Saturday, August 25, 2018

NWSL 2018 Week 22

The final stretch is upon the NWSL, with this the final weekend before an international break. We play four games on Saturday, leading off with...

Seattle Reign FC hosting the North Carolina Courage. Katelyn Rowland and Lydia Williams protect the nets. In the twenty-third minute, Jessica McDonald had a yellow card for not retreating for North Carolina. In first half stoppage time, the Courage's Denise O'Sullivan received a yellow card for a foul. Seattle got going in the sixty-seventh minute with a Theresa Nielsen goal, set up by Jess Fishlock on a corner kick. In the seventy-ninth minute, Jodie Taylor of the Reign took a yellow card for dissent. North Carolina's Merritt Mathias took a yellow card for an eighty-fifth minute foul. The Courage tied it in second half stoppage time on a chaotic sequence in the box leading to a goal by Lynn Williams. The final stood at 1-1, with Lydia Williams as the woman of the match, going eleven for twelve in saves. Also strong for the Reign were Steph Catley, Lauren Barnes, Nielsen, Morgan Andrews, Fishlock, and Elizabeth Addo, while the Courage's best were Crystal Dunn, Abby Erceg, Mathias, Samantha Mewis, Lynn Williams, and McDonald.

Way southeast to Florida, as the Orlando Pride welcome the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher and Ashlyn Harris are the American keepers. Orlando's Camila received a yellow card for a forty-second minute foul. Chicago led off in the forty-fourth minute with a Sam Kerr goal, via Yuki Nagasato. The Red Stars added on in first half stoppage time with a Vanessa DiBernardo goal, passed from Kerr. Chicago extended the lead as Kerr stole the ball from the Pride's Alanna Kennedy and scored her second of the game. Orlando got one back with an Alex Morgan goal, set up by Marta. The Pride had yellow cards for fouls by Shelina Zadorsky in the seventy-ninth minute and Monica in the eighty-second minute. The final stayed at 3-1, with Kerr as the woman of the match. Also good for the Red Stars were Arin Gilliland, Julie Ertz, Casey Short, Morgan Brian, and DiBernardo, while Harris (six for nine in saves), Carson Pickett, Marta, and Morgan led the way for the Pride.

Up in DC, the Washington Spirit bring in the Portland Thorns FC to Audi Field. Adrianna Franch and Aubrey Bledsoe are the gloved women. Portland started in the fifteenth minute with a Tobin Heath goal, set up by Hayley Raso. Whitney Church of Washington had a yellow card for a foul in the fortieth minute. The game ended at 1-0, with the woman of the match being Heath. Also good for the Thorns were Ellie Carpenter, Emily Menges, Lindsey Horan, Christine Sinclair, and Hayley Raso, while the Spirit's best were Estelle Johnson, Andi Sullivan, and Ashley Hatch.

Finally, the Houston Dash host Sky Blue FC. Kailen Sheridan and Jane Campbell are the young keepers. Houston opened in the twenty-second minute with a Linda Motlhalo goal on a rebound from an initial shot by Rachel Daly. The Dash added on in the forty-eighth minute with a Veronica Latsko goal, set up by Sofia Huerta. Sky Blue got on the board in the fifty-fourth minute with an Imani Dorsey goal after she made a steal against Amber Brooks. Houston responded on a difficult Huerta goal after a cross from Kealia Ohai went all the way through. Huerta drew a penalty kick soon after, and Daly converted from the spot to boost the Dash lead. Houston extended the lead in the eighty-eighth minute as Haley Hanson volleyed home a Kyah Simon corner kick. The Dash padded the lead in the ninetieth minute as a Sky Blue set piece was saved by Campbell, and quickly turned into a goal by Thembi Kgatlana thanks to an outlet pass from Hanson. The final stood at a towering 6-1, with the woman of the match being Huerta. Also good for the Dash were Taylor Comeau, Janine van Wyk, Hanson, Motlhalo, Huerta, Ohai, and Daly, while Sky Blue's best were Dorsey and Shea Groom.

NWSL Team of the Week
GK Lydia Williams
RB Theresa Nielsen
CB Janine Van Wyk
CB Lauren Barnes
LB Casey Short
DM Andi Sullivan
DM Morgan Andrews
AM Sofia Huerta
AM Christine Sinclair
FW Sam Kerr
FW Tobin Heath

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

NWSL 2018 Week 22 Midweek

Three games going at midweek this time, beginning on Tuesday with...

The Seattle Reign FC hosting a smoky game against the Houston Dash. Jane Campbell and Lydia Williams protect the nets. In the twenty-eighth minute, Megan Oyster of Seattle had a yellow card for a foul. The Reign got going in the fifty-eighth minute with a Jodie Taylor goal, made possible by Theresa Nielsen and Jasmyne Spencer. Seattle added on in the sixty-first minute with a Taylor goal, assisted by Megan Rapinoe. In the eighty-third minute, Amber Brooks took a yellow card for dissent. The final stayed at 2-0, with Taylor as the woman of the match for her brace. Also strong for the Reign were Lauren Barnes, Nielsen, Morgan Andrews, Jess Fishlock, and Rapinoe, while the Dash's best were Campbell, Janine van Wyk, Allysha Chapman, Sofia Huerta, and Veronica Latsko.

On Wednesday, the Washington Spirit welcome the Utah Royals FC. Nicole Barnhart and Didi Haracic are the backups in goal. Utah began in the twelfth minute with an Amy Rodriguez goal, coming on a second attempt after a great Christen Press cross. Rachel Corsie of the Royals had a yellow card for a seventeenth minute foul. The final held at 1-0, with the woman of the match being Rodriguez. Also strong for the Royals were Becky Sauerbrunn, Katie Bowen, Katie Stengel, and Press, while the Spirit's best were Taylor Smith, Andi Sullivan, and Haracic (ten for eleven in saves).

Finally, the Portland Thorns FC bring in the Sky Blue FC. Kailen Sheridan and Adrianna Franch are the good keepers. Portland led off with a thirteenth minute penalty kick goal by Christine Sinclair after Lindsey Horan drew a foul in the box against Erica Skroski. Sky Blue's Madison Tiernan had a yellow card for a forty-first minute foul. The Thorns added on in the fifty-fourth minute with a Tobin Heath free kick goal. In the sixty-seventh minute, Savannah McCaskill of Sky Blue had a yellow card for a foul. Katie Johnson of Sky Blue received a yellow card for a seventy-fifth minute foul. Sky Blue got on the board in the eighty-fifth minute with a Sarah Killion goal off of a deflected cross from Domi Richardson. Jen Hoy of Sky Blue took a yellow card in the eighty-eighth minute for a late foul on Meghan Klingenberg. The Thorns held on for a 2-1 win, with the woman of the match being Sinclair. Also good for Portland were Klingenberg, Heath, and Raso, while Sky Blue's best were Richardson, Killion, Raquel Rodriguez, and Carli Lloyd.

MLS 2018 Week 26 Midweek

Technically only one game at midweek, but it kicks off a five-day stretch of games for MLS. This is the New York Derby, as NYCFC hosts the Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Sean Johnson protect the nets. The Red Bulls opened in the thirty-seventh minute with a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal, assisted by Daniel Royer and Tyler Adams. NYCFC went down to ten men in the fortieth minute with a straight red card to Eloi Amagat for a foul. Sean Davis of the Red Bulls had a yellow card for his forty-fourth minute foul. NYCFC tied it in the fifty-second minute with a David Villa goal, via Jo Inge Berget and Maximiliano Moralez. Anton Tinnerholm of NYCFC took a yellow card for a sixty-first minute foul. In the seventy-third minute, the Red Bulls' Connor Lade had a yellow card. NYCFC went down to nine men when Ebenezer Ofori's foul drew a straight red card, and Villa took a yellow card for dissent on that call. The Red Bulls saw yellow cards for fouls by Kemar Lawrence in the seventy-seventh minute and Andreas Ivan in the eighty-second minute. The final stood at 1-1, with Villa the man of the match for the shorthanded equalizer.

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Sunday, August 19, 2018

MLS 2018 Week 25

Another full week is on the schedule, beginning with...

The Seattle Sounders FC hosting the Los Angeles Galaxy. David Bingham and Stefan Frei are in goal. Seattle started in the third minute with a Chad Marshall goal, assisted by Nicolas Lodeiro. The Sounders added on in the eighteenth minute with a Harry Shipp goal, via Gustav Svensson. Seattle extended the lead as Los Angeles' Servando Carrasco committed an own goal in the fiftieth minute. The Sounders padded the lead as Cristian Roldan scored in the fifty-ninth minute, thanks to Shipp and Lodeiro. Seattle kept going with a Raul Ruidiaz goal in the sixty-seventh minute. This made it 5-0, the final, with the man of the match being Marshall.

Back east, the Philadelphia Union welcome New York City FC. Sean Johnson and Andre Blake are the keepers. Anton Tinnerholm of New York City had a yellow card for a thirty-second minute foul. Philadelphia got going in the fifty-seventh minute with a Cory Burke goal, helped along by Borek Dockal. The Union added on in the seventy-sixth minute with an Ilsinho goal, passed from Dockal. Philadelphia saw a yellow card for a Warren Creavalle foul in the ninetieth minute. New York City ended the game at ten men after a red card in stoppage time to Ronald Matarrita. The final held at 2-0, with Dockal picked for man of the match.

Back in the west, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC bring in the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Stefan Marinovic are set to start in goal. New York opened in the fifth minute with a Daniel Royer goal, via Bradley Wright-Phillips and Tyler Adams. Vancouver tied it on a Kendall Waston goal in the forty-second minute, set up by Yordy Reyna. Brek Shea of the Whitecaps took a yellow card for a fifty-first minute foul. Vancouver went ahead on another Waston goal in the sixtieth minute, assisted by Felipe. The Red Bulls had yellow cards for fouls by Alejandro Romero Gamarra in the sixty-first minute and Michael Murillo in the sixty-ninth minute. In the seventy-first minute, the Whitecaps' Reyna received a yellow card. In the seventy-ninth minute, Andreas Ivan of New York took a yellow card. The Red Bulls went down to ten men in the eighty-fourth minute as Murillo took a second yellow card for a foul, leading to his ejection. Despite this, New York tied it in the ninetieth minute with a Royer goal, his second of the game, courtesy of Adams. The final remained at 2-2, with Royer named man of the match.

Also in Canada, the Montreal Impact host the Chicago Fire. Richard Sanchez and Evan Bush are the goalies. Montreal led off in the sixth minute with an Ignacio Piatti penalty kick goal. Rudy Camacho of the Impact had a yellow card for a foul in the twenty-fourth minute. Jorge Corrales of Chicago took a yellow card for his foul in the forty-first minute. Montreal saw a yellow card given to Bacary Sagna in the sixty-eighth minute. The Fire tied it on a Nemanja Nikolic goal in the seventieth minute. In the eightieth minute, Dax McCarty of Chicago received a yellow card for a foul. The Impact took the 2-1 win in stoppage time with a Daniel Lovitz goal, which earned him man of the match honors.

Back stateside, Sporting Kansas City welcomes the Portland Timbers. Jeff Attinella and Tim Melia are the gloved men. Kansas City began in the twenty-eighth minute with a Diego Rubio goal, via Roger Espinoza. Sporting added on with another Rubio goal in the thirty-seventh minute, assisted by Daniel Salloi and Matt Besler. Portland had yellow cards for fouls by Julio Cascante in the fifty-first minute and Zarek Valentin in the sixtieth minute. Kansas City extended the lead as Johnny Russell scored in the eighty-ninth minute, thanks to Krisztian Nemeth. This made it 3-0, the final, with the man of the match being Rubio for his brace.

Down in Texas, the Houston Dynamo bring in Real Salt Lake. Andrew Putna is mismatched with Joe Willis in goal. Salt Lake's Pablo Ruiz had a yellow card for a thirty-third minute foul. Houston struck first in the thirty-sixth minute with an Oscar Boniek Garcia goal. Real saw yellow cards for fouls by Aaron Herrera in the fifty-eighth minute, Damir Kreilach in the eighty-second minute, Sunny in the eighty-seventh minute, and Jefferson Savarino in the ninetieth minute. Salt Lake tied it in the stoppage time with an Albert Rusnak goal, set up by Savarino and Sebastian Saucedo, and then won 2-1 on a Rusnak penalty kick goal in the 100th minute. These late goals made Rusnak the man of the match.

Out in California, the San Jose Earthquakes host Toronto FC. Alexander Bono and Andrew Tarbell are in the six-yard boxes. Guram Kashia of San Jose took a yellow card for a fifty-second minute foul. Toronto dented the scoreboard in the fifty-ninth minute with a Lucas Janson goal, made possible by Gregory van der Wiel and Sebastian Giovinco. The Earthquakes tied it in the seventy-seventh minute on a Chris Wondolowski goal. This led to a 1-1 draw, with Bono (four for five in saves) named man of the match.

Saturday ends in Texas, with FC Dallas welcoming Minnesota United to a stormy game. Bobby Shuttleworth and Jimmy Maurer play in goal. Minnesota saw yellow card for fouls by Collin Martin in the twenty-seventh minute and Ibson in the twenty-ninth minute. Dallas was first to score in the forty-fourth minute on a Maynor Figueroa goal. Dallas had yellow cards given to Carlos Gruezo and Matt Hedges in the fiftieth and fifty-first minutes, respectively. Dallas added on in the fifty-seventh minute with a Michael Barrios goal, set up by Gruezo. The final stayed at 2-0, with the man of the match being Barrios.

On Sunday, Atlanta United FC brings in the Columbus Crew SC. Zack Steffen and Brad Guzan are the strong keepers. Atlanta drew first blood in the thirty-first minute with a Josef Martinez goal, set up by Julian Gressel. Chris McCann of Atlanta had a yellow card for his foul in first half stoppage time. Columbus tied it in the fiftieth minute on a Gyasi Zardes goal, coming off of Wil Trapp. Atlanta retook the lead on a Hector Villalba goal in the seventy-sixth minute, assisted by Jeff Larentowicz. Atlanta added on with a Miguel Almiron goal in the eighty-second minute, via Martinez and Villalba. Almiron took a yellow card for delay of game after his goal. Atlanta saw yellow cards for time wasting by Villalba in the eighty-sixth minute and Guzan in the eighty-eighth minute. Artur of the Crew took a yellow card in second half stoppage time for a foul. The game ended 3-1, with Martinez as the man of the match.

Up in DC, United hosts the New England Revolution. Matt Turner and Bill Hamid make the starts in goal. New England saw a yellow card for a Luis Caicedo foul in the twelfth minute. DC cracked the scoresheet in the thirteenth minute with a Luciano Acosta goal, set up by Paul Arriola. Juan Agudelo of the Revolution had a yellow card for a twenty-ninth minute foul. Scott Caldwell of New England received a yellow card for persistent infringement in the fifty-sixth minute. DC's Russell Canouse took a yellow card for his foul in the fifty-eighth minute. In the seventy-third minute, the Revolution went down to ten men as Caldwell took a second yellow card for a foul, earning his ejection. DC capped it at 2-0 with a Zoltan Stieber goal in the eighty-ninth minute, made possible by Junior Moreno. The man of the match was Acosta.

Finally, Los Angeles FC hosts the Colorado Rapids. Tim Howard faces a lesser foe in Tyler Miller in goal. Colorado had a yellow card given to Tommy Smith in the thirty-fourth minute. Los Angeles' Benny Feilhaber took a yellow card for dissent in first half stoppage time. Los Angeles kicked off the scoring in the forty-ninth minute with a Lee Nguyen goal. Niki Jackson of the Rapids took a yellow card for a fifty-fourth minute foul. In the sixty-third minute, Danilo Silva of Los Angeles received a yellow card for a foul. Los Angeles added on in the eightieth minute with a Diego Rossi goal, via Adama Diomande. The final remained at 2-0, with Nguyen as the man of the match.

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NWSL 2018 Week 21

Four more games are on this weekend, starting on Friday night in...

Houston, as the Dash host the Washington Spirit. Aubrey Bledsoe and Jane Campbell are the reliable keepers. Houston began in the forty-first minute with a Kealia Ohai goal, assisted by Rachel Daly and Linda Motlhalo. The Dash added on in the fifty-eighth minute with a Sofia Huerta goal, made possible by Taylor Comeau. Houston extended the lead as Huerta scored again in the seventy-sixth minute, thanks to Daly. The Dash padded the lead on a Kyah Simon goal in the eighty-fourth minute, set up by Veronica Latsko after a crafty dummy from Daly. This led to the 4-0 final score, with the woman of the match being Daly. Also strong for Houston were Huerta, Ohai, Latsko, Amber Brooks, and Allysha Chapman, while the Spirit's best were Estelle Johnson, Taylor Smith, Andi Sullivan, and Mallory Pugh.

On Saturday, Sky Blue FC welcomes the Utah Royals FC. Nicole Barnhart and Kailen Sheridan make the starts in goal. Sky Blue opened in the fourteenth minute with a Katie Johnson goal, via Raquel Rodriguez. Sky Blue's Sarah Killion had a yellow card for a thirty-ninth minute foul. Sky Blue added on in the forty-eighth minute with another Johnson goal after a missed clearance. Utah got on the board when Domi Richardson of Sky Blue committed an own goal in the fifty-eighth minute. Sky Blue saw yellow cards given to Carli Lloyd in the sixty-ninth minute and Madison Tiernan in the seventy-sixth minute, both for fouls. The Royals tied it deep in stoppage time with an Amy Rodriguez goal, set up by Christen Press. This made it 2-2, the final, with the woman of the match being Johnson. Also good for Sky Blue were Amanda Frisbie, Raquel Rodriguez, and Lloyd, while Rachel Corsie, Gunnhildur Jonsdottir, Press, and Amy Rodriguez paced the Royals' attack.

The North Carolina Courage bring in the Orlando Pride in the next game. Ashlyn Harris and Katelyn Rowland protect the nets, but the game got postponed due to lightning without completing the first half. Play resumed in the twenty-second minute on Sunday. In the twenty-eighth minute, Orlando's Emily Van Egmond took a yellow card for a foul. Merritt Mathias of North Carolina had a yellow card for a thirty-seventh minute foul. North Carolina got going in the seventy-fifth minute when Lynn Williams' cross deflected off of Shelina Zadorsky and behind Harris for an own goal. The Courage added on with a Debinha goal in the eighty-first minute, passed from Williams. The Courage extended the lead as Williams scored, thanks to Mathias and Samantha Mewis. The final remained at 3-0, with the woman of the match being Williams. Also good for the Courage were Mathias, Abby Dahlkemper, Mewis, McCall Zerboni, and Debinha. For the Pride, the best performances came from Ali Krieger and Marta.

Originally the last scheduled game, the Portland Thorns FC host the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher and Adrianna Franch are the American keepers. Chicago led off in the forty-fourth minute with a Sam Kerr goal, set up by Yuki Nagasato. The Red Stars added on in the forty-ninth minute with another Kerr goal, made possible by Vanessa DiBernardo. Portland got on the board in the sixtieth minute with a Tobin Heath goal, on a rebound from Naeher's punch-out. In the sixty-seventh minute, Emily Sonnett of the Thorns received a yellow card for a foul. Portland tied it in the sixty-ninth minute on a Christine Sinclair goal, passed from Heath. Chicago's Rosie White took a yellow card for an eighty-first minute foul. The final held at 2-2, with the woman of the match being Kerr. Also strong for the Red Stars were Casey Short, Arin Gilliland, and DiBernardo, while Ellie Carpenter, Lindsey Horan, Sinclair, and Heath did best for the Thorns. 

NWSL Team of the Week
GK Lydia Williams
RB Merritt Mathias
CB Abby Dahlkemper
CB Amber Brooks
LB Allysha Chapman
DM Vanessa DiBernardo
AM Rachel Daly
AM Sofia Huerta
FW Lynn Williams
FW Sam Kerr
FW Katie Johnson