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.