2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup 5th Round Report

And then there was one.  We came into this week with five of our fellas’ teams still alive in the country’s oldest knockout competition.  Three of them lost and the last one to play in this round won.  Here are the stories:

DC UNITED  L 1-2  @ Philadelphia Union  •  You’d have bet that quite a few of the home fans in attendance at PPL Park for this contest were fearing the worst when their Union were down a goal on the scoreboard and a man on the team sheet when these two teams went into the locker room at halftime.  But the fiesty Philadelphias fought back and got two goals before time and live to fight another day.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] was an unused sub for DC.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  L 0-2  @ Orlando City SC  •  Too much heat and humidity and too much Kaká put an end to the Crew SC’s USOC dreams on Tuesday night in Orlando.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] started in the playmaker slot and went 65 minutes before subbing out.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] got the call between the pipes for Columbus.  He made four saves and besides the goals allowed (no goalie anywhere could’ve stopped the second one), put in a solid 90-minute shift.  It’s a shame he’s played so well in his last two starts but both resulted in losses.

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE  L 1-3  @ Chicago Fire  •  Despite scoring first, it was the USL side that fell by the wayside on Chicago’s South Side (kind of), thanks to two goals from a former MLS MVP and one from a Ghanaian.  Jack Thompson [Hudson/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub for the Independence.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  L 0-2  @ Real Salt Lake  •  Two second-half goals from the hosts bumped the Timbers out of the Cup.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] subbed on in the second half and got 16 minutes of time.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 1-0  @ San Jose Earthquakes  •  Our guy Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] got the game-winning assist on a beauty of a pass to Jose Villarreal.  Walker started as a holding mid and played 69 minutes before subbing out.  No doubt this win must’ve been just a little bit sweeter after the loss the ‘Quakes handed to LA on the weekend.  The Galaxy moves on to the USOC Quarterfinals, where they’ll play at Real Salt Lake on 14 July at 10pm

PHOTO CREDIT:  Reinhold Matay/USA Today Sports

2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup 4th Round Report

MLS clubs almost went 100% in their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup 4th Round  matchups this week.  Our boys’ teams all moved on, which is truly the most important thing:

PORTLAND TIMBERS  W 3-1  @ Seattle Sounders  •  On Tuesday night, another memorable event was added to the already massive tome of Cascadia Cup lore.  Not only did the Timbers’ victory ended the Sounders’ previously undefeated record at Starfire Sports Complex; not only did the Timbers improve their own winning streak to four, across all competitions; not only did the visitors score two goals in the overtime periods to avoid a penalty kick shootout; not only did the match end with Portland holding an 11-to-7 players on the field advantage, thanks to three red cards and an injury; but this match will also be remembered as the time that Clint Dempsey tore up the referee’s notebook.  Check out the highlights.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started and played all of it and Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was an unused sub.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  W 3-1  @ Richmond Kickers  •  Wednesday night in Richmond, the Crew SC broke a 1-1 tie in the 42nd minute and added another goal after the break to advance the boys in yellow onto the next round.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] started and played all 90, as did Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] in goal.  Speas assisted on the Crew’s first goal and Stuver made one save in the victory.

DC UNITED  W 3-1  @ Pittsburgh Riverhounds  •  Popular scoreline, huh?  Just like the two teams above them in this report, DC had to take its act on the road to get the job done on Wednesday night.  Just like Portland, they needed extra time to settle the tie.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] was an unused sub.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 6-1  v PSA Elite  •  Just like the Riverhounds, it was the lower-division side that scored first in this tie… and then the dam broke open.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] started and played 90 as a holding mid, and he assisted on the Galaxy’s first goal.

The USOC 5th Round ties – the quarterfinals, essentially – were announced the following day, and here’s what our boys have awaiting them:

Tuesday, 30 June
COLUMBUS CREW SC  @ Orlando City SC, 730pm
DC UNITED  @ Philadelphia Union, 730pm

Wednesday, 1 July
PORTLAND TIMBERS  @ Real Salt Lake, 10pm
LOS ANGELES GALAXY  @ San Jose Earthquakes, 1030pm

2015 Preseason Report #2

This, in essence, would be the Wednesday, 18 February Report, as it focuses on three of our guys’ teams that were in action that day.

COLUMBUS CREW  –  The Black and Gold kicked off their work in the IMG Suncoast Pro Challenge the best way  possible, with a 7-0 thrashing of London United.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] got the start in goal and Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] played all of the second half as the attacking mid.

MONTREAL IMPACT  –  While continuing their work in Mexico, the Impact defeated FC Cuautla 6-0, but I couldn’t get confirmation on the lineup they used, nor whether Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] got time in net.  It would have made sense for him to get some time, but the interweb is letting me down in my search for details on that match.

TORONTO FC  –  The Reds began their work at the IMG Suncoast Pro Challenge with a 1-0 loss to USL PRO rookies OKC Energy FC.  Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius] started at left back and played the first 56 minutes of the match.

Our next post will come after the weekend, when more of the group is in action.  There’ll be lots to talk about.

PHOTO CREDIT:  USA Today Sports Images

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.

2014 Week Twenty-Six Report

This past weekend in MLS action, our boys’ teams took a trip to Draw City!  Only two of the games didn’t result in a tie ballgame… and those were both losses, by the way.  However, in CONCACAF Champions League action, it was a different story.  Three games, three wins for our fellas!  Nice!!  Here’s how it all went down:

MONTREAL IMPACT  D 2-2  v LOS ANGELES GALAXY  •  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] started and played all of this match, which ended the Galaxy’s steam-rolling run
 through the league on a five-game winning streak.  No Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] in the Galaxy travel team for this one.

DC UNITED  L 0-1  @ New York Red Bulls  •  No Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] on the night, still out with a groin strain.

MONTREAL IMPACT  L 1-2  @ New England Revolution  •  No doubt with an eye towards the mid-week CONCACAF Champions League contest with New York looming, Bush was given the night off.

COLUMBUS CREW  D 2-2 @ Houston Dynamo  •  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub.  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] is out recovering from surgery.

TORONTO FC  D 1-1  @ Chicago Fire  •  Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius] was back from the hamstring injury that had kept him out of action since early August.  If you’re any kind of fan of the league, you’ve already seen the video of the TFC goal that was disallowed at the end of this match.  In case you haven’t seen it yet, here it is.  Terrible call.  Unreal.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  D 2-2  @ Colorado Rapids  •  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started and played 85 minutes as the Timbers let two points slip away at home.  Again.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  D 1-1  @ San Jose Earthquakes  •  Walker made the subs’ bench for this match, his first appearance in nearly a month!

DC UNITED  W 2-1   @ Waterhouse FC – CCL group 3  •  No Korb.  DC is currently second in the group behind Waterhouse with two games in hand.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  W 4-2  v CD Olimpia – CCL group 5  •  Nagbe subbed in with 27 minutes left.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] started at wide mid and played all 90.  Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub.  Portland is currently second in the group behind Olimpia with a game in hand.

MONTREAL IMPACT  W 1-0  v New York Red Bulls – CCL group 4  •  Bush shut out NYRB in a big match that puts the Impact on top of the group.  NYRB has a game in hand right now, so the Canadian “champions” are going to want to keep winning in order to stay there.

UP NEXT:
PORTLAND  v  Vancouver, Saturday, 20 September, 5pm – NBC Sports Network
COLUMBUS  v  New England, 730pm
MONTREAL  v  San Jose, 730pm
Chicago  v  DC UNITED, 830pm
LOS ANGELES  v  FC Dallas, 1030pm
TORONTO FC  v  Chivas USA, Sunday, 21 September, 3pm – UniMás
PORTLAND  v  Alpha United, CCL group 5, Tuesday, 23 September, 10pm – Fox Sports 1
DC UNITED  v  Tauro FC, CCL group 3, Wednesday, 24 September, 8pm – Fox Sports 2

Non-MLS Report
WILMINGTON HAMMERHEADS  L 1-4  @ Sacramento Republic FC – USL PRO Playoffs  •  All things must come to an end, and in the California capital, so did both Wilmington’s stay in the playoffs and the loan spell of Columbus Crew goalie Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] with the Hammerheads.  The visitors fought fiercely to keep their season going, but in the end, the Republic were/was just too much.  Stuver made six saves in the match and over the course of his time in teal (or is it considered more of a sky blue?), he’ll hope his body of work was enough to impress the Crew brass as they look towards next year.

INDY ELEVEN  D 1-1  v FC Edmonton  •  No Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] in this match, as he’s still dealing with a groin tear from the previous week., but the point was much-needed for the Eleven in order to keep their faint playoff hopes alive.  Indy is tied with Ottawa on points, but has played one fewer game, so they’re technically ninth.  

OTTAWA FURY  W 2-0  v Tampa Bay Rowdies  •  The Fury snagged three huge points with this win, as Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] scored Ottawa’s second goal during his 20 minute-shift after subbing in at center mid.  He now has four goals and three assists on the season for the NASL’s eighth-place team.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Bush/cbc.ca; Ubiparipovic/Ottawa Fury

2014 Week Twenty-Five Report

This really has been a tough year for our guys with injuries.  Seems like 2013 really saw a lot of our boys get some good runs in their various teams, and their games developed as a result.  Only two of our MLS guys got in this past weekend.  As the playoffs approach and coaches become more reluctant to change what they’re doing, we’re not likely to see much variation in that regard, even if our hurt guys get back healthy.  We’ll see, though.  Here’s what went down last weekend:

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 6-0  v Colorado Rapids  •  Still no Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe], but that hasn’t stopped the Galaxy from winning five straight.  I guess they don’t need him right now?

TORONTO FC  L 0-2  v Philadelphia Union  •  Still no Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius], who’s out with an injured hamstring, and it looks like TFC could’ve used him.

MONTREAL IMPACT  L 2-3  @ Houston Dynamo  •  Well, it looks like the Impact D that we once knew didn’t go too far.  A week after helping Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] shut out the Crew, the boys in bleu let Houston put three by him in a road loss.  Bush made three saves to keep things close – Montreal was leading 2-1 after 55 minutes, after all – but that only made his save percentage for the match 50.

DC UNITED  D 0-0  @ Vancouver Whitecaps  •  Still no Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School], who’s out with an injured groin, but this road point was a decent reward for DC.

COLUMBUS CREW  W 3-0  v Chivas USA  •  Still no Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] for the Crew, as he recovers from rib-removal-blood-clot-alleviation surgery, and Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub.  The Crew climbed back into playoff contention with the win.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  D 3-3  v San Jose Earthquakes  •  This match was end-to-end action for all 90+ minutes.  And if it hadn’t been for the stellar performance of Earthquakes keeper Jon Busch, it would probably have been a 7-3 Portland win.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started and went 90 and Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub in this see-saw goalfest.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was not in the team.

UP NEXT
MONTREAL  v  LOS ANGELES, Wednesday, 10 September, 730pm
New York  v  DC UNITED, 8pm – ESPN2
New England  v  MONTREAL, Saturday, 13 September, 730pm
Chicago  v  Toronto FC, 830pm
Houston  v  COLUMBUS, 830pm
Colorado  v  PORTLAND, 9pm
San Jose  v  LOS ANGELES, Sunday, 14 September, 3pm – UniMás

The Non-MLS Report
INDY ELEVEN  W 2-1  v Atlanta Silverbacks  •  The Eleven got its third win of the season, but it came at a cost.  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] started at left back, but then was subbed out in the 17th minute with an injury.  I’ll keep you updated on his status for this weekend’s game.  NEXT  UP:  v FC Edmonton, Saturday, 13 September, 730pm

OTTAWA FURY  D 2-2  v Carolina Railhawks  •  Our man of the weekend would be Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] if we awarded one.  He assisted on both goals, highlighted by this pass (2:33 mark) that made the Fury’s tally in the dying seconds of second-half injury time.  NEXT UP:  @ Tampa Bay Rowdies, Saturday, 13 September, 730pm 

WILMINGTON HAMMERHEADS  L 0-2  @ Rochester Rhinos;  W 4-0 v Dayton Dutch Lions  •  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] started both, played 90 in both and made three and six saves, respectively, in the two matches.  The split put the Hammerheads in the USL-PRO Playoffs as the #7 seed, and they’ll travel west to take on #3-seed Sacramento Republic FC next Saturday at 1030pm.  (The photo of Stuver is from Wilmington’s game last week at Orlando City, but it’s really cool, no?)

PHOTO CREDIT:  Bush – USA Today Sports Images; Stuver – Neill Worrall, Florida Leisure

2014 Week Twenty-Four Report

Everyone has fewer than ten games left in their seasons, so each contest is now super-important.  Three points lost are three points gained by a conference foe, and a draw is maybe not as good as it is bad… depending on others’ results.  It was a big week with a lot of our boys’ teams moving around the standings a little bit.  All that being said, only three of our MLS guys got and tick.  Here’s what went down last weekend:

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 4-1  v DC UNITED  •  A mid-week clash between two traditional rivals saw no action for either of our boys, but plenty of goals and attacking verve from the home side.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] was not in the travel squad thanks to a still-dodgy hammy and Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] was not in the Galaxy XVIII because… well… I can’t seem to be able to dig up anything that has happened to him.  Maybe the other guys at his spot – and there are a few – are just in better form at the moment.  Since getting smoked by the Crew in the middle of last month, the Galaxy have won four straight by a combined score of 13-4.

TORONTO FC  L 0-3  v New England Revolution  •  This loss cost TFC boss Ryan Nelsen his job, which was a weird thing, especially since the Reds were and are in a playoff spot.  Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius] was not available after tearing a hamstring last weekend.

MONTREAL IMPACT  W 2-0  v COLUMBUS CREW  •  Well, I’m honestly very happy for Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic], who authored his second shutout in three games, but I was certainly not happy that night as a Crew fan.  Not when an opportunity to cement a playoff spot went wasted.  Bush played well, making five saves along the way.  Truly, he deserved it.  Especially after all the goalfests the Impact’s porous defense has permitted during his four other starts (12 goals allowed).  Nevertheless, Montreal is still in the basement and the Crew are still in the basement of the playoff berths, clinging onto 5th place by the narrowest of margins (a 1-point lead over Philly, who have a game in hand as of last weekend).  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed in at mid for the final 14 minutes.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  W 3-0  @ Vancouver Whitecaps  •  They’re all must-win games now, but last Sunday’s was a mustn’t-lose match for the Timbers.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] picked an ideal time to turn in one of his best performances of the season.  He played all 90 and created the Timbers’ final goal of the game with this mazy dribble.  Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub and Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was not in the team.

DC UNITED  W 2-0  v New York Red Bulls  •  Nice bounce-back, DC.  Very nice.  No Korb, though.  Performances like that will win you the Atlantic Cup every year… which they did by winning the match and despite the fact the two teams will play again in less than a fortnight.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 3-0  @ Chivas USA  •  Galaxy still rollin’ on.  Not a Walker in sight.  Did you see this goal from Robbie Keane?  If not, it is most definitely worth watching.  Pretty sweet stuff from the Irishman.

UP NEXT
Philadelphia  v  TORONTO FC, Wednesday, 3 September, 730pm
LOS ANGELES  v  Colorado, Friday, 5 September, 1030pm – Univisión Deportes
TORONTO  v  Philadelphia, Saturday, 6 September, 2pm
Houston  v  MONTREAL, 830pm
Vancouver  v  DC UNITED, 10pm
COLUMBUS  v  Chivas USA, Sunday, 7 September, 3pm – UniMás
PORTLAND  v San Jose, 445pm – ESPN

 

The non-MLS Report
INDY ELEVEN  D 2-2  v New York Cosmos  •  The Eleven snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat with a 90th minute tally last Saturday night.  Making the win all the more exciting is the fact the Cosmos held a 2-0 lead at the 60-minute mark.  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] started and played all 90 at left back.  The draw puts Indy in the NASL’s ninth place with eight points.  NEXT UP:  @ Atlanta Silverbacks, Saturday, 6 September, 730pm

OTTAWA FURY  L 0-2  v Tampa Bay Rowdies  •  The Fury surrendered both goals in the first half en route to its fifth loss of the fall season.  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] started at offensive mid and played the first half before being subbed out.  Ottawa is now last in the league with five points from eight games.  NEXT UP:  v Carolina RailHawks, Sunday, 7 September, 3pm

WILMINGTON HAMMERHEADS  L 1-3  v Orlando City SC;  D 0-0  v Sacramento Republic FC  •  Brad Stuver [Twinburg/Twinsburg] played all of both matches, as the Hammerheads continue their push towards the USL-PRO playoffs.  He made seven saves against OC and two more against Sac FC.  Wilmington has three matches remaining in the regular season and can lock up a playoff berth by earning at least four points from those matches.  NEXT UP:  v Orlando City, Wednesday, 3 September, 730pm;  @ Dayton Dutch Lions, Friday, 5 September, 7pm;  @ Rochester Rhinos, Sunday, 7 Sepetmber, 405pm

PHOTO CREDIT:  Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA Today

The Non-MLS Report for (most of) August

Yep.  It’s been a while.  But let’s get caught up real quick.  Here’s what our fellas in the NASL and USL-PRO have been up to since August began:

INDY ELEVEN
   L 2-4 v Atlanta Silverbacks (2 Aug)
   D 0-0 v Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (6 Aug)
   L 0-2 @ San Antonio Scorpions (9 Aug)
   L 1-5 @ Minnesota United FC (16 Aug)
Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] was an unused sub against Atlanta but then returned to his normal starting gig at left back for the Strikers and Scorpions matches.  In the Minnesota United match, he started at left back and subbed out in the 67th minute.  The Eleven is currently eighth in the NASL with seven points from seven matches.  UP NEXT:  v Ottawa Fury, Saturday, 23 August, 730pm

OTTAWA FURY FC
   L 1-2  v Minnesota United FC (2 Aug)
   L 1-2  v Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (9 Aug)
   D 0-0  v San Antonio Scorpions (16 Aug)
Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor]  started and played 90 in the loss to Minnesota, scoring the Fury’s only goal and picking up a yellow card in the 61st minute.  He started as one of the center mids and played 90 against both the Strikers and Scorpions.  The Fury is currently last in the ten-team league, with just two points from six matches.  UP NEXT:  @ Indy Eleven, Saturday, 23 August, 730pm

WILMINGTON HAMMERHEADS FC
   L 1-2  v Dayton Dutch Lions (9 Aug)
   L 0-1  @ New York Red Bulls Reserves (15 Aug)
   L 0-2  @ Sacramento Republic FC (20 Aug)
Since being loaned to the Hammerheads of USL-PRO for the remainder of the season, Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] has yet to win a match or shut out an opponent, but we know that’s not all his fault.  The important thing is that for the first time in his professional career, he’s getting a steady run of games and playing time.  He started and played all of those matches.  UP NEXT:  @ Orange County Blues, Saturday, 23 August, 10pm; @ LA Galaxy II, Sunday, 24 August, 3pm

Early June non-MLS Report

The NASL Spring Season wrapped up a couple weeks ago, so here’s what went down with our two guys playing their ball in that competition:

 

OTTAWA FURY  L 0-1  v New York Cosmos  •  The Fury allowed an early goal to the visitors, but could not find their equalizer.  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] was not a part of the gameday 18.  For the season, he played in seven of nine matches and scored one goal, as the Fury put together a record of 3 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses, which was good for 6th place.  Next up:  Fall Season kicks off on 12 July when the Fury travels to FC Edmonton for a 6pm kickoff.

 

INDY ELEVEN  D 3-3  @ Atlanta Silverbacks  •  After being down 3-1 at  half and then fighting back with ten men to earn the three points, the Eleven can hold their heads up high about finishing the Spring Season on a positive note… sort of.  Giving up those three goals in the first half isn’t great, but to not fold up shop shows something.  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] played the first half and then subbed out.  On the season, he played in all nine matches, but did not register a point, as the Eleven went 0 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses, which was good for 10th (last) place.  Next up: Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup 4th Round @ Columbus Crew, Tuesday, 17 June, 730pm;  Fall Season kicks off on 12 July when the Eleven travels to Carolina RailHawks for a 730pm kickoff.

 

DAYTON DUTCH LIONS  L 3-4  @ Orange County Blues FC; L 1-5 @ LA Galaxy II; W 2-1 Arizona United FC  •  The Lions went out west and came back with some mixed results.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] did not make the trip, after having surgery to clean up some business in an ankle he damaged during Dayton’s USOC match with Indy back in late May.  The Lions added a goalkeeper to their roster recently, so it’s going to be interesting to see what happens to Stuver once he begins training again.  Next up: v Rochester Rhinos, Friday, 20 June, 735pm

2014 Week Twelve non-MLS Report

INDY ELEVEN  D 1-1  @ New York Cosmos  •  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] started and played all 90 as the Eleven picked up its first road point of the season.  Indy is currently last in the 10-team NASL, with three points from seven matches.  Next up:  Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, 3rd Round  v Dayton Dutch Lions, Wednesday, 28 May, 730pm;  v San Antonio Scorpions, Saturday, 31 May, 730pm

OTTAWA FURY  L 2-3  v San Antonio Scorpions  •  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] scored his first goal of the season to give the Fury a 2-1 lead in the 80th minute, but… the roof fell in over the final ten minutes and his team ended up with a tough loss.  Ubiparipovic was named Ottawa’s Player of the Week, but I bet he’d rather have gotten the win.  Ottawa is currently eighth in the NASL, with seven points from seven matches.  Next up: FC Edmonton, Saturday, 31 May, 7pm

DAYTON DUTCH LIONS  L 1-2  v Sacramento Republic FC  •  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] started in goal and played all 90, making two saves in the loss.  Dayton is currently 11th out of 14 teams in USL PRO, with eight points from nine matches.  Next up: Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, 3rd Round  @ Indy Eleven, Wednesday, 28 May, 730pm;  v Rochester Rhinos, Sunday, 1 June, 7pm