MLS Wednesday August 21st, 2014

Two games tonight, beginning in...

Colorado, as the Rapids host the Los Angeles Galaxy. Jaime Penedo and Clint Irwin control the nets. Colorado began with a fourteenth minute goal by Marlon Hairston, going in unassisted. The Rapids added on in the seventeenth minute with an Edson Buddle goal, via Dillon Powers. Los Angeles got on the board with a Robbie Keane goal in the twentieth minute, courtesy of Dan Gargan. Colorado shot back in the thirtieth minute as Marc Burch scored an unassisted goal. The Galaxy replied on a fifty-fifth minute goal from Omar Gonzalez, assisted by Landon Donovan. Los Angeles tied it in the sixty-eighth minute when Alan Gordon scored, thanks to Gonzalez and Marcelo Sarvas. The Galaxy took the lead in the eightieth minute on a Donovan goal, passed from Keane. Los Angeles saw Sarvas get a yellow card in the eighty-fifth minute for a foul. They held on to win the wild game 4-3, with the man of the match being Donovan for helping begin and putting a cap on the end of the rally.

The other game was in Seattle, as the Sounders FC host the San Jose Earthquakes. Jon Busch and Stefan Frei guard the woodwork. Seattle's DeAndre Yedlin was shown a yellow card in the twenty-seventh minute for a foul. The Sounders were first to score in the forty-sixth minute with a Chad Barrett goal, via Obafemi Martins. San Jose tied it in the sixty-fifth minute on a Chris Wondolowski goal, passed from Cordell Cato. The Sounders' Martins took a yellow card in the seventy-seventh minute for a foul. The Earthquakes also had a yellow card, going to J.J. Koval for a foul in the ninetieth minute. The score held even at 1-1 until the end, and the man of the match was Busch for making six saves to give the Earthquakes a result.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

MLS Weekend August 15-17, 2014

Nine games for the weekend, beginning in...

Houston, as the Dynamo host the Philadelphia Union. Andre Blake and Tally Hall are in front of the woodwork. Houston's David Horst had the first yellow card twenty-eight minutes in, for a foul. Philadelphia matched that with a first half stoppage time yellow card for Danny Cruz expressing his dissent. The Dynamo were first to score in the fifty-first minute on a Will Bruin goal, via Giles Barnes and Brad Davis. Houston got another yellow card for unsporting behavior by DeMarcus Beasley. The Dynamo got another goal in the ninetieth minute when Raymon Gaddis put the ball into his own net for an own goal. The final was 2-0, and the man of the match was Blake, who made seven saves despite the loss as Houston came in firing often and accurately.

On Saturday, the first game was a matinee affair between Real Salt Lake and the visiting Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and Nick Rimando are the solid keepers. Salt Lake and Seattle traded yellow cards around the fifteen minute mark, with Olmes Garcia and Zach Scott each getting one for a foul. Salt Lake took the lead in the fifty-third minute on a Joao Plata goal, via Luke Mulholland. In the fifty-seventh minute, Real got a gift as Osvaldo Alonso put the ball in his own net for the own goal. The Sounders' DeAndre Yedlin picked up a yellow card for dissent in the sixtieth minute. Seattle tied it in the seventy-second minute with a Chad Barrett goal. They couldn't tie it up, dropping a 2-1 decision. The man of the match was Mulholland, who drew fouls and factored into the offense as well.

Northeast to Montreal, where the Impact bring in the Chicago Fire. Sean Johnson and Evan Bush are in goal. Chicago took a yellow card for a twenty-fourth minute foul by Patrick Ianni. Montreal matched it in the seventieth minute on a Gorka Larrea foul that saw him booked on a yellow card. Marco Di Vaio gave the Impact the lead with an eighty-fourth minute goal, and this held up to make it a 1-0 final. The man of the match was Di Vaio for the timely goal.

Down to New England, where the Revolution host the Portland Timbers. Donovan Ricketts and Bobby Shuttleworth man the nets. New England opened in the twenty-seventh minute with a Charlie Davies goal, passed from Diego Fagundez. Portland's Gaston Fernandez took a yellow card for a foul in the fifty-third minute. The Timbers tied it in the sixty-fifth minute on a Liam Ridgewell goal, going in unassisted. This was good enough to make it a 1-1 final, and the man of the match was Ricketts with his five saves to preserve the tie.

West a bit to Columbus, where the Crew welcome the Los Angeles Galaxy. Jaime Penedo and Steve Clark draw the starts in goal. Columbus struck first in the twenty-third minute on a Justin Meram goal, passed from Tony Tchani. The Crew added on with a thirty-third minute Ethan Finlay goal, made possible by Meram. Los Angeles got on the board with a forty-ninth minute goal by Gyasi Zardes, guided in by Dan Gargan and Robbie Keane. Columbus answered in the seventy-fifth minute on a Ben Speas goal, assisted by Finlay. The Crew finished it at 4-1 with an eighty-fourth minute goal by Giancarlo Gonzales, coming off of Federico Higuain. The man of the match was Meram for being included in the making of the critical goals in the match.

Down in Kansas City, Sporting brings in Toronto FC. Joe Bendik and Jon Kempin protect the woodwork. Kansas City began as Dominic Dwyer converted a penalty kick in the eighteenth minute. Lightning struck twice for Sporting, as Dwyer converted another penalty kick to extend the lead in the thirty-third minute. Toronto got one back in first half stoppage time on a Gilberto goal, via Dominic Oduro and Collen Warner. Kansas City answered in the sixty-fourth minute with a Soony Saad goal, going in unassisted. Sporting finished it at 4-1 with a C.J. Sapong goal in the seventy-seventh minute, coming off of Saad and Graham Zusi. The man of the match was Dwyer for his game-winning brace on PKs.

Out in California, Chivas USA hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Dan Kennedy are called on to start in goal. Vancouver's Matias Laba was given a yellow card for a foul in the thirty-seventh minute. Chivas picked up a yellow card for an Agustin Pelletieri foul in the forty-ninth minute. Chivas had two more yellow cards late in the second half, going to Mauro Rosales in the seventy-ninth minute and Leandro Barrera in the eighty-second minute for fouls. This was it for the game, ending in a scoreless draw. Ousted's four saves earned him man of the match honors.

Finishing off Saturday, the San Jose Earthquakes welcome FC Dallas. Raul Fernandez and Jon Busch are the keepers. Dallas started in the thirtieth minute on a Fabian Castillo goal. Dallas added on in the forty-third minute as Tesho Akindele scored, thanks to Castillo. San Jose's Victor Bernardez was shown a yellow card in the forty-fourth minute for a foul. In the fifty-sixth minute, Akindele struck again with his second goal of the game to extend the Dallas lead. Castillo struck again to get himself a brace as well in the seventy-fourth minute, with the help of Blas Perez. In the eighty-sixth minute, Akindele finished off his hat trick to pad the lead for Dallas. This made it a 5-0 final, and Akindele was the man of the match for obvious reasons. 

Closing out the weekend, DC United brings in the Colorado Rapids. Clint Irwin and Bill Hamid get the starts in goal. Colorado's Nick LaBrocca was shown a yellow card in the third minute for a foul. DC took the lead with a Luis Silva goal in the twelfth minute, passed from Taylor Kemp. The Rapids' Chris Klute was given a yellow card for a foul in the forty-third minute. Colorado tied it in the fifty-second minute with a Dillon Serna goal, fueled by Jared Watts. United retook the lead in the sixty-seventh minute as Silva scored again, thanks to Sean Franklin and Perry Kitchen. In the sixty-eighth minute, DC's Davy Arnaud picked up a yellow card for a foul. In the seventy-second minute, Kitchen was shown a yellow card for a foul. Chirs Rolfe extended the United lead with a goal in the eighty-first minute, via Kemp. DC got another in the eighty-sixth minute with a Fabian Espindola goal, passed from David Estrada. The Rapids took one back in the first minute of stoppage time with a Deshorn Brown goal, helped along by Dillon Powers. The final stood at 4-2, with the man of the match being Silva with his brace.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

Premier League Week 1

I know that this is short notice, but I have decided to take my blog in a new direction. I will no longer be covering American football, and there will be no further attempts at baseball either. Instead, I have grown into being a big fan of soccer/association football/futbol (it all depends on what you want to call it). With this change, I will continue coverage for the USA's Major League Soccer, and also add the Barclays Premier League. These will be paired with hockey in both the NHL and KHL as I have done for the past two seasons. I hope to attract a more global audience with this change, and I apologize to those who read my NFL coverage, but it is simply too intense to keep up with while I am attending college. With that, the 2014-2015 Premier League season begins with...

Manchester United hosting Swansea City. Lukasz Fabianski and David de Gea are in goal. Swansea City's Nathan Dyer was first in the book with a yellow card for a foul in the twenty-sixth minute. Swansea City took the lead with a Ki Sung-Yueng goal in the twenty-eighth minute, made possible by Gylfi Sigurdsson. In the forty-eighth minute, Swansea City took another yellow card for a foul by Neil Taylor. Manchester United tied it on a fifty-third minute goal by Wayne Rooney from in close. In the fifty-fourth minute, Jonjo Shelvey was given a yellow card for Swansea City. Swansea City took the lead back on a seventy-second minute goal by Sigurdsson, with the help of Wayne Routledge. Swansea City's Sung-Yueng took a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-second minute, but this was matched by Manchester United a minute later for Tyler Blackett's yellow card earning foul, and again by Ashley Young's foul and yellow card in the eighty-sixth minute. Swansea City came away with an impressive 2-1 victory to open the season.

Moving along to Leicester City welcoming Everton. Tim Howard and Kasper Schmeichel are the goalies. In the twentieth minute, Aiden McGeady was able to corral the ball after a corner kick and put it in the upper right corner for an early Everton lead. In the twenty-second minute, Leonardo Ulloa answered with his own goal following a corner kick to tie the game for Leicester City. Everton retook the lead as Steven Naismith ricocheted the ball off the crossbar and into the top left corner in the forty-fifth minute, with an assist by Steven Pienaar. In the sixty-eighth minute, Everton's Gareth Barry was shown a yellow card for a foul, but this was matched by Leicester City's Liam Moore getting a yellow card for a handball. In the eighty-sixth minute, Leicester City got the equalizer with a Chris Wood goal. This held up for a 2-2 draw.

Next up, the Queens Park Rangers bring in Hull City. Allan McGregor and Robert Green are guarding the nets. In the twenty-seventh minute, Curtis Davies of Hull City was shown a yellow card for a foul. Hull City took the lead in the fifty-second minute, as James Chester headed the ball in off a cross from the assisting Stephen Quinn. The sides exchanged yellow cards later, with QPR's Richard Dunne getting one for his sixty-ninth minute foul, followed by Hull City's foul in the seventy-ninth minute, committed by Nikica Jelavic. The Chester goal held up to give Hull City the 1-0 win.

On to Stoke City hosting Aston Villa. Brad Guzan and Asmir Begovic are the keepers. Aston Villa had a yellow card shown to Ashley Westwood in the fourteenth minute for a foul. Aston Villa took the lead with a fiftieth minute goal by Andres Weimann. Aston Villa was booked for two more yellow cards, going to Alan Hutton in the eightieth minute and Gabriel Agbonlahor in the eighty-sixth minute. They still hung on for a 1-0 win, beginning their season on the right foot.

Following that, West Bromwich Albion welcomes Sunderland. Vito Mannone and Ben Foster are in the six-yard boxes. In the fifth minute, Lee Cattermole put Sunderland up with a goal after a set piece. West Brom had three yellow cards in a row, going to Craig Dawson in the tenth minute, Graham Dorrans in the thirtieth minute, and Jonas Olsson in the thirty-second minute. The first two were for fouls, while the third went undefined. In the forty-second minute, Valentin Roberge of Sunderland was shown a yellow card for a foul, allowing West Brom to tie the game on the ensuing penalty kick by Saido Berahino to the bottom left corner of the net. Berahino struck again in the seventy-fourth minute, converting a cross from Craig Gardner from in close. Sunderland salvaged a point as Sebastian Larsson scored in the eighty-fifth minute with an assist by Patrick van Aanholt. This made it a 2-2 draw in the end.

We continue to where West Ham United brings in Tottenham Hotspur. Hugo Lloris and Adrian are playing in goal. Tottenham Hotspur went down to ten men in the twenty-ninth minute as Kyle Naughton was given a red card. West Ham's James Collins got a yellow card for a fifty-fourth minute foal, but he was later ejected in the sixty-third minute for a second yellow card on another bad foul. West Ham had another yellow card issued to Cheikhou Kouyate in stoppage time for a foul, and about forty-seconds later, Eric Dier gave Tottenham Hotspur the win with a late goal, assisted by Harry Kane on the through ball. Tottenham Hotspur took the game 1-0.

The last game for Saturday's opening festivities was Arsenal hosting Crystal Palace. Julian Speroni and Wojciech Szczesny protect the nets. Brede Hangeland put Crystal Palace up first with a thirty-fifth minute header goal, assisted by Jason Puncheon with the cross. In the forty-fourth minute, Calum Chambers of Arsenal was given a yellow card for his foul. Just into stoppage time for the first half, Arsenal tied it up on a Laurent Koscielny header goal via Alexis Sanchez off the set piece. Crystal Palace's Puncheon was given a yellow card in the forty-eighth minute. In the sixtieth minute, Arsenal's Santiago Cazorla was given a yellow card for his foul. Crystal Palace was booked three more times in the game, with a sixty-eighth minute yellow card to Marouane Chamakh for a foul, a Martin Kelly yellow card for a foul in the seventy-seventh minute, and then Puncheon's second yellow card got him ejected in the eighty-ninth minute for his foul. With the manpower advantage, Arsenal cashed in as Aaron Ramsey scored from close range thirty-five seconds into stoppage time, coming off a corner kick. The final stood favoring Arsenal 2-1.

Sunday had two games, the first from Liverpool, who welcomed in Southampton. Fraser Forster and Simon Mignolet guard the nets. Liverpool started in the twenty-third minute with a Raheem Sterling goal, made possible by Jordan Henderson with the through ball. Liverpool's Javier Manquillo took a yellow card for his foul in the thirty-fourth minute. Nathaniel Clyne put Southampton level with a goal in the fifty-sixth minute, guided in by Dusan Tadic. In the sixty-fifth minute, Morgan Schneiderlin of Southamption was shown a yellow card for his foul, followed by another yellow to Steven Davis in the seventy-eighth minute. Liverpool was able to build from here and score in the seventy-ninth minute as Daniel Sturridge buried a header pass from Sterling. Liverpool held on for the 2-1 win.

The other Sunday game saw Newcastle United bring in Manchester City. Joe Hart and Tim Krul are the goalies with short names. In the thirty-fourth minute, David Silva was booked for Manchester City on a yellow card foul. Silva made up for his error by putting Manchester City ahead in the thirty-eighth minute with a goal off a pass from Edin Dzeko. The next bit of action was three consecutive yellow cards issued to Manchester City players, beginning in the fifty-fourth minute with Martin Demichelis, followed by Aleksandar Kolarov's foul in the fifty-seventh minute, and Vincent Kompany's foul in the seventy-fifth minute. Daryl Jaanmat picked up a yellow card for Newcastle United in the seventy-seventh minute, also for a foul. Manchester City had the last yellow card in the eighty-seventh minute on a Fernando foul. About a minute and a half into stoppage time, Manchester City iced it at 2-0 with a Sergio Aguero goal, coming from an odd angle but finding the net.

Finally, on Monday, Burnley hosts Chelsea to wrap up the first week. Thibaut Courtois and Tom Heaton are the keepers. In the fourteenth minute, Burnley struck first with a goal by Scott Arfield, assisted by Matthew Taylor. Chelsea tied it in the seventeenth minute on a Diego Costa goal. In the twenty-first minute, Chelsea took the lead on a beautiful goal by Andre Schurrle, kicking on the half-volley after a well-placed pass by Francesc Fabregas. In the thirty-first minute, Costa was booked for a foul while trying to outrun Heaton for the ball. Chelsea added on with a thirty-fourth minute goal by Branislav Ivanovic, off of a corner kick by Fabregas. Burnley's Marvin Sordell got a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-seventh minute. Chelsea shut it down in the end for a 3-1 victory to ascend to the top of the table at the end of the first week.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

MLS August 8-10th, 2014

Now that the All-Star Game has come and gone, we have nine games scheduled for this weekend. We begin with a Cali Clasico from...

Los Angeles, as the Galaxy host the San Jose Earthquakes. Jon Busch and Jaime Penedo are the keepers. San Jose began in the eighteenth minute on a Chris Wondolowski goal, via Shea Salinas. Los Angeles tied it in the twenty-ninth minute as Gyasi Zardes scored an unassisted. The Earthquakes retook the lead in the thirty-first minute on a Matias Perez Garcia goal, assisted by Wondolowski and Atiba Harris. The Galaxy tied it again in the forty-ninth minute with an Omar Gonzalez goal, fueled by Stefan Ishizaki. San Jose had the game's first yellow card for a fifty-first minute foul by Shaun Francis. The Earthquakes' Sam Cronin had the next yellow card for a foul in the seventy-ninth minute. This was it for the game, with the final score being 2-2, and the man of the match was Busch for his five saves to preserve the draw.

On Saturday, the first game came from Philadelphia, as the Union welcome the Montreal Impact. Troy Perkins and Zac MacMath guard the nets. Philadelphia started in the twelfth minute with a Sebastien Le Toux goal, going in unassisted. The Union added on as Le Toux scored again in the sixty-third minute, via Andrew Wenger. Montreal got on the board in the seventy-ninth minute as Maxim Tissot scored, with the help of Andres Romero. They couldn't pull even, losing 2-1. The man of the match was Le Toux with a brace.

West to Columbus, where the Crew bring in Toronto FC. Joe Bendik and Steve Clark man the nets. Toronto struck first with a Gilberto goal in the forty-third minute, assisted by Luke Moore. Columbus tied it in first-half stoppage time on a penalty kick conversion by Federico Higuain. Toronto was shown a yellow card in the fifty-third minute for a Doneil Henry foul. Toronto took the lead back in the fifty-ninth minute as Jonathan Osorio scored, courtesy of Moore. The Crew retied it on a Justin Meram goal in the eighty-first minute, made possible by Waylon Francis. Toronto again quickly reclaimed the lead with a Moore goal, set up by Collen Warner. This stood as the game winner in a back-and-forth 3-2 affair, with Moore being the man of the match for the clincher and two assists.

South to Texas, as FC Dallas hosts the Colorado Rapids. Clint Irwin and Raul Fernandez are the goalies. Dallas led off in the ninth minute with an unassisted Matt Hedges goal. Dallas added on as Michel converted a penalty kick goal in the eleventh minute. Colorado's Nick LaBrocca picked up a yellow card for a foul in the forty-third minute. Dallas extended their lead in the fifty-fifth minute on a Fabian Castillo goal, going in unassisted. Things got choppy around the seventieth minute, with Adam Moffat of Dallas getting a yellow card for an argument and Edson Buddle of the Rapids getting one for a foul. In the seventy-third minute, Colorado's Jose Mari was given a yellow card for a foul, and a minute later, Dallas' Tesho Akindele was also booked on a yellow card for a foul. The Rapids got on the board in the eighty-sixth minute with a penalty kick goal by Gabriel Torres. Michel was called for time wasting in the eighty-seventh minute, earning a yellow card, but it didn't affect the 3-1 final. The man of the match was Fernandez, who was kept busy but stayed strong to earn the win.

Back northwest to Salt Lake City, as Real welcomes DC United. Bill Hamid and Nick Rimando are in the six-yard boxes. DC had a yellow card shown to Jared Jeffrey in the fifth minute for a foul. Salt Lake opened in the eleventh minute on a Joao Plata goal, via Luke Mulholland. Real added on in the thirteenth minute with a Chris Schuler goal, made possible by Javier Morales. In the twenty-fourth minute, Salt Lake got another one on Schuler's second of the game, again from Morales. United's Eddie Johnson picked up a yellow card in the thirtieth minute for unsporting behavior. Real's Kenny Mansally committed a foul in the eighty-fifth minute, drawing a yellow card. The final score was 3-0, with the man of the match being Schuler with his brace.

Wrapping up Saturday, the Portland Timbers bring in Chivas USA. Dan Kennedy and Donovan Ricketts are the last line of defense. Portland struck first in the tenth minute on a Diego Valeri goal, passed from Diego Chara. Chivas picked up a pair of yellow cards after this goal, with Tony Lochhead and Oswaldo Miranda each getting one for fouls in the twelfth and thirty-third minutes, respectively. The Timbers added on in the thirty-ninth minute with a Rodney Wallace goal, set up by Fanendo Adi. The two teams exchanged yellow cards later on, with Valeri getting one for dissent in the fifty-first minute, followed by Agustin Pelletieri's foul in the fifty-ninth minute. In stoppage time, another pair of yellows were handed out to Liam Ridgewell of the Timbers and Marco Delgado of Chivas for fouls. The Timbers took the game 2-0, with the man of the match being Valeri.

On Sunday, we begin in Vancouver, as the Whitecaps FC host Sporting Kansas City. Andy Gruenebaum and David Ousted protect the woodwork. Vancouver received a gift in the seventeenth minute as Igor Juliao's own goal put them ahead first. In the twenty-fifth minute, Dominic Dwyer was called for a foul and earned a yellow card for Kansas City. The Whitecaps added on in the thirty-ninth minute as Darren Mattocks scored, thanks to Pedro Morales. In the second half, the teams exchanged yellow cards, as Benny Feilhaber of Sporting and  Erik Hurtado of Vancouver were both booked for fouls around the sixty-third minute. Jordan Harvey picked up another yellow card for the Whitecaps by wasting time in the eighty-third minute. The final stood at 2-0, with the man of the match being Mattocks for a beauty of a goal.

East to Chicago, as the Fire welcome the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Sean Johnson man the nets. Chicago began in the thirty-eighth minute with a Mike Magee goal, going in unassisted. New York's Ibrahim Sekagya was booked in the sixty-sixth minute for a yellow card on a foul. The game ended without much fireworks in a 1-0 result, and the man of the match was Johnson for four saves to preserve the win and the clean sheet.

Finally, in Seattle, the Sounders FC bring in the Houston Dynamo. Tally Hall and Stefan Frei are the keepers. The big moment came early on, with Frei turning away Brad Davis' penalty kick attempt to keep the game scoreless 25 minutes in. Seattle had issues with discipline early, and Lamar Neagle (28'), Obafemi Martins (33'), and Gonzalo Pineda (55') all received visits from the referee and yellow cards for fouls. Houston's Luis Garrido got a yellow card for a foul in the sixtieth minute as well. In the sixty-ninth minute, the Sounders broke through on a Marco Pappa goal, spinning around a defender before shooting through five defenders, bouncing off the last of them and sending Hall the wrong way for the lead. In the seventy-fifth minute, Pineda made up for his earlier transgression by showing the Dynamo how to make a penalty kick, blasting it up the middle where Hall got some of it but not enough to stop it. In the eighty-first minute, Leo Gonzalez was given a yellow card for a foul. In the eighty-sixth minute, Martins had his second yellow card and an ejection for a senseless tackle from behind. The Dynamo's Kofi Sarkodie finished off the cards by picking up a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The final stood at 2-0, and Frei was the man of the match for three saves and a clean sheet in what was a tighter game than the score indicates.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

MLS Weekend August 1st-3rd, 2014

We begin our weekend coverage with Friday's lone game from...

Kansas City as Sporting hosts the Philadelphia Union. Zac MacMath and Andy Gruenebaum are the goalies. Kansas City began with a fifty-fourth minute goal by Graham Zusi, via Toni. Philadelphia tied it in the seventy-first minute on a Brian Brown goal, set up by Raymon Gaddis. This was it for the game, with the final being a 1-1 tie. Gruenebaum was man of the match for his six saves to preserve the draw.

Leading off on Saturday, we have the Los Angeles Galaxy welcoming the Portland Timbers. Donovan Ricketts and Jaime Penedo man the nets. Portland started in the fourteenth minute on a Diego Valeri goal, going in unassisted. Los Angeles tied it in the third minute of first half stoppage time on a Gyasi Zardes goal, passed from Robbie Rogers and Robbie Keane. The Galaxy took the lead in the seventy-third minute as Keane scored, via Landon Donovan. In the seventy-fifth minute, Marcelo Sarvas picked up the first yellow card in the game for Los Angeles, being cited for a foul. The Timbers got a yellow card for an eighty-first minute foul by Diego Chara. Keane extended the Galaxy lead with a penalty kick goal in the eighty-fifth minute. This made it a 3-1 final. The man of the match was Keane for his involvement in all of his team's goals.

Next up, the Montreal Impact host Canadian rivals Toronto FC. Joe Bendik and Troy Perkins are in goal. Toronto opened in the eleventh minute with a Gilberto goal, via Dominic Oduro and Michael Bradley. Montreal picked up a pair of yellow cards in the next chunk of play, with one going to Krzysztof Krol for a foul in the thirty-second minute and the other to Matteo Ferrari for dissent in the fifty-second minute. Toronto added on in the fifty-fourth minute with a Luke Moore goal, going in unassisted. The Impact had another yellow card shown to Hassoun Camara in the seventy-seventh minute for a foul. The final was 2-0, and the man of the match was Bendik for a clean sheet with four saves.

Back stateside, the New York Red Bulls bring in the New England Revolution. Bobby Shuttleworth and Luis Robles are the keepers. New England's Charlie Davies picked up an early yellow card for a second minute dive. He made up for his transgression by scoring in the twentieth minute to give the Revolution the lead, with the help of Teal Bunbury. New York had another bad break in first half stoppage time as Matt Miazga would commit a serious foul that resulted in a red card and putting his team down to ten men. The Red Bulls tied it in the forty-seventh minute on a Dax McCarty goal, fueled by Eric Alexander. New York took the lead on a sixty-third minute goal by Bradley Wright-Phillips, passed from Lloyd Sam. New England was shown a pair of yellow cards later on, with Scott Caldwell in the sixty-ninth minute and Kelyn Rowe in the eighty-third minutes each getting one for a foul. The final score favored a shorthanded Red Bulls side 2-1, with the man of the match being Wright-Phillips for the game-winner.

West to Chicago, as the Fire host the Columbus Crew. Steve Clark and Sean Johnson protect the nets. Chicago led off in the thirty-seventh minute on a Mike Magee penalty kick goal. Columbus tied it in the forty-sixth minute on a Federico Higuain goal, via Ethan Finlay. The Crew were booked for the first two yellow cards, going to Giancarlo Gonzalez in the fiftieth minute and Waylon Francis in the sixty-ninth minute for a foul. The Fire had a yellow card given to Gonzalo Segares in the seventy-fifth minute. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with the man of the match being Johnson for his three saves.

Further to the west, the Colorado Rapids welcome Real Salt Lake. Nick Rimando and Clint Irwin are in the six-yard boxes. Salt Lake struck first in the fourteenth minute on a Javier Morales goal, assisted by Chris Wingert. Real ran into some misfortune from there on. Wingert was shown a yellow card in the thirty-fourth minute for time wasting. Then, in the forty-sixth minute, Salt Lake's Aaron Maund was shown a red card for a serious foul, putting them down a man. Real had another yellow card issued to Kyle Beckerman for a foul in the sixty-second minute. Salt Lake was booked again for a Tony Beltran time wasting yellow card in the eighty-fourth minute. They held on for a 1-0 win, with the man of the match being Rimando for a clean sheet with six saves.

Finishing off Saturday's slate, the San Jose Earthquakes inaugurate Levi's Stadium against the Seattle Sounders FC. Jon Busch and Stefan Frei guard the nets. San Jose's Victor Bernardez was booked on a yellow card for a foul in the eighteenth minute. The Earthquakes opened in the forty-second minute with a Yannick Djalo goal, passed from Chris Wondolowski. Seattle's Zach Scott got a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. San Jose had another yellow card for an Atiba Harris foul in the seventy-eighth minute. Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi picked up a yellow card in second half stoppage time for a foul. The Earthquakes coasted to a 1-0 win, with the man of the match being Busch for an eight save clean sheet.

First up on Sunday, the Houston Dynamo bring in DC United. Bill Hamid and Tally Hall protect the nets. DC's Taylor Kemp was booked for a foul in the fifth minute, earning a yellow card. United had another yellow card in the seventy-second minute on a Perry Kitchen foul. The Dynamo won the game with a second half stoppage time goal by Will Bruin, assisted by Omar Cummings for the 1-0 win. Bruin was the man of the match for the game-winner, cashing in a game his team dominated.

Finally, Chivas USA hosts FC Dallas. Raul Fernandez and Dan Kennedy man the nets. Dallas picked up the first yellow card in the seventeenth minute on a Matt Hedges foul. Dallas opened the scoring with a Tesho Akindele goal in the forty-ninth minute, made possible by Fabian Castillo and Blas Perez. Dallas' Mauro Diaz was shown a yellow card in the sixty-seventh minute for a foul. The final was 1-0, and the man of the match was Akindele for his goal.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

MLS Wednesday July 30th, 2014

Four games on a busy midweek slate, beginning in...

DC, as United hosts Toronto FC. Joe Bendik and Bill Hamid man the nets. DC began in the eighth minute on an Eddie Johnson goal, via Perry Kitchen and Sean Franklin. The next three events in the game were yellow cards, all for fouls. These were shown to Toronto's Collen Warner in the thirty-sixth minute and United's Davy Arnaud and Chris Korb in the forty-second and fifty-fourth minutes, respectively. DC added on as Chris Rolfe scored in the fifty-ninth minute, with the help of Nick DeLeon and Luis Silva. United extended the lead when Toronto's Nick Hagglund put the ball into his own net for an own goal in the sixty-seventh minute. Toronto picked up a yellow card a minute later for a Michael Bradley foul. United had one more yellow card, given to Johnson in the ninetieth minute. The final stood at 3-0, with Hamid being the man of the match by making eight saves for a clean sheet.

Up in New England, the Revolution welcome the Colorado Rapids. Clint Irwin and Bobby Shuttleworth are the keepers. New England received an early gift as Drew Moor was charged with an own goal in the tenth minute. Colorado's Thomas Piermayr was shown a yellow card for a foul in the thirty-first minute. The game was relatively calm for forty minutes, and then things got interesting. In the seventy-second minute, Patrick Mullins of the Revolution was shown a yellow card for a foul. The Rapids received two yellow cards in the seventy-fourth minute. The first went to Irwin for dissent. The second was far worse, as Piermayr was called for a foul, earning his second card and ejection from the game. The drop to ten men was backbreaking for Colorado. New England scored in the seventy-fifth minute on a Lee Nguyen goal. Three minutes later, Kelyn Rowe deposited a pass from Nguyen into the twine to produce the eventual 3-0 final. The man of the match was Nguyen for his difference-making effort.

West to Chicago, where the Fire bring in the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Sean Johnson protect the nets. Chicago was first to pick up a yellow card for a Chris Ritter foul in the twenty-eighth minute. Vancouver matched that with a Jordan Harvey yellow card for a foul in the thirty-sixth minute. The Whitecaps had another yellow card for a sixty-third minute Johnny Leveron foul. The Fire picked up the next yellow card as Lovel Palmer was booked for a foul. The scoring just wasn't there for either team, as the game ended in a scoreless draw. The man of the match was Johnson, turning away two shots on goal of the thirteen shots Vancouver took in the game to keep a clean sheet.

Finally, Real Salt Lake hosts the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Nick Rimando tend the nets. Salt Lake led off in the eighteenth minute with a Joao Plata goal, via Chris Wingert. New York tied it on a Thierry Henry goal in the fifty-seventh minute, assisted by Tim Cahill and Bradley Wright-Phillips. Real was given the only yellow card of the game in the seventy-eighth minute on an Olmes Garcia offense for time wasting. The final was 1-1, and the man of the match was Henry for his equalizer to preserve a point for the Red Bulls.

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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.