MLS Weekend July 26th-28th, 2014

There are five games covered in this post. The first two are on Saturday, beginning with...

Toronto FC hosting Sporting Kansas City. Andy Gruenebaum and Joe Bendik are the keepers. Toronto led off with a sixteenth minute goal by Jackson, assisted by Dominic Oduro. The rest of the first half was a parade of visits from the referee to Toronto, as Jackson (32'), Justin Morrow (35'), Oduro (44'), and Doneil Henry in the second minute of stoppage time all received yellow cards for dissent, a foul, not retreating, and another foul. Kansas City tied it in the forty-eighth minute on a Graham Zusi goal, going in unassisted. This set off another spurt of yellow cards, with Igor Juliao of Sporting and Michael Bradley of Toronto receiving them for a foul in the sixty-ninth minute and dissent in the seventy-third minute. However, it was a pair of Matt Besler fouls in the fifty-third and seventy-fifth minute that drew a pair of yellow cards, leading to Besler's ejection and Kansas City going down to ten men for fifteen minutes. Despite the disadvantage, Sporting took the lead on a Jacob Peterson goal in the eightieth minute, courtesy of Dominic Dwyer. This held up as a final score of 2-1, with the man of the match being Peterson for his go-ahead goal at an unlikely time.

The other game comes from New England, as the Revolution host the Columbus Crew. Steve Clark and Bobby Shuttleworth are in goal. Columbus ended up with a visit from the referee in the forty-first minute for a Wil Trapp foul that earned a yellow card. In the forty-third minute, the Crew took the lead on an unassisted goal by Federico Higuain. New England tied it in the fiftieth minute on an A.J. Soares goal, fueled by Kelyn Rowe. The Revolution also had the next yellow card, for a fifty-second minute foul by Scott Caldwell. Columbus took the lead in the eighty-fourth minute on an Ethan Finlay goal, passed from Justin Meram. New England received one last booking in the ninetieth minute for a foul by Lee Nguyen. The final was 2-1, with Finlay being the man of the match for a timely goal.

On Sunday, the first game was the Vancouver Whitecaps FC welcoming FC Dallas. Raul Fernandez and David Ousted man the nets. Vancouver began in the eleventh minute with a Darren Mattocks goal, via Gershon Koffie. Dallas tied it in the twenty-ninth minute on a Blas Perez goal, going in unassisted. Dallas took the lead with a Michel penalty kick conversion in the thirty-ninth minute. The Whitecaps tied it in the fifty-third minute on a Pedro Morales penalty kick goal. Vancouver's Mattocks picked up the first yellow card of the game for a foul in the fifty-ninth minute. The final score stood at 2-2, with the man of the match being Mattocks for his strong play.

Across Canada, the Montreal Impact bring in the Portland Timbers. Donovan Ricketts and Evan Bush are in the six yard boxes. Montreal started with a thirteenth minute goal by Andres Romero, via Justin Mapp. The Impact picked up a yellow card in the thirty-second minute for a foul by Hassoun Camara. Portland tied it up with a thirty-fourth minute goal by Maximiliano Urruti, courtesy of Darlington Nagbe. The Timbers took the lead as Will Johnson hammered home a penalty kick in the fortieth minute. Montreal was booked again on persistent infringement by Patrice Bernier for a yellow card. The Impact retied it in the forty-fourth minute as Maxim Tissot scored, assisted by Bernier and Felipe Martins. Portland took the lead in the eighty-second minute with an unassisted goal from Diego Valeri. This made it 3-2, the final, and Valeri was the man of the match for his game-winner.

Finally, on Monday, the Seattle Sounders FC host the Los Angeles Galaxy. Jaime Penedo and Stefan Frei guard the nets. Los Angeles wasted no time in scoring in the eighth minute on a goal by Gyasi Zardes, set up by Landon Donovan and Marcelo Sarvas. The Galaxy added on with a Donovan goal in the eighteenth minute, going in unassisted off a rebound. Donovan transgressed to pick up a yellow card for a foul in the twenty-seventh minute. Los Angeles extended the lead with a thirty-sixth minute goal by Stefan Ishizaki, passed from Sarvas and Donovan. In the third minute of first half stoppage time, the Galaxy received another yellow card for an argument from Omar Gonzalez. Seattle picked up two yellow cards in the second half, one for Jalil Anibaba's foul in the sixty-ninth minute and the other for Gonzalo Pineda's dissent in the seventy-ninth minute. The final was 3-0 in favor of Los Angeles, and Sarvas was the man of the match for making all the critical plays happen.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

MLS Midweek July 23rd-25th, 2014

Three games over three days. We begin with...

Wednesday's game in San Jose as the Earthquakes host the Chicago Fire. Sean Johnson and Jon Busch are the goalies. San Jose picked up a yellow card for a Jordan Stewart foul in the thirty-second minute. The Earthquakes began in the forty-fifth minute with a Shea Salinas goal, via Yannick Djalo. San Jose added on in the fifty-second minute with an Atiba Harris goal, going in unassisted. The Earthquakes extended the lead on a Chris Wondolowski goal, assisted by Djalo in the sixty-second minute. Chicago got a yellow card in the sixty-seventh minute for a foul by Gonzalo Segares. Grant Ward put the Fire on the board in the seventy-fifth minute with a goal, passed from Matt Watson. San Jose shot back with a seventy-ninth minute Djalo goal, set up by Cordell Cato. Chicago's Matthew Fondy had a yellow card shown to him in the eighty-first minute for his foul. The Earthquakes padded the lead on a Cato goal in the eighty-fourth minute, made possible by Wondolowski and Djalo. This made it 5-1, the final, with the man of the match being Djalo for his goal and three assists.

On Thursday, Real Salt Lake welcomed the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Nick Rimando are the keepers. Salt Lake started in the third minute with a Luke Mulholland goal, guided in by Chris Schuler. Real was visited by the referee in the eighteenth minute for a foul by Chris Wingert. Montreal tied the game in the thirty-first minute on a Hassoun Camara goal, via Calum Mallace. The Impact went down a man in the sixty-fifth minute as Issey Nakajima-Farran was shown a red card for a fight. Salt Lake cashed in with a seventieth minute goal by Olmes Garcia, courtesy of Javier Morales and Joao Plata. Montreal was shown another yellow card for a foul in the eighty-second minute by Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare. Real iced it with another Garcia goal in stoppage time, thanks to Morales, for a 3-1 win. The man of the match was Garcia for his brace. 

Finally, on Friday, the Colorado Rapids brought in Chivas USA. Dan Kennedy and Clint Irwin are in the six-yard boxes. Colorado opened in the sixteenth minute with a Nick LaBrocca goal, passed from Dillon Serna. The Rapids added on as Drew Moor scored in the twenty-sixth minute, via Dillon Powers. Chivas picked up a yellow card in the thirty-sixth minute for a foul by Nathan Sturgis. Colorado extended the lead in the seventy-fourth minute with a Gabriel Torres goal, assisted by Carlos Alvarez. This was good for a 3-0 win, with the man of the match being LaBrocca for his sharp early tally.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

MLS July 18-20, 2014

Nine more games spread throughout the weekend, beginning with...

The Portland Timbers hosting the Colorado Rapids on Friday Night. Steve Clark and Donovan Ricketts start in goal. Colorado started with a sixteenth minute goal by Deshorn Brown, coming off of a set piece. The Rapids were given a yellow card for a foul by Dillon Powers in the thirty-seventh minute, followed by a Portland yellow card given to Danny O'Rourke in the forty-fifth minute, also for a foul. The Timbers tied the game in the seventy-second minute as Maximiliano Urruti scored, thanks to Jack Jewsbury and Will Johnson. Portland took the lead with a seventy-seventh minute goal by Diego Valeri, passed from Diego Chara. This was good for a 2-1 win, with the man of the match being Ricketts for turning aside seven of the eight shots directed at him.

On Saturday, the first game had Sporting Kansas City welcoming the Los Angeles Galaxy. Jaime Penedo and Andy Gruenebaum are the keepers. Kansas City led off with a tenth minute goal by Benny Feilhaber. Sporting added on in the sixty-first minute with an unassisted Lawrence Olum goal. In the sixty-sixth minute, Olum had a transgression in the form of a foul that earned him a yellow card. Los Angeles got on the board in the seventy-ninth minute with a goal by Robbie Keane, made possible by Bradford Jamieson. Keane also got into trouble after scoring, by picking up a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-eighth minute. Kansas City's Jacob Peterson had a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time, but his team won 2-1. The man of the match was Olum for the game-winner.

Further east, the New York Red Bulls bring in the San Jose Earthquakes. Jon Busch and Luis Robles are in the six-yard boxes. San Jose picked up a yellow card in the thirty-third minute for dissent by Chris Wondolowski, which helped lead to a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal for New York. Six yellow cards were handed out in a row after this point, with the Earthquakes getting booked for Shaun Francis' foul in first half stoppage time, Steven Lenhart's sixty-fourth minute dissent, and Shea Salinas' unsporting behavior in the seventy-eighth minute, while the Red Bulls had two in the seventieth minute for Tim Cahill and Jamison Olave's persistent infringement, followed by Chris Duvall's eighty-fourth minute foul. This foul led to an eighty-fifth minute equalizer for San Jose's Lenhart. New York had one last yellow card in stoppage time, for a dive by Peguy Luyindula. The score stayed knotted at 1, with the man of the match being a particularly feisty Lenhart.

Back west to Columbus, where the Crew host the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Steve Clark are the goalies. Montreal was first to score with a Marco Di Vaio goal in the thirty-fifth minute, thanks to Justin Mapp. Columbus tied it in the fifty-sixth minute as Bernardo Anor scored, via Tony Tchani. The Impact had a yellow card for a seventieth minute foul by Hassoun Camara. In the seventy-fifth minute, Anor scored again, this time from Aaron Schoenfeld. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the man of the match being Anor for his brace.

To Chicago, where the Fire welcome the Philadelphia Union. Zac MacMath and Sean Johnson will play goal. The teams traded yellow cards in the first half, with Amobi Okugo getting one for a foul in the twenty-second minute for Philadelphia, which was matched by Alex's foul in the twenty-sixth minute for Chicago. The Fire opened the scoring in the sixtieth minute with a Jeff Larentowicz goal, made possible by Harrison Shipp. The Union tied it on a stoppage time penalty kick conversion by Sebastien Le Toux. The final was 1-1, with MacMath named the man of the match for stopping three shots to allow the opportunity for a draw.

Down to Houston, where the Dynamo bring in Toronto FC. Joe Bendik and Tally Hall man the nets. Houston started with a Will Bruin goal in the eleventh minute. Toronto tied it in the eighteenth minute as Gilberto scored, thanks to Justin Morrow and Dominic Oduro. The Dynamo retook the lead in the twenty-sixth minute with a Giles Barnes goal, via Ricardo Clark. Toronto retied it with an Oduro goal, made possible by Luke Moore in the second minute of first half stoppage time. The second half had more yellow cards than the first half had goals, and most of these went to Toronto. They saw Doneil Henry get one for a foul in the fifty-eighth minute, followed by Michael Bradley getting one in the seventy-ninth minute for his foul to offset the yellow given to Houston's Corey Ashe for encroachment. Oduro also got a yellow card in the eighty-first minute for encroachment, and Toronto's fourth and final yellow belonged to Jermain Defoe for a foul in the eighty-eighth minute. The score remained 2-2, with the man of the match being Oduro for his goal and assist.

Staying in Texas, FC Dallas hosts the New England Revolution. Bobby Shuttleworth and Raul Fernandez guard the nets. Dallas began in the twenty-ninth minute with an Andres Escobar goal. New England had a yellow card for a foul by Chris Tierney in the seventy-ninth minute. Dallas iced it at 2-0 with a stoppage time goal by Tesho Akindele, assisted by Victor Ulloa. The man of the match was Fernandez for his three-save clean sheet.

Finishing off Saturday, Real Salt Lake welcomes the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Nick Rimando received the starts. Salt Lake had the first yellow card for a Kyle Beckerman foul in the seventeenth minute. In the seventy-third minute, Darren Mattocks scored a penalty kick to give Vancouver the lead. Things were chippy for a bit, with the Whitecaps seeing yellow cards given to Matias Laba and Sebastian Fernandez for fouls in the seventy-fifth minute, followed by Ousted receiving a yellow card for dissent and Real's Tony Beltran getting one for a foul a minute later. Salt Lake evened the score in the eighty-first minute on a Joao Plata goal, via Beckerman and Luke Mulholland. The teams traded yellow cards again later, as Gershon Koffie received one for an eighty-eighth minute foul for Vancouver, followed by Real's Chris Wingert being booked for a foul in stoppage time. The 1-1 score was a final, and Plata was the man of the match for his equalizer.

Finally, DC United hosts Chivas USA on Sunday. Dan Kennedy and Bill Hamid are in goal. DC began in the twenty-fifth minute as Eddie Johnson scored on a penalty kick. United had a yellow card for a foul by Perry Kitchen in the thirty-first minute. Chivas' Nathan Sturgis was booked in the fiftieth minute on a yellow card for a foul. Kitchen redeemed himself in the fifty-ninth minute to add onto DC's lead by scoring, with the help of Johnson and Chris Rolfe. United extended the lead with a Luis Silva goal, via Chris Korb, but Silva was a little too excited and got booked for excessive celebration, a yellow card event. Chivas got on the board with Erick Torres' penalty kick conversion in the eighty-fourth minute, but this only made it 3-1. This was a final, and Johnson was the man of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

MLS Wednesday July 16th, 2014

Four games on tonight in the league, beginning in...

Philadelphia, as the Union host the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Zac MacMath are in goal. Philadelphia opened in the ninth minute on a Conor Casey goal, via Andrew Wenger. The Union added on in the fifty-first minute as Fred scored, thanks to Casey and Sheanon Williams. New York got one back in the sixtieth minute with a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal, coming off of Thierry Henry and Ambroise Oyongo Bitolo. Philadelphia answered in the sixty-ninth minute when Sebastien Le Toux deposited a penalty kick into the net. The Red Bulls had a yellow card issued to Matt Miazga in the eighty-sixth minute. They also went on to lose by a 3-1 score, with the man of the match being MacMath for turning aside five shots to preserve the decision.

West to Columbus, as the Crew welcome Sporting Kansas City. Andy Gruenebaum and Steve Clark are the keepers. Kansas City first had a yellow card on a thirty-fourth minute foul by Lawrence Olum. Sporting led off with a forty-second minute goal by C.J. Sapong, assisted by Benny Feilhaber. Columbus was visited by the referee in the fifty-third minute for a Wil Trapp foul that drew a yellow card, but Kansas City came away worse off when Aurelien Collin was sent off with a straight red card two minutes later. The Crew tied the game when Igor Juliao put the ball in his own net for an own goal in the sixty-ninth minute. In the seventy-ninth minute, Juliao was again a liability when he was booked for a foul, earning him a yellow card. Columbus also dropped to ten men in the game when Trapp picked up his second yellow card of the game on a foul in the eighty-ninth minute. Kansas City cashed in with a stoppage time goal by Feilhaber, passed from Jacob Peterson and a redemptive Juliao, which stood as the game winner in a 2-1 match. Feilhaber was the man of the match for his all-around good effort.

Up in Canada, Toronto FC brings in their cross-country rivals, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Joe Bendik play in the six-yard boxes. Toronto was first to receive a yellow card for a Bradley Orr foul in the twenty-eighth minute. Vancouver started in the fiftieth minute on a Darren Mattocks goal, fueled by Russell Teibert and Pedro Morales. Teibert gave the Whitecaps their first yellow card in the sixty-first minute. Toronto tied the game in the sixty-fourth minute when Jermain Defoe scored a penalty kick goal. Vancouver was booked twice more in the game, with yellow cards given to Nigel Reo-Coker in the seventieth minute and Sam Adekugbe in the eighty-fifth minute, both for fouls. Toronto also got another yellow card in stoppage time as Collen Warner committed a foul. The result was a 1-1 draw, with the man of the match being Ousted for his five saves.

Finally, in Los Angeles, the Galaxy host the New England Revolution. Bobby Shuttleworth and Jaime Penedo are manning the nets. Los Angeles began with a tenth minute Robbie Keane goal, made possible by Baggio Husidic. The Galaxy's A.J. DeLaGarza was shown a yellow card a minute later for a foul. Los Angeles added on with a Gyasi Zardes goal in the eighteenth minute, passed from Keane and Stefan Ishizaki. The two teams each lost a man in the first half, as New England's A.J. Soares was booked on a red card for a serious foul in the twenty-ninth minute, only to see the Galaxy lose their manpower advantage in the thirty-sixth minute on Dan Gargan's professional foul that drew a red card. When that was all settled, Lee Nguyen put away the penalty kick in the thirty-eighth minute to bring the Revolution back into the game. Los Angeles dashed these hopes by answering in the forty-eighth minute on another Zardes goal, coming off of Keane. The Galaxy picked up another yellow card when Leonardo was booked in the fifty-first minute for a foul. New England suffered another setback when Jerry Bengston's foul in the seventy-fourth minute gave him a yellow card and a free kick to Ishizaki, who scored to extend the Los Angeles lead. In the seventy-eighth minute, Keane scored his second of the night to further the Galaxy lead. Los Angeles was slapped with a yellow card to Chandler Hoffman in the eighty-second minute for a foul. The final stood at 5-1, with Keane's brace and pair of assists leading the way as man of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

MLS July 11-13th, 2014

Another weekend of soccer, with the first game on Friday night in...

San Jose, as the Earthquakes host DC United. Bill Hamid and Jon Busch are in goal. DC began with an Eddie Johnson penalty kick goal in the twelfth minute. United tied it on a Luis Silva goal in the twenty-fifth minute, made possible by Chris Rolfe. San Jose got one back in the thirty-ninth minute on a Chris Wondolowski goal, coming off of Khari Stephenson. DC picked up a yellow card for a foul by Perry Kitchen in the seventy-first minute. United had the next yellow card as well, with Johnson being booked for time wasting in the eighty-seventh minute. The Earthquakes's Alan Gordon was shown a yellow card in the second minute of stoppage time for a foul. The final was 2-1 favoring DC. Hamid was the man of the match for turning aside seven shots on goal.

Leading off on Saturday, the Philadelphia Union welcome the Colorado Rapids. Clint Irwin and Zac MacMath are the keepers. Colorado had the first yellow card in the game for a foul in the twelfth minute by Shane O'Neill. Philadelphia opened the scoring with a Conor Casey goal in the sixteenth minute, via Raymon Gaddis. The Rapids tied it on a Dillon Serna goal in the eighteenth minute, passed from Dillon Powers. The Union's Michael Lahoud got a yellow card in the twenty-ninth minute for a foul. Philadelphia overcame it to take the lead back on a thirty-first minute goal by Sheanon Williams, guided in by Cristian Maidana. Colorado picked up another yellow card in the thirty-fourth minute for Nick LaBrocca's express of dissent. The Union added on in the seventy-fourth minute when Andrew Wegner scored an unassisted goal. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, Lahoud was shown a straight red card in the seventy-sixth minute for a foul, putting them at ten men. Powers cashed in for the Rapids in the seventy-ninth minute on a penalty kick goal. Colorado got the equalizer in the eighty-sixth minute on a Deshorn Brown goal, set up by Gabriel Torres. The Union suffered another blow that will hurt more the next time out, as Amobi Okugo was shown a straight red card during stoppage time, and both he and Lahoud will be out for the next game. The result was a 3-3 draw, with the man of the match being Powers.

Over in New York, the Red Bulls bring in the Columbus Crew. Steve Clark and Luis Robles will play goal. New York got going in the seventeenth minute with a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal, coming off of Thierry Henry and Eric Alexander. Columbus tied it in the thirty-ninth minute when Adam Bedell scored, with the help of Ethan Finlay. The Crew took a yellow card in the forty-third minute for a Bernardo Anor foul. The Red Bulls shot back on the scoreboard in the forty-fifth minute with an Henry goal, going in unassisted. New York added on in the fifty-sixth minute as Lloyd Sam scored, courtesy of Henry. The Red Bulls took a yellow card for Robles' time wasting in the seventy-third minute. Columbus suffered some foul trouble later on, as Tony Tchani was shown a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-fourth minute, and Anor was given a straight red card for a fight a minute later. In the eighty-ninth minute, New York's Sam was given a yellow card for his foul. The Red Bulls iced their 4-1 victory in stoppage time with Alexander's goal from Henry. The man of the match was Henry, who factored in on every goal.

Up in Canada, Toronto FC hosts the Houston Dynamo. Tally Hall and Joe Bendik are manning the nets. Houston struck first with a Brad Davis goal in the thirteenth minute, courtesy of Giles Barnes. The pair met up again in the thirtieth minute as Davis buried another Barnes pass for a goal. Yellow cards soon came pouring down on the teams, with Kofi Sarkodie getting one for a thirty-fifth minute goal for the Dynamo, followed by Jermaine Taylor of Houston and Jermain Defoe of Toronto each getting one for an argument. Toronto got on the board in the thirty-ninth minute with a Jonathan Osorio goal. David Horst brought another yellow card Houston's way a minute later on a foul. Toronto pulled level in the first minute of first half stoppage time with an unassisted goal by Dominic Oduro. The Dynamo had two more yellow cards in the second half, as Ricardo Clark got one for a foul in the fifty-sixth minute and Warren Creavalle followed in the fifty-ninth minute with a foul of his own. Toronto took the lead in the sixty-third minute as Defoe buried a goal assisted by Osorio and Jackson. Toronto padded the lead as Defoe scored in the eighty-ninth minute, an unassisted goal that made it a 4-2 result. Defoe's game winning brace earned him man of the match honors.

Over to Quebec, where the Montreal Impact welcome Sporting Kansas City. Andy Gruenebaum and Troy Perkins guard the nets. Kansas City led off in the fourth minute on a Dominic Dwyer goal, with an assist by Matt Besler. Montreal tied it on a Marco Di Vaio goal, passed from Justin Mapp and Patrice Bernier in the twenty-eighth minute. The teams traded yellow cards throughout the rest of the half, with the Impact's Felipe Martins getting one for a foul in the thirty-first minute, followed by Sporting's Seth Sinovic doing the same a minute later, and then Montreal had another in the forty-first minute for dissent by Andres Romero. The Impact also had a yellow card issued to Krzysztof Krol in the sixty-fourth minute for his foul. Kansas City got a go-ahead goal from Dwyer in the eighty-ninth minute. Montreal's Di Vaio was booked in stoppage time for a foul, and they ultimately lost 2-1. Dwyer's brace made him the man of the match.

Back stateside, the New England Revolution bring in the Chicago Fire. Sean Johnson and Bobby Shuttleworth are in the six-yard boxes. Chicago was first to score in the third minute with a Quincy Amarikwa goal, set up by Mike Magee. New England picked up a yellow card in the twenty-third minute as Daigo Kobayashi took a dive. The Revolution's Jose Gonçalves was booked for a foul in the sixty-third minute, earning him a yellow card. The Fire's Patrick Ianni was shown a yellow card in the eighty-fourth minute for dissent. Chicago had another yellow card in stoppage time, issued to Grant Ward for time wasting. Still, they won 1-0, with the man of the match being Amarikwa for his early, tone-setting goal.

Out west, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC host Chivas USA. Dan Kennedy and David Ousted are protecting the nets. Vancouver was quick in the referee's book with a Carlyle Mitchell foul in the first minute for a yellow card. Mitchell redeemed himself with a goal in the twenty-seventh minute, assisted by Pedro Morales. Chivas got on the board in the forty-seventh minute as Augustin Pelletieri scored, thanks to Mauro Rosales. The Whitecaps were shown another yellow card in the fifty-fourth minute for a foul by Sebastian Fernandez. Things turned bad in the sixty-ninth minute when Jordan Harvey committed a serious foul for a straight red card, putting Vancouver down to ten men. Chivas cashed in on the man advantage in the eighty-first minute with an Erick Torres goal, set up by Marco Delgado and Rosales. Chivas was shown a yellow card for a Delgado foul in the eighty-ninth minute. Chivas then made it 3-1 in stoppage time with a Leandro Barrera goal, via Rosales. Rosales was the man of the match for featuring on all three Chivas goals.

Finally, Saturday ends in Los Angeles, as the Galaxy welcome Real Salt Lake. Nick Rimando and Jaime Penedo wear the mitts. Los Angeles started in the twentieth minute with a Gyasi Zardes goal, coming off of Marcelo Sarvas. The game was quiet until stoppage time, where Sarvas picked up a yellow card four minutes in and Rimando got one seven minutes in for a foul. This didn't change the result, a 1-0 Galaxy win. The man of the match was Penedo for his six-save clean sheet.

The finale for the week saw the Seattle Sounders FC bring in the Portland Timbers for the second time this week. I am proud to say I was at this game. In goal were Donovan Ricketts and Stefan Frei. The first half was a bit rocky, and notably so when Osvaldo Alonso of Seattle was booked for a yellow card for his thirty-first minute foul. Portland had the next yellow card in the sixty-eighth minute with an off the ball foul by Jack Jewsbury. This was after about 15 minutes of attack from Seattle. The Sounders finally cashed in as Clint Dempsey scored in the seventy-first minute. The play started with a free kick from the corner to Ricketts' right, and Dempsey had the first shot on the play. A second shot was stopped point blank by Ricketts, and a third was blocked before an assist from Gonzalo Pineda led to Dempsey tipping the ball home on an impressive stretch. Diego Valeri believed that Dempsey was offside, and was shown a yellow card for his dissent. In the eighty-sixth minute, Marco Pappa put the dagger in, putting Seattle up 2-0 with a goal. On this play, the Sounders had worked up the field and Pappa had the ball at the top of the box. He hesitated on shooting, which caused Ricketts to overplay the fake, and allowed Pappa to thread the needle through the remaining Timbers defense. Portland had one more yellow card in stoppage time for a foul by Rodney Wallace, but the final stood. The man of the match was Pappa, who kept many a Sounders sequence alive in the second half, and capped the game with his insurance goal.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

MLS Saturday and Sunday July 5-6, 2014

Four games on over the weekend, including three on Saturday. We begin in...

Canada, as Toronto FC hosts DC United. Bill Hamid and Joe Bendik are the keepers. DC finally began in the fifty-fourth minute with a Nick DeLeon goal, assisted by Luis Silva. Toronto tied it with a Luke Moore goal in the sixtieth minute. United retook the lead on a Perry Kitchen goal, set up by Lewis Neal in the sixty-ninth minute. Toronto went a man down in the eighty-eighth minute as Nick Hagglund was shown a red card for his serious foul. The final favored DC 2-1, and the man of the match was Hamid for making five saves.

Across the country, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC welcome the Seattle Sounders FC for a Cascadia Cup battle. Stefan Frei and David Ousted are the goalies. Vancouver opened in the twelfth minute as Sebastian Fernandez scored on a pass from Pedro Morales. Seattle had a yellow card in the seventy-ninth minute for persistent infringement by Chad Barrett. This was it for the action in a calm game, with the final being 1-0. Fernandez was the man of the match for his goal.

Down in California, Chivas USA brings in the Montreal Impact. Troy Perkins and Dan Kennedy are in the six yard boxes. Montreal picked up a yellow card in the seventieth minute for a foul by Karl Ouimette. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Chivas' Erick Torres scored an unassisted goal, coming up clutch for a 1-0 win. The man of the match was Torres for the timely tally.

The lone game on Sunday is in the Midwest, as Sporting Kansas City hosts the Chicago Fire. Sean Johnson and Eric Kronberg are manning the nets. Kansas City started in the thirty-third minute on an unassisted Dominic Dwyer goal, which also drew him a yellow card for excessive celebration. Chicago tied it in the fortieth minute as Mike Magee scored, thanks to Alex. The Fire were shown a yellow card for a Chris Ritter foul in the forty-fifth minute. Chicago's Dilly Duka had the next yellow card for his foul in the fifty-fourth minute. Sporting's Benny Feilhaber picked up a late yellow card for a foul in the eighty-sixth minute. The score stood steady at 1-1 until the end, with the man of the match being Johnson for turning aside eight shots directed at him to preserve the tie.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

MLS Friday July 4th, 2014

Five matches on to celebrate America's independence. We begin in...

Houston, as the Dynamo host the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Tally Hall are the keepers. Houston began with a Giles Barnes goal in the first minute, coming off of Kofi Sarkodie and Ricardo Clark. New York tied it in the thirteenth minute as Bradley Wright-Phillips scored, via Eric Alexander. The Dynamo's A.J. Cochran was given a yellow card in the fiftieth minute for a foul. The Red Bulls gained the lead as Wright-Phillips scored again in the seventy-second minute, with the help of Ambroise Oyongo Bitolo. Houston tied it as Brad Davis converted a penalty kick in the eighty-second minute. New York picked up a yellow card on a Jonathan Steele foul in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but the score held. The final was 2-2, and the man of the match was Wright-Phillips with his brace.

Up north a bit, FC Dallas welcomes the Philadelphia Union. Zac MacMath and Chris Seitz make the starts in goal. Dallas opened in the twenty-sixth minute as Tesho Akindele scored, assisted by Blas Perez. Philadelphia tied it in the forty-third minute on an Amobi Okugo goal, made possible by Cristian Maidana. Dallas retook the lead as the Union's Sheanon Williams put the ball in his own net for an own goal. Philadelphia was frequently in the referee's book after this, with Conor Casey getting a yellow card for a foul in the sixty-fifth minute, followed by Sebastien Le Toux getting a yellow card in the sixty-eighth minute for dissent. In the seventy-second minute, Seitz had to come out of the game, replaced by Raul Fernandez. The Union's rough night was capped off by a Maurice Edu red card in the eighty-ninth minute, and the final was 2-1. The man of the match was Akindele.

Northwest to Colorado, as the Rapids host the Columbus Crew. Steve Clark and Clint Irwin are in the six-yard boxes. Colorado had the game's first yellow card as Drew Moor committed a foul in the thirtieth minute. The Rapids were also first to score, although not by their own doing, as Columbus' Eric Gehrig put the ball in his own net for an own goal. The Crew overcame this error with an Ethan Finlay goal in the seventy-sixth minute, an unassisted goal. Colorado picked up two more yellow cards in the seventy-ninth minute for a Vicente Sanchez foul, and again in the first minute of stoppage time for a foul by Shane O'Neill. The final was 1-1, and Irwin's seven saves, preserving the draw, earned him honors as man of the match.

Over in Salt Lake, Real brings in the New England Revolution. Bobby Shuttleworth and Nick Rimando are guarding the nets. The teams traded yellow cards for fouls in the first half, as Chris Wingert had one in the nineteenth minute for Salt Lake, followed by Lee Nguyen getting one in the thirty-second minute for New England. Real started the scoring in the thirty-fifth minute as Javier Morales converted a penalty kick, but he soon followed up with a yellow card for a foul a minute later. The Revolution tied the score in the thirty-seventh minute on a Darrius Barnes goal, assisted by Chris Tierney. Tierney had a transgression in the sixty-fourth minute, a foul that earned him a yellow card, and led to a penalty kick goal by Real's Joao Plata. This was the game winner, with the final being 2-1. The man of the match was Plata.

Finally, in Los Angeles, the Galaxy host the Portland Timbers. Donovan Ricketts and Jaime Penedo are protecting the nets. Portland's Diego Valeri got a yellow card in the twelfth minute for a foul. Los Angeles had the next yellow card as Dan Gargan fouled in the fortieth minute to get the referee involved. The Galazy led off in the sixty-fifth minute with a goal by Marcelo Sarvas, assisted by Landon Donovan. Portland answered in the sixty-seventh minute as Valeri put the ball in the net to tie the game. The Timbers gained the lead in the seventieth minute on a Jorge Villafana goal, an unassisted effort. Portland took another yellow card in the seventy-sixth minute as Diego Chara committed a foul. The Galaxy got one back as the Timbers' Rauwshan McKenzie put an own goal into his team's net, tying the game. This was the final event, leaving the score even at 2. The man of the match was Valeri for offensive effort and a goal.

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