tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76526804642859418612024-03-05T03:51:15.381-08:00Seattle Sports BlogThis is the Seattle Sports Blog bringing you up to date current events of Seattle Sports. This blog has several writers who will discuss several sports related topics but mainly focus on Seattle Sports.kshellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12308494891109604209noreply@blogger.comBlogger714125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-70838242323804249292013-06-14T02:29:00.000-07:002013-09-18T10:23:08.492-07:00USA gets the W in front of a packed CenturyLink Field<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-u_EVonD4db2cg944QH1WveYM4VMZiOK-E3uUbv2yXHnens6HWWustJ6axmZRmZhkUxFC4k2hGeG4JQGg8J2itsBxfxTXhyphenhyphen6BQ7yhdEhjoRcP8xmYcHYDEl4DZ2db5WhybkVcIPAVOoDF/s1600/USA+fans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-u_EVonD4db2cg944QH1WveYM4VMZiOK-E3uUbv2yXHnens6HWWustJ6axmZRmZhkUxFC4k2hGeG4JQGg8J2itsBxfxTXhyphenhyphen6BQ7yhdEhjoRcP8xmYcHYDEl4DZ2db5WhybkVcIPAVOoDF/s320/USA+fans.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>By Money Mike<br />
<br />
<br />
Over the past couple of years, all the U.S. soccer fans in Seattle have been asking hundreds of times when the U.S. men's national team will come to Seattle? Let alone for a match that actually counts, like the World Cup Qualifier. We didn't have to wait any longer as the U.S. made a stop in the Emerald City for their first World Cup Qualifying match in Seattle since 1976, and it was one to remember. On Tuesday, the United States defeated Panama 2-0 in front of a crowd of 40,847 at CenturyLink Field, the seventh largest crowd for a home World Cup Qualifier and the second largest crowd for a U.S. men's soccer match in the Pacific Northwest. Everyone inside the stadium (including myself) came in full voice all the way through the final whistle and the home field advantage paid off for the Americans as they now climb on top of the hexagonal group and their unbeaten streak at home in World Cup Qualifying play lives on. Just a memorable night all around for U.S. soccer.<br />
<br />
The Americans had the first crack at goal in the third minute. Brad Evans, who more than likely appears to be a regular now for the USMNT, took the long throw in from the far side. His throw in was aimed towards fellow Seattle Sounder Eddie Johnson, but it was over his head and the ball bounced to Fabian Johnson for a left foot volley which sailed over the bar but not by much.<br />
<br />
A couple minutes later, DaMarcus Beasley sent in a high lofted ball in the penalty area for EJ who whiffed on his attempted volley. Clint Dempsey stepped up and struck it first time but this one was high and wide by a mile but it was good to see the U.S. pouring pressure on early in the match.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vSZVCm6JE6D2W8TiVfzxuU93u5FAvvSwdozqDdBmNc_XdmOQWdgGS-6wFDkMWzWp-Wt6CvYQIsscAZnWQqu8FoHrhWequKrZliReGK7sTMZce5_xzGalV_nbT6exf45qq5W-5qQ540qP/s1600/U.S.+soccer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vSZVCm6JE6D2W8TiVfzxuU93u5FAvvSwdozqDdBmNc_XdmOQWdgGS-6wFDkMWzWp-Wt6CvYQIsscAZnWQqu8FoHrhWequKrZliReGK7sTMZce5_xzGalV_nbT6exf45qq5W-5qQ540qP/s320/U.S.+soccer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The officiating in this match, as far as I'm concerned, was very poor. A lot of soft challenges have been called against us. Clint Dempsey's been getting clipped a lot in this game and the referee hasn't been calling them. I mean, for years we've been having to deal with shitty referees in MLS and none of them (except for maybe one and no I'm not talking about Ricardo Salazar) should be called in to officiate the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. As a matter of fact I don't know how one of the MLS officials were called in last year by FIFA to officiate the 2012 Men's Olympic Tournament in Great Britain. Of course everybody around the World knows that the officiating in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was godawful. There was also some crappy officiating in the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany, most notably the Quarterfinal between the U.S. and Brazil. And with the officiating we're getting in the qualifying stage, I'm starting to have a bad feeling that we're gonna have shitty referees in the 2014 World Cup.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iGzLE_NIY6hOZeR4m-GI9ROFEuQJMBsW1M8UGMdrNlF5omRJP8W3fvIpOfoF8whe6MkmXldOaK0C87DlNcwvKgPYOarn6O8kFRdzlt1sS-UoXlQRCDs_ee6MvdsxD_WxNK_VywPO1Qt0/s1600/Michael+Bradley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iGzLE_NIY6hOZeR4m-GI9ROFEuQJMBsW1M8UGMdrNlF5omRJP8W3fvIpOfoF8whe6MkmXldOaK0C87DlNcwvKgPYOarn6O8kFRdzlt1sS-UoXlQRCDs_ee6MvdsxD_WxNK_VywPO1Qt0/s320/Michael+Bradley.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In the 22nd minute, the U.S. probably would've been up had one of the players not gotten in the way. Fabian Johnson picked up the ball on the near side, cut to his right foot and curled the ball to the far post over the head of Clint Dempsey and it was poorly cleared by Carlos Rodriguez right to Michael Bradley to volleyed low and hard, but it hit Dempsey on the way and Panama dodge another bullet.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEioJJZSce2aSWvLuhi_UNtgvo6CZfllDa8IPNeRWUE00gmwDiXsmOJZQQs8UfWzuYKNiNVcYe6V_fTGIO_8UJ5Ao9LKBnpUBvbnW5RnbgBNfIeBxz3AS3oTfQtHNoDP7MYoCzPboYxgi/s1600/Jozy+Altidore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEioJJZSce2aSWvLuhi_UNtgvo6CZfllDa8IPNeRWUE00gmwDiXsmOJZQQs8UfWzuYKNiNVcYe6V_fTGIO_8UJ5Ao9LKBnpUBvbnW5RnbgBNfIeBxz3AS3oTfQtHNoDP7MYoCzPboYxgi/s320/Jozy+Altidore.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Speaking of poor officiating, in the 34th minute, the USA should've been awarded a PK. DaMarcus Beasley found Jozy Altidore, who spun around Ramon Torres and was clipped from behind and it looked like the referee pointed to the spot, but he said Torres got the ball and then a second later Altidore was whistled for a handball. Torres won the ball? Not from what I saw. Jozy Altidore spun around Torres, had him beat. Torres clipped him from behind, did not get the ball and the referee was in perfect position to see that. How is that not a penalty?<br />
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Enough talk about the refereeing in this game. Moving on to the 36th minute of play, the Stadium erupted as the U.S. drew first blood......<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/VCh7Ogjt_2A" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Panama thought they had an equalizer on the stroke of halftime. Marcos Sanchez, who was released by D.C. United not too long ago, slid the ball to the top of the box for Anibal Godoy who poked the ball into the box for Luis Tejada to tap it in, but the offside flag was up, which means the goal did not count. Correct decision as well, Tejada was definitely offside.<br />
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In the 53rd minute, Geoff Cameron got Eddie Johnson in behind with a good long ball and the Sounders striker did the rest......<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ZAlMmqKayag" width="480"></iframe><br />
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In the 65th minute, USA had a chance to make it 3-0 and put this match in bed. Jozy Altidore worked a nice give-and-go with Clint Dempsey and gave it a crack from about 30 yards out (don't know exactly, I don't have a measuring stick) which was saved by the goalkeeper Jamie Penedo. Clint Dempsey tried to follow up with the rebound, but his chance skipped off the grass, over Penedo's head and off the crossbar.<br />
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In the 79th minute, the Americans were once again denied by the woodwork. Jozy Altidore slid the ball for DaMarcus Beasley who sprinted all the way from his left back position. Beasley took a touch and then just when everyone thought it was gonna go it, the ball instead hit the outside of the post.<br />
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Panama's only threat in the match came a minute and a half into second half stoppage time when Luis Tejada played a nice through ball to Rolando Blackburn, but U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard came out and cut down the angle. Other than that, Howard wasn't really tested much in this game as the U.S. climb to the top of the hexagonal group with a 2-0 win.<br />
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<br />
<b>Observations:</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VfQkiVEI7hal9HK3Owjb5q3NIIr-klgoYobCUW3N8TdueOvhnAWNASLnKs8i03A7RRXIVuUdvkyZb4CD1GS37y026EeTbMkgT1z5P0W7pfOZsbNFaa2LhyphenhyphenR61K3VYkKIf0t2mE7Ex1Pm/s1600/DaMarcus+Beasley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VfQkiVEI7hal9HK3Owjb5q3NIIr-klgoYobCUW3N8TdueOvhnAWNASLnKs8i03A7RRXIVuUdvkyZb4CD1GS37y026EeTbMkgT1z5P0W7pfOZsbNFaa2LhyphenhyphenR61K3VYkKIf0t2mE7Ex1Pm/s320/DaMarcus+Beasley.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>DaMarcus Beasley has started the last six matches at left back (including friendlies), but after picking up that yellow card late in the match, he will not be seen on the pitch next Tuesday for USA's match with Honduras at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City. Now Jurgen Klinsmann has some tough decisions to make with that spot. He's got Graham Zusi returning from his suspension and he should get the start at right midfield for the match. But does he start Edgar Castillo at left back? Does he move Fabian Johnson to left back and move Eddie Johnson to left mid or even give Brad Davis the start at left midfield? Those are tough decisions for a coach to make, but Klinsmann knows what he's doing and he's the only one who has the answer to that question.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMhZxuCqaxlSF1rXXWW-Q91-Y3nXjepae_1HAylX7I08CEiE-_ZnyCPKe-ubasRIhQLyK3u0JX0qPQoKFemN7uUL9CNijM5OztRivnEaOWGiEdvkhaFx17khnm46bmx-R_YIImj02yEun/s1600/U.S.+soccer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMhZxuCqaxlSF1rXXWW-Q91-Y3nXjepae_1HAylX7I08CEiE-_ZnyCPKe-ubasRIhQLyK3u0JX0qPQoKFemN7uUL9CNijM5OztRivnEaOWGiEdvkhaFx17khnm46bmx-R_YIImj02yEun/s320/U.S.+soccer.jpg" /></a></div>Again, a great turnout at CenturyLink Field by the fans. The seventh largest attendance in U.S. soccer history for a home qualifier. It was loud all night long and just great to be a part of it. My first ever international soccer match in person and it's one to remember. 100 years and counting for U.S. soccer and I just wonder what it's gonna look like in 2113? Of course that another 100 years from now, which is a long time.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7zxihYdNp599LjkaTwaek4KBLjFuNaIzuIb03ToUL1GjccVeFjESheEnWoHve-pXOW60l3hgwn-SXdhRjnjcWjxswF6PGv9tLEPE5RacyV6J0e-3aMhvMZNY_VXbpqK1leHhnQCbIAo_/s1600/DSCN1052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7zxihYdNp599LjkaTwaek4KBLjFuNaIzuIb03ToUL1GjccVeFjESheEnWoHve-pXOW60l3hgwn-SXdhRjnjcWjxswF6PGv9tLEPE5RacyV6J0e-3aMhvMZNY_VXbpqK1leHhnQCbIAo_/s320/DSCN1052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cobi Jones (right) is the all-time caps leader<br />
in U.S. soccer history with 164.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>You know, time was a little slow during the day. Probably the reason for that is because we've had to wait in line for about 40-45 minutes at FX McCrurys to get a table. This was before the game, so we didn't miss any action. And during that time, my mom went to the bar a couple of times to look for a table. In the first attempt, she wanted me go with her to help find a table (I'm allowed to go in the bar now since I am 21), and no surprise, we didn't find a table. So I told her that "we're never gonna find a table." Then she responded by saying, "it's about luck." And to be honest, that was the dumbest thing I ever heard. Because the truth was, we were never gonna find a table in the bar because the entire restaurant was packed with a lot of USA fans. So that killed a bit of our time, then a few minutes later I see Cobi Jones, one of the greatest if not the greatest U.S. soccer player of all-time, entering the building. For those of you that have never heard of Cobi Jones is, he has the most caps out of any U.S. soccer player in history (as said on my photo), he's won two MLS Cup titles with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2002 and 2005, he's the all-time leader for the Galaxy in games played for them as well, he's been on three World Cup squads including 1994 when the U.S. were the host nation and he also led the Americans to a Gold Cup title in 2002. He was one of my favorite players growing up and I was just glad that I got a chance to meet him.<br />
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Overall, it was a great night. Again this was my first U.S. soccer match that I got to see in person and surely won't be my last and I hope that the USMNT will be back in Seattle soon. More importantly, they got a big World Cup Qualifying win which puts them a step closer to booking their ticket to Brazil.<br />
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<br />
<b>Scoring summary:</b><br />
<br />
United States - Jozy Altidore (Fabian Johnson) 36'<br />
<br />
United States - Eddie Johnson (Geoff Cameron) 53'<br />
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<br />
<b>Misconduct summary:</b><br />
<br />
United States - Jozy Altidore (caution; foul) 56'<br />
<br />
United States - Geoff Cameron (caution; foul) 69'<br />
<br />
Panama - Marcos Sanchez (caution; dive)* 69'<br />
<br />
United States - DaMarcus Beasley (caution; foul)^ 92'+<br />
<br />
United States - Tim Howard (caution; time wasting) 93'+<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* - Will miss Panama's next match on June 18th against Jamaica</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">^ - Will miss USA's next match on June 18th against Honduras</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Lineups:</b><br />
<br />
Panama - Jamie Penedo; Lionel Parris, Ramon Torres, Felipe Baloy, Carlos Rodriguez; Marcos Sanchez, Armando Cooper (Nelson Barahona 59'), Amilcar Henriquez (Gabriel Torres 78'), Alberto Quintero; Anibal Goboy (Rolando Blackburn 59'); Luis Tejada<br />
<br />
United States - Tim Howard; Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley; Eddie Johnson (Joe Corona 87'), Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Fabian Johnson (Brad Davis 87'); Clint Dempsey; Jozy Altidore (Stuart Holden 91'+)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Hexagonal table:</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. United States; 3-1-1 (10 points), GF 6 GA 3 GD +3</b><br />
2. Costa Rica; 2-1-2 (8 points), GF 5 GA 3 GD +2<br />
3. Mexico; 1-0-5 (8 points), GF 3 GA 2 GD +1<br />
4. Honduras; 2-2-1 (7 points), GF 6 GA 6 GD 0<br />
5. Panama; 1-1-3 (6 points), GF 5 GA 5 GD 0<br />
6. Jamaica; 0-4-2 (2 points), GF 2 GA 8 GD -6Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com1CenturyLink Field, 800 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134, USA47.5951212 -122.3315886000000347.5924442 -122.33663110000003 47.5977982 -122.32654610000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-32402160804039130802013-06-10T23:48:00.000-07:002013-06-17T10:52:34.147-07:00Sounders comeback from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Whitecaps 3-2 in front of over 53,000+<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_flJtyLdZ9irgKB6Xn_jN_Vjj8Ha2mlG1OW4dcgcCQDrr5c8y-y36T8xAxVMv3Esbo6M6yPG6rqvAvKn1xGKtqJ6jLXGHx7XrU9g_j4QCVfZGDArGTInChnYz8ckCEmUpNA9qFeLVd2l/s1600/Sounders+FC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_flJtyLdZ9irgKB6Xn_jN_Vjj8Ha2mlG1OW4dcgcCQDrr5c8y-y36T8xAxVMv3Esbo6M6yPG6rqvAvKn1xGKtqJ6jLXGHx7XrU9g_j4QCVfZGDArGTInChnYz8ckCEmUpNA9qFeLVd2l/s320/Sounders+FC.jpg" width="320" /></a>By Money Mike<br />
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The Seattle Sounders just continue to find ways to win. Last night, they came back from 2-1 to defeat their Cascadia rivals Vancouver Whitecaps 3-2 in front of a crowd of 53,679 at CenturyLink Field, including Alex Morgan, but I'll get to that part later. The Sounders with the win have gone from 0-3-2 (2 points) all the way up to 6-4-3 (21 points) and have moved up to fourth place in the standings. One point ahead of the LA Galaxy and the Colorado Rapids who are in a tie for fifth place, two points behind the Portland Timbers for third, six behind RSL for second and seven behind FC Dallas for first place. Everything has started to click for the Men in Rave Green and they will look to make sure it continues through the rest of the year as they make a run for the MLS Cup.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm98-14Q5fd9ikU8Rs-zA1yvcC1WgO_Eonj-7zIaNwgRHTO7GP1NEgmdXCiQFyojhOOgeeMoGTzPDqJ7Dkcd-Lb9xri9_Pd2nGLPL0qEIs6EYduUpLPn1knKRbTSA84bSWuHBXmp-d6IQm/s1600/Andy+Rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm98-14Q5fd9ikU8Rs-zA1yvcC1WgO_Eonj-7zIaNwgRHTO7GP1NEgmdXCiQFyojhOOgeeMoGTzPDqJ7Dkcd-Lb9xri9_Pd2nGLPL0qEIs6EYduUpLPn1knKRbTSA84bSWuHBXmp-d6IQm/s320/Andy+Rose.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Sounders started the match off brightly and in the 9th minute, the home side opened the scoring. Lamar Neagle saw that Whitecaps defender Johnny Leveron overcommitted and he played a perfectly timed through ball to Andy Rose. Rose had plenty of time to settle and slide the ball past goalkeeper Brad Knighton and into the far corner to put the Sounders ahead 1-0.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXxBx2jCH4g2dULh_Xjftc1zYCvbePSQhYDiXwLou8hrtYtSFzZSVkD686SKN3dlAmCSMFzug8RT7hnbMwMGL5Dg_eTGZcKWg5hCDlKrKvEwe5iNWq6SzUmit4TL04pOv-5mmNRzEsXT9/s1600/Camilo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXxBx2jCH4g2dULh_Xjftc1zYCvbePSQhYDiXwLou8hrtYtSFzZSVkD686SKN3dlAmCSMFzug8RT7hnbMwMGL5Dg_eTGZcKWg5hCDlKrKvEwe5iNWq6SzUmit4TL04pOv-5mmNRzEsXT9/s320/Camilo.jpg" width="320" /></a>The lead last for just over a minute because in the 10th minute, Vancouver pulled one back. Lee Young-Pyo played a very good ball up over the top for Russell Teibert, who got in behind Leo Gonzalez and whipped in a very good cross to the far post and getting up and directing his header in the back of the net was Camilo for his fourth of the season and his third in his career against the Sounders. That's what happens when you celebrate a goal for too long. There's nothing that ticks me off more than the Sounders scoring and then a minute later, they get pegged back. I remember the first two Sounder games I've attended, the Sounders scored early in those two games and then they gave one up a minute later. But of course the Sounders went on to win both those games. And let's not forget the <a href="http://seattlesportsblog-kshell.blogspot.com/2011/06/ozzie-alonsos-go-ahead-goal-short-lived.html">first</a> meeting between the Sounders and the Whitecaps in MLS. You guys remember that game? The Sounders we're down 1-0 until the 81st minute when Mauro Rosales equalized with his first Sounders goal. Then two minutes later, Ozzie Alonso put the Rave Green ahead with a low drive from outside the area. But then a minute later Eric Hassli, who now plays for FC Dallas, pulled the Caps back on level terms with a stunning volley.<br />
<br />
Seattle came close to retaking the lead a minute later. Lamar Neagle was found with a good long ball from Servando Carrasco. Neagle sprinted around Y.P. Lee to the byline and tried to sneak one into the far corner, but he just missed wide and as a matter of fact it nearly found the head of Obafemi Martins whose momentum sent him crashing into the goal, which is dangerous because your hands or your feet can get caught into the net. And speaking of that, Martins' right boot got tangled with the net for a few seconds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUPtgDQfZ16fm77vK3v01N1JXKXHgB9-X4bGRTvQn6MueXKJ_Rr3Nosw7Wi3ChRjVsmYgsPxV5xJ2gdX2-yr4rfwvsTPlpWkUUecMEwveFxagpxcDy5AGbu2FNq_cKXEqBV1usE_fuobn/s1600/Camilo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUPtgDQfZ16fm77vK3v01N1JXKXHgB9-X4bGRTvQn6MueXKJ_Rr3Nosw7Wi3ChRjVsmYgsPxV5xJ2gdX2-yr4rfwvsTPlpWkUUecMEwveFxagpxcDy5AGbu2FNq_cKXEqBV1usE_fuobn/s320/Camilo.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 26th minute, Teibert and Camilo linked up again. This time off a set piece after some poor communication by the Sounders defense. Russell Teibert curled the ball to the far post and the Brazilian got on the end of it with a diving header and there was no way Michael Gspurning was gonna make the save on this one. When it came off the head of Camilo, I knew from that moment that we were down. This was all on the Sounders defense. Leonardo Gonzalez urged his team to step away, but then they drop so deep, Neagle didn't challenge for the ball and Camilo made them pay with his second of the game to make it 2-1 to the Whitecaps. Awful communication on the part of the Sounders. And I think this is the first home match I've seen where the Sounders strike first and then find themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard later in the match.<br />
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Now on to the 53rd minute of the match where Vancouver more than likely should've made it 3-1. Camilo who was sitting on a hat-trick drove his free kick around the wall. Michael Gspurning got his hands to it and the ball fell nicely to Nigel Reo-Coker for him to put away the rebound but Gspurning somehow made the save with his right boot to keep the Sounders in this match. Probably one of the best saves I've ever seen from the Austrian, but at the same time, I don't know how Reo-Coker wasn't able to score.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZ6VsmubYaOR0-GbV-eBOolFCjxB5WRZrS9NE7966e80Sh6-pTctVxnbTnjUu3IpsBhbOhhh5wvuES_psNzasUTSF8yate0UU7cCtiyA3Nu0YJ1AVJyVDWebchGtWQ3F4DOMfJFFoqYZe/s1600/Servando+Carrasco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZ6VsmubYaOR0-GbV-eBOolFCjxB5WRZrS9NE7966e80Sh6-pTctVxnbTnjUu3IpsBhbOhhh5wvuES_psNzasUTSF8yate0UU7cCtiyA3Nu0YJ1AVJyVDWebchGtWQ3F4DOMfJFFoqYZe/s320/Servando+Carrasco.jpg" width="320" /></a>Vancouver started to play with 9-10 players back behind the ball trying to defend their lead and they would lose it in the 70th minute after a stupid ass challenge in the box. Marc Burch, who came on in the 61st minute, curled the ball to the far post where Lamar Neagle and Whitecaps defender Greg Klazura were battling for possession. There was some pushing and shoving from both players, but Neagle brought the ball down and Klazura slid in from behind, a blatant foul in the box and referee Hilario Grajeda wasted no time blowing his whistle and pointing to the penalty spot. Just a clumsy challenge by Klazura, who was making his second MLS appearance in as many weeks (he made his pro debut last week) and so far he's been sucking. Last week, he scored in own goal against the Red Bulls and then in this match, he commits a foul in the box. Servando Carrasco stepped to take the penalty for the Sounders and powered it in the top left corner to level things up at two goals a piece. Now as I said, Alex Morgan was in attendance to see her boyfriend play. Allie Long, who is Morgan's club teammate with the Portland Thorns in the new NWSL (I don't really follow that to be honest with you people), was at the match as well and she actually video taped Morgan's reaction to her boyfriend's PK. Check it out right <a href="https://vine.co/v/bLTUdtrzB6n">here</a>. It's pretty freakin' hilarious.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdgwPrFMiu8aZqAIIJmyMjCmWa_s1_5l8eQuEbn-9qnVFgDFDs0WCY1YwLt9AUAfTG33y0cwuH3s9B0AEIfmo2FiFAWoTTjXOXr4NnU89HqUgBuvU_0L6J-ubPL9h83uf6417MT7k-nDu/s1600/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdgwPrFMiu8aZqAIIJmyMjCmWa_s1_5l8eQuEbn-9qnVFgDFDs0WCY1YwLt9AUAfTG33y0cwuH3s9B0AEIfmo2FiFAWoTTjXOXr4NnU89HqUgBuvU_0L6J-ubPL9h83uf6417MT7k-nDu/s320/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great shot of Lamar Neagle's game-winning goal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the 81st minute, the Sounders climb back ahead. Andy Rose fed Obafemi Martins with a nice through ball. Martins let the ball roll in front of him before sliding the ball across to Lamar Neagle who taps it in for his fourth goal of the season, and that goal also turned out to be the game winner. I'm starting to love that EJ trade that they made back on February of 2012 even more. He spends the 2012 season with the Montreal Impact. He comes back in 2013, head coach Sigi Schmid starts playing him up top and all Neagle has done was show his home town crowd and all of MLS what he's really made of. He said he came back a better player and a lot smarter. He's proved that so far, four goals and three assists. It's gonna be interesting to see what Sigi will do when Johnson re-joins the club in Salt Lake, but the attack looks 10 times better than before with Eddie Johnson, Obafemi Martins and of course Lamar Neagle.<br />
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<b>Scoring summary:</b><br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Andy Rose 1 (Lamar Neagle 3) 9'<br />
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Vancouver Whitecaps FC - Camilo Sanvezzo 4 (Russell Teibert 2, Lee Young-Pyo 2) 10'<br />
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Vancouver Whitecaps FC - Camilo Sanvezzo 5 (Russell Teibert 3) 26'<br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Servando Carrasco 1 (<i>penalty kick</i>) 70'<br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Lamar Neagle 4 (Obafemi Martins 1, Andy Rose 1) 81'<br />
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<b>Misconduct summary:</b><br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Andy Rose (caution; foul) 56'<br />
<br />
Vancouver Whitecaps FC - Jordan Harvey (caution; foul) 86'<br />
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<b>Lineups:</b><br />
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Vancouver Whitecaps FC - Brad Knighton; Lee Young-Pyo, Andy O'Brien (Greg Klazura 62'), Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Nigel Reo-Coker, Jun Marques Davidson (Kekuta Manneh 83'), Matt Watson (Daigo Kobayashi 89'); Russell Teibert, Camilo, Kenny Miller<br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Michael Gspurning; DeAndre Yedlin, Zach Scott, Djimi Traore, Leonardo Gonzalez; Mauro Rosales (David Estrada 89'), Andy Rose, Servando Carrasco, Alex Caskey (Marc Burch 61'); Lamar Neagle, Obafemi MartinsMoney Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0CenturyLink Field, 800 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134, USA47.5951212 -122.3315886000000347.5924442 -122.33663110000003 47.5977982 -122.32654610000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-15838976275142754032013-06-09T11:56:00.000-07:002013-06-09T12:32:59.524-07:00Brad Evans' late winner rescues all three points for the United States<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNSALjWyu12SnCY3Y2AsPOImRGakRWjwVXoEdEH87TM5h_DskkfazR3Cv5QupWmpHhEPIdbeXhrM6rJ1w7f7A8NJCZhTroD_5hbeBeWmRD5xidVoJV6GLMsg1obC60mT9emZY8AnwJKTS/s1600/Brad+Evans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNSALjWyu12SnCY3Y2AsPOImRGakRWjwVXoEdEH87TM5h_DskkfazR3Cv5QupWmpHhEPIdbeXhrM6rJ1w7f7A8NJCZhTroD_5hbeBeWmRD5xidVoJV6GLMsg1obC60mT9emZY8AnwJKTS/s320/Brad+Evans.jpg" width="320" /></a>By Money Mike<br />
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With just under two minutes to go plus stoppage time, it appeared that Jamaica was on route to its third straight World Cup Qualifying defeat and the U.S. were on its way to its first ever World Cup Qualifying win in Kingston (believe it or not). But after the Reggae Boyz equalized late in the match, it appeared the Americans were gonna walk away with a disappointing result going into the match against Panama on June 11th, which of course will take place here in Seattle. But an unlikely hero stepped up in stoppage time. Brad Evans, who was making his second straight start at Right Back for the U.S., came through with one of the biggest goals of his career as he scored the game winner to salvage all three points for the U.S. in a 2-1 victory of Jamaica. The American are now sitting in a three way tie for first place with Mexico and Costa in the Hexagonal table with seven points. Costa Rica is currently sitting on top of the group with a +2 goal difference while the U.S. sits in second by virtue of goals scored. Again the top three teams will automatically qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. While the fourth-placed team will face New Zealand (winner of the Oceania qualifier) in a home and away playoff for one of the final spots in the World Cup.<br />
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USA came out attacking right from the start and they should've been 1-nil up in the 2nd minute. Graham Zusi's cross sailed over the head of Clint Dempsey, but it was cleared poorly by Alvas Powell. Jermaine Jones stepped up and hit it first time and it hit his own teammate and fell to Michael Bradley who his it on the half volley, right on the sweet spot, had goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts beat but it comes off the post and Jamaica dodge an early bullet.<br />
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Two minutes later, Jermaine Jones played a good long diagonal ball to Fabian Johnson on the near side. Johnson cut inside of Power and got the shot away before one of the Reggae Boyz had any chance to slide in and break up the play, but Donovan Ricketts got down and made the save.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji88P-GoTXr6nTqPs0K2J3TRCUHWNzPacre-XPx-pPYHmZsYybAjEyApY34Dpd1-29kiZdcQX3OKELe911pf06KuJ9gGdqgdcCGV3bL_u0JOMqdXxElOJje2JygM86bq2yTv1pNHhQs0Ju/s1600/Jozy+Altidore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji88P-GoTXr6nTqPs0K2J3TRCUHWNzPacre-XPx-pPYHmZsYybAjEyApY34Dpd1-29kiZdcQX3OKELe911pf06KuJ9gGdqgdcCGV3bL_u0JOMqdXxElOJje2JygM86bq2yTv1pNHhQs0Ju/s320/Jozy+Altidore.jpg" width="320" /></a>Now we're gonna fast forward to the 30th minute, when the United States continued to press and this time would make it count. Graham Zusi got around O'Brian Woodbine and whipped in a very good driven ball into the six-yard area where he had two blue shirts and getting on the end of it, unmarked was Jozy Altidore with a snap header to put the U.S. ahead 1-0 in Kingston. It was Jozy's 15th international goal and his second in as many caps after only recording one goal in the Klinsmann era, which of course came from the penalty spot in USA's 3-2 win over Slovenia back on November 15, 2011.<br />
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In the 38th minute, USA nearly got pegged back. Ryan Johnson lifted the ball over the head of Omar Gonzalez and found Rodolph Austin, who brought it down and tried to slot it inside the far corner with the outside of his foot, but the post saves the Americans. Shortly after, Jermaine Johnson had a go but he missed well wide of goal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6qM4GehwYqszeyQYELbhVckAHbcHX0TNOxKxnxIzZQivci10-Uonuu7Y0F2hdB1RAHQuQGU5tmkJY2Tn4kzyl-EqSYaGLxDM2BX2IJIxeCCztaaHKpo2S-9KuQYCeoqI1hogMBaq-1F1/s1600/Jamaica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6qM4GehwYqszeyQYELbhVckAHbcHX0TNOxKxnxIzZQivci10-Uonuu7Y0F2hdB1RAHQuQGU5tmkJY2Tn4kzyl-EqSYaGLxDM2BX2IJIxeCCztaaHKpo2S-9KuQYCeoqI1hogMBaq-1F1/s320/Jamaica.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 49th minute, Jamaica continued to push for the equalizer. Jermaine Johnson cut inside of Fabian Johnson and drove one low and hard, but wide as well. Johnson's been causing a lot of havoc on the right hand side for Jamaica and made life really difficult for the U.S. even though they've dodged a lot of bullets from him. I think one of the big mistakes that Jamican coach Theodore Whitmore made was replacing 'Jermaine' Johnson with Theo Robinson in the 68th minute because they lost some creativity on the right hand side since that move.<br />
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In the 50th minute, nearly got burned with a long distance effort. Garath McCleary played the ball back to Rodolph Austin, who was given so much room to take a touch and crank from well outside and he didn't miss by much. Michael Bradley tried to close him down, but he was too late. That's why you can not give the opposition that much room, especially Austin because he really can hit em' from outside with a lot of power.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nYWGfwrej2pKsC1yYTLJvix-BzNiwRVdViM0QJXEvaVOSgnCFIcuxhO1u3lfu85whETkv-mlzgeBl4hsQMcjA8zCj3qOyPoNWcwYe9t9w-sIOYqNFgfcoZTeGIGj1fjT1I43AfY0-K4W/s1600/Jermaine+Beckford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nYWGfwrej2pKsC1yYTLJvix-BzNiwRVdViM0QJXEvaVOSgnCFIcuxhO1u3lfu85whETkv-mlzgeBl4hsQMcjA8zCj3qOyPoNWcwYe9t9w-sIOYqNFgfcoZTeGIGj1fjT1I43AfY0-K4W/s320/Jermaine+Beckford.jpg" width="320" /></a>Moving on to the 89th minute, the Reggae Boyz came through with the equalizer. After Graham Zusi committed a foul in his own half, which also resulted in a yellow card, Rodolph Austin curled his free kick to the six yard area and found an unmarked Jermaine Beckford and all he needed to do was get a head to it and that's exactly what he did as he snapped it inside Tim Howard's left hand post and the U.S. appeared to have let two points slip away with a minute to go plus stoppage time. I don't know how the linesman didn't see it and obviously none of the U.S. players had their hands raised, protesting to the officials, but it looked like when the ball was chipped into the box, Beckford was in an offside position. But the linesman didn't see it, the goal stood and Jamaica leveled things up at 1-1. By the way, that yellow card on Zusi will keep him out of USA's next qualifying match on Tuesday against Panama.<br />
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In the second minute of stoppage time, just when you thought all was lost, Brad Evans stepped up and came through with a late winner. Michael Bradley played a short corner and got the return pass from Graham Zusi. Bradley cut to his left foot, slid the ball into the area for Evans and here's what happened.....<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8prjW6w-yow" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Big win for the U.S. in Kingston in the first of three qualifying matches in June. Many people believe the U.S. need to get seven points out of these three matches. So far they have three, now it's time to get ready for the Panama match on June 11th here in Seattle. And of course, I'm gonna be there....<br />
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<b>Scoring summary:</b><br />
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United States - Jozy Altidore (Graham Zusi) 30'<br />
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Jamaica - Jermaine Beckford (Rodolph Austin) 89'<br />
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United States - Brad Evans (Michael Bradley) 92'+<br />
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<b>Misconduct summary:</b><br />
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United States - Graham Zusi (caution; foul)* 89'<br />
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United States - Brad Evans (caution; excessive celebration) 91'+<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* - Will miss USA's next match on June 11th against Panama</span><br />
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<b>Lineups:</b><br />
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United States - Tim Howard; Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley; Graham Zusi, Jermaine Jones (Geoff Cameron 59'), Michael Bradley, Fabian Johnson (Edgar Castillo 14'); Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore (Eddie Johnson 83')<br />
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Jamaica - Donovan Ricketts; Alvas Powell, Daniel Gordon, Adrian Mariappa, O'Brian Woodbine; Jermaine Johnson (Theo Robinson 68'), Rodolph Austin, Marvin Elliot, Jermaine Hue (Jermaine Beckford 70'), Garath McCleary (Omar Daley 75'); Ryan Johnson<br />
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<b>Hexagonal table:</b><br />
<br />
1. Costa Rica; 2-1-1 (7 points), GF 5 GA 3 GD +2<br />
<b>2. United States; 2-1-1 (7 points), GF 4 GA 3 GD +1</b><br />
3. Mexico; 1-0-4 (7 points), GF 3 GA 2 GD +1<br />
4. Panama; 1-0-3 (6 points), GF 5 GA 3 GD +2<br />
5. Honduras; 1-2-1 (4 points), GF 4 GA 6 GD -2<br />
6. Jamaica; 0-3-2 (2 points), GF 2 GA 6 GD -4Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0Jamaica National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica18.0014137 -76.77296569999998617.999526200000002 -76.775487199999986 18.0033012 -76.770444199999986tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-83024406334990364932013-06-05T22:19:00.000-07:002013-06-05T22:19:07.717-07:002013 NBA Finals preview + predictions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcD8M1dXjpu98vhMOZouHQjW4fw7_W1xGhVzDS31rhWmR8_hhhZI7v6490gfGhI0w3uPEv0Pul9b6KYXTS3dUGhYg-TVwgQ-K7gvqi8L7O4qhOhBAjl6iyLDkq7ZaCQ7FVv9kFO5xI3c/s1600/Finals-LBJ-Duncan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcD8M1dXjpu98vhMOZouHQjW4fw7_W1xGhVzDS31rhWmR8_hhhZI7v6490gfGhI0w3uPEv0Pul9b6KYXTS3dUGhYg-TVwgQ-K7gvqi8L7O4qhOhBAjl6iyLDkq7ZaCQ7FVv9kFO5xI3c/s320/Finals-LBJ-Duncan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
By Kshell<br />
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This NBA Finals is probably the most anticipated NBA Finals we have seen since Magic Johnson and his Los Angeles Lakers took on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1991 NBA Finals. This match up is so intriguing because it appears to be two eras clashing against each other. You have the San Antonio Spurs who are going to their fifth NBA finals who represent the old dynasty. Their face of the franchise is Tim Duncan who was the #1 pick in the NBA back in 1997. The Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is 64 years old. The Miami Heat on the other hand are the team that is seen as the next dynasty led by their face Lebron James who is only 28 years and just won his fourth MVP in five seasons. Their head coach is Erik Spoelstra who is only 42 years old. In fact the age difference in the coaches is the largest in NBA finals history. This series is intriguing also because these are the two best teams in the NBA and demonstrated all season long they were the best teams. This series also features four NBA Finals MVP's in Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. This finals also has future hall of famers Chris Bosh, Manu Ginobili and Ray Allen. This series has the star power element to it. In this following post I'll preview this finals and offer up my prediction.<br />
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<b>1. Which star player is going to increase his legacy this series with a championship performance?</b><br />
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The last time we saw Tim Duncan in the NBA Finals was in 2007 when he swept the 22 year old rising star Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tim Duncan after that sweep told James after the game this league will be his and thanked him for letting him get one last championship. For Duncan it took him six more years to go back to the NBA Finals. For James he had to wait five more years before winning his first title. Both players if they retired today would be in the top 10 all-time in NBA history for greatest players to have ever lived. If Duncan can win his fifth NBA title in a span of 14 years he could rise in the top 5. Duncan also saves his best for the NBA Finals as he is a three-time NBA Finals MVP. In 22 career NBA Finals games Duncan is 16-6 and has been a monster in those finals. He is averaging 22.7 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 3.4 APG and 3.04 blocks per game. In the 2003 NBA Finals win over the New Jersey Nets Duncan in six games averaged 24.1 PPG, 17.0 RPG, 5.3 APG and 5.3 blocks per game. That might be the greatest performance in NBA Finals History.<br />
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Lebron James has had a mixed bag for the NBA Finals so far in his career. In 2007 when he was swept by Duncan and the Spurs he only averaged 22.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 6.8 APG. He also shot 35.6% from the field which was very un Lebron like. In 2011 against Dallas was Lebron's low point of his career where only averaged 17.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 6.8 APG as he was only the teams' third leading scorer. That all changed for James last year when he was NBA Finals MVP against the Zombie Sonics. He averaged 28.6 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 7.4 APG which were all NBA Finals career highs. This postseason James is playing great once again averaging 26.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 6.4 APG. His stats don't tell the whole story as he rested a lot in the first round sweep of the Milwaukee Bucks. At the end of this series one of these two guys are going to greatly improve their legacy. I expect both players to have huge series as I don't see either team stopping Duncan who made NBA First Team at the age of 37 years old or Lebron James who is in his prime.<br />
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<b>2. Whichever struggling star rises up this series their team wins the title:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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I'm sure everyone has heard about the struggles of Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade by now but the Spurs are waiting for their key player Manu Ginobili to step up this series. For Ginobili and Wade this will be their fourth NBA Finals trip and neither team will win the title if they continue to struggle. Ginobili this postseason has been pretty bad averaging only 11.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 5.4 APG while shooting only 38.3% from the field.<br />
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For Wade he has also been dreadful this postseason averaging only 14.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 4.9 APG while shooting only 44.7% from the field. He was especially bad against the Indiana Pacers until game 7 when he scored 21 points his first 20 point outing since game two of the first round. Wade does tend to play his best in the NBA Finals though. In 17 career Finals games Wade is averaging 28.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.88 steals and 1.23 blocks which is pretty impressive. In the 2006 NBA Finals he was Finals MVP as he averaged 34.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 2.7 steals per game and 1.0 blocks per game. If Wade plays like he is capable the Heat should win the series. However given he is 31 years old and breaking down who knows what the Heat will get from Wade?<br />
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The same could be said for Ginobili who hasn't scored in double figures in four of his last five postseason games. Ginobili is going be 36 this summer and a big part of the reason why the Spurs haven't reached the NBA Finals since 2007. He hasn't been healthy since then. In the Finals he has played well in the past in 2007 he averaged 17.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 2.5 APG. In 2005 he averaged 18.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 4.0 APG. In 2003 he was more of a role player back then but he was a huge part of the last two championship teams. If the Spurs can get Ginobili to return to what he's capable of they'll win the title.<br />
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I feel like this is the series right here. I know James, Parker and Duncan will play well. If Wade can play like Wade the Heat have the advantage but if Wade struggles the Spurs have the slight edge. If Ginobili can give the Spurs something they've been missing from him this whole postseason they could very well win the title.<br />
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<b>3. Will Tony Parker claim title of NBA's best point and have a similar performance like his NBA Finals MVP performance in 2007? </b><br />
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I remember when Parker was in his first NBA Finals in 2003 the sub plot was the Spurs were going to get rid of him and sign the man he was going up against Jason Kidd. Now Parker might be the NBA's best point guard(It's him or Chris Paul). Parker is having a great playoffs so far as this has been his team since 2011 when the Spurs went from being an old aging dynasty to rejuvenated. Parker this postseason is averaging 23.0 PPG, 7.2 APG and 3.9 RPG. In the Western Conference Finals sweep vs the Memphis Grizzlies Parker averaged 24.5 PPG, 9.5 APG and 3.5 RPG. He shot a ridiculous 26-43(60.4%) from the field in the games final two games.<br />
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This is nothing new for Parker on the big stage as he has 17 NBA Finals starts under his belt. He was the NBA Finals MVP against Lebron James in the 2007 NBA Finals. He averaged 24.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 3.3 APG while shooting 56.8% from the field and 57.1% from three pointers that series. Parker is a five-time all-star and has made second team all-NBA the last two seasons. Another strong Finals this year for Parker would put him as the best point guard in the game right now. Also historically he would be the starting point guard on four title teams. Three of those teams he'd been the best player or second best player on the team. Parker has to come up huge for the Spurs to have a chance and most likely will be having Lebron James cover him in the fourth quarter.<br />
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<b>4. Will Chris Bosh make an appearance this Finals after no showing in the ECF? </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvvQWfSG-S_yuBFjgFeKe9mAhTSvs3aIR15EAjYOF1nOtiLtXxdJyTz1_5WpkV888LZGJzDUBm_S0VdpKMJ7VAX2uT817240Swpis4k5_D0Nv9SOLPa4mc2iQxyGz-Wz5EarfJrnPCsw/s1600/Finals-Bosh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvvQWfSG-S_yuBFjgFeKe9mAhTSvs3aIR15EAjYOF1nOtiLtXxdJyTz1_5WpkV888LZGJzDUBm_S0VdpKMJ7VAX2uT817240Swpis4k5_D0Nv9SOLPa4mc2iQxyGz-Wz5EarfJrnPCsw/s320/Finals-Bosh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Chris Bosh has struggled this postseason and especially in the last four games. These playoffs he is only averaging 12.3 PPG and 6.6 RPG. In the last four games Bosh is averaging only 7.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG. He is shooting 8-34(23.5%) in that four game stretch as well. Roy Hibbert completely took Bosh out of the series with his height and physicality. Bosh was over matched and lost his confidence. However, he is facing a team that he's done well against this year in their two meetings. Bosh averaged 20.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG against the Spurs while shooting 58.6% from the field. Bosh also had a memorable moment this year against the Spurs. The Heat were playing without Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers at San Antonio in late March. The Heat somehow were only trailing by one point when <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG_vdeu8dGE">Chris Bosh hit the game winning three pointer</a> . I don't think the Spurs are as physical as the Pacers are so Bosh should be in his comfort zone.<br />
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Bosh has played well in the last two NBA Finals as well. In the 2011 NBA Finals loss Bosh actually out scored Lebron as he averaged 18.5 PPG and led the team in rebounds with 7.3 per game. Last year in the Finals he was coming off an injury and played well again averaging 14.6 PPG and 9.4 RPG. In the clinching game Bosh scored 24 points and had 7 rebounds as he shot 9-14(64.3%) from the field. The Heat obviously can't win the title if Bosh provides them nothing. Bosh has to step up and I think in this match up he should do much better.<br />
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<b>Prediction: Heat win in six games</b><br />
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The Miami Heat are the best team in the NBA, have home court advantage, have the best player in the game while in his prime and also haven't lost back to back games since January. This postseason when the Heat do lose a game they respond by beating their opponent by an average of 22.6 points per game. I think they have been playing around with their opponents like last years postseason saw. Last year the aging Boston Celtics pushed the Heat to elimination before the Heat won in seven. Then everyone doubted them against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Heat won in five games in what was their easiest series of the playoffs since the first round.<br />
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I expect the Spurs to get a split in Miami and I think this series will be tied at two games a piece. Unlike in 2011 I think the Heat win the pivotal game five on the road then come back home to celebrate. The Heat are in the Finals despite Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen all underachieving. Those players are all due to break out and if they just break out even slightly you see what can <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore;_ylt=AnZXsH.GOzAWhmEZAv0.ApzJPKB4?gid=2013060314">happen</a> . This is James league now and Duncan prophecy will come true. This is now James league and Duncan was fortunate to go up against James when he was 22 years old. Like James said recently he is 50 times better than he was then. He's won two gold medals, four NBA MVP's and a championship since that time. Teams who have reached the NBA Finals for the third straight year have won the last five times(1990 Detroit Pistons, 1993 Chicago Bulls, 1998 Chicago Bulls, 2002 Los Angeles Lakers, and 2010 Los Angeles Lakers). Just like in 1991 the new up and coming dynasty is going to take out the old dynasty.kshellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12308494891109604209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-76977144963970638902013-05-20T23:17:00.000-07:002013-05-21T01:34:12.670-07:00Sounders defeat FC Dallas 4-2; Extend unbeaten streak to six<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWZQi_3pdohrBOkdcgPO_x6BBHK8dRRJKQK-NqDCCa7YIgRrYVL6JJl2zXo1sbiga4rluUhx5zUmpcajbZGauYrdmR6yVsr8WRYcdtsme6IwjMwZx2VVCPtNX6hXYFAoiy5IZgLZmE3t0/s1600/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWZQi_3pdohrBOkdcgPO_x6BBHK8dRRJKQK-NqDCCa7YIgRrYVL6JJl2zXo1sbiga4rluUhx5zUmpcajbZGauYrdmR6yVsr8WRYcdtsme6IwjMwZx2VVCPtNX6hXYFAoiy5IZgLZmE3t0/s320/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" width="320" /></a>By Money Mike<br />
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The Seattle Sounders hot streak continues. On Saturday night, the Rave Green came way with their third straight win as they defeated the Western Conference leaders FC Dallas 4-2 to extend their unbeaten streak to six games. The Sounders had a 2-0 lead at halftime, but Dallas came back with two quick goals early in the second half to level the match up at two goals a piece only for the Sounders to come away with two more unanswered goals and the three points. The Sounders will have a chance at extending their unbeaten run to seven games as they travel to the Home Depot Center for a Western Conference Finals rematch against the two-time MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy. LA is coming off a 1-0 road loss to the New York Red Bulls and have struggled a bit as of late, losing three out of their last four games. The game will take place this Sunday at 8pm on ESPN2.<br />
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With just over a quarter of an hour gone by in the match, the Sounders opened the scoring. After FC Dallas keeper Raul Fernandez cleared the ball to midfield, Ozzie Alonso headed it back into the Dallas area where Eddie Johnson was in a race with defender London Woodberry. The rookie makes a mistake by trying to reach out with his right foot for the ball and EJ makes him pay as he brings it down with his chest and puts it away with the outside of his right foot and the Sounders pick up where they left off against the Earthquakes. Scoring goals. It was Johnson's third MLS goal of the season (fourth in all competitions) and first against his former club. Woodberry had a torrid evening as the Sounders offense took him to school.<br />
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EJ nearly had a second five minutes later. Mario Martinez's outswinger from the far touchline found Johnson who outjumped Matt Hedges but couldn't direct his header on target.<br />
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In the 27th minute, Seattle had another big chance to double their lead. Mario Martinez found Brad Evans in behind the defense and as he approached the 6 yard area, he hesitated at the last second, deciding whether or not to slide the ball across to Lamar Neagle and that gave Raul Fernandez time to position himself and make the save. Evans appeared to have been offside on the pass from Martinez, but at the same time, Evans was in position to slot the ball inside the far corner with his left foot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iaglYdfNN15V1Dxg-ovd2mWQwcaSlTiz3uAw3Eh_7XE5SFMlB6yhoSY7XAGvAProNuTv6WKjyXQDZsyncgvqLGGKm0O2w3Ox9RCQN8WqPes_3E_b9S6Dd0KnD4U4Eyb1AnalHEHogwHu/s1600/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iaglYdfNN15V1Dxg-ovd2mWQwcaSlTiz3uAw3Eh_7XE5SFMlB6yhoSY7XAGvAProNuTv6WKjyXQDZsyncgvqLGGKm0O2w3Ox9RCQN8WqPes_3E_b9S6Dd0KnD4U4Eyb1AnalHEHogwHu/s320/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" width="320" /></a>Evans was involved in another scoring chance for the Sounders in the 30th minute. This time, a through ball to Lamar Neagle did the trick. Neagle was fed with a perfectly timed through ball as he beat the offside trap, only had the keeper to beat, dribbles the ball around him and puts the ball inside the empty net before London Woodberry could have any chance of sliding in and breaking up the play. There was no doubt in this play, Neagle was definitely onside. Zach Loyd, the last defender, kept him on. But the question is, why the hell is Dallas trying to push all the way up and trying to play the offside trap? This time the Sounders made them pay. That was Neagle's third goal in two games and the Sounders doubled their lead.<br />
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Just shortly after, the Sounders suffered a big blow as Ozzie Alonso was forced to leave the game with in injury. Last I heard, it was a left adductor strain, but no further information as of right now. I just hope he'll be back soon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdVdm4wm9b31R7vD9wiNoBxJs-T1BIdJr3tGr5Gp6QN2pfKR66YDC8XKY_S04UvSK76WkAfTSJ9wg9LFsn8YrbeDZOrac0Sx7-vUNlvZn9YXUyfr6h_qxypV44k5QZ8JR2NwlesCwVOLE/s1600/Brad+Evans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdVdm4wm9b31R7vD9wiNoBxJs-T1BIdJr3tGr5Gp6QN2pfKR66YDC8XKY_S04UvSK76WkAfTSJ9wg9LFsn8YrbeDZOrac0Sx7-vUNlvZn9YXUyfr6h_qxypV44k5QZ8JR2NwlesCwVOLE/s320/Brad+Evans.jpg" width="320" /></a>Just over 10 minutes later, the Sounders came real close to making it three. Michael Gpsurning gathered the ball quickly threw the ball out to Mario Martinez to set Seattle on the counter. Martinez cut inside and slid the ball trough to Brad Evans for a first timed shot, but it hit the side of the net. Many thought it was in. As a matter of fact, I've seen those plays result in goals more times than not.<br />
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Seconds later, Dallas had a golden opportunity to cut the lead in half. Zach Loyd made an overlapping run and was found by Jackson. Loyd had plenty of time to take a touch and whip the ball to the near post for Blas Perez who looked to direct his header inside Michael Gpsurning's right hand post and ends up hitting the post, then off Gspurning's left hand and the rebound by Eric Hassli was saved off Gspurning's left thigh. Had Gpsurning not got a left hand to the ball, I think Kenny Cooper would've had an easy rebound.<br />
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In the 54th minute, Dallas this time were able to pull one back. The visitors look more dangerous on set pieces this year then they did last year. Mainly because of the quality that Brazilian midfielder Michel on his delivery and he showed that in this game as he curled the ball into the area for a free header from former Portland Timber forward Kenny Cooper who didn't even need to jump. All he needed to do was direct the ball on target and that's what he did and Dallas cut the Sounders lead to one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGD8zLNe2gfJe2DjajX6lpl4-6-XX5XXF9zw1aw6UogTHPmNx2AzszmX3CngHK066SqKz1Wigq5LArduP4_m0ZetkPYyZteJS71eCCkMN8p76VmkBYoaXgXlEKHgv1mRt8Fdqu1LoIDZD/s1600/FC+Dallas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGD8zLNe2gfJe2DjajX6lpl4-6-XX5XXF9zw1aw6UogTHPmNx2AzszmX3CngHK066SqKz1Wigq5LArduP4_m0ZetkPYyZteJS71eCCkMN8p76VmkBYoaXgXlEKHgv1mRt8Fdqu1LoIDZD/s320/FC+Dallas.jpg" width="320" /></a>Seattle continued to attack though and in the 59th minute, they were an inch away from making it 3-1. Mario Martinez played in another great through ball in the box, this time to Eddie Johnson who was denied a second goal by Raul Fernandez. Lamar Neagle came crashing in looking to head in the rebound but was denied with a heroic goaline stop by London Woodberry to keep it a 2-1 game. That was pretty much the only highlight of this match for Woodberry who as I mentioned earlier, had a rough night in the office.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LyUhrL76nxbmNkowQTB12oNggEMzqpCQxjLoPqpxY0SIFoLcVGYbrq6S7tybGDSlQxovIUpvos-LnyLdKQl0UtQDONvAJQZWgO17japSpANccAUSbxemOtFjqoMVRb5lauGjSwibX89r/s1600/FC+Dallas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LyUhrL76nxbmNkowQTB12oNggEMzqpCQxjLoPqpxY0SIFoLcVGYbrq6S7tybGDSlQxovIUpvos-LnyLdKQl0UtQDONvAJQZWgO17japSpANccAUSbxemOtFjqoMVRb5lauGjSwibX89r/s320/FC+Dallas.jpg" width="320" /></a>Two minutes later, the Hoops level the match up on what is a rare feat in soccer. They call it an Olimpico Goal. I did mention the quality that Michel has on set pieces and his inswinger from the near hashmark goes directly into the far corner without touching anybody and the Sounders quickly see their two goal lead slip away with just under a half an hour to go in the match. This isn't the first time Michael Gspurning was on the back end of a Gol Olimpico. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTxctb-TMKQ">Marco Pappa</a> scored one direct off a corner in Seattle's visit to Chicago last season. Again, Olimpico Goals are very rare, although we've seen quite a few in MLS these last couple of years. David Beckham did it a couple years ago when he was still playing for the LA Galaxy. Thierry Henry scored one direct off a corner kick last year. I already mentioned Marco Pappa. And now Michel against the Seattle Sounders.<br />
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Now I'm actually going to show you the goal...... mainly because a lot of you don't know what an Olimpico Goal is, so this video should give you an idea.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/p5sKq915ef4" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsS9W2FkqBIH0OD9ZJvBafkt149fqoDqoMhvdiw7jVCd_dEH_9Hxl6B5CG1M1tlJXNNWf__fzYLhphmvH317myaas9Eaf1ZaY5ZJdiZnGSwNVYwOpI7JuvtjPu6LAGuAN8hOlCqn3DHVxH/s1600/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsS9W2FkqBIH0OD9ZJvBafkt149fqoDqoMhvdiw7jVCd_dEH_9Hxl6B5CG1M1tlJXNNWf__fzYLhphmvH317myaas9Eaf1ZaY5ZJdiZnGSwNVYwOpI7JuvtjPu6LAGuAN8hOlCqn3DHVxH/s320/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" width="320" /></a>However, the match was level for only a minute because in the 62nd minute, the Men in Rave Green came right back and got their third. FC Dallas have been sloppy all night in their passing game, struggling to get the ball out of their area and once again they paid the price. Shalrie Joseph fed Lamar Neagle who turned and slid the ball through to Eddie Johnson and EJ made no mistake this time as he dribbled around Raul Fernandez and went Upper-V (which means he struck it inside the top corner of the net) for his second of the game and the Sounders just like that climb back ahead and take a 3-2 lead. This looked like a similar play where Brad Evans missed wide off a through ball from Martinez back in the first half and EJ getting denied in the second half. But this time EJ see that Fernandez is coming off his line to cut down the angle and he dribbles around him and puts it away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdI8N-BwsOFZlUw4Vvx15rP-g0TVGa1bGL8L33u0LY8WSrfKPyneZR0u6PHY0ngJA2iigEfNJv2VrWoWWduyWFipot-TLU2f7ZKl21C2G1vpp7V0iEYd-cAB7hZdrwXQesJWhuaivtzWR6/s1600/Gonzalez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdI8N-BwsOFZlUw4Vvx15rP-g0TVGa1bGL8L33u0LY8WSrfKPyneZR0u6PHY0ngJA2iigEfNJv2VrWoWWduyWFipot-TLU2f7ZKl21C2G1vpp7V0iEYd-cAB7hZdrwXQesJWhuaivtzWR6/s320/Gonzalez.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 72nd minute, blood was drawn and the outcome was a controversial red card decision. Blas Perez and Leo Gonzalez were both going up for the ball and Perez ends up catching Gonzalez with an elbow, unintentionally though. When they showed the replay, it looked like a dangerous play and that MLS was going to review it during midweek and see if it worthy of a suspension, but when it got back to live action, referee Mark Geiger (who we've have problems with the last few times he officiated matches involving the Sounders) reached for his back pocket and pulled out the red card after a discussion with the fourth official. You see plays like this every time where players accidentally get elbowed while going up in the air for the ball and no red cards were handed out on those plays, so I think the only reason a red card was given is because Gonzalez's face was covered in blood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFi2nOYzRPLERSNHWBwvHqbNfsrNoma2lBZ3ZLXAQYSzIEP7_9ABx3egDWVxnHTchU2hJULvrYr_58NihfbTDkwtnIzeT03P7ucOm1ZW14iHXJpfR49-bhfmPI31YM38aw0ODv3b9d01c/s1600/Obafemi+Martins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFi2nOYzRPLERSNHWBwvHqbNfsrNoma2lBZ3ZLXAQYSzIEP7_9ABx3egDWVxnHTchU2hJULvrYr_58NihfbTDkwtnIzeT03P7ucOm1ZW14iHXJpfR49-bhfmPI31YM38aw0ODv3b9d01c/s320/Obafemi+Martins.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 83rd the Sounders would get another goal to cap off another big victory. Lamar Neagle whipped in a brilliant left footed cross for Eddie Johnson to headed the ball straight at Raul Fernandez. The ball fell to Brad Evans who slid the ball to the middle for Obafemi Martins to slide it home for his third goal of the season and more importantly, to seal the Sounders third straight win as they defeat FC Dallas 4-2. The Sounders are unbeaten in their last six matches since starting the year 0-3-1 and most people would begin to think that they're a force to be force to be reckoned with up front with Eddie Johnson, Lamar Neagle and now Obafemi Martins.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Scoring summary:</b><br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Eddie Johnson 3 (Osvaldo Alonso 1) 16'<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Lamar Neagle 3 (Brad Evans 1) 30'<br />
<br />
FC Dallas - Kenny Cooper 3 (Michel 4) 54'<br />
<br />
FC Dallas - Michel 1 (<i>Unassisted</i>) 61'<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Eddie Johnson 4 (Lamar Neagle 1) 62'<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Obafemi Martins 3 (Brad Evans 2) 83'<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Misconduct summary:</b><br />
<br />
FC Dallas - London Woodberry (caution; foul) 43'<br />
<br />
FC Dallas - Blas Perez (ejection; violent conduct) 73'<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - DeAndre Yedlin (caution; time wasting) 87'<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Lineups:</b><br />
<br />
FC Dallas - Raul Fernandez; Zach Loyd, Matt Hedges, London Woodberry (Walker Zimmerman 85'), Jair Benitez; Jackson, Michel, Je-Vaughn Watson; Eric Hassli, Blas Perez, Kenny Cooper (Fabian Castillo 64')<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Michael Gspurning; DeAndre Yedlin, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Djimi Traore, Leonardo Gonzalez (Zach Scott 78'); Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso (Shalrie Joseph 31'), Servando Carrasco, Mario Martinez (Obafemi Martins 63'); Eddie Johnson, Lamar NeagleMoney Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0CenturyLink Field, 800 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134, USA47.5951212 -122.3315886000000347.5924442 -122.33663110000003 47.5977982 -122.32654610000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-22685151393800353642013-05-16T22:30:00.000-07:002013-05-16T23:14:03.308-07:00Sounders crush the San Jose Earthquakes 4-0<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeE1830Mhlt-JFYuVVKt09Elbp7ej9T3u1fRxcufLdYipDoxPHfidJLdUbQ56PASIgdTWJBIsFcLknJu3glyP32-nml2ELsVU2bDewGiYrA4ucgXzXdMv1C4zf3xze5zf_wjya8NVQsUR/s1600/Obafemi+Martins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeE1830Mhlt-JFYuVVKt09Elbp7ej9T3u1fRxcufLdYipDoxPHfidJLdUbQ56PASIgdTWJBIsFcLknJu3glyP32-nml2ELsVU2bDewGiYrA4ucgXzXdMv1C4zf3xze5zf_wjya8NVQsUR/s320/Obafemi+Martins.jpg" width="320" /></a>By Money Mike<br />
<br />
<br />
After a 2-0-1 road trip, the Seattle Sounders returned home looking to snatch a four game losing skid against the San Jose Earthquakes. And that's exactly what they did. Goals have been tough to come by for the Sounders in the early part of the season but on Saturday, the Men in Rave Green rediscovered their goalscoring touch as they put a four spot on the San Jose Earthquakes for their third win in their last four matches and also to extend their unbeaten run to five games. The Sounders remain at home next Saturday when they host the Western Conference leaders FC Dallas. Kickoff time for that match is at 7:30.<br />
<br />
Sounders began testing the San Jose backline early on in the game. In the 9th minute, Lamar Neagle let the ball run through to Eddie Johnson who played it back to the Federal Way boy. Neagle took one touch and ripped one from a long way out, but the ball was always going wide.<br />
<br />
Sounders should've had a goal in the 24th minute. Eddie Johnson found Brad Evans on the near side. Evans had Lamar Neagle making a run in the box as well as Mauro Rosales and whipped in a low left foot cross to the far post for Rosales who should've headed the ball in, but it looked like he timed his header a little to early and the ball came off the side of his head and didn't find the target.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUG-TJb_W886OH-woYrONSnQqqiXG93Tz5G76sZr3SncxO3N2LIPY6pWmC0EPxBu_Vr2S0mC7uEzMicWTCIUdhhJRTLqFatAY-UhTgMI6Nhdzb5dMZ-ATbMnUZRaLTFpGGnPDXlkegFC1/s1600/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUG-TJb_W886OH-woYrONSnQqqiXG93Tz5G76sZr3SncxO3N2LIPY6pWmC0EPxBu_Vr2S0mC7uEzMicWTCIUdhhJRTLqFatAY-UhTgMI6Nhdzb5dMZ-ATbMnUZRaLTFpGGnPDXlkegFC1/s320/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 28th minute, the Sounders opened the scoring as they would catch the Quakes on the break. After some sloppy passing from Sam Cronin and Ramiro Corrales, Mauro Rosales poked the ball to Brad Evans who quickly played the ball out wide for Eddie Johnson. EJ slowed up for a second as he waited for support before taking on Justin Morrow. Johnson then chipped the ball into the box to Rosales who chested the ball to the top of the box for Lamar Neagle who catches it off the half volley and Jon Busch could do nothing but get a piece of the ball as it finds the back of the net for Neagle's first league goal in his third stint with the Sounders.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ih3MZffHVDDDVC05UKrVCwGzT1FK_qMpbV6EZSdEPg8bKVY-lj6zXQpbdl5I5RCC3LAAhDzb575NeeWdwKtucbY-ImmMo5O_3RPF2W_RtF98GqjsVZd-0nW4vV2c6JB1VV27RlmrEj28/s1600/Sounders+vs+SJ+Earthquakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ih3MZffHVDDDVC05UKrVCwGzT1FK_qMpbV6EZSdEPg8bKVY-lj6zXQpbdl5I5RCC3LAAhDzb575NeeWdwKtucbY-ImmMo5O_3RPF2W_RtF98GqjsVZd-0nW4vV2c6JB1VV27RlmrEj28/s320/Sounders+vs+SJ+Earthquakes.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 37th minute, San Jose nearly pulled one back and probably should've pulled one back. Sam Cronin curled the ball to the far post for Ramiro Corrales who headed the ball back across to Alan Gordon for a free header and how he missed that opportunity, I don't know. Gordon was making his first start after missing the last four games. He was suspended three games for his homophobic slur which was directed at Portland Timbers midfielder Will Johnson during their match in Portland. He's the third player in the last two seasons to cross the line in that area. Colin Clark remember was suspended for his homophobic slur directed at one of the Sounders ball boys during the second match of the 2012 season between the Sounders and the Houston Dynamo and Marc Burch of course was also penalized for the same reason also believed to be directed at Will Johnson in the second leg of last years Western Conference semifinal between the Sounders and Real Salt Lake, and you can read more about that <a href="http://seattlesportsblog-kshell.blogspot.com/2012/11/super-mario-sends-sounders-to-western.html">here</a>. Anyway, missing games is no excuse for missing that opportunity. Gordon should've scored.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKENdETEnaTiIPe9h5STUaEbLBDQrN7svIGw4yX4-ghj47bkcUF5lMI3pg07Y0OWmJD51O5wrpGMAd6ervsPxxj579GAbCs3A_VOcue2LpScR7sX08OE1CSwnol5M7wozeTyPZKNB-8yvP/s1600/Mauro+Rosales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKENdETEnaTiIPe9h5STUaEbLBDQrN7svIGw4yX4-ghj47bkcUF5lMI3pg07Y0OWmJD51O5wrpGMAd6ervsPxxj579GAbCs3A_VOcue2LpScR7sX08OE1CSwnol5M7wozeTyPZKNB-8yvP/s320/Mauro+Rosales.jpg" width="320" /></a>Just seconds into first half stoppage time, the Sounders doubled their lead. After a foul was conceded about 25 yards away from goal, now the question was who was going to take this one because this was Fredy Montero territory, but he's on loan in Colombia, you also have Mario Martinez who can take these, but he was on the bench to start the game. So it came down to, "is Mauro Rosales going to touch it for Ozzie Alonso?", "is he gonna look for one of the green shirts in the box?", "is he gonna go for goal himself?". Well, he went for goal himself and curled it in off the left post to put the Sounders up 2-0.<br />
<br />
Moving on to the 54th minute, it was Lamar Neagle for the second time in this match. Servando Carrasco, who has really improved these past couple of week, fed Neagle with a high lofted ball. Neagle used his strength to bring the ball down in front of him, turn away from Justin Morrow and strike it low and hard in off the near post for his second of the game and the Sounders third.<br />
<br />
And then in the final seconds of the game, Obafemi Martins comes on and gets in on the goal parade.....<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eGjJSO4-4bM" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
The Sounders have quickly turned things around since their 0-3-1 start. They have won three of their last four matches, they're unbeaten in five and they're only a couple points out of playoff position with a couple games in hand. The Men in Rave Green have shown once again that they can comeback in a heartbeat.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Scoring summary:</b><br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Lamar Neagle 1 (Mauro Rosales 3, Eddie Johnson 1) 28'<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Mauro Rosales 2 (<i>Unassisted</i>) 46'+<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Lamar Neagle 2 (Servando Carrasco 1) 54'<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Obafemi Martins 2 (<i>Unassisted</i>) 93'+<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Misconduct summary:</b><br />
<br />
San Jose Earthquakes - Rafael Baca (caution; foul) 45'<br />
<br />
San Jose Earthquakes - Chris Wondolowski (caution; argument) 88'<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Eddie Johnson (caution; argument) 88'<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Lineups:</b><br />
<br />
San Jose Earthquakes - Jon Busch; Steven Beitashour, Victor Bernardez, Justin Morrow, Dan Gargan; Rafael Baca, Sam Cronin, Ramiro Corrales (Shea Salinas 64'), Walter Martinez; Alan Gordon (Marcus Tracy 65'), Chris Wondolowski<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Michael Gspurning; DeAndre Yedlin, Zach Scott, Djimi Traore, Leonardo Gonzalez; Mauro Rosales (Mario Martinez 62'), Osvaldo Alonso, Servando Carrasco, Brad Evans (Obafemi Martins 55'); Lamar Neagle (David Estrada 86'), Eddie JohnsonMoney Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com1CenturyLink Field, 800 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134, USA47.5951212 -122.3315886000000347.5924442 -122.33663110000003 47.5977982 -122.32654610000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-85821422690576559002013-05-10T16:00:00.000-07:002013-05-21T01:34:12.675-07:00"NOT AGAIN": Yes again..... Sounders snatch one late against Sporting Kansas City<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYBwaVWGS7J_TPp7fM7aywli-Ll3BMeSKOnazQD5cLItuo2MUJhnr_CAoq2qbQKkRqvWdZ3mDEGW4t4vNeU2d4iGCBLYuP8m-u0QQt919uJgZckUmQP6c2yhAMS3gfFVRHfRWxcgaoYDd/s1600/Sporting+Kansas+City.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYBwaVWGS7J_TPp7fM7aywli-Ll3BMeSKOnazQD5cLItuo2MUJhnr_CAoq2qbQKkRqvWdZ3mDEGW4t4vNeU2d4iGCBLYuP8m-u0QQt919uJgZckUmQP6c2yhAMS3gfFVRHfRWxcgaoYDd/s320/Sporting+Kansas+City.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SKC left standing with their heads in their hands<br />
after conceding yet another late goal to the Sounders.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By Money Mike<br />
<br />
<br />
Coming off a 2-2 draw in Philly, the Seattle Sounders closed out their three game road trip in Kansas City. Many exports expected SKC to come away with an easy victory. The Sounders had other plans like eh, I don't know........ scoring another late goal. That's exactly what happened. It looked like the match was going to end scoreless, but deep into stoppage time, Sporting whiffed on an attempted clearance and Djimi Traore made them pay as he scored the winning goal to give the Sounders a 1-0 victory. After an 0-3-2 start, the Sounders have picked up 7 points during this road stretch and are starting to turn things around in this early part of the season. The Sounders return home for a Saturday afternoon match against the San Jose Earthquakes. The Rave Green have a major score to settle with them, having lost the last four meetings between the two.<br />
<br />
In the opening seconds of the game, Michael Gspurning was immediately put to the test. Zach Scott failed to clear the ball out of his own half and Jacob Peterson looked to take advantage by hitting one inside the far post, but Gspurning got down, made the save and held on before C.J. Sapong had any chance at a rebound.<br />
<br />
In the 13th minute, Sporting tried to catch the Sounders off guard. Peterson Joseph took the corner and rather than swinging the ball into the box, he elected to play it short to Josh Gardner who slid the ball through to Graham Zusi. The idea was right, but Zusi took a heavy touch which allowed Brad Evans to get a foot to it, but Peterson Joseph stepped up and tried a curling shot to the far corner, but he didn't quite get enough bend on it.<br />
<br />
In the 22nd minute, Seattle Sounders should've had a penalty. Zach Scott took a long throw in from the near side. His throw in just missed the head of Brad Evans and bounced off the arm of Ike Opara right in front of the goal, but nothing was given. And why not? Opara raised his arm up, the ball bounced off his arm....... Can somebody explain to me how that is not a penalty? Seconds later, play was stopped after some yelling from the Sounders bench. Referee Geoff Gamble ran over to the bench and I thought he ejected one of the Sounders assistant coaches because one of them got up immediately and argued, but it just so happened that it was backup goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann who was dismissed. Now I've never seen anything like that before. Normally if a referee goes over to eject somebody, it would be one of the coaches, but a bench player? I've never seen that. Now for those of you who are confused with the rules regarding somebody getting sent off from the bench, it's just like a player getting a red card. They're ejected from the game and are suspended for the next game. The only difference here is that Seattle doesn't have to play with 10 men because the player sent off of course, was on the bench. Another thing to add to this is now Seattle doesn't have a backup goalkeeper for the match this Saturday against the Earthquakes. So it looks like they're gonna bring in Doug Herrick who's currently contracted by the MLS League-Wide Reserve Goalkeeper Pool, which means any team can bring him up for a game if needed. Some of you remember him from last season with the Sounders U23. There's also a guy by the name of Brad Stuver who is also contracted by the MLS reserve pool, but it's likely to be Doug Herrick who will be called into the squad as an emergency backup to Michael Gspurning for this Saturday. I think this is the third time that the Sounders have had to bring in a keeper from the reserve pool. First couple weeks of the 09' season, they had to bring in Ben Dragavon to the fold when Chris Eylander was banged up and he actually came on in a match against Kansas City after Kasey Keller was sent off. The other guy they brought in was Alex Horwath in 2010. That guy didn't make an appearance however.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6C1QspUD9Cie3XE_7SFOMOQP4DATA8-J1tHuMnopd7cPrgp3O_lOoE1vmKeX4Nbn1PX3QaJv2xueM5DVudvEMwQXNnjPucNMfu7u2JMtw21e6vdhZHT5kAbYr2Xxd-G02TENNVmw5vuwF/s1600/Brad+Evans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6C1QspUD9Cie3XE_7SFOMOQP4DATA8-J1tHuMnopd7cPrgp3O_lOoE1vmKeX4Nbn1PX3QaJv2xueM5DVudvEMwQXNnjPucNMfu7u2JMtw21e6vdhZHT5kAbYr2Xxd-G02TENNVmw5vuwF/s320/Brad+Evans.jpg" width="320" /></a>Alright enough talk about the goalkeeper situation, let's move to the 26 minute. The Sounders hadn't created many opportunities in this game, but they had one here. Mario Martinez chipped the ball to Brad Evans from about 20 yards out. Evans chested the ball down and tried to volley it with his left foot, but it was a weak attempt and didn't look like it was gonna test Jimmy Nielsen had it been on target.<br />
<br />
A minute later, Nielsen nearly got caught wrong footed. Mario Martinez took the free kick from outside the penalty area, well within his shooting range. He curled the ball low and around the wall and I thought it was going in but the ball wasn't hit far enough from the goalkeeper and Nielsen got down and made the save.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5G-fF91fxHyZCpx2NmrhKOkofQDD9k5TqlEJRBdgE-1I-mNwIgmdosg8GwCnlb_SE460mTfykUp4EOiP8xqLzZimqVM1LUzv3WKanrfw8PT09q3z8J12klNHdXJBPeRQ7YgZGwOym-3N_/s1600/Sounders+vs+Sporting+KC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5G-fF91fxHyZCpx2NmrhKOkofQDD9k5TqlEJRBdgE-1I-mNwIgmdosg8GwCnlb_SE460mTfykUp4EOiP8xqLzZimqVM1LUzv3WKanrfw8PT09q3z8J12klNHdXJBPeRQ7YgZGwOym-3N_/s320/Sounders+vs+Sporting+KC.jpg" width="281" /></a>Now we're gonna fast forward all the way to the 80th minute. The Seattle backline has been put under a lot of pressure all game long. Graham Zusi tried to work a give and go with Claudio Bieler, but the pass was to far for him. However, the Sounders had some trouble clearing the ball away and the attack wasn't over. Chance Myers let the ball bounce to him before he can settle and whip in a long ball into the area looking for Kei Kamara (yes, he's back from his loan stint with Norwich City). Djimi Traore got a head to it, but right to Claudio Bieler who volleyed it well wide. I think that was their first shot attempt of the second half despite all the pressure they put on the Sounders back line.<br />
<br />
A couple minutes later, Kei Kamara took on Leo Gonzalez from the near side and sent a low driven ball into the area where he had C.J. Sapong lurking, but his cross was too close to Michael Gspurning.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPJx5hpMWdANUMF2YbsYsFdVpVQrQRUrpg-xuq-VItn1E5rGR7cy_acwwf7PAU4H2McCfBFW-Z3hDjQC3oUGhaharKfBSDUS1fNIAkqCeK3xl3xcCBtIS2GYC8DtCP20GVEXksBk0b7RE/s1600/Djimi+Traore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPJx5hpMWdANUMF2YbsYsFdVpVQrQRUrpg-xuq-VItn1E5rGR7cy_acwwf7PAU4H2McCfBFW-Z3hDjQC3oUGhaharKfBSDUS1fNIAkqCeK3xl3xcCBtIS2GYC8DtCP20GVEXksBk0b7RE/s320/Djimi+Traore.jpg" width="320" /></a>Now lets fast forward deep into stoppage time. Remember the stoppage time goal by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4vbNgOW5ag">Mike Fucito</a> in 2010? Or the one by <a href="http://seattlesportsblog-kshell.blogspot.com/2011/05/jeff-parke-comes-through-with-late.html">Jeff Parke</a> in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqIdHDSS4f4">2011</a>? Hell, what about the two stoppage time goals by <a href="http://seattlesportsblog-kshell.blogspot.com/2011/08/sounders-strike-twice-in-final-minutes.html">Mauro Rosales and Lamar Neagle</a> later on in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_VGxmDIsoc">2011</a> at Sporting Park? Well, in the final seconds of stoppage time (more time was added because of an injury delay), the Sounders burn them again. Zach Scott rather than throwing it long towards goal, he purposefully threw it short to Brad Evans who flicked the ball across and after Aurelien Collin whiffed on his attempted clearance which would've ended the game there, the ball bounced to Djimi Traore who turned and smashed it home and the Sounders steal one from Sporting Kansas City yet again. There were a few appeals that Traore touched it with his hand, but if the referee called handball on that play, then he should've called handball on Opara. Also, Traore didn't touch the ball with his hand, it bounced off his knee. So if any of you think that was a handball, you better go back and watch it over and over again. Nothing was called anyway, the goal stood and the Sounders win 1-0.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Scoring summary:</b><br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Djimi Traore 1 (<i>Unassisted</i>) 94'+<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Misconduct summary:</b><br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Marcus Hahnemann (dismissed; dissent) 24'<br />
<br />
Sporting Kansas City - Ike Opara (caution; foul) 45'<br />
<br />
Sporting Kansas City - Aurelien Collin (caution; foul) 91'+<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Lineups:</b><br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Michael Gspurning; Zach Scott, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Djimi Traore, Leonardo Gonzalez; Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Servando Carrasco, Mario Martinez (Alex Caskey 93'+); Eddie Johnson, David Estrada (Mauro Rosales 85')<br />
<br />
Sporting Kansas City - Jimmy Nielsen; Chance Myers, Aurelien Collin, Ike Opara, Josh Gardner (Seth Sinovic 75'); Benny Feilhaber (Claudio Bieler 66'), Oriol Rosell, Peterson Joseph; Graham Zusi, C.J. Sapong, Jacob Peterson (Kei Kamara 73')Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0Sporting Park, 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, KS 66111, USA39.121404299999988 -94.823341439.118324799999989 -94.8283839 39.124483799999986 -94.8182989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-91080359512465610352013-04-29T18:57:00.000-07:002013-04-29T18:57:00.737-07:00David Stern screws over the city of Seattle once again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiL9AA0Eje5xQ1kLjxkZBYTJWbmKsshdYH7Y0nlvGRr6zXVNnN06ULD2kei67SX3cd3zCb-hoLG0DNF_wOqB27y21NG9lnRDY69bIoXuutz9y7CG60BB3-AhFFW4ZiqPoCtQXp4S4mqQ/s1600/stern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiL9AA0Eje5xQ1kLjxkZBYTJWbmKsshdYH7Y0nlvGRr6zXVNnN06ULD2kei67SX3cd3zCb-hoLG0DNF_wOqB27y21NG9lnRDY69bIoXuutz9y7CG60BB3-AhFFW4ZiqPoCtQXp4S4mqQ/s320/stern.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
By Kshell<br />
<br />
In a stunning decision NBA <strike>dictator</strike> commissioner David Stern has chose to keep the Kings in Sacramento instead of moving them to Seattle. What makes this so hard to accept was Seattle behind Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer put in the work to bring a team here. The city passed a deal to allow them to build a new arena. The NBA which as of a few years ago had two-thirds of their owners bankrupt are saying no to these two is just crazy. The Kings offer was 125 million dollars less than the Seattle offer. The Kings still don't have a solid arena plan in place either. Stern acted a complete 180 from how he treated Seattle back in 2008. In 2008 the city wasn't allowed to match Bennett's offer. He didn't give us three chances(Sacramento has been threatening to move since 2010) to keep our team here. That's what is so terrible about all this is the hypocritical of a corrupt commissioner in David Stern.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo9ocnRB9vkohbdqhAX3Wt-W2r_SZbfO7rjp4LLQszyaCi58z01R-OK1HUg1OUIjuThzHfNfHzRonV3oW9JyQwY-sNoVeyKeBXaaTjRfXWUv-poezJzSyoFKMilzs4DZuMn7UPFCWqPE/s1600/hansen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo9ocnRB9vkohbdqhAX3Wt-W2r_SZbfO7rjp4LLQszyaCi58z01R-OK1HUg1OUIjuThzHfNfHzRonV3oW9JyQwY-sNoVeyKeBXaaTjRfXWUv-poezJzSyoFKMilzs4DZuMn7UPFCWqPE/s320/hansen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I'm still in shock that the NBA would deny Chris Hansen who is a young energetic up and coming Mark Cuban. With Ballmer's money and Hansen's passion there is no doubt that Sonics would have had a top five ownership in the NBA. They would have made the league a profit and built a contender up in the great northwest. There was rumors they were going to throw a ton of money at Phil Jackson who has won 13 NBA titles(11 as a coach, two as a player) during his lifetime. They overpaid for a Kings franchise who hasn't made the postseason since 2006 and hasn't won a playoff series since 2004. They made an agreement with the Malouf's ownership to buy the team. They put up money for land which they had to fight the idiots from Port of Seattle on and the Mariners. Hansen has jumped through hoops and has never said a negative thing about this process. He is everything we want as an owner and a real asset to the NBA. Why I'm so puzzled on why the NBA would risk turning the backs on this man. Sacramento's problems that led to them almost moving aren't going away.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHpd62DRYDVU5TJDmpXynYD-sRbyXCtSTR6j_FVBKeBMWB-99FKRpkKlm5dOutNqTY_LDf-_yN5SZdt3qTo-soeQm6e3uzJ9nqC8kTHFuduxaHX-M-lUBTnI2nLIL7F8Zt1T3RuUqi8o/s1600/Kingsempty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHpd62DRYDVU5TJDmpXynYD-sRbyXCtSTR6j_FVBKeBMWB-99FKRpkKlm5dOutNqTY_LDf-_yN5SZdt3qTo-soeQm6e3uzJ9nqC8kTHFuduxaHX-M-lUBTnI2nLIL7F8Zt1T3RuUqi8o/s320/Kingsempty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The facts are despite what Mayor Kevin Johnson has presented the Kings aren't as great of fans as he has portrayed. The Kings this past year finished dead last in attendance, 28th last year, 29th(out of 30 teams) in 2010-11, 29th in 2009-10, 29th in 2008-09. In fact 2006-07 when they finished only 16th was the last time they weren't in the bottom five in attendance. Seattle ranks as the 14th biggest market in the U.S. while Sacramento ranks as the 20th(Oklahoma City is 45th). They still have no viable arena plan in place or land yet. How is a city that is nearby Stockton(going bankrupt) able to function as a city and afford this mega arena? I have no ill-will towards Sacramento but again the league made a bad business decision. The Kings in Sacramento minus a few of the Chris Webber years have been a terrible franchise that has played in three different cities already.<br />
<br />
The NBA didn't give Seattle a chance to match any offers in 2007 or 2008. Stern shut us down from the get go but stated once Seattle has an arena plan in place we'll get a team. Well Seattle had a willing owner, an arena plan in place, had the land and the fan base was passionate like it was 1996 all over again. Then Stern decided to still shut it down. I know this isn't over and we can still steal the Milwaukee Bucks who appear in danger, the Minnesota Wolves, Indiana Pacers, etc but will the fans be as charged up again? Will Hansen want to go through this process yet again? I think this was our last realistic chance. I don't see the same passion to try and get a team as long as Stern is commissioner. As of July 2nd, 2013 if Seattle didn't have a team we lose our history as well. So perhaps this is why Stern screwed the Sonics so his buddy Clay Bennett can keep the history despite Bennett himself not wanting it. Look at Oklahoma City new playoff slogan says "established 2008" while a few years back said "established 1967". With Stern breaking our hearts twice I doubt anyone of us will let our hearts get back into this league. I think we aren't going to have the NBA or NHL for a long time. As long as Stern is commissioner the NBA isn't coming to Seattle I'm convinced. This is a sad terrible day that brought back terrible memories of July of 2008 all over again.kshellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12308494891109604209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-17541158796438144512013-04-24T22:45:00.000-07:002013-05-10T16:05:05.241-07:00Obafemi Martins' first goal gives the Sounders their first win of the season<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Om2mVLKdPHF9Iy2P_BJFOg7d2rEn3GaSqbrVrAtSpM6mXI_9oYw3UrjC4o8NwsXnBSbNdphuoLFDjmf-gCwZ5TZsb761nHtbE3h2c5rL-WCWtrqQk3sK2nPhsJSp8eukGv0PPIbZ7ttw/s1600/Obafemi+Martins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Om2mVLKdPHF9Iy2P_BJFOg7d2rEn3GaSqbrVrAtSpM6mXI_9oYw3UrjC4o8NwsXnBSbNdphuoLFDjmf-gCwZ5TZsb761nHtbE3h2c5rL-WCWtrqQk3sK2nPhsJSp8eukGv0PPIbZ7ttw/s320/Obafemi+Martins.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obafemi Martins' 27th goal, the difference as the<br />
Sounders finally get on the win column.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>By Money Mike<br />
<br />
<br />
I wasn't planning on blogging again until May, but that's changed now because of the fact that the Seattle Sounders are finally off the mark this season (their winless run had nothing to do with my absence). Last Saturday, the Sounders traveled to Colorado looking for their first win of the year, and they got it. The Sounders defeated the Colorado Rapids 1-0 on the lone goal by Obafemi Martins who scored his first goal for the Rave Green since his move from Levante last month. The Sounders have a bye week this week and then they get ready for a pretty difficult month of May. They hit the road again to take on the Philadelphia Union on the 4th of May. Then they head travel Sporting Park for a midweek match with Sporting Kansas City. Following that, they return home for a pair of home matches against the San Jose Earthquakes and FC Dallas before they hit the plane to LA for a Western Conference finals rematch against the Galaxy. And I believe they have a U.S. Open Cup match to close out the month. So there's not a lot of matches like last year, but again it'll be a bit of a challenge for the Rave Green.<br />
<br />
In the Opening minutes of the match, Colorado had the first look at goal. DeAndre Yedlin's pass was given away in the Sounders half. Dillon Powers fed Hendry Thomas who decided to have a go from a long long way out, but the ball sailed high and wide. Thomas tried another long range effort from a similar position later on in the half, but couldn't find the target on that one either.<br />
<br />
In the 27th minute, the Sounders broke the deadlock. Brad Evans found DeAndre Yedlin, who had a lot of room to run on the near side. Yedlin fed the ball to Lamar Neagle who whipped in a low cross which went behind Obafemi Martins. The ball bounced to Steve Zakuani who poked the ball back to Shalrie Joseph for a first timed shot which was saved by Clint Irwin, but right to Obafemi Martins who cut the ball to his right and calmly slid the ball past Irwin for his first Sounders goal to give the Rave Green a 1-0 lead.<br />
<br />
A couple minutes later, the Sounders could've made it 2-0, but the crossbar came to Colorado's rescue. Colorado got caught on the counter as Obafemi Martins slid the ball to Lamar Neagle, who took one touch to get past Chris Klute and tried to go top corner upper v and instead struck the crossbar. Unlucky there, Neagle did everything right on the play. Clint Irwin was beat. Just unlucky is the only way to describe that. On the other side, Chris Klute was lucky that Neagle didn't go down because he did grab a hold of his jersey and he was the last defender, so if Neagle went down, I'm pretty sure the referee would've called a foul and Klute would've been shown a Red Card for clear denial of a goalscoring opportunity.<br />
<br />
In the 55th minute, Colorado came and inch away from equalizing. Danny Mwanga fed Dillon Powers who turned and had a go with his left foot and just missed wide. Michael Gspurning was screened on the play and I don't think he had a chance at making the save. As for Dillon Powers, he's been impressive so far in his rookie season. A few weeks ago, he scored a beauty against the Portland Timbers and now coming close to getting his second of the year.<br />
<br />
Five minutes later, Colorado had probably the best chance of equalizing and couldn't make it count. Hendry Thomas played a beautiful diagonal ball to the near side for Brian Mullan to curled the ball in with his left foot to the far post for Atiba Harris who flicked it off the bar and Danny Mwanga was right there and somehow he couldn't head home the rebound as Michael Gspurning got down and made the save.<br />
<br />
In the 85th minute, the Sounders were once again saved by the goalpost. Brian Mullan whipped in another beautiful to the far post, this time for an unmarked Kamani Hill who volleys it off the post and the Sounders dodge another bullet.<br />
<br />
Now onto the 92nd minute, the Rapids had one more last chance on a free kick. Jamie Smith chipped the ball to the far post for Drew Moor who got up well and directed his header towards got, Michael Gspurning was right there to make the save and that was the last opportunity the Rapids have had and the Sounders hold on for their first win, defeating the Rapids 1-0.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Scoring summary:</b><br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Obafemi Martins 1 (<i>Unassisted</i>) 27'<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Misconduct summary:</b><br />
<br />
Colorado Rapids - Dillon Powers (caution; foul) 41'<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Djimi Traore (caution; foul) 67'<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Leonardo Gonzalez (caution; time wasting) 84'<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Lineups:</b><br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Michael Gspurning; DeAndre Yedlin, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Djimi Traore, Leonardo Gonzalez; Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Shalrie Joseph, Steve Zakuani (Alex Caskey 70'); Obafemi Martins (Mauro Rosales 61'), Lamar Neagle (Marc Burch 89')<br />
<br />
Colorado Rapids - Clint Irwin; Brian Mullan, Marvell Wynne (Shane O'Neill 55'), Drew Moor, Chris Klute; Nick LaBrocca (Kamani Hill 45'), Hendry Thomas, Dillon Powers, Tony Cascio (Jamie Smith 77'); Atiba Harris, Danny MwangaMoney Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, 6000 Victory Way, Commerce City, CO 80022, USA39.8015003 -104.8919695000000214.2794658 -146.20056350000002 65.3235348 -63.583375500000017tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-15671213067451260132013-03-25T22:45:00.000-07:002013-05-09T18:09:54.743-07:00USA gets a huge World Cup Qualifying victory in a blizzard<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWKihNTasFAXFVY56VhsOdVzBDcqjDq4szoDM4yG79XB-wb2jnaSUbR1ITpymOfp4cdJRjtPd5ubrxc4tiqAelKa8V_1x7vM9qbXyMQE_MsXz55tWrjPaqUehOn_tE1yCd_GaisMajcA5/s1600/U.S.+soccer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWKihNTasFAXFVY56VhsOdVzBDcqjDq4szoDM4yG79XB-wb2jnaSUbR1ITpymOfp4cdJRjtPd5ubrxc4tiqAelKa8V_1x7vM9qbXyMQE_MsXz55tWrjPaqUehOn_tE1yCd_GaisMajcA5/s320/U.S.+soccer.jpg" width="320" /></a>By Money Mike<br />
<br />
<br />
Despite all the heavy snow late in the night in Denver, the match went on and it was the USA who came away with the three points they so desperately needed. On Friday night, the U.S. defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in front of a sellout crowd at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. With the win, the U.S. moves up two second place in the hexagonal table. Remember, the top three teams in the group qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the fourth placed team will play New Zealand in a home-and-away playoff for one of the final spots in the World Cup. New Zealand clinched the top spot in the OFC Qualifier with a game to spare after coming away with a 2-1 victory over New Caledonia in their match on Friday. The U.S. have another Qualifying match on Tuesday as they head down to Mexico for a clash against their arch rivals.<br />
<br />
In the 15th minute, the U.S. pressured the Costa Rican backline early as the visitors struggled to clear the ball out of their own area. Michael Umana got over Jozy Altidore trying to head the ball clear, but he headed to right to Clint Dempsey who decided to have a go from about 30 yards out, but it was always going high and wide.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDJ0hMN3zyT-A3OAw9GWWsJpoSDZbsUYqolcG3GkDZZlvVCVCVn59Dn_THeT8SgYm-52r6UjgQ5nwtihirQv5eE3GXVcYgzvCcL4T9zCN5I5nnUB6s6Q1PYHDAzSxdiyteYGKp-qJ0Dpw/s1600/Clint+Dempsey.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDJ0hMN3zyT-A3OAw9GWWsJpoSDZbsUYqolcG3GkDZZlvVCVCVn59Dn_THeT8SgYm-52r6UjgQ5nwtihirQv5eE3GXVcYgzvCcL4T9zCN5I5nnUB6s6Q1PYHDAzSxdiyteYGKp-qJ0Dpw/s320/Clint+Dempsey.jpeg" width="320" /></a>A minute later, the Americans took advantage of a poor goal kick from goalkeeper Kaylor Navas and climbed out to an early lead. Graham Zusi picked up the loose ball and fed it to Clint Dempsey, who then turned and found Jozy Altidore from about 19 yards out. Jozy had a go which was blocked by Roy Miller and right there to poke the ball into the empty net was Clint Dempsey to give the United States a 1-0 lead. It was Dempsey's seventh goal of this Qualifying campaign and his fourth in the last three World Cup Qualifying matches. The Costa Rican defenders were claiming offside, but that wasn't even close. Dempsey was well onside on the shot from Altidore so there's no way the linesman would raise his flag on that play.<br />
<br />
Five minutes later, the Costa Rican's nearly caught the Americans on the break. Geoff Cameron was looking to feed the ball out wide to Herculez Gomez, but it was cut out by Bryan Oviedo who continued his run and chipped ball toward the back post which took a deflection and bounced off the foot of Christian Bolanos and into the hands of Brad Guzan.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0YO5ZaQgimFiEy9NSrwa2z5Kqr6I0t2VL1tRWblT7EaGR8g3YhRqxwYF-Xar9nhkSlL-KQQm-irVzu-DH9Lol3p1xDPXrBhrG60Er1cfsDbwIpdwhxAeLgzqUqbymIVYZbvVtr3gCG0X/s1600/Brad+Guzan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0YO5ZaQgimFiEy9NSrwa2z5Kqr6I0t2VL1tRWblT7EaGR8g3YhRqxwYF-Xar9nhkSlL-KQQm-irVzu-DH9Lol3p1xDPXrBhrG60Er1cfsDbwIpdwhxAeLgzqUqbymIVYZbvVtr3gCG0X/s320/Brad+Guzan.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 38th minute, Costa Rica had another opportunity to pull level. Bryan Oviedo once again jumped in from the back and worked a 1-2 with Christian Bolanos and looked to square the ball across for Alvaro Saborio, but it took a deflection and once again landed in the arms of Brad Guzan who of course was making his first start in the Klinsmann era, replacing Tim Howard who was out with a back injury.<br />
<br />
Now moving on to the 42nd minute, USA should've had a penalty. DaMarcus Beasley curled the ball in the box with his left foot for Jozy Altidore. Kaylor Navas made a dumbass decision coming off his line and try to punch the ball away and he didn't get a finger to it. The ball bounced to Clint Dempsey, who made a cut and was clipped by Roy Miller. The referee was right there and he does not call a penalty. Why? I do not know, but it should've been called.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5fxFiUYt_sfaGtczD-xf5bAT48JBz9WgrSAhgXVUnPRVplnW0uagzV9Coh9d-zSyziVQBvJ2GL_A0tf1UvMU6FTFNUhgdc8euIZxjjj4UxhogpYMkXFnE2iCIh5JdnIeDN3YlF43aW27/s1600/Jozy+Altidore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5fxFiUYt_sfaGtczD-xf5bAT48JBz9WgrSAhgXVUnPRVplnW0uagzV9Coh9d-zSyziVQBvJ2GL_A0tf1UvMU6FTFNUhgdc8euIZxjjj4UxhogpYMkXFnE2iCIh5JdnIeDN3YlF43aW27/s320/Jozy+Altidore.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 51st minute of the match, the U.S. had an opportunity to double the lead. Clint Dempsey whipped in a good cross for Herculez Gomez, who flicked the ball to Jozy Altidore, but the momentum carried him away from the goal. Altidore chased the ball down near the end line, cut inside to the top of the penalty area turned and struck the ball near post with his right foot, but it rolls wide of net. It was a nice bit of play though from Altidore. We've seen him do that a couple of times during his early days with the New York Red Bulls. I thought Altidore was lively all game long, making some good runs in the box, getting a couple of good looks at goal.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlMFqYhsgFxp_stOrHTPjcxmD9mXH-SgylxXD-i_Nl5SjBtTGLo2lenTNGxCuxpC4VUtXxbqE4tUl9L5aH_DsWjiWLyh-cNxW2xw18ENKpTj7NDum9BsXr7oGW_aQ7g7nYMcACHO8Zkz5/s1600/Alvaro+Saborio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlMFqYhsgFxp_stOrHTPjcxmD9mXH-SgylxXD-i_Nl5SjBtTGLo2lenTNGxCuxpC4VUtXxbqE4tUl9L5aH_DsWjiWLyh-cNxW2xw18ENKpTj7NDum9BsXr7oGW_aQ7g7nYMcACHO8Zkz5/s320/Alvaro+Saborio.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 60th minute, Costa Rica began to push forward and they had another opportunity to pull level. Michael Barrantes played a good long ball for Alvaro Saborio who volleyed it low from a tight angle, but Brad Guzan read it perfectally.<br />
<br />
10 minutes later, the Costa Rican's thought they had an equalizer. Not so fast. Michael Barrantes curled the ball out with his left foot and it sailed over everybody in the box. However, Ariel Rodriguez was there to track the ball down and play it back in and the U.S. back stuggled to clear the ball away and Roy Miller poked the ball back to Barrantes who curled the ball to the far post for Joel Campbell who headed the ball off the post and into the back of the net, but the flag was up for offside so the goal did not count. It was the right call as well because when the ball was played in, there were two Costa Rican's in an offside position, including Campbell. If Campbell wasn't in an offside position, then the goal would probably stand, but it wasn't and the U.S. were able to hold on for a big win.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Scoring summary:</b><br />
<br />
United States - Clint Dempsey (<i>Unassisted</i>) 16'<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Misconduct summary:</b><br />
<br />
Costa Rica - Roy Miller (caution; foul) 49'<br />
<br />
United States - Jermaine Jones (caution; foul) 69'<br />
<br />
Costa Rica - Giancarlo Gonzalez (caution; foul) 90'<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Lineups:</b><br />
<br />
Costa Rica - Kaylor Navas; Cristian Gamboa (Juan Diego Madrigal 81'), Michael Umana, Giancarlo Gonzalez, Roy Miller, Bryan Oviedo (Diego Calvo 73'); Ariel Rodriguez, Michael Barrantes, Christian Bolanos (Joel Campbell 62'); Bryan Ruiz, Alvaro Saborio<br />
<br />
United States - Brad Guzan; Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, Clarence Goodson, DaMarcus Beasley; Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones (Maurice Edu 83'); Graham Zusi (Eddie Johnson 76'), Clint Dempsey, Herculez Gomez (Kyle Beckerman 94'+); Jozy AltidoreMoney Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, 6000 Victory Way, Commerce City, CO 80022, USA39.8058438 -104.8918853999999814.283809299999998 -146.20047939999998 65.3278783 -63.583291399999979tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-24075929208893766072013-03-21T23:45:00.000-07:002013-05-09T18:10:34.091-07:00Looking ahead to USA's two upcoming World Cup Qualifying matches<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBAkhyphenhyphen9ZmyWyujXLV3j8QfMXGjDboLR5OjkBXgyHDzJTTFNKJwQ-2MLypGGV0loayzrm4zKO7K3CFxAwrOLfPmkfXI6FT6lNmbR5TeD51HGbv_8cpjYzEE5mY_9atrr7583l8cwVNmA-n/s1600/U.S.+soccer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBAkhyphenhyphen9ZmyWyujXLV3j8QfMXGjDboLR5OjkBXgyHDzJTTFNKJwQ-2MLypGGV0loayzrm4zKO7K3CFxAwrOLfPmkfXI6FT6lNmbR5TeD51HGbv_8cpjYzEE5mY_9atrr7583l8cwVNmA-n/s320/U.S.+soccer.jpg" width="318" /></a>By Money Mike<br />
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We're only one match into the Hexagonal Round of the CONCACAF Qualifier for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and already it feels like the United States need to get a result in one of these two matches. The U.S. are coming off a 2-1 defeat down in Honduras in the first match of the Hexagonal round and now for the two upcoming matches tomorrow against Costa Rica at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Colorado and Tuesday at the Estadio Azteca against Mexico, they're going to be without a few key players including their goalkeeper. Tim Howard is out with a back problem, so Brad Guzan will be called upon to fill in for the injured Howard. Now Guzan does have experience playing in big games like these. He's appeared in five WCQ matches and has registered a clean sheet in three of the five. He's done well in goal lately for Aston Villa, so we'll see how he does. Howard's not the only one ruled out, as I just said earlier. Steve Cherundolo is still not fully recovered from his knee injury, Timmy Chandler suffered a hamstring injury during a match last Saturday, Fabian Johnson has been out for two weeks with a hip problem and Danny Williams has been dealing with an illness. Another player that isn't on the squad is their leader Carlos Bocanegra, who was left out due to the fact that he hasn't seen any playing time for his club for over a week and a half now. Other players that haven't been getting any playing time...... the ones that you'd consider as a possible replacement in the back of course. Oguchi Onyewu has made only 1 appearance for Malaga this season (what the hell is going on with this guy?). Michael Parkhurst has lacked playing time since his move to FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga. And here's one that I don't recall anyone mentioning, Eric Lichaj. He's had a good run of form up to December 23 and then he's only appeared in two matches since then. So the inexperience in the back has led to concerns for the entire week now.<br />
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Now if you hadn't read anything regarding the critics of this U.S. team, you might want to do that. There was a piece on Sporting News about 11 anonymous players criticizing Jurgen Klinsmann's coaching methods (which were pathetic as of last match), but there criticism was a step too far. Not even Michael Bradley appreciated any of it.....<br />
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<i>“It’s shameful, and it’s embarrassing. I think for every guy who has ever played on a team, you give everything you have … and on every team in the world, not every guy is going to be happy. There’s going to be guys who go back to their room and talk with their roommate about things they wish were different. But that’s normal.<br />
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…But you cross a line when you take those thoughts and you take your disappointments outside of the team, outside of the inner circle."</i><br />
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And Bradley's 100% right. We hear about shit like this every year. Players not being happy, wondering why they're here, etc. But when you spread this crap outside the system, you're taking it a step too far (I don't know, I can't explain). Here's a look at the squad. You can see the lack of experience in the back. DeMarcus Beasley is back in the side along with Terrence Boyd and of course Brad Guzan will be back in net for the Red, White and Blue.....<br />
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<b>U.S. squad by position (caps/goals):</b><br />
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Goalkeepers:<br />
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Brad Guzan (Aston Villa; England) - <i>20/0</i><br />
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Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) - <i>6/0</i><br />
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Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire) - <i>3/0</i><br />
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Defenders:<br />
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Clarence Goodson (Brondby; Denmark) - <i>34/3</i><br />
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Geoff Cameron (Stoke City; England) - <i>12/0</i><br />
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Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy) - <i>4/0</i><br />
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Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake) - <i>1/0</i><br />
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Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City) - <i>1/0</i><br />
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Justin Morrow (San Jose Earthquakes) - <i>1/0</i><br />
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Midfielders:<br />
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DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla; Mexico) - <i>97/17</i><br />
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Michael Bradley (AS Roma; Italy) - <i>73/11</i><br />
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Maurice Edu (Bursaspor; Turkey) - <i>43/1</i><br />
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Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht; Belgium) - <i>39/4</i><br />
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Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04; Germany) - <i>27/2</i><br />
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Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake) - <i>24/1</i><br />
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Brek Shea (Stoke City; England) - <i>15/0</i><br />
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Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City) - <i>8/1</i><br />
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Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo) - <i>6/0</i><br />
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Joe Corona (Tijuana; Mexico) - <i>3/0</i><br />
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Forwards:<br />
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Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur; England) - <i>92/31</i><br />
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Jozy Altidore (AZ; Netherlands) - <i>53/13</i><br />
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<b>Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC) - <i>46/14</i></b><br />
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Herculez Gomez (Santos Laguna; Mexico) - <i>19/5</i><br />
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Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna; Austria) - <i>7/0</i><br />
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<b>USA vs Costa Rica prediction:</b><br />
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So for this one, I'm gonna break everything down and go from there. I mentioned that the U.S. lacks experience defensively, Costa Rica brings in a good attacking side with Alvaro Saborio (who last I heard, may not play due to injury). They also have Bryan Ruiz who struck twice against the American's the last time these two teams met in a World Cup Qualifier. Then there's young Joel Campbell and of course Jairo Arrieta. But as good as their attack is, Costa Rica is not that good at defending. I mean, they are not a physical team and when it comes to that. Whether it's from open play or on set pieces, they are just not that good. I mean, the American's are a physical team. Eddie Johnson's an aggressive player, Herculez Gomez, Michael Bradley and Omar Gonzalez are aggressive players. So I kind of draw this to who's the more physical side, and it's definitely the U.S. If they can hold their ground defensively and on put the Costa Rican backline under a ton of pressure, I think they can put in a couple of goals and come away with a result. The U.S. has a 24-match home unbeaten streak in World Cup Qualifying play, and I've been wrong before, but I think they'll get a result and extend it to 25.<br />
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USA - 2<br />
Costa Rica - 1<br />
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<b>USA vs Mexico prediction:</b><br />
<br />
Last time the U.S. visited Mexico, they defeated them 1-0 on an 80th minute goal by Michael Orozco Fiscal. However this is not going to be the same Mexico side we saw in the last visit. Mexico is off to a slow start themselves after drawing at home to Jamaica in their first match of the Hexagonal round. But again, the El Tri has had their number against the American's in this stage and I don't see why the match on Tuesday would be any different. I just hope I'm wrong with this one, but I have to go with a loss.<br />
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USA - 0<br />
Mexico - 2Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-658340644091242422013-03-15T23:43:00.002-07:002013-03-15T23:43:28.058-07:00Sounders FC sign Obafemi Martins as their newest Designated Player<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHK26kIGB3MW4INkTFCT7hJLsv2NipmZ1bZ4ffvnRzbqQlflvi3dfgCz2qNq9LcHO2akSwfkT8F3UAk_2Q3kcv0YnZf_9ke7GVpd5IRcWrfSzv_f2GA8NHD9IQ6WxjBsFNXyfDaogl8CtZ/s1600/Obafemi+Martins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHK26kIGB3MW4INkTFCT7hJLsv2NipmZ1bZ4ffvnRzbqQlflvi3dfgCz2qNq9LcHO2akSwfkT8F3UAk_2Q3kcv0YnZf_9ke7GVpd5IRcWrfSzv_f2GA8NHD9IQ6WxjBsFNXyfDaogl8CtZ/s320/Obafemi+Martins.jpg" width="320" /></a>By Money Mike<br />
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The Seattle Sounders have finally signed Nigerian international Obafemi Martins as their newest Designated Player after weeks of speculation. Martins joins the team from La Liga side Levante and could be available for Tomorrow nights rivalry match against the Portland Timbers. Both the Sounders and Levante reportedly agreed to a deal for Martins, but the deal couldn't get done because the there was a $4 million buyout clause that had to be paid in order to allow Martins to join the Sounders immediately. Then about a week ago, it looked like the deal was going to be put on hold until the summer because of the fact that Martins was the team leader in goals and that Levante were still competing in the Europa League. But then on Monday, <a href="http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1371292/martins-pays-clause-leave-levante?cc=5901">ESPN FC</a> reported that Martins paid his release clause and now the signing was made official earlier today.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlt7op6-1xXJ-9fB7VWLqaa_9rz1RO9rsjiW30ryVw0ybs3W75L2PBsZJhwtiv-_LHHA8ZFWUxko-5Sj3zNFdFE0m9LhTA27ETa0EZq7Pt0qp8n1YuF8Qq3r-QPcu-P73TLADwA2ADwXly/s1600/Obafemi+Martins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlt7op6-1xXJ-9fB7VWLqaa_9rz1RO9rsjiW30ryVw0ybs3W75L2PBsZJhwtiv-_LHHA8ZFWUxko-5Sj3zNFdFE0m9LhTA27ETa0EZq7Pt0qp8n1YuF8Qq3r-QPcu-P73TLADwA2ADwXly/s320/Obafemi+Martins.jpg" width="320" /></a>Martins began his career Italy, spending a year in the Reggiana youth system before joining Inter Milan in 2001. In five seasons for Inter, Martins made 136 appearances and scored 49 goals in all competitions and led the squad to a Serie A title in the 2005-06 and Back-to-Back Coppa Italia titles in 2005 and 2006. Following his stint with Inter, Martins joined Premier League club Newcastle United where he made a total of 104 appearances and 35 goals before leaving the Magpies in 2009 after the club was relegated to the Championship. He then joined German Bundesliga club Wolfsburg where he didn't make much of an impact. He made only 25 appearances and scored 6 goals for them. Following his disappointing season he joined Russian Premier League club Rubin Kazan and made 12 appearances and scored two goal in 2010 before returning to England on loan during their offseason, joining Birmingham City till' the end of the season. During his short time there, he scored the game winning goal in the Carling Cup final against Arsenal. Pouncing on a loose ball in the final minute. I did a recap of <a href="http://seattlesportsblog-kshell.blogspot.com/2011/02/birmingham-city-claims-carling-cup.html">this match</a> a couple years ago while I was experimenting prior to the Sounders 2011 season. He only made six appearances and scored two goals before suffering a stress fracture on his left tibia. And of course recently played for Levante in La Liga where he made a total of 27 appearances and led the team in goals with nine.<br />
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Martins has also represented Nigeria at the African Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008 and 2010 as well as the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Overall he has capped 38 times for his country and scored 18 goals. As a matter of fact, following tomorrows match, he'll hop back on the plane and join Nigeria for their World Cup Qualifying match next Saturday against Kenya.<br />
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Here's a look at what we're about to get out of Martins.....<br />
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<br />Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-57454260109929377672013-03-13T22:51:00.000-07:002013-03-13T22:51:24.105-07:00Sounders pull off an incredible comeback and come away with a historic CCL Quarterfinal series win<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2p-7Eq9C7HM5htvFmx4kK5yibtITXAkyxv3XW1nn5jeJMbUiQRuKkEDpHWFanyVVnLijYpjDzx4cVoIyKILhli4XjDI7s45kGx8GMIq3qYSkwyI7FIuF0FkvDztO0yQtnBFVkwOAKPj_/s1600/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2p-7Eq9C7HM5htvFmx4kK5yibtITXAkyxv3XW1nn5jeJMbUiQRuKkEDpHWFanyVVnLijYpjDzx4cVoIyKILhli4XjDI7s45kGx8GMIq3qYSkwyI7FIuF0FkvDztO0yQtnBFVkwOAKPj_/s320/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" width="320" /></a>By Money Mike<br />
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The Seattle Sounders came into this game down 1-0 on aggregate and in need of a two goal victory. And that's exactly what happened. Down 1-0 at the half and 2-0 on aggregate, the Sounders came through with three spectacular goals in the second half to defeat Tigres 3-1 in the second leg and 3-2 on aggregate to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal where they will play Santos Laguna in a rematch of last years Champions League Quarterfinal where Santos punished the Sounders 7-3 on aggregate. Santos defeated the Houston Dynamo 3-1 in their quarterfinal matchup. The Sounders also became the first MLS team to eliminate a Mexican opponent in the knockout stages of the Champions League, which is big for American soccer. Seattle returns to league action this Saturday when they host the Portland Timbers.<br />
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The first chance of the game came in the 16th minute when Steve Zakuani fed Eddie Johnson who drifted to the right hand side. Johnson chipped the ball into the penalty area, which took a deflection, but found Sammy Ochoa for a free header that just missed by a yard.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcB2XYOcSOZ3jIQ-Ipj6RXJFkZaOoAXmauOG_lxXRTwF_V_2VdKujVUekLUdDtjKw1NC7aC1tIOP2kBlUwwbxBdwFroZqsulNZQSPIBSUjZHBMG6K1kKtl47gQpe817rGJI0YTLA2HT7P/s1600/Alan+Pulido.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcB2XYOcSOZ3jIQ-Ipj6RXJFkZaOoAXmauOG_lxXRTwF_V_2VdKujVUekLUdDtjKw1NC7aC1tIOP2kBlUwwbxBdwFroZqsulNZQSPIBSUjZHBMG6K1kKtl47gQpe817rGJI0YTLA2HT7P/s320/Alan+Pulido.jpg" width="320" /></a>A minute later, Tigres beat the offside trap and nearly made the Sounders pay for it. Jonathan Bornstein, the ex-Chivas USA defender, slid the ball through to Alan Pulido who was kept onside by Djimi Traore. Pulido tried to toe poke the ball into the far corner with the outside of his right foot, but Michael Gspurning got his left hand to it to deflect it wide for a corner. A lot of fans thought Pulido was offside, including myself, but it was actually a good no call by the linesman because he was even with the last defender (Traore) when the ball was played.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV96m45vLksPR0xIPD9KW7r5GqoMA-VNJ0L_4QxRIqeJrVWXZ1Z4rHqPgcpc_vDE5u8fBdunVuDd6PeHycrqXcbdQwWUCGhcZ_C_ScZF5k6LgC_BdCGW4anMJNptGiwsnVlhog7CV-IYqa/s1600/UANL+Tigres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV96m45vLksPR0xIPD9KW7r5GqoMA-VNJ0L_4QxRIqeJrVWXZ1Z4rHqPgcpc_vDE5u8fBdunVuDd6PeHycrqXcbdQwWUCGhcZ_C_ScZF5k6LgC_BdCGW4anMJNptGiwsnVlhog7CV-IYqa/s320/UANL+Tigres.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 23rd minute, the Sounders backline got caught again and this time Tigres capitalized and drew first blood. Bornstein slid the ball forward looking for Alberto Acosta who was battling DeAndre Yedlin for the ball. Acosta brushed Yedlin aside and had time and space to slide the ball across to Elias Hernandez for an easy tap in to put the Liga MX Clausura leaders up 1-0 in the second leg and 2-0 on aggregate. That away goal meant the Sounders would have to score three goals to advance and against a tough Mexican team like Tigres in this stage, coming back with three goals would be a tough task for the Sounders.<br />
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Five minutes later, Hernandez nearly made it 3-0 on aggregate. Abraham Stringel chipped the ball forward to Alan Pulido who did very well to hold off Djimi Traore and poke it to Hernandez who gave it a go from outside the area as the momentum carried him away from goal and somehow it nearly snuck in, but Gspurning got a touch on it to deflect off the right post and out for a corner. Off the corner, the ball bounced off the leg of Traore right to Manuel Viniegra from point blank range but he hit it right at Gspurning and the Sounders dodged yet another bullet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucuIRkbh-AyPFxDHDx9zEHS1to1Ur7KdrOaohDcdCjtMur96ojEZsOxnRSOBz_O2Fgyb6MiYuVhNWYe9MLiEkDKoLk3lq5Lvl6AnWfeg211EMOyk-cssBcu58Dw45L7ycSkzHntXQQ9xJ/s1600/Sammy+Ochoa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucuIRkbh-AyPFxDHDx9zEHS1to1Ur7KdrOaohDcdCjtMur96ojEZsOxnRSOBz_O2Fgyb6MiYuVhNWYe9MLiEkDKoLk3lq5Lvl6AnWfeg211EMOyk-cssBcu58Dw45L7ycSkzHntXQQ9xJ/s320/Sammy+Ochoa.jpg" width="320" /></a>Seattle started to create some chances and in the 35th minute, they came real close to pulling a goal back. Ozzie Alonso fed DeAndre Yedlin on the far side. Yedlin delivered a low ball to the top of the area for Sammy Ochoa who had to reach back with his right foot because cross was behind him. So he reached back to get a foot to it and headed it for Eddie Johnson who turned and quickly struck the ball from 10 yards but the ball drifted just wide of goal. That was a big change right there, and he probably should've scored. But at the same time, it looked like EJ wasn't set as the ball bounced in front of him and it looked more like he struck the ball with a loose foot than his laces.<br />
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EJ had another chance in the 35th minute as he fed with a perfectly timed through ball by Zakuani. Johnson looked to slide the ball into the far corner with his left foot, but Tigres goalkeeper Jorge Diaz de Leon got a paw on it to deny him.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCN5k_kFy5Ni8FIC8sQDUGaLMxrbdC90WgVSQXol3BiPmBmBpSyyux-lE3TlJI6ieeRRSWjH8GnZcTlcH9pe67l0-Lt4de6JNaBrnZ5-ZqMr27OEbLz4CiFdyou6MOOT3AgOyodwAqn6L/s1600/UANL+Tigres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCN5k_kFy5Ni8FIC8sQDUGaLMxrbdC90WgVSQXol3BiPmBmBpSyyux-lE3TlJI6ieeRRSWjH8GnZcTlcH9pe67l0-Lt4de6JNaBrnZ5-ZqMr27OEbLz4CiFdyou6MOOT3AgOyodwAqn6L/s320/UANL+Tigres.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 45th minute, right on the stroke of halftime, this I believe was the turning point in the match. Referee Elmer Bonilla blew the play dead after Mauro Rosales was fouled. About a couple seconds later, Manuel Viniegra, who was already booked for time wasting, kicks the ball away and the referee doesn't waste anytime showing a second yellow which means he's gone and Tigres had to play the rest of the game with 10 men. The fact that he was already sitting on a yellow card, to do something that would risk getting another yellow like kicking the ball away is just plain stupid. Despite being down a man, Tigres went into the break 1-0 up in the second leg and 2-0 up on aggregate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibP0bXuFCEQCo6n4RbonyRmZZKKp3PW2xn3HwtPDlbvhwPsHQCijcJFpjlhqMWW5CWAQLXUB7wJj4c5L1ouqrUbDAxxd41iyHaPJzts_Hx5iL3B5PhjiCTTY5wpyHTtda_bJAPn_m2mbtd/s1600/DeAndre+Yedlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibP0bXuFCEQCo6n4RbonyRmZZKKp3PW2xn3HwtPDlbvhwPsHQCijcJFpjlhqMWW5CWAQLXUB7wJj4c5L1ouqrUbDAxxd41iyHaPJzts_Hx5iL3B5PhjiCTTY5wpyHTtda_bJAPn_m2mbtd/s320/DeAndre+Yedlin.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Sounders continued to pour pressure on Tigres in the second half and in the 53rd minute, they got on the board in a big way. Mauro Rosales took the corner kick from the near hash mark, looking near post where Alonso was lurking but it was headed out by Jonathan Espericueta only as far as DeAndre Yedlin who steps up and volleys it low and hard into the right corner from about 30 yards out for his first goal of his professional career and more importantly gave the Sounders some life in the series as they cut the aggregate lead to 2-1.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ymIs8hjC2J9z-J8BkUAIicR4zqNwG_uLV-m4STFPyNoBVsAdfRy5j9tN9Lgnyv1ryGbQkS7V9zqnVY6fkF6ulIEHAYCzlnwWKggY9wf1FGGpmJxeZh0B_U74QFlvihvvDEpMAc5apO-H/s1600/Djimi+Traore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ymIs8hjC2J9z-J8BkUAIicR4zqNwG_uLV-m4STFPyNoBVsAdfRy5j9tN9Lgnyv1ryGbQkS7V9zqnVY6fkF6ulIEHAYCzlnwWKggY9wf1FGGpmJxeZh0B_U74QFlvihvvDEpMAc5apO-H/s320/Djimi+Traore.jpg" width="320" /></a>Seven minutes later, the Sounders found the net again off another beauty from a defender. Mario Martinez, who came on shortly after the goal, was fed by DeAndre Yedlin. Martinez looked to curl the ball in before a Tigres defender came sliding in to cut down the angle, so he cut to his right foot but his touch was too heavy and the ball was cleared by Jonathan Bornstein. However, it wasn't a great clearance as Djimi Traore stepped up and cracked one from 30 yards out and the ball bounced in off the underside of the crossbar for his first Sounders goal and the Sounders leveled it up on aggregate, but Tigres still had the edge on away goals, so Seattle still needed another goal.<br />
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They nearly got that third goal two minutes later. DeAndre Yedlin whipped in an early ball for Eddie Johnson, but the ball bounced to Steve Zakuani who settled and fired a shot just over the top of the bar.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9feyqVB8A2xgA25hGNPGaMdF3YaRhiwjbghGXQ9t1Cp8fpYiGafFgXUJtdpCEN1B-O-eaY2ibIKm-fVelLwY7nNgwLIPX9f8jq_WgPDDHFnz4sMReeVF34OOg729ib2slJM4KG44uhuxj/s1600/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9feyqVB8A2xgA25hGNPGaMdF3YaRhiwjbghGXQ9t1Cp8fpYiGafFgXUJtdpCEN1B-O-eaY2ibIKm-fVelLwY7nNgwLIPX9f8jq_WgPDDHFnz4sMReeVF34OOg729ib2slJM4KG44uhuxj/s320/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" width="320" /></a>Then with 15 minutes to go in the game, the Sounders get that third goal to climb ahead on aggregate. Steve Zakuani found Eddie Johnson making a run down the left and fed him with a perfectly timed through ball. EJ beat the offside trap, raced towards goal and slid the ball underneath Jorge Diaz de Leon and into the far corner from a tight angle to complete the comeback for the Sounders as they rally with three unanswered goals in the second half to defeat Tigres 3-2 on aggragate, making them the first MLS team to eliminate a Mexican opponent in the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Champions League.<br />
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<b>Observations:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsv6C1LzyCquSZpqarn0nLaKcT_qFsPx_zr_eQiKBJzFWUJqzSro5fsQTGh_0L1vjA4B6gw-qQgpyiyj9Y6lb5SEkQqRDrAKCcUzSgHY3W64AyEDnn84lMQmgAFLTtqXIK-ST2bcM8z4Ca/s1600/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsv6C1LzyCquSZpqarn0nLaKcT_qFsPx_zr_eQiKBJzFWUJqzSro5fsQTGh_0L1vjA4B6gw-qQgpyiyj9Y6lb5SEkQqRDrAKCcUzSgHY3W64AyEDnn84lMQmgAFLTtqXIK-ST2bcM8z4Ca/s320/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" width="320" /></a>It was good to see Eddie Johnson get a goal after a rough start to the season. In the opener, he missed a golden opportunity at an equalizer by hitting the crossbar. In the first leg against Tigres on the road, he was kept quiet most of the game as Seattle didn't really attack much in the game. He even struggled a bit in this game, missing a couple of good opportunities in the first half. So hopefully the that goal will get him going. With Fredy Montero gone, he's had to carry the load up front and may continue to carry the load for another week or two until Obafemi Martins finally lands in the Emerald City. The last thing the fans want to see is EJ sucking in 2013 after an outstanding 2012 season. He's already gone through a difficult spell in Europe, so to see him struggle in 2013 would make people think, "that sums up his career." So again, hopefully that goal gets him going, even though it's early.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8doTCbLzmLeiYHJ-EXwyuZxhLYWW62BfMpEziSJmsVZUdUs5fY4aUyeM6w9P4CNLwYyjaBhBkMEq-aX50sEliVgWkRrv5Iv-1TN6lXazugJwZCophxc0hcG8-XdyKApjHr5sv3HdJq_J5/s1600/Steve+Zakuani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8doTCbLzmLeiYHJ-EXwyuZxhLYWW62BfMpEziSJmsVZUdUs5fY4aUyeM6w9P4CNLwYyjaBhBkMEq-aX50sEliVgWkRrv5Iv-1TN6lXazugJwZCophxc0hcG8-XdyKApjHr5sv3HdJq_J5/s320/Steve+Zakuani.jpg" width="320" /></a>Unlucky for this man not to get a goal, but all in all I thought Steve Zakuani's performance last night was excellent. His decision making was good. The timing of his passes were good as well. Again, he was unlucky not to get a goal in the match. His shot just sailing over the bar. I don't know about you guys, but I think he's all but re-discovered his old form that he was in prior to his injury.<br />
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On the defensive side, I think we're looking at a new and improved backline for the Sounders with DeAndre Yedlin and Djimi Traore. The backline has done a terrific job in the series. Both Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Djimi Traore seem to be getting along well in the center of defense, I shouldn't have to explain DeAndre Yedlin again, and Leo Gonzalez is in the best form I've seen in the last couple of years. I used to be critical about Gonzalez's one on one defending because it's been terrible, but so far he's done an excellent job, so again I think we're looking at a much improved backline for the Men in Rave Green.<br />
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We've just kicked off our fifth season and already we've had a lot of memorable moments, historic moments, etc. From the very first match in 2009, to the away victory in Monterrey in 2011, the three-peat in the U.S. Open Cup, the playoff series win over Real Salt Lake in 2012 and now last night becoming the first MLS team to eliminate a Mexican opponent in the Champions League. I was at this game, I lost my voice, but it was all worth it because I got to see this team make history and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. I think it's gonna be one hell of a ride.<br />
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<b>Scoring summary:</b><br />
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Tigres de la UANL - Elias Hernandez (Alberto Acosta, Jonathan Bornstein) 23'<br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - DeAndre Yedlin (<i>Unassisted</i>) 53'<br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Djimi Traore (<i>Unassisted</i>) 60'<br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Eddie Johnson (Steve Zakuani) 75'<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Seattle Sounders FC advance 3-2 on aggregate</span></i><br />
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<b>Misconduct summary:</b><br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Eddie Johnson (caution; argument) 14'<br />
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Tigres de la UANL - Jorge Diaz de Leon (caution; time wasting) 35'<br />
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Tigres de la UANL - Manuel Viniegra (caution; time wasting) 37'<br />
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Tigres de la UANL - Manuel Viniegra (caution; kicking the ball away) 45'<br />
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Tigres de la UANL - Manuel Viniegra (ejection; second yellow) 45'<br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Osvaldo Alonso (caution; foul) 48'<br />
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Tigres de la UANL - Elias Hernandez (caution; foul) 81'<br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Steve Zakuani (caution; time wasting) 82'<br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Michael Gspurning (caution; time wasting) 86'<br />
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<b>Lineups:</b><br />
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Tigres de la UANL - Jorge Diaz de Leon; Abraham Stringel (Josue Aguilar 87'), Hugo Rodriguez, Alonso Zamora, Jose Rivas (Jonathan Espericueta 45'); Alberto Acosta (Taufic Guarch 61'), Manuel Viniegra, Jesus Duenas, Elias Hernandez, Jonathan Bornstein; Alan Pulido<br />
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Seattle Sounders FC - Michael Gspurning; DeAndre Yedlin, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Djimi Traore, Leonardo Gonzalez; Mauro Rosales (Mario Martinez 54'), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans (Andy Rose 27'), Steve Zakuani (Marc Burch 83'); Sammy Ochoa, Eddie JohnsonMoney Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0CenturyLink Field, 800 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134, USA47.5951497 -122.331620322.0731152 -163.6402143 73.1171842 -81.0230263tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-15175046985165680372013-03-11T23:21:00.000-07:002013-03-12T02:07:46.009-07:00Sounders set to take on Tigres in the second leg of the Champions League Quarterfinal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcORKLmFr6uTL-MP4fkJK5-tj-v9jrFl41GqrB1qBtQgBvNml_2cC8W75oiFgUtpMK-wdTNjFMUHf2VPfQl_v3lvI65D1l-MyR3Gf-PEmjp-YbUSg-adAsTQuDGhg1UuQ7AkYZ2fbHwne4/s1600/UANL+Tigres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcORKLmFr6uTL-MP4fkJK5-tj-v9jrFl41GqrB1qBtQgBvNml_2cC8W75oiFgUtpMK-wdTNjFMUHf2VPfQl_v3lvI65D1l-MyR3Gf-PEmjp-YbUSg-adAsTQuDGhg1UuQ7AkYZ2fbHwne4/s320/UANL+Tigres.jpg" width="320" /></a>By Money Mike<br />
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The Seattle Sounders have chance to do what no MLS team has done since the Champions League was formed in 2008, and that is eliminate a Mexican opponent in the knockout stages of the Champions League. The Sounders host Tigres in the second leg tomorrow night at 7pm. Tigres won the first leg 1-0 on a 74th minute goal by Alan Pulido. It could've easily ended 3-0 Tigres, or worse, but the Sounders backline led by Djimi Traore did very well to stand their ground and hold them to a single goal. But now there's no excuse here, the Sounders need to win the second leg by multiple goals or at least 1-0 to force overtime if they want any chance of advancing.<br />
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Now as many of you heard, Tigres is bringing in a squad full of reserves to SeaTown and I gotta admit, they're nuts. The fact that it's only 1-0 on aggregate, they should've rested their starters last Saturday, but they didn't and now they're tired which means that most of players in the squad will be reserves and I'm pretty sure it includes a bum who goes by the name of Jonathan Bornstein. God that guy sucks. I'm still not over his shit performance for the U.S. in the 2011 Gold Cup. I'm not going to use a reserve squad as an excuse to say the Sounders will win this one easily. I'm not gonna say that. It's still a tough task, and the Sounders need to be equal to it. Speaking of the Sounders, they did have a bye week in League play so they didn't have to worry about shuffling their lineup. One of the guys that was left out last week, Steve Zakuani is expected to be named to the squad tomorrow. David Estrada, Shalrie Joseph and Adam Johansson are a no go. There were also injury concerns for Mario Martinez, but he should be available tomorrow.<br />
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<b>Key to the game:</b><br />
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Being on Mexican soil the first leg. The key was to at least try to keep the score at a minimum. Keep it close at least. They did that. Now the Sounders are back on their home turf for the second game. Now it's time to attack. Put pressure on the Tigres backline. Everyone has gotta be on the same page here and not get caught out of position like they did in the opener against the Montreal Impact. No sloppy giveaways, no getting caught out of position, none of that crap. Direct play, get the crosses in. As for Eddie Johnson, he needs to be in the box to get on the end of them. Hopefully they can pull it out and move on to the semifinal. I'm gonna be there to catch every single minute of it and remember, I have a perfect record attending Sounder games, so hopefully that'll help (lol).Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-38779601299448171002013-03-10T07:50:00.004-07:002013-03-10T16:41:33.800-07:00Huskies star TE Seferian-Jenkins stopped for suspicion of DUI<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrmKAtvzQhyVJ0d708ixnHt6N_DNQPpQDkXgczxiR_tgKEwG5Z-ChBLUm4mg2_wLm0Im5UE7B5d6qW4bX9PwN3LQAzGFP29YKXDzM4FEMJXVOSKGLsQQuxCJBGRXGCYm337qzZGrpkKSA/s1600/ASJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrmKAtvzQhyVJ0d708ixnHt6N_DNQPpQDkXgczxiR_tgKEwG5Z-ChBLUm4mg2_wLm0Im5UE7B5d6qW4bX9PwN3LQAzGFP29YKXDzM4FEMJXVOSKGLsQQuxCJBGRXGCYm337qzZGrpkKSA/s320/ASJ.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
By Kshell<br />
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On Saturday Night at approximately 11 p.m. University of Washington star tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins was stopped for suspicion of DUI. He had a bloody nose and had to go to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington (where he has since been released I'm told). He had a female passenger with him at the time. I normally don't do breaking news as I'm not a news member with "inside" sources. However, on this case I was privileged to some information that I figured I'd share to the public.<br />
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First of all, Seferian-Jenkins the little I've had encounters with him has always treated me well. I've had good exchanges with him via Facebook and Twitter. He appears to be a good thoughtful kid so I'm not going to bury him until I know all the facts. I also hope for his sake and his passenger that their health is fine and nothing seriously has gone wrong. When the details come out I'll let the beat writers of the team put in their opinion on this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_vcYhvEbBpdV8z7NZLgA1fuG7yullMLNTUDpRNiX9_cIg78hLW5ja-5iXqDmVA2nTBRsruN0XF7dsNnEnS4cBJ5cj_9t8t4WBM76VYlsfv6IZpYpANF-lEMdLYFaWLe2T5VrhwamexI/s1600/lynch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_vcYhvEbBpdV8z7NZLgA1fuG7yullMLNTUDpRNiX9_cIg78hLW5ja-5iXqDmVA2nTBRsruN0XF7dsNnEnS4cBJ5cj_9t8t4WBM76VYlsfv6IZpYpANF-lEMdLYFaWLe2T5VrhwamexI/s320/lynch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Remember going into the 2012 season after signing a new deal Seattle Seahawks star running back Marshawn Lynch was arrested for a DUI. Some fans were freaking out thinking he was going to have a bad season due to that. Quite the contrary as Lynch enjoyed his best season as a pro. Lynch ran for a career high 1,590 yards on a career high 5.0 YPC average with 11 touchdowns. He earned his second straight pro bowl appearance and first career first team all-pro selection. He also scored the winning touchdown in the Seahawks first road playoff victory in 29 years when the Seahawks defeated the Washington Redskins 24-14. By the end of the season most fans had forgotten about Lynch's DUI and forgiven him as his play never slowed down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNtfHvvriCWOjHhKUFnqHx2_MrdjLxM-_g_Y2gRuqYx9HN04eUWp_ov28muGeGVIcDTsnrkPtuWqPbZvzdHVwgTEh80KqPTfw1rAu8Hu3u7bz-gT8xJ8B4JybGjlCCKEmksEGasEVvys/s1600/ASJ2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNtfHvvriCWOjHhKUFnqHx2_MrdjLxM-_g_Y2gRuqYx9HN04eUWp_ov28muGeGVIcDTsnrkPtuWqPbZvzdHVwgTEh80KqPTfw1rAu8Hu3u7bz-gT8xJ8B4JybGjlCCKEmksEGasEVvys/s320/ASJ2.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
For Seferian-Jenkins he is entering his junior season at Washington. He is coming off a terrific season where he set records as he caught 69 passes for 850 yards(12.3 YPC) and seven touchdowns. For his two year career he is the all-time leader for Husky tight ends with 110 receptions, 1,394 yards and 13 touchdowns. He will most likely leave for the NFL after his junior season as he'll be the Huskies best NFL prospect heading into the 2013 season.<br />
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Hopefully Seferian-Jenkins can learn from his mistake and not repeat it. In the future Seferian-Jenkins hopefully can remember to call a cab or a friend if he is out drinking. He has too much to risk as in 12 months he'll be a very rich man as some lucky NFL franchise will make him a first round pick. Seferian-Jenkins is a young kid as he won't turn 21 until September 29th, 2013.<br />
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At the end of the day Seferian-Jenkins made a mistake. Not everyone is perfect even if at times on the football field he appears to be perfect. Husky fans will rally behind Seferian-Jenkins while rival fans will troll him on twitter and facebook. More importantly is Seferian-Jenkins learns a lesson from this which is don't drink and drive. I'm a big fan of Seferian-Jenkins and I hope everything turns out okay for him and his passenger. I just wish Seferian-Jenkins had taken his own advice which he tweeted out at 9 p.m. "Young Uce @Aesj88; All friends have a fun and safe night." If only Seferian-Jenkins had taken his own advice March 9th, 2013 wouldn't have ended so poorly for him.kshellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12308494891109604209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-8111579314405018342013-03-04T21:36:00.002-08:002013-03-04T21:38:15.983-08:00Montreal Impact steal one in Seattle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI47iEVqayCYsMg70rGa6LBjxK1OefKeHBN1CoiAxt73dCh_LP-atvOky21rwnnls4AckJo2GvzhSUh16O6OnlSlV5jz50-VZ_E04wdkPBtAeyaY5aPXkU0E4QirIznnhZr_omkE5V7E2g/s1600/Montreal+Impact.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI47iEVqayCYsMg70rGa6LBjxK1OefKeHBN1CoiAxt73dCh_LP-atvOky21rwnnls4AckJo2GvzhSUh16O6OnlSlV5jz50-VZ_E04wdkPBtAeyaY5aPXkU0E4QirIznnhZr_omkE5V7E2g/s320/Montreal+Impact.png" width="320" /></a>By Money Mike<br />
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The Seattle Sounders came into the season opener without a few key players. Adam Johansson, David Estrada and Patrick Ianni were out injured. Lamar Neagle was left out of the lineup. Djimi Traore was left on the bench. And Ozzie Alonso and Marc Burch were suspended. So I expected play to be a little sloppy on the part of the Sounders, but I did not expect a result like this. On Saturday, the Montreal Impact came to CenturyLink Field and stunned the crowd of 38,998 in attendance as they defeated the Seattle Sounders 1-0. The Sounders had some chances in this game, but they couldn't deliver and with the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal on the road at Tigres coming up a couple days from now, Seattle needs to correct their mistakes and correct them fast. Since both legs of the Champions League are this Wednesday and next Tuesday, the Sounders next match in league play won't be until March 16 at home and their opponent happens to be the Portland Timbers.<br />
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In the 18th minute, Montreal had a chance to go up 1-0 and probably should've gone up 1-0. Andrea Pisanu spotted the run of Marco Di Vaio and fed him with a perfectly timed through ball in the box. Di Vaio got in behind Zach Scott and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado but he put a little too much under the ball and shot it over the bar.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-8v1rzd-8fUnd3iScFfoq4bnyPL-O3LI1BivIr-caSWsObiwgQn_N4pwHUTAFde4rabRsbaX3ZYDKI6voLMQjxCBaeqfBp6thhYpamU9fEavuq-UHJnfjcBhNBP5DXn_uwdH7Cw5YDlx/s1600/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-8v1rzd-8fUnd3iScFfoq4bnyPL-O3LI1BivIr-caSWsObiwgQn_N4pwHUTAFde4rabRsbaX3ZYDKI6voLMQjxCBaeqfBp6thhYpamU9fEavuq-UHJnfjcBhNBP5DXn_uwdH7Cw5YDlx/s320/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 24th minute, the Sounders had an opportunity of their own to break the deadlock. Again, the passing was sloppy on both ends of the pitch and teams struggling to clear the ball out of their own area. Felipe Martins looked to clear the ball from danger but Jhon Kennedy Hurtado stepped in to head the ball to Andy Rose whose touch was a little heavy. Felipe slid in to win the ball back, but Rose fed the ball to the near side for Mario Martinez who looked and curled the ball to the near post for Eddie Johnson who got past Matteo Ferrari, but he flicked the ball wide of Troy Perkins's right hand side.<br />
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Five minutes later, EJ had another opportunity. Justin Mapp's misplaced pass gave Mauro Rosales a chance to catch Montreal on the counter. Rosales rolled the ball to Johnson on the right side of the box. Johnson waited for support before cutting inside and trying to curl his shot into the corner, but it was too far central and easily gathered by Troy Perkins.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi962znHoC1lgllr7tUvPmif8qvw_mmIVm8_ITx8RViieNKapoJU94t1sPw7_ezoC6H9HdnPeGcOVeffJojvc6HguZNW-cPBs-f4ZKxgsQNuKllccpwFFp0WUhiziIQz_DRukUPyMb6cR-r/s1600/Michael+Gspurning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi962znHoC1lgllr7tUvPmif8qvw_mmIVm8_ITx8RViieNKapoJU94t1sPw7_ezoC6H9HdnPeGcOVeffJojvc6HguZNW-cPBs-f4ZKxgsQNuKllccpwFFp0WUhiziIQz_DRukUPyMb6cR-r/s320/Michael+Gspurning.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 35th minute, the Sounders get caught on the counter and the Impact take full advantage of it and open the scoring. Marco Di Vaio found Felipe who had time and space to look up and he lifted the ball up for Davy Arnaud who settled the ball in front of him and chipped it over the head of Michael Gspurning and in the back of the net to put the Impact ahead 1-0. Just poor play on that one from Andy Rose, Zach Scott and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. Hurtado was late trying to get back, Scott overcommits by pushing up and closing down Felipe and nobody picks up Arnaud. Just shocking defending on that play.<br />
<br />
Just over four minutes into the second half, Montreal had a big chance to go up by two. Patrice Bernier sent Sanna Nyassi in behind the defense with the great through ball. Just as Nyassi was getting ready to strike, he starts to lose control. However, the Sounders still couldn't get it away as Zach Scott and Michael Gspurning collide in the box. Marco Di Vaio stepped in with the net empty trying to make it 2-0, but DeAndre Yedlin got back to get in the way of that shot to keep it a one score game.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoaLpYvYW01b3JYVfIM59S__6Qj_cGH1Vz_8A2JX0kus1sRr-LdTbwKy4KJFtkFrsqmI8BNXUd869SDubyYdogk7KjDbcQMH2gsvG4LszvUciH5hXUiysJ1aZHagf9MNVx455BKCJqZW0f/s1600/Seattle+Sounders+FC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoaLpYvYW01b3JYVfIM59S__6Qj_cGH1Vz_8A2JX0kus1sRr-LdTbwKy4KJFtkFrsqmI8BNXUd869SDubyYdogk7KjDbcQMH2gsvG4LszvUciH5hXUiysJ1aZHagf9MNVx455BKCJqZW0f/s320/Seattle+Sounders+FC.jpg" width="320" /></a>In the 64th minute, the Sounders dodged another bullet. Sanna Nyassi worked a give and go with Marco Di Vaio on the near side. Nyassi made a good run forward and whipped in a very good cross for a diving header from Davy Arnaud, but the ball bounced back into play from the crossbar and the score remained 1-0.<br />
<br />
A minute later, Seattle were denied by the frame. Mario Martinez slid the ball to Eddie Johnson at the top of the area, who poked the ball back to Brad Evans for a first timed shot that beat Troy Perkins, but the left post comes to Montreal's rescue this time.<br />
<br />
With just under 10 minutes to go in normal time, Seattle had a golden opportunity to level the match. Eddie Johnson fed Leo Gonzalez who made an overlapping run from his left back position. Gonzalez chipped the ball to the near post for Alex Caskey who flicked the ball for Eddie Johnson who strikes the ball off the crossbar from point blank range. I'm still having difficulty figuring out how he couldn't score from that position, but that's what the outcome of that chance was and Seattle come away empty handed in the opening match of the 2013 season.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Observations:</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidx4UdnwOoC_ixzmK0Tl8T8NqPBDShD9zE2vnWGfvajEe9KLJdI5-rfbFiMBn3fl72IcEHasDfEDlg5sM9VHsZCXv4mrJlsa4OS4cFcmhDKqHzmmyioIrYrezHapao-fMrqV68LOr6pWqU/s1600/DeAndre+Yedlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidx4UdnwOoC_ixzmK0Tl8T8NqPBDShD9zE2vnWGfvajEe9KLJdI5-rfbFiMBn3fl72IcEHasDfEDlg5sM9VHsZCXv4mrJlsa4OS4cFcmhDKqHzmmyioIrYrezHapao-fMrqV68LOr6pWqU/s320/DeAndre+Yedlin.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DeAndre Yedlin impressive in his debut with the Sounders.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I was a little surprised to see this kid in the lineup for this match, but DeAndre Yedlin got the start and I gotta say I was really impressed with his performance. Yedlin remember played a year in the Sounders FC Youth academy and was signed back in January as the first homegrown player in club history after two seasons at Akron. Normally at 19-years old when you make your debut for your hometown club, you end up feeling a lot of pressure and struggle to handle it. But he didn't feel any pressure, he took his debut like it's another game. His passing was good. One on One defending, excellent. Despite all that, I'm still not quite satisfied that he should be an everyday starter at right back because on the attacking end, his crosses weren't great and on the defensive side of the ball, there were times when Sanna Nyassi beat him especially the first couple of minutes where Nyassi got in behind him and both were pulling eachothers jerseys. If Nyassi went down under that, I think the referee would've called a foul and Yedlin probably would've been sent off. But based on what I've seen out of him, he'll only get better as he gains more minutes and he will be a future starter on this team for sure.<br />
<br />
Asside from DeAndre's performance, the Sounders attacking game was, ya know...... not good. First of all, someone on Seattle Times called Zakuani a One Trick Pony. I don't know who said that, and I don't care, but that's got to be the most bullshit comment I've ever heard or read or whatever. The wide play however, was very poor, the crosses were weak, and the guys are just getting caught out of position. Rosales needs to move back to the right side of midfield where he's most effective and they need to push Zakuani up front with EJ and move Martinez to the left side of midfield. They need to change something attacking wise until they finally get another striker.<br />
<br />
Ya know.... first game, they lost. Big deal. Look, I'm not happy with the defeat myself, but there's absolutely no reason to panic. These guys off and on have hit a brick wall, but they find ways to bounce back and win games. So this team will bounce back from this loss, no doubt. We've got a long long way to go this season. 34 games. This was the first game, so now we have 33 games to go.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Scoring summary:</b><br />
<br />
Montreal Impact - Davy Arnaud 1 (Felipe Martins 1) 35'<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Misconduct summary:</b><br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Brad Evans (caution; foul) 17'<br />
<br />
Montreal Impact - Andrea Pisanu (caution; foul) 64'<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Lineups:</b><br />
<br />
Montreal Impact - Troy Perkins; Hassoun Camara (Dennis Iapichino 84'), Matteo Ferrari, Alessandro Nesta, Jeb Brovsky; Andrea Pisanu (Calum Mallace 69'), Patrice Bernier, Felipe Martins, Justin Mapp (Sanna Nyassi 45'); Davy Arnaud, Marco Di Vaio<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Michael Gspurning; DeAndre Yedlin, Zach Scott, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leonardo Gonzalez (Servando Carrasco 84'); Mario Martinez, Andy Rose (Alex Caskey 62'), Brad Evans, Steve Zakuani (Sammy Ochoa 69'); Mauro Rosales, Eddie JohnsonMoney Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0CenturyLink Field, 800 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134, USA47.5951497 -122.331620322.0731152 -163.6402143 73.1171842 -81.0230263tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-9918227793945544572013-03-01T23:02:00.000-08:002013-03-02T01:07:01.195-08:00Sounders get set to open up 2013 against the Montreal Impact<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVNzc9wXw53y7rq8vCq4b9kNcCm_Te2bh2WNB0xfkc3wlksfVKvjyll-XH1CkzDIZ4U9BGV_Q8hX3DpV1aMegP22HTBU-QWITuMZpVDeG6Gyq8pkcRbJMuT9zYEbpEb04NJzQUaUKm8ti/s1600/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVNzc9wXw53y7rq8vCq4b9kNcCm_Te2bh2WNB0xfkc3wlksfVKvjyll-XH1CkzDIZ4U9BGV_Q8hX3DpV1aMegP22HTBU-QWITuMZpVDeG6Gyq8pkcRbJMuT9zYEbpEb04NJzQUaUKm8ti/s320/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>By Money Mike<br />
<br />
<br />
After a month in a half of preparation, it's time to get back to business. The Seattle Sounders get set to take the pitch once again in front of their hometown crowd as they kick off the 2013 season against the Montreal Impact. Last time these two teams met was last season in Montreal on June 16th where the Impact have the Sounders a major beating as they came away 4-1. This is the first trip to Seattle for the MLS edition of Montreal. The last time we've seen a matchup between the Sounders and the Impact in Seattle was a half decade ago in the first leg of the 2008 USL Quarterfinal which Seattle won 2-1, but would eventually lose the second leg in Montreal 3-1 and losing 4-3 on aggregate thus closing the book on the Sounders USL franchise. Montreal begins their second season in Major League Soccer, while Seattle kicks off their fifth season.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Injury report:</b><br />
<br />
Montreal Impact - Alright for the Montreal Imapact, three players are a no go for this game and I'm not gonna speculate how long these guys will be out for their club. Sinisa Ubiparipovic has been struggling with a calf injury. Maxim Tissot is out with a shoulder injury. And lastly, Nelson Rivas has a bad knee.<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - For the Seattle Sounders, two are out and two are questionable. Patrick Ianni suffered a fractured right foot at the beginning of training camp so he'll be out for a while. Andrew Duran was given the all clear my the doctors after suffering a torn ACL during his loan stint with the Atlanta Silverbacks, but he's gonna need to work his way back into gametime form before he can make his debut for the Sounders. Speaking of that, Shalrie Joseph has a right calf strain and I don't think he'll make his debut tomorrow. He's listed as questionable. Last but not least, Adam Johansson is a gametime decision for tomorrow. He's been sidelined most of the preseason after suffering a right knee sprain during one of the preseason matches in Tucson.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Suspensions:</b><br />
<br />
Montreal Impact - None to report<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - Unfortunately we do have a couple to report. Marc Burch is surving the last game of his three game suspension for an inappropriate gesture directed at one of the Real Salt Lake players during the playoffs. And of course, Ozzie Alonso is suspended for the opener because of the red card he picked up at the end of the 2nd leg of the Western Conference Final against the LA Galaxy. It actually occured following the final whistle of the game.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Key matchups:</b><br />
<br />
Eddie Johnson vs Alessandro Nesta - Montero may be out, but Seattle still has another goalscoring threat and his name is Eddie Johnson. Coming off a 14 goal season, EJ comes into his second season with the Sounders with high expectations. Asside from that, I expect the three-time World Cup veteran to mark him throughout the match.<br />
<br />
Felipe Martins vs Andy Rose - With Alonso suspended, it looks like Andy Rose will fill in as a holding midfielder, just like last time when these two teams met in Montreal. Felipe is a crafty individual, coming off a fantastic year where he scored four goals and led the Impact with 10 assists in 30 appearances for the Impact. As a holding midfielder, Rose can't let him create any easy opportunties. This could be a big matchup right here.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Prediction:</b><br />
<br />
It's definitely not going to end 4-1 Montreal like it did in Montreal last year. I don't think Alonso being suspended will hurt the Sounders that much. I think the Sounders are well prepared for the opener and are ready to come at them in full force. Like I said earlier, the Sounders had a month and a half to prepare and I don't see how they're not prepared and again I don't think the missing presence of Alonso will hurt the team. So now as I've said that, I think the Sounders will come out here and walk away with three points in front of their fans to kick off 2013.<br />
<br />
Seattle Sounders FC - 2<br />
Montreal Impact - 0 Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-51726039063417147102013-03-01T20:27:00.002-08:002013-03-01T22:30:43.641-08:002013 Seattle Sounders FC season preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqDJFdI2gjYSInEAMuciuIyAtr4iJCOV56hrmGM0QgjZjF0m1GQ97Ck4KOyCallWieYInRprkdosoqEnUcZcRjjuQe-T4Bm2ZIDmBnn1h-685fC0MKr56vtgfIjfIphYjDyp9NDhpxkcV/s1600/Hurtado.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqDJFdI2gjYSInEAMuciuIyAtr4iJCOV56hrmGM0QgjZjF0m1GQ97Ck4KOyCallWieYInRprkdosoqEnUcZcRjjuQe-T4Bm2ZIDmBnn1h-685fC0MKr56vtgfIjfIphYjDyp9NDhpxkcV/s320/Hurtado.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
By Money Mike<br />
<br />
<br />
It has been a long offseason for the Seattle Sounders with players leaving and new faces arriving, which of course happens every year. But with their leading goalscorer gone, how will the Sounders fare in the year 2013? I'll talk a little bit about that as I preview the Seattle Sounders 2013 season. The Sounders are coming off their first trophyless season since joining MLS in 2009. Last season, they reached their fourth straight U.S. Open Cup final only to lose to Sporting Kansas City on penalties and they also reached the Western Conference final for the first time but that was the farthest they would go in 2012 as they would lose to the LA Galaxy 4-2 on aggregate. Also because they didn't win a trophy in 2012, they won't be competing in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League. So, since there's no Champions League for the Sounders this season (other than the 2012-13 Champions League Quarterfinal and beyond, should they advance), head coach Sigi Schmid won't have to shuffle the lineup around as much as last year because of depth and long travel. He won't have to deal with that.<br />
<br />
As far as the offseason is concerned, the Sounders have brought in some veteran guys, a couple of draft picks, a homegrown player and also a local favorite made his return to the Emerald City. At the same time, they lost a couple of key players. Defender Jeff Parke was traded to the Philadelphia Union back in early December, and Fredy Montero was loaned out to Millonarios for the entire season but he signed a contract extension with the Sounders prior to the move so he should be back in 2014. Earlier this offseason, the Sounders were expected to sign Honduran defender Wilmer Crisanto. However, for some reason the deal fell through. Somebody reported that the deal for Crisanto fell through because there weren't any international roster spots available, which was bullshit because the Sounders had four international slots available at the time. Now another slot has been occupied and another was traded to the Montreal Impact as part of the deal that brought Lamar Neagle back to Seattle. The Sounders also brought in former Mali international defender Djimi Traore, was part of Liverpool's UEFA Champions League winning side in 2005, former New England Revolution captain Shalrie Josphn, defenders Eriq Zavaleta and Dylan Remick and they also signed DeAndre Yedlin as their first homegrown player. Of course, we're expecting Nigerian forward Obafemi Martins to be signed as a designated player at some point but one designated player would have to go in order for that to happen and after much speculation, it looks like it'll be Christian Tiffert. Now it's a question of how strong this years team is compared to last years? Will year five be the year the Sounders bring an MLS Cup to Seattle?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Sounders 2013 roster:</b><br />
<br />
1. GK - Michael Gspurning<br />
2. DF - DeAndre Yedlin <i>(HGP)</i><br />
3. MF - Brad Evans<br />
4. DF - Patrick Ianni<br />
5. DF - Adam Johansson<br />
6. MF - Osvaldo Alonso<br />
7. FW - Eddie Johnson<br />
8. DF - Marc Burch<br />
10. MF - Mauro Rosales <i>(DP; Captain)</i><br />
11. FW - Steve Zakuani<br />
12. DF - Leonardo Gonzalez<br />
13. MF - Christian Tiffert <i>(DP)</i>^<br />
14. MF - Alex Caskey<br />
15. MF - Mario Martinez<br />
16. FW - David Estrada<br />
20. DF - Zach Scott<br />
21. MF - Shalrie Joseph <i>(DP)</i><br />
22. DF - Eriq Zavaleta <i>(GA)</i><br />
23. MF - Servando Carrasco<br />
24. GK - Marcus Hahnemann<br />
25. MF - Andy Rose<br />
26. FW - Sammy Ochoa<br />
27. MF - Lamar Neagle<br />
29. GK - Josh Ford<br />
30. DF - Andrew Duran<br />
33. DF - Dylan Remick<br />
34. DF - Jhon Kennedy Hurtado<br />
50. DF - Djimi Traore<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Notes:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">^ - Could be gone before the start of the season</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">HGP - Homegrown Player </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">DP - Designated Player</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">GA - Generation Adidas</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Offseason moves:</b><br />
<br />
<i>Acquisitions:</i><br />
<br />
January 11, 2013 - DeAndre Yedlin (University of Akron; Sounders U23) - Homegrown player<br />
January 17, 2013 - Eriq Zavaleta (Indiana University) - MLS SuperDraft 1st rd. (10th overall)<br />
January 17, 2013 - Dylan Remick (Brown University; Worcester Hydra) - MLS SuperDraft 2nd rd. (35th overall)<br />
January 27, 2013 - Lamar Neagle (Montreal Impact) - Trade<br />
February 19, 2013 - Shalrie Joseph (Chivas USA) - Trade<br />
February 23, 2013 - Djimi Traore (Olympique de Marseille) - Free transfer<br />
<br />
<i>Departures:</i><br />
<br />
December 3, 2012 - Mike Seamon (Pittsburgh Riverhounds) - Option Declined<br />
December 3, 2012 - Andrew Weber (Phoenix FC Wolves) - Option Declined<br />
December 3, 2012 - O'Brian White - Option Declined<br />
December 7, 2012 - Jeff Parke (Philadelphia Union) - Trade<br />
December 14, 2012 - Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes) - Option Declined (traded to San Jose on March 1, 2013)<br />
December 14, 2012 - Bryan Meredith (IK Brage) - Option Declined<br />
December 14, 2012 - Daniel Steres (Ventura County Fusion) - Option Declined<br />
December 14, 2012 - Michael Tetteh - Option Declined<br />
February 26, 2013 - Babayele Sodade - Released<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm just ready for the season to start. Even though Montero is gone, I still think Seattle is one of the teams to beat in MLS this year. They've had a great preseason, winning the Desert Diamond Cup in Tucson. The new guys have come in and worked their asses off all preseason. Not that it matters heading into the regular season because that's where it really counts. I really don't have much to explain here. I'm just sick and tired of waiting for the season to start. Will 2013 be the year? We'll have to find out.Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-56376978613779416502013-02-08T01:10:00.000-08:002013-02-08T01:10:54.403-08:00USA falls 2-1 to Honduras to kick off the final round of Qualifying<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wlLB7skps8ZqY9_SG7KI3sl4G1sBK-KGa8p1NIuqh8zv5SczM3iZra75fWzAnJDilMAMba2MFv5f3Pj42sKqxpb4qP_xXJjI5P3rINxRBL-RGijwk9RNj3taAeFC8imOkLeuqW216jQk/s1600/Clint+Dempsey.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wlLB7skps8ZqY9_SG7KI3sl4G1sBK-KGa8p1NIuqh8zv5SczM3iZra75fWzAnJDilMAMba2MFv5f3Pj42sKqxpb4qP_xXJjI5P3rINxRBL-RGijwk9RNj3taAeFC8imOkLeuqW216jQk/s320/Clint+Dempsey.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>By Money Mike<br />
<br />
<br />
The United States kicked off the final round of Qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but not the way they would've wanted. The Americans fell 2-1 on the road to a very tough Honduras team in the first of 10 hexagonal matches on the road to Brazil. The loss now leads to questions and concerns leading up to their next World Cup Qualifier on March 22nd against Costa Rica, which will take place at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. Questions like, why the hell did USA head coach Jurgen Klinsmann go with a 4-3-3 formation? Why did he bench Carlos Bocanegra? You know, those kind of questions. And concerns on whether or not the U.S. can put this loss behind them and show up with a different mentality in their next match six weeks from now. Not that this was an upset because it was not even close to being an upset. We knew Honduras wasn't going to be a gimme for the American's, but when you look at the upcoming schedule in qualifying, this team is looking at what we consider a figurative must-win game against Costa Rica.<br />
<br />
Not much action early on until the 23rd minute. Oscar Boniek Garcia tried to dribble around Geoff Cameron but had the ball poked off his feet by the Stoke City defender. The ball rolled to Roger Espinoza for a turning shot, but it was right at goalkeeper Tim Howard.<br />
<br />
In the 26th minute, the U.S. had an opportunity to go up 1-0. Jermaine Jones took the corner from the near hash mark and his inswinger found Geoff Cameron whose header sailed well over the top. Eddie Johnson was also there and I've looked at the replay of this opportunity a few times and it almost looks like the ball came off EJ's head, but I'm pretty sure Cameron got a head to it because if Johnson got to head to it, then it probably would've been a goal from my point of view. I don't know, but the bottomline is, the U.S. missed a set piece opportunity.<br />
<br />
A couple minutes later, the U.S. came so close to breaking the deadlock. Jermaine Jones played a beautiful diagonal ball to the near side for Eddie Johnson who had plenty of room out there. Johnson settled the ball before curling it into the area for Jozy Altidore who just flicked it over the bar.<br />
<br />
From about the 30th minute to the end of the match, the American's started to get a little sloppy with their passing. Especially in their own area that nearly lead to goals by Honduras. You can also add crappy defending to that list as well. In the 31st minute, Carlo Costly chipped the ball in the penalty area for Roger Espinoza who got by Danny Williams and square the ball across for Oscar Boniek Garcia, but Fabian Johnson stepped in and cleared the ball away before Boniek Garcia had a chance to tap the ball into an empty net.<br />
<br />
Shortly after, another giveaway by the U.S. in their own area allowed Mario Martinez to cut inside with his left foot and curl his shot toward the far post, but Tim Howard punched the ball over bar to keep the match at 0-0.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtbcI-8sIcaGNlH4ZYlP7mX6vZcnhZZIKY2wSl2vPI85xm7OIqa1urYHOPB0IqnzwfWW2NEFlVAJAlmeb6_6JfvRtjD0u5UYq4ma6xEmoMntU4piPXSVtA7ZzrfYTZZB2vASbshMFK6PO/s1600/U.S.+soccer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtbcI-8sIcaGNlH4ZYlP7mX6vZcnhZZIKY2wSl2vPI85xm7OIqa1urYHOPB0IqnzwfWW2NEFlVAJAlmeb6_6JfvRtjD0u5UYq4ma6xEmoMntU4piPXSVtA7ZzrfYTZZB2vASbshMFK6PO/s320/U.S.+soccer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In the 36th minute, the United States found the breakthrough. Jermaine Jones chipped the ball into the area for Clint Dempsey who beat the offside trap and side footed it off the half volley into the left corner to put the U.S. ahead 1-0.<br />
<br />
That lead was short lived however. In the 40th minute, Honduras hit back. Mario Martinez took the corner from the far hash mark and curled the ball into the area which was headed away by Omar Gonzalez. The attack wasn't over tough. Victor Bernardez tracked the ball down on the near side and sent it toward the back post for Maynor Figueroa who headed the ball back across and just when you though Geoff Cameron was going to clear the ball away, Juan Carlos Garcia connects on the bicycle kick and all Tim Howard could do on that play was watch it because there was no way in hell he could've kept that out and Honduras leveled the match up at 1-1 on the stroke of halftime.<br />
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In the 79th minute, Honduras took advantage of some lazy defending from the back line and took the lead. Maynor Figueroa poked the ball into the area with the outside of his boot for Oscar Boniek Garcia to chase and it looked like he wasn't going to get there before Tim Howard came out to claim it, but Geoff Cameron let him get there and Boniek Garcia poked the ball across and Jerry Bengtson beat Omar Gonzalez, who was late to react, to the ball and slam it into the empty net for what turned out to be the game winner and USA's final round of qualifying starts out poorly.<br />
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<b>Observations:</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Y3m0UIxOzlHlWfjEQWmPDWLDAxdq1_rNpJhKUXMSWYDacwgsxyTU3gKlvx3pAqEBSCVJHA7CKM0ZXFtb2s7rv7tZlsEkkW0wV0RZ1ANyjnNmtHZiEzfJ1tKrrYxUzkTAUZbff0Is-LhR/s1600/Michael+Bradley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Y3m0UIxOzlHlWfjEQWmPDWLDAxdq1_rNpJhKUXMSWYDacwgsxyTU3gKlvx3pAqEBSCVJHA7CKM0ZXFtb2s7rv7tZlsEkkW0wV0RZ1ANyjnNmtHZiEzfJ1tKrrYxUzkTAUZbff0Is-LhR/s320/Michael+Bradley.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I really don't know what hell kind of tactics Jurgen Klinsmann is going with, but it is 100% ineffective and Derek Richey from the Straight Red Card picked up on this as well and it was pretty funny how he put. Saying that the U.S. were playing Barcelona type football. And from what I've been watching, I have to agree with him because it seems as if Klinsmann is not interested in crossing the ball, he's interested in just kicking the ball around without any direct play. Everything Derek has said on his latest episode relating this is dead on. And why? Why is crossing the ball not Klinsmann's priority? <br />
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Also, you start Timmy Chandler and Fabian Johnson and all of us our expecting both of them to make a lot of runs from the back and get in on the attack for the U.S. and we saw none of that. And why not? How can you start those two and not get them to go forward? Of course this is Chandler's first competitive game for the United States because of the fact that Steve Cherundolo is out injured and he just underwent minor knee surgery so I don't think he'll be fully recovered in time for the Costa Rica match. One more thing defensively, you bench Carlos Bocanegra? Honestly, starting Cameron and Gonzalez back there was a big mistake. I've heard people say Bocanegra wouldn't have made a difference back there. EH EH!! WRONG!! I probably would've half expected Gonzalez and Bocanegra to partner up in the center of defense, but in big games like this you have to stick with your leader at all costs. Bocanegra has been back there a lot with Geoff Cameron, he's been back there a lot with Fabian Johnson, and has been back there a couple times with Chandler. He absolutely would've made a difference. If there was a mix up defensively, then you would have Bocanegra talk it over for a few seconds and hope that it doesn't happen again. But because he wasn't out there, the same mistake happened over and over again and Honduras took advantage of it.<br />
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I hope within the next six weeks, Jurgen decides to not only make a couple of changes to the lineup, but changes his tactics as well and goes back to a 4-4-2. This kind of crap he's using does not work for this team. We need guys who can get the crosses into the box, no short passes through the middle. Another thing, if there's a counter attacking opportunity, don't slow the play down and let your opponents get back, you get your asses forward immediately and catch them on the break. I've said this a number of times and I'm going to say it again, what we saw on Wednesday does not work for the U.S. and will never work. This better be fixed.<br />
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<b>Scoring summary:</b><br />
<br />
United States - Clint Dempsey (Jermaine Jones) 36'<br />
<br />
Honduras - Juan Carlos Garcia (Maynor Figueroa) 40'<br />
<br />
Honduras - Jerry Bengtson (Oscar Boniek Garcia) 79'<br />
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<b>Misconduct summary:</b><br />
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<i>NONE</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Lineups:</b><br />
<br />
United States - Tim Howard; Timothy Chandler, Omar Gonzalez, Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson; Jermaine Jones (Graham Zusi 67'), Danny Williams (Maurice Edu 58'), Michael Bradley; Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Eddie Johnson (Sacha Kljestan 59')<br />
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Honduras - Noel Valladares; Arnold Peralta, Victor Bernardez, Maynor Figueroa, Juan Carlos Garcia; Oscar Boniek Garcia, Luis Garrido, Roger Espinoza, Mario Martinez; Jerry Bengtson (Jorge Claros 84'), Carlo Costly (Georgie Welcome 93'+)Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-53743151354032700672013-02-04T14:43:00.002-08:002013-02-04T14:43:52.043-08:00EJ and Evans called up for WCQ in Honduras<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxxgdDWyF4sLuVppRJIXQJTkpb_rteNCXr8_CsNa4YR17XkC9N4BACc3ltGuSYMsDLytD6AY1J3VQyXxLU0spjW1brf5jXY0jZETbfYgBYpyE-iYNlhI0JrQQ_iejSxaMu0pY4mA8LQV_/s1600/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxxgdDWyF4sLuVppRJIXQJTkpb_rteNCXr8_CsNa4YR17XkC9N4BACc3ltGuSYMsDLytD6AY1J3VQyXxLU0spjW1brf5jXY0jZETbfYgBYpyE-iYNlhI0JrQQ_iejSxaMu0pY4mA8LQV_/s320/Eddie+Johnson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>By Money Mike<br />
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In just two days, the 2013 CONCACAF Hexagonal kicks off. For the United States, it's going to be one tough ride for them starting this Wednesday down in Honduras. Earlier today, Jurgen Klinsmann has called in 24 players for Wednesdays match including Eddie Johnson and Brad Evans. Both EJ and Evans were called up for a friendly this past week against Canada and both got the start in the match. With a much more experience USA side than we saw last week, it's highly unlikely that Evans will be in the starting lineup and because of the fact that you can only have a maximum of 23 players on your international roster come gametime, one of the 24 players that were called up will have to be left behind.<br />
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<br />
<b>Rest of the team:</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_f_XDarZm_BvOOKVdFr0oF9bE1S1zanU9Iw98P8D979arGvsroOYhjxZ0b1bsi4c17X7My_UzH0eOU33oN_eQo-1l6UfClG3z22N9eGFZkJp0ONwb298ozxuQU5o_frepF5GGMtb-MD6A/s1600/Clint+Dempsey.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_f_XDarZm_BvOOKVdFr0oF9bE1S1zanU9Iw98P8D979arGvsroOYhjxZ0b1bsi4c17X7My_UzH0eOU33oN_eQo-1l6UfClG3z22N9eGFZkJp0ONwb298ozxuQU5o_frepF5GGMtb-MD6A/s320/Clint+Dempsey.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>This won't be the same USA side we saw last week against Canada. That was full of inexperienced players, five players getting their first cap and just not everybody used to playing together. And luckily that wasn't our regular team because if it was, then we would have some problems here. However the key here will be our outside backs. The U.S. has dealt with injuries on the defensive end leading up to the final two matches in the third round of qualifying and right now Steve Cherundolo could be the biggest loss for the team defensively. We do know that Timothy Chandler accepted a call-up to the squad. He currently has nine caps for the U.S., but all of them were friendly matches. It's good to see Fabian Johnson on the squad after he went a full 90 minutes for Hoffenheim during their match this past weekend. He's been dealing with a knee injury for a couple of weeks and there have been questions on whether or not he would fully recover in time for Wednesday, but he's on the squad and ready to go. Both Chandler and Fabian Johnson better be on their toes because Honduras are going to go with Mario Martinez and Oscar Boniek Garcia on the wing for sure, and both of them are known for causing a lot of havock.<br />
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Another thing I want to point out is Jozy Altidore, who was the target of racist chants from the dutch football fans, is back on the squad. The 23-year old is currently tied for second in the league with 15 goals on the season and has made a lot of strides since joining AZ Alkmaar in 2011. Altidore currently has 13 goals in 52 appearances for the United States, but he hasn't scored since the friendly match against Slovenia back on November of 2011. In big matches like this one, this is where you need Jozy's goalscoring form in league football to carry on to the international level.<br />
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<b>U.S. squad by position <i>(caps/goals)</i>:</b><br />
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Goalkeepers:<br />
<br />
Tim Howard (Everton; England) - <i>84/0</i><br />
<br />
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa; England) - <i>20/0</i><br />
<br />
Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire) - <i>3/0</i><br />
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<br />
Defenders:<br />
<br />
Carlos Bocanegra (Racing de Santander; Spain) - <i>110/14</i><br />
<br />
Michael Parkhurst (FC Augsburg; Germany) - <i>15/0</i><br />
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Geoff Cameron (Stoke City; England) - <i>11/0</i><br />
<br />
Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim; Germany) - <i>10/0</i><br />
<br />
Timothy Chander (1. FC Nuremberg; Germany) - <i>9/0</i><br />
<br />
Edgar Castillo (Tijuana; Mexico) - <i>7/0</i><br />
<br />
Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy) - <i>3/0</i><br />
<br />
Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City) - <i>1/0</i><br />
<br />
<br />
Midfielders:<br />
<br />
Michael Bradley (AS Roma; Italy) - <i>72/11</i><br />
<br />
Maurice Edu (Bursaspor; Turkey) - <i>42/1</i><br />
<br />
Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht; Belgium) - <i>38/4</i><br />
<br />
Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04; Germany) - <i>26/2</i><br />
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Jose Francisco Torres (Tigres de la UANL; Mexico) - <i>20/0</i><br />
<br />
Danny Williams (Hoffenheim; Germany) - <i>11/0</i><br />
<br />
Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City) - <i>7/1</i><br />
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<b>Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC) - <i>7/0</i></b><br />
<br />
Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo) - <i>6/0</i><br />
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<br />
Forwards:<br />
<br />
Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur; England) - <i>91/30</i><br />
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Jozy Altidore (AZ; Netherlands) - <i>52/13</i><br />
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<b>Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC) - <i>45/14</i></b><br />
<br />
Herculez Gomez (Santos Laguna; Mexico) - <i>19/5</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Projected Lineup:</b><br />
<br />
Howard<br />
<br />
Gonzalez Bocanegra<br />
Chandler F. Johnson<br />
<br />
Williams<br />
Zusi E. Johnson<br />
Bradley<br />
<br />
Dempsey Altidore<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Prediction:</b></div></div><br />
The United States are 12-3-3 all time against Honduras. In fact their last visit to Honduras was a World Cup Qualifying match back on October of 2009. The United States defeated defeated Honduras 3-2 in that match to book their place in the 2010 World Cup. However this is a much different Honduras team than a few years ago. We all know this will not be an easy task for the U.S. Hopefully they can get a win over there. A draw would also be a good result. We won't know the outcome of this match until the final whistle is blown, but both teams look evenly matched, so I'm gonna go with a draw with this one.<br />
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USA-1 Honduras-1Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-63977627331741252912013-01-27T23:27:00.001-08:002013-05-08T15:49:24.563-07:00NEAGLE IS BACK: Sounders reacquire Federal Way Native from Montreal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9c6FyUc9WlPn1XcOMOlwHeFJDBqJRE58HOT0-eQRQcaxSW7HsIS_ECtUNLtljw6xx8pPtHopa6xSrvhRBn6AHTcWtWpMZpICDQM2euRhcLI3__KWJemoQvqUUVj96l7Inn5AM16ZVEPr/s1600/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9c6FyUc9WlPn1XcOMOlwHeFJDBqJRE58HOT0-eQRQcaxSW7HsIS_ECtUNLtljw6xx8pPtHopa6xSrvhRBn6AHTcWtWpMZpICDQM2euRhcLI3__KWJemoQvqUUVj96l7Inn5AM16ZVEPr/s320/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>By Money Mike<br />
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Earlier today there was a tweet saying that there was going to be a roster move made by the Sounders with a player coming to the Emerald City. Out of all the players over thinking, hoping, or expecting, I don't think anyone would've predicted the return of this man. The Seattle Sounders reacquired Lamar Neagle from the Montreal Impact in exchange for an international roster slot. The Sounders now have seven international slots and four of them are currently occupied by Andy Rose, Adam Johansson, Christian Tiffert and Mario Martinez. Neagle rejoins the Sounders for a third stint and will surely be with the Rave Green for more than a year, unlike his first two stints with Seattle. Last February, the Sounders traded Neagle to the Montreal Impact along with Mike Fucito in exchange for <a href="http://seattlesportsblog-kshell.blogspot.com/2012/02/sounders-make-suprise-move-acquire.html">Eddie Johnson</a> in what almost the entire Sounder nation considered to be a dumbass move because of his horrible stint in Europe and his lack of form, but EJ proved everybody wrong with he scored 17 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions for the Sounders.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-1pnKL9l58ADiBiU0lfoHTJW2d9vRlS_36dgx3fWHOspQOAYzBpdGKYsks4g0NxZzs4Kz0NunEqxevyD9VKxFUzxqFeZE-WCMVcpqubOHLCDCrQropJoy5yv9WQzjts0ITJtZa8-q8NQ/s1600/Montreal+Impact.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-1pnKL9l58ADiBiU0lfoHTJW2d9vRlS_36dgx3fWHOspQOAYzBpdGKYsks4g0NxZzs4Kz0NunEqxevyD9VKxFUzxqFeZE-WCMVcpqubOHLCDCrQropJoy5yv9WQzjts0ITJtZa8-q8NQ/s320/Montreal+Impact.png" width="320" /></a></div>So as all of you know, Neagle has been in and out of this roster these past five years. He signed with the Sounders in 2009 as a Developmental player (not a Homegrown player), however he didn't made an appearance for the Sounders in 09' and was released. In 2010, he joined the Charleston Battery of the USL Second Division and led them to their third League Championship in club history. He made 19 appearances that year and led the league with 12 goals and also recorded an assisted. He also scored in the USL Second Division final that turned out to be the game winner. Following that, he moved to IFK Mariehamn in Finland for a short stint and scored two goals in five appearances. After his stint in Finland, Neagle returned to Seattle on trial and ended up signing a contract with the Sounders after impressing the Sounders coaching staff during preseason. At the start, people weren't expecting to see much of Lamar Neagle in 2011 but after Steve Zakuani suffered a double fracture at the hands of Brian Mullan, Neagle stepped in and made a huge impact for the Sounders, making 23 appearances and scoring five goals including a <a href="http://seattlesportsblog-kshell.blogspot.com/2011/08/local-hero-lamar-neagle-breaks-out-with.html">hat trick</a> at home against the Columbus Crew. And of course last season, he gets traded to Montreal where he made 23 appearances and scored two goals for the Impact including one against the <a href="http://seattlesportsblog-kshell.blogspot.com/2012/06/blog-post.html">Sounders</a>. Now here he is back in his home town of Seattle, ready to make a bigger impact with the Sounders.<br />
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<br />
<b>Thoughts on this move:</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmw7Dxn3aRp0cy6kjrGCfMloSESMlTvLpTibIaVi3UuiHU3dUu6oYFHgLbWrCE53kRfRgxNJfFZGUPPBly4h9IPU9bBIXYsN2U7nVtogTFxd5upej7iE3TMP5v6C5Vzeg5gNV3S4WtAT52/s1600/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmw7Dxn3aRp0cy6kjrGCfMloSESMlTvLpTibIaVi3UuiHU3dUu6oYFHgLbWrCE53kRfRgxNJfFZGUPPBly4h9IPU9bBIXYsN2U7nVtogTFxd5upej7iE3TMP5v6C5Vzeg5gNV3S4WtAT52/s320/Lamar+Neagle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I have to admit, I'm just about as shocked to see Neagle back in Seattle as I was seeing him get traded to Montreal last season. But either way, it's great to have him back in the Emerald City. The fans love him, he's become more of an attacking threat game after game and I think this year will be the year he unloads and makes as much of an impact with the Sounders as he did during his second stint. Of course this also leads to more questions. With Fredy Montero out on loan to Millonarios for the 2013 season (by the way, he will be back with the Sounders in 2014 for sure), what do you do with your lineup. Fans have been debating about who should partner up top with EJ. "Rosales should start up top, no Zakuani should start up top, no Martinez." Do you guys ever consider Neagle as a possible option? He played forward in college and also at Charleston. Putting Martinez up front would be a bad idea because one, he's not a forward and two, you lose a bit of creativity in the midfield (not that Zakuani doesn't have it). More moves still to come for sure, but a good move here by the FO.Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-23616490745830691452013-01-17T22:33:00.000-08:002013-01-17T22:33:17.742-08:00Sounders take Eriq Zavaleta and Dylan Remick in the MLS SuperDraft<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJB8cidIKB8EfwaSa0-RWRavR5CHIpcZoUVRKhFeP76pyk76F4yT5DRAu4PdEOUL8NPxtWNBzOdpNCgKpv-s2kFGQLvkNsE5EvYK-zh1Q8W7pZQVHNKUCO3cS1dRzoGm4yFlVGMpquQ1j/s1600/Eriq+Zavaleta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJB8cidIKB8EfwaSa0-RWRavR5CHIpcZoUVRKhFeP76pyk76F4yT5DRAu4PdEOUL8NPxtWNBzOdpNCgKpv-s2kFGQLvkNsE5EvYK-zh1Q8W7pZQVHNKUCO3cS1dRzoGm4yFlVGMpquQ1j/s320/Eriq+Zavaleta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>By Money Mike<br />
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<br />
The 2013 MLS season is two months away and earlier today, the MLS SuperDraft took place in Indianapolis and well, it was full of surprises. There were at least two or three players that were projected to be a first round picks and weren't selected at all. We also had quite a number of trades made with teams swapping draft selections. One of those trades included Seattle Sounders FC landing the 10th overall pick from Toronto FC for their 16th overall pick. Who did they get? No mistakes here, the Sounders selected Eriq Zavaleta from NCAA National Champions Indiana with the 10th pick of this years MLS SuperDraft. Seattle also picked up Dylan Remick from Brown University in the second round of the draft (35th overall). Zavaleta is a member of Generation Adidas so he will not count against the MLS senior roster this season.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vZB0IHxFA3X4Ru9EXtiJowfN57oStX7n-zNSRrcy-RaFPTKdGFn_i2B3MXRVIqk1xb9ACiTInQ9snR2rneTbD7mVLyXjAgMTo1P2eyY7FyA4W643n3qEdmnYAPHkEtwVINLdne_howcf/s1600/Indiana+University.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vZB0IHxFA3X4Ru9EXtiJowfN57oStX7n-zNSRrcy-RaFPTKdGFn_i2B3MXRVIqk1xb9ACiTInQ9snR2rneTbD7mVLyXjAgMTo1P2eyY7FyA4W643n3qEdmnYAPHkEtwVINLdne_howcf/s320/Indiana+University.jpg" width="279" /></a></div>Zavaleta has spent his time in the youth ranks of Chivas USA, Real Salt Lake and the Columbus Crew and was also a member of the U.S. Soccer Residency program in 08' and 09'. If you thought Zavaleta was a forward this entire career, listen to this. During his time with the U.S. U-17 national team, he was used primarily as a defender and was a starter for the under-17's at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria. He appeared in all four matches for the team, leading them to the round if 16 where he was actually sent off in USA's 2-1 loss to Italy. Overall, he made 23 appearances for the under-17's. Despite the fact that he has represented the United States in the youth level, Zavaleta is eligible to represent El Salvador in the senior level due to the fact that his father is from El Salvador and has represented them in the international level. In his two years with Indiana, Zavaleta started in all 46 games and tallied 28 goals and 9 assists and of course led the Hoosiers to their eighth National title.<br />
<br />
I did mention his father Carlos was a member of the El Salvador national team, also his uncle Greg Vanney (some of you may have heard of him) was also a professional soccer player. Both of these guys were coached by Sigi Schmid during their career. Oh you guys don't believe me? Take a look at the video, I'll prove it to you....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Haa-BSiruaYNRjeW8a0BIO0SevhB_Eh_l778O9g71YQPyvlv1-1Yo0VFWUKQfLcmReR7j_2yRvLpHh-ES54f4mSjlr2DyErzVaWuoO2RDy93zqtFW07jWqZqss6QLwVHsh65h8NPvXLu/s1600/Dylan+Remick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Haa-BSiruaYNRjeW8a0BIO0SevhB_Eh_l778O9g71YQPyvlv1-1Yo0VFWUKQfLcmReR7j_2yRvLpHh-ES54f4mSjlr2DyErzVaWuoO2RDy93zqtFW07jWqZqss6QLwVHsh65h8NPvXLu/s320/Dylan+Remick.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Remick was Seattle's second round pick from Brown University. In his freshman year, Brown made 17 appearances and finished with a pair of goals and one assist and received the team's Britton Chichester Award, which is given to the freshman who contributes most to the team. A year later, he started all 20 games and helped lead the defense to 11 shutouts. In his junior year, he started the teams first 16 games before picking up a season ending injury. He scored two goals and also recorded two assists that year. In his final season with Brown in 2012, Remick made 18 appearances and led the Bears with seven assists. Could possibly be a left back for the Sounders, but I'm not going to talk about any of that right now since he hasn't made the team yet.<br />
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The MLS Combine was pretty interesting this year. You had players that were expected to be a potential Top 5 pick that struggled to meet all expectations and then there were a lot of players who nobody knew much about who stepped on the pitch during the Combine and made a lot of noise. I thought Sigi Schmid, GM Adrian Hanauer, Chris Henderson the Technical Director, and the rest of the Sounders FC staff that traveled to the east coast did an outstanding job of scouting these players, getting to know a little bit about them and doing whatever they can to snap them up. I'm still surprised the Sounders were able to pick up Zavaleta because he was expected to be a Top 5 pick, maybe even a no. 1 overall pick, so I don't know why anybody didn't to cash in on him but more importantly, I don't care because he's here in Seattle and he's ready to kick his pro career into high gear and hopefully Remick will have the opportunity to do the same here in the Emerald City.Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-4243721757168369122013-01-11T20:28:00.000-08:002013-05-12T21:42:04.154-07:00DeAndre Yedlin becomes Seattle Sounders FC's first Homegrown signing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL2ZZBoQKe4j-3X1nkaIIkYSkcdgrnTk41_giM-fh6ZZN1A8McBosfWAXvSKh2pRYCcB6-a9gsCkmiE0PN3iKEU-POLxPNdZM4DcNy-dVnQ8k6OK_Exe6LT0UIABU_2E6zqKGaXInCpcr/s1600/DeAndre+Yedlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL2ZZBoQKe4j-3X1nkaIIkYSkcdgrnTk41_giM-fh6ZZN1A8McBosfWAXvSKh2pRYCcB6-a9gsCkmiE0PN3iKEU-POLxPNdZM4DcNy-dVnQ8k6OK_Exe6LT0UIABU_2E6zqKGaXInCpcr/s320/DeAndre+Yedlin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>By Money Mike<br />
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Over the past couple of years, since they have formed a youth academy team, the Seattle Sounders have developed a lot of impressive young talent and continue to do so right now. Earlier this morning, we have learned that one of the youth academy players will be joining the MLS club. The Seattle Sounders have signed local boy DeAndre Yedlin as their first Homegrown player in franchise history. I first heard about this like, five minutes after the Sounders announced the move on Twitter and have followed this move ever since. The former O’Dea High School standout joins the Sounders after two seasons at the University of Akron where he was a two time All-MAC first team honoree.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJfIwpBjnYlgvO9uV23k1vLepVobEcaGDOP9NENQGm5_YRJ0rCzaid5LcflFoHUxcrPo7ioLEM0wuM91VVzsiin8fqscYels1b5OKD7QGMxXANjlQzCShw0UKGSKCihI5dT2LNHg7Zksz/s1600/DeAndre+Yedlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJfIwpBjnYlgvO9uV23k1vLepVobEcaGDOP9NENQGm5_YRJ0rCzaid5LcflFoHUxcrPo7ioLEM0wuM91VVzsiin8fqscYels1b5OKD7QGMxXANjlQzCShw0UKGSKCihI5dT2LNHg7Zksz/s320/DeAndre+Yedlin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Yedlin, like I said earlier, is a former standout at O'Dea High School. He also played a couple years of club for Crossfire Premier before joining the Sounders FC Academy for a year. In 2011, Yedlin committed to the University of Akron and all he did was pick up where he left off with the Sounders U18. In his two years with the Zips, Yedlin appeared in all 45 games and finished his career with a goal and 12 assists. He also spent last summer with the Sounders U23 team in the Premier Development League where he led the club all the way to the semi-finals, appearing in 16 matches and recording a goal and an assist each.<br />
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<b>My thoughts:</b><br />
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I'm real excited to see this kid go out there in front of his home town crowd and just kill it on the pitch. I highly doubt he's going to start at right back this season, but he will be a starter in the near future for sure. This teams likes its backs to get forward, which is something that DeAndre has done a lot in college and will continue to do in the professional level. Definitely the first of many Homegrown signings for the Sounders. Sean Okoli from Wake Forest, I believe will sign a Homegrown contract. We also have Aaron Kovar from Stanford who was named PAC-12 freshman of the year. Nick Palodichuk and Jalen Markey could also be future Homegrown players. And also U17 international Paul Christensen, I think will be a future Homegrown player and quite possibly a future no. 1 goalkeeper for the Sounders. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. But again, one Homegrown signing has been made and it surely won't be the last. So on a personal note, I just want to say congratulations to DeAndre and looking forward to seeing you in MLS.Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-65389582150343071142013-01-05T01:34:00.004-08:002013-01-05T01:34:48.015-08:00Seahawks look for first road playoff win since 1983 at Nations Capitol<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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By Kshell<br />
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This playoff match up features the leagues two hottest teams as the Seattle Seahawks(11-5) who have won five games in a row travel to Washington D.C. to take on the Washington Redskins(10-6) who have won seven in a row. Both teams feature a strong rushing attack, older coaches who have re-invented themselves and more importantly electric rookie quarterbacks. The Redskins will be hosting their first playoff game since the Bill Clinton era back in 1999. While the Seahawks will be looking to win their first playoff road game since the Ronald Reagan era back in 1983.<br />
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The focus of this game will be on the rookie quarterbacks Russell Wilson of the Seahawks and Robert Griffin III of the Redskins. Griffin was supposed to be all that as the Redskins traded a lot to acquire him. Whereas Wilson was the 6th quarterback taken in the draft. Wilson, many figured would back up Matt Flynn. While Wilson had other plans this year. After a slow start Wilson ended up having an incredible season that has him in contention for rookie of the year.<br />
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He finished the year 252-393(64.1%) passing for 3,118 yards(7.9 YPA) with a rookie record 26 touchdown passes to only 10 interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 100.0 which is a Seahawks record. He also ran for 489 yards(5.2 YPC) with four touchdowns. Wilson has been red hot in the second half as he is 123-183(67.2%) passing for 1,652 yards(9.03 YPA) with 16 touchdowns to only two interceptions. He has posted an incredible 120.3 quarterback rating during that time. He has also ran for 361 yards(6.2 YPC) with four touchdowns. Wilson might be the NFL's best quarterback during that stretch.<br /><br />His receivers are Sidney Rice who led the team with 50 receptions for 748 yards(15.0 YPC) with seven touchdowns. Rice has been pretty consistent this year as the #1 threat for this offense. Golden Tate had a very big year. He was most famous for this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWayQ6Y340k">this catch on Monday Night</a> but he also had a pretty good year. Tate caught a career high 45 passes for 688 yards(15.3 YPC) with 7 touchdowns. He also threw a touchdown this year to Rice. Doug Baldwin has been coming on strong lately has 29 receptions for 366 yards(12.6 YPC) with three touchdowns. Then tight end Zach Miller has 38 receptions for 396 yards(10.4 YPC) with three touchdowns. Anthony McCoy the other tight end has caught 18 passes for 291 yards(16.3 YPC) with three touchdowns. The Seahawks don't have a go to guy but spread the ball well. Which will come in handy on Sunday as the Redskins rank 30th out of 32 teams against the pass allowing 281.9 yards per game with 31 touchdowns to 21 interceptions.<br />
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The Redskins are led by what many think will win the rookie of the year. Robert Griffin the third who won the heisman last year and ended another <a href="http://seattlesportsblog-kshell.blogspot.com/2012/01/price-scores-seven-touchdowns-as.html">seattle football teams season defeating the Huskies 67-56</a> in last years Alamo Bowl . I have a feeling this years game won't be as high scoring. Griffin is coming into this game a little banged up though. Griffin had an incredible season passing 258-393(65.6%) for 3,200 yards(8.1 YPA) with 20 touchdowns to only five interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 102.4. What makes Griffin even more impressive is the fact he has ran for 815 yards(6.8 YPC) with seven touchdowns.<br />
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Just like Wilson, Griffin doesn't have a primary go to receiver. This year the Redskins leading receiver is Pierre Garcon who has caught 44 passes for 633 yards(14.4 YPC) with four touchdowns. The Redskins also have Santana Moss who has caught 41 passes for 573 yards(14.0 YPC) with eight touchdowns. Leonard Hankerson has caught 38 passes for 543 yards(14.3 YPC) with three touchdowns. Josh Morgan caught 48 passes for 510 yards(10.6 YPC) with two touchdowns. The Redskins will probably have a tough time against the Seahawks secondary which features three guys who have played in the pro bowl with another Richard Sherman who was snubbed for political reasons.<br />
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Both teams love to run the football. The Seahawks are led by pro bowl running back Marshawn Lynch who is going to his second straight pro bowl. Lynch made a big splash in his very first career playoff game two years ago against the Saints. When he busted a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynn7VGY2Asc">67 yard touchdown run</a> which many consider the greatest run in NFL history. Lynch after signing a new contract this offseason leads the Seahawks rushing attack which ranks 3rd in the NFL. Lynch finished third in the NFL in rushing yards rushing for 1,590 yards on 315 carries(5.0 YPC) with 11 touchdowns. He also caught 23 passes for 196 yards(8.5 YPC) with a touchdown. His backup is Robert Turbin who ran for 354 yards on 80 carries(4.4 YPC). He had 19 receptions for 181 yards(9.5 YPC). The Seahawks rushing attack will go up against the Redskins rush defense which ranks 5th in the NFL against the run.<br />
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The Redskins lead the NFL in rushing led by another rookie of theirs Alfred Morris. Morris finished the year second in the NFL in rushing yards with 1,613 yards on 335 carries(4.8 YPC) with 13 touchdowns. Morris is another late round find by head coach Mike Shanahan. Morris who was only a 6th round pick out of Florida Atlantic came out of nowhere to lead the Redskins rushing attack. Teams have to focus so much on Griffin the Redskins are able to run Morris. The Seahawks defense ranks 10th against the run has struggled the second half of the season against the run. The Redskins will hope to pound the run and keep their weakness(pass defense) off the field. If the Seahawks are able to shut down Morris look for them to win this game rather easily.<br />
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The Seahawks have a big advantage in the special teams department. Leon Washington is going to the pro bowl for the Seahawks as a kick returner. On kickoff returns he averaged 29.0 yards per return including a 98 yard touchdown. On punt returns he averaged 8.7 yards per return on 41 returns(356 yards). Kicker Steven Hauschka on the year is 24-27(88.9%) on field goals. Punter Jon Ryan is averaging 45.6 yards per punt on 65 punts and a net average of 40.8 yards per punt. He has 30 inside the 20 and only 3 touchbacks.<br />
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The Redskins on the other hand are poor in special teams. Their return average on kickoff returns is 23.5. On punt returns with new punt returner Richard Crawford the Seahawks have to worry as he is averaging 19.5 yards per return on eight returns. Their punter Sav Rocca has a 43.9 yards average on punts but only 37.2 net average. He also has just 22 punts inside the 20 on 68 attempts. Look for the Seahawks to use this field position to get a cheap score.<br />
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Pete Carroll has done a wonderful job reshaping this roster. This is a much different team than the group he led to the playoffs two years ago. Two years ago was an aging team on it's last run which Carroll squeezed a playoff win out of. This group is the youngest team in the playoffs and is looking to go on a run. Carroll has a chance to snap that 29 year streak of not winning a road playoff game and hopefully lead this team to the Super Bowl title.<br /><br />This Seahawks team led the NFC in point differential with a plus 167 trailing only Denver and New England. According to Bill Barnwell's DVOA rankings the Seahawks are the best team in the NFL and 6th best team since 1991. The Seahawks finished 9th in offensive points and 1st in defensive points allowed. The bulk of this roster was either drafted by Carroll and John Schneider or acquired by them. I don't think Carroll receives enough credit for the job he is doing in Seattle.<br />
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<b>Prediction: Seahawks 23, Redskins 17</b><br />
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I've learned over the years as a Seattle fan that it is never easy. I expect the game to come down to needing a stop against Griffin which is going to be stressful. Ultimately I feel like the Seahawks will win this game due to Wilson lighting up their weak secondary. The Redskins love to blitz which I feel like Wilson will hit some big plays on that as will Lynch running.<br />
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I think defensively with Brandon Browner back and Richard Sherman the Seahawks can leave those two corners on an island. Sherman should be up for defensive player of the year. He recorded eight interceptions while also leading the league with 24 pass deflections. He also forced three fumbles and scored two touchdowns this year. With those two on an island and former pro bowl safety Kam Chancellor playing over the top look for the Seahawks to allow pro bowl safety Earl Thomas to roam. This is where Thomas is most dangerous as he is so fast and quick he can read run then quickly recover for the pass. I expect Thomas to make a big play whether that be a key sack on third down, forcing a fumble or simply picking off a pass.<br />
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The Seahawks have a great opportunity as a franchise to go on a run this postseason. This will be the franchises seventh trip in the last 10 years but the first trip without Matt Hasselbeck. This is a new era of Seahawks football as Mike Holmgren, Hasselbeck, Walter Jones and Shaun Alexander are no longer around. The only Seahawk who has been here this entire run is Marcus Trufant who had a key interception return for a touchdown to end the Redskins season back in 2007. This team is growing and will only get better. I also know that in the NFL there is no guarantees so for all we know this could be it. I think the Seahawks have what it takes to get it done but it will be a nail biter like all their true road games have been this year.kshellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12308494891109604209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652680464285941861.post-3590942797480473482012-12-07T16:34:00.001-08:002012-12-07T16:34:19.648-08:00Sounders trade Jeff Parke to the Philadelphia Union<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIA9rRzYlEYHPJ3ykqLbur7ghH5ZkuKbqrAh1SoAbnBSBPVfkQCNTvF0NwGW-8TYx4-ef8XHiVDqBzaKFVAsL4tacGf0lLnEX3xUq1KcK0oCNAQcQDU8NQiBCnEDclq1AO5uijp36b2mTd/s1600/Jeff+Parke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIA9rRzYlEYHPJ3ykqLbur7ghH5ZkuKbqrAh1SoAbnBSBPVfkQCNTvF0NwGW-8TYx4-ef8XHiVDqBzaKFVAsL4tacGf0lLnEX3xUq1KcK0oCNAQcQDU8NQiBCnEDclq1AO5uijp36b2mTd/s320/Jeff+Parke.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>By Money Mike<br />
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The Seattle Sounders have announced earlier today that they have traded Jeff Parke to the Philadelphia Union. There were rumors floating around last Sunday that Philadelphia expressed interest in Parke and a day later, appeared to have reached in agreement that would bring him to PPL Park, but Jonathan Tannenwald from Philly.com tweeted that no agreement would be reached at that point. I've kept a close eye on this all week, knowing that the deal would more than likely go trough and found out this morning that Parke has indeed been traded. Parke is a native of Abington, Pennsylvania and his family currently lives in the Philadelphia area and the last time I checked, his wife was due to give birth to their first child. So again, Parke will on the move to his hometown to be with his family and of course to join his new club, the Philadelphia Union. In return the Sounders received allocation money and a first round pick in the 2013 Supplemental Draft.<br />
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Parke was selected by the Sounders in the 2008 Expansion Draft after five seasons with the New York Red Bulls. However, he struggled to settle in at the time and he ended up signing with the Vancouver Whitecaps, who were still playing in the USL at the time. After making seven appearances for the Caps' in 2009, Parke returned to Seattle on trial and made an appearance in a Community Shield match against Portland, who were also a USL team back then. Two months later, he signed with the Rave Green and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup and has since then been a huge asset to the back line. In his two and a half year stint with the Sounders, Parke has appeared in 105 matches in all competitions and of course has that lone goal from the match last season against Sporting KC which turned out to be the winner.<br />
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<b>Thoughts on the move:</b><br />
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Well, his contract with the Sounders was due to expire at the end of the year and I half expected 2012 to be his last year with the Rave Green. So I'm not at all surprised to see him leave, especially since the fact that he is or will be a father, but at the same it's sad to see him go. It's a long offseason because you're always asking yourself "who's coming, who's going, who's coming, who's going?" and wondering if the moves they're making is right or wrong. Again, it's sad to see Parke leave but at the same time, I wasn't expecting him to return to the Sounders in 2013.Money Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09000244938254356759noreply@blogger.com0