Luke Lohr and Pedro Gomes are back to talk about the weekend action for MLS. Referee decisions are the heavy talking point, as is the rise of Sporting KC. NASL graced us with three draws, but some great individual plays and USL PRO gives us goals. Off The Bench, because it's the right price.
Download on BuzzSprout Subscribe on iTunes All these cards prompted Simon Borg over at MLSSoccer.
Not having a ballTHE BUZZ:
Would a TFC loss be blamed on travel, fatigue or humidity?
Do any of you still listen to the post-match excuses?Will Kansas get a rare football "three-game
sweep"?Have the results of Livestrong Park's urinalysis returned?What's more American - Teal
Bunbury or Jacob Peterson's socks?
With 8 games left in the season, Sporting KC is currently 3 points out of the race for the
Supporters' Shield. Behind San Jose, KC doesn't have many games that you can immediately look at
and say "oh yeah that should be a win," but tomorrow night at Livestrong Sporting Park, KC has one
of those games.
Roger Espinoza's Olympic performance for Honduras is still lingering in the front offices of
clubs in England, and it appears as if one is eager to pry him away from Sporting Kansas City prior
to the close of the European summer transfer window.
According to reports from England, Premier League side Wigan Athletic is looking to make a move
for Espinoza, who is in the final year of his contract with Sporting KC and MLS.
Yesterday was the 7th game between Sporting Kansas City and Toronto FC at BMO Field and yesterday's
game was extremely similar to the previous 6 match ups. Games that were for the most part dull and
lacking good finishing chances. For only the 4th time in the 7 games one of the two teams scored.
Not once have both teams scored in the same game, and there have been only 5 goals in the 7 games.
Mario Balotelli was booked during AC Milan's win against Torino at the weeked... by team-mate Sulley Muntari. The former Manchester City striker scored a late winner in the match and removed his shirt during the goal celebration. Seeing that the referee was about to dish out the inevitable yellow card to his team-mate, Muntari pinched [.
Sunderland midfielder Sebastian Larsson nearly scored the best own goal of all time during yesterday's victory over Everton. The Sweden international unleashed an overhit 45-yard backpass that very nearly lobbed goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. Mignolet was forced into emergency action and had to catch the ball before it sailed over his head and into the net.
According to FIFA.com, Clarence Seedorf had played more than 800 matches over more than 20 years without ever getting a red card in his career. But that impressive streak came to an end just before the final whistle in Botafogo's 2-1 win against Madureira when he was booked twice for not leaving the pitch in a fashion the referee found suitable upon being substituted.
Robin van Persie is still frustrating by the ridiculous decision to send Nani off during our Round of 16 game against Real Madrid.
According to the Laws of the game, at worst it was a yellow card, but the referee incorrectly opted to send Nani off. FIFA Law 12: If a player plays in a dangerous manner in a "normal" challenge, the referee should not take any disciplinary action.
Nani's red card against Real Madrid prompted much debate as to whether or not it was merited. Most Manchester United fans protested that it was an incorrect decision. And Roy Keane gleefully took up the case for the referee. As if to rub salt into the wounds, United supporters watching last night's match between Bayern [.
Roberto Mancini has advised fellow Premier League managers to "shut up" after a touchline squabble with Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert. The pair clashed over a tackle on City's Gareth Barry by Villa youngster Joe Bennett. The prompted Mancini to observe: "There are some managers it is better to shut up.
ليون 2 : 1 سبارتا براغ by kooralive There was no shortage of clubs naming some very young players in the starting line-ups for last night's round of Europa League games, but Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis took it too far. The France international whipped a baby's dummy as in a dummy that would ordinarily [.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic only played the first 45 minutes of Sweden's 1-0 friendly win against China,
but he made the most of his time by practicing his new finishing move on China's Lu Peng.
Ibrahimovic was trying to take the ball off Peng, but instead of just stepping in front of him,
he put him in a DDT and drove his face into the ground.
Guest Post by Stuart Higgins
Hi Liverpool Fans,
I'm writing to ask if there are any qualified football referees here?
The reason I ask is that we are appealing for help with a ref review where a qualified ref reviews
Premier League referee performances and scores them overall on key factors.
A determined counter-attacking Arsenal side produced occasional flashes of brilliance to steal
three points at Anfield and extend their run of not having conceded a goal this season to three
games.
Vancouver Whitecaps Midfielder Gershon Koffie was suspended by the MLS Disciplinary Committee
for one game and fined an undisclosed amount in the wake of his actions on Saturday afternoon at
Century Link Field. The suspension was handed down for the dangerous play where he kicked Andy Rose
in the chest.
Coventry full-back Cyrus Christie picked up a bizarre yellow card after he attempted to trip up a pitch invader. The 20-year-old attempted to thwart a topless fan, who ran onto the pitch during last night's Johnstone's Paint Trophy northern final first-leg against Crewe. As if a 0-3 home defeat didn't make Christie's night miserable enough, [.
The thing with a winter break in football is that it forces a hardened card addict like Sergio Ramos to go cold turkey. Let them loose on a football pitch again in January and they're bound to overdose. The Real Madrid defender got his fix during last night's victory over Celta Vigo. He satisfied his [.
It's moments past halftime and Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones has just produced a fine
individual effort to breach the Augsburg for the 2-0. Not only was it his first league strike since
August of 2010, but the US livewire has already accumulated one "Gordie Howe hat trick" (goal,
assist, rough yellow card) before the second game of the season is even done.
Yellow Card: A caution or booking: if a player commits a serious foul then the referee can give him a yellow card - one more similar offence and he will be sent off
Golazo de Buttner vs Wigan by rrmisas 1. It was a good weekend for scoring on your debut. Alex Buttner, Nick Powell, Dimitar Berbatov, Mark Lowton, Christian Benteke and Javi Garcia all accomplished that feat. 2. Paul Scholes: he continues to score goals. The Manchester United legend marked his 700th game with a goal against [.
The first weekend of Premier League matches for the 2012/13 season did not disappoint, but
something was missing. So to make the start of the new season official, Paul Scholes put in one of
his usual late, lunging tackles on Everton's Darron Gibson to earn a yellow card in the 13th minute
of Manchester United's 1-0 loss.
In a game that was really in their control throughout, the Sounders needed to come from behind
to beat that other Chivas USA, after two set pieces had the home team down 2-1. But as the first
team did on Saturday, so the reserves mimicked on Sunday, as Seattle picked up their second
straight come-from-behind reserve win with a 4-2 victory.
Welcome to the new abbreviated match thread! As we've gone through the months we've picked up on
our preview duties prior to the game and, as such, we're going to test out a new abbreviated match
thread which doesn't aim to preview the game itself, but rather display as much information as
possible so that you guys can find everything you need to know about the match.
Today's practice at the team's Beaverton training facility saw the Timbers' starters return to
action for the first time since their loss to Colorado on Wednesday. The starters practiced
separately from the rest of the team, undergoing a lighter workout as they regen from last week's
game before splitting into two teams and playing a game of 6v6 with Gavin Wilkinson and Jose Adolfo
Valencia rounding out the sides.
The Los Angeles Galaxy's opening match of the 2012-2013 CONCACAF Champions League tournament had
just about everything one could ask for.
The Galaxy got goals from its star players, but had to weather some questionable officiating
late in the second half which featured a red card to Robbie Keane and a yellow card right in the
midst of a substitution.
If you feel like you've seen enough of Chivas USA imagine being the players and coaches that
watch that match tape to get ready for them. In many ways those past performances are not
indications of much. Few teams in MLS have added so much talent during the season. It's certain
that none have done that while not really getting better.
Beating the current version of FC Dallas isn't easy. They have enough quality in all phases of
play that on a normal day they are tough when healthy. In near 100 degree heat they gain another
advantage. Still, there are opportunities. Dallas is fairly weak defending open play crosses which
should bode well for a Sounders team that has a rested and ready Adam Johansson and Mauro
Rosales.
We're quickly coming to the last part of the regular season here in Major League Soccer. August
is nearly wrapped up as we head into September. The final stretch of games is truly here.
I had a few changes in this week's rankings. One Western Conference club made a big climb in my
book while a couple others continued to stumble.
Games are not played on paper. If they were this is one of those that could already be over. The
Goats are not a good soccer team. They have a broken offense and a defense that is kept alive by
Dan Kennedy. They also aren't as bad as their numbers say. Still, the Sounders are road favorites,
strong road favorites.
Andy Najar certainly had a good point in disagreeing with referee Jair Marrufo when he was given a yellow card for a tackle on Joel Lindpere. The young D.C. United fullback was practically running shoulder-to-shoulder with the New York Red Bulls midfielder, and Lindpere went down very easily. Calling a foul on the play seemed questionable to me.
Revolution midfielder Benny Feilhaber admitted that his second yellow card in Saturday's loss to Philadelphia "wasn't smart." (Photo: Kari Heistad/CapturedImages.biz)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Days after he was sent off at the twilight of Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Union, Revolution midfielder Benny Feilhaber explained the circumstances that led to his second yellow and subsequent red card ejection.
West Ham United achieved more than 3 points against Queens Park Rangers on Monday night. They now have the milestone of being the first Premier League side in the history of the league to receive 8 yellow cards in one game.
But for those of you who, like me, watched the game, it wasn't a dirty match at all.
Every year, EA Sports tweaks their FIFA game in an effort to make it more realistic and if this example from the FIFA 13 demo is any indication, it appears they're targeted inexplicable referee decisions as an area to highlight this year.
In a match between Milan and Arsenal, Robinho gets fancy and flicks the ball up in the air.
COLUMBUS, Ohio-- There figure to be several changes made to the U.S. men's natinonal team's
starting lineup heading into Tuesday's crucial World Cup qualifying showdown vs. Jamaica, and U.S.
head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has already revealed some of them.
Sergio Busquets hit the ground early and often in the first leg of the Supercopa de Espana both
for good reasons and not so good reasons. In the 11th minute, he fell over a Xabi Alonso challenge
and found himself in a familiar position right in the line of fire for Jose Callejon, who blasted
the ball off Busquets' head from close range.
"Oh the humanity! florae!" THE BUZZ:
Can TFC stop giving up late spirit-crushing goals?Will the O'Dea/Eckersley defensive pairing
continue?Does any man still use Barbasol?Can Mariner find a permanent partner for Eric Hassli?Will
it ever feel like Columbus 2008 again?
