2015 Week 29 Report

Just a few games this week, as everyone gets going again on the back end of the international break.  Here’s how things went:

PORTLAND TIMBERS  D 0-0  Sporting Kansas City  •  I’m not sure anyone would’ve expected a goalless draw when these two teams meet up, but that’s what they got last Wednesday night in the Rose City.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] played 90 as an attacking mid.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was an unused sub.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  W 2-1  @ Philadelphia Union  •  The visiting Crew got two goals five minutes apart in the first half and did the rest with defense to take an important three points in Philly.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was not in the team, but Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was the backup goalie.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  D 0-0  MONTREAL IMPACT  •  Are the blue & white Canadian teams the Galaxy’s kryptonite?  Vancouver and Montreal went a combined 2-0-1 against LA Head Coach Bruce Arena and his boys, and they did not concede a single goal.  The Galaxy better hope they end up on the other side of the Whitecaps in the playoff bracket.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] was not in the team.  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] was good for four saves in earning the shutout for Montreal.

TORONTO FC  L 1-3  New England Revolution  •  Our TFC backline bros, Justin Morrow [Shaker Heights/St. Ignatius] and Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] both started and played 90.  Morrow assisted on the Reds’ lone score on the night, with a fine cross that Robbie Findley headed home.

Next Week’s Matches
~ Wednesday, 16 September
NYCFC  v  TFC, 730pm – live on ESPN2
Vancouver  v  MONTREAL, 1030pm
~ Saturday, 19 September
TFC  v  Colorado, 2pm
DC  v  COLUMBUS, 7pm
MONTREAL  v  New England, 8pm
RSL  v  LOS ANGELES, 930pm
~ Sunday, 20 September
PORTLAND  v  NYRB, 5pm – live on ESPN

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USL’s regular season is winding down as the playoffs are about to get cooking.  The NASL still has about a month more to go.  Here’s how our fellas did last week:

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  D 1-1  Wilmington Hammerheads FC  •  Down a man and seeing their playoff hopes slipping through their hands, the ‘Hounds needed a 70th minute strike from a sub to rescue a point.  Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] was not in the team.  Pittsburgh’s final two regular season game will be Wednesday night at 7pm against Rochester and on Saturday at Harrisburg for a 7pm contest.  Win both, and they should be in for sure.  Anything else will require some math and help from the other playoff candidates.  Five points separate six teams vying for the final four Eastern Conference spots.

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE  W 4-1  TFC II;  L 0-2  @ St. Louis FC  •  The Independence is one of those six teams I just mentioned.  They won their home finale in convincing fashion against the TFC JV last Wednesday, but then had their 12-match unbeaten run ended in St. Louis.  Jack Thompson [Hudson/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] scored once in 30 minutes of sub work against the Little Reds, and then he subbed on and played 29 minutes.  Charlotte’s regular season finale is this Saturday at 730pm against Charleston.  Much like Pittsburgh, it’ll be win and in for the CTL, currently ‘IN’ while occupying the sixth spot with 40 points.  The Riverhounds are in eighth with 38.  Should be an interesting Saturday night in the USL!!!

OTTAWA FURY FC  D 0-0  Fort Lauderdale Strikers  •  The front end of a home-and-away with the Strikers ended scoreless and Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] started at attacking mid and played 90.  The points keeps the Fury on top of the league this Fall Season, but they’re now tied with Minnesota United FC on 25 points from 13 games.  The two teams will face off on Saturday down in the stifling FLA heat and humidity at 730pm.

INDY ELEVEN  L 0-2  @ San Antonio Scorpions  •  No Kyle Hyland [Bay Village Bay] in the travel team for this one, as he was nursing an injury suffered in the previous game.  The loss leaves Indy ninth in the NASL with 12 points from 13 contests.  Next up is a visit from FC Edmonton on Saturday night for a 730pm affair.

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  L 1-2  Minnesota United FC  •  The Silverbacks suffered a red-card in just the fourth minute, and it was uphill sledding from there.  Despite that, they actually went up 1-0 five minutes later, but the other MUFC scored twice in the first half and did the rest with defense (and numerical superiority).  Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was not in the team.  Atlanta remains in shouting distance of the playoffs, with 18 points from 13 matches, just two points off the pace.  They host Carolina on Saturday at 730pm.

PHOTO CREDIT:  couldn’t find it on the website where I got the photo… sorry to whoever took it!!

2015 Week 28 Report

This is the smallest slate of the season, with only three games involving three of our boys’ teams.  Just one of them won.  Here’s how they all did:

MONTREAL IMPACT  W 4-3  Chicago Fire  •  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] made four saves and got a great view of Didier Drogba’s MLS debut and hat trick.  The home side impressively fought back from a two-goal deficit in the 59th minute to get the victory. 

TORONTO FC  L 1-2  @ Seattle Sounders  •  TFC went punch-for-punch with the Sounders without their talisman Sebastian Giovinco, but gave up the winner with 13 minutes to go.  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] started at center back and played 90, while Justin Morrow [Shaker Heights/St. Ignatius] was not in the team.

COLUMBUS CREW  L 0-3  FC Dallas  •  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] started at left mid and went 58 minutes before subbing out with the Crew SC trailing 1-0.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was an unused sub as backup goalie.  The home side dominated most of the match, but got hit thrice on the counterattack to make for another frustrating national television appearance (Columbus drew 2-2 with Chicago on a Friday night back in May).

Next Week’s Matches
~ Wednesday, 9 September
PORTLAND  v  Sporting KC, 1030pm
~ Saturday, 12 September
Philadelphia  v  COLUMBUS, 7pm
LOS ANGELES  v  MONTREAL, 1030pm
~ Sunday, 13 September
TFC  v  New England, 5pm – live on ESPN2

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And now for the news on our NASL and USL guys:

INDY ELEVEN  L 0-1  @ Minnesota United FC;  W 3-0  Jacksonville Armada FC  •  Three points from two games is always better than zero.  Indy is now in ninth place with 12 points.  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] was an unused sub at the other MUFC and then he played all 90 against Jax.  Judson McKinney [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was not in the team for either match.  Next up is a trip to San Antonio for a Saturday night 830pm match.

OTTAWA FURY  W 1-0  @ San Antonio Scorpions  •  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] started and played 90 at attacking mid as the Fury bumped their lead at the top of the NASL Fall Season to five points over New York.  Next up is a Saturday home match with Fort Lauderdale at 3pm.

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  L 0-2  @ Carolina RailHawks  •  Goals in the 24th and 28th minute were all the home side needed to defeat Atlanta, who now are fifth in the Fall standings with 18 points.  Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub.  Next up are two home games – Minnesota United FC on Tuesday and Carolina on Saturday.  Both are 730pm kicks.

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  D 1-1  Charleston Battery  •  Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] started up top and played 74 minutes before subbing out.  This loss bumped Pitt back to seventh place in the Eastern Conference with another important game looming next Saturday in Wilmington against the Hammerheads at 730pm.

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE  W 1-0  @ Wilmington Hammerheads FC;  D 2-2  Wilmington Hammerheads FC  •  Jack Thompson [Hudson/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] started in the win and played 89 minutes before subbing out.  In the draw, he was not a part of the gameday team.  Next up for the Independence is another two-match week, as they host TFC II on Wednesday at 7pm and then they’ll travel to St. Louis for an 830pm match on Saturday.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Sy Bean/The Seattle Times

2015 Week 27 Report

Now that one of our guys has joined another and now that one of our guys is done for the season with an injury, these reports seem to be getting shorter.  With just three games NEXT week, that one’s going to be really short!  Anyways, here’s how everyone did this past week:

MONTREAL IMPACT  L 0-2  @ Vancouver Whitecaps  •  The Whitecaps won their first-ever Voyageurs Cup Trophy last Wednesday, thanks to a 4-2 aggregate scoreline in the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship (which will also earn them a berth in the 2016 CONCACAF Champions League).  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] was not in the travel team, as he was with his wife back home, awaiting the birth of their child.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  L 0-1  @ San Jose Earthquakes  •  Are the ‘Quakes LA’s bogey team?  Maybe.  They love nothing more than to stymie their southern neighbors in each and every CaliClásico.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] was an unused sub.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  W 2-1  @ New York City FC  •  The Black and Gold picked up three huge points on their first trip to Yankee Stadium’s teeny-tiny pitch, coming from behind to do it.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was the backup goalie and Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] did not travel to NYC.

TORONTO FC  W 2-1  @ MONTREAL IMPACT  •  While this scoreline is also representative of the number of Clevelanders on the two teams’ rosters, that would not have applied on Saturday evening, as Montreal’s Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] was back at home with his wife and their newborn baby.  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] and Justin Morrow [Shaker Heights/St. Ignatius] started on the TFC backline.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  L 1-2  @ Seattle Sounders  •  After this loss, there’s no way the Timbers can win the 2015 Cascadia Cup.  It’s the Sounders’ to lose and all they have to do is beat or tie Vancouver when the two teams meet on 19 Sept.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started and played 90.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was an unused sub.

Next Week’s Matches
~ Saturday, 5 September
MONTREAL  v  Chicago, 8pm
Seattle  v  TFC, 10pm
~ Sunday, 6 September
COLUMBUS  v  FC Dallas, 7pm – live on Fox Sports 1

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Our fellas in the lower divisions are racing towards the playoffs and don’t have too many games left on their schedules to cement their places.  Here’s how things went this past weekend:

OTTAWA FURY  D 2-2  Tampa Bay Rowdies  •  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] subbed on up top in the 60th minute.  The home side had a 2-0 lead in the 31st minute, but the guests chipped away to steal a point.  Ottawa is still in first, but with just a two-point lead of the New York Cosmos and a three-point lead on Atlanta.  Next up for the Fury is a trip to San Antonio next Saturday for an 830pm kickoff.

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  W 1-0  FC Edmonton  •  Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub as Atlanta won an important match to keep themselves in the playoff hunt.  The Silverbacks are in 3rd place in the Fall Season, and travel to Carolina on Friday night for a 730pm match.

INDY ELEVEN  L 1-7  @ Fort Lauderdale Strikers  •  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] started and played all 90 of this one, which was only 3-1 before the Eleven had a man sent off in the 50th minute.  Then, things really went south.  Judson McKinney [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was not in the team.  Good for Indy that they can quickly get over that loss with two games this week – one on Wednesday at Minnesota United FC (8pm) and one on Saturday at home to Jacksonville Armada FC (730pm).

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  W 1-0  @ Louisville City  •  Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] started up top and played 76 minutes before subbing off, in a much-needed victory that bumped the ‘Hounds back up into a playoff spot in the USL Eastern Conference.  Next weekend, they’ll back at home to entertain the Charleston Battery at 730pm.

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE  W 1-0  @ FC Montreal;  D 2-2  @ TFC II  •  Jack Thompson [Hudson/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] didn’t play on Wednesday, but went 45 minutes as a second-half sub on Sunday.  Getting four points from the two games was probably an acceptable outcome for the Independence, as they sit just two points (35-33) and two spots (6th/8th) below Pittsburgh in that final playoff spot, and they have a game in hand on the Riverhounds.  Next up for Charlotte is another two-match week – Thursday at Wilmington for a 7pm game and Saturday at home against TFC II at 7pm.

PHOTO CREDIT:  torontofc.ca

2015 Week 23 Report

I can’t help it, but for the second week straight I’m going with the hot weather-tons of goals analogy.  Good lord, the goals…

MONTREAL IMPACT  W 3-2  @ New York City FC  •  It’s getting to the point that when teams see NYCFC coming up on their schedule, they work on their crossing and finishing twice as much and trust that their backline can handle the All-Star trio of Villa-Lampard-Pirlo.  It’s been working.  On Saturday, the Impact scored two, gave up a PK, got a PK of their own and then allowed a consolation.  All in a day’s work at Yankee Stadium!  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] made three saves on the day in his 90 minutes of work.  In related news, you may notice that NYCFC is no longer in boldface all caps.  That’s because the day before the game, Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] was put on waivers by the Man City JV and then subsequently picked up by Toronto FC!  So one day soon, we’ll get a 1/2 CLE backline up north! 

DC UNITED  W 6-4  Real Salt Lake  •  This match had so much offense that even right back Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] ripped off three shots for DC.  The Eastern Conference leaders allowed two first-half goals for the second straight match before storming back.  It was a 4-4 tie with about 20 minutes left before DC got the final two goals.

TORONTO FC  L 1-3  @ New England  •  Leave it to the defending Eastern Conference champs to keep Sebastian Giovinco quiet.  The hottest player in the league only played 45 minutes before being removed so TFC could add some midfield heft.  Justin Morrow [Shaker Heights/St. Ignatius] played all 90 and put one of the visitors’ two shots on goal.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  L 2-5  @ Orlando City SC  •  Ugh.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was the Crew’s backup keeper.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was not in the team.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 3-1  @ Colorado Rapids  •  Colorado scored first.  They’ll always have that to be proud of, but all that did was wake up the Champs.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] didn’t make the trip.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  D 0-0  @ San Jose Earthquakes  •  No goals?  Who do these guys think they are not scoring?  Portland even missed a PK!  Only four teams went scoreless on the weekend and these were two of them.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started and played all 90 at attacking mid.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was not in the team.

Next Week’s Matches
~ Wednesday, 5 August
MONTREAL  v  NYRB, 8pm
TFC  v  OCSC, 8pm
~ Thursday, 6 August
LA  v  Central FC, 10pm – live on Fox Sports 2 • CONCACAF Champions League Group D
~ Friday, 7 August
PORTLAND  v  Chicago, 11pm
~ Saturday, 8 August
TFC  v  Sporting KC, 4pm
MONTREAL  v  DC, 730pm
Colorado  v  COLUMBUS, 9pm
~ Sunday, 9 August
LOS ANGELES  v  Seattle, 4pm – live on ESPN2

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And now for our not-so-MLS guys:

OTTAWA FURY  W 1-0  @ FC Edmonton  •  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] started at attacking mid and played all of this one, creating the game-winner with a beautiful corner kick that was headed home by Rafael Alves.  Ubiparipovic earned Team of the Week honors for his command performance that keeps the Fury on top of the Fall Season standings.  Brilliant!  Next up is a road match at Indy on Saturday at 730pm.

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  W 1-0  @ INDY ELEVEN  •  In an NASL match that featured the maximum possible number of our Cleveland dudes, it was the visitors who got a 15th-minute goal and then did the rest with defense.  Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed on for the final five minutes up top for the victors.  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] did his usual 90-minute shift at left back for Indy, while Judson McKinney [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub.  Both clubs are looking at a two-match week, as the ‘Backs is a Wednesday night visit from Fort Lauderdale and a Saturday night visit from the San Antonio Scorpions.  Both matches kick off at 730pm.  Indy travels to FC Edmonton for a 9pm midweek kickoff and returns home to host Ottawa on Saturday.

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  W 3-0  Wilmington Hammerheads FC  •  Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] was back at forward for this victory, which moves Pittsburgh to 8-8-4 on the season, which puts them in the sixth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.  Green subbed out after 81 minutes.  Next up for the ‘Hounds is an 8pm game at TFC II up in Ontario.

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE  W 4-2  Rochester Rhinos  •  Nothing like giving the unbeaten league leaders their first loss of the season, right?  Two goals in each half did the trick for Charlotte, which is now 6-6-5 on the season.  Jack Thompson [Hudson/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was not in the team.  Next up for Charlotte is a Wednesday night visit from New York Red Bulls II for a 730pm kickoff.

PHOTO CREDIT:  torontofc.com

2015 Week 6 Report

It was a buncha’ draws and losses, and one lone victory last weekend for our fellas’ teams, and our guy did not play in that one win.  [SIGH]  Here’s how our MLS guys did last weekend:

COLUMBUS CREW  D 2-2  @ Vancouver Whitecaps  •  I’m sure the Crew SC viewed last Wednesday night’s draw as a mixed blessing, considering they twice gave up one-goal leads to end up with the point, but the stalemate kept the Black and Gold from losing.  It also slightly cooled off the league’s hottest team.  In the absence of Federico Higuaín, who was suspended after picking up a red card the week before, Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] started at attacking mid and played 70 minutes.  He was able to put a couple shots on goal and took three corners, but that was nothing compared to the Caps’ Pedro Morales, who took all 11 of his team’s corners – none of which created a goal.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] did not make the trip, as Steve Clark and Matt Lampson were the two keepers that Head Coach Gregg Berhalter chose to take.

COLUMBUS CREW  D 0-0  @ New England Revolution  •  No room for either Speas or Stuver in the team for the Saturday afternoon game in Foxboro, which featured a lot of wind and sun, but few real scoring chances for either team and, obviously, zero goals.  After last year’s playoff series with the Revs, Columbus had to be happy with the shutout.  Also, from the Crew SC’s point-of-view, getting two points from the longest-travel, shortest-turnaround road trip in MLS history is a heckuva lot better than if it had ended with the team on a three-game losing streak.

NEW YORK CITY FC  L 1-2  @ Philadelphia Union  •  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] returned to the  starting lineup and played 81 minutes before being subbed out, which means he maybe could have somehow helped prevent Philly’s stoppage-time winner if he had still been on the field.

DC UNITED  D 2-2  v New York Red Bulls  •  DC thought it had all three points in the bag until a 90th-minute goal from their Atlantic Cup rivals stuck them with just one.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] was an unused sub.  Hmmm… maybe if he’d been subbed in towards the end, he could’ve somehow prevented Lloyd Sam’s equalizer.

MONTREAL IMPACT  L 0-3  @ Houston Dynamo  •  It would be careless to talk about a potential “CONCACAF hangover” affecting the Impact on Saturday in Houston.  That for sure wasn’t the case as the visitors outshot their hosts and earned 11 corner kicks.  The Dynamo scored a scrappy goal early, scored on three of the four shots they put on Montreal’s net and rode their luck to victory.  It happens.  It’s a long MLS season and everyone hits a bump in the road or two.  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] was in net and made one save.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  L 0-2  v Orlando City SC  •  When a team plays well and still loses, it frustrates everyone on its side.  The Timbers have six points from six games this season (1 W, 3 D) and have outplayed their opponents for – on my guesstimate – 480 of 540 minutes.  But… yeah, you can finish the rest.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started as a wide mid and played all 90 for PTFC.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 1-0  v Seattle Sounders  •  It was more shelf time for Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] as he recovers from a groin injury that led to surgery, as the home side got its second victory of the season and ended a 270-minute scoreless string in the process.

Next Weekend’s Games
Thursday, 16 April
~ NEW YORK CITY FC  v  Philadelphia, 7pm
Saturday, 18 April
~ DC UNITED  v  Houston, 7pm
~ COLUMBUS  v  Orlando City, 730pm
~ Dallas FC  v  TORONTO FC, 830pm
~ LOS ANGELES  v  Sporting KC, 1030pm
Sunday, 19 April
~ NEW YORK CITY FC  v  PORTLAND, 7pm – on Fox Sports 1

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And now, here’s how the NASL & USL PRO guys did last weekend:

INDY ELEVEN  D 1-1  v New York Cosmos  •  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] subbed on in the 70th minute of Indy’s home opener.  This Saturday, Indy travels to the San Antonio Scorpions for a 830pm match.

OTTAWA FURY  D 1-1  @ ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  •  No Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] for the Fury in this one.  He’s still out nursing an injury.  But, Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] is back!  After  spending 2014 playing in Iceland with Leiknir Reykjavik, he re-signed with the Silverbacks in January (sorry I’m just figuring that out now).  He started as one of Atlanta’s forwards and played 71 minutes before subbing off.  (In week one, he started up top and played 77 minutes against Indy before being subbed.)  So far, this young NASL season, Ottawa has one point from its first two games and Atlanta has two from two.  The Fury hosts Minnesota United FC on Saturday at 3pm, while Atlanta travels to the Carolina RailHawks for a 730pm contest.

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  D 1-1  v St. Louis FC  •  Michael Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] started as an outside back and played all 90 of this match.  On Sunday, the Hounds, who are 1-1-1 on the season, host Louisville City FC at 3pm.

2015 Preseason Report #1

Every team is busy, busy, busy right now, getting ready for the regular season to begin in less than a month.  Here’s the report on who’s doing what and where:

PORTLAND TIMBERS  –  The Timbers kicked off their set of scrimmages at the Desert Friendlies in Tucson, Arizona the right way, with goals in each half to propel them to a 2-0 win over Sporting Kansas City on 31 January.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] and Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] both played the first half and Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] played the second half.  Nanchoff scored the Timbers’ second goal with a delightful free kick in the 53rd minute.  A week later, Portland drew 1-1 with the Houston Dynamo.  Nagbe and Zemanski started and played 60, while Nanchoff came in for the final 30.  On Wednesday, 11 February, the Timbers wrapped up their work in the desert with a 0-0 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes.  Nanchoff started and played 60, while Zemanski came on for the final 30 and Nagbe rested.  Portland will return home to continue training in advance of their own Simple Invitational, to be held at Providence Park, 22-28 February.  The other clubs participating will be the Chicago Fire, Vancouver Whitecaps and Norwiegan club Stabaek.

TORONTO FC  –  The Reds started their preseason in Bradenton, Fla., where they took part in some training sessions at the IMG Academy.  They won a scrimmage on 4 February, 4-2 against Montverde Academy but I just can’t find the lineup they used anywhere on the interwebs, and as such, can’t tell you how much Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius] played or didn’t play.  Up next was a change in venue to Orlando, where TFC played a couple scrimmages.  There was a 0-2 loss to the New York Red Bulls 5 February, followed by a 0-0 draw with Orlando City SC on 8 February.  Head Coach Greg Vanney started the “veterans,” which mean Morrow was at left back and played 60 minutes against NYRB (after maybe 30 against Montverde?) and at least 45 against the Lions.  TFC is now back in Bradenton for the IMG Suncoast Pro Classic, where they’ll play the USL PRO’s OKC Energy FC (today, 730pm), Danish side HB Koge (Sat, 21 Feb, 12pm), and the Red Bulls (Wed, 25 Feb, 730pm).  They’ll also have a playoff game on Sat, 28 Feb, but we won’t know against whom or at what time until they conclude their group matches.

MONTREAL IMPACT  –  The Impact trained indoors in frigid Quebec for the first part of the month before heading to much, much warmer Mexico.  They had played a scrimmage with their U-18 team before heading south, but there wasn’t much to report on that.  Last Saturday, les Bleus lost 0-1 to Mexico City first division club Cruz Azul and Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] went the distance in net.  Tuesday afternoon, the two teams faced off again and the Impact reversed the scoreline to win 1-0.  Again Bush played 90, and in addition to earning the shutout, he stopped two penalty kicks!  Coming up for Head Coach Frank Klopas’ boys will be another scrimmage against 3rd division team FC Cuautla, in preparation for the Impact’s CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal match with Pachuca next Tuesday.

COLUMBUS CREW  –  After a couple weeks of training south Florida, the Crew  headed to Austin, Texas for the ATX Pro Soccer Challenge.  The Black and Gold went home with a 3-1 loss to FC Dallas and a 1-0 win over the Austin Aztex, new USL PRO affiliate.  On Friday night, Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] and Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] both played the second half, as Head Coach Gregg Berhalter went with his plan of rotating and shuffling lineups over the course of the team’s time in Texas.  For whatever it’s worth, Stuver did not allow a goal during his time in net.  Speas got the second half in Sunday’s win.  Next up for the Crew is a trip back to Florida for the IMG Suncoast Pro Soccer Classic (click the link in the TFC report for more info), where they’ll play London United (18 Feb, 12pm), the Costa Rica U-23 team (21 Feb, 5pm) and the Philadelphia Union (25 Feb, 5pm) before a playoff game on the 28th.

DC UNITED  –  Like the Crew SC, DC spent some time training in Florida before they headed to Austin, but unlike the Crew SC, DC played some scrimmages while in Brandenton.  They drew 1-1 with MLS debutant Orlando City SC on 28 January; drew 0-0 with Swedish side Jönköpings 3 February; and then lost 0-1 to Malmo FF three days later.  Right back Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] played a half in each of the first two games, but none of the third.  The Black and Red was the fourth team in Austin this past weekend and they won the tournament, defeating the Austin Aztex 2-0 and FC Dallas 1-0.  I’m going to go out a limb here and say this is easily the best soccer trophy ever.  Korb did not play deepintheheartof, but he did train.  I can’t find any news on why.  Maybe Head Coach Ben Olsen is saving him for DC’s final preseason match on 20 February with FC Dallas, in anticipation of the upcoming trip to Costa Rica for its CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal matchup with Alajuelense?

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  –  The league champs have been galavanting across Europe for the last week, after starting their work at home.  On 30 January, the Galaxy beat Ventura County Fusion 2-0, then defeated the Seattle Sounders 2-1 on 6 February, before heading to Washington DC to meet President Obama.  In the nation’s capital, they also trained a little and scrimmaged the Georgetown University Men’s Soccer Team 2-1.  We couldn’t ascertain any details about how much and where and when Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] played in any of those matches, but here’s an article on him and his approach to this season.  Once the Galaxy made it across the Atlantic, they visited Stefan Ishizaki’s old stomping grounds in Stockholm, Sweden, where they lost a scrimmage 2-1 to Hammarby.  Walker subbed in for the for Ishizaki and played the final 23 minutes as holding mid.  The team has been doing the bulk of its training in Robbie Keane’s old stomping grounds in Dublin, where they’ll play a scrimmage this upcoming Saturday against Shamrock Rovers.  Head Coach Bruce Arena’s bunch will return home for more training in advance of the season opener.

NEW YORK CITY FC  –  NYCFC began its inaugural preseason in England,  where it got things going with a 2-0 friendly win against Scottish Premier League side St. Mirren.  This past Sunday, the [unsure what nickname to use… the sky blues, maybe?] lost 2-0 to Danish side Brondby.  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] subbed in for the second half at right back in the first match, and then started at right back and played the first half of the second.  On 1 February, NYCFC played a closed-door scrimmage with new NASL team Jacksonville Armada, which finished a 2-1 victory for the MLS club.  It was set up with four 24 minute periods and we’re deducing that Williams played the third and fourth quarters, for whatever that’s worth.  The team will now head to Charleston, SC for the Carolina Challenge Cup, where it wrap up the preseason with games against Orlando City SC (21 Feb, 730pm), Houston Dynamo (25, 5pm) and the host Battery of USL PRO (28, 730pm).

PHOTO CREDIT:  Speas/USA Today Sports Images; Williams/NYCFC.com

First post in 2.5 months…

Jeez!!  Yeah, I’m sure that you, my loyal readers, were wondering WTH happened to me.  Not that you care, but blah blah blah wife and kids, holidays, real job getting in the way, I got FIFA and a PlayStation for Christmas and I’m trying to win various leagues, blah blah blah…  So here I am again and I need to figure out where to start.  We’ve got a bit of 2014 playoffs and postseason bits to talk about, as well as getting into some 2015 pre-preseason news and notes, and finally my predictions for our guys for the upcoming campaign.  That really could be three separate posts – and that doesn’t even take into account our NASL duo.  Bottom line is: keep reading this space and paying attention to the tweets.  There’ll be a bunch of upcoming posts.  Okay, I’ll end the stream-of-consciousness and get down to business on a guy-by-guy basis:

Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic]  •  After taking over as the starter  in July, not only did Bush impress the Impact brass enough to get a new contract at the end of the season, but they also let incumbent GK Troy Perkins sign with Seattle as a free agent.  He finished the year with a record of 2-6-5 in 13 starts, recorded three shutouts and made 52 saves, which doesn’t sound great, but remember that Montreal was the league’s worst team in 2014.  Bush became a more consistent, decisive and reliable goalkeeper down the stretch, and if the ten guys in front of him can turn things around, the Impact can get out of the Eastern Conference cellar.

Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School]  •  A regular season that didn’t
end the way that DC United wanted quickly switched into an offseason that Korb wanted, as he survived exposure in the Expansion Draft and had his services retained by the Black and Red.  2014 started with Korb on the shelf, but he ended the year 19 games played/15 starts – 0 goals-3 assists-3 points), which is a solid season that had to feel a whole lot better, despite how it ended, than 2013’s slog.  Will he lock down a starting spot at outside back for Ben Olsen in 2015?  Time will tell, but he’s certainly reliable enough to be given a look during training camp.

Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius]  •  2014 started so promisingly for  TFC and but then the season turned into quite a drama/sitcom/roller coaster ride, ending with the Reds out of the playoffs again.   Morrow, who put together a 31/31 – 0-3-3 season, will hope for a more consistent season from the group in 2015, and just like last year, there’s a buzz around the new DP signings they’ve brought in.  They know what they’ll get out of their left back – solid marking with a little offense thrown in.  Any team that aspires to play free-flowing, attacking soccer would be more than happy to have an outside back like Morrow (and also Korb) on its roster.

Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward]  •  In 2013, the Timbers reached the Western Conference Semifinals after a 14-win regular  season and Nagbe contributed nine goals and four assists.  In 2014, Portland didn’t reach the playoffs and #6 scored once (in the regular season finale, no less) and added seven assists.  There’ll be no doubt that everyone in Stump Town will be looking to erase last season from their memory banks with a return to the postseason and a run at the Cup.  It wasn’t for lack of effort that the team fell short of its goals, but some changes in personnel were made during the offseason and a renewed commitment to the cause should help get 2015 underway on the right foot.  That should be enough to see a rise in Nagbe’s numbers and the team’s points – and possibly the return of his name to the mixer for a USMNT callup.  [Or not.  We all know Klinsmann hates MLS.]

Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit]  •  As the 2014 season ended,  so did Nanchoff‘s contract with Portland, but they picked up the option and he’ll be back in 2015.  He was left unprotected in the Expansion Draft, but nobody stole him, so fans in the Rose City can look forward to more from the crafty lefty.  Though he played in just three MLS matches, he was an unused substitute in 18 more, and a guy doesn’t make the gameday 18 just by looking good in the uniform – not for Head Coach Caleb Porter, at least.  It was in the Timbers’ CONCACAF and US Open Cup matches where Nanchoff showed what his capabilities are.  Let’s hope the league gets to see them this season.

Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy]  •  Is there any shame  in being Federico Higuaín’s understudy?  Not as long as you get a few shifts at right or left wing, from time-to-time.  Speas‘ statline in 2014 read 14/8 – 1-3-5 and you can add in both of the USOC matches he played, getting an assist in each.  He’s a valuable player for the Crew to have, versatile enough to fill a couple different roles and solid enough to hold his own when he starts.  It seems that how he’s used by Head Coach Gregg Berhalter will depend on the opponent, injuries within the team and in-game situation.  [Huh.  I guess that could said for a few other guys as well…]  They guy creates offense and can serve in a mean corner or free kick, and those are skills that Speas will love to show off to the Crew Stadium faithful in 2015.

Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg]  •  Going into 2014, what Stuver needed  most was meaningful playing time, and while he did not get it in net for the Crew, he did get it while on two different loan spells, first with the Dayton Dutch Lions and then with Wilmington Hammerheads FC, both of the USL Pro Division.  These two loan spells were sandwiched around a little clean-up ankle surgery.  He got into two USOC matches with the Lions and then had an 11-game run with the Hammerheads (highlighted by three shutouts and one USL Pro Team of the Week honor) that saw them get into the playoffs.  Looking ahead to 2015, he’ll still have two keepers ahead of him in the pecking order in Columbus, but the gap between Stuver and Steve Clark’s backup, Matt Lampson, has narrowed.  As long as he continues to grow as a professional, he’ll only be an injury away from some serious playing time in the Black and Gold.

Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe]  •  Ho hum.  Another season completed, another MLS Cup title for Walker and his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates, another trip to the White House to meet President Obama. (See him there, second from the far right side of the photo?)  I’m not one of those “MLS-is-fixed” conspiracy guys, but I do know that it is always better for the teams in the league’s biggest cities to be doing well.  You can’t help but marvel at a repeat champion in any sport.  Even though Walker didn’t play a minute of playoff soccer last season, it’s been said before that his role in training sessions, helping push the starting central midfielders to stay sharp, can not be underestimated.  He was an unused sub in the final and will be back again in 2015 to build on 2014’s eight games played with four starts (in MLS games; add on 2 and 1, respectively, in US Open Cup matches).

Josh Williams [Copley/Copley]  •  If you follow us on Twitter,  you know by now that the Columbus Crew traded Williams to New York City FC just before the Expansion Draft back in November.  After a 2014 in which Williams missed half the season recovering from surgery to alleviate a blood clot issue (14/13 – 0-1-1), Crew Head Coach Gregg Berhalter knew that he couldn’t protect him and that he’d be taken for sure in the draft, so he did the best thing he could for his team, which was deal Williams for some allocation money.  This move hurts the Crew (especially if you hate Man City like I do), as it would any team that parts with a starter.  Helluva pickup by NYCFC.  If you project out his numbers, he should be good for 25+ starts, a couple goals and maybe an assist or two.  Too bad they won’t come in Black and Gold.

Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy]  •  Much like his  two Timbers teammates, it was all quiet on the Zemanski front this offseason.  As a reward for a 2014 in which he went 13/7 – 0-0-0 (stats don’t tell his value to the team) he team protected him in the Expansion Draft, picked up his option and he’s under contract for 2015.  No news is good news, as Zemanski comes into camp knowing his role under coach Caleb Porter: play in the middle of the park; if Portland has the ball, keep it moving; if the opponent has the ball, go get it from them.  There’s a lot of mutual respect there, so we can look forward to another solid campaign from #21.

The next post will focus on our two NASL dudes, while the subsequent post will focus more on the all of our fellas’ teams’ preseason efforts, which are well underway by this point in February.

* PHOTO CREDIT DISCLAIMER *  I’ll admit it – I got lazy.  Most of these pics came from team websites, but a few came from Google searches.  I’m not including credits in this and only in this post, but I promise to include them in all future posts.  Promise!!  I appreciate all you hardworking photogs out there do and how hard it is to do it.  I won’t disrespect your efforts again by not thanking you formally in this space.

MLS PLAYOFFS REPORT #2

And then there was one.  The offseason began for the other two.  Not much else to say, so here’s how it all went down:

DC UNITED  W 2-1  v New York Red Bulls  [2-3 aggregate]  •  It was the away goals rule that really changed this tie for the worst, when a 57th-minute goal from Peguy Luyindula not only leveled the score at 1-1 in the game, but made it so that DC would have to score three more goals to go through.  The home side got one more, but it was just too tall of a task for the Eastern Conference Champs.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] was an unused sub, which is curious, since his inclusion in the lineup has mostly gone along with preferred results for DC (last week being an exception, obviously).

COLUMBUS CREW  L 1-3  @ New England Revolution  [3-7 aggregate]  •  The Crew did not go down without a fight, but they did go down with not enough goals.  In fact, it was the visitors who carried the play in the opening moments, but they lacked that sharp scoring touch when they needed it.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed on for the final 16 minutes and helped create a little spark, but it  wasn’t enough.  One major plus to this negative result was the return to MLS action of Josh Williams [Copley/Copley], who subbed in for the final 34 minutes, as the Crew continued to chase the game after Ethan Finley’s (bogus) red card.  It had been a long 158 days (if my math is good) since Williams had last made an MLS appearance, after having surgery in June to remove a rib to alleviate some blood clotting issues he was having.  It was great to see him back on the field again.  He looked good and his playoff beard game was tight.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 5-0  v Real Salt Lake  [6-1 aggregate]  •  While many pundits figured that the Galaxy would advance from this series, I’m not sure too many people predicted that kind of scoreline.  Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane were in control from the get-go and few teams in MLS can handle LA when they’re in that kind of mood.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] had great a great view of the drubbing, as he was an unused sub.  So the Galaxy move on to play Seattle in the two-legged Western Conference Finals.  Game 1 is at home on Sunday, 23 November, 5pm (ESPN) and Game 2 is at Seattle on Sunday, 30 November, 9pm (ESPN).

Our next post won’t come until after the first leg.

PHOTO CREDIT – mlssoccer.com  (I looked high and low for an action photo of Williams from that game, but could NOT find one.)

2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup 4th Round Report

Three of our fellas’ teams got into the USOC action this week (two of them, of course, are Canadian, and aren’t a part of the competition).  Here’s how things went down on Tuesday, 17 June for the three teams:

COLUMBUS CREW  W 2-1 (2ot)  v Indy Eleven (NASL)  •  This match had a little bit of everything.  Two goals disallowed (one for each side), loads of missed  chances (more for the Crew), two red cards (both for the Crew), lots of guys cramping up, two overtime periods and a beautiful setting at the University of Akron’s FirstEnergy Cub Cadet Field.  Phew!  Yes, at one point, it was the Indy Eleven vs. the Columbus Nine (credit to Steve Sirk), and until Ethan Finley was brought down in the Indy penalty area in the 115th minute, it looked like we might get a penalty kick shootout, too.  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] started at center back, just a few miles from his childhood home, and Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] started in the playmaker role and the one-time Akron Zip received the loudest ovation during the announcement of the starting lineup.  Williams played the entire match and Speas subbed out after 72 minutes, having contributed the corner-kick assist on the Crew’s first goal.  For Indy, Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] was on the injured list last night, wearing a big immobilizer boot on his left leg, having damaged his ankle during the Eleven’s previous USOC match with Dayton.  Next up:  @ Chicago Fire, Tuesday, 24 June, time TBA

DC UNITED  L 0-1  v Rochester Rhinos  •  Which is more notable: that the defending Cup champion lost its first game in the next year’s Cup for the fourth time ever or that this match was delayed for more than two hours because of stormy weather in the Rochester area.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] was not in the team, as he is nursing a hamstring injury.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  W 3-0  v Orlando City FC U-23  •  Portland  advanced in style last night and Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] played all of it.  Next up:  @ Sporting Kansas City, Tuesday, 24 June, time TBA

PHOTO CREDIT – Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers (Nanchoff)
I can’t believe I didn’t bring my SLR camera with me!  Hence those two up above came from my iPhone.  Decent, but…

2014 Week Seven Report

Before we get into which of our guys did what and whether their teams won, lost or drew, let’s talk about the Cleveland guy who easily had the most interesting day on Saturday.  It wasn’t a player or coach, it was referee Sorin Stoica, who was in the middle for the Chicago Fire v New England Revolution match.  Not only did he call two penalty kicks – one for each team – but the second PK was saved by the Revs’ keeper in stoppage time to preserve the 1-1 tie.  Stoica called 35 fouls in the match, dealt three yellow cards to the Revs and handed out one red card a piece.  According to his MLS career averages over the previous 19 matches he has officiated, he calls 27.9 fouls and gives 4.4 yellows, and he had issued seven red cards and called nine penalties.  On the broadcast, NBC Sports Network commentator John Strong said that in the last 13 overall matches Stoica had officiated in all competitions, he had issued 13 red cards.  Now, is that a lot or does that reflect on the teams and players he saw in those games?  Anyone can make anything out of statistics, but I watched about 80% of that CHI-NE game and I really don’t think the cards were that questionable… but I’m sure the Fire fans disagree.

Okay, so here’s how it went down for our guys this past weekend:

MONTREAL IMPACT  L 0-4  @ Sporting Kansas City  •  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] was the unused backup goalie in this one.  Ouch.  Getting 4-0’ed hurts, but maybe it hurts more on the road, since you have the long plane ride home.  And the goals were preventable, if you ask this coach.  NEXT UP:  v Philadelphia Union, Saturday, 26 April, 4pm

COLUMBUS CREW  D 1-1  v DC UNITED  •  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] started at right back – on the lineup sheet only, as he spent most of the second half  operating as a de facto right wing while the Crew attempted to fight back from 1-0 down – and played 90.  The Black and Yellow did get their equalizer in the 90th minute-plus, with ten men, nonetheless, on a curling poke from Hector Jiménez.  It looked a bit like Justin Meram’s winner at Seattle a few weeks back.  Arguably as impressive as the winning strike was the work of Crew midfielder Wil Trapp, who chased down Fabian Espíndola to win the ball and then began the counterattack that led to the goal.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was not in the team for this contest.  For the visitors it was yet another contest with no Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] who continues on the road back from knee surgery.  NEXT UP FOR COLUMBUS:  v New York Red Bulls, Saturday, 26 April, 730pm    NEXT UP FOR DC:  v FC Dallas, Saturday, 26 April, 7pm

PORTLAND TIMBERS  L 0-1  @ Real Salt Lake  •  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started as one of the forwards and played all 90.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] saw his first playing time of the 2014 season and he did well, running at the RSL defense all throughout his 13 minutes after coming on in the 77th.  But it wasn’t enough to keep Portland Head Coach Caleb Porter winless against RSL in six matches.  Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub.  NEXT UP:  @ Houston Dynamo, Sunday, 27 April, 3pm – Unimás

TORONTO FC  L 1-2  @ FC Dallas  •  Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius] started and played all 90 as TFC falls to 3-3-0 on the season.  NEXT UP:  v New England, Saturday, 3 May, 1pm

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  D 2-2  @ Vancouver Whitecaps  •  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] was an unused sub as the hosts put in a better performance and fought harder than they did a week before in losing 1-0 in Los Angeles.  The Caps twice erased one-goal deficits to earn their share of the points.  NEXT UP:  @ Colorado Rapids, Saturday, 3 May, 9pm

And now, for the not-so-MLS Report

OTTAWA FURY  L 1-2  v Minnesota United FC  •  The Fury drops to 0-2 in their inaugural season after Saturday’s loss in their home opener.  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] was not a part of the gameday roster of 18.  NEXT UP:  v FC Edmonton, Wednesday, 23 April, 730pm

INDY ELEVEN  D 1-1  v Tampa Bay Rowdies  •  The Eleven drew their second straight game to start off their inaugural NASL season and Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] started at left back and played all 90.  NEXT UP:  @ Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Saturday, 26 April, 730pm

DAYTON DUTCH LIONS  W 3-1  v Harrisburg Islanders  •  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was not a part of the Lions’ second victory of the season.  Earlier in the week, the Lions scrimmaged with the University of Dayton Men’s team and drew 0-0.  I couldn’t find any info on that game, besides the score, but hopefully Stuver got some time in that one.  NEXT UP:  v Richmond Kickers, Saturday, 26 April, 730pm

PHOTO CREDIT:  www.zimbio.com