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    Michael Mccoll
    Now, we’ve previously extolled the virtues of the Caps’ having their own side for betterment of both the MLS team and the Whitecaps’ young players. Players get development close at hand, under the same Whitecaps’ structure, and vital competitive minutes to not only help learn but to keep fit and recover from injuries. You all know the script by now.
    But what do the actual players themselves think of the plan? We spoke to two of the Whitecaps’ Residency’s finest, at different stages of their careers, to get their thoughts.
    Goalkeeper Marco Carducci signed his first pro contract in March of this year and has already made his first team debut in the Canadian Championship games against Toronto.
    With current Caps keeper David Ousted in good from and keen to play every game he can this year, the two time Canadian U17 Player of the Year knows that competitive developmental minutes at this stage of his career are vital and the new USL Pro team would give him just those opportunities.
    "It's definitely very exciting for me and it's a huge positive step for the club," Carducci told AFTN. "It's a little bit of a bridge of the gap from coming up through the Residency and the first team. I think it's going to be very important.
    "For someone like me, I'm really looking forward to that opportunity and I'm hoping to be a big part of that because having those games in that kind of atmosphere and that environment is just going to be instrumental in terms of development and helping me just make the step into the MLS squad."
    Carducci is currently away with Canada’s U20 team at the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland, alongside many of his current and former Residency teammates.
    One of those players is striker Brody Huitema.
    The Residency alumni will shortly enter his sophomore season with the Duke Blue Devils, having chosen to go down the NCAA route for now, bit Huitema feels that this new team will give young players more options.
    "For the Residency, I think it's a good option for the kids, especially the ones that aren't considering college," Huitema told AFTN at a recent training session with the MLS team.
    "Now it's not a vast step up from Residency straight up to first team. They have Residency to this USL program and I think it's great for the club and I think it's great for the league in general and all the young players moving up."
    And for those that have gone or are planning to go the college route, the new USL team will give those players something to think about and aim towards when they do come out of school.
    "For myself as a college player, I also think it's a good thing because you come out of college, however many years it is, wherever you're at, you can go to the USL team and get games in if you're not quite at that first team level,” Huitema told us. “I think it's just a great option for someone who's not quite at that level and they can get games in.
    "I think it's great for the league and it's a better option than the Reserve League as well."
    Many, AFTN amongst them, are hoping that the talented striker will be suiting up in a Whitecaps’ jersey again sooner rather than later, but with three years of his college eligibility remaining, Brody has really thought just yet as to what the new USL Pro team might mean to him personally.
    "I wouldn't say necessarily it changes any plans,” he told us. “Just because the USL team is going to be involved with the Whitecaps program, I'd still have to be signed back here as a Whitecaps player so either way I'm still looking at it the same way as that I'm signing on with the Whitecaps and wherever they would put me when I would sign on, if that day does come."
    For more details of the Whitecaps’ plans for the USL Pro team and how you can help be involved in making the plan become a reality, check out http://www.whitecapsfc.com/newwest
    Aaron Campbell
    The Good:
    David Ousted Clean Sheet
    Only his fifth clean sheet of the season. Three of them have been 0-0 draws. After blowing leads in the past three games it was about time the Whitecaps, as a team, were able to keep their opponents from scoring.
    The Chicago Fire had there chances but Ousted was up to the challenge to keep the Whitecaps in the game.
    The Average:
    Carlyle Mitchell
    After last game, just by him showing up he played a better game. He was a lot more careful when the ball came to him and relied more on Ousted and the other defenders. He was 500 times better in the air and clearing the ball out of the box.
    Many supporters where surprised he got the start after last game and a lot of people were calling on Andy O'Brien to get the nod. Was a great rebound game for the T&T defender and hopefully he can build off it moving forward.
    The Bad:
    Dropping Points
    July record of 1W 1L 4D. 8 points dropped in the last four games. These points lost could be huge at the end of the season. Just hope a playoff spot and/or Canadian Champions League spot aren't lost out on because of these runs of four games.
    With the schedule that is coming up the games are going to just be tougher and tougher.
    The playoff chances right now are slim to almost no chance at all unless they can run off four to six games and pick up crucial points.
    Grant
    A dearth of coverage on the handful of Mexican soccer portals I check regularly caused me to wonder who exactly these Mexican players were. Increasingly implausible scenarios popped to mind. Maybe the Mexican side were winners of a contest offering the chance to don the national team jersey against high per-capita milk-consuming rivals.
    Or perhaps the Milk Cup was like the well-meaning multicultural festivals held in small-towns, where due to a lack of anyone actually from anywhere else, they randomly assign countries like Vietnam or Bolivia to locals who wear representative costumes and man the pavilions. In this sense, the “Mexican” U20 team was really an amateur pub side from Ballymoney made up of guys called Liam and Tomas.
    The tournament website wasn’t a great help. The first paragaph one finds after clicking the ‘About’ tab is as follows: Who would have thought that the Northern Ireland Milk Cup would have become such a magnificent event, one which is eagerly anticipated by football people all over the British Isles and farther afield?
    I for one, certainly wouldn’t have thought that. But I pressed on. Surely the ‘squads’ section would help determine who exactly these recently defeated Mexican players were?
    The first name I Googled on the Mexican squad returned two separate murder victims in New Jersey and Guatemala. The second returned a soccer player, except it was an Equatoguinean one born in 1985. I eventually figured out that the Mexico’s U20 Milk Cup squad contains four players from the Mexico squad that finished runners-up at the 2013 U17 World Cup. I simply don't know Mexican soccer well enough to say whether this is a full strength side. All players are affiliated with Mexican pro clubs, for what it's worth. Even if we describe the squad as "experimental," beating Mexico is a feather in anyone’s cap.
    Canada has since drawn against China and will next play Northern Ireland on Aug. 1 to determine the winner of the tournament’s ‘elite’ division. The above jokes aside, entering a team in a competition like this is great. It gets the boys bonding and gives the coaches a chance to see them in action. And hey, the Mexican youth set-up saw fit to attend. (As an aside, the Mexican and Northern Ireland teams got into a vicious kick-fight during their match. That's some hard back kicking.)
    But I can’t help but wonder how much our rivals benefit from competing in regional tournaments with just possibly more rigorous competitive demands? Canada, along with Mexico and the U.S., receive an automatic berth to next year’s Concacaf U20 championship in Jamaica, which in turn determines who goes to the U20 World Cup.
    Meanwhile, the Central American nations in the form of UNCAF arrange their own qualifying tournament to the qualifying tournament. This wrapped up recently, and Panama absolutely crushed it. Los Canaleros won five straight games to make themselves untouchable in the seven team round-robin tournament. That showing also earns them a spot in next summer’s PanAm Games in Toronto. And in terms of a pathway to the senior team, five of Panama’s victorious U20 players have already earned senior team caps for its next round of friendlies.
    It’s not just at the youth levels, as the biennial-ish Copa Centroamericana qualifies UNCAF nations to the Gold Cup while offering what I assume is valuable playing-together time in a seriously competitive environment. It makes economic and competitive sense to hand the U.S. and Mexico automatic tickets to Concacaf tournaments, but given Canada’s showing in recent years (okay, decades) you have to wonder whether this country can or should be afforded the same luxury.
    Grant Surridge focuses much of his writing for CSN on the Spanish-speaking Concacaf world. You can follow him on twitter @SCGGrant
    Michael Mccoll
    Whitecaps’ coach Carl Robinson kept an unchanged starting line-up from the side that drew 2-2 with Dallas on Sunday, a somewhat strange decision after the performances of some players and those itching to get in. It wasn't a decision that really worked either.
    There wasn't much to write home about in the opening minutes, or for most of the game actually, just time to ponder the amount of empty seats at Toyota Park. Guess the Whitecaps aren't a fashionable sell in the east.
    Mike Magee nearly put some fire into the game when he curled a free kick for Chicago into the side netting nine minutes in.
    There really was nothing else of note for the remainder of the half. Apparrantly 12 shots, but that seemed a little bit of a stretch.
    Physicist Manuel Linares has come up with an ice cream that changes colour as you lick it. Amazing stuff. See, change is good. But can a leopard change its spots? Can Erik Hurtado change his poor touch?
    Well apparently not if his chance in the 48th minute was anything to go by.
    Hurtado was played in, showed a nice first touch to bring the ball down, then showed a horrendous second touch to hit the ball too far ahead of him and allow Sean Johnson to recover.
    Vancouver made a double substitution as the hour mark approached but it had little impact.
    The was a bit of drama in the 65th minute when referee Sacha Baron Cohen added some comedy to the proceedings by sending off Jordan Harvey for a second yellow in a case of mistaken identity. He was soon corrected and Johnny Leveron picked up the booking instead.
    It was some horrendous play by the Caps central defensive pairing as they allowed Quincy Amarikwa to streak right through the middle of them before bringing him down.
    Amarikwa had a great chance for Chicago in the 80th minute when a quick break saw the Fire two on two but he blasted high and over from the edge of the box.
    Both teams had very half chances but this one had 0-0 written all over it from early doors, as the League's draw specialists always suggested. Another two points dropped as far as I'm concerned.
    There had been some debate at training last week about whether the Caps had been worked out. Has the play of Mattocks, Manneh and Hurtado made them so clear cut that they should be called Mr Cellophane?
    Whatever it is, with just 13 games remaining, the Caps need to get out of their funk and into the win column real soon.
    FINAL SCORE: Chicago Fire 0 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
    ATT: 13,352
    CHICAGO: Sean Johnson; Lovel Palmer, Jeff Larentowicz, Patrick Ianni, Gonzalo Segares; Grant Ward (Harrison Shipp 62), Chris Ritter (Razvan Cocis 62), Matt Watson, Alex; Quincy Amarikwa (Matthew Fondy 82), Mike Magee [subs Not Used: Kyle Reynish, Bakary Soumare, Logan Pause, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado]
    VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Carlyle Mitchell, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba, Gershon Koffie (Russell Teibert 57), Erik Hurtado (Kekuta Manneh 77), Pedro Morales, Sebastian Fernandez (Omar Salgado 58); Darren Mattocks [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Andy O’Brien, Mehdi Ballouchy, Nicolas Mezquida]
    James Grossi
    Will Johnson
    Johnson made his 21st consecutive start for Portland in their 2-3 win at Montreal on Sunday.
    From his position deep in the Timbers midfield, Johnson was spectacular, misplacing just a single pass all match. Being away from home, he still played a rather conservative match, but with Montreal’s strategy of fouling Darlington Nagbe at every turn, Johnson was able to get forward regularly, as well as getting involved in set-pieces.
    After leaving the first good look from a free-kick to Diego Valeri, he took the next one, sending his right-footer low through the wall where it took a slight deflection, forcing Evan Bush scrambling to push the trickling ball wide in a panic.
    The Toronto-born midfielder was impressive, running the middle of the pitch – he did well to elude the pressure of Maxim Tissot on one occasion, calm and collected on the ball, and
    , laying the pass forward to Nagbe who in turn found Max Urruti in the 34th minute.He would score their second, from the penalty spot after Valeri was felled by Hassoun Camara,
    ; Bush read correctly, but could not reach the well placed effort – it was his sixth goal of the season.Johnson was in the grove, feeling good about the game, which he showed when he attempted to catch Bush unawares directly from a corner kick, his effort at a fabled Olimpico bent well, but was a little too high – though it definitely troubled the scrambling keeper.
    Never afraid of mixing it up, Johnson went into a heavy challenge with Camara, suffering a rake down the shin for his troubles; it was a fair enough play, but he made sure the referee was aware of his displeasure. And his willingness to exert the extra energy to see out the result was in effect late, hustling to track deep to provide cover to Danny O’Rourke when the defender was isolated with Marco Di Vaio running at him.
    Portland, who currently sit three points shy of the playoffs, will need Johnson to be at his best to make up ground in a tight Western Conference, if Sunday was any indication, he is up for the challenge.
    Patrice Bernier
    Bernier made his seventh and eighth-straight starts for Montreal in their double game week, falling away to Salt Lake 3-1 on Thursday and at home to Portland 2-3 on Sunday – bringing his season start total to fourteen and appearance tally to nineteen.
    On Thursday, he was tasked with the difficult role of keeping a lid on Javier Morales, one of the more impactful attacking midfielders in the league – a task he managed well until Montreal went down a man.
    He was dropping so deep on occasion that he looked more like an extra centre-back, doing his best to shore up his frail side as they attempted to get a valuable away point in one of the more foreboding venues.
    Despite their troubles, Bernier has been a bastion of strength, exhibiting that iron will on one play where he held off Luke Mulholland to usher a ball into touch – sending the tenacious opponent to the ground with an impressive display of strength and balance.
    On Sunday against Portland, the Brossard, Quebec-native was even better – his passing chart a swirling vortex of awesomeness.
    After getting stripped on one occasion by Gaston Fernandez, Bernier took revenge, clattering into the attacker from behind on a throw-in, for which he received a yellow card – his second of the season. He would rack up six fouls that match in vain attempt to quell the attacking threat of a dynamic opponent.
    He spent much of the match tracking down the running of Darlington Nagbe, but was bypassed on one occasion, leading to Max Urruti’s goal in the 34th minute. Bernier would make amends in the 44th minute, finding space on the left in attack, receiving a pass from Felipe and unselfishly setting up Maxim Tissot with a neat cut-back – collecting his second assist of the season, both having come in their last four matches.
    Post-match he reflected on the remainder of the club’s season, “We still have a couple of games left this season. To look ahead too much isn’t good at this point. We’re not getting three points, not even getting one point, but in this league things can change very fast, but we have to find a way to get some points on the board.”
    The Impact may currently be languishing at the bottom of the league on fourteen points from twenty matches, but they are only ten points off the playoff positions – stranger things have happened.
    Maxim Tissot
    An unused substitute on Thursday, Tissot made his fifth-start of the season on Sunday against Portland, bringing his season appearance tally to ten matches.
    On the left side of the midfield, Tissot was energetic and involved from the off, getting upended by a heavy tackle from Jack Jewsbury near the touchline on one occasion and chasing down Donovan Ricketts on another to force a hurried clearance with some good hustle.
    That willingness to get involved proved fruitful in the 44th minute when
    to level the match at twos, celebrating with a slide and cross-legged, elbow-resting lounge-pose in the pouring rain – it was his first goal of the season and the second of his young MLS career.The Gatineau, Quebec-native got involved in the fouling too, hacking down Gaston Fernandez, and may have won his side a penalty kick when he was taken down in a tangle with Jewsbury after Jack McInerney played him in towards goal.
    He continued to bring energy all match, making one nice run up the left and regularly tucking in-field to get involved, before making way for Callum Mallace in the 86th minute.
    Issey Nakajima-Farran
    Nakajima-Farran made his first start for Montreal in nearly a month on Thursday in Salt Lake – it was his fourth start for the club and his sixth in MLS. He has seven appearances for the Impact and twelve overall in the league.
    On the left side of the midfield, Issey was lively, looking to get involved early. He made one good run up the left-channel before attempting to thread in Felipe – the pass was cut out, but the two stuck with it and Issey nearly turned in Felipe’s square ball after eluding Nat Borchers attentions with a clever drop off the back-line.
    Regularly swapping flanks with Andres Romero, Issey was involved in an ugly collision with Luke Mulholland, as the two bonked heads with each focused on the ball. That fearlessness would come to bite, as in the 65th minute Issey lunged for a fifty-fifty challenge with Chris Schuler, catching the defender on the shin with a raised boot, prompting the referee to flash a red card – his first in MLS.
    The Calgary-born midfielder could count himself unlucky, and Frank Klopas would agree – it appeared as though, after the initial lunge from distance, Issey basically pulled out of the challenge, but had nowhere to put his boot – if he lowered his studs he would have driven into Schuler and earned the red, instead a slight tap, which the defender made the most of, and he was off.
    He would serve his suspension in Montreal’s match against Portland on Sunday and will be fired up to face his former club, Toronto FC on the weekend.
    Jeremie Gagnon-Lapare
    Gagnon-Lapare made his first MLS appearance for Montreal in their loss on Thursday in Salt Lake, entering in the 62nd minute replacing Callum Mallace.
    Taking up a position alongside Patrice Bernier at the base of the midfield, Gagnon-Lapare settled in nicely after getting mesmerized momentarily by some interplay between Joao Plata and Olmes Garcia after a Kyle Beckerman through-ball eluded him.
    Minutes after his introduction Issey Nakajima-Farran was dismissed, reducing Montreal to ten men and altering the game plan. He was full of running in his half hour and as far as introductions to MLS go, there is little more daunting than trying to shut down the passing of Salt Lake.
    The Sherbrooke, Quebec-native picked up his first booking for hacking down Garcia in transition in the 82nd minute – his physicality will fit nicely in MLS – and he showed a brief flash of forward movement with a strong run before attempting to slot a pass to a teammate, but Tony Beltran slid to cut it out.
    He was caught out a little on Salt Lake’s second goal, slow to get over and provide cover with Javier Morales bearing towards goal,
    , but he will learn to better clog up those lanes with time.Gagnon-Lapare, who is the sixth Homegrown Player signed by the club, was an unused substitute on Sunday.
    Doneil Henry
    Henry made his fourth-straight start for Toronto in their 1-2 loss to Kansas City on Saturday night – it was his eleventh start and twelfth appearance of the season.
    As the left-sided centre-back, paired with Bradley Orr, Henry was his usual combative self, picking up a booking two minute into first half stoppage-time for a lunging challenge on Igor Juliao – it was his fifth yellow card of the season, meaning he will miss Toronto’s next match.
    He was again a force at the back, racking up ten clearances and six recoveries, as well as two fouls.
    Though harsh, it could be said that he was at least partially culpable on both Kansas City goals – he did
    , but then raised his arm looking for an offside call rather than continue playing and then , while his tucking over opened up the late that Jacob Peterson used to finish – though neither was directly his fault, more the results of breakdowns in structure.Henry nearly helped TFC get back into the match in the 76th minute, when he rose at the back-post to get on the end of a Michael Bradley free-kick, but his downward header was at too sharp of an angle and bounced off the ground over the bar from yards out.
    Tesho Akindele
    Akindele made his ninth-straight start for Dallas in their 2-2 draw at Vancouver on Sunday afternoon – it was his tenth start and thirteenth appearance of the season.
    Paired up top with Blas Perez, Akindele was much quieter than usual, his best chance coming inside the first minute, but his header from a left-sided cross rose harmlessly over the bar. He would make a good down an open channel in the 21st minute, but Perez opted for the low-percentage shot rather than find his teammate in the clear.
    With Dallas playing a 5-3-2 formation and Vancouver’s two-man shield of Matias Laba and Gershon Koffie able to cover a lot of ground, perhaps Akindele was not able to find the space he likes to exploit in the wide areas, or perhaps he cannot stand turf – his passing was very off, misplacing a full third of his attempts.
    Of note, it was the first MLS game played in Canada for the Calgary, Alberta-native.
    He would make way for Ryan Hollingshead in the final minute of regulation time.
    Akindele was the subject of an article at MLSsoccer.com, where teammate Matt Hedges and coach Oscar Pareja herald his virtues before Tesho discusses his national team prospects.
    Frustratingly, there has been little-to-no contact with the striker, “I think at the beginning of the season they might have talked to some of the guys in the front office, but it isn’t something I’ve heard anything about lately. When I was 17, I played a couple of games but that was it, so there has been a big gap since then. I feel like any time you have a chance to play international soccer you have to jump at that.”
    Give the kid a call.
    Dwayne De Rosario
    De Rosario entered Toronto’s loss to Kansas City in the 82nd minute, replacing Bradley Orr, as Ryan Nelsen piled on the attacking talent in search of a goal – it was his second consecutive late appearance from the bench and seventh of the season, alongside three starts.
    It is amazing how bringing on the Scarborough, Ontario-native sparks life in the crowd, despite his lack of production or minutes this season.
    In his brief cameo, De Rosario had one good look, Dominic Oduro finding him atop the area, but his left-footed shot was well-read and saved by KC keeper, Andy Gruenebaum.
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio was on the bench for most of TFC’s loss to Kansas City, entering the match in the 80th minute, replacing Collen Warner with Toronto looking to press forward for an equalizer; up a man, but down a goal – it was only his second appearance from the bench all season.
    Despite injecting fresh legs and an attacking mindset to the centre of the pitch, the Toronto, Ontario-native was not able to help his side get back in the match.
    The Rest
    Karl Ouimette was on the bench for both Montreal matches, while Wandrille Lefevre was only there on Sunday against Portland; Kyle Bekker and Russell Teibert were unused substitutes as well.
    Kyle Porter featured in DC’s friendly against Fulham, picking up an ankle knock, while unfortunately, Nana Attakora is back on the injury report with concussion symptoms.
    Kofi Opare was traded from Los Angeles to DC this week, the two sides swapping allocation ranking spots and a 2015 draft pick headed out West. DC continues to be fourth Canadian team in MLS, if only in spirit.
    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
    Guest

    An Open Letter To MLS, Don Garber

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Diving, embellishment, simulation. Call it what you want, but it’s hurting the league. I’ve seen it first-hand. People in bars, colleagues at work, or even friends who are sports fans who watch a game with me and howl at the sight of professional athletes screaming in pain, clutching at body parts when they were lightly brushed by an opponent, all while keeping one eye open to peer at the official to see if they’re act is working.
    First of all, it looks silly. Grown men screaming at the top of their lungs, writhing in pain so apparently great they need a medical trainer and a stretcher, only to be sprinting down the field seconds later. Or worse, players feigning a head injury, acting as if they’ve been concussed in hopes of their opposition catching discipline.
    Secondly, it can, and frequently does, change the outcome of a game. Too often, entertaining and meaningful games are turned on their head by a phantom foul. Part of the problem is officiating. You would hope that the officials are perfect and can detect the difference between legitimate illegal conduct, and a player trying to pull one over on him. Unfortunately, the officials aren’t perfect. It’s obvious the MLS is striving to improve the level, but the game is fast, and the field is big, and it’s impossible to have a perfect angle of everything.
    Now, the MLS is not alone. It is a global problem. Every league, every country, every tournament has problems with diving. And it’s not just soccer. Basketball is terrible for theatrics as well. Even in hockey, diving has become an issue. But the MLS can become the first major league to take steps to eradicate embellishment.
    Lucky for us, the FIFA Laws of the Game, the very rules by which all leagues abide, already address this very issue. Law 12 states that if a player “attempts to deceive the referee by feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled (simulation)” a yellow card caution shall be shown.
    It would be difficult to have officials crack down on this. You could, and probably should try. I’m sure asking officials to crack down on obvious dives would result in an increase in yellow cards and a slight decrease in embellishment overall. But like I said before, the officials aren’t perfect and it can be difficult to identify.
    But we live in a modern world with a dozen cameras on every play of the game. Sometimes it can still be hard to identify what an actual foul was and what was a dive. Usually, dives are both. A player gets legitimately fouled, and he also launches himself through the air to make sure the official sees it. I’m not talking about those ones. I’m talking about the real obvious ones. Sometimes there are dives so obvious, so cynical, that they embarrass the official, the league, and the sport.
    One of those instances happened Sunday in Vancouver. In the 59th minute of the game between the Whitecaps and FC Dallas, Darren Mattocks was shown a yellow card for a foul on Dallas keeper Raul Fernandez. While the camera angles shown on the MLS highlight package here are inconclusive, I was sitting right in front of this event and a replay with a perfect angle was later shown.
    Darren Mattocks made absolutely no contact with Raul Fernandez. Not even close. Fernandez rolled over, flayed his arms out, and looked as if he had serious head trauma. Referee Kevin Stott showed Mattocks the yellow card. I can understand why. Fernandez’ body is obstructing the view of his own head, making it a difficult call for the official to make. But it was very plainly a case of Fernandez attempting to gain an advantage by simulation.
    Now is where the league has to step in. If plays like this continue, there is a reward for this unsporting behaviour. Mattocks has to play the remainder of the game on a yellow, may get suspended for a future game for yellow card accumulation, and Fernandez laughs to himself and will no doubt try his dishonesty again later.
    It’s an easy fix that only requires some perseverance on your part. The rule is already there. A committee exists whose job it is to review controversial plays. If you want to be really kind to teams, you could even send out a memo and warn them of this new attention to embellishment.
    Then all you have to do is issue retroactive fines and suspensions for unsporting behaviour. It’s really simple. If you keep reaching into Fernandez’ pocketbook for $2500 and suspending him for a game, he won’t be so eager to try to fleece the refs in the future. Neither will his teammates or his coach. Quite the opposite. Coaches will actually encourage fair play, as they won’t want to risk their players facing retroactive discipline. Soon, the MLS will get a reputation as being tough on diving and most players won’t even bother anymore.
    You’ll gain the respect of current fans, foreign soccer fans, and the casual observers close to home. You’ll even gain the respect of most of the players and coaches who play the game with honour and integrity. So start today. Rescind the yellow card to Darren Mattocks and suspend Fernandez for his unsporting behaviour. After all, it’s the law.
    This letter was submitted to the MLS on July 28, 2014. I’ll let you know if I hear any reply. If I do hear back, I’ll be sure to e-mail them my next suggestion regarding player dissent!
    James Grossi
    Before the results, the goals of the round:
    All three candidates have something in common – they were the opening goals in their respective matches.
    In chronological order, up first is the first goal of the round –
    against Chicago: racing onto a long ball from Yannick Djalo before working across two Fire defenders to thump a right-footed curler to the far-side of goal past Sean Johnson.Not to be outdone, Friday’s opener was just as lovely -
    would put Colorado ahead early: a cracking left-footer from outside the area as he falls, curling his effort in off the inside of the far-post past Chivas’ Dan Kennedy.And finally, the third candidate, from Saturday night –
    : about 25 yards from goal, he steps up to the free-kick, curling over the wall and into the top corner, leaving keeper, Bobby Shuttleworth, to watch in horror.Each brilliant in its own right, but, which was the best?
    Special mention for Yannick Djalo’s cushioned chip – this fellow could be the story of the second half of the season, if only he can stay fit, and Gabby Torres’ pronouncement of his return to the pitch – emphatic.
    On to the results…
    Results in Brief

    The round began on Wednesday night where a struggling Earthquakes side, winless in their last five matches, finally put their scoring boots on, rolling out as 5-1 winners over a flat-footed Chicago side.
    The marked lack of goals has hampered San Jose; known for their rampant offense over the past few seasons, one statistics stood above all in summing up their season: seventeen games played; seventeen goals scored - averaging just a goal a game makes the margin of error near impossible, the slightest miss-step and the opponent has the advantage; they score two, they win.
    But with former boss Frank Yallop making his first and only return of 2014 to his old stomping grounds, something changed – and it nearly wasn’t to be, as a late injury to Steven Lenhart opened the door for Yannick Djalo to start alongside Chris Wondolowski in attack; he would prove instrumental.
    It took until the final minute of the first half for the hosts to find the breakthrough, Djalo stabbing a long ball forward for Shea Salinas to chase down in the left-corner, before walking into the box, in front of a pair of inattentive defenders to find the back of the net with a fizzing right-footer.
    The floodgates opened in the second half.
    Atiba Harris added a second in the 52nd minute after Djalo found him wide right. Harris played in-field to Wondolowski and continued his run towards goal, on hand to deposit the rebound from Wondolowski’s strike past a prone Sean Johnson in the Chicago goal.
    Ten minutes on Wondolowski himself would add a third; Harris laying him down the left-side of the area after a poor miss-touch from Bakary Soumare conceded possession – Wondolowski’s left-footer took a slight deflection before beating Johnson, but it did not matter to Wondo, who kissed his child on the touch-lines in celebration.
    Chicago would find consolation in the 75th minute, Tottenham loanee, Grant Ward, scoring his first goal in MLS when Matt Watson laid him down the right and his low, first-time right-footer across Jon Busch was too well placed for the keeper to reach.
    But San Jose were not done; Djalo himself added a fourth in the 79th, directing Cordell Cato to feed a ball down the right-side for him, before cushioning a deft, looping finish over a stranded Johnson before returning the favour for Cato, who added a fifth in the 84th minute, picking the pocket of Matthew Fondy in the midfield, then threading Wondolowski down the right – his low cross deflected off a retreating defender, but Cato was able to corral the bouncing ball and usher it towards goal.
    Not only did San Jose lay a five-goal thrashing on their former boss, but the win snapped a five-game winless streak, extending an unbeaten run to two matches, and, though still bottom of the table, putting them in position to look up the table invitingly with games in hand, making the tight Western Conference look even more congested. It was Chicago’s first loss in five matches, though why they were so sluggish, is something Yallop will no doubt investigate in training - with running.

    Come Wednesday night, viewers were treated to a tight contest between two desperate sides.
    Salt Lake’s season, their first without Jason Kreis, had started so well, going through their first twelve matches without defeat; however, since the end of May, a span of eight matches, they had won just once, though they still sat comfortably in the upper reaches of the conference standings.
    Montreal, on the other hand, had no strong start to look back on, having begun the season winless in seven, winning just three of the twelve matches since then, currently riding a four-match losing streak, and firmly nestled at the bottom of the league on fourteen points from nineteen matches.
    It did not take long for the home side to get the leg up against the struggling Canadians, with Luke Mulholland latching onto a fallen Javier Morales corner kick, nodded down by Chris Schuler, inside of three minutes, lashing a low, left-footer on the half-volley past Evan Bush in goal from above the penalty spot.
    Montreal would respond shortly after the half-hour, Hassoun Camara picking out the far bottom-corner with a right-footer after Krzysztif Krol’s cross-field ball found Callum Mallace on the right, who teed up his teammate on the edge of the area with a nice cut-back pass.
    But the night would turn with a decision in the 65th minute that saw the Impact reduced to ten men, when Issey Nakajima-Farran went into a fifty-fifty tackle with Schuler, hanging a high boot, catching the defender on the shin, and seeing a red card for his troubles – Frank Klopas was not pleased at the decision, earning himself a suspension for his comments post-match.
    Colombian striker Olmes Garcia would put Salt Lake ahead within five minutes, getting on the end of a Morales cross from the right, flicking his header on to the far-side of goal from the near-post area. Garcia, beaming after netting his first of the season, would add a second in stoppage-time, after a sumptuous scoop pass from Morales played him in down the right side of the box and his right-footer beat Bush in the 93rd minute of play.
    The 3-1 win, their first in three matches, allowed Salt Lake to retake second place in the West, on the strength of addressing their lack of goals from open play. For Montreal, it was a fourth-straight loss, as their season continues to sputter along in vain, nine points adrift of the playoff line.

    Friday night’s lone contest was an all-Western affair with Colorado welcoming Chivas to the lofty confines of the Rocky Mountains - both sides entered on the downslide, Colorado winless in three matches and Chivas off the back of a loss in DC that halted their four-game winning streak.
    Having welcomed current manager and former player, Pablo Mastroeni to the Gallery of Honor pre-match, the Rapids came out firing, nearly taking the lead inside the first two minutes with Dillon Serna rattling the bar.
    It would take them all of sixteen minutes to find their lead, when Nick LaBrocca’s curling strike kissed off the top of the post and in. Their second would come a mere ten minutes later, Drew Moor rising highest to meet a Dillon Powers left-sided, in-swinging corner kick at the edge of the six yard box with a powerful header that more-or-less sealed the result inside thirty minutes.
    Shorn of several starters, including preferred centre-back pairing of Carlos Bocanegra (concussion) and Bobby Burling, Chivas rarely threatened, even red-hot Cubo Torres, who had goals in their last six matches, was stifled – los Ameri-Goats would tally just a single shot on goal all evening.
    Moor would nearly repeat his goal-scoring exploits, meeting another Powers corner kick in the 63rd minute only to strike the bar, before Gabriel Torres finished off the match for good in style, collecting a ball wide left from Carlos Alvarez, before cutting in-field to hit an unstoppable, dipping right-footer over Dan Kennedy in the Chivas goal.
    With their first win in four matches, Colorado would end the round in a three-way tie for third place in the congested Western Conference, alongside Dallas and Los Angeles on thirty points. A second-straight loss for Chivas will have been made all the more frustrated by the fact that they barely showed up.

    The first of two Saturday matches had the makings of a gripping contest, with Toronto looking to make up ground on visiting Sporting KC. Though separated by nine points, TFC’s three-games in hand meant that theoretically they could catch up to the conference leaders, or at least make it a three-horse race at the top of the table, alongside DC, leaving the chasing pack in their dust.
    As such, the hosts came out like a shot, their speed and trickery on the wings causing all sorts of trouble for Sporting, who took advantage of Toronto’s open play to pick their spots on the counter – twice nearly scoring inside the first ten minutes.
    But it was Toronto who would take the lead in the sixteenth minute, when Dominic Oduro played an unbelievable pass into the path of a streaking Jackson, who rounded keeper, Andy Gruenebaum, and deposited his right-footer into the gaping cage.
    And the match may have ended right then, as TFC would first see their pleas for the dismissal of Aurelien Collin waived away after he got tangled with Gilberto, who was racing behind the defender, clear on goal courtesy of a Michael Bradley ball, before hitting the post twice in quick succession – Nick Hagglund in the 23rd minute and Oduro in the 33rd.
    Sporting would weather that storm, entering half-time behind by just one, and cue up their second half response – it would come within minutes, as Graham Zusi, who had been quiet all match due to the shutdown performance of Hagglund, found space by swapping over to the right. Zusi began the play, moving in-field, before Benny Feilhaber drove into the box – his effort was blocked, as was Dom Dwyer’s follow-up, eventually falling to Zusi floating under the left of the arc, to right-foot an arrow into the top right-corner of goal, leveling the match.
    The match devolved into a furious tug-of-war, each side asking questions of the other and getting tested themselves; the red card that was clearly going to make its appearance, finally came in the 75th minute, when KC centre-back Matt Besler saw his second yellow of the night – each for upending Oduro with late stopping challenges.
    But, Toronto, who had cried so vociferously for justice in the first half would be hoisted by their own petard, when five minutes after going down a man, Kansas City found the winner.
    And of course, it was a former TFC player who made the difference, Jacob Peterson emphatically right-footing a low shot into the right-corner of the goal after a scrambled play from a deflected cross allowed Dwyer to find a yard of space for his teammate with a neat back-heeled set-up.
    With the 1-2 win, Sporting stretched their road-winning streak to an awesome five-straight matches, while remaining unbeaten through their last seven to open a four-point gap on idle DC atop the East. For TFC, the loss was a reminder that, though they have done well, they are not yet on par with the class of the league, where one must score more and concede less game in and game out.

    Saturday’s other fixture was also an all-Eastern affair, with two clubs tied for fifth-place in the conference on 23 points, jostling to be on the playoff side of the dividing line.
    New England entered looking to reverse an unfortunate run of late, falling to seven-straight losses, plummeting down the standings without a win since the end of May. Columbus too have struggled for victories this season, but looked to build on a win over Montreal last weekend.
    The Revolution looked nothing like the dispirited side they should be, linking up with numerous flicks and one-twos, threatening the Crew without finding the back of the net, and, as is so often the case, it was their opposition who took the lead, somewhat against the run of play,
    The opening goal would come in the 43rd minute, when Federico Higuain was allowed look at goal from a free-kick about 25 yards out, slightly to the right of centre. His right-footed effort would bend over the wall to find the top right-corner of the goal, leaving Bobby Shuttleworth little hope of a save.
    Conceding at the end of a half is perilous at the best of times, but for a side lacking in confidence such as New England, it should have proved deadly, but they would respond in the best way possible, leveling five minutes into the second half, when AJ Soares rose to meet a right-sided Kelyn Rowe corner kick with a thumping header.
    With both sides desperate for the win and sensing it there for the taking, the match opened up, chances coming thick and fast at each end, but it was the visitors who found the dagger in the 84th minute, when recent substitute Justin Meram cut open New England with a long ball from the centre-circle, springing Ethan Finlay, who held off Darius Barnes and beat Shuttleworth with a firm right-footer.
    The 1-2 win stretches Columbus’ winning streak to two games, leapfrogging over New York into fourth in the East, tied with Toronto FC on 26 points, having played three more matches than their Trillium rivals. An eighth-straight loss finally sees New England drop out of the top five, though there was plenty to build on from the performance.

    Sunday’s opener was of similar importance, as the two clubs scrapped over precious points in the congested West. Entering the week, seven teams were separated by just six points, contesting the four places available behind league-leaders, Seattle. With Salt Lake and Colorado having already taken full points and Portland and Los Angeles still to play, should either featured side take the win, their stock would rise; the loser at risk of falling off the pace.
    It was Vancouver who wrestled the initiative in the eleventh minute when Darren Mattocks was slipped through the middle by a lovely Gershon Koffie ball to score his third goal in as many matches, much to the pleasure of former captain, Jay DeMerit, who was in the broadcast booth, having announced his retirement earlier in the week, sadly due to insurmountable injury troubles.
    The Whitecaps would pass on chances to pad their lead and Dallas, through Blas Perez, would respond in the 29th minute, pouncing on a loose ball in the box after Zach Loyd’s header from a Moises Hernandez cross struck the bar – the Panamanian striker calmly bringing down the bouncing ball on his chest before stabbing in with his right-foot.
    And Vancouver would gift Dallas the lead ten minutes later, when Carlyle Mitchell and David Ousted got their wires crossed on a harmless ball into the box, the keeper coming out as the defender rose to clear, bizarrely somehow handling the service, allowing the referee to point to the spot – Michel dispatched the effort coolly with his left-foot, low to the keeper’s left having sent Ousted lurching in the other direction.
    Vancouver would be offered a chance of their own from the spot at the start of the second half, when Hernandez was adjudged to have handled a bouncing ball as Mattocks tried to touch past him. Pedro Morales made no mistake, right-footing low to the keeper’s left.
    The Whitecaps would press for a winner, twice drawing fine save from keeper, Raul Fernandez – most notably, Morales’ rasping drive from distance that stung the palms of the keeper as he leapt to save, but the match would end drawn at twos.
    Form would remain true for both sides: Vancouver now winless in four matches and Dallas unbeaten in six; two sides of the same coin.

    The all-Canadian-based Sunday would continue across the continent in Montreal, as the Impact played host to the Portland Timbers, rivals from back in the USL days.
    Looking to enter the CONCACAF Champions League, which begins the week after next, on a good note, Montreal came out sharp taking the lead after thirteen minutes when Jack McInerney laid Justin Mapp down the right and his low ball picked out the Argentine at the top of the box to step easily around an off-balance Danny O’Rourke to smash a right-footer past Donovan Ricketts.
    Despite rarely meeting, being in separate conferences and all, regular trades have made these two rather familiar with each other. As such it was a scrappy affair with Montreal keeping a lid on Darlington Nagbe by fouling him innumerable times – racking up twenty on the night, mostly on Nagbe.
    But Portland persevered, leveling the match in the 34th minute when Max Urruti was slipped in down the left-side of the area by Nagbe after walking around the sliding challenge of Felipe to set up an explosive end to the first half. Urruti, after making a neat turn to face goal, hit a low right-footer, beating the keeper to the short-side, bouncing in off the inside of the left-post.
    Six minutes later Portland would take the lead after Urruti played Gaston Fernandez into the area drawing Evan Bush out to block, the rebound fell to Diego Valeri, who was taken down by Hassoun Camara as he cut back to get an angle on goal. Will Johnson would convert the penalty kick, beating Bush with a low right-footer to the keeper’s right; Bush read his intention but could not reach the well-placed strike.
    Montreal would not go quietly into that good night, raging against the falling rain to level in the penultimate minute of the half when Felipe found Bernier in space down the left-side of the box and the Canadian veteran unselfishly laid back to Maxim Tissot, who beat Ricketts with a low left-footer towards the far-side.
    The pace slowed for the second half, though the chances kept coming – Montreal would see a penalty shout waived away when Jack Jewsbury brought down Tissot in the area after McInerney had clipped in his teammate, Jewsbury, who was making his 300th MLS appearance, nervously laughed away the complaints, while Johnson would nearly make Bush pay for his inattention from a corner kick, attempting to sneak in an Olimpico, curling a corner kick just over the bar in the 65th minute.
    The winner would have to wait until the 82nd minute, when Rodney Wallace’s cross was weakly cut out by Futty Danso, falling to Valeri outside the area; for a second-consecutive match, his dipping shot from distance would prove decisive, though Danso nearly made amends in the 92nd minute with an audacious effort, chesting down a long Mapp ball only for his volley on the turn to sail high.
    For Portland the 2-3 win marked just the second time this season that they have won consecutive matches, as they seek to replicate the sort of form that won them such plaudits last season. Montreal, on the other hand, fall to a fifth-straight defeat – though given the lack of consistency in the East, they are still only ten points off the playoff spots.

    The round closed on Monday night with a high-profile meeting of Western Conference titans, Seattle and Los Angeles.
    Seattle, who had won their last six home matches, were dealt a bizarre blow pre-match, when Chad Marshall was forced to sit out the match due to back spasms brought on by a fender bender in the days prior to the match.
    The evil portents kept coming for the Sounders, as the broadcast was interrupted and the match carried on without lights as the stadium was hit by a power surge – LA excel in such situations, having used a pair of outages against Houston back in 2009 in the Western Conference Championship match to turn the tide on the Dynamo and move on to that year’s MLS Cup.
    Just as the broadcast returned, the match was all but over; with LA taking the lead in the eighth minute when Gyazi Zardes opened the scoring with a left-footer past Stefan Frei from an unselfish Landon Donovan layoff after Robbie Keane had threaded Donovan into the Seattle area.
    Donovan then doubled the lead for a rampant Galaxy in the eighteenth minute, pouncing on the rebound from a Marcelo Sarvas rip to left-foot into the open net with Frei prone having denied Sarvas’ left-footer from the top of the box. The rout was complete in the 36th minute when Sarvas found Stefan Ishizaki in space down the right and his powerful, first-time right-footer across the keeper from the bottom left-corner of the goal.
    With the result sealed, the match got contentious in the second half with national teammates Clint Dempsey and Omar Gonzalez regularly mixing it up. Seattle played better in the second half, but the damage was already done.
    With the 0-3 win, LA rebound from last weekend’s loss in Kansas City, launching themselves into the reckoning at the top of the Western Conference, drawing within eight points of the league-leading Sounders and two behind second-placed Salt Lake.
    For Seattle, it was simply a night to forget.
    CanCon
    The extended review of the Canadian performances will be posted midday tomorrow (Wednesday), featuring goals from Will Johnson and Maxim Tissot, an assist from Patrice Bernier, and the debut of Jeremie Lapare-Gagnon for the Impact.
    Overheard
    Kansas City’s Peter Vermes showed the lighter side of his competitive personality: “We're actually going to start the next game down a man. We're just going to play a 4-4-1. That's what we're going to do, going forward” alluding to his side’s success despite picking up six red cards this season.
    Pablo Mastroeni heralded designated player, Gabby Torres, who has struggled since joining MLS: “This has been an unbelievable experience for Gaby and myself as a young coach, having to work with a player who’s so focused and so dedicated. To do what he did to get to the point where he is tonight, speaks volumes for the type of character he has and his commitment to the team. I said, “Gaby you have to be patient, your time is going to come and you just take advantage of it.”
    “Tonight was one of those performances that validates the kind of player he is and has been. Like all of us, we go through tough times but it’s about overcoming those tough times. I think tonight was a step in the right direction for Gaby as far as his career is concerned, but more importantly to see a guy that was playing carefree, playing his kind of game, getting in behind - it was a joy to watch. Those guys had a phenomenal teammate out there.
    According to MLSsoccer.com’s Rapids beat reporter, Chris Bianchi, “Torres took part in a highly-individualized set of exercises in May and June designed to help him lose weight and improve his posture, but additionally, Mastroeni spent time jogging with the striker, getting to know him and speaking with him on a one-on-one basis.”
    Mastroeni continued, “For strikers it’s all about scoring goals, and I think tonight [Torres] took a big burden off his shoulders with that goal he scored. That’s the kind of quality he has and has shown in training, and now to translate that into games is really an important piece for this team moving forward.”
    Club captain Drew Moor chimed in as well, “[Torres] puts so much effort into every single time he’s on the field, whether it’s in training or in the gym. We absolutely love having him in the locker room. When he scores a goal like that, I think maybe he breathes a little bit of a sigh of relief, but again, forwards go through their moments and hopefully it’ll boost his confidence.”
    As did Torres himself, remarking about scoring his first of the season, “In truth, I felt really good. I thank God that I had the opportunity to score a goal, but the most important thing is that the team won. We had three games without getting the full three points, so it was important to get the win. We won, and now we have to focus on a difficult game on Wednesday that we will hope to win as well.”
    A lesson to fans around that league that sometimes it takes players, even designated ones, time and additional effort to adjust to the league and they should be given the time they need to flourish - looking at you Gilberto.
    See It Live
    The handball from Vancouver’s Carlyle Mitchell was as strange a moment as has been seen all season; nearly as bizarre as
    for Salt Lake.Best moment of the weekend was Portland’s Donovan Ricketts flattening Montreal’s Jack McInerney in retaliation for the striker daring to finish an offside play with a chip moments earlier – don’t mess with Ricketts.
    Controversy
    Frank Klopas was not pleased with the match-turning decision in Salt Lake that saw Issey Nakajima-Farran dismissed with a red card. “Listen, when you see both players go with their studs up, they're both going for the ball. For me, how you can give a straight red in a play like that, and then the [RSL] guy doesn't even get touched.” – He was suspended for his protestations.
    No doubt, Issey left his boot high, but it was more the result of him pulling out a challenge as he lunged for the loose ball, no malice in it at all, but MLS officials react to such obvious signals.
    Toronto was left perplexed at the official’s decision to overlook Aurelien Collin’s tangle with Gilberto as the striker was breaking in clear on goal. Ryan Nelsen ponder, “I was wondering, ‘what’s going on here?’ before stating “The Gilberto one seems so obvious. It’s not even a question. You tell them to forget about all the decisions and the ridiculous yellow cards and try and focus on the game but they’re human.”
    While Michael Bradley summed it up perfectly, “The refereeing was questionable”, even if Alexi Lalas disagrees – expect fines all round, except the official of course.
    Video is not available – strange how often such controversies are not deemed worthy of note – but can be seen in
    .Upcoming Fixtures
    Full service resumes this week with four midweek matches feeding into a proper slate of weekend fixtures.
    Wednesday: DC-Toronto; New England-Colorado; Chicago-Vancouver; Salt Lake-New York. Friday: Kansas City-Philadelphia. Saturday: Los Angeles-Portland; Montreal-Toronto; New York-New England; Chicago-Columbus; Colorado-Salt Lake; San Jose-Seattle. Sunday: Houston-DC; Chivas-Dallas.
    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
    Have a listen!
    You can listen to this week's podcast on iTunes HERE.
    Or download it for your later listening delight HERE.
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    And if that's not enough, we've joined Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 15,000 shows HERE.
    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
    Michael Mccoll
    You can find his full gallery from the game on Dropbox
    HERE



    Vancouver Whitecaps starting XI





    Darren Mattocks gives Vancouver a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute





    And he celebrates his third goal in three games





    Want to know how free Zach Loyd's header was to set up the equaliser? This free





    Loyd's header crashes of the Caps' crossbar





    But only as far as Blas Perez who fires it into the roof of the net in the 29th minute





    Leaving the Whitecaps defence stunned





    But worse was to follow as Carlyle Mitchell handles in the box





    And Michel fires his 39th minute penalty past David Ousted








    But in the 53rd minute Vancouver gets a handball penalty of their own








    Blas Perez tries the old "look at the screen ref, you're wrong". Never works








    Pedro Morales doesn't care and slots home to make it 2-2








    Raul Fernandez is not impressed








    But the crowd goes wild








    And the Caps' players celebrate too








    Pedro Morales - number one in scoring and our hearts








    Darren Mattocks not clipping Raul Fernandez








    But the mysterious wind in the pass lays the Dallas keeper out flat








    Erik Hurtado cramps up once again








    Carlyle Mitchell nearly makes amends for the penalty by crashing a header off the Dallas bar








    Sebastian Fernandez tried a cheeky chip but it doesn't work








    Raul Fernandez with one for the cameras








    The full time whistle








    And the Caps players are devastated to come away with just one point
    ** Tom goes by the name Residual Image on Twitter. Give him a follow. **


    Aaron Campbell
    STARTING XI
    11 - Carlyle Mitchell
    A game to forget for Mitchell. Couldn't stop the first goal, at fault for the penalty for the second goal and almost scored an own goal to lose the game. Expect to see Andy O'Brien start on Wednesday.
    10 - Erik Hurtado
    Every time he charged at a Dallas defender all the defender had to do was put his foot out and knock the ball away. Time and time again he gave the ball up on the attack. Don’t know how bad his injury is (seemed to be just cramp), but we may see Kekuta Manneh start over him against Chicago.
    9 - Stephan Beitashour
    Got burned bad on the first goal down the wing leading to the cross. Second game running that fault can be pinned on him for a goal being conceded. Looked a speed behind all game long.
    8 - Matias Laba
    Overall an average game for Laba. Could have stepped up a bit more to clog up the middle of the pitch during the Dallas attack.
    7 - Sebastian Fernandez
    Didn't really notice him during the game until the 70th minute. Went back and watched the game and noticed he was sound defensively and had some good touches.
    6 - Darren Mattocks
    Average at best. One goal is good, three misses is bad and a little too much whining to the ref for me. Could have easily had two or three goals if he took his time on some great chances.
    5 - Jordan Harvey
    Very solid on the left side of the pitch. Didn't see him out of position at all and made the safe plays to move the ball up the field.
    4 - Gershon Koffie
    Amazing through ball to Mattocks to set up the first goal. Had to be perfect on the pass and he was. Had a little jump in his step to start the game.
    3 - Johnny Leveron
    Was great defensively playing next to Mitchell. Over last seven starts he has filled in nicely in the CB role. With Jay DeMerit retiring the time for Leveron to step up is now.
    2 - David Ousted
    Made some big saves, the best off his own player Mitchell. Kept the Whitecaps in the game and fought hard to get the team a point.
    1 - Pedro Morales
    Ridiculous game for Captain Morales. 12 shots on net, Four to five scoring chances and his touches with the ball where clinic like. Just need to get top calibre players to play with him.
    SUPERSUBS
    3 - Omar Salgado
    Too late of a sub to make a difference in the game.
    2 - Nigel Reo-Coker
    Only made it into the game because Beitashour pulled up limping.
    1 - Kekuta Manneh
    Came in with enough time to make a difference. Too bad the final 15 minutes was the Morales show and everyone was a spectator. May get start over Hurtado on Wednesday.
    Aaron Campbell
    The Good:
    Pedro Morales
    Vote for Pedro, Pedro for mayor, Captain Pedro. Most exciting sports figure in Vancouver in any sport in over a decade. His touch with the ball is second to none in MLS. His passing ability is classes above that of any other Whitecaps player on the roster.
    He is Mr. Automatic on penalty kicks and had four or five other great chances to give the Whitecaps the win. The ability of the players around Morales has to improve. The owners have to open their wallets and bring in a player of his calibre to play with him.
    How he wasn't picked as a MLS All Star is mind boggling. I know Vancouver fans have been voicing their opinion about sending Whitecaps to the All Star game since Jay DeMerit was forced to play the whole 90 minutes in 2012 and his play drop in the games following. That being said how is he not a top four mid fielder in MLS?
    The Average:
    Darren Mattocks
    3 goals in 3 games: good, great hustle: okay, 3 misses versus Dallas that could have won the game: bad. A great, an okay and a bad makes Mattocks average.
    Great finish on an amazing pass by Gershon Koffie. Just flew by the defenders and put it into the back of the net.
    Had three huge misses during the rest of the game. Could have easily won the game for the Whitecaps.
    He also has to stop whining to the refs about non calls. Numerous times he stopped running, waved his hands in the air and waited for the ref to make a call that didn't happen. He needs to play to a whistle and stop expecting calls to go his way.
    The Bad:
    Carlyle Mitchell
    What a shitty game by Mitchell. Was out of position on the first goal on the goal line. He was on the line next to Ousted but he should have been against the post. In the hectic scramble he was a foot off the post and the ball went between him and the post. That one was forgivable.
    The second goal was 100% his fault and Ousted let know it was as soon as it happened. You can see Ousted calling for the ball as soon as the cross by the Dallas player sent it towards the box. Mitchell had a chance to clear it without it hitting his arm. This will be a play that the coaching staff talks to Mitchell about pointing out his mistake.
    Then near the end of the game he deflects the ball and Ousted had to make a save of the week candidate save to stop the own goal.
    All being said if he puts that second half header off a free kick in to the net to give the Whitecaps a win, supporters may have been a little less harsh of the defender.
    Grant
    You can imagine the online editors at Costa Rican sports portal Al Dia frantically trying to splash increasingly bigger headlines across their website as each accusation was hurled.
    First, Jorge Luis Pinto said he was leaving, which again, was not totally unexpected given how people generally like to go out on a high note. But things quickly careened from the script. Pinto lashed out, alleging that one of his Costa Rican coaching assistants tried to get him fired a year and a half ago. He said he’d been “sleeping with the enemy,” persevering only because he wanted to qualify for the World Cup. His final straw with Costa Rica was that the federation prohibiting him from bringing in an all-Colombian coaching staff.
    The responses was fast and furious. Costa Rican federation president Eduardo Li said he and his colleagues had been “betrayed” by Pinto, and that the Colombian manager broke a gentlemen’s agreement by speaking publicly about the backroom discord. Then star midfielder Bryan Ruiz piped up on his own website with a statement saying that the relationship between the players and Pinto had “worn out” off the pitch and that the manager’s desire to “control everything” had caused rifts in the dressing room. Fulham's Bryan Olviedo (who didn't play in the tournament on account of injury) also went on the record and said there had been longstanding problems between Pinto and the players.
    But perhaps most bizarre accusations belong to goalkeeping coach Gabelo Conejo. He alleges Pinto confronted Keylor Navas about faking an injury so the keeper could avoid training prior to the match against England. He detailed another, weirder dust-up, in which Navas challenged the manager in front of the other players, saying Pinto was coming to his hotel room at night to check on him.
    This is the kind of stuff players say after a three-game flameout that ends with teammates punching each other on the field, not after a history-making run that cements everyone involved into soccer lore.
    All in all it was an incredible, unparalleled disintegration that won’t get a lot of attention outside Costa Rica. As far as epic manager-team boss break breakups go perhaps The Guardian got it wrong, maybe they should have anointed Jose Mourinho as the South American Jorge Luis Pinto.
    Where does this leaves Costa Rica? It might be harder to attract a foreign manager in the future, but that’s only if we assume memories are long, which they often aren’t in international soccer. The bigger concern is likely this September’s U.S.-based Copa Centroamerica. Instead of riding in high on a wave of World Cup glory, the Costa Ricans will employ a young squad with an interim manager and coaching staff out to prove that all that on-field success in the World Cup wasn’t down solely to Pinto and his supposedly heavy-handed approach to training and discipline.
    In the broader sense, it's a fascinating case study in the player-manager relationship. We often hear about managers "losing the dressing room," and how players just sort of give up, causing the on-field results to turn even worse. Apparently many of the Costa Rican players thought Pinto was sort of a jerk. But that didn't stop them from shelving personal feelings and buying into the system this jerk was preaching.
    Michael Mccoll
    Looking to end their three game winless streak, Vancouver started out strong and were rewarded in the 11th minute when Darren Mattocks scored a goal in his third straight game. The Jamaican was sent in with a perfect pass from Gershon Koffie and made no mistake in beating Raul Fernandez after being denied a minute earlier by a great one handed save from the Dallas keeper.
    Mattocks came close to doubling the lead when he had an open net after being setup by Steven Beitashour but was only able to direct his attempt into the side netting.
    The Whitecaps gave up the lead just before the half hour mark when Blas Perez scored from inside the six yard area. After the first attempt struck the crossbar, when Zach Lloyd got a free header from about ten yards out, the rebound came right to Perez and he had time to chest the ball down and tied the match at one apiece.
    Within ten minutes the home side fell behind as Michel stepped up and converted his penalty attempt beating David Ousted. The opportunity for the penalty came when there was a miscommunication between Ousted and Carlyle Mitchell leading the ball to strike the arm of the defender.
    It took the Caps less than ten minutes into the second half to get back on even terms as Pedro Morales scored his club leading seventh of the season from the penalty spot. Similar to the first half, the call was made due to a handball but there was a case to be made that the ball was touched by Moises Hernandez outside the box.
    Both teams had chances to take the three points with the visitor’s best chance coming when Perez had his shot tipped over the bar by Ousted. Vancouver had their share of opportunities including a Mitchell header hitting the bar and Fernandez making stops off Morales and Sebastian Fernandez.
    There was no doubt that the Whitecaps needed and should have come up with a full three points from this Western Conference tilt. However defensive breakdowns coupled with a number of missed chances on the other end leaves the Caps settling for the split of points.
    They will have little time to dwell on what could have been as they now must travel east for a mid-week matchup with the Chicago Fire.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - 2 FC Dallas
    ATT: 21,000 sell out
    VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour (Nigel Reo-Coker 90+1), Carlyle Mitchell, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba, Gershon Koffie, Sebastian Fernandez (Omar Salgado 90+3), Pedro Morales, Darren Mattocks; Erik Hurtado (Kekuta Manneh 68) [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Andy O'Brien, Russell Teibert, Nicolas Mezquida]
    DALLAS: Raul Fernandez; Walker Zimmerman, Stephen Keel, Matt Hedges (Mauro Diaz 46); Zach Lloyd, Moises Hernandez, Victor Ulloa, Michel, Adam Moffat; Tesho Akindele (Ryan Hollingstead 90), Blas Perez (Peter Luccin 84) [subs Not Used: Richard Sanchez, David Texeira, Garcia, Watson]
    REACTION:
    VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
    CARL ROBINSON -
    Two points lost or a point won?
    "Disappointed that we lost two points. There was only one team that was going to win that game. Even at half time I had full confidence in the guys. We played very well for the first half hour of the game but we switched off mentally twice. Concentration levels weren't good enough last 15 minutes of the first half. We dug ourselves a little bit of a hole. I said to them at half time, you've just got to remain positive focussed and you'll get back in it and second half we had numerous chances to win the game, not just tie the game and we're disappointed."
    On the penalty conceded by Carlyle Mitchell
    "I think it's a mistake. Whether it's communication or a mistake or whatever, it's a bad decision. I think he knows it, we got punished for it, but we'll take it on the chin. It's not ideal. It's how you rebound and how you react and in the second half i thought he was excellent."
    On the missed scoring opportunities:
    "There were three or four players that could’ve scored a couple of goals today. It’s quite ironic I sit here quite positive with the performance and I am. But I’m disappointed that we didn’t score more than two goals. We had twenty-plus shots in the game. When we don’t have that many shots then you’re not going to score that many goals. But when you have that many shots, you’ll probably needing three or more goals."
    On dropping points to a key Western Conference rival
    "We're still in the mix, which hopefully we will be when the next few home games come. If there's four, five games to go and we're still in the mix, I'll be more than happy but disappointed today."
    On how to stop the costly mistakes
    "I don't know, good question. If you know, let me know."
    "It's one of them, I try to remain calm. Credit to the guys in there, they gave me everything. I can't ask for any more. It's a fine line in this game between winning and losing. You see that today. We're that close, but we're that far. We'll just move on.
    "It was a big game. I'll learn, I'll analyze the game tonight. I probably won't sleep till 3 o'clock in the morning because I'll watch it and probably think we should have scored five, six goals but we haven't so we'll get back to the drawing board tomorrow."
    On Dallas FC goalkeeper Raul Fernandez’s performance:
    "He rebounded very well after getting kicked in the head. He made some unbelievable saves after that, which was credit to him. He made some good stops. He made five or six shots from the edge of the box where he palmed them out and we didn’t have anyone in that area to tap them in. If you’re a centre forward with a good instinct, you can get five or six goals in there a season, so we have to improve on that."
    On areas to improve on in personnel:
    “I think you look at it in any game and you try and improve, what could you do better and could you bring personnel in to do better? I’ve got this group in here and I am more than happy with this group. I’ll leave it to everybody else to decide. Every team in the world can want to strength areas at certain times. When the time is right and we find the right personnel, we will strengthen, but we had a good performance today, just missing one or two things maybe."
    On allowing two goals:
    “Very concerning. We got done on a one-two on the right side, he got to the byline and put in a good cross, and the right wingback Zach Loyd headed against the crossbar. I think we had more than enough bodies in there and we didn't put a glove on him. The rebound he managed to get a touch in the six-yard box. If we have players in and around the six yard box for rebounds off the goal or the post or the goalkeeper then you get tap ins and that's certainly what happened. It’s something we’ll have to go back to the drawing board.”
    On the lack of penetration:
    “You’re only going to score goals if you get in the box, but getting into the box, it’s hard work. It’s end-to-end and when a game’s open, it’s the ones who have the desire and commitment to get into the box. There's very few players who can score from outside the box on a regular basis. The way we play, with one up top and two wide guys, it's important the wide guys get into the box when it's on the opposite side and I didn't think we did that enough today, because if we did, then maybe there would have been two or three more goals.”
    On managing expectations:
    “I expect us to win. I expect us to play well and win. It’s about getting a balance of doing that. Do I want to play a dire style of football and win one-nil? Maybe at the moment, if I did that, then people might be happy. But I want to play a certain way and I want to win. I’m disappointed today and I take responsibility for not winning today.”
    DAVID OUSTED -
    Frustrating game?
    "That's a mild word for it."
    On the penalty given up
    "I tried to hit a quick one up to Pedro and they read it and put it back in high. I go out and call for it but Mitchell doesn't hear me and we concede a PK on that. Just the small things again that we can't allow."
    On only getting a draw after creating so many chances
    "It hurts like a loss. We deserved more out of this one. The chances we're creating, the defensive play we have is tremendous. I can only tip my hat to the guys up front for doing a lot of good work, but we need to put the chances away and we need to be sounder and not give away goals that we were giving away this game."
    On costly mistakes
    "It's the little things, both defensively and offensively. We need to be sounder down there, we need to communicate better, we need to put away the chances. I'm still positive of the way we get into the chances. I think the guys up front are doing a tremendous job in creating the chances, we just need that little edge to put them away."
    PEDRO MORALES -
    Thoughts on the game
    “It is a good game, but in the first half maybe fifteen minutes we broke concentration and lost two goals. But in the second half we changed our attitude. I would have liked to see one or two goals and a win in the house, that’s important.”
    What the team needs to do to start scoring
    “Just put the ball in the net. We had maybe ten chances in the game, but their keeper today was very good.”
    On losing a chance to gain ground in the standings
    “We want to keep improving, but at least we didn’t lose the game. We keep drawing these games, we have to take advantage and win some.”
    Thoughts on not being picked to play in the All Star Game
    “What’s more important is my team and playing for them. It’s one less game for me, and what’s more important is us fighting for the playoffs. It’s something that’s important, but I want to be 100% for the Whitecaps.”
    DARREN MATTOCKS -
    Thoughts on the game and a possible win that got away:
    “I think it’s two points dropped. Especially scoring two goals I think we are a good enough team to get three points as well as scoring two goals but it’s a team effort. We win as a team, we lose as a team and we tie as a team. We’ve just got to bounce back, it’s a quick turnaround practicing tomorrow and then heading into Chicago trying to get three points there.” On his scoring chances in the first half:“I think I had enough time to take a touch, and probably blast it by the keeper and the defenders but it’s definitely something that I’m going to look at and take forward.” On scoring three games in a row:“I’m always a confident guy, whether I’m scoring or not. But it just goes to show me and everyone that hard work does pay off because I’ve been working extremely hard for the team offensively and defensively in practice and I guess so far a goal a game in these last three games isn’t bad.” On the team’s inability to finish their chances:“I don’t know, we are creating so many chances, I think we just need to be a bit more composed. Especially myself, I put my hand up and I think the guys had a couple of good chances out there to win the game. That’s soccer you know, I’m sure there's going to be a couple games this season where we are going to score four or five goals and I can just feel it. But we have just got to move forward. Like I said it’s a quick turnaround.”FC DALLAS
    OSCAR PAREJA -
    Thoughts on the match
    "It was a good match. I think that we traded halves – the first one was all ours, the second was for them. Vancouver scored a second goal on a PK that was outside, and that hurt us. We came up here to find three points and at the end, with the options that we had, we couldn’t walk away with three points. It was a great job for our players, great sacrifice with certain difficulties we had prior to the game, and within the game, we brought Matt out at the half because of injury. That hurt us too, because it was a good half. But, it was a good match – we played against a good team."
    On the 3-5-2 formation
    "Today, the plan, after we scouted, and we put all the teams together, we decided to go with that formation, knowing that we would have options with Blas and Tesho. We wanted to be solid in the middle, I thought we clogged where we wanted, we made it difficult for them in the middle in the first half. In the second half, when Matt came out in the middle, we paid a toll because of that. It was difficult without Matt.”
    TESHO AKINDELE -
    Thoughts on the match
    "We could have had a win, especially starting the second half up 2-1. We felt like we were going to win, but on the road against a good team, a point is not bad."
    On what has fostered his early season success
    "The coaches and the players on my team allowing me to play and just giving me confidence when I do make a mistake and having somebody like Blas Perez to play with – he’s been the perfect striker partner this season."
    VICTOR ULLOA -
    Thoughts on the match
    "It was a tough game. We leave with a point, which is the good thing about it. It’s an important game for us; we’re going to play them two more times, so it was important that we get off on the right foot, and I think we did that tonight."
    On how they counteracted Vancouver’s speed -
    "They have very fast players up top, but I think we handled them well. Maybe on the first goal we were sleeping a little bit, and he snuck by us and put that in, but I think we managed them well."
    On playing the 3-5-2 formation -
    "I think that our outside backs, Moises and Zach have a lot of space and they have open range to go back and forth, which just opens space for them out wide."
    Guest

    The Merits of DeMerit

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    DeMerit’s career is a well documented one, as his rise from an unheralded University graduate to a starting centre back for Watford included scoring the goal which would win the club promotion to the English Premier League.
    This journey would be documented in the independent film “Rise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story.” DeMerit would be acquired as the Whitecaps first MLS player signing for the new franchise. As well as his talent as a defender, DeMerit would be named Whitecaps captain and his off field value as a marketing tool would be an important factor in his tenure in Vancouver.
    On the pitch, DeMerit was expected to provide experience at the back, and a leadership on the field. He was well known for his last ditch tackles and his strong, physical style. Like any defender, he has been caught out and at fault for his fair share of goals, but he also been at the delivering end of some wonderful game saving tackles. If you haven’t seen it, ex-Whitecap videographer Paul Albi produced a wonderful
    of some of Jay’s finer moments here.Unfortunately for Jay, his body couldn’t keep up with his heart and desire, and he suffered numerous injuries over his four years in Vancouver. While he can’t be blamed for these injuries, it led to inconsistent performances at less than peak physical condition, or worse, reliance on inferior and less experienced defenders
    .
    The frequent absence of DeMerit on the pitch meant not only a second string starter, but also meant multiple centre back pairings working on chemistry rather than just worrying about keeping the ball out of the net. DeMerit was given little help at times, especially in the 2011 season as he was routinely paired with Michael Boxall or Greg Janicki, as well as a passenger to a painful game of “right back roulette” where there inferior ability of Jonathan Leathers, Bilal Duckett, and a green Jeb Brovsky all got spells on the right side of the backline.
    While the backline would find some form with the additions of the Argentine Martin Bonjour and the steady Andy O’Brien, DeMerit’s injury woes continued, and when he has been available of late, his performances have been inconsistent.
    While Jay DeMerit has been a capable defender, his biggest fault has not been poor positioning or questionable decision making (which he has been guilty of at times), but rather than the gulf that is left when he has been forced out of the line-up. The knock on effect of a new pairing with a less experienced or less talented defender is what really had an effect on the results. It is a disappointing realization that makes his decision to retire an easy and sensible decision for the club to go in a different direction.
    Off the pitch, DeMerit has been an active and engaging member of the Whitecaps marketing machine. His appearances on television, radio, and various marketing mediums were an effective play for the Whitecaps, as he’s likely the one Whitecap player who is even known by non-sports fans. He is well spoken and entertaining and fit the bill perfectly for the face of the MLS Whitecaps.
    Jay DeMerit will likely be remembered more fondly for his days prior to the Whitecaps. His rise to fame with Watford is a truly inspiring story, and his goal to gain promotion to the Premier League against Leeds United will forever be a piece of history. His career in England, including 39 appearances in the Premier League and dozens more in the Championship is nothing to sneeze at, and he started all four games for the US Men’s National Team in the 2010 World Cup. Jay has certainly had an excellent career, and it is smart to transition to a different role rather than continue to struggle to keep up to the rigours of the MLS.
    DeMerit’s retirement is a welcome outcome for all involved. It allows the club to move forward, either continuing to develop the Mitchell and Leveron partnership, or by allowing the financial flexibility to acquire a new player. The club no longer needs DeMerit to fly the flag for soccer in Vancouver, as the Whitecaps are common water cooler talk on Monday mornings, and they have sold out all but one game this season and don’t look like slowing down. And for Jay, he can now focus solely on the part he has been most successful at – the off field business and marketing side of himself and the further growth of the Whitecaps brand.
    For all he has provided to the Whitecaps, DeMerit should be considered a successful signing, as his on field performance was only a part of his contribution to the club and the city.
    Michael Mccoll
    After last weekend’s matches, there was only nine points separating the second to eighth spots in the West. Real Salt Lake have pulled ahead a little with the comfortable win over Montreal on Thursday night and Colorado did themselves a whole heap of good with the win over Chivas on Friday.
    You want to say that San Jose and Chivas are out of the mix but as history has shown us, a string of good summer results can get teams right back up there and as the Whitecaps know to their peril, any slumps can do serious damage. San Jose are stringing together results and strengthening their team, so may still have a role to play.
    The Whitecaps are definitely in the thick of it all though. They had chances to move to second in the West in each of their last three matches. They didn’t take those opportunities and instead fell out of the playoff places.
    But before the Rapids win on Friday they were in a three-way tie for 4th (albeit in 6th place) and a win over Dallas on Sunday will see them leapfrog the Texans.
    These are the how tight the margins are likely to be till the end of the season but the competitiveness of the Conference hasn’t surprised Caps' coach Carl Robinson in the slightest.
    "I thought it would be," Robinson told reporters at training this week. "One win takes us second or third and one defeat maybe takes us seventh or eighth so as long as it's like that towards the end of the year and we're still in contention, I'll be more than happy."
    There is no doubting that the Dallas game is huge. You don’t really want to say 'must win' as early as July, but after dropping six points in the two matches against Colorado this season, Vancouver simply cannot let another playoff rival get the better of them in their head to head matches.
    "It's really important," Caps’ keeper David Ousted said of Sunday’s game. "It's tight in our Conference. There's not a lot of points between second and seventh, so we have a good opportunity against Dallas to get three points and get up the standings."
    As a fan and as media, it’s easy to get caught up in looking at the standings, carefully watching all the other results come in, working our permutations and what would be the best result for the Whitecaps to see in those other games.
    For the players, Ousted feel that focussing too much on the league table can sometimes have a more detrimental effect.
    "I think it's dangerous to look at the league this early because it's November that's important to where you are," Ousted told AFTN. "We're trying to build on the concept we've got going here. We're trying to build on the things we need to be better at and we want to get in the win column again.
    "Right now the standings are not that important to me. We need to be in a good position come November and I think we'll get there."
    It was a view also echoed by Harvey.
    "You don't want to get caught up in that," Harvey told AFTN about looking at the league table. "You do every once in a while to see just to see how many games teams have played but you don't want to get caught up in that because at the end of the day it comes down to, honestly, the last few weeks.
    "You don't want it to, but for the majority of the seasons that I've been in the league it does. Everybody has a hard road trip here and there, so if you start looking at everybody's fixtures, week in week out, you'll probably drive yourselves nuts, so we're going to just focus on getting three points this Sunday."
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