MLS Midweek: September 27, 2017

Eight games on in the middle of the week this time, beginning in...

Georgia, as Atlanta United FC hosts the Philadelphia Union. Andre Blake and Brad Guzan draw the starts in goal. Atlanta began in the twenty-seventh minute with a Julian Gressel goal, via Leandro Gonzalez Pirez. Atlanta added on in the thirty-third minute with a Josef Martinez goal, made possible by Gressel. Atlanta's Martinez had a yellow card for a sixty-seventh minute foul. Atlanta extended the lead in the eighty-eighth minute as Jacob Peterson scored, thanks to Hector Villalba. The final was 3-0, with the man of the match being Gressel.

In Canada, the Montreal Impact welcome New York City FC. Sean Johnson and Evan Bush are the keepers. New York City opened in the twenty-ninth minute with a Jack Harrison goal, coming off of Rodney Wallace. New York City's Frederic Brillant had a yellow card for a thirty-third minute foul. Montreal took a yellow card for Blerim Dzemaili's fortieth minute foul. Andraz Struna of New York City received a yellow card for his foul in the forty-fifth minute. In the seventy-third minute, Alexander Ring of New York City had a yellow card for a foul, as did teammate Alexander Callens in the seventy-fourth minute. The final held at 1-0, with Johnson the man of the match for his three-save clean sheet.

Back stateside, the New York Red Bulls host DC United. Steve Clark and Luis Robles are set to start in goal. New York led off in the nineteenth minute with a Tyler Adams goal, made possible by Connor Lade and Sacha Kljestan. DC had a yellow card for a foul by Russell Canouse in the thirty-seventh minute. Damien Perrinelle of the Red Bulls took a yellow card for a forty-fifth minute foul. DC tied it in first half stoppage time on a Zoltan Stieber goal. DC's Stieber took a yellow card for a foul in the sixty-fourth minute. Kljestan of New York had a yellow card for his sixty-eighth minute foul. DC took the lead in the seventieth minute on a Patrick Mullins goal, guided in by Canouse and Stieber. The Red Bulls retied it on an Adams goal in the seventy-fourth minute. New York took the lead in the seventy-eighth minute with a Gonzalo Veron penalty kick goal. Steve Birnbaum of DC had a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-seventh minute. DC tied it in second half stoppage time time as the Red Bulls' Fidel Escobar committed an own goal. The tie held at 3, with the man of the match being Adams.

In Florida, Orlando City SC bring in the New England Revolution. Cody Cropper and Joe Bendik protect the nets. New England went down to ten men in the eleventh minute as Xavier Kouassi took a straight red card for a foul. Claude Dielna of the Revolution had a yellow card for a twenty-first minute foul. Orlando City started in the twenty-second minute with an Antonio Nocerino goal, coming off of Yoshimar Yotun. Kaka of Orlando City took a yellow card for a dive in the twenty-eighth minute. Scott Caldwell of New England received a yellow card in the twenty-ninth minute for his foul. Orlando City added on in the thirty-second minute with a Seb Hines goal, set up by Yotun. Leo Pereira of Orlando City took a yellow card for a thirty-third minute foul. Orlando City extended the lead as Kaka scored in the forty-third minute, thanks to Dominic Dwyer. Hines took a yellow card for Orlando City for his forty-fifth minute foul. The Revolution got on the board in first half stoppage time with a Lee Nguyen goal. Antonio Mlinar Delamea of New England received a yellow card for his fifty-seventh minute foul. Orlando City replied in the seventy-seventh minute with a Kaka goal, courtesy of Dwyer. Orlando City padded the lead with a Dwyer goal in the eighty-fourth minute, set up by Cyle Larin. Benjamin Angoua of the Revolution had a yellow card for an eighty-fifth minute foul. Orlando City continued in the ninetieth minute with a Yotun goal, passed from Richie Laryea. Nguyen of New England had a yellow card for his foul in second half stoppage time. The final was 6-1, with Yotun named man of the match.

West to Texas, where FC Dallas hosts the Colorado Rapids. Tim Howard and Jesse Gonzalez play goal. Dallas struck first in the sixth minute with a Maynor Figueroa goal, helped along by Hernan Grana and Mauro Diaz. Dallas added on in the ninth minute with a Roland Lamah goal, via Grana and Diaz. Colorado's Bobby Burling took a yellow card for a twelfth minute foul. In the twenty-third minute, Matt Hedges of Dallas had a yellow card for a foul. The Rapids saw yellow cards for Stefan Aigner's dissent in the forty-fourth minute and Mohammed Saeid's foul in first half stoppage time. Dallas' keeper Gonzalez had a yellow card for time wasting in the eighty-fourth minute. The final stood at 2-0, with Grana earning man of the match honors.

In Houston, the Dynamo welcome the Los Angeles Galaxy. Clement Diop and Tyler Deric are in between the posts. Los Angeles got going with a third minute gift, an own goal by Houston's DaMarcus Beasley. The Galaxy added on in the twelfth minute with a Romain Alessandrini goal, via Ashley Cole. Juan Cabezas of Houston had a yellow card for a twenty-fourth minute foul. The Dynamo got on the board in the twenty-sixth minute with a Tomas Martinez goal, guided in by A.J. DeLaGarza and Beasley. Hugo Arellano of Los Angeles had a yellow card for a thirty-first minute foul. The Galaxy replied in the forty-seventh minute with a Bradford Jamieson goal, helped along by Giovani dos Santos and Rafael Garcia. In the fifty-seventh minute, Los Angeles' keeper Diop had a yellow card for time wasting. In the sixty-first minute, Jonathan dos Santos of the Galaxy and Martinez of Houston took yellow cards for their argument. Giovani dos Santos of Los Angeles had a yellow card for dissent in the seventy-first minute.The Dynamo got one back with an Alberth Elis penalty kick goal in the eighty-fourth minute. Houston tied it on an Elis goal in the eighty-eighth minute, via Vicente Sanchez. Jermaine Jones of the Galaxy had a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The final was 3-3, with Elis earning man of the match honors.

West to San Jose, as the Earthquakes host the Chicago Fire. Richard Sanchez and Andrew Tarbell are the backups in goal. Chicago was first to score in the fourteenth minute with a Djordje Mihailovic goal, via Matt Polster and Michael de Leeuw. Arturo Alvarez of the Fire had a yellow card for his foul in the twenty-sixth minute. San Jose saw yellow cards for fouls by Florian Jungwirth and Anibal Godoy in the thirty-fifth and thirty-ninth minutes, respectively. Chicago added on in the fortieth minute with a Luis Solignac goal, helped along by de Leeuw and Mihailovic. The Fire extended the lead as Nemanja Nikolic scored in the forty-eighth minute, thanks to Solignac. Chicago padded hte lead with a Nikolic goal in the sixty-fifth minute. Jackson Yueill of the Earthquakes received a yellow card for a sixty-seventh minute foul. San Jose got on the board in the eighty-seventh minute with a Chris Wondolowski goal, coming off of Valeri Qazaishvili. The final stood at 4-1, with the man of the match being Nikolic.

Finally, the Seattle Sounders FC bring in the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Stefan Frei are the gloved men. Seattle drew first blood in the seventeenth minute with a Victor Rodriguez goal, made possible by Nicolas Lodeiro. Vancouver saw yellow cards for a Yordy Reyna dive in the twenty-fourth minute and Kendall Waston's twenty-sixth minute foul. The Sounders saw a yellow card for a thirty-fifth minute foul by Osvaldo Alonso. Seattle added on in the sixty-second minute with a Lodeiro goal, via Joevin Jones and Rodriguez. The Sounders extended the lead in the sixty-ninth minute as Clint Dempsey scored, thanks to Lodeiro. The Whitecaps had a yellow card for a Sheanon Williams foul in stoppage time. Vancouver went down to ten men a minute later as Tony Tchani took a straight red card for violent conduct. The final held at 3-0, with Lodeiro named man of the match.

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NWSL Midweek: September 27, 2017

Just one game today, as the Houston Dash host the North Carolina Courage in Rio Grande Valley. Sabrina D'Angelo and Jane Campbell play in goal. North Carolina opened in the thirteenth minute with a Samantha Mewis goal off a turnover, assisted by Abby Dahlkemper. The Courage added on in the thirty-eighth minute with a Lynn Williams goal, passed from Ashley Hatch. North Carolina extended the lead in the fifty-first minute as Debinha scored, with the help of Williams and Samantha Mewis. In the fifty-sixth minute, the Courage padded the lead with a Hatch goal, helped along by Debinha. The final held at 4-0, with the woman of the match being Debinha. Also strong for North Carolina were Samantha Mewis, Williams, Hatch, and Abby Erceg, while Houston's best were Kristie Mewis, Rachel Daly, and Janine Beckie.

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NWSL 2017: Week 23

We're back for the second-to-last week of NWSL action in the regular season. We begin in...

Orlando, as the Pride host the Portland Thorns FC to lead off a three-game Saturday. Adrianna Franch and Ashlyn Harris protect the nets. Portland's Allie Long took a yellow card for an eighteenth minute foul. In the sixty-ninth minute, Kristen Edmonds of Orlando had a yellow card for a foul. The final stood at 0-0, with the woman of the match being Thorns center back Emily Menges. Franch (two-save clean sheet) and Hayley Raso also played well for Portland, while the Pride's best were Monica, Alanna Kennedy, and Alex Morgan.

Up north, the Washington Spirit welcome the Boston Breakers. Abby Smith and Didi Haracic are the goalies. Boston got going in the forty-seventh minute with a Natasha Dowie goal, passed from Adriana Leon and Angela Salem. In the fifty-fourth minute, Leon's heavy touch bounced off of Kassey Kallman of Washington and into the net behind Haracic to add to the Breakers' lead. In the fifty-fifth minute, Boston extended the lead as Brooke Elby sent a cross that deflected off of Kallman and the crossbar, where Leon then tapped it in. In the sixty-eighth minute, Amanda Frisbie of the Breakers took a yellow card for a foul. In the seventy-seventh minute, Rosie White of Boston received a yellow card for her foul. The final held at 3-0, with Leon as the woman of the match. The Breakers also saw good performances from Dowie, Elby, Allysha Chapman, and Megan Oyster. Washington's best were Alyssa Kleiner, Meggie Dougherty Howard, and Mallory Pugh.

Down in Texas, the Houston Dash host the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher and Jane Campbell draw the starts in goal. Chicago opened in the twelfth minute with a Jen Hoy goal on a rebound from her initial shot that Campbell had saved. The Red Stars added on in the twentieth minute with a Casey Short goal, after Campbell mishandled a corner kick by Vanessa DiBernardo. Houston got on the board with a twenty-fourth minute penalty kick goal by Amber Brooks. Chicago replied with a penalty kick goal by Christen Press after Brooks was charged with a handball in first half stoppage time. In the seventy-fifth minute, Andressinha took a yellow card for a foul for the Dash. In the eighty-fifth minute, Houston pulled a goal back as Rachel Daly scored, with the assist from Kristie Mewis. In the eighty-ninth minute, Yuki Nagasato received a straight red card for her foul against Daly. The game ended 3-2, with the woman of the match being Short. Also starring for the Red Stars were DiBernardo, Press, and Hoy, while the Dash's best were Janine Van Wyk, Mewis, and Daly.

On Sunday, Sky Blue FC bring in the North Carolina Courage. Katelyn Rowland and Caroline Casey are the keepers. North Carolina began in the twenty-seventh minute with an Ashley Hatch goal, via Kristen Hamilton's headed pass. In the sixty-fifth minute, Nikki Stanton of Sky Blue had a yellow card for a foul. Sky Blue tied it on a seventy-fifth minute Raquel Rodriguez goal after Sam Kerr's shot attempt drew Rowland out of position. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with the woman of the match being Casey for her six-for-seven saves performance. Also strong for Sky Blue were Mandy Freeman, Erica Skroski, and Stanton, while the Courage's best were Jaelene Hinkle, McCall Zerboni, Hatch, and Lynn Williams.

Finally, in Seattle, the Reign FC host FC Kansas City. Nicole Barnhart and Lydia Williams protect the nets. Kansas City started in the twenty-third minute with a Shea Groom goal, via Sydney Leroux. Seattle saw a yellow card for a Megan Rapinoe foul in the sixty-ninth minute. The final was 1-0, with the woman of the match being Groom. Also strong for Kansas City were Becky Sauerbrunn, Desiree Scott, and Leroux, while the Reign's best were Rebekah Stott, Rumi Utsugi, and Rachel Corsie.

NWSL Team of the Week
GK Caroline Casey
RB Rebekah Stott
CB Becky Sauerbrunn
CB Emily Menges
LB Casey Short
DM Brooke Elby
AM Shea Groom
AM Kristie Mewis
FW Adriana Leon
FW Ashley Hatch
FW Natasha Dowie

MLS 2017: Week 29

All teams are in action this weekend, beginning with eight games on Saturday. We start with...

New York City FC hosting the Houston Dynamo. Tyler Deric and Sean Johnson are in goal. New York City began in the sixth minute with a Maximiliano Moralez goal, via Andraz Struna. Houston tied it in the sixteenth minute on a Mauro Manotas goal, coming off of Vicente Sanchez. The final held at 1-1, with the man of the match being Deric for going six for seven in saves to preserve the road draw for the Dynamo.

Up in New England, the Revolution welcome Toronto FC. Clint Irwin and Cody Cropper draw the starts in goal. Victor Vazquez of Toronto took a yellow card for dissent in the sixty-first minute. New England got going in the eighty-second minute on a Lee Nguyen goal, via Chris Tierney. Toronto tied it in the eighty-fourth minute with a Nicolas Hasler goal, assisted by Michael Bradley. The Revolution retook the lead with an eighty-seventh minute goal by Kei Kamara, coming off of Nguyen and Tierney. Kamara took a yellow card for dissent in stoppage time. The final held at 2-1, with Tierney the man of the match.

Backtracking to DC, where United brings in the San Jose Earthquakes. Andrew Tarbell and Steve Clark are the backups in goal. Florian Jungwirth of San Jose had a yellow card for a fiftieth minute foul. DC led off in the fifty-seventh minute with a Patrick Mullins goal, via Paul Arriola and Luciano Acosta. DC added on in the sixtieth minute with a Mullins goal, set up by Arriola. Andres Imperiale of the Earthquakes took a yellow card for a sixty-seventh minute foul. DC extended the lead as Mullins completed his hat trick in the sixty-eighth minute. In the eighty-eighth minute, DC made it a 4-0 win with Mullins' fourth goal of the game. For obvious reasons, Mullins was named man of the match.

Over in Philadelphia, the Union host the Chicago Fire. Matt Lampson and Andre Blake are the gloved men. Philadelphia opened in the tenth minute with a Chris Pontius goal, via Keegan Rosenberry and Warren Creavalle. Matt Polster of Chicago had a yellow card for a sixteenth minute foul. In the forty-second minute, Johan Kappelhof of the Fire had a yellow card for his foul. The Union added on in the fifty-fifth minute with a Pontius goal. Philadelphia extended the lead in the sixty-fourth minute as C.J. Sapong scored, thanks to Fabinho and Alejandro Bedoya. Chicago got on the board in the sixty-seventh minute with a Luis Solignac goal, passed from Nemanja Nikolic and Polster. The Union saw yellow cards for persistent infringement by Rosenberry in the eighty-fifth minute and a foul by Creavalle in the eighty-sixth minute. The final stood at 3-1, with Pontius as the man of the match.

West to Ohio, as the Columbus Crew welcome the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Zack Steffen are in the six-yard boxes. Columbus started in the sixth minute with a Jonathan Mensah goal, via Federico Higuain. New York tied it on a fourteenth minute Bradley Wright-Phillips goal, made possible by Sean Davis. Kemar Lawrence of the Red Bulls had a yellow card for a forty-first minute foul. Hector Jimenez of the Crew received a yellow card for a forty-second minute foul. Columbus retook the lead in the fifty-fourth minute with a Justin Meram goal, helped along by Higuain. The Crew added on in sixty-sixth minute with a Josh Williams goal, passed from Higuain. In the seventy-first minute, Higuain received a yellow card for dissent on a penalty kick call that led to a Gonzalo Veron goal to get New York a goal back. Wright-Phillips and Muhamed Keita of the Red Bulls took yellow cards for fouls in the seventy-third and eighty-sixth minutes, respectively. Columbus saw yellow cards for time wasting by Jukka Raitala in the ninetieth minute and Pedro Santos' foul in stoppage time. The final was 3-2, with the three-assist man Higuain earning man of the match honors.

North to Minnesota, as United FC brings in FC Dallas. Jesse Gonzalez and Bobby Shuttleworth are the keepers. Dallas struck first in the fourteenth minute with a Tesho Akindele goal, via Michael Barrios. Minnesota tied it on a twenty-fourth minute Christian Martinez goal, helped along by Kevin Molino. Minnesota took the lead in the thirty-fifth minute with a Miguel Ibarra goal, coming off of Ramirez and Ibson. Minnesota had yellow cards for fouls by Francisco Calvo in the fortieth minute and Ethan Finlay in the forty-second minute. Collin Martin of Minnesota took a yellow card for his fifty-eighth minute foul. Minnesota added to their lead with a Finlay goal in the seventy-first minute, guided in by Ramirez and Martin. Dallas saw yellow cards for fouls by Barrios and Hernan Grana in the seventy-fifth and seventy-eighth minutes, respectively. Dallas went down to ten men in the eighty-first minute with an Akindele foul that earned a straight red card. Minnesota extended the lead as Abu Danladi scored in the eighty-eighth minute. The final stayed at 4-1, with Ramirez named man of the match.

In Utah, Real Salt Lake hosts the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and Nick Rimando are the solid keepers. Salt Lake dented the scoreboard in the fifty-second minute with a Jefferson Savarino goal, via Albert Rusnak. Seattle had a yellow card for a foul by Kelvin Leerdam in the fifty-seventh minute. Real added on with a sixty-sixth minute Luke Mulholland goal, assisted by Savarino and Joao Plata. The Sounders' Lamar Neagle took a yellow card in stoppage time for his foul. The final held at 2-0, with Savarino as the man of the match.

Saturday ends in Vancouver, as the Whitecaps FC welcomes the Colorado Rapids. Tim Howard and David Ousted are between the posts. Vancouver was first to score in the fourth minute with a Fredy Montero goal, helped along by Yordy Reyna. Jared Watts of Colorado had a yellow card for a fourteenth minute foul. The Whitecaps' Tim Parker took a yellow card for his thirty-fourth minute foul. In the forty-third minute, the Rapids' Mekeil Williams had a yellow card for a foul. Colorado tied it on a Dominique Badji goal in the forty-fifth minute. In the fifty-fourth minute, Vancouver retook the lead with a Reyna goal, set up by Montero. Micheal Azira of the Rapids had a yellow card for an eighty-seventh minute foul. The final was 2-1, and Reyna was the man of the match.

On Sunday, Sporting Kansas City brings in the Los Angeles Galaxy. Clement Diop and Tim Melia are the goalies. Jonathan dos Santos of Los Angeles had a yellow card for a foul in the first minute. Kansas City led off in the eighteenth minute with a Daniel Salloi goal, via Diego Rubio and Graham Zusi. Sporting added on in the thirty-fifth minute with a Rubio goal, helped along by Seth Sinovic and Ilie Sanchez. Michael Ciani of the Galaxy had a yellow card for his fifty-fifth minute foul. Los Angeles got on the board in the fifty-eighth minute with a Romain Alessandrini goal. Jack McBean of the Galaxy took a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The final held at 2-1, with Rubio as the man of the match.

Southeast to Georgia, where Atlanta United FC hosts the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Brad Guzan play in goal. Atlanta began in the twenty-eighth minute with a Hector Villalba goal, via Carlos Carmona. Atlanta added on in the seventy-third minute with a Jeff Larentowicz goal, passed from Julian Gressel and Carmona. The final stayed at 2-0, with Carmona named man of the match.

Finally, the Portland Timbers host Orlando City SC. Joe Bendik and Jeff Attinella play in goal. Jonathan Spector of Orlando City had a yellow card for a fourteenth minute foul. Portland struck first in the fifteenth minute with a Diego Valeri penalty kick goal. The Timbers added on with a Darren Mattocks goal in the twenty-ninth minute goal, helped along by Dairon Asprilla and Diego Chara. Orlando City went down to ten men in the forty-seventh minute as Spector took a second yellow card for a foul. Antonio Nocerino of Orlando City received a yellow card for his dissent in the fifty-second minute. Portland extended the lead as Valeri scored again in the fifty-ninth minute. Liam Ridgewell of the Timbers had a yellow card for an eightieth minute foul. Orlando City went down to nine men in the eighty-fourth minute as Victor Pagliari Giro took a straight red card for violent conduct. The final was 3-0, with Valeri named man of the match.

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