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    Michael Mccoll
    The Whitecaps' U18s head into the postseason for the third straight year, looking to make it to Finals Week once again, following their Championship game loss in 2012 and a sixth placed finish in 2013.
    The young Caps finished runners up in the USSDA West Conference Northwest Division, finishing four points behind Seattle Sounders. The Whitecaps ended with a 16 win, 5 draw and 6 defeats record and a 1.96 points per game average after their 27 game regular season. That was good enough to clinch a 15th place seeding in the playoffs and a place in pot 2 for the draw.
    It was a testing season for the U18s who had players missing on a number of occasions due to players being away with Canada at the U17 World Cup in October and numerous national team training camps.
    To still be so strong shows the depth of those who will be taking up the mantle next season, but a number of familiar names will be moving on from the Residency program after the playoffs are finished.
    Marco Bustos led the goalscoring charts for the Caps, with 17 goals in 21 appearances, with Kianze Froese next with 11 goals.
    The Whitecaps were drawn in Group F and if they are going to make Finals Week once again, then they are going to have to do it by beating the number one seeds, Bethesda-Olney.
    They may not be a name known to many, but the Rockville, Maryland side were dominant in USSDA play this season, recording 23 wins, no draws and just two losses in their 25 game season. That gave them a staggering 2.76 points per game total and the top seeding.
    They won the Atlantic Division of the East Conference by nine points from the Players Development Academy, who gained the overall second seeding, showing what a strong division Bethesda-Olney came through to reach the playoffs.
    Bethesda-Olney scored 92 goals along the way and look to be a real, potent attacking threat. Jeremy Ebobisse Ebolo led the way with 29 goals in just 21 matches, whilst Sam Schmidt with 20 goals and Matthew Ledder with 18, weren't far behind.
    At the other end of the pitch they only conceded 22 goals and kept nine clean sheets.
    Nine seemed to be a favourite number for the team. They scored it three times during the season, with their biggest win being a 9-0 hammering of Virginia Rush in October.
    The Caps game against Bethesda-Olney looks like it will be the group decider, but it could still come down to goals and the games against the other two sides, Oakwood Soccer Club and Georgia United, both wildcard teams.
    Oakwood SC are second in the list of wildcard sides, having finished fourth in the Northeast Division of the East Conference behind three MLS academy teams - New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution and Montreal Impact.
    Oakwood hail from Glastonbury, Connecticut and had a 13 win, 6 draws and 4 defeats regular season record on the way to the same 1.96 point per game tally that the Caps had. With 52 goals for and 27 against, Logan Gdula led their goalscoring with 13 goals.
    Eleventh placed wildcard side Georgia United come from Marietta and finished 5th in the Southeast Division of the East Conference with a 1.64 goals per game and a 18 win, 5 draw and 13 loss record. They ended with 59 points from their 36 games, scoring 61 goals and conceding 42. Jad Elkhalil lead their scoring with 12 goals.
    It's going to be tough for the Caps U18s, but if they want to make Finals Week and land their first USSDA championship then they have to beat the best sides along the way, so they may as well get some of those wins out of the way early.
    The Whitecaps' U16s head into the postseason again after missing out last season during a rebuilding year.
    The U16s won the USSDA West Conference Northwest Division title, ahead of San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders. The Caps finished with a 1.93 points per game played record, which was good enough to be ranked 13th in the playoff seedings and be included with the second ranked group of teams.
    The Caps' final regular season record read won 15, drew 7 and lost 5, for a total of 52 points from their 27 games. They scored 61 goals along the way and let in 35. Their two biggest wins came by 5 goal margins, beating Cal Odyssey 5-0 in the second game of the season and thrashing Santa Cruz Breakers 7-2 at the end of April. Both of those wins came on the road.
    The Whitecaps' top scorer at the U16 level was Dario Zanatta, with 21 goals in 24 games, although some of those did come in some games with the U18s. Aymar Sigue had 10 goals from his 21 games, and Daniel Sagno, 8 from his.
    The Caps' U16s have been drawn in Group C, alongside top seeds Weston FC, Match Fit Academy and Houston Dynamo.
    Weston are seeded 7th overall and won the 12 team East Conference Southeast Division with a 2.11 points per game average, racking up 74 points from their 35 games. They had a regular season record of 23 wins, 5 draws and 7 losses, scoring 57 goals and letting in 32.
    That record does indicate that Vancouver may have the better firepower than Weston, with the Florida side sharing the goals amongst Ricardo Oliveros (12 goals), Alessandro Campo (11) and Tomas Garcia-Morillo (10).
    Match Fit Academy hail from Bayonne, New Jersey and are the fifth ranked wildcard side. Match Fit made the playoffs by finishing in fifth place in the 12 team Atlantic Division of the East Conference with 1.84 points per game.
    Their regular season record reads 14 wins, 4 draws and 7 defeats from their 25 games, with 38 goals for and just 22 against. Robert Gillin and Benjamin Muzekari led their scoring with 8 goals each.
    Interestingly, the Players Development Academy won their division and are seeded 4th overall. The Caps' U16s beat the PDA 2-0 in Florida in December.
    Houston Dynamo U16s were the last team drawn to make up the group. They are not another wildcard team, however, and are actually ranked 18th in the main playoff qualifiers.
    Houston finished a long 16 points back from FC Dallas U16s in their Frontier Division of the Central Conference, with a record of 11 wins, 11 draws and 5 defeats from their 27 matches and 1.63 points per game.
    The Dynamo scored 46 goals and conceded 38, with Juan Flores looking to be their dangerman with 25 goals and Christian Lucatero adding a further 14.
    It's going to be a tough week of competition for both of the Whitecaps' young sides, but the U18s and U16s have shown this season what good teams they are and a place in Finals Week in July for both sides is a very realistic proposition.
    AFTN will bring you full coverage of the playoffs during our third annual Residency Week series, along with features, interviews and our 'Ones To Watch' countdown.
    Guest
    During a March vacation to Costa Rica, the driver of the van hauling us through the countryside offered a simple explanation as to the layout of almost every town we passed through. The Holy Trinity he called it: the church, the bar and the soccer pitch.
    Many fans of the Costa Rican national team were probably seeking refuge in one (or both) of those first two institutions after learning the fate of Los Ticos in the World Cup seeding draw. My informal polling of drivers, bartenders and hotel staff revealed a sense of frustration surrounding what, up to that point, had been a reasonably impressive qualifying campaign. A recent survey by the firm Cid Gallup found only 19% of Costa Ricans believe their team will advance to the round of 16.
    So, can they?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Costa Rican soccer enjoyed something of a mini-renaissance in the aughts, at least in terms of qualifying for the World Cup. The 2014 edition in Brazil would have been the country’s fourth-straight appearance in the vast majority of parallel universes in which U.S. striker Jonathan Bornstein didn’t hand Honduras an unexpected ticket to the 2010 dance by sucker punching Costa Rica with an injury time equalizer in Washington D.C.
    This time around, Costa Rica managed home victories over Mexico and the U.S. that helped them to a second-place finish in the Hex. (Of course, 2014 qualifying in Concacaf will be forever measured in terms of how awful Mexico was.) The side only conceded seven goals through 10 games of Hex qualifying, fewest of the group, and boasts some of the best European-based players from Concacaf not belonging to the U.S. or Mexico, such as Bryan Ruiz, Levante’s keeper Keylor Navas and the on-loan Arsenal forward Joel Campbell.
    It would not have been totally crazy to imagine them repeating their famous feat of 1990 and advancing to the last 16, ideally helped along by a benevolent draw. But instead of luck, the Central American nation sits sweating in something that actually does justice to that hackneyed term ‘Group of Death,’ or Grupo del Muerte as the Costa Rican press immediately dubbed the predicament the Ticos found themselves in with England, Uruguay and Italy.
    The official reaction was defiance, summed up by manager Jorge Luis Pinto, who said: “Entre más bravo sea el toro mejor es la corrida,” which loosely translates to, the stronger the bulls the better the bullfight. (Keen readers will note that among the replies of encouragement is one sly devil advising the Costa Ricans to bring a lot of Vaseline.)
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Jorge Luis Pinto: "Entre más bravo sea el toro mejor es la corrida"</p>— FEDEFUTBOL (@FEDEFUTBOL_CR) <a href="
    ">December 6, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    The team
    As if the draw wasn't depressing enough, Costa Ricans recently learned their current leading scorer and most-capped player, Real Salt Lake's Alvaro Saborio, would miss the World Cup due to a foot injury. That likely means Joel Campbell will act as the tip of an attack supported by Bryan Ruiz, Christian Bolanos and Marco Ureña. He cut a solitary figure up front in last week's 3-1 loss against Japan, and according to Pinto, the other attacking midfielders in his 4-3-3 slash 4-2-3-1 formation must adopt a more fluid and interchangeable approach once the World Cup opens against Uruguay on June 14.
    Friday's 1-1 draw with Ireland in Philadelphia probably offered a better showcase of how Costa Rica will approach its Group D opponents (minus the expulsion of defender Giancarlo Gonzalez) -- ie. defend lustily and take your chances. The Ticos fought back from both a man and a goal down through a penalty produced by a nice interchange between Urena and Campbell. In a wide-ranging interview way back in January, Pinto highlighted Costa Rica’s “defensive order” as key to progressing past the group stage, and has returned to this theme in several interview since. The sports daily Al Dia took one look at the 26 players (featuring 10 defenders and five defensive midfielders) Pinto named to his initial squad and proclaimed Costa Rica's opponents "will crash into a defensive wall," and have to sweat a whole lot in order to score. We would certainly hope so, given they playing in a tropical climate.
    The bullfight
    Writing as a sane individual, it's hard to fathom a situation in which Costa Rica advances to the last 16. According to the bookies at bet365.com, the team faces the longest odds of any to advance from their group at 16-1. Costa Rica's chances probably depend more on the other teams. Confidence could be drawn from the fact Costa Rica only narrowly lost to Uruguay in a two-legged playoff at the end of 2009 during World Cup qualification. England is England, and Italy is prone to self-destruction occasionally. It could happen, but likely won't.
    Maybe the roughly one-fifth of the Costa Rican population still confident their team can emerge from Group D consists of the same segment that actively participates in the Central American nation's unique version of the bullfight. Unlike its more famous Spanish and Mexican cousins, the Costa Rican bullfight does not actually involve killing the bull. It involves poking, prodding, running drunkenly around and riding the bull, but not killing it. As detailed in this SB Nation piece, often many people jump in the ring to participate. The point isn’t to kill the animal, it’s to escape alive.
    In this context Pinto's bullfight metaphor to describe World Cup's Group D makes more sense. Just as any human would lean heavily on wits, balls and good fortune when placed in direct physical competition with an angry male Bos taurus, it's clear Costa Rica will do the same. The Ticos won't so much aim to slay their storied rivals as give them a frustrating run around in the sweltering heat. And maybe somewhere amid the sweat and the confusion, Costa Rica's luck will turn.
    Grant Surridge focuses much of his writing for CSN on the Spanish-speaking Concacaf world. You can follow him on twitter @SCGGrant
    Guest
    If your brain is turning to mush after reading 4,350 "can't-miss" analyses (most of which will miss, badly) of the upcoming Brazil World Cup, then why not cleanse your palate with a little WoSo?
    Canada -- hey, we have a national team! -- will take on Germany at B.C. place in Vancouver next Wednesday, in the team's second of four big tests on home soil this year (the first having been last month's respectable 1-1 draw with the U.S. in Winnipeg). Yeah, that Women's World Cup is only about a year away, and things are about to get real. Really real.
    As in, it's time to see whether Herdman's aspirations of a podium finish are realistic, or just a bit of P.R. spit-shining. Here's the team that will give us our latest glimpse at Canada's capabilities:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    GK- Karina LeBlanc | USA / Chicago Red Stars
    GK- Erin McLeod | USA / Houston Dash
    D- Kadeisha Buchanan | USA / Ottawa Fury FC
    D- Robyn Gayle | USA / Washington Spirit
    D- Carmelina Moscato | USA / Seattle Reign FC
    D- Rebecca Quinn | USA / Duke University
    D- Rhian Wilkinson | CAN / Comètes de Laval
    D- Sura Yekka | CAN / Brams United
    D- Emily Zurrer | SWE / Jitex BK
    D- Marie-Eve Nault | SWE / KIF Örebro
    M- Kaylyn Kyle | USA / Houston Dash
    M- Diana Matheson | USA / Washington Spirit
    M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / Sky Blue FC
    M- Desiree Scott | ENG / Notts County Ladies FC
    M- Jessie Fleming | CAN / London NorWest SC
    M- Ashley Lawrence | USA / Ottawa Fury FC
    M- Brittany Baxter | USA / Seattle Sounders Women
    F- Jonelle Filigno | USA Sky Blue FC
    F- Adriana Leon | USA / Chicago Red Stars
    F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Portland Thorns FC
    F- Josée Belanger | CAN / Comètes de Laval
    F- Christina Julien | GER / FF USV Jena
    Herdman is set for a media conference call on Thursday; in the meantime, some quick thoughts:

    When it comes to a one-two punch in goal, you can't ask for much better than McLeod and LeBlanc. Presumably, the decision not to bring a third 'keeper came down to cost or logistics; even so, it'd be nice for a youngster to get a bit of experience.


    Speaking of youngsters, it's now become clear that Herdman has identified the core of youngsters who might be ready to join the World Cup roster next summer -- Buchanan, Yekka, Lawrence, Fleming and Quinn. Of the five, Buchanan is a lock; the other four will likely be competing with veterans when final roster cuts are made.


    It's nice to see a Canadian national team roster without any contributions from Unattached FC.


    While no one wants to hear this, we may have to consider the possibility that Christine Sinclair peaked at the 2012 Olympics. She's still a dangerous player, of course; but in the past 18 months, she hasn't routinely shown the ability to put the team on her shoulders, a trait that characterized so much of her national-team career. Bringing Christina Julien back into the mix -- a year after her last CanWNT appearance -- is another effort by Herdman to diversify Canada's attacking options.
    Now, I'm not claiming Sinclair is past it. She's still just 30, and could have more productive years in her. But it'd help everyone's nerves if she could bust out one of her trademark, game-changing performances in the run-up to the World Cup.

    If you're gonna be on the lower mainland next Wednesday, you really oughta pick up a ticket or 10. Game's at 7 p.m. PT on June 18, and tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
    Otherwise, the game will be broadcast live on Sportsnet One. (For you lazy Ontarians who never bothered memorizing Canada's time zones, kickoff is at 10 p.m. Ontario time.)
    .
    Guest
    An extension to Canadian Soccer News’ MLS Week in Review, this article provides a closer look at the performances of the Canadian players who saw the pitch this week.
    The top three spots this round go to Will Johnson – for capping a triumphant return to his former stomping grounds with an insurance penalty kick; Russell Teibert – for a lively outing in his return to the Vancouver starting lineup; and Tesho Akindele – for putting in the work that has made him a mainstay in Dallas’ lineup of late, in this his rookie season.
    Find out what they did to deserve recognition and who else earned their keep this week.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Will Johnson
    Johnson continued his ironman run for Portland in their 1-3 win at Salt Lake on Saturday night, making his fifteenth-straight appearance for the Timbers this season.
    Paired with Diego Chara at the base of the midfield, Johnson helped to provide the solid platform from which the Timbers front four could launch their flowing attacks. Sitting back to shore up Portland’s, at times, leaky defense, Johnson regularly tracked deep into his own box, once winning a dangerous header, nodding out for a corner (though a goal-kick was mistakenly awarded).
    Upon his return to the club with whom he spent five seasons, viewers were offered a softer glimpse of the tenacious midfielder, who dropped his usual combative, barking nature to console former teammate, Tony Beltran, when he was sent off for a second yellow:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=b02289cc4c6a4ad693869ae1a0b037a1&ec=dvMHQ3bjoCpyVu6Tt37kRTy7GpPxmsze"></script>
    The Toronto-born midfielder showed no mercy however, when given a chance to seal the result with a penalty kick in the 73rd minute, after a sliding Chris Schuler handled Darlington Nagbe’s cutback.
    Johnson would eye Jeff Attinella to the keeper’s right, sending his right-footed effort in the opposite direction:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DCS5hRu4_MM?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    It was his fourth goal of the season, three of which have come in their last five matches, coinciding with their current surge up the table.
    Johnson was impervious on the ball, misplacing just a single pass, and busy off it, making ten recoveries, four clearances, and an interception.
    The win was his first in Salt Lake, coming in the third attempt in the league, though he was injured for the initial return and was forced off early in a US Open Cup clash.
    Post-match he commented on winning at his former club, “It feels good. Not as much because coming back here and beating these guys in this stadium where we’ve had such trouble, but we’re desperate. We needed to win tonight, and so [it’s] fortunate that it was here and that we’ve turned things around a little bit in this stadium, that feels good. But more than anything, we’re desperate, we needed those three points, and it doesn’t matter who we beat.”
    Adding, when asked about the turn of events that saw two Portland curses ended at once (winning in Salt Lake and being awarded a penalty kick), “I am hesitant to do anything crazy here. We beat Salt Lake and got a PK, the world might end tonight; I’m not sure. That’s how I felt.”
    Russell Teibert
    Teibert returned to Vancouver’s starting eleven for the first time in five matches in their 3-3 draw at Philadelphia - it was his eighth start and eleventh appearance of the season for the Whitecaps.
    Stationed on the left-side of the midfield, Teibert was very active all night with his tireless running, providing an outlet for the passing of Pedro Morales on several occasions and inserting himself into many of Vancouver’s lightning quick attacks.
    When playing on that side, Teibert has been allowed to get forward regularly, more so than when tasked with a defensive midfield role or on the right; a skill he evidenced after just three minutes, when Morales played a quick free-kick down the left-flank, only for the Canadian’s cross to be cut out.
    It was from a similar play that he factored the Whitecaps opening goal. Putting himself into a pocket of space to collect a ball from Morales and slotting a lovely pass down the right for Nigel Reo-Coker, whose cross picked out Erik Hurtado for a header in the 18th minute:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gxMATiblyMY?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    The assist was his first of the season, having racked up nine in 2013 – it was also his first point of the campaign.
    From that left-side, he constantly tested Ray Gaddis, the Philadelphia right-back, once forcing a turnover that led to a Morales shot, and later taking a stinger on the knee from his opponent that led to Gaddis seeing a yellow card.
    The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native was very good in possession, misplaying only a three passes, losing possession just once, and adding four clearances, three recoveries, and two interceptions, while winning a trio of tackles.
    Tesho Akindele
    Akindele made a fifth-straight start for Dallas in their 3-2 win over Colorado on Saturday night, helping to snap their eight-game winless streak – it was his fifth start and eighth appearance of the season.
    As the roaming forward, alongside the more central-minded Blas Perez, Akindele was all over the pitch, popping up wherever he could best cause the Rapids trouble, while also dropping off to provide defensive cover when possible.
    His first look of the evening came from a neat turn at the top of the box, collecting a pass and moving past Drew Moor to open space for a shot – Moor recovered to deflect his effort over the bar:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=U5OHM3bjoMOXrYCT0NC4cBKnPzU-WD85&pbid=b02289cc4c6a4ad693869ae1a0b037a1"></script>
    He then showed another of his skills, exhibiting some strong holdup play to link up with Fabian Castillo down the right, who found him with a return ball at the near-post, but Akindele could not wrap his foot around the skipping ball, sending his left-footed touch over the bar:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=ppaHM3bjrIEQicNdcJBOruJcMtW8O-aV&pbid=b02289cc4c6a4ad693869ae1a0b037a1"></script>
    If there is one facet of his game that the Calgary, Alberta-native must work on, it is his finishing – chances like that don’t come that often and they must be finished. That said, he does do a lot of work to craft those looks, which is half the battle.
    Doneil Henry
    Henry made his second-straight start for Toronto in their 1-0 win over San Jose – it was his sixth start and seventh appearance of the season.
    With San Jose lacking in offensive creativity – Yannick Djalo was a late scratch – Henry’s primary task was keeping a lid on the physical frames of Alan Gordon and Steven Lenhart.
    It was Lenhart with whom Henry was most often matched, engaging in a running battle with the troublesome forward – it was a clash of titans to be sure.
    Henry would pick up a yellow card in the 17th minute, for handling a ball after Lenhart’s bump allowed a skipping pass to get past the defender – it was his third booking of the season:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=b02289cc4c6a4ad693869ae1a0b037a1&ec=Zxb3A3bjpPT6Y2KAPUbYVXNQsc45IZGB"></script>
    He gave his opponent a healthy shove afterwards, not giving an inch to the combative Lenhart.
    The Brampton, Ontario-native was a force at the back, as usual, racking up thirteen clearances, seven recoveries, four interceptions, and a block, winning two fouls and committing three.
    Henry also featured in Toronto’s midweek match in Montreal, falling 1-0 to the Impact on the night and losing out on the Voyageurs Cup via an aggregate score of 2-1.
    Kyle Bekker
    Bekker, who also featured heavily midweek, was set for a break, but a late injury to Gilberto forced him into the starting lineup for TFC on Saturday – it was his eighth start of the season, with all nine of his appearances coming in their last nine matches.
    Paired centrally with Collen Warner, Bekker was again very tidy on the ball in close quarters, though many of his longer passes tended to drift astray.
    His best look at goal of the match came in the 28th minute when a ball fell to him atop the Earthquakes box, but the Oakville, Ontario-native could not make great contact, slicing his effort, which took a deflection and went out for a corner kick.
    Perhaps tired from the midweek exertions, Bekker was not as involved as usual, often deferring to the rambunctious and fresh Warner, who ran the middle of the pitch that afternoon. The recent addition even took up free-kick duty, Bekker’s responsibility, for the most part.
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio also started TFC’s win over San Jose, making his second-straight start for the side – it was his seventh start of the season.
    From the left-side of the midfield, Osorio sought to cut into the middle, getting on the ball to help spur the Toronto attack. It was he who picked out Nick Hagglund wide on the right with some good vision for that acrobatic crack that dribbled wide of the post.
    Like Bekker, Osorio also ran himself into the ground in Montreal – hitting the shot that beat Evan Bush, only to strike the post, moments before the Impact ran up the other end to clinch the title. And heavy legs betrayed him when, like Luke Moore, he was slow to react to a Jermain Defoe shot that was spilled tantalizingly by Jon Busch.
    Still, the Toronto, Ontario-native put in a solid shift, contributing defensively, compiling six clearances, four recoveries, and winning a pair of tackles and two fouls.
    Rob Friend
    Friend saw action for the first time in four matches for LA in their 1-1 draw against local rivals, Chivas USA, on Sunday – it was his fourth substitute’s appearance of the season.
    Friend had been unavailable as he struggled with a virus, which he just overcame this week, “I'm feeling good this week, so hopefully I can get a good run of training this week and just get stronger. That's all I'm concerned with at the moment.”
    Bruce Arena noted of Friend’s play, “[He’s been] a little bit hot and cold. I don't think he's been at his best lately, but I think he's getting back into form.”
    Replacing Samuel in the 69th minute, the Rosetown, Saskatchewan-native wasted no time getting involved in the fray as the Galaxy chased a winner.
    He showed good strength to get on the end of a long Dan Gargan throw, out leaping and out-positioning both Carlos Bocanegra and Tony Lochhead to flick a header over the bar:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=b02289cc4c6a4ad693869ae1a0b037a1&ec=IwbzA4bjq0GXk7h9kN-VAN8mgLKHW3gR"></script>
    And then showed some excellent link up skill to chest a Juninho chip into the path of Chandler Hoffman, who dragged his injury time shot wide of the far-post:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=b02289cc4c6a4ad693869ae1a0b037a1&ec=FucjA4bjoyu5Q63rzyqNQlub976z40Vn"></script>
    A lovely example of body control from the big man, though he was a little too slow of foot to get on the end of a Juninho stinger that was spilled by Dan Kennedy.
    The Rest
    Ashtone Morgan, Dwayne De Rosario, and Kyle Porter were unused substitutes on the bench for their respective sides. One has to feel for Porter, who was one of DC’s most reliable assets last season, but has found himself marginalized as Ben Olsen opts to rely on experienced and proven MLS talent. Look for him to see more time as the CONCACAF Champions League picks up and DC juggles a busy schedule.
    Patrice Bernier was one of four Canadian on the pitch for the Impact as they won the Voyageurs Cup – Karl Ouimette, Wandrille Lefevre, and Maxim Tissot (a late sub) were the others.
    Post-match, Bernier commented on how the two wins (over New England in the league and Toronto in the Cup) can help spur a change of momentum for Montreal’s faltering season, “It’s good for the team moral and good for the spirit of the club Last year, we were on a high and we just seemed unstoppable. This year the season is a bit more difficult; we battled through. It hasn’t been an easy championship, so now we have to take this momentum and build on it. We are more confident now and it’s how you finish at the end of the season that tells a lot about you. There`s still a lot more soccer to be played this year.”
    The Impact released video of his pre-match hype-speech:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xnisgNHORko?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    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
    Guest

    MLS Week in Review – Round 14

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The fourteenth and final round of MLS action before the league breaks for this summer’s World Cup took place over the weekend.
    Leaving aside the two midweek fixtures, nine matches were played, resulting in four away wins and three draws, as the teams laid it all on the line in an effort to go into the rest on a positive note.
    27 goals were scored – including five of six from the penalty spot – and a whopping 39 yellow cards were shown, as well as four reds – two straight, two accumulative.
    It was a drama-filled, hard-fought weekend – decisive penalty kicks; unexpected results; derbies, both of the local and spiritual varieties; mysterious red cards; four multi-goal scorers; and at least one clip that will live long, haunting its creator.
    Before the results, the goals of the round:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Up first, in chronological order, is Chicago’s rookie sensation Harrison Shipp with his slaloming run and low finish against Seattle:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/k4D-QZKR9iw?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    His
    - #holyshipp indeed.Hot on his heels was Deshorn Brown, whose deft touch opened the scoring for Colorado in Dallas:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FS3hhD3F-Bs?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Pity it was wasted in a losing effort.
    But that was in part thanks to Fabian Castillo, whose solo effort won the match for Dallas:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5xEgMyVHhFk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    When he drives to goal, there are few who can stop him.
    On to the results…
    Midweek Results in a Sentence (or Two)

    Federico Higuain had an off night upon his return from suspension, missing an eleventh-minute penalty kick and exiting the match before half-time with a recurrence of his hamstring concern, opening the door for Luis Gil to put the visitors ahead in the 56th minute with a low finish past Steve Clark; Ethan Finlay looped an 88th minute equalizer over Salt Lake’s Jeff Attinella to level late.
    With the 1-1 draw, both sides rebound from tough results on the weekend – Columbus losing late in Toronto and Salt Lake getting thrashed in Seattle, ending their perfect start to the season.

    In a match where both sides made several changes to their starting elevens, neither could find the necessary rhythm to find a breakthrough. The only newsworthy even was the debut of recently-signed John Neeskens for the Rapids; he of the famous father, Johan.
    Results in Brief
    Houston 0 – Kansas City 2
    A tantalizing Friday night fixture pitted two hated foes head-to-head, as Houston and Kansas City, who have met in each of the last three playoffs in a series of physical encounters, have taken a strong dislike in each other.
    It was a stop-start match that saw players drop like flies – KC used all three of their subs by half-time, losing Paulo Nagamura after four minutes and Houston, who entered with an already-shortened bench, lost centre-back, David Horst, after nine. KC were further hampered by a mysterious red card shown to Toni Dovale, who reportedly caught Houston’s Alexander Lopez with a sneaky elbow – video evidence left much to be desired.
    KC would take the lead in the final minute of the first half, Benny Feilhaber pouncing on a loose Eric Brunner pass to play in Soony Saad who finished neatly – Feilhaber, who took a crunching challenge from Brunner in the process, would also exit the match shortly thereafter.
    Down a man and forced into changes, KC maintained their solidity, preventing Houston from finding an equalizer and padding the lead from the penalty spot after AJ Cochan was harshly adjudged to have handled in the area.
    With the 1-0 win, Peter Vermes’ Kansas City, who surprisingly transferred midfielder Uri Rosell to Portugal midweek, can enter the break on a positive note, one point off the top of the Eastern Conference, having ended a five-match winless streak.
    Dominic Kinnear’s Houston, on the other hand, limp in to the pause, dropping a fourth-straight match, while leading the league in both goals against (29) and losses (nine); though they are among the leaders in matches played too.
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    Toronto 1 – San Jose 0
    Saturday’s action began with an early kickoff in Toronto, where the home side, who conceded the Voyageurs Cup and its corresponding spot in the CONCACAF Champions League to Montreal midweek, rebounded with a 1-0 win over San Jose.
    Jermain Defoe, who notched a stunning brace last weekend against Columbus, was again front and centre, converting the lone goal of the match from the penalty spot in the 27th minute after Alan Gordon pulled Nick Hagglund to the ground inside the area on a corner kick.
    The late scratch of Yannick Djalo, who continues to be hampered by a nagging hamstring concern, as well as knocks to Khari Stephenson and Atiba Harris, who have been equally pivotal in their two-game winning streak, robbed the Quakes of any momentum, and they struggled to craft much, bar a few long balls, easily gobbled up by the TFC defense.
    With the 1-0 win, Ryan Nelsen and his Reds enter the break on a high, unbeaten in their last four, including three-straight wins at home and comfortably above the red line with at least three-matches in hand on each of their nearest rivals.
    San Jose and head coach Mark Watson, were undoubtedly unhappy with the result, but will use their solid form – winners of three of their last five – and the time to heal as preparation for an assault up the table when play resumes at the end of the month.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pM2qaeqML9I?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    DC 0 – Columbus 0
    A pair of Eastern Conference foes left unhappy in a slow match played at Fed Ex Field, home of the Washington ‘Those-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-for-Reasons-of-Racial-Insensitivity’, as the second act of a World Cup tune-up match that featured Spain and El Salvador – the defending world champions won 2-0.
    Neither side could find much purchase on a stage designed more for throwing balls than kicking them, drawing complaints of its narrow dimensions and long, dry grass.
    But an uneventful encounter nearly turned in the 94th minute, when Bernardo Anor was ruled to have handled Conor Doyle’s flicked pass on the edge of the area.
    As the clock ticked into the 96th minute, Fabian Espindola, in the midst of a three-game scoring streak, stepped to the spot, only to see Steve Clark embarrassingly remain still in the middle to catch his ill-advised Panenka attempt, preserving the scoreless draw.
    A win would have seen Ben Olsen’s side take sole possession of first-place in the East, depending on New England’s result on Sunday, but the draw extends their home unbeaten run to eight matches – nothing at which to snuff; they will have another chance, with a match on Wednesday in Montreal before the break.
    For Gregg Berhalter’s Crew, they enter with just one win in their last twelve matches, having impressed thoroughly through the opening month of the season – though conversely, they can take heart in having lost just once in their last four outings against some tough opponents.
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    Philadelphia 3 – Vancouver 3
    Up next was unexpected thriller, as two sides who had never seen more than one goal scored in an encounter before combined for a shifting, six-goal rollercoaster.
    Red hot Vancouver, fresh off their first ever win over Portland in a seven-goal explosion, bolted out to a two-goal lead before half-time with Erik Hurtado notching his fourth in as many games (fifth, if his Voyageurs Cup goal against TFC is considered) after eighteen minutes by getting on the end of a Nigel Reo-Coker cross for a firm header and Nicolas Mezquida adding the second in the 41st after a good counter that saw a fine ankle-breaking move from Hurtado make space for the pull-back, leading to a low finish at the near-post.
    But Philadelphia, who responded to a pair of heavy defeats with a breakout win at Chivas, found a response, scoring thrice inside of eight minutes, beginning in the 63rd when Conor Casey got on the end of a Cristian Maidana cross with a diving header at the back-post.
    Five minutes later Maidana again play a crucial role in the buildup, playing in Vincent Nogueira, who squared to a wide open Sebastien Le Toux for a simple finish.
    In the 71st minute, it was Casey again, after Maidana found him inside the arc and his skipping right-footer beat David Ousted to the bottom corner of the goal – it was a second brace in as many games from the big target forward, while Maidana, a designated player, who had yet to find his form, has now registered four assists and a goal in his last two matches.
    The Whitecaps, who had suffered a potentially demoralizing blow earlier, when the well-respective Jay DeMerit, was forced off the pitch through injury after 24 minutes, found a way back into the match, when Darren Mattocks was fouled by Union keeper, Zac MacMath in the final ten minutes, handing Pedro Morales a chance from the penalty spot, which he duly converted – the Chilean has three goals and three assists in their last three matches.
    The 3-3 draw was a fair enough result on the night, as the hosts can regroup, with manager, John Hackworth, safe in the knowledge that they have found their scoring boots with six goals in their last two matches – a flaw that had seen them drop far too many close games already this season.
    Carl Robinson’s Vancouver stretch their unbeaten run to seven matches – a new club record – but must confront their propensity to concede, having allowed multiple goals in six of those seven matches; luckily, they sure know how to score.
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    Chicago 2 – Seattle 3
    Obafemi Martins was front and centre of nearly all the action as the surging Sounders headed to Chicago, emerging with a hard-fought 2-3 win in a contentious match that featured five-goals, seven yellow cards, two red ones, and some 32 fouls.
    Martins, who has been on fire since being left off the Nigerian World Cup squad, corralled a deflected Brad Evans cross in the 31st minute, finishing across Sean Johnson for his seventh goal of the season, and added his eighth in the 38th from the penalty spot after Jhon Kennedy Hurtado was dismissed for a lunging challenge on the Nigerian in the box – whether he received a straight red or a second yellow, against his former club no less, is unclear at the moment with contradictory reports.
    Harry Shipp would notch the first of his brace, finishing low across the keeper after a fine slaloming run up the left, only for Martins to be shown a red card prior to the restart, for reportedly punching Benji Joya in the face as they scuffled over the ball – again, video replays of the incident left much to be desired.
    With both sides reduced to ten, the match calmed, if only for a spell, and Lamar Neagle reinstated the Sounders’ two-goal lead with a cracking finish off his own, settling the ball at the back-post for a rocket to the top far-corner.
    Shipp again responded for his club, with an equally classy finish four minutes later, but the Fire could not find an equalizer and a late flurry of yellow cards meant both were lucky to leave with only one dismissal apiece.
    The 2-3 win sends Sigi Schmid’s Seattle into the break atop both the Western Conference and the league with 32 points from fifteen matches, having lost just once in their last eleven matches.
    Frank Yallop’s Chicago, on the other hand, are mired near the bottom of the East, averaging a point per match from their fourteen outings; though they have taken points from four of their last six and ended a four-match goal-less drought from open play with Shipp’s quality.
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    Dallas 3 – Colorado 2
    Saturday’s penultimate match saw a team in desperate need of a confidence boosting win snap an eight-match winless win, to enter the respite with a smile, as home side Dallas saw out a 3-2 victory over Colorado.
    It was the visitors who opened the scoring, when Deshorn Brown got creative on the end of a Drew Moor knock down, looping a right-footed touch over Raul Fernandez in the Dallas goal after 25 minutes. But Dallas would respond eight minutes later when Jair Benitez’ free-kick skimmed off the knee of David Texeira to handcuff Clint Irwin in the Colorado goal.
    Dallas would snatch a lead before half-time via another deflected strike, Zach Loyd’s long-range driven effort nicking off the toe of Colorado defender, Chris Klute to sneak through the clutches of Irwin in the second minute of stoppage-time.
    The Rapids would be the ones to respond in short order this time, when Jose Mari got on the end of a deep Dillon Powers corner kick with a powerful header in the 52nd minute – Benitez tried to clear off the line, but could only slice into his own goal.
    With the deadlocked match in need of a hero, it was soon-to-be-father, Fabian Castillo who stepped to the plate, weaving his way through half the Rapids team before lifting a tidy finish to the top corner for the winner.
    Oscar Pareja’s Dallas finally saw that depressing winless run ended – and that it was against his former club most likely made it a touch sweeter; the win sees them firmly ensconced in the upper reaches of the West and Wednesday’s match in Portland will provide further chance to enter on a high – though they will have played the most matches in the league by then, with seventeen already under their belts.
    Pablo Mastroeni’s Colorado saw their unbeaten and clean-sheet streaks – three and two matches, respectively – snapped, though they remain in good position (third in the West) to commence the second half of the year come July.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NKBl5ZQN5ek?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Salt Lake 1 – Portland 3
    Saturday’s headline fixture was its last, as Salt Lake and Portland, fast-enemies, met for the second time this season.
    It may only be Portland’s fourth season in MLS and they have only played Salt Lake nine times in the league, but given some feisty clashes, in the playoffs and the US Open Cup, as well as league play, not to mention a similar propensity for playing the game on the deck, these two have quickly become rivals.
    It was, note was, very much a one-sided contest in recent encounters, with Salt Lake unbeaten in the last five meetings. Portland turned the tide in their favour, but not until after the hosts took the lead through Luke Mulholland after 23 minutes went a corner kick fell to him near the penalty spot for a quick turn and low finish past Donovan Ricketts.
    The Timbers would level thirteen minutes later when Fanendo Adi got on the end of a Diego Valeri corner kick and take the lead on the stroke of half-time, again through Adi, blasting the rebound from a rasping Darlington Nagbe drive high into the net after a sharp counterattack.
    Any hope of a Salt Lake comeback would be quelled when Tony Beltran was dismissed for a pair of yellow card infractions within a minute and a penalty kick, awarded when Chris Schuler handled a Nagbe pullback as he slide in with a challenge and converted by former Laker, Will Johnson, in the 73rd minute sealed the 1-3 victory for the resurgent Timbers.
    With the win, their first ever at Salt Lake and their first in eleven meetings (in all competitions) over their foes, Caleb Porter’s Portland have surged back into the playoff picture in the West, turning around an eight-match winless start to lose just once in their last eight matches and Wednesday’s final match before the pause at home against Dallas could see them climb into the top five.
    Conversely, Salt Lake, who began the season with a twelve-match unbeaten run have now gone winless through their last four matches, though Jeff Cassar will not be overly-concerned, aware that the return of their internationals and a break to catch their breath will see a rejuvenated side return for the resumption of league play.
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    New England 0 – New York 2
    Sunday’s all Eastern affair between New England and New York saw two teams more-or-less headed in opposite directions.
    Granted the loss in Montreal the previous weekend had snapped the Revolution’s five-game winning and seven-game unbeaten streaks, but still they sat atop the conference.
    The Red Bulls, however, were mired in a four-match winless run – and without the services of four of their top players (Tim Cahill, Thierry Henry, Jamison Olave, and Dax McCarty). Still, they found a way to win their first match at New England in over ten years, a span of some twenty attempts.
    In the 17th minute, a rare mistake from New England keeper, Bobby Shuttleworth, allowed Eric Alexander a free look at goal; the keeper rushed off his line for a Lloyd Sam free-kick that he had no business collecting, opening the space for a header deep at the back-post.
    At the opposite end of the pitch, New York keeper, Luis Robles, was in fine form, denying Patrick Mullins inside the first minute, and nearly every other member of the side in turn, to make ten saves on the night – though the keeper’s best friend, the post, denied Fagundez moments before half-time after a slicing run.
    Peguy Luyindula doubled the visitor’s advantage in the 76th minute to seal the surprise result, pouncing on a loose ball in the arc after a poorly-cleared free-kick bobbled around the box for a right-footed strike across Shuttleworth on the half-volley.
    The 0-2 win not only snapped their winless run and ended their hex at Gillette Stadium, but also put the Mike Petke’s Red Bulls over the dividing line, into fifth-place in the East, by dint of having scored more goals that Columbus with whom they have an equal number of points, record, and goal-difference – that they did so without much of their high-priced talent bodes well for the second half of the campaign.
    Jay Heaps and the Revolution, though still atop the East, flop into the break on the back of two shut-out losses, having also losing their first match at home since last September – nine matches, conceding twice as many goals as they had previously in their home fortress.
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    Los Angeles 1 – Chivas 1
    And Sunday evening closed with an all-Western encounter; the second so-called SuperClasico of the season.
    They may share a city and a stadium, but the one aspect missing from this derby has always been competition, due to the one-sided nature of the contest, with the Galaxy having won nineteen and drawn six of the 29 all-time meetings.
    But it was the underdog Ameri-Goats, whose future still remains unclear, that took the lead after twenty minutes when Mauro Rosales and Martin Rivero combined to find Erick Torres in the LA box. The crafty striker, who has scored nine of Chivas’ fourteen goals this season, made space for a shot around Leonardo and beat Jaime Penedo with a right-footed finish to the left-side of goal.
    The Galaxy would level fifteen minutes later when Gyasi Zardes got on the end of a looping Marcelo Sarvas cross for a strong header over Dan Kennedy, who made his club-record 124th appearance for the visitors, taking top spot on the all-time list.
    The 1-1 draw snapped the Galaxy’s three-match winning streak in the series, though they remain unbeaten in seven meetings, stretching back to Chivas’ win in 2012.
    It was second-consecutive draw for Bruce Arena’s LA, extending their unbeaten run to four matches – they enter the break well below expectations but with matches in hand on all their opponents.
    Wilmer Cabrera and Chivas have not won in four matches and are propping up the table, with just eleven points from fourteen matches, one point ahead of Montreal for the worst in the league, though they have played two further matches.
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    CanCon
    As usual the extended Canadian Content review will be posted tomorrow, featuring strong performances from Will Johnson, Russell Teibert, and Doneil Henry, as well as some notes from Montreal’s defense of their Amway Canadian Championship (obligatory mention of the kind sponsors) title.
    Overheard
    Plenty of interesting quotes from this round:
    Columbus’ Steve Clark on reading the intentions of DC’s Fabian Espindola to deny his Panenka attempt, “We had pretty good intel from our goalkeeper trainer, Pat Onstad, he's done a great job all year. So I felt like I knew [Espindola] was going to go there. And I had my cues, so I just waited him out. I didn't care if he was going to score, I was going to wait up the middle.”
    He continued, reportedly ending with a laugh, “When he hit it there, I was just like, 'Oh my God, he hit it up the middle,' and I caught it.”
    It is always worthwhile to hear from the officials whenever they answer a pool reporter’s question about a contentious decision. Chris Penso, who sent off Obafemi Martins for a supposed punch, when asked why he had sent the forward off, replied, “Violent conduct. Martins was sent off after striking an opponent in the head.” About as robotic of a response as one could imagine – Viva La Robot-Refolution!
    For his part, Benji Joya, the victim of the phantom strike, offered, “I had the ball and he reached over. I didn’t understand why, because we’re the ones losing. He reached to grab it, but his fist was closed, got my chin and then pulled the ball away.”
    Fabian Castillo on his ball-under-shirt celebration, "I dedicated [the goal] to my wife because she’s pregnant, so it was for her and my baby that is coming."
    Will Johnson, who has already won the quote of the year award, showed a lighter side to his fiery competitors’ nature, responding, when asked about how it felt to win in Salt Lake, “I am hesitant to do anything crazy here. We beat Salt Lake, and got a PK; the world might end tonight, I’m not sure. That’s how I felt.”
    And finally, Dan Kennedy on reaching a milestone with Chivas, “I felt good coming to the stadium today, just about the team. I felt like we were going to get a response after the last week that we had that was a bit tough. The effort from everyone on the field was just great to get that result that we worked hard for and on top of that to be the leading appearance player for this club is something special to me. ” A class act all the way.
    See It Live
    One must look no further than Fabian Espindola’s shameful Panenka attempt:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=b02289cc4c6a4ad693869ae1a0b037a1&ec=E1cHI3bjqdBUrWuWsyjwWY43vae05w9h"></script>
    Glorious when it works, horrid when it does not.
    Federico Higuain’s midweek miss was not much better:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=b02289cc4c6a4ad693869ae1a0b037a1&ec=N1aGY2bjoa1RCR_lqMNAh96erY_hoADe"></script>
    Controversy
    There were a pair of mysterious red card decisions this round – Toni Dovale of KC and Obafemi Martins of Seattle – it is difficult to make a judgment on the decision when video evidence is so lacking.
    But what about the intentional handball from Clarence Goodson that broke up a TFC counter that only drew a yellow card? No video available, of course – seems to happen far too often to be coincidence that the juicy bits are left on the editing floor.
    Two of the more debatable penalties from the weekend were the one award to KC - a dicey handball call on Houston’s AJ Cochran and Zac MacMath’s upending of Darren Mattocks – it was definitely a foul in the end, but was Mattocks going to ground before contact was made?
    Upcoming Fixtures
    Two more matches will be squeezed in this Wednesday before breaking roughly three weeks for the World Cup:
    Wednesday: Montreal-DC; Portland-Dallas.
    Keep an eye out for the Fourth and Fifth Rounds of the US Open Cup which will take place during the pause.
    The league will return for a single match on Wednesday, June 25, before resuming in earnest the following weekend:
    Wednesday: Vancouver-Montreal. Friday: New York-Toronto; Portland-Kansas City. Saturday: DC-Seattle; New England-Philadelphia; Columbus-Dallas; Colorado-Vancouver; San Jose-Los Angeles; Chivas-Salt Lake. Sunday: Montreal-Houston.
    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
    Guest
    Hey folks, remember this? No? Well, OK, here's the obligatory explanation!
    In addition to being a regular-turned-occasional blogger, social media irritant and unhealthily obsessive supporter of this game we all so deeply tolerate, I'm also a referee.
    So for most of this site's existence, I've sporadically chimed in with Don't Fight The Laws, the confusingly named and often confusingly written feature wherein I draw from my decade and a half with the whistle (plus this one weird old trick I call "actually reading the FIFA Laws of the Game") to answer readers' questions about contentious decisions they've seen.
    With a number of flashpoint decisions in Saturday's Toronto FC match, and that funny little tournament called the World Cup on the immediate horizon, I figured it an opportune time to wade back into the murky waters of "figuring out why the hell what happens on the field happens". Enough needlessly verbose preamble for you? Phew, me too. Let's get down to it, then.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    TFC emerged victorious over the visiting San Jose Earthquakes thanks to a Jermain Defoe penalty, called in the first half after San Jose's Alan Gordon was adjudged to have fouled Toronto's Nick Hagglund off a corner kick. You can render the entire preceding paragraph redundant by checking out these video highlights (the PK incident is at about 2:20):
    <script height="540px" width="960px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f&ec=1ldHE3bjokk9tvhzpgi8CkPvCLkVMbBq"></script>
    There wasn't a reader question about this per se. It was more of a Twitter back-and-forth between me and long-time TFC reporter Gareth Wheeler, instigated by this tweet:
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Don't love that penalty call. Even if Gordon didn't foul him, would Hagglund have got to the ball? <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TFCLive&src=hash">#TFCLive</a></p>— Gareth Wheeler (@WheelerTSN) <a href="
    ">June 7, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    Now, Wheels knows the game. I'm not going to dispute that. And upon further interaction, it became clear that he was referring to the practice (not codified or written anywhere, but generally accepted as reality by most people who watch or are involved in games) that refs sometimes need to see "a little extra" before they're willing to call a penalty, since a spot kick can be such a crucial, game-changing moment.
    This tendency has led some people who follow the game -- not Wheeler, but plenty of other people I've talked to -- to believe that it's actually part of the Laws of the Game.
    I'm here today to tell you, clearly and unequivocally, that it's not.
    In order for a penalty kick to be awarded, the attacking player does not need to have been in a scoring position. They do not need to be moving towards the goal. In fact, they don't even need to have possession of the ball. For that matter, the ball doesn't even need to be inside the penalty area, or anywhere near it.
    Quite simply, a penalty kick results when any infringement that would have resulted in a direct free kick anywhere else on the field occurs inside the defending team's penalty area. Or, in FIFA's words:
    Those 10 offences, in case you don't have them memorized -- shame on you -- are when a player in a manner judged by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force: 1) kicks or attempts to kick an opponent; 2) trips or attempts to trip an opponent; 3) jumps at an opponent; 4) charges an opponent; 5) strikes or attempts to strike an opponent; 6) pushes an opponent or 7) tackles an opponent; or when a player 8) holds an opponent; 9) spits at an opponent or 10) deliberately handles the ball.
    We can safely presume that in the above case, referee Fotis Bazakos decided that Gordon's wayward elbow met the threshold for carelessly striking an opponent (hey look, it's number 5!); hence, the penalty. Now, whether the call was harsh (Hagglund appeared to make a bit of a meal of it) is a matter up for reasonable debate. But whether or not he'd have gotten to the ball without Gordon's interference is irrelevant.
    All that matters is, did the ref believe a direct-free-kick infringement was committed? If so, it's a penalty.
    Now, if we're talking about whether or not Gordon should have been shown a red card for the offence, that's where Hagglund's position vis-a-vis the ball and the goal could potentially be relevant. From Law 12, under reasons for a player to be shown the red card:
    This is what covers situations that are colloquially referred to as "last man" or "professional" fouls, the most professional of which was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against Newcastle back in 1998:
    <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xkAz5CT6apM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Now, this is a whole other subject for another day (though there was a situation in Toronto-San Jose where, perhaps, a 'Quakes defender should have been sent off for seemingly denying TFC an obvious goalscoring opportunity by handling the ball). But for today, we're answering the question "what the hell is a penalty kick?"
    And the answer, as we've established, is quite simple: A penalty kick is anything done by the defending team inside their own penalty area that would result in a direct free kick anywhere else on the field. Doesn't matter where the ball is (as long as it's in play), doesn't matter where the player is (as long as he's inside the penalty area) and it doesn't matter whether or not there was a goalscoring opportunity.
    Is that rule unfair and outdated? Maybe. Do referees realistically enforce things a bit differently inside the penalty area, knowing how important a penalty kick can be? Maybe. Should the "triple punishment" rule (wherein players can concede a penalty, be sent off and face suspension for a singular event) be revised? Maybe.
    But for now, the Laws are what they are.
    Have a question for Don't Fight the Laws about the Laws of the Game or their enforcement? Get in touch on Twitter @DanielSquizzato.
    .
    Aaron Campbell
    "Caps Countdown" is our Vancouver Whitecaps player rankings with a twist. The starting eleven is ranked from eleven to one, from worst to first. Who was the 'man of the match' and who, if anyone, had a game to forget in the barnstorming 3-3 draw at Philadelphia Union? Aaron Campbell makes his selections. Do you agree?
    STARTING XI
    11 - Matias Laba
    Worse game of his young Whitecaps career. Was out of position most of the game. Didn't step up when needed to stop the attack of the Union.
    10 - Johnny Leveron
    Started the game paired with Jay DeMerit. Last season he played better paired with Andy O'Brien. Didn't step up on Conor Casey's second goal.
    9 - Jay DeMerit
    24 minutes of play isn't enough time for DeMerit to make his presence known in the game. Hopefully injury is not too serious, but I would of liked Leveron and O'Brien to have started the season as the CB pair.
    8 - Jordan Harvey
    Was attacked most game long. Didn't have any help from any other defenders of defensive midfielders.
    7 - Gershon Koffie
    Had a rough game paired with Laba. Didn't have any control of the centre of the pitch.
    6 - Russell Teibert
    Was surprised to see him start. Didn't get involved in the offensive push in the game.
    5 - Nico Mezquida
    Great to find the open space to get the setup from Hurtado. Was in the right place at the right time.
    4 - David Ousted
    Made some nice saves to keep the Whitecaps in the game. Was saved by the post on a great Union chance. Letting in three goals a game last two games isn't good, even though the team got four out of the six points available.
    3 - Nigel Reo-Coker
    Best game for NRC in weeks. Great one touch cross to Hurtado to set up the opening goal.
    2 - Pedro Morales
    First things first, was extremely luck that his PK made it into the back of the net. But you have to be lucky to be good. Some amazing passes all game long to Whitecaps attackers.
    1 - Erik Hurtado
    Five in Five, nose for the net and the haircut is looking better every game in this streak. Could have had two or three goals. Amazing attack to set up Mezquida to go up 2-0.
    SUPER SUBS
    3 - Sebastian Fernandez
    Did not get the start, maybe due to his fake face shot from Portland Timbers game. Came on and didn't get any chances to attack.
    2 - Andy O'Brien
    Came in quite early after Jay DeMerit went down with injury. Was out of position on Conor Casey header.
    1 - Darren Mattocks
    His speed and pace is the only reason the Whitecaps came out of Philly with a draw. Great hustle on the wing that led to the game tying penalty kick.

    Michael Mccoll
    Match report and full post game reaction from both dressing rooms after Vancouver Whitecaps' 3-3 draw at Philadelphia Union.
    Report:
    It you want excitement and goals then Vancouver Whitecaps' matches appear to be the ones to watch this season. There was another goalfest as the Whitecaps' somehow turned a win into a loss into a draw that felt like a defeat at Philadelphia's PPL Park on Saturday evening.
    Vancouver roared into a 2-0 lead at the half as Erik Hurtado made it five straight games with a goal and Nicolas Mezquida added a second just before the break. Philly hit back in style with three goals in an eight minute spell to give them the lead before a Pedro Morales penalty with nine minutes remaining salvaged a valuable away point for Vancouver and extended their unbeaten streak to a club record setting seven MLS games.
    The Whitecaps may have come in to the game on a good run, but that didn't stop Carl Robinson ringing the changes and he made three from the team that won in Portland on Sunday, with Russell Teibert and Nicolas Mezquida coming in to the midfield and Johnny Leveron surprisingly replacing Andy O'Brien in the middle of the Caps' defence.
    Philadelphia had the better of the opening exchanges with Conor Casey coming closest when he headed a long throw in over in the 11th minute.
    Vancouver hadn't really been in the match as much of an attacking threat but they opened the scoring in the 18th minute and it was the in-form Erik Hurtado who once again did the damage.
    Teibert broke through the middle and played the ball out right to Nigel Reo-Coker. The Englishman sent in a perfect ball into the box and Hurtado got himself into acres of space and past the last two Union defenders to firmly head home and make it 1-0 to the visitors.
    The Union went back to controlling possession and Casey came close again with another header at the midway point of the half approached and flashed his effort wide left.
    It was a move that saw Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit hit the deck and go off injured with what initial reports are saying is another Achilles injury.
    Pedro Morales had a great chance to double Vancouver's lead in the 32nd minute when Hurtado crossed into the middle but Zac MacMath was out quickly to smother the attempted chip over the keeper.
    Philly tried to get something going before the break but it was Vancouver who found the net again with three minutes of the half remaining and it was a wonderful team goal that doubled their lead.
    Mezquida started and finished the move, taking the ball quickly out of the Caps box from a Union attack and ending the three man breakaway by finishing Hurtado's cutback with aplomb.
    Philadelphia made the running at the start of the second half as you would expect and Maurice Edu crashed a shot off the left post five minutes in.
    Despite the home side's pressure, Vancouver were looking very comfortable and happy to sit a little deeper and look to hit again on the counter.
    Casey had looked dangerous with his head throughout the match and he finally got his reward, and dragged the Union back into the game, with a low header in at the near post off a Cristian Maidana cross in the 63rd minute.
    Five minutes later and it was all square and it was former Whitecaps Sebastian Le Toux who tied it all up.
    Le Toux had just come on as a sub and added immediate impetus to the Philadelphia attack with the goal coming from a quick break upfield that had the Caps defence all at sea.
    The Union kept the pressure on and took what had looked like an unexpected lead in the 71st minute when Casey fired into the bottom right corner from 20 yards out.
    Vancouver's defence had imploded and they nearly let in a fourth in the 77th minute when Philly had two great chances, the first of which brought a point blank save out of David Ousted from a Raymon Gaddis strike with Leveron then clearing Casey's shot from the rebound off the line.
    The Caps looked to have blown it big time but got themselves back into the game again from nowhere in the 80th minute when substitute Darren Mattocks streaked into the box and Philly keeper MacMath sent him crashing to the deck with a clumsy challenge.
    Pedro Morales stepped up to make it three penalties in two games for the Chilean and the game was amazingly tied at 3-3.
    Philadelphia had a couple of chances to grab the full three points in the closing minutes but couldn't find another way past Ousted and somehow Vancouver came away from the game with just a single point.
    It was definitely a missed opportunity for Vancouver but at the same time, Philadelphia wasted a number of good chances throughout the match and will also be disappointed not to come away with a win.
    The Whitecaps now enter the World Cup break with a lot to work on in the defensive side of their game. As exciting as they are in attack, that counts for little if they ship three goals in games.
    FINAL SCORE: Philadelphia Union 3 - 3 Vancouver Whitecaps
    ATT: 18,843
    PHILADELPHIA: Zac MacMath, Raymon Gaddis, Sheanon Williams, Amobi Okugo, Fabinho, Maurice Edu, Vincent Nogueira, Cristian Maidana (Leo Fernandes 88), Zach Pfeffer (Michael Lahoud 46), Conor Casey, Daniel Cruz (Sebastien Le Toux 66) [subs Not Used: Andre Blake, Ethan White, Brian Carroll, Andrew Wenger]
    VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Nigel Reo-Coker, Jay DeMerit (Andy O'Brien 23), Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba (Darren Mattocks 74), Gershon Koffie, Russell Teibert, Pedro Morales, Nicolas Mezquida (Sebastian Fernandez 66); Erik Hurtado [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Mehdi Ballouchy, Kekuta Manneh, Omar Salgado]
    Reaction:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Head Coach Carl Robinson
    On Jay DeMerit’s status
    “I think it’s a tendon, his tendon is very sore on the Achilles that he hurt last year, so I’m not to hopeful. I obviously wanted it to be a lot better than he said that he thinks it feels like, so at the moment no, but obviously the moment I know I’ll let you know, he’s walking past on crutches now so that might tell you something.”
    On the tale of two halves
    “We took our chances in the first half I was under no illusions, Philadelphia is a very good team they get balls in the box, Conor is a handful he gets his head on the end of things. The two goals we scored in first half were excellent football and something that I’m trying to instill within the club. Second half I think we went away from what we were doing very well in the first half, I’ll review it and analyze it but I think we looked a little bit dead on our feet after about an hour and if you give Philadelphia who are a very good team a little bit of momentum in front of their supporters it’s difficult. They got back into the game and then obviously went 3-2 up but again credit to my team to come back.”
    On if he’s disappointed with the change in style
    “Yeah totally, not making excuses, you’ll find in me that I never make excuses but travel didn’t help, the weather didn’t help Russell Teibert who is the fittest player on our team was gassed after an hour then that’s a fact.”
    On if he’s happy on his team’s position at this point in the year
    “I am delighted because obviously again you know we picked up a point away from home. I’m disappointed for the guys because they put in a fantastic effort here today but I think it shows that the club is moving in the right direction that we come away from home, score three goals and we pick up a point. It’s difficult to play away from home in any venue, we are moving in the right direction but we still got a lot of work to do but I’m trying slowly to make a style of play for this team and it’s not going to happen overnight , we’ll continue to work.”
    Erik Hurtado
    On coming back from 3-2 down
    “It’s the courage of our team knowing that we’re never going to give up. We’re always going to try and score goals and when we went down 3 to 2 it didn’t matter because if we’re home or away we’re going to try and score goals. We were fortunate to get that point on the road.”
    On the depth of the team
    “The depth of our team is amazing, we have great character on the team, anyone can come off the bench, anyone that can start, anyone that can be in the game and they’re going to make a difference on the field.”
    On his feeling about the team going into the World Cup break
    “We do feel happy, obviously we’re disappointed that we got only a point on the road but that just shows the character of our team, we want to win away just as much as we want to win at home. We’re going to look at that and not going to take a physical break just a little mental break so we’re going to come back fit and ready to go.”
    On the team’s commitment to style and creativity
    “That’s just how we are as players, we have a lot of players that want to get forward and score goals, create opportunities. We also have players that want to possess and think that showed a little bit when we were ahead, we were trying to maintain and control the game and I think we did pretty well for a bit.”
    Nigel Reo-Coker
    On if the game was positive or negative
    “It was a good point away from home, that’s what it’s going to take that game had everything in it. We were fantastic in the first half, great football, but in the second half they were the better team. We defended well to a certain point and to go 3-2 down away from home and get that goal to come back 3-3, it’s a good result. We’re disappointed in the way we conceded goals tonight but overall we have to say it’s a point away from home.”
    On how the Union took them out of their game
    “I think we stopped doing what we were doing in the first half, we needed to be braver on the ball and have more confidence in ourselves. We tried to make more of an effort in the second half but we didn’t do that.”
    On his feeling going into the break
    “We get a week off to relax, a bit of mental relaxation then come back fresh and ready for a busy schedule.”
    On where there style of play comes from
    “I think it’s something Carl has instilled in us since he’s taken over and it’s growing stronger with every week that goes by. We’ve played some great football, shown some great strength of character especially to come back from games you know we’ve done it quite a few times this season. To continue to do that and do it away from home it’s a lot of credit that has to go to the management, and also the players. I think in the second half today we let ourselves down because we just didn’t believe enough and stick to our principles.”
    On if he’s happy with where they are in table
    “We’re not really concerned with the table we’re just taking it one game at a time, so far we’ve done well, we’ve set our standards, we know what we’re doing these past couple of weeks and have to stick to what we’ve been doing. We’ve got time now to mentally relax, get our minds away from football and come back fresh and ready to go for a busy schedule ahead.”
    Philadelphia Union
    Team Manager John Hackworth
    On whether it’s disappointing to not come away with the win tonight
    “Yeah, definitely disappointing. But it was a bit of a strange game that we were down 2-0 in the first half, and I really felt like for much of that first half we played pretty well. But our inability to keep our opponent out of our half, that is pretty troubling, and we did it again at 3-2. It’s frustrating that we didn’t get three points in a game, but at the same time there was a lot of character shown on our field by our team to come back and put that kind of energy in. Vancouver was putting all of their players back and playing for that 2-0 victory, and we broke them down again and again. I thought it should have been 4-2, to be fair. A couple chances and it would have been different.”
    On Cristian Maidana’s improvement over the last few games
    “Yeah, we’re just trying to push Cristian in the right ways and be a complete player in this league. I said it earlier that I think there’s an adjustment period for our guys and he was hurting earlier in the year and he’s come along. I wouldn’t say I was happy with his first half, but I was very pleased with his second half. Getting three assists in that fashion was an excellent performance by him.
    On how he’s feeling about the club right now
    “I feel like we’re, all year long, we’re a team that can play at such a high level and tend to let ourselves down in moments because to go down 2-0 at home, unacceptable. But to come back and score three straight goals, fantastic. And to give up a goal again, it’s a rollercoaster of emotion and it’s not one you really want to have, to be fair. I feel like we’ve let points slip away, you know, all year. I wouldn’t say tonight we did that. It was brave of us to come back, and it showed character, but at the same time, we had that game in our grasp, but we didn’t finish it out.”
    On what they were looking to exploit from Vancouver tonight
    “we thought we would be able to get Conor Casey some good service. And don’t know whether this is a correct stat at halftime, but one of the coaches told me that we had something like 20-something crosses. We thought we could exploit them that way. Jay DeMerit going down, I think, was a loss for them. But I liked their backline too; they’re kind of like us. For whatever reason, they’re just giving up goals.”
    On what he’s seen from Conor Casey lately
    “I would tell you that we’ve had a lot of tough conversations, Connor and I. Very honest ones. Whenever I have challenged him, he’s taken that to heart and he’s come out and he’s done everything that we could have asked and for the last two games, I’m really for him because I think so many people were feeling like, hey, he’s at the end of his career and maybe he’s not as good as he was, but with the last two games, he’s shown that he still has a lot of goals still left in him. I’m really happy for the fact that he played a full ninety tonight and went as hard as he did. I felt that he was one of the hardest working players in the first half and the second half for us. He did a lot of work despite scoring those goals.”
    Conor Casey
    Thoughts on tonight’s game
    “In the first half we created some good chances, but we weren’t able to put them away. We were getting a lot of balls in the box, which is great. Unfortunately, they scored on both their only chances. We knew were going to be able to create chances. We came out in the second half and really pushed the game. We did a great job of fighting back in it. To let the lead slip in the end is definitely frustrating given how the season’s gone, but I think it was a great reaction from our team to get back in the game.”
    On making a run in the second half of the season
    “I know the guys we have in our locker room. I know that things haven’t gone well this year, but we’ve had some games that we’ve played really well. There’s been games that we’ve played really bad. Today, first half wasn’t good, but second half was really good. Everyone still bleeds. We have a lot of time left. Although we didn’t win today, it’s been two games now that we’ve gotten really good results. Vancouver’s a good team. We get a little break now and we come back and attack the second half of the season.”
    Thoughts on the past two weeks personally
    “It’s been nice. I’ve been able to play and get minutes and that’s always what you want. As a player you always want to be on the field. I’m happy I was given a chance and help the team out with those goals.”
    On chemistry with Maidana
    “He’s got a great eye and gives a good ball. He’s found me time and time again. He found me a couple times today and sometimes I couldn’t put them away, but he kept looking and I was able to in the second half.”
    Zac MacMath
    Thoughts on the call in the box and penalty shot
    “I decided to stay in the box. Fabinho took a little bit of a bad touch and I think he actually steps on my fore arm and falls down. Obviously, the referee anytime he sees contact with the goalkeeper in the forward he’s going to give a PK.”
    Thoughts on the penalty kick
    “Yeah, I had a good read on it and knew which way he was going, but unfortunately it took a weird bounce right in front of my arm.”
    On the ups and downs this season
    “After the first two goals we fought back really hard. The team was playing some if it’s best soccer of the year and really unfortunate to give away two points.”
    On assessing where team is entering the World Cup break
    “We obviously don’t want to be on the bottom of the table but we can take this break physically and mentally to get away a little bit and hopefully come back stronger and gain more points.”
    On guessing right on the PK, but still missing it
    “It’s very frustrating. Like I said, I had a good read on it. For it to take a weird bounce, a kind of lucky bounce, it sucks.”

    Michael Mccoll
    Who can stop the mighty Whitecaps?!
    Vancouver Whitecaps are on a roll. Life's a beach and that's why we've taken this special quick hit edition of the podcast on the road and to the sunny beaches of California this week.
    It's just one man and his dog, as Michael McColl and his faithful companion Predictapooch look back on the Caps' win in Portland and ahead to Saturday's final game before the World Cup break, away to Philadelphia.
    We also hear some audio about both games from Whitecaps' coach Carl Robinson.
    And there's still time to hear what we're sure will be our question and quote of the year in AFTN's end of season awards.
    No sea anemones, starfish or hermit crabs were hurt in the making of this episode.
    Have a listen!
    You can listen to this week's podcast on iTunes HERE.
    Or download it for your later listening delight HERE.
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    And if that's not enough, we've joined Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 15,000 shows HERE.
    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
    Guest
    The Alvaro Rey era at TFC is over*.
    The Spanish flash leaves Toronto as the greatest Spaniard to ever play for the Reds, narrowly edging Mista for the honour.
    To be serious, Rey was a player that left a lot of TFC fans feeling frustrated. He had flare, but more often than not the stopovers led to nothing. At 24, he's probably not going to suddenly figure it out. He was what he was: a middling MLS winger.
    The player coming back is Dominic Oduro from Columbus. He's a player that has performed at a higher level than Rey. The tense here is important. He's not performing at a better rate than Rey right now.
    This is the gamble TFC is taking. They are hoping that a regular shift as a starter (he's only started 5 of his 10 appearances this year) will allow his form to return to his 2013 standards. Columbus obviously is thinking that won't happen because Rey's unlikely to get much better.
    Here is the performance data of the two players for the last two seasons.
    All data is from Whiscored.com.
    (WSR= Whoscored ranking, S+KP= Shots plus key passes, Drb= Dribbles won, T/O+F= Turn overs plus fouls, DI=Defensive involvement --Clearances+interceptions+Recoveries+Aerial wins)
    Oduro
    2014 - WSR 6.20, S+KO 1.8, Drb 0.4, T/O+F 2.1, DI, 0.7
    2013 - WSR 7.02, S+KP 3.7, Drb 1.4, T/O+F 3.4, DI 3.2
    Rey
    2014 - WSR 6.44, S+KP 0.8, Drb 1.0, T/O+F 4.8, DI 2.8
    2013 - WSR 6.67, S+KP 1.3, Drb 1.3, T/O+F 3.3, DI 2.0
    The 2014 numbers are a wash, really. Rey is more defensively involved (likely to do with TFC's rope-a-dope tactics) and beats his man more consistently. However, he doesn't create anywhere near enough scoring chances for an attacking player.
    The bottom line is that both players are below average in 2014. That begs the question as to why you would risk team chemistry by making a move.
    Oduro's 2013 numbers are why--especially that 3.7 S+KP number. As stated, S+KP is a rough look into the amount of scoring chances a player creates. If Oduro can get back to that level this is a lights out move for TFC.
    If he doesn't, then you have to question why the turn over. It's been a constant issue at TFC and the new management was supposed to fix it.
    Lastly, the move is bad news for anyone hoping that TFC's tactics are going to change. In the press release they stressed his speed. This is a player coming to play in the counter attack. Somewhere in Holland Aron Winter is weeping.
    Speaking of managers, the move also suggests Ryan Nelsen's vision remains popular in the front office. Nellie isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
    *yep, same joke every time. It amuses me.
    Guest
    After losing in the Voyaguers Cup final in midweek, Toronto FC return home to BMO Field this weekend for their final match ahead of the three-week World Cup break, to face Western Conference opposition in the form of the San Jose Earthquakes. While the disappointment of missing a chance to add a fifth Canadian Championship lingers, Saturday’s match is an important opportunity to add more points to the healthy total they’ve been accumulating to date and actually equal 2013’s entire league win total.
    Regardless of complaints about style, and the sense that the full potential of the rebuilt Reds squad is not being realized, six wins from eleven matches to open the season would represent a remarkable achievement for Tim Leiweke, Tim Bezbatchenko, and Ryan Nelsen.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] For three years, Toronto FC seasons have been more or less already over by early summer and, even with a loss on Saturday, TFC has already succeeded in building a solid base that can be built upon over the coming months.
    As for San Jose, a slow start to the season in their first full year under new head coach (and former Canadian national team stalwart) Mark Watson has been overcome and the Quakes have recently hit form winning three out of their last four. Two of those victories came over a collapsing FC Dallas side, including an away win last weekend, but the other was a convincing 3-0 demolition of the Houston Dynamo. As is so often the case in MLS, any game can throw up surprises, and San Jose, like prior visitors to BMO Field like Colorado and New England, is the sort of under-the-radar team that Toronto supporters should be wary of.
    One player TFC won’t have to worry about is Chris Wondolowski as the American forward was a surprise call-up to Jurgen Klinsmann’s U.S. World Cup team. The last time he visited BMO Field Wondolowski was decisive, scoring two goals and meriting more, in the early days of the 2012 season where he’d go on to score 27 goals, tying the league record, in the Earthquake’s Supporter’s Shield winning campaign.
    The Quake’s reliance on Wondolowski is evident in their drop-off last year: Wondo only scored 11 and San Jose fell from 1st to 15th overall and missed the playoffs. Even with that decline he was still their leading scorer last season and already leads again this year.
    With Wondolowski absent forward responsibilities will fall to regular villain, and all-around pest, Steven Lehnart. The former Crew man, famous at BMO Field for being thrown to the ground by Toronto goalkeeper Jon Conway back in 2010, is the sort of player that opponents, and opposing fans, tend to despise, but home fans often embrace. His physical style, and seeming indifference to the safety of opponents, plays a big part in creating the chaos that Wondoloski’s goal-poaching instincts thrive on.
    Another player who may be expected to chip in with some offense is new signing Jean Baptiste Pierazzi. The French midfielder has solidified his role in central midfield beside MLS veteran Khari Stephenson and belted in a stunning strike for the winner last weekend. For the time being, that combination is succeeding in keeping one time Red Sam Cronin consigned to a substitute role.
    For Toronto, the question must be whether they can start to get consistent offensive production out of anyone other than Jermain Defoe. While the Englishman has been spectacular in his MLS appearances Toronto’s reliance on the forward will leave them at risk to him having an off day, or opponents successfully shutting him down as Montreal largely did in midweek.
    Gilberto was limited to a substitute appearance in Montreal and, after changing the game against Columbus last weekend, seems likely to be returned to the starting line-up Saturday. This is the Brazilian’s last chance to break his goal-scoring jinx ahead of the upcoming lay-off and another missed opportunity would add to the growing disappointment. If he can get that goal though, the pressure would be greatly relieved and maybe the issue wouldn’t dominate discussion during the break.
    Guest
    No one wants to hear that losing last night was a blessing in disguise for TFC. But, it was.
    Although playing in the CCL is a fun exercise for a small group of loyalists, it is very far down the priority list of MLS teams. They know they can't win the damn thing and flying to El Salvador midweek during the MLS stretch run is not anything anyone wants to do.
    Making the playoffs in 2014 is the only thing that matters to TFC. It's also the only thing that matters for 95 percent of the fans that come out to the stadium.
    If the other 5 percent are honest with themselves making the playoffs is what most matters to them as well. Not even a single soul uses Voyageur Cup wins as a measure of success. If they did, people would view the 4-time champion TFC as successful.
    TFC is viewed as the Chivas of the north in MLS circles.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]So, playing in the CCL was not likely something they really wanted. That doesn't mean the Reds went out to lose last night, but it does mean they lacked a true drive to win.
    Montreal had that drive. Montreal won. Like TFC in 2012, the Impact likely know deep down they won't have a playoff push to worry about. Winning this tournament and advancing to the CCL now gives fans there meaningful games to look forward to when playing out the string would have been all that was there before.
    TFC will be in a playoff push. By losing last night they now have no excuse to not be and to not finally play at least one home playoff game.
    There won't be a single person worried about the Voyageurs Cup loss while standing in BMO in November.
    Guest
    An extension to Canadian Soccer News’ MLS Week in Review, this article provides a closer look at the performances of the Canadian players who saw the pitch this week.
    The top three spots this round go to Doneil Henry – for a particularly rapturous header, Will Johnson – for an emphatic finish of his own, and Issey Nakajima-Farran – for yet another lively outing for Montreal.
    Find out what they did to deserve recognition and who else earned their keep this week.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Doneil Henry
    Henry returned to Toronto FC’s starting eleven for their 3-2 win over Columbus on Saturday – it was his fifth start and sixth appearance of the season.
    Midweek he found a measure of redemption – for all the penalty kicks he’s been conceding (three in MLS and a fourth against Vancouver in the cup - with TFC’s goal in the opening leg of the Voyageurs Cup, a powerful header from a Toronto corner kick; Montreal would level in the second half through Justin Mapp, setting the stage for a dramatic match this Wednesday in Montreal.
    Paired with Nick Hagglund in the middle of the back-line, Henry was again very much the centre of attention.
    He played a role in Columbus taking the lead the 18th minute, when he was drawn into the midfield to make a challenge on Jairo Arrieta, open the space a pass to Ethan Finlay, who in turn found Meram:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/r0YGfRQAq1k?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    He was again at fault on Columbus’ second of the afternoon, when he was beat at the back-post by Agustin Viana on a Crew corner kick in the 65th minute:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5v95f2HltJo?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    But Henry would not let his head be bowed. He played a role in Jermain Defoe’s equalizer in the 81st; knocking forward a long ball that Gilberto did well to control and put into the path of Defoe for a cracking finish:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/N4S2ALNKf8U?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    And then in the 92nd minute, it was Henry who popped up on a Daniel Lovitz free-kick to knock in the late-winner – his second career MLS goal (the last one coming back in 2012 against Salt Lake from a similarly dominant header):
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QQTNQK2VxUY?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    He was booked for his raucous celebration, baring his chest in a primal display of emotion – picking up his second yellow card of the season.
    Post-match, the Brampton, Ontario-native offered a little insight into his game, “Sergio Ramos is my favourite defender. You can see the stuff that he’s done for [Madrid], see the finals when he scored in stoppage time. It really shows character, they never give up. Until the whistle blows, you have to keep going and keep pressing and your opportunities will come. The more hungry you are; it pays off.” Not sure that is the most conservative model for one’s game, but whatever works – Ramos has more than a few red cards and penalties to his name.
    Adding, about notching two goals in as many games, “I’m aggressive and I try to take that last second, when I see the ball and connect with it and try finding the net.”
    When asked about getting through the tough stretch, he responded, “In your career when you have your negative days, you can be a timid person or you can be a man and embrace it, just try to better yourself, understand the game better. I just want to come in every day and be positive and eliminate the mistakes that I would usually make. *I’m trying to bring a new side of my game and finish more. I’ve had good opportunities to score and even in New York what happened I never connected with the ball very well. I’d like to that it’s time to get a few more goals and help my team“– a great attitude and an excellent lesson for all.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KSpXcaEZrI0?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Will Johnson
    Johnson started both of Portland’s matches this week – a 0-2 win at Chivas on Wednesday and the 3-4 loss to Vancouver on Sunday – bringing his season tally up to fourteen starts for the season.
    Reunited with Diego Chara at the base of the midfield in both matches, Johnson was his usual effective self, opting for that defensive posture on the road at Chivas, before rising to the occasion against Vancouver.
    It took just seven minutes for his first foray forward, receiving a little lay-off from Darlington Nagbe at the top of the box – his low shot was deflected and clawed wide by David Ousted. He would return the favour in short order, twice springing his teammate, though neither came to much.
    Once Vancouver took a 1-4 lead four minutes into the second half, Johnson began to push forward with more abandon, making his trademark late-man runs into the box. It was from just such a play that Johnson pulled the Timbers within one in the 86th minute, thanks to a lovely bit of hold-up play from Fanendo Adi:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GVmay4iDUsw?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    The cracking left-footed drive was Johnson’s third goal of the season – his second in the last four matches.
    The Toronto-born midfielder won a foul two minutes later to set up a dangerous free-kick opportunity above the Vancouver box, but his free-kick whistled wide of the right-post. He then could not find the return ball for Nagbe after a scintillating run into the box from his team-mate and put a header into the mixer that drew Ousted out quickly to collect.
    Try as he might, he could not spur his side to an equalizer, falling 3-4 in a seven-goal thriller, snapping their unbeaten run after six matches.
    Issey Nakajima-Farran
    Nakajima-Farran made his first start for Montreal in their 2-0 win over New England on Saturday – it was his second appearance for the Impact and seventh in MLS.
    From the left-side of the midfield, Issey was a handful for the Revolution back-line all afternoon, blowing past Andrew Farrell in the 38th minute to unleash a shot from distance that led to Montreal’s second goal, as Bobby Shuttleworth spilled the effort straight to a lurking Jack McInerney.
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    In just two appearances for the club, Issey has proved himself a willing runner and a very useful piece of the Impact’s turnaround – granted it is a little early to pop the cork, but the hard-fought draw in Toronto in the cup and this win over New England are signs of life.
    Issey earned praise from coach, Frank Klopas, “His work rate is excellent always; we knew we were getting a player who could help us in the final third. He has very good ideas, and good movement. He’s an easy player to play with. Each day with the team, he grows in confidence and we needed to push him today because he won’t be available Wednesday.”
    While the Calgary, Alberta-native himself reflected on his first start for the club, “It was a really good first start for me. The guys were great tonight. We have so much quality on the field and tonight, I think we showed it. But it’s a stepping stone for us. If I scored, it would have been perfect. There was no lack of intensity on this night.”
    He also commented on how quickly he has integrated into the side, “I was a little surprised of the chemistry we all had. I felt really comfortable out there. Usually it takes a good five or six game. Everybody was playing simple and the ball was zipping around. The quality I see on this team is great, with guys playing at a high level all over the world.”
    Kyle Bekker
    Bekker made his seventh-straight start for Toronto in their win over Columbus – it was his eighth appearance of the season.
    Initially paired with Bradley Orr in the midfield – before Jonathan Osorio moved centrally after Orr left injured in the 18th minute – Bekker exhibited the sort of in-game inconsistency that has made his a difficult player to evaluate.
    At times he looks every bit the part of an upper-spectrum MLS midfielder, picking lovely passes, moving the ball neatly, and hitting dangerous set-pieces. But then he will switch off for a moment, play an absent-minded ball or fail to match the physicality necessary in that part of the pitch – such as when he lost out in a challenge with Justin Meram, allowing the Crew player a shot at goal that kicked off the base of the TFC post in the early goings.
    The Oakville, Ontario-native picked up a booking in the 80th minute – for dissent – after he went into a sliding block on Meram and took a little stomp on the knee for his efforts. It was his first yellow card of the season.
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio made his sixth start of the season for Toronto against Columbus on Saturday.
    Initially on the left-side of midfield, Osorio moved into the middle, providing a more attacking option as Kyle Bekker sat deep. He was lively throughout, combining well and covering a lot of ground, but since nursing that hamstring injury and still carrying a hand-issue (he suffered a small fracture against New York) he did not look as involved as he did when fully fit at the start of the campaign.
    The Toronto, Ontario-native left the pitch in the 71st minute to be replaced by Dwayne De Rosario.
    Karl Ouimette
    Ouimette returned to the Montreal starting lineup on Saturday in their win over New England after a strong performance at left-back midweek against TFC – it was his fifth start and sixth appearance of 2014.
    From that same position, Ouimette was a constant obstacle, helping the Impact keep just their second clean-sheet of the season and pick up their second win as well.
    Tasked with keeping a lid on Teal Bunbury, who rampages down the attacking-right, Ouimette did very well, once doing a brilliant job of legally holding off the forward as he tried to get on the end of a Chris Tierney cross, drawing praise from Paul Mariner on the Revolution broadcast.
    The Terrebonne, Quebec-native, who normally plays as either a centre-back or a right-back, was nearly caught out on one play, driving in to put a tackle into Andrew Farrell as he drove into the box – a heavy touch from the marauding defender may have spared him some late blushes.
    Wandrille Lefevre
    Lefevre made his fourth-consecutive start for Montreal in their win over the Revolution on Saturday.
    As the right-sided of the central defensive duo, paired with Heath Pearce, Lefevre was tasked with both keeping a lid on Patrick Mullins, who as a left-footer tends to drift to that side, and Diego Fagundez who slices in from the left-flank.
    That he kept both in-form players off the score-sheet – Mullins had scored in their last four matches, while Fagundez had in the last three – is a measure of the stalwart performance put in by the French-born defender.
    Tesho Akindele
    Akindele made his third-straight start for Dallas in their 1-2 loss against San Jose on Saturday evening – it was his fourth start and seventh appearance of his rookie campaign.
    Paired up top with Blas Perez, Akindele provided a lively foil for the central Panamanian danger-man, dragging defenders about as Perez sought to exploit space.
    It was a difficult challenge for the first-year player, facing such a sizeable defensive battery as is possessed by the Earthquakes – they’re not just big, but awfully physical as well.
    His role was made all the more difficult when Adam Moffat saw a second yellow card in the 37th minute, reducing their side ten men and starving the attack of service.
    Still, the Calgary, Alberta-native did not give up, he continued to battle, forcing a corner kick out of Clarence Goodon with some timely pressure and making a tidy little lay-off to find Zach Loyd at the top of the San Jose area, but Jon Busch was equal to the task.
    Dwayne De Rosario
    De Rosario made his seventh appearance of the season in the second half of Toronto’s match against Columbus, replacing Jonathan Osorio in the 71st minute with TFC trailing 1-2.
    As he did midweek, the veteran brought a certain attacking flair and vision to the field, springing Jermain Defoe down the right-side of the box, and prompting a rash tackle from Tyson Wahl to win a dangerous free-kick – it was nearly another penalty kick for the home side.
    In a refrain of a play from Wednesday against Montreal, De Rosario got on the end of a neat flicked take-down from Gilberto to test the keeper – midweek his attempt rattled off the bar, but this time Steve Clark was equal to the effort, pushing it over the target:
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    Though he was not directly involved in any of the TFC goals, De Rosario as an option off the bench provides a substantial threat. MLS clubs will be wary of his ability to play in the spaces – not to mention his threat from range – forcing them to not drop off, thus making runs from Gilberto and Defoe all the more possible.
    The same dynamic was evident midweek, when the Scarborough, Ontario-native was paired with Gilberto up top – complementing each other as Gilberto’s runs provided space for De Rosario and De Rosario’s threat made gaps for Gilberto’s run; a Chicken-Egg sort of thing.
    Russell Teibert
    Teibert was left out of Vancouver’s starting lineup for the fourth-straight match, entering at half-time to replace Kekuta Manneh – it was his tenth appearance and third from the bench.
    With the Whitecaps firmly in the lead, Teibert was tasked with shutting down the defensive left of the midfield, providing extra cover for Jordan Harvey.
    The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native made one excellent read, intercepting a pass from Darlington Nagbe and springing a counter attack. It was that energetic running that provided a late option as Vancouver sought to kill time, taking the ball to the corner flag in stoppage-time to eat up a few precious seconds.
    Patrice Bernier
    Bernier was on the bench for the start of Montreal’s win over New England – likely being rested in preparation for Wednesday’s Canadian Championship decider after his midweek exertions in Toronto.
    The Brossard, Quebec-native entered the match in the 85th minute, replacing Felipe, to help shore up the midfield and see out the result – it was his eleventh appearance of the season and fifth from the bench.
    The Rest
    Maxim Tissot, Rob Friend, and Kofi Opare were on the bench for their respective sides.
    Ashtone Morgan featured midweek in Toronto’s 1-1 draw against Montreal in the first leg of the Voyageurs Cup, including an interesting twenty minutes as the left-sided winger, rather than at left-back. Having started in the back-line, Morgan was pushed forward when Justin Morrow was subbed into the match – it was an interesting experiment and one that may bear more fruit in the future, utilizing the positive attacking aspects of Morgan’s came while limiting the defensive responsibilities he is tasked. It has the added benefit of having an attacking player with a defensive-capability further up-field, which could come in useful.
    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
    Aaron Campbell
    "Caps Countdown" is our Vancouver Whitecaps player rankings with a twist. The starting eleven is ranked from eleven to one, from worst to first. Who was the 'man of the match' and who, if anyone, had a game to forget in the historic Cascadia Cup clash, the 4-3 win at Portland Timbers? Aaron Campbell makes his selections. Do you agree?
    STARTING XI:
    11 - Nigel Reo-Coker
    Was out of position and chasing Timbers attackers all game long. Failed to help DeMerit out on first goal and was caught ball watching on second goal.
    10 - Kekuta Manneh
    Struggled again playing the wing. Is more of an up top striker but with how well Mattocks was playing and how well Hurtado is playing now there isn't another position but wing for him.
    9 - Sebastian Fernandez
    Looking back at penalty call for him he was lucky to get a call with little or no contact. His acting out being hit in the face by Kah was disgraceful. There is no room for that in soccer.
    8 - Andy O'Brien
    Had to cover Reo-Coker all game long which left him out of position one a few occasions. Was strong in the air when he had to be.
    7 - Gershon Koffie
    Played a sound game, was expecting more after the great game he had against the Sounders last week. Was in the right spot most of the time. Would have loved to see more offensive push.
    6 - Mattias Laba
    Played a quiet, sound game. Stepped up when he needed too. Was lucky not to get a yellow card on some of his challenges.
    5 - Jay DeMerit
    One of the best quality games he has played this year. Could of stepped up on Urruti more on the first goal but NRC left Jay out to dry.
    4 - Jordan Harvey
    Excellent shot for his goal. Played like a man possessed on corner kicks into the box. Was great defensively all game long.
    3 - Erik Hurtado
    His great hustle led to the first penalty kick. He showed his power keeping possession of the ball in the box. Great nose for the goal to make it four goals in four games.
    2 - David Ousted
    Had no chance on any of the goals. Made a couple 'Save Of The Week' candidate saves to keep the Caps ahead on the scoreboard.
    1 - Pedro Morales
    2 goals, 2 assists, 10 shots, 8 created chances and amazing passes all game long. Best game for Pedro all season.
    SUPER SUBS:
    3 - Darren Mattocks
    Looked tired from the minute he was subbed into the game. I understand you want to give him minutes but all the travel with the Jamaican National team showed.
    2 - Omar Salgado
    Wasn't effective at all. The team seemed to lose pace and possession when he was subbed into the game.
    1 - Russell Teibert
    Came on at half time for the struggling Manneh. Played well in front of Harvey and helped in the middle of the pitch.

    Guest

    MLS Week in Review – Round 13

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The thirteenth round of MLS action took place over the weekend, and what a bizarre, yet thoroughly entertaining rollercoaster ride it was – from its opening throes in Seattle on Saturday that saw a potentially history-making streak quashed to Sunday night’s seven-goal closer in Portland, there were thrilling comebacks, stunning upsets, curious red cards, a plethora of excellent goals and several brilliants set-ups.
    Leaving aside the two midweek fixtures, nine matches were played over the weekend (six on Saturday and three on Sunday) resulting in a mere three away wins and just a single draw.
    30 goals were scored, including six-of-seven from the penalty spot, while 33 yellow cards were flashed, as well as three reds – two straight and one accumulative (to Dallas’ Adam Moffat, in a twelve-minute span, no less).
    There were stoppage-time winners, designated players finding their feet, contentious penalty decisions, and at least one player seriously affected from the on-set of the summer sweltering as temperature climb and the league braces to break for the World Cup.
    Before the results, the goals of the round:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Plenty of candidates, as the weekend featured more than a few choice gems.
    In chronological order, up first is Seattle’s Marco Pappa and his inch-perfect free-kick against Salt Lake:
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    Unstoppable.
    Up next, DC’s Fabian Espindola, whose looping finish caught out the KC keeper and won his side the match:
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    Not sure he intended to score? His
    was evidence of the imagination that crafts such audacious visions.And finally, San Jose’s Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi opened his MLS account in style – with a forty-yard bomb against Dallas:
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    None too shabby at all.
    Special shout outs to Jermain Defoe, Kamani Hill, Max Urruti, Jordan Harvey, and Will Johnson, who all provided equally emphatic finishes this week.
    On to the results:
    Midweek Results in a Sentence (or Two)

    In the meeting between defending MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield Champions on Tuesday night, a 1-1 draw was a fair result as a ninth minute goal from Sporting’s Toni Dovale was cancelled out by a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal five minutes into the second half.
    Both sides see their winless streaks extended to four matches with the result – a second-straight draw for KC after losing twice, while New York ends a three-game losing skid.

    Wednesday night’s West Coast clash between Los Ameri-Goats and the Timbers saw the visitors stroll out 0-2 winners thanks to a pair of second half goals from recent addition, Fanendo Adi, in his first start for Portland.
    The win, their second-straight, pushes Portland’s unbeaten run to six matches, while they collect their first clean-sheet of the season; for Chivas a forth-consecutive home loss and their fifth red card of the season doom them to remain at the bottom of the table, despite two results on the road in recent weeks.
    Results in Brief
    Seattle 4 – Salt Lake 0
    Saturday’s action began with the high-profile meeting of Seattle and Salt Lake, two sides that know each other well having regularly met in the playoffs in recent years as they battle for supremacy in the Western Conference.
    Both entered in good form, Seattle having gone unbeaten through two, despite losing key pieces to international duty, while Salt Lake, missing three important players themselves, faced the potential of setting a new MLS record for the longest unbeaten start to the season, still yet to lose after twelve matches.
    The first half was an even contest, until a controversial decision in the 42nd minute turned the tide – and opened the floodgates.
    Lamar Neagle did well to make himself a nuisance in the box, winning a header towards the end-line and prompting Aaron Maund to barge him over, enticing the referee to point to the spot. Maund and the rest of his side protested, claiming it was a clean shoulder-to-shoulder contact – but that the referee had missed an earlier claim when Cole Grossman upended Neagle in the 25th minute should not be discounted.
    Either way Gonzalo Pineda converted from the spot for a second-straight match, this time opting to finish calmly to the goalkeeper’s right with his left-foot, rather than attempt another cheeky Panenka. Attinella went correctly, but could not reach the well-elevated spot kick.
    Come the second half, Seattle’s flowing attack ran rampant over the stunned Salties, notching a second in the 55th from a perfect right-sided free-kick struck by Marco Pappa’s left-foot - curling over the wall and into the right side of the goal - and a third in the 62nd on the counter with Neagle picking out Chad Barrett with a squared ball across the top of the box – Barrett’s right-footer was on its way past Attinella and the recovering Maund could only redirect an attempted clearance into the roof of the net.
    All that remained was for Obafemi Martins, still stinging due to his exclusion from the Nigerian World Cup squad, to add his sixth goal of the season (all but one in their last eight matches) in the 90th minute touching in a goal-mouth cross from Kenny Cooper with the left-boot after Pappa collected on the right, moved in field and laid a ball down the right-side of the box for the big forward.
    Sigi Schmid praised the spirit of his side, rising to the occasion to knock off their previously unbeaten opponent and solidify their position atop the Western Conference and the league with an impressive 4-0 win.
    Jeff Cassar and Salt Lake admitted that the controversial penalty decision unsettled them, but knew that all good things must come to an end.
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    Toronto 3 – Columbus 2
    If the start to the afternoon was not surprising enough, Toronto fell behind twice in their match against Columbus, only to overturn the deficit with a stoppage-time winner and claim the Trillium Cup for just the second time in its seven-year history – truly a bizarre occurrence.
    Justin Meram opened the scoring for the Crew in the 18th minute, capping off a smooth counterattack with a fine finish into the top right-corner past Joe Bendik. Tony Tchani played forward to Jairo Arrieta, who exploited the space left by Doneil Henry to feed Ethan Finlay moving in from the right. Finlay found Meram down the left-side of the box with a leading ball before the wide midfielder cut in onto his right-foot to finish.
    Three minutes on TFC had leveled through Jermain Defoe from the penalty spot. A brilliant touch from the Englishman after Jackson picked him out between the centre-backs prompted Tyson Wahl to grab a hold of the forward, bringing him down in the box. Defoe himself converted the chance with a low right-footer to the keeper’s right; Columbus’ Steve Clark did well to get a hand to the ball, but could not keep it out.
    Columbus retook the lead in the second half, when Agustin Viana beat Henry to a left-sided Ben Speas corner kick hit to the back-post, rising up to head down from the edge of the six yard box, but Toronto again responded, once more through Defoe, in the 81st minute.
    A hopeful ball forward from Henry found Gilberto, who did very well to nod it forward into the path of Defoe down the left-side of the area. Defoe patiently let it run across his back, and then waited to first-time the bouncing ball on the half-volley with a thunderous left-footed hit past a helpless Clark to the left-side of goal.
    With four forwards on the pitch, Toronto used that momentum to continue their assault on the Crew net, resulting in the 92nd winner, a moment of redemption for Henry. The young centre-back has been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons of late – repeatedly conceding penalty kicks (four already this season in all competitions).
    But, as he did midweek against Montreal, the big man connected wonderfully with a left-sided Daniel Lovitz free-kick after shirking his marker, helping it on and in off the back-post to win the match. He then celebrated accordingly – and was promptly booked for it.
    Ryan Nelsen admitted it was hardly the best performance from his side, but will have enjoyed clawing out the 3-2 victory in such a dogged manner, turning a three-match losing skid into three-unbeaten, without the services of the influential Michael Bradley.
    Gregg Berhalter, on the other hand, will be desperately disappointed in his side’s inability to protect the lead – twice – and then cling to a result in the waning minutes.
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    Montreal 2 – New England 0
    Unbeaten Salt Lake getting smashed; TFC coming from behind – and winning in stoppage-time; what madness is this?
    Bizarro weekend continued when Eastern Conference basement-dwellers Montreal upset conference toppers New England, 2-0 at Stade Saputo, with a pair of first half strikes.
    The two may indeed have been separated by sixteen points when the match began, but that mattered little in the 3rd minute when Andres Romero put the hosts in front with his second is as many matches.
    Jack McInerney pressed deep on the right, dishing off to Romero, who found Marco Di Vaio atop the box; Di Vaio returned a pass down the right-side of the area. Romero bade his time, out-waiting Revolution keeper, Bobby Shuttleworth, before sliding a right-footed finish under the leg of the keeper as he moved to cover the short-side.
    McInerney would double the Impact’s advantage in the 38th minute after a strong run up the left from Issey Nakajima-Farran, making his first start for his new club. Issey blew past Andrew Farrell and hit a left-footed drive from distance that was spilled by Shuttleworth. McInerney reacted quickest to the loose ball, touching in a right-footer past the prone keeper.
    Jay Heaps’ Revolution, who entered the match on a five-game winning streak, unbeaten in seven, having outscored their opponents 19-6 over that spell, but could not find anything in Montreal, ending both runs, leaving their manager to admit they were a little off on the night and were stung by the early goal
    For Frank Klopas’ Impact the win was just their second all season, snapping a three-match winless skid and responding to last weekend’s disappointing outing in Colorado – all of which bodes well for their midweek Voyageurs’ Cup finale against Toronto.
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    DC 1 – Kansas City 0
    As if all that was not strange enough, defending Champions Sporting KC saw their winless slide extended to five matches (their longest since 2011), losing 1-0 to a resurrected DC United, who claw to within two points of the top spot in the East with the victory.
    The match did not start well for Sporting, who lost Aurelien Collin to a resurgence of his hamstring issue after just six minutes – he was replaced by seventeen-year old Erik Palmer-Brown, who fared much better in his second MLS match.
    Still it took a moment of sheer imagination from Fabian Espindola to break the deadlock in the 28th minute.
    A left-sided throw-in led to a cross from Christian that was headed away by Seth Sinovic. Chris Korb collected on the right-side of the area, playing out wide to a retreating Espindola, who adroitly spotted KC keeper, Eric Kronberg, off his line and hit a hopeful floating cross-shot towards goal.
    Regardless of intent, the left-footer sailed over the keeper into the top left-corner; a goal that proved enough to separate the sides.
    The win was DC’s first over Sporting since 2010 (when they were known as the Wizards) – ending an unbeaten stretch of seven meetings for the visitors.
    Post-match Ben Olsen heralded his goal-scorer, who overcame flu-like symptoms to feature and prove the difference, calling Espindola a ‘warrior’ and stating it was a definite attempt on goal, referring to a certain ‘nice arrogance’ that his player embodies.
    Peter Vermes, who does not enjoy losing, was frustrated with the result, especially the time-consuming and rhythm-breaking gamesmanship from DC, but still recognized that given the circumstance – a paucity of true centre-backs and two of their most influential players on international duty – thought their effort tremendous.
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    Dallas 1 – San Jose 2
    Meanwhile down in Dallas another long streak was coming to an end.
    Dating back to March of 2011, San Jose and Dallas had met nine times prior to Saturday night; regardless of where the match was played, the one constant was that the home team had not lost since.
    But that run was finally ended, with San Jose emerging 1-2 winners in Dallas – not without a scare or two – and thanks, in part, to an early red card to Dallas’ Adam Moffat.
    Dallas, who entered in the midst of a dire seven-match winless run, looked to start on the right foot, taking the lead after sixteen minutes when a long throw-in from the left bounced through the San Jose box to be collected by Fabian Castillo on the right.
    He hit a driven cross back through the goalmouth that Blas Perez did very well to get on the end of for an instinctive finish, right-footing into the left-side of goal having stepped in front of Ty Harden.
    San Jose would draw level in the 27th when a left-sided Shea Salinas corner kick bounced off Steven Lenhart and fell perfectly for Atiba Harris above the penalty spot – his low right-footer found the bottom right corner of the goal. Dallas claimed that Lenhart had redirected the ball with his arm, but replays showed otherwise.
    The screws of fortune turned further in the visitors favour in the 37th minute when Moffat saw his second booking of the evening. Facing the ever-lively Yannick Djalo, Moffat was forced into repeated interventions – he picked up his first yellow in the 25th for persistent infringement and drew the second for an obvious pull on the tricky Portuguese midfielder after getting beat in the centre-circle, reducing Dallas to ten men.
    Eight minutes later Dallas would be made to pay, when Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi collected a ball from Khari Stephenson in the space that Moffat would have occupied. Without pressure, Pierazzi took his time, sizing up a right-footed effort from some forty-yards that sizzled past Chris Seitz and into the top right-corner of the Dallas goal.
    The hosts would have a glorious chance to level in first-half stoppage-time, when a skillful touch from Castillo prompted San Jose left-back Jordan Stewart to bite, bringing down the Colombian in the box and allowing the referee to award a penalty kick.
    Castillo stepped to the spot himself, hitting a low right-footer to the keeper’s right, but Jon Busch was equal to the task, preserving the lead by getting down quickly to deny the attempt.
    Deflated, Dallas, try as they might, could not find purchase in the second, falling to a sixth loss in their last nine matches; their last win having come back in the middle of April over Toronto FC. Oscar Pareja indicated that he was very upset with the result, opting to state plainly, “It’s not good enough, we need to be better” rather than wax on about positives.
    Mark Watson, whose side picked up their first road win of the season, have won back-to-back matches for the first time this season, both without the talismanic Chris Wondolowski, as they begin the slow climb out of the Western cellar.
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    Chivas 0 – Philadelphia 3
    The final contest of Saturday night pitted two of the worst teams in the league, each with just two wins all season, as ninth-place in the West hosted their counterparts from the East.
    As to be expected, it took a little bit of luck to break open the match.
    In the 27th minute one of the rarest calls in the game was made, as Chivas keeper, Dan Kennedy, was penalized for a six-second violation, handing Philadelphia an indirect free-kick in the box. Making matters worse was that when Cristian Maidana struck his effort, the referee all too eagerly, blew up play for a handball on Martin Rivero, gifting the visitors a chance from the penalty spot.
    Conor Casey handily dispatched the effort for his first of the season, beating Kennedy to his left with a well-placed right-footer.
    Casey would add his second shortly after the hour mark after a nice flowing Union move through the midfield allowed Maurice Edu to find Maidana in space on the left. The Argentine hit a perfect ball from the flank over the head of Carlos Bocanegra for Casey to get on the end of with a diving header, once more beating Kennedy to the right-side of goal.
    Maidana, a designated player acquired in the off-season, had struggled to make his influence felt, with just one goal and two assists through twelve appearances.
    But he factored in all three Union goals on the night – winning the penalty and setting up Casey, before notching his own in the 76th minute, not without another spot of controversy, however.
    Vincent Nogueira found Maidana wide on the left, from whence he cut in-field onto his right-foot before hitting a low shot across the keeper to the far-post. Kennedy attempted to reach the ball, but Andrew Wenger, clearly in an offside position, did enough to get out of the way of the shot – it rolled through his legs – but rather likely interfered with Kennedy’s ability to make the save. Much to the forlorn keeper’s consternation.
    Still, the goal stood and Chivas, who now trailed 0-3 could only boil in frustration – resulting in yet another red card – their sixth, as their midfield destroyer, Oswaldo Minda, snapped at the heels of Edu and was harshly dismissed.
    With the loss – their fifth-straight at home – Wilmer Cabrera reiterated that Chivas must stop giving openings to the opposition, whether through penalty kicks, red cards, or rule violations, as tough decisions continue to prove costly; they must not give an inch.
    John Hackworth, whose side collected their second win in four matches, will hope this offensive burst is a sign of things to come.
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    Chicago 1 – Los Angeles 1
    The first of three Sunday fixtures saw Chicago host Los Angeles in the sweltering heat and humidity of a summer’s afternoon in the Great Lakes region.
    Both sides struggled to find flow in the sweltering conditions – LA’s Dan Gargan had to leave the match after a half-hour due to the effects of the weather – and it was a mistake in the second half that gave Chicago the breakthrough when Quincy Amarikwa intercepted a Juninho pass and drove towards goal.
    The Brazilian recovered to put in a challenge on the edge of the penalty area, but even the officials were apparently affected by the dizzying climate, awarding a penalty kick for an infraction that was clearly outside the box.
    Regardless, Jeff Larentowicz dispatched the chance from the spot, beating Jaime Penedo with a right-footer low to the keeper’s right having sent Penedo diving in the opposite direction.
    The Galaxy would respond six minutes later, making the most of an interception of their own, when Robbie Rogers, who replaced Gargan at right-back, read an under-hit pass from debutant Chris Ritter and stole in down the right-side of the box to play a low cross through the goalmouth to Landon Donovan at the back-post.
    Donovan, who responded to his US National Team exclusion with a two-goal performance last weekend, added his third of the season with a cool left-footed finish high into the Fire net past Sean Johnson.
    Frank Yallop, whose Chicago side have lost just once in their last four since winning their first match of the season, was satisfied with the strong performance of his side, missing several of their recognized starters.
    Bruce Arena decried the league’s decision to play the match so early in the day, given the conditions – though he was not as strong in his wording as Robbie Keane; despite their complaints, the extension of their unbeaten run to three matches will assuage some concerns, if do little for the sunburn and heatstroke.
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    Colorado 3 – Houston 0
    Colorado continued their offensive outburst, adding three goals to the four they got last week, while Houston’s miserable road trip comes to dire end, as the Rapids rolled out 3-0 winners.
    It took just five minutes for the hosts to open the scoring, when Marvell Wynne beat Andrew Driver around the outside on the right and hit an inviting cross into the middle, where Deshorn Brown had backed off his marker, Jermaine Taylor, to connect with a downward header against the grain, beating Tally Hall to the right-side of goal.
    Brown would add his second in the 35th minute. Wynne again began the attack, playing up to Nick LaBrocca, who found Dillon Powers in the middle. Powers, who scored twice last weekend, put a ball behind the sluggish Dynamo back-line for Brown to chase down the right-side of the area.
    Despite the pressure of Taylor and the full attention of Hall, Brown managed to guide a low right-footer across the keeper, tucking his finish into the far-side netting.
    And six minutes into the second half the rout was complete when Kamani Hill met a left-sided, in-swinging Powers corner kick to back-heel a neat flying-flick on to the far-side of goal from the near-post for Colorado’s third.
    Pablo Mastroeni, who is still finding his feet as a manager in his first season off the pitch, will have enjoyed a second-straight win from his side that featured a free-flowing and rampant attack.
    Dominic Kinnear, who endured a woeful three-match road swing in which his side was outscored 8-0, cannot wait to get back home and address those short-coming on the training pitch; hopeful of entering the World Cup break with a win over Kansas City on Friday.
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    Portland 3 – Vancouver 4
    Saving the best for last, the latest installment in the Cascadia Cup provided an entertaining close to the round, as Vancouver outlasted Portland, picking up a 3-4 win at the home of their Northwestern rivals.
    In a furious, fast-paced match, Portland kicked off the seven-goal madness after just three minute when Max Urruti collected a pass from Diego Valeri and was allowed to walk across the top of the Vancouver box, unleashing a fierce left-footed drive that beat David Ousted to the top left-corner of the goal.
    Vancouver, undaunted from the early sting, would respond with four unanswered goals – two from the penalty spot, each dispatched by Pedro Morales, before Erik Hurtado ended the first half with a somewhat fortunate finish and Jordan Harvey opened the second with aplomb.
    Vancouver’s first penalty was won by Hurtado in the 16th minute, when his incisive run into the left-side of the area was halted by the combination of a nip on the heels from Diego Chara and a barge from Jack Jewsbury – Morales would beat Ricketts with a right-footer straight down the middle as the keeper lunged to his right.
    Their second came in the 26th when Sebastian Fernandez was upended by a stray leg from Jorge Villafana as the defender attempted to poke clear a loose ball – Morales went to Rickett’s right with his right-footer, having sent the keeper diving the other direction.
    Portland would see a penalty shout of their own waived away in the 31st minute, when Valeri was felled in the act of shooting by Matias Laba – much to the chagrin of an angry Caleb Porter.
    The first half closed after four minutes of stoppage-time when Hurtado got on the end of a Vancouver break, bundling over the line when Ricketts had denied his first attempt. The play began when Morales, having drifted wide right, played in to Laba, who returned a ball down the right-side of the area.
    Morales’ goalmouth cross was met by Hurtado - whether the rebound caromed off Hurtado, or Jewsbury on the ground, mattered not, as the Whitecaps took the 1-3 lead into half-time – it was his third goal in as many MLS matches (fourth in four if one considers the Voyageurs Cup).
    Harvey would pad their advantage four minutes into the half, when Morales again played provider, drifting wide right once more to hit a cross-field ball to the wide open left-back, who settled and hit a low left-footer across Ricketts to the bottom right-corner of the goal.
    Porter wrung in the changes, bring Fanendo Adi, Gaston Fernandez, and Kalif Alhassan into the match.
    Those substitutions proved instrumental in the Timbers comeback attempt, with Fernandez getting on the end of a left-sided Valeri cross to the back-post in the 77th minute and Adi setting up Will Johnson in the 86th after controlling a long Valeri ball on his chest, before juggling and playing in the Portland captain down the left-side for a smashing left-footed finish.
    But the hosts could not find the equalizer, falling by the odd goal in seven to their Canadian-Cascadian rivals.
    Porter, whose Timbers had their two-game winning and six-match unbeaten runs ended, was very disgruntled come the end of the match, decrying the decision to award to penalties one way and ignore, what he saw as, equally valid shouts at the other end.
    Carl Robinson, who is no shrinking violet himself on the touchline, guided his Whitecaps to their first ever win over Portland in MLS, as they continue their six-match unbeaten run.
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    CanCon
    As always, the extended review of the Canadian performances will be posted tomorrow – featuring a spot of redemption from Doneil Henry, a cracking finish from Will Johnson, and new roles for Dwayne De Rosario, and possible Ashtone Morgan.
    Overheard
    Just one sound-byte this weekend, as Robbie Keane proves that the Irish melt above 30 degrees Celsius (or at least their tempers do), “I don’t know who makes these f***ing stupid decisions.* Play a f***ing game at three o’clock in the afternoon.* Who wants to watch that crap?* Do you?* I don’t want to watch that crap.* These people who haven’t got a clue about soccer make these decisions when we play a game.* Why not play at eight o’clock? It wasn’t on national television.* It’s so stupid.* They need to look at these games and use their head and be clever.* No player wants to play in that humidity.* Everyone was affected by the heat.* Why would you want to play at three o’clock in the afternoon?* On the hottest day of the year so far here in Chicago, knowing it is going to be that hot.* And you can’t blame the Kings-Hawks game because you didn’t know that was going to happen until two days ago.* This is absolutely ridiculous.* We have to stop.* We have to listen to the players instead of listening to people who have never kicked a soccer ball in their whole life.”
    Amen brother Robbie – bonus points for acknowledging the NHL playoffs.
    See It Live
    Bobby Burling’s huge hit on Fanendo Adi near the touch-line, then yaps at the Portland bench:
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    Evil Caleb Porter with the goatee – was menacing.
    Fabian Castillo’s skill to win the penalty:
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    Then get denied by Jon Busch from the spot:
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    Donovan Ricketts going walkabouts at the death in Portland – he appears to have learned nothing from that incident in Colorado, hurting himself once more – though at least he did not concede another penalty this time.
    Controversy
    Plenty of controversy to discuss:
    Did Burling deserve a red card for the above hit on Adi? What about Oswaldo Minda for his bite at Maurice Edu? Or Alex Caskey for his lunge on Kevin Ellis?
    Some sort penalty kicks given – did Aaron Maund’s shoulder barge warrant a spot kick? And what about Juninho’s foul on Quincy Amarikwa? Outside the box, no?
    Then there was the non-call on Matias Laba as he interrupted Diego Valeri’s shot.
    And a little play-acting from Sebastian Fernandez, who was not touched in the face by Portland’s Pa Modou Kah on this play.
    Never mind the bizarre six-second call on Chivas’ Dan Kennedy or Andrew Wenger’s clear interference on the Cristian Maidana goal.
    Upcoming Fixtures
    Just one round – plus a few scraggly midweek fixtures - remains before the league shuts up shop for this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
    A pair of midweek contests make way for a full slate of nine weekend matches – keep an eye out for Friday night’s Houston-KC, as the two do not like each other after repeated playoff meetings; while Saturday’s Salt Lake-Portland tie has the potential to be brilliant, and the always-underwhelming LA derby come Sunday.
    Wednesday: Columbus-Salt Lake; Colorado-Chicago. Friday: Houston-Kansas City. Saturday: Toronto-San Jose; DC-Columbus; Philadelphia-Vancouver; Dallas-Colorado; Chicago-Seattle; Salt Lake-Portland. Sunday: New England-New York; Los Angeles-Chivas.
    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
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