1. Wizards Sign Kempin Today the Wizards announced their first homegrown player signing, goalkeeper, Jon Kempin. Kempin today signed a Generation Adidas contract with the Wizards and will now join the Wizards roster. He won't take up one of the team's 24 roster spots, instead he'll occupy one of two "homegrown" slots on the roster, giving the Wizards the ability to have 25 players on the team currently. In the end Kempin was likely the favorite to be signed due to his experience with the US U-18 national team. He's been called into the U-17 residency program in Florida and is still a member of the U18 player pool for the United States. Barring major injury issues to both Jimmy Nielsen and Eric Kronberg, I do not expect to see Kempin in net and probably not even on the bench this year for the Wizards. I don't see this becoming a like the Bill Hamid situation in DC. But in the end you never know. Congrats to Jon on this big even in his life and to the Wizards on keeping a local kid in town to play with his home team.
4. Vermes Arrested for DUI Last Week The Wizards have had a lot of good news both on and off the field in the past couple weeks. The team is on a fantastic run of form with only 1 loss in their last 7 league games. They're getting ready to announce their first homegrown player from the Wizards Juniors program. The stadium is growing like a weed with more and more going everyday.
Unfortunately all that will now pale in comparison to what was reported tonight by the KC Star. Wizards head coach and technical director, Peter Vermes was arrested last week for DUI. Vermes was arrested in Gardner on the 24th for driving under the influence. This news makes all the positives above worthless, it's a poor representation of the team and will likely hang over any good news that comes out for the rest of the season.
There's really no excuse for this for Vermes. This isn't the type of publicity that the Wizards wanted or needed. The question now is what, if anything, does the team do about this? Certainly there will be some behind doors repercussions from this for Vermes. Will anything publicly be done? Certainly a few fans are already calling for Vermes job because of this. It certainly gives the Wizards a black eye and is certainly something that Robb Heineman and the rest of the ownership have to look into deeply.
The question still remains on who is the signing going to be. One would assume it's one of Jon Kempin, Konner Knoll, or Jordan Rideout, the three players that trained with the first team earlier this season. Kempin is a goalkeeper that has been in camp with US youth teams. Rideout is the son of former Wizards forward Paul Rideout. Knoll is the one I know the least about, he's a defender from the Wichita area. It's hard to know exactly who it will be. Part of me leans towards Kempin or Rideout, but another part of me thinks it'll be Knoll in a surprise. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
6. September 11th Game Moved The Kansas City T-Bones are in the playoffs again this year, and due to the scheduling it has forced the Wizards to have to adjust their schedule. Community America Ballpark will now host the first round of the Northern League playoffs in a Best of 5 series. The series starts September 8th or 9th so there'd likely be another game on the 11th as well. The 11th is when the Wizards were scheduled to take on the Houston Dynamo at CAB. That game has now been pushed back 11 days to Wednesday September 22nd at 7:30.
I dislike midweek games, they suck. Hopefully next year with our own stadium there will be few to none. But with the parking restrictions around the Wizards stadium it's certainly possible that something like this could change the schedule again in the future.
7. Reserve League on the Way Back Word is that the MLS reserve division will be coming back next season as MLS continues to work on player development along with building the current level of play with the first team. While the specifics are still being worked out, it is an incredibly smart move bringing it back and it corrects the poor move of getting rid of it in the first place years ago. One of the ideas apparently being thrown around is a 10 game season with teams being divided into 3 6 team divisions and playing each team in their division twice. This is probably the best move with travel in mind as it helps to regionalize the reserve league. While a lot of people would want more than 10, that certainly adds to the travel costs to take a lot more players to away games.
Personally I like the idea of the 10 game reserve division as it's always possible to supplement those games with games against college, PDL, and other lower division teams. Along with games in the Open Cup where teams tend to play more reserve teams. As I mentioned earlier this will correct one of the biggest mistakes MLS has made with doing away with the reserve league. It was a short term gain, long term loss for the league in my opinion. The loss of the reserve league and the loss of roster spots meant that a couple younger players that could have turned into eventual first team contributors ended up not even making the roster at all. I think a player like Igor Kostrov or Mauro Fuzetti could have developed into solid contributors for the Wizards if they were given the opportunity to get more games with the Swope Park Rangers with a bigger roster and real games.
We'll see what this brings, but I for one am excited about the return. And with the NCAA's ruling making it so that a player don't lose their amateur status by playing with pros means that Wizards Juniors players can be called up to compete in reserve games without fear of losing their college eligibility.
8. MLS-ADIDAS Deal Extended Adidas has renewed their sponsorship deal with MLS 4 years before the current deal actually expired. Back in 2005 when the league as a whole was struggling, MLS stepped up with a 10 year, $150 million contract. Six years into that deal, MLS has a new 8 year deal with the sports apparel manufacturer that is said to be worth upwards of $200 million. The extension of the current deal is fantastic news for the league as it's apparent at least to Adidas that the league is viable enough to them for them to step up and extend their current partnership 4 years before the current deal expired. Adidas obviously sees enough interest and growth in the league that they wanted to tie up the deal before it got close to expiring.
I know there are a lot of people that are a bit disappointed in this because they wanted the deal to expire and let individual teams get their own jersey contracts the way it was done before the original Adidas deal. But in the end this is the best for not just a smaller team like KC that would struggle to get a good jersey deal on it's own. It also is a good deal for teams like Seattle and LA as well because they get probably what they would make on their own. And with the entire league doing it, it helps the viability of the entire league. I think this is a great deal all around for MLS.
U19 team that competed in 2008 U.S. Youth Soccer Nationals.
Tomorrow we will announce our first-ever home grown player. That's a big deal. No other pro team in Kansas City can develop a player from his youth playing days and eventually add him to the professional roster. Only in soccer is that possible.
This signing is just a preview of things to come from our club in the future. We have invested significant resources in our KCW Juniors program already, and that will pay off for the first time tomorrow, but it won't be the last time. President Robb Heineman said in a tweet over the weekend that he'd like to see six such signings on our roster by 2013. Will we hit that number? Only time will tell, but the odds that just one player have been signed are very low. Our youth program is talented and stacks up against the best programs across the country.
Our announcement will come tomorrow at 2 p.m. CT. Follow us on Twitter, or Facebook or check the website or here at the blog for more information around that time. It will be an exciting day for one lucky young man, but it will also be an exciting day for the rest of our organization.
Our match versus the Houston Dynamo that was scheduled for Saturday, September 11 has been moved to Wednesday, September 22 due to the T-Bones playoff schedule. After Saturday's match at Philadelphia, we will now be off until Sunday, September 19 when we again travel to the Home Depot Center, this time to play Chivas USA.
We then return home for matches September 22 and 25 at home against Houston and FCD, respectively. By the time we play Chivas, Chicago's games in hand will have disappeared, giving a more clear look at the playoff picture. We are then Chicago's lone mid-week game with our match Tuesday, October 12 that was originally scheduled for July 24. We currently sit just three points out with only TFC between us and 8th place SJ. Winning this weekend in Philly would be huge, but it won't be easy!
12. Sunday After Stats Here's this week's Sunday after stats. Over the next few weeks some big milestones will be coming as well.
Davy Arnaud's goal was his 40th goal in MLS play, he's the 43rd player in MLS history to hit that mark.
Arnaud's 40th MLS goal also breaks his tie with Chris Klein for sole possession of 3rd place on the list for most goals scored in league play.
Arnaud's game winning goal was his 9th as a Wizards player. He has the 4th most game winning goals in team history behind Preki, Klein, and Josh Wolff.
It was Arnaud's 12th game winner in all competitions for the Wizards. He broke his tie with Josh Wolff for 3rd place on that list.
Jimmy Conrad's goal was his 17th in a Wizards uniform tying him with Eddie Johnson for 9th place on that list.
It was also Conrad's 17th in all competitions for KC tying him with Johnson and Miklos Molnar for 12th place on that list.
In the 42nd minute, Michael Harrington moved past Bo Oshoniyi and into 16th place for the most minutes played in all competitions for KC, Harrington finished the game with 9730 minutes played.
Harrington also made his 107th league appearance for KC, breaking his tie with Sasha Victorine for 18th place on that list.
Harrington made his 105th start in all competitions, tying him with Oshoniyi for 16th place on that list.
Jimmy Nielsen recorded his 8th league shutout of the season, that's good for the 3rd best in team history at this point behind Tony Meola's 2000 season (16 shutouts) and Kevin Hartman's 2008 season (10).
13. Creeping Up the Table The Wizards are slowly working their way up the table and back into really being considered for playoff contention. KC only has 1 loss in since the middle of July in league play, going 4-1-2 in that stretch. The latest win in that run came last night as the Wizards took down the league leading, but slumping, LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center. KC came out and was the more threatening team early on. Kei Kamara had a half chance off of a cross and set up another good opportunity off of a free kick that he nodded in front of goal but no one on KC could get to it. Kamara was a big threat early on for KC, especially down the right wing, where he was able to get a few crosses off. One of those in the 12th minute gave KC the lead. There were hints of a foul by Kamara on Todd Dunivant, but it wasn't called. Kamara went down the right and crossed on the ground into the path of Davy Arnaud who took a touch and then slide the ball past Donovan Ricketts and into the net to give KC the early lead. A nice run by Arnaud and a very nice cross on the ground by Kamara.
At the other end of the field, KC was doing a good job of containing Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan. Jimmy Conrad and Shavar Thomas both had situations where they kept Buddle under wraps. And Stephane Auvray did well to help contain Donovan's runs out of the midfield in the first half. KC continued to try to catch LA on the counter in the first half, especially after going up a goal. KC should have made it 2 in the 36th minute. Arnaud stole the ball off of Leonardo on the LA back line and sprinted towards goal. Arnaud drew both defenders and then laid the ball off to Birahim Diop on the other side of the defenders. Diop's first touch was too heavy though and it raced far enough ahead of him that Ricketts had time to get off his line and block the ball as Diop tried to round the keeper.
LA made some changes at half time, most notably putting Donovan up top with Buddle. This caused the Wizards a few problems as Auvray dropped a little deeper to help with Donovan's speed. This left more space for the Galaxy midfield and Chris Birchall almost took advantage of it twice. The Wizards midfield lost the Trinidad international and Birchall was able to race into the box, but Jimmy Nielsen came up with a big toe save to knock the ball wide. Shortly after that first chance, Birchall had another good chance coming in from a deep run as he again got into the box, but his shot was once again well saved by Nielsen. Shortly after Birchall's second chance Diop once again should have made it two as he collected a loose ball, dribbled in on goal, but his shot was saved by Ricketts as he tried to pick out the near post. Diop and Ryan Smith both had other chances, but their chances came at the expense of a better chance for the other player on each play.
KC doubled the lead in the 70th minute after Smith was fouled by Birchall. Arnaud played in a nice service into the box that Conrad was able to get a foot on and knock into the net off the post. Conrad beat Buddle on the play, but the replays weren't entirely conclusive on whether it was Conrad's or an own goal on Buddle. Either way the Wizards had their second goal of the game, the first time this season they've done that. LA made some more adjustments and tried to get back into the game but never really created any more dangerous chances that challenged Nielsen in the Wizards net. KC held on for the 2-0 win, their second road win of the season, both against teams at the top of the table in their respective conferences.
Wizards Man of the Match - Davy Arnaud - A goal and an assist for Arnaud last night. A solid performance as he should have had at least one more assist if not for some poor finishing by Diop in the box. Hopefully he's hitting a good run of form as the Wizards could use another goalscorer to get hot.
Honorable Mention - Kei Kamara, Michael Harrington
Player Ratings - Nielsen 6, Harrington 7, Conrad 7, Thomas 7, Espinoza 6, Arnaud 8, Auvray 6, Rocastle 6, Smith 6, Diop 6, Kamara 7. Subs Jewsbury 6, Bunbury 5, Zusi NR.
14. Wizards set to Sign First Homegrown Player According to Robb Heineman a few minutes ago on Twitter, the Wizards are hoping to sign their first homegrown player to a contract this coming week. The Wizards would join a growing list of MLS teams that are starting to use the extra roster spots provided for those homegrown players. Just this week, Chivas USA and Toronto FC have signed homegrown players joining LA, DC, Dallas, Houston, and New York as teams that have signed homegrown players (although Chivas was already on that list before their latest signing).
Presumably the signing would be one of the three Wizards Juniors players that trained with the first team a few weeks ago. Either goalkeeper Jon Kempin, defender Konner Knoll, or forward Jordan Rideout appear set to become the Wizards first homegrown signing. I haven't seen any of the players play so I don't know who it really will be.
Heineman also said in the Tweet that their goal is to have 6 homegrown players on the team by 2013. An ambitious goal, but one the Wizards could certainly reach if the development at the Juniors level continues.
16. Vs the Top of the Table The Wizards continue their fight to get into the playoffs this year tomorrow night when they'll take on the top of the table LA Galaxy out at the Home Depot Center. The Galaxy while still on top of the table have hit a bit of a skid, at least in terms of how the rest of their season has gone. The Galaxy have won only one of their last 4 league games. Even with that they still sit 4 points ahead of Salt Lake in the West and 3 points ahead of Columbus in the race for the Supporters' Shield.
Kansas City continues to work it's way back into the playoff race. The win over New England certainly raised spirits around KC, but as with the game against DC to start this season, KC capitalized on some poor coaching decisions by the opposing team. And while I have a lot of respect for Steve Nicol, I seriously doubt that Bruce Arena is going to make a similar mistake. KC will have to work to get points from this game. KC will have Teal Bunbury back with the team after serving his suspension, but does Peter Vermes go back to the rookie putting two goal hero Birahim Diop on the bench? I'm not so sure. I think we'll be seeing Diop starting this game and Bunbury coming in off the bench. Even if Diop only has 2 career shots on goal, and he scored on both, you go with the hot "foot".
Nielsen Harrington - Conrad - Thomas - Espinoza Arnaud - Auvray - Rocastle Kamara - Diop - Smith
Key Match Up - Stephane Auvray vs Landon Donovan - It's likely going to become the main responsibility of Auvray to shut down the best player in the league. Not an easy task, but Auvray has done well this season at shutting down the play makers for opposing teams hopefully he can do it tomorrow.
PREDICTION - This game isn't a must win for KC, there are other ways that they can get points and it just doesn't feel like this is a game that the Wizards are going to get 3 points from. LA is still a very good side and at home are going to be very hard to beat. The Wizards are in form and at least have one player looking to redeem themselves after the first game these two teams played. It's just hard to see the Wizards pulling the 3 points tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn't derail the decent run they are on.
KC - 1 (Kamara) LA - 2 (Buddle, Donovan)
17. New Byline to Back Post This week's From the Byline to the Back Post is up for all of you out there on iTunes and Posterous. This week Thad and I discuss the CONCACAF Champion's League, international call ups, Wizards player news, the "Diop Game", and the game this weekend against LA. Enjoy.
Tomorrow night, 2011 DP Omar Bravo and Chivas Guadalajara will be in action at 7 p.m. CT just before the Wizards face the LA Galaxy at 9:30 p.m. CT. If you want to get some advanced scouting in, you can watch the match on Telemundo. Bravo has scored one goal in each of Chivas' last two games, so let's hope he keeps the goals coming!
Our match will be shown live on KCWE 29 as always, with pre-game starting at 9 p.m. CT. If the significant other is down, you can watch 4.5 straight hours of footie tomorrow night, and that's assuming you didn't watch European, Mexican or South American action all day before that. I love when MLS overlaps the Euro season.
Last night, rookie striker Teal Bunbury took part in a bachelor auction for the American Cancer Society. He raked in $500 for the charity and made some women excited in the process.
Warning: If you don't like dudes without shirts on, don't watch.
20. Thursday News No really big news today with regards to the Wizards, but two minor bits of news that I wanted to touch on today. First has to do with the international games coming up soon. Along with the Wizards having three players called up for their respective national teams, they almost had a fourth. Word out of Canada is that national team coach Stephen Hart had discussions with Wizards forward Teal Bunbury about playing for Canada in their upcoming games. Bunbury turned down the potential call up because he'd "just broken into the first team" and he wanted to "play more consistently and get more experience". Along with being happy about him deciding to stay with the Wizards (and potentially eventually playing for the US) I think this is a smart more on Bunbury's part. He has only recently really come around as a starter so staying with KC and working to hold onto his starting spot is important. Especially after Birahim Diop's performance last game playing in Bunbury's position.
The other news is on a Wizards trialist, Jemal Johnson. Word out of the UK today is that he is back with MK Dons and failed to earn a contract with the Wizards or with DC. Johnson may well still be looking for a new club due to the Dons financial situation. So it looks like Johnson will not be showing up in a Wizards uniform soon.
Fans, you have the opportunity to nominate individuals in the local community who go above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of others as part of the Home Depot Community MVP Contest going on now through Friday, September 17. The league-wide contest launched in July and will culminate with one winner being selected to represent each market. The winner will receive VIP tickets and team merchandise, as well as recognition at a Kansas City Wizards home game in October and national recognition during halftime of MLS Cup 2010 in Toronto. The individual will also be eligible for the national prize package, an all-inclusive trip for two to MLS Cup 2010 in Toronto.
Individuals will be selected based on their efforts in one of the following areas:
? Community Service for a local, national or international charity or community organization
? Positive impact on youth
? Environmental sustainability
? Health, wellness and education
? Military or Civic Service
Fans can submit their nominations online here. MLS W.O.R.K.S. was launched in 2007 as Major League Soccer?s community outreach initiative dedicated to addressing important social issues and serves as a platform for both League and club philanthropic programs.
The draw took place earlier today, and there are some doozy groups, as always. Which is the group of death for you? I'll take G. Ryan Smith's former club Arsenal has a pretty reasonable group, while summer friendly combatants Manchester United has one that is a little tougher, but they should still probably advance.
GROUP A: Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Spurs, Twente GROUP B: Lyon, Benfica, Schalke, Hapoel Tel Aviv GROUP C: Manchester United, Valencia, Rangers, Bursaspor GROUP D: Barcelona, Panathinaikos, Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan GROUP E: Bayern Munich, Roma, Basel, Cluj GROUP F: Chelsea, Marseille, Spartak Moscow, Zilina GROUP G: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax, Auxerre GROUP H: Arsenal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga, Partizan Belgrade
Kansas City Wizards rookie Teal Bunbury will be among the bachelors being auctioned off at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Bachelor Auction tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Cashew. All proceeds from the 2nd annual event, being emceed by Mix 93.3 host Teresa, will go towards the cancer advocacy organization.
Bunbury?s date package is valued at $635 and includes two all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink field side reserved tickets to an upcoming Wizards home game, a $125 gift certificate for dinner and drinks at Blanc Burger, a personalized Kansas City Wizards uniform, and two Kansas City Wizards scarves. The lucky winner will also receive a gift certificate to Zafar Salon, Spa & Boutique, samples from The DERMAdoctor, and sterling silver heart earrings from Silpada Designs.
24. Former Wizards Update Here is your look at this week's former Wizards update. Former Wizard, Matt Taylor is still going around Germany looking to catch on with a new team after playing very little for FSV Frankfurt this past season. Also below you'll find a list of former Wizards that I'm looking to get updated information on. So if you have information on where any of these players are please let me know.
Looking for: Jose Burciaga Nick Cardenas Ryan Caugherty Eloy Colombano Pablo Escobar AJ Godbolt Willy Guadarrama Will John Michael Kraus Carlos Marinelli Pete Marino Ryan McMahen Nelson Pizarro Akeem Priestley Ofori Sarkodie Kevin Souter
Here's the rest of your former Wizards update.
MLS Preston Burpo - New England - Out with injury Adam Cristman - DC United - Dressed but did not play in DC's 2-0 win over Philadelphia. Nick Garcia - Toronto - Started and played 90 minutes in Toronto's 4-1 loss to New York. Did not dress in Toronto's 1-0 loss to Arabe Unido. Luis Gil - Real Salt Lake - Loaned to AC St. Louis (see below) Taylor Graham - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 2-1 loss to Marathon. Dressed but did not play in Seattle's game against Monterrey. Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Started and played 90 minutes, recording the shut out in Dallas' 1-0 win over Chivas. Will Hesmer - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 3-1 win over Colorado. Dressed but did not play in Columbus' 1-0 loss to Santos. Chris Klein - LA - Dressed but did not play in LA's 1-0 loss to San Jose. Claudio Lopez - Colorado - Came off the bench and played 14 minutes in Colorado's 3-1 loss to Columbus. Rauwshan McKenzie - Real Salt Lake - Started and played 90 minutes in RSL's 5-4 loss to Cruz Azul. Kurt Morsink - DC United - Came off the bench and played 12 minutes in DC's 2-0 win over Philadelphia. Scott Sealy - San Jose - Dressed but did not play in San Jose's 1-0 win over LA. Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Started and played 90 minutes in San Jose's 1-0 win over LA. Carey Talley - DC United - Did not dress in DC's 2-0 win over Philadelphia. Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 2-1 loss to Marathon. Dressed but did not play in Seattle's game against Monterrey. Alex Zotinca - Chivas USA - Did not dress in Chivas' 1-0 loss to Dallas.
USSF Division 2 Doug DeMartin - Portland - Did not dress in Portland's 1-0 win over Minnesota. Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Started and played 45 minutes in Minnesota's 1-0 loss to Portland. Luis Gil - St. Louis - Came off the bench and played 12 minutes in St. Louis' 1-1 draw with Puerto Rico. Pat Healey - Baltimore - Started and played 45 minutes in Baltimore's 5-0 loss to Montreal. Aaron Hohlbein - Miami - Started and played 90 minutes in Miami's 3-1 loss to Rochester. Neal Kitson - Rochester - Started and played 90 minutes in Rochester's 3-1 win over Miami. Amir Lowery - Carolina - Started and played 90 minutes in Carolina's 3-2 loss to Austin. Came off the bench and played 13 minutes in Carolina's 2-1 win over Tampa. Ryan Pore - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes, scoring a goal in Portland's 1-0 win over Minnesota. Abe Thompson - Miami - Did not dress in Miami's 3-1 loss to Rochester. Lance Watson - Austin - Started and played 84 minutes, recording an assist in Austin's 3-2 win over Carolina.
USL-2 Stephen Armstrong - Charleston - Already in the USL 2 final. Edson Elcock - Richmond - Started and played 82 minutes in Richmond's 2-0 playoff win over Pittsburgh. Tom Gray - Pittsburgh - Started and played 90 minutes in Pittsburgh's 2-0 loss to Richmond in the USL playoffs. Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 2-0 playoff win over Pittsburgh. John Wilson - Charleston - Already in the USL 2 final.
International Vicente Arze - Aurora - Bolivia - Came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Aurora's 1-1 draw with La Paz. Lost 2-1 to Real Potosi today. Herculez Gomez - Pachuca - Mexico - Came off the bench and played 24 minutes in Pachuca's 2-2 draw with Monterrey. Santiago Hirsig - Quilmes - Argentina - Started and played 90 minutes in Quilmes 1-1 draw with Lanús. Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - League starts next week. Eddie Johnson - Fulham - England - Did not dress in Fulham's 2-2 draw with Manchester United. Dressed but did not play in Fulham's 6-0 win over Port Vale. Chris Konopka - Waterford United - Ireland - Dressed but did not play in Waterford's 1-0 win over Cork City. Yura Movsisyan - Randers FC - Denmark - Started and played 84 minutes in Randers 1-1 draw with Silkeborg. Came off the bench and played 22 minutes, scoring two goals in Randers 4-1 Cup win over Skovbakken. Ivan Trujillo - Deportes Quindío - Colombia - Did not dress in Quindio's 1-1 draw with Independiente Medellin. Diego Walsh - Wellington Phoenix - Australia - Did not dress in Wellington's 2-0 win over Central Coast.
25. More Call Ups for KC Today we've learned that Kei Kamara was not the only player called up to represent his national team in the upcoming international break next weekend. Shavar Thomas has been called up by the Jamaican national team for their games on September 5th against Costa Rica and September 7th against Peru. The good news for the Wizards is that Thomas will not miss the Wizards game on September 4th against Philadelphia. Instead he will go straight from Philadelphia to Kingston where Jamaica will take on Costa Rica. The team then travels to Fort Lauderdale for their game against the South Americans.
Also announced today via Tweet, was that Roger Espinoza has apparently been called up by the Honduran national team for their upcoming games in LA against El Salvador on September 5th, and verse Canada in Montreal on the 7th. No word on whether Espinoza will pull a Thomas and play Saturday before jetting to LA to join the Honduran team. UPDATE: According to the Wizards press release today, Espinoza has only been called up for the game against Montreal on Tuesday the 7th. And he will play for KC against Philadelphia.
KC isn't quite on the level of TFC a few years ago (where they were allowed to make emergency signings for a game because of international call ups), but it's frustrating that MLS' playing on international dates almost really came to biting KC in the butt. It could potentially even get worse for KC if the Canadian national team were to happen to call up Teal Bunbury like some of the press have been wanting.
Lauren McCarthy of LaurenWantstoKnow.com came out to our match last weekend and performed the opening coin toss. Lauren did good work, putting us in position to head toward the East goal in the first half, making Matt Reis look into the sun. Check out the video she has posted from the toss:
Today, there are more tasty Champions League matchups. They kickoff shortly, with Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus on the coverage. If you're a DirecTV user, every match is available starting on channel 480.
Tottenham heads into their second (home) leg against BSC Young Boys down 3-2. A 1-0 win would be enough for Spurs to move on with their two away goals looming large. Other matchups include: Auxerre v Zenit St. Petersburg (0-1); MSK Zilinia [Slovakia] v Sparta Prague (2-0); Ajax v Dynamo Kiev (1-1) and FC Copenhagen v Rosenborg [Norway] (1-2). Enjoy the action on TV, or follow along here.
Last night, Columbus fell 1-0 at Santos Laguna in controversial fashion and Toronto FC lost 1-0 at Arabe Unido after suffering two red cards. Tonight, Seattle Sounders FC host Monterrey at 9 p.m. CT and Real Salt Lake visit Cruz Azul at 7 p.m. CT. Both games will be on Fox Soccer Channel as well. Enjoy another day of Champions League action!
29. Chhetri Scores Again for India Sunil Chhetri continues to score goals for the Indian national team as they continue to prepare for January's Asian Cup. Today India recorded another win in Portugal as they defeated Portuguese third division side Sertanense FC 3-2 with Chhetri getting a brace. Chhetri put India in from in the 14th slotting home a pass from Mohammed Rafi. In the 22nd minute, Chhetri made it 2-0 with a header off an indirect free kick (his third header out of his four goals). Sertanense pulled one goal back before the half, and then leveled just before the hour mark. India found the winner in the 78th minute through NP Pradeep. Chhetri went the full 90 for India.
Today in Europe, there was some Champions League craziness as Sporting Braga (former club of former Wizard Carlos Marinelli) bounced Spanish side Sevilla 4-3 (5-3 on aggregate). Hapoel Tel Aviv scored a late goal to sneak past Red Bull Salzburg. Sampdoria forced extra time and won the match 3-2 over Werder Bremen, but lost on aggregate 5-4. FC Basel rolled over Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova) 3-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate. More craziness ensued as Anderlecht and Partizan Belgrade went to PKs. Anderlect missed back-to-back spot kicks and were eliminated. For all the details from the matches, click here.
Tonight, MLS sides Toronto FC and Columbus Crew are in action in the CONCACAF version of the Champions League. Toronto visits Arabe Unido at 7 p.m. CT, while Columbus is at Santos Laguna at 9 p.m. CT. Will an MLS team finally win in Mexico? We shall see. Both games will be shown on Fox Soccer Channel.
The FIFA Inspection Tour of England is taking place right now ahead of the December 2 announcement of where the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be staged. As you know, the USA is bidding and Kansas City is among the final cities that could host matches if the USA bid is successful. While the Guardian says that Sepp Blatter has tabbed England the favorites, Soccernet uses the same quotes to say that Blatter warned England. Whichever it is, both reports seem to think that only England and Russia are in the running for 2018. That might be a mistake. The U.S. isn't out of the running yet, and our stadiums don't need to be renovated to hold enough people.
To show your support, text "KansasCity" to 22442 or visit www.goUSAbid.com/kc and sign the petition. Invite all your friends and family to do the same. If people hit the polls in the next couple days, we could hit the 1 million signature mark while FIFA is still in England. How sweet would that be?
34. Kamara Gets Call Up Kei Kamara posted today on his Twitter account today that he'd been called up by the national team for Sierra Leone for their upcoming African Cup of Nations qualifier verse Egypt in Cairo on September 3rd. This is their first game in the qualification process. The Leone Stars are in Group G along with World Cup hosts South Africa and Niger in their 4 team group. The top team in each group, the two best runner ups, and the second place finisher in Group K will all join hosts Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in the 2012 African Cup of Nations. The Wizards have a game on September 4th in Philadelphia, so Kamara will miss what could be a crucial game for the Wizards. But with it being on a FIFA international break, there's no one to really complain to other than MLS for playing on FIFA international dates.
35. Monday Links This Monday sure felt a little better after Saturday's result. Will we be able to keep the momentum going Saturday night at LA? Let's hope! Here are some links to enjoy from Monday.
Charles Gooch of the KC Star wants to know what other teams you support. Tell him.
Today, MLS kicked off a Pepsi Refresh project that will result in $50,000 being donated by Pepsi to a charitable project around the League. Our project is for the 50K to be used to update and upgrade Belvedere Park in Northeast Kansas City, Missouri. Vote for Kansas City's proposal here up to 25 times per day, and tell your friends!
Jimmy Conrad, our representative for the project, explains the program here:
Shavar Thomas made his 150th start of his MLS career.
Jack Jewsbury's goal was his 14th league goal, giving him sole possession of 12th place on that list, breaking his tie with Matt McKeon, Jose Burciaga Jr, Sasha Victorine, and Claudio Lopez.
Jewsbury's goal was also his 15th in all competitions, tying him with Burciaga, Victorine, and Lopez for 16th place on that list.
In the 25th minute, Michael Harrington moved past Bo Oshoniyi and into 17th place for the most minutes played in league play. Harrington finished the game with 8,498 minutes played.
Harrington made his 121st appearance in all competitions, moving him past Sean Bowers and into sole possesssion of 17th place on that list.
Harrington also made his 106th appearance in league play, tying him wtih Sasha Victorine for 18th place on that list.
Harrington also made his 94th league start breaking his tie with Mark Chung for 17th place on that list.
Harrington also made his 104th start in all competitions, breaking his tie with Chung again for 17th place on that list.
Birahim Diop scored the first two goals of his MLS career.
Kei Kamara's goal was his 8th in all competitions this year, which ties a career high for him.
The Wizards win over the Revolution was the team's 20th in league play, which is the most wins the Wizards have against a single club, tied with Colorado.
38. Great Win For those that missed my Tweets pregame last night, I was incredibly unhappy with the decision to Birahim Diop up top in the center striker position. Diop has been very unsuccessful when he's come on as a substitute this season as a striker. The biggest was his poor finishing against Toronto FC when he had the full goal to shoot for. Last night he made me eat my words as he turned in a great performance, getting 2 goals an an assist as KC took it to the New England Revolution 4-1 at Community America Ballpark.
The first big note about the game was before it even got started. Revolution coach Steve Nicol decided to put out a 3-5-2 because of the smaller field mainly. Unfortunately for Nicol and the Revs, that played right into KC's playing style down the wings. KC worked early to try and exploit the space down the wings. Ryan Smith had a chance well saved by Matt Reis, and Diop had a chance that he blasted over the bar that prompted sighs of frustration from myself and others around me as it seemed to be a sign of what to expect over the course of the game. All that within the first 10 minutes of the game.
In the 16th minute Diop made myself and everyone else that made pregame comments regret them. Kei Kamara received the ball on the wing in the Wizards defensive half. He played a through ball to Diop who was held on by Darrius Barnes, despite what the New England commentating crew said during the broadcast. On the break Diop calmly dribbled in on Reis and slide the ball past him inside Reis' near post for his first career goal in his first start in MLS in 8 years and 88 days. KC continued to control the game after the first goal, and in the 27th minute, KC doubled their lead again through Diop. Kamara received a thrown in from Michael Harrington controlled the ball, cut, turned, and lofted a cross to the 6 yard box where Diop out jumped Kevin Alston and headed past Reis to double the Wizards lead, only the 4th time KC has scored more than a goal in a game. New England battled back after the second goal, getting more control of the ball and in the 37th minute pulled a goal back. Khano Smith came down the Wizards right, beating Craig Rocastle. Smith fed the ball to Kenny Mansally at the top of the box. He turned and fired as Jimmy Conrad stuck a leg out to try and block the shot. Unfortunately Conrad didn't block the shot, the shot deflected off him and left Jimmy Nielsen stranded as it bounced past him and into the net.
In the second half, the Revolution continued to push forward to try to find the equalizer. Unfortunately for the Revs, it was the Wizards that found the next goal in the 65th. Smith found Diop down the right wing. Diop did well to control the ball and keep it in play before sending a low cross into the box. Kamara held off his defender, let the ball run across his body and slotted the ball inside Reis' near post to make it 3-1 KC. New England almost responded immediately as Corey Gibbs was found alone in the box, but his attempt to curl the ball into the top corner put the ball out for a goal kick. Shortly after the Revs chance, KC put the game to bed. Emmanuel Osei played a slow, sloppy back pass to Reis. Smith raced in trying to challenge Reis for the ball. Reis slide out to knock the ball away, beating Smith to the ball. The ball fell to Jack Jewsbury who was following the play. And as Reis came out to make another sliding challenge to knock the ball away again, Jewsbury slotted the ball under Reis and into the empty net. The Revolution continued to push forward after that, trying to get back into the game, but also seeming to realize that the game was beyond them. KC held on for their 6th win of the season, their first when they actually allowed a goal.
Wizards Man of the Match- Birahim Diop - Two goals and an assist for the Senegalese d-mid/forward. A good performance for Diop in his first MLS start in 8 years. Diop showed control and composure on the ball unlike what we'd really ever seen from Diop in his previous appearances in a Wizards uniform.
Honorable Mention - Kei Kamara
Player Ratings - Nielsen 5, Harrington 5, Conrad 5, Thomas 5, Espinoza 6, Arnaud 6, Auvray 7, Rocastle 6, Kamara 7, Diop 8, Smith 7. Subs Jewsbury 6, Zusi 5, Myers NR.
With the rampant 4-1 win tonight (well last night now), our boys kicked in the Planet Sub Hat Trick Special for tomorrow (well today....Sunday). Click here for details...it's easy, just ask for the special at any KC-area P-Sub location.
Birahim Diop was the star tonight with two goals (on his first two shots on goal in his MLS career) and an assist (a thing of beauty along the ground to Kei Kamara). Kamara wasn't bad either, with a goal and two assists. Jack Jewsbury added the 4th with a nice clean-up play after Ryan Smith forced a bad back pass. Who was your man of the match? Read the quotes here. See the notables here. Watch the highlights below:
40. Must Win If the Wizards want to make the playoffs this year, they need to get somewhere in the range of 20-24 points of the remaining 33 most likely. That means winning the remaining 5 home games as well as getting a few wins on the road. The first thing to do is obviously win at home. With the New England Revolution in town for the game tomorrow, it has to start then. A loss and the Wizards can start preparing for next season even if they aren't totally eliminated.
New England come into town finishing up a 3 game in 8 day swing in 3 different cities. They played Houston last Saturday and in Chicago on Wednesday night. New England has struggled just like the Wizards have, only scoring 4 more goals than KC. But up until the team's 2-1 loss to Chicago on Wednesday, the Revolution were on an 8 game unbeaten run. They still have Sharlie Joseph running the team from the midfield which will be a handful for KC.
The first thing for KC to do is to actually score more than 1 goal. If not for DC, KC would be well on their way to setting a league record for fewest goals in a season. So scoring and probably scoring more is going to be needed for KC to make the playoffs. Ryan Smith is now probable for the game that's certainly a good sign for KC. But the Wizards will be without Teal Bunbury who is suspended. Which likely means the return to the starting lineup for Josh Wolff. Other than that I don't know if we'll see much change to the lineup from last week's game against San Jose.
Nielsen Harrington - Conrad - Thomas - Espinoza Arnaud - Auvray - Rocastle Kamara - Wolff - Smith
Key Match Up - Davy Arnaud vs Ricardo Salazar - First time I've ever had a player vs the referee, but considering Salazar has given Arnaud 2 or his 3 red cards this season. For the Wizards to even have a chance at the playoffs they have to keep the full 11 players on the field. And that means Arnaud has to keep his ego in check, especially with a referee who has red carded the Wizards captain twice.
PREDICTION - With the way that the two teams have played much of this season, one would think that a safe result would probably be a 0-0 draw as combined the two teams have scored 34 goals. The Wizards themselves have scored only 2 more goals than Edson Buddle has. With this being virtually a must win, one would hope that Peter Vermes has the team ready to play and they come out and get the win.
The Kansas City Wizards welcomed 25 local refugee children to the team?s practice on Wednesday, featuring a special meeting with Wizards forward Kei Kamara, who came to the United States in 2000 as a refugee from Sierra Leone. Kamara talked to all of the children about his experience as a refugee, and also signed autographs, took pictures, and played soccer with the youth refugees throughout the team?s morning scrimmages at Swope Park Training Facility.
The refugees came from various countries across the globe, including Burma, Somalia, Iraq and Sierra Leone. Kamara is the team?s leading scorer with seven goals this season, and is tied for seventh most in the league in 2010.
45. New Salaries Out The MLS Players Union has updated their list of salaries for the 2010 season for the players in the league. The Wizards added two players since the salaries came out, as the Wizards added Nikos Kounenakis and Shavar Thomas. Kounenakis is making a $60,000 base and $70,000 guaranteed. Not a horrible salary for a guy that has yet to make an appearance for KC. Thomas is making $145,000 base and $159,375 guaranteed. That certainly sounds like it's a bit high for the Jamaican defender, but the good news from what I've heard is that the Wizards aren't paying all of Thomas' salary. Word is that Philadelphia is paying a portion, if not a large portion of Thomas' salary this season which makes the move appear better.
46. Byline to Back Post This week's edition of From the Byline to the Back Post is up for your downloading and listening pleasure. You can download it on iTunes and Posterous. We discuss the Wizards previous few games, player news and rumors, stadium information, Comets and WPS news. Enjoy.
47. Bunbury Suspended for Saturday While Jason Hernandez will be sitting out two games for his elbow on Teal Bunbury, Bunbury didn't escape with nothing for his elbow on Tim Ward. Bunbury has been suspended for 1 game and fined $250 for his elbow on Ward that led to Hernandez's retaliatory elbow. Bunbury's elbow came on one of KC's free kicks that was scored on but called back. While going for the ball and trying to lose his marker, Bunbury elbowed Ward in the face. Ward stayed down for a few minutes after the elbow. Bunbury will now miss this Saturday's game against New England, a virtual must win for KC to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Overall, probably a justified suspension after seeing his elbow on Ward.
48. Trialists for KC While the window of bringing in under contract players is closed, the window for unsigned players is still open. The names of 3 players are currently known for guys that are currently in camp. Rami Duani who was mentioned previously here is currently in camp. Also in camp currently is another Israeli Moshe Mishaelof, a defensive midfielder who most recently played for AEP Paphos FC in Cyprus. Mishaelof, like Duani has represented his country at the youth levels, but has not appeared for the first team. Finally, probably the biggest name, at least to those that follow Yanks Abroad, is Jemal Johnson. Johnson last played for Stockport County on loan from MK Dons. Johnson is an American that moved to England when he was 5. Johnson was in Manchester United's youth system and eventually signed to play for Blackburn Rovers. After playing little for Rovers and going on loan, Johnson has jumped around the lower divisions in England.
Overall none of the trialists are incredibly exciting. While KC could still stand to update their defense, the bigger need in my opinion right now is someone that can put the ball in the net. Johnson hasn't done that a ton, but has done well enough that he might be worth a shot. He'd likely play on the wing here on the right. Which is certainly a position KC could use. Thad has pictures of both Duani and Mishaelof on his blog.
On the same day that Kei Kamara helped out a Lawrence High School student who is donating soccer-related items to Kamara's native Sierra Leone, defender Jonathan Leathers stopped in at a KCK Library to spend some time with local children.
While he would rather it came in a victory, Omar Bravo played well Wednesday night for Chivas Guadalajara as they fell to Internacional of Brazil in the Copa Libertadores final. Read the game recap here. To see his assist, his goal, and the post-game scuffle watch the videos below.
51. Former Wizards Update Back for another week of former Wizards updates. The USL division 2 playoffs start this weekend, and all 5 former Wizards playing in the league made the playoffs this year. In other former Wizards news, Carlos Marinelli is once again looking for a club after being released this offseason by Aldosivi. Elsewhere, Yura Movsisyan continues his good form, scoring another goal for Randers FC. Here's the rest of your former Wizards update.
MLS Preston Burpo - New England - Out with injury Adam Cristman - DC United - Came off the bench and played 23 minutes in DC's 3-1 loss to FC Dallas. Nick Garcia - Toronto - Did not dress in Toronto's 2-1 win over Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champion's League. Luis Gil - Real Salt Lake - Loaned to AC St. Louis (see below) Taylor Graham - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 0-0 draw with Chivas. Kevin Hartman - Dallas - Started and played 90 minutes in Dallas' 3-1 win over DC. Will Hesmer - Columbus - Started and played 90 minutes in Columbus' 2-0 loss to RSL. Dressed but did not play in Columbus' 1-0 win over CSD Municipal in the CONCACAF Champion's League. Chris Klein - LA - Came off the bench and played 7 minutes in LA's 1-0 win over New York. Claudio Lopez - Colorado - Dressed but did not play in Colorado's 1-1 draw with Philadelphia. Rauwshan McKenzie - Real Salt Lake - Did not dress in RSL's 2-0 win over Columbus. Did not dress for RSL's CONCACAF Champion's League game against Arabe Unido. Kurt Morsink - DC United - Dressed but did not play in DC's 3-1 loss to Dallas. Scott Sealy - San Jose - Did not dress in San Jose's 1-0 win over KC. Khari Stephenson - San Jose - Started and played 90 minutes, recording an assist in San Jose's 1-0 win over KC. Carey Talley - DC United - Started and played 53 minutes in DC's 3-1 loss to Dallas. Tyson Wahl - Seattle - Did not dress in Seattle's 0-0 draw with Chivas. Alex Zotinca - Chivas USA - Did not dress in Seattle's 0-0 draw with Seattle.
USSF Division 2 Doug DeMartin - Portland - Did not dress in Portland's 1-0 win over St. Louis. Kevin Friedland - Minnesota - Started and played 90 minutes in Minnesota's 1-0 loss to Vancouver. Luis Gil - St. Louis - Came off the bench and played 14 minutes in St. Louis' 1-0 loss to Portland. Pat Healey - Baltimore - Started and played 90 minutes, recording an assist in Baltimore's 2-1 win over Carolina. Started and played 85 minutes in Baltimore's 2-0 loss to Rochester. Aaron Hohlbein - Miami - Started and played 68 minutes in Miami's 3-3 draw with Tampa Bay. Started and played 90 minutes in Miami's 2-1 loss to Carolina. Neal Kitson - Rochester - Dressed but did not play in Rochester's 2-1 win over Montreal. Started and played 90 minutes, recording the shutout in Rochester's 2-0 winn over Baltimore. Amir Lowery - Carolina - Did not dress in Carolina's 2-1 loss to Baltimore. Started and played 90 minutes in Carolina's 2-1 win over Miami. Ryan Pore - Portland - Started and played 90 minutes in Portland's 1-0 win over St. Louis. Abe Thompson - Miami - Did not dress in Miami's 3-3 draw with Tampa Bay. Did not play in Miami's 2-1 loss to Carolina. Lance Watson - Austin - Started and played 90 minutes in Austin's 2-0 loss to Puerto Rico.
USL-2 Stephen Armstrong - Charleston - Came off the bench and played 23 minutes in Charleston's 3-0 win over Charlotte. Edson Elcock - Richmond - Started and played 62 minutes in Richmond's 1-1 draw with Maryland. Tom Gray - Pittsburgh - Started and played 45 minutes in Pittsburgh's 1-1 draw with Harrisburg. Yomby William - Richmond - Started and played 90 minutes in Richmond's 1-1 draw with Maryland. John Wilson - Charleston - Started and played 90 minutes in Charleston's 3-0 over Charlotte.
International Vicente Arze - Aurora - Bolivia - Came off the bench and played 22 minnutes in Aurora's 2-0 win over Oriente Petrolero. Herculez Gomez - Pachuca - Mexico - Came off the bench and played 37 minutes in Pachuca's 4-1 loss to Cruz Azul. Santiago Hirsig - Quilmes - Argentina - Came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Quilmes 2-0 loss to Estudiantes. Eddie Johnson - Fulham - England - Did not dress in Fulham's 0-0 draw with Bolton. Chris Konopka - Waterford United - Ireland - Dressed but did not play in Waterford's 1-0 winn over Wexford Youths. Yura Movsisyan - Randers FC - Denmark - Started and played 87 minutes, scoring a goal in Randers 2-1 win over Lyngby. Ivan Trujillo - Deportes Quindío - Colombia - Did not play in Quindio's 2-0 win over Deportivo Cali. Diego Walsh - Wellington Phoenix - Australia - Did not play in Wellington's 3-3 draw with Gold Coast.
Tonight at 6 p.m. CT, defender Aaron Hohlbein and Miami FC visit the Carolina Railhawks. You can watch the match here.
Tonight at 8 p.m. CT (pre-game starts at 6 p.m. CT), future striker Omar Bravo and Chivas Guadalajara visit Internacional of Brazil in the final match of Copa Libertadores. Chivas goes to Brazil down 2-1 after losing by that margin last week at Estadio Omnilife. Bravo played 90 minutes in that match and has scored four goals this year in Chivas' run to the Libertadores final. Read a match preview here at KCWizards.com. You can watch the match live on Fox Sports en Español or follow along with us via Twitter.
You can't fully see Jason Hernandez or Teal Bunbury in this clip, but you can definitely see the full swing to the neck that Hernandez used on his red card last Saturday in San Jose. Take note that both of his feet were off the ground when he clocked Teal. That's some pretty good force. Update: Vote on which play was dirtier, this challenge against Bunbury or Khano Smith's two-footer in 2008 against Herculez Gomez. Khano and New England will be at CAB Saturday.
?There?s a lot of things that go on [during a game] that I think a lot of people don?t see,? said Hernandez, who wouldn't describe the foul in detail. ?He put [Quakes right back] Tim Ward down earlier in the half, got him a little bloodied, and I kind of thought he was trying to do the same to me.
"It was foolish on my part because I [was] the captain and I set the example, but it?s just kind of the heat of the moment kind of thing. It?s what happens in games all over the world and, unfortunately, I let it get the better of me. But maybe it?s a lesson learned.?
Today, the MLS Disciplinary Committee announced that Hernandez has received an additional fine and suspension:
The Major League Soccer Disciplinary Committee today issued an additional fine and one-game suspension to San Jose Earthquakes defender Jason Hernandez for actions taken against forward Teal Bunbury during the San Jose versus Kansas City Wizards game on Saturday, August 14th.
In the 88th minute, Hernandez struck Bunbury during an off-the-ball incident in the middle of the field. The officials issued a red card to Hernandez during the match however, after reviewing the incident, the Disciplinary Committee determined that due to the nature of the action, which endangered the safety of his opponent, additional sanctions should be levied.
In addition to the one-game suspension and $250 fine automatically issued for the red card, Hernandez has been suspended for one additional game and fined an additional $250. Hernandez will serve his suspension during San Jose?s next two League games on August 21 against the LA Galaxy and August 28 against the New York Red Bulls.
You can see and hear the Wizards in the media at the following times this week:
-Tuesday - Davy Arnaud phone interview - "The Program" with Soren Petro, Sports Radio 810 - PODCAST
-Wednesday - 7:30 a.m. - Jack Jewsbury phone interview - 105.1 Jack FM
-Wednesday - 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. - Robb Heineman in-studio interview on 1510 AM KCTE and www.1510.com.
-Wednesday - 3:45 p.m. - Michael Harrington phone interview - KLWN (Lawrence)
-Wednesday - 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. - Zona Wizards Spanish Radio Show - La Gran D 1340 AM
-Thursday - 7:30 a.m. - Jimmy Conrad in-studio interview - Mix 93.3 FM
-Thursday - 4:30 p.m. - Wizards player TBD phone interview - 92.7 FM in Salina, KS
-Thursday - 4:40 p.m. - Jimmy Conrad phone interview - Hot Talk 1510 AM
-Friday - 2:00 p.m. - Matt Besler phone interview ? V100.3 FM (Topeka)
Everyone who follows the Wizards closely already knows that Kei Kamara loves being on Twitter. A lot of people also know the he loves helping out, especially people of his native Sierra Leone. Recently it came to Kei's attention that a Lawrence High School student is collecting items to ship back to Sierre Leone to help out kids in need. Kei jumped all over it and will be taking items he has collected. Here's a story from yesterday in the KC Star and a blog post from a site dedicated to talking about Sierre Leone.
As Pete Grathoff said in the Star story, Laurel Nagengast is the student from Lawrence High sending items over. She has asked people to contribute soccer jerseys, T-shirts and balls that are in good condition and set up a drop-off day at her high school parking lot from 5:30 to 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday. If you're in Lawrence and have stuff to donate, stop by!
To celebrate the school-starting part of our year, we have put together a neat package for kids 12 and under who want to attend Saturday's match against the New England Revolution and get a sweet piece of Wizards gear. For just $16, the child will receive one bleacher ticket and one item of Wizards youth apparel. This includes jerseys, shorts and hoodies. The first 300 to take advantage of the offer will also receive a Wizards lunch pail. If you have a young Wizards fan, this is a great package to bring them out to a match. To order, call us at 888-4KC-GOAL to speak with a friendly KCW rep.
66. MLS Players in the World Cup As the Sounders and DC United prepare for their Thursday night MLS game I started to think about what the list of MLS players in the World Cup would look like. The list is much smaller than it was in 2006 much due to the increasing number of Yanks leaving MLS to play in other [...]
67. Final World Cup Squad Prediction The final roster for the World Cup is scheduled to be announced today. After a friendly loss to the Czech Republic last night Bob Bradley should have his mind made up on everyone. The current list of 30 needs to be trimmed down by 7 to 23. See my choices below. Keepers Tim Howard (Everton, [...]
68. An Open Letter to DC United There are two possibilities... either I am the foremost football tactician of our day, or Onalfo is watching a different game with different players doing much different things. Because I am seeing very obvious things that I would think can be easily fixed. Benching Castillo, for example...
On the terrible heels of a terrible 2-0 loss, terribly, I offer these thoughts on what should be a much better team.
1. If Castillo can't challenge the keeper, or even kick the ball over the head of the first defender, he shouldn't be taking the free kicks. Week after week his efforts are embarrassing. 2. The Allsopp/Cristman type of forward is the future of DCU, if not the MLS. Connor Casey, who is a terrible soccer player, is at least a hard worker and a physical presence up top. 3. Troy Perkins isn't a bad keeper. Please stop saying so, Sacho Cirovski. (That was from last week...) 4. Why does the defense have so much creativity with their fouling but none with their offensive crossing or passing? 5. Ben Olsen off the bench? Not really, but let's rally around the hard workers: Morsink, Cristman, Allsopp. Castillo, Simms, Wallace: these under-performers need to sit on the bench for a week or two and ruminate.
Share your own thoughts in the comments.
69. Donovan and Buddle make the World Cup camp roster Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle made the cut for the 30 man World Cup camp. This list of players will be trimmed down by the time the team is ready to go to South Africa. Overall 9 of the 30 that were picked are currently playing for MLS teams. Donovan should be a sure pick [...]
70. 30 man World Cup training camp roster announced The 30 man roster for the World Cup training camp was announced just a little bit ago on ESPN News. The biggest news of this roster was the absence of striker Charlie Davies who was seriously injured in a car accident last year. Here is the full list: Keepers Tim Howard (Everton, England) Marcus Hahnemann [...]
71. Sounders FC lose big to Galaxy ? offer refund to season ticket holders The Seattle Sounders have sent a message that they won’t tolerate more beatings like the 4-0 the Galaxy put on them last week. They’ve offered refunds to all season ticket holders in the form of a one game credit if they renew their season tickets for next year. Maybe the Sounders had decided they were [...]
72. Major League Soccer Power Rankings I always enjoy reading the MLS power rankings of various other MLS blogs around the blogosphere. With 6 games in the bag (for most teams) there is a big gap between 2nd place and 3rd place in the single table. This is what it looks like. 1. LA Galaxy 5-0-1 16pts 2. NY Red Bulls [...]
73. Kei Kamara?s miss vs Galaxy Did you miss this great scoring chance thrown away by Kei Kamara vs the Galaxy last weekend? If you haven’t see it check it out in the video below. It is hard to see exactly what happened when they show it in full speed, but the replay gives you a good view. So is this [...]
74. Edson Buddle on record scoring pace Edson Buddle has done something never done in MLS history before. He’s scored his teams first 7 goals of the season. Buddle has 7 goals in the Galaxy’s first 4 games which have all been wins. The Galaxy are the only perfect team in Major League Soccer going into Thursday’s game against the Kansas City [...]
75. All Seattle Sounders FC goals As the preseason rages on you can enjoy every goal from the first season of Seattle Sounders FC right here! This post is from the Major League Soccer Fan BlogAll Seattle Sounders FC goals Related posts:How Long can the Seattle Sounders FC stay perfect? Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC loan out their only player
76. MLS 2010 seasons opens with Philadelphia Union visiting Seattle Sounders FC The 2010 schedule for Major League Soccer was recently announced. The season will open with the expansion Philadelphia Union visiting last season’s newcomers Seattle Sounders FC. Last year the Sounders started off the season on a high note – giving a good beating to MLS Cup runners up New York Red Bulls. The season gets [...]
77. New Shoes ? The Adidas Samba Nua II About a week ago I receive a new pair of indoor shoes – the Adidas Samba Nua II Germany edition. I was told these were very nice shoes but I was a little bit skeptical at first. If you look at the collection of Adidas Samba shoes they have, you’ll notice several different countries are [...]
78. Welcome Home Troy Perkins is returning to the USA, MLS and DC United!
Awesome.
I know that some of you will be happy that he is returning at the expense of Fred, who is moving to Philadelphia.
Share your thoughts in the comments.
79. Does Landon Donovan have a weakness? As I was going to dig to see what I could find out about Landon Donovan’s loan to Everton I read something interesting. What would you say Landon Donovan’s weakness is? Donovan has been a beast for the United States throughout his career. He’s set records and won numerous awards. His MLS career isn’t too [...]
80. How to Play Golf? Learning to play golf is not a simple job you can do half-heartedly. You need to pay close attention to all the rules of the game to be successful. A good instructor can teach you the ways to overcome mistakes that are common among the beginners. It is easy to overcome these tendencies with the [...]
81. Galaxy going to MLS Cup for 6th time! With that crazy long overtime win last night over the Houston Dynamo the Galaxy book their place in the MLS Cup final for the 6th time in the young league’s history. 6 happens to be the most any team has played for the MLS Cup. DC United has been there 5 times. A win for [...]
82. Interesting Fact I just watched the 11+ minute video of all of the GOTY nominees. I noticed that no GOTY nominees were scored against DC United. On the face of it, that makes me happy. It is good to know that DC United didn't get poster-ized to wide renown this season.
Thinking about it more, however, one may be able to make an argument that for keepers like Rimando or Reis, who seemed to figure prominently in these highlights, if the only goals that they are giving up are the fantastical, flooky goals or the once-in-a-career one-timers out of midair, maybe that's not so bad.
The corollary to this argument would be that all of the goals that DC United surrendered this season were plain, boring tallies that were breakdowns in positioning or marking and shouldn't have been given up at all. So maybe it would have been nice to see DCU getting beat a few times in this video reel? Your thoughts?
83. Galaxy win the West The LA Galaxy are going into the playoffs with the #1 position from the West. That means they will play rivals Chivas USA on Saturday, November 1st and Sunday, November 8th. The Galaxy won the regular season series over Chivas USA 2-0-1 with one scoreless draw and two 1-0 victories. After disposing of Chivas USA [...]
84. Galaxy lead the Western Conference into the playoffs With only a single game remaining in the regular season (with the exception of Chivas USA having 2 games) the Galaxy are on top of the Western Conference. That top spot currently has them tied on points (45) along with Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA. All 3 teams have sealed a spot in the MLS [...]
Let me just start by saying that Steve Cronin impressed the hell out of me last night. He played confidently, and he did not hesitate to come off of his line or even out of the box. At one point last night, he ran almost to the corner flag to shield a Crew player off the ball until it ran out for a goal kick. He was completely alone in the corner, the goal mouth was empty and the wet conditions at RFK meant that if the ball had not rolled out, he would have been in a position needing to play the ball with his feet 1 v 1 against the attacking player. I wouldn't say that it was a nervous moment, because it worked out fine, but I mention it because it was the type of heads up, proactive goalkeeping that you don't see very often and with it, he made things a lot easier for himself. The score line shows him earning a 6 save shutout and he earned Man of the Match honors as a result of a text-message poll of fans there at RFK. I think it was well deserved, even more so than Emilio, your goal scorer, and Khumalo, the assist man.
I can't decide whether the Crew played like the best team in the league last night. On the one hand, they spent virtually the entire 2nd half in the United end. But on the other hand, they got shut out by a team struggling to even make the playoffs and only had 2 or 3 decent chances. One thing that I know for sure is that their supporters should definitely stay at home next time.
The most experience I've had with supporter's groups is with Barra Brava, Screaming Eagles and La Norte and so I've always thought of these groups as positive things. They support their team. It seems that these assholes from Ohio only came to RFK last night to unleash a barrage of senseless profanity. And don't get me wrong, I love me some profanity, but as my wife pointed out, the Crew supporters (does anyone know what their are known by? Massively Terrible?) were seated in a section directly above the VW Garage area, which was filled with little kids getting their faces painted and getting free VW t-shirts. So when Cronin took his first goal kick of the night, the Crew supporters responded very clearly with "FUCK YOU ASSHOLE!" My wife and I were still down there getting our VW t-shirts at that point and the looks of complete puzzlement on the 10 year old faces was saddening.
So I hope you guys enjoyed your visit to your nation's Capitol, but please, don't let Emilio's boot hit you in the ass on your way home. I hope your team loses the Supporter's Shield.
Oh yeah, hilarious story of the night: when GBS came over to the corner for an early corner kick, under the Crew supporter's section and right next to the VW Garage area where my wife and I were still standing, watching the first few minutes of play, the supporter's greated him with an ongoing chant of "Guillermo! Guillermo!" HAHAHA Because it sounded exactly like they were chanting, "Terrible! Terrible!"
86. CONCACAF Champions League - Cruz Azul @ CLB It is a good thing that I am not a CLB fan right now. In the 41st minute of this CCL match, play is getting chippy as hell and C.A. just scored a second goal a few minutes after one of those stretches when the commentators say, "Uh, the ref really needs to get control of this game soon or someone is going to get hurt."
So I would really have lost it if I was a CLB supporter. Good thing...
In a personal note, I just got the FiOS hooked up today so in addition to this game I'm waching now, and the CD Marathon @ DCU I'll be watching tomorrow, I got to watch the Serie A: Udinese @ AC Milan early this afternoon.
Sweet.
Cheers all.
87. Simple Things I watched the DCU @ SJJ match last night and said to my wife, "These guys are professional soccer players. You would think that they wouldn't need to be reminded that in order to score, you need to shoot." But I find myself screaming at the TV (or at the players, when I venture to RFK) "SHOOT IT!" "SHOOT THE BALL!"
The pointless back passing has to stop. It is a real momentum killer. If you don't think you can do anything with the ball when you receive it while posted up on a guy at the top of the box, for example play it square or turn on the defender and go to goal, then why are you posting up there in the first place? Just get out of the way; you aren't helping.
And the settling... These guys are professionals, I am not. But even I remember from when I was like 8 years old that the most important part of receiving a pass is to settle it, to control it. When Emilio or Gomez or whoever it is receives a pass and then they pop it up over their head with their first touch and then it is taken away from them, that is unacceptable. What is it that they practice in these training sessions of theirs?
These seem like silly things to focus on, but I'm not sure why we'd talk about anything else until these things are remedied.
88. 17,329 The last 10-15 minutes of regular time and stoppage time was amazing. It was totally frantic and United supporters were rewarded with a goal at the end of regulation. I was actually telling my wife that the set play off of that free kick should have been to fake it at goal and just slot it to Simms who was faking that run anyway. But the way that it went down was good too. I remember an absolutely brilliant goal that Etcheverry scored in that exact manner several years ago. If someone can find me that highlight on the intertubes, I will buy you a hamburger on a Tuesday.
By the way, there were some Sounders fans there...
Overall, I thought the team looked decent. Pontius was dangerous, Jaime was hustling, Gomez was making aggressive runs at the defense. The problem, of course, was the finishing.
The most interesting thing to report from the stadium was what a horrible idea $2 beers and $2 hotdogs were. The lines were AMAZINGLY long. It was almost worth giving up alcohol because of those lines. It is completely possible that some people missed the entire 1st half standing in some Ouroboros-like line, winding around and back upon itself. The whole idea was a logistical nightware. There seemed to be only one Miller Lite rep running kegs back and forth to the various outposts and by early in the second half, just after halftime, they had started substituting Yuengling, because all of the Miller Lite was gone.
Comment away!
89. What Is Secrets To Win At Paintball? The most serious aspect for any squad sport is there should be squad spirit, expertise and planning. These elements are seen in championship teams in sports like football, basketball or baseball and the same approach should be taken to form a very good paintball squad. To become a winning squad, each participant should be a [...]
90. United reaching out to DC Sports fans Its nice to see the team trying to reach out beyond the usual fans. But will it work? I guess we'll know in a week.
91. Open BLECH for DCU v LAG CSN is letting me down. My wife and I are on a reduced entertainment budget, so we can't necessarily afford the trip to RFK and the inevitable beers cotton candy. And we have Comcast basic cable... I guess we are grandfathered in on that; is that even offered to new subscribers anymore?
Subsequently I don't get Fox Soccer Channel. Not like I'd want it; f**k Fox, in any formation or configuration.
Anyway, it sounds like Emilio played his ass off and didn't get any satisfaction, so everyone tell me whether I'm right or I'm wrong in the comments.
And pass along free tickets and other stuff to me when you have it, since my wife will be in school for 16 months and we'll be on only one income. Thanks in advance.
92. Tips To Improve Your Golf Backswing Expertise on your back swing is important for playing a great of golf. Unless you have this skill, you can not make the most of your game of golf. You can still play without a perfect back swing but improving it will greatly improve your overall game just as much as mastering your putting. Remember [...]
93. Open comments for DCU at TFC I might be prompted to build an argument for a change at manager around this game.
Make sure to read down the the bottom, including the bit in red.
And just in case you don't get the parody right away, check this out.
95. Galaxy get first ever win at Gillette Stadium The LA Galaxy extended their undefeated streak to 6 games this weekend with a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution. The victory keeps the Galaxy in 2nd place in the west at a single point ahead of the Colorado Rapids. Landon Donovan scored a goal that should be a goal of the week followed [...]
96. Comprehensive Information Regarding the Volcano Vaporizer The Volcano Vaporizer functions by making use of the method of hot air vaporization, which is utilized for energizing dynamic constituents as of an assortment of therapeutic aromatic plants & basils. It presents utmost benefit by merely warming the constituents devoid of burning them. Exclusive of discovering the troubles of venoms & added constituents which [...]
97. Galaxy come close in friendly versus Barcelona The LA Galaxy played the reigning European champions to a tight 1 goal game. At halftime the Galaxy were level with Barcelona at 1-1 after an amazing free kick that Galaxy midfielder David Beckham put right into the upper left corner past the Barcelona keeper. The game was witnesed by 93,137 fans at the sold out [...]
98. Don?t miss LA Galaxy vs FC Barcelona tonight Don’t miss the Galaxy taking on reigning European and La Liga champions FC Barcelona tonight. VS Over 80,000 tickets have already sold for the game at the Rose Bowl tonight but there are still some available. You could also get the game on Fox Soccer Channel with pre-game coverage starting at 7:30pm local time. It [...]
99. Getting Pool Accessories for Teens If you are buying swimming pool extras, for teenagers, there’s a few parents that experience a hard time since certain teens are stuck between childhood and adulthood. In a way, that makes purchasing pool accessories difficult because for the most part many teenagers aren’t even certain what they want. If you are the proud owner [...]
Test yourself for self-delusion: "A point on the road is a good thing." Right?
No, none of us are that deluded. How about this? "The most frustrating thing about this match was giving up a two goal lead." Any buyers? I see a few hands out there.
But, of course, that's a comforting delusion as well. The fact is, United could have been down two goals at half time, and a point would still be a disappointment. San Jose is not a good team. San Jose is an awful team. If it weren't for a certain franchise in Jersey, you could say things about them being the worst team in the league. It is not as though their talent was superior to United's in any way. They are scrappy, yes, I will give them that. They hustle. They have some speed. But on the ball there is nothing that impresses me.
No, if you're mad about United dropping a two goal lead, it is because you don't want to face the fact that United didn't beat a team that has 13 points this year. That's less than a point a game. And that's a really bad team.
What's so upsetting to me is that they beat a United team using a tactic that normally United can exploit: Close marking and high pressure. Normally that allows United's short passing game to warp an opposing team out of their shape, but instead United in the second half was bewildered on how to break out. After connecting on some long diagonal switches in the first half, it seemed United has fallen in love with the tactic and couldn't let go of it. And so suddenly they found themselves bottled up, incapable of setting up possession in midfield, and looking to hit the perfect long ball. They had the talent. They know the tactic. But they failed in putting it out there.
The absence of Clyde Simms should be noted here. You may not see him as excelling in distributing out of the back, but his strong positioning in transition helps move the ball around side-to-side. When Ben Olsen was gone, it seemed that United's midfield consisted of Szetela and Wallace in the middle. That's one player who has his first game with the team, and another who I think has played more minutes on the wing and at left back this season (though the left back thing seems to have stopped). Chris Pontius moved from forward to wide midfield to center mid and back to forward all in one match. And this constant shifting meant United never really owned midfield the way a five man midfield should.
So, I can whine about the giving up the lead, but I'd much rather whine about losing at all. United lost points that teams in 10 other matches did not drop. And even on the road, it is a bit unforgivable.
I am on the road in Buffalo for the CONCACF match, so if anyone knows a bar with FSC, let me know.
101. Game Recap FAIL Sorry folks. At this point it may be too late... Consider this an open thread for your comments on Saturday night's impressive win over Colorado.
1. The At A Glance stats have been updated on the sidebar. Gomez has provided three goals and two assists in the past 5 MLS matches. 2. Namoff is leading GOTW voting, 38% to 34% over Alecko of LAG. Honestly, in terms of a combination of Gomez's hard work along with Fred's patience, I thought the third goal was more impressive. Emilio continued his run and gave Fred a good option as he was holding off (!!!) the keeper. You don't see that everyday. 3. No goals for Casey, so, yay.
US Open Cup tonight at some place called Boyds, MD and then the teams travels to San Jose for a 10:30pm EST matchup on Saturday. I wonder if my hotel in Corning, NY will have FSC.
102. First Impressions: DC United v Colorado Rapids I know this isn't how D does it. He races home from the match and types 5 thick paragraphs of analysis about how United performed and why the outcome was the way it was. He probably begins his compositions on his Blackberry while walking along E. Capital on his way to the Metro. It is very impressive.
Me? I went to Trusty's straight away with my wife and my BFF (Bendt) to celebrate United's win. And I just got home.
The goals? OMG - this thing called the "Volkswagon Game Nav" (way cool BTW) is showing Namoff as scoring twice - 14th and 56th minute. Which is awesome because it exactly highlights what BFF Bendt said about Namoff's game winning goal:
He made up for his mistake.
Seeing it at the bar, I wasn't so sure that it wasn't just a bad giveaway. But now watching it on TiVo at home, I guess it was an own goal. I haz a sad.
But I feel compelled to point out something to all of you out there on FB. I started a group a few days ago called Marc Burch needs a right foot! Please join me. We need this group (about this IMPORTANT ISSUE) because in the 33rd minute, the one and only Marc Burch switched the ball back to his right foot from his left foot and unleashed one of the softest, ugliest shots that we've seen from him.
Freedom win 1-0. I didn't see any of it; I was too busy getting free beer from my WAFC peeps.
What did you guys think about the frisbee exhibition? Totally cool, right? Sweet! The best part was when that dude hucked that one disc into the trashcan! Am I right?!?!
103. The Game Before The Game: Washington Freedom v St. Louis Athletica I'm ashamed of myself for not even mentioning this at all in my two prior posts, but the event at RFK today is a doubleheader. As I'm writing this now, I'm wearing an old school, WUSA-era Abby Wambach tee, back from when she was Mia Hamm's understudy.
Freedom takes on St. Louis Athletica at 5pm, in just over an hour. However, the Freedom will be without powerhouse Wambach, who plays with the Lady Nats tomorrow in Rochester, NY, against Canada. Rochester is Abby's hometown, so it will be great if she can score a goal or three in front of family and friends.
National Team duty also means that the Freedom will be without Cat Whitehill and Erin McLeod (Canada) and that St. Louis is missing Lori Chalupny and Hope Solo (sorry fellas).
104. Preview 2: W2W4 Yesterday's preview post wasn't much of one, in that it only talked about what I wanted to talk about and probably nothing that you wanted to read about.
Basically, I hope that United can contain Conor Casey tonight.
I feel like there have been several times this season when United has allowed big-name, franchise players to score to easily and as a result have dropped points on the road or had to battle back to pull a point back. Most notably, I keep thinking about Shalrie Joseph's easy header back in April when the Revs were carrying about 14 players on their roster and we failed to punish them. In mid-June, United came back from two goals down against Seattle to take a point on the road. That's good, except the good guys were only down by two goals because Nate Jaqua had somehow scored and that guy hates to score.
I don't think Casey is as good as his stats are saying, but then again, you can't really argue with 8 goals in 12 games. So I hope the back line is ready for his bald, bulky, bouldering brand of soccer.
Also, Danny Szetela.
UPDATE: I just watched the "Crossbar Challenge" on dcunited.com's Access United. Yes, they were practicing hitting the crossbar... I hope that doesn't come back to haunt them. The good news is that out of the 5 competitors (John DiRaimondo, Andrew Jacobson, Boyzzz Khumalo, Ange N'Silu, and Milos Kocic) your winner is the Serbian GOALKEEPER. The forwards just couldn't keep the ball out of the back of the net.
Bob here, now and through the weekend. I love watching soccer and supporting DC United. But when I am actually going to get outside and run around, Ultimate Frisbee is my game. And at halftime of tomorrow's match, two local club teams will put on a demonstration of the sport that actually has quite a bit of support in this area. WAFC, the Washington Area Frisbee Club, is the local organizing body for the sport. They worked with DC United to arrange this opportunity to showcase these teams and this sport on the pitch at RFK. If you aren't stuck in the beer lines at halftime, and I sincerely encourage you to make an effort to see this, you will see some great athletes pulling off some amazing throws and some amazing catches. See you there.
Also, Facundo Erpen.
Wait a minute, what??? No Facundo? Why no Facundo?
106. Alecko Eskandarian shines and Beckham returns Alecko Eskandarian notched his second goal for Galaxy tonight. David Beckham made his return to the Galaxy from AC Milan tonight. The Galaxy got their 4th straight victory tonight with a 3-1 win over the New York Red Bulls. Things are looking pretty good for the Galaxy right now! This post is from LAGalaxy.netAlecko Eskandarian [...]
I don't believe in the "win at home, draw on the road" theory, but that doesn't mean the idea doesn't have value. It has value, occasionally, it just shouldn't be a mantra. Columbus has come on recently, but the single significant win was a 2-1 victory over Chivas. The other four wins include 2 wins against Kansas City (including a nice 2-0 road win), a win at home against San Jose, and a win at home against New York. At home, Columbus has not beaten Chicago, D.C. or Toronto. Compare that to United, who at least can look at their home record and cite with some satisfaction home wins against the Fire and Dynamo. These three points were more valuable to Columbus than D.C., and yet D.C. looked like the more likely team to walk away with it.
Yes, Schelotto made Columbus a capable team at any moment, and yes, Columbus were not toothless. Yes, that's how this team seems to make its living, by picking chances and going through. But I was pleased with United's play, with their attack. Columbus was at home, facing a United team down Emilio, Moreno, and Quaranta, and if nothing else had to feel that failing to get the full points would be significant. Yet United, after a shaky opening 10 minutes, exerted more control on the match as it went on. Columbus never played like a team that felt it was going to win, it played like a team that was looking for a single chance, which they got.
There is much to be said for United's performance. Janicki, who looked somewhat miserable a few weeks ago, played well in the center of the back three. If anything, the concern I had was that Burch and Namoff both seemed to be losing touch with him, opening large gaps on either side. Boyzzz was acceptable as a starting winger, and showed that he deserves the occasional start in the future. Importantly, he didn't run himself out in the opening half hour, he played well for the 55 minutes he got. Pontius and Gomez both seemed to get stronger as the match progressed. N'Silu was far too deep back given his ball control skills in this match, his touch was off and he surrendered a few too many balls when he tracked back for them.
Ben Olsen was in his rightful position, and showed why the term is "Holding midfielder." He would hold possession, cutting the ball back with reason to extend United's midfield strength. He held position on several key tackles. When all else failed, he held a huge chunk of jersey from an opposing player. I don't know how long Ben can go this year, but this was a solid match from him.
United got a solid result against a conference opponent on the road. How can I be angry about that? More importantly, they denied points to Columbus. It is a strange feeling having to take Columbus seriously, and I don't particularly like it. So I'd rather have to take them seriously with them looking up at us then the other way around.
109. Alecko Eskandarian is coming to town! That is right, the 2004 MLS Cup MVP is making his way from Chivas USA over to the Galaxy! What a move. In order to make room for Alecko the Galaxy had to cut Josh Tudela. A lot of people will be sad to see him go. According to the official press release the Galaxy [...]
110. OT: Vuvuzela Please forgive my two non-DCU posts in a row, but you must understand what with the horrible display by our club last weekend and the interesting things happening on the world stage.
I personally don't understand the vuvuzela haters. I guess some people have no ability to filter out these quiet buzzing sounds from the ubiquitous noisemakers in the stands during the Confederations Cup matches. Apparently, they are called vuvuzelas. I want one.
From the very first seconds of the very first Confederations Cup match that I watched this year, New Zealand v Spain, I thought, "what is that interesting sound?" and then promptly filtered it out. In a similar way, when I lived in Rosslyn, under the flight path of the planes approaching National Airport, the noisy planes bothered me for about a week. Then I didn't hear it anymore.
Anyone who has been to a live soccer match knows that it is an event of experiences. There is the game itself, but there are songs, Roman Candles, smoke bombs, drums, horns. Oh yeah, and drunk supporters too.
The world football governing body, FIFA, wanted to ban the use of vuvuzelas during the World Cup 2010 because of concerns that hooligans could use the instrument as a weapon and that businesses could place advertisements on vuvuzelas. However the South African Football Association (SAFA) made a presentation that vuvuzelas were essential for an authentic South African football experience, and FIFA decided in July 2008 to drop the ban. Vuvuzelas will be allowed at matches during Confederations Cup 2009 and World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
Ban?!?!
I think Deadspin's take is reasonable. You may think they are annoying or whatever but GET. OVER. IT. because when a bunch of Europeans come into SA and start bossing the "riff raff" around, uh, no. They close their commentary with this:
Why can't South Africans enjoy soccer like normal folks?with racist songs and flare guns!
But be warned before you check out the comments, there is some ignorant shit in there.
111. Soccer in America I'm going to gingerly set this down in the middle of the room, careful not to make any sudden moves, and then slowly back away from it so that I can get as close to the door as possible before anyone realizes what I've done. By the time someone notices it sitting there, and wanders over curiously to sniff it and poke it with a paw, I'll have a thick door between us and will have already bolted 3 of the four padlocks.
112. Now Get Unlimited Education on the Internet The plethora of opportunities in the multi-media world has now been further widened by visual tutorials. This includes tutorials in audio, business applications, animation, game design, graphics, internet applications, computer software, programming, networking and security, web designing, game development, page layout, language courses and innumerable other courses which are now available on the internet through [...]
I suppose the major debate is whether United lost this match or Colorado won it, and the easy answer is both. Fatigue was a factor, altitude was a factor. It showed up in obvious ways like tired legs and players running out of gas. It showed more poignantly mentally: United could not execute this match at all. Colorado's second and third goals resulted from some lapses, from Avery John's back pass/through ball to Cummings, and to Jakovic missed trap that forced him the wrong way. That being said, Colorado's first goal was well executed by Cummings, as he makes a strong run, stays on his feet over Janicki's tackle, and fires far post by Wicks. And once Colorado had that edge, all else was preordained.
There are bright things to consider. It was nice to Olsen on the field in something other than a token role. Boyzzz again showed life and energy in exactly the way N'Silu did not. But the match itself was like watching a tax audit -- it was tedious and you felt at some point United would pay through the nose, and sure enough Cummings would pop up with the ball at his feet saying "now, about this receipt here..."
The shift to start the match in a 4-4-2 was interesting, but it felt like a line-up that may have been more suited to the previous match against Seattle. Throwing Olsen on the right in his first match back seemed to ask a great deal, and Simms and Gomez found linking up difficult. We can complain about Janicki if you desire, but I can't imagine that any other back four performs better in this match.
Write it off, pay the bill, and cross out the footnote that said "United has yet to lose after conceding the first goal."
Every time I watch Seattle, I'm entertained. Seattle is essentially an ADHD afflicted six year old, dosed with caffeine and sugar, put on the tea cup ride at Disney World. Then you hand him a morning star and tell him to run around in traffic. It's not beautiful soccer, though at times it approximates beauty the way a swarm of wasps approximate ballet. When I watch Seattle, I feel like an arsonist at a bonfire.
So United comes to Seattle, and proceeds to play a match that manages to maximize that feeling. It was chaotic and ridiculous affair. Two own-goals, one from each team, sums up the natural state of this match. United's defense was vulnerable to shot, sharp passing that pushed them away. Rodney Wallace showed he is not a long term solution at holding midfielder. Seattle scored the first goal on a pure shooter's goal, the second with a chance deflection off of Marc Burch, and the third another with smart ball movement springing an attacker who then finished perfectly. United's first goal took advantage of a nice far post run by Pontius combined with poor marking on Seattle's part, the second was a shooter's goal from Gomez, and the third had a dangerous Pontius cross meet a fortunate Tyrone Marshall head for an own goal. This match had everything you love about football, and everything that exasperates.
When United played Chivas, I may have mentioned that I felt comfortable that even down two goals, United could recover. I did not have that feeling this night. Even after Gomez pulls the team to within one goal, it felt that Seattle could have tacked on three more goals and put the match easily out of reach. Namoff and Burch may have had moments, but far too often seemed poorly placed to handle Seattle's attack. Jakovic ran all over the field, a testament to his will but also to how disorganized the back line seemed all night. Fred, and later Tino and Chris both tracked back, but never fit in seamlessly. If United's defense had a shape, it requires higher order mathematical topology to describe it. United looked its best for stretches in the first half, where they played some smart possession football, simply because that meant United was scrambling its defenders all over the field.
I'll admit it, I wondered if the cardiac kids might finally have died on the table. That they didn't... well, it shocks me like a defibrillator to the groin. I'm not sure this was a good game. The more I think about, this game seemed like a bloody, horrible mess. Then again, that's how I like my omlettes. But if we think about this rationally, this game was a barely contained disaster, right? Hooray for saving the point, but does anyone feel comfortable taking this style into a road trip?
115. @Seattle Sorry to step on your toes (Touxs?) D, but I had to say this before I went to bed...
I hope the dude that threw the beer bottle at Wicks deep into stoppage time, got his ass kicked by the 29,103 other fans at Qwest Field. Because he just ruined it for all of them.
What a match.
116. Goalkeeping Impressions With the win against the Chicago Fire, Josh Wicks should solidify his claim as D.C. United's starting goalkeeper. He made a huge stop on the McBride penalty, plucked a lot of crosses out of the air, and has had, not just in this game, excellent reaction stops. Subjectively, its hard to argue to bench him, and I'm not going to try that.
But, as I was looking at the standings and individual stats this morning, I was a little surprised. With fourteen games played, Wicks and Crayton have bopth played 540 minutes (540, and have identical 2-1-3 records. Wicks does have a statistical edge in goals allowed (6 versus 8), goals against average (1.00 vs 1.33), PK's saved (1 vs 0), and shutouts (2 vs 1).
I know statistics in soccer are less meaningful than in other sports, but I'd say that both quantitatively and qualitatively, Wicks is a better option in goal than Crayton. Once you factor in the salaries of both players, and if Kocis is a credible backup option, then you have to wonder if and why Crayton would be picked up again once his contract expires. Freeing up his salary and roster spot would allow the team to pursue another international player.
What do you think? If Crayton leaves, who would you like to see the team pursue?
117. Read More About International Hockey Though Canada was the birthplace of hockey, the sport has since crossed over into the United States and Europe. There are many differences in the three regions attitudes, however; the international men’s ice hockey world championships are looked forward to in Europe and less so in America because it coincides with the Stanley cup playoffs. [...]
118. Golf Tips Golf Terms and Definitions The game of golf involves a plentiful of phrases that can be really hard to comprehend by such an individual who is new to the game or somebody who doesn’t even know any golf terminology. Some of the most common terms are listed below to ensure that you know exactly what is being said while [...]
119. Basic Snowboarding Tips You Must Learn Buying a snowboard isn’t difficult at all, in fact you could even wind up with one as a gift, the hard time occurs when you realize you have no idea how to use it. If you plan to boarding, here are some pieces of advice that you might find helpful. As for any sport, you’ll [...]
120. Morality Degradation Behind Insurance Policies In today?s world no one purchases a thing without insurance even life is also insured. Internet made it easy to buy and print insurance online. The day is not too far when smallest object will have its insurance. This is due to fear to loose that has incorporated in all of us. No one wants [...]
121. Uncle Leo Messing Shep Messing sounds like a sedated Uncle Leo (start at :30) from Seinfeld. Carry on.
122. Farewell for now I could list all sorts of reasons for stepping aside from ThroughBall.com, not least of which is a desire to shower attention on my nine-month-old but, if I’m being honest, I simply have neither the passion nor the time it takes to do this correctly. I suspect I’ll see you all again down the road—here [...]
124. U.S. 2-2 Mexico: three things Not a great showing from the boys last night. There were flashes here and there but they rarely looked in control. That said, here are three non-game-related points about last night: Commenting on the Commentators While searching for the game, I inadvertently flipped to ESPN instead of ESPN2. Who did I hear doing the play-by-play [...]
126. U.S. Soccer is hiring: Manager of Video Production Here’s your chance to be a part of the great video evolution at U.S. Soccer. The Federation is looking for a Manager of Video Production. Here’s what you need to know: Candidates should have extensive knowledge of and experience with Final Cup Pro, Adobe Photoshop, AfterEffects and multimedia production and video management systems. Candidates should [...]
127. Around the Soccersphere: January 24, 2008 Can I tell you how much I love it when readers send me things of interest? It makes my life a lot easier. Brian Quarstad interviews the Minnesota Thunder’s new Marketing Director [Blue Sky Soccer via BQ] Speaking of USL, Austin gets a team in ’09 [The Offside Rules via Minor] Beckham is being called [...]
128. On strikers Agree or disagree? Here’s a fact, Twellman is 27. Here’s another, he’s scored six goals in 29 international matches… Part of me thinks the suits at the US Soccer Federation so desperately want Twellman to succeed. He’s got everything they need in a poster boy — an alliterative name, goofy smile, blond hair, etc. You [...]
130. Ives sees the light Ives Galarcep made a bold move on January 1, 2008 when he went independent. Says Galarcep: I am leaving the Herald News after 10 years at the paper in order to devote myself to launching and running a soccer news website [editor's note: if it runs on WordPress, orders content sequentially by date and allows [...]
Good morning everybody. It is time to let you all know about the changes to Soccer By Ives that I have hinted about for months.
I am leaving the Herald News after 10 years at the paper in order to devote myself to launching and running a soccer news website that readers from all over the country, and American soccer fans all over the world, can come to for the best mix of news and analysis around. www.soccerbyives.net will be that site.
My plan is to make the new SoccerByIves a one-stop shop for all your soccer news needs. Curious about European transfers? Wondering who the next MLS coaching hire will be or whether a rumored trade is actually happening? Interested in hearing other people's opinions on the big soccer news of the day? You will find all of these elements on the new SBI just as you found them on the old SBI, only with more content on a wider range of topics.
www.soccerbyives.net launches live today, January 2, so you can feel free to change your bookmarks to the new site immediately.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions you can contact me at soccerbyives@gmail.com. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you at the new SBI.
Good morning everybody. The new year is here and the soccer is already under way with Fulham suffering yet another heartbreaking loss, this time to Chelsea. Not exactly the way to start the year for American soccer fans, but 2008 should still be a fun one.
What will you be looking forward to in 2008 in the soccer world? World Cup qualifying? The Olympics? Euro 2008? US-Mexico for the millionth time? San Jose Earthquakes opening day?
I'm looking forward to all of it, as well as some major changes you will be finding out about very shortly.
For now, share with us what you will be looking forward to the most in this new year. Post your thoughts below.
European-based forwards Charlie Davies, Preston Zimmerman and Kamani Hill headline the 24-man roster chosen by U.S. Under-23 national team head coach Peter Nowak ahead of a two-week training camp in January in Bradenton, Florida. The camp is being held as part of preparations for U.S. Olympic qualifying.
Here is the roster:
GOALKEEPERS: Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake), Chris Brown (Boston College), Billy Chiles (Towson University) DEFENDERS: Sean Franklin (Cal State Northridge), Steve Purdy (1860 Munich), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Greg Dalby (SC Charleroi), Julian Valentin (Wake Forest), Pat Phelan (Wake Forest), Mike Randolph (Galaxy), Chance Myers (UCLA) MIDFIELDERS: Stuart Holden (Houston), Johann Smith (Darlington), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Stephen King (Maryland), Alejandro Bedoya (Boston College), Eric Avila (UC Santa Barbara), Arturo Alvarez (FC Dallas), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew) FORWARDS: Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Charlie Davies (Hammarby), Preston Zimmerman (Hamburg), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire), Kamani Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg)
If you are wondering where MLS-based stars Jozy Altidore and Maurice Edu are, they are both taking part in the U.S. national team camp in California.
The U-23 camp will take place from Jan. 6 to Jan. 20 and will be used as preparation for the U.S. team's upcoming Olympic qualifiers in Tampa in March.
What do you think of this group of players? Is there anybody missing? Is there anybody who surprised you by being selected? Share your thoughts below.
Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore and Brad Guzan headline the 26-man roster Bob Bradley selected for the U.S. national team's January camp.
The squad will begin training on January 3 at Home Depot Center in Carson, California ahead of the national team's first friendly, on Jan. 19 against Sweden.
Here is the roster:
GOALKEEPERS ? Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Will Hesmer (Columbus Crew), Matt Pickens (Chicago Fire), Zach Wells (D.C. United) DEFENDERS ? Dan Califf (Aalborg BK), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Ramiro Corrales (SK Brann), Todd Dunivant (Toronto FC), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC) MIDFIELDERS ? Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution) FORWARDS ? Josmer Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas Cit y Wizards), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution), Jeremiah White (AGF Aarhus)
If you are wondering where most of the big names are, keep in mind that European-based players are still in their seasons (except for Scandanavian leagues). I will offer my take on the roster shortly. Let me know what you think of Bradley's selections in the comments section below.
Good morning people. I know some of you are at work today wondering like heck why you didn't save up one more sick day to use on this exact day.
As we stare at the clock and think about tonight's New Year's Eve celebration, you might want to think about 2007 and what it meant for American soccer and the soccer world in general. It wasn't a boring year by any stretch. In fact, for it to not be a World Cup year, or even a year with World Cup qualifying or a European Championship, 2007 was pretty exciting on the soccer pitch.
For those of you who may have missed it, here is my take on the 10 best storylines in American soccer in 2007 for ESPN.com. Everyone is doing these types of year-end lists so I had to do mine and I think it's fair to say that you can ask 10 people their choices for 10 best storylines and you will get 10 different answers.
With 2007 almost over, it is time to think about 2008 and all the great stories to come. The New Year will also bring some major changes to SBI. You will hear about those changes very soon.
For now, enjoy the last day of the year. I will come back with a few posts throughout the day to get you through this workday (which I'm sure will feel longer than most) so stay tuned.
Good morning folks. Today marks the final fulll day of soccer of the season and the English Premier League has been kind enough not to take this weekend off.
Instead, we have a robust schedule of matches, all of which can be seen either on Fox Soccer Channel or Setanta Sports USA. I will be busy attending to non-soccer matters today so I figured the least I could do was give you folks a post where you could add your comments on today's matches.
Whether you're home lounging, or at work for some reason, feel free to follow along here as everyone shares their comments below.
Fulham has named its permanent replacement for fired coach Lawrie Sanchez on Friday, choosing veteran manager Roy Hodgson to take over. Hodgson will be on the sidelines for Fulham's match against Birmingham.
What will this mean for the Americans? It shouldn't mean a thing for Clint Dempsey, who is a first-choice player no matter who is the coach, but it will be interesting to see what becomes of Carlos Bocanegra. The Fulham defense has been a wreck and it will be interesting to see what Hodgson does to fix the back-line.
What do you think of this hire? Do you think Dempsey and company will benefit from learning from such an experienced manager? Do you foresee an overhaul of players that could claim Bocanegra? Share your thoughts below.
It's all England, all the time this weekend. With the other leagues on Europe on a winter break, we will be forced to live on a steady diet of EPL action this weekend.
If the EPL isn't your cup of tea then you might consider watching GolTV, which will have several replays of some of the year's best games, from the Colombia-Argentina World Cup qualifier to a good Spain-Sweden Euro qualifier.
If you prefer the live stuff, and prefer the EPL, then you'll have some quality choices. Actually, if you have Setanta Sports and Fox Soccer Channel you will have access to all 10 EPL games this weekend.
And here they are, all 10 EPL games on TV this weekend. Enjoy:
SATURDAY
10am- FSC- Newcastle at Chelsea. The Blues are short-handed but can't afford to drop any more points. Luckily they play host to struggling Newcastle.
10am- Setanta USA- Manchester United at West Ham United. Carlos Tevez is back. How will Hammer fans treat him?
Noon- FSC- Arsenal at Everton. Gunners need a win to keep pace with Man U. Toffees have been red-hot. This qualifies as the game of the week.
Noon- Setanta USA- Reading at Tottenham. The Spurs look to make life difficult for Americans abroad for a second straight week.
2pm- Setanta USA- Aston Villa at Wigan. The Villains are riding high after the mid-week draw against Chelsea. Wigan should provide a speed bump.
2:30pm- FSC- Fulham at Birmingham. Clint Dempsey can't stop scoring. Unfortunately for Fulham, neither can their opponents. If the Cottagers can't get a point against Birmingham then Dempsey might start consider where he'd like to play next season.
3:45pm- Setanta USA- Bolton at Sunderland. ZZzzzzzzzzzz
4:30pm- FSC- Middlesbrough at Portsmouth. May be a good time to catch a movie, that is unless you're starting Benjani, Muntari or any other Portsmouth players on your fantasy EPL team.
SUNDAY
8:25am- Setanta USA- Blackburn at Derby County. Will Feilhaber get a start? He should and if he does there's a good chance there will be three Americans on the field for this one.
11am- FSC- Liverpool at Manchester City. City has been unbeatable at home. Can Liverpool stop the slide and halt Man City's winning ways at home?
Good morning people. The end of the year is fast approaching and as we begin to find a slew of year-end stories capping the best games, moments and stories (mine is coming on ESPN.com shortly) I got to thinking about what exactly was the most memorable moment of 2007 for American soccer fans.
The question is simple enough. What one soccer moment will stand out in your mind from 2007? Was it a great goal (Like Messi's Maradona-like run)? Was it a game (like the Red Bulls-Galaxy thriller in a packed Giants Stadium)?
What moment stands out for me? Benny Feilhaber's game-winning goal in the Gold Cup final comes to mind. If something else comes to me I'll post it later.
For now, I want to hear from you. What was the most memorable soccer moment of 2007 for you? Share your thoughts below.
Good morning everybody. Let me start by apologizing for the low number of posts recently. I can assure you that the action will pick up after New Year's Day. For now, I will try to keep you updates on the goings on in the American and international soccer world.
Before we get into the day's events, I must make another request for SBI readers to take part in the SBI reader roll call. If you haven't already taken part, please do so. Your input is going to go a long way toward helping me shape and set a direction for SBI as we head into 2008.
Secondly, I have not forgotten about the most recent Q&A session. I am working on it and am hoping to have it done for tomorrow. It will be done by Monday at the latest.
Now, onto the news. Here are some recent tidbits you may or may not have heard:
U.S. Olympic qualifying games set. The U.S. Under-23 national team learned the path it will take to Olympic qualifying yesterday as the match schedule for CONCACAF Olympic qualifying was announced. The Americans will face Cuba (March 11), Panama (March 13) and Honduras (March 15), with all matches being played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. There will be tripleheaders played each of these days, with the U.S. team's game serving as the nightcap on each occasion.
The top two teams in the group will join the top two teams in Group B (Mexico, Canada, Haiti, Guatemala) in the semifinals and final, which take place in Memphis Nashville on March 20 and 23.
I was going to point out that the Americans should have little trouble qualifying, but you know what happened the last time around. That said, this Olympic team should qualify and this qualifying tournament should give us a good glimpse at what Peter Nowak has planned for the Olympics.
Man U takes over first place. Manchester United destroyed Sunderland, 4-0, while Portsmouth held Arsenal to a scoreless draw, which means Man U is in first place at the mid-way point of the season. The lead is a point, but is effectively two points based on Man U's superior goal difference.
There is still plenty of soccer to be played, so you shouldn't go chiseling Man U's name in the trophy just yet, but you have to like the Red Devils' chances of holding on in the second half of the season. And you can wave goodbye to Chelsea's already dim chances of winning the league after its crazy 4-4 tie against Aston Villa, a match that saw two Chelsea players red carded and goalkeeper Peter Cech look like a shell of himself. I'm still trying to figure out why Avram Grant would play an injured Cech when he has some pretty decent goalkeepers on his bench.
Ronaldo to transfer back to Brazil? Beleaguered Brazilian striker Ronaldo has gone to Brazil to receive treatment for an injury, but now reports are surfacing that link the 2002 World Cup winner with a move to Brazilian club Flamengo. Ronaldo has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, and has yet to make any sort of contribution to AC Milan this year, so a move to Brazil could help him regain his form. I'm sure some Red Bulls fans would say that a stint in MLS could help Ronaldo's form as well. Too bad AC Milan is already denying the rumors. It sounds like some wishful thinking from Brazilian journalists. Sound familiar?
Trouble for former MLS player. Remember Onandi Lowe? The former Jamaican national team and Kansas City Wizards striker? He had a little trouble with the law in Jamaica recently. Apparently Lowe thought it was a good idea to go for a drive with 42 marijuana cigarettes in his car. Yes, you read that right, 42. Save your "Marijuana is illegal in Jamaica?" remarks. My first thought was, "how long a ride was he going on?" Major League Soccer's version of Nate Newton apparently didn't learn his lesson when he was nearly convicted for trying to smuggle crack out of England.
I'll be back with a Boxing Day recap in a bit. For now, share your thoughts on these stories, and any other stories making the rounds this morning.
American soccer players had a busy Boxing Day in England on Wednesday, with 10 of them playing at least a half and nine earning starts (That's including Watford's Jay DeMerit and Millwall's Zak Whitbread.)
There were mixed results, from Tim Howard posting yet another shutout for Everton to Carlos Bocanegra watching his Fulham defense be torn to shreds yet again. There were even two goal-scorers on the day, with usual suspect Clint Dempsey being joined by DeMerit.
Before I get to the rundown, I wanted to talk about Benny Feilhaber's performance for Derby County against Liverpool. It had its ups and downs, but his effort, or lack thereof, late in the match could hurt his chances for more playing time in the future.
Feilhaber's 45 minutes of playing time were action packed. He had some good tackles, sharp passes and was very active, but he also showed timidness getting forward on occasion and his biggest crime was his effort on the play that led to Liverpool's game-winning goal.
If you missed the match, or the replays, the play begins with Steven Gerrard making a run down the left flank starting from the opposite end (it actually begins with the referee missing a Liverpool foul, but I digress). Gerrard carries the ball forward and Feilhaber comes in from the center of the field to challenge Gerrard. Feilhaber's effort to close down Gerrard was, shall we say, less than total and he almost appears to be jogging toward Gerrard, who sees this and proceeds to hit another gear, leaving Feilhaber out of position and forcing Feilhaber to attempt a sliding tackle that misses badly. Gerrard gets into the area and eventually scores the game-winning goal after some ricochets.
Now, blaming Feilhaber for the goal would be wrong. As a coach once told me, most goals are the fault of many, not of one. While this is true, Feilhaber's effort on that particular play wasn't ideal, or what you would expect from a player who has been starving for minutes lately.
Does that mean he won't see more chances? That would seem harsh considering the good things he did, and the injury woes plaguing Derby, but Paul Jewell's comments after the match make me wonder if he was thinking about Feilhaber when he made them.
Ultimately, it's just one play, but good players make those plays. Here's hoping Feilhaber learns from it and gets more chances to show that he deserves more playing time.
Okay, enough about that. Here is the rundown of how Americans did on Boxing Day:
Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made one save in Everton's 2-0 win against Bolton.
Clint Dempsey started, played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Fulham's 5-1 loss to Tottenham.
Carlos Bocanegra started and played 90 minutes for Fulham.
Eddie Lewis started, played 90 minutes and his free kick helped set up Derby County's lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Liverpool.
Benny Feilhaber came off the bench and played 45 minutes for Derby County.
Jonathan Spector started and played 90 minutes in West Ham United's 1-1 tie vs. Reading.
Marcus Hahnemann started, played 90 minutes and made eight saves for Reading.
Bobby Convey started and played 66 minutes for Reading.
Jay DeMerit started, played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Watford's 2-2 tie against Cardiff.
Zak Whitbread started, played 90 minutes and drew a yellow card in Millwall's 3-0 win against Brighton.
European-based Americans will be busy today as well, with Blackburn's Brad Friedel and Heerenveen's Michael 'Goal Machine' Bradley both seeing action.
Share your thoughts on Feilhaber and the other Americans below.
143. Playoffs have been fun so far Wow. Let us hope that this year's playoffs continue to mimic last year's playoffs. One thing that was different however was the number of fans that attended the game. It is really good to see how the much our fan...
145. The team's take on Ching's blog Bernardo Fallas tracked down a few of Brian Ching's Dynamo teammates to find out what they think about the star forward's blog on chron.com. Find out what they had to say....
146. My season awards Most of you are probably curious as to how we are approaching the game this weekend. Well we are approaching Saturday's game against Chivas as if it were our first playoff game. Chivas have only lost once at home...
147. Suspension a bit harsh to say the least Here's my opinion on the suspension that was handed down on the "Karate Kid". I think it would be a fair judgment had the league been consistent with their punishments. However, when you look at past disciplinary actions, this one...
148. It is always sweet beating a rival It is always sweet beating a rival in their own stadium especially when our fans out number theirs. Amazing turn out again! As the season progresses this rivalry seems to grow and grow. This was a game that we knew...
149. The Pressure is On It doesn't get any better than beating LA in LA. There is still this rivalry that I feel against them that dates back to our San Jose days. This was evident in the amount of passion that we carried...
150. Its While But Im Back Hey everyone. Sorry it has been a while since my last entry but you can say that I was on summer vacation as far as my writing was concerned. A lot has happened in the last three months: Gold...
152. We're finally finding net again Hey everyone, sorry it has been so long since I last wrote an entry. It got harder and harder to put something on paper when I was struggling on the field. Since then things have turned around for both the...
153. Dynamo frustrations not excuses Please forgive me, but after that last game I am going to have to let some of my frustrations out in this blog. I am not trying to give excuses for our loss because I will gladly admit, along with...
154. ESPN gives soccer a primetime feel Did you see the game on Thursday night featuring the Revolution and DC United? Is it just me or do the games on ESPN now seem to be produced better? Maybe it is the time slot and all the soccer...
155. Mulrooney's arrival a big move for us This week we made a big move which I believe is going to benefit us this year. We traded Kevin Goldthwaite for Richard Mulrooney. It is hard to see someone like Kevin leave the team. He was a young...
156. Opening tie and who's nicknamed Sponge Bob? Well I can't say that it has been a week to remember. I would like to give you a run down of how the week went. After getting back from Charleston late last Sunday we had to turn around...
158. Galaxy 2, DC United 1: This Photo Says It All The look of complete joy on Edson Buddle's face. The look of utter dejection on Stephen King's face. The Galaxy's next game is Thursday when they host the San Jose Earthquakes. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 7:30 -- woohoo, that's means HD for me! As for last ...
159. Who roots for whom where: MLS fan bases Why this baseball map, showing the claimed territories of the various MLB teams on this futbol blog? Glad you asked. Jen and I got this intriguing email from a Portland Timbers fan, Rich - who is known to Portland Timbers fan message boards as MannyJello, about the team's pending entry ...
160. Clint Mathis Likely To Retire As reported by Steven Goff of the Soccer Insider: "It will probably happen," one source said. "Knees can't take the beating anymore." Now, that is a quote applicable to most any 30+ MLS player, but I'm afraid the source may be right. Mathis' most recent injury was a torn meniscus in his left ...
161. I?ve got three words: Galaxy vs Earthquakes post-game analysis Not champions yet. On Thursday, July 22 the Los Angeles Galaxy faced a slowly improving San Jose Earthquake squad at home in the friendly confines of the Home Depot Center. On paper, this should have been three points for the home team and a set-back for the team from the Bay ...
162. Can?t We Just Forfeit? Our Galaxy play the Puerto Rico Islanders tonight in CONCACAF Champions League play. You can catch the match on FSC at 5pm Pacific. Tonight's match is the second of two games to be played, the winner advancing on aggregate goals. Last week the Galaxy lost to the Islanders at ...
163. LA Galaxy vs. Real Madrid Open Thread It's an exciting evening for fans of the LA Galaxy and Real Madrid as they play in the Rose Bowl in front of a packed crowd of over 70,000. As I've noted before, this is another great opportunity for the Galaxy and MLS to gain exposure in the world ...
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166. I?ve got three words: Galaxy vs Wizards post-game analysis I?ve got three words. And those words are: Disappointed and frustrated. I?ve had season tickets to the Los Angeles Galaxy for four years now, including some of the worst years in franchise history. But even in the injury- and Alexi Lalas-ravaged fiascos of 2007 and 2008, the Galaxy managed to put ...
167. Carr involved in a Soccer Probe When the police and sports personalities collide it is not a good combination. It is reported in the major news outlets that the Birmingham City defender is facing some questions about certain gestures that he made to the fans from Aston Villa at the end of the Sunday Derby. Having ...
168. Dorrans Gets Soccer Approach It has been reported in some of the press outlets that West Ham United has made a four million offer for Graham Dorrans. Dorrans has been a midfielder for West Bromwich Albion. Dorrans has been an absolute star for the team since is two hundred thousand pounds signing. He was ...
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172. Gambling to be banned The Chinese authorities have made it clear that they will not tolerate any football gambling during the World Cup. They have also broken up what is said to be the biggest gambling ring in Hong Kong. This warning had better be taken seriously because they are determined to ...
173. The goal that was or was not depending on your support It was meant to be the comeback of all comebacks. The USA is not really a football nation. In fact they refer to it as soccer. England imagined that they would walk over them and for a time Slovenia was on the verge of giving them a thorough ...
174. Once again Showcase Game for Soccer Shows only Failure Manchester United's 5-2 demolishing of the MLS All Stars will only chase away fans not sell tickets. If you think of the USSF (United States Soccer Federation) and the MLS's attempts to mainstream the sport in the country as a poker game, they basically got called when ...
175. Fighting Paraguay We now look back at the Soccer FIFA World Cup 2010 play with the contest between Japan and Paraguay. These are two teams that do not hype their players but when it comes to delivering results, they can pack a mean punch on their day. They had national expectations ...
176. Life after the excitement of the Soccer FIFA World Cup 2010 It has been a few weeks since the end of the Soccer FIFA World Cup 2010 and now we are coming back to earth with the realization that life goes on and that there is plenty of other football to enjoy in the season. The Asian cup is getting ...
