MLS Wednesday August 27, 2014

One game tonight, as the Los Angeles Galaxy host DC United. Bill Hamid and Jaime Penedo are the goalies. Los Angeles struck first in the second minute on an Alan Gordon goal, going in unassisted. The teams exchanged yellow cards, as Landon Donovan of the Galaxy and Luis Silva of DC got one apiece for fouls in the eighteenth and twenty-first minutes, respectively. In the twenty-fifth minute, Los Angeles added on with an Omar Gonzalez goal, set up by Donovan. The Galaxy extended the lead in first half stoppage time with a Baggio Husidic goal, via A.J. DeLaGarza and Donovan. DC got a goal as Leonardo put the ball in his own net for an own goal in the fifty-eighth minute. Los Angeles shot back by putting the ball in the right net in the seventy-fifth minute when Donovan converted a penalty kick. United took another yellow card for a Fabian Espindola foul in the eighty-first minute. The Galaxy won 4-1, and Donovan was the man of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Premier League Week 2

This week, the games include six on Saturday, three on Sunday, and one on Monday. We begin with...

Aston Villa hosting Newcastle United. Tim Krul and Brad Guzan man the nets. Aston Villa had the first four yellow cards in the game, all in the second half after an uneventful first half. The cards went to Charles N'Zogbia in the fiftieth minute, Philippe Senderos in the sixty-seventh minute (both for fouls), Andreas Weimann in the sixty-eighth minute for a hand ball, and Carlos Sanchez in the eighty-fifth minute for a foul. In the eighty-sixth minute, Newcastle United's Michael Williamson was shown the yellow card for a foul, and then he was sent off in stoppage time with his second yellow card. The scoring just wasn't there, so both teams escaped with a point from the 0-0 draw.

Next up, Chelsea welcomes Leicester City. Kasper Schmeichel and Thibaut Courtois are the keepers. This was another match in which the first action came in the second half, with a yellow card being given to Dean Hammond of Leicester City for a foul in the fifty-first minute. Chelsea started the scoring in the sixty-third minute with a Diego Costa goal from close range. Chelsea added on in the seventy-seventh minute with an Eden Hazard goal, passed from Cesc Fabregas. This provided the 2-0 result in favor of Chelsea.

Following that, Crystal Palace brings in West Ham United. Adrian and Julian Speroni are in the six-yard boxes. West Ham began with a Mauro Zarate goal in the thirty-fourth minute, following a corner kick. West Ham added on as Stewart Downing scored with an assist provided by Cheikhou Kouyate in the thirty-seventh minute. West Ham took a pair of yellow cards, going to Winston Reid in the fortieth minute and James Tonkins in stoppage time, both for fouls. Crystal Palace got one back in the forty-eighth minute on a Marouane Chamakh goal, via Mile Jedinak. West Ham countered with a Carlton Cole goal in the sixty-second minute, converted off of a set piece. Joey O'Brien of West Ham was given a yellow card for his foul in the seventy-sixth minute. Jedinak of Crystal Palace was later booked on a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-ninth minute. The final stood at 3-1, favoring West Ham.

Up next, Southampton hosts West Bromwich Albion. Ben Foster and Fraser Forster are given the starting nods in goal. In the forty-second minute, West Brom's Chris Brunt was given a yellow card for a foul. Southampton's Nathaniel Clyne was booked in the sixty-sixth minute for his foul. West Brom had another yellow card given to Craig Gardner in the eightieth minute for a foul. This was it for the action, with the game ending in a scoreless draw.

Continuing to where Swansea City welcomes Burnley. Tom Heaton and Lukasz Fabianski are in goal. Swansea City was first to score with a Nathan Dyer goal in the twenty-third minute, assisted by Gylfi Sigurdsson. Swansea City's Jonjo Shelvey was given a yellow card in the seventy-third minute for a foul. Burnley picked up a yellow card for a Michael Duff foul in the seventy-ninth minute. Swansea City's Sigurdsson also had a yellow card-worthy foul in the eighty-fifth minute. It did not impact Swansea City winning 1-0.

Wrapping up Saturday, Everton brings in Arsenal. Wojciech Szczesny and Tim Howard are guarding the nets. Everton opened in the nineteenth minute with a Seamus Coleman goal, courtesy of Gareth Barry off a cross from a set piece. Everton's Leighton Baines was given a yellow card in the twenty-ninth minute for a foul. Arsenal had the next yellow card, given to Per Mertesacker for a foul in the forty-third minute. Everton extended their lead with a forty-fifth minute goal by Steven Naismith, coming on a through ball from a fast break. Arsenal was visited by the referee three times in the second half, for Jack Wilshere's foul in the fifty-fourth minute, Calum Chambers' offense in the fifty-seventh minute, and Mathieu Flamini in the seventy-seventh minute for another foul. After having their fair share of discipline, Arsenal took control with an Aaron Ramsey goal in the eighty-third minute to cut the deficit in half, made possible by a cross from Santiago Cazorla. Olivier Giroud completed the comeback for Arsenal by tying the game in the ninetieth minute on a goal, coming off of Nacho Monreal's cross. This salvaged a point as the game would end 2-2.

On Sunday, there were three games, beginning with Hull City hosting Stoke City. Asmir Begovic and Allan McGregor are the keepers. Hull City went down to ten men when James Chester was sent off on a straight red card in the fourteenth minute. Stoke City saw a yellow card given to Mame Biran Diouf in the thirty-eighth minute for a foul. The shorthanded Hull City was first to score with a forty-second minute goal by Nikica Jelavic. Phil Bardsley had the next yellow card in the forty-fourth minute for Stoke City. Hull City's Andrew Robertson was also booked on a yellow card for his offense in the fifty-first minute. Stoke City took another yellow card in the sixty-first minute for a Bojan foul. Stoke City tied the game in the eighty-third minute with a goal from close range by Ryan Shawcross. This provided the final score, which was level at 1-1.

The next game was Tottenham Hotspur welcoming the Queens Park Rangers. Robert Green and Hugo Lloris are the goalies.  Tottenham Hotspur began with a twelfth minute goal by Nacer Chadli, assisted by Emmanuel Adebayor. Tottenham Hotspur added on in the thirtieth minute on an Eric Dier goal, fueled by Erik Lamela's cross off of a corner kick. Tottenham Hotspur extended the lead in the thirty-seventh minute, as Chadli scored again with the help of Lamela on the cross. In the sixty-fourth minute, Leroy Fer of QPR was shown a yellow card for a foul, and a minute later Tottenham padded the lead again on an Adebayor goal, made possible by Danny Rose. The final stood from here as 4-0 for Tottenham Hotspur.

Finishing off on Sunday, Sunderland brings in Manchester United. David de Gea and Vito Mannone draw the starts in goal. Manchester United started in the seventeenth minute with a Juan Mata goal from in close. Sunderland tied it on a Jack Rodwell goal in the thirtieth minute, via Sebastian Larsson's cross after a corner kick. In the sixty-second minute, Ashley Young of Manchester United was given a yellow card for a dive, followed by another yellow card to Manchester United's Tom Cleverley in the sixty-seventh minute for a foul. The final was a 1-1 draw.

The last game was the featured Manchester City hosting Liverpool on Monday. Simon Mignolet and Joe Hart will protect the nets. Manchester City had the first yellow card for a twenty-ninth minute foul by Yaya Toure. Manchester City began the scoring with a Stevan Jovetic goal in the forty-first minute. In the fifty-fifth minute, Jovetic added on for Manchester City with another goal, set up by Samir Nasri. Manchester City extended the lead in the sixty-ninth minute with a goal by Sergio Aguero, courtesy of Jesus Navas with the through ball. Liverpool's Emre Can was shown the yellow card for a seventy-sixth minute foul. Liverpool got on the board, but it wasn't their own doing, as Pablo Zabaleta put the ball in his own net for an own goal. This produced a 3-1 final favoring Manchester City.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

MLS Weekend, August 22-24, 2014

We have another set of nine games this weekend, beginning with...

FC Dallas hosting Real Salt Lake. Nick Rimando and Raul Fernandez make the starts in goal. The first half was marred by disciplinary action. Dallas saw yellow cards go to Blas Perez in the thirty-first minute for unsporting behavior, Michel in the thirty-third minute for a foul, and Perez again in the forty-fifth minute for a dive, causing him to be sent off and Dallas to fall to ten men. Salt Lake's Chris Schuler also had a yellow card for unsporting behavior in the forty-fifth minute. With the behavioral issues out of the way, the second half was all about goals. Dallas began in the fiftieth minute on a Je-Vaughn Watson goal, via Michel. Dallas added on with a Fabian Castillo goal in the seventy-fourth minute, courtesy of Tesho Akindele and Michel. Real got one back with an Olmes Garcia goal in stoppage time, set up by Sebastian Velasquez. They failed to tie it, dropping the game 2-1. The man of the match was Michel for setting up both goals with Dallas being shorthanded.

Beginning on Saturday, we have the New York Red Bulls welcoming the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Luis Robles are in goal. Montreal got going in the thirty-seventh minute on a Dilly Duka goal, assisted by Calum Mallace. New York tied it on a fifty-third minute Thierry Henry goal, fueled by Eric Alexander. The Red Bulls took the lead in the sixty-seventh minute as Henry scored again, with the help of Dax McCarty. New York added on with a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal, coming off of Henry in seventy-fourth minute. The Impact made it interesting with a seventy-ninth minute Andres Romero goal, set up by Wandrille Lefevre. The Red Bulls finished it at 4-2 with a Wright-Phillips goal in the ninetieth minute, thanks to Peguy Luyindula. Henry was the man of the match.

Up in Canada, Toronto FC brings in the Chicago Fire. Sean Johnson and Joe Bendik are guarding the nets. Toronto got an early gift as Chicago's Bakary Soumare put the ball in his own net for an own goal. Chicago also had a pair of yellow cards in the first half, going to Lovel Palmer in the twentieth minute for a foul and Alex in the thirty-ninth minute for persistent infringement. The teams exchanged yellow cards in the second half as Soumare got one for a foul in the forty-sixth minute for the Fire, followed by Toronto's Collen Warner being booked in the fifty-seventh minute, also for a foul. The Fire tied it in the seventieth minute as Robert Earnshaw scored, with the help of Grant Ward. Toronto retook the lead as Gilberto deposited a pass from Luke Moore in the seventy-ninth minute. Chicago got another equalizer in the ninetieth minute on a Quincy Amarikwa goal, fueled by Palmer. The Fire took a yellow card in stoppage time for a Gonzalo Segares foul, but they escaped the game with a point in the 2-2 draw. Amarikwa was the man of the match for the timely tally.

Back stateside, the Columbus Crew host the Houston Dynamo. Tally Hall and Steve Clark are the veteran goalies. Columbus began with a thirty-fifth minute goal by Justin Meram, going in unassisted. The Crew added on in the fifty-ninth minute as Adam Bedell scored, with the help of Meram. Houston's Corey Ashe took a yellow card for a foul in the sixty-first minute. Columbus extended their lead with a sixty-fourth minute by Aaron Schoenfeld, via Waylon Francis. The Dynamo had another yellow card in the seventy-ninth minute for a Brian Ownby foul. The final stood at 3-0, with Meram being the man of the match for his goal and assist.

East to New England, where the Revolution welcome Chivas USA. Dan Kennedy and Bobby Shuttleworth are the keepers. The teams exchanged yellow cards early in the second half as A.J. Soares forty-eighth minute yellow card for persistent infringement for New England, matched by Chivas' Tony Lochhead getting a yellow card in the fifty-third minute for a foul. The Revolution began in the fifty-sixth minute as Lee Nguyen scored, thanks to Kelyn Rowe and Daigo Kobayashi. Chivas took another yellow card in the seventieth minute on a foul by Oswaldo Minda. This was it for the game, with the Revolution winning 1-0, and Shuttleworth was the man of the match for four saves and a clean sheet.

Out west, Sporting Kansas City brings in DC United. Bill Hamid and Jon Kempin are the goalies. DC struck first in the twenty-fourth minute on a Fabian Espindola goal, assisted by Luis Silva. United added on in the twenty-eighth minute with a Chris Rolfe goal, passed from Silva. DC extended the lead in the thirty-first minute on a Perry Kitchen goal, via Rolfe. United's Taylor Kemp was given a yellow card in the sixty-first minute for time wasting. Kansas City's Igor Juliao was booked in the eighty-third minute for a foul that drew a yellow card. DC won 3-0, with the man of the match being Rolfe for his insurance goal and an assist.

Finishing up Saturday, the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Jaime Penedo are set to start in goal. Los Angeles started with a fourth minute goal by Landon Donovan, set up by Robbie Keane. The Galaxy's Dan Gargan was given a yellow card in the twenty-first minute for a foul. Los Angeles added on in the thirty-second minute with a Marcelo Sarvas goal, fueled by Keane. The second half was all about discipline. Vancouver saw yellow cards go to Mehdi Ballouchy in the sixtieth minute for a foul and Kendall Watson for unsporting behavior in the eighty-seventh minute, followed by a ninetieth minute red card to Johnny Leveron for a fight. The Galaxy had yellow cards go to A.J. DeLaGarza in the seventy-eighth minute, Sarvas in the eightieth minute, and Omar Gonzalez in the eighty-third minute, all for fouls. The final was 2-0, and the man of the match was Keane for his two assists.

Finally on Sunday, we have the Portland Timbers welcoming the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and Donovan Ricketts are the keepers. Seattle opened in the eighteenth minute with an Obafemi Martins goal, passed from Brad Evans and DeAndre Yedlin. In the twenty-third minute, Liam Ridgewell got a yellow card for a foul. The Sounders added on in the thirty-fourth minute with a Clint Dempsey goal, made possible by Martins turning away from a Portland corner and threading the ball to the scorer. The Timbers took another yellow card for a Norberto Paparatto foul in the thirty-eighth minute. In the forty-sixth minute, Chad Marshall was booked for a foul on a yellow card and Zach Scott gave another yellow card to Seattle for his foul in the fifty-third minute. The Sounders took another yellow card for an Osvaldo Alonso foul in the sixty-first minute. Portland's Maximiliano Urruti received a yellow card in the sixty-fourth minute for dissent. Seattle extended the lead with a Chad Barrett goal in the seventieth minute, via Dempsey. The Timbers got one back in the seventy-third minute with a Fanendo Adi goal, set up by Rodney Wallace. The Sounders got it right back in the seventy-sixth minute as Martins scored his second of the game, with an assist from Gonzalo Pineda. Portland refused to roll over, as Adi scored again in the first minute of stoppage time, thanks to Steve Zakuani. The final stood at 4-2, and Martins was the clear man of the match.

Finishing off the weekend, the Philadelphia Union bring in the San Jose Earthquakes. Jon Busch and Rais Mbolhi are protecting the woodwork. Philadelphia led off with a tenth minute goal by Andrew Wenger, assisted by Sebastien Le Toux and Conor Casey. The Union added on in the fourteenth minute with a Le Toux goal, going in unassisted. San Jose got one back in the fifty-ninth minute on an unassisted Sam Cronin goal. Le Toux marred his good night by taking a yellow card for a sixty-seventh minute foul for Philadelphia. The Earthquakes pulled even on a seventieth minute Chris Wondolowski goal, set up by Shea Salinas. The Union retook the lead in the seventy-second minute as Sheanon Williams buried a pass from none other than Le Toux. Philadelphia kept going in the seventy-ninth minute with Wegner's second of the game, again set up by Le Toux. The final stood at 4-2, and Le Toux was the man of the match for factoring in on every goal.