In the 3rd minute, Jimmy Nielsen hit 10,000 minutes in all competitions for KC.
In the 22nd minute, Nielsen passed Sean Bowers and into 17th place for minutes played in league play for KC, he finished the game with 9,247 minutes played.
Chance Myers scored his first career MLS goal.
Matt Besler made his 111th MLS appearance, tying him with Bowers for 19th on that list for KC.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
KC fall to Portland
For the first time this season, Sporting KC lost at home, twice losing the lead as they felt to the Portland Timbers 3-2 at Sporting Park last night.
Things couldn't have started better for Sporting though as under a minute in they were in front. A long throw from Matt Besler was headed in by Chance Myers for his first career MLS goal. A fantastic start for KC. The Timbers though immediately started taking the game to KC after the goal. Diego Valeri hit the cross bar in the 4th minute after he was played in behind KC's defense, and on the rebound, Aurelien Collin beat Will Johnson to the ball to knock it away before the Timbers captain could head the ball in. The Timbers kept the pressure up and Ryan Johnson forced a nice save out of Jimmy Nielsen in the 9th. Then in the 24th Rodney Wallace forced a nice save from Nelsen on a shot from distance. On the ensuing corner, the Timbers deservedly equalized. Ryan Johnson beat Besler to the corner and jumped over Claudio Bieler to make it 1-1. KC responded fairly quickly in the 29th. Graham Zusi played a short free kick to Benny Feilhaber who turned and chipped a ball into the middle of the box for Collin. The Frenchman touched the ball back towards the near post where Myers tapped it in for his second goal of the night. The Timbers responded almost immediately themselves in the 33rd. Valeri sprung Johnson down the wing. The Jamaican out raced KC's defense and squared the ball across for Darlington Nagbe who had a simple tap in to tie the game at 2-2.
In the second half the Timbers continued to bring the game to Kansas City. In the 57th after KC gave the ball away on their left side, the ball came to Diego Chara who played a ball across the field for a racing Wallace. Wallace beat Nielsen to give the Timbers the lead. KC turned up the pressure searching for the equalizer, but they struggled to create clear chances for much of the second half as Portland shut down KC's attack. Finally in stoppage time KC really tested the Timbers. A deep cross from Seth Sinovic found Collin in the middle box. Collin put his header on goal but Donovan Ricketts made a superb save knocking the ball out for a corner. KC kept coming and Mechack Jerome forced an awkward save from Ricketts as the ball knuckled. Ricketts though got in front of the effort and then collected the rebound. In the end, KC didn't offer enough late on and Portland was able to take the 3-2 win.
Wizards Man of the Match - Chance Myers - The defender finally got his first goals in MLS play. Even with those two goals I almost didn't pick him for man of the match because of his play on Portland's third goal as he let Wallace get behind him.
Player Ratings - Nielsen 4, Myers 6, Collin 4, Besler 4, Sinovic 5, Rosell 4, Nagamura 3, Feilhaber 4, Sapong 3, Bieler 3, Zusi 3. Subs Peterson 5, Jerome NR.
Things couldn't have started better for Sporting though as under a minute in they were in front. A long throw from Matt Besler was headed in by Chance Myers for his first career MLS goal. A fantastic start for KC. The Timbers though immediately started taking the game to KC after the goal. Diego Valeri hit the cross bar in the 4th minute after he was played in behind KC's defense, and on the rebound, Aurelien Collin beat Will Johnson to the ball to knock it away before the Timbers captain could head the ball in. The Timbers kept the pressure up and Ryan Johnson forced a nice save out of Jimmy Nielsen in the 9th. Then in the 24th Rodney Wallace forced a nice save from Nelsen on a shot from distance. On the ensuing corner, the Timbers deservedly equalized. Ryan Johnson beat Besler to the corner and jumped over Claudio Bieler to make it 1-1. KC responded fairly quickly in the 29th. Graham Zusi played a short free kick to Benny Feilhaber who turned and chipped a ball into the middle of the box for Collin. The Frenchman touched the ball back towards the near post where Myers tapped it in for his second goal of the night. The Timbers responded almost immediately themselves in the 33rd. Valeri sprung Johnson down the wing. The Jamaican out raced KC's defense and squared the ball across for Darlington Nagbe who had a simple tap in to tie the game at 2-2.
In the second half the Timbers continued to bring the game to Kansas City. In the 57th after KC gave the ball away on their left side, the ball came to Diego Chara who played a ball across the field for a racing Wallace. Wallace beat Nielsen to give the Timbers the lead. KC turned up the pressure searching for the equalizer, but they struggled to create clear chances for much of the second half as Portland shut down KC's attack. Finally in stoppage time KC really tested the Timbers. A deep cross from Seth Sinovic found Collin in the middle box. Collin put his header on goal but Donovan Ricketts made a superb save knocking the ball out for a corner. KC kept coming and Mechack Jerome forced an awkward save from Ricketts as the ball knuckled. Ricketts though got in front of the effort and then collected the rebound. In the end, KC didn't offer enough late on and Portland was able to take the 3-2 win.
Wizards Man of the Match - Chance Myers - The defender finally got his first goals in MLS play. Even with those two goals I almost didn't pick him for man of the match because of his play on Portland's third goal as he let Wallace get behind him.
Player Ratings - Nielsen 4, Myers 6, Collin 4, Besler 4, Sinovic 5, Rosell 4, Nagamura 3, Feilhaber 4, Sapong 3, Bieler 3, Zusi 3. Subs Peterson 5, Jerome NR.
Friday, April 26, 2013
FC Kansas City Post Their First Win
After having a week off due to the situation in Boston last weekend, FC Kansas City was back on the field for their second game of the season against the Seattle Reign at Shawnee Mission District Stadium. A consistent rain throughout the day kept a number of people away, and while announced attendance was just over 4,000, I doubt that many were actually there.
The Blues though came out strong from the start, taking the game to Seattle, but forcing many chances early on. KC did well possession the ball as well, working the ball around the back through Becky Sauerbrunn, Lauren Sesselman, and Nicole Barnhart. After much of the possession early on, FC KC finally broke in the 21st minute. A Lauren Cheney corner kick floated to the back post. The went over the hands of Michelle Betos and was headed in by Sinead Farrelly giving Kansas City the 1-0 lead. Seattle almost responded immediately as a cross from KC's left side was met by Seattle captain Keelin Winters in the middle of the 6 yard box. Winters could only get a toe on the ball and poked it right to Barnhart who had done well to move across her goal mouth. She knocked down the shot and covered the rebound. Seattle continued to pressure KC's goal but the chances that they did create were easily handled by Barnhart. In the 35th though she needed some help as a corner was cleared off the line after she missed going for a corner kick. Desiree Scott though cleared the ball off the line. KC had a few chances late in the half, specifically coming from the set pieces of Cheney she fired a free kick that went through the wall and just wide of the far post, and then off another corner Farrelly headed the ball back Sauerbrunn who couldn't get a clean shot off. KC went in at the half up 1-0.
To start the second half, KC came out and really pushed the game. In the 50th minute KC really should have grabbed a second goal. A Cheney free kick again went through the wall and was saved by Betos at the near post. Betos didn't hold the shot and Sauerbrunn was the first to react, but she fired the rebound off the cross bar from inside the 6 yard box keeping the score 1-0. KC kept pushing the game, Renae Cuellar went down in the box shortly after on a ball over the top but no call was made. Seattle was also trying to find a way into the game too, many of their chances were coming from set pieces, the Reign had a number of long set pieces that bounced in the box that Barnhart did well to handle in the wet conditions. She didn't do as well on a corner in the 63rd. Barnhart did well enough on the first attempt punching the corner out and away, but the ball was crossed back into the box and Barnhart wiffed on that attempt, but Seattle couldn't capitalize on the opportunity. While Seattle searched for the equalizer, they pushed further up the field and in the 71st KC made them pay. Cheney cleared the end for KC up towards Cuellar who was riding the last defender. The ball went into space behind Seattle's defense. Cuellar raced onto the ball took a touch or two and buried the shot past Betos and into the net to double the lead for KC. From there Seattle controlled possession but really it was Kansas City that looked the more likely of the two sides to grab another goal. In the end KC took the game 2-0 getting their first win and first shutout in team history and improved their record to 1-0-1, while Seattle fell to 0-2-1. The two teams meet next week in Seattle's home opener.
Blues Player of the Match - Lauren Cheney - Cheney had a superb game tonight, recording both assists and looking extremely dangerous throughout the game for the Blues.
The Blues though came out strong from the start, taking the game to Seattle, but forcing many chances early on. KC did well possession the ball as well, working the ball around the back through Becky Sauerbrunn, Lauren Sesselman, and Nicole Barnhart. After much of the possession early on, FC KC finally broke in the 21st minute. A Lauren Cheney corner kick floated to the back post. The went over the hands of Michelle Betos and was headed in by Sinead Farrelly giving Kansas City the 1-0 lead. Seattle almost responded immediately as a cross from KC's left side was met by Seattle captain Keelin Winters in the middle of the 6 yard box. Winters could only get a toe on the ball and poked it right to Barnhart who had done well to move across her goal mouth. She knocked down the shot and covered the rebound. Seattle continued to pressure KC's goal but the chances that they did create were easily handled by Barnhart. In the 35th though she needed some help as a corner was cleared off the line after she missed going for a corner kick. Desiree Scott though cleared the ball off the line. KC had a few chances late in the half, specifically coming from the set pieces of Cheney she fired a free kick that went through the wall and just wide of the far post, and then off another corner Farrelly headed the ball back Sauerbrunn who couldn't get a clean shot off. KC went in at the half up 1-0.
To start the second half, KC came out and really pushed the game. In the 50th minute KC really should have grabbed a second goal. A Cheney free kick again went through the wall and was saved by Betos at the near post. Betos didn't hold the shot and Sauerbrunn was the first to react, but she fired the rebound off the cross bar from inside the 6 yard box keeping the score 1-0. KC kept pushing the game, Renae Cuellar went down in the box shortly after on a ball over the top but no call was made. Seattle was also trying to find a way into the game too, many of their chances were coming from set pieces, the Reign had a number of long set pieces that bounced in the box that Barnhart did well to handle in the wet conditions. She didn't do as well on a corner in the 63rd. Barnhart did well enough on the first attempt punching the corner out and away, but the ball was crossed back into the box and Barnhart wiffed on that attempt, but Seattle couldn't capitalize on the opportunity. While Seattle searched for the equalizer, they pushed further up the field and in the 71st KC made them pay. Cheney cleared the end for KC up towards Cuellar who was riding the last defender. The ball went into space behind Seattle's defense. Cuellar raced onto the ball took a touch or two and buried the shot past Betos and into the net to double the lead for KC. From there Seattle controlled possession but really it was Kansas City that looked the more likely of the two sides to grab another goal. In the end KC took the game 2-0 getting their first win and first shutout in team history and improved their record to 1-0-1, while Seattle fell to 0-2-1. The two teams meet next week in Seattle's home opener.
Blues Player of the Match - Lauren Cheney - Cheney had a superb game tonight, recording both assists and looking extremely dangerous throughout the game for the Blues.
Back Home
After the rough coast to coast road trip that saw Kansas City go 1-1, the team returns home for the first of three straight at home on Saturday night against the Portland Timbers.
Portland comes into the game after spending the last two weeks playing the San Jose Earthquakes home and away. The home match was marred by situations on and off the field. Off the field it was from attacks and confrontations from fans that prompted the Earthquakes to make a statement regarding their supporters. On the field, it was Alan Gordon's homophobic slur that drew a lot of people's attention. In the return leg the next week in San Jose, things were quite tame in comparison. The Timbers have looked like a much improved side under Caleb Porter and currently sit on 10 points with a 2-1-4 record. Will Johnson has really been a key for them since coming over from Salt Lake in the offseason. Former Wizard, Michael Harrington has also been making the most of his return to a starting position.
With the frustrations of LA now behind them, Kansas City will hope to put the performance behind them quickly with a solid performance against the Timbers. The question is whether Peter Vermes will stick with the same lineup that's gotten them through their recent unbeaten run, or switch things up. Oriol Rosell had a very poor game against LA and was replaced at half time by Peterson Joseph, does Vermes throw Joseph his first start of the season over the Spaniard? Another option would be to let Soony Saad or Bobby Convey get a start in place of CJ Sapong. In the end though I'd be surprised if Vermes changes up the lineup, unless there is an injury.
Number to Remember - 1 - Last year Portland ended KC's 7 game winning streak to start the season with a 1-0 win at Jeld-Wen Field last year. The lone goal in that game a Chance Myers own goal that allowed Portland to grab the win.
Key Match Up Graham Zusi vs Michael Harrington - Harrington's played both wingback positions for Portland this season since his move up there, recently he's played on the left which would match him up with KC's Zusi. It'd also force him to be mindful of the overlapping runs of Myers that have caused trouble for teams.
PREDICTION - Back at home Kansas City hasn't been lighting up the score board, but are really controlling play and getting results. The shutout streak may be over, but the team is still very well off defensively. The Timbers are one of the few teams left in the league that haven't been shutout yet this season, so KC's defense will need to find a way to shut them down. Meanwhile KC's attack really could use a game to just break out and get their confidence up.
SKC - 2 (Bieler, Sapong)
PTFC - 0
Portland comes into the game after spending the last two weeks playing the San Jose Earthquakes home and away. The home match was marred by situations on and off the field. Off the field it was from attacks and confrontations from fans that prompted the Earthquakes to make a statement regarding their supporters. On the field, it was Alan Gordon's homophobic slur that drew a lot of people's attention. In the return leg the next week in San Jose, things were quite tame in comparison. The Timbers have looked like a much improved side under Caleb Porter and currently sit on 10 points with a 2-1-4 record. Will Johnson has really been a key for them since coming over from Salt Lake in the offseason. Former Wizard, Michael Harrington has also been making the most of his return to a starting position.
With the frustrations of LA now behind them, Kansas City will hope to put the performance behind them quickly with a solid performance against the Timbers. The question is whether Peter Vermes will stick with the same lineup that's gotten them through their recent unbeaten run, or switch things up. Oriol Rosell had a very poor game against LA and was replaced at half time by Peterson Joseph, does Vermes throw Joseph his first start of the season over the Spaniard? Another option would be to let Soony Saad or Bobby Convey get a start in place of CJ Sapong. In the end though I'd be surprised if Vermes changes up the lineup, unless there is an injury.
Nielsen
Myers - Collin - Besler - Sinovic
Nagamura - Rosell
Feilhaber
Zusi - Bieler - Sapong
Number to Remember - 1 - Last year Portland ended KC's 7 game winning streak to start the season with a 1-0 win at Jeld-Wen Field last year. The lone goal in that game a Chance Myers own goal that allowed Portland to grab the win.
Key Match Up Graham Zusi vs Michael Harrington - Harrington's played both wingback positions for Portland this season since his move up there, recently he's played on the left which would match him up with KC's Zusi. It'd also force him to be mindful of the overlapping runs of Myers that have caused trouble for teams.
PREDICTION - Back at home Kansas City hasn't been lighting up the score board, but are really controlling play and getting results. The shutout streak may be over, but the team is still very well off defensively. The Timbers are one of the few teams left in the league that haven't been shutout yet this season, so KC's defense will need to find a way to shut them down. Meanwhile KC's attack really could use a game to just break out and get their confidence up.
SKC - 2 (Bieler, Sapong)
PTFC - 0
Thursday, April 25, 2013
KC Athletics Out of US Open Cup
The KC Ahtletics will no longer be taking part in the US Open Cup for 2013, we have had our accomplishments stolen from us#whatajoke
— KC Athletics (@KC_AthleticsFC) April 25, 2013
Yesterday the announcement came down that the KC Athletics would have to replay their US Open Cup "Win and You're In" qualifier against the Dearborn Stars because the Stars' protest of the result due to the field width had been upheld. Today, the Athletics officially withdrew from the competition because of the replay. There were a multitude of reasons why the Athletics could have chosen to drop out, expenditures with traveling 530 plus miles to Chicago, the 3 day notice for their players to take time off work, change social schedules, etc, or even out of spite because of the decision.
According to the Athletics General Manager/coach, Kyle Perkins though it was because of "Principal."
"We have proven 3 ways why the protest should be over turned, they refuse to acknowledge that fact. We don't agree, and won't play in a game that shouldn't be played." Perkins added.
Over the rest of this post I'll break down the three ways that Perkins is referring to and what did or did not happen in that process. And in the end led to the decision by Perkins and the Athletics to not travel to Chicago for the replay.
The first challenge to the protest had a couple points to it. The first argument was in regards to the fact that the Athletics moved the game from Saturday to Sunday because without that move, the Stars were possibly going to have to forfeit the game due to not having enough players able to make it to KC. KC didn't have to move the game, but chose to. Another argument was the fact that while Dearborn filed the protest, they still agreed to play the game. Would they have continued the protest if they'd have won the game, or withdrawn the protest? I'm going to guess they would have withdrawn.
The biggest part of the first challenge in my opinion was the measurement of the field. The only way the field was measured was by walking the field off by the match officials. I'm sure they have a decent idea of how to measure off a field, but if there is a protest about the size of the field, shouldn't there be a measurement done to confirm that the field is in fact that length? The argument isn't that the field was or was not too short, the problem is the fact that with the official protest, instead of guessing by measuring only by walking it off, there should have been an official measurement of the field done with some sort of measuring tool. To confirm the validity of the protest there should have been an official protest.
After those challenges were turned down, the Athletics came back with another issue. As part of the rules, when a team files a protest they have to submit a copy of the protest and their $500 fee to the Regional Commissioner and a copy to the opposing team with 3 days. The game against the Stars ended at 2pm on April 21st. That would mean that by 2pm on the 24th, the Athletics should have received a copy of the protest. At 2:55pm the Athletics had still not received a copy of the protest so they contacted the Regional Commissioner with this information requesting that the protest be thrown out. Shortly after the team contacted regional director, Debra Trapikas, Perkins received an email from the Stars with the proper information. When Perkins confronted Trapikas about this, he was told that the period is until midnight of the third day. None of that though is in the rule, 3(b)(1), which you can read below.
- The original protest and a protest fee of $500.00 shall be submitted to the State Cups Commissioner for state rounds of competitions, and the Regional Cups Commissioner for regional rounds of competitions, within three days of the game to which the protest relates. A copy of the protest must be forwarded to the opposing team in the game. The protest shall be submitted to the appropriate cups commissioner and the opposing team by overnight express mail, telephone facsimile, or electronic mail.
With the midnight interpretation of the rule, from Trapikas, the protest was still upheld according to that interpretation of the rules.
The final attempt that the Athletics made to challenge the protest was to do with the interpretation of the playing rules. In the rules, it states "In all rounds played in the National Cup competitions, the playing rules are the FIFA Laws of the Game in effect at the time of the deadline of entry."
The Athletics challenge to the protest was that Dearborn then needed to follow FIFA regulations when it comes to terms on protests. Those terms (thanks to the USA vs Costa Rica World Cup qualifier in Denver as an example) state that a protest must "immediately lodge a protest with the referee in the presence of the captain of the opposing team."
Perkins said that this did not happen and because of this FIFA regulation, the team felt that the protest should have been over turned. This argument as well was turned down by the regional commissioner.
With those three options exhausted, the Athletics requested their seven day grace period after they received the protest to prepare a statement in accordance with rule 3(c) of the protest rules, seen below:
- The opposing team shall have seven days from the date the copy of the protest was forwarded to it, to submit to the appropriate cups commissioner its statement regarding the protest, if any. A copy of the statement shall be submitted to the opposing team by overnight express mail, telephone facsimile, electronic mail.
This meant that the Athletics were not going to get their 7 day period to prepare their response. This is because the list of qualifiers from Region II are due next week to US Soccer. So with all that done, the Athletics decided to withdraw from the competition.
To me, this all comes off as a load of bull shit. The Athletics made legitimate challenges to the protest that do not appear to have been heard by the commissioner. The ones that really gets me, are the first two. On the first one, if there's an official protest about the field size made before the game, then an official measurement of the field should take place to get an official measurement, not a "walk off" of the measurement. As for the second one it really is sketchy to me that shortly after Perkins makes the call on it, the protest magically appears in his inbox. It could all just be coincidence, but that it one hell of a coincidence if true.
It's a frustrating situation that at this point there appears to be no more recourse for the Athletics. The US Open Cup and the Region II finals are going to move forward without them (although it'd be interesting if Dearborn returns to KC for the regional finals and a large group showed up there). The interesting part has come up from the casual soccer community in KC who knew that the Athletics had qualified and are now actively either cheering against the team or hoping they advance far enough to play Sporting and hope that Sporting crush them.
In the end I feel sorry most for the Athletics players who won the game on the field. Both teams had to play on the same field, both teams had to deal with a yard and a half short on each side. And in the end the Athletics took the game. The Athletics could have been dicks to Dearborn and not even moved the game for them, and I bet next year if something like this were to happen they'd likely think about it harder before making the decision. It's just frustrating the whole situation.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Taylor and John Score Braces for Their Clubs - Former SKC Wizards Update
Another week of former SKC Wizards updates. The European season is winding down for many clubs, some are fighting for survival, Roger Espinoza at Wigan, while others are pushing for promotion, Matt Taylor. Taylor and Will John both helped their clubs this past week with both scoring braces in wins for their teams. Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Jose Burciaga
Julio Cesar
Doug DeMartin
Birahim Diop
Edson Elcock
Mauro Fuzetti
Willy Guadarrama
Aaron Hohlbein
Mike Jones
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Scott Lorenz
Amir Lowery
Neven Markovic
Rauwshan McKenzie
Luke Sassano
Scott Sealy
MLS
Davy Arnaud - Montreal - Did not dress in Montreal's 2-0 loss to Toronto in the Canadian Championship.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Started and played 74 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-0 win over Chivas USA.
Michael Harrington - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-1 draw with San Jose.
Kevin Hartman - New York - Did not dress in New York's 4-1 win over New England.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-1 draw with San Jose.
Eddie Johnson - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 1-0 win over Colorado.
Chris Konopka - Philadelphia - Dressed but did not play in Philadelphia's 3-2 win over DC.
Khari Stephenson - Salt Lake - Came off the bench and played 1 minute in Salt Lake's 1-0 win over Chivas USA.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 1-0 loss to Chicago.
Konrad Warzycha - Columbus - Did not dress in Columbus' 1-0 loss to Chicago.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Fort Lauderdale - Did not dress in Fort Lauderdale's 3-1 loss to Carolina.
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Did not ddress in Minnesota's 2-0 win over Edmonton.
Shavar Thomas - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 3-1 loss to Carolina.
USL
Christian Duke - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 13 minutes before subbing out with injury in Orlando's 3-2 win over LA. Did not dress in Orlando's 1-1 draw with Charlotte.
Dom Dwyer - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 87 minutes in Orlando's 3-2 win over LA. Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Orlando's 1-1 draw with Charlotte.
Brian Fekete - Orlando - Did not dress in Orlando's 3-2 win over LA. Did not dress in Orlando's 1-1 draw with Charlotte.
Cyprian Hedrick - Phoenix - Started and played 90 minutes in Phoenix's 0-0 draw with the Salt Lake reserves.
Jon Kempin - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 88 minutes before subbing out with injury in Orlando's 3-2 win over LA. Did not dress in Orlando's 1-1 draw with Charlotte.
Nelson Pizarro - Los Angeles - Came off the bench and played 54 minutes in LA's 3-2 loss to Orlando. Started and played 74 minutes in LA's 3-2 loss to Tampa.
Akeem Priestley - Dayton - Did not dress in Dayton's 2-1 win over Pittsburgh.
Mike Reidy - Rochester - Did not play in Rochester's loss to Richmond.
Yann Songo'o - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Orlando's 3-2 win over LA. Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-1 draw with Charlotte.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 4-1 win over Rochester.
John Wilson - Charleston - Started and played 90 minutes in Charleston's 4-1 win over Antigua.
PDL
Michael Kraus - FC Tucson - Offseason
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Syracuse Silver Knights - Offseason
Pat Healey - Baltimore Blast - Offseason
Boris Pardo - Comets - Offseason
Craig Rocastle - Comets - Offseason
Paul Wright - San Diego - Offseason
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - FC Haka - Finland - Season starts in April.
Stephane Auvray - DPMM FC - Brunei (Singapore League) - Did not dress in DPMM's 1-0 win over Balestier Khalsa.
Vicente Arze - Esteghlal - Iran - Did not dress in Esteghlal's 3-0 win over Al Rayyan.
Omar Bravo - Atlas - Mexico - Started and played 12 minutes in Atlas' 1-0 win over Guadalajara.
Sunil Chhetri - Churchill Brothers - India - Started and played 90 minutes in Churchill's 2-0 win over Mohun Bagan. Started and played 90 minutes in Churchill's 4-0 loss to Kitchee in the AFC.
Eloy Colombano - UAI Urquiza - Argentina - Tied Berazategui 0-0.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - Trinidad - No game this week.
Pablo Escobar - Atletico Huila - Colombia - Did not play in Huila's 1-1 draw with Evigado.
Roger Espinoza - Wigan - England - Dressed but did not play in Wigan's 2-0 loss to West Ham.
Gary Glasgow - North East Stars - Trinidad - No game this week.
Herculez Gomez - Santos Laguna - Mexico - Started and played 74 minutes in Santos' 1-0 league win over Monterrey. Play Monterrey tonight in the CCL.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Beat Arnett Gardens 2-1 and beat Boys' Town 2-0.
Jeferson - Bahia - Brazil - Started and played 90 minutes in Bahia's 0-0 draw with Juazeirense. Tied Bahia de Feira.
Will John - AZAL - Azerbaijan - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring 2 goals in AZAL's 3-2 win over Ravan.
Kei Kamara - Norwich - England - Started and played 90 minutes in Norwich's 2-1 win over Reading.
Igor Kostrov - Dacia - Moldova - Lost 1-0 to Milsami-Ursidos.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Did not play in either of San Martin's games.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Started and played 50 minutes in Spartak's 2-2 draw with CSKA Moscow.
Michal Mravec - Zilina - Slovakia - Came off the bench and played 27 minutes in Zilina's 2-1 win over Trencin. Did not play in Zilina's 2-1 loss to Nitra.
Pablo Punyed - Fjolnir - Iceland - Season starts in May.
Ryan Smith - Skoda Xanthi - Greece - Started and played 67 minutes in Xanthi's 0-0 draw with Aris.
Milos Stojcev - FK Leotar Trebinje - Bosnia - Started and played 90 minutes in Leotar's 0-0 draw with Velez. Lost 3-1 to Gosk Gabela.
Matt Taylor - Preußen Münster - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring 2 goals in Munster's 2-1 win over Karlsruher.
Ivan Trujillo - Llaneros - Colombia - Started and played 76 minutes in Llaneros' 1-0 loss to Barranquilla. Started and played 64 minutes, scoring a goal in Llaneros' 2-1 win over Atletico Bucaramanga.
Diego Walsh - TOT SC - Thailand - Lost 1-0 to Chonburi.
Active without a club or unknown
Jose Burciaga
Julio Cesar
Doug DeMartin
Birahim Diop
Edson Elcock
Mauro Fuzetti
Willy Guadarrama
Aaron Hohlbein
Mike Jones
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Scott Lorenz
Amir Lowery
Neven Markovic
Rauwshan McKenzie
Luke Sassano
Scott Sealy
MLS
Davy Arnaud - Montreal - Did not dress in Montreal's 2-0 loss to Toronto in the Canadian Championship.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Started and played 74 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-0 win over Chivas USA.
Michael Harrington - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-1 draw with San Jose.
Kevin Hartman - New York - Did not dress in New York's 4-1 win over New England.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-1 draw with San Jose.
Eddie Johnson - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 1-0 win over Colorado.
Chris Konopka - Philadelphia - Dressed but did not play in Philadelphia's 3-2 win over DC.
Khari Stephenson - Salt Lake - Came off the bench and played 1 minute in Salt Lake's 1-0 win over Chivas USA.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 1-0 loss to Chicago.
Konrad Warzycha - Columbus - Did not dress in Columbus' 1-0 loss to Chicago.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Fort Lauderdale - Did not dress in Fort Lauderdale's 3-1 loss to Carolina.
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Did not ddress in Minnesota's 2-0 win over Edmonton.
Shavar Thomas - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 3-1 loss to Carolina.
USL
Christian Duke - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 13 minutes before subbing out with injury in Orlando's 3-2 win over LA. Did not dress in Orlando's 1-1 draw with Charlotte.
Dom Dwyer - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 87 minutes in Orlando's 3-2 win over LA. Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Orlando's 1-1 draw with Charlotte.
Brian Fekete - Orlando - Did not dress in Orlando's 3-2 win over LA. Did not dress in Orlando's 1-1 draw with Charlotte.
Cyprian Hedrick - Phoenix - Started and played 90 minutes in Phoenix's 0-0 draw with the Salt Lake reserves.
Jon Kempin - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 88 minutes before subbing out with injury in Orlando's 3-2 win over LA. Did not dress in Orlando's 1-1 draw with Charlotte.
Nelson Pizarro - Los Angeles - Came off the bench and played 54 minutes in LA's 3-2 loss to Orlando. Started and played 74 minutes in LA's 3-2 loss to Tampa.
Akeem Priestley - Dayton - Did not dress in Dayton's 2-1 win over Pittsburgh.
Mike Reidy - Rochester - Did not play in Rochester's loss to Richmond.
Yann Songo'o - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Orlando's 3-2 win over LA. Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-1 draw with Charlotte.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 4-1 win over Rochester.
John Wilson - Charleston - Started and played 90 minutes in Charleston's 4-1 win over Antigua.
PDL
Michael Kraus - FC Tucson - Offseason
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Syracuse Silver Knights - Offseason
Pat Healey - Baltimore Blast - Offseason
Boris Pardo - Comets - Offseason
Craig Rocastle - Comets - Offseason
Paul Wright - San Diego - Offseason
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - FC Haka - Finland - Season starts in April.
Stephane Auvray - DPMM FC - Brunei (Singapore League) - Did not dress in DPMM's 1-0 win over Balestier Khalsa.
Vicente Arze - Esteghlal - Iran - Did not dress in Esteghlal's 3-0 win over Al Rayyan.
Omar Bravo - Atlas - Mexico - Started and played 12 minutes in Atlas' 1-0 win over Guadalajara.
Sunil Chhetri - Churchill Brothers - India - Started and played 90 minutes in Churchill's 2-0 win over Mohun Bagan. Started and played 90 minutes in Churchill's 4-0 loss to Kitchee in the AFC.
Eloy Colombano - UAI Urquiza - Argentina - Tied Berazategui 0-0.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - Trinidad - No game this week.
Pablo Escobar - Atletico Huila - Colombia - Did not play in Huila's 1-1 draw with Evigado.
Roger Espinoza - Wigan - England - Dressed but did not play in Wigan's 2-0 loss to West Ham.
Gary Glasgow - North East Stars - Trinidad - No game this week.
Herculez Gomez - Santos Laguna - Mexico - Started and played 74 minutes in Santos' 1-0 league win over Monterrey. Play Monterrey tonight in the CCL.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Beat Arnett Gardens 2-1 and beat Boys' Town 2-0.
Jeferson - Bahia - Brazil - Started and played 90 minutes in Bahia's 0-0 draw with Juazeirense. Tied Bahia de Feira.
Will John - AZAL - Azerbaijan - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring 2 goals in AZAL's 3-2 win over Ravan.
Kei Kamara - Norwich - England - Started and played 90 minutes in Norwich's 2-1 win over Reading.
Igor Kostrov - Dacia - Moldova - Lost 1-0 to Milsami-Ursidos.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Did not play in either of San Martin's games.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Started and played 50 minutes in Spartak's 2-2 draw with CSKA Moscow.
Michal Mravec - Zilina - Slovakia - Came off the bench and played 27 minutes in Zilina's 2-1 win over Trencin. Did not play in Zilina's 2-1 loss to Nitra.
Pablo Punyed - Fjolnir - Iceland - Season starts in May.
Ryan Smith - Skoda Xanthi - Greece - Started and played 67 minutes in Xanthi's 0-0 draw with Aris.
Milos Stojcev - FK Leotar Trebinje - Bosnia - Started and played 90 minutes in Leotar's 0-0 draw with Velez. Lost 3-1 to Gosk Gabela.
Matt Taylor - Preußen Münster - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring 2 goals in Munster's 2-1 win over Karlsruher.
Ivan Trujillo - Llaneros - Colombia - Started and played 76 minutes in Llaneros' 1-0 loss to Barranquilla. Started and played 64 minutes, scoring a goal in Llaneros' 2-1 win over Atletico Bucaramanga.
Diego Walsh - TOT SC - Thailand - Lost 1-0 to Chonburi.
Athletics Forced to Replay "Win and You're In" Qualifier
2013 @usopencup qualifying: @dearbornstarssc protest upheld, replay ordered this weekend vs. @kc_athleticsfc in Chicago. Details TBA
— TheCup.us (@usopencup) April 24, 2013
That announcement came down today on the protest over the KC Athletics 1-0 win over the Dearborn Stars. Dearborn had protested the result because the field at Olathe North High School was not wide enough, 62 yards instead of the necessary 65. A disappointing result considering that the Athletics had moved the game to Sunday so that Dearborn could play the game.
As stated above, the match will now take place on Saturday in Chicago. With the game only 3 days away, it'll be interesting to see if the Athletics actually do travel. If it was me, as I said on Twitter, part of me would want to say fuck it and not go at this point. While I understand the rule, I find this quote from the post game write up about the game hilarious: “I do. I think so, we’re a technical team. With it being so congested I thought it played to their strengths, more of the tackling aspect of the game.”
That quote came from Dearborn coach Mo Hijazi. Excuse me, I've played on fields of all shapes and sizes and a yard and a half on each side is not going to make that big of a difference in your tactics for a game. No word yet on whether the Athletics are going to travel or not, but we'll find out soon enough.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Another Look at Sporting KC and Herculez Gomez's MLS Rights
Today during the Bayern Munich vs Barcelona Champions League semifinal today, Don Garber got on Twitter and was ready to take questions from fans. During this though he received a question from former KC player and US national team forward Heruclez Gomez. Gomez asked how Kansas City still had his rights.
As shown above, Garber explains that Kansas City still holds the first right of refusal on him because they made him an offer at the end of the 2009 season after his contract expired. The "bona fide offer" which Gomez rejected. Gomez was 27 in 2009 and had 6 years of MLS experience, which would put him in the over 25 with at least 4 years experience. According to the league's collective bargaining agreement Gomez's bona fide offer would be at least the $54,408.38 that he was slated to get in 2009. But according to Gomez, he was offered $20,000 more.
That would have put Gomez close to $75,000 a year. That's more than even the 5% raise he would have needed for a bona fide offer if he was 30 with 8 years experience (the next level up in the bona fide offer category).
While I understand the criticism of the CBA that Gomez has with the "bona fide offer" process, KC has met the requirements to retain Gomez's MLS rights should Gomez choose to return to MLS. If a team wants to bring Gomez back to MLS they'll need to make a deal with Kansas City to bring him in. While it's certainly frustrating, with Gomez being a US international, if KC didn't have his rights, Gomez would be put into the allocation process. That would mean that unless the team that was wanting Gomez was number 1 in the allocation order (which I believe right now is Toronto), they'd potentially have to make a deal with that club. Although how a potential designated player contract would work into that would be another thing. But really that's all hypothetical since KC does hold his rights.
And before people jump on the bring "Gomez back to KC" or the "imagine if he never left" bandwagons, take a breath. First, from other comments Gomez has made over the years on Twitter and stories that make the rounds over beers, Gomez's parting from Kansas City wasn't really the smoothest break up in history. Unless Peter Vermes is gone I don't ever expect Gomez back in a KC uniform. As for if he'd never left, if Gomez had never left I don't think he's the player he is now. His departure from Kansas City and his move to Mexico was really the kick that his career needed to rejuvenate. If he'd have stayed in KC he probably would have been a decent pro here, maybe played another couple seasons, but like many of the players originally brought in under Curt Onalfo, would probably have left the team some time between the 2010 and 2011 season.
@herculezg Because they tried to sign you and you declined. We would love to have you back.
— Don Garber (@thesoccerdon) April 23, 2013
As shown above, Garber explains that Kansas City still holds the first right of refusal on him because they made him an offer at the end of the 2009 season after his contract expired. The "bona fide offer" which Gomez rejected. Gomez was 27 in 2009 and had 6 years of MLS experience, which would put him in the over 25 with at least 4 years experience. According to the league's collective bargaining agreement Gomez's bona fide offer would be at least the $54,408.38 that he was slated to get in 2009. But according to Gomez, he was offered $20,000 more.
@thesoccerdon you mean that $20k (a year) raise (while so enticing) was a legit offer? I’m aware of the CBA, was a player rep. Saludos.
— herculez gomez (@herculezg) April 23, 2013
That would have put Gomez close to $75,000 a year. That's more than even the 5% raise he would have needed for a bona fide offer if he was 30 with 8 years experience (the next level up in the bona fide offer category).
While I understand the criticism of the CBA that Gomez has with the "bona fide offer" process, KC has met the requirements to retain Gomez's MLS rights should Gomez choose to return to MLS. If a team wants to bring Gomez back to MLS they'll need to make a deal with Kansas City to bring him in. While it's certainly frustrating, with Gomez being a US international, if KC didn't have his rights, Gomez would be put into the allocation process. That would mean that unless the team that was wanting Gomez was number 1 in the allocation order (which I believe right now is Toronto), they'd potentially have to make a deal with that club. Although how a potential designated player contract would work into that would be another thing. But really that's all hypothetical since KC does hold his rights.
And before people jump on the bring "Gomez back to KC" or the "imagine if he never left" bandwagons, take a breath. First, from other comments Gomez has made over the years on Twitter and stories that make the rounds over beers, Gomez's parting from Kansas City wasn't really the smoothest break up in history. Unless Peter Vermes is gone I don't ever expect Gomez back in a KC uniform. As for if he'd never left, if Gomez had never left I don't think he's the player he is now. His departure from Kansas City and his move to Mexico was really the kick that his career needed to rejuvenate. If he'd have stayed in KC he probably would have been a decent pro here, maybe played another couple seasons, but like many of the players originally brought in under Curt Onalfo, would probably have left the team some time between the 2010 and 2011 season.
Sporting Season Tickets Sold Out
Sporting Kansas City announced today that the club has sold out of season tickets for the 2013 season and created a waiting list that fans can get onto in hopes to join the list next year. Sporting KC capped the season ticket told at 14,000 of the 18,467 capacity Sporting Park. Since the start of last season, Kansas City has sold out 19 of 20 league home games. According to the team release, Sporting leads the league in total number of new season ticket holders and over the last 3 years the team has averaged over 90% renewal rate, a fantastic effort. Considering the team had under 500 season ticket holders at one time, this is an amazing turn around and just shows the huge effort that has gone into building this team up in the city (and it also shows what a winner can do).
Is Bieler Starting to Get a Rep?
For the second time in the last three games, Sporting KC forward, Claudio Bieler has been the center of an incident on the field involving Bieler striking an opponent. A few weeks ago it was a forearm/elbow to the throat area of Brandon McDonald in KC's 1-0 win over DC. Then this past Saturday night against the LA Galaxy, another incident occurred. In the 89th minute as KC was down 2-0 and won a corner, the ball was played into the box. Bieler was matched up with AJ DeLaGarza. As Bieler and DeLaGarza raced to the middle of the 6 yard box, the ball flew over the two. As Bieler turned to follow the ball, he raised his left elbow right into DeLaGarza's face/neck area. You can see the play starting at the 3:30 mark of the video below.
There's been no comment from the league's disciplinary committee regarding the elbow, although they have made an announcement already this week on another suspension (giving an extra game and further fine to Juninho for kicking the ball at Jimmy Nielsen). So unless the committee makes another announcement later this week, Bieler may not earn a suspension again.
But while the league may not have made any moves regarding Bieler, you have to wonder if Bieler is going to start to develop a rep at least with other players on the field. Roger Espinoza and Aurelien Collin both developed reputations as dirty players (at least according to Grant Wahl's survey). With that bad rep could come some cheap shots Bieler's way and potentially an injury. He's shown so far that he can play in this league, he can deal with the physicality and he can still find goals, but it'll be interesting to see how his play evolves with his style of play and how players start to play him if he continues with the high elbows. On the other side of the coin if Bieler continues the behavior it's also only a matter of time before he does hear from the disciplinary committee.
There's been no comment from the league's disciplinary committee regarding the elbow, although they have made an announcement already this week on another suspension (giving an extra game and further fine to Juninho for kicking the ball at Jimmy Nielsen). So unless the committee makes another announcement later this week, Bieler may not earn a suspension again.
But while the league may not have made any moves regarding Bieler, you have to wonder if Bieler is going to start to develop a rep at least with other players on the field. Roger Espinoza and Aurelien Collin both developed reputations as dirty players (at least according to Grant Wahl's survey). With that bad rep could come some cheap shots Bieler's way and potentially an injury. He's shown so far that he can play in this league, he can deal with the physicality and he can still find goals, but it'll be interesting to see how his play evolves with his style of play and how players start to play him if he continues with the high elbows. On the other side of the coin if Bieler continues the behavior it's also only a matter of time before he does hear from the disciplinary committee.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Two KC Players Called Up to US Youth Teams
Two US Youth teams named rosters today for upcoming camps/tournaments. The US U20 team and U15 team made call ups official today, and both teams had Sporting KC players on it.
Called up to the U20 team for a camp in California was Kansas City's first round draft pick Mikey Lopez. The camp will go through April 29th and is in preparation for this summer's U20 World Cup that the US qualified for earlier this year. Lopez has yet to make his debut for KC but has made the bench a few times already this season.
The other call up is from Sporting KC's academy. Defender Erik Palmer-Brown has been called up to the team. The US U15 team will be playing in the Tournament Delle Nazioni in Grandisca, Italy. The tournament takes place April 26th through May 6th. Palmer-Brown is currently in the Bradenton residential academy.
Called up to the U20 team for a camp in California was Kansas City's first round draft pick Mikey Lopez. The camp will go through April 29th and is in preparation for this summer's U20 World Cup that the US qualified for earlier this year. Lopez has yet to make his debut for KC but has made the bench a few times already this season.
The other call up is from Sporting KC's academy. Defender Erik Palmer-Brown has been called up to the team. The US U15 team will be playing in the Tournament Delle Nazioni in Grandisca, Italy. The tournament takes place April 26th through May 6th. Palmer-Brown is currently in the Bradenton residential academy.
Grandisca
Grandisca
Athletics Qualify for US Open Cup
A 90th minute goal from player/coach Kyle Perkins helped to see the KC Athletics through to the US Open Cup for the 3rd time in 4 years as the Athletics topped Dearborn Stars out of Michigan 1-0 yesterday at Olathe North High School. The win sees the Athletics advance to the USASA Region II finals on June 29th in Overland Park, KS against RWB Adria out of Chicago who defeated FC Indiana on Saturday 2-1 in extra time.
There are questions about the result though, as Dearborn filed a protest before the game took place because of the width of the field. The USASA minimum requirements for fields is 65 yards. The field at Olathe North is apparently only 62 yards. Apparently due to Dearborn's struggles to get players to Kansas City for the originally planned Saturday date, the Athletics agreed to move the game to Sunday, but that this was the only field that they were able to get access to. If the protest is upheld, the game would likely be replayed at a neutral site. So now a waiting game gets to take place to see if the result will hold up or not.
There are questions about the result though, as Dearborn filed a protest before the game took place because of the width of the field. The USASA minimum requirements for fields is 65 yards. The field at Olathe North is apparently only 62 yards. Apparently due to Dearborn's struggles to get players to Kansas City for the originally planned Saturday date, the Athletics agreed to move the game to Sunday, but that this was the only field that they were able to get access to. If the protest is upheld, the game would likely be replayed at a neutral site. So now a waiting game gets to take place to see if the result will hold up or not.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Sunday After Stats
In the 73rd minute, Matt Besler moved past Uche Okafor and into 14th
place for minutes played in league play, Besler finished the game with
9,531 minutes played.
It was Besler's 105th league start, breaking his tie with Sean Bowers for 16th on that list.
In the 82nd minute, Jimmy Nielsen moved past Bowers and into 17th place for minutes played in all competitions. Nielsen finished the game wtih 9,997 minutes played.
The goal by Marcelo Sarvas was the 100th Nielsen has given up for KC in his 3 plus years now with the club.
It was Besler's 105th league start, breaking his tie with Sean Bowers for 16th on that list.
In the 82nd minute, Jimmy Nielsen moved past Bowers and into 17th place for minutes played in all competitions. Nielsen finished the game wtih 9,997 minutes played.
The goal by Marcelo Sarvas was the 100th Nielsen has given up for KC in his 3 plus years now with the club.
At Least it was Better than Last Year's Cross Coast Trip
Sporting KC's undefeated run and shutout streak ended in grand fashion for KC last night in Los Angeles against the LA Galaxy. Two counter attacking goals by the Galaxy were enough to send KC home from their coast to coast road trip with a 2-0 loss to the defender champs.
KC came out and started the same 11 that took the field three days earlier against the New York Red Bulls. The Galaxy came out quickly from the start and Jimmy Nielsen was forced into a nice save off a volley from Mike Magee in the 11th. KC had a fantastic chance to take the lead in the 20th off the foot of Graham Zusi. From a free kick Zusi touched the free kick to Benny Feilhaber who stopped the ball and Zusi let a rip. The shot hit the cross bar and bounced back into play towards Matt Besler who flicked the ball on towards Chance Myers who was offside. LA thought continued to push the game and Robbie Keane almost had a goal as he got played in behind KC's defense, but Nielsen was quickely off his line and forced Keane to push the shot into more of a cross and Sporting cleared it. Shortly after that chance though the Galaxy grabbed the lead. Off a counter attack, Marcelo Sarvas fed the ball wide to Landon Donovan. Donovan got a bit of space and squared the ball into the middle for Sarvas who touched the ball into the net. No one had followed Sarvas' run from midfield and the midfielder easily beat Nielsen. The start of the play though was a cause for debate, as Sarvas had used a hand to control the ball after a tackle from Oriol Rosell.
The second half saw Kansas City come out and push the game looking to find an equalizer. Peter Vermes subbed in Peterson Joseph for Rosell to try and spark the offense. All the possession for KC during that stretch didn't give KC many good chances. Then in the 74th KC got caught on the counter again. Off a corner Paulo Nagamura slipped, allowing Keane to out race him to the ball and lead a break away. Seth Sinovic tried to recover but couldn't. Keane got Nielsen to commit and then laid the ball across to Donovan who put the ball into the empty net to make it 2-0. KC looked to respond immediately, a ball into the middle was touched on to Benny Feilhaber who beat Carlo Cudicini but Feilhabaer was offside. KC continued to push and leave themselves exposed in the back. In the 88th they were lucky not to concede again. Joseph lost the ball after a challenge and the ball was played to Keane who was 1v1 with Nielsen. Nielsen though didn't fall for Keane's fact and collected the ball as Keane tried to dribble by him. LA easily held on and was able to take all 3 points without much fight from Sporting.
Wizards Man of the Match - Jimmy Nielsen - Without Nielsen coming up with some nice saves (the 1v1 vs Keane especially) this game is a lot worse. Nielsen had little he could do on either goal, his defense and midfield left him out to dry.
Player Ratings - Nielsen 6, Sinovic 4, Besler 4, Collin 3, Myers 3, Rosell 3, Nagamura 3, Feilhaber 4, Zusi 4, Bieler 4, Sapong 4. Subs Joseph 3, Saad 4, Convey 3.
KC came out and started the same 11 that took the field three days earlier against the New York Red Bulls. The Galaxy came out quickly from the start and Jimmy Nielsen was forced into a nice save off a volley from Mike Magee in the 11th. KC had a fantastic chance to take the lead in the 20th off the foot of Graham Zusi. From a free kick Zusi touched the free kick to Benny Feilhaber who stopped the ball and Zusi let a rip. The shot hit the cross bar and bounced back into play towards Matt Besler who flicked the ball on towards Chance Myers who was offside. LA thought continued to push the game and Robbie Keane almost had a goal as he got played in behind KC's defense, but Nielsen was quickely off his line and forced Keane to push the shot into more of a cross and Sporting cleared it. Shortly after that chance though the Galaxy grabbed the lead. Off a counter attack, Marcelo Sarvas fed the ball wide to Landon Donovan. Donovan got a bit of space and squared the ball into the middle for Sarvas who touched the ball into the net. No one had followed Sarvas' run from midfield and the midfielder easily beat Nielsen. The start of the play though was a cause for debate, as Sarvas had used a hand to control the ball after a tackle from Oriol Rosell.
The second half saw Kansas City come out and push the game looking to find an equalizer. Peter Vermes subbed in Peterson Joseph for Rosell to try and spark the offense. All the possession for KC during that stretch didn't give KC many good chances. Then in the 74th KC got caught on the counter again. Off a corner Paulo Nagamura slipped, allowing Keane to out race him to the ball and lead a break away. Seth Sinovic tried to recover but couldn't. Keane got Nielsen to commit and then laid the ball across to Donovan who put the ball into the empty net to make it 2-0. KC looked to respond immediately, a ball into the middle was touched on to Benny Feilhaber who beat Carlo Cudicini but Feilhabaer was offside. KC continued to push and leave themselves exposed in the back. In the 88th they were lucky not to concede again. Joseph lost the ball after a challenge and the ball was played to Keane who was 1v1 with Nielsen. Nielsen though didn't fall for Keane's fact and collected the ball as Keane tried to dribble by him. LA easily held on and was able to take all 3 points without much fight from Sporting.
Wizards Man of the Match - Jimmy Nielsen - Without Nielsen coming up with some nice saves (the 1v1 vs Keane especially) this game is a lot worse. Nielsen had little he could do on either goal, his defense and midfield left him out to dry.
Player Ratings - Nielsen 6, Sinovic 4, Besler 4, Collin 3, Myers 3, Rosell 3, Nagamura 3, Feilhaber 4, Zusi 4, Bieler 4, Sapong 4. Subs Joseph 3, Saad 4, Convey 3.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Athletics Play "Win and You're In" Qualifier Tomorrow
The Kansas City Athletics amateur side will attempt to qualify for their 2nd straight US Open Cup and 3rd in the last 4 years when they take the field tomorrow afternoon against the Dearborn Stars out of Michigan. The game tomorrow at noon at Olathe North high school is one of two Region II semifinals (the other taking place today in Chicago between RWB Adria and FC Indiana). The winners of the two games will qualify for the US Open Cup proper along with earning themselves a birth in the Region II finals.
The Athletics advanced to the semifinals with a win over FC Indiana a few weeks ago by a 3-1 score line (the 1 goal scored by Indiana was enough to see them through to the semifinals as the "best loser"). Goals by Brian Williams, Matt Kuhn, and Garrett Webb helped the Athletics to a win over an Indiana side that was looking to be the "best loser" by the way they came out to play. For Dearborn, they easily dispatched the Cincy Saints 5-0 to advance in their game.
So get out to Olathe North tomorrow and cheer on a local side looking to qualify for the 100th edition of the US Open Cup.
The Athletics advanced to the semifinals with a win over FC Indiana a few weeks ago by a 3-1 score line (the 1 goal scored by Indiana was enough to see them through to the semifinals as the "best loser"). Goals by Brian Williams, Matt Kuhn, and Garrett Webb helped the Athletics to a win over an Indiana side that was looking to be the "best loser" by the way they came out to play. For Dearborn, they easily dispatched the Cincy Saints 5-0 to advance in their game.
So get out to Olathe North tomorrow and cheer on a local side looking to qualify for the 100th edition of the US Open Cup.
Friday, April 19, 2013
From One Coast to the Other
Only a few days after Sporting KC walked out of Red Bull Arena with 3 points, Sporting will take the field again on the opposite coast against the defending MLS Cup champion, LA Galaxy.
The Galaxy have spent much of the early season focused more on the CONCACAF Champions League, where they went out in the semifinals to Monterrey from Mexico. Now they're focused strictly on league play. Along with the focus on league play, they also have the return of Landon Donovan. Donovan took an extra long sabbatical from the game, but has now returned to LA. The Galaxy defense has also been playing well, only two teams have allowed fewer goals than the Galaxy's 4. Omar Gonzalez is the anchor of the Galaxy defense, but with veteran goalkeeper, Carlo Cudicini in net, the Galaxy have upgraded that position as well.
Sporting has arguably already had a successful roadtrip with the win in New York, and anything in LA is a bonus. KC though getting points out of LA would be a dream for KC. The question is how Peter Vermes is going to play the game. Last year with the cross country road trip Vermes played some reserves in the game in Seattle and played the starters in Philadelphia. If Vermes follows a similar strategy, we could see some reserves in this game as Vermes would be following the pattern of valuing the games vs the Eastern Conference more. After having last week off though, I think Vermes is going to stick with the same 11.
Number to Remember - 52 - KC has played no other team in league play than the LA Galaxy. Tomorrow will be the 52nd time in league play that the two teams will meet up.
Key Match Up - Aurelien Collin vs Robbie Keane - Collin got to match up with 1 World Cup veteran already this week in Thierry Henry and tomorrow he gets another one with Keane. A different type of striker in many ways from Henry, Collin will need to keep Keane in check.
PREDICTION - Flying across country last year didn't do KC any favors in their 4-0 loss to Philadelphia, hopefully going the opposite way across the country will provide better results. Already getting 3 points has made this road trip a success in some ways. LA's going to be tough and Donovan is rounding back to fitness and always seems to cause KC trouble.
SKC - 0
LA - 1 (Donovan)
The Galaxy have spent much of the early season focused more on the CONCACAF Champions League, where they went out in the semifinals to Monterrey from Mexico. Now they're focused strictly on league play. Along with the focus on league play, they also have the return of Landon Donovan. Donovan took an extra long sabbatical from the game, but has now returned to LA. The Galaxy defense has also been playing well, only two teams have allowed fewer goals than the Galaxy's 4. Omar Gonzalez is the anchor of the Galaxy defense, but with veteran goalkeeper, Carlo Cudicini in net, the Galaxy have upgraded that position as well.
Sporting has arguably already had a successful roadtrip with the win in New York, and anything in LA is a bonus. KC though getting points out of LA would be a dream for KC. The question is how Peter Vermes is going to play the game. Last year with the cross country road trip Vermes played some reserves in the game in Seattle and played the starters in Philadelphia. If Vermes follows a similar strategy, we could see some reserves in this game as Vermes would be following the pattern of valuing the games vs the Eastern Conference more. After having last week off though, I think Vermes is going to stick with the same 11.
Nielsen
Myers - Collin - Besler - Sinovic
Nagamura - Rosell
Feilhaber
Sapong - Bieler - Zusi
Number to Remember - 52 - KC has played no other team in league play than the LA Galaxy. Tomorrow will be the 52nd time in league play that the two teams will meet up.
Key Match Up - Aurelien Collin vs Robbie Keane - Collin got to match up with 1 World Cup veteran already this week in Thierry Henry and tomorrow he gets another one with Keane. A different type of striker in many ways from Henry, Collin will need to keep Keane in check.
PREDICTION - Flying across country last year didn't do KC any favors in their 4-0 loss to Philadelphia, hopefully going the opposite way across the country will provide better results. Already getting 3 points has made this road trip a success in some ways. LA's going to be tough and Donovan is rounding back to fitness and always seems to cause KC trouble.
SKC - 0
LA - 1 (Donovan)
FC Kansas City Game Postponed
FC Kansas City and the National Women's Soccer League announced today the postponement of tomorrow's game at Shawnee Mission North High School against the Boston Breakers. With Boston basically still in a lockdown state and the situation there the way it is, it was decided there were more important things to worry about than a soccer game. A rescheduled date has not been decided on yet.
Honestly this is an easy decision to make. The Breakers hadn't left for Kansas City yet, instead they are all outside the city, in a "safe location" according to reports. Except one player who is in "lockdown." With the situation as a whole in Boston, better to let all that settle down.
Honestly this is an easy decision to make. The Breakers hadn't left for Kansas City yet, instead they are all outside the city, in a "safe location" according to reports. Except one player who is in "lockdown." With the situation as a whole in Boston, better to let all that settle down.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
How Bad was Nielsen's "Acting"?
Probably the biggest talking point of last night's game between Kansas City and New York was the red card to Juninho at the end of the game as he fired a ball directly at Jimmy Nielsen. Referee Allen Chapman didn't waste any time handing the referee a card. Nielsen ended up on the ground after the shot and stayed there for a few minutes milking the injury. I wasn't really happy with the way that Nielsen behaved after getting hit, I felt he did overdo it considering how quickly the red card was produced, but I wasn't pissed at him for it either. Then today I read this tweet:
And did a double take.
For those of you that don't know what the guy is referring to, watch this video:
And for comparison, here's the incident from last night:
Now I know that being a fan of Sporting KC I am a bit bias but that a horrible over exaggeration from the guy. As I said above, Nielsen overreacted to the contact, but I don't blame him for going down. During the replay of the play, New York's color analyst, Shep Messing said that Nielsen gets more contact coming out of the tunnel before the game, and others said he's taken harder shots in warmups. The difference is that unlike those instances, Nielsen wasn't expecting that. If you want I'm more than happy to go out and kick a ball straight at you from about 12 yards away and see if you go down, and my shot is probably no where near as hard as Juninho's last night.
Unlike the previously mentioned Rivaldo dive, at least Nielsen went down holding the right part of his body, grabbing his wrist, while Rivaldo gets the ball in the thigh and goes down clutching his face. I find the fact that he calls the Nielsen acting worse than that down right laughable.
Again I'm not condoning Nielsen's acting, I'm condemning the overacting that he (and other Sporting players) did last night. But Nielsen's is in no way worse than Rivaldo's dive at the World Cup in 2002. So let's have a laugh at an extreme overreaction.
For me, Jimmy Nielsen's dive was worse than Rivaldo's. What an embarrassment.
— Rupert Fryer (@Rupert_Fryer) April 18, 2013
And did a double take.
For those of you that don't know what the guy is referring to, watch this video:
And for comparison, here's the incident from last night:
Now I know that being a fan of Sporting KC I am a bit bias but that a horrible over exaggeration from the guy. As I said above, Nielsen overreacted to the contact, but I don't blame him for going down. During the replay of the play, New York's color analyst, Shep Messing said that Nielsen gets more contact coming out of the tunnel before the game, and others said he's taken harder shots in warmups. The difference is that unlike those instances, Nielsen wasn't expecting that. If you want I'm more than happy to go out and kick a ball straight at you from about 12 yards away and see if you go down, and my shot is probably no where near as hard as Juninho's last night.
Unlike the previously mentioned Rivaldo dive, at least Nielsen went down holding the right part of his body, grabbing his wrist, while Rivaldo gets the ball in the thigh and goes down clutching his face. I find the fact that he calls the Nielsen acting worse than that down right laughable.
Again I'm not condoning Nielsen's acting, I'm condemning the overacting that he (and other Sporting players) did last night. But Nielsen's is in no way worse than Rivaldo's dive at the World Cup in 2002. So let's have a laugh at an extreme overreaction.
S.A.S. Thursday After Stats
Jimmy Nielsen recorded his 37th shutout for Kansas City in league play. That ties the club record set by Tony Meola.
The win was Nielsen's 50th for KC in all competitions, he's only the second goalkeeper for KC to hit that mark.
The assist was Graham Zusi's 26th in league play, breaking his tie with Mark Chung and tying him with Josh Wolff for 5th on that list.
It was his 31st assist in all competitions, breaking his tie with Wolff for 5th on that list.
Aurelien Collin scored his 5th league goal away from home, that ties him with Claudio Lopez, Jose Burciaga, Miklos Molnar, and Chris Henderson for 16th on that list.
It was Collin's 5th in all competitions away as well, tying him with Molnar, Henderson, Zusi, Igor Simutenkov, and Roy Lassiter.
The goal was the 4th game winner for Collin in league play for KC, tying him with Chung for 19th on that list.
It was the 5th game winner in all competitions for Collin, tying him with Zusi, Jack Jewsbury, and Jimmy Conrad for 17th on that list.
Matt Besler made his 104th start in league play for KC, tying him with Sean Bowers for 16th on that list.
The win was Nielsen's 50th for KC in all competitions, he's only the second goalkeeper for KC to hit that mark.
The assist was Graham Zusi's 26th in league play, breaking his tie with Mark Chung and tying him with Josh Wolff for 5th on that list.
It was his 31st assist in all competitions, breaking his tie with Wolff for 5th on that list.
Aurelien Collin scored his 5th league goal away from home, that ties him with Claudio Lopez, Jose Burciaga, Miklos Molnar, and Chris Henderson for 16th on that list.
It was Collin's 5th in all competitions away as well, tying him with Molnar, Henderson, Zusi, Igor Simutenkov, and Roy Lassiter.
The goal was the 4th game winner for Collin in league play for KC, tying him with Chung for 19th on that list.
It was the 5th game winner in all competitions for Collin, tying him with Zusi, Jack Jewsbury, and Jimmy Conrad for 17th on that list.
Matt Besler made his 104th start in league play for KC, tying him with Sean Bowers for 16th on that list.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Starting the Road Trip Right
Sporting Kansas City took care of business on Wednesday night in New York as they defeated the Red Bulls 1-0 at Red Bull Arena to start their cross country road trip. An early Aurelien Collin goal off a Graham Zusi corner kick was all KC needed as they held off the Red Bulls.
Sporting Kansas City had some early success going forward against New York and could have been up in the 9th minute as a failed clearance deflected off a Red Bulls defender into the path of CJ Sapong who turned in on goal, but before he could get a shot off, Jamison Olave made a nice sliding challenge conceding the corner but stopping the chance. KC kept up the early pressure, and Seth Sinovic forced a nice save out of Luis Robles with a shot from range. Off the ensuing corner from Zusi though KC grabbed the lead. Collin held off Olave and beat him to the ball and headed it past Robles and into the net to give KC the lead. The Red Bulls almost responded immediately with a free kick of their own from Juninho. Jimmy Nielsen punched the first effort away but it fell to Thierry Henry who tried to place his shot past Nielsen, but the Dane recovered to know the shot down and it was then cleared away. The Red Bulls looked dangerous throughout the rest of the half, especially on the free kicks from Juninho. Fabian Espindola also caused some problems for the KC back line, but KC was able to keep them from many good chances. Collin did a fantastic job on defense keeping Henry in check for much of the half and recovering well when he needed to.
In the second half, New York continued to bring the game to Kansas City. KC pushed forward for a second which gave New York some space to hit on the counter. Henry missed a decent chance inside the first few minutes of the second half, just curling a shot wide of Nielsen's post. KC though was able to create chances of their own and really should have doubled the lead in the 57th. After a great run by Zusi, he played a nice ball splitting two New York defenders to set up Paulo Nagamura. Nagamura's shot though was right at the feet of Robles who knocked the ball away. If Claudio Bieler had been in that position, KC goes up 2-0. New York's best chance came in the 63rd. A ball over the defense by Roy Miller was misjudged by Matt Besler. Henry controlled the ball and turned on goal but fired his shot just wide of the target. KC continued to withstand the pressure while creating a few chances of their own. CJ Sapong had a shot from range that Robles had to just push away and have cleared for a corner as Nagamura was racing in for the rebound. New York came back down to the other end and it was Nielsen's turn to give up a rebound off a shot from Juninho. Nielsen though was able to recover and jump on the rebound before Henry got a foot to the ball.
The Red Bulls kept pushing the game but in stoppage time were dealt a big blow. After a Red Bulls chance led to a KC goal kick, Nielsen was wasting some time taking his time to get the ball that had rolled back into play. Juninho ran up to the ball, rolled it a little with his foot and then fired it towards Nielsen. Whether he was intending to hit Nielsen or not, he hit him square in the hand, which at the time was in front of his chest. Referee Allen Chapman had no hesitation pulling out the red card and sending off the Brazilian. Nielsen certainly embellished the contact but it's hard to argue that Juninho didn't deserve the red. Speaking of Nielsen's embellishment, that was a major problem for me tonight. KC seemed to be doing a lot more embellishing and time wasting by faking injuries in the game than they have done in the past. Normally I'm ok with some time wasting, but tonight it got to the point where I really was starting to get frustrated and angry with my own team because of the faking injuries. It annoys me the lengths that teams go to now to kill time.
Sporting did have to survive one last chance for the Red Bulls late in stoppage time as a header Markus Holgersson off a free kick was put just wide of KC's goal. The final whistle blew a few seconds after the goalkick though and KC escaped with 3 points.
Wizards Man of the Match - Aurelien Collin - The Frenchman shut down is countryman, Henry for the majority of the game and did a fantastic job of tackling and breaking up chances. He also made the most of his chance offensively.
Honorable Mention - Graham Zusi, CJ Sapong
Player Ratings - Nielsen 7, Myers 6, Collin 8, Besler 6, Sinovic 7, Nagamura 6, Rosell 7, Feilhaber 6, Zusi 7, Bieler 5, Sapong 7. Subs Joseph 5, Olum 5.
Sporting Kansas City had some early success going forward against New York and could have been up in the 9th minute as a failed clearance deflected off a Red Bulls defender into the path of CJ Sapong who turned in on goal, but before he could get a shot off, Jamison Olave made a nice sliding challenge conceding the corner but stopping the chance. KC kept up the early pressure, and Seth Sinovic forced a nice save out of Luis Robles with a shot from range. Off the ensuing corner from Zusi though KC grabbed the lead. Collin held off Olave and beat him to the ball and headed it past Robles and into the net to give KC the lead. The Red Bulls almost responded immediately with a free kick of their own from Juninho. Jimmy Nielsen punched the first effort away but it fell to Thierry Henry who tried to place his shot past Nielsen, but the Dane recovered to know the shot down and it was then cleared away. The Red Bulls looked dangerous throughout the rest of the half, especially on the free kicks from Juninho. Fabian Espindola also caused some problems for the KC back line, but KC was able to keep them from many good chances. Collin did a fantastic job on defense keeping Henry in check for much of the half and recovering well when he needed to.
In the second half, New York continued to bring the game to Kansas City. KC pushed forward for a second which gave New York some space to hit on the counter. Henry missed a decent chance inside the first few minutes of the second half, just curling a shot wide of Nielsen's post. KC though was able to create chances of their own and really should have doubled the lead in the 57th. After a great run by Zusi, he played a nice ball splitting two New York defenders to set up Paulo Nagamura. Nagamura's shot though was right at the feet of Robles who knocked the ball away. If Claudio Bieler had been in that position, KC goes up 2-0. New York's best chance came in the 63rd. A ball over the defense by Roy Miller was misjudged by Matt Besler. Henry controlled the ball and turned on goal but fired his shot just wide of the target. KC continued to withstand the pressure while creating a few chances of their own. CJ Sapong had a shot from range that Robles had to just push away and have cleared for a corner as Nagamura was racing in for the rebound. New York came back down to the other end and it was Nielsen's turn to give up a rebound off a shot from Juninho. Nielsen though was able to recover and jump on the rebound before Henry got a foot to the ball.
The Red Bulls kept pushing the game but in stoppage time were dealt a big blow. After a Red Bulls chance led to a KC goal kick, Nielsen was wasting some time taking his time to get the ball that had rolled back into play. Juninho ran up to the ball, rolled it a little with his foot and then fired it towards Nielsen. Whether he was intending to hit Nielsen or not, he hit him square in the hand, which at the time was in front of his chest. Referee Allen Chapman had no hesitation pulling out the red card and sending off the Brazilian. Nielsen certainly embellished the contact but it's hard to argue that Juninho didn't deserve the red. Speaking of Nielsen's embellishment, that was a major problem for me tonight. KC seemed to be doing a lot more embellishing and time wasting by faking injuries in the game than they have done in the past. Normally I'm ok with some time wasting, but tonight it got to the point where I really was starting to get frustrated and angry with my own team because of the faking injuries. It annoys me the lengths that teams go to now to kill time.
Sporting did have to survive one last chance for the Red Bulls late in stoppage time as a header Markus Holgersson off a free kick was put just wide of KC's goal. The final whistle blew a few seconds after the goalkick though and KC escaped with 3 points.
Wizards Man of the Match - Aurelien Collin - The Frenchman shut down is countryman, Henry for the majority of the game and did a fantastic job of tackling and breaking up chances. He also made the most of his chance offensively.
Honorable Mention - Graham Zusi, CJ Sapong
Player Ratings - Nielsen 7, Myers 6, Collin 8, Besler 6, Sinovic 7, Nagamura 6, Rosell 7, Feilhaber 6, Zusi 7, Bieler 5, Sapong 7. Subs Joseph 5, Olum 5.
Espinoza and Wigan to FA Cup Final - Former SKC Wizards Update
Roger Espinoza didn't see the field at Wembley, but it won't be his last trip this year as Wigan defeated Milwall 2-0 in the FA Cup semifinals earning a trip back and a match up with Manchester City. While Wigan will be the heavy underdog, who would have thought Espinoza would play in both the US Open Cup and FA Cup finals within a year of each other. Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Jose Burciaga
Julio Cesar
Doug DeMartin
Birahim Diop
Edson Elcock
Mauro Fuzetti
Willy Guadarrama
Aaron Hohlbein
Mike Jones
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Scott Lorenz
Amir Lowery
Neven Markovic
Rauwshan McKenzie
Luke Sassano
Scott Sealy
MLS
Davy Arnaud - Montreal - Started and played 90 minutes in Montreal's 1-1 draw with Columbus.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Started and played 90 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-1 draw with Vancouver.
Michael Harrington - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-0 win over San Jose.
Kevin Hartman - New York - Did not dress in New York's 2-0 win over DC. Did not dress in New York's 1-0 loss to KC.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-0 win over San Jose.
Eddie Johnson - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 0-0 draw with New England.
Chris Konopka - Philadelphia - Dressed but did not play in Philadelphia's 1-1 draw with Toronto.
Khari Stephenson - Salt Lake - Came off the bench and played 11 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-1 draw with Vancouver.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 1-1 draw with Montreal.
Konrad Warzycha - Columbus - Did not dress in Columbus' 1-1 draw with Montreal.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Fort Lauderdale - Did not play in Fort Lauderdale's 2-0 loss to Atlanta.
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - No game this week.
Shavar Thomas - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 2-0 loss to Atlanta.
USL
Christian Duke - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 87 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Rochester.
Dom Dwyer - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes getting a goal and an assist in Orlando's 3-1 win over Rochester.
Brian Fekete - Orlando - Did not dress in Orlando's 3-1 win over Rochester.
Cyprian Hedrick - Phoenix - Started and played 90 minutes in Phoenix's 3-1 loss to LA.
Jon Kempin - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Rochester.
Nelson Pizarro - Los Angeles - Started and played 66 minutes, scoring a goal in LA's 3-1 win over Phoenix.
Akeem Priestley - Dayton - No game this week.
Yann Songo'o - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Rochester.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 4-1 win over Charleston.
John Wilson - Charleston - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Charleston's 4-1 loss to Richmond.
PDL
Michael Kraus - FC Tucson - Offseason
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Syracuse Silver Knights - Offseason
Pat Healey - Baltimore Blast - Offseason
Boris Pardo - Comets - Offseason
Craig Rocastle - Comets - Offseason
Paul Wright - San Diego - Offseason
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - FC Haka - Finland - Season starts in April.
Stephane Auvray - DPMM FC - Brunei (Singapore League) - Did not dress in DPMM's 1-1 draw with Tampines Rovers.
Vicente Arze - Esteghlal - Iran - Started and played 89 minutes, scoring a goal in Esteghlal's 2-0 win over Gahar Zagros. Did not dress in Esteghlal's 1-1 drw with Sepahan.
Omar Bravo - Atlas - Mexico - Came off the bench and played 18 minutes in Atlas' 2-2 draw with San Luis.
Sunil Chhetri - Churchill Brothers - India - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring 2 goals in Churchill's 2-2 draw with Dempo.
Eloy Colombano - UAI Urquiza - Argentina - Beat Dock Sud 1-0.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - Trinidad - No game this week.
Pablo Escobar - Atletico Huila - Colombia - Did not play in Huila's 4-0 loss to La Equidad. Did not play in Huila's 3-2 win over Medellin.
Roger Espinoza - Wigan - England - Dressed but did not play in Wigan's 2-0 win over Milwall. Came off the bench and played 1 minute in Wigan's 1-0 loss to Manchester City.
Gary Glasgow - North East Stars - Trinidad - No game this week.
Herculez Gomez - Santos Laguna - Mexico - Came off the bench and played 28 minutes in Santos' 2-1 win over Toluca.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Tied Tivoli Gardens.
Jeferson - Bahia - Brazil - Did not play in either of Bahia's games.
Will John - AZAL - Azerbaijan - Came off the bench and played 6 minutes in AZAL's 2-0 win over Sumqayit.
Kei Kamara - Norwich - England - Started and played 90 minutes in Norwich's 3-1 loss to Arsenal.
Igor Kostrov - Dacia - Moldova - Tied Tiraspol 0-0. Lost 1-0 to Veris in the cup.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Did not dress in San Martin's 2-2 draw with Juan Aurich.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Started and played 79 minutes, scoring a goal in Spartak's 2-0 win over Amkar Perm.
Michal Mravec - Zilina - Slovakia - Started and played 90 minutes in Zilina's 1-0 loss to Senica. Started and played 41 minutes in Zilina's 1-1 draw with Spartak Trnava.
Pablo Punyed - Fjolnir - Iceland - Season starts in May.
Ryan Smith - Skoda Xanthi - Greece - Came off the bench and played 9 minutes in Xanthi's 3-3 draw with Panionios.
Milos Stojcev - FK Leotar Trebinje - Bosnia - Started and played 90 minutes in Leotar's 0-0 draw with Sarajevo.
Matt Taylor - Preußen Münster - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Munster's 1-0 win over Kickers Offenbach. Started and played 90 minutes in Munster's 1-0 win over Stuttgart II.
Ivan Trujillo - Llaneros - Colombia - Started and played 75 minutes in Llaneros' 1-0 win over America de Cali.
Diego Walsh - TOT SC - Thailand - No game this week.
Active without a club or unknown
Jose Burciaga
Julio Cesar
Doug DeMartin
Birahim Diop
Edson Elcock
Mauro Fuzetti
Willy Guadarrama
Aaron Hohlbein
Mike Jones
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Scott Lorenz
Amir Lowery
Neven Markovic
Rauwshan McKenzie
Luke Sassano
Scott Sealy
MLS
Davy Arnaud - Montreal - Started and played 90 minutes in Montreal's 1-1 draw with Columbus.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Started and played 90 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-1 draw with Vancouver.
Michael Harrington - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-0 win over San Jose.
Kevin Hartman - New York - Did not dress in New York's 2-0 win over DC. Did not dress in New York's 1-0 loss to KC.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-0 win over San Jose.
Eddie Johnson - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 0-0 draw with New England.
Chris Konopka - Philadelphia - Dressed but did not play in Philadelphia's 1-1 draw with Toronto.
Khari Stephenson - Salt Lake - Came off the bench and played 11 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-1 draw with Vancouver.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 1-1 draw with Montreal.
Konrad Warzycha - Columbus - Did not dress in Columbus' 1-1 draw with Montreal.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Fort Lauderdale - Did not play in Fort Lauderdale's 2-0 loss to Atlanta.
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - No game this week.
Shavar Thomas - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 2-0 loss to Atlanta.
USL
Christian Duke - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 87 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Rochester.
Dom Dwyer - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes getting a goal and an assist in Orlando's 3-1 win over Rochester.
Brian Fekete - Orlando - Did not dress in Orlando's 3-1 win over Rochester.
Cyprian Hedrick - Phoenix - Started and played 90 minutes in Phoenix's 3-1 loss to LA.
Jon Kempin - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Rochester.
Nelson Pizarro - Los Angeles - Started and played 66 minutes, scoring a goal in LA's 3-1 win over Phoenix.
Akeem Priestley - Dayton - No game this week.
Yann Songo'o - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Rochester.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 4-1 win over Charleston.
John Wilson - Charleston - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Charleston's 4-1 loss to Richmond.
PDL
Michael Kraus - FC Tucson - Offseason
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Syracuse Silver Knights - Offseason
Pat Healey - Baltimore Blast - Offseason
Boris Pardo - Comets - Offseason
Craig Rocastle - Comets - Offseason
Paul Wright - San Diego - Offseason
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - FC Haka - Finland - Season starts in April.
Stephane Auvray - DPMM FC - Brunei (Singapore League) - Did not dress in DPMM's 1-1 draw with Tampines Rovers.
Vicente Arze - Esteghlal - Iran - Started and played 89 minutes, scoring a goal in Esteghlal's 2-0 win over Gahar Zagros. Did not dress in Esteghlal's 1-1 drw with Sepahan.
Omar Bravo - Atlas - Mexico - Came off the bench and played 18 minutes in Atlas' 2-2 draw with San Luis.
Sunil Chhetri - Churchill Brothers - India - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring 2 goals in Churchill's 2-2 draw with Dempo.
Eloy Colombano - UAI Urquiza - Argentina - Beat Dock Sud 1-0.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - Trinidad - No game this week.
Pablo Escobar - Atletico Huila - Colombia - Did not play in Huila's 4-0 loss to La Equidad. Did not play in Huila's 3-2 win over Medellin.
Roger Espinoza - Wigan - England - Dressed but did not play in Wigan's 2-0 win over Milwall. Came off the bench and played 1 minute in Wigan's 1-0 loss to Manchester City.
Gary Glasgow - North East Stars - Trinidad - No game this week.
Herculez Gomez - Santos Laguna - Mexico - Came off the bench and played 28 minutes in Santos' 2-1 win over Toluca.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Tied Tivoli Gardens.
Jeferson - Bahia - Brazil - Did not play in either of Bahia's games.
Will John - AZAL - Azerbaijan - Came off the bench and played 6 minutes in AZAL's 2-0 win over Sumqayit.
Kei Kamara - Norwich - England - Started and played 90 minutes in Norwich's 3-1 loss to Arsenal.
Igor Kostrov - Dacia - Moldova - Tied Tiraspol 0-0. Lost 1-0 to Veris in the cup.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Did not dress in San Martin's 2-2 draw with Juan Aurich.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Started and played 79 minutes, scoring a goal in Spartak's 2-0 win over Amkar Perm.
Michal Mravec - Zilina - Slovakia - Started and played 90 minutes in Zilina's 1-0 loss to Senica. Started and played 41 minutes in Zilina's 1-1 draw with Spartak Trnava.
Pablo Punyed - Fjolnir - Iceland - Season starts in May.
Ryan Smith - Skoda Xanthi - Greece - Came off the bench and played 9 minutes in Xanthi's 3-3 draw with Panionios.
Milos Stojcev - FK Leotar Trebinje - Bosnia - Started and played 90 minutes in Leotar's 0-0 draw with Sarajevo.
Matt Taylor - Preußen Münster - Germany - Started and played 90 minutes in Munster's 1-0 win over Kickers Offenbach. Started and played 90 minutes in Munster's 1-0 win over Stuttgart II.
Ivan Trujillo - Llaneros - Colombia - Started and played 75 minutes in Llaneros' 1-0 win over America de Cali.
Diego Walsh - TOT SC - Thailand - No game this week.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The Road Trip Begins
For the second year in a row, Sporting KC gets to make a "fun" two game road trip going from one coast to the other. Last year Sporting played Seattle to a 1-1 draw before getting beat by Philadelphia 4-0 on a Wednesday/Saturday road trip that saw them on both coasts in a 4 days span. KC gets to do that again this year starting tomorrow in New York. Sporting will play the Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena before heading out to LA to take on the Galaxy at the Home Depot Center. Hopefully the road trip goes better than last year's that saw KC suffer their biggest loss of the season.
New York comes into the game on the back of a nice 2-0 win on the road against DC United. While United has not been playing well at all lately, it is still a good win for New York to get them going. It was their second win of the season. Thierry Henry scored his second goal of the season while Jamison Olave scored his 3rd. Luis Robles picked up the shutout, but this after a performance in Chicago that called the goalkeeper into question. With Kevin Hartman on the roster if Robles doesn't play well Hartman could find himself starting again.
Kansas City had the weekend off, giving the team a chance to get over some knocks that the team's picked up over the past few weeks. Meanwhile, Claudio Bieler has avoided any action from the league's disciplinary committee after his elbow/forearm on Brandon McDonald in KC's last game. So let the Sporting KC/LA Lakers comparisons begin according to McDonald. So KC's leading scorer will be available for selection. The question heading into the game is whether Peter Vermes is going to do a little squad rotation to rest a few guys with a cross country flight coming on Thursday for another game Saturday. After having a week off though I'm not sure we'll see much rotation.
Number to Remember - 4 - Kansas City hasn't lost to New York in their last 4 attempts. Kansas City has two wins and two draws against New York in that stretch. A win and a draw in New York at Red Bull Arena. Sporting will be looking to continue that streak.
Key Match Up - Aurelien Collin vs Thierry Henry - Henry has called the Collin/Besler partnership the best in the league. Collin will be the one that will be looking to shut down Henry for most of the night tomorrow in New York. He's done a good job previously for KC (he's also been helped by Henry not playing in one game and getting an early shower in another).
PREDICTION - With the cross country road trip starting, getting a point from at least the start of the trip would be a good thing. With them on the road as well KC may actually get a bit more of an open game than they usually get when they're on the road. KC will be looking to continue they're shutout streak that they have going on currently, but I'm not sure KC gets out of New York without conceding a goal.
SKC - 1 (Bieler)
NY - 1 (Henry)
New York comes into the game on the back of a nice 2-0 win on the road against DC United. While United has not been playing well at all lately, it is still a good win for New York to get them going. It was their second win of the season. Thierry Henry scored his second goal of the season while Jamison Olave scored his 3rd. Luis Robles picked up the shutout, but this after a performance in Chicago that called the goalkeeper into question. With Kevin Hartman on the roster if Robles doesn't play well Hartman could find himself starting again.
Kansas City had the weekend off, giving the team a chance to get over some knocks that the team's picked up over the past few weeks. Meanwhile, Claudio Bieler has avoided any action from the league's disciplinary committee after his elbow/forearm on Brandon McDonald in KC's last game. So let the Sporting KC/LA Lakers comparisons begin according to McDonald. So KC's leading scorer will be available for selection. The question heading into the game is whether Peter Vermes is going to do a little squad rotation to rest a few guys with a cross country flight coming on Thursday for another game Saturday. After having a week off though I'm not sure we'll see much rotation.
Nielsen
Myers - Collin - Besler - Sinovic
Nagamura - Rosell
Feilhaber
Sapong - Bieler - Zusi
Number to Remember - 4 - Kansas City hasn't lost to New York in their last 4 attempts. Kansas City has two wins and two draws against New York in that stretch. A win and a draw in New York at Red Bull Arena. Sporting will be looking to continue that streak.
Key Match Up - Aurelien Collin vs Thierry Henry - Henry has called the Collin/Besler partnership the best in the league. Collin will be the one that will be looking to shut down Henry for most of the night tomorrow in New York. He's done a good job previously for KC (he's also been helped by Henry not playing in one game and getting an early shower in another).
PREDICTION - With the cross country road trip starting, getting a point from at least the start of the trip would be a good thing. With them on the road as well KC may actually get a bit more of an open game than they usually get when they're on the road. KC will be looking to continue they're shutout streak that they have going on currently, but I'm not sure KC gets out of New York without conceding a goal.
SKC - 1 (Bieler)
NY - 1 (Henry)
Saturday, April 13, 2013
FC Kansas City Draw Their Home Opener
FC Kansas City started the first game of their history and the NWSL history strong, scoring inside the first 5 minutes, but were outplayed by Portland in the second half and had to settle for the draw after Christine Sinclair scored a penalty kick in the second half.
KC came out with some fire early and in only the 3rd minute grabbed the lead. A long ball over the top by Kristie Mewis was settled well by Reane Cuellar. Cuellar held off her defender well as she drove into the box and fired a shot that beat Karina LeBlanc for the historic first goal in the team and league's history to give KC the lead. The half remained open with KC looking to continue playing balls into Cuellar. The Mexican international was a big handful for the Portland defense in the first half as they struggled to deal with her size. As the half wore on Portland started to get more of the game. The FCKC defense though held strong and kept the high powered attack of Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair in check for much of the game.
In the second half Portland continued to attack and actually controlled more of the game. Much of the game was played in KC's end of the field as Portland's midfield was able to overwhelm KC's midfield. Cuellar became completely isolated up top as Portland wouldn't give KC time. Then in the 67th a ball was played through KC's defense for substitute Danielle Foxhoven. Foxhoven held off Lauren Sesselman but as Sesselman tried to get by, she fouled Foxhoven and the referee pointed to the spot. Sinclair stepped up and beat Nicole Barnhart. As the rest of the game went on KC started to get a few chances but neither side really tested the opposing defense the rest of the way as the game ended 1-1 for the league opener.
KC came out with some fire early and in only the 3rd minute grabbed the lead. A long ball over the top by Kristie Mewis was settled well by Reane Cuellar. Cuellar held off her defender well as she drove into the box and fired a shot that beat Karina LeBlanc for the historic first goal in the team and league's history to give KC the lead. The half remained open with KC looking to continue playing balls into Cuellar. The Mexican international was a big handful for the Portland defense in the first half as they struggled to deal with her size. As the half wore on Portland started to get more of the game. The FCKC defense though held strong and kept the high powered attack of Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair in check for much of the game.
In the second half Portland continued to attack and actually controlled more of the game. Much of the game was played in KC's end of the field as Portland's midfield was able to overwhelm KC's midfield. Cuellar became completely isolated up top as Portland wouldn't give KC time. Then in the 67th a ball was played through KC's defense for substitute Danielle Foxhoven. Foxhoven held off Lauren Sesselman but as Sesselman tried to get by, she fouled Foxhoven and the referee pointed to the spot. Sinclair stepped up and beat Nicole Barnhart. As the rest of the game went on KC started to get a few chances but neither side really tested the opposing defense the rest of the way as the game ended 1-1 for the league opener.
Friday, April 12, 2013
FCKC and NWSL to Kick Off Tomorrow
FC Kansas City and the National Women's Soccer League begin the next chapter of women's soccer in the US tomorrow when the Blues host the Portland Thorns at Shawnee Mission North High School. The season opener tomorrow night will pit two of the league's preseason favorites. Portland has arguably the best attack in the league, with both Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair being allocated to the Thorns in the original player allocation. Meanwhile, the Blues have built an extremely solid middle through allocations and player signings, and have arguably had the best drafts of any of the teams in the league. While Portland may have gotten the best allocation, FC Kansas City was the winner of the offseason with their drafts and free agent signings.
Winning the offseason or having the best allocation though means little if neither team can get it done on the field, and that begins tomorrow. The Blues become the second women's professional team to play a game in Kansas City, some 11 years after the Kansas City Mystics played at the Blue Valley District Athletic Complex.
It's somewhat poetic that 17 years to the day after the then Kansas City Wiz played their first game of the then new MLS, FC Kansas City will play their first game of the new NWSL on the same date. On that night back in 1996, the Wiz won 3-0 thanks to two goals from Digital Takawira. Hopefully tomorrow is successful for the Blues not just the one night, but as a step towards a successful and stable league for years to come in KC.
Winning the offseason or having the best allocation though means little if neither team can get it done on the field, and that begins tomorrow. The Blues become the second women's professional team to play a game in Kansas City, some 11 years after the Kansas City Mystics played at the Blue Valley District Athletic Complex.
It's somewhat poetic that 17 years to the day after the then Kansas City Wiz played their first game of the then new MLS, FC Kansas City will play their first game of the new NWSL on the same date. On that night back in 1996, the Wiz won 3-0 thanks to two goals from Digital Takawira. Hopefully tomorrow is successful for the Blues not just the one night, but as a step towards a successful and stable league for years to come in KC.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Will Kei Kamara Returning to KC?
We're less than a month away from when Kei Kamara's loan to Norwich City is supposed to end. Kamara's loan is set to end on May 6th, two days after Norwich's 3rd to last game, at Carrow Road against Aston Villa. Along with that game, Kamara has 4 games left on his loan deal. At that time Norwich will get to make the decision on whether they are
going to purchase Kamara outright with the deal that's in place or not.
That's certainly a big question in Kansas City at this point, regarding whether Kamara is going to return to KC. Kansas City has done pretty well without Kamara in Kansas City, with Claudio Bieler becoming the main offensive weapon. That said, Kansas City could certainly use Kamara's dynamic style to give KC a different attacking mindset in different parts of their game. His unpredictability is something that could fit in well with KC's current team. But it's not sure that he's going to return. I'm still not sure that Kamara will be returning.
In the seven games that Kamara's been available for Norwich, he's played in all seven of those games, starting the last four of those seven. He's scored a single goal and added an assist as Norwich has gone 2-1-4 in that seven game stretch. Kamara has also endeared himself to the Norwich faithful the same way he did it with Kansas City.
Norwich is still making their decision, but they themselves have been working to make moves as well. The club has already signed forward, Ricky van Wolfswinkel from Sporting Club in Portugal. The 24 year old Dutch international though is not the same type of forward as Kamara. Kamara's main competition for the target spot with Norwich, is the club captain, Grant Holt. But Kamara may be winning that battle as over the past few weeks, there'd been rumors that Norwich was willing to let Holt leave. If Holt were to leave that would certainly seem to point to Norwich's interest in keeping Kamara full time.
As Kamara has spent more time with Norwich and continues to get starts for the club, the more I feel that Kamara is not going to be returning to Kansas City. He's proving that he is good enough to play in one of the best leagues in the world and not look out of place at all. And while I think Kansas City could certainly use Kamara in the lineup, the team has moved on in many aspects. And if Kamara does get sold, Kansas City would have funds to help bring in another replacement if they feel they do need someone to replace Kamara.
That's certainly a big question in Kansas City at this point, regarding whether Kamara is going to return to KC. Kansas City has done pretty well without Kamara in Kansas City, with Claudio Bieler becoming the main offensive weapon. That said, Kansas City could certainly use Kamara's dynamic style to give KC a different attacking mindset in different parts of their game. His unpredictability is something that could fit in well with KC's current team. But it's not sure that he's going to return. I'm still not sure that Kamara will be returning.
In the seven games that Kamara's been available for Norwich, he's played in all seven of those games, starting the last four of those seven. He's scored a single goal and added an assist as Norwich has gone 2-1-4 in that seven game stretch. Kamara has also endeared himself to the Norwich faithful the same way he did it with Kansas City.
Norwich is still making their decision, but they themselves have been working to make moves as well. The club has already signed forward, Ricky van Wolfswinkel from Sporting Club in Portugal. The 24 year old Dutch international though is not the same type of forward as Kamara. Kamara's main competition for the target spot with Norwich, is the club captain, Grant Holt. But Kamara may be winning that battle as over the past few weeks, there'd been rumors that Norwich was willing to let Holt leave. If Holt were to leave that would certainly seem to point to Norwich's interest in keeping Kamara full time.
As Kamara has spent more time with Norwich and continues to get starts for the club, the more I feel that Kamara is not going to be returning to Kansas City. He's proving that he is good enough to play in one of the best leagues in the world and not look out of place at all. And while I think Kansas City could certainly use Kamara in the lineup, the team has moved on in many aspects. And if Kamara does get sold, Kansas City would have funds to help bring in another replacement if they feel they do need someone to replace Kamara.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
US Minor Leagues Kicking Off Season - Former SKC Wizards Update
The US minor leagues have kicked off and started to get going adding more former SKC players to the mix of weekly updates. Here is this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Jose Burciaga
Julio Cesar
Doug DeMartin
Birahim Diop
Edson Elcock
Mauro Fuzetti
Willy Guadarrama
Aaron Hohlbein
Mike Jones
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Scott Lorenz
Amir Lowery
Neven Markovic
Rauwshan McKenzie
Luke Sassano
Scott Sealy
MLS
Davy Arnaud - Montreal - No game this week.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Started and played 90 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-0 loss to Colorado.
Michael Harrington - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 2-0 win over Houston.
Kevin Hartman - New York - Did not dress in New York's 3-1 loss to Chicago.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 2-0 win over Houston.
Eddie Johnson - Seattle - Started and played 61 minutes in Seattle's 1-1 draw with Santos.
Chris Konopka - Philadelphia - Dressed but did not play in Philadelphia's 1-1 draw with Columbus.
Khari Stephenson - Salt Lake - Came off the bench and played 6 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-0 loss to Colorado.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 1-1 draw with Philadelphia.
Konrad Warzycha - Columbus - Did not dress in Columbus' 1-1 draw with Philadelphia.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Fort Lauderdale - Did not play in Fort Lauderdale's 1-1 draw with Edmonton.
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Did not play in Minnesota's 0-0 draw with San Antonio.
Shavar Thomas - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 1-1 draw with Edmonton.
USL
Christian Duke - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Phoenix. Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-0 loss to LA.
Dom Dwyer - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 81 minutes, scoring a goal in Orlando's 3-1 win over Phoenix. Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-0 loss to LA.
Brian Fekete - Orlando - Did not dress in Orlando's 3-1 win over Phoenix. Did not dress in Orlando's 1-0 loss to LA.
Cyprian Hedrick - Phoenix - Started and played 90 minutes in Phoenix's 3-1 loss to Orlando.
Jon Kempin - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Phoenix. Started andp layed 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-0 loss to LA.
Nelson Pizarro - Los Angeles - Started and played 50 minutes in LA's 1-0 win over Orlando.
Akeem Priestley - Dayton - No game this week.
Yann Songo'o - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Phoenix. Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-0 loss to LA.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 85 minutes in Richmond's 0-0 draw with Pittsburgh.
John Wilson - Charleston - No game this week.
PDL
Michael Kraus - FC Tucson - Offseason
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Syracuse Silver Knights - Offseason
Pat Healey - Baltimore Blast - Offseason
Boris Pardo - Comets - Offseason
Craig Rocastle - Comets - Offseason
Paul Wright - San Diego - Offseason
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - FC Haka - Finland - Season starts in April.
Stephane Auvray - DPMM FC - Brunei (Singapore League) - Did not dress in DPMM's 1-0 loss to Tanjong Pagar.
Vicente Arze - Esteghlal - Iran - Did not dress in Esteghlal's 1-0 loss to Al Hilal.
Omar Bravo - Atlas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Atlas' 0-0 draw with Morelia.
Sunil Chhetri - Churchill Brothers - India - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Chruchill's 2-1 win over Pune. Started and played 90 minutes in Churchill's 1-0 loss to Warriors.
Eloy Colombano - UAI Urquiza - Argentina - Tied El Porvenir 0-0.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - Trinidad - Did not play in Connection's 4-0 win over T&TEC.
Pablo Escobar - Atletico Huila - Colombia - Did not dress Huila's 2-2 draw wiht Deportes Tolima. Lost 1-0 to Once Caldas.
Roger Espinoza - Wigan - England - Came off the bench and played 4 minutes in Wigan's 1-1 draw with QPR.
Gary Glasgow - North East Stars - Trinidad - Did not play in the Stars' 1-1 draw with St. Ann's.
Herculez Gomez - Santos Laguna - Mexico - Started and played 56 minutes in Santos' 0-0 draw with Tijuana. Started and played 90 minutes in Santos' 1-1 draw with Seattle.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Lost 2-1 to Arnett Gardens.
Jeferson - Bahia - Brazil - Did not dress in Bahia's 5-1 loss to Vitoria.
Will John - AZAL - Azerbaijan - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in AZAL's 2-0 win over Turan Tovuz.
Kei Kamara - Norwich - England - Started and played 90 minutes in Norwich's 2-2 draw with Swansea.
Igor Kostrov - Dacia - Moldova - Beat Speranta Crihana Veche 3-2.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Did not play in San Martin's 2-0 loss to Cienciano.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Came off the bench and played 29 minutes in Moscow's 1-0 loss to Rostov.
Michal Mravec - Zilina - Slovakia - Started and played 73 minutes in Zilina's 1-1 draw with Slovan Gratislava. Beat Spartak Trnava 3-2 in the cup.
Pablo Punyed - Fjolnir - Iceland - Season starts in May.
Ryan Smith - Skoda Xanthi - Greece - Did not dress in Xanthi's 1-0 win over Asteras Tripolis.
Milos Stojcev - FK Leotar Trebinje - Bosnia - Started and played 90 minutes in Leotar's 1-0 win over Gradina Srebrenik. Beat Olimpic Gorazde 1-0.
Matt Taylor - Preußen Münster - Germany - Started and played 73 minutes, scoring a goal in Munster's 3-3 draw with Saarbrucken.
Ivan Trujillo - Llaneros - Colombia - Started and played 65 minutes in Llaneros' 1-1 draw with Cortulua. Lost 2-0 to Express Rojo in the Copa Colombia.
Diego Walsh - TOT SC - Thailand - Beat BEC Tero Sasana 3-2.
Active without a club or unknown
Jose Burciaga
Julio Cesar
Doug DeMartin
Birahim Diop
Edson Elcock
Mauro Fuzetti
Willy Guadarrama
Aaron Hohlbein
Mike Jones
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Scott Lorenz
Amir Lowery
Neven Markovic
Rauwshan McKenzie
Luke Sassano
Scott Sealy
MLS
Davy Arnaud - Montreal - No game this week.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Started and played 90 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-0 loss to Colorado.
Michael Harrington - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 2-0 win over Houston.
Kevin Hartman - New York - Did not dress in New York's 3-1 loss to Chicago.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 2-0 win over Houston.
Eddie Johnson - Seattle - Started and played 61 minutes in Seattle's 1-1 draw with Santos.
Chris Konopka - Philadelphia - Dressed but did not play in Philadelphia's 1-1 draw with Columbus.
Khari Stephenson - Salt Lake - Came off the bench and played 6 minutes in Salt Lake's 1-0 loss to Colorado.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 1-1 draw with Philadelphia.
Konrad Warzycha - Columbus - Did not dress in Columbus' 1-1 draw with Philadelphia.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Fort Lauderdale - Did not play in Fort Lauderdale's 1-1 draw with Edmonton.
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Did not play in Minnesota's 0-0 draw with San Antonio.
Shavar Thomas - Fort Lauderdale - Started and played 90 minutes in Fort Lauderdale's 1-1 draw with Edmonton.
USL
Christian Duke - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Phoenix. Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-0 loss to LA.
Dom Dwyer - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 81 minutes, scoring a goal in Orlando's 3-1 win over Phoenix. Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-0 loss to LA.
Brian Fekete - Orlando - Did not dress in Orlando's 3-1 win over Phoenix. Did not dress in Orlando's 1-0 loss to LA.
Cyprian Hedrick - Phoenix - Started and played 90 minutes in Phoenix's 3-1 loss to Orlando.
Jon Kempin - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Phoenix. Started andp layed 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-0 loss to LA.
Nelson Pizarro - Los Angeles - Started and played 50 minutes in LA's 1-0 win over Orlando.
Akeem Priestley - Dayton - No game this week.
Yann Songo'o - Orlando (Loan) - Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 3-1 win over Phoenix. Started and played 90 minutes in Orlando's 1-0 loss to LA.
Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 85 minutes in Richmond's 0-0 draw with Pittsburgh.
John Wilson - Charleston - No game this week.
PDL
Michael Kraus - FC Tucson - Offseason
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Syracuse Silver Knights - Offseason
Pat Healey - Baltimore Blast - Offseason
Boris Pardo - Comets - Offseason
Craig Rocastle - Comets - Offseason
Paul Wright - San Diego - Offseason
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - FC Haka - Finland - Season starts in April.
Stephane Auvray - DPMM FC - Brunei (Singapore League) - Did not dress in DPMM's 1-0 loss to Tanjong Pagar.
Vicente Arze - Esteghlal - Iran - Did not dress in Esteghlal's 1-0 loss to Al Hilal.
Omar Bravo - Atlas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Atlas' 0-0 draw with Morelia.
Sunil Chhetri - Churchill Brothers - India - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Chruchill's 2-1 win over Pune. Started and played 90 minutes in Churchill's 1-0 loss to Warriors.
Eloy Colombano - UAI Urquiza - Argentina - Tied El Porvenir 0-0.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - Trinidad - Did not play in Connection's 4-0 win over T&TEC.
Pablo Escobar - Atletico Huila - Colombia - Did not dress Huila's 2-2 draw wiht Deportes Tolima. Lost 1-0 to Once Caldas.
Roger Espinoza - Wigan - England - Came off the bench and played 4 minutes in Wigan's 1-1 draw with QPR.
Gary Glasgow - North East Stars - Trinidad - Did not play in the Stars' 1-1 draw with St. Ann's.
Herculez Gomez - Santos Laguna - Mexico - Started and played 56 minutes in Santos' 0-0 draw with Tijuana. Started and played 90 minutes in Santos' 1-1 draw with Seattle.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Lost 2-1 to Arnett Gardens.
Jeferson - Bahia - Brazil - Did not dress in Bahia's 5-1 loss to Vitoria.
Will John - AZAL - Azerbaijan - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in AZAL's 2-0 win over Turan Tovuz.
Kei Kamara - Norwich - England - Started and played 90 minutes in Norwich's 2-2 draw with Swansea.
Igor Kostrov - Dacia - Moldova - Beat Speranta Crihana Veche 3-2.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Did not play in San Martin's 2-0 loss to Cienciano.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Came off the bench and played 29 minutes in Moscow's 1-0 loss to Rostov.
Michal Mravec - Zilina - Slovakia - Started and played 73 minutes in Zilina's 1-1 draw with Slovan Gratislava. Beat Spartak Trnava 3-2 in the cup.
Pablo Punyed - Fjolnir - Iceland - Season starts in May.
Ryan Smith - Skoda Xanthi - Greece - Did not dress in Xanthi's 1-0 win over Asteras Tripolis.
Milos Stojcev - FK Leotar Trebinje - Bosnia - Started and played 90 minutes in Leotar's 1-0 win over Gradina Srebrenik. Beat Olimpic Gorazde 1-0.
Matt Taylor - Preußen Münster - Germany - Started and played 73 minutes, scoring a goal in Munster's 3-3 draw with Saarbrucken.
Ivan Trujillo - Llaneros - Colombia - Started and played 65 minutes in Llaneros' 1-1 draw with Cortulua. Lost 2-0 to Express Rojo in the Copa Colombia.
Diego Walsh - TOT SC - Thailand - Beat BEC Tero Sasana 3-2.
Monday, April 08, 2013
Should Bieler be Suspended?
Sporting KC came away with a 1-0 win over DC United on Friday night to improve the team's record to 3-1-2 on the season thanks to an 89th minute goal from Claudio Bieler. Some DC players though felt that Bieler shouldn't have even been on the field at that time to score the winning goal. The argument is that Bieler should have been sent off in the 25th minute for an elbow to the chest/throat of DC United defender Brandon McDonald.
The incident occurred shortly after a Sporting KC restart for an offside call on DC United. As Sporting worked their way back up the field, finding CJ Sapong. Sapong had the ball touched away from him by a United defender into the path of McDonald. McDonald cleared the ball one time up the field while under pressure from Bieler. Bieler turned and made a small jump looking to block the ball, but did not. As Bieler then turned to head back towards the defensive end of the field, he raised his elbow with McDonald behind him. Play was stopped shortly after as McDonald had gone down clutching his throat.
The DC United players were calling for a red card for Bieler at the time. The referee, Armando Villarreal seemed to get a look at the play during play, but did not make a call. After McDonald stayed down, Villarreal looked to his linesman though who was making a hand motion that seemed to indicate that there was nothing in the incident. After a discussion with him, Villarreal did not produce a card of any kind for Bieler.
Post game, the discussion of the no call continued, McDonald said that Bieler "punched me in the throat," which based on the replays doesn't appear to be the case.
McDonald also compared Sporting to the LA Lakers and getting special treatment if the league does not suspend Bieler for the incident.
I could certainly see Bieler being handed a suspension for the play if and when the Disciplinary Committee takes a look at the play. The committee has given suspensions and fines for less in the past. But I'm just not sure that they will at this point. A suspension would leave Bieler unavailable at least for next Wednesday's game in New York against the Red Bulls.
You can see a replay of the incident below starting at the 15 second mark, where Simon Borg believes Bieler should have seen red. But in the videos in this series that I've watched there should be about 1 red card in each game played according to him.
So should Bieler get suspended for his elbow on McDonald? Will he be suspended for the elbow?
The incident occurred shortly after a Sporting KC restart for an offside call on DC United. As Sporting worked their way back up the field, finding CJ Sapong. Sapong had the ball touched away from him by a United defender into the path of McDonald. McDonald cleared the ball one time up the field while under pressure from Bieler. Bieler turned and made a small jump looking to block the ball, but did not. As Bieler then turned to head back towards the defensive end of the field, he raised his elbow with McDonald behind him. Play was stopped shortly after as McDonald had gone down clutching his throat.
The DC United players were calling for a red card for Bieler at the time. The referee, Armando Villarreal seemed to get a look at the play during play, but did not make a call. After McDonald stayed down, Villarreal looked to his linesman though who was making a hand motion that seemed to indicate that there was nothing in the incident. After a discussion with him, Villarreal did not produce a card of any kind for Bieler.
Post game, the discussion of the no call continued, McDonald said that Bieler "punched me in the throat," which based on the replays doesn't appear to be the case.
McDonald also compared Sporting to the LA Lakers and getting special treatment if the league does not suspend Bieler for the incident.
I could certainly see Bieler being handed a suspension for the play if and when the Disciplinary Committee takes a look at the play. The committee has given suspensions and fines for less in the past. But I'm just not sure that they will at this point. A suspension would leave Bieler unavailable at least for next Wednesday's game in New York against the Red Bulls.
You can see a replay of the incident below starting at the 15 second mark, where Simon Borg believes Bieler should have seen red. But in the videos in this series that I've watched there should be about 1 red card in each game played according to him.
So should Bieler get suspended for his elbow on McDonald? Will he be suspended for the elbow?
FC Kansas City Announce Roster
FC Kansas City today announced their 18 player roster for the start of the inaugural NWSL season. The roster certainly on paper should make the Blues one of the candidates for the best team in the league this year.
Here's a look at how FC Kansas City built their current roster.
The team has their three US allocated players in Nicole Barnhart, Lauren Cheney, and Becky Sauerbrunn. They also have their 2 Canadian internationals, Desiree Scott and Lauren Sesselmann. And their single Mexican international, Renae Cuellar. That gets the team up to 6.
Through the NWSL college draft, FCKC added three more, Krisitie Mewis in the first round, Erika Tymrak in the second round, and Nia Williams in the fourth round. This gets you half the roster, at 9.
In the Supplemental draft, added four more to their roster. The team added Courtney Jones in the first round, Bianca Henninger in the second round, Merritt Mathias in the third round, and Casey Loyd in the fourth round. That gets the team to 13 of the 18 players.
Four more of KC's players came to the Blues from the team's ability to sign 4 free agents. In that list were Melissa Henderson, Jen Buczkowski, Leigh Ann Robinson, and Sinead Farrelly. That gets to 17 of the 18 rostered players.
The final spot on the roster went to local product, Katie Kelly to round out the team's 18 roster spots.
FCKC will kick off the season on Saturday night when they'll host the Portland Thorns in the league's first game at Shawnee Mission North High School.
Here's a look at how FC Kansas City built their current roster.
The team has their three US allocated players in Nicole Barnhart, Lauren Cheney, and Becky Sauerbrunn. They also have their 2 Canadian internationals, Desiree Scott and Lauren Sesselmann. And their single Mexican international, Renae Cuellar. That gets the team up to 6.
Through the NWSL college draft, FCKC added three more, Krisitie Mewis in the first round, Erika Tymrak in the second round, and Nia Williams in the fourth round. This gets you half the roster, at 9.
In the Supplemental draft, added four more to their roster. The team added Courtney Jones in the first round, Bianca Henninger in the second round, Merritt Mathias in the third round, and Casey Loyd in the fourth round. That gets the team to 13 of the 18 players.
Four more of KC's players came to the Blues from the team's ability to sign 4 free agents. In that list were Melissa Henderson, Jen Buczkowski, Leigh Ann Robinson, and Sinead Farrelly. That gets to 17 of the 18 rostered players.
The final spot on the roster went to local product, Katie Kelly to round out the team's 18 roster spots.
FCKC will kick off the season on Saturday night when they'll host the Portland Thorns in the league's first game at Shawnee Mission North High School.
Sunday, April 07, 2013
Sporting and US Soccer Studying US Soccer Facility in KCK
Since the opening of Sporting Park, Robb Heineman and Sporting KC have been angling to make Kansas City and Sporting Park the home for the US national team. When asked about hosting World Cup qualifiers in KC, Heineman has jokingly, but in a serious tone said that he wants Kansas City to host all the games. Now they've taken a big step to get there.
On Friday, Sporting KC announced that they were getting together with US Soccer to explore bringing a new national training and coaching development center to Kansas City, KS. The center would help to develop and train coaches, players, and referees of all ages. The project, which is estimated to cost $50 million would host US national team camps, coaching education, and referee development programing.
By tomorrow, Sporting is issuing a "Request for Proposals" to Wyandotte County land owners and real estate brokers to begin the process of finding the best location for the facility.
This announcement by itself is very big, it continues to show how Kansas City has become a major soccer community in the United Stats, the support for Sporting KC and the support that's been shown when the US plays here are two keys for that. It also helps having a facility like Sporting Park available as well for games. It'll become huge when they officially start breaking ground and building the facility. It's amazing to think where this city was just 5 years ago when it came to professional soccer support and where it's at now. I am already looking forward to the facility being built and what it means not only for youth development at the national level, but also at the local level in Kansas City.
On Friday, Sporting KC announced that they were getting together with US Soccer to explore bringing a new national training and coaching development center to Kansas City, KS. The center would help to develop and train coaches, players, and referees of all ages. The project, which is estimated to cost $50 million would host US national team camps, coaching education, and referee development programing.
By tomorrow, Sporting is issuing a "Request for Proposals" to Wyandotte County land owners and real estate brokers to begin the process of finding the best location for the facility.
This announcement by itself is very big, it continues to show how Kansas City has become a major soccer community in the United Stats, the support for Sporting KC and the support that's been shown when the US plays here are two keys for that. It also helps having a facility like Sporting Park available as well for games. It'll become huge when they officially start breaking ground and building the facility. It's amazing to think where this city was just 5 years ago when it came to professional soccer support and where it's at now. I am already looking forward to the facility being built and what it means not only for youth development at the national level, but also at the local level in Kansas City.
Saturday, April 06, 2013
Athletics Advance in US Open Cup Qualifying
The Kansas City Athletics moved one step closer to qualifying for their second striaght US Open Cup today with a 3-1 over FC Indiana. The win sees the Athletics advance to the semifinals along with RWB Adria, Dearborn Stars, and FC Indiana. FC Indiana advanced because they had the best goal difference of the losers (-2) and scored more goals (1) than the Croatian Eagles who also lost by 2, but did not score.
The game started off with the Athletics in control early. Inside the first two minutes the Athletics looked like they'd taken the league, but the call was called back due to an offside call on the goal. It wasn't long before the Athletics did grab the lead though. The Athletics worked the ball down the left wing and crossed the ball into the middle where it found Brian Williams unmarked in the middle of the box. Williams headed the ball back towards the near post and into the net giving the Athletics a 1-0 lead.
FC Indiana employed an odd strategy from the start of the game, they were happy to play the ball away and sit with 10 players behind the ball, playing more of a 5-5-0 with no forwards. With the game played on a turf football field you got an idea of how far they moved up the field and it took a good 25 minutes before an FC Indiana player crossed the 40 yard line on KC's defensive half of the field. Any time they got the ball they played the ball back up field and reorganized. This lead to the Athletics having the vast majority of the possession throughout the first half. With Indiana clogging much of the middle of the field they tried playing the ball over the top, but this led to a number of offside calls against KC.
The Athletics pressed the game creating opportunities but it took until the 37th minute before they doubled their lead. After some more work down the left the ball was played into the middle for Matt Kuhn. The former DC United draft pick and Sporting KC trialist took a touch, turning and fired a ball from about 25 yards out that hit off the post and went in making it 2-0 to Kansas City. The Athletics went into the half time break with the 2-0 lead and FC Indiana having only a single shot due to the tactics they employed that saw them sit deep in their own end.
In the second half with the wind more at their back the thought was that Indiana would come out of their shell a bit more and look to get back into the game. Instead Indiana sat back again letting the Athletics have much of the ball. With the wind more at their back that was out as a reason for Indiana's tactics in the first half, so thoughts turned to whether Indiana was just playing to minimize the goal difference and hope to sneak into the semifinals as the "best" loser. Before the hour mark the Athletics again put a dent in that mindset after a foul in the penalty area. Garrett Webb stepped up and buried the penalty kick to make it 3-0 Athletics.
Shortly after the Athletics had made it 3-0, FC Indiana found a goal to pull themselves back into the game. A long ball over the top led to a break away for Indiana that they converted to make it 3-1 and get Indiana back within 2. After the goal, Indiana seemed to finally come out a bit more and attempt to take the game to Kansas City. Indiana created a few chances themselves including a back post cross that just missed a sliding attacker that would have pulled them within 1. This also opened the game up at the other end as the Athletics looked to counter and just missed once or twice on breakaways themselves, including a chip that went just over the bar.
FC Indiana wasn't able to close the gap any more and the Athletics came away with the 3-1 win. Due to the other results though Indiana also advanced to the semifinals. The teams will find out their draw for the semifinals tomorrow. A win in the next round would see either team qualify for the US Open Cup proper.
The game started off with the Athletics in control early. Inside the first two minutes the Athletics looked like they'd taken the league, but the call was called back due to an offside call on the goal. It wasn't long before the Athletics did grab the lead though. The Athletics worked the ball down the left wing and crossed the ball into the middle where it found Brian Williams unmarked in the middle of the box. Williams headed the ball back towards the near post and into the net giving the Athletics a 1-0 lead.
FC Indiana employed an odd strategy from the start of the game, they were happy to play the ball away and sit with 10 players behind the ball, playing more of a 5-5-0 with no forwards. With the game played on a turf football field you got an idea of how far they moved up the field and it took a good 25 minutes before an FC Indiana player crossed the 40 yard line on KC's defensive half of the field. Any time they got the ball they played the ball back up field and reorganized. This lead to the Athletics having the vast majority of the possession throughout the first half. With Indiana clogging much of the middle of the field they tried playing the ball over the top, but this led to a number of offside calls against KC.
The Athletics pressed the game creating opportunities but it took until the 37th minute before they doubled their lead. After some more work down the left the ball was played into the middle for Matt Kuhn. The former DC United draft pick and Sporting KC trialist took a touch, turning and fired a ball from about 25 yards out that hit off the post and went in making it 2-0 to Kansas City. The Athletics went into the half time break with the 2-0 lead and FC Indiana having only a single shot due to the tactics they employed that saw them sit deep in their own end.
In the second half with the wind more at their back the thought was that Indiana would come out of their shell a bit more and look to get back into the game. Instead Indiana sat back again letting the Athletics have much of the ball. With the wind more at their back that was out as a reason for Indiana's tactics in the first half, so thoughts turned to whether Indiana was just playing to minimize the goal difference and hope to sneak into the semifinals as the "best" loser. Before the hour mark the Athletics again put a dent in that mindset after a foul in the penalty area. Garrett Webb stepped up and buried the penalty kick to make it 3-0 Athletics.
Shortly after the Athletics had made it 3-0, FC Indiana found a goal to pull themselves back into the game. A long ball over the top led to a break away for Indiana that they converted to make it 3-1 and get Indiana back within 2. After the goal, Indiana seemed to finally come out a bit more and attempt to take the game to Kansas City. Indiana created a few chances themselves including a back post cross that just missed a sliding attacker that would have pulled them within 1. This also opened the game up at the other end as the Athletics looked to counter and just missed once or twice on breakaways themselves, including a chip that went just over the bar.
FC Indiana wasn't able to close the gap any more and the Athletics came away with the 3-1 win. Due to the other results though Indiana also advanced to the semifinals. The teams will find out their draw for the semifinals tomorrow. A win in the next round would see either team qualify for the US Open Cup proper.
S.A.S. Saturday After Stats
In the 25th minute, Paulo Nagmaura hit the 15,000 minute mark in MLS play in his career.
Jimmy Nielsen made his 100th league appearance for KC, he's the 24th player to hit that mark for KC.
It was also Nielsen's 100th league start for KC, he's the 18th player to hit that mark.
CJ Sapong made his 50th league start for KC last night, he's the 42nd player to hit that mark for KC.
Jimmy Nielsen made his 100th league appearance for KC, he's the 24th player to hit that mark for KC.
It was also Nielsen's 100th league start for KC, he's the 18th player to hit that mark.
CJ Sapong made his 50th league start for KC last night, he's the 42nd player to hit that mark for KC.
Sporting Leave it Late but Get 3 Points
Sporting KC left it late, but they picked up another win on Friday night against DC United thanks to a late goal from Claudio Bieler.
Unlike in previous games this season at Sporting Park, DC United didn't totally sit back, instead they took the game to KC, especially in the first half where they pressured KC and had more of the control of the game. Chances as a whole in the first half were at a premium though as both sides clogged shooting lanes. KC were able to create the better chances of the ones that were created. The best of which was off a long throw in from Matt Besler that found the head of Bieler. Bieler though put his header just wide of Bill Hamid's post. The only shot on goal in the entire half for either side was an effort from CJ Sapong that he put right at Hamid. DC though had a chance themselves in stoppage time as Lionard Pajoy got played in over the top. He cut between two Sporting defenders and tried to beat Jimmy Nielsen at his near post but fired wide of the goal.
In the second half, DC started to sit back just a little bit more, looking to secure themselves the road point. KC upped the level of attack but struggled with creating scoring chances. DC did a good job defensively of closing down KC and keeping them from creating chances. And the chances they did create, Sporting weren't able to finish. In the 63rd KC had a good chance created through Benny Feilhaber as he collected a ball from Seth Sinovic and tried to play a ball in to Bieler. Bieler got a touch but the ball rolled past to Paulo Nagamura who played the ball back to Feilhaber who continued his run. But from around the corner of the 6 yard box, he fired wide of Hamid's goal. Sinovic also had an opportunity himself collecting a ball on the wing and racing towards goal, firing a shot wide of the post from just outside the box. Nielsen was rarely called into action in the second half, as he had to make an easy save on a low free kick for his only official save of the match. In the 80th he also saved a bicycle kick from Carlos Ruiz, but he was in an offside position which would have negated any goal anyway. In the 89th minute, KC finally found their goal. Sinovic tried to beat Chris Korb, but was cutout with some assistance by Marcelo Saragosa. Saragosa fed the ball Marcos Sanchez who was immediately closed down by Peterson Joseph and joined by Sinovic and Soony Saad. Sanchez tried to play the ball back to Saragosa but didn't get enough on his touch. Saad won the hospital ball and his first touch played the ball through Saragosa's legs. Saad collected the ball and carried the ball down the end line towards the goal. He then played a low cross into the middle where Bieler one timed the ball into the net giving KC the lead. KC killed off the rest of the game, which included 5 minutes of stoppage time to earn their 3rd win of the season.
It wasn't a pretty game as DC took the game to Sporting more than I thought KC would let them, but Kansas City get the 3 points which is always key.
Wizards Man of the Match - Matt Besler - The Sporting defense shut down DC's attack for much of the game, limiting them to only 4 shots, only 1 of which was on target. Besler was a big part of that, especially with containing Rafael and Pajoy.
Player Ratings - Nielsen 6, Myers 6, Collin 5, Besler 7, Sinovic 7, Rosell 5, Nagamura 5, Feilhaber 6, Zusi 6, Bieler 6, Sapong 5. Subs Saad 6, Joseph 6, Olum NR
Unlike in previous games this season at Sporting Park, DC United didn't totally sit back, instead they took the game to KC, especially in the first half where they pressured KC and had more of the control of the game. Chances as a whole in the first half were at a premium though as both sides clogged shooting lanes. KC were able to create the better chances of the ones that were created. The best of which was off a long throw in from Matt Besler that found the head of Bieler. Bieler though put his header just wide of Bill Hamid's post. The only shot on goal in the entire half for either side was an effort from CJ Sapong that he put right at Hamid. DC though had a chance themselves in stoppage time as Lionard Pajoy got played in over the top. He cut between two Sporting defenders and tried to beat Jimmy Nielsen at his near post but fired wide of the goal.
In the second half, DC started to sit back just a little bit more, looking to secure themselves the road point. KC upped the level of attack but struggled with creating scoring chances. DC did a good job defensively of closing down KC and keeping them from creating chances. And the chances they did create, Sporting weren't able to finish. In the 63rd KC had a good chance created through Benny Feilhaber as he collected a ball from Seth Sinovic and tried to play a ball in to Bieler. Bieler got a touch but the ball rolled past to Paulo Nagamura who played the ball back to Feilhaber who continued his run. But from around the corner of the 6 yard box, he fired wide of Hamid's goal. Sinovic also had an opportunity himself collecting a ball on the wing and racing towards goal, firing a shot wide of the post from just outside the box. Nielsen was rarely called into action in the second half, as he had to make an easy save on a low free kick for his only official save of the match. In the 80th he also saved a bicycle kick from Carlos Ruiz, but he was in an offside position which would have negated any goal anyway. In the 89th minute, KC finally found their goal. Sinovic tried to beat Chris Korb, but was cutout with some assistance by Marcelo Saragosa. Saragosa fed the ball Marcos Sanchez who was immediately closed down by Peterson Joseph and joined by Sinovic and Soony Saad. Sanchez tried to play the ball back to Saragosa but didn't get enough on his touch. Saad won the hospital ball and his first touch played the ball through Saragosa's legs. Saad collected the ball and carried the ball down the end line towards the goal. He then played a low cross into the middle where Bieler one timed the ball into the net giving KC the lead. KC killed off the rest of the game, which included 5 minutes of stoppage time to earn their 3rd win of the season.
It wasn't a pretty game as DC took the game to Sporting more than I thought KC would let them, but Kansas City get the 3 points which is always key.
Wizards Man of the Match - Matt Besler - The Sporting defense shut down DC's attack for much of the game, limiting them to only 4 shots, only 1 of which was on target. Besler was a big part of that, especially with containing Rafael and Pajoy.
Player Ratings - Nielsen 6, Myers 6, Collin 5, Besler 7, Sinovic 7, Rosell 5, Nagamura 5, Feilhaber 6, Zusi 6, Bieler 6, Sapong 5. Subs Saad 6, Joseph 6, Olum NR
Thursday, April 04, 2013
Friday Night Lights
Sporting KC and DC United will meet at Sporting Park tomorrow night under the lights. Sporting heads into their last match before a week off while DC heads into the game after having a week off. And for the third time this season, Sporting will "kick off" the weekend of games for MLS.
DC had last weekend off, but the weekend before they lost at home 2-1 to the Columbus Crew. United though is a little injury struck right now. Two players that started the game against the Crew will be missing tomorrow night. Nick De Leon and Dwayne De Rosario will both not appear for United tomorrow night due to injuries. The absence of those two will put a lot more pressure on Chris Pontius in the United midfield. How he fairs against Kansas City will be a key for United. Whether they move him into the middle to take De Rosario's spot or leave him on the wing, he'll be the main guy that KC will need to key on.
Kansas City is coming off their best performance of the season in their win over Montreal. KC was dominate in all aspects of the game and were deserved winners. The question is whether KC can continue that performance into this week's game against United. Benny Feilhaber had his best game since moving to KC, and KC will be hoping that it's just a sign of things to come from the former New England player. Defensively KC had their full selection back as Matt Besler and Chance Myers returned. Myers' addition to the offense was key for Sporting against Montreal. Both him and Seth Sinovic were able to get into the attack.
Number to Remember - 18 - That's the number of wins that both teams have in the regular season against each other. The teams are 18-18-9 in the 45 meetings, very even, so either side has the chance to take the lead in the series.
Key Match Up - Chance Myers vs Chris Pontius - Unless DC moves Pontius to the middle he's likely to match up against Myers on the wing. If Myers can pin Pontius back, he's going to be able to get forward more and into the attack. But if Pontius wins the ball, Myers is going to be pinned back in KC's defensive half not able to contribute to the attack.
PREDICTION - With the injuries to De Leon and De Rosario, the worry is that DC is going to come in and park the bus, similar to the way that Chicago did in the home opener. The key if DC is going to do that is the same thing that KC did against Montreal, score early. An early goal will force DC to not sit back, and instead try to attack. The longer the game sits scoreless the deeper DC is going to sit without those two offensive weapons. The other thing that KC is going to have to watch out for is an old KC "favorite", Carlos Ruiz, who now plays for DC. He's always been a pest for KC and scored at Sporting Park last year for the Guatemalan national team. Still DC's offense without De Leon and De Rosario seems to be missing a few teeth.
SKC - 1 (Bieler)
DC - 0
DC had last weekend off, but the weekend before they lost at home 2-1 to the Columbus Crew. United though is a little injury struck right now. Two players that started the game against the Crew will be missing tomorrow night. Nick De Leon and Dwayne De Rosario will both not appear for United tomorrow night due to injuries. The absence of those two will put a lot more pressure on Chris Pontius in the United midfield. How he fairs against Kansas City will be a key for United. Whether they move him into the middle to take De Rosario's spot or leave him on the wing, he'll be the main guy that KC will need to key on.
Kansas City is coming off their best performance of the season in their win over Montreal. KC was dominate in all aspects of the game and were deserved winners. The question is whether KC can continue that performance into this week's game against United. Benny Feilhaber had his best game since moving to KC, and KC will be hoping that it's just a sign of things to come from the former New England player. Defensively KC had their full selection back as Matt Besler and Chance Myers returned. Myers' addition to the offense was key for Sporting against Montreal. Both him and Seth Sinovic were able to get into the attack.
Nielsen
Myers - Collin - Besler - Sinovic
Rosell - Nagamura
Feilhaber
Sapong - Bieler - Zusi
Number to Remember - 18 - That's the number of wins that both teams have in the regular season against each other. The teams are 18-18-9 in the 45 meetings, very even, so either side has the chance to take the lead in the series.
Key Match Up - Chance Myers vs Chris Pontius - Unless DC moves Pontius to the middle he's likely to match up against Myers on the wing. If Myers can pin Pontius back, he's going to be able to get forward more and into the attack. But if Pontius wins the ball, Myers is going to be pinned back in KC's defensive half not able to contribute to the attack.
PREDICTION - With the injuries to De Leon and De Rosario, the worry is that DC is going to come in and park the bus, similar to the way that Chicago did in the home opener. The key if DC is going to do that is the same thing that KC did against Montreal, score early. An early goal will force DC to not sit back, and instead try to attack. The longer the game sits scoreless the deeper DC is going to sit without those two offensive weapons. The other thing that KC is going to have to watch out for is an old KC "favorite", Carlos Ruiz, who now plays for DC. He's always been a pest for KC and scored at Sporting Park last year for the Guatemalan national team. Still DC's offense without De Leon and De Rosario seems to be missing a few teeth.
SKC - 1 (Bieler)
DC - 0
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Kempin Set to Start for Orlando, Former SKC Wizards Update
The one worry heading into the loan stint for the four Sporting KC players was how much time Jon Kempin would get in Orlando as the back up for Orlando's starting goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo. Today things changed a bit. Orlando City announced that Gallardo will miss 4-6 weeks with a knee injury. That should open up the window for Kempin to step in and start for Orlando in their season opener Sunday against Phoenix. Here's the rest of this week's update.
Active without a club or unknown
Julio Cesar
Doug DeMartin
Birahim Diop
Mauro Fuzetti
Willy Guadarrama
Aaron Hohlbein
Mike Jones
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Neven Markovic
Rauwshan McKenzie
Scott Sealy
MLS
Davy Arnaud - Montreal - Started and played 90 minutes in Montreal's 2-0 loss to KC.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Started and played 62 minutes, scoring a goal in RSL's 2-1 win over Seattle.
Michael Harrington - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 2-2 draw with Colorado.
Kevin Hartman - New York - Did not dress in New York's 2-1 win over Philadelphia.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 64 minutes in Portland's 2-2 draw with Colorado.
Eddie Johnson - Seattle - Started and played 78 minutes in Seattle's 2-1 loss to RSL.
Chris Konopka - Philadelphia - Dressed but did not play in Philadelphia's 2-1 loss to New York.
Khari Stephenson - Salt Lake - Did not dress in Salt Lake's 2-1 win over Seattle.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - No game this week.
Konrad Warzycha - Columbus - No game this week.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Fort Lauderdale - Offseason
Jose Burciaga - Atlanta - Offseason
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Offseason
Scott Lorenz - Fort Lauderdale - Offseason
Amir Lowery - Carolina - Offseason
Luke Sassano - Carolina - Offseason
Shavar Thomas - Fort Lauderdale - Offseason
USL
Christian Duke - Orlando (Loan) - No game this week.
Dom Dwyer - Orlando (Loan) - No game this week.
Edson Elcock - Richmond - No game this week.
Brian Fekete - Orlando - No game this week.
Cyprian Hedrick - Phoenix - Started and played 90 minutes in Phoenix's 1-0 win over Tampa.
Jon Kempin - Orlando (Loan) - No game this week.
Nelson Pizarro - Los Angeles - Started and played 57 minutes in LA's 1-0 loss to Tampa.
Akeem Priestley - Dayton - No game this week.
Yann Songo'o - Orlando (Loan) - No game this week.
Yomby William - Richmond - No game this week.
John Wilson - Charleston - No game this week.
PDL
Michael Kraus - FC Tucson - Offseason
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Syracuse Silver Knights - Offseason
Pat Healey - Baltimore Blast - Offseason
Boris Pardo - Comets - Offseason
Craig Rocastle - Comets - Offseason
Paul Wright - San Diego - Offseason
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - FC Haka - Finland - Season starts in April.
Stephane Auvray - DPMM FC - Brunei (Singapore League) - Came off the bench and played 1 minute in DPMM's 1-0 win over Woodlands Wellington. Came off the bench and played 29 minutes in DPMM's 4-2 win over Geylang International.
Vicente Arze - Esteghlal - Iran - Lost to Sepahan in a PK shootout in their cup competition. Did not dress in Esteghlal's 2-1 win over Al Hilal.
Omar Bravo - Atlas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Atlas' 2-1 win over Cruz Azul.
Sunil Chhetri - Churchill Brothers - India - Started and played 88 minutes, scoring a goal in Churchill's 3-0 win over Warriors.
Eloy Colombano - UAI Urquiza - Argentina - Beat Lujan 1-0.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - Trinidad - Started and played 90 minutes in Trinidad's 1-0 loss to North East Stars.
Pablo Escobar - Atletico Huila - Colombia - Did not dress in Huila's 0-0 draw with Millonarios.
Roger Espinoza - Wigan - England - Dressed but did not play in Wigan's 1-0 win over Norwich.
Gary Glasgow - North East Stars - Trinidad - Came off the bench and played 1 minute in Trinidad's 1-0 win over W Connection.
Herculez Gomez - Santos Laguna - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Santos' 1-1 draw with Queretaro. Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Santos' 1-0 win over Seattle.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Drew Sporting Central 0-0.
Jeferson - Bahia - Brazil - Did not play in Bahia's 2-2 draw with Bahia De Feira.
Will John - AZAL - Azerbaijan - Started and played 90 minutes in AZAL's 1-1 draw with Khazar Lankaran.
Kei Kamara - Norwich - England - Started and played 80 minutes in Norwich's 1-0 loss to Wigan.
Igor Kostrov - Dacia - Moldova - Drew 0-0 with Sheriff.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Started and played 90 minutes in San Martin's 0-0 draw with Sport Huancayo.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Started and played 83 minutes in Spartak's 2-2 draw with Kuban' Krasnodar.
Michal Mravec - Zilina - Slovakia - Came off the bench and played 7 minutes in Zilina's 0-0 draw with Spartak Myjava. Tied Zilina's 1-1 draw with Spartak Trnava.
Pablo Punyed - Fjolnir - Iceland - Season starts in May.
Ryan Smith - Skoda Xanthi - Greece - Did not dress in Xanthi's 0-0 draw with Atromitos.
Milos Stojcev - FK Leotar Trebinje - Bosnia - Started and played 90 minutes in Leotar's 2-1 win over Rudar Prijedor.
Matt Taylor - Preußen Münster - Germany - Came off the bench and played 28 minutes in Munster's 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund II.
Ivan Trujillo - Llaneros - Colombia - Started and played 66 minutes in Llaneros' 3-0 loss to Bogota.
Diego Walsh - TOT SC - Thailand - Beat Osotspa 1-0.
Active without a club or unknown
Julio Cesar
Doug DeMartin
Birahim Diop
Mauro Fuzetti
Willy Guadarrama
Aaron Hohlbein
Mike Jones
Neal Kitson
Jonathan Leathers
Neven Markovic
Rauwshan McKenzie
Scott Sealy
MLS
Davy Arnaud - Montreal - Started and played 90 minutes in Montreal's 2-0 loss to KC.
Luis Gil - Salt Lake - Started and played 62 minutes, scoring a goal in RSL's 2-1 win over Seattle.
Michael Harrington - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 2-2 draw with Colorado.
Kevin Hartman - New York - Did not dress in New York's 2-1 win over Philadelphia.
Jack Jewsbury - Portland - Started and played 64 minutes in Portland's 2-2 draw with Colorado.
Eddie Johnson - Seattle - Started and played 78 minutes in Seattle's 2-1 loss to RSL.
Chris Konopka - Philadelphia - Dressed but did not play in Philadelphia's 2-1 loss to New York.
Khari Stephenson - Salt Lake - Did not dress in Salt Lake's 2-1 win over Seattle.
Tyson Wahl - Columbus - No game this week.
Konrad Warzycha - Columbus - No game this week.
NASL
Stefan Antonijevic - Fort Lauderdale - Offseason
Jose Burciaga - Atlanta - Offseason
Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Offseason
Scott Lorenz - Fort Lauderdale - Offseason
Amir Lowery - Carolina - Offseason
Luke Sassano - Carolina - Offseason
Shavar Thomas - Fort Lauderdale - Offseason
USL
Christian Duke - Orlando (Loan) - No game this week.
Dom Dwyer - Orlando (Loan) - No game this week.
Edson Elcock - Richmond - No game this week.
Brian Fekete - Orlando - No game this week.
Cyprian Hedrick - Phoenix - Started and played 90 minutes in Phoenix's 1-0 win over Tampa.
Jon Kempin - Orlando (Loan) - No game this week.
Nelson Pizarro - Los Angeles - Started and played 57 minutes in LA's 1-0 loss to Tampa.
Akeem Priestley - Dayton - No game this week.
Yann Songo'o - Orlando (Loan) - No game this week.
Yomby William - Richmond - No game this week.
John Wilson - Charleston - No game this week.
PDL
Michael Kraus - FC Tucson - Offseason
Indoor
Jamar Beasley - Syracuse Silver Knights - Offseason
Pat Healey - Baltimore Blast - Offseason
Boris Pardo - Comets - Offseason
Craig Rocastle - Comets - Offseason
Paul Wright - San Diego - Offseason
International
Korede Aiyegbusi - FC Haka - Finland - Season starts in April.
Stephane Auvray - DPMM FC - Brunei (Singapore League) - Came off the bench and played 1 minute in DPMM's 1-0 win over Woodlands Wellington. Came off the bench and played 29 minutes in DPMM's 4-2 win over Geylang International.
Vicente Arze - Esteghlal - Iran - Lost to Sepahan in a PK shootout in their cup competition. Did not dress in Esteghlal's 2-1 win over Al Hilal.
Omar Bravo - Atlas - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Atlas' 2-1 win over Cruz Azul.
Sunil Chhetri - Churchill Brothers - India - Started and played 88 minutes, scoring a goal in Churchill's 3-0 win over Warriors.
Eloy Colombano - UAI Urquiza - Argentina - Beat Lujan 1-0.
Daneil Cyrus - W Connection - Trinidad - Started and played 90 minutes in Trinidad's 1-0 loss to North East Stars.
Pablo Escobar - Atletico Huila - Colombia - Did not dress in Huila's 0-0 draw with Millonarios.
Roger Espinoza - Wigan - England - Dressed but did not play in Wigan's 1-0 win over Norwich.
Gary Glasgow - North East Stars - Trinidad - Came off the bench and played 1 minute in Trinidad's 1-0 win over W Connection.
Herculez Gomez - Santos Laguna - Mexico - Started and played 90 minutes in Santos' 1-1 draw with Queretaro. Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Santos' 1-0 win over Seattle.
Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Drew Sporting Central 0-0.
Jeferson - Bahia - Brazil - Did not play in Bahia's 2-2 draw with Bahia De Feira.
Will John - AZAL - Azerbaijan - Started and played 90 minutes in AZAL's 1-1 draw with Khazar Lankaran.
Kei Kamara - Norwich - England - Started and played 80 minutes in Norwich's 1-0 loss to Wigan.
Igor Kostrov - Dacia - Moldova - Drew 0-0 with Sheriff.
Carlos Marinelli - Universidad San Martin - Peru - Started and played 90 minutes in San Martin's 0-0 draw with Sport Huancayo.
Yura Movsisyan - Spartak Moscow - Russia - Started and played 83 minutes in Spartak's 2-2 draw with Kuban' Krasnodar.
Michal Mravec - Zilina - Slovakia - Came off the bench and played 7 minutes in Zilina's 0-0 draw with Spartak Myjava. Tied Zilina's 1-1 draw with Spartak Trnava.
Pablo Punyed - Fjolnir - Iceland - Season starts in May.
Ryan Smith - Skoda Xanthi - Greece - Did not dress in Xanthi's 0-0 draw with Atromitos.
Milos Stojcev - FK Leotar Trebinje - Bosnia - Started and played 90 minutes in Leotar's 2-1 win over Rudar Prijedor.
Matt Taylor - Preußen Münster - Germany - Came off the bench and played 28 minutes in Munster's 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund II.
Ivan Trujillo - Llaneros - Colombia - Started and played 66 minutes in Llaneros' 3-0 loss to Bogota.
Diego Walsh - TOT SC - Thailand - Beat Osotspa 1-0.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
