2014 Preseason Report • Two Weeks Left Edition

Most of our guys’ teams are busy working hard over the course of these two weeks and here’s the news on how things went in their scrimmages this past week:

COLUMBUS CREW  –  On Wednesday, 19 Feb, the Crew beat Toronto FC 3-1 in the opening match of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic.  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] started at right back and played the first half.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] played the second half at attacking mid.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] did not play.  Saturday, the Crew beat the Philadelphia Union 1-0.  Williams subbed on in the 62nd minute at right back, but Speas and Stuver did not play.  Next up – on Wednesday, 26 Feb they’ll take on the U-23 team of Brazil’s Fluminense.  Also, thanks to the TFC result, the Crew will get to stick around in Orlando for the rest of the week to play in the DPSC Final on Saturday, 1 March against someone from the other group – Montreal/NYRB/Orlando City/Sporting KC.

TORONTO FC  –  Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius]

started at left backand played the first 65 minutes of the Crew loss.  On Saturday, TFC ended up with a 1-1 draw against Orlando City and he played the first 65 minutes.  Here’s an interview with Morrow from this past Friday in which he talks about how things are going for him and for the team over the Reds’ first week in Florida.  Next up – on Wednesday, they’ll play the Union.

MONTREAL IMPACT  –  Last Wednesday at the DPSC, Montreal beat Fluminense’s U-23 team 1-0.  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] did not play in that match.  The Impact lost on Saturday to New York 3-0.  Bush started in goal and played the entire match.  Next up – they play Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday, 26 Feb.

DC UNITED  –  While the four above teams were playing in Orlando, DC United was up in Charleston, South Carolina to take part in the Carolina Challenge Cup, where they defeated the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night 2-0.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] did not play in the match.  I still haven’t found out anything about him being injured, but that has to be the case, as every field player that started subbed out after a half or so.  Here’s a post about Korb’s prospects for 2014 from the SBN site blackandredunited.com, but keep in mind that those SBN sites are a little more “fansy” than your standard beat reporter blog.  Next up – DC plays the host Charleston Battery on Wednesday night.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  –  The Timbers kicked off the Rose City Invitational by falling to the San Jose 1-0 on Sunday evening.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] and Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] both started the match against San Jose.  Earlier in the week, Nagbe shared some thoughts about the preseason with timbers.com.  Both started and went the distance.  Earlier last week, Zemanski tried his luck at hockey.  I tweeted out the link, but in case you missed it, here it is again.  I’m no expert, but he doesn’t look terrible with a stick in his hand.  Next up – Portmore United, 5-1 losers to Vancouver Sunday afternoon, on Wednesday night.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  –  The varsity and JV scrimmaged on Saturday night and the big boys won 3-0.  Yes, as you’d probably expect, Galaxy I took Galaxy II to school in what’ll ideally be the first edition of a new preseason tradition for the four-time league champions.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] subbed in for Galaxy I as a holding mid in the 77th minute.  Next up – well, next up for the Galaxy is two weeks of preparation for MLS First Kick, in which they’ll take on Real Salt Lake.

• Hey while we’re at it, here’s a bit about a former MLS Clevelander.  Brad Friedel [Bay Village/Bay] played 90 last Thursday in Tottenham Hotspurs’ 1-0 Europa League loss at Ukrainian side FC Dnipro.  He was voted Spurs’ Man of the Match for his efforts, which see the Londoners still on top of their group with 18 points from six matches.  Friedel, who has made eight appearances this season, has gotten most of his action in the Europa League.  The 42-year-old American goalkeeping legend has kept three clean sheets in those appearances.

PHOTO CREDIT: orlandocitysoccer.com