Rookie Kelyn Rowe tallied a goal and an assist off the bench on Saturday. (Photo: Chris
Aduama/aduama.com)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. With the New England Revolution deadlocked in a scoreless draw with the
Chicago Fire, Kelyn Rowe came off the bench to score a goal and add an assist in the Revs 2-0
victory in front of 12,523 at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.
Do you know what time it is? Yes, you would be correct. It is that time once again. Fuzion does
the Power Rankings has once again arrived, and this week I have decided to go all out. I have
caught your attention now, haven't I? The intrigue and mystique around this "going all out" has
piqued your interest in an otherwise routine pattern of rankings and themed videos.
While the majority of MLS sides were struggling in the US Open Cup the Seattle Sounders were
collecting goals from four different players. Sammy Ochoa finished his brace in the the 66th minute
to put Seattle up 5-1 over the Atlanta Silverbacks. Starfire and the Open Cup continue to be a
place of Sounders victories.
Early this morning I wrote a "recap" of last night's debacle in Michigan on the way back to
Chicago. Due to technological failure on my end, I wasn't able to post it right away. So join me
after the jump to relive the emotional horror that was last night.
What the hell happened? I just witnessed the biggest f*****g disgrace in my tenure as a Fire
fan.
Harrisburg City will be relying on keeper Nick Noble to keep the Revolution off the board on
Tuesday. (Photo: Derek Meluzio/pennlive.com)
(Editor's note: Prior to each Revolution match, New England Soccer Today will invite a
reporter who covers the Revolution's upcoming opponent to provide greater insight on what to expect
on gameday.
Saer Sène and A.J. Soares scored two minutes apart early in the second half to briefly put the
New England Revolution on level terms, but substitute Maicon Santos responded for D.C. United with
the game-winning goal in the 61st minute as the Revs suffered a 3-2 loss on Saturday night at RFK
Stadium.
Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen is one of the reasons why the Revolution were able to bottle
United speedster Andy Najar on Saturday. (Photo: Chris Aduama/aduama.com)
For the second time this season, the Revolution came up a goal short to D.C. in Saturday's 3-2
loss at RFK Stadium.
Once again, the Revolution were burned by the defensive set piece.
May's packed schedule is nearly up for the Seattle Sounders with their last MLS match of the
crowded schedule. For some players this will mean a rest. For others, due to injuries, they will be
pressed into more duty than one could expect. On top of a likely start at CDM for either Andy Rose
or Servando Carrasco there could also be a change in the backline.
Photo: Courtesy of Philadelphia Union
Philadelphia Union
Recaps from Saturday's draw in Dallas from PSP (we were there!), MLSsoccer.com, the Union
website, The Inquirer, Philly Soccer News, Sports Network, Goal.com,
In this postgame quote sheet, Peter Nowak says,
- "We talked about how we are going to start the game and we wanted to continue to play how we
did against New York, but they got the goal in the seventh minute which basically cuts you off
immediately.
Someone call a plumber because this backline sh*t stinks! (Leonardo returns for the Galaxy)
... and so it begins, rivalries in full flow, television screen packed with pomp and
circumstance as the familiar elevens gather to do battle on the grassy field. This week we explore
some rivalries, talk about Cascadia and the battle for Los Angeles, and discuss trades that
were.
As we like to do, we reached out to our Vancouver Whitecaps blogger Benjamin Massey of 86
Forever. Here are our questions and his answers:
1 - Prior to the season many observers thought that the Whitecaps
would be defined by their offense. It's been OK, but not great. What will it take to get
better?
New York 1-0 Houston An early goal by Kenny Cooper was all that the New York Red Bulls needed to
keep the Houston Dynamo winless for the fifth straight game. While Houston is still struggling to
find a successful starting line-up, New York has had three straight shutout wins with a backline
that featured three [.
The Red Bulls are Top of The East, with a very fortunate 3-2 away victory @Philadelphia. Let me
take a moment, if I may, and give massive, but massive Thanks, on behalf of all Red Bulls fans, to
the Brain Trust over @Portland for handing Kenny F'ng Cooper over to us. Some called this trade
"Robbery" on the part of Portland, but I can bet you'll not find a Red Bulls fan who'd say we go
shafted.
By DAVE MARTINEZ
In a single match, Rafa Marquez showed why he can simultaneously be a frustrating yet invaluable
part of the New York Red Bulls.
Sunday's 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Union marked his first match back since April 14th,
when his tackle on San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas earned him a three-game
suspension.
Photo: Paul Rudderow
Played at a breathless pace from whistle to whistle, New York Red Bulls made the most of a
questionable officiating decision to steal a 3-2 victory at PPL Park despite being comfortable
outplayed by the Union. Joel Lindpere was the first on the score sheet, putting the visitors ahead
against the run of play before Lionard Pajoy equalized in the 31st minute.
Junior Alencar's two goals led the Hydra to their first three PDL points in Saturday's 2-0 win
over Boston Victory at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Alencar broke a scoreless tie in the 70th minute, then padded Worcester's cushion in the 77th
minute. Hydra keeper Oliver Blum made a pair of save to keep the sheet clean for the guests.
The Rhode Island Reds suffered a hard-fought 1-0 loss to the Brooklyn Italians in their NPSL
debut on Saturday.
CRANSTON, R.I. Jakeem Johnson spoiled the Reds' NPSL debut when he scored the game's lone goal
to give the Brooklyn Italians a 1-0 win at Cranston Stadium on Saturday.
Johnson spent much of the match knocking on the door before his 74th minute strike.
England's newly appointed manager Roy Hodgson has been slated by the press and public for his
Euro 12 squad selection, even though he has yet to select a squad. Certain that Hodgson's picks for
this summer's tournament will be disastrous, pundits and fans have united in decrying Hodgson's
personnel decision before he's made them.
On Wednesday night, the New York Red Bulls defeated the Houston Dynamo 1-0 at Red Bull Arena.
The victory came with many recent trends continuing for the Red Bulls.
The win marked the third consecutive victory for the Red Bulls, all by the score of 1-0, moving
the club into second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
BY JEFFREY KRAUSE
The Chicago Fire went into Wednesday night's match against Real Salt Lake hoping to build on
their dramatic road victory against Chivas USA, but they wound up settling for a draw as their
offense couldn't match the play of their organized defense.
For two straight games the Red Bulls have been playing well, using some inexperienced players on
the backline to get the job done. The theme has been defending sternly and finding that one
precious moment you need to acquire the ...
Visit http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com for the rest of the story.
Both sides fielded reduced sides. Both sides waited until the second half to deploy their best
offensive player. One side waited too long. FC Dallas and Schellas Hyndman didn't give Brek Shea
the opportunity to get marked out of the game until they were already down two goals - two Fredy
Montero goals, both nominally on crosses.
The New York Red Bulls look to make it three wins in a row, but to do so they'll have to get by a
Houston Dynamo side finally at the end of its seven-game road trip to open the season (7 p.m., MLS
Live/Direct Kick).
The Red Bulls are again without Rafa Marquez, who has completed his three-game suspension but is
out with an ankle injury suffered in training, according to the Red Bulls.
By DAVE MARTINEZ
Ever since the offseason, the New York Red Bulls have been adamant about acquiring an attacking,
distributive midfielder with their third and final Designated Player slot. Recent injuries to the
backline have forced the team to consider other personnel options, though.
Photo: Otto Greule Jr., courtesy Goal.com
Philadelphia Union
Match reports from MLSsoccer.com, the Seattle Times, the Seattle Sounders, SB Nation Seattle,
Sea Town Sports, SBI, the Philadelphia Union, Philly Soccer News, the Sports Network, the AP.
Should Andy Rose have been sent off with a second yellow card in the 28th minute for tackling
Freddy Adu from behind?
Quick Recap:
The Portland Timbers really wanted to give the TA something to cheer about and put up 15 Shots
with 6 of them on target. The Columbus Crew had other ideas and they put in a decent first half but
faded and played for the tie in the second half. A tie the got as Portland was unable to find the
back of the net, 0-0 final.
The last time the Union traveled to Seattle to take on the Sounders, they ran out 2-0 winners at
Century Link Field. On Saturday afternoon there would be no repeat performance as the Union never
looked like scoring, with Seattle coming out comfortable 1-0 winners.
Mauro Rosales put the hosts ahead in the 63rd minute and the Sounders easily could have had more
were it not for two balls off the wood work and some sharp goalkeeping from Zac MacMath.
Chris Pontius and Hamdi Salihi scored second-half goals twenty minutes apart to push D.C. United to
a much needed 2-0 win this afternoon in Toronto. United (5-3-3) was coming off a terrible defensive
performance just three days earlier in a 5-3 loss in San Jose and posted the shutout with yet
another retooled defensive backline.
This week I chatted with Dave Clark of Sounder at Heart, SB Nation's Seattle
Sounders site. Clark and I discussed various things about the teams, including broadcasters. Some
very good tactical information about how the Philadelphia Union can exploit the Sounders' defense
this afternoon.
Setting: Saturday, May 5 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle,
Wash.; kickoff scheduled for 4:52 PM Eastern
Broadcast Information: NBC Sports Network (Arlo White, Kyle
Martino) nationally, with coverage beginning at 4:30 PM Eastern / 97.3 KIRO-FM (Ross Fletcher,
Kasey Keller) and La Gran D 99.
BY DAVE MARTINEZ
Though the New York Red Bull's backline certainly pulled off a miracle this weekend against the
New England Revolution, they will face a far more difficult challenge as they head out West to take
on a struggling but ever-dangerous Los Angeles Galaxy side.
Aston Villa v Tottenham Preview: Big Clubs And Small Margins - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
Aston Villa take on Tottenham on Sunday afternoon with two clubs separated by 28 points and
fighting on opposite ends of the table, yet not too long ago they were both considered 'equal'
footballing powers.
Heading into a big matchup Friday night against Chivas USA, I am back with some hat trick
goodies. The customary QOTD will appear at the end like usual. I should have a 3 questions exchange
up by Friday, as well as a gamethread for Friday night. And yes, I will be lurking on the
gamethread (unfortunately had to miss the thread during the Seattle game but I will be along for
the ride Friday night).
Although they may have avoided granting another late-game goal, the Revolution's shaky form in
the opening minutes proved to be their undoing in Saturday's 1-0 road loss to the Red Bulls.
While many predicted a high-scoring affair, Thierry Henry's 7th minute goal sealed it as the
Revolution struggled inside the attacking third and became the victim of the Red Bulls' first
defensive shutout of the season.
Eddie Johnson's critics may not have been silenced, but even they will have to admit that the
Seattle Sounders would have been in a bit of trouble without his contributions on Saturday.
Johnson, who had not scored a goal in any league since May 9, 2010, ended up with the game-winner
and assisted on the other in the Sounders' hard-fought 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire.
The New England Revolution, coming off two weeks with no game, had a very sloppy opening 20
minutes. In that time Thierry Henry scored the game-winner in the 7th minute, and was subsequently
injured and subbed out in the 25th minute.
The opening of the game was highly favorable for the Red Bulls and in the seventh minute Henry
muscled A.
BY DAVE MARTINEZ
New York earned a hard-fought three points on Saturday despite a plethora of injuries, but the
result came at a hefty price.
A strong effort from a patchwork defense, and a standout performance from rookie goalkeeper Ryan
Meara helped Meara earn his first career shutout, but the joy derived from a hard-fought 1-0
victory over New England was tempered by the loss of Thierry Henry to a hamstring injury that could
sideline him for several weeks.
Good morning! It's matchday @The Cathedral of Football, Red Bull Arena (built by Makita), with
your NY Red Bulls taking on the Eastern Conference powerhouse New England Revolution (3:30pm ET,
NBC Sports Network, match notes here). It's another must-win, season-defining tilt for the Red
Bulls against yet another I95 foe.
Setting: Saturday, April 28 at PPL Park in Chester; kickoff
scheduled for 7:06:30 PM Eastern
Broadcast Information: CSN Philadelphia (JP Dellacamera, Bob
Rigby), with coverage beginning at 6:30 PM with a pre-game show / CSN Bay Area (Jim Kozimor, Kelly
Gray), KLIV 1590 AM (Gus Johnson -- yes, that Gus Johnson), KZSF 1370 AM (Carlos Cesar Rivera) in
San Jose / MLS Live, Direct Kick (CSN Philadelphia feed)
San Jose's Record: 5-1-1, 16 points (first in West)
San Jose's Last Match: W, 3-1 vs.
Boston University midfielder Michael Bustamante (left) was among 11 added to the Hydra roster on
Thursday. (Photo: Boston University Athletics)
With just over a week before its season opener on May 5, the Worcester Hydra bolstered its
roster significantly by adding 11 players on Thursday.
Defenders Chris Ager, Colin Murphy, Nick Corliss, Taylor Washington and Stephen Walmsley were
signed to bolster the Hydra backline.
