Half Time: FC Dallas at Chivas USA

Chivas USA 0 FC Dallas 0

Chukwudi Chijindu has played only three games for Chivas USA, but it appears the youngster is determined to make an impression one way or another.

After scoring on his MLS debut last weekend, Chuckie drew a red card in a one on one against Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala in the 25th minute, forcing him into handling outside the box.

Chivas USA haven’t capitalized on the man advantage yet, but gradually asserted their authority as the half wore on, getting a goal disallowed for a foul by Justin Braun in stoppage time.

It was Dallas who actually started the brighter, Kenny Cooper, especially, proving a handful.

A 12th minute Cooper header required Zach Thornton to get a hand to it to tip it over the bar to prevent a goal, while a horrible Thornton mistake three minutes later almost led to Cooper scoring.

A bad clearance (pass?) from Thornton reached Cooper just outside the box, who almost lobbed Thornton to make him pay for his error.

Thornton also denied Dax McCarty from short range in the 24th minute; a couple of minutes later the Dallas midfielder was gone to make way for Dallas backup Ray Burse in place of Sala.

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FC Dallas (1-3-1) at Chivas USA (4-1-1) Lineups

Apparently fed up with his team’s lack of firepower in Toronto – one shot on goal in the midweek defeat – Chivas USA Coach has replaced usual starter Eduardo Lillingston with rookie Chukwudi Chijindu, who makes his first MLS start.

The Fontana native has certainly shown more movement and speed in his limited minutes so far than the veteran Mexican forward.

Justin Braun returns from missing the last four games through injury to partner Chuckie up front. Atiba Harris drops back into midfield, displacing Bojan Stepanovic.

Chivas USA XI: Zach Thornton, Mariano Trujillo, Carey Talley, Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein, Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Paulo Nagamura, Atiba Harris,Justin Braun, Chukwudi Chijindu.

Lillingston, Maykel Galindo, Alecko Eskandarian and Gerson Mayen are among the options off the bench. Stepanovic is a late scratch with a left leg injury we just learned and draft pick Michael Lahoud takes his place on the bench.

Dallas has former Galaxy midfielder Marcelo Saragosa in the back four and dangerous Kenny Cooper (four goals in five games) and Andre Rocha in attack.

Dave van den Bergh orchestrates.

The game is live on KAZA.

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Final: Sol at Athletica

Athletica 0 Sol 0

Perhaps a predictable result given the missing firepower for L.A., but the Sol came close; Saint Louis goalkeeper Hope Solo saved a 75th minute Aly Wagner penalty kick. Sol goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc did the same from a Lori Chalupny spot kick 10 minutes later.

The Sol are no longer perfect on the year, but they have yet to concede a goal this season – and Athletica have yet to score one.

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Soccer Saturday Gameday Previews – & John Carver Resigns

The Galaxy, Chivas USA and Sol are all in action today, but the big news of the morning just landed in my e-mail: Toronto FC Coach John Carver has resigned, the club announced this morning.

Slightly curious timing.

Toronto became the first MLS team to beat Chivas USA in midweek and faces Kansas City Sunday.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s games in Mexico City involving Club America and CD Guadalajara have fallen victim to a potential swine flu pandemic.

And there is a Galaxy-Chivas USA derby this weekend locally: the SuperClasiquito.

Onward to the local (brief) previews:

Chivas USA Preview
First-place Chivas USA (4-1-1) hosts FC Dallas (1-3-1) at 7:30 p.m. at Home Depot Center today where kids get in free with an adult ticket purchase.

No doubt it will be the club’s sixth straight game with the sixth different lineup.

Defender Ante Jazic, 33, unable to shake off the effects of a March 11 concussion, has been placed on the disabled list, meaning he’ll miss the next six games.

The key for Dallas: Dave van den Bergh.

TV: KAZA (live), delayed 9 p.m. Prime.

Galaxy Preview

The omens aren’t good for the Galaxy (0-1-3) today in Colorado where they haven’t scored a goal against the Rapids (2-2-1) in more than five years, are 0-8-3 in 11 games there and haven’t beaten their opponents in two games this season.

(Updated: 9:55 a.m. – The Galaxy’s official blog is reporting this morning that striker Edson Buddle made the trip and could make his first appearance of the season tonight. More here.)

BTW, the Galaxy have put spots on the grass berm for the July 19 game against AC Milan in Carson on sale. Cost: $50.

TV: Delayed 10 p.m. FSN.

Sol Preview
The (3-0) Sol, who haven’t conceded a goal yet this season play (0-2) St. Louis Athletica, the only WPS team yet to score one.

TV: None.

The Sol are without strikers Marta, Camille Abily and Han Duan who have obligations overseas with their respective homelands this weekend.

Game preview.

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Yankees: Garber Garbled

Ooops, the Commish sticks his foot in his mouth:

NEW YORK (AP) — Mention those empty seats at Yankee Stadium at your own risk.

Don Garber did.

A day after the Major League Soccer commissioner raised the subject, New York Yankees president Randy Levine blasted back.

“Don Garber discussing Yankee attendance must be a joke,” Levine said Friday. “We draw more people in a year than his entire league does in a year. If he ever gets Major League Soccer into the same time zone as the Yankees, we might take him seriously.

“Hey Don, worry about Beckham, not the Yankees. Even he wants out of your league,” he said.

David Beckham has been loaned from MLS’ Los Angeles Galaxy to AC Milan through the end of the Italian Serie A season.

Speaking Thursday to the Associated Press Sports Editors, Garber said he’d noticed the unfilled seats at New York’s two new stadiums. The Yankees’ premium seats were more than half-empty for the five games following their home opener.

“It’s incomprehensible that you watch a game, and there will be front-row seats empty,” Garber said.

Told of Levine’s comments, Garber explained his remark.

“When I mentioned the New York Yankees yesterday, my comments were part of a larger assertion that all businesses — even the most successful sports entities — are experiencing some impact from the economic downturn,” Garber said through a league spokesman. “The Yankees are one of the world’s strongest sports brands and the context of my comments about a few empty seats at Yankee Stadium was to illustrate the economic challenges we are all facing,” he said.

MLS averaged 16,460 for 210 regular-season games last year, a total of 3.46 million. The Yankees averaged 53,070 last year in the final season at the old Yankee Stadium, a total of 4.3 million.

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Friday Football: Quakes Quit & More

Briefly:

* The San Fernando Valley Quakes of the Premier Development League announced today that they are the latest casualty of the economy. The team lasted three years. The 2009 season was scheduled to begin May 1.

* MLS gets its Becks bucks.

* Manhattan Beach resident Amy Massey, a defender with the USC soccer team, will attend Oxford on a NCAA scholarship. Massey played her final season for USC last year.

*The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team, which includes Carlos Martinez of San Pedro, has qualified for the World Cup this fall. The team beat Canada 4-2 Thursday to clinch qualification.

*Sol striker Camille Abily scored in France’s 2-0 win over Switzerland Wednesday in Dijon; the teams meet again Saturday.

*First-place Chivas USA (4-1-1) hosts FC Dallas (1-3-1) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Home Depot Center in a game that’s live on KAZA and tape-delayed at 9 p.m. on Prime. Kids 16 and under get in free with every adult ticket purchased. The Galaxy are on the road in Colorado Saturday, (the game will be shown on tape-delay at 10 p.m. on Fox Sports West) as are the Sol who face Saint Louis Athletica.

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Recruits Needed For Soccer Ball Juggling World Record Attempt May 9

Defending W-League champion Pali Blues, now a feeder team for the WPS L.A. Sol, will attempt to set a new world record for most people juggling a soccer ball at one time at its May 9 season opener.

The current record, according to the club, was set by 627 people in 2007 in Vienna, Austria.

The idea, naturally, is to raise the club’s profile, said Pali Blues General Manager Jason Lemire.

“Most people don’t realize it, but amateur teams like the Pali Blues are a lot like public radio – we only exist with the support of our community,” he said. “This is a chance for the soccer world to show that they support grass root organizations like the Pali Blues.”

The second-year term plays at Pacific Palisades High School. To register for the record attempt scheduled for half time, call Lemire at (310) 264-4649. More about the club is here.

Wonder if this guy will be there?

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Thursday Kicks: El Tri in San Diego & More

Briefly:

*Mexico will play Guatemala June 28 in San Diego, Soccer United Marketing announced today, with tickets also going on sale today to Visa cardholders over at Ticketmaster. Tickets start at $25. Sales to the general public begins May 5.

The San Diego game comes four days after Mexico plays Venezuela in Atlanta just before the Gold Cup begins. From the SUM press release:

Mexico is no stranger to San Diego having played twice in the last two years in the Southern California soccer hotbed in front of sold-out crowds at Qualcomm Stadium. On Feb. 27, 2007 Mexico defeated Venezuela 3-1 in front of 63,328 fans before falling to Argentina last year on June 4 in front of 68,498 fans. Mxico and Guatemala have played each other a total of 27 times with Mexico leading the all-time series 17-4-6. Guatemala is lead by Chicago Fire midfielder Marco Pappa and former MLS star Carlos Ruz who now plies his trade for Olimpia of Paraguay.

The games will mark the U.S. debut of Mexican national team head coach Javier “el Vasco” Aguirre since his return to the bench this past April.

*For the second year in a row, KAZA Azteca 54 will air Chivas USA games this season. The eight scheduled Chivas USA home game broadcasts include this Saturday’s match against FC Dallas.

*It appears we can expect more Seattle fans to turn out en masse at Galaxy and Chivas USA games in Carson in the future. Great for the game atmosphere whether you’re a Sounders fan or not. Details here.

*Former Galaxy assistant coach (and John O’Brien mentor) Afshin Ghotbi is now coach of the Iranian national team. Is there a better time for a U.S.-Iran game?

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Final: Toronto FC-Chivas USA

Game story.

Said Preki:

“It was a tough game. Different and difficult conditions, bouncy, windy. We fought but at the end we came short. I thought that they might have been a little bit luckier than us and may be slightly better than us and they got three points…I think we were a little soft on the play (the goal). They got a lucky bounce. We should’ve done better”.

Highlights

Chivas lineup: Zach Thornton, Mariano Trujillo (Gerson Mayen 66), Carey Talley, Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein, Paulo Nagamura, Sacha Klejestan, Jesse Marsch, Bojan Stepanovic, Eduardo Lillingston (Chukwudi Chijindu 45), Alecko Eskandarian (Michael Lahoud 60).

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Sol Striker Marta Leads Brazil in 1-1 Tie With Germany

The Los Angeles Sol forward’s free kick in the 36th minute led to Brazil’s equalizer, with Maurine putting home the rebound in front of a European record crowd of 44,825 fans today at Frankfurt’s Commerzbank-Arena.

Anja Mittag had opened the scoring for Germany in the 24th minute.

Marta and Brazil will face Sweden on the weekend in Gothenburg.

Marta returns to the U.S. in time for the Sol’s May 2 Women’s Professional Soccer match in Boston against the Breakers.

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