Saturday, September 22, 2018

2018 NWSL Championship

It all comes down to this, as the record-breaking North Carolina Courage meet the Portland Thorns FC in Portland's Providence Park for the NWSL Championship. Katelyn Rowland of the courage and Adrianna Franch of the Thorns are in goal. North Carolina began in the thirteenth minute with a Debinha goal on a rebound from Lynn Williams' shot off the post. The Courage added on in the fortieth minute as Jessica McDonald scored, with the help of Jaelene Hinkle. Denise O'Sullivan of North Carolina had a yellow card for a forty-second minute foul. The Courage extended the lead as McDonald scored again in the sixty-fourth minute, thanks to Merritt Mathias. McDonald took a yellow card for delay of game after celebrating the goal. The final held at 3-0, with McDonald named NWSL Championship MVP. Also strong for the Courage were Mathias, Abby Erceg, Hinkle, O'Sullivan, and Debinha, while the Thorns' best were Emily Sonnett, Lindsey Horan, Tobin Heath, and Christine Sinclair.

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Wednesday, September 19, 2018

MLS 2018 Week 30 Midweek

Three games on in league action for this midweek session, beginning with...

The Portland Timbers hosting the Columbus Crew SC. Zack Steffen faces former Crew goalie Steve Clark in goal. Columbus opened in the seventh minute with a Niko Hansen goal, via Milton Valenzuela and Pedro Santos. Andy Polo of Portland had a yellow card for a tenth minute foul. The Timbers tied it on a David Guzman goal in the eighteenth minute, coming off of Polo and Sebastian Blanco. In the thirty-fourth minute, Portland's Guzman received a yellow card for a foul. The Timbers took the lead with a Polo goal in the thirty-seventh minute. Gaston Sauro of the Crew took a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. Lalas Abubakar of Columbus committed an own goal in the forty-eighth minute to extend Portland's lead. Wil Trapp of the Crew had a yellow card for a foul in the forty-ninth minute, as did teammate Connor Maloney in the eighty-fifth minute. Columbus got one back in second half stoppage time with a Hansen goal, assisted by Maloney and Eduardo Sosa. This only made it 3-2, the final, with Polo named man of the match.

Up in Seattle, the Sounders FC welcome the Philadelphia Union. Andre Blake and Stefan Frei are the gloved men. Philadelphia saw yellow cards for persistent infringement by Derrick Jones in the fifty-second minute and a foul by Jack Elliott in the seventy-eighth minute. The Union went down to ten men in the eighty-ninth minute when Elliott received a second yellow card for another foul. Philadelphia stole the 1-0 win in stoppage time on a Fabrice-Jean Picault goal. The man of the match was Blake for his four-save clean sheet.

Finally, the San Jose Earthquakes bring in Atlanta United FC. Brad Guzan faces a lesser foe in James Marcinkowski in goal. Franco Escobar of Atlanta received a yellow card for dissent in the seventh minute. San Jose started in the thirteenth minute with a Nick Lima goal, courtesy of Shea Salinas. Jeff Larentowicz of the Five Stripes took a yellow card for his eighteenth minute foul. The Earthquakes added on in the forty-third minute with a Danny Hoesen goal. Atlanta got on the board in first half stoppage time with a Hector Villalba goal, coming off of Julian Gressel. Salinas of San Jose took a yellow card for a fifty-third minute foul. The Earthquakes replied in the fifty-eighth minute with a Valeri Qazaishvili goal, passed from Lima. The Five Stripes pulled back with a Josef Martinez penalty kick goal in the seventieth minute. Atlanta tied it on a Miguel Almiron goal in the seventy-third minute. The Five Stripes won 4-3 in second half stoppage time with a Martinez goal set up by Almiron and Ezequiel Barco. Almiron earned man of the match honors for his work in the comeback.

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Tuesday, September 18, 2018

NWSL Playoffs - 2018 Semifinals

The entirety of the NWSL playoffs in 2018 will be played in Portland due to Hurricane Florence forcing the Courage and Red Stars to move their game out of North Carolina. First up...

The Portland Thorns FC host the Seattle Reign FC. Lydia Williams and Adrianna Franch play in goal. Portland's Emily Sonnett had a yellow card for a twenty-seventh minute foul. Seattle started in the twenty-ninth minute with a Jasmyne Spencer goal on a rebound from Megan Rapinoe's free kick. Jess Fishlock of the Reign had a yellow card for a fortieth minute foul. The Thorns tied it in the forty-third minute as Tobin Heath scored, with the help of Lindsey Horan. Emily Menges of Portland had a yellow card in the fiftieth minute for a foul. Seattle saw yellow cards for Rapinoe and Allie Long in the fifty-fourth and sixtieth minutes, respectively, and both for fouls. The Thorns took the lead in the seventy-seventh minute with a Horan goal, set up by Christine Sinclair. This provided the 2-1 final, with the woman of the match being Horan. Also good for the Thorns were Heath, Sinclair, Meghan Klingenberg, and Franch (four for five in saves), while the Reign's best were Rapinoe, Spencer, and Megan Oyster. Portland will try to defend last year's championship in front of their own fans.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina Courage play host to the Chicago Red Stars, but the game is played in Portland due to Hurricane Florence. Alyssa Naeher and Sabrina D'Angelo protect the nets. North Carolina opened in the fifth minute with a Jessica McDonald goal, courtesy of Crystal Dunn. Merritt Mathias of the Courage had a yellow card for a seventy-second minute foul. North Carolina added on with a Samantha Mewis long-distance goal on a second opportunity, set up by Dunn. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the woman of the match being Abby Erceg. Also strong for the Courage were McDonald, Dunn, Mewis, and Abby Dahlkemper, while the Red Stars' best were Julie Ertz, Arin Gilliland, Morgan Brian, and Yuki Nagasato.

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Sunday, September 16, 2018

MLS 2018 Week 29

We've got a full slate of games this weekend after the most recent international break. We begin with...

The Colorado Rapids hosting Atlanta United FC. Brad Guzan and Tim Howard are the American keepers. Atlanta opened in the tenth minute with a Miguel Almiron goal, coming off of Julian Gressel and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez. The Five Stripes added on with another Almiron goal in the eighteenth minute, courtesy of Josef Martinez and Eric Remedi. Kortne Ford of Colorado had a yellow card for a foul in the thirty-fourth minute. Atlanta extended the lead as Hector Villalba scored in the thirty-seventh minute, thanks to Gressel and Almiron. In first half stoppage time, yellow cards were assessed to Edgar Castillo of the Rapids and Villalba of the Five Stripes, both for fouls. Shkelzen Gashi of Colorado received a yellow card upon review in second half stoppage time. Atlanta won 3-0, with Almiron as the man of the match.

To the east, the Philadelphia Union welcome the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Andre Blake start in goal. Philadelphia started in the eleventh minute with an Auston Trusty goal, via Borek Dockal and Haris Medunjanin. Alejandro Silva of Montreal had a yellow card for a twenty-first minute foul. The Impact tied it in the twenty-eighth minute on a Silva goal, assisted by Ignacio Piatti. Montreal took the lead in the thirty-ninth minute with a Saphir Taider goal. Jack Elliott of the Union received a yellow card for his forty-second minute foul. Cory Burke of Philadelphia took a yellow card in the fifty-sixth minute for persistent infringement. The Impact added on in the sixty-third minute with a Quincy Amarikwa goal, passed from Daniel Lovitz. Montreal extended the lead as Silva scored again in the seventy-sixth minute, thanks to Piatti. This stood for a 4-1 win, with Silva picked for man of the match.

Up in Canada, Toronto FC brings in the Los Angeles Galaxy. David Bingham and Alexander Bono draw the starts in goal. Toronto led off in the fifth minute with a Victor Vazquez goal, assisted by Gregory van der Wiel. The Reds added on in the sixteenth minute with a Jozy Altidore goal, set up by Jonathan Osorio. Los Angeles saw a yellow card for a Jorgen Skjelvik foul in the twenty-fourth minute. Toronto's Osorio received a yellow card for a twenty-eighth minute foul. The Reds extended the lead as Sebastian Giovinco scored in the thirty-sixth minute, thanks to van der Wiel. The Galaxy got on the board in the forty-third minute with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal, coming off of Jonathan dos Santos. Nick Hagglund of Toronto received a yellow card for his fifty-third minute foul. Los Angeles pulled closer in the fifty-fourth minute on an Ola Kamara goal, helped along by dos Santos. In the fifty-eighth minute, the Galaxy tied it on a Rolf Feltscher goal, made possible by Ashley Cole, while the Reds' Justin Morrow took a yellow card for an unspecified reason. Dave Romney of Los Angeles picked up a yellow card for a sixty-eighth minute foul. Toronto regained the lead in the seventy-fifth minute on an Osorio goal, fueled by Marco Delgado. Jozy Altidore of the Reds earned a yellow card for a seventy-ninth minute foul. The Galaxy saw four yellow cards late in the game, for fouls by Ibrahimovic in the eighty-second minute, Feltscher in the eighty-sixth minute, and Emmanuel Boateng in stoppage time, as well as an argument by dos Santos in the ninetieth minute. Toronto iced it at 5-3 a minute after Boateng's foul with a Jay Chapman goal. The man of the match was Osorio.

Way to the south, FC Dallas hosts the Columbus Crew SC. Zack Steffen and Jesse Gonzalez protect the nets. Columbus received yellow cards for Ricardo Clark and Lalas Abubakar committing fouls in the fifty-third and sixty-seventh minutes, respectively. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, with the man of the match honors going to the Crew's Jonathan Mensah for a strong defensive effort.

Staying in Texas, the Houston Dynamo welcome the Portland Timbers. Steve Clark and Joe Willis patrol the penalty areas. Portland was first to score on a gift from Houston's Alejandro Fuenmayor in the form of a ninth minute own goal. Zarek Valentin of the Timbers took a yellow card for a thirty-first minute foul. The Dynamo tied it on a thirty-second minute Alberth Elis goal, passed from Tomas Martinez. Jeremy Ebobisse of Portland had a yellow card for a thirty-fourth minute foul. Houston pulled ahead on a Mauro Manotas goal in the thirty-ninth minute, coming off of Elis and Martinez. In the sixty-fifth minute, the Dynamo's Manotas received a yellow card for a dive. Houston added on in the seventy-first minute with a Manotas goal. The Dynamo extended the lead as Fuenmayor scored in the proper goal in the eighty-first minute to cover his prior mistake. Fuenmayor received a yellow card in the eighty-fourth minute for a foul for Houston. The Timbers' David Guzman got booked for an eighty-seventh minute foul. Houston won 4-1, with Manotas' brace making him man of the match.

Northwest to Utah, as Real Salt Lake bring in Minnesota United FC. Bobby Shuttleworth and Nick Rimando are the gloved men. Salt Lake began in the eleventh minute with a Damir Kreilach goal, via Sunny. Real's Kyle Beckerman took a yellow card for a sixty-fourth minute foul. Minnesota saw yellow cards for fouls by Maximiniano in the seventy-fourth minute and Wyatt Omsberg in the seventy-sixth minute. The Loons tied it in the eighty-fourth minute with a Miguel Ibarra goal, assisted by Darwin Quintero. This produced the 1-1 result, with Ibarra's equalizer enough to make him the man of the match.

Further northwest, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC host the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefans Frei and Marinovic are the keepers. Seattle struck first in the twenty-first minute with a Raul Ruidiaz goal, via Kelvin Leerdam and Cristian Roldan. Osvaldo Alonso had a yellow card for a forty-first minute foul for the Sounders. Seattle added on with a Ruidiaz goal off a defensive mistake from Vancouver in the forty-second minute. The Whitecaps got on the board with a Kei Kamara goal in first half stoppage time, courtesy of Nicolas Mezquida. Russell Teibert of Vancouver had a yellow card for his forty-eighth minute foul. Leerdam of the Sounders received a yellow card for a fifty-ninth minute foul. Kei Kamara took a yellow card for a foul in second half stoppage time for the Whitecaps. The final stood at 2-1, with Ruidiaz's brace making him man of the match as the Sounders claimed the Cascadia Cup.

Down in California, Los Angeles FC welcomes the New England Revolution. Brad Knighton and Tyler Miller are between the sticks. Scott Caldwell of New England took a yellow card for a thirty-seventh minute foul. Los Angeles saw a yellow card for a forty-first minute foul by Steven Beitashour. The Black and Gold got going in the fifty-second minute with a Marco Urena goal, via Diego Rossi. The Revolution received yellow cards for fouls by Teal Bunbury in the sixty-seventh minute and Luis Caicedo in the seventy-seventh minute. New England tied it in the eighty-second minute with a Brandon Bye goal, coming off of Bunbury. This made it 1-1, the final, with Bye named man of the match.

Saturday ends in San Jose, as the Earthquakes bring in Sporting Kansas City. Tim Melia and Andrew Tarbell are in the six-yard boxes. Kansas City drew first blood in the eighteenth minute with a Felipe Gutierrez goal, assisted by Gerso Fernandes. Sporting added on in the twenty-third minute with a Fernandes goal, via Gutierrez. Kansas City extended the lead as Ike Opara scored in the forty-second minute. San Jose had yellow cards for fouls by Anibal Godoy in the fiftieth minute and Magnus Eriksson in the fifty-seventh minute. Krisztian Nemeth padded the lead for Sporting in the sixty-seventh minute with his goal, set up by Fernandes and Gutierrez. The Earthquakes got on the board with an eightieth minute Danny Hoesen goal, guided in by Luis Felipe Fernandes. Kansas City's Fernandes replied with an eighty-sixth minute goal, made possible by Diego Rubio. San Jose's Fernandes received a yellow card for an eighty-ninth minute foul. The final was 5-1, with Gerso Fernandes picked as man of the match for involvement on four of his team's five goals.

On Sunday, DC United hosts the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Bill Hamid guard the woodwork. DC kicked off the scoring in the twenty-fifth minute with a Paul Arriola goal, via Luciano Acosta. New York tied it on a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal in the forty-first minute. The Black and Red took the lead back in the sixty-fourth minute with a Wayne Rooney goal, coming off of Oniel Fisher. In the sixty-ninth minute, Marc Rzatkowski of the Red Bulls received a yellow card for a foul. New York tied it again in the seventy-sixth minute with a Wright-Phillips goal, made possible by Michael Murillo. DC stormed ahead on an Acosta goal, helped along by Yamil Asad. The Red Bulls equalized in the ninetieth minute with Wright-Phillips completing his hat trick, with the help of Alex Muyl and Robles. New York saw yellow cards for dissent by Alejandro Romero Gamarra and a foul by Murillo. The final was 3-3, with Wright-Phillips picked for man of the match.

Finally, the Chicago Fire host Orlando City SC. Joe Bendik and Richard Sanchez are in goal for the last game this weekend. Chicago cracked the scoresheet in the third minute with a Nemanja Nikolic goal, via Michael de Leeuw and Dax McCarty. The Fire added on in the twenty-eighth minute with an Aleksandar Katai goal, assisted by Djordje Mihailovic and de Leeuw. Chicago extended the lead as de Leeuw scored in the fifty-sixth minute, thanks to Johan Kappelhof and Mihailovic. Katai of the Fire had a yellow card for a fifty-eighth minute foul. Chicago padded the lead on another Nikolic goal, guided in by Raheem Edwards. The final remained at 4-0, with Nikolic's brace making him the man of the match.

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