Edson Buddle, as I expected, was suspended today for his stupid and dangerous tackle at midfield in the 2nd half of Saturday's game against the Crew. He'll miss Saturday's game in San Jose.
The 3rd round draw for the U.S. Open Cup was posted. The Rapdis will face the winner of next week's Ocala Stampede (PDL) - Orlando City (USL) match.
The monthly look aheads for June and May (but just the late part) showed that the Seattle
Sounders were unlikely to continue that powerful run with which they started the season. The
crowded schedule, quality of opponents and the amount of travel were some of the indicators that
they would drop points.
Technically midseason isn't until after the 4th of July game, but this long break seems to be a
good time to assess where the team is at this point. First lets start with my predictions from the
beginning of the season:
The Rapids struggle to hold on to a playoff place all season and miss out on the
playoffs in the last couple of games of the season.
Not really the result we were hoping for as Sporting KC beat Colorado 2-0 last night. A goal in the
latter half of each half did the team in. All credit to the Rapids, they send out a pretty strong
lineup:
Cascio - Edu - ThompsonCastrillon - Larentowicz - RiveroFreeman - Marshall - Palguta -
KimuraPickens
That's about the best lineup we could play due to our injuries (Moor was a late scratch due to a
tight hamstring).
Colorado left this afternoon for the short flight to Kansas City for tomorrow's U.S. Open Cup 4th
Round game. Game time is 6:30pm and there will supposedly be a stream of the game available on the
Rapids website though exact details have not been announced. They also have not announced the
travelling roster yet, but they did post a picture of Kimura and Freeman boarding the bus.
A return to the playoffs for a second consecutive season may seem tenuous at the moment but the Fire will still have a shot at some hardware if MLS postseason isn't the cards. Clubs should find out in the next few days where they'll land in the 2013 US Open Cup brackets. The US Soccer Federation is expected to announce the draw for the 2013 tournament some time this week with match-ups determined geographically.
Every club is pretty thirsty for an MLS Cup, but the Sounders might be the thirstiest. It's fair to say no club has accomplished more and stands without a Phil Anschutz Trophy. Maybe the Revolution, but New England's nowhere near it right now. The Sounders are in range of the victorious aromas, hence the salivation.
The Dallas Burn was such a terribly cartoonish name. The pony on the front of the shirt did little to dispel the stigma. But I watched a fair amount of cartoons when FC Dallas claimed its greatest prize. They really don't make them like they used to ... FC Dallas Best: Brek Shea @ Toronto FC, July 20, 2011 In 30 yards the then-21 Shea simply said "I am faster, stronger, and oh so much more
Here are Wednesday's links, featuring FIFA Rankings, the 1924 USOC final, and some articles you may have missed in the FanShots.
Red Bulls Sign Brazilian Star Midfielder Juninho Juninho comes to New York from Brazilian First Division side, Vasco da Gama.
Sporting KC signs Claudio Bieler as Designated Player Bieler joins SKC from LDU Quito and was the second leading scorer in Ecuador this year with 20 goals in 34 games during the regular season.
On Wednesday night, Sporting KC defeated the Seattle Sounders in a penalty shootout to win the
US Open Cup. The championship was the first piece of silverware for the organization since last
winning the USOC in 2004.
With the USOC behind them, the club now aspires to add an MLS Cup Championship and CONCACAF
Champions League trophy to their collection.
In what was a generally drab on-field affair the Sporting Wiz kids outlasted the three-time
defending U.S. Open Cup champs in the penalty shootout. There was a nice pregame rainbow that
reminded us of a simpler time in these United States of soccer. Seattle brought a sizable (big
enough to fill an end, that is) contingent of away supporters in addition to Ozzie Alonso.
Both RSL and Vancouver need points this weekend. (Getty Images)
So how about that US Open Cup final last night? Tons of drama and excitement as Sporting Kansas
City claim the crown for their first trophy since 2004. They knocked off the Seattle Sounders in
penalty kicks ending Seattle's impressive run in the USOC since joining MLS back in 2009.
Heartland vs. the Pac Northwest. Get. Ready. My gripe about the Sporting KC-Seattle final tonight?
The most prominent TV station to dive after the game was GolTV. I don't have GolTV. My local pub
will not play GolTV because my city is a post-apocalyptic wasteland. FOX Soccer, where the hell you
at? Are you just giving up now?
David Beckham returns from suspension to face the Portland Timbers (Getty Images)
The weekend has already gotten off to a bang. Trades are flying in left and right to shake
things up. We'll see a new coach in Portland take over and the return of David Beckham from
suspension. Dallas will also be looking for their first win in 13 matches as they travel to
Colorado.
After a week off, the Power Rankings are back here at WVH. Only a few moves to really talk about
this week as the top four remained in the top tier. Only one club moved up a tier while the bottom
two clubs look like they could be joining the third tier here shortly.
Team Rank (Last) Record (W-L-T) Comments Top Tier (teams seen to be head and shoulders above the
rest) 1 (1) 11-4-4 37 pts.
A 5-2 victory over the Harrisburg City Islanders will send the Philadelphia Union to their first
ever appearance in the US Open Cup semifinals.
The Union jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead over the City Islanders, who are Philadelphia's USL-PRO
affiliate team, in the first half of last night's game.
San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-3) vs. Seattle Sounders FC (7-5-4) Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal
William Schulz: San Jose is in much better form going into this quarterfinal, but I think
Seattle's loss to Portland Sunday jostled the team in a way only a rivalry can.
Portland looks to knock off rivals Seattle this weekend. (Getty Images)
After a slew of games last night in Major League Soccer, we get to quickly move into the weekend
portion of Week 14. Just as it were a week ago, we'll have six games on Saturday and two on Sunday
to cap off a busy, busy week in MLS.
I feel like it's been ages since we last did one of these weekly posts. Now that the mini-break
is over, it is time to get back down to business here as the 2012 season rolls on into the month of
June.
Week 13 sees plenty of decent games including one big rivalry game down in Texas and the MLS
debut of Saputo Stadium in Montreal.
The United States Soccer Federation announced the tournament rules and format for the 2013 U.S. Open Cup field that will feature both the Portland Timbers and the Timbers U-23 teams within the 68 team field. For 2013, there is more prize money for the winners, while rules put all decisions for hosting matches between the two sides within a round to be determined by a coin flip.
Seattle Sounders face off against Sporting Kansas City in the Lamar Hunt US Open cup Final
tomorrow, in Livestrong Park. Sounders have won the Cup the last three years running, the biggest
criticism of their success is that is that they have played a majority of their US Open Cup matches
in Qwest/CenturyLink or Starfire Sports Complex in front of their home crowd.
The Union want the cup. KC wants the cup too. Only one team can have it, which means Jack McInerney
needs to remind SKC what a first half brace looks like.
A few weeks ago when Sporting KC defeated Colorado and advanced to the US Open Cup quarterfinals to
play Dayton, I said that I would be willing to sacrifice the game against the Union to guarantee
passage to the USOC semifinals. When I said that I didn't expect that KC would literally lie down
for the Union at PPL Park, I just expected that Sporting would sit back and prepare for Dayton.
I hope you enjoy this upcoming weekend without a Sporting KC game, because it could be the last
light week in a little while for KC. Should KC make the finals of the US Open Cup, and the PSG
friendly is made official, KC will play 17 games in 56 days between June 16th and August 11th.
Twelve of those games are league games, 3 could be US Open Cup games, and 2 could be friendlies.
The Brotherly Game talked with former MLSsoccer.com D.C. United beat
reporter Travis M. Clark ahead of tonight's US Open Cup game against the Philadelphia Union. The
current Top Drawer Soccer writer talked about various topics involving United and the USOC.
West Chester United defeats United German Hungarians in the Eastern PA US Open Cup qualification final. More bits of Union, local, MLS, NWSL, US and other news.
The Brotherly Game talked with Martin Shatzer of Black and Red United, SB Nation's D.C. United
site, ahead of tonight's Philadelphia Union-D.C. United game at PPL Park. For more on the game, and
United, head over to Black and Red United. The Brotherly Game: Last year it was a ridiculous run by Dwayne De Rosario that helped to
make D.
Here is this week's former Wizards update for you.
Active without a club or unknown
Stephane Auvray
Chris Brunt
Doug DeMartin
Birahim Diop
Pablo Escobar
Mauro Fuzetti
AJ Godbolt
Tom Gray
Willy Guadarrama
Santiago Hirsig
Aaron Hohlbein
Jonathan Leathers
Carlos Marinelli
Ryan McMahen
Anthony Noriega
Ryan Pore
Sergei Raad
Ofori Sarkodie
luke Sassano
Sam Scales
Ivan Trujillo
Lance Watson
MLS Davy Arnaud - Montreal - Started and played 90 minutes in Montreal's 3-1 loss to KC.
[In the future, I'm going to try to write and post these reactions
right after games. The PGR will be a supplement to recaps. This kind of post is part of a "rebirth"
for the Brotherly Game that I've pondered lately, something I think is necessary for both myself
and the site. Enjoy. - Scott, Mg Ed]
A header and then a long range attempt, resulting in a goal.
It seems oddly fitting that one of the few bright spots thus far in the Bataan Doop March that is
the Union's 2012 season should be interrupted by a thunderstorm. Even the ominous clouds and
thirty-plus minute rain delay couldn't deter the literally tens of loyal fans who saw the U kick
off its US Open Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over the Rochester Rhinos.
The Philadelphia Union won their first ever US Open Cup game, defeating the visiting Rochester
Rhinos 3-0 in a rain affected game.
FIRST HALF
Keon Daniel started off the first half well, winning a corner early. The Trinidad and Tobago
international was slightly hurt on the play and got up slowly and gingerly.
Chicago's own RWB Adria (left) is one win away from a U.S. Open Cup berth (photo: Scott Fenwick)
U.S. Open Cup midwest regional qualifying continues this Saturday afternoon, as Lafayette's FC Indiana heads up the road to take on RWB Adria at the Ray and Joan Kroc Center on Chicago's south side
As long as MLS sticks to the current schedule format - which involves each team playing each other team in its conference three times in the regular season - no Cascadia Cup competition will be as difficult as this one, at least in its scheduling. The Seattle Sounders have two of three on the road against both Portland and Vancouver.
It's been awhile since I dropped a hat trick and QOTD, so the time is ripe to bring it back out
from the shadows. It has certainly been a disappointing last week for Fire fans, first dropping the
result to Columbus and then the shocking loss to the Michigan Bucks Tuesday night in USOC
competition.
