2015 Week 25 Report

There were just a handful of matches this week, as every team played one except for Columbus, which was idle.  Here’s how our fellas did this past weekend:

MONTREAL IMPACT  D 2-2  Vancouver Whitecaps  •  Leg One of the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship Final didn’t end the way the Impact wanted.  It was good they didn’t lose – in fact, they fought back from being down 2-0 to avoid the loss, but it was bad they allowed two road goals to the Caps.  If they can go to Vancouver on the 26th and win by a shutout or by two clear goals, the Voyageurs Cup will remain theirs for the third year running.  Otherwise, no dice.  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] was the backup keeper for Montreal.

DC UNITED  L 1-3  @ New York City FC  •  Last Thursday night, Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] started at right back, but left the game with a serious knee injury in the 79th minute and the home side scored twice after that to earn all three points.  After the medical staff checked him out, it was learned that Korb has a torn right ACL and is potentially done for the season.  What an unfortunate thing – yes, for the Eastern Conference leaders, but moreso, obviously for Korb.  We wish him the best of luck in his recovery!

TORONTO FC  L 0-3  @ New York Red Bulls  •  The Red Bulls brought the hammer down on TFC on Saturday night in Harrison, New Jersey.  The bright spot – from our point-of-view – is that Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] started and played 90 at center back alongside Justin Morrow [Shaker Heights/St. Ignatius], who went 81 minutes at left back before subbing out.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 2-1  @ FC Dallas  •  Unlike the NYCFC DP trio, the Galaxy’s big three have been on fire since they joined forces over the past few weeks.  Winning in Dallas isn’t easy, but LA made it happen with a total team effort.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] was not in the team for this contest.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  W 1-0  @ Real Salt Lake  •  The Timbers got their goal in the fifth minute of second-half extra time and it came from former RSL fan favorite Nat Borchers.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started and played 82 minutes.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was an unused sub,

Next Week’s Matches:
~ Tuesday, 18 August
LOS ANGELES  v  Comunicaciones, CCL Group D match, 1030pm – live on Fox Sports 2
~ Wednesday, 19 August
COLUMBUS  v  NYCFC, 730pm
DC UNITED  v  Arabe Unido, CCL Group
~ Friday, 21 August
PORTLAND  v  Houston, 1030pm – live on UniMas
~ Saturday, 22 August
TORONTO  v  Orlando City, 4pm
DC  v  San Jose, 7pm
COLUMBUS  v  Sporting KC, 730pm
MONTREAL  v  Philadelphia, 8pm
~ Sunday, 23 August
LOS ANGELES  v  NYCFC, 3pm – live on ESPN

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Here’s how things went for our NASL and USL guys:

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  D 1-1  CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE  •  The ‘Hounds went up in the first half, but then allowed the visitors to equalize five minutes from the break.  Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] started up top for Pitt and subbed out in the 81st minute.  Jack Thompson [Hudson/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub for the visitors.  The two teams will meet again on Saturday down in Charlotte at 730pm.

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  L 0-1  @ Jacksonville Armada FC  •  The ‘Backs’ trip down I-75 (and then east on I-10) was all for naught, as they fell by the narrowest of margins.  Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub.  Next up for Atlanta is visit from the Indy Eleven for a 730pm match on Saturday.

INDY ELEVEN  •  The boys in blue were idle last weekend, but they’ll play twice this week – Tampa Bay visits on Wednesday at 730pm, and Atlanta will be awaiting the Eleven on Saturday.

OTTAWA FURY  L 1-2  Minnesota United FC  •  A goal from the visitors struck after the 90-minute mark stole two points from Ottawa and ended the Fury’s 12-match unbeaten run, though they do remain in first place this Fall Season.  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] started and played 88 minutes as attacking mid.  Next Saturday, the Fury is idle, but they return to action on the 26th at home against the New York Cosmos.

 PHOTO CREDIT:  Korb/USA Today Sports; 

2015 Week 24 Report

It was a busy few days for our boys last weekend, featuring two teams playing twice and a mess of goals all across the board.  Here’s how their teams did last week:

MONTREAL IMPACT  D 1-1  New York Red Bulls  •  On Wednesday night, Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] gave up a goal in the second half and made one save in his 90 minutes.  Montreal scored in the first half, but could not keep their visitors quiet – but to their credit, they kept things tight for the last 11 minutes after having a man sent off.

TORONTO FC  W 4-1  Orlando City SC  •  Too much Giovinco – that was the story in this one, as the little man scored three goals and was constantly a threat to the OCSC backline.  Justin Morrow [Shaker Heights/St. Ignatius] started at right back and played all 90 for TFC.  New Red Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] was not in the team.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 5-1  Central FC  •  The Angelinos opened up their 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League season the best way possible, by hammering an outmanned bunch from Trinidad & Tobago in the teams’ Group D lid-lifter.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] started as a holding mid and played all 90.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  W 1-0  Chicago Fire  •  On Friday night in the Rose City, the Timbers scored once after the break to earn the three points.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started and played 90 at attacking mid.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was not in the gameday XVIII.

TORONTO FC  L 1-3  Sporting Kansas City  •  Morrow subbed on for the final 21 minutes of this one, in hopes that his offensive leanings would get the game back to level (TFC trailed 2-1 at the time), but the final nail in the coffin came with three minutes to play.  Unlike midweek, the Reds suffered from too little Giovinco… though he did assist on the goal and generally speaking, Sporting is a lot better defensively than Orlando City.  No Williams in this one either.

MONTREAL IMPACT  L 0-1  DC UNITED  •  One shot, one goal, three points.  DC did the most with the least in this one, becoming the only team in league history to ever achieve that feat.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] played all 90 for the victors.  Bush did too, but all he got for his efforts were bumps in his Goals Against Average and Save Percentage stats.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  W 2-1  @ Colorado Rapids  •  There’s been a lot of talk about the diminutive fella in Toronto, but the leading goal scorer in MLS is Kei Kamara of Columbus.  He bagged both in this win, the Crew SC’s first in Denver since 2009.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was the backup keeper.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 2-1  Seattle Sounders  •  Despite allowing a goal in the first couple minutes of the match, the Galaxy rebounded to defeat the Sounders at home on Sunday.  Walker was an unused sub.

Next Week’s Matches
~ Wednesday, 12 August
MONTREAL  v  Vancouver, 730pm – Amway Canadian Championship, leg 1
~ Thursday, 13 August
NYCFC  v  DC, 730pm
~ Saturday, 15 August
NYRB  v  TFC, 7pm
FC Dallas  v  LOS ANGELES, 9pm
RSL  v  PORTLAND, 10pm

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Here are the details on how our USL and NASL guys did last week:

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE  D 2-2  New York Red Bulls II  •  Those two teams each scored in each half – with the Red Bulls’ JV opening and closing the scoring.  Jack Thompson [Hudson/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed in for the final four minutes.  Up next for Charlotte is the return leg of the NYRB home-and-home on Wednesday, 12 August for a 730pm kickoff, followed by a Saturday contest at 7pm in Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  W 3-1  @ Toronto FC II  •  Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] started up top and played 86 minutes of this road win that moves the Hounds up into the Eastern Conference top four.  Up next for Pitt is the visit from Charlotte on Saturday.

OTTAWA FURY FC  W 4-1  @ INDY ELEVEN  •  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] got the party started with a goal in the fourth minute, as the Fall Season league leaders dominated from start to finish.  His work that night earned him a spot on the NASL Team of the Week.  For Indy, Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] played all 90 at left back and Judson McKinney [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub.  The Fury hosts Minnesota United FC on Saturday at 7pm, while Indy will host the Tampa Bay Rowdies at 730pm on the 19th.  Earlier in the week, Indy lost 2-0 to FC Edmonton and in that match, Hyland and McKinney flipped roles. 

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  W 2-1  Fort Lauderdale Strikers;  D 3-3  San Antonio Scorpions  •  It’s not often you see one team getting three guys sent off in the same game, but that’s what happened to the Strikers in Atlanta last Wednesday.  Yes, the outcome was already in hand by the time the cards started flying, but going 11-v-8 didn’t hurt Atlanta’s efforts.  On Saturday, it was goals galore as the home side squandered a 3-1 lead in the 57th minute to end up with one point.  Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed on up top in second-half extra time on Wednesday and on the weekend, he got in for the final four minutes plus stoppage.  Up next for Atlanta is a 730pm game on Saturday in Jacksonville with Armada FC.

PHOTO CREDIT:  lagalaxy.com; Matt Schlotzhauer

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 22 Report

Lots of goals this weekend in our boys’ games.  You know the old adage about the weather heating up and the scoring going up.  Makes sense.  Here’s what our fellas’ teams did this past Saturday and Sunday:

COLUMBUS CREW SC  D 3-3  TORONTO FC  •  If I’m truly being fair and balanced, I’d want all of our head-to-head matches to end as draws with our boys scoring lots of goals… or 0-0 if it’s the two keepers facing off.  But I’ve been a Crew SC fan since 1996, so this one was disappointing, to say the least.  With the Black & Gold up 3-0 just moments into the second half, things were looking good.  But… yeah.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was the backup keeper for Columbus and Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was not in the gameday XVIII.  For the Reds, Justin Morrow [Shaker Heights/St. Ignatius] did his usual 90 minutes at right back.

MONTREAL IMPACT  W 1-0  Seattle Sounders  •  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] started and played all 90 minutes, but turned in a completely clean stat line.  No saves, no punches, no shots faced… nada.  That doesn’t mean he just sat back there and ate a sandwich while his teammates did the rest, but it does reflect upon a solid team shutout.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  L 0-3  @ Houston Dynamo  •  It seems like Houston is just a tough place for LA to play.  The Galaxy’s all-time record there is 3-6-2 now, and the boys in orange have scored 16 goals in those contests.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] started as holding mid and played 71 minutes.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  L 1-4  @ FC Dallas  •  The Timbers can’t always beat Dallas and Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] can’t always score against them.  Though recent history has favored the PTFC gang, this Saturday night contest proved that there are few absolutes in MLS.  Nagbe started as an attacking mid and played 78 minutes.

NEW YORK CITY FC  W 5-3  Orlando City  •  If you hate defensive stalemates, this match was for you.  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] didn’t get in the team.

DC UNITED  W 3-2  Philadelphia Union  •  Down 2-0 after four minutes, the home side came all the way back and got their winner with 11 minutes to go.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] played all 90 and served up two assists to help earn him a spot on the Team of the Week.  If two dimes from an outside back won’t do that, I’m not sure what will.  Be sure to check out the highlights.

Next Week’s Matches
~ Saturday, 1 August
NYCFC  v  Montreal, 2pm
DC  v  RSL, 7pm
New England  v TFC, 730pm
OCSC  v  COLUMBUS, 730pm
Colorado  v  LOS ANGELES, 1030pm
~ Sunday, 2 August
San Jose  v  PORTLAND, 5pm

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Here’s what was up with our non-MLS guys last week:

OTTAWA FURY  W 2-1  Atlanta Silverbacks;  W 2-1  Carolina RailHawks  •  Well, look who’s all alone atop the NASL Fall Season table!  Two wins in a week by the same scoreline made it a reality for the worst-to-first bunch.  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] subbed on in the 69th minute against Atlanta to help provide some spark as the Fury looked to break a 1-1 tie.  On Sunday, he was an unused sub.  Next up for Ottawa is a Sunday afternoon match at FC Edmonton.

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  L 3-4  @ Harrisburg City Islanders  •  Versatility is a good thing when you’re an athlete, don’t you think?  A week after playing almost all 90 as a forward, Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] returned to right back for this thriller.  Three matches between these two teams have given their fans a total of 25 goals!  It took three goals in the final 20 minutes in order for the ten-man home side to get their first taste of victory in those Keystone Derby contests.  Next up for Pitt is a Saturday night visit from the Wilmington Hammerheads and a 7pm kickoff.

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE  W 2-0  FC Montreal  •  A goal in each half on Friday night did the deal for Charlotte, as Jack Thompson [Hudson/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed on for the final two minutes of this win.  Next up for the ‘Pendence is a visit from unbeaten and league-leading Rochester on Saturday for a 7pm kick.

INDY ELEVEN  D 1-1  New York Cosmos  •  These two teams had as many players ejected as they did goals in an eventful draw – their third 1-1 tie in as many meetings this year.  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] started at left back and played all 90.  Judson McKinney [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub.  Next up for the Eleven is a Saturday night visit from Atlanta and a 730pm kickoff.

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  W 3-1  FC Edmonton  •  The Silverbacks put the midweek loss behind them on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the land of peaches, when the home side had the run of play and did all its scoring after the halftime interval.  Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was not in the team for either match this week.

 

2015 Week 21 Report

Before we get to the weekend’s MLS action, we had a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal earlier in the week.  It went, unfortunately, just like last year’s one octavos de final matchup went for one of our fellas’ teams.  Here’s how everything went since our last posting:

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  L 0-1  @ Real Salt Lake  •  On Tuesday night, RSL knocked the Galaxy out of the Cup by the narrowest of margins.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] started in the middle and played 77 minutes before subbing out in favor of a forward as the visitors chased the game to no avail.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  W 1-0  @ Chicago Fire  •  FINALLY!!!  It only took ten games, but Crew SC got its first road win of the season on Wednesday night.  Despite dominating the match, it was the narrowest of margins that earned the three points.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was the backup goalie on the night, but Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] did not make the trip to Chi-town.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 5-2  San Jose Earthquakes  •  Walker started and played 82 minutes of this contest that continued LA’s recent roll through the MLS regular season schedule.  It’s now 20 goals in five games and four victories in those games.

TORONTO FC  W 2-1  @ Philadelphia Union  •  TFC can really put on some brilliant performances when they’re in the mood.  It sure helps when midseason MVP candidate Sebastian Giovinco is doing what he has been doing lately.  The Reds were in control from the get-go and are firmly in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.  Justin Morrow [Shaker Heights/St. Ignatius] started at right back and played all 90.

NEW YORK CITY FC  L 0-1  @ New England Revolution  •  The hosts scored early and did the rest with defense.  Still no Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] who is out injured.

MONTREAL IMPACT  L 1-2  @ Sporting Kansas City  •  Sporting hasn’t been beaten at home this calendar year.  The Impact put up a good fight, but weren’t strong enough to end the streak.  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] made a couple saves and had to deal with three other dangerous shots/crosses.

DC UNITED  L 1-2  @ FC Dallas  •  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] started at right back and then was subbed out at halftime for a forward.  DC Head Coach Ben Olsen must’ve seen something he didn’t like that called for the formation change.  Despite that, FCD scored first and then DC equalized before the home side got its winner in extra time.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  D 1-1  Vancouver Whitecaps  •  The two sides split the goals, one in each half, and they also split the points.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started and played 83 minutes.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was not in the gameday XVIII.  The Timbers currently find themselves in last place in this season’s Cascadia Cup standings.  It wouldn’t be impossible for them to end up on top, but they’ll need to win their 30 August match at Seattle and then hope the Whitecaps and Sounders tie in their two upcoming games.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  W 3-1  Chicago Fire  •  While the Crew didn’t dominate on Sunday like they did earlier in the week, they were aided by a Fire red card in the second half.  The win was convincing and the three points were well-deserved.  Same roles for Stuver and Speas as on Wednesday.

Next Week’s Matches:
~ Saturday, 25 July
COLUMBUS  v  TFC, 730pm
MONTREAL  v  Seattle, 8pm
Houston  v  LA, 9pm
Dallas  v  PORTLAND, 9pm
~ Sunday, 26 July
NYCFC  v  Orlando, 230pm – live on Fox Sports 1
DC  v  Philadelphia, 5pm – live on ESPN2

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ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  D 2-2  @ Fort Lauderdale Strikers  •  A road point is better than a loss, no?  Even if you’re winning 2-1 until the 90th minute, when a PK for the home side levels things?  I dunno… Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was not in the team for this match.  Next up, the ‘Backs travel to Ottawa for a 7pm kickoff on Wednesday.

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE  D 0-0  @ Rochester Ragin’ Rhinos  •  Jack Thompson [Hudson/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed on and played 14 minutes.  Next up for Charlotte is a home game on Saturday with FC Montreal at 730pm.

OTTAWA FURY  W 4-2  INDY ELEVEN  •  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] did his normal 90 minutes at attacking mid and he created the opening goal for the home side with a free kick that Rafael Alves headed home.  Indy’s Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] started at left back and played 90.  Judson McKinney [Cuyahoga Falls/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed on in the 77th minute and scored a consolation goal in the 90th minute.  Next up for Ottawa is the Atlanta game on Wednesday, while Indy hosts New York Saturday at 730pm.

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  L 1-2  Louisville City FC  •  The teams traded goals in the first half before the visitors got their winner in the second half.  Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] started at forward and played 83 minutes.  Next up is a Keystone Derby trip to Harrisburg on Saturday for a 630pm match.

2015 Week 19 Report

We had two head-to-heads over the USA Birthday Weekend, a weekend that two of our guys will want to put in their rearview mirror ASAP.  Check out the highlights to see what I mean.  Here’s how it all went down:

DC UNITED  L 0-1  @ Seattle Sounders  •  A late goal for the home side sent the visitors flying back across the country lamenting missed chances and the poorly-dealt-with corner kick that led to their demise.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] played all 90 at right back for DC.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  W 2-1  New York Red Bulls  •  A goal in each half gave the Black and Gold all three points.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] and Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] were unused subs for Crew SC.

MONTREAL IMPACT  L 1-2  NEW YORK CITY FC  •  The visitors’ Designated Player, David Villa, scored twice to give his team all three points.  The second goal came on a free kick that went past Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] and just inside his left-hand post.  Bush made one save in the loss for Montreal.  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] is still out with an adductor strain.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 4-0  TORONTO FC  •  And yet again, the reigning MLS Champs pounded their opponent on their home turf.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] subbed on for the final four minutes of the victory for his Galaxy.  Justin Morrow [Shaker Heights/St. Ignatius] played 90 at right back for TFC.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  W 1-0  San Jose Earthquakes  •  PTFC got a late, late goal from Jack Jewsbury that was a bit of a goof – he literally closed his eyes, stuck his foot out and hoped for the best – to earn all three points.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] played 84 minutes of this contest before subbing out.  He’s still not 100% after a shoulder injury he suffered the week before at Los Angeles.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was an unused sub.

Next Weekend’s Matches:
~ Saturday, 11 July
Philadelphia  v  PORTLAND, 7pm
MONTREAL  v  COLUMBUS, 8pm
LOS ANGELES  v  Club América, 11pm – International Champions Cup, live on Fox Sports 1 (or 2)
~ Sunday, 12 July
NYCFC  v  TFC, 3pm – live on ESPN2

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NASL’s Fall Season got underway this past weekend and the USL campaign kept on rolling.  Here’s what those dudes were up to in their games:

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  L 1-2  @ Tampa Bay Rowdies  –  Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] started up top and played all 90 as these two teams traded own goals.  Next up for the ATL is its home opener against Jacksonville Armada FC, Saturday at 730pm.

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE  L 2-1  v St. Louis FC  –  Jack Thompson [Hudson/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed on at halftime.  Next up for Charlotte is a trip to Louisville to for a 730pm contest next Saturday.

INDY ELEVEN  D 0-0  v Monarcas Morelia;  D 1-1  @ New York Cosmos  –  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] subbed on in the 59th minute of the Eleven’s international friendly against Liga MX club Monarcas.  He started at left back and played all 90 of the draw at the Cosmos.  Judson McKinney [Cuyahoga Falls/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] played the second half against the Mexicans and was an unused sub at New York.  Next up for Indy is a 730pm Saturday visit from the Carolina RailHawks.

OTTAWA FURY  W 2-0  Jacksonville Armada FC  –  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] started at attacking mid and subbed out after 86 minutes.  Next up for the Fury is a visit from Minnesota United FC on Saturday at 730pm.

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  W 3-0  v NYRB II  –  Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] started at right back and played all 90.  The ‘Hounds have two games next week, starting with a Wednesday trip to Canada to play TFC II at 8, followed by Saturday’s home game against other Canadians when FC Montreal shows up at 4pm.

PHOTO CREDIT – mlssoccer.com

2015 Week 18 Report

While the good people of Cleveland (especially Put-In-Bay, where I am for most of this summer) got soaked by a freshwater hurricane on Saturday, the league carried on in other parts of the country.  Jeez!!!  Here’s how our fellas did this weekend:

TORONTO FC  D 0-0  DC UNITED  •  Off to the east and across the lakes, the weather wasn’t much better, and it showed in the result.  The highlights aren’t must-see TV, but if you’re hard-core, you’ll check them out.  Our two guys both played 90 at right back for their respective teams – Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] for DC and Justin Morrow [Shaker Heights/St. Ignatius] for TFC.  Korb did pick up a yellow card for a second-half foul.

MONTREAL IMPACT  D 2-2  @ Philadelphia Union  •  Further east and south, the weather in Philly was no less awful than in Toronto, but there were a couple ejections to keep everyone warm – one for each team.  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] made two saves in the match for the visitors.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  D 2-2  @ Real Salt Lake  •  Getting a point on the road isn’t a thing to be taken lightly, especially when you basically give two goals away and then fight back twice to get even.  The point was just the Black and Gold’s fourth away from home on the season.  Interestingly, this was the fourth time this season that the Crew played against a team that finished the match with 10 men.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was the backup goalie for the Crew.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  L 1-3  @ San Jose Earthquakes  •  The league folks were touting this weekend as Rivalry Week.  I’m not so sure about the ferocity of the other matchups this weekend, but the Caliclásico never disappoints.  LA got an early lead on the road before SJ answered with three after the break.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] was an unused sub for the Galaxy.

NEW YORK CITY FC  L 1-3  New York Red Bulls  •  The newest rivalry in the league is turning out to be pretty decent on the field.  NYCFC scored early and then NYRB scored three to steal the points.  No Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] for NYCFC, as he’s still out injured.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  W 4-1  Seattle Sounders  •  Our fella Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] opened the scoring in this installation of the Cascadia Cup rivalry and he added an assist on the game-winning goal as the Timbers jumped up to third place in the Western Conference.  It was a fantastic 80-minute shift for D-Nags.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was an unused sub.

In the middle of this upcoming week, we’ll have a bunch of our fellas in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal (they call it the 5th Round) action.  Then we’ll have a full slate of games for the holiday weekend.  Here’s a look at Next Week’s Matches:

~ Tuesday, 30 June * USOC Quarterfinals *
DC @ Philly, 7pm
COLUMBUS @ Orlando City, 730pm
Chicago Fire v CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE, 830pm
~ Wednesday, 1 July * USOC Quarterfinals *
PORTLAND @ RSL, 10pm
LA @ San Jose, 1030pm
~ Saturday, 4 July
COLUMBUS  v  New York Red Bulls, 730pm
MONTREAL  v  NYCFC, 8pm
LA  v  TFC, 1030pm
~ Sunday, 5 July
PORTLAND  v  San Jose, 5pm – live on ESPN2

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And now for our USL guys:

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  L 0-1  @ Rochester Rhinos  •  Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] started at outside mid and played 74 minutes before subbing out on a rainy, windy, awful night in Western New York.  Next Saturday, the ‘Hounds will host NYRB II at 730pm.

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE  D 0-0  Richmond Kickers  •  Jack Thompson [Hudson/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub as the two teams only were able to play 45 minutes of soccer before severe thunderstorms brought an early end to the proceedings.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers

2015 Week 13 Report

These next couple weeks, there are a ton of games on the slate for our guys.  Three teams doubled up this past week, and looking ahead, a load of international friendlies, MLS contests and US Open Cup 3rd and 4th Round ties will keep everyone busy and hopefully get all of our fellow who are fit a bunch of playing time.  Here’s what went on last week:

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 1-0  Real Salt Lake  •  LA got an early PK and did the rest with a solid effort to grind out the win.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] subbed on for the final eight minutes to help kill off the game.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  W 1-0  DC UNITED  •  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] played 90 for the hosts and kept the DC defenders on their toes all night long, but for the first time all season, did not draw a foul.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] played 90 for DC.

TORONTO FC  W 3-1  San Jose Earthquakes  •  And the winner is… Justin Morrow [Shaker Heights/St. Ignatius]!!  Winner of what, you ask?  Could be photo of the season, don’t you think?  That IS a fantastic pic, but that’s not I mean.  He’s the first of our men to score a goal in a league match this season!  His 27th minute diving header was truly a thing of beauty.  Textbook.  Yes, he did his usual start-at-left-back-and-play-90 thing, but his team got the win, which was icing on the cake.  No surprise here, but he even made the Team of the Week.  If you’re looking for more video of Morrow, here’s a piece that the TFC folks put together on his visit to an elementary school in Toronto.  Again, what a photo!!

NEW YORK CITY FC  D 1-1  Houston Dynamo  •  No Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] for NYCFC, as the two teams traded first-half goals on that tiny, little Yankee Stadium pitch.

DC UNITED  W 2-1  Philadelphia Union  •  Helluva bounce-back from DC, who got a late goal and a come-from-behind win three days after a cross-country trip and a loss.  Korb didn’t start, but he subbed in to play the final 17 minutes.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  D 2-2  Orlando City FC  •  Goal up, man down, level, goal up, give up a late one for a point.  That’s the quick version of the Crew SC’s trip to Orlando.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was the backup keeper and Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub.

MONTREAL IMPACT  L 0-3  @ Chicago Fire  •  It’s never easy playing at Chicago, as Montreal found out last Saturday night.  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] made eight saves and was under pressure from start-to-finish.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  W 2-1  @ Colorado Rapids  •  All road wins are sweet, but this one tasted just a little bit better than some others.  Nagbe played 57 minutes before subbing out with Portland up 1-0.  The two teams amazingly traded goals after the scoreboard showed 90:00 and the Timbers got the last one.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  D 2-2  @ New England Revolution  •  All the goals came in the first half, with the Revs’ pair sandwiched around the Galaxy’s.  Walker was an unused sub.

Next Week’s Games
Wednesday, 3 June
~ DC v Chicago, 730pm
~ Philadelphia v COLUMBUS, 730pm
~ MONTREAL v Vancouver, 8pm
Saturday, 6 June
~ Philadelphia v NYCFC, 7pm
~ DC v TFC, 7pm
~ COLUMBUS v MONTREAL, 730pm
~ LA v Vancouver, 1030pm
~ PORTLAND v New England, 1030pm

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Our NASL and USL PRO guys were busy in the Open Cup this past week.

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  W 2-1  @ FC Chattanooga  •  Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub while his team came back from a late goal to win the tie in extra time on Wednesday, 27 May.  The ‘Backs advance to play at the New York Red Bulls in the 4th Round.  They have the NASL bye week this round.

INDY ELEVEN  L 0-2  Louisville City FC  •  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay]

started at left back and played all 120 minutes, as it took extra time for the new USL PRO club to knock off its northern NASL neighbors.  Could this be the beginning of a tasy I-65 derby?  Three days later, Hyland put in a performance that earned him NASL Player of the Week honors after a 2-2 draw with the visiting Tampa Bay Rowdies.  His goal at the death – the first of his professional career – rescued a point for Indy, and also put him on the NASL Team of the Week.  He played about 100 minutes in that match, which were spread out over about four hours, thanks to a bad weather delay in the middle of the proceedings.  Next up for the Eleven is a Saturday trip to Fort Lauderdale for a 730pm kickoff with the Strikers.

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  W 1-0  Tampa Bay Rowdies  •  Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] started at right back and played all 90+ of this victory that sees the ‘Hounds advance to a 4th Round tie against DC United.  On the weekend, Pittsburgh won its Keystone Derby match by the unbelievable scoreline of 6-5.  That is not a typo.  Green started at right back, but subbed out in the 58th minute with Pittsburgh trailing 4-2.  Obviously, he missed out on a lot of the fireworks, but he did have a great seat for it on the bench.  Next up for the ‘Hounds is a Saturday visit from Saint Louis FC and a 730pm kickoff with the new USL PRO side.

OTTAWA FURY  D 0-0  FC Edmonton  •  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] started and played 73 minutes before subbing out of this match, which earned the Fury an important away point.  Next up for Ottawa is a a Sunday trip to Jacksonville to take on the Armada FC in a 4pm start.

PORTLAND TIMBERS 2  W 3-1  @ Tulsa Roughnecks FC  •  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] started, played all 90 and score a pair of goals in T2’s road win.  If getting match fitness and working on sharpening his technical abilities while still clawing his way back into the “varsity” 18 is the challenge, he seems to be rising it nicely.

PHOTO CREDIT:  (Morrow) The Canadian Press, (Hyland) indyeleven.com/Matt Schlotzhauer

2015 Week 12 Report

Long story short, it was a Draw-Win-Win/Loss-Draw-Win-Loss kind of weekend. Here’s how our fellas and their respective teams did:

COLUMBUS CREW SC  D 2-2  v Chicago Fire  •  On a night when the Crew SC were the superior team for most of the game, the plucky little Fire huffed and puffed and scraped out a road draw, getting their second goal in the final minute of the match.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed on for the 87th minute and Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was the backup keeper.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  W 1-0  v Houston Dynamo  •  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] has returned from injury and is now full fit, but he got upstaged by Robbie Keane’s return from injury in which he created the Galaxy’s final-minute game-winning goal.  Walker was an unused sub on the night, but with two matches this upcoming week, we could see him get some minutes.

TORONTO FC  W 1-0  v PORTLAND TIMBERS  •  It wasn’t exactly some sort of mini version of The Holy War, but it was Justin Morrow‘s team [Cleveland/St. Ignatius] getting the better of Darlington Nagbe‘s team [Lakewood/St. Edward] for the third game running.  TFC won 3-2 last year and Morrow’s San Jose won 2-1 back in late July of 2013.  Both men played all of this match, which was settled by TFC’s little Italian DP.  BTW, Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] is back and fully recovered from his sports hernia surgery and he’s been turning out for the Timbers 2 of USL PRO recently and looking lively and good.  Should just be a matter of time before he’s back in the first team.

DC UNITED  D 1-1  @ New England Revolution  •  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] started at right back and played 65 minutes, subbing out with his team down 1-0 on the scoreboard, but up two men on the field.  DC’s equalizer would come 15 minutes after Korb’s departure and it was a well-stolen point by the Black and Red.

MONTREAL IMPACT  W 2-1  v FC Dallas  •  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] was back in net for the Impact and he sure was busy, making seven important saves, like THIS ONE, punching away three dangerous balls and catching two crosses.  FCD took 14 corners in the match and didn’t technically score off any of them.  Despite all he did do on the night, Bush will be replaying the visitors’ goal in his head (how about a little help, other defenders?) – which began from an illegally-placed corner kick, BTW.  Much easier to get away with when you’re in the left corner, no doubt.

NEW YORK CITY FC  L 0-2  @ Real Salt Lake  •  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] was not in the travel team for this loss and has been out for the past two weeks after suffering an adductor injury.

Next Week’s Matches
Wednedsay, 27 May
~ LOS ANGELES  v  Real Salt Lake, 1030pm
~ PORTLAND  v  DC UNITED, 1030pm
Saturday, 30 May
~ TORONTO FC  v  San Jose, 5pm
~ NYCFC  v  Houston, 7pm
~ DC UNITED  v  Philadelphia, 7pm
~ Orlando City  v  COLUMBUS, 730pm
~ Chicago  v  MONTREAL, 830pm
~ Colorado  v  PORTLAND, 9pm
Sunday, 31 May
~ New England  v  LOS ANGELES, 7pm – live on Fox Sports 1

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And now the NASL and USL-PRO guys’ report:

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  •  On Saturday night, the Hounds beat Richmond 2-1 to pick up some huge away points.  Mike Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] subbed on for the final 29 minutes for the Hounds, who gave the Kickers their first home loss of the season to improve to 3-3-3 on the season.  Earlier in the week, Pittsburgh hosted the USL PDL’s West Virginia Chaos in a US Open Cup 2nd Round tie the resulted in a Riverhounds 3-0 victory.  Green started at right back as usual and played all 90.  Coming up will be another two-match week for Pittsburgh.  On Wednesday, they’ll continue their run in the USOC 3rd Round when they take on NASL side Tampa Bay Rowdies on Wednesday at home at 7pm.  On Saturday, it’ll be a return to USL PRO action with leg two of the Keystone Derby when the Harrisburg City Islanders visit for a 7pm kickoff.

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  L 2-4  @ FC Edmonton  •  The two teams played more than 40 scoreless minutes before the hosts got their first goal, then one each in the 54th and 66th minutes gave them a comfy lead they wouldn’t relinquish.  Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] started up top and subbed out once the score went to 3-0.  This Wednesday, the Silverbacks enter the USOC with a 3rd Round trip north a bit to play the NPSL’s Chatanooga FC at 730pm.  This weekend is Atlanta’s NASL bye and they currently sit on eight points from eight matches in the Spring Season.

OTTAWA FURY  W 1-0  v INDY ELEVEN  •  Our two guys in this game both played all of it, with Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] and the Fury coming out on top of Kyle Hyland’s [Bay Village/Bay] Eleven.  It’s obviously great to see these two fully fit, starting and contributing to their teams’ efforts.  If you click on the link above (Fury website) and watch the highlights, you can see the two come together just prior to the goal.  The Fury has eight points from seven NASL matches, while the Eleven has six from seven.  Up next for Ottawa is a visit from FC Edmonton for a 7pm Friday night kickoff.  Indy will take on USL PRO’s Louisville City FC in the USOC 3rd Round on Wednesday night for a 730pm kickoff, and they’ll welcome Tampa Bay on Saturday night for a 730pm game.

 

2015 Week 11 Report

My creativity tank is nearly dry, so I can’t even muster up something witty for the intro paragraph.  I apologize.  Here’s how things went this past week for our guys:

TORONTO FC  W 3-2  v MONTREAL IMPACT, ACC Semifinal, leg 2  •  While TFC won the match, it was the Impact that advanced to the ACC Final, thanks to the away goals tiebreaker after the aggregate score was knotted at 3-3.  The Reds thought they had it in the bag until a late strike from Dominic Oduro sent les Bleus to   Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius] started and played 89 minutes before subbing out for TFC and Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] was the backup goalkeeper for Montreal.

DC UNITED  W 2-1  v Orlando City SC  •  DC continued its roll at home with this victory – now 18 straight undefeated in all competitions.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] was an unused sub.

MONTREAL IMPACT  W 4-1  v Real Salt Lake  •  Bush was in net for a very strong performance by Montreal, who will hope they’re starting to get on a roll.  He made five saves on the night.

TORONTO FC  D 1-1  @ New England Revolution  •  Morrow started at right back and played 90 as the Reds picked up an impressive point on the road.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  L 1-3  @ Houston Dynamo  •  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started and played 76 minutes before subbing out.  This match certainly wasn’t one for the ages, but the home side finished when it counted most and took the three points.

COLUMBUS CREW SC  L 0-2  @ San Jose Earthquakes  •  While the result wasn’t ideal, one positive is that for the first time all season, Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was the backup goalie for the Crew SC.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] did not make the trip out west.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  L 0-4  @ Orlando City SC  •  Ouch.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] is still coming back from sports hernia surgery.

DC UNITED  L 0-1  v Philadelphia Union  •  The home team scored the game’s only goal in final seconds to earn the points and end the visitors’ eight-match unbeaten run.  Korb started and played 90 in the weekend nightcap.

Next Week’s Games
Friday, 22 May
~ COLUMBUS  v  Chicago, 8pm – live on UDN
~ LOS ANGELES  v  Houston, 1030pm – live on UDN
Saturday, 23 May
~ TORONTO  v  PORTLAND, 5pm
~ New England  v  DC UNITED, 730pm
~ MONTREAL  v  FC Dallas, 8pm
~ Real Salt Lake  v  NYCFC, 10pm

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Here’s the report on our NASL and USL-PRO guys:

INDY ELEVEN  L 1-3  v Minnesota United FC  •  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] returned to the starting lineup at left back for the first time since early April, and he played all 90 minutes in this match.  Next Saturday, Indy travels way up northeast, as they’ll visit the Fury for a 3pm kickoff.

OTTAWA FURY  •  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] and his mates enjoyed a bye week.  As mentioned above, they’ll host Indy next Saturday at 3pm.

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS  D 1-1  @ Jacksonville Armada FC  •  Matt Horth [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed on as a forward in the 78th minute, but is still searching for his first goal for Atlanta this season.  Just like Indy, the ‘Backs will also have to bust out their passports for a trip north of the border, when they play FC Edmonton at 4pm.

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  D 1-1  v Richmond Kickers  •  Michael Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] started at right back and played 77 minutes, as the ‘Hounds now have played to three 1-1 draws in their nine matches this season.  It’ll be a busy week for Pittsburgh, as they have a 2nd Round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup home tie with the West Virginia Chaos on Wednesday for a 7pm kickoff, followed by a trip to Richmond for a 7pm game on Saturday night.