get some distance but the responsibility now isn’t to look at the standings, the responsibility now is to say we solved that problem tonight but the playoffs are not secure yet and the responsibility is to just keep looking ahead."
    BLAS PEREZ
    On scoring two goals tonight and two goals for Panama in a single week:
    "It was a great week for me. I am especially happy for today’s result. We worked hard as a team. It was a great game and I am happy for it."
    On telling Oscar Pareja that he wanted to play tonight:
    "Yes, I was a little tired but I recovered quickly. I told Oscar that I was ready to play. He asked me if I could play at 100% and I told him that I felt I could. I am glad everything went the way that we planned… I’m just happy. Tomorrow we’ll be back training again, a recovery practice but yes it will be a normal week of training… I’ll take Monday off."
    Where does this week rank for you in your career?
    "I wanted Panama to win the CONCACAF Central American Cup… Everything went great here with FC Dallas but Panama, right now, is playing for third place in that competition (Panama defeated El Salvador, 1-0, to win third place). I was really pulling for Panama to go to the final."
    TESHO AKINDELE
    General thoughts on the match:
    "It was a good win. We could have lost composure when Vancouver tied the game up but everyone stayed true to the plan and we fought hard a got a good three points."
    On Blas Perez’s performance this week:
    "He sets an example for all of us. He is one of the older players on the team but he is always working hard on the field every match, even tonight after he played three games this week. He’s running all over the place. He is giving us encouragement and keeping us going. Blas is a great example for everyone on the team."
    As a rookie, does that give you the blueprint for success?
    "It does. He has had a long and successful career. I can see that he is successful because he works hard. It’s a great thing – to be able to look at what he does."
    What were you thinking when Vancouver tied the game?
    "I was thinking that we just needed to take a breath. There was still a lot of time remaining. I thought we had most of the play before they scored. I thought we would be ok."
    Guest
    By Rose Rago
    Dwanye De Rosario notched his first goal of the season in the 89’ to draw Toronto FC level 1-1 with the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park Saturday night.
    The Scarborough native, who was subbed in for Domenic Oduro in the 59’, collected his 104th MLS goal after Jackon’s corner kick bounced around in the box. Nick Hagglund headed the ball to keep it in the 18 where Gilberto headed towards goal. A falling De Rosario was there to sweep it past Fire keeper Sean Johnson to give TFC their first goal in 370 minutes.
    But it is controversial disallowed go ahead goal in the 90' that the TFC faithful are talking about.
    Michael Bradley sent a long ball from inside the Chicago half to Gilberto in the area. The Brazilian controlled it and fought off defenders Bakary Soumare and Jeff Larentowicz. In behind Soumare, Gilberto slipped the ball between his legs to score to score. Both players fell during the play. But referee David Gantar issued Gilberto a foul for contact on Soumare, subsequently nullifying the goal.
    The Designated Player said post game, “I didn’t touch him and the ball ran into the net. But those calls happen. We just have to turn the page.”
    Bradley wasn’t shy with his thoughts about the officiating.
    “It makes no sense how you can continue to assign Canadian referees when an American team is playing against a Canadian team. It’s obvious that these guys are going to make an effort to show that they’re not biased one way or the other,” the USA international said post match.
    “It’s not the first time we had (referee David Gantar) this year. What can you say? He’s just not good enough […] they put referees out there that are totally in over their heads. They ruin games. They totally decide the outcome of games.” (Via Kurtis Larson – Toronto Sun Soccer Columnist)
    Bradley’s outspokenness could land him in hot water should the MLS decide review his comments, something TFC are all too familiar with. Former bench boss Ryan Nelsen was fined for his choice words about referee Ted Unkel following Toronto's 2-1 home loss to Sporting Kansas City on July 26th.
    Toronto was on its back foot for the majority of the match after falling behind 1-0 in the 11’.
    Sanna Nyassi played a short corner to Alex who passed it back to Nyassi. The forward sent a cross in the area where Lovel Palmer came in behind Mark Bloom to head it past Joe Bendik for his first of the season.
    Bendik ensured the Fire’s lead didn’t spread in the 45’ when he knocked a shot wide from Alex coming in down the left.
    TFC finished the first half without a corner kick, out shot nine to three, and with a mere 38% of the possession. It was an uninspired 45 minutes of football for the Toronto side. Defender Justin Morrow, in his first game back from injury, summed it up stating, “I would like to see us show a little more emotion.”
    Coach Greg Vanney changed the team’s formation to 4-1-4-1 to allow Bradley the midfield more opportunity to spark the offence. However Vanney was unimpressed with his squad’s performance at the break. “Too many guys coming deep to get the ball – leaving a big hole and leaving Gilberto alone […] need more mobility going forward.”
    Toronto began the second half with more of the emotion that Morrow called for but were in danger of falling into a two goal deficit in the 57’. Bendik came out to play a ball and hauled down Fire midfielder Grant Ward in the box for a penalty.
    Bendik made a massive save off of the ensuing Larentowicz shot from the spot and another seconds later from the rebound Quincy Amarikwa picked up. Bendik’s Man of the Match play kept Toronto within striking distance despite its lack of offence throughout the first 75 minutes.
    Most of the chances TFC generated came within the final 15 minutes of play. All of Toronto’s four corners came within that span. The switch in momentum gave TFC the final advantage in overall possession with 70% to the Fire’s 30%.
    Toronto (9-11-7) sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 34 points, three behind fifth and sixth place Columbus Crew and Philadelphia Union. Good news for Toronto, the Crew and Houston Dynamo played to a 2-2 Saturday to give TFC a two point cushion on the Men in Orange.
    With seven games remaining in the regular season the Reds battle to get back in playoff position. Their next match is September 21st versus Western Conference basement dwellers Chivas USA at BMO Field.
    Michael Crampton
    Even as little as three weeks ago, when the teams met in Toronto, TFC were still firm favourites. A quick opening goal seemed to beckon the possibility of a comprehensive victory for the Reds but, by the end of the night, catastrophe had struck. The crisis Toronto FC find themselves in had its germination in that game.
    Predictably, it had to be a pair of former Toronto players, Robert Earnshaw and Quincy Amarikwa, who scored the Fire’s pair of equalizers but that, and even the couple of potential points dropped as a result, wasn’t the real disaster. What were far more important were TFC’s three substitutes: Steven Caldwell, Justin Morrow, and Jermain Defoe. None have returned, Defoe might be gone for good, and the Reds have been outscored 6 – 0 in the three games since.
    The question of Ryan Nelsen or Greg Vanney is, for the short term at least, probably less important than who is available to start along Toronto’s backline. The suggestion is that Morrow is ready to return to his regular left back position which will help, as Doneil Henry has picked up a suspension for yellow card accumulation. With Caldwell still unavailable that probably means Nick Hagglund and Bradley Orr in central defence.
    Vanney’s style, the extent that he has been able to effect it, has seen Toronto’s fullbacks bombing forward with reckless abandon. Morrow can do that and still get back to support the centre backs which will be important as, so far, the approach has left dangerous amounts of space for opponents to counterattack into. If Chicago’s quick, small forwards can execute those counters better than Philly’s did the potential for a truly embarrassing score line is well within the realm of possibility. Any loss will edge TFC closer to playoff irrelevance but a blowout would add substantial insult to an already injured fan base.
    All that said, maybe this really is the game where the Reds save their season. As thin as they are at the back, this is still the same squad of players who were looking like a solid lock for the playoffs five weeks ago and Chicago are far from world beaters.
    In fact, one of the reasons Chicago had to bring in Earnshaw in midseason was Mike Magee’s injury situation. Last season’s league MVP and nearly top scorer, Magee is probably the only star on the Fire and, after dealing with a variety of issues all season, his season is now over permanently after hip surgery on Monday.
    Without Magee, Frank Yallop’s squad is as close to vanilla as you’re likely to find in Major League Soccer. The Fire don’t lose as often as their table position would suggest, but they certainly don’t win very often either. From their perspective, two draws against TFC in two previous meetings are probably exactly what you’d expect.
    A gritty performance, a little organization, even a fluke goal might be all it takes to emerge from the tailspin TFC have slipped into. Three points are on offer, and as the saying goes, “football is a funny old game.” The right team doesn’t always win and, as throughout most of their history, that’s what we’re back to hoping for here in Toronto.
    Steve Pandher
    U18s
    Last Season:
    The Whitecaps finished in second place finish in the USSDA West Conference Northwest Division despite missing a number of key players due to U17 World Cup and other international call ups. They were 90 minutes away from their third consecutive finals week before losing 5-3 to the top rated team in USSDA, Bethesda-Olney.
    Additions:
    Forwards - Dario Zanatta (previously with U16), William Grayson (Surrey United FC)
    Midfielders - Jeevin Kang (U16), Vanna Markarian (U16), Drake Rendle (Calgary Foothills SC), Francesco Saporito (U16)
    Defenders - Manraj Bains (U16), Andre Baires (U16), Joshua Cuthbert (U16), Eric DeGraaf (U16)
    Losses:
    Forwards - Mason James
    Midfielders - Mitch Piraux, Mark Baldisimo
    Defenders - Chris Serban, Jackson Farmer, Nicholas Prasad
    Goalkeepers - Nolan Wirth
    Overview:
    Without a doubt the success of this season will be dependent on the midfield carrying the team. Marco Bustos returns to run the attack for the U18s, similar to the way Morales does for the senior team. He will be joined by Jordan Haynes, who could play up top or at left back, and Kianz Froese who will return to the midfield after playing up top last year.
    The main reason Froese will have his time as a striker limited is the addition of Dario Zanatta as the main target man, after scoring 26 times for the U16s last season. Both Ali Musse and Hayden Simmonds-O’Grady are the favourites to be the wide attacking players.
    After graduating all four regular starters, the U18s will have a relatively young backline. Both Vaggeli Boucas and Nike Azuma saw playing time last year and should start the season in the eleven but they will be pushed by the incoming players from the U16 side. Joshua Cuthbert and Andre Baires are likely to hold the other two starting spots but don’t be surprised if players like Eric DeGraaf and Manraj Baines push for playing time.
    The young backline will be helped by the players who will be in goal for the U18s, with both Marco Carduccci and William Diaz returning to the team. There will be times when MLS (and USL Pro) duties will pull Carducci away from the Residency team but Diaz has shown with his performance in the PDL playoffs that he is a capable keeper.
    Projected Line-up:
    (R to L) Marco Carducci; Joshua Cuthbert, Vaggeli Boucas, Andre Baires, Nike Azuma; Jordan Haynes, Kianz Froese, Hayden Simmonds-O’Grady, Marco Bustos, Ali Musse; Dario Zanatta
    Expectations:
    With players like Bustos, Froese, Haynes and others, the U18s will be an attacking team to be reckoned with and if the chemistry between the midfield and Zanatta is strong, expect some high scoring matches. The question will be whether they will be able to keep their opponents from scoring but having Carducci as the last line defence will help.
    There will be times when they will be without their best players, especially with a USL Pro team starting in the spring causing number of players to move to that level. The U18s should be a solid bet to make the playoffs, as they have every year in their USSDA history, but how far they make it will be the question.
    You can find all of the U18s fixtures for this season HERE.
    U16s
    Last Season:
    The U16s had an excellent bounce back season as they went from missing the playoffs to capturing the USSDA West Conference Northwest Division title. They advanced through the playoff week to the quarterfinals but were forced to host a home match on foreign soil where they lost 2-1 to Chicago Magic PSG.
    Additions:
    Forwards - Nicolas Apostol (Pre Residency), Dwayne Ewart (Ajax Soccer Club), Nathan Graziano (Pre Residency)
    Midfielders - Gloire Amanda (FC Edmonton), Michael Baldisimo (Pre Residency), Jonas Hakkinen (Pre Residency), Munir Saleh (Kitchener Spirit)
    Defenders - Chris Guerreiro (Pre Residency), Frazer Poulter (Peterborough United FC), Brendan Skinner (Pre Residency), Terrell Smith (Pre Residency)
    Goalkeepers - Dory Elliott (Edmonton Internazionale)
    Losses:
    Forwards - Dario Zanatta (to U18s), Aymar Sigue (to Tulsa University NCAA I)
    Midfielders - Jeevin Kang (to U18s), Patrick Izzett (left program), Vanna Markarian (to U18s), Francesco Saporito (to U18s), Marcello Polisi (left program)
    Defenders - Manraj Bains (to U18s), Andre Baires (to U16s), Joshua Cuthbert (to U16s), Eric DeGraaf (to U16s), Riley Pang (left program)
    Overview:
    Similar to the U18s, the strength for this team lies in the midfield with David Norman Jr. and Thomas Gardner running the show. Both players are entering their third season with the U16s and are candidates to see some time with the senior Residency squad. The third spot will be contested from a group that includes Jonas Hakkinen, Gloire Amanada and Munir Saleh.
    They will be providing service to a forward group that will include holdovers Terran Campbell and Daniel Sagno. Campbell has already seen time with the U18s while Sagno will key in the attack as he will see more playing time than last year. Cole Morokhovich is the early favourite to be the third player in the attack but expect a rotation of players at this level.
    Three of the four spots on the backline should go to returning players Matthew Baldisimo, John Kasper and Kadin Chung. Both Baldisimo and Kasper will anchor the central defence while Chung will be an attacking force from either of the full back positions.
    Goalkeeping will be another strength for this team with both Aidan Aylward and Luciano Trasolini returning for another season. With Aylward a candidate to move up to the U18s from time to time, Dory Elliot was brought in from Alberta.
    Projected Line-up:
    (R to L) Aidan Aylward; Kadin Chung, John Kasper, Matthew Baldisimo, Frazer Poulter; Munir Saleh, David Norman Jr., Terran Campbell, Thomas Gardner, Daniel Sagno; Cole Morokhovich
    Expectations:
    This will be a well balanced team as there will be games that they win games with both their attack and defence. The key will be incorporating the new players, especially the pre-residency ones, in order to get them used to the USSDA season, from a playing, travel and logistical sense.
    There is a lot of turnover for the Whitecaps U16 team with a number of players moving up the senior team. However there is still enough in this team across the pitch to compete for another division title and advance in the playoffs.
    You can find all of the U18s fixtures for this season HERE.
    Michael Mccoll
    "I feel like I'm playing with a lot more confidence," Adekugbe told us. "I mean first game, kind of nerves, general excitement, but now, heading into a fourth game and having another match and 90 minutes away from home, I feel that my confidence is growing and I'm able to take more chances and take more risks going forward. I feel that the overall progression has let me go more forward.
    "I'm trying to play every game possible. I want to show the coaches that I can do well. Obviously it's an environment I'm not used to, so I have to kind of prove myself no matter what."
    In the minutes that he has played, Adekugbe has impressed and against Portland and DC he was the only player late on running at and getting past defenders. It bodes well for the future and the almost guaranteed minutes that the Canadian international will get with the Caps’ new USL Pro team next season will be invaluable.
    Fans and media apart, Adekugbe has also been impressing his Whitecaps teammates, as has fellow fullback Ethen Sampson, who made his debut in the DC game only to cramp up and be replaced by Adekugbe.
    One of those that he has impressed is the man whose job he would dearly like to have, left back Jordan Harvey.
    "They're really young. I didn't make my debut till about a year or two after them," Harvey told reporters this week when asked about the two young fullbacks. "It's all about experience at this point. In defending, that's a lot of it. Getting them out there, getting them experience. They have the talent. I think for them it's just about getting more minutes and they've got all the potential."
    It’s been a tough few weeks in Vancouver. The goals haven’t been going in, the wins haven’t been coming and they fell out of the playoff places in the West. Wednesday night’s win over San Jose has eased some of that pressure ever so slightly. Perhaps not the best environment to blood youngsters in some ways, but the pressure that a dip in form and a playoff battle down the stretch brings is a situation that Adekugbe feels will teach him a lot for his future career.
    "You can feel the tension," Adekugbe told reporters. "You don't know what to say in the dressing room, you don't want to push buttons and make people feel uncomfortable. I think as a young player, the tension is definitely there but you're also excited because you're still a developing player and you want to prove to the coaches that you can be in one of those positions and help the team get forward.
    "I think it's just the way things occur. Players want to be in an environment where, ok, you see that things are happening and you want to prove to yourself. I think it's just a natural thing.
    "As a young player you want to put yourself in as many environments as possible. This is one where the fans are nervous, the players are nervous, we want to produce goals and things like that. To have this environment now at a young age helps us in the latter with growing up and you can be in that position of an older player helping youngsters, telling them what to do.”
    That opportunity to help those younger than him is already happening for Adekugbe. Having just graduated this year from the Whitecaps Residency program, Sam is a player that others coming through the ranks now look up to and are looking to emulate.
    Does he find his old Residency teammates, especially those close to breaking into the MLS ranks, keen to talk to him about his experiences so far?
    "Definitely," Adekugbe told us. "I've been able to come down for a couple of training sessions with the academy when I've not travelled with the first team. Niall Thompson's [Residency head coach] doing a good job. They do ask me questions about what's it like, what's the environment like with the first team players in the locker room, how are you coping with all the draws just now.
    "I just tell them it's going to happen to every club. Maybe in the academy you might not be winning games and players are getting mad at each other. You've got to bring the most positive side to it and hopefully just be the best person that you can and help the team improve."
    With the new Residency USSDA season all set to kick off this weekend, there will be a number of players currently in the program watching Adekugbe’s progress closely and with the development of homegrown talent already a clear way forward for MLS 3.0, you can be sure that many of them will be following in his footsteps real soon.
    Aaron Campbell
    STARTING XI
    11 - Mauro Rosales
    This pick people may not agree with but I need to see more out of Rosales. Needs to show us he is worth his $400,000 salary. It was a great win and he wasn't brutal but he needs to be better.
    10 - Sebastian Fernandez
    Needs to find his scoring touch. Has been struggling to find the back of the net.
    9 - Steven Beitashour
    Came back from missing last game with injury. He seemed to be a few steps behind everyone else. Sampson is an okay back up but Beitashour is the option.
    8 - Andy O'Brien
    Seemed to be struggling a bit late in the game. Might see a Dean/Waston partnership against FC Dallas.
    7 - Matias Laba
    With Koffie out he seems to enjoy the lone defensive midfielder role. But in this game you could see him struggling a bit in the middle defensive part of the pitch. Hope Koffie returns soon and they can continue their budding relationship.
    6 - Erik Hurtado
    Had a few chances to score or set up a decent attack. You can see him trying to score a wonder goal. Needs to get a dirty hard work goal to get the streak going.
    5 - Jordan Harvey
    Continued his good play of late. Was very strong on his part of the defensive pitch. Stopped the attack and pushed the players out wide and shut down the middle.
    4 - David Ousted
    League leading ninth clean sheet of the season. Has been in a nice groove on the recent run.
    3 - Pedro Morales
    Very good game for Pedro. Struggled a bit the past few games. Mr Automatic on penalty kicks. His passing was on point for the night.
    2 - Kendall Waston
    We all knew the goals would come but god damn it felt so good when it came. Might have been lucky on penalty call but he was right spot at right time. Very smart play on goal to hug Harvey. That way the defenders could wrap him up and take him out of the play.
    1 - Russell Teibert
    Very good game for the young Canadian. Probably his best game of the season. Attacked well, ran the wings well and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
    SUPER SUBS
    3 - Darren Mattocks
    Late 90 + 3' sub. May not start against FC Dallas to rest his "ankle knock".
    2 - Nicolas Mezquida
    Was a late sub and almost made an impact in the game. Would have liked to see him get more minutes. That way Morales could rest up for the stretch run here.
    1 - Mehdi Ballouchy
    Has been a nice surprise coming off the bench the past two games subbing in for Rosales. If Ballouchy can keep up the good run he might have found his place and calling for this team.
    Michael Mccoll
    Sooner than yesterday would be nice.
    A quick look at the Whitecaps goalscoring charts tells a damning story. Pedro Morales is out in front with 8 now after his penalty against the Quakes. Most of them have been spot kicks but his 86 shots dwarves the rest. Darren Mattocks has 6 goals, Erik Hurtado 4 (all from that one burst before the World Cup), Kekuta Manneh has 3 (all early doors) and Omar Salgado can hardly get minutes on the pitch never mind goals.
    The fact that Kenny Miller is the Whitecaps’ fourth leading scorer and he left after the May 3rd win against San Jose says it all.
    "I think they are [good enough]," goalkeeper David Ousted told reporters. "They're young guys and they still have a lot to learn, like the rest of us. I do think that they have the quality to score and we believe in them. It's up to us as a team to back them up and keep producing chances for them. I believe we'll get those goals."
    There is no getting away from the young factor. Hurtado is 23-years-old, Salgado just turned 21 yesterday and Manneh is 19. Even the injured Caleb Clarke is only 21. Darren Mattocks is an old man by comparison at 24. That may explain his wayward shooting, his eyesight is going.
    However, if we take another quick look, this time at the MLS goalscoring charts, you see that blaming their lack of ability to finish on their youth is utter nonsense.
    If you look at the top five goalscorers in MLS right now you’ll find Dom Dwyer (24 years old and 18 goals), Gyasi Zardes (23-years-old and 15 goals) and Erick Torres (23-years-old and 14 goals). All of them have more individual goals than the Whitecaps striking quartet combined.
    Despite their woeful time and wasteful moments, Carl Robinson still has faith in his strikers, at least publically. Let’s be honest though, he doesn’t have any choice or any alternative but to back them. There is no-one else right now and just four days left to change that scenario before the roster freeze.
    "They've shown that they are, in bursts," Robinson said at training this week when asked if they were MLS quality and up for the job. "On a consistent basis? That's the big question with any player within this league, especially young players, so that's the challenge we're having. They're trying their hardest at the moment bit things aren't going."
    The questions keep coming though and they will continue to keep coming as the season progresses and the goals don’t come. It was the first question asked again last night after the win over San Jose.
    "My young boys are very, very good", Robinson responded at his postgame presser. "I’ve got a hundred percent faith in them, as I say to you every week. We won the game today, whether they scored or not. It’s not about any individual. What pleased me the most was a team performance today."
    That was a great part of the San Jose win. For the first time in a long time, the Caps played like a cohesive unit, and Sebastian Fernandez worked hard and put in one hell of a shift up front. Without scoring, obviously.
    But as Andy O’Brien said a few weeks ago, if scorers don’t score then they will end up getting replaced. It is the nature of the business. That in itself must play in the minds of all of these young strikers at the Caps right now. That’s why they sometimes try too hard, look for the shot when the pass was the better option. Do they feel the pressure? Do they read the clamour of people looking for trades and new additions?
    "I don't look at that at all," Erik Hurtado told AFTN. "That's negative thinking, negative talk. I don't like having that in my life and I know that the team doesn't like having that in the locker room.
    "We've just got to be positive. People can say what they want to say. Bring in new strikers, bring in new players, but at the end of the day, our job is to create chances and to try and score, and whether people are saying it or people aren't saying it, we know that's our job. It's not added pressure when people start talking because we're soccer players, we've been playing it our whole lives, and we know what our job requires."
    Like the job of a baker, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.
    Aaron Campbell
    The Good:
    Kendall "Big Man" Waston
    Jump big man jump. Very nice play all game. Cleared the defensive 18 yard box with ease and confidence. Very good play on the foul that led to the penalty kick. Might have been lucky to get the call but he played to the whistle and made the ref have to make the choice.
    On his goal he was very smart hugging the back of Harvey so the Quakes defender couldn't lock him up and stop his run towards the goal. I expect many more of these goals for him in a Whitecaps kit.
    Best part of game for me was the shot of Robinson's face after Waston had scored. The look of 'fuck yeah' on his face was awesome.
    The Average:
    Erik Hurtado's Offensive Attack
    He wasn't really good but he wasn't really bad. A upgrade over what they got out of Darren Mattocks in the previous games.
    He isn't the solution moving forward but with four days before roster freeze there may not be time to bring in a striker.
    The Bad:
    Too Many Dropped Points May Hurt In Final Stretch
    Not that this applies to this particular game, but at the end of a three game home stand, the Caps hold their destiny in their own hands. That being said they need wins and the wins need to come against the Timbers, Sounders and FC Dallas.
    With no more games against the weak Eastern Conference it's time to pull up their laces, put their fighting heads on and win.
    Let's hope their run of drawing 13 out of 27 games is over and they can maintain their current standing.
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