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    James Grossi
    In chronological order, up first is
    on Friday night. Blas Perez played in his teammate with a deft chip over the Union back-line, which Akindele sweetly volleyed home with his right-foot, beating keeper, Zac MacMath.Up next is Vancouver’s Sebastian Fernandez, who only seems to score spectacular goals. Reminiscent of his long-range bomb against New York back in March, Fernandez collected the ball from Pedro Morales, lifted his head and
    of the Seattle goal.And the final candidate features regularly in these sorts of lists: Chivas’ Cubo Torres. The Mexican striker has been fantastic since arriving on loan last season, taking over the all-time MLS goals record amongst his countrymen, and not looking back.
    His
    on Sunday night proved the winner – continuing his rampant pace.Onto the results:
    Midweek Results in a Sentence (or Two)

    Toronto looked firmly in the ascendency in Chicago until the referee dismissed Luke Moore for what he saw as a malicious elbow, catching Fire midfielder, Chris Ritter, in the 29th minute. TFC would take the lead before half-time through Jackson, but playing down a man proved costly as the match wore on and Chicago’s pressure paid off when Harrison Shipp whipped a deflected effort past Joe Bendik in the 56th minute.

    One goal was all that was required in this late-night Western Conference clash, as Cubo Torres’ predatory strike in the 53rd minute proved decisive, exhibiting his instinctive sharpness once more when a right-sided Mauro Rosales cross was flicked on via several heads before falling to him at the back-post.
    Results in Brief

    The round proper kicked off in Houston as the struggling Dynamo looked to reverse their fortunes against a side that has regularly been a thorn in their side, New York – Red Bull has outscored the Dynamo fourteen-to-five in their last five meetings.
    Added to that hurdle is the fact that Houston had not scored a goal in nearly five hundred minutes of play, losing their last five matches without finding the back of the net.
    It took just 39 seconds (give or take a few) for Houston to get that weighty stat off their back with Giles Barnes arriving on the end of a right-sided Kofi Sarkodie, rising up in front of Jamison Olave to nod in the opener.
    New York would respond quickly, through Bradley Wright-Phillips, who pounced on a long ball up-field from Eric Alexander after eluding his marker, Eric Brunner, with an alert run; his first-time left footer, after letting the ball bounce and settle to a useable height, whistled across Tally Hall to level the match in the 13th minute.
    And it was Wright-Phillips again who made Houston pay in the 72nd minute when Ambroise Oyongo worked past Andrew Driver on the left and delivered a dangerous ball into the box for his teammate to meet with a fade-away header, helping it on to the far side-netting beyond the reach of Hall. The in-form Englishman, who now has fourteen goals on the season, has enjoyed playing the Dynamo, notching five goals against them through two matches.
    But Houston, who welcomed back their influential trio of Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis, and Oscar Boniek Garcia, were handed a life-line in the 82nd minute, when Chris Duvall was deemed to have handled in the box. Regardless of the suspect nature of the decision, Davis made it count, sending his left-footer low to Luis Robles’ right after sending the keeper the other way.
    The 1-1 draw ends Houston’s long drought – it was their first point in nearly six weeks – while extending New York’s unbeaten run to four matches, three of which have been draws.

    Meanwhile a little further north in Texas, Dallas was playing host to Philadelphia in one of four cross-conference clashes this round – the West would win three of the four.
    Coincidentally, both sides entered the match in possession of three-game unbeaten runs, looking to put long fruitless slides firmly in the review mirror – Dallas has just one win in eleven matches and Philly a one in twelve run, before putting two wins between them and that poor run.
    The hosts would take the lead after 26 minutes when Blas Perez chipped a ball over the Philadelphia back-line for Tesho Akindele, who finished with his first good look of the match, sending a right-footed volley past Zac MacMath.
    The Union would claw back level before half-time when Danny Cruz outraced Zach Loyd to a loose ball and touched towards Cristian Maidana, who traced a square ball through the goalmouth, catching the Dallas defenders off-balance. Victor Ulloa was closest, but could not plant his feet to get in a clearance, allowing Amobi Okugo to arrive and tuck a left-footer inside the post in the 43rd minute.
    But Dallas has looked hungry recently, rejuvenated by the convalescence of two key midfielders, Hendry Thomas and Mauro Diaz - who would return later in the match, not to mention the burgeoning understanding between strike partners Perez and Akindele.
    The big Canadian drove towards goal from the right, playing into his teammate, who returned a leading ball into the box. Union left-back Fabinho closed down the pass, but his attempted clearance caromed off the knee of fellow defender, Sheanon Williams and ricocheted past MacMath.
    Frustration would set in for the visitors, who picked up a pair of bookings, including one to Sebastien Le Toux – it was his first ever MLS yellow card (coming in his 170th appearance; a remarkable stat), before Maurice Edu was dismissed, somewhat harshly, in the 89th minute for a lunging challenge that caught Perez.
    With the 2-1 win, Dallas extend their unbeaten run to four matches; given the return of Diaz, who sparked them to their fast start this season, things are looking up for Oscar Pareja’s side.
    For Philadephia, it was Jim Curtain’s first loss as interim manager; a frustration that was compounded by travel delay (reportedly sitting on the runway for three hours prior to departure – a sentiment anyone familiar with a layover in Philadelphia can attest to).

    The Friday night spectacular – five overlapping matches – continued yet further north, as Colorado welcomed Columbus to the lofty confines of the Rocky Mountains.
    The two sides exchanged early half chances, with Marvell Wynne’s whipped in service just beyond the reach of an outstretched Deshorn Brown boot and Ben Speas drive blocked by Shane O’Neill en route to goal, before entering half-time scoreless.
    Columbus looked to have taken the lead in the 57th minute, when Jairo Arrieta slotted the ball into the back of the net, only for the assistant referee’s flag to correctly chalk it off for offside. Two minutes later, it was Colorado who would go ahead.
    Wynne again surged up the right to get on the end of a Dillon Powers ball and send a cross towards the heart of the area, where it was met by a darting run from Vicente Sanchez and redirected on to the far-side of goal – or so it seemed. The MLS clip is entitled, ‘Vicente Sanchez breaks the deadlock with an amazing header’ but the official record has it down as an own goal, coming off Eric Gehrig as the two contested for the ball.
    Either way, the Rapids were in front and given their strong home-form (unbeaten in last four) and propensity for clean-sheets (leading the league with eight), as well as Columbus’ back-to-back scoreless draws, it looked as though the match would stay that way.
    But Gregg Berhalter has instilled an attacking mindset into his Crew, who made a series of Colorado mistakes turn costly in the 76th minute. The comedy of errors began with a miss-hit cross-field relief ball from Powers that sailed straight to Arrieta, who turned towards goal in attack. He deftly tried to play a ball for Ethan Finlay on the overlap, but it appeared as though the pass was poorly placed, until the retreating Jared Watts inexplicably touched it into the forward’s path.
    Finlay coolly beat Clint Irwin with a right-footed effort. leveling the match – the goal ending Columbus’ drought at over two hundred minutes
    Two minutes later Powers nearly made amends for his error, but Columbus keeper, Steve Clark, got down quick to deny his effort.
    The 1-1 draw was likely a fair result on the night, extending Colorado’s home unbeaten run to five and stretching Columbus’ winless run to an equal mark; of concern to both coaches will be the fitness/availability of their players, as Sanchez was booked in the 78th minute for a ugly-looking lunging challenge that caught Hector Jimemez high, and may result in further sanctioning from the league – Jimenez was carried off the pitch on a stretcher.

    The festivities carried on across state lines to the West, with Salt Lake entertaining New England in the fourth match of the evening.
    A little over a month ago, these were two of the hottest teams in the league – Salt Lake still unbeaten through twelve matches and New England riding a five-match winning streak – but something occurred that May 24 weekend, and since then neither has been the same.
    Salt Lake limped in, winless in their last five matches, having lost their last two – at home to Portland and away to Chivas – while New England were mired in a three-game losing streak, their longest of the season.
    Having welcomed home their international heroes – Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando – Salt Lake looked destined to turn around their season, but through the first thirty minutes of play neither side could find a breakthrough, that is until the referee inserted himself into the match.
    In the 33rd minute, the official decided that Chris Schuler was undercut by Darius Barnes as the two jostled for a corner kick and pointed to the spot. Javier Morales stepped up, right-footing past Bobby Shuttleworth after a stuttered run, beating the keeper to his right after eyeing him the other way.
    Barnes, if it was indeed him who conceded the foul – it was not all that clear – made amends quickly, tying the match two minutes later by fighting his way in front of Chris Wingert to get on the end of a deliciously inviting Chris Tierney free-kick.
    The two would enter the half level and when play resumed, it looked as though the visitors would take the lead – Jose Goncalves struck the post with a shot that rebounded off the back of Rimando and danced along the goal-line before being cleared.
    But again the referee would intervene, awarding Salt Lake a second look from twelve paces after Tierney caught John Stertzer with a lunge in the box – at first it appeared as though the foul was awarded the other way, as Devon Sandoval and Tierney jockeyed to reach the loose ball, but a penalty kick it was.
    Joao Plata stepped to the spot, drilling a right-footed finish high to the top left-corner of the goal after Shuttleworth dove helpless to his left. New England would snatch at their two chances to level – a whipped in Tierney ball was just beyond the reach of Patrick Mullins and Kelyn Rowe could not keep his effort from a Lee Nguyen chipped pass on target.
    With the 2-1 win, Salt Lake and first-year manager, Jeff Cassar, will hope to put this frustrating spell behind them – they retain second spot in the West, but have seven points to make up on Seattle. Jay Heaps and the Revolution however, fall to a fourth-straight loss, all but erasing the territory gained by their winning streak.

    The final match of the evening pitted two of the more heralded sides against one another in the marquee fixture of the round with the Galaxy taking on the Timbers.
    The first sixty minutes passed without major incident, aside from Marcelo Sarvas striking the post with a fierce drive in the 15th minute, before the match came to life in the 65th. Stefan Ishizaki poked a ball down the right for Juninho, whose cross was flicked on by Diego Chara, falling to Landon Donovan on the left-edge of the area. Donovan settled the ball and laid it off to Sarvas for a right-footer across Donovan Ricketts into the far-side of the goal.
    Two minutes later Portland equalized when Jorge Villafana’s left-sided cross was met by Fanendo Adi with a bullet header that smashed into Robbie Rogers and fell to Diego Valeri, whose right-footer deflected off AJ DeLaGarza to lift over a diving Jaime Penedo.
    Three minutes on and the guests took the lead. Will Johnson played a ball down the left for Villafana, the defender cut a low cross into the middle, which was poorly dealt with by Tommy Meyer, falling to the boot of Valeri. His shot was blocked, but fell invitingly for Villafana, moving in-field, to sneak a right-footed bouncer into the bottom corner at the short-side.
    Undaunted, LA went in search of an equalizer and thought they should have earned a penalty when Chara chopped down Donovan as he made his way into the box. A free-kick inches outside was awarded – the correct call – but Juninho’s rasping effort was pushed over the bar by Ricketts.
    LA would continue to press, their work rewarded, in the 86th minute when Donovan lifted a ball in for Baggio Husidic down the left. The midfielder drove a squared cross through the goalmouth that Portland centre-back Rauwshaun McKenzie could only walk into his own goal – had he not, Robbie Keane was on hand to tuck in at the back-post.
    The 2-2 draw extends both side’s unbeaten runs – LA to six and Portland to five – though the single point did little to help either side make up ground on the playoff divide, currently each four points shy of fifth-place in the West.

    Saturday’s trio of matches began in Toronto, when the unbeaten-in-six Reds took on DC United.
    Mere moments before the match began, Costa Rica were eliminated from the World Cup on penalty kicks by the Netherlands, and Toronto welcomed Michael Bradley, who made the start, back from Brazil.
    The first half was largely uneventful, with TFC failing to click in the attacking end and DC appearing more interested in staying hard to beat and wasting time – a tactic employed by many who venture to the shores of Lake Ontario these days.
    A more generous assessment would state that DC were biding their time, waiting for a mistake to hand them a look – that mistake came in the 54th minute. Rookie centre-back Nick Hagglund could not contain a return pass from Justin Morrow as the two worked up the left, allowing Nick DeLeon a touch towards Luis Silva, who returned a ball down the channel for DeLeon to break in on goal.
    DeLeon held off the recovering run of the rookie, and then shaped around two block attempts from Collen Warner, before placing a left-footer into the bottom right-corner of the goal.
    TFC would respond in the 60th minute on a play begun by Jackson pushing up-field. The Brazilian laid a neat ball down the left for Jermain Defoe, who outmuscled Bobby Boswell then pulled back to the top of the box for a return pass. His right-footed effort was saved, but spilled by Bill Hamid and Luke Moore was on hand, quickest to react to the loose ball, stabbing in a sliding finish to level.
    But nine minutes later DC would reinstate their lead from a corner kick, when Perry Kitchen stole in-between the TFC centre-backs to head down a right-sided Lewis Neal delivery that made its way under Joe Bendik in goal.
    Toronto would press for an equalizer that would not come; any hope fizzled out with a red card to Hagglund for bringing down Eddie Johnson on a breakaway, the circumstances of which were bizarre to say the least – more on that below.
    The 1-2 win sees DC reassert themselves at the top of the Eastern Conference, taking over sole possession of first place (at least until Sporting play on Sunday) and proving that despite the absence of Fabian Espindola, they can score goals.
    The loss ends Toronto’s unbeaten run at six, eating up one of their games in hand, passing on the chance to overtake New England into third, while allowing New York and Columbus, who drew the day previous, to within a point in a crowded Eastern table.

    All three Canadian teams were in action this night, the second of which was Vancouver, who played host to Pacific Northwest rivals, Seattle.
    The Whitecaps were looking to respond from a poor start to their post-break campaign – having fallen in Colorado last weekend after playing to a scoreless draw against Montreal midweek – which snapped their record unbeaten run at eight matches.
    It was a task that appeared difficult against the top team in the league, Seattle, though the continued absence of Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin, as well as suspensions for caution accumulation to Osvaldo Alonso and Gonzalo Pineda, stripped the Sounders of key players.
    One goal was all that was needed to decide the outcome – and what a goal it was.
    In the twelfth minute Pedro Morales played into Sebastian Fernandez from the right, who took a touch to settle and move forward before unleashing a right-footed blast that swerved as it bore down on a defenseless Stefan Frei in the Sounders goal from 25 yards.
    Unstoppable.
    Neither side really threatened for the remaining eighty-odd minutes remaining, the best chance coming in the 67th minute when Morales again played provider, threading in Erik Hurtado, who inexplicably shot early – perhaps it was a chip attempt that went horribly wrong.
    The 1-0 win was enough for Vancouver to solidify their hold on the fifth and final spot in the West, four points ahead of challengers LA and Portland, while keeping them within striking distance of those above – Dallas and Colorado are a point ahead.
    The loss ends Seattle’s imperious run, but will not be overly concerning with their roster about to be restocked with plenty of first teamers.

    Sunday capped off with one final match, between two of the league’s struggling sides, though both have shown indications of life in recent weeks.
    Chivas entered the match on the back of two straight wins – their first winning streak of any kind since last March, having kept clean-sheets in each of those victories, while Montreal were unbeaten in two, similarly having not conceded throughout.
    What transpired was a slow match, dotted with intermittent breaks forward from both sides. Montreal’s best chance of the opening frame fell to Andres Romero, but he could only send Felipe’s pull-back rising over the bar. Chivas showed some life before the break, with Marvin Chavez cutting in from the right, but he whisked his shot wide of the far-post.
    In the second half, Jack McInerney would fail to steer a Romero ball through the goalmouth on target, while Eric Avila would see his drive tipped over the bar by Troy Perkins – the match seemed destined to end as a scoreless draw, satisfying no one and everyone at the same time.
    Then struck Cubo.
    In the 94th minute, the final minute of added time, Nathan Sturgis and Mauro Rosales combined on the right, before playing in to Marky Delgado, who cut around Callum Mallace for a right-footed shot that rose up, striking Matteo Ferrari firmly in the face, stunning the defender.
    Torres reacted, pouncing on the loose ball, leaping up high and contorting his body to sneak an acrobatic right-footed side-volley past Perkins at the near-post, before jumping into the crowd to celebrate.
    Interestingly, Torres had tried for the audacious earlier in the match – failing to connect on a bicycle kick from a Rosales cross in the 72nd, but this time he got it perfect, winning the match for his side.
    The 1-0 win was Chivas’ third-straight by that score-line – with Torres providing the goals in each (he has scored in their last four matches and accounts for twelve of their seventeen this season), willing his side out of last place in the West – that dishonour now falls to San Jose.
    Montreal, for all their efforts, remain winless on their travels, and see their shutout streak ended at 315 minutes.

    Sunday’s lone fixture took place under the blazing heat of an early afternoon sun in Kansas City, as Sporting hosted Chicago.
    With both sides short-handed - KC without Matt Besler, Toni Dovale, Chance Myers, to name a few, and Graham Zusi only entering from the bench and Chicago missing Quincy Amarikwa to suspension and Jeff Larentowicz to the birth of a son, as well as the trying conditions, it should come as no surprise that this was a match decided by mistakes.
    Viewers were offered a preview of what was to come after two minutes when Kevin Ellis underhit a pass to his centre-back partner Aurelien Collin, allowing Mike Magee to steal in alone and round the keeper, only for Collin to recover, blocking on the line.
    The next misstep would fall the other way, when, in the 33rd minute, Dom Dwyer stripped Patrick Ianni and walked in alone down the left-channel, finishing with a bending left-footer around Sean Johnson to the left-side of goal. He celebrated with his now-famous, or infamous, ‘Selfie’ shot – and was duly booked for his efforts.
    Chicago would respond through a forced mistake of their own, when Alex nicked the ball off Seth Sinovic, sidestepped a recovering challenge, and played in Magee, who beat Eric Kronberg with a right-footer, going to the left when the keeper expected right.
    Both sides had chances in the second half, but could not find the cohesion necessary for a winner, as the legs grew weary and the sun pounded – one telling play saw both Zusi and Benny Feilhaber attempt to line up the same shot, getting in each other’s way. Time apart and a baking heat can do strange things to a football team.
    Both sides were content enough with the 1-1 draw; KC relinquished their grasp on top spot in the East and Chicago more-or-less remain rooted to the basement, with their tenth draw through sixteen matches.
    CanCon
    As always, the extended Canadian Content review will be posted tomorrow (Tuesday).
    After last round’s deluge, this weekend featured a marked paucity of Canadians on the pitch – both TFC and Vancouver began the match without a national representative in their starting lineups.
    That said, Tesho Akindele continued his fine form for Dallas, while Will Johnson, Patrice Bernier, and Karl Ouimette also started for their respective sides.
    Overheard
    Gregg Berhalter revealed a little known auto-review, enacting any time a player leaves the pitch injured, referring to Vicente Sanchez’ tackle on Hector Jimenez: "[Jimenez] is on crutches and wearing a knee brace. We're waiting on an MRI, but he can't put weight on it. It's not good. Thankfully the [sic] MLS technical committee enacted a rule where they auto-review a play where the player leaves injured.”
    TFC had plenty to say on the magical, colour-changing card:
    Scotsman Steven Caldwell offered, “Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I’ve never seen a referee make a decision and change a decision like that. The call was a yellow card, and I’ve never known anything like it. We should start changing penalty decisions and reassess everything from above in the stand and tell the referee everything in his ear. Essentially there is no point in having a referee out there as we’d be better off with three or four guys out there with ear pieces and microphones doing the job.”
    While Jermain Defoe offered a diplomatic assessment of MLS officiating, “There are a lot of things I’ve seen, that I’ve never seen before. Obviously I don’t want to criticize the referees because I’ve never been a referee, but you see things and you just wonder. I feel sorry for Nick, a young lad that’s come into the team and done so well and then you get sent off. It was strange to see that.”
    Michael Bradley summed up the whole experience neatly, “Nothing surprises me anymore.”
    A few weeks ago Robbie Keane let loose on what he thinks about summer afternoon matches, this time it was Dom Dwyer who chimed in on how he feels about playing in the heat: “It was stupidly hot. Whoever decided to have a 2 p.m. game – I understand it's TV time and all that, but it was very tough conditions. I think you saw that in the last 10-15. Guys were struggling, and I was cramping up. It wasn't fun, but that's part of football.”
    From the New England broadcast, it was a little rich, given their history, that Paul Mariner complimented Joao Plata on his penalty taking skills, though it could just be a measure of personal growth and not holding grudges.
    See It Live
    Dom Dwyer’s selfie celebration – he was booked. KC released what was purported to be the image that Dwyer took, but it looks more like the aftermath than the actual planned stunt.
    Dan Kennedy became Chivas’ all-time record appearance holder on Saturday; has any one player meant more to his side than Kennedy has meant to Los Ameri-Goats?
    Thierry Henry’s back-heel pass to Tim Cahill nearly resulted in a wonderful goal – believe it or not, the greatness of Henry is not fully appreciated in this league, especially when one thinks of all the hype that David Beckham inspired.
    Controversy
    Plenty of controversial moments this week, starting with Luke Moore’s red card in Chicago - it was rescinded, but likely helped determine the outcome of the match. It is good that the league has decided to get things right in the end, but it would be better if the referees got it right at the time.
    Friday was full of debatable decisions, starting with Chris Duvall’s supposed handball that led to Houston’s late equalizing penalty
    Then there was Maurice Edu’s red card, which was likely a little harsh, whereas Vicente Sanchez likely deserved one for his tackle on Hector Jimenez, though only a yellow was shown.
    Both of Salt Lake’s penalty kicks were a touch soft – on Darius Barnes and Chris Tierney; but Lee Nguyen’s rake/stomp on John Stertzer was naughty, very naughty.
    Bruce Arena and Landon Donovan both thought Diego Chara’s foul on Donovan was worthy of a spot kick – but it was on the edge of the area.
    And finally, Nick Hagglund’s yellow-then-red card: it was probably a reverse case of what happened to Moore earlier in the round – the referee getting it right, eventually, if with a little help from his friends.
    Upcoming Fixtures
    With the US Open Cup quarterfinals set for midweek, most of the MLS sides will get a slight respite from the flurry of July, before returning for a full slate of weekend fixtures.
    Friday: San Jose-DC. Saturday: Philadelphia-Colorado; New York-Columbus; Toronto-Houston; Montreal-Kansas City; New England-Chicago; Vancouver-Chivas; Los Angeles-Salt Lake. Sunday: Seattle-Portland.
    Keep an eye out for the LA-Salt Lake match – their first two meeting came dreadfully, early, but this one could be good. And as if one Seattle-Portland clash was not enough for one week, avid fans are blessed to have two on the docket – they meet in the Open Cup too:
    Tuesday: Philadelphia-New England. Wednesday: Atlanta-Chicago; Carolina-Dallas; Seattle-Portland.
    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
    STARTING XI:
    11 - Kekuta Manneh
    Looks uncomfortable to start the game playing the wing. For every good play he had two bad ones then three average ones. I see Teibert or NRC starting this spot against Chivas.
    10 - Erik Hurtado
    Worst game he has played in a while. Three games in a row where he couldn't convert. Horrible one on one miss in second half. Is it time to start Mattocks?
    9 - Johnny Leveron
    A little shaky first 10 minutes. Tried to start the attack going over top. Settles down nice playing with Mitchell.
    8 - David Ousted
    Didn't have to do much this game. Had some communication errors with Leveron to start the game. He is probably happy with the defensive game in front of him on Saturday.
    7 - Steven Beitashour
    Very solid outing. Hasn't showed any rust by not playing a competitive game in the World Cup. Was very good in the last 15 minutes shutting down the Sounders attack.
    6 - Carlyle Mitchell
    Playing well jumping into the midfield when he has to. Very good in the air clearing the box with his jumping ability. Very good link up with Leveron.
    5 - Jordan Harvey
    Was solid in his half of the pitch. Didn't get sucked in and covered his side of the pitch.
    4 - Matias Laba
    Solid in the midfield with Koffie. Strong first half linking up with Morales. Played a quiet, steady game. What they expect game in and game out.
    3 - Gershon Koffie
    Strong on the ball and attacking the Seattle midfield. Was good keeping his head up and knowing what options he had in front of him.
    2 - Sebastian Fernandez
    Great strike, could get used to those 25+ yard strikes. Good at creating fouls against him and always being around the ball.
    1 - Pedro Morales
    A great bounce back game after the debacle vs Impact. Controlled the midfield when he needed to and had good numbers of passes that could have lead to goals.
    SUPER SUBS:
    3 - Christian Dean
    Only got one minute of playing time. Looked like a beast standing next to Seattle attackers.
    2 - Russell Teibert
    Came in at a crucial time where the Whitecaps needed to keep position and finish the game strong.
    1 - Nigel Reo-Coker
    Played very well coming in for Manneh. Had great jump to join the attack and tracked back well to help out defensively.
    Michael Mccoll
    You can find his full gallery from the game on Dropbox HERE.





    The victorious Whitecaps starting eleven







    Nigel Reo-Coker leads the pre-game huddle







    Nearly an early breakthrough for Erik Hurtado







    But then came Sebastian Fernandez's 30 yard strike







    He shoots, he scores, he celebrates







    Seba celebration!







    And some more







    Marius Rovde checks that David Ousted is still awake after having nothing to do all half







    Pedro Morales lines up a second half free kick







    The battles of a Cascadian derby







    Never worried







    Caps post-game huddle







    Carl Robinson assures Stefan Frei no-one would have stopped that one







    Erik Hurtado leads the humba







    One for the ladies!







    Four Cascadia Cups, but soon to be five stars




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

    Steve Pandher
    It was the Whitecaps who were pressing early for the first goal as there were a number of chances in the first ten minutes. They almost broke through in the second minute when Erik Hurtado was sent in the on the keeper but Stefan Frei charged out to grab the ball.
    The Caps were finally able to break their goalless streak in the 12th minute when Sebastian Fernandez scored his third of the season to give the home side the lead. After some nice buildup Pedro Morales found the Uruguayan cutting into the middle of the pitch and after taking a touch Fernandez blasted the ball into the top right hand corner beating a diving Frei.
    There were chances for the Caps to double their lead but they were not able to make that final ball count. Both Manneh and Hurtado had chances but their shots from wide angles were easily stopped by Seattle’s keeper.
    There was a period near the end of the first half when the Sounders controlled the flow of play and dominated possession. However while they caused Vancouver’s backline to bend,, there was no breakthrough for the visitors as the Caps held on to the one goal lead at halftime.
    Coming out of the break it was Manneh who made a nice run at Seattle and was brought down just at the edge of the box. Unfortunately the subsequent free kick by Morales was ineffective as it hit the edge of the wall set up by the Sounders.
    The Sounders continued to press for the equalizer and came close on a number of occasions. Just after the hour mark second half sub Tristan Bowen had his shot earmarked for the far post but a diving David Ousted kept him off the scoresheet.
    With about twenty minutes to go the Caps had a glorious chance to extend their lead when Morales sent Hurtado in alone on goal. Unfortunately the sophomore was unable to score when he miss hit his attempted chip into the hands of Frei.
    The Sounders made attempts in the closing minutes but Johnny Leveron came up big with a couple of big blocks. In added time, Marco Pappa made an attempt from distance but his shot sailed just over the bar as the Caps were able to secure the their first win after the World Cup break.
    It was their dominance in the midfield that was their main strength as the trio of Morales, Laba and Koffie controlled the flow of the match and broke up any threats from the Sounders. Both Leveron and Mitchell were able to handle the physical strike force of Cooper and Barrett limiting the duo to only one shot on target.
    If there was one cause for concern it would be in the attack as there were a number of chances for them to extend their advantage. While both Manneh and Hurtado made some electrifying runs into the box there were there too many missed chances as they didn’t use their teammates in the final third effectively.
    With the win the Caps hold on to fifth place in the Western Conference while still holding games in hand against the teams above. They also take over the lead in the Cascadian standings as they attempt to hold on to the Cascadia Cup for another season.
    The Whitecaps return to B.C. Place next Saturday as they take on another Western Conference opponent Chivas USA.
    Final Score: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 - 0 Seattle Sounders
    Att: 22,500 sell-out (8th consecutive sell-out this season)
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    David Ousted; Steve Beitashour, Carlyle Mitchell, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Gershon Koffie, Matías Laba, Sebastian Fernandez (Russell Teibert 86), Pedro Morales (Christian Dean 90+3), Kekuta Manneh (Nigel Reo-Coker 68); Erik Hurtado [subs not used: Paolo Tornaghi, Nicolas Mezquida, Darren Mattocks, Omar Salgado]
    Seattle Sounders
    Stefan Frei; Jalil Anibaba, Chad Marshall, Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez (Aaron Kovar 86); Marco Pappa, Michael Azira, Brad Evans, Lamar Neagle (Tristan Bowen 55); Chad Barrett, Kenny Cooper (Cam Weaver 74) [subs not used: Josh Ford, Fabio Pereira, Sean Okoli, David Estrada]
    *** Post game reaction to follow ***
    Squizz
    What can Canada do to get back to the World Cup? Everyone has their own ideas, but not everyone has the hands-on knowledge to propose real and meaningful solutions. Paul Varian, a former executive with the country's largest youth club, has that hands-on knowledge, and has shared some of his thoughts in this guest column. You can get in touch with Paul on Twitter, @paulvarian.
    With the World Cup reaching its pointy end, we're all talking about what Canada needs to do to join the party. Here's my list of 10, based upon what I've seen work in successful sport both here and abroad.
    1) Invest in grassroots-level coaching
    Yeah, yeah, you've heard this one before. But the reality is that precious few soccer clubs genuinely invest in coach development. Some may have a small budget to send coaches on coaching courses. But virtually none that I have seen have a long term plan for coach development, with the proper resources committed to it.
    Strangely, coach quality isn't seen as a means of competitive edge by clubs, certainly in terms of what they invest in. High performance youth soccer leagues like the OPDL in Ontario and the BCSPL in B.C. have helped by mandating coaching standards for club participants. But it's a drop in the ocean of what's needed.
    To see how it can be done, look no further than Hockey Canada. Even with participation rates lower than soccer, Canada is ranked No.1 in both men's and women's hockey. Gold medals swing around the necks of both national teams to prove it. Hockey has no trouble converting grassroots participation rates into elite, world class athletes.
    When I ask top Hockey Canada people why, I'm told it's because grassroots-level coaching in hockey in Canada is second to none.
    Think about it. Throw a dart at a random rink in Canada. There you'll find a coach who has definitely played the game extensively, with a coaching certification that is required for them to coach. Do the same with a random soccer field. You'll most likely find a well-meaning and committed coach who probably hasn't played the game and has no qualifications at all. It's a fundamental gap in the game that is surprising the CSA and its affiliates haven't taken a more stringent approach on.
    In fairness, developing technical leadership is front and centre of the Association's new strategic plan. But this needs to be backed up with implementation and resources. The CSA and its affiliates (including the hundreds of community youth soccer clubs around the country) simply must set higher coaching standards across the game at grassroots and deploy capital to support it.
    2) Be bold in driving highperformance programming at the youth level
    High performance soccer in Canada is constantly dragged back by the recreational culture in which it is forced to operate. Parent pressure to keep all youth soccer cheap, convenient and "easy" means the elite side of the game at the youth level is stifled and startlingly under-developed.
    You simply don't see this in other sports. Parents of top tennis prospects can pay five-digit sums annually, like those of gymnasts, swimmers, skiers. Hockey's even worse. And in some sports, you've got to go up pegs and move to another province if you want to be part of it.
    In these sports, they hunker down and get on with it. There's an acceptance that it's expensive, travel-laden, inconvenient and high-risk. Sure, we'd love it to be different. But this is the reality of high performance sport in Canada.
    In soccer, we are outraged if the program isn't a few hundred bucks, with training located in our postal code, on a day that works for cottage time. The Canadian soccer culture just doesn't fit the high performance mentality and requirements.
    Sure, I'm being flippant here, and a bit unfair to the highly committed rep soccer parents who do put a lot in. And yes, it's starting to change in places. For example, parents connected to the OPDL are admirably embracing the new challenges that high performance has thrust upon them. But OPDL is only one piece of the puzzle.
    To truly succeed, we need a mindset change from everyone supporting the game at youth level. We must accept we can't play at the World Cup with House League programming.
    3) Invest in junior national team squads
    Who's been the most exciting team in this World Cup? Chile. How did that happen? Look back to the last World Cup in South Africa. Chile sent a young squad, practically their outgoing U20 squad. They had no expectation of winning the tournament with that team. But they knew the experience would create a squad for future World Cups that potentially could.
    Penalty kicks go differently last Saturday against Brazil and we're talking about them possibly winning the World Cup this year. Imagine what they'll be like in Russia!
    Canadian soccer needs to have the same bravery of long-term ambition. This may mean sacrificing the present, or immediate future, for longer term success. We are blessed with a highly competitive women's national team and are hosting the Women's World Cup next year. Put them in the spotlight right now.
    Assign the men to long term R&D. Field U20 squads in senior games. Go to the Gold Cup with a bunch of kids. See what they can do without the pressure of World Cup qualification. Look to the women for success today. Quietly build the men for tomorrow. Maybe we'll have a competitive men's team quicker that way, rather than focusing on older players who just aren't good enough.
    4) Develop a uniquely Canadian soccer system and style of play
    In Canadian soccer, we're constantly told that we should be like the Dutch, or the English, or the Spanish, or the Argentinians. Or all of them. These are great soccer nations, and we should learn what we can from them. But we can't simply replicate them in Canada. Nor should we necessarily want to.
    Some people point to the kids in the slums of Rio, who get to play all day for free. Heck, they even make their own ball. This is why Canada is behind and Brazil is ahead, I'm told. But can we seriously consider that as a solution for Canada? Clearly we can't push our kids into the streets, forsake their education and have them make their own ball in the name of being like Brazil. (By the way, given the choice, I'm sure the shanty town kids would rather not make their own ball).
    No, we must accept the reality that Canada is different than other countries. And in some cases, extremely different. We must build our own system, based on our country's idiosyncrasies.
    This extends into our style of play. We can't just copy others. Do so and we'll always be behind. By the time we've copied what's good, those who invented it will have moved on. We'll be copying again. Always reactive. Also playing catch-up.
    Copying isn't as easy as you think. Ask Aron Winter has easy it was to bring 4-3-3 Dutch total football to Canadian soccer.
    No. We must build our own canoe. Like Irish football did in the 1980s. In the mid-80s, the Irish national team couldn't fill their own stadium. They'd never qualified for any major tournament. In came Jack Charlton as team coach. A no-nonsense Yorkshireman from England's World Cup winning team of 1966. He introduced a harassing, kick-and-chase style of play to the team. An Irish style of play, complete with silly catch phrase "we'll put 'em under pressure".
    For the soccer purists, it was dreadful to watch. But it got Ireland to the Euros in 1988 and three of the next four World Cups from 1990 to 2002, where they progressed to the knock-out stages each time. It worked because it was their style of play and other nations weren't ready for it. Eventually opponents wised up, of course, as nations have to Spain's tiki-taka. But Canada must do something similar. We must build our own canoe. Because other nation's canoes simply may not float for us.
    5) Be patient
    It's great that everyone is passionate for success now. But there is just no shortcut to all of this. Bringing our national teams to the level needed means stripping all the way back to our youth.
    Credit the CSA and their provincial affiliates. They have recognized this and instituted important change through Long Term Player Development that makes sense. LTPD is without question the right philosophy and framework for athletic development and is widely adopted by most sports globally. The trouble is, many nations got on with it years ago. We're just starting implementing now. It is working its way into competition design and coaching curricula throughout the country and we'll see the benefits of this. But it is going to take time.
    How long? Longer than you want to hear. Forget about the next World Cup. And arguably the one after that; just getting to Qatar would be an achievement. Realistically, we're targeting 2026. And yes, that's what other nations have done when strategically planning sport.
    Look at Australia. They decided to redevelop their Olympic program after a terrible showing at the 1976 Montreal Games. The fruit of this wasn't realized until Sydney 2000, 24 years later. Look at German soccer. It took them 10 years to reinvent their men's national team to become what it is now. And they weren't exactly starting from ground zero.
    Yes, people will hate what I'm saying here and probably refute it. But until we stop gambling on the short term at the expense of long-term priorities, we won't develop as a soccer nation. We must have the political will to make this bold decision.
    6) Be realistic
    I hear lots of great ideas on Canadian soccer. But so many seem to require the investment of huge sums of money over long periods of time. Where does the money come from? "Find a sponsor" is the usual shrugging answer.
    The reality is that big money sponsors are not plentiful and are driven solely by sport markets, not their "love for the game". They can also be here today and gone tomorrow. We must start being realistic about what is achievable with the resources the game has to hand. Can we expect the CSA and its affiliates to develop every aspect of the game to the hilt at the same time and remain solvent? No, the CSA has to box smart and prioritize its investment focus.
    Again, we need not look far from home for examples of this. Own The Podium was a program that was criticized for targeting certain sports over others in search of medal success at Vancouver 2010. It was a brave move. But it was necessary, with limited resources to properly support sports that could genuinely succeed in Vancouver. It was unrealistic to treat each sport the same way. Fourteen gold medals later and no one is challenging the decisions made by Own The Podium.
    We need to humble down and get realistic in Canadian soccer too. We can't do everything all at once. We must be clear on what's a priority and be brave and honest in accepting what's not. Over-programming simply means a whole load of half-baked pies.
    Is it realistic to launch a Canadian professional national soccer league when there is no evidence of attendance levels to support it? Can everything in the game be free or heavily subsidized? We must be understanding of the realities of Canadian soccer, particularly its resource base, and not force our governing bodies into commitments that aren't effective or sustainable.
    7) Stop trying to please everyone all the time
    It's a Canadian strength, and also a weakness. We want everyone to be happy. We love to ensure no one is left out. Unfortunately, this virtue means we spend too much time talking and debating, and not enough time making firm decisions and implementing.
    Australia is the complete opposite. Their sports system is heavily geared to elite success. But this success defines the nation. They want to be winners more than participants. Their system ruthlessly targets certain sports and certain athletes, backed by big government dollars. It's openly inequitable and unfair. But Australians know that trying to please everyone doesn't get results on the world stage. They also know getting results on the world stage tends to please everyone.
    I'm not saying we throw out good principles of equity in Canadian soccer. But sometimes it's about doing what's right, not what's popular. That's definitely the case for high performance sport, which is exclusive by its very nature. Trying to please everyone on the matter in Canadian soccer is futile. Consult with people? Yes. Take on good ideas that make sense? Absolutely. Learn from others? Right on!
    But letting everyone who has a say also get their way simply doesn't work. We'll we'll remain paddling in circles if we try.
    Sometimes we must commit to a plan, even if we aren't all in agreement. It's an essential attitude in high performance sport. Top coaches don't take a straw poll from their players to decide on how they are going play a game. To be winners, we have to be bold and entrusting of our leaders and their direction. Even if we don't agree with it, or even fully get it. If we want to win, maybe at times we have to be a bit more Australian and a little less Canadian.
    8) Come out to soccer grounds and start watching Canadian soccer
    A Canadian professional soccer league is on many people's wish list. As bullets come, this doesn't get more silvery for some people as a fix to our World Cup absence. Don't get me wrong. We definitely need an expanded Canadian professional game. But a pro league does little for Canadian soccer until we have a steady stream of talented Canadian players populating it, and consistently large numbers of Canadian spectators watching it. The second is particularly important.
    Pro sport is wholly reliant on spectatorships and viewerships. It cannot work without the revenues that these stakeholders bring. Trying it without a spectator base means its eventual demise is a mathematical certainty. But if people fill the bleachers, its viable and can work even in small, amateur sports.
    Look at Dutch field hockey. Field hockey is not a big spectator sport. Yet Holland has a fully fledged professional national league, full of the world's top field hockey players. Why? The Dutch are field hockey mad and come out to watch games in their droves. They fuel a pro league that sits out of place compared to field hockey in most other nations. Their national teams reap the rewards.
    So if you want a Canadian professional soccer league, it's really down to you. Get out to professional soccer games in Canada. Not just MLS. Go to NASL and PDL games. Support Ontario's new League One. Anything where Canadian talent in being nurtured into a professional career through a Canadian franchise. Because without your ticket-paying support, there is no professional game here.
    9) Start working as a team
    There's politics in every sport. But the constant bickering in Canadian soccer is exhausting. Fingers are always pointing. Too many people play a winner-takes-all game. Too many pontificate about putting the player first and doing it for the kids. Not enough actually do it, especially if it's not in their direct interests.
    Too many clubs and private academies squabble with each other over players. League bodies operate independently and disrespect their governing bodies in a manner that wouldn't be tolerated in other soccer countries. In turn, governing bodies can be politically charged and get accused of poor accountability, service standards and tangible support for the grassroots game.
    It's a tiresome mess that I know of many good people who have looked at and walked away from.
    To get anywhere, we have to stop the routine blame, public ridicule, flagrant disrespect and open aggression we show to one another in the game. It's just like on the field of play. If people are afraid to do anything new for fear of the barrage of abuse they will get for it, we will never learn nor grow.
    Others have done it. Look at Skate Canada. Provincial governing bodies are replaced with operating "sections" of the national body. Hey, I'm sure people don't agree on everything over in the Canadian skating world. But they all know they are part of Skate Canada, skating towards the same goals of success in Canadian skaters. And look at the results. Not bad.
    Let's agree on this. If we aren't happy about where Canadian soccer is, it's ALL of our faults. And its ALL our responsibility. Bury the hatchet. Sign the peace deal. Let's start focusing on our own positive contributions instead of picking apart everyone else's.
    10) Modernize the governance of the game
    Yeah, it's boring and its always preached about. But it's where we essentially win and lose in Canadian soccer. The structure of Canadian soccer is outdated, inefficient and unattractive to the investment and leadership that is needed. Credit the CSA, who has reformed its own boardroom to dramatic effect, and plans to cascade governance alignment into its membership. But so much remains to be done.
    Impressed with our tennis players recently? Take a look at the well-oiled machine that is Tennis Canada. Visit the Rexall Centre. Go to the Rogers Cup, see how it is run. Look at the PSAs promoting their version of LTPD, featuring Milos Raonic. Look at the quality of their executive leadership. There's a cohesive, cooperative sense of ambition that drives their success.
    Canadian soccer must work to govern the game better. The work that has started at the national level must be driven into all corners of the game, so strong leadership and investment is attracted to the game at all levels. Without it, we are swimming in syrup.
    Paul Varian is Principal of Capitis Consulting, a sports management consultancy based in Ontario, and a Chartered Director. He was previously Chief Administrative Officer of Oakville Soccer Club in Canada, the largest soccer club in North America, President & CEO of Sport BC in the period building up to and during the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and was Chief Executive of the Irish (Field) Hockey Association from 2004 to 2007.
    James Grossi
    Maxim Tissot
    Tissot made his third and fourth starts for Montreal this week, as the Impact collected four points, kept two clean-sheets, and climbed out of the basement in the East, if only for a few days.
    Fielded out of his usual left-back position, up-field on the left-side of Montreal’s midfield attacking trio, Tissot was allowed to make the most of his attacking talents, rampaging up that flank, providing Montreal with some of the dynamism that they have been sorely lacking this season.
    On Wednesday in Vancouver, Tissot was all over the pitch, taking set-pieces, and generally forcing the play. He took corner kicks – finding Karl Ouimette for a free header on one occasion; free-kicks – most memorably he got one horribly wrong, it sailed well off target, but his next attempt was nearly forced in at the back-post; and drew one of the best saves of the night from David Ousted when his shot from the top of the box was deflected by Johnny Leveron.
    His passing was excellent – slipping in Andres Romero drawing Ousted into a quick sprint out to quell the threat and later picking out Jack McInerney with a long ball, though the forward could not settle it for a shot.
    The Gatineau, Quebec-native also mixed it up a little, picking up a yellow card after ten minutes for grabbing a hold of Kekuta Manneh in transition, then nutmegging Carlyle Mitchell in the 82nd, prompting the defender to trip him up and see a yellow of his own.
    He nearly won the match for Montreal with a cracking left-footer from a McInerney lay off, but his effort struck the bar and the match ended 0-0.
    Tissot was equally impactful on Sunday when Montreal won 3-0 over a struggling Houston side at home, again mixing it up – picking up his second yellow card of the season (and in as many matches) for a late sliding tackle on Giles Barnes, as the Canadian tracked his run to the end-line.
    Again he was a handful on the break for the opponent, prompting Will Bruin to pull him down on a strong run up the left, drawing yet another yellow. After putting in a solid two and a half hours of work for his side, he made way for Justin Mapp in the 60th minute.
    Kofi Opare
    Opare made his fourth start of the season in Los Angeles’ 0-1 win over San Jose on Saturday night in front of some fifty-thousand fans at Stanford Stadium – it was just his fifth appearance of the season, all coming in the last two months.
    As the left-sided centre-back, paired with fellow youngster, Tommy Meyer, Opare was tasked with keeping a lid on the tenacious Steven Lenhart, limiting his chances to almost nil.
    He got a good block of one attempt in early, and then did enough to prevent Lenhart from getting a free header on a bouncing ball, though he did lose his mark on one occasion late, from a Sam Cronin free-kick that required LA keeper, Jaime Penedo, to tip the header over the bar.
    Opare also exhibited his excellent reading of the game, stepping in to cut out a potentially dangerous pass from the tricky Djalo and also blocked an Alan Gordon attempt from distance.
    The Niagara Falls, Ontario-product nearly got on the score-sheet himself, with two bites at the cherry after Stefan Ishizaki struck the post – Opare could not corral the first rebound, but directed the second towards goal, only to strike his teammate, Gyasi Zardes, who was in the way.
    Opare also played their entire ninety minutes when LA crashed out of the US Open Cup at the hands of the Carolina RailHawks in the Fifth Round,
    Get this kid into a Canadian training camp as soon as possible – once he cleans up a few lapses in his game, he will be up there amongst the best in MLS.
    Tesho Akindele
    Akindele made his sixth-straight start for FC Dallas in their scoreless draw at Columbus on Sunday – it was his seventh start and tenth appearance of the season.
    The match was originally scheduled for Saturday, but inclement weather and the severe injury of a fan prompted its postponement.
    Akindele took to the field as Dallas’ lone striker, providing a central point off which their midfielders could run – especially Andres Escobar, who was lively. Tesho put in his usual solid shift, pestering the opposition – doing enough to rattle Columbus keeper, Steve Clark, on a long throw, preventing him from cleanly collecting the ball, which bobbled around in the box dangerously.
    But he was once again haunted by the need to see three or four chances before finding the back of the net, passing on two glorious looks – the first after Escobar had sauntered through half the Crew defenders before laying off to Akindele, whose right-footer struck the post with the goal gaping, and then on one of his regular near-post moves, getting on the end of a Je-Vaughan Watson cross, only to see the ball hop at the last minute and his effort rise over the bar.
    Akindele was the hero in Dallas’ 2-3 win in Houston in the US Open Cup, capitalizing on a Warren Creavalle turnover in the 98th minute. Post-match he commented, “They left the pass short, I stole it and turned the guy, had some space so just put a shot on target and it went in. Overtime, everybody is tired, so it was really a big deal for all of us.”
    He continued, “We’re super excited. It’s always good to beat Houston, in-state rivals, and go another round in the Open Cup.”
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio made his fourth-straight start for Toronto FC in their 2-2 draw in New York – it was his eighth start of the season.
    Paired in the middle of the pitch with Collen Warner, Osorio looked a little out of sorts for the first half hour, slipping on one occasion to allow a turnover and twice not making the effort to commit to potentially fruitful runs forward.
    But the Toronto, Ontario-native picked up his game in the second half with a moment of class,
    , who picked out Jermain Defoe at the near-post to level the match at ones in the 55th minute.As the match wore on, his partnership with Warner grew, the two forging an understanding of where and when to find each other. Osorio then lifted a hopeful ball over the New York back-line for Defoe, but the striker could not bring it down before nearly getting on the end of a TFC corner kick.
    He did hesitate on one occasion, forcing Defoe into an offside position by delaying when his teammate wanted an early ball.
    Osorio was shuttled out to the left when Bradley Orr replaced Luke Moore in the 81st minute, but neither could prevent Red Bull from getting their equalizer.
    Patrice Bernier
    Bernier made his eighth and ninth starts for Montreal this round.
    Paired in both matches with recent-acquisition, Gorka Larrea, Bernier was commanding in the middle of the pitch, and playing alongside the savvy Spanish veteran, he was allowed more freedom to roam forward, getting involved in the build-up.
    In Vancouver on Wednesday he nearly helped the Impact break the deadlock late on when his sharp, quick free-kick laid a ball down the side of the box for Jack McInerney, resulting in the Maxim Tissot shot that struck the woodwork.
    The Brossard, Quebec-native made way for Santiago Gonzalez in the 88th minute as the match wore towards a score-less draw.
    Come Sunday, Bernier again was instrumental in the middle of the pitch – his burgeoning partnership with Larrea allowed Montreal to move the ball much better than they have for most of the season.
    He made a strong run up the middle before threading in Eric Miller down the left, but the rookie scuffed a wasteful shot. His vision was rewarded in the 79th minute when he played Andres Romero in for a shot down the left.

    , who made no mistake into the gaping net.Will Johnson
    Johnson made his seventeenth consecutive start for Portland in their 0-1 loss to Kansas City on Friday night, continuing his ironman run for the side.
    From the base of the midfield, alongside Diego Chara, Johnson nearly put his side in the lead after just eight minutes when his low shot from the top of the box after a Diego Valeri corner kick deflected off Seth Sinovic, but Eric Kronberg was able to react and save.
    The Toronto-born midfielder had another crack from the upper reaches of the area in first half stoppage-time, but it was blocked.
    Come the second half, he showed some good moves, cutting around a KC defender after picking up a Rodney Wallace back-heel, but forced himself a little too wide to cause any trouble. Johnson then flung a corner kick into the box in the 70th minute and a good follow-up cross for Fanendo Adi, but Kronberg was able to get out and punch.
    With Portland trailing, Johnson pushed forward as the match wore on, particularly looking to sneak in at the back-post to little avail.
    As the clock wound down he would pick up a yellow card, his third of the season, in the 95th minute for a biting challenge on Jacob Peterson that sent his opponent sprawling.
    The two sides had met just four days earlier in the US Open Cup with Portland winning 1-3 in Kansas City. Johnson scored Portland’s second of the game in the 58th minute, converting from the penalty spot after Aurelien Collin had felled Steve Zakuani in the area – the goal extended his scoring streak to four game (all competitions).
    Post-cup match, he noted, “We came in here with a game plan, we played well. It was a tough opponent. I think it says a lot about their depth, they’re missing a lot of guys and they put out a good team and a good fight. I thought it was a great match, really. I think it says a lot about two of the better teams in MLS.”
    Russell Teibert
    Teibert began his week on the bench for Vancouver against Montreal, entering the fray in the 75th minute for Darren Mattocks, closing out the match with energy, but minimal impact.
    Come Saturday he returned to the starting eleven, alongside Matias Laba at the base of the Vancouver midfield, in a losing effort, 2-0 in Colorado.
    He started out well, getting in a crack from distance after eight minutes that dragged wide of the left-post, but
    , who opened the scoring for the Rapids in the 20th minute.Undaunted, the Niagara Falls, Ontario-native continued to work hard, once holding off Marlon Hairston allowing David Ousted to clear – the keeper cleared the ball into Teibert, who was not pleased with the turn of events.
    Teibert, as always, was full of running, bursting forward down the right to float a ball for Jordan Harvey at the back-post, but the defender could not make the connection. Then in the 84th he found Carlyle Mitchell with a cross to the right-post, but it was too close to goal and the defender could not get an angle on the shot.
    Doneil Henry
    Henry made his third-straight start for Toronto FC in their 2-2 draw at New York – it was his seventh start and eighth appearance of the season.
    Alongside Steven Caldwell in the centre of the defense, Henry was lucky to escape a booking early when he hacked down Lloyd Sam after being force to defend out wide near the left-touchline – centre-backs hate being force out so far.
    He made amends sharply with a lovely tackle to deny Bradley Wright-Phillips when Thierry Henry tried to slide him down the attacking right – Wright-Phillips repaid the favour with a late challenge minutes later, that kept Henry down injured for a moment, though he got up and walked it off after some treatment.
    Whether that was a factor in his slow reaction to the Chris Duvall cross that picked out
    – it was odd for Henry to get beat in the air by a smaller fellow – can only be speculated upon. He took his revenge on Duvall, attempting to burst forward on one occasion and clattering the Red Bull full-back in the process.Henry was again a force in the opponent’s area on free-kicks, nearly getting on the end of a lofted TFC free-kick before half-time, but Luis Robles, the New York keeper, just managed to hold the ball.
    The two sides of his game were once more on displace - he did very well to get enough of a dangerous Wright-Phillips shot to take the sting off, making Joe Bendik’s save easier, but shortly thereafter played a poor ball straight to the other Henry, of the Thierry variety, who set up a troublesome chance that Wright-Phillips put wide.
    And like his centre-back partner Caldwell, Henry could be found complicit on New York’s stoppage-time equalizer,
    , who slipped his finish under Bendik in the 93rd minute.Karl Ouimette
    Ouimette made a third-straight start for Montreal in Vancouver – it was his seventh of the season.
    Reprising his role at left-back, Ouimette was solid, though he did concede a foul on Kekuta Manneh that led to a dangerous Vancouver free-kick.
    The Terrebonne, Quebec-native got on the end of a Maxim Tissot corner kick in the 52nd minute, but could not turn his header on target.
    Ouimette was an unused substitute on the bench for Sunday’s win over Houston.
    Issey Nakajima-Farran
    Nakajima-Farran made his third-straight start for Montreal on Wednesday night – it was his fourth appearance for his new club and ninth in MLS.
    Starting on the right-side of midfield, Issey was lively, but failed to really make an impact on the match.
    The Calgary, Alberta-native did manage a shot from a corner kick, though it was blocked, and nearly found Jack McInerney with a lifted ball in, but David Ousted read it well and was out quick to deny.
    One turnover led to a dangerous Kekuta Manneh free-kick, before making way for Eric Miller in the 67th minute.
    He was not in the game-day eighteen come Sunday.
    Wandrille Lefevre
    Lefevre made his sixth appearance of the season for Montreal on Wednesday in Vancouver, replacing Gorka Larrea in the 76th minute – it was his first from the bench.
    The French-born defender was caught in the face by an errant elbow from Gershon Koffie, drawing a yellow card.
    He too was not included in the matchday squad for Sunday against Houston.
    Rob Friend
    Friend made a second-straight substitute’s appearance for LA against San Jose – it was his ninth appearance of the season, the fifth from the bench.
    Replacing Gyasi Zardes in the 81st minute, Friend threw himself around, earning and conceding a foul, and making a 93rd minute headed clearance deep in his own box.
    The Rosetown, Saskatchewan-native played 69 minutes in LA’s Fourth Round US Open Cup victory away to Arizona United a few weeks ago.
    Dwayne De Rosario
    De Rosario made his eighth appearance of the season, entering Toronto’s match in New York in the 90th minute to replace the injured Gilberto.
    The Scarborough, Ontario-native made a valiant effort to block Matt Miazga’s long ball, launching himself into the air to little avail, but the service instead found the head of Cahill, leading to the equalizer.
    The Rest
    Ashtone Morgan, Kyle Bekker, and Nana Attakora were on the bench for their respective sides.
    Kyle Porter and Nana Attakora got run outs in DC United’s US Open Cup match at the Rochester Rhinos; they lost 1-0 as the defending champions were bounced from the competition.
    Some of the
    .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
    Michael Crampton
    Once one of the perennial powers of MLS the Fire have slipped into a listless and seemingly directionless existence over the past half-decade. After missing the playoffs last season – though it did come down to their final game in New York – Chicago’s ownership decided to end the club’s long relationship with Frank Klopas, who moved on to take the head coaching position Montreal.
    Fire fans were by and large underwhelmed, however, when the club announced the appointment of Frank Yallop as Klopas’ replacement. Yallop, of course, is a former MLS Cup winner from his time in-charge of the first MLS iteration of the San Jose Earthquakes, and lead the current edition to a Supporters Shield title in 2012, but was seen as an uninspired choice for a club looking to reconnect with a disaffected audience. Subsequently, a long winless streak to start the season did little to raise expectations or silence doubters.
    On the field, forward Mike Magee, while clearly established as the face of the franchise, has found it hard to recapture the form that propelled him to last season’s MLS MVP award. Out of sync with all prior production levels, Magee scored 21 goals during a remarkable 2013 season but has returned closer to his historical output so far this year with only 4 goals from the Fire’s first 14 MLS matches.
    When they have found success, the Fire have benefited from two surprises that have resulted in a far more balanced attack than Toronto FC’s Jermain Defoe reliant offense. Former Red Quincy Amarikwa, not remembered fondly in Toronto due to his short stay during some of the darkest days of Toronto’s worst season, has surprised everyone with five league goals to date. Amarikwa does have an MLS Cup championship ring from his time in Colorado, but that was as the fourth striker on the Rapids depth chart, and virtually no one was expecting him to emerge as a regular starter, let alone scorer, for the Fire in 2014.
    The other surprise has been the emergence of rookie Harry Shipp with five goals which have tied him for the team lead with Amarikwa. Shipp’s goals all came in two explosive multiple goal performances, including two against the Seattle Sounders in the Fire’s last league game before the World Cup break over three weeks ago.
    For Toronto, the objective will be to maintain the more fluid attacking style that created, by their standards, a plethora of shots, opportunities, and ultimately two second half goals versus New York in their last match. Dropping points in stoppage time was a disappointment Reds fans are used to but the overall quality of the performance against the Red Bulls gave positive indications that the team is still moving in the right direction.
    Toronto FC has never won in Chicago but, if they can break that streak, would start the process of using their copious games in hand to create a gap between themselves and the teams chasing the playoff positions in MLS’s Eastern Conference. Against a team stuck at the bottom of the conference, it’s time for the Reds to establish themselves as a team that can be relied on to take full points, even away from BMO Field, when expected.
    James Grossi
    Four delicacies for one’s viewing pleasure this round, each special in its own right.
    In chronological order, up first is Toronto FC’s Brazilian designated player,
    , who opened his account in style with a thunderous free-kick in New York:His petulance before hand was entirely justified – one must wonder if that is exactly what he needed to kick-start his season – a nagging hip flexor injury may have other ideas, however.
    Free-kicks a little too static? How about this half-field run and finish from Philadelphia’s
    – yes, Danny Cruz:What a run and what a hit – seems when he is not throwing himself about recklessly, the man can play some ball.
    Not to be outdone, Chivas’ Mexican sensation,
    evidenced his quality with this cracking volley against Salt Lake:Simply unstoppable – appears that somebody has been getting ideas from watching the World Cup.
    And finally, as if those three were not enough, what to make of this from Montreal’s
    :Not sure he knew exactly what would happen there, but the audacity to try was well rewarded with a goal of the year candidate.
    But, which one is best?
    Keep an eye out for some other weekend gems – Dillon Powers’ roll-and-spin move on Russell Teibert was immaculate, as was Andy Dorman’s pass to set up Sair Sene’s strike
    On to the results:
    Midweek Result in a Sentence

    MLS returned with an uneventful scoreless draw between the two Canadian sides, who never really got out of first gear. The two did exchange cracks off the woodwork, as Maxim Tissot struck wood in the 73rd minute and Jordan Harvey did likewise in the 77th.
    Results in Brief

    The first of Friday night’s action saw New York play host to Toronto. Given Red Bull’s propensity for slow starts, TFC came out of the gates flying, taking the match to their Eastern Conference rivals, but it was New York who would strike first when Thierry Henry found left-back Ambroise Oyongo streaking down the flank.
    He cut back onto his right-foot around the attentions of Dominic Oduro – making his first league start for his new side – and sent a cross towards the penalty spot where Peguy Luyindula beat Doneil Henry to the ball, angling his header towards the far-side of goal in the 36th minute.
    TFC would draw level in the 55th when Jonathan Osorio laid a ball down the right for Oduro, who picked out the run of Jermain Defoe with a near-post ball, allowing predatory finisher to dart in front of Jamison Olave and clip a right-footed finish across a helpless Luis Robles.
    Toronto would take the lead seventeen minutes on from a free-kick, but not until after a flaring of tempers saw Defoe and Gilberto exchange words as the two battled over the right to take the set-piece. Gilberto won out in the end and was sure to make an impact, smashing a right-footed blast in off the underside of the bar after a twinkle-toed run-up.
    The duo was all smiles after the Brazilian’s wonder-strike.
    But, as was so often the case in the past, Toronto could not protect that lead, conceding a 93rd minute equalizer to Bradley Wright-Phillips after Tim Cahill entered the fray, flicking on a long ball from centre-back Matt Miazga to the left-post, where the deadly Englishman finished his twelfth goal of the season with a left-footer than squeezed under a moving Joe Bendik.
    The 2-2 draw was a fair result on the night, extending both side’s undefeated streaks – to three for New York and to five for TFC, though their winning run was halted at two. As they had entered the match, the two remain separated by a mere point, sitting in fourth and fifth place in the East, though Red Bull has played four matches more.

    Friday’s other match pitted two foes well familiar with each other, having met just four days earlier in the US Open Cup – Portland won that match in Kansas City, 1-3.
    The Timbers looked to reprise that success when Fanendo Adi nodded in a Darlington Nagbe cross after fourteen minutes, but the big striker had drifted offside by the thinnest of margins. Ten minutes later the visitors would snatch the lead from a long throw, when Seth Sinovic, stepping up to the touchlines in place of the absent Matt Besler, launched a toss from the right-side.
    His delivery bounced off the outstretched leg of Kevin Ellis in the middle and fell kindly to Lawrence Olum, who had drifted towards the near-post, away from his marker Pa Modou Kah. The Kenyan international Olum, pounced on the loose ball, smashing a low right-footer across Donovan Ricketts and into the Portland goal.
    The Timbers nearly made amends before half-time, but Nagbe’s looping header drifted fractions wide of the top corner.
    With the second half, though the match opened up to a lively back-and-forth affair, neither side could find further breakthrough. Frustration set in for a raucous close that saw both sides have a penalty shout waived away, while three yellow cards were flashed in consecutive minutes.
    With the 0-1 win, Kansas City, who are still struggling for numbers with injuries and international duty, continued their rebound from that five-match winless run that blighted their May, picking up a second-straight win – and a modicum of revenge for getting bounced from the US Open Cup.
    Portland, who are now winless in two, succumbed once more to their Achilles’ heel – conceding first, which they have done in twelve of their seventeen matches, prompting some interesting rhetoric from Caleb Porter – more on that below in the Overheard segment.

    Saturday’s schedule got underway with a tasty clash between the two clubs at the top of their respective conferences – with the East’s leaders DC United entertaining the West’s Seattle at RFK Stadium in the American capital.
    Somewhat dampening the affair, both sides were without key players, as Fabian Espindola, the catalyst for much of DC’s success, picked up a knee-knock that will see him miss four-to-six weeks, while Seattle not only missed Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin, who are with the Americans in Brazil, but also Obafemi Martins, who collected a red card prior to the break in Chicago.
    Regardless of the oppressive Eastern seaboard conditions, the two engaged in a lively contest, without properly threatening the other’s goal. That is until Seattle recycled a cleared Gonzalo Pineda corner kick back to the Mexican veteran on the right side.
    Pineda, who has been a gem of an addition this season, picked up his head and spotted Chad Barrett unmarked in the middle, to ping a lovely cross towards the edge of the six for the journeyman MLS striker, who helped it on to the far-side of goal for the game’s lone strike.
    As the oppressive humidity began to wear on the players, DC could not find a way back in to the match, continuing their fruitless streak against the Sounders – who, with the 0-1 win, have now taken points in their last four meetings, while not conceding to United in nearly four hundred minutes. They did have chances: Eddie Johnson, making his first – and only appearance of the season – against his former employer was visibly frustrated at not being able to make a clean connection with a Sean Franklin cross in the 82nd minute and in the final minute of regulation rookie Steve Birnbaum saw his free header drift wide of the target.
    The Sounders, who have built a ten-point gap atop the league with 35 points from sixteen matches, continue to roll on, winning a third-straight match and stretching their current unbeaten run to five matches.

    Up next was an all-Eastern affair between New England and Philadelphia, one that featured a debut of sorts, as interim manager, Jim Curtain, who replaced the departed John Hackworth, took the reins for his first MLS match.
    With the start of May, the Revolution were the form team of the league, in the midst of a five-match winning streak and seven-match unbeaten run, but with the close of the month, two losses revealed that this is much growth to be undertaken by the young, exciting side.
    That down-turn continued, as a mistake gave Philadelphia the breakthrough three minutes before the half-time whistle. Union keeper Zac MacMath launched a long ball up the field that stalwart centre-back, Jose Goncalves, would have easily dealt with in happier times. Instead the veteran Portuguese allowed the ball to bounce – a cardinal sin – then could only watch in horror as Sebastien Le Toux intercepted his back-header, touching past Brad Knighton.
    Further hesitation again proved costly in the 69th minute, when Danny Cruz collected the ball deep in his own half and was allow a free fifty-yard run towards the Revolution goal. The prime culprit was AJ Soares, who backed off and backed off, as Cruz cut to the top of the arc to bury a right-footed dipping shot into the bottom right-corner of the New England goal, doubling Philadelphia’s advantage.
    Sair Sene would pull one back for the hosts after Andy Dorman split open the Philadelphia defenses with a ball down the right-side of the box for Kelyn Rowe. Rowe deftly squared a pass through the goalmouth for Sene to tap into the open goal with his left-boot in the 73rd minute.
    But Le Toux, who has found his scoring boots in recent matches aided by a return to the forward line, responded with his second of the game five minutes later, receiving a return ball from Andrew Wenger and placing a low, right-footer into the bottom left-corner of the net – it was his sixth goal in their last five matches, all competitions.
    With the 1-3 win, Curtain collects his first MLS win, adding it to a pair of Open Cup victories during the break and Philadelphia begin to turn around their opening half struggles by collecting points in their last two, leapfrogging struggling Houston in the standings.
    The loss was a third-straight for Jay Heaps’ revolution, who must seek to redress their defensive worries, as the seven goals conceded in the losing spell has now dwarfed the six they conceded in their recent unbeaten run.

    As that match wound down, midway across the continent, the next one was getting underway, as Colorado welcomed Vancouver to the lofty confines of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
    The Rapids wasted little time in testing their guests, just three-days removed from a midweek match against Montreal; it was Dillon Powers who fired a warning shot after seventeen minutes, pouncing on a loose ball in the Whitecaps box, though his thunderous right-footer could only set the crossbar a-trembling.
    Three minutes later, Powers would not be denied, deftly letting a deflected, right-sided Marvell Wynne cross run across his body as he turned away from Russell Teibert high at the near-post and smashed a low, left-footer to the far-side of goal.
    Vancouver struggled to connect in the mountain air and before long Colorado had doubled their advantage – this time from the penalty spot in the 37th minute, after Nigel Reo-Coker foolishly bodied Deshorn Brown to the ground inside the box. The fit-again Vicente Sanchez would convert, driving his left-footer into the bottom right-corner, leaving David Ousted no chance at saving.
    Sanchez would nearly add a second three minutes later, with an audacious, acrobatic overhead attempt, but Ousted was equal to the challenge.
    The second half slowed dramatically with Colorado bossing the play around a tired Vancouver side. The Whitecaps would force at least one good save out of Clint Irwin, who got down low to deny Johnny Leveron from the top of the box in the 83rd minute, but it was not to be.
    The 2-0 win was Colorado’s second over Vancouver – having come from behind earlier in the season on a stunning brace from Jose Mari – extending their unbeaten home form to four matches; it also disappointly ended Vancouver’s MLS club-record unbeaten run at eight matches.

    The first of two West Coast nightcaps was the headliner of the evening: a California Clasico in front of some fifty-thousand fans at Stanford Stadium.
    When these two meet, there tend to be some fireworks, but this match, though far from a damp squib, did not live up to that billing, as both were without key pieces and focused on staying compact at the back, thus limiting the chances of the opposition.
    Steven Lenhart menaced the young LA centre-back pairing of Kofi Opare and Tommy Meyer, but could not find purchase; San Jose’s best chance of the game came from Jason Hernandez, who squirreled his free header off target.
    The Galaxy, who played a patient match, finally found a breakthrough in the 61st minute with some lovely buildup that saw Robbie Keane drift out wide to the right, from whence he picked out the sneaky run of Marcelo Sarvas with a curling ball. The Costa Rican, elated at his nation’s success in Brazil, wisely laid off the ball to Gyasi Zardes lurking above the penalty spot for a side-footer into the top-right side of the goal.
    Startled, San Jose nearly conceded another eleven minutes later, when Stefan Ishizaki cut in from the right, only for his blistering shot to carom off the far-post. The rebound fell kindly to Opare, but both his follow up attempts were blocked – first by Busch, then by a prone teammate, Zardes.
    As in their wont, the Earthquakes ensured a thrilling ending – Lenhart saw a header in the 88th minute tipped over the bar by Jaime Penedo and Keane nearly added a second for LA, rounding Busch only to have Ty Harden block on the line in the 92nd.
    With the 0-1 win, LA continue their slow march up the table, stretching their current unbeaten run to five matches – aside from TFC, LA has played the fewest matches in the league after a series of bye-weeks early; they may currently sit below the red line, but their points per game has them one of the top sides in MLS.
    For San Jose, who were without Chris Wondolowski, Shea Salinas, Victor Bernardez, and Clarence Goodson, it was a solid outing that lacked the finish provided by those missing starters. Slim consolation can be found in the fact that their last three losses (against Seattle, Toronto, and LA, some of the classiest teams in the league) have all been by a single goal; evidence that they are not far off of success.

    Meanwhile back in Los Angeles, an entirely different outcome was brewing.
    Expansion cousins from the 2005 class, Salt Lake and Chivas have seen their shared history diverge in recent years – with Salt Lake soaring to the top of the league, renowned for their style and Chivas, after a few strong seasons, crashing and burning.
    On paper, this night could only end one way; luckily for Los Ameri-Goats, matches seldom go as they should.
    The evening turned after just nine minutes when Salt Lake midfielder Luke Mulholland threw himself recklessly into a challenge in the centre-circle, clattering into Martin Rivero, catching him on the knee with his studs, leaving the referee little choice but to show the only red card of the weekend.
    It was not particularly malicious, but nevertheless Mulholland was off and Salt Lake were down to ten men.
    Chivas looked to make that advantage count and nearly did so seven minutes later when Leandro Barrera rounded Jeff Attinella, in for Nick Rimando – away on national team duty, but the Chivas attacker was deemed offside. Despite Chivas bossing the action, Salt Lake did not give up, and nearly took the lead themselves in the 26th when Joao Plata was ruled to have drifted off – he finished anyways, but it did not count.
    Nine minutes later, Chivas would find their breakthrough when left-back Tony Lochhead intercepted a pass and strolled up his flank before hitting a curling ball towards Cubo Torres, who had drifted behind Chris Schuler into the space vacated by Abdoulie Mansally.
    Torres tracked the flight of the cross hungrily and made no mistake with his first-time volley, smashing a right footer past Attinella to put Chivas in the lead.
    With minutes shy of an hour remaining, Chivas had numerous chances to pad their win, but they could not find the final ball with Mauro Rosales, Barrera, Torres, and Carlos Alvarez all wasting solid looks. That profligacy left the door open for Salt Lake, who, despite their disadvantage fought hard to the final whistle, and may have won a penalty kick in the penultimate minute of regulation, when Plata went over Dan Kennedy as the two contested for a ball – no call was forth coming.
    As this may well be their final season under the Chivas banner, perhaps it was only proper that the LA-based side got one over on their birth-year relatives; the 1-0 win was their first in five matches, snapping a winless run and picking up their first clean sheet of the season – something worth celebrating to be sure.
    For Salt Lake, who stunned the league with that twelve-match unbeaten start, the loss was their third in their last four matches, stretching a winless run to five matches – not to mention a US Open Cup humbling at the hands of NASL side Atlanta.

    Originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, but postponed due to inclement weather and the serious injury of a supporter (more on that below), Sunday began with an early afternoon match in Columbus.
    Both teams struggled in the heat and humidity of a midday sun, as well as with the jigging of their internal match clocks and the lack of a proper atmosphere (due to the short notice of the rescheduling), causing the match to be played at a snail’s pace.
    Despite the conditions, Dallas nearly took the lead when Columbus goalkeeper, Steve Clark swatted at a long throw which fell at the feet of Andres Escobar, whose effort was blocked en route to goal by Michael Parkhurst.
    Columbus were limited to shots from range in the first and the visitors should have taken the lead shortly after the half-time restart when Escobar made a strong run up the left, evading several defenders before setting up Tesho Akindele, but his effort struck the post.
    Akindele, the cup hero against Houston, nearly made amends eight minutes later, when Je-Vaughan Watson picked him out at the near-post, but the ball bobbled slightly and his touch could only put it over the target.
    Clark came up big to deny a strong David Texeira header in the 83rd minute and Jairo Arrieta found Columbus’ best chance a minute later, when Alvaro Rey – making his league debut for his new club – picked out the forward with a chipped pass, but his right-footed effort could only find the out-side netting.
    It should come as little surprise that two of the league’s struggling sides – Columbus have just one win in their last twelve and Dallas one in their last ten – should combine for a scoreless draw, their third and second-straight, respectively.

    The final match of the round saw two strugglers in the East take to the pitch, with the added dimension of them not liking each other.
    Ever since the Impact selected Houston club legend, Brian Ching, in the expansion draft, there has been a lingering tension whenever these two meet, culminating in that horrendous close to last season’s knockout playoff round that saw two Impact players red carded.
    Montreal may sit in the basement of the conference, but since winning the Voyageurs Cup, they’ve looked to turn their season around – picking up a draw in Vancouver midweek was a good start. Houston may look a little better off, but a woeful run of four-straight losses has them plummeting.
    After a few half chances were exchanged and a few yellow cards issued, Montreal found their breakthrough in the 41st minute when Gorka Larra, their new Spanish midfield, moved the ball wide to Eric Miller on the left. He took on Kofi Sarkodie, cutting in-field to tee up a cross, which was met by Jack McInerney at the edge of the six, helping it on to the far-side of goal.
    McInerney, who has been red-hot of late, added his second of the match in the 75th minute in the most outrageous of fashions, somehow contorting his body to get a touch on a Justin Mapp cross that looked out of his reach, looping a finish on to the far-side of goal – miraculous finish. Marco Di Vaio, who was screaming for his teammate to leave it, could only shrug in admiration.
    Di Vaio would get his goal four minutes later, after Andres Romero broke in down the left-side of the box – Tally Hall would save his effort, but the rebound would fall straight to the Italian poacher, who touched into the gaping net.
    With the 3-0 win, Montreal begin their ascent out of the cellar, leapfrogging over an idle Chicago side, collecting a second-consecutive clean-sheet, and stretching a modest unbeaten run to two matches, while continuing the trend of the home team winning each of the seven all-time meetings between the clubs.
    Houston, on the other hand, could not arrest their slide, falling to a fifth-straight loss, losing those matches by a combined score of 13-0 – they have not scored in nearly five hundred minutes of play.
    CanCon
    As usual, the extended Canadian Content review will be posted tomorrow (Wednesday), late in the afternoon – shame that it was not ready for Canada Day.
    With two Canadian clubs seeing double-game weeks, there were plenty of local lads on the pitch this round, featuring some standout performances from some of the less-heralded names: Maxim Tissot, Kofi Opare, and Tesho Akindele, as well as the usual candidates.
    Horrible News
    Columbus Fire Department Lt. Stu Tudor was injured prior to the Saturday kickoff between the Crew and FC Dallas when he was struck by lightning, which prompted the match to be moved to Sunday at 2 pm.
    Nobody should ever be injured at a sporting event, so send some positive vibes his way.
    For more information, check out the Columbus Dispatch. Crew fans held up a banner at the match that read “Get Well Stu”.
    Overheard
    That one of their fans was injured while attending a match resonated deeply with Columbus, Gregg Berhalter began his post-match comments with class, focusing on the important matter at hand - “First, I want to give our best wishes and thoughts and prayers to Stu Tudor and his family. We are all in his corner and he is one of us. He has been on our mind in the last 24 hours.”
    Justin Meram too had the incident on his mind, “You hear something like that, and you don't want to play. There's a fan out there that was coming to watch all of us, and he's a guy who saves lives himself. Here he is, on a Saturday, coming to the game and relaxing and that happens. So I think that [postponing the match] was the right thing to do."
    Vancouver’s Carl Robinson was forthright in his assessment of his side’s 0-0 draw against Montreal on Wednesday, "Well it wasn't very enjoyable watching it, was it. I didn't enjoy watching it and I think the players didn't enjoy playing in it. Bad day at the office, I think you'd call it.”
    Caleb Porter chastised his team for their repeated poor starts, “We can’t keep relying on ‘Operation Come From Behind,’ And it seems like every second half it’s, ‘Alright, Operation Comeback, we need to score one, score two’. And we’ve pulled out a lot of them, which shows that this team has spirit, shows we have a good attacking group, but we fell short tonight, and you’re going to fall short if you put yourself in that position as many times as we have.”
    See It Live
    Defoe and Gilberto disagreed over who should take the free-kick, then celebrate with smiles – excellent dramatic swing.
    Eddie Johnson really wanted to score against his former side, but could not manage his hang-time right in the 82nd minute – his frustration was palpable – and audible.
    Ty Harden’s clearance smacked straight into the face of Khari Stephenson, giving LA a chance, but both Harden and fellow centre-back, Jason Hernandez, recovered well.
    Nat Borchers, who became a new father during the break, is sporting an epic amount of facial hair
    Controversy
    No real controversy this round, as the combination of heat and rust kept most of the matches pretty tame – the one penalty kick was obvious, as was the red card.
    Salt Lake thought they earned a penalty, as Joao Plata went over Dan Kennedy as the two challenged for a ball in the 89th minute, but the non-call was fair enough.
    US Open Cup
    The fourth and fifth rounds of the US Open Cup, played over the break, featured some shocking results: the Red Bulls fell to the Cosmos in the first-ever meeting between the two New York sides, defending champions DC United were tossed by Rochester, and Salt Lake exited at the hands of Atlanta, all in the third round. While the fourth saw the LA Galaxy ousted by Carolina, as had their LA-brethren Chivas the previous round, perennial contenders Sporting KC fell at home to Portland, and an extra-time winner from Tesho Akindele sealed the result for Dallas over their Texas rivals, Houston.
    With the field whittled down to the final eight, the quarterfinal matchups are as follows: Philadelphia-New England; Atlanta-Chicago; Carolina-Dallas; Seattle-Portland.
    The matches will be played over two days next week, with the first match on 8 July and the other three the following day – be sure to catch the Cascadia match, should be a good one.
    Upcoming Fixtures
    Back from the break, the action continues thick and fast as a pair of midweek matches make way for a holiday weekend schedule that features five matches on Saturday (July 4th is a big holiday state-side, Independence Day and all – there will be fireworks), three on Saturday, and a lone Sunday fixture.
    Wednesday: Chicago-Toronto; San Jose-Chivas. Friday: Houston-New York; Dallas-Philadelphia; Colorado-Columbus; Salt Lake-New England; Los Angeles-Portland. Saturday: Toronto-DC; Vancouver-Seattle; Chivas-Montreal. Sunday: Kansas City-Chicago.
    That LA-Portland tie looks to be a good one, while Toronto-DC, that may have been a stinker last season, will feature two of the best sides in the league, to cap off the night, a tasty Pacific Northwest clash between Vancouver and Seattle could get heated.
    All video 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
    Steve Pandher
    Part One on Wednesday looked at the U16s, and Part Two takes a look at the U18 players that finished second in their division before suffering playoff heartbreak this week.
    The U18 players in this ranking could see the pitch as a professional sooner rather than later. This will be an important time for the players as they transition from academy life to playing with men much bigger.
    As per every year, the following rankings are a snapshot of where the players are in their development combined with the potential they show to develop into professional footballers and taking current age into account.
    Because potential is so hard to predict, it is not an even measurable with the player’s current status. We feel there isn’t a reason any of the lower ranked or unranked players couldn’t develop into future professionals.
    The rankings are put together after getting input from a number of sources. Included in this review is an independent scout who has seen the Residency players in action on a number of occasions.
    2014 U18s ONES TO WATCH


    5 – Jordan Haynes
    POS: MF/DF
    HT: 5'10"
    YR: 1996
    HOMETOWN: Peterborough, Ontario
    STATS: 26 GP, 24GS, 2G
    OVERVIEW: Haynes is one of those players that are versatile enough to play a multiple number of positions including both attacking and defensive ones. He was a big part of the U17 national team that played in the World Cup and helped the U18s make the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
    OUTLOOK: While Haynes is still eligible to return for another season with the Residency there might be a chance for him to be loaned and get some playing time with a pro club at a lower level. If he does return then expect Haynes to be one of the leaders of the squad next year.
    SCOUT’S TAKE: A tireless worker who can play in multiple positions. A player with a preferred left foot, he is excellent at either left back or left midfield, but also demonstrated his ability to play at a holding midfield role or as a box to box midfielder. Haynes also has good pace and good endurance. A big part of Haynes’ progression will be challenges to continue doing what he is doing now with the 18s at the next level. This will be partly up to him to take the chance, and partly up to the Whitecaps in finding him the right opportunities.
    4 – Jackson Farmer
    POS: CB
    HT: 6'2"
    YR: 1995
    HOMETOWN: Edmonton, Alberta
    STATS: 19 GP, 19GS, 1G
    OVERVIEW: The Edmonton native had a solid season starting with the U18s, earning a couple of call ups to national team camps and impressing with the first team at Whitecaps training camp. The only tough part of his year was his loan spell with Charleston of USL PRO where he was unable to breakthrough into the starting lineup and was being played at right back when he did get time.
    OUTLOOK: Farmer is officially graduated from the Residency program. It seems like the Caps are interested him as a future player and it will be interesting to see where they can find him playing time to continue his development, as he needs to be playing regularly to do that.
    SCOUT’S TAKE: A solid, technically gifted centreback, Farmer is particularly comfortable in playing the ball out of the back as he is composed and aware of what is happening around him. His speed, pace, and athleticism allow him to keep good positions tactically and take chances every now and then in knowing he can recover quickly. It is now up to him to continue to perform at the next level when he gets a chance. In addition to continuing to improve his overall game, Farmer will need to add a little bit of 'ruthlessness' to his centreback role.
    3 – Mitch Piraux
    POS: CM
    HT: 5'10"
    YR: 1995
    HOMETOWN: Calgary, Alberta
    STATS: 27GP, 25GS, 5G
    OVERVIEW: Everyone knew that Piraux was a solid player but he was clearly the biggest riser of all the Residency players when it came to potential in the pro ranks. He really impressed everyone, including Carl Robinson, at preseason camp with steady play as a holding midfielder. Piraux can contribute offensively as well as he finds players with his passes and has a deceptive shot from a distance.
    OUTLOOK: Similar to Farmer, the Caps will have to find Piraux some playing time with a pro team since he has graduated from the academy ranks. His development has come on apace this past year, so regular minutes will be needed to keep that going.
    SCOUT’S TAKE: The holding midfielder has come a long way this season. Piraux has a real knack of showing for the ball in tight areas and in getting out of those areas with vision, technique, and quick play (usually one touch). He is always looking for the ball and to help out his teammates. Piraux also has a keen sense of when to get into the box and has scored some very good goals this season. To continue his progression as a central midfielder, Piraux will need to become a little tougher in the tackle and continue to show he has what it takes to move through the ranks – IE, more of the same.
    2 – Kianz Froese
    POS: MF
    HT: 5'11"
    YR: 1996
    HOMETOWN: Brunkild, Manitoba
    STATS: 22GP, 21GS, 12G
    OVERVIEW: Froese had a much better season this year compared to the season before, especially with his ability to remain healthy. In addition to his strong play in residency Froese has not looked out of place playing for the U23s and with the first team in his start in the Voyageurs Cup tournament. In addition to his normal central midfield role, he has played striker for the U18s and winger against TFC.
    OUTLOOK: He can still return for another year with the Residency and may follow a similar path to Adekugbe and Carducci where he signs with the first team but plays at the lower level.
    SCOUT’S TAKE: Good strength, technique, and pitch awareness. Froese has had a good season with the Whitecaps and the National Program. He has more than demonstrated the ability to move up and confirmed his progress with excellent movement, skill, readiness to play at that pace of the game, and desire to work hard at the first team level. To be successful long term, Kianz will need to focus on his fitness level and endurance to play the game consistently at the highest level.
    1 – Marco Bustos
    POS: CM
    HT: 5'7"
    YR: 1996
    HOMETOWN: Winnipeg, Manitoba
    STATS: 24GP, 23GS, 19G
    OVERVIEW: It was a close run thing, but Bustos was just able to edge out his teammate from Manitoba for the top spot this year. He was the engine that ran the U18s as he both scored and created goals for his teammates. Bustos showed in his limited opportunities with the first team that he is not as far off becoming a pro player despite his size.
    OUTLOOK: He is eligible to return for another season in the USSDA and like Froese could sign a MLS contract but play the majority of the year with the U18s. How much of a development that would be for him is questionable, as he was standing out a lot in the last few games of the U18s season and needs the challenge of playing against older players to really continue to come on.
    SCOUT’S TAKE: This boy WILL be a pro! What is to be determined is at what level he can attain - with this scout believing it can be at the very top in the game. We saw glimpses of what he can do technically and his ability to be a factor in attack when he played for the first team against San Jose in the preseason tournament, as well as his participation in the Canadian Championship. Bustos’ training habits and work rate have improved considerably this year, but he will need to work on his strength and 'staying power' to allow him to play 90 minutes at the first team level to be the major influence in a game he can become.
    HONOURABLE MENTIONS
    Keepers are the hardest players to see into the future as to how good they can become, which is a reason why Nolan Wirth just missed making it into the Top 5. Both Chris Serban and Ali Musse joined the team part way through the season and there just wasn’t enough to judge with. Hayden Simmonds-O’Grady arrived even later in the year and split the season with the U16s but will be an important part of the U18s next season and could be a breakout star.
    So that concludes our look at the "Ones To Watch" for 2014. We'll be back with another next year, but in the meantime, try and get out and watch some of these guys in action. You won't be disappointed.
    FURTHER READING:
    2014 Whitecaps Residency Ones To Watch (The U16s)
    2013 Whitecaps Residency Ones To Watch (The Top Five)
    2013 Whitecaps Residency Ones To Watch (Places 6 to 10 and bubbling under)
    2012 Whitecaps Residency Ones To Watch (Top Three)
    2012 Whitecaps Residency Ones To Watch (Places 4 to 10)
    2012 Whitecaps Residency Ones To Watch (Places 11 to 15)
    2012 Whitecaps Residency Ones To Watch (Places 16 to 20)
    Michael Mccoll
    Report:
    Colorado Rapids grabbed their second win of the season over Vancouver Whitecaps in Commerce City on Saturday night, as the Caps continued to struggle to find their form after the World Cup break.
    A 20th minute opener from Dillon Powers and a 36th minute penalty from Vicente Sanchez saw the Rapids on easy street and they were able to coast through the second half in a match they controlled from start to finish and ran out worthy winners.
    The loss brought to an end the Whitecaps' eight game unbeaten run in MLS, but for Carl Robinson, the main concerns will be trying to find out what happened to the free flowing Whitecaps from before the break and finding the right mix in defence.
    Carl Robinson rang the changes as expected, with a couple of surprises thrown in. Andy O'Brien was rested, allowing Johnny Leveron and Carlyle Mitchell to partner in the middle of the defence, with Russell Teibert coming in for Gershon Koffie just in front of them.
    Uruguayan pair Sebastian Fernandez and Nicolas Mezquida came in on either side of the midfield, with Vancouver hoping the interplay they showed preseason would be recreated in Colorado. That certainly wasn't the case.
    It was another fairly quiet start to the match, with Teibert whizzing an 8th minute shot wide left being the only real moment of note for either side.
    Colorado nearly took the lead from nowhere in the 17th minute when Mitchell's poor control in the box fell to Dillon Powers and he crashed the ball off the bar.
    It was the third time in two games that the crossbar had come to Vancouver's rescue but it was only to provide a temporary respite as the Rapids took the lead two minutes later.
    And it was Powers again, who collected a Marvell Wynne pass in the box, easily turned Teibert and sent a low shot through the legs of Mitchell and past David Ousted into the bottom left corner.
    The Rapids had a few more half chances, as the Whitecaps defence looked all at sea, and it was no surprise that they doubled their lead in the 36th minute.
    Deshorn Brown easily turned Mitchell, but seemed to be chasing down a nothing ball when Nigel Reo-Coker sent him crashing in the box. It was a clear penalty and Vicente Sanchez made no mistake from the spot.
    The Caps were lucky to get in at the half just two down and Robinson wasn't shy at letting his team know he wasn't happy, making a double substitution for the second half and bringing on Gershon Koffie and Darren Mattocks for the two Uruguayans.
    It was a half of very little in the early running, with Colorado quite content with the two goal lead they had.
    Vancouver's substitutions had made them slightly more lively but it took until the 62nd minute for anyone to come close to pulling a goal back, when Pedro Morales fired a shot wide from 20 yards out.
    Johnny Leveron finally got Vancouver first shot on target in the 82nd minute, when his deflected shot was turned around for a corner, but that was about it as far at the Whitecaps showing any sense of getting a way back in.
    It was the second terrible performance from the Whitecaps in the space of four days and questions will now, rightly, be asked if their bubble has burst?
    Three big points were lost today again playoff rivals and with a big Cascadian derby coming up next week at home to Seattle, they need to find some kind of form inflation pronto.
    FINAL SCORE: Colorado Rapids 2 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
    ATT: 14,798
    COLORADO: Clint Irwin; Chris Klute, Drew Moor, Marvell Wynne, Shane O'Neill; Vicente Sanchez (Marlon Hairston 69), Nick LaBrocca, Dillon Powers, Jared Watts, Kamani Hill (Edson Buddle 81); Deshorn Brown [subs Not Used: John Berner, Thomas Piermayr, Marc Burch, John Neeskens, Gabriel Torres]
    VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Nigel Reo-Coker, Carlyle Mitchell, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba (Mehdi Ballouchy 70), Russell Teibert, Sebastian Fernandez (Gershon Koffie 46), Pedro Morales, Nicolas Mezquida (Darren Mattocks 46); Erik Hurtado [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi; Steven Beitashour, Christian Dean, Kekuta Manneh]
    Reaction:
    VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
    Carl Robinson
    On whether the Wednesday game against Montreal affected play today:
    "Maybe, but I think they played Tuesday as well so I’m not going to use that as an excuse. Obviously we know it’s altitude and the pitch was slow but I think they deserved on the day so I’m not going to use that excuse."
    On what went wrong in the first half:
    "Lots. I think we sat up to try to keep possession of the ball a little bit better. That happened in certain stages but we took away our threat and then we give away two bad goals. At the end of the day if you look at both goals, the lead up to them has not been great with not right positioning. We switch off and then allow [Powers] to turn in the box and shoot through two legs. And the second goal was a penalty which I’m not complaining about. It’s a blatant penalty, but a miscommunication between Nigel [Reo-Coker] and David [Ousted]. "
    On what he sees from the team in the last two games (a loss and a scoreless tie):
    "I think we could play better. We know that. Obviously everyone will look at the result and I said to you all along that we’re going to win games we don’t deserve to win and we’re going to lose games where we probably don’t deserve to as well. Today, I don’t think we deserved to win the game. We probably got what we deserved, and we’ll go back to work. "
    Nigel Reo-Coker
    On losing their first match in nine games:
    "If you look at the whole season so far we’ve lost three games out of 15. That’s not bad. We’re disappointed. Every team around the world has spells like this. Even the top teams. Manchester United, Liverpool, you name it. They go through a spell in the season where they might lose one or two games and we’re just going through it now. There’s so much believe and confidence in this team right now that we’ll definitely bounce back. That’s going to be the real sign and the test of how good of a team we are and I do believe that we will bounce back."
    On whether they were outperformed by Colorado:
    "I don’t really think that we were truly outperformed. We gave away two poor goals and they didn’t really create too many chances. I don’t think they dominated possession in our half at all. We had good possession. I think the one thing that we can be disappointed about today is that we gave the ball away too easily in certain areas. We should have worked harder to keep it better in certain areas. But like I said, you’re going to get games like that in the season. For us this is the first real bad patch of bad ones. At least three games so far, 15 games into the season, is still a great place to be."
    On what happened that caused the penalty kick:
    "I just think it was a miscommunication between myself and David [Ousted]. I saw David coming out and then we kind of hesitated amongst each other and no one really took command of the full situation."
    COLORADO RAPIDS
    Pablo Mastroeni, Colorado Rapids Head Coach
    On the effectiveness of the performance in the second half:
    "Today they found a way to shut that team out in the second half. You can’t teach that. You don’t work on that – you can talk tactics and techniques all you want, but on a given day, with emotions running high, [Vancouver] wanting to score a goal and wanting to get back in the game, the resiliency of the group and their ability to stick together, and work through those tough times, was tremendous today."
    On the players working hard throughout the match:
    "I don’t know any other way. Those players, every game we’ve played this year, have come off the field exhausted. And that’s why we’ve been managing them through the week as best we can, to try to recover. We know the type of effort they’ve put forth, not only physically, but it’s draining to have to communicate, it’s draining to have to think and conceptualize ideas that are foreign to them. I think today, coming off an MLS break and a couple weeks of not playing MLS competition, to be able to respond like they did was a step in the right direction for the group."
    Dillon Powers, Colorado Rapids midfielder
    On the game overall:
    "I think it was a very important win coming off the break. We wanted to start off on the right foot getting three points especially at home against a conference team. That was big. Going into the game we wanted to have a strong defensive performance. A team defensive performance. I think getting the two goals helped us really focus on the defensive side, and I think we were successful today."
    Shane O’Neill, Colorado Rapids defender
    On the defensive performance:
    "We went in with a game plan for Vancouver. We knew they had some good speed up top, with Hurtado and Mattocks, and I think we executed perfectly tonight. The first half we were really smart, kept the ball really well, but in the second half it was more of a grind, just trying to battle it out. We did that. The communication on the backline was huge tonight, it was a lot better, and I think going forward that has to be the standard. If that’s the case, I think we might go on a good run here."
    On how to repeat this performance:
    "Just communication along the back line, asking the same from each other as we did tonight. In the last 15 minutes, we were all just fighting for each other. I think if we do that, first half it’s all about controlling the game, setting the tempo, possessing. Second half you just have to grind it out. As playoffs approach, these games get tight and the defence has to step up."
    Steve Pandher
    "Being from Europe, I can say soccer is in my blood and I fell in love with this sport from the start." Serban told AFTN this week.
    He continued rising through the ranks of Alberta Soccer and it was soon clear to him that there was a chance he could play for a living.
    "I was about 12 when I was playing at the top level in Calgary (CMSA Div 1) and was also selected to play for the Alberta provincial team, so I developed a taste for the potential opportunity of playing professionally."
    During his developmental years he would play five years with current Whitecap Marco Carducci, in addition to playing with and against other soon to be future Residency players like Sam Adekugbe, Mitch Piraux, and Jackson Farmer.
    However it was his coach and former Whitecaps Residency manager Thomas Niendorf who helped get Serban a trial with the Caps, which was successful and he joined the club a week later.
    Former Residency head coach, and current MLS assistant, Gordon Forrest has liked what he's seen from Serban since he's come to Vancouver.
    "He's come in to the program and he's a great kid, good attitude," Forrest told us. "He applies himself very well to training and games and in that right fullback position he's done a very good job. That's an area of the Residency we've been looking to strengthen.
    "His strengths are his character and his application to the training and games, his work rate. He's so energetic, he just wants to do well. He's got qualities going forward and defensively as well."
    This isn't the first time Serban has left home to take an opportunity to grow his game, as he spent portions of the last ten years playing in tournaments and training with clubs across Europe. In the last few years he trained with teams like Valencia (Spain), Fortuna Dusseldorf (Germany) and CFR Cluj (Romania) and that time in Europe Serban feels really helped his overall game.
    "These experiences were very rewarding and helped me develop new skills and grow as an individual", Serban notes. "I had the privilege to work with many amazing coaches and play with some very talented players. The encouragement I got from all the coaches I worked with was to continue the hard work and my love of the game."
    Most would think after training with European clubs, joining an academy of a North American team would feel like a drop off but Serban didn’t see much of a difference.
    "Both are extremely well structured and have quality training sessions. In Residency there are many coaches/trainers that work with the players to ensure they are at their best compared with Europe where one or two coaches only are responsible for running the entire program.
    "In the months I’ve spent here, I have improved my speed of play, tactical awareness and physicality through rigorous training and lots of game time against tough opposition. Working with great coaches that always provide constructive feedback has also helped me build my skills further."
    Despite training with, and playing for, so many experienced coaches the most influential person in Serban’s game is his dad Florin, who is also a linesman for the Calgary Soccer Association.
    "When I was younger, my dad was my coach and he had a huge influence on the way I play the game. He used to say "be quick, but don't rush it." I will always remember those words. Whenever I’m on the ball, I try to be composed and calm. This allows me to make smart decisions."
    However it’s just not his dad, but his entire family, who have supported him in his pursuit of making a career of the sport.
    "Growing up, I’ve always had my family by my side, supporting and guiding me towards building and chasing my dreams. It has been an amazing journey and I know I am here today because of their continuous support and love they have shown all these years. My mom (Daniela) and my sister Eli are my biggest cheerleaders."

    When it comes to patterning his game Serban looks to fellow full backs but the player he admires most is a current Argentine World Cup star.
    "(Pablo) Zabaletta is a player I watch and try to model my game after. I admire his work ethic and the intelligence he has when he advances forward to join the attack."
    Not only did Serban start regularly for the U18s this season (making 15 appearances and grabbing one goal in the playoffs), but when the PDL season started Serban started getting time with the U23 team as their regular right back playing against older players and doing well.
    "I have always had the opportunity to play with older players. This has definitely helped me expand my game in being even quicker on the ball and tested my physicality to its fullest with the U23s as the players I've played against were physically stronger and more experienced."
    Despite making great strides this season with the Whitecaps, Serban realizes that there a number of skills he needs to further develop in order to get to his ultimate goal of playing professionally.
    Graduating from the Residency program will now see Serban take on another opportunity as he heads to UBC to play for the Thunderbirds and study in the Bachelor of Commerce program, whilst also staying in the Caps program at PDL level.
    "There's always room for improvement in all aspects of my game. I can work on my touches, passing, shooting etc. I can also work on the physical side of my game including strengths, speed, agility and flexibility."
    It will be interesting to see Serban's development at UBC. Mike Mosher has built up a very young and talented Thunderbirds team, winning back to back CIS Championships, and it will be a great environment for him to continue his growth.
    For all the talented players the Whitecaps Residency has produced, the right back position has always seemed to be one which has been lacking for future MLS prospects.
    Now, in an already well travelled Calgarian, the Whitecaps may just have that 'homegrown' talent they've been looking for in the position.
    Chris Serban is certainly a player we will be keeping an eye on.
    Michael Mccoll
    It's these kinds of heartbreaks and joys that help with the development of young players. I'm a firm believer that you can't fully appreciate the joy of winning if you haven't suffered the pain of defeat.
    The U18s may be hurting just now, but it will a motivation for them to bounce back, take it up to the next level in their careers, and lift some silverware.
    Both squads did themselves, the Whitecaps and all of us back here in Vancouver proud this past week and the future is definitely looking bright for both the Caps and Canadian football (it should be noted that Montreal's U18s did make it through to the last eight, so well done to them).
    The Caps U18s knew they had a tough task ahead of them if they were to qualify for the last eight and so it proved for them in Group F.
    The week had got off to a mixed start for the guys, taking a point from their first group game on Monday in a 2-2 draw with Solar Chelsea. The Caps had gone into a 2-0 lead in the opening half hour thanks to goals from Terran Campbell and Ali Musse. As the heat, humidity and tiredness took hold though they conceded twice in the second half for what still wasn't a bad draw to get in their opening game.
    Learning from that game and slowly adjusting to the conditions, the Caps bounced back with a 4-0 trouncing of Georgia United on Tuesday. Marco Bustos hit a brace, with a goal in each half, with Kianz Froese making it 2-0 in the first half and Mason James rounding off the scoring with six minutes remaining. Marco Carducci claimed the clean sheet, as the Caps moved to second in their group on four points.
    With only the group winners advancing, the Caps went into their last group game on Thursday knowing that a win would see them reach the last eight for the third straight year.
    Up against them was the number one ranked U18 team in the USSDA, Bethesda-Olney from Rockville, Maryland, a side that conceded just 22 goals during their regular season and banged in 92.
    Bethesda-Olney had won their first two games and were heavy favourites but Vancouver took the game to them and quickly went out into a two goal lead by the 22nd minute mark, thanks to a brace from Nicholas Prasad from two Mitch Piraux corners.
    The turning point came moments after Prasad's second when Carducci was sent off for a controversial foul in the box. Bethesda-Olney's top scorer, Jeremy Ebobisse Ebo, drilled home the spot kick and added another two to give his side a 3-2 lead by the 56th minute.
    The Caps hit back a minute later through Chris Serban, but they couldn't fight off the top seeds and eventually went down 5-3.
    It was hard to take for the young Caps, whose 9 goals was the third highest amongst all the U18 playoff teams and more than six of the group winners. A brave effort but the tough draw and the sending off ultimately hit them hard.
    And that tough draw came about, in part, as a result of the Caps being depleted on several occasions this year when players were away at the U17 World Cup with Canada and at national team camps. Points were lost and a lower seeding came about as a result. Still, it was a great season and a good playoff run.
    “We're so proud of the boys and the effort they’ve given us," U18 head coach Steve Meadley told WhitecapsFC.com. "These boys represented the club this week like the young professionals that they are. We’re absolutely gutted for them, but it was a brilliant, brilliant learning experience for them today. They’ll grow from this."
    They most surely will, but whilst there was agony for the U18s on Thursday, there was ecstasy for the U16s on Friday, who reached the quarter finals for the first time.
    The U16s did it in some style too, topping Group C with a perfect record of three wins and recording two clean sheets in the process and scoring 7 goals.
    They also had to put up with storm delays in their first two matches, being evacuated off the pitch as the rain and lightning came.
    Their first match was on Tuesday, and two second half goals from top scorer Dario Zanatta saw them get their week off to the perfect start with a 2-0 victory over Match Fit Academy.
    Wednesday brought a tough all MLS academy battle, but another goal from Zanatta, this time early in the 9th minute, was enough to see the Caps win 1-0 over Houston Dynamo, with keeper Aidan Aylward keeping his second straight clean sheet.
    The big game came on Friday morning against top seeds Weston, who also had a perfect record. They had won the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference, as the Caps found themselves in the only group with two divisional winners.
    Scoreless at the half, Weston struck first three minutes after the break but that only galvanised the Caps and they hit four answered goals to take the win and the group.
    Zanatta grabbed his fourth of the week to get the Caps back on level terms in the 52nd minute, firing home a Matthew Baldisimo pass. Then two goals in a minute struck the killer blow, the first from Eric de Graaf and then a beauty from Hayden Simmonds-O'Grady. Riley Pang put the icing on the cake with then minutes remaining to secure a 4-1 win.
    "It’s been a great week," U16 head coach Rich Fagan told WhitecapsFC.com. "Every single player, all 18 of them, have given their absolute all every game. I’m so pleased that they performed well and now ultimately they’re being rewarded for their effort and their performance."
    That reward now comes in the form of a home playoff game. Under the new format, the Caps will host Chicago Magic PSG on either July 7th or 9th, with the winner advancing to the Final Four in LA soon after.
    Chicago won Group E this week on 7 points, having got there by finishing second in the Mid-America Division of the Central Conference.
    We had fears of the Caps being screwed over and not being allowed to host in Vancouver, ala SFU in the NCAA, but those fears seem unfounded, with Chicago Magic stating on their Facebook page that they are "Vancouver bound".
    We'll confirm all the details of the playoff date as soon as we can, but hopefully we can get a great support out for the game if it is at a decent time.
    Michael Mccoll
    Have a listen!
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    Michael Crampton
    It’s easy to forget that the summer slog of an MLS season was the graveyard of TFC seasons back in the club’s early days. From Mo Johnston’s original expansion team’s epic goalless drought, to John Carver not winning at home for a comparable amount of time, to Preki-ball running out of gas after a surprisingly good spring, the summer used to be the time close followers of Toronto FC expected everything to go wrong.
    Toronto FC’s upcoming schedule will not be any help in that regard. Between Friday’s kickoff in late June and their game on Civic Holiday weekend in Montreal in early August, the Reds will play seven league games in the month of July. That’s nine games total in a little over five weeks. Success over the course of this stretch -- at least avoiding the sort of extended slump that ended realistic playoff hopes back in those early years – is an essential next step in TFC’s campaign to qualify for a first ever MLS Cup playoff appearance.
    In addition to changing the familiar narrative of their season, Friday evening is also an opportunity to change the narrative of visits to New York. Toronto regularly enjoys success at home to the Red Bulls, and already secured victory over them at BMO Field this year, but away trips to the Big Apple have a tradition of ending dismally for Reds supporters.
    While the final game at the Meadowlands – Toronto FC’s infamous 5-0 loss – looms large in those memories, trips to its replacement, Red Bull Arena, have been equally fruitless: TFC has never taken a point in the newer stadium, and sports a 12-1 aggregate score line over that four game stretch.
    Fortunately, though it adds context, that history will have no impact on Friday’s game. Toronto FC is a team remade and, so far, has exhibited a resolve that has allowed them to grind out points even when missing key players or seemingly not at their best.
    For their part, the Red Bulls are clearly not the same team that lifted the Supporter’s Shield last season. Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, while obviously still dangerous, are both a year older (and Cahill is unlikely to play after just recently returning after Australia’s World Cup elimination). Dax McCarty is having a harder time doing the job of keeping a balance to their midfield and new signing Armando has regularly looked one tackle away from being sent off in the centre of the Red Bulls defence.
    With a draw TFC would stay ahead of New York in the Eastern Conference standings and still enjoy a massive four games in hand. It’s a great position for the Reds to be in and, with any result Friday, will keep them moving towards 2014’s primary objective.
    Aaron Campbell
    Sagno moved to Winnipeg in 2004 from Guinea and joined the Whitecaps Residency program in the summer of 2012 from Portage Trail Soccer Club, making 10 appearances and scoring one goal in his first season at the Caps in 2012/13.
    It's not been an easy road at times for Daniel, who has seen both his parents pass away, but he is starting to thrive in the professional environment of the Whitecaps' Residency program and will be one to keep an eye on over the next couple of years.
    Sagno turned 16 at the end of May and AFTN's Aaron Campbell had a quick chat with Daniel a couple of weeks ago, which we bring you today as we continue Residency Week - Michael.
    AFTN: Manitoba has produced some new great young players for the Whitecaps residency the past few years. (such as Marco Bustos and Kianz Froese). You are another one of that crop. What does it mean to you to be a Whitecap Residency player?
    Daniel: Being a Whitecaps Residency player to me means that I have the opportunity to be a professional football player. It means I have a chance to do something great.
    AFTN: You have had some hard times in your personal life in the past year. How has soccer helped you get through these situations?
    Daniel: I am sure you have heard the saying "soccer isn't just a game its a lifestyle". Soccer is something I share deeply with family and friends. It has helped me in a way I could only imagine. I have met so many amazing people. They have helped me during these situations and they continue to support me off an on the field.
    AFTN: Yourself and Dario Zanatta have formed a great two man scoring duo this year, how much fun is it playing with him?
    Daniel: Dario and I are good friends. Our chemistry off the pitch definitely transfers on the pitch. It's a pleasure playing with him. He pushes me to be a better player.
    AFTN: Who is your favourite soccer player?
    Daniel: Fernando Torres. Although we play different positions I love to watch him play.
    AFTN: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
    Daniel: In five years I hope by then I have a first team contract with the Whitecaps. If not, I hope to be playing professional soccer somewhere and to have represented my country at the International level for several competitions.
    AFTN: You say you what to represent your country playing soccer. Do you want to play for Canada or Guinea?
    Daniel: Canada is where I live. Canada is whom I wish to play for.
    You can follow Daniel on Twitter @danielsagno.
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