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    Duane Rollins
    The following statement is posted without edit or comment:
    Official statement from Canada Soccer
    As highlighted in our Strategic Plan 2014-2018 Leading a Soccer Nation released in January 2014, the Canadian Soccer Association (Canada Soccer) is committed to encouraging the growth of the game in our country and governing it professionally, in collaboration with our various partners.
    As such, Canada Soccer has ongoing conversations with all professional leagues in Canada and North America, building valuable strategic business relationships and sharing our organisation’s vision for the growth of soccer. Although still in the exploratory stage, our dealings with these organisations within the sport and soccer communities have been positive. Further information will be shared as tangible developments are made.
    Canada Soccer’s focus remains fixed on the key priorities outlined in the Strategic Plan 2014-2018 and will continue to build towards becoming a leading soccer nation.
    James Grossi
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio returned to Toronto’s starting lineup in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Houston – it was his tenth start and eleventh appearance of the season.
    Paired in the centre of the pitch with Collen Warner, Osorio put in the sort of performance that earned him such rave reviews last season. Part the burgeoning understanding between him and Warner – when to push and when to hold, reading each other’s intentions, and part him finally looking fit after a half-season spent nursing various injuries, this was undoubtedly his best outing of the campaign.
    An early miss-touch led to a strong run by Will Bruin - Steven Caldwell was on hand to cut out the low cross, snuffing out any danger – was symptomatic of TFC”s sluggish start, falling behind by two goals after 30 minutes, but it was Osorio who helped turn the tide.
    In the 39th minute, Osorio gambled, running deep into the Houston box when Jermain Defoe had drifted wide right before sending a cross through the six-yard box; his risk was rewarded when Tally Hall bobbled the cross, allowing
    – it was his first goal of the season, having recorded five last year.Seven minutes later, in first half stoppage-time, it was Osorio who collected a loose ball on the edge of the Toronto area and turned up-field, sparking a counterattack. He played up to Defoe in the centre-circle, who in turn found Dominic Oduro streaking down the right. Hall would save his initial effort, but his f
    , tying the match at twos.Osorio did not record an assist on the goal, his would come from the winner, when Jackson found Osorio with a deft back-heel from the right touchline. The Canadian charged towards goal before dishing off to
    to give Toronto the lead.The Toronto, Ontario-native’s night was not done, however, as he nearly won a penalty kick after trying to work his way through a wall of Houston defenders at the top of the box, but the referee waived away his complaints.
    Given TFC’s busy stretch of matches and the importance of collecting vital points from their matches in hand before the playoff race begins in earnest, a continued in-form Osorio will be very useful addition.
    Doneil Henry
    Henry returned to the TFC lineup after a two-match absence, resuming his left-sided centre-back role alongside Steven Caldwell – it was his eighth start and ninth appearance of the season.
    As with the rest of his side, Henry looked a little shaky through the opening half-hour, battling with Houston’s physical and quick centre-forward tandem of Giles Barnes and Will Bruin, conceding an early foul when drawn out wide by Barnes, leading to the first of many Brad Davis set-pieces.
    With Houston looking to stretch the play by playing long balls into the spaces behind the TFC full-backs for their forward to chase, Henry was required to cover a lot of ground, getting into a foot-race with Barnes on one play – the forward clipped his heels, conceding a foul, and later rising up high to head a dangerous cross away from Bruin on another occasion.
    Such movement caused a lot of trouble for Toronto, leading to the game’s opening goal in the 13th minute, when Barnes drove towards goal, moving from right to left, before finding Davis unmarked at the back-post.
    , but wary of conceding a dangerous foul – no doubt aware of Davis’ skill-set, could not cut off the irrepressible Barnes move.Houston would add a second goal seventeen minutes later, a goal that served to wake up a sluggish Toronto, who would go on to score four unanswered goals to win the match.
    Going forward Henry was a factor, nearly picking out Jermain Defoe with a long pass, only for the forward to have drifted offside and fighting to get on the end of a corner kick, wrestling past David Horst to send a right-footer over the bar.
    That is not to say that the Dynamo did not continue to prod the TFC defense, but that Henry and Co. dealt with those threats much better throughout the rest of the match, barely allowing Houston a sniff, aside from that one chance that Barnes whisked wide of the far-post after Caldwell went down injured in a foot-race.
    With Caldwell leaving the field, the Brampton, Ontario-native assumed the captain’s armband and played up to that task through the final twenty minutes, most notably making a desperate sliding intervention, safely turning a potentially troublesome Ricardo Clark cross away from goal and out for a corner.
    Patrice Bernier
    Bernier started his fifth-straight match for Montreal at home to Kansas City, who swept the season series with a 1-2 win – it was his eleventh start and sixteenth appearance of the season.
    Tasked as the sole defensive midfielder, playing slightly behind Felipe, who did well to provide cover at times, Bernier was his usual solid self, after settling down from the opening KC goal on a long throw from Matt Besler, met by Dom Dwyer at the near-post inside of four minutes.
    Bernier played a crucial role in Montreal equalizing in the 28th minute, collecting a throw-in from Kryzsztof Krol on the left, turning in field and finding the streaking run of Justin Mapp down the right-side of the box. Mapp knocked the ball down and back towards
    .With the match wearing on and Montreal holding Sporting at bay for the next hour of play, Bernier was constantly looking to spring attacks from his deep-lying playmaker’s position – once picking out Mapp on a break that led to a Jack McInerney chance and then picking out the striker himself with a long ball, though McInerney shot wide.
    There were segments of this match where Montreal looked more like the team that made the playoffs last season, testing the opponent with prodding counterattacks, largely initiated by Bernier’s ball movement.
    All their hard work was for naught, when KC capitalized on a momentary lapse in the defenses to punish Montreal’s hesitancy, finding the winning goal in the penultimate minute of regular time.
    CJ Sapong poked loose a ball that should have been dealt with by either Heath Pearce or Troy Perkins, leading to Dwyer’s 89th minute winner – it was the second-straight match were a moment of indecision proved costly late in a match.
    Post-match, the Brossard, Quebec-native stressed the need to take the positives from the strong performance, “We have to keep our heads high, because we can’t say they outplayed us, controlled and could have won 3-0. The game could have gone either way. A tie would have been ideal. We have to keep going, keep our heads high and maintain that standard of performance. But we have to stay alert 95, 96, 97 minutes in.”
    Noting the importance of collecting points at this stage in the season, “We need to finish these games off or at least hold onto the draw because for us every point is crucial.”
    Before admitting, “This is a tough loss to swallow. We give up a gift goal and we hurt ourselves. A game like today where we came back after going down early hurts even more. It’s those little mistakes that keep us from winning or earning points that we deserve.”
    Prior to the match, Bernier was in touch with new Montreal Alouettes wide receiver, Chad Johnson, formerly known as ‘Ochocinco’, who was his guest at Saturday’s match.
    Will Johnson
    Johnson made his nineteenth-straight league start for Portland in their 2-0 loss in Seattle on Sunday, continuing his streak of having started every match this season, though he did begin their midweek US Open Cup match on the bench before entering in the 81st minute – Portland lost to Seattle then as well, 3-1 at Starfire, the Sounders’ training complex.
    Paired with Jack Jewsbury at the base of the midfield, Johnson was tasked with shoring up Portland’s defense, rarely venturing forward throughout a hard-fought first half. With heavy legs on both sides, neither could find much purchase through the first 45, cancelling out each other’s efforts.
    Even when he was by-passed, as when Clint Dempsey and Marco Pappa combined to move around him, Johnson refused to concede, recovering back to poke the ball off the boot of Dempsey towards his keeper – Seattle would howl for a back-pass, but a call was not forthcoming, nor likely warranted.
    He would rack up seven recoveries, four tackles, three clearances, and an interception.
    Johnson was essential to a combative midfield duel, putting in a big tackle on Ossie Alonso, stripping him of the ball through the early goings – no prisoners were to be taken; Alonso returned the favour in the 30th minute, catching the Portland midfielder late with a biting tackle on the ankle of his standing leg, which drew the first yellow card of the match and a crowd – it was a nasty one.
    The Toronto-born midfielder regularly stood over any dead-ball chances that came Portland’s way, seeing one free-kick routine, taken low and short in attempt to catch Seattle napping, fizzle out, and sending a later effort, straight at Stefan Frei.
    The Sounders went ahead in the 71st minute through Dempsey, after a goalmouth scramble was partially cleared to Gonzalo Pineda, who picked out his teammate near the right-post. Johnson was inches away from clearing the initial free-kick that led to the scramble and was then a little slow to clear his lines, pushing forward after covering the left-post,
    .Had Johnson been covering the other post and been closer to Dempsey, perhaps the match would have turned out differently – such small margins in tight matches.
    Despite tired legs from the midweek exploits and the uphill battle of trailing away from home, Johnson refused to give in, pushing forward with late runs, trying to find the space for an equalizer – part of the reason that Seattle were able to break forward on the counter, sealing the result with a second goal in the 86th minute.
    After the match, he commented on the turning point in the second half, ““We had heavy legs from Wednesday obviously. They brought in Obafemi Martins—good player, I thought he changed the game. It really gave us a lot of problems when him and Dempsey went up top. It was a tough matchup, so we did our best to contain them, but eventually they broke us down.”
    Making special note of Martins’ threat, “It was just his movement. When it was just Dempsey coming back in the midfield, we could track him. Jack [Jewsbury] and I did a really good job of that for 60-70 minutes, but once they brought in Martins and there were two of them floating back in there, we were outnumbered and they were able to get some combinations off and get more looks than they were throughout the first 60 minutes. But that’s what you would expect from guys of that quality coming in the game.”
    Before looking with a critical eye at their own failings – and praising Seattle, but only a little, “I think we were covered well enough, but they put us under a lot of pressure. And obviously going forward, we’re a better attacking team than we showed tonight. We were quite poor going forward. We didn’t create a whole lot, and that’s also credit to them. They’re a very, very good team, and they’re first place for a reason. It’s a combination of factors. There’s no one thing that you can blame tonight on. We’ve just got to move on quickly.”
    Issey Nakajima-Farran
    Nakajima-Farran entered Montreal’s match in the 67th minute, replacing Andres Romero with the match tied – it was his fifth appearance (second from the bench) for Montreal and his tenth in MLS.
    On the left-side of midfield, the Calgary, Alberta-native caused trouble on the break for Kansas City, once nearly breaking in from a Jack McInerney touch, only for Matt Besler to cut out the chance, before cutting inside on right-back Igor Juliao to lay Gorka Larrea down the left-side of the area – his cross for McInerney was headed away.
    The Rest
    Nana Attakora, Russell Teibert, Rob Friend, Karl Ouimette, Ashtone Morgan, Dwayne De Rosario, and Kyle Bekker were unused substitutes for their respective sides (DC, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Montreal, and Toronto, times three).
    All videos and quotes courtesy of MLSsoccer.com
    Each week James takes a look at the contributions of Canadians in the league and the league as a whole.
    You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View
    Michael Mccoll
    And there's still time to chat about the other big happenings this week - the Caps' new USL PRO team, Marco Bustos accepting a call up to Chile and playoff heartbreak for the U16s.
    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!
    Aaron Campbell
    STARTING XI:
    11 - Kekuta Manneh
    Get ball on wing, step over a few times and then run into three defenders who caught up while you did the step overs. Repeat for 60-70 minutes then get subbed out.
    10 - Jordan Harvey
    First time I saw the tackle he got straight red for I wasn't sure he deserved it. When watching the next day I could see how the ref had no choice but to give him the red card. Harvey put the ref in a position where he had to make the call.
    9 - Erik Hurtado
    He has now been struggling four - five straight games. He has lost his improved first touch and can't find the scoring touch he showed earlier in the season. Maybe time for Darren Mattocks or Omar Salgado to get a start.
    8 - David Ousted
    His teammates are back to putting him in a position where if he doesn't make three or four great saves the team can't get a victory.
    7 - Sebastian Fernandez
    Needs to show more offensive attack like he did versus Seattle. He has the booming shot where he is dangerous from 20-30 yards out.
    6 - Johnny Leveron
    Is pairing up nicely with Carlyle Mitchell, still things to work on but that will happen with time together and quality game experience.
    5 - Matias Laba
    Is so quiet some games but always in the right position and quietly dominates the middle of the pitch.
    4 - Steven Beitashour
    Looking good since his return from Brazil. Playing really well from having Mitchell beside him and not Andy O'Brien.
    3 - Pedro Morales
    A typical Pedro performance. Great passes, great corners and another assist to continue leading the team.
    2 - Gershon Koffie
    Was all over the pitch and one of the few bright spots for the team. His playing is making it harder for Robbo to start Reo-Coker.
    1 - Carlyle Mitchell
    Opened up his Whitecaps MLS scoring account. His jumping ability is second to none on this team. Could have been more careful on the challenge to get the yellow in the first minute.
    SUPER SUBS:
    3 - Darren Mattocks
    He has struggled coming off the bench. Ever since Hurtado began to get the starts, Darren has not been the same. He has said all the right things and hasn't whined about it. I would like to see him start vs Toronto for the struggling Hurtado.
    2 - Christian Dean
    Got thrown into the fire when Jordan Harvey got his straight red. We all know left back isn't his natural position. Was okay, if he had better marking it would have made life easier for David Ousted.
    1 - Nigel Reo-Coker
    When he came in he really didn't put his stamp on the game but he was the best of the bunch coming off the bench. Will be surprised to see Reo-Coker in a Whitecaps jersey at the end of this transfer window.
    James Grossi
    While goals were aplenty, they, at times, lacked the showmanship that has been present over the past few months. There were no spectacular overhead kicks or unstoppable free-kicks – it was a weekend of scrappy goals.
    Two of the best came in the same match, and even they could hardly be termed ‘Goal of the Year’ candidates.
    Up first was the silky passing of New York that opened the scoring against Columbus, Bradley Wright-Phillips registering his league-leading fifteenth goal of the season on the end of another brilliant pass from Thierry Henry.
    Henry played in-field to Eric Alexander from the left before darting into the box to get on the end of a return ball, squaring through the goalmouth to his in-form teammate, who made no mistake,
    - clinical passingThe second candidate leveled that match for Columbus 22 minutes later.
    Wil Trapp won the ball in midfield, playing up to Federico Higuain, who chipped forward. Young centre-back, Matt Miazga, whiffed on his clearance, allowing Ethan Finlay to touch past both Miazga and Jamison Olave, towards Adam Bedell, who
    with the outside of his left-foot - emphaticThe final nod of the week goes to Chivas and Cubo Torres, who continued their winning and goal-scoring streaks, getting on the end of a lovely cross from Marky Delgado after exchanging a few passes to work up the right with Mauro Rosales.
    Delgado’s cross to the back-post was perfect and
    , but the question must be asked: How does Vancouver allow a player on twelve goals - including goals in his last four matches - that much space to improve his tallies? - Cubo!On to the matches:
    Results in Brief

    The round began on Friday night at quaint little Buckshaw Stadium in San Jose, where the Earthquakes played host to DC United.
    The last six weeks have not been kind to San Jose: riding a three-match losing skid, all by 1-0 score-lines, and who, thanks to Chivas’ winning streak, now prop up the Western Conference table - though still marginally ahead of Montreal for worst in the league. But with the return of their World Cup absences – Chris Wondolowski and Victor Bernardez - and the convalescence of Clarence Goodson, Yannick Djalo, and Shea Salinas, things were possibly looking up.
    That is until the twelfth minute when a cross-field Davy Arnaud ball picked out Chris Rolfe, who stepped inside around Brandon Barklage and ripped a shot towards goal, striking the outstretched arm of the defender and prompting the referee to point to the spot.
    Eddie Johnson would squeeze his right-footed finish under the San Jose keeper, Jon Busch, who dove correctly to his left, only to suffer the shame of it travelling beneath his grasp.
    With the visitors in the lead, it was another mistake from San Jose that allowed them a second in the 25th minute. A miscommunication between Barklage and Busch led to a poor clearance from the keeper – he had come out to collect the ball, but could not after his teammate touched it back to him needlessly. DC’s Perry Kitchen gobbled up the weak distribution, played up the left for Rolfe, who whipped a ball to the near-post, picking out the run of Luis Silva, nipping in front of Goodson for a sliding touch across Busch to the far-side of goal.
    Though rattled, San Jose immediately sought a goal of their own, only for Sean Franklin’s vital touch to force an Atiba Harris goalmouth ball away from Djalo in front of a gaping net at the back-post – Jordan Stewart’s follow-up was blasted over the bar.
    Busch would find redemption for his poor clearance, coming up big to prevent Rolfe from trebling DC’s advantage, before Wondolowski would draw his side within one before the half-time whistle.
    A strong run up the left-channel from Stewart led to a mad scramble atop the DC box, the loose ball eventually falling to Khari Stephenson who found Wondolowski to the right of the arc, from whence his left-footed shot kicked up off the sliding block of Steve Birnbaum to handcuff Bill Hamid and sail into the goal.
    The second half began slowly, before San Jose increased the pressure as the clock wore down; the chances coming with the hour mark: First, Sam Cronin clipped in Wondolowski down the right-side of the area, but Hamid stayed big, doing enough to block; then Harris tried to squeeze a tricky shot in at the short-side, sending Hamid scrambling back to deny.
    The DC keeper would parry a Cronin chance and be on hand again to deny Alan Gordon in the 89th minute, before capping off his stellar night with a glorious stop on Gordon’s back-post header in the 91st minute, preserving the valuable win for his side.
    The 1-2 win was DC’s third-straight win on the road, bringing their tally on the year to four, having gone the entire 2013 campaign without a single away victory, while solidifying their lead atop the Eastern Conference.
    For San Jose, the fourth-straight loss and a third-straight at home was a bitter pill; home form has been crucial to past success, though they did snap a goal-less run after 354 minutes and the return of their starters is a boon.

    Saturday kicked off in style with a rousing six-goal match that was rife with mistakes and included an inspired comeback from the home side.
    Houston took the lead through some woeful Toronto defending in the thirteenth minute, when Giles Barnes ran up the right-channel and cut inside before finding Brad Davis completely unmarked on the left. Davis made no mistake, beating Joe Bendik with a left-footer to the short-side, giving his side, who had gone winless through their last six matches, a surprise lead.
    He would double the advantage on the half-hour from an eerily similar play, completely unmarked at the back-post to get on the end of Barnes cross from the right, settling before squeezing a left-footer through the legs of Bendik.
    That woke up TFC, who made the most of a handling error from Houston keeper, Tally Hall in the 39th minute – Jonathan Osorio nodding the bobbling of a right-sided Dom Oduro cross into the open net from inside the six yard box.
    And Toronto would level before the half-time whistle, Oduro beating Hall with his second bite at the cherry after bursting towards goal on the counter having seen his first attempt saved by the keeper. Fortunately the rebound fell kindly and his second right-footer found the far, bottom-corner.
    The waves of TFC attacks would continue in the second half, culminating in the game-winner in the 63rd minute when Jackson’s tidy back-heel on the right found Osorio, who played in-field to Jermain Defoe. Toronto’s leading goal-scorer walked around the outside of Houston’s troubled back-line to the left, beating Hall with a low left-footed shot under the keeper.
    Their fourth unanswered goal would seal the night in the 89th minute when a horrid, under-hit back-pass to no-man’s land from Servando Carrasco allowed Defoe a clear run on goal. Hall would deny his initial effort, but the English hit-man would follow up the chance, stabbing in with his right-boot.
    The 4-2 win was the perfect rebound from a series of disappointing results, ending a three-match winless run that included dropping their last home match against DC, as Toronto battles through a busy July.
    For Houston, the loss was their sixth in their last seven matches, having gone without a win since May 17 – despite their extended troubles, they sit just five points off the final playoff spot in the East.

    While that comeback was underway, Colorado engineered one of their own in Philadelphia.
    The Union took the lead after sixteen minutes through Conor Casey, meeting a Ray Gaddis cross from the right after working past Marc Burch at the near-post and volleying a right-footer past Clint Irwin, only for the Rapids to respond two minutes later, when Dillon Serna collected a pass from Dillon Powers on the right, cutting inside across the top of the area past two defenders before slotting a left-footer low to the bottom right-corner of the goal.
    Philadelphia would retake the lead in the 31st minute from a Cristian Maidana corner kick, where Sheanon Williams was allowed a free-header, getting goal-side on Shane O’Neill (who had a tough night and perhaps should have been dismissed after eleven minutes for a tackle on Danny Cruz) to help the delivery on to the far-side of goal.
    Colorado nearly responded immediately once more, only for Deshorn Brown to be called offside.
    In the 63rd minute, Philadelphia had a goal of their own chalked off, when an offside Sebastien Le Toux pounced on the rebound from a Michael Lahoud strike, but no such flag could prevent their third goal in the 74th minute when Andrew Wenger poked a loose ball in from the feet of Irwin after Jared Watts was caught in possession by Amobi Okugo inside his own area.
    The match was turned on its head two minutes later when Lahoud was shown a red card for catching Watts in the face with a raised boot as he sought to clear a free-kick into the area, simultaneously conceding a penalty kick. Powers would convert, sending his right-footer high to the left-side of the goal after sending Zac MacMath the wrong way with his creeping run up, bringing Colorado within one.
    And it was Brown, who had squandered so many half-chances throughout the match, that turned hero in the 86th minute, when he devastatingly turned Williams to break in alone, sending a left-footer to the bottom right-side of goal past MacMath. He would nearly find a winner a minute later, when MacMath strayed out of his goal, but his long-range effort from wide would not stay on frame.
    Philadelphia’s frustration with the referee boiled over and Okugo was shown a red card at the death, for apparently having uttered some unkind words towards the official.
    The 3-3 draw, given the circumstances, was a fair enough result, though the Union were left fuming at many a decision – they should find solace in having found their goal-scoring boots, scoring three goals in five of their last eight matches.
    For Colorado, the draw extended their all-time unbeaten form in Philadelphia, having never lost through four matches, while stretching their current unbeaten run to three matches.

    A pair of simultaneous six-goal matches is a rare enough feat, but it was nearly a trio, as New York steamrolled over Columbus.
    The first two chances of the night fell the visitor’s way, with Luis Robles coming up big on Ben Speas inside two minutes and Bernardo Anor whisking a drive wide of the top corner in the 7th minute, only to fall behind in the seventeenth minute, the victim of some lovely passing from New York.
    Thierry Henry, having drifted wide left, found Eric Alexander inside, who laid a leading return ball down the left-side of the box for his teammate. Henry squared that pass through the heart of the Columbus area, finding Bradley Wright-Phillips on the edge of the six, who guided it on to the top right-corner with a confident right-footed finish.
    Columbus would respond in the 39th minute, capitalizing on a whiffed clearing attempt from Matt Miazga after Federico Higuain collected a pass from Wil Trapp and chipped a hopeful ball forward. Ethan Finlay pounced on Miazga’s gaff, poking past the covering Jamison Olave, to Adam Bedell, who notched his first MLS goal with a thunderous left-footer that swerved past Robles in the New York goal.
    Such defensive breakdowns make Henry angry and he responded in the final minute of the half, guiding a perfect right-footer into the top corner of the goal after Crew keeper, Steve Clark, did very well to claw a Wright-Phillips header off the line after Lloyd Sam’s right-sided cross picked out the oft-deadly striker. Unfortunately the weak clearance fell straight to Henry, who made no mistake.
    The hosts would firm up their advantage in the 56th minute, Henry again playing provider – his second of three assists on the night – receiving a pass from Sam down the right, before returning the favour, finding Sam above the near-post, where he settled and swept a low right-footer across Clark in goal.
    Columbus’ night would go from bad to worse in the 85th minute, when Anor was sent off for meekly kicking the ball into a prone Chris Duvall, drawing a red card for his frustration.
    And Alexander would round out the rout in the 91st minute, Henry again playing the key pass after Sam’s sprint on the counter turned in-field to dish off to the Frenchman, who hit a visionary pass to spring Alexander down the left – his right-footer across the keeper sealed the result.
    With the 4-1 win, New York stretch their unbeaten run to five matches, maintaining their grip on the fifth spot in the East with a three-point lead over vanquished Columbus.
    The Crew, meanwhile, endure a sixth-straight winless result, in what Gregg Berhalter called their worst outing of the season.

    It appeared as though the evening’s goals would continue to pour in when it took just four minutes for Sporting KC to take the lead in their third meeting of the season with Montreal.
    Matt Besler, returned to the starting eleven from the World Cup, launched one of his patented long throw-ins from the right touchline, which Dom Dwyer, having escaped the attentions of veteran centre-back, Matteo Ferrari, met at the near-post to force a header past Troy Perkins’ short-side.
    Montreal, who had lost the last two meetings with KC by a combined score of 7-0, replied in the 28th minute when Patrice Bernier picked out the run of Justin Mapp on the right and the winger’s knock-down header fell to Marco Di Vaio, who looped a header of his own over Andy Gruenebaum into the left-side of the goal from above the right-post.
    The goal breathed life into the Impact, who finished the first half in rousing form, exhibiting the threatening counterattacks that made them the darlings of last season: nearly finding the go-ahead from the penalty spot, claiming that Felipe was taken down by a lunging challenge from Igor Juliao in the 33rd minute – which he was, though the referee waived play on.
    Through the second half, both sides exchanged half-chances, and the match appeared destined for a draw, until the 89th minute, when a late, defensive miscue, for the second-straight match, proved costly for the home side.
    Neither Heath Pearce, nor goalkeeper Perkins, dealt with a loose ball, allowing CJ Sapong to stick his boot in, prying it free by bouncing it off the Montreal keeper. The now-loose ball fell kindly to the lurking Dwyer, who notched his second of the match – his fourteenth of the season and sixth versus Montreal – with a simple right-footer into the unprotected net.
    The 1-2 win kept KC within reach of conference-leading DC – two points behind – while extending their unbeaten run to four matches, including wins in their last three away from home, and completing the season-sweep over Montreal.
    Montreal, who had hoped that a modest two-game unbeaten streak would spark them to a strong second half of the season, fell to a second-straight, soul-sapping loss – so close to a point, only for a preventable mistake to bring doom and despair once more.

    Just like in Montreal it took only four minutes for the road team to steal the lead in New England, as Chicago took advantage of a slow start.
    Mike Magee lifted a ball behind the Revolution back-line for Quincy Amarikwa to chase; he held off the covering pressure of Andrew Farrell before right-footing a clinical finish past Bobby Shuttleworth, while New England broadcaster, Paul Mariner, was expelling the virtues of a quick start and keeping a clean-sheet for the home side.
    Shuttleworth’s audible (and profanity-laden) excoriations of his disjointed defenders would ring out for the next ten minutes, as they scrambled to prevent a second Chicago goal – a poor giveaway allowed Amarikwa in again, though AJ Soares recovered to cut out his square ball and Harrison Shipp nearly continued his fine form, drawing a good save out of Shuttleworth, who tipped his low shot around the post.
    The Revolution would snap out of it eventually and were mere inches away from leveling in the 35th minute when a long Soares ball found Diego Fagundez down the right and his goalmouth cross was just beyond the reach of Teal Bunbury at the near-post and Daigo Kobayashi at the back.
    Having escaped the first half down by one, New England emerged for the second with intent, drawing a strong save from Sean Johnson on a Chris Tierney free-kick, before a bouncing Bunbury effort was tipped wide of the right-post by the Chicago keeper. Johnson would later deny Patrick Mullins’ strong shot on the turn in the 76th minute, after Farrell found the forward at the top of the area.
    The Fire would pass up on an opportunity to double their lead in the 78th minute, when pressure from recent signing Matthew Fondy forced a turnover out of Soares and the striker broke in alone, only for his weak effort to be aimed disappointingly straight at Shuttleworth.
    It looked as though Fondy and the Fire would pay dearly for that miss in the 84th minute, when Jerry Bengtson was hauled down in the penalty area by Gonzalo Segares, gifting the Revolution a shot at an equalizer from the penalty spot, but Johnson came up huge, first saving Chris Tierney’s left-footed attempt by diving majestically to his right, tipping it onto the post, then having the wherewithal to collect the spinning rebound before it could trickle in, or be placed there by the collapsing Revs.
    That save guaranteed the visitors took the point, Johnson’s superb performance keeping just the second clean-sheet of the season for the Fire, who snapped a six-match winless run with the 0-1 result.
    New England’s troubles continue, falling to a fifth-straight loss, mirroring their five-match winning streak, though the failings of the rest of the conference still sees them squarely in the playoff picture.

    Saturday’s action continued, after a brief pause, on the other side of the continent, with the first of two all-Western affairs, when Vancouver hosted a surging Chivas USA, who had won their last three by 1-0 score-lines, while riding a 325-minute shutout streak.
    Vancouver threatened in the nineteenth minute, when Erik Hurtado had the ball in the back of the net, only for the offside flag to cancel out his effort, but the Chivas clean-sheet streak came crashing down in the 27th minute when Carlyle Mitchell got on the end of a Pedro Morales corner kick from the right-side, nodding that out-swinging service past Dan Kennedy, having escaped the woeful marking of Eric Zavaleta.
    Undaunted, Chivas replied from a corner of their own shortly after the restart, Agustin Pelletieri getting on the end of an in-swinging Mauro Rosales delivery from the left in the 47th minute with a downward header after getting away from Johnny Leveron’s lax attention.
    Carl Robinson sought to inject life into his side, bringing on Nigel Reo-Coker and Darren Mattocks, only for a rash tackle from Jordan Harvey on Oswaldo Minda a minute later in the 69th to draw a red card, dooming the best laid plans.
    Vancouver burned their final substitution, shoring up their defense for the remaining twenty minutes, but lasted only ten before Chivas took the lead through the ever-ready Cubo Torres - Marky Delgado picked out the striker at the back-post with a curling ball from the right, after a one-two with Rosales.
    It appeared that the Whitecaps had found an equalizer in the 92nd minute, when Morales touched in as Chivas keeper, Kennedy, stumbled over his goal-line, keeping the ball outside the cage with one hand, prompting the Chilean to tap it in, but the officials deemed the ball to be ‘under the control’ of the keeper and whistled for a foul on Vancouver’s maestro.
    Chivas would add a third goal in the 94th minute, Leandro Barrera finishing into an empty net on the counter with Vancouver keeper David Ousted caught up-field as he travelled to the Chivas area in hope of helping out on a set-piece.
    The 1-3 win extends Los Ameri-Goats winning streak to four matches, while Torres scores in a fifth-straight match, ushering them well-clear of the oh-so-familiar Western conference basement and within striking distance of the dividing playoff line – two points shy of fifth-placed Vancouver.
    The Whitecaps, who had kept two-straight clean-sheets at home, drop their first ever home loss to Chivas – in five matches, and have just one win in their last five matches.

    Saturday night culminated in what should have been a grand affair, but instead proved to a be grinding match, decided by a single goal.
    For all their obvious talent, LA is frustratingly inconsistent – pairing scintillating passages with large stretches of emptiness; Salt Lake at least had the excuse of being in the midst of a horrible run of form, requiring a pair of penalty kicks last weekend to end a five-match winless run, that has hampered their quality.
    That said, this meeting was indeed better than the previous two, which came so early in the season as to rob them of any impetus. It was LA who got off to the better start, finding the back of the net after fifteen minutes, though Baggio Husidic’s goal was called back for an offside in the build up on Robbie Keane.
    Five minutes later, the Galaxy would find their lead when Marcelo Sarvas, who has figured in goals in their last three matches, moved up the right before squaring towards Landon Donovan in the middle. Donovan dummied the pass, allowing it to fall to the streaking Gyasi Zardes, himself in excellent form, who shirked the attentions of Joao Plata before squeezing off a right-footer from the edge of the eighteen-yard box that struck the base of the left-post and nestled inside the right one – it was his fifth goal in his last six appearances, all competitions.
    LA and Zardes nearly added their second of the night in the 22nd minute, but Robbie Rogers goalmouth ball to the back-post was just beyond his reach and Juninho’s follow-up attempt was blocked by Chris Schuler.
    Kyle Beckerman saw both of Salt Lake’s best chances of the evening come his way. First in the 29th when his dipping shot was parried by LA keeper, Jaime Penedo, and then in the 55th when an almighty scramble in the box fell to him at the top of the area, only to drag his shot wide of the right-post, while Plata saw his chance in the 62nd denied by a great reaction save from Penedo.
    Salt Lake thought they earned a penalty when Juninho’s high-booted clearance caught Chris Wingert in the face, but played was waved on by the referee.
    LA would ride out those moments of pressure and had a final chance to double their winning margin with a final kick of the match from the penalty spot, after Nick Rimando felled Sarvas as he attempted to round the keeper, but the spry, veteran keeper dove sharply to his right to save Sarvas’ right-footer in the 98th minute.
    The 1-0 win extends LA’s unbeaten run to seven matches, though it was only their second win in their last five matches, as they slowly chew up the ground between themselves and the playoff places – they are now within one point of Vancouver, with two matches in hand.
    For Salt Lake, the loss – their fourth in their last six matches - draws them back within reach of the chasing pack, though they maintain second spot in the West; of more concern, they have not scored from open play in nearly 350 minutes.

    A lone fixture closed out the weekend on Sunday, as Pacific Northwest rivals met for the second time this week, in Seattle.
    The Timbers and Sounders had met just four days earlier in the US Open Cup quarterfinals, Seattle moving on to the semis on the strength of a 3-1 win in extra time - heavy legs from 120 minutes of midweek action were evident through the first half of Sunday’s match, with neither side able to take the lead after a cagey start.
    The simmering dislike of familiarity came to a head after thirty minutes, when Ossie Alonso saw the match’s first booking for a late, snipping tackle on Will Johnson, drawing a crowd, but those in attendance would have to wait until the second half for the match to crack open.
    Two minutes after the restart, Portland keeper, Donovan Ricketts, had to be alert to deny a Gonzalo Pineda header and Steve Zakuani drew a good save out of Seattle Stefan Frei a minute later. The introduction of Obafemi Martins in the 51st minute, to pair up top with Clint Dempsey, altered the match, tipping the balance towards the Sounders, who finally found the breakthrough after some extended pressure in the 71st minute.
    Ricketts did very well to deny both Dempsey and Martins from close range in quick succession before the half-cleared ball fell to Pineda outside the box and his shot-pass picked out Dempsey at the right-post, for a simple touch into the empty net.
    Lamar Neagle nearly doubled their lead in the 82nd minute, but his effort struck the outside of the post; Portland’s Gaston Fernandez then nearly leveled out of nothing, when his hopeful shot from range beat Frei, but not the post in the 86th minute.
    Seattle’s ascendancy would come to fruition that same minute, when another quick break against a worn-down Portland resulted in their second goal. Neagle again surged up the left, squaring in-field to Marco Pappa arriving at the penalty spot from the right, checking in-field and placing a left-footer to the left-side of goal, taking advantage of Ricketts’ stumble to seal the match.
    The 2-0 win allowed Seattle to increase their lead atop the Western Conference to ten points - given Salt Lake’s loss, Colorado’s draw, and Dallas’ bye-week - as they rebound from last weekend’s loss in Vancouver.
    Portland’s inconsistent season continues, having lost two of their last three, mired in a four-game winless run. Their season has been defined by such runs, going winless through eight to start before showing signs of life in a six-match unbeaten run, only to revert to this current winless form – though, to be fair, they have only lost back-to-back games once.
    CanCon
    As usual, the extended review of the Canadian contributions to the weekend will be posted Tuesday (tomorrow) midday.
    Pickings were slim once more this round, but TFC duo of Jonathan Osorio and Doneil Henry deserve special mention for outstanding matches after a poor start, while the ever-present Will Johnson and Patrice Bernier put in solid shifts in losing efforts.
    Overheard
    There was minor storm over what the correct decision is when wild overhead kicks catch an opponent in the face.
    Last week, the referee did not send off Chicago’s Quincy Amarikwa for catching Steven Caldwell with an errant boot, but this week, the very same official did dismiss (and award a penalty kick) when Philadelphia’s Michael Lahoud caught Colorado’s Jared Watts on a very similar play.
    Union manager, Jim Curtain, was unsure of what to make of the decision, “If it’s a yellow, maybe it’s Mike’s second yellow, I can get that, but to give a straight red on a play where I don’t think Mike can do a lot about it, was an interesting one. But this is MLS, this is how things go week in and week out. The crazy endings, the red cards, the penalty kicks. It unfortunately seems to happen quite a bit and it seems to have happened here in a 3-3 game, which is unacceptable to give up three goals at home.”
    The very same night, Salt Lake’s Chris Wingert was caught by a high boot from Los Angeles’ Juninho and there was no call, much to the chagrin of his manager, Jeff Cassar: “If you put yourself in those positions enough times, the calls aren’t going to be good calls. But, that’s a foul. Chris isn’t putting his head down below to get kicked in the face. It’s right there. It’s on whether he has the gall to make that call, but he chose not to. But we put ourselves in those positions. I’m really proud of the guys.”
    Clearly the league and the officials need to have a sit-down and figure out what the proper decision is on such situations.
    The official in Philadelphia saw further criticism for two separate incidents. The first, a dangerous challenge on Danny Cruz from Shane O’Neill that only drew a yellow card: “it was the definition of a red card”, said Cruz, continuing, “The main thing I said to the ref is, ‘This is my career,’ It was a nasty tackle. It was late. He knew he wasn’t getting there first. He knew what he was doing. And it’s very frustrating to not have the man in the middle support you. It is tackles like that that get people injured. It is tackles like that that get people out for a year. I want to feel protected. And from that minute on, I didn’t feel protected.”
    One of the roles of the official is to manage the game, communication, within the boundaries of decorum, are part of that mandate. That particular official, according to Amobi Okugo, who saw a red card after the final whistle, seems to be struggling to meet those standards, “There was no explanation. He gave me a card when my back was turned – kind of cowardly, but whatever.”
    On a more positive note, Bradley Wright-Phillips gushed about his teammate, Thierry Henry, after their match: “There are not many people that can go out on the left and play like a winger, drop back and play like a central midfielder. We’re lucky to have that and it’s very unselfish of him to do that. He’s got the ability to play up front and get a bag full of goals. It’s very unselfish of him and I’m enjoying it.”
    Read what else Henry is getting up to for his team here.
    See It Live
    Plenty of outstanding saves this weekend: Bill Hamid’s late game-preserving denial of an Alan Gordon header; Clint Irwin on Danny Cruz; Luis Robles on Ben Speas; Steve Clark on Bradley Wright-Phillips (or possibly teammate Eric Gehrig) – Clark would later claw another Wright-Phillips header off the line, but the rebound was put in by Thierry Henry; Sean Johnson’s penalty and rebound saves; Jaime Penedo’s reaction save on Joao Plata; Nick Rimando’s late penalty kick save; and Donovan Ricketts, who was great – denying Gonzalo Pineda on one occasion and both Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins on another.
    Montreal’s Felipe took a vicious Dom Dwyer shot to a sensitive spot – ouch.
    Igor Juliao really sold the foul by Montreal’s Krzysztof Krol; the old turtle-shell spin does it every time – perhaps he was just using the opportunity to get in some practice on his break-dancing moves.
    Chicago’s Patrick Ianni, an unused substitute, saw yellow for what appeared to be putting an extra ball on the pitch to slow down the match from a corner kick – cheeky.
    And a nice
    .Controversy
    Bernardo Anor’s red card for kicking the ball at a prone Chris Duvall was a little weak, though, having already picked up a yellow card, he would have been off with another anyways.
    Jordan Harvey earned his red card for this rash challenge on Chivas’ Oswaldo Minda – to be honest, kind of surprised those names are not arranged the other way.
    Vancouver’s Pedro Morales looked to have equalized, only for the referee to decree that Chivas’ Dan Kennedy had the ball “under control” and was thus a foul on Morales – dicey.
    Felipe penalty shout after being felled by fellow Brazilian, Juliao, was most likely worthy of a spot kick.
    Upcoming Fixtures
    Four midweek matches on the docket, with the all-Canadian meeting between Toronto and Vancouver, perhaps the best of the lot.
    A full slate of nine fixtures on the weekend, Sporting KC hosting LA and Vancouver’s visit to Salt Lake look tasty, while, surprisingly, Sunday’s meeting between DC and Chivas will feature two of the form teams in the league.
    Wednesday: Philadelphia-New York; Columbus-Kansas City; Toronto-Vancouver; Los Angeles-New England. Friday: Portland-Colorado. Saturday: Kansas City-Los Angeles; New York-San Jose; Columbus-Montreal; Chicago-Philadelphia; Dallas-New England; Houston-Toronto; Salt Lake-Vancouver. Sunday: DC-Chivas.
    All videos and 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
    Aaron Campbell
    The Good:
    Carlyle Mitchell
    One of the only bright spots for the Whitecaps on Saturday at BC Place. After picking up an early and deserving yellow card in the first minute of the game, Mitchell stepped up and played a decent game.
    Mitchell brought an aerial threat to corner pieces that the team has been lacking since they joined the MLS. On a beauty corner from Pedro Morales, an eager Mitchell was able to get a header on the ball to put the Whitecaps up 1-0.
    With a pairing of Mitchell and Johnny Leveron this gives the team a chance to get rid of Andy O'Brien and Jay DeMerit this transfer window or off season. This will open up salary cap room the team need to upgrade in the striker and defender positions.
    The Average:
    Erik Hurtado
    The past three to four games the E Money express has been derailed. He is lacking the finish he showed early this season well on his scoring run. He looks like he has lost his first touch again after it had been greatly improved during the streak.
    I know Robbo rewards hustle during practice and likes to give players playing time based off this but it might be time to give Darren Mattocks and Omar Salgado some quality minutes and playing time, if the latter stays around.
    With the transfer window open and the Caps looking to upgrade the striker position this may be a chance to tinker with the strikers to find a good mix until a new striker can be brought in.
    The Bad:
    Not Playing A Full 90 Minutes
    The first half was a great 45 minutes of home field soccer. They came out with a 1-0 lead that could have easily been a two or three nothing lead. They had 60% possession and commanded the play on the pitch. That's where the fairy tale ends and the Stephen King horror second half begins.
    The marking was horrible, Cubo Torres burned the Whitecaps again and they failed to convert on chances that would have guaranteed victory.
    With a big game versus Toronto coming, the Whitecaps still have a chance to move into a tie for 2nd place in the West with Real Salt Lake.
    Michael Mccoll
    You can find his full gallery from the game on Dropbox HERE.





    Vancouver Whitecaps starting XI







    It takes Carlyle Mitchell less than a minute to pick up a booking







    David Ousted lets Erick Torres know that it's his ball







    Carlyle Mitchell celebrates his first MLS goal







    Two minutes into the second Agustin Pelletieri rise unchallenged







    And heads home a Chivas equaliser for 1-1







    Jordan Harvey sends Oswaldo Minda flying







    And sees a straight red as a result







    Despite the ten man, Darren Mattocks comes close for Vancouver







    And again, but there's no way past Dan Kennedy and then Erick Torres makes it 2-1







    Kennedy again thwarts Vancouver, this time on his goalline







    But Pedro Morales feels the ball is his to challenge







    And both keeper and ball end up in the back of the net







    But referee Armando Villareal is having none of it







    David Ousted goes up for a corner with just seconds remaining







    But as a result an empty net lets Chivas grab a third







    Villareal wasn't Mr Popular leaving the field but he made the right calls



    ** Tom goes by the name
    Residual Image on Twitter. Give him a follow. **

    Michael Mccoll
    Vancouver went with an unchanged starting line-up to the one that beat Seattle 1-0 last weekend, with Chivas pretty near full strength but missing their key defender Bobby Burling.
    It was a hot and humid BC Place but it didn't stop both sides taking play from end to end in the opening minutes. The closest any team came to opening the scoring though was in the 19th minute when Erik Hurtado drilled a low rebound into the bottom right corner of the Chivas net, but the Caps' striker was offside when Kekuta Manneh's fierce shot was originally unleashed on keeper Dan Kennedy.
    It was the Whitecaps who got the breakthrough in the 27th minute when Pedro Morales sent a perfect corner into the box and Mitchell made a move to get on the right side of Chivas defender Eriq Zavaleta and head a low one through the legs of Kennedy and into the back of the net.
    There were a couple more half chances for the Caps as the half came to an end. The home defence seemed to be handling the dangerous Erick Torres and his Chivas teammates fairly comfortably and looked good for their half time lead.
    The half time team talk seemed to work wonders for the Goats who got themselves back level two minutes into the second half after Agustin Pelletieri rose unchallenged to head home a Mauro Rosales corner.
    The goal breathed new life into the visitors and Torres headed over from six yards out just past the hour mark.
    The game turned in the 69th minute though when Jordan Harvey was given a straight red card for a two footed tackled on Oswaldo Minda.
    Despite going the man down, Vancouver turned up the pressure and substitute Nigel Reo-Coker nearly restored the Whitecaps lead when he drilled a Hurtado cutback wide right in the 74th minute.
    The Caps kept pressing and fellow sub Darren Mattocks forced a fine leg save out of Kennedy at his near post moments later.
    Despite the man advantage, Mattocks' pace was leaving Chivas scrambling and he nearly rounded Kennedy in the 77th minute but the keeper was able to grab the ball off the Jamaican's foot.
    Chivas took the lead with nine minutes remaining, when Marco Delgado took advantage of the makeshift left back role and sent a cross into the back post for Erick Torres to head home his fifth goal in five straight games.
    As the game entered stoppage time, Pedro Morales thought he had salvaged a point for Vancouver when he bundled the ball over the line but Kennedy was adjudged to have had full control of the ball and a foul was awarded instead.
    With the Whitecaps still pressing and keeper Ousted up for a corner, Chivas broke quickly with second remaining and Leandro Barrera rounded off a great night for the goats with a long range effort into an empty net.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 - 3 Chivas USA
    ATT: 19,383
    VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Carlyle Mitchell, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey (Christian Dean 71); Matias Laba, Gershon Koffie (Nigel Reo-Coker 68), Sebastian Fernandez, Pedro Morales, Kekuta Manneh (Darren Mattocks 68); Erik Hurtado [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Christian Dean, Russell Teibert, Mehdi Ballouchy, Nicolas Mezquida]
    CHIVAS: Dan Kennedy; Donald Toia, Carlos Bocanegra, Eriq Zavaleta, Tony Lochhead; Oswaldo Minda, Agustin Pelletieri (Nathan Sturgis 77), Eric Avila (Marco Delgado 46), Mauro Rosales; Erick Torres (Leandro Barrera 82), Marvin Chavez [subs Not Used: Trevor Spangenberg, Akira Kaji, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Ryan Finley]
    Reaction:
    VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
    CARL ROBINSON
    On the disallowed goal by Pedro Morales:
    "Was I given an explanation? No. What did I think of it? I was hoping it was a goal."
    Thoughts on the game:
    "I think you saw from the first 35-40 seconds there when Carlyle Mitchell picked up a yellow card with a tackle; I knew the way the game was going to go. What I can focus on, and what I want to focus on, is my team's performance today. We lost, which is bitterly disappointing because I don't think we deserved to lose. We were very comfortable in the first half going one goal ahead. We played the way I wanted us to play, without, probably, the lack of cutting edge in the final third. We did everything correctly, but then little finer details in the give and goes in around the box weren't there in the first half. Even in the second half, when we went down to 10 men, we adjusted it, and Nigel and Darren had just come on, and they both had very good chances. Disappointing kick in the teeth for me and for the guys in there because of the work they put in."
    On subbing in Nigel Reo-Coker instead of Russell Teibert:
    "Just to try and get a bit of physicality in there. I brought Koffie off, and I thought he did okay, but not to the levels that he has been used to. So, I wanted to try and get a bit of urgency and bit of drive from midfield."
    Thoughts on Jordan Harvey's red card:
    "I don't know. I spoke to Jordan, and he's apologized, whether he left his feet or not. If he left his feet, it's a red card. I think there was one in about the 90th minute that I thought was a similar challenge, but I don't have to make calls on decisions, whether they're controversial or not. Obviously, I support my player in whatever way if I think he hasn't done anything wrong. He got bumped and he went after the ball, so until I see it again, I can't really say."
    On not getting the win at home:
    "We've dropped three points tonight, and like I've said all along you've got to win at home, and try to pick up points on the road. So I just told them that we've got to win an extra away game now, which I'm confident we will because we're not bad on the road. We can catch teams on the break. It puts on a little more pressure, but we've just got to make up a game now. So, I'm disappointed, but we've got a busy week ahead."
    CARLYLE MITCHELL
    On getting his first MLS goal:
    "It's a good feeling getting my first goal, but unfortunately we didn't get the result we expected. The other team beat us, but that's water under the bridge. We have to go back out and get a win. I had been getting close and I said, 'One day, it will go in.' It was a great cross by Pedro (Morales) and I was able to finish."
    On conceding the first goal to Chivas USA
    "Obviously, it was disappointing, but this is soccer. As a team, we just have to concentrate more."
    On hurting his ankle late in the match:
    "It wasn't that bad, I just rolled my ankle late in the game. It's okay now, but I just have to see the doctor tomorrow and start therapy on my ankle. By Wednesday, I should be fine."
    DAVID OUSTED
    On tonight's loss:
    "I said before the game that we shouldn't take this team lightly. I don't think we did but we didn't get the result, so it's disappointing."
    "I feel that we controlled it really well in the first half. I thought we didn't take them lightly and we pressed them, but second half things didn't go our way, but still we did well, trying to press them and trying to create chances. This just wasn't to be today."
    On conceding the first goal to Chivas USA:
    "We were talking about how switching off for just a second is costly and it was in this situation. We'll work on that and see if we can pick it up a little better."
    On playing one man down after the Jordan Harvey red card:
    "I thought we had some fantastic chances. I thought the guys did well to create them and I thought we should've scored. By not doing that, we get a goal against and go down 10 men. Then, it's uphill."
    On the disallowed Morales goal late in the match:
    "What I'm hearing is the Chivas goalkeeper had his hand to it, so that's one of those 50-50 situations and those haven't been going our way, especially not here at home. If it's a save, then good for the referee, he got that one right. Hopefully, one of those 50-50 situations will come our way."
    On Erick Torres scoring again against them:
    "It is [disappointing]. I thought we did really well in containing him. He spins off one time and makes a good header and scores the goal that killed us a little bit. I'm disappointed at conceding that kind of goal."
    NIGEL REO-COKER
    On missing a potential goal:
    "It's football, these things happen. You have options – you can try and lace it and go through or guide it back into the corner and that's what I tried to do. I guided it back into the corner. On another day, it could've gone in. Obviously it didn't go in today and that's that. We still had some other chances but it's going to be a tough pill to swallow."
    On losing a game where they played well:
    "It's a tough game to lose. We've had meetings within the dressing room tonight. Sometimes you're going to play great and not get the result that you deserve. Today's one of those days. We've expected situations like this so the main thing for us is to keep our heads up and keep our focus. We got another two games to make things right."
    CHIVAS USA
    WILMER CABRERA
    Thoughts on the game:
    "It was a very tough game. They're a difficult team – quick with young players with a quick transition. They went ahead through set pieces, which is something we weren't doing very well, but it's part of the game. But, we didn't lose our composure. For the second half, we tried to adjust a few movements. We tried to move the ball a little bit wider, a little bit quicker, and we found the first goal to tie it on the set piece really quick. That helped us a lot. And then we tried moving some fresh legs with some guys. They came in very well. The subs came in very well, and helped the guys because no matter what, when you play three games in one week, you are carrying a little bit of heavy legs, but the guys did a good job."
    Thoughts on having multiple goal scorers tonight:
    "It is important for the players. If Torres is the only person that is going to score goals, that's okay, but Torres calls for attention, everyone is thinking about Torres and that opens the possibilities. Today, it was Agustin and Leandro. That was important for them and it was important for the team. It also shows that we're getting stronger and more confident little by little."
    Thoughts on four-game winning streak:
    "It feels good, but it's because of the players. The work they've been doing, the effort, they believe in what they've been doing and they're performing better every game. That's important for them. If, any moment we lose, because this league is very, very even and complicated, with that organization, that composure, that concentration, and the way they've been working, we're going to be okay. Right now, we're in a good mode, a good situation. We feel good because we feel strong and we're going to continue and see what happens next game against DC United."
    On what he said to his squad at halftime:
    "We were doing okay. The only thing was the set piece goal, but we shouldn't be losing our possibilities to play even. We needed to move the ball quicker, we have to take the ball out wide like we did in the first 15 minutes, and it worked. It worked well and we created some options."
    ERICK TORRES
    On scoring his 13th goal of the season:
    "I feel extremely happy, especially because of the three points earned for the team. We got a really positive winning streak and I am happy because I keep on scoring, but I know I owe 80 per cent of my goals to my teammates Marco and Mauro Rosales, who delivered on the pitch."
    On the robot dance celebration:
    "It's a celebration that I have been doing since my time at the academy, so now I get the opportunity to do it at the MLS level."
    Thoughts on their four consecutive victories:
    "This is a positive winning streak for us and the team knew we had to earn it for us to move further and land a better spot prior to the playoffs. I believe we are now three or two points away from being in a playoff position. We have to continue working on improving and not letting our guard down, playing with a humble attitude and a positive mentality, and following the rules of the coaching staff and Wilmer Cabrera. With that, the results will come."
    LEANDRO BARRERA
    Thoughts on first goal in MLS:
    "I feel great and happy more than anything else, because we won another match as the away team. These three points are useful to continue the growth within this team."
    Thoughts on their fourth straight win:
    "Great. To put it this way, our team has awoken, and hopefully we keep this positive winning streak that can lead us to great things in the future. Every game, we are getting stronger."
    AGUSTIN PELLETIERI
    On his first goal of the MLS:
    "I feel extremely happy. Winning is always great and we are all cheerful."
    Description of the goal:
    "It was a great cross by Mauro and fortunately I was able to reach it and score for the team. We tried our hardest and it paid off."
    On the victory for the team:
    "It's our fourth straight victory. We are a team that is starting to build up as we have been almost half a year together. We feel the results are starting to come our way and now we feel our team has fortunately improved."
    Difference between the first half of the game to the second:
    "I believe this was a close match. The difference on the first half was that we couldn't get the ball into the net. Tying things up at halftime made things more even and later on we felt better about the game and more confident. At the same time, having an extra man on our side was beneficial as we started to take advantage of that and scored."
    Guest

    Toronto FC respond to Houston

    By Guest, in PhotoHazard,

    After a 2 goal deficit in the first half, TFC responded with 2 of their own by the half and Jermain Defoe again illustrated his value by adding 2 more to give Toonto the 4-2 victory at BMO Field.
















    A larger gallery can be viewed here,
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    Michael Crampton
    The Dynamo haven’t won in league play since May 17th and managed to go on a five game scoreless streak in the process. The return of Brad Davis from World Cup duty with the American national team was enough to spark their offense against the Red Bulls in the Dynamo’s last match but they could still only manage a 2-2 draw.
    For Toronto, the return of Michael Bradley, after a contentious World Cup performance for the United States, has created unlikely questions over how to adjust the team’s shape to best accommodate the rampaging midfielder.
    With Bradley a surprise starter versus DC United the Reds looked solid, and seemed to be in control of the game in the first half, with Nelsen trying Bradley ahead of two holding midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 formation. It was a position similar to the role American national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann had Bradley playing after an injury to Jozy Altidore in their first match hindered the United States’ ability to play with two strikers.
    The removal of Bradley Orr at halftime, and a switch back to the 4-4-2 formation favoured through most of the season, disrupted the control that Toronto had maintained in midfield. Bradley was removed shortly before United scored the winning goal but it was clear from comments after the match that DC players recognized that extra space had been offered to them in midfield in the second half.
    It’s possible that the question of formation, and where best to employ Bradley, could be decided by the availability of Gilberto. The Brazilian forward notched his long awaited first goal in New York two weeks ago but has suffered a recurrence of a hip flexor injury that has prevented involvement since then. Should he be unavailable it makes it far more likely that Nelsen will once again opt for the 4-2-3-1 the Reds opened with last week rather than playing with two out-and-out strikers.
    That said, the contributions of in-season acquisitions Luke Moore and Dominic Oduro, both of whom can be played on the wing or as centre forwards, highlight the increasing tactical and personnel options Nelsen has at his disposal. Oduro has been playing a substitutes role to date while Moore is emerging as a respectable second scoring threat for Toronto’s Jermaine Defoe reliant offense.
    As is so often the case in MLS, getting the most out of the entire squad is essential and the trade-offs incumbent when selecting between players in that tier of the squad will probably be the most important decisions Ryan Nelsen makes. Make them correctly, against a waning Dynamo, and the Reds have every chance of getting back to the winning form they enjoyed before the World Cup.
    Duane Rollins
    CSN has confirmed that the CSA is involved in negotiations with the CFL and NASL to launch an all-Canadian league.
    There could be as many as seven teams involved, all affiliated with local CFL teams and playing in CFL stadiums.
    Hamilton's Bob Young is said to be the leading voice on the CFL side. The Ti-Cats owner was previously involved in professional soccer in Carolina. Although he had a falling out with Traffic Sports, sources say that relationship has been healed.
    The league would likely begin play in 2016, which the possibility of up to two teams coming in for 2015 (Hamilton and Calgary have been suggested).
    The three MLS markets will likely opt out. There is no word on whether teams independent of CFL teams (with the exception of the pre-existing FC Edmonton) will be considered. It's likely that such arrangements would be considered after the league was established.
    The league would be affiliated with the American NASL. The format would likely resemble Major League Baseball with two distinct leagues operating in close cooperation. There would be some inter-league play and the Soccer Bowl would likely be played between the two champions.
    CSN reached out to the CSA. We will update their response when we receive it. Attempts were also made to reach the CFL.
    Michael Mccoll
    "When you look at anywhere in the world outside of Canada and the United States, youth teams are important but what's even more important is that what you're doing at the youth level, it's a numbers game," Whitecaps President Bobby Lenarduzzi told reporters at yesterday's press conference to announce the Caps' new team.
    "You have a lot of kids involved but history tells you there will be a small percentage of those kids that will actually be good enough to play for the senior team. The gap between youth and senior is very significant and if those kids like [Marco] Bustos, Kianz Froese, Marco Carducci, if they can't get meaningful games, it stunts their development. It's paramount."
    The Whitecaps' new USL Pro side should play a big part in helping the team become a force to be reckoned with in Major League Soccer in years to come but in amongst all of that is what the new side will mean for Canadian soccer and local footballing talent.
    The whole "Whitecaps hate Canada" claptrap that is spouted by many can be disputed on so many levels and has really become a parody of itself. Yet still some believe it. Vancouver Whitecaps (in whatever their form) are Canada's most successful football club and have done so much for the Canadian game at both club and international level. This new team will only add to that legacy.
    Canadian players will now have another, high level option that doesn't involve having to leave the country to go and play at US colleges or overseas in lower leagues. There will no quota on the amount of Canadians that can be in the side, and whereas I don't really care where the Caps get their MLS players from, so long as they're winning matches, it's always more special when it's local guys that are helping to achieve that, especially when you've watched them coming through the ranks from academy to first team.
    And with that should come a huge boost for the Canadian national team at all their levels.
    "There's lots of things to be excited about and in my opinion the most important thing is our young players and providing them with that vehicle to be good players," Lenarduzzi feels.
    "Great players with the Whitecaps but at the same time go on and represent their country. How good would it be if we can be part of an initiative that allows our better young players to get to the stage where they get us back to the World Cup?"
    With the 2014 World Cup coming to an end, it's hard not to look back on this year's mostly entertaining tournament and think how even more interesting it would have been to Canadians if they had their own country to cheer for at it.
    Following Canada's sole appearance at Mexico 86, it's often felt like a pipe dream for the red and white to appear on the world's stage again. Lenarduzzi was there of course in Mexico and feels that the only way to get Canada back there is through proper player development and that the Whitecaps' new USL Pro side will have a big part to play in that.
    "I was very proud to be at the World Cup in 1986," Lenarduzzi said. "But 1986 was a long time ago and we need to be back at the World Cup and one of the things that we're working on with the CSA and with the Provinces is a co-ordinated plan to give our best young players the opportunity to develop and to compete at the international level.
    "I'm not saying that simply because we start this particular program that we're going to get back to the World Cup in four years but we need a place for our best young players to play.
    "Every four years the coach gets fired but we don't address the root of the problem. The root of the problem is player development and this particular opportunity for us is a fantastic one."
    The Caps decision to start a D3 team in what is basically a US league has restarted the debate about whether the best way forward for Canadian soccer is for a nationwide D3 league set up by the CSA.
    The CSA had previously stated that they would not sanction any more clubs at that level, although MLS sides are believed to be exempt from that ruling.
    Ontario's League 1 started this year, but hopes of a truly Canadawide league looks to be many years away from reality. With Seattle and Portland looking to add their own USL Pro teams, and with the urgency to provide this development portal for their young players, it really was an easy decision for the Whitecaps.
    "A month or so ago there was a press conference in Toronto that the pro clubs attended and the CSA talked about what they want to do about player development," Lenarduzzi explained.
    "In a perfect world, we have a Canadian Soccer League. I've been through all that and that's not something that unless people are willing to invest in each of these cities that we think is viable. So the idea of going north/south is really the direction that it needs to take."
    Factor in to that equation the Whitecaps long history with the USL and the fact that they already have their U23 side playing USL PDL and it looks like the perfect match.
    "I love the fact that they've gone about it in a way that it's primarily regionalised and it's growing," Lenarduzzi said of the USL. "What we're doing here, LA are already doing. I would envision that within five to ten years, every MLS team will have a USL Pro team."
    So does this mean an end to the Caps U23 team? "Not necessarily," Lenarduzzi says. The team has provided a place for the Whitecaps to look at local Canadian talent in recent seasons, not just from their Residency program but also from local leagues and the top colleges like UBC Thunderbirds.
    That may continue and will give another avenue for Canadian talent trying to make the breakthrough.
    "The one thing we have with the PDL is that we're the only club with a grandfather clause where we can sign players to pro contracts and not go the collegiate route, which is really what the League is all about, to allow players to play in the summer and go back to school without losing their scholarships.
    "In our case, we chose not to go that route. So we have that opportunity and in the past it's allowed us to actually sign players to PDL contracts whilst we make decisions on them in terms of MLS.
    "So, we don't know so that's something we'll explore as we go through this process."
    Michael Mccoll
    "The opportunity to get it is really fantastic," Robinson said of the new USL Pro team at training. "It's the next stage for the growth and development of our young players within our system because it allows them to get that next from the Residency program without jumping in to MLS where they're probably not quite ready at the age of 18.
    "There's a gap between that group, 18 and maybe 22, 23 if they don't go to college which we needed to address and we think it's the right way forward. It's a fantastic opportunity for us as a club and we move forward with it."
    Although there are still some obstacles to overcome and the new USL Pro side is not yet a fait accompli in New West (more on that tomorrow), the timing couldn't be better with another talented crop of players set to graduate from the Residency program.
    "It's urgent from our side," Robinson admitted. "The key to it all is having all these talented young players at 18 years old and we don't want to lose a year or two of their development., like has happened already before. It's important the next step and the next stages that they're in, so we're delighted."
    The last two seasons have seen the Whitecaps affiliate with long time USL Pro side Charleston Battery. Whitecaps president Bobby Lenarduzzi says that the Battery have done a "great job" but admitted at this morning's press conference to announce the new team that the "distance makes it very, very difficult".
    From us looking in from afar here at AFTN, the Battery seem a great little club, but they are, and should be, their own club, with their own ideas, own fanbase and own goals (not literally putting the ball in the back of their own net!).
    As supporters of lower league football we would hate the prospect of one of the clubs we support (eg: East Fife in Scotland, AFC Wimbledon in England) to become a feeder club to a bigger side. You lose some of your own identity and also, as has been seen in Charleston, some of your own young talent. So this is also good news for Battery fans.
    It also seemed evident to us these past two seasons that the Whitecaps loanees weren't getting as many minutes as they needed or you would expect them to get. Some of it was due to injuries of course (Bryce Alderson and Ben Fisk last year) but it did raise the question of what the real point of sending these players down there was.
    This season Jackson Farmer and Marlon Ramirez were recalled early and played the PDL season in Vancouver, whilst Omar Salgado was quickly recalled to the MLS ranks when Kenny Miller departed.
    The Caps' new USL Pro club will address all of these issues. You will have a squad comprising of Residency players, both current and alumni, drafts picks and MLS players needing minutes and games to keep match fit, recover from injuries etc.
    Perhaps most importantly, it is the perfect place for the Caps' strong homegrown and local talent (including the best in the BC collegiate ranks) and will provide a different option to that college route or losing Canadian talent to the lower European leagues.
    We'll have more on the benefit to Canadian talent and the Canadian soccer landscape over the next couple of days, along with details of what the next stage of proceedings will be in securing the team and the plans for the refurbished stadium at the historic Queens Park in New Westminster.
    All in all though, this is an exciting time to be a Whitecaps supporter and ponder just what the future may hold in store for the club.
    Aaron Campbell
    The Good -
    Overall Team Effort
    You knew from the opening whistle the Whitecaps showed up to play. They pressed the attack and weren't sitting back defensively. It was a big derby game and the players showed the fans that they knew it.
    Whenever the defenders were rushed they calmly passed it back to Ousted who reset the formation and attacked the slower Sounder defenders.
    The holding midfielders Laba and Koffie were great shutting down the, albeit weakened, midfield of the Sounders and linked up well with Morales and Fernandez.
    Morales was great in spreading the ball all over the front third of the pitch. Over the top, out wide or right down the middle he showed up to play.
    The Average -
    Carlyle Mitchell and Johnny Leveron
    Yes they got the clean sheet, yes they cleared the box when they had to and after a rocky ten minutes to start the game they settled down.
    They need more games to gel and grow together. Will be a good pair moving forward with more games like Saturday night under their belts.
    A few communication errors to start the game had Ousted a little frustrated but as the game went on they settled into a nice groove.
    The Ugly -
    Kekuta Manneh
    He looked lost on the wing on the pitch. At times he is really good, then he has a average spell and then he has a bad spell where he looks like he doesn't know what to do. A few times he was caught running at a Sounders defender with his head down not looking to see who was open in the box.
    With Hurtado's recent success Robbo has no other options but to play him on the wing or bring him in as a sub to attack the tired defenders.
    Personally I like him coming off the bench and having a player like Teibert or Mezquida starting on that wing position.
    James Grossi
    Tesho Akindele
    Akindele made his seventh-straight start for Dallas in their 2-1 win over Philadelphia on Friday – it was his eighth start and eleventh appearance of the season.
    Paired up top with Panamanian striker Blas Perez, Akindele was a force from the off, testing Union keeper, Zac MacMath with a low right-footed after streaking down the right within five minutes of kickoff. Two minutes later he strafed a right-footer from above the arc over the top right-corner of the goal.
    Having honed his accuracy, Akindele made no mistake in the 26th minute when Perez chipped a ball over the back-line,
    to open the scoring – it was his second league goal of the season and first since opening his US Open Cup account.Displaying both sides of his forward game, Akindele probed the back-line with tireless runs, while exhibiting his strength with his back to goal, combining well after some good hold-up play. He got his signals crossed on one play, not reading Perez’ intention to knock down a cross for him, continuing his run rather than pausing, but that sort of thing happens all the time – their understanding will grow with matches; perhaps Perez will even pass on some knowledge of CONCACAF chicanery.
    But they got it right, more-or-less, on the game-winning own goal, Akindele cutting in from the right and playing into the feet of Perez, who laid a return ball into the box – Philadelphia defender Fabinho would cut it out, but the intent was there.
    And that it bounced into the Union goal off the knee of Sheanon Williams was a bonus.
    Post-match the Calgary, Alberta-native commented on scoring, "It felt great. As a striker you’ve got to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, you’re not going to score. I had confidence in myself and it paid off" before noting the added thrill of finally getting on the score-sheet at home, in front of a rambunctious Independence Day crowd to boot, "It’s fantastic. I had a goal and assist away, so finally a home crowd you get to celebrate with some noise. When you’re away, nobody’s cheering for you so it’s a lot better to score here."
    His manager, Oscar Pareja, commended him on the turnaround from a disappointing, miss-filled match in Columbus, "Sometimes we don't notice how a rookie can come back from a performance like he had at Columbus. He knows that those [chances] are normally back of the net. He didn't lose confidence. Today he looked in my eyes and said 'I'll get those goals back.' That shows character and we trust him and he's showing us that we were not wrong."
    Will Johnson
    Johnson continued his ever-presence for Portland in their 2-2 draw at Los Angeles on Friday, having started each of the eighteen league matches the Timbers have played this season.
    On the road, Johnson tends to sit deeper than at home, a trend particularly important against the Galaxy with Robbie Keane dropping off the front line and Landon Donovan darting in from the flanks – each into the exact area of the pitch that the Timbers captain patrols.
    His defensive contributions were numerous – racking up seven recoveries, four clearances (all from within his own box), three interceptions, and winning a triumvirate of tackles; most entertaining of the bunch was holding off Dan Gargan and eluding his pressure to hit a crucial relief ball early in the match.
    His first real offense contribution came as the tight match began to open on the hour mark, driving a fierce free-kick from some 25 yards – his effort was straight at Jaime Penedo, who parried, but could not hold the effort, spilling a dangerous rebound before smothering.
    LA took the lead shortly thereafter and Portland responded, before taking the lead in the 70th minute on a play started by a lovely bit of vision from Johnson, making eye contact with left-back, Jorge Villafana then placing a gorgeous, threaded ball into his path.
    The cross would be cut out, falling to Diego Valeri, before Villafana pounced on the rebound to notch their second of the night.
    The Toronto-born midfielder committed a pair of fouls – most notably, piggybacking Marcelo Sarvas on one occasion, though he escaped a booking.
    He commented on the match afterwards, “It’s a good performance by us; one point at the end of the day I think is probably a fair result. Obviously we’re disappointed that we didn’t close out the game. But the point keeps us in the race, and it doesn’t allow the Galaxy to get three points out of us so it’s more important on that front for me. We wanted to do in the second half what we did in the first half. We thought we kept a good shape, we attacked and we created chances. We limited them to just a couple of chances where they hit the post in the first half so coming out of half time we wanted to do the same thing.
    “We knew they were going to push numbers and get a little more aggressive seeing how they’re home and had a big crowd and obviously they wanted to win the game. We knew that we were going to get chances on the counter, so we just wanted to be patient, keep a good shape, stay organized, work hard, make sure to limit their chances, and then when we got a chance we hit them on the break and we were fortunate to do that twice. But like I said, I think it’s probably a fair result.”
    Patrice Bernier
    Bernier made his fifth-straight start for Montreal in their 1-0 loss at Chivas on Saturday night – it was his tenth start and fifteenth appearance of the season.
    Bernier was again central to Montreal’s game, dropping deep to pick up the ball from the centre-backs and building attacks from the base of midfield.
    He barely made his way into the final third – only three of his many passes came in that section of the pitch.
    One pass was intercepted by Eric Avila, leading to a potentially dangerous Chivas break that came to naught, another long ball forward picked out Justin Mapp, but his cross to the back-post was headed away.
    A sign of Montreal’s inability to connect ball in the 36th minute, when Bernier lifted a ball behind the Chivas back-line only for neither of his strikers to make the run, the ball trickling harmlessly to Dan Kennedy. It was a disjointed performance to be sure.
    The Brossard, Quebec-native exited the match in the 80th minute, replaced by Callum Mallace.
    Karl Ouimette
    Ouimette returned to Montreal’s starting eleven after a one-match absence, taking up the left-back position for his ninth appearance of the season, all bar one from the start.
    Faced with one of the trickier customers in MLS, in the form of Marvin Chavez, Ouimette did well to contain the Honduran’s threat. Despite Chivas focusing their attack on his flank and having to deal with both Chavez and Mauro Rosales, the Terrebonne, Quebec-native was only really exposed on one occasion, when Chavez twisted him up at the corner of the area and whisked a low shot inches wide of the far-post.
    He would block one cross with his face and pick up a yellow card in the 70th minute for pulling down Rosales – it was his third booking of the season.
    Ouimette would make way for Maxim Tissot in the 80th minute after putting in a shift against two testing opponents, unfortunate for him, his side could not keep the sheet clean.
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio was the only Canadian to feature in either of Toronto’s two matches this round, making his ninth start in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Chicago and joining from the bench in Saturday’s 1-2 loss to DC – the two appearances bring his injury-affected season total to ten, all but one from the start.
    Before TFC were reduced to ten men, Osorio was very lively against the Fire, nearly forcing his way past Bakary Soumare on one play and drawing a foul out of Jeff Larentowicz, who hacked him down rather than get turned.
    After Luke Moore saw his red, Osorio was forced to sit deeper, looking for long passes rather than playing short and bursting forward. The Toronto, Ontario-native was done by Quincy Amarikwa on one run – he was
    .Osorio was one of many who took great umbrage at the dismissal of Moore, arguing with the official throughout the remainder of the match – he would be on the receiving end of a stern talking too after kicking the ball away in disgust – he would be replaced by Bradley Orr in the 87th minute.
    His weekend match began on the bench, before replacing Michael Bradley in the 61st minute, after TFC had tied up the match at ones. They would fall behind shortly and Osorio was tasked with dropping deep to spur attacks in search of the equalizer.
    Moments after his introduction he took a heavy clattering from Eddie Johnson, earning a foul
    His best pass of the final twenty minutes came in the 81st, when he lifted a ball over the DC back-line, picking out the run of Justin Morrow down the left, but his effort was blocked by the retreating Conor Doyle.
    Rob Friend
    Friend made his third-straight appearance from the bench in LA’s draw against Portland – it was his tenth appearance of the season and sixth from the bench.
    With the Galaxy down a goal, the Rosetown, Saskatchewan-native was brought on, replacing AJ DeLaGarza in the 82nd minute, to provide a physical presence and sizeable target up front for his side.
    He immediately caused a nuisance for the Portland defenders, battling for space with the fragile back-line. It was concern over his threat that could see said to have backed off the Portland defenders, thus creating the space for Baggio Husidic to hit the equalizing ball into the middle, leveling the match in the 86th minute.
    Maxim Tissot
    Tissot was on the bench for Montreal’s match in LA against Chivas USA, entering the fray in the 80th minute to replace fellow Canadian, Karl Ouimette at left-back – it was the defender’s fourth-straight appearance and eighth of season, half of which have come as a substitute.
    The Gatineau, Quebec-native was one of the defenders
    , slow to retreat in-field having spread wide to cover the threat of Mauro Rosales.Russell Teibert
    Teibert entered Vancouver’s 1-0 win over Seattle on Saturday in the 86th minute, replacing goal-scorer Sebastian Fernandez, his fifth-straight appearance for the Whitecaps, to close out the match – it was his fifth appearance from the bench and fourteenth of the season.
    Shoring up the left-side of the pitch, the Niagara Falls, Ontario-native still managed to get forward on one occasion with a strong run from a throw-in, hitting a cross into the middle, but nobody was on hand to receive.
    The Rest
    Doneil Henry, Kyle Bekker and Dwayne De Rosario were unused subs in both Toronto’s matches, while Ashtone Morgan was on the bench in Chicago on Wednesday, but absent back home against DC come Saturday.
    Kofi Opare, Nana Attakora, and Wandrille Lefevre were on the bench for their sides, LA, DC, and Montreal, respectively.
    In a retelling of a story Canadian fans have heard far too often, Vancouver's Marco Bustos has accepted a call-up to the Chilean U20 side. He will not be capped-tied and if it’s for experience, then so be it – but, one may feel compelled to hold their breath; Canada needs all the talent it has.
    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
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