Major League Soccer: June 2008 Archives
Needed a deep breath after the weekend (and spent the day writing Tuesday's column), so late blogging.
Chivas USA is one of 16 teams participating in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup at 7 p.m. Tuesday playing a game in Seattle against the Sounders you can see here. Chivas USA lost at this stage of the competition last year to Seattle.
Long Beach State sophomore-to-be Janet Mendez of Palmdale helped Mexico qualify for the Under-20 World Cup in Chile in November, starting and playing 72 minutes as Mexico beat Costa Rica 3-2 on penalty kicks over the weekend.
In the PDL Saturday it was:
Fresno Fuego 1 Los Angeles Legends O
Southern California Seahorses 1 Bakersfield Brigade
Lancaster Rattlers 1 Ventura County Fusion 1
W-League:
Fort Collins Force 1 Los Angeles Legends 1 (Saturday)
Fort Collins Force 0 Pali Blues 2 (Tonight)
Also this weekend (from the edited Galaxy press release):
In a top of the table clash with the Ventura County Fusion, the Galaxy Rios Under-20's lost 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at Home Depot Center. The Fusion scored twice inside the final 20 minutes to move into a tie for first place in the league with Bakersfield.
WPSL
San Diego WFC SeaLions 0 Ajax America Women 3
West Coast FC 2 Los Angeles Rampage 0
If you're already waiting on the long weekend, note the Galaxy play Independence Day in Carson against the aptly-named New England Revolution.
Chivas USA play Saturday night against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Just be glad ABC didn't show the Galaxy-D.C. United game after the Euro 2008 final.
The Galaxy froze on a sweltering day in the nation's capital, surrendering 4-1 to United.
Meanwhile, the Spain-Germany game is at half time.
The obligatory David Beckham update that passes for a Galaxy preview. Game begins at 9 a.m. on ABC.
Galaxy odds and ends.
The finale of Euro 2008 follows with Spain against Germany for whom Michael Ballack is a doubt.
The one saving grace of a game like this is that you can always count on the ever-quotable Jesse Marsch to put things in perspective with brutal honesty:
"I can only imagine what that game looked like," he said. "It must have been painful to watch because it was painful to play in."
Yes, Jesse it was.
The problem? Too many guys playing like crap, essentially:
"(We're) not getting enough good games out of guys," Marsch said. "At the beginning of the year it felt a little bit like we weren't getting many breaks, but right now it just feels like we can't get our rhythm going. We can't put any passes together. We can't dominate games. We're just not very sharp. Right now I'm at a little bit of a loss."
Which pretty much summed it up.
Preki said much the same thing: "We didn't play well," he said. "We created nothing offensively in the first half. ... Overall I don't think we created enough opportunities to give ourselves a real good chance of winning."
Incidentally, I failed to mention Jonathan Bornstein getting burned repeatedly by Dane Richards was the reason for the switches at half time (and somehow failed to mention Bornstein at all). Ahem.
Meanwhile, Red Bulls Coach Juan Carlos Osario is looking forward to reinforcements after losing Altidore (and Reyna and Angel) with two players on the way from South America.
Still, Ante Razov was fun to talk to especially since he was incredulous at his goal (the 111th of his career) that he saw coming from a long way out and actually had to wait until he made his move:
"I realized (Jeff) Parke (was) not paying attention to (full back Kevin Goldthwaite who was making the pass) and he's about to play a square ball. (Notes Parke started to move forward) I can't believe he's still going to play it and he played it and then it was just a race between me and Conway."
Check out the photos here.
These are two teams looking for a spark to their respective seasons. Chivas USA is fourth in the west, New York fifth in the east. Yawn.
Up next for Chivas USA: The USL Seattle Sounders in the U.S. Open Cup in the Pacific Northwest.
Updated: Game story.
This was a game that never seemed to get up to full speed, ending with the two teams still tied at one apiece.
Chivas USA Coach Preki took central defender Jim Curtin out at half time, pushed Bobby Burling into the middle of defense, moved Cary Talley to right back and inserted sub Atiba Harris into midfield.
That shuffling of the pack appeared to give Chivas USA renewed impetus at the start of the half, Razov hitting a cracker of a direct free kick from 25 yards that required a touch by New York goalkeeper Jon Conway to keep it out.
Two minutes later a Harris cross bounced off a New York defender and then off Justin Braun, a touch that almost beat Conway.
And that was about it.
Braun by the way played the entire second half with duct tape (useful stuff that) stuck to his head after he received a whack in the face from Boyens in the first half as the pair challenged for a ball. Braun required five stitches, which were hastily sewed on the sideline.
Back with more later from the locker rooms.
A choppy first half with neither team finding their rhythm ended with the teams tied at one apiece on two rather strange goals.
The first came from a direct free kick in the 26th minute when the speedy Dane Richards bested Jonathan Bornstein yet again down the right hand side to draw the foul.
Dave van den Bergh sent the resulting kick curling rather softly into the far corner of the net with Brad Guzan uncharacteristically rooted to the turf as a Chivas USA and Red Bull player attempted to get to it in front of him.
Chivas USA then came close twice within two minutes, Hunter Freeman clearing a chip off the line, then Claudio Suarez seeing a shot from six yards blocked. Chivas USA players appealed for hand ball, but it was clear the ball hit Andrew Boyens arm that was down by his side.
The teams ended the half with five shots apiece.
Chivas USA drew level in first half stoppage time, an errant New York free kick sent behind a Red Bull defender and Ante Razov, with only the goalkeeper to beat, opportunistically seizing on it for a relatively simple goal.
It's the ( 5-4-4) Red Bulls against (5-6-2) Chivas USA on a lovely night for soccer at Victoria Street.
Chivas USA Coach Preki has named a 3-4-3 formation, although indications are we'll see a 4-4-2 with Jonathan Bornstein (who is listed as a forward) actually playing at left back.
Brad Guzan is in goal as usual, while Jim Curtin is presumably drafted into the middle of defense alongside Claudio Suarez, leaving Bobby Burling at right back.
Panchito Mendoza is likely wide on the left, with Sacha Kljestan on the right and Carey Talley and Jesse Marsch in the middle.
Up front: Ante Razov and Justin Braun.
Raphael Wicky is a late scratch on the bench (right calf strain). Jorge Flores, Atiba Harris and Shavar Thomas are among the available subs.
For the 3-5-2 Red Bulls, it's Jon Conway in goal, Hunter Freeman, Jeff Parke and Andrew Boyens in defense; Kevin Goldthwaite, Carlos Mendes, the explosive Dane Richards, Dave van den Bergh and captain Seth Stammler in midfield.
Attackers: Sinisa Ubiparipovic and former Galaxy forward John Wolyniec.
No Juan Pablo Angel or Claudio Reyna, who are out with injuries tonight and, of course, Jozy Altidore is gone.
One press box wag has already observed it's a bunch of minimum wage players for the Red Bulls.
Here are the essentials for tonight's Chivas USA-New York Red Bulls game at Home Depot Center:
*NYRB are without Claudio Reyna, Juan Pablo Angel (both injured) and, of course, one Senor Altidore (sunning himself in Spain).
*Fear not. Chivas USA has Justin Braun.
*The Red Bulls are playing their fifth game in 15 days tonight, which could help Chivas USA avoid losing twice to New York in one season.
*Oh, and Mickey Mouse will perform the coin toss before the game.
Want more? Here's a longer preview.
And while we're at it here's a Galaxy-D.C. United preview (it's a nice try at a different sort of advance, but turns out to be a bit of a stretch since United's Marcelo Gallardo decided not to play ball). This may be the only preview posted here since the game kicks off on ABC at 9 a.m. and it's highly unlikely I will crawl out of bed early on a Sunday morning to actually blog. And don't forget the Euro 2008 final between Spain and Germany follows immediately after on the same channel.
Friday scores:
Fort Collins Force 4 Ventura County Fusion 1 (W-League).
San Jose Frogs 3 Los Angeles Legends 3 (PDL).
Finally (and for no other reason than I could do with a laugh this morning) take five seconds out of your day and watch this contender (that appears to be from a league game in Russia) for the worst penalty kick ever.
Back this evening with more from the Chivas USA game.
Goals aplenty are expected Sunday when the Galaxy plays D.C. United on the road in a rare nationally televised MLS game on ABC that precedes the Euro 2008 final.
The official Galaxy blog has a video preview.
Speaking of Euro 2008, sports media columnist Tom Hoffarth had more today on the broadcast snafu that frankly ruined the first semifinal Wednesday between Germany and Turkey. The problem wasn't ESPN's fault and the network is due some props for hiring the likes of former Scottish pro Andy Gray to provide expertise, but it still has some serious credibility problems.
(Climbs on soap box)
For one thing, if ESPN weren't so cheap they would have somebody at the game - so they don't have to solely rely on commentators in a U.S. studio in the event of an outage - who could provide an audio feed as the BBC apparently did.
Second, with the network crowing about its Euro 2008 ratings then their coverage must go to the next level and actually have their broadcast teams at the stadium. The crowd noise is noticeably lower because ESPN is not there live and that doesn't help the atmosphere of a game that's being aired.
(Climbs down).
Chivas USA continue their lengthy home stand Saturday with a game against the Red Bulls that features a special Disneyland half time show. Good time to point out that with every adult ticket purchased a munchkin 12 or under gets in free. Tickets start at $14.
The club has a video preview here.
An interesting article about Chivas USA forward Maykel Galindo rekindling a childhood friendship with a fellow defector who now plays for the Seattle Mariners is here. (Thanks to Bruce over at DuNord for unearthing that story).
Apparently John Thorrington, who grew up on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, was such a late choice for last weekend's World Cup qualifier he had not brought along a certain important document needed to travel and had to return home to Chicago to get it.
Finally, other local games set for this weekend include:
PDL
7:30 p.m. Friday San Jose Frogs at Los Angeles Legends at A.P.U. - Cougar Stadium.
7:30 p.m. Saturday Fresno Fuego at Los Angeles Legends at A.P.U. - Cougar Stadium.
7:30 pm Saturday Lancaster Rattlers at Ventura County Fusion at Buena High School.
W-League
8 p.m. Friday Fort Collins Force at Ventura County Fusion at Newberry Park High School.
5:00 p.m. Saturday Fort Collins Force at Los Angeles Legends at Azusa Pacific.
Enjoy your weekend and rejoin me Saturday for the Chivas USA game at Home Depot Center.
Galaxy defender Abel Xavier was fined $500 by MLS following comments criticizing the officials after last week's 3-3 draw with Columbus.
Xavier was given a yellow card by referee Mark Geiger and called for a foul that set up the game-tying goal in the 88th minute. Xavier was upset afterward and said his foot cleanly touched the ball first.
``C'mon, the referee is so bad,'' Xavier said after the game. ``The question of one of the things they must improve in this league is the referees. It is very clear my foot was on the ball. If someone has eyes, they see clear contact with the ball.
``I can name 15 wrong decisions with the ref on both sides.''
More on the unusual classified ad at the bottom of the post.
But first, a couple of other odds and ends.
Columbus Crew Coach Sigi Schmid, one of the South Bay's favorite soccer sons, talks about the long-distance relationship he has with his wife while he labors in Ohio.
The influence of Cal State Long Beach women's soccer Coach Mauricio Ingrassia, a native of Argentina, on the program is recounted here.
Finally, here's an ad you don't see everyday, culled from Craigslist and reprinted here exactly as it appears there:
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Almost worth learning Mandarin at that price.
Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit was absent from today's training session because he went to Holland for personal reasons, according to officials. Gullit is expected to rejoin the Galaxy in Washington, D.C., for Saturday's match with D.C. United.
``We won without David (Beckham) and Landon (Donovan) and then we won with Landon, so now we'll win without Ruud,'' Galaxy defender Chris Klein joked.
Germany narrowly beat Turkey 3-2 at Euro 2008 and will take on the winner of today's Spain-Russia semifinal (11:30 a.m. ESPN2) in Sunday's final. Let's hope today's game isn't marred by the technical problems viewers both here and around the world endured during Wednesday's game. I don't know about you, but the telecast missing two of the game's goals (and returning just in time to catch Germany's last minute winner) spoiled the excitement of the game for me.
Over in Galaxyland, The Washington Post's Steven Goff is reporting more than 30,000 tickets have been sold for Sunday's game against D.C. United in the nation's capital, where he is fretting about L.A.'s status as the highest-scoring team in MLS and United's league-worst defense. He doesn't mention the Galaxy's penchant for blowing leads and defensive holes Luciano Emilio is capable of exploiting though.
Meanwhile, rookie Galaxy defender Julian Valentin has joined the world of blogging and fills us in on his trip to Costco (really) and his goldfish purchase.
The Red Bulls, heading west to play Chivas USA Saturday in Carson, beat the mothership 1-0 in Arizona Wednesday night where newly-signed former Galaxy draft pick Gordon Kljesten saw action for New York. Will he play against brother Sasha and Chivas USA this weekend?
Claudio Reyna won't play though and Red Bull fans are displeased to put it mildly.
Chivas USA learned Wednesday night that if they beat the USL's Seattle Sounders in the U.S. Open Cup they'll face either the Kansas City Wizards in Carson or USL team the Carolina Railhawks in Cary, N.C. on July 8 in the quarterfinals.
Lastly, in PDL action Wednesday the Southern California Seahorses finally got a win against the Orange County Blue Star in La Mirada.
The league table is here (scroll down).
Turkey, already a long shot to beat Germany in today's first Euro 2008 semifinal, (live 11:30 a.m. on ESPN) has several starters missing through injury or suspension and the Germans are in a confident mood. Derek Rae and Andy Gray will call the game, while the second semifinal between Spain and an entertaining Russian side follows at the same time Thursday.
The winners play Sunday on ABC in a game preceded by the Galaxy-D.C. United game at 9 a.m.
In another televised game today at 8 p.m. on Telefutura, CD Guadalajara plays the New York Red Bulls in a Phoenix friendly. The Red Bulls are heading west to take on Chivas USA Saturday night at Home Depot Center.
Meanwhile, Chivas USA learned Tuesday they will play the USL's Seattle Sounders in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup July 1 in the Pacific Northwest. The Sounders Tuesday thumped the amateurs of Hollywood United 6-0.
By the way, tickets to the 5 p.m. July 20 Chivas USA-New England Revolution game in Fullerton that is the third SuperLiga group game for both teams are now on sale. Call 1-877-CHIVAS-1.
A look at the challenges faced by Chivas USA Under-18 player Omar Becerra is here.
In a PDL game tonight, Orange County Blue Star visits the Southern California Seahorses at 7 p.m. at La Mirada High.
Finally, if you're Jewish and can play soccer, the U.S. Jewish National Soccer Team wants to hear from you.
Landon Donovan was named MLS Player of the Week for the third time this season after his two-goal performance in the 3-3 draw with Columbus Saturday that gave him a league-best 11 goals in 10 games.
Donovan's second goal was the 75th of his MLS career, making the 26-year-old the youngest player to reach that milestone.
Also on the awards front, Edson Buddle has been nominated for MLS Goal of the Week for the second consecutive week.
The Galaxy Rios Under-20 demolished the Bakersfield Brigade 8-0 in a USL Super-20 game last weekend. The 3-1-1 Rios are currently tied for first place in the league with the Ventura County Fusion, who they meet 5 p.m. Sunday at Home Depot Center. Admission is free.
Finally, the studliest pen commercial you'll ever see:
Galaxy defender Abel Xavier was upset over the foul and yellow card from referee Mark Geiger that set up the game-tying goal by Columbus.
``C'mon, the referee is so bad,'' Xavier said. ``The question of one of the things they must improve in this league is the referees. It is very clear my foot was on the ball. If someone has eyes, they see clear contact with the ball.
``I can name 15 wrong decisions with the ref on both sides.''
So the Galaxy still haven't beaten a team with a winning record this season.
But at least they didn't lose after blowing a lead as Coach Ruud Gullit noted has already happened this season:
"At the beginning of the season we lost these games in the last couple of minutes."
Still, as Gullit and several players observed, it was a draw that felt like a loss:
"We gave the goals away," he said. "You have to win these games. It's two points thrown away."
Crew Coach Sigi Schmid was none too impressed with how Donovan snatched the first Galaxy goal with his challenge on goalkeeper Will Hesmer:
"That was an obvious push. ... Landon obviously pushed Hesmer. ... He gets a way with a great shove in his lower back."
Here's David Beckham thinking like a referee on the penalty he drew:
"He grabbed me around the waist. I felt that was enough contact for a penalty."
Landon Donovan, well, wasn't so sure - but wasn't complaining either:
"I wasn't sure David really got fouled, but whatever. It's the referee's decision to make.
Donovan believes the team isn't doing enough to protect the defense:
The issue is (opponents) are able to get from their defensive end into our attack in sometimes two or three passes and easily. It's not always just the back four that's struggling."
Here's Schmid on South Bay product Robbie Rogers:
"Sometimes Robbie dropped too deep at times. He's been too honest defensively. Now he's got to that point of learning how to cheat (going forward) and when to cheat and get forward at the right time. But still he's an important player for us and he had an impact on the game for us."
By the way, Beckham insisted he was 100 percent, but then conceded a left foot injury was bothering him in the first half until he got treatment at half time:
"I got a kick on it a couple of days ago in training and it was still playing up slightly."
The game story is here.
Finally, just to end things on the right (wrong?) foot, here's Beckham on his blazing miss that could have sealed the game for the Galaxy:
"I'm disappointed not to finish the game off there. I felt personally the ground gave way, the grass gave way as I hit the ball. ... When you get an opportunity like that in the last couple of minutes, it's disappointing not to score."
The grass gave way?
I dunno. He sure looks like he knows he screwed that up.
The Galaxy managed to blow two leads in the second half and in the end escaped with a 3-3 tie with David Beckham blowing a gorgeous chance to smash home the winner in the 90th minute. Afterward he slumped to the turf, hanging his head in shame.
Substitute Steven Lenhart was the hero for Columbus, poking home the ball in the 88th minute to make it 3-3 after Steve Cronin punched away a hard Frankie Hejduk shot.
Edson Buddle's ninth goal of the season had made it 2-0 for the Galaxy in the opening moments of the second half. But the Crew came back via a freakish Brad Evans goal in the 67th minute and Robbie Rogers drawing a penalty two minutes later that Barros Schelotto converted to make it 2-2.
Beckham drew a penalty in the 82nd minute that allowed the Galaxy to take a 3-2 lead after Edson Buddle's fine work down the left sideline had the Crew back-pedaling. He pulled it back to Beckham, who was tripped in the box by O'Rourke.
Back later with locker room reaction.
Defensive calamities for the Crew and a tepid offense combined to allow the Galaxy to take a one goal lead after the first 45 minutes.
A horrendous mistake by Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer in just the fourth minute gifted the Galaxy their goal, the Columbus net minder failing to hold a David Beckham cross when challenged by Landon Donovan who then turned and fired the ball home.
The Galaxy could have had a couple more, notably when defender Chad Marshall completely missed a pass from Hesmer, allowing Beckham to almost chip the goalkeeper.
Donovan also missed from eight yards when wide open and an unmarked Edson Buddle sent a ball from a diving header wide of the post, too.
The Crew's best chance came just before half time, Robbie Rogers almost nipping in to get on the end of a long through ball, but he got under it too much and put it over the bar from about 12 yards.
That was the most we'd seen so far from Rogers, who like Argentine star Guillermo Baros Schelotto, were largely kept in check by the Galaxy.
Beckham has also looked out of sorts and appeared to limp slightly in the 34th minute after an apparent problem with his left foot.
The Galaxy (6-4-2), the highest-scoring team in MLS and sitting first in the Western Conference plays the Columbus Crew (7-4-1), which is lying second in the Eastern Conference.
The Galaxy have won four of their last five games propelled by the scoring exploits of Edson Buddle, who has eight goals during that stretch.
In contrast, the Crew have won just once in five games and scored a mere three goals, which all came in their last outing against Kansas City.
Galaxy Coach Ruud Gullit makes just two changes to the team that defeated San Jose last weekend with Josh Tudela dropping to the bench and Ely Allen moving back into midfield since Landon Donovan has returned from international duty to partner Edson Buddle up front.
Steve Cronin is in goal as usual behind an unchanged back four of Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Abel Xavier and Mike Randolph.
David Beckham, Alvaro Pires and Ante Jazic line up alongside Allen in midfield.
On the bench: Joe Franchino, Alan Gordon, Brandon McDonald, Troy Roberts, and Greg Vanney.
Crew Coach Sigi Schmid makes three changes with Frankie Hejduk returning from international duty with the U.S. to slot into the defense in place of Andy Iro, while Brad Evans and Nicholas Hernnandez move into a five-man midfield in place of Duncan Oughton and Emmanuel Ekpo.
Former Galaxy forward Alejandro Moreno will play as the lone striker as Schmid seeks to slow the rampant Galaxy attack by clogging up the midfield.
Rolling Hills Estates Robbie Rogers, who has five goals so far this season, starts in midfield.
It's finally cooling down in Carson, so hopefully the heat wave won't interfere (too much) with the game.
I'm on Barbados time, so late blogging this morning.
The Galaxy face the Crew at steamy Home Depot Center (7:30 p.m. live on Prime) later today. Game previews are here and here.
The U.S. women (narrowly) won the Peace Cup overnight.
On the men's side, CONCACAF World Cup qualifying resumes this weekend. The U.S. is in Barbados for the second leg where the weather is typically tropical.
Back with more tonight from Carson.
Here's Landon Donovan after today's Galaxy practice:
On following the Galaxy while playing for the U.S. national team: ``I was watching like every other fan, online.''
On the Galaxy being in first place: ``It's early. But this can help us if we get home-field advantage.''
Hot soccer, hot weather.
Two of the best teams in MLS, the Galaxy - who sit in first in the West - and second place Columbus in the East clash Saturday at Home Depot Center. I'll have a complete preview of the game Saturday.
Things are heating up for local PDL teams, too, as the season hits the halfway mark, while in a case of bad timing the Ventura County Fusion leave the cool air of coastal Ventura for the steamier Conejo Valley for their game tonight against the San Jose Frogs.
In other PDL games in the Los Angeles area this weekend:
On Friday - Orange County Blue Star at Lancaster Rattlers at 7 p.m. at Pete Knight High.
San Francisco Seals at Los Angeles Legends at 7:30 p.m. at A.P.U. Cougar Stadium.
Saturday - San Francisco Seals at Southern California Seahorses at 7 p.m. at La Mirada High.
Sunday - Orange County Blue Star at San Fernando Valley Quakes at 7:05 p.m. at Calabasas High.
In the WPSL Saturday - Ajax America Women v West Coast FC at noon at Nansen Field in Rolling Hills Estates.
Claremont Stars v Los Angeles Rampage 5: 30 p.m. at Claremont High.
Sunday - Los Angeles Rampage v Ajax America Women at 5:30 p.m. at Granada Hills.
Finally, former U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team coach John Ellinger has resurfaced at Dallas after leaving Real Salt Lake.
Stay cool.
The biggest crowd of the year so far for a Chivas USA home game - 24,143 - saw a 2-0 win by the hosts Thursday over the Chicago Fire that was thoroughly entertaining to watch.
Actually, it was fun to ask (most of) the participants questions about it too, although Chicago players were obviously not happy.
Here's Sasha Kljestan on his goal celebration that incorporated a Blanco goal celebration routine:
"I was sitting with my friend Benny Feilhaber yesterday and he said if I scored I had to do something about Blanco. He's obviously a bit of a rival for us. No disrespect to Blanco, he's obviously a great player. But I like his (goal) celebration, so I thought I would add it into my little karate celebration. I thought it was kind of funny."
On the crowd:
"It was probably 50-50 out there tonight, if not more Blanco fans. I was trying to get our fans involved early on. We ended up getting the lead and I was happy the fans were into it. ... We haven't had the best home crowds here so far this year. ... The feel inside the stadium just makes the game a little faster. We get pumped. We're excited about these big games and we want to please our fans. Everything just gets a little more buzzed almost when you play a game like that. It changes the game."
On the second half:
"We knew what the second half was going to be like and I thought we dealt with it very well. (Goalkeeper) Brad (Guzan) didn't have to make any huge saves. It was a good team effort."
On his attacking runs in the first half:
"Going at Diego Gutierrez was something I felt I could do tonight, so I tried to make the best of it, tried to make those runs behind him. Just try to use my youth, I guess, a little bit against him. It worked on the one play for the goal so that was good."
Jesse Marsch on what the game meant to Chivas USA:
"This is a big victory for us. More than anything we need to get on a roll. ... I hope we can play like this more often. I hope we break through here and capture the momentum."
Last year Marsch was not happy with the calls Blanco was getting and the refereeing and although he tried to be diplomatic, was similarly unhappy this year, calling one hand ball called against him (Blanco struck the ball) "shaky":
"I'm just running and the ball hit me. .. I have some issues with the referee, but I'd rather not air them. ... In this league I've always seen some of the bigger names get calls. ... Good players get calls sometimes. Refs are fans .... The Blanco thing I think is an issue a lot of teams would bring up about the referees."
Chicago Coach Dennis Hamlett on why his team didn't respond in the second half:
"We felt when it was 11 v 11 we had some very good looks that we didn't finish and now you'd think having a man advantage you were going to get some more chances. We weren't all on the same page as far as getting the ball out wide because the space was there. We just kept forcing things down the middle, playing balls in the air. When they have two guys who are pretty good in the air with (central defenders Claudio) Suarez and (Bobby) Burling it just played into their hands. We needed to get the balls out wide and create some one on one's and whip some balls in. You're going to create some chances because that's what the defence is giving you."
There was none of that a two goal lead is the most dangerous one in soccer from Preki:
"We were very professional, we knew how to play the game with a two-goal lead - a very good performance by us."
On Nagamura's red card:
"I thought it might have been a little bit harsh. I thought his first yellow was a little bit harsh because it was his second foul of the game .. I advised him to be a little bit smarter next time, you can't take a risk like that."
On goalscorer Justin Braun:
"The kid is working his butt off. He has a good mentality. He works hard. He looks for the ball in tough spots. For a guy who was playing amateur soccer three months ago he's doing extremely well and can only get better."
The game story is here.
Highlights:
The second half was exactly as one might expect with Chivas USA up two goals and the Fire enjoying a man advantage; constant Chicago pressure, with Chivas resolutely defending.
Still, the Fire didn't boast too many clear-cut chances that would allow it to cut the 2-0 deficit, with shots going wide or goalmouth scrambles going nowhere.
One could even argue Chivas USA had the better opportunities, Sasha Kljestan almost snatching one with the end of regulation time looming.
The game undoubtedly suffered from the ejection, but the crowd of 24,143 sounded as if they savored every moment from Blanco's yellow card to Kljestan's mocking impression of Blanco's goal celebration after the Chivas USA midfielder had scored in the first half.
The win lifted Chivas USA to a tie with Houston for second in the Western Conference behind the Galaxy.
More later from the locker rooms.
First off, this is a pulsating game, the players being spurred on by a large and boisterous crowd, which makes all the difference.
Chivas USA is leading 2-0 with Ante Razov playing a massive role in creating both, but Paulo Nagamura was sent off after receiving a second yellow card just before the end of the half, likely changing the whole complexion of the game.
Chivas USA had the better of the first half, landing four shots on target to the Fire's one, but Chicago have also looked promising going forward, with John Thorrington linking up well with Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
Razov and Sacha Kljestan combined for a give and go for the opening goal in the seventh minute, Kljestan outrunning a Fire defender to fire the ball home from about seven yards.
The second arrived six minutes later, Francisco Mendoza sending a ball down the left win to Razov who sent a quick cross over that was met by Justin Braun at close range. It was the second goal of his short MLS career.
Chad Barrett had a chance to pull one back four minutes after that, receiving a ball in what looked like an offside position that allowed him to get behind the entire Chivas USA defense and forced goalkeeper Brad Guzan to come outside his box in an unsuccessful effort to stop him. But Barrett was unable to apply the finishing touch with the goal open and the Chivas USA defense scrambling back.
Incidentally, Legion 1908 arrived in two buses with a police escort and requested tighter security around them, fearing they could be targeted by Club America fans.
Nothing like a healthy hatred for Cuauhtemoc Blanco to bring out the Chivas USA fans.
A crowd in the low 20,000 range is expected tonight, which would be the biggest crowd for Chivas USA so far this year.
Brad Guzan has returned in goal for Chivas USA (4-6-2) from international duty, relegating backup Dan Kennedy to the bench.
The defense sees the return of Claudio Suarez in favor of Jim Curtin partnering Loyola Marymount product Bobby Burling in the middle, while Cary Talley and Francisco Mendoza retain their full back slots. Jonathan Bornstein, who started the last game as a forward before being substituted at half time, apparently can't win back his left back spot and is on the bench, too.
In midfield, former Swiss international Raphael Wicky is preferred to Atiba Harris in midfield, while Sacha Kljesten (who also will join up with the U.S. team), Jesse Marsch and Paulo Nagamura start as usual.
Up front it's Ante Razov and Justin Braun, who impressed Preki in last week's loss to Real Salt Lake.
Jorge Flores and Shavar Thomas are also on the bench.
Chicago (6-4-1) starts Chad Barrett and Chris Rolfe up front, both of whom we learned earlier today, are in the U.S. squad for the Barbados game this weekend.
John Thorrington, who grew up on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and has also been called in, starts in midfield alongside Blanco, Logan Pause and Justin Mapp.
The defenders: Brandon "I'll take a vowel for $500 please, Alex" Prideaux, C.J. Brown, Bakery Soumare and Diego Gutierrez man the back line in front of goalkeeper Jon Busch.
The game, in case you forget, is on ESPN2.
So my wife is taking the day off work to watch the Portugal-Germany Euro 2008 quarterfinal (11:30 a.m. ESPN).
I'm going to work in part because of tonight's Chivas USA-Chicago Fire game at Home Depot Center (7 o'clock ESPN2).
What's wrong with this picture?
A preview of the MLS game tonight is here.
Meanwhile, as U.S. Coach Bob Bradley tries mightily to persuade MLS clubs to release players for the largely pointless second leg of the World Cup qualifier Sunday against Barbados, names are filtering out although the complete squad apparently won't be released until Friday.
There have already been Chris Seitz and Danny Szetela sightings at the U.S. camp in Florida and the Chicago Tribune's Luis Arroyave is now reporting on his blog that a trio of Fire players including John Thorrington (Chadwick School) and Chad Barrett (UCLA) will join the team after the Chivas USA game.
Over in Galaxyland there have been sightings in Carson of the mercurial Clint Mathis, former Dutch international Edgar Davids and um, Brian Perk. More at the official Galaxy blog.
Meanwhile, I had hoped to ignore this one (much as I did the baseless rumors about a certain Brazilian joining the team - I'll let you guess the name).
The only problem with the story?
Galaxy officials told me Wednesday they don't have a player with a Brit wife. Except David Beckham. And he's too busy selling underwear to go to mighty Scunthorpe.
Lastly, as expected, the U.S. women beat Italy 2-0 overnight in Korea and advances to Saturday's Peace Cup final against Canada. More here.
Chicago Fire star Cuauhtémoc Blanco isn't doing a pre-game press conference as he did last year to take advantage of the post-Lakers hangover, so the nationally televised 7:30 p.m. game Thursday against Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center will come in with a whimper rather than a snarl.
I'm guessing the hope is Chivas USA doesn't have a pathetically small crowd on ESPN2 before Thursday's prime time game.
Both teams are seeking to end two-game losing streaks and free foam fingers are on offer for fans. (Yes!).
From the (edited) Chivas USA press release regarding defender Claudio Suarez in his final season as a pro:
On Wednesday, Chivas USA announced they would be celebrating The Year of the Emperor', honoring the 20-year career of Suárez.
Known as 'El Emperador' ('The Emperor'), Suárez was for years a mainstay as Mexico's captain, and is currently number two overall in international appearances among male soccer players worldwide, having played for Mexico 178 times from 1992-2006.Suárez was also a member of Mexico 's World Cup squads in 1994, 1998 and 2006. He was a key player at top Mexican First Division clubs Pumas, Chivas and Tigres, in addition to captaining Chivas USA in MLS since 2006.
Starting with Thursday's match versus the Chicago Fire, Chivas USA will display a series of video tributes prior to its MLS home games at Home Depot Center highlighting important moments from Suárez's career.
In July, during the lead-up to Chivas USA's international debut in SuperLiga, Suárez will officially launch his new biography, 'The Story of a Warrior', which traces his career.
In August, Suárez will throw out the first pitch before the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Meanwhile, a suburban Chicago newspaper caught up with Chivas USA striker Ante Razov, who reflected on his career in the Windy City.
In other news, the U.S. Women's National Team faces Italy in Korea in the Peace Cup early Thursday morning our time.
From the U.S. Soccer press release;
The USA needs a win or a tie against Italy to win Group B and earn a spot in the Peace Queen Cup championship game against Canada, which won Group A today with a 2-0 victory over New Zealand. The USA would qualify for the championship game before kicking off against Italy should Brazil and Australia tie in the match that will begin at 2 p.m. local. The USA won its first two Peace Queen Cup matches by one goal, downing Australia, 2-1, and Brazil, 1-0. Italy has dropped both of it matches so far, falling 2-1 to Brazil and 3-0 to Australia.
Finally, Josh Green, a former assistant coach at Minnesota State, Iowa, and Pepperdine, has been named to the same position at Loyola Marymount University, with an emphasis toward recruiting.
Chivas USA learned Tuesday they will play their third group game in SuperLiga against the New England Revolution at 5 p.m. Sunday July 20 at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium.
If I recall correctly, Cal State Dominguez Hills, upon whose land Home Depot Center sits, restricts the number of games on "week nights" on campus and Chivas USA came up against a number game.
Of course, the Chivas USA SuperLiga game against an American opponent will draw fewer fans than those against Mexican teams.
Chivas USA probably could play the game at the HDC's Track & Field Stadium and comfortably accommodate all fans. But then the lights would bug the neighbors and that's a no-no, too.
From the (edited) Chivas USA press release:
Chivas USA opens its participation in the 2008 SuperLiga on Sunday, July 13, facing Santos Laguna, the current champions of the Mexican First Division, at Home Depot Center. The Red-and-White will then face 2008 CONCACAF Champions Cup winner Pachuca, also at Home Depot Center, on July 16.
Chivas USA hosts Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Chicago live at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2.
Meanwhile, the Deseret News caught up with former Real Salt Lake defender Cary Talley (presumably before he was nailed for the lone and winning goal his old team scored against Chivas USA last weekend) here.
After demolishing Barbados 8-0 Sunday in Carson, U.S. Soccer apparently decided not to continue to piss off some MLS teams and released 10 players from the squad ahead of Sunday's return World Cup qualifying leg against Barbados.
From the (edited) U.S. Soccer press release:
The 10 departed players are Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundulo (Hannover 96), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids) and Matt Reis (New England Revolution).Six out of the 10 players started in Sunday's first leg match against Barbados and three players notched five of the eight U.S. goals. Dempsey's goal put his name in the record books, scoring the fastest goal for the U.S. in FIFA World Cup qualifying history, just 53 seconds into the match.
Answer to Monday's trivia question from the (edited) U.S. Soccer press release:
Former president of the U.S. Soccer Federation Werner Fricker was honored during a ceremony on Sunday before the U.S. Men's National Team's World Cup qualifying match against Barbados.A memorial located at the northeast corner of Mooch Myernick Field at Home Depot Center was unveiled during the ceremony. U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati unveiled the bronze bust and presented a commemorative plaque to Werner Fricker's children: Werner Fricker Jr., Marlene Fricker and Janet Malofiy (nee Fricker).
Werner Fricker, who passed away in 2001, served as President of the U.S. Soccer Federation from 1984 to 1990, during which time he led the successful bid to obtain the 1994 World Cup for the United States.
Fricker was born in Yugoslavia and raised in Austria, but emigrated to the United States with his family in 1952. He lived his adult life in Pennsylvania, where he was a star midfielder and captain for the United German Hungarians of Philadelphia soccer club from 1954 to 1969, leading the team to the National Amateur Cup in 1965.
He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y., in 1992.
Chivas USA learned its group opponents in the CONCACAF Champions League today (providing it gets by Panama's Tauro FC first).
From the (edited) Chivas USA press release:
The winner of the Chivas USA vs. Tauro F.C. pairing will play Santos Laguna of Mexico, either Municipal or Deportivo Jalapa of Guatemala, and the winner of the preliminary round matchup between LD Alajuelense of Costa Rica and the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL First Division in Group D.Chivas USA also learned today it will travel to Panama City for the first leg of the home-and-home series against FC Tauro Aug. 26 and then will host Tauro one week later, on Sept. 2, at a Los Angeles location to be determined.
Full details here.
Over in Galaxyland, backup goalkeeper Josh Wicks, who has yet to start an MLS game, went under the knife today in Santa Monica for left knee surgery. The San Bernadino native is out 4-6 weeks. Vito Higgens will deputize.
Edson Buddle was named MLS Player of the Week today for his three goals Saturday against San Jose.
Meanwhile, David Beckham was in Long Beach Sunday for a special event.
The U.S. women face Brazil in the second game of the Peace Cup in Korea tonight, which kicks off at 10 o'clock our time.
The U.S. beat Australia 2-1 in the first game, which began at 10 p.m. Saturday our time.
Three teams from Southern California are participating in the U.S. Youth Soccer 2008 Region IV Championships, which started today in Hawaii.
Local teams playing are the Real So Cal (Calabasas) Under-14 and Under-17 girls, Under-16 L.A. Rampage Blue Premier (Granada Hills) and the DMS11 (pasadena) Under-18 Boys.
From the U.S. Youth Soccer Press Release:
The teams will be among the more than 248 top boys and girls U.S. Youth Soccer teams from 14 (Western) state associations competing for the regional title.
A little weekend catch-up with results from the PDL Saturday:
San Fernando Valley Quakes 2 San Francisco Seals 1
Fresno Fuego 3 Orange County Blue Star 0
Ventura County Fusion 0 Bakersfield Brigade 2
On Sunday:
San Fernando Valley Quakes 2 San Jose Frogs 0
Southern California Seahorses 0 San Francisco Seals 0
In the W-League Sunday:
Vancouver Whitecaps 0 Pali Blues 4
In the WPSL Saturday:
Ajax America Women 3 San Diego WFC SeaLions 1
Los Angeles Rampage 0 West Coast FC 2
On Sunday:
Ajax America Women 3 Claremont Stars 0
Los Angeles Rampage 1 SD United 2
Finally, trivia time: U.S. Soccer unveiled a memorial this weekend at Home Depot Center to which former U.S. Soccer president?
Answer Tuesday morning.