2015 Preseason Report #4

The 2015 MLS preseason now turns into the regular season – despite fears of a labor impasse between owners and players that could result in a strike if a new Collective Bargaining Agreement can’t be finalized sometime in the next 24 hours.  Regardless of that, here’s our final preseason report.  Check back later in the week for a CCL report, to go along with a mini-preview of this weekend’s games.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  •  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward]  was the only one of our guys healthy enough to take part in the Timbers’ final preseason game, which brought to a close this year’s version of the Simple Invitational.  The hosts defeated Stabaek of Norway 1-0 and Nagbe started as an attacking mid and played 81 minutes.  Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] and Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] both sat out because of injuries (torn ACL and dodgy hip flexor, respectively).

COLUMBUS CREW SC  •  The Black and Gold defeated OKC Energy FC 4-1 to finish 3rd in the inaugural IMG Suncoast Pro Classic.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was an unused sub.  Columbus scored two goals in each half to subdue their USL opponent and finish their preseason on a high note.

TORONTO FC  •  Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius] started at right back against the Costa Rica U-23 Team in the IMGSPC’s 5th place match, but went off injured in the 70th minute with an ankle injury.  TFC won the match 2-1 and got goals from big-name signings Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco.

NEW YORK CITY FC  •  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] started at right back and played all of NYCFC’s preseason finale, a 3-0 win over the Charleston Battery.  The win, coupled with Houston’s win meant that NYCFC finished the Carolina Challenge Cup in second place.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  •  Though the Galaxy lost for the first time this preseason, 3-2 to San Jose in the soft open of the Earthquakes’ new Avaya Stadium, Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] started as one of the center mids and played the first 71 minutes.

Neither DC United nor the Montreal Impact had any preseason games this weekend, as they’re busy preparing for this week’s home legs of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals against Alajuelense and Pachuca, respectively.  The Impact plays on Tuesday and DC plays on Wednesday, with both matches kicking off at 8pm to live television audiences on Fox Sports 2.  Tune in to see how Montreal’s Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] and DC’s Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] contribute to their teams’ attempts to advance to the CCL semifinals.

INDY ELEVEN  •  The Hoosier boys announced their preseason scrimmage plans, which will continue the good work they began a week or so ago and then concluded this past weekend in Arizona.  The Eleven’s final “scrimmage” came against the U-18 team of Real Salt Lake-Arizona and Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] started and played the first half.

OTTAWA FURY  •  Still not many details available regarding the preseason plans for Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] and his Fury mates, other than their training sessions up in Ottawa.  There are scrimmages set up with the reserve sides of TFC and Montreal, along with some games against the Syracuse and Wake Forest Men’s soccer teams.

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS  •  Michael Green [Strongsville/Strongsville] is on the Hounds’ books for 2015, so here’s what they’ve been up to recently.  A scrimmage with Marshall University was scheduled for this past Sunday, but was scrapped due to the amount of snow on the pitch at Pittsburgh’s Highmark Stadium.  There’s another one scheduled for tomorrow (4 March) against Pittsburgh University.  We’ll see what happens with that one.

2015 Preseason Report #3

We’ll start off this report with the news on how our boys did in their respective CONCACAF Champions League fixtures this week.  Then, we’ll go over everyone’s recent preseason scrimmages.  Here’s how it’s all gone down:

MONTREAL IMPACT  •  The Impact became one of few teams in CCL history to ever have visited Mexican soil and not come home with a loss, after earning a 2-2 draw with Pachuca in the Cuna del Fútbol (Birthplace of Soccer) on Tuesday night.  Montreal’s Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] started and played all 90 in goal, making four saves in the match.  He was busier than that number might make it seem, though, as the hosts clawed and scratched to earn the point.  I guess it stinks that the visitors blew a 2-0 first-half lead, but the fact they didn’t lose is the real takeaway here, highlighted by the two precious away goals.  The home leg of the tie is next Tuesday in Montreal.

DC UNITED  •  The good news about DC’s trip to central Costa Rica is the two away goals they’ll take back home for the second leg of their series with Alajuelense  The bad news is they got beat 5-2 down there.  So there is hope.  A 3-0 DC win would see the Americans advance.  But we all know how those Central Americans play when they’re up – lots of diving and time wasting, deliberately slowly taken free kicks.  It’s not going to be pretty or easy, but stranger things have happened.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] was an unused sub on the night.  The home leg of the tie is next Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

COLUMBUS CREW  •  At the first edition of the IMG Suncoast Pro Classic, played in Bradenton, Floriday, the Crew defeated the Costa Rica U-23 Team last Saturday 2-0 and then drew 1-1  with the Philadelphia Union yesterday, before losing 5-3 in a penalty kick shootout.  The shootout served as the tiebreaker between the two teams, as they would have been level on points (4) after two games played in the tournament.    Against the Ticos, Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed on in the 62nd minute and he played the entire second half of the Union match.  He did convert his penalty during the shootout.  Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] did not get any time in goal in either match.  The Crew will play once more in Bradenton, on Saturday against OKC Energy FC of USL PRO in the 3rd place match at 5pm.

TORONTO FC  •  The other team we care about at the IMGSPC (the prefer to call it The Classic) lost its second match down in Bradenton, falling to the New York Red Bulls 2-0 last night.  Last Saturday night, the Reds beat Danish club HB Koge 1-0 and Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius] played all 90 minutes.  He didn’t suit up against NYRB because Head Coach Greg Vanney chose to give most of the minutes to the reserves.  Today, the TFC “varsity” scrimmaged their new USL affiliate, TFC II, and won 4-0.  Morrow played a bunch.  Next up for TFC will be a contest at 230pm on Saturday against the Costa Rica U-23 Team that will determine the tournament’s 5th place finisher.

NEW YORK CITY FC  •  Having returned to the States, NYCFC has been taking part in the Carolina Challenge Cup for the past week or so.  Last night, they lost 2-1 to the Houston Dynamo.  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] subbed in at right back in the 40th minute and played the rest of the match.  Last Saturday night, this season’s two expansion teams met and it was NYCFC who scored in the second half to earn a 1-1 draw with Orlando City FC.  In that match, Williams started at right back and played all 90, and he almost scored late in the first half off of a corner kick.  NYCFC will play once more during their time in Charleston, against the host Battery on Saturday at 730pm.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  •  The league champs finished off their European tour last Saturday with a 1-0 win in Dublin, Ireland against Shamrock Rovers.  From what I can discern, Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] was an unused sub in that match.  LA is now 5-0-1 on the preseason, and will wrap up their regular-season preps with a friendly against San Jose this Saturday.

PORTLAND TIMBERS  •  It’s been a mixed bag for our guys out in Portland through the first two matches of the own Simple Invitational, the preseason tournament that the club is hosting.  The Timbers drew 1-1 with the Chicago Fire last night and lost this past Saturday night, they fell 1-0 to the Vancouver Whitecaps.  Head Coach Caleb Porter has been rotating his players throughout the preseason scrimmages, and as such, Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] got the start and played the first half against the Caps, while subbing on at halftime and finishing the Fire match.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] was an unused sub against the Caps, but started and played just the first 28 minutes of the Fire match before subbing out with a hip flexor – however, he did score the team’s only goal with a free kick.  I’m pretty sure he is now Portland’s all-time leading preseason scrimmage scorer, but I don’t have the stats to back that up.  Seems like he has a real knack for getting goals in February.  In the Vancouver match, Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] started at center mid, but tore his ACL in a 50-50 ball in the 23rd minute and will be out for who-knows-how long, pending surgery and rehab.  We’ll wish him the best of luck with getting back on the field again.  You don’t want to put a timetable on something like that, but let’s hope that it’s in time for the Timbers’ playoff push.  Portland will play its final game of the Simple Invitational this Saturday at 8pm against Norwegian club Stabaek.

And now, the not-so-MLS news… unlike some of their NASL brethren, the two teams we care about the most haven’t been gallivanting across the globe.  Their more humble owners’ less-deep pockets are keeping such frivolous expenses from ruining the two clubs before they can even start their second seasons.

INDY ELEVEN  •  We haven’t had any preseason updates on the Eleven until now, and they’ve begun their training sessions out in Arizona.  Indy’s first scrimmage of the preseason was a 75-minute affair on Wednesday night, and ended with a 1-0 win for Minnesota United FC.  Kyle Hyland [Bay Village/Bay] played left back in the second “half.”  Meanwhile, back home, the State House of Representatives voted in favor of the proposal to build a new stadium in downtown Indianapolis.  The Eleven will continue its work in Tucson until Saturday.

OTTAWA FURY  •  Things have been quiet up north, as Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor] and his mates have been training and trying to keep warm.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Speas/USA Today Sports Images; Nanchoff/Craig Mitchelldyer

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

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

End of Preseason Post

Hey hey!!  Two of our boys’ teams won their respective preseason tournaments this weekend!!  Pretty cool deal, no?  Of course, there are those who don’t place a lot of importance on preseason results (It’s all about team building/getting new teammates acclimated/building match fitness/etc.), but I’m of the school of thought that you can’t discount winning, no matter when you do it.  So… here’s how it went down for our fellas last week:

COLUMBUS CREW  —  On Saturday night, the Crew smoked Sporting Kansas City 4-1 to win the 2014 version of the #MouseCup, aka Disney Pro Soccer Classic  Final.  A Jairo Arrieta penalty kick made it 1-0 in the first half, and then goals from Bernardo Anor, Justin Meram and Federico Higuaín after the break preceded the SKC tally.  Our three guys experienced the three most basic status reports on the night – Josh Williams [Copley/Copley] started and played all 90 minutes; Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg] was an unused sub; Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] was not in the gameday roster of 18.  Earlier in the week, on Wednesday night, the Crew played a barn-burner with tournament host Orlando City of USL PRO that saw four goals scored in the final ten minutes of the 4-4 draw.  Our trio all started that match and all were resting on the bench as the Crew trailed 2-1 – Williams and Speas both left in the 64th minute and Stuver subbed out in the 75th minute.  The Crew wraps up its preseason undefeated with a 4-0-1 mark.  Next up:  First Kick @ DC United, Saturday, 8 March, 7pm

DC UNITED  –  While the Crew was winning its trophy down in Orlando, Florida, up in Charleston, South Carolina, DC was winning the Carolina Challenge Cup, thanks to a 2-2 draw with the Seattle Sounders (and coming out on top on the goals-difference tiebreaker).  Earlier in the week, DC drew 1-1 with the host Charleston Battery of USL PRO.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School] played in none of the games down in SC, as he is recovering from a bone bruise.  He has returned to training recently, but in his absence, others have filled in capably.  With all the new faces in Black and Red now, there’s no guarantee he’ll go straight back into the starting lineup once he’s 100% again.  Let’s hope he straight-up wins his spot back.  Next up:  First Kick v Columbus Crew, Saturday, 8 March, 7pm

MONTREAL IMPACT  –  The Impact drew 1-1 with Philadelphia on Saturday in their final DPSC match.  Evan Bush [Concord Township/Lake Catholic] was an unused sub in that match, but started and played all 90 the previous Wednesday when Montreal fell to Sporting Kansas City 3-2.  Next up: First Kick @ FC Dallas, Saturday, 8 March, 830pm

PORTLAND TIMBERS  –  The hosts of the 2014 Rose City Invitational hosts wrapped up their three home-field tournament matches with a 1-1 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward] started and played the entire match.  Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy] subbed in with 13 minutes left.  Earlier in the week, Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit] started and played 90 in the 1-1 draw with Portmore United and he scored the Timbers’ only goal.  Nanchoff was an unused sub against the Whitecaps, while neither Nagbe nor Zemanski featured in the mid-week match against the Jamaicans.  Portland got two wins, two losses and three draws in its seven preseason contests, but only conceded a total of four goals.  Next up:  First Kick v Philadelphia Union, Saturday, 8 March, 11pm

TORONTO FC  –  Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius] sat out TFC’s final match in the DPSC on Saturday, a 4-2 loss to the Fluminense U-23 team.  Earlier in the week, the Reds drew 0-0 with the Philadelphia Union.  Morrow started and subbed out of that match at halftime.  Looks like he’ll be the starting let back for TFC as the season opens in a week.  Next up: @ Seattle Sounders, Saturday, 15 March, 430pm – NBC Sports

LOS ANGELES GALAXY  –  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe] and the Galaxies – both of them – have been “just” training since their scrimmage a week ago.  THE Galaxy is getting ready for their MLS season opener.  Galaxy II’s first match isn’t for another few weeks.  We’ll see where Walker begins the 2014 campaign.  Next up: v Real Salt Lake, Saturday, 8 March, 1030pm

PHOTO CREDIT: Nigel G. Worrall/Florida Leisure

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

First Kick Preview

It’s First Kick Eve and here’s a few preview articles on our fellas’ teams, along with a few words about this weekend’s games.  We’ll start off with mlssoccer.com’s first edition of its Power Rankings.  If you don’t like those Power Rankings, you can compare them with Sports Illustrated’s.  Click here for the Sporting News preview.  No preview to be found here, but the ESPN site has lots of news on the league and what’s been going on in the preseason.  Finally, here’s a preview from Soccer America and if you click on this link, you can find some other useful and informational articles that you might want to read about the season.

COLUMBUS CREW

Here is mlssoccer.com’s 2013 preview for the Crew and here’s a look at the 2013 Depth Chart, along with the Scouting Report on the Black and Gold.  Getting back into the playoffs will be job one for the Crew and anything less will not be accepted by the fans.  There’s lots of attacking talent and the potential to score goals is there, but the defense will have to do a better job of keeping them out, if the Crew is going to get to the top of the Eastern Conference.  Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy]  •  Speas started off 2012 injured and that kept him under wraps until just after the midway point in the season, but once healthy he played a lot and played well with the reserve team.  This year, he’ll be looking to get regular first team appearances in the middle.  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley]  •  Williams has a starting spot locked up at right back.  Could get a look at center back if injuries strike, but he’s looking to build off a very solid rookie year.  Kyle Hyland [Bay/Bay]  •  As was detailed in a previous post, it’s a safe bet he’ll get lots of time with the reserves and possibly even a look in an Open Cup game or an international friendly, but there could be first team minutes for Hyland outplays some of the other candidates that were brought in over the offseason (or if they get hurt).  THIS WEEK:  @ Chivas USA, 1030pm, Saturday, 2 March

MONTREAL IMPACT

Here is mlssoccer.com’s 2013 preview for the Impact and here’s a look at the 2013 Depth Chart, along with the Scouting Report on les Bleus.  As a first-year MLS franchise last year, finishing two spots out of the playoffs wasn’t a bad way to end the year, but nobody in Montreal had any interest in consolation prizes.  They have a new coach this year and it’ll be playoffs-or-bust for these guys, with another goal of getting into the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League if they would win the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.  Evan Bush [Concord/Lake Catholic]  •  Bush will be a solid backup to Troy Perkins in the Montreal net.  Just like anyone, he’s an injury (or a horrible drop in form by Perkins) away from being the starter.  Should see valuable minutes in the reserve league and possibly in the Nutrilife Canadian Championship matches.  Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor]  •  Once Ubiparipovic is back and fit again from the ankle injury he suffered in the preseason, he’ll be fighting for playing time with some talented fellow midfielders, but his skills and experience – MLS experience – should put him right in the mix for meaningful minutes. Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg]  •  Stuver will learn the ropes from Bush and Perkins, and no doubt his skills will grow through the training sessions and the reserve league games.  THIS WEEK:  @ Seattle Sounders, 1030pm, Saturday, 2 March

PORTLAND TIMBERS

Here is mlssoccer.com’s 2013 preview for the Crew and here’s a look at the 2013 Depth Chart, along with the Scouting Report on the Rose City gang.  Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward]  •  Expectations will be high this season for the skillful forward/midfielder.  A couple different podcasts that I have listened to this week said that this is an important season for him, one in which he’ll need to turn in more consistently good performances if the Timbers are going to challenge the Galaxy and Earthquakes for Western Division supremacy.  Fair enough, as Nagbe goes, so will go the Timbers.  Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit]  •  While if you looked at the Depth Chart from mlssoccer.com Nanchoff wasn’t listed, his old college coach wouldn’t have signed him if he didn’t think he could help the team.  There’s lots of offensive potential in this group, and he’ll get his opportunities to show what he can do – something that didn’t happen for him in Vancouver.  If he produces the goods and the Timbers gets some wins as a result, he’ll be on the field a lot.  Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy]  •  Same deal for Zemanski as for Nanchoff.  Though they don’t necessarily play the same position, their contributions will be vital to getting Portland into the playoffs.  Zemanski could be the grafter needed to come on for the final 20 minutes or so to help close out a victory or he could also do the same job from a starting role in support of the attacking mids.  It’s pretty safe to assume that Head Coach Caleb Porter will know how and where and when to get the best out of the trio of former Akron Zips.  THIS WEEK:  v New York Red Bulls, 730pm, Sunday, 3 March – match televised live on ESPN2

DC UNITED

Here is mlssoccer.com’s 2013 preview for the Crew and here’s a look at the 2013 Depth Chart, along with the Scouting Report on DC United.  Talk about great expectations… most pundits and wonks feel that DC will or should be the best team in the Eastern Conference and challengers for the Supporters’ Cup.  They’re very strong from front to back, so that’s certainly not unreasonable.  Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School]  •  Korb is locked in as the starter at right back.  His steady work marking opposing wingers and forwards would ordinarily be enough to earn him that job, but his ability going forward is really value-added for DC United.  He serves in a mean cross and ought to have no problem matching the three assists he contributed last season.  THIS WEEK:  @ Houston Dynamo, 8pm, Saturday, 2 March – match televised live on NBC Sports Network

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

Here is mlssoccer.com’s 2013 preview for the Crew and here’s a look at the 2013 Depth Chart, along with the Scouting Report on the Goonies.  The best team in the league had the best player in the league and scored the most goals in the league, but when the time came for the Earthquakes to stand up and be counted, they fell short against the defending-champion Galaxy in the playoffs.  So a season with a disappointing finish will keep everyone motivated to improve upon a fantastic 2012 with a more memorable 2013.  They start the season with several starters out injured, but as the saying goes, “it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”  They just need to get into the playoffs and from there, anything can happen.  Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius]  •  What a year it’s been for Morrow.  He became a lock at left back for the best team in the league, played in the MLS All-Star Game against Chelsea and represented his country with the United States Men’s National Team in a January friendly against Canada.  What next for him?  Simple – do it all again.  He’ll be eager to continue working on his game and to help the Quakes get over the playoff hump and into MLS Cup, as well as to build the team’s international caché in its first-ever foray into the CONCACAF Champions League.  Could another USMNT call-up be in his future this summer during the CONCACAF Gold Cup?  If his maintains his form from 2012, it quite possibly could.  THIS WEEK:  v Real Salt Lake, 10pm, Sunday, 3 March

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

Here is mlssoccer.com’s 2013 preview for the Crew and here’s a look at the 2013 Depth Chart, along with the Scouting Report on the Galaxy.  The only thing harder than winning back-to-back MLS Championships is winning three in a row, and speculation abounds as to whether the now Landon-and-David-less Galaxy has enough to et the job done.  Even without those two, LA has enough to be on top of the Western Conference and challenge for the Supporters Shield, but there are many rumors regarding mid-season additions of another Designated Player.  Kaká?  Frank Lampard?  Ronaldinho?  Pelé?  Should be interesting.  Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe]  •  Walker starts the year on the DL after undergoing surgery on a broken bone in his foot, but once he’s back there’ll be plenty of work for him in Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League games..  THIS WEEK:  v Chicago Fire, 5pm, Sunday, 3 March

** A NOTE FROM THE BLOGGER **

Hey all,

I know we’ve picked up some new followers over this offseason and I just wanted to take a sec to detail what you all can expect to see here on the blog.  Yes, as the name suggests, the blog is dedicated to following the players in MLS who come from the Greater Cleveland area.  Basically, they’re the guys who are from the 216, 440 and 330 area codes (two seasons ago, I gave one report on everyone from Ohio and a couple more on all the Clevelanders in pro soccer – MLS, NASL and USL-Pro).  I report on what our guys did in the most recent games – the minutes and position(s) they played, how the team did, and of course goals or assists or cards they might have picked up.  It is not my intent to critique them or their play, but I do lay out the facts and will comment on things that happened to them in a particular game.  I am a subscriber to the MLS Direct Kick package on DirecTV and I watch a lot of MLS games over the course of a season, particularly those that involve our fellas.  So after watching the matches and going to the teams’ websites, I compile my report and try to pass it along in a timely manner – ideally, on Monday after a weekend full of games.  As for your blogger, I’m a massive Crew fan and I play and coach high school soccer on Cleveland’s west side.  Yes, I did coach against a couple of these guys back in the mid-’00s.  Two years ago, I was wondering how Darlington Nagbe was doing up in Portland and I got the idea to create this blog.  If you’re at this blog often, I hope you’re also following the Twitter account.  Leave a comment if you have one, or a question or a suggestion.  My dream for this season – on top of a MLS Title for the Crew – is for all 12 of our guys to start (impossible, I know… so many Stuver comes in for Bush at half), score a goal (or for the Impact goalies to split a shutout) and for their team to win.  Fingers crossed!!

Thanks for reading!

Training Camp Report #5

Sorry for getting this out so late in the week.  It’s two days ’til MLS First Kick 2013 and I can’t freaking wait!  I would wager that if you’re reading this, you can’t wait either!  And I have to admit that with Michael Nanchoff and Ben Zemanski joining Portland, it’s going to make putting this blog together each week a heckuva lot easier for me!  Twelve guys on six team, and three each on three teams?  Yeah, that’s going to save me a lot of time this season.  Anyways, so here’s the news from last week and weekend.

COLUMBUS CREW Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy]  •  The Crew lost to Montreal 1-0 in the final of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic on Saturday night and Speas got in for the final 21 minutes and then played the next day in the inaugural Kirk Urso Memorial Match (read more below).  Josh Williams [Copley/Copley]  •  Played all 90 of the loss to Montreal.  Pretty safe to say that he’s ready for the regular season to begin.  Kyle Hyland [Bay/Bay]  •  Wasn’t a part of the DPSC Championship, but went the distance the very next day in Greensboro, North Carolina as the Crew and the University of North Carolina Men’s Soccer Team played the inaugural Kirk Urso Memorial Match.  On Wednesday, The Crew announced that Hyland had officially joined the team and signed a pro contract.  The addition of the young left-footer from Bay Village gives the Crew a total of eight players with Ohio roots.

MONTREAL IMPACT Evan Bush [Concord/Lake Catholic]  •  Was the backup keeper for Montreal’s 1-0 win over the Crew in the Final of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic on Saturday. Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor]  •  Still out injured, so no action for Ubiparipovic in Orlando, but the rehab process has begun. Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg]  •  Not in the gameday 18 for the Final of the DPSC.

PORTLAND TIMBERS Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward]  •  Didn’t play mid-week vs. FC Dallas, but played 84 up top and got the assist on Michael Harrington’s goal in a 1-1 draw with Sweden’s AIK last Saturday in the Timbers’ preseason finale. * Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit]  •  Got the nod at forward last Wednesday night in a 1-0 loss to FC Dallas and played the entire game.  On Saturday,  he was an unused sub. Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy]  •  Same deal for Zemanski as for Nanchoff.  90 vs. FC Dallas and 0 v AIK.  In my humble opinion, the Timbers website folks do a great job of creating content.  Here’s a video featuring Nagbe talking about the things he learned about his teammates over the course of the preseason.

DC UNITED Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School]  •  Last Saturday, Korb played the first half of Saturday’s 2-0 win over Philadelphia.  Click here to check out last week’s (21 Feb) edition of the Filibuster Podcast, featuring Korb and Dwayne DeRosario talking about the preseason and the upcoming regular season.

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius]  •  Got the night off last Wednesday when the Quakes and Swedish side AIK drew 0-0 up in Portland, but returned to the lineup on Saturday as San Jose beat FC Dallas 2-1 in their final preseason match to conclude their efforts in the Timbers’ preseason tourney.  Morrow played the entire game at right back.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe]  •  Still out with the broken metatarsal in his foot and the subsequent recovery from the surgery that will heal the injury.  Here are the highlights from the Galaxy’s 6-2 win against Liga MX Apertura Champion Tijuana last week.  Here’s a match report from the Galaxy’s final preseason game, a 2-1 win over Colorado.

So that about covers it.  You’re now caught up on how the boys did last week.  Again, I’m pretty fired up for the season to get going on Saturday.  Hope you are too.  I’ll put up a weekend preview post Friday evening/Saturday morning.

Training Camp Report #4

As of this posting date, it’s T-minus 12 days and counting until First Kick 2013!!  But there’s plenty of preseason action to report on from this week’s action.  Here we go…

COLUMBUS CREW

Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy]  •  On Wednesday, the Crew demolished Philadelphia 4-0 and Speas subbed in at the 33rd minute and subbed out at the 61st minute.  That was more than enough time for him to be dangerous on the ball and to play several balls that asked questions of the Union defense.  Here’s a little Q&A with Speas reagarding how the preseason is going for the team.  Speas played the second half of the Saturday morning Sporting KC match and scored the final goal of the contest, which you can read all about by clicking the link in the Kyle Hyland report down below.

Josh Williams [Copley/Copley]  •  Came on in the 61st minute at right back in the Philly match, and really didn’t have too much to do.  On Saturday evening against Orlando City of the USL-Pro Division, it was quite a different story.  He started the match at right back, but then moved into the middle once center back Chad Marshall left with an injury in the eighth minute on the Black and Gold’s first goal.  In the 74th minute, with the game tied 1-1, he drilled in a corner kick from Federico Higuaín to give the Crew and advantage it would hold for only five minutes.  He picked up a yellow card for the foul that led to Orlando City’s equalizing goal and then he got subbed out in the 81st minute.  The Crew eventually won 3-2 thanks to a penalty kick from Higuáin in the 89th minute.  All in a day’s work, right?  You can read more about the match and catch a few quotes from J-Willy here.  With the victory (actually, before the victory), the Crew has qualified for the Championship Game of the 2013 Disney Pro Soccer Classic, which they’ll play against the Montreal Impact next Saturday at 8pm.  The Crew’s final preseason game will be next Sunday, 24 February at the University of North Carolina in the inaugural Kirk Urso Memorial Match, and it’s a safe bet that the players who see action on Saturday will be sitting it out on Sunday against the Tarheels.

* Kyle Hyland [Bay/Bay]  •  25 different Crew players got onto the field in the Union match, including Hyland, who subbed in for Danny O’Rourke at the start of the second half.  He subbed out in the 61st minute, making way for Agustín Viana.  Saturday morning, he went the distance at left back in a 5-2 win against Sporting Kansas City.  It wasn’t exactly a JV match, but it did give everyone involved a chance to get some more minutes, more touches and a chance to work on their match fitness.  Hyland assisted on the Crew’s fourth goal of the match, whipping in a free kick that was headed home by the coach’s kid and a fellow trialist, Konrad Warzycha.

MONTREAL IMPACT

Evan Bush [Concord/Lake Catholic]  •  Played all 90 of a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Wednesday.  On Friday night, the Impact drew 0-0 with Philadelphia in an exhibition match played in Jacksonville and Bush, the team’s captain for the match, went the distance again to earn the shutout.  On Saturday, he returned to his backup role as the Impact drew 1-1 with DC United in their final Group B match of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic, which was enough to send them to next Saturday’s Championship Game against the Columbus Crew.

Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor]  •  Still out injured, so no action for Ubiparipovic in Orlando.

Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg]  •  No P.T. against the Rowdies or against United for Stuver, but the Impact will play an exhibition match against Orlando City on Wednesday, 20 February at 3pm.  So he and Bush may both get a look in that one.

PORTLAND TIMBERS

Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward]  •  On Sunday, the Timbers drew 3-3 with San Jose in their opening match of the Portland Preseason Tournament.  Nagbe started as one of three forwards and went 71 minutes, picking up an assist on Ryan Johnson’s second of three goals.

* Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit]  •  Did not get in against the Earthquakes on Sunday night. Perhaps Nanchoff will get into the Timbers’ next game, on Wednesday night at 1030pm against FC Dallas.

Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy]  •  Got traded to the Timbers on Wednesday and couldn’t be more fired up about it.  And if you don’t think you can believe what you read, you can see and hear him say it in this video.  Played his first minutes as a Timber, coming on in the 79th at center mid of the draw with San Jose.

DC UNITED

Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School]  •  On Wednesday, played right back for the first 32 minutes of a 0-2 loss to Sporting Kansas City in the Disney Pro Soccer Classic, a match that was played throughout a driving rainstorm.  On Saturday, played 76 minutes at right back in the 1-1 draw with Montreal.  The next match for DC will be a Wednesday contest with Philadelphia at 6pm in Orlando.

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius]  •  Started and played all of the 3-3 draw with Portland on Sunday night, and he picked up a yellow card in the 87th minute.  Next up will be a game on Wednesday against AIK of Sweden at 8pm.  You can stream the game live at sjearthquakes.com

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe]  •  Still out with the broken metatarsal in his foot and the subsequent recovery from the surgery that will heal the injury.  Next match for the Galaxy is a friendly with 2012 Liga MX Apertura campeones Club Tijuana on Tuesday, 19 February at 1030pm.

Training Camp Report #3

T-minus 19 days until First Kick!!  Things are getting busy now for all of our fellas and their teams.  Some are doing a little “spring training” in Florida and others are in Arizona.  Here’s a recap of the boys’ work (clustered together by teams) from this past week:

COLUMBUS CREW

Ben Speas [Stow/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy]  •  The Crew defeated Toronto FC 1-0 on Saturday in the opener of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic.  Speas started and played 65 minutes at left mid and was on the field for the goal that stood up as the winner, which came from a header off a Federico Higuaín corner kick from new boy, Brazilian defender Gláuber.

Josh Williams [Copley/Copley]  •  Played the first 65 minutes of the game at right back.  It seems that he’s close to locking down the right back spot and his work on Saturday did nothing to work against that perception.  Upcoming games at the DPSC for the Crew are v Philadelphia on Wednesday at 1pm and v USL-Pro side Orlando City on Saturday at 6pm – both of which can be watched via live streaming on mlssoccer.com.  Here’s a little Q&A interview with Williams on how the preseason is going so far.

* Kyle Hyland [Bay/Bay]  •  Our trialist from IUPUI did not get into the TFC match.  Despite the fact that over the past couple weeks the Crew have signed two international defenders, there could still be a place for Hyland in the first team as neither one is specifically a left back by trade.  It’s unlikely that Head Coach Robert Wazycha and his staff have made a decision on him at this point.  He’ll be sure to get more of  a look in the other games that the Crew will play down in Orlando.

MONTREAL IMPACT

Evan Bush [Concord/Lake Catholic]  •  Did not play in the Impact’s preseason opener on Saturday in Orlando at the Disney Pro Soccer Classic, a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City.  Up next this week for Montreal will be games on Wednesday v Tampa Bay at 3pm and Saturday v DC United at 1pm.

Sinisa Ubiparipovic [Mentor/Mentor]  •  Still out injured, so no action for Ubiparipovic in Orlando.

Brad Stuver [Twinsburg/Twinsburg]  •  Did not play in the Sporting Kansas City game either, as the Impact’s starting goalie Troy Perkins went the distance in the victory.  Look for Bush and Stuver to see some action in the tournament’s other games.

PORTLAND TIMBERS

Darlington Nagbe [Lakewood/St. Edward]  •  Last Tuesday, the Timbers beat Seattle 1-0 in The Desert Friendlies, played in Tucson, Arizona.  The Rose City boys got a goal in the 61st minute from former Manchester United defender Mickael Silvestre to get the victory over their Cascadia Cup rival.  On the link, there’s some sound from Nagbe regarding the game.  On Saturday afternoon, Portland rolled FC Tucson 3-0 and Nagbe sat out the match, just to get some rest.

* Michael Nanchoff [North Royalton/Walsh Jesuit]  •  Nanchoff came on in the 62nd minute against the Sounders and helped Portland hold onto the 1-0 lead that turned into a win.  Later in the week, he helped open up the scoring in the FC Tucson match, serving in a free kick that Hayner Mosquera headed home in the 3rd minute.  He played the entire match and it could be that based on his deadball service alone, there’ll be a spot for him in the squad.  The Timbers have returned home now after their week in the desert, and they’ll spend the week prepping to host their own preseason tournament, as San Jose, FC Dallas and AIK (Sweden) will make the trip to Stumptown for a little round-robin action.  Portland opens up with San Jose at 8pm EDT Saturday and the match should be available via live streaming on mlssoccer.com or portlandtimbers.com.  I’ll report back later in the week with an update/reminder post.

DC UNITED

Chris Korb [Gates Mills/University School]  •  DC United is also in Orlando for the DPSC, and on Saturday Korb and his boys pounded the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League 4-0.  He started at right back and played the first 60 minutes and got an assist on the first goal of the game, scored by Colombian striker Lionard Pajoy.  DC’s next games are Wednesday v Sporting Kansas City at 6pm and Saturday v Montreal at 1pm.

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

Justin Morrow [Cleveland/St. Ignatius]  •  Morrow started and played the first 55 minutes of a 1-0 loss to Chicago, played Saturday at UCSB’s soccer stadium.  The goal wasn’t scored while he was on the field – it came from a penalty – but it’s pretty safe to say that after his stint with the USMNT, he’s in decent enough shape and only needs to get back in sync with his teammates going forward.  Next up for the ‘Quakes is a match Tuesday with the Ventura County Fusion at 2pm EDT before the team heads to Portland for the Timbers’ tournament that starts next weekend.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

Kenney Walker [Wickliffe/Wickliffe]  •  Still out with the broken metatarsal in his foot and the subsequent recovery from the surgery that will heal the injury.  Last Tuesday, the Galaxy smoked the USL-Pro L.A. Blues 3-0 and then lost 1-0 to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.  Head Coach Bruce Arena’s boys will have one more friendly match before the season begins, an erstwhile USA-Mexico Super Cup friendly encounter with 2012 Liga MX Apertura campeones Club Tijuana on Tuesday, 19 February.

CHIVAS USA

Ben Zemanski [Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy]  •  Two preseason games this week, zero minutes played for Zemanski, as he was an unused sub in both matches.  Tuesday, Chivas drew 1-1 with the Chicago Fire and on Saturday they defeated visiting South Korean team Gangwon FC by a score of 7-3 – featuring seven unanswered goals for Chivas.  Los rojiblancos are now 3-0-1 on the preseason, which is impressive considering the clunker they turned in last season.  According to cdchivasusa.com, the team will have a game this Tuesday, but it remains TBA.  On Saturday, they’ll play the Colorado Rapids in Las Vegas at 1030pm.