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    Duane Rollins
    By Rose Rago
    “Win or lose against Ghana, it wasn't going to change our approach for the game against Finland.”
    Canadian Head Coach Andrew Olivieri insisted their strategy won’t be altered in the next match despite a 1-0 loss to Ghana to open the Fifa Women’s U20 World Cup. The coach was eager to move forward after his squad struggled to keep pace with their Ghanaian counter parts in the first half. Despite the many opportunities they had in the last 30 minutes, Canada couldn't connect. That inability to finish became what would haunt them in the end.
    The majority of the post-game analysis sounded similar. Experts cited the Canadians’ failure to score, a slow and nonthreatening start to the match, and curious line up decisions as the causes for the loss.
    Coach Olivieri, however, thought differently. “Ghana playing man-marking on all or most of the pitch is difficult for a lot of players to play against, to adapt to,” he said. “You don’t see that much in the modern game anymore. Everything happens just a little bit quicker, is a little bit tighter, and especially the North American players – Canada and the US – will always have more difficulty against that and adjusting to it.”
    Prior to the tournament the former Montreal Impact goalkeeper seemed quite aware of and prepared for what his team would face. “I’m expecting the absolute best from them. Ghana won a bronze medal at the 2012 U-17s and that’s the bulk of this team. They also have a large number of returning players from the previous U-20 Women’s World Cup. They are going to be very, very tough.”
    There seem to be a few mixed messages surrounding what these young women need to do in order to be successful during the remainder of the group stage.
    “We have to learn to adapt to the other team's style of play. It took us the half of the game [Tuesday] to learn that, and by then it was too late.”
    Then coach also stated that sticking to their game plan was what made them successful as the match progressed, “I think they lived the strategy a lot more in the second half than the first.”
    Are they to adjust their style in order to counter-act their opponents or should they stick with their strategies until the end?”
    Perhaps the loss was a result of the pressure they faced. Not exactly, according to Olivieri…sort of. “Playing a World Cup at home, it’s not too much pressure for my players, but it’s a new pressure. And they’ll have to learn to live with it in this tournament, and to win the important games despite this pressure.”
    Maybe this is the coach's attempt to take the heat away from his players so they can focus on their next task. But despite the plethora of reasons Olivieri listed, goalkeeper Katie Sheridan was not going to make excuses for what caused the breakdown that lead to Canada’s loss.
    “It’s always going to be someone’s fault: I should have stopped the ball, I should have made sure the forward was marked, I should have done this, I should have done that,” she said. “You can find all manner of things that I should have done better, but in the end, it’s a collective mistake.”
    The fans hope the Canadian side can determine what went wrong in time for their match against Finland Friday evening.
    Grant
    A Costa Rican journalist cornered Aleman following the press conference and asked him about his decision to represent his adopted home rather than his nation of birth.
    In summary, Aleman said that then-manager Jorge Luis Pinto called him two months prior to the 2013 U20 Concacaf Championship and asked him to represent Costa Rica. He said he declined the invite because after playing with both the Canada U17 and U20 teams "he couldn’t do that to his teammates.” Most importantly, he says he’s happy he chose Canada.
    It's just a great thing to hear for Canada supporters smarting from being on the wrong end of such decisions too many times. It's a sore spot, but Aleman really represents the reality of 21st century global migration and sense of identity clashing with much of the soccer-watching public’s 20th-century concept of nationalism. (The Fifa rules governing the subject exist in their own world.)
    Aleman said in the above interview that he moved to Canada as a child. That his extended family still lives in Costa Rica - grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles - and that it’s only ever been him and his parents in Canada. This is where it gets complicated. He tells his interlocutor that he always wanted to play for Costa Rica but Canada came knocking first. Simply that. Canada called first.
    If I can be so bold as to put words in the man's mouth, it sounds like Aleman feels a strong loyalty to the Canada program while still largely identifying as a Costa Rican, or at least an expat one. Canadian supporters throw out the word “traitor” quite freely in these situations (this author sheepishly included) without necessarily realizing that particular accusation flies both ways. Take the comments below Thursday's Aleman story on this Facebook page presumably operated by a Herediano supporter. You'll spot an el traidor or two, but with the reverse implication: look at this Costa Rican guy who took off to a better, wealthier country and chose its national team instead of his own.
    It's almost like we need to convene an ad hoc barstool committee to drunkenly weigh the evidence in each particular case of country switchin' and determine which players to direct the incoherent rage towards and which ones to sort of give a pass. Contrast the Aleman situation with that of Vancouver Whitecaps' prospect Marco Bustos, a kid born and raised in Winnipeg to immigrant parents, who also participated with Canada's national youth programs and appears to have been far more flirtatious with his suitors from the U20 Chile squad. I guess it's just complicated guys.
    As for the actual football in all this, is Herediano a step down from the Spanish second division, where Aleman had been playing with Valladolid B? At first glance the optics of a move from Spain to Costa Rica don't look great. And the player plainly states his goal is to return to Europe. But if you consider Herediano is one of the top teams in Costa Rica -- third most titles after Saprissa and Alajuelense, most recently champion in the 2013 Clasura season -- it really starts to depend on playing time. Herediano isn't in the current Concacaf Champions League, but did qualify for the tournament the previous two seasons and made the quarterfinals in 2012-13. They finished third in the recently finished Clasura 2014 Primera Division season.
    He'll have some esteemed company in midfield in the form of Costa Rica international Esteban Granados, who didn't play any minutes during the World Cup but still managed to earn a yellow card from the subs bench in the round of 16 victory over Greece. Granados was recently named to the squad for Costa Rica's first national team microciclo following the World Cup, along with Herediano defender Pablo Salazar.
    Personally, I'm excited to have what a guy who is hopefully a men's national team regular playing club football in Central America. I've said many times I think the program would benefit from more players in such a situation.
    James Grossi
    Tesho Akindele
    Akindele made his tenth-straight start for Dallas in their 0-1 win over Chivas on Sunday night – it was his eleventh start and fourteenth appearance of the season.
    In tandem once more with Blas Perez in attack, Akindele was again fantastic, dragging Chivas defenders all over the pitch, ranging wide to each side, and stretching the defense by leading the line on occasion, all in the effort to make space for his teammates to exploit.
    It was his goal in the 49th minute that stood as the winner,
    after the Colombian burst down the left-side of the area on a rampaging run, played in via a one-two with Perez at the top of the box.He took his finish expertly, committing to the run, getting goal-side his defender and making the simple, but far from easy, contact necessary to redirect the ball goal-ward – it was his fourth of the season and third in the last four matches.
    The Calgary, Alberta-native nearly returned the favour to Castillo on two occasions: poking in an inviting feed after a run up the right – Chivas keeper, Dan Kennedy, was quick off his line to snuff out the danger, and then delightfully flicking the back-end of a one-two into the path of the Colombian, who rounded the defenses but could not beat the post.
    One hopes that he will be one of the players suiting up for the national team come next month’s friendly against Jamaica in Toronto – the combination of movement, size, strength, and finish that he embodies is a fixture Canada desperately needs.
    Anthony Jackson-Hamel
    Jackson-Hamel became the seventh homegrown signing for the Montreal Impact on Friday and the next day he was taking to the pitch for his first, replacing Jack McInerney in the 65th minute as Montreal fell 0-2 to TFC on Saturday.
    Some Twenty minutes later, the native of Quebec City nearly added the first goal of his professional career, finding the space in the box to get on the end of an Eric Miller cross, directing his header low to the far-post, but Joe Bendik was sharp to push the effort wide.
    The now 21-year old, his birthday was either Saturday or Sunday – there is contradictory information out there – spoke with reporters after his debut: “I think it’s all happening fast, but I’m very happy for the opportunity and I’m going to keep working hard at the trainings and I’ll be ready for the next game if they need me again.”
    He continued, “But, I was ready for the opportunity if the coach needed me. It was a culmination of four years of hard work, being part of the Academy, so I’m proud today, but it would have been nice if we won and that header went in. But, there will be more chances.”
    Before adding, “They told me yesterday, like everybody else and I didn’t know if they would put me on but I was ready. The style of play is more physical and faster but I’m ready for my next game.”
    He earned the praise of coach Frank Klopas with his cameo: “One of the positives from today is the way Jackson played, he did very well. He’s a young guy who stepped in and did extremely well. He was strong in the box and held up the ball well. I’m very happy for him.”
    Expect to see more of him in both MLS and the Champions League.
    Doneil Henry
    Henry returned to the Toronto lineup for Saturday’s win over Montreal having served his one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation during Wednesday’s loss at DC – it was his twelfth start of the season.
    He
    about the importance of the rivalry.Paired with Nick Hagglund in the centre of the Toronto defense, Henry was again impressive, racking up eight clearances, four recoveries, four interceptions, and a block.
    The Brampton, Ontario-native’s most impactful play of the afternoon came in the 54th minute, when he
    ; though, it may well have warranted a foul, as Di Vaio protested vehemently afterwards.Will Johnson
    Johnson made a 22nd consecutive start for Portland in their 3-1 loss to Los Angeles on Saturday, continuing his run of having started every single league match for the Timbers this season.
    Alongside Diego Chara at the base of the midfield, Johnson was faced with the difficult task of keeping a lid on the dynamic movements of the Galaxy attack, with all its moving parts.
    Forced on the back-heel against an oft-rampant Galaxy, the Toronto-born midfielder was regularly forced deep into his own area,
    ; though he did do enough to prevent Keane from making good contact on an overhead attempt.His passing was excellent, even if he was not afforded the chance to get forward regularly, misplacing just three passes all night – he had just one pass, incomplete, in the attacking third.
    Johnson tallied six recoveries, three tackles, and a pair each of interceptions and clearances.
    Patrice Bernier
    Bernier started a ninth-straight match for Montreal in their loss to Toronto on Saturday – it was his fifteenth start and twentieth appearance of the season.
    Patrolling the midfield with Eric Miller, Bernier’s passing was, as usual, sublime, moving the ball wide with ease, though his attempts to push forward failed to find their aim with regularity.
    The Brossard, Quebec-native collected thirteen recoveries, always well positioned to gain possession, but he could not single-handedly prevent Toronto from threatening on the counter or moving the ball into the wide positions – plays from which both their goals were scored.
    He did have one excellent look at goal in the first half, dragging his shot wide of the far-post from outside the area.
    Post-match, he was honest in his assessment of the disappointment: “I don’t want to make any excuses for today. This was derby game against Toronto. I understand that not everyone understands the rivalry, but we should have been more up for this one. We didn’t answer the bell tonight”
    But looked forward to Tuesday’s Champions League match, which the Impact would win: “We have to prepare mentally for this Champions League game. We are in a tough spot and we hope the fans will come out and support us. We need their help to get out of this"
    The theme from Bernier these past few weeks and months has been to move on from the struggles, a sentiment he reiterated once more: “We have an opportunity to have a fresh start with this tournament; especially playing at home we are looking forward to it. We have to be ready for it. We can`t switch off right away from the spell we are in right now, but this tournament is different and gives us the opportunity to start off fresh and maybe turn the tide around for us for the rest of our regular season.”
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio entered Toronto’s 3-0 loss at DC United in the 66th minute, replacing Dominic Oduro with TFC already down two goal, shortly thereafter it was three and the match was all but over – it was his third appearance from the bench this year.
    Come Saturday, he returned to the starting eleven for the win over Montreal, taking up position on the left-side of midfield, with free reign to move in-field and insert himself into the build-up – it was his thirteenth start of the season.
    His passing was fantastic, a large part of Toronto’s midfield domination for much of the match, misplacing just four all match and adding four key passes – whatever they are.
    The Toronto, Ontario-native
    on Monday.Russell Teibert
    Teibert began Wednesday’s match in Chicago on the bench, before entering the fray in the 57th minute, replacing Gershon Koffie with the score tied at zeros.
    Staying deeper in the midfield, his passing was solid, but conservative, rarely venturing forward as the match would end in a stayed scoreless draw.
    It was the Niagara Falls, Ontario-native’s sixth appearance from the bench and sixteenth overall of the season.
    Reportedly, he was one of the stars of the inaugural Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game, though, of course, the match was not available in Canada – which was odd.
    and he and Harrison Shipp spoke about the experience.Kyle Bekker
    Bekker remained an unused substitute for Wednesday’s loss in DC, though he did see some limited minutes at the end of TFC’s win in Montreal, replacing Collen Warner in the 84th minute – it was his first appearance in nearly two months, bringing his season tally to ten, eight of which were starts between April and June.
    The Oakville, Ontario-native had one attempt at goal in his brief cameo, his effort drifting wide.
    The Rest
    Ashtone Morgan, Dwayne De Rosario, Wandrille Lefevre, Maxim Tissot, and Kofi Opare were unused substitutes for their respective sides this round.
    All video 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
    Duane Rollins
    By Rosemary Rago
    In case you missed the greatest injustice in world football history -- Pep Guardiola refusing to shake hands with Caleb Porter -- the MLS All-Star game went last night. The team that was treating the game like the Champions League final won 2-1 over the team with eight guys that literally just got off a plane from a post World Cup bender.
    CSN's newest contributor, Rosemary Rago, breaks down the only contributor from a Canadian team--TFC's Michael Bradley. If you want a hot take on handshake-gate try Simon Borg.
    Quick note on Rosemary. A Canadian of Italian decent (like, legitimate. She was born there), Rosemary has been deeply involved in the game a local level for several years. She's also currently enrolled in the prestigious College of Sports Media. She's coming on board to provide daily news coverage of TFC and Canada.
    The other side of this move is it will allow me to focus on investigative reporting and on providing reaction to the bigger news items.
    I'm excited to have Rosemary on board and for what her help will allow me to do. Join me in welcoming her.
    -Duane
    --
    Michael Bradley is familiar with the MLS All Star game where he made his mark in 2013. Bradley’s passing was key to the winning side’s final goal of the match. But last year the American International was representing AS Roma who topped the MLS group 3-1.
    In the 68th minute Bradley fed a one touch pass from the top of the 18 yard box between two MLS defenders to the boot of Kevin Strootman. The Dutch midfielder sent a crisp pass to Junior Tallo for the tap in. What impressed most pundits about “The General” was his chemistry with Strootman. Bradley also was incredibly efficient completing 58 of 59 pass attempts spanning over the entire pitch. Not a bad way for Bradley to celebrate his 26th birthday.
    Focus was on Bradley as he made his debut as a MLS AllStar on Wednesday. Some expected he would anchor the MLS squad’s midfield, balance the defense, and control possession. Members of the ESPN panel went as far to say that he would emerge as the leader of the squad. Though back home Bradley has faced some criticism. He recently silenced the negative reviews with his stellar play on Saturday vs The Montreal Impact. He dominated the middle of the park for TFC and notched the game winning goal.
    Although Bradley’s 45 minute performance in Portland wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t memorable either. In fact, it had no bearing on the 2-1 MLS win over Bayern Munich. The New York Red Bulls pair of Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, however, dictated the pace during the first half. Henry created, and was on the receiving end of, great service while Cahill was incredibly intense in the middle.
    Many TFC supporters expressed little to no interest in Bradley’s 45 minute AllStar contribution. Most were only concerned that he return unscathed. Others poked fun stating that they would riot if he didn't score multiple times.
    With less than half of the season remaining, what’s most important to TFC faithful is that Bradley is in full form to help lead the club to their first post season berth in franchise history.
    Which he did.
    So it's a win for Toronto. Now, let's focus on what matters--Toronto's drive to its first ever playoff spot.
    Michael Mccoll
    KC players and the All-Star game haven’t exactly been a great mix these last few seasons. In 2012, Collin missed two weeks of MLS action after suffering facial fractures. Last year, Zusi missed four matches after picking up a quad strain in the All-Star game.
    It would be helpful for Vancouver if lightning was to strike thrice, but that’s not something Zusi is even letting enter his mind (although we tried to put it there!).
    "I think if you're thinking about not getting injured, that's when it tends to happen more,” Kansas City’s DP told AFTN at training on Tuesday. "It's something I'm not going to really think about. I'm going to prepare like I always do for a game. Ultimately, this weekend is the important one so I think Caleb is going to be very smart about minutes and together we'll play very similar minutes and definitely be ready for the weekend."
    The KC numbers for the game were boosted at the weekend when in-form Dom Dwyer got a late call up to the match after TFC’s Jermain Defoe had to scratch with a groin injury.
    The English striker should have been in the All-Star squad to begin with after his form this season, so it was just reward for his goalscoring exploits this year and he’s glad to be a part of it.
    "I thought I would just miss out," Dwyer told reporters yesterday. "I was a little bit disappointed, but then I just carried on with it and focussed on the season and then the phone rang at the weekend and I'm here, so it's pretty cool.
    "It's pretty fun. It's something different and I'm getting to play with the best players in the league. It's a cool thing to be a part of and you get to meet new guys and you're on another team, so it's fun."
    Dwyer doesn’t feel that the game will have any detrimental effect on him or his Sporting KC teammates however, in terms of the match with the Caps on Sunday.
    "If we weren't here this week we'd be training back in Kansas City,” he told us. “Our training is intense. I train the same way that I play."
    Tonight's match will be Dwyer's first, but teammate Matt Besler will be earning his second straight All-Star honours, and his third in his career. He's not even thinking about the Caps game at the weekend yet.
    "All of our focus is on the Wednesday game right now," Besler told us. "We'll train today and then we'll try and put in a great performance on Wednesday night. Once the game's over all of our focus just moves on to Sunday."
    If Vancouver fans were hoping for some more tiring travel for the KC quartet, those hopes were somewhat dashed. The four players will remain in Portland tomorrow after the game to rest and then head straight up to Vancouver to join up with their teammates.
    "We'll be joining the team on Friday," Besler added. "We're actually not going to fly back to Kansas City but we're going to stay up here in the northwest and then join the team on Friday in Vancouver."
    Will Kansas City's All-Star jinx strike again? It's always nice to be your full strength opponents, but with the stretch of draws and no wins that Vancouver have had of late, we'll take any advantage given to us to get another tick in the win column.
    Let's hope for a robust and sapping encounter in Portland tonight.

    [** Thanks to AFTN contributor Zachary Meisenheimer for attending training yesterday and getting these quotes for us **]


    James Grossi
    Up first, in chronological order, is
    to open the scoring in Los Angeles; the second candidate is over Bobby Shuttleworth, who could only watch as it sailed beyond his grasp; and the third, Dallas’ T , thanks largely to the dynamic return of Fabian Castillo.On to the results:
    But first, a quick note – sincere apologies for the delay; your faithful scribe of this weekly review spent the weekend in Montreal and then went off to cheer the Canadian Women as they embarked on their U-20 World Cup journey, as such, he was not able to stay on top of the proceedings as firmly as usual, had to scramble, cobbling together before the weekend became obsolete and thus this review will lack some of its characteristic enthusiastic detail.
    Normal service will resume with Round 22; hopefully, bright and early next Monday morn.
    Midweek Results in a Sentence

    Wasted chances from TFC handed DC the initiative, who tallied through Eddie Johnson in the first half before Chris Rolfe sealed the result in the second; minutes later a Nick Hagglund own-goal closed out the night as two potential contenders for the Eastern crown met for the third and final time this season.

    The Revolution finally snapped their long eight-match losing run on the back of a scintillating performance from Lee Nguyen, who scored the first two goals and set up Kelyn Rowe for the third on an off-night for the Rapids.

    Nothing happened; two teams that draw a lot drew another – Chicago now has twelve on the season, Vancouver eleven. The MLS record for most in a season is sixteen.

    Joao Plata and Thierry Henry exchanged goals in either half as the two sides played out a 1-1 draw; Jamison Olave, making a return to his former club, was involved in a fracas with Olmes Garcia – more on that below.
    Results in Brief

    Sporting and Philadelphia played out a diplomatic 1-1 draw on Friday night in Kansas City.
    Riding four-straight wins in the midst of a seven-game unbeaten run; Dom Dwyer looked to give KC an early lead, only for his header to be cleared off the line by Brian Carroll in the 12th minute. The Union too had a chance to take the lead when Vincent Nogueira ripped a free-kick towards the top corner, but Andy Gruenebaum was sharp to react, pushing the effort around the post.
    The breakthrough would finally come in the 54th minute, when Kansas City pounced on a poor back-header from Ray Gaddis. It fell to Toni Dovale, who poked Graham Zusi down the right-side of the box to sweep a right-footer under Zac MacMath.
    Zusi was inches away from doubling his tally - and KC’s advantage - a minute later, when Dwyer square a ball, but his effort whisked just wide of the post.
    Philadelphia would settle down, finding their equalizer in the 71st minute through recently-acquired Jamaican striker, Brian Brown – his bullet header from a left-sided Gaddis cross on virtually his first touch of the match saw the newcomer notch his first goal in MLS.
    With the draw, both sides see their unbeaten runs continue – KC up to eight, while Philly extend theirs to four.

    Saturday’s action began in Los Angeles, where the home-side Galaxy rode a fantastic outing from Robbie Keane to overturn an early Timbers strike to win 3-1.
    Diego Valeri gave the visitors the lead in the 14th minute when his gorgeous right-footed free-kick eluded the LA wall and the attentions of Jaime Penedo to sail into the top right-corner of the goal.
    But the goal only served to light a fire under the hosts, who would equalize before half-time. Gyasi Zardes, who had watched his header carom off the bar in the 30th minute, found his goal in the third-minute of stoppage time after Keane played out to Robbie Rogers wide on the left and his cross was met for a thunderous header by the Galaxy youngster, who now has seven goals in his last eight matches.
    Keane would grab the winner in the 73rd minute, drifting off the back-shoulder of the Portland defense to get open at the back-post, where he met a lovely Landon Donovan cross with a firm header. And he would then round out his three-point performance from the penalty spot, after Diego Chara was adjudged to have fouled Juninho at the top of the Portland area – Keane’s right-footer would freeze Donovan Ricketts before whistling low to the keeper’s left.
    As usual, when the season begins to matter LA turns it on, Bruce Arena’s side have now lost just once in their last eleven matches, a stretch that includes seven wins, rocketing them up the standings. Impressive performances against West Coast opponents – the dismantling of Seattle and this over Portland – are signals of their intent. Portland meanwhile see their modest two-game winning streak come to an end.

    Toronto handed Montreal yet another defeat when the two Canadian rivals took to the pitch in Saturday’s second match with goals in either half.
    Gilberto got the scoring started early, registering his third of the season in the eleventh minute on a sweeping move that began when Justin Morrow moved in from the left to find Michael Bradley atop the area, who quickly played wide right to Dominic Oduro. The Ghanaian hit an early ball into the middle, which was met by Gilberto with a first-time right-footer towards goal. Troy Perkins got a piece of the effort, but could only push it onto the bar.
    Toronto would add a second in controversial fashion in the 54th minute. Doneil Henry cleaned out Marco Di Vaio, who cried for a foul, but the referee waived play on. Bradley sprung a quick counter with a Oduro surging up the right; once more he tried to play into the middle, only for his pass to kick up off of Perkins, but Luke Moore was on hand to follow up the bouncing ball and touch into the open net with a sliding right-footed finish.
    TFC nearly added a third in the 82nd minute when Nick Hagglund met a Collen Warner corner kick, only for Perkins to react with a majestic save, pushing his header onto the bar.
    The 0-2 win ended a poor run for the visitors, snapping losing and winless streaks at two and four respectively, while the Impact fell to a sixth-straight defeat as they languish at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and the league.

    The round continued with another heated encounter between Eastern Seaboard rivals, New York and New England - the home side gutting out the 2-1 result despite going down a man and a goal in the first half.
    Charlie Davies gave the Revolution the lead in the twentieth minute. Kevin Alston began the counter with an interception before playing up to Kelyn Rowe, who found Teal Bunbury on the left. Bunbury skipped past Roy Miller to hit a cross towards the back-post, which took a slight deflection off Ibrahim Sekagya, arriving at a good height for Davies to meet with a calm header – it was his first goal in MLS since 2010.
    New York’s troubles were doubled in first-half stoppage-time when second year defender, Matt Miazga was dismissed, somewhat harshly, for a clattering challenge on Lee Nguyen in midfield The centre-back had all but pulled out of the contact, but sent Nguyen flying, prompting the referee’s decision.
    Down a man and a goal, New York reacted in the best possible way, Dax McCarty leveling the match two minutes into the second frame when a poor clearance fell to him atop the New England box and he beat keeper Bobby Shuttleworth with a sumptuous chip that is bound to be a candidate for goal of the year.
    Their comeback was complete in the 63rd minute when Bradley Wright-Phillips scored his league-leading eighteenth goal of the season. BWP played Lloyd Sam down the right side on the counter, who cut back, returning the favour to the Red Bull hit-man. Wright-Phillips checked in-field on New England defender AJ Soares at the near-post, sending a curling left-footed effort to the far-side, nestling just inside the post.
    New York would herald the hard-fought 2-1 win that ended a three-match winless skid as a potential turning point – overcoming obstacles as they did can really bring a side together. New England on the other hand, having ended that long losing streak, fall to a ninth loss in their last ten matches, dropping back out of the playoff spots to make way for the victors.

    Two more Eastern Conference opponents scrapping for precious points met in the evening’s next match as Chicago and Columbus drew 1-1.
    Chicago took the lead in the 36th minute after Tyson Wahl was adjudged to have handled Grant Ward’s chipped pass in the Columbus box with a trailing arm. Mike Magee would convert the chance with his right-boot, beating Steve Clark low to his left having sent the keeper falling in the other direction.
    The Fire would take their advantage into the second half, but the Crew responded immediately after the restart – nine seconds to be exact: Federico Higuain equalizing with a right-footer past Sean Johnson after an Ethan Finlay flick on fell to him in the box, prompting one of the best lines of the weekend from an announcer: “You give the little devil a moment, and he’ll burn you.”
    Energized, Columbus would go in search of a winner, drawing several solid saves out of Chicago keeper, Johnson, most notably an excellent foot-save to deny Ben Speas minutes after the match was leveled.
    The 1-1 draw would leave neither side particularly satisfied. For Chicago it was a second-straight draw, their fifth in their last seven matches and thirteenth of the season; for Columbus it extended their unbeaten run to three-matches, putting them in sole possession of the fifth and final playoff spot in the East for the time being.

    The rest of the evening swapped over to the Western Conference for a pair of matches, the first of which saw Salt Lake regain the Rocky Mountain Cup with a 0-1 win in Colorado, ensuring Nick Rimando of his place in the MLS record books.
    But it was another Salt Lake legend who gave them the initiative: Javier Morales, collected a ball from Chris Wingert on the left and beat Clint Irwin with a deceptive finish, shaping to the far-post before tucking his right-footer to the short-side in the fourteenth minute.
    Salt Lake’s hopes of sealing up the two-team trophy took a dent at the start of the second half when Aaron Maund was sent off for taking down Vicente Sanchez as the two got into a tangle with the Rapids forward bursting in on goal.
    But the visitors, who had won the first meeting between the sides, would see out the result, thanks to some fine keeping from Rimando who ended the night with six saves – it was the 112th clean-sheet of his career, finally taking his share of the all-time record alongside Kevin Hartman.
    The 0-1 win, their first in Colorado since 2007, was enough to see the Rocky Mountain Cup return to Salt Lake for the seventh time in eight seasons - the Rapids having taken last year’s rendition, while extending Salt Lake’s unbeaten run to four-straight. For Colorado, it was their third loss in their last four matches, though they found plenty of positives in the performance, chalking up the loss to a night where luck abandoned them.

    Saturday’s finale was played in front of nearly fifty-thousand fans at spanking new Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers with the home team Earthquakes gutting out a 1-0 victory over the league-leading Sounders.
    After surviving some early pressure – Clint Dempsey’s effort was pushed over the bar by Jon Busch and Jason Hernandez’ last-ditch recovery block snuffed out another attack – San Jose took the lead in the 42nd minute through Yannick Djalo.
    A quick Earthquakes counter saw Jordan Stewart find Shea Salinas on the left touch-line; he played in-field to Chris Wondolowski who lifted a ball over the Sounders back-line to send Djalo in alone on Stefan Frei. Having outpaced Zach Scott, Djalo touched past the onrushing Frei with his right-boot, sending the large crowd into the half with a smile.
    Unfortunately for the goal-scorer, he would be forced from the pitch in the 65th minute after another run at goal ended in him getting clattered – his injury struggles have prevented what has otherwise been a fantastic introduction to MLS from fully blooming.
    Dempsey was fired up, jawing with another of his international teammates, Wondolowski, having had words with Omar Gonzalez last week, but Busch was up to the task, preserving the clean-sheet and the result with a series of excellent saves. Even Wondolowski got in on the act, clearing a Chad Barrett header off the line from a Gonzalo Pineda corner kick at the death.
    The 1-0 win was San Jose’s second in a row, stretching their unbeaten run to three matches as they seek to climb up the conference. For Seattle, a second-straight loss sees them concede further ground to the chasing pack, now just two points ahead of second-placed Salt Lake.

    Sunday’s matches kicked off in Houston, where the Dynamo welcomed in-form DC.
    United, who have never won in Houston, were looking to end that misery, while extending their winning streak beyond four-matches, the Dynamo on the other hand were winless in eight matches, having gone over two months without a victory.
    With newcomers DaMarcus Beasley and Javier Garrido in the starting eleven, Houston looked to get an early start and they nearly did when Will Bruin’s header from a Giles Barnes cross struck the intersection of post and bar. Bill Hamid, who was spectacular once more midweek against Toronto, had other plans, denying Barnes on the break after the big forward was played in alone by Oscar Boniek Garcia in the 39th minute.
    The match seemed destined to end a scoreless draw; that is until a harmless play in the 91st minute ended in calamity. Taylor Kemp began the symphony of errors with a weak back-headed that put Steve Birnbaum and Hamid under pressure. Bruin did enough to prevent either from collecting the bouncing ball as they bundled into each other, the ball squirting free to Omar Cummings, who squared to a wide open Bruin for a simple finish into the empty cage.
    The 1-0 win was Houston’s first since May 17th, giving life to Dominic Kinnear’s side as they hope to embark on their regular late surge up the table. DC fall to just their second loss in their last nine matches, passing up the chance to overtake Sporting KC for first place in the East.

    The round closed on Sunday night with a meeting between Chivas and Dallas, the visitors returning home with the three points.
    A week removed from a poor outing in Colorado – their second-straight defeat, Chivas were looking to put those games behind them and came out a much more cohesive side. It was Dallas, however, who would take the lead.
    Colombian Fabian Castillo was forced to sit out four matches, serving a suspension for making contact with an official; he returned with aplomb as the catalyst to much of Dallas’ attack on the night. It was his bursting run up the left-channel that led to Tesho Akindele’s game-winning goal, Castillo squaring a ball after a one-two with Blas Perez allowed him access to the area before setting up his teammate for a simple finish in the 49th minute – it was the Canadian’s third goal in four matches.
    Castillo would nearly add his own in the 61st minute, but Dan Kennedy was out quick to snuff out the chance – he would see his effort from a tight angle in stoppage-time hit the post having rounded the Chivas defenses.
    Chivas would have a glorious chance to equalize in the 78th minute when Akira Kaji’s cross from the right found Cubo Torres unmarked in the middle, but the oft-deadly striker could only watch as his header sailed over the bar – having seen his six-match scoring streak ended last round, Torres has now gone two whole matches without a goal, for shame.
    The 0-1 win extended Dallas’ unbeaten run to seven matches, though it was their first away win since the start of April, as they climb up the standings, rebounding from a long fruitless spell to settle in fourth in the West, level on points with LA. Chivas, with San Jose having won the day before, fall to the foot of the conference, though only seven points off the playoff pace.
    CanCon
    The extended Canadian Content review will be available as soon as possible, featuring another excellent outing from Tesho Akindele, a strong defensive performance from Doneil Henry, and the debut of the newest Canadian to join the fray, Montreal’s recent homegrown signing, Anthony Jackson-Hamel.
    Controversy
    Plenty of controversy to be debated this round:
    First there was bizarre encounter between a pair of Colombians as New York’s Jamison Olave and Salt Lake’s Olmes Garcia, exchanged words, some naughty action, and some hilarious over-reaction – Garcia would see yellow at the time and Olave would receive a two-match suspension for his transgression afterwards.
    Was Diego Chara’s tackle on Juninho inside the area or outside?
    Should
    , cancelling out TFC’s second goal in Montreal?Was New York’s Matt Miazga harshly dismissed for his clattering into New England’s Lee Nguyen, or did his over-exuberance warrant the action?
    Something about Aaron Maund’s red card in Colorado irked; was it really all that dissimilar to Aurelien Collin’s foul on Gilberto last week? The one that head of PRO, Peter Walton, stated that, to his eyes, contained no contact.
    Should Houston’s late winner over DC have been whistled for
    that allowed Omar Cummings to latch onto the loose ball, setting up the winner?Upcoming Fixtures
    The league takes a momentary pause this week for the All-Star Game against German club, Bayern Munich on Wednesday; Monday saw the first ever Chipotle (mmm, Chipotle) MLS Homegrown Game against the Portland Timbers U-23 side – it ended 0-0.
    Play resumes on Friday with a full slate of nine matches scheduled for the weekend:
    Friday: Los Angeles-San Jose. Saturday: Philadelphia-Montreal; Columbus-Toronto; Dallas-Colorado; Salt Lake-DC; Portland-Chivas. Sunday: Vancouver-Kansas City; Chicago-New York; Seattle-Houston.
    Meanwhile, Montreal kicked off the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday, with a 1-0 win over Salvadorian side, CD FAS.
    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
    I like a manager to show faith in a player, especially a young one, but there comes a time when that loyalty costs the team points and I feel that the Whitecaps match against Chicago last Wednesday was a prime example of that.
    An unchanged line-up from the team that drew 2-2 against Dallas three days earlier was the wrong choice for the trip east. It looked that way when the teamsheet was released and it continued to look that way during the game, as the players seemed tired, jaded and just not themselves.
    "I sensed it a little bit in the warm up," Robbo admitted to Team 1410 radio after the match. "I thought they were excellent on Sunday with the performance so I made the decision to keep it the same, but they looked a little bit tired and a little bit leggy in the early part of the game."
    But it's not so much the tiredness aspect that was frustrating with the choice of line-up, it was the fact that some out of form players kept their place in the starting eleven when this was a prime game to see what those chomping at the bit to get their chance could do. The likes of Russell Teibert, Nicolas Mezquida and Omar Salgado instantly spring to mind.
    Not to mention that this was a great opportunity to pick up three road points to make up for the five recently lost at home with some fresh, attacking flair.
    At the back, Carlyle Mitchell was coming off a bit of a mare against Dallas. I will probably watch his handball for the penalty for perpetuity and still not really know what was going through his head. I'm not sure he knows himself.
    Now there's two ways to look at this one. Keeping Mitchell in the line-up is a vote of confidence to a young player that you won't just get dropped for making one mistake. It can do wonders to how he then plays and Mitchell was certainly not the worst performer against Chicago the next game. Dropping him could be very damaging and make him too cagey if/when he gets back into the line-up.
    On the other hand, in a young team crying out for some experienced heads and leadership, you have a fully fit Andy O'Brien sitting on the bench and needing to get back into the starting line-up. That's a lot of experience, skill and money to leave on the sidelines.
    Was it better to have kept the same central defensive partnership together for that one last game before the ten day break and then make a possible change, or address it early and get a new pairing one game under their belt before coming back to what is an even tougher stretch of matches?
    At the other end of the pitch, the goals are simply not coming. The chances are once again, but the finishing is not there.
    Darren Mattocks is wasteful but has at least been getting a couple of goals. Kekuta Manneh is out of sorts, can't go the full 90, looks gassed by the hour mark and hasn't been the same player since he missed the crucial penalty against Toronto in the Canadian Championship. The latter is probably a coincidence but who knows if there a knock to his confidence with that one.
    Both those players try to do too much and try to get the glory themselves and go past one man too many.
    Erik Hurtado went into the World Cup break on a high with five goals in five games. He goes into this mini-break in a slump, with no goals and barely a sniff of goal in the last eight matches. No goals, no assists and just four shots on target over those eight games (from 12 shots total), yet he is keeping his place in the starting eleven.
    How long do you persevere with a player like Hurtado in the hope of him refinding some form or making some impact?
    Both Mattocks and Hurtado should have been dropped a couple of games ago to my mind, but at the same time there's not a lot to replace them with. Mattocks hit some form but some of his finishing continues to be dreadful. Hurtado is offering very little right now. Can he turn it around? My gut says no.
    So is Robinson being too loyal to his young players and giving them too much rope in the hope that they will turn it around? And what is the cost to the Caps' playoff hopes in doing this? Or does he simply have no better alternatives right now?
    A lot of questions there, so we turned to the man himself for some answers.
    "The players are the players I've got and I've got full confidence in the players," the Caps' coach told AFTN at training on Monday. "Are they firing all at the same time? No, but that doesn't happen. Have they got the experience to know how to get through tricky situations? No, because they haven't played before.
    "This is the hand I've got. I'm happy with the hand I've got at the moment. Of course I want to try and add when I can. Is that possible now? Maybe one or two pieces and if it's not then I'll look to do it in the January window, but I've got full confidence in all these young players here."
    Current form aside, the key to the Whitecaps' playoff hopes could lie in whether any striker can find consistency for the next three months straight. Whether that be a new addition or one of the current crop.
    Either way, Robinson has one eye to next season and beyond and certainly isn't ready to give up on his young squad.
    "With young players they have ups and downs," Robinson told us. "I keep saying all along, I'll take responsibility for them being out of form or that because I think it's the right thing to do to stick with them, through tough times as well as good times.
    "Everyone talks about them when they're doing well and when they're not doing well, it's easy to say 'right, ok, out of the team you go' and forget about them. I won't forget about them. We run a very small group of players here and we will continue to get the best out of these players and hopefully that'll be enough."
    Hopefully it will. The West is still so tight and any team stringing a few wins together will climb the table. The Caps' fate is still very much in their own hands and there's a lot of points left to be won if they can simply refind their early season spark, but someone needs to step up and repay the faith and perseverance shown in them or someone has to be given the chance to come in and then grab it themselves.
    Developing the younger players is excellent, and we're huge supporters of it. We see Robbo's long term plan and we like it, but you have to see some glimmers of hope and improvement along the way and those are dimming with every game right now.
    I've banged this drum for weeks, but the team needs a left winger who can deliver and a striker who can finish. Are they in the current squad?
    As a final aside, the Whitecaps held a good natured shooting practice competition at training on Monday. It was won by Nicolas Mezquida. One of the players who can't find a place into the side, despite others not performing.
    Sporting KC are next up on Sunday. Will we see changes? Will we see new additions to the squad? Or will Robbo's loyalty points finally be cashed in for a welcome three points?
    Squizz
    So, stop me if you've heard this one before...
    A Canadian team controls the ball for a good chunk of a match. Based on the run of play, it's reasonable to suggest that a result is deserved. And yet, when all is said and done, Canada simply can't put the ball in the back of the net, and the result fails to materialize.
    Oh, I see that you've stopped me. Because, yes, this is a troublingly familiar story for Canada at all levels. And in the context of the U20 Women's World Cup, which kicked off on Tuesday night, it could mean a startlingly early exit from the tournament for the host nation.
    Now, while no one can seriously pretend to have a substantial scouting report on the Ghanaian under-20 women's national team, there's no question this was an upset. The senior national sides of the two nations are in different stratospheres when it comes to world rankings (Canada is at #7, Ghana is at #48) and realistically, Ghana won because they had one chance and took advantage of it. A shot that might usually have been handled by the generally sure-handed Kailen Sheridan wasn't; Ghana jumped on it and there you go.
    As for what Canada offered in return? Emma Fletcher had an impressive first half and came closest to finding the score sheet for Canada, ringing a shot off the Ghanaian goal post late in the first half. Unless she had an injury that I'm to this point unaware of, I'm still left scratching my head as to the reasoning behind pulling her out of the game early in the second half.
    In fact, that was one of two questionable decisions on the evening, from where I sit. Nichelle Prince starting on the bench was a head-scratcher, particularly given the havoc that she and Fletcher could have wrought on opposing wings, had they happened to see the field at the same time. Prince did get into the game in the second half as Little Red desperately pushed for an equalizer; much to the chagrin (presumably) of anyone reading these words, it never came.
    As far as goal-scoring punch for Canada goes, let's just address the elephant in the room and be done with it. Yes, Canada could really use Summer Clarke in this tournament. No, I don't know why she isn't playing; nor, perhaps, does she. And yeah, while it certainly aggravates me as a supporter of Canadian soccer to see one of our teams go down to defeat while a player that could help us is sitting idly by for unknown reasons, I'm also far beyond the point in my life where I'm going to publicly castigate a 19-year-old athlete I've never met.
    Mostly because it's weird, and also kinda stupid and pointless.
    As for the players who were there for Canada on Tuesday night, Kadeisha Buchanan put in a predictable "yep, this is me, get the hell out of my way" performance, while you could almost see the mechanical cogs tick-tick-ticking in Jessie Fleming's brain as she did her best to pull the strings in the Canadian midfield. Ashley Lawrence also put in a good night's work, with a number of productive runs.
    Now, let's jump off the field for a moment, if we can.
    It was kinda disconcerting to see the crowd of Ghana fans in sections 110 and 111 swell as the game went on (clearly due to people moving from their assigned seats to join the party), particularly after one Canadian fan next to me in section 113 -- who traveled from Alberta for the game and is one of the most passionate followers of Canadian soccer you'll ever find -- was harangued by security about where she was.
    Look, organizing committee, I get it -- you're under all sorts of mandates from FIFA for all sorts of ridiculous things. (The "Budweiser" taps at the concession stands were covered with duct tape, lest some pedantic brand ambassador get offended, or something.) You need to act as though Canada's just another competing nation, no favours here, nope. I get it, I do.
    All I will say is that the Voyageurs have done a hell of a lot of legwork to promote games and put asses in seats for all sorts of games. And it is in the best interests of those involved in Canadian soccer to not take that work for granted.
    And as for my fellow Voyageurs... well, I'll say much the same thing I was saying repeatedly on Tuesday night. Like it or not, we are the public faces of the Canadian program, in the stadium on game day. Yeah, I know many of you have traveled great distances and just wanna have a good time. But dropping f-bombs in the vicinity of children does nobody any good. Chanting things you really probably shouldn't be chanting at this tournament, that also does no one any good.
    Want to do some good? Keep an eye on the youth teams sitting near us. See what gets them engaged. Stick to the chants that get them energized and interested. They're the future of support. However fun it may be to sing esoteric songs or yell silly in-jokes, our job in the stadium is to support our teams, not amuse ourselves.
    Anyway, that's enough moralizing for one night. (You think?) Canada's got a tough task ahead of them. Finland's next on Friday. Hopefully everyone will have cause to be less mopey after that one..
    Guest
    It might be easy to claim Rusty was just playing the public relations game and trying to say something positive, even though there did not seem to be too many positives on the surface. His words were probably music to the ears of MLS and event sponsor Chipotle. The Homegrown match is a new addition to the All-Star week extravaganza. One unsubstantiated report said that the Chipotle banners that were made to cover up Providence Park cost in the region of $100,000.
    Chipotle’s relationship with MLS is in its infancy, but one would think they were hoping for more bang for their buck to this point. They were probably also disappointed as they reportedly gave out far more tickets than the 8-10 thousand that showed up for the match.
    The only thing that was less enjoyable than the end result of the efforts on the pitch was the lack of any real atmosphere in the ground. The Timbers Army, one of the most distinguished supporters movement’s in the League, were noticeable by their absence. It will be the same on Wednesday night when the MLS All-Stars host FC Bayern Munich. There will be no capos, flags, smoke, tifo, or other things associated with support in Cascadia.
    On a footballing level, the match left a lot to be desired. It had the feel of one side being made up of players that had never collectively played together versus a team that just wrapped up its season a couple of weeks ago. That season, in the USL PDL, saw Portland’s U23 side finish just out of the playoff spots.
    The Timbers also had more than cohesion going for them. They were taking on a group of players that they were hoping to emulate. Each one of them had to be thinking, "One day I want to sign a Homegrown contract…and today I can begin/continue to prove that I deserve it." These things really shone through during the match.
    Steven Evans, who captained the MLS Homegrown side, is a Portland native on loan from the Timbers to USL Pro’s Sacramento Republic FC. He could be overheard after the final whistle discussing his displeasure with local friends. He was claiming that the U23s simply put nine men behind the ball and played defensively. This was a bit unfair as the home side actually created the better of the chances and far more of them.
    For his part, Teibert was again one of the most significant contributors on the Homegrown team. He had a couple of shots from distance. One was saved by Portland ‘keeper Justin Luthy. The other was a cheeky attempt from literally the halfway line. Teibert saw Luthy off his line a bit and had a go. The laces must not have been out as it sailed a bit high and wide left. His passing also was one of the bright spots, especially from set plays. His cultured left foot found teammates both from a free kick and a corner. In fact LA Galaxy striker Bradford Jamieson IV really should have done better with his free header on Teibert's corner midway through the first half. The quality delivery found Jamieson wide open at the near post, but he failed to even get his attempt on target.
    So if Russell Teibert’s words weren’t simply about doing his job or trumpeting his own horn, they must have been about something deeper. Whenever Teibert speaks publicly there is a depth to what he says. His words are thoughtful and intentional. He speaks with a maturity that has developed in his six years as a part of the Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club.
    He would follow up that initial quote by saying:
    "We don't just represent our clubs and ourselves when we come down to play here, we represent progress. And now we represent progress in the MLS. It's good that they're doing this game and it's good for exposure. It shows how not only can you become a professional over in Europe, we're showing a way that you can grow as professionals in North America."
    When asked by people back in 2010, as he was breaking into the ‘Caps’ First Team, Russell would have told you that he longed to make a contribution to the Club, but he really longed to head over to Europe and to develop there. A few years down the road and there has been progress…so much so that Russell sees himself staying put longer than even he initially planned.
    Make no mistake about it, Russell, with his skills, work rate, and determination, could have easily already left and gone to make a go of it in Europe. He may not have slotted right away into the starting XI of a First Team of a massive club, but he could have done what many Canadians have done before him.
    Instead, he has inked a new 2 year, plus 2 option years (did Robbo not claim we had seen the last of those?) contract extension with the ‘Caps.
    It has been less than a month since that milestone. Monday night’s Homegrown match was another for him (and his teammates). What will be the next one as Teibert continues to be a part of the progress of Major League Soccer and Vancouver Whitecaps FC? We may find out as early as Sunday when the ‘Caps host MLS Cup holders, Sporting Kansas City, in a 5:00pm kickoff (gates open at 4:00pm) at BC Place.
    Grant
    Travel visas are a problem for FAS
    According to a report in the Salvadoran paper La Prensa, FAS have travelled to Montreal with only 14 players because several were unable to obtain travel visas in time. Oh, the club’s manager Efraín Burgos wasn't able to get one either. This naturally leaves FAS short on men, with only one goalkeeper making the trip. The aforementioned article says the U.S. embassy was late returning some passports (presumably related to transit visas?), meaning the players in question weren’t able to get the necessary Canadian stamps. The club suffered through a similar situation last month on a mini U.S. tour and had to rely on players ‘loaned’ from other teams to field a proper squad. Whether this is the fault of Concacaf, the team itself or the wider political climate in the U.S., the whole mess adds an element of farce to this evening’s game.
    FAS is basically the Montreal Canadiens of Salvadoran soccer
    FAS is based in Santa Ana, the second largest city in the country. FAS is the most successful team in El Salvador in terms of championships won. FAS was conceived in 1947 as sort of an amalgamation of a whole bunch of amateur teams from the city to coincide with the birth of a professional league. According to the club’s Spanish Wikipedia page, the idea behind this was to challenge San Salvador as the power centre of domestic soccer.
    The FAS supporters' group is called the Turba Roja
    Any Impact fans planning to make the trip to El Salvador for the away fixture on August 20 may want to measure their interactions with FAS supporters. The main group, the Turba Roja, appear a reasonably well adjusted bunch, at least on their public Facebook page. But this photo gallery from two seasons back featuring images of FAS supporters battling cops escalates quickly when the machete comes flying out on slide four. The best travel advice is always to be friendly and not frightened. But steer clear of that dude.
    In the context of El Salvador, FAS are quite good. Not so much elsewhere.
    FAS topped the Primera Division’s most recent season ending this spring (the Clasura 2014 in local parlance), but fell at the first playoff hurdle. (Five teams make the playoffs in a ten-team league.) They qualified for the Concacaf Champions League in 2012-13 and finished last in a group with the Houston Dynamo and Honduras' Olimpia, with a minus-8 goal differential. In the 2010-11 CCL they were dead last in the group stage again, with a minus-13 goal differential.
    The most revered player in the club’s history is simply called “The Magic”
    Not the ‘magician,’ which implies a singular human form who excels in his or her given profession. Nope, Jorge Alberto González Barillas represented the entire field, from theory to practical application. He made himself famous playing with FAS in the late 1970's and later in Spain during the 1980's with Cadiz. Spanish newspaper El Pais remembers him fondly as a 'forgotten' player. His wizardry with the ball drew comparisons with Maradona, but he also had a penchant for partying, and.... sleeping. El Pais relates an anecdote about how he once took a halftime nap on the massage table during a league match against Atletico Madrid and missed the gaffer's pep talk. He told the newspaper in 2003 that he didn't take care of himself physically because he came from a soccer background "without fundamentals," comparing his move to Spain to entering university without graduating from grade school. An odd thing to say about a club whose website devotes an entire section to you.
    FAS had a bit of a crapper on the first day of Apertura 2014
    The second half-season of Salvadoran football began this past weekend, and FAS did not show particularly well in a 1-0 loss to Dragon (who incidently, knocked them out of the playoffs last season). Or so says this match report. You can run it through Google Translate, where you'll find words like "lackluster" featuring prominently.
    FAS won the thing that existed before the Concacaf Champions League. But it was weird.
    The Salvadoran club won the Concacaf Champions Cup once, way back in 1979 in those halcyon Magico Gonzalez years. Oddly, there is little mention of the feat on the club's official site. And Wikipedia is hazy on details: FAS apparently got through the first two rounds by default. Their Guatemalan opponent withdrew in the first round and beat Costa Rican club CS Cartagines by something called a "walkover" in the second round. They squeaked Mexican club Tigres in the semis and then thrashed the Netherlands Antilles club CRKSV Jong Colombia 8 goals to two in the final.
    Duane Rollins
    It would be overly flippant to suggest that Abby Wambach is just doing what Americans do best: threatening to sue someone.
    It wouldn't be wrong. She, along with around 40 top women's footballers, is threatening to sue FIFA and the CSA over the playing of the 2015 World Cup on an artificial surface. Still, to make a joke of it would be to ignore some of the real concerns the players have.
    Namely, they are worried that the surface will make them more vulnerable to injury, will decrease the quality of play in the tournament and overall will just reflect poorly on the quality of women's football.
    Those concerns might have merit. The quality of artificial turf in 2015 is such that it remains controversial. Top players hate playing on it and, more to the point, top male players refuse to do so.
    And therein lies the main point. Wambach and co have claimed that FIFA and the CSA are forcing them to play on a surface that they would not force men to play on and, as such, that would be a case of gender inequality.
    Canada is a country that takes great pride in gender equality. Although many people would (with justification) argue that no country, Canada included, as reached full equality it's clear that this country is better than most at dealing with this important issue. So, this claim will hit home. Canadians will not want to be viewed as being offside here.
    Without speaking to Wambach and co we can only make assumptions about their motivations for launching this legal threat. However, it seems likely that it is an effort to speak to Canadians directly, appealing to their sense of fairness.
    Most legal opinion we've seen today suggests that the claim has very little chance of success. From a legal standpoint there isn't a lot of evidence of discrimination (more on this in a minute). The moral argument is a different one.
    Putting aside the accuracy of the argument about turf quality -- there are those who believe the concerns are overstated -- there is undoubtably a perspective that it is a second rate. Thus, many Canadians could be convinced that it is a double standard at play. The women must believe they can shame FIFA and the CSA into changing direction and installing grass surfaces in time for 2015.
    Alternatively, they are looking to make as much fuss as possible to ensure that no one would dream of putting future World Cups on artificial surfaces.
    The former seems unlikely and the latter, if you believe Sepp Blatter, who yesterday called artificial playing surfaces "the future" of the game, might be equally farfetched.
    Regardless, the chance of legally forcing a change is close to impossible.
    Since it's a Canadian claim they'd need to prove that the choice to play on turf in Canada is discriminatory in Canada.
    In other words they'd need to demonstrate that they would not play a similar men's event on turf.
    This is a problem seeing that three of five pro men's teams in Canada play on artificial surfaces, the two regional semi-pro leagues operating play on about 90% turf and plans for a all-Canadian men's pro league revolve around stadiums with artificial surfaces.
    Additionally the last men's FIFA event played in Canada was partially played on turf.
    You can argue that Canada is misguided in relying so heavily in artificial surfaces, but it's hard to argue they aren't equally misguided on the men's side of the game.
    Michael Mccoll
    "It's a milestone," Teibert told AFTN's reporter Zachary Meisenheimer after the game. "It's a milestone for all of us. I hope it's a milestone for all the young players in this league and it's a milestone for the league.
    "We don't just represent our clubs and ourselves when we come down to play here, we represent progress. And now we represent progress in the MLS. It's good that they're doing this game and it's good for exposure.
    "It shows how not only can you become a professional over in Europe, we're showing a way that you can grow as professionals in North America."
    Teibert played the first half of the game, starting wide left in a 4-4-2 formation. The young Cap impressed many watching, having a couple of shots, including a speculative one from the halfway line just before half time.
    Thankfully for everyone of a Whitecaps persuasion, Teibert came through the game unscathed. Morgan did come off injured in the second half, however, but it appears to have just been cramp and should be too much of a concern for TFC fans.
    Teibert is flying the flag for the Whitecaps during All-Star week, with no Vancouver players making the final MLS roster for Wednesday's match against Bayern Munich (although Thomas Gardner, David Norman Jr and Noah Verhoeven did head down to represent the Caps at the Generation Adidas Elite Soccer Program Showcase).
    As much as many of us rail against All-Star week, for the player himself, Teibert enjoyed every minute of his experience these past few days.
    "The whole trip," Teibert told us when asked about his favourite part of the whole experience. "I don't think I can single out a specific moment. Obviously my favourite is playing on the field so I think the whole experience is one that I can do again and it's one that I wish for every young player in North America."
    Guest
    When a random 3rd round pick of the Maple Leafs shows up at the Air Canada Centre, you will have multiple media outlets and it will be the lead on sports reports in Toronto at both 6pm and 11pm.
    Have the most powerful man in sport (in the world), show up for an open press conference, and it felt like there were more staff than reporters in attendance.
    The specifics of the press conference were surrounding the U20 Women's World Cup that starts August 5, as well as the 2015 Women's World Cup, that will also be taking place in Canada. There were questions about the growth of the women's game, shared facts that everyone loves Canada and teasing about how Canada could be a valid consideration to host the 2026 Men's World Cup.
    Sepp seemed to enjoy himself, some of my own personal highlights were when people referred to him by his given name (Joseph), as well following the presser he did his best to have the staff break protocol and move the trophy from the stand. Seriously entertaining, as protocol prevents people from touching it, but then you have the head of the organization telling you to break that strict protocol. Well, guess that's FIFA...
    Sepp had no problem playing to the cameras (all 5 of us that were there) and came across as more open and relaxed, but based on the lower profile of this tournament compared to the World Cup in Brazil, it allowed him to be a little more relaxed.
    Following the main press conference, there was a mad rush to get over to BMO Field (oh wait, that is the National Soccer Stadium until TFC returns on August 23), and a quick stop to pick up my media accreditation at the offices that were housed at Ontario Place.
    Ontario Place, yep, the same place hosting Drake's OVO Festival this weekend.
    All went well and we somehow we still ended up in the press room 30 minutes early.
    The Canadian press conference was a very relaxed place, posing for pictures, some questions to both Andrew Olivieri and Kinley McNicoll and it was wrapped up.
    It is funny to see the contrast of a tactical head coach and a young woman that is excited to have the opportunity to represent her country at home and only a short drive from Oakville, where she calls home when not at school in Wisconsin.
    After the Canadian presser wrapped up, the team was available for photos on the pitch. Except there was a security guard that would not let anyone on the pitch, it was kinda comical.
    The team of young women came out, many had cellphones and there were selfies taken, lots to excited discussions and a level of excitement that people can only help is carried over to the pitch.
    A few team photos as everyone came out, a quick handshake and hello to John Herdman (great to see him involved with he younger team) and I was off.
    Many thanks to the representatives from both the FIFA Organizing Committee and the Soccer Canada representatives. The night before I was peppering them with emails between midnight and 1am, I expected to be attacked with a blunt object, but they were all very professional and friendly. While picking up my photo bib, the media centre was pretty empty, when I requested a specific bib number (seriously, how pretentious is that?!?!) they gladly complied, obviously if it was a busy day that would not have been an option, but they had no problem with my ridiculous request.
    It looks like I will only be able to cover the games taking place in Toronto, but I hope to have the chance to share my photos and my own experience and take on this event.
    If you are going to attend, be sure to check the Voyageurs message board for pre-game activities, the supporter soccer match and sharing of lies over beverages and take the chance to join them. They are a great group of people and always welcoming.

    Michael Mccoll
    Costa Rican website La Nacion Sports broke the news on Sunday that Waston was heading to Vancouver after his team, CD Saprissa, lost their Tournament Cup semi final match. It should be noted that there has been no official confirmation yet that he's coming to Vancouver, but he certainly looks to be heading to MLS.
    Saprissa coach Ronald Gonzalez confirmed Waston's departure after the game when he told reporters, "Unfortunately, today was the last game of Kendall with us, but it's a good opportunity for him and his family.". Some of Waston's teammates also appear to have confirmed the move on Twitter.
    If you've listened to any of our recent AFTN podcasts then you'll know my feeling that I don't see the current Whitecaps' squad being good enough to take the team to the playoffs.
    For me, we need three key pieces. A solid central defender, a creative and goalscoring left winger, and an experienced striker with a goalscoring record of actually finishing chances presented to him.
    The signing of Waston would at least tick one of the boxes.
    With Jay DeMerit's retiral, the current first choice backline of Carlyle Mitchell and Johnny Leveron has been a bit harem scarem at times and not ideally the pairing to continue going forward with long term. Andy O'Brien, remains class, and our first choice to start but this is likely to be the Irishman's final season of playing here. Christian Dean is close to being ready to play but has badly needed some playing minutes this year to continue his development but they have simply not come.
    Waston is a 6 foot 5 inch central defender, who is good in the air in both boxes and has goals to his name, something which the current crop of Caps' centrebacks have consistently failed to provide.
    He has been plying his trade of late with Costa Rican Primera Division side Deportivo Saprissa. Waston has been with the Purple Monster since 2009, including some loan spells with fellow Primera side Perez Zeledon, and he has had spells in Uruguay and Puerto Rico.
    Waston has been capped by the Ticos at various levels, including 2 caps for the senior team. Waston was also on Costa Rica's preliminary squad for the World Cup in Brazil but just failed to make the final cut.
    It's kind of hard to get full stats for the guy but according to this site, Waston has 26 goals from 116 appearances since 2007/08. Not a bad record for a central defender, although we have seen it mentioned that he can also play striker. So maybe a double whammy?!
    Looks like another shrewd addition by Carl Robinson. Let's just hope there's a finisher on the way as well. Then the faltering Whitecaps may start to look like getting back on track.
    Here's Waston in some action:

    [We want to give a shout out to Dave Hall for first tweeting out the newspaper story]
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