Thursday, October 9, 2014

KHL October 9th, 2014

Six games on for today, beginning in...

Yekaterinburg, as Avtomobilist hosts Traktor Chelyabinsk. Vasily Demchenko and Jakub Kovar are between the pipes. Yekaterinburg began with a first period Alexei Simakov power play goal, powered by Tobias Viklund. Avtomobilist added on in the third period with a Jakub Petruzalek power play goal, via Simakov and Sami Lepisto. Chelyabinsk got on the board with a Jan Bulis goal, with a lone assist by Martin Ruzicka. Traktor tied it on an Andrei Popov goal, guided in by Stanislav Chistov and Semyon Kokuyov. The tie went to a shootout, where Anatoly Golyshev and Petruzalek topped a Chistov tally to secure a 3-2 win for Avtomobilist. Petruzalek, Simakov, and Chistov received the three stars.

Down in Magnitogorsk, Metallurg welcomes Admiral Vladivostok. Ilya Proskuryakov and Vasily Koshechkin draw the starts in goal. Magnitogorsk started in the first period with a Denis Platonov goal, guided in by Chris Lee and the goalie Koshechkin. Vladivostok tied it with an Enver Lisin goal, passed from Vladislav Ushenin and Vyacheslav Ushenin. Admiral took the lead in the second period as Richard Gynge scored, thanks to Niclas Bergfors and Alexei Byvaltsev. Vladivostok added on with an unassisted Ilya Zubov goal. Metallurg got one back with a Maxim Yakutsenya goal, coming off of Francis Pare and Oskar Osala. Alexander Pechursky relieved Koshechkin for the third period. Admiral answered with a penalty shot goal by Vyacheslav Ushenin, which he received after a slash from Yaroslav Khabarov. Magnitogorsk pulled back on a penalty shot goal from Evgeny Grigorenko, after Jan Kolar held him on a scoring chance. This was as close as it got, with the final at 4-3. the three stars went to Vyacheslav Ushenin, Zubov, and Gynge.

West to Moscow, as CSKA brings in the Sochi Leopards. Tomas Popperle and Stanislav Galimov are in the creases. Moscow opened in the first period with a power play goal by Stephane Da Costa, powered by Nikita Zaitsev and Denis Denisov. CSKA added on with a Vladimir Zharkov goal, fueled by Georgy Misharin and Alexei Bondarev. Moscow extended the lead in the second period on an Igor Grigorenko goal, assisted by Da Costa and Alexander Radulov. CSKA padded the lead as Sergei Andronov scored, with the help of Evgeny Artyukhin and Jan Mursak. Andrei Gavrilov replaced Popperle in goal. Sochi got on the board with an unassisted Cory Emmerton goal in the third period. Moscow shot back with an Andronov power play goal, coming off of Mursak. CSKA kept going with a Da Costa goal, with assists provided by Bogdan Kiselevich and Radulov on the power play. The Leopards got one back as Emmerton scored a power play goal, with a lone assist by Roman Lyuduchin. The final stood at 6-2, with the three stars going to Da costa, Andronov, and Emmerton, while Radulov and Mursak get the honorable mentions.

Back to Cherepovets, where Severstal hosts Vityaz Podolsk. Harri Sateri and Jakub Stepanek are the masked men. Cherepovets struck first in the first period with a Gennady Stolyarov goal, assisted by Pavel Buchnevich. Severstal added on with a Vadim Berdnikov goal, passed from Marek Kvapil and Adam Almqvist. Cherepovets extended the lead on an Evgeny Mons goal, helped along by Dmitry Kagarlitsky and Pavel Chernov. Podolsk got on the board with a shorthanded and unassisted Roman Horak goal. Vityaz chipped closer with a Dmitry Shitikov goal, courtesy of Mikhail Yakubov and Alexei Grishin. Podolsk tied it in the second period on a Robert Kousal goal, coming off of Konstantin Klimontov and Shitikov. Vityaz took the lead in the third period as Klimontov scored a power play goal, powered by Maxim Afinogenov. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Klimontov, Shitikov, and Horak.

Continuing to Togliatti, where Lada welcomes Ak Bars Kazan. Emil Garipov and Ilya Ezhov are the veteran goalies. Kazan was first to score in the first period with an Alexander Burmistrov goal, fueled by Ilya Nikulin. Ak Bars added on as Janne Pesonen scored in the second period, thanks to Shaun Heshka. Togliatti got on the board with an Alexei Mastryukov goal, via Alexander Sharov. Lada tied it in the third period on a Stanislav Romanov goal, courtesy of Denis Barantsev. Kazan won 3-2 in overtime as Burmistrov scored his second of the game, with a lone assist by Kirill Petrov. The three stars went to Burmistrov, Romanov, and Pesonen.

Finally, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod brings in Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Yeryomenko and Ivan Kasutin guard the cages. Nizhny Novgorod led off in the first period with a Vladimir Galuzin power play goal, powered by Pavel Valentenko and Juuso Hietanen. Torpedo added on with a power play goal by Wojtek Wolski, assisted by Sakari Salminen and Jarkko Immonen. Moscow got on the board in the second period with an unassisted Dmitry Pestunov power play goal. Nizhny Novgorod iced it at 3-1 in the third period with an empty net goal by Sergei Bernatsky, set up by Wolski and Salminen. The three stars were given to Wolski, Kasutin (22 for 23 in saves), and Salminen.

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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

MLS Wednesday October 8, 2014

Two games on tonight, with the first coming from...

Toronto, as Toronto FC hosts the Houston Dynamo. Tyler Deric and Joe Bendik man the nets. Houston struck first in the thirty-fifth minute on a Giles Barnes goal, coming off of Kofi Sarkodie. The Dynamo went down to ten men in the fifty-fifth minute, as A.J. Cochran was sent off on a straight red card for his foul. Toronto took a yellow card for a Daniel Lovitz foul in stoppage time. Houston held on for a 1-0 win, and the man of the match was Deric with his clean sheet and six saves.

The other game has the Portland Timbers hosting the San Jose Earthquakes. Jon Busch and Donovan Ricketts are the keepers. The teams traded yellow cards in the first half, with Portland's Ben Zemanski getting on in the twentieth minute, followed by Shaun Francis of San Jose getting the other in the thirtieth minute. The Timbers led off with a forty-first minute Rodney Wallace goal, via Darlington Nagbe. Portland added on with a fifty-first minute penalty kick conversion by Diego Valeri. The Timbers took a yellow card in the sixty-fifth minute as Norberto Paparatto committed a foul. Portland extended their lead with another Valeri goal in the seventy-third minute. This made it 3-0, with the man of the match being Valeri for his brace. Interestingly, the Earthquakes failed to put a shot on goal against the Timbers, leading to a clean sheet with no saves for Ricketts in what is like one of his easiest games of all time.

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NHL October 8th, 2014

Welcome to the new season of NHL action. We begin with a storied rivalry in...

Toronto, as the Maple Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Jonathan Bernier guard the cages. Montreal opened in the first period on a Max Pacioretty goal, assisted by P.A. Parenteau and Alexei Emelin. Toronto tied it with a Nazem Kadri goal, coming off of Brandon Kozun and Joffrey Lupul. The Maple Leafs took the lead as Tyler Bozak scored, thanks to Stuart Percy and Dion Phaneuf on the power play. The Canadiens retied it in the second period on a Tomas Plekanec goal, with a lone assist by Emelin. Montreal took the lead in the third period with a P.K. Subban goal, via David Desharnais and Parenteau. Toronto retied it on a Morgan Rielly goal, courtesy of Leo Komarov. The Canadiens won 4-3 as Plekanec scored his second of the night, with the help of Alex Galchenyuk. The three stars went to Plekanec, Emelin, and Parenteau.

Stateside, the Boston Bruins welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason is mismatched with Tuukka Rask in goal. Boston started with a Reilly Smith power play goal in the first period, powered by Carl Soderberg and Patrice Bergeron. Philadelphia tied it in the third period on a Sean Couturier goal, assisted by Jakub Voracek and Matt Read. The Bruins took the lead back with a Chris Kelly goal, fueled by Adam McQuaid and Soderberg. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Kelly, Rask (19 for 20 in saves), and Soderberg.

Out west and in Canada again, the Calgary Flames bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Jonas Hiller are the goalies with rhyming last names. Vancouver struck first in the first period on an Alexander Burrows power play goal, powered by Dan Hamhuis and Christopher Tanev. Calgary tied it in the second period on a Paul Byron goal, coming off of Joe Colborne. The Canucks retook the lead as Zack Kassian scored, with the help of Linden Vey and Brad Richardson. Vancouver added on with a Radim Vrbata goal, made possible by Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. The Flames got one back with a Jiri Hudler goal, guided in by Sean Monahan and Mark Giordano. The Canucks iced it at 4-2 in the third period with an empty net goal from Henrik Sedin, set up by Tanev and Richardson. The three stars were Henrik Sedin, Tanev, and Richardson.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Jonathan Quick draw the starts in goal. San Jose was first to score in the first period with a Tommy Wingels goal, made possible by Tye McGinn and Jason Demers. The Sharks added on in the second period with a Patrick Marleau power play goal, powered by Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. San Jose extended the lead with a Wingels goal, his second of the night, with a lone assist from Burns. The Sharks padded the lead on a Matthew Nieto goal, via Marleau. Martin Jones relieved Quick for the third period. San Jose cruised to a 4-0 victory, and the three stars were Wingels, Niemi (34 save shutout), and Marleau, while Burns gets an honorable mention.

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KHL October 8th, 2014

Welcome to another day of KHL action. There are three games today. Also, keep an eye out tonight for NHL hockey, with the season debut with four games tonight. In Russia, we begin with...

Atlant Mytishchi hosting Jokerit Helsinki. Riku Helenius and Atte Engren are the goalies. Helsinki began in the first period with a Steve Moses goal, assisted by Ryan Gunderson and Petr Koukal. Mytishchi tied it with an Andrei Taratukhin goal, via Oleg Yashin and Yaroslav Dyblenko. Jokerit retook the lead in the second period on a Linus Omark goal, with a lone assist by Moses. Helsinki added on with a power play goal by Tommi Huhtala, powered by Juhamatti Aaltonen and Gunderson. Atlant shot back in the third period as Artyom Chernov scored a power play goal, thanks to Sergei Shmelyov and Dyblenko. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Moses, Gunderson, and Dyblenko.

Into St. Petersburg, where SKA welcomes Medvescak Zagreb. Barry Brust faces a lesser foe in Evgeny Ivannikov in goal. St. Petersburg was first to score with a first period goal by Jimmie Ericsson, assisted by Ilya Kovalchuk and Viktor Tikhonov. Zagreb tied it in the second period with an unassisted power play goal by Mark Katic. SKA took the lead back on a Patrick Thoresen power play goal, powered by Tony Martensson and Roman Cervenka. St. Petersburg added on in the third period on a Vadim Shipachyov goal, guided in by Evgeny Dadonov and Artemy Panarin. Medvescak pulled back on a Bill Thomas goal, coming off of Martin St. Pierre and Anthony Stewart. SKA shot back as Ilya Kablukov scored, thanks to Igor Makarov and Anton Burdasov. St. Petersburg iced it on a Martensson empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars of the 5-2 game were Martensson, Shipachyov, and Kablukov.

Finally, Dinamo Riga brings in Slovan Bratislava. Johan Backlund and Jakub Sedlacek are in the blue paint. Bratislava led off in the first period with a Milan Bartovic goal, assisted by Tomas Netik. Slovan added on in the second period as Matt Murley scored an unassisted goal. Riga got on the board with a Gunars Skvorcovs goal, courtesy of Kaspars Saulietis. Bratislava answered with a power play goal by Murley, powered by Ladislav Nagy and Tomas Starosta. Slovan extended the lead in the third period as Netik scored, with a lone assist by Bartovic. This was good for a 4-1 win, with the three stars going to Murley, Bartovic, and Netik.

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Tuesday, October 7, 2014

KHL October 7th, 2014

Two games on a mild day today, beginning in...

Moscow, as Dynamo hosts Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Curtis Sanford and Alexander Sharychenkov are the goalies. Moscow got going in the third period with an unassisted goal by Dmitry Pestunov. Dynamo iced it at 2-0 with an empty net goal by Kaspars Daugavins, set up by Denis Mosalyov and Janne Jalasvaara. The three stars were awarded to Sharychenkov (23 save shutout), Pestunov, and Sanford (25 for 26 in saves).

The other game comes just a little to the south, as Vityaz Podolsk hosts the Sochi Leopards. Tomas Popperle and Harri Sateri draw the starts in goal. Sochi dented the scoreboard in the first period on an Andre Petersson power play goal, made possible by Nikita Shchitov and Andrei Plekhanov. The Leopards added on with an Andrei Pervyshin power play goal, powered by Cory Emmerton and Pavel Koledov. Sochi extended the lead in the second period on a Petersson goal, via Ilya Krikunov and Plekhanov. Podolsk got on the board with a Mario Kempe goal, assisted by Roman Horak and Dmitry Tsyganov. Vityaz pulled closer as Dmitry Shitikov converted a penalty shot he received after being hooked by Pervyshin. The Leopards shot back in the third period with an unassisted Emmerton goal. This stood for a 4-2 win, with the three stars being Petersson, Emmerton, and Plekhanov.

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Monday, October 6, 2014

KHL October 6th, 2014

Nine games on today, with the first in...

Khabarovsk, as Amur hosts CSKA Moscow. Stanislav Galimov and Sergei Borisov are between the pipes. Moscow began in the first period with a Stephane Da Costa goal, assisted by Igor Grigorenko. CSKA added on with a power play goal by Da Costa, powered by Denis Denisov. Khabarovsk got one back with a Sergei Peretyagin power play goal, going in unassisted. This was it for the scoring, with the final being 2-1. Da Costa, Galimov (18 for 19 in saves), and Borisov (35 for 37 in saves) were named the three stars.

West to Novokuznetsk, as Metallurg welcomes Severstal Cherepovets. Jakub Stepanek and Ilya Sorokin are in the blue paint. Novokuznetsk led off in the first period with a Ryan Stoa goal, via Alexei Kosourov and Kirill Kaprizov. Cherepovets tied it on a Yury Trubachyov goal, courtesy of Dmitry Kagarlitsky and Evgeny Mons. Severstal took the lead on another Trubachyov goal, coming off of Pavel Buchnevich and Mons. Cherepovets added on in the second period as Gennady Stolyarov scored, thanks to Buchnevich. Severstal extended the lead with a Mons goal, made possible by Pavel Chernov. Cherepovets padded the lead with an unassisted Chernov goal in the third period. Severstal kept going as Buchnevich scored an unassisted goal. Metallurg got one back with a penalty shot conversion by Alexander Romanov, which he received after a slash from Alexander Urbom. Novokuznetsk pulled closer on a Denis Kurepanov goal, guided in by Romanov and Dmitry Maltsev. Cherepovets finished it at 7-3 with a shorthanded Anatoly Nikontsev goal, set up by Chernov. The three stars were handed to Trubachyov, Mons, and Buchnevich, while Chernov and Romanov get the honorable mentions.

Staying nearby, Sibir Novosibirsk brings in Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Ivan Kasutin and Mikko Koskinen are the masked men. Novosibirsk struck first in the first period on a Konstantin Alexeyev goal, via Sergei Shumakov. Nizhny Novgorod tied it on a Wojtek Wolski goal in the second period, going in unasissted. Torpedo took the lead as Wolski scored again, with a lone assist by Sergei Bernatsky. Nizhny Novgorod added on as Wolski completed the natural hat trick in under two minutes, with Juuso Hietanen getting credited with the assist on the last goal. Nikita Bespalov relieved Koskinen at this time. Sibir got one back in the third period on a Shumakov goal, fueled by Oleg Gubin and Stepan Sannikov on the power play. They failed to tie the game, losing 3-2, with the three stars going to Wolski, Shumakov, and Kasutin (40 for 42 in saves).

Further west to Khanty-Mansiysk, as Yugra hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Leland Irving and Stepan Goryachevskikh are the goalies with little KHL experience. Ufa dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Teemu Hartikainen goal, assisted by Alexander Kutuzov and Dmitry Makarov. Salavat Yulaev added on with a power play goal by Ivan Vishnevsky, powered by Kirill Koltsov and Alexei Kaigorodov. Khanty-Mansiysk got on the board in the third period on a Nikita Gusev goal, coming off of Ben Maxwell and Philip Larsen on the power play. They failed to get an equalizer, with the final being 2-1. Irving (37 for 38 in saves), Vishnevsky, and Hartikainen receive the three stars.

Over in Nizhnekamsk, Neftekihimik welcomes Barys Astana. Jan Laco and Alexander Sudnitsin protect the nets. Astana opened in the first period with an Evgeny Blokhin power play goal, assisted by Maxim Semyonov. Nizhnekamsk tied it with a Pyotr Khokhryakov penalty shot goal, which he received after Oskars Bartulis held him on a scoring chance. Barys took the lead back in the second period as Konstantin Pushkaryov scored, with a lone assist by Konstantin Romanov. Neftekhimik tied it on a Maxim Rybin goal, made possible by Pavel Kulikov. Nizhnekamsk pulled ahead with an Andrei Stepanov goal, fueled by Rybin and Alexander Yevseyenkov. Neftekhimik added on with a power play goal by Dan Sexton, powered by Tim Stapleton and Rybin. Astana got one back on a Dustin Boyd goal, courtesy of Brandon Bochenski and Mike Lundin. Barys tied it with a Bochenski goal, with helpers provided by Nigel Dawes and Lundin. The game went to a shootout, where Dawes and Gleb Klimenko cancelled each other out twice, before Barys took it on two goals by Roman Starchenko to top a single goal from Stepanov. The three stars of the 5-4 game were Rybin, Bochenski, and Starchenko, while Dawes, Klimenko, Lundin, and Stepanov get the honorable mentions.

Moving along to Togliatti, where Lada brings in Avangard Omsk. Denis Kostin and Ilya Ezhov draw the starts in goal. Togliatti was first to score in the first period on a Denis Golubev goal, fueled by Yury Petrov. Lada added on in the second period as Martin Zatovic scored, thanks to Semyon Valuisky. Konstantin Barulin relieved Kostin for the third period. Omsk tied it on a Denis Kulyash goal in the third period, going in unassisted. Togliatti answered with an empty net goal by Zatovic, set up by Petrov, for a 3-1 victory. The three stars went to Zatovic, Ezhov (44 for 45 in saves), and Petrov.

Out to St. Petersburg, as SKA hosts Slovan Bratislava. Jaroslav Janus and Evgeny Ivannikov receive the starting nods. St. Petersburg started in the first period with an Artemy Panarin power play goal, powered by Vadim Shipachyov and Evgeny Dadonov. SKA added on in the second period on a Tony Martensson goal, fueled by Roman Cervenka and Patrick Thoresen. Bratislava got on the board with a Michal Vondrka goal, via Martin Stajnoch. St. Petersburg answered with another Panarin goal, coming off of Andrei Kuteikin and Dadonov. SKA extended their lead with an Alexander Kadeikin goal, courtesy of Andrei Yermakov. St. Petersburg padded the lead with a Cervenka penalty shot goal in the third period, after he was hooked by Kurtis Foster. SKA kept going as Panarin finished his hat trick with another goal, thanks to Dadonov, who got a sock trick. St. Petersburg continued with another Cervenka goal, guided in by Thoresen and Martensson. Slovan got one back late as Andrej Stastny scored, with the help of Ivan Baranka and Mario Bliznak. The final stood at 7-2, and the three stars were Panarin, Cervenka, and Dadonov, while Martensson and Thoresen get the honorable mentions.

Up in Helsinki, Jokerit welcomes Medvescak Zagreb. Barry Brust and Riku Helenius occupy the creases. Zagreb led off in the first period with an unassisted power play goal by Matt Anderson. Medvescak added on in the second period as Martin St. Pierre scored, thanks to Pascal Pelletier. Helsinki got on the board with a Riku Hahl goal, assisted by Jere Sallinen and Linus Omark. Zagreb shot back with a Brandon Segal goal, via Pelletier and Mark Katic. Jokerit replied with a Niko Kapanen power play goal, powered by Omark. This was all the scoring for the game, and the final was 3-2. The three stars belonged to Pelletier, Omark, and Segal.

Finally, in Riga, Dinamo brings in a similarly named Dinamo Minsk. Lars Haugen and Jakub Sedlacek guard the cages. Minsk began in the first period with a Charles Linglet goal, courtesy of Matt Ellison and Ryan Vesce. Riga tied it in the second period with a power play goal by Mikelis Redlihs, powered by Ginta Meija and Maris Bicevskis. Minsk took the lead back in the third period with a power play goal by Artur Gavrus, assisted by Alexei Kalyuzhny. Minsk iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Paul Szczechura, set up by Ilya Shinkevich and Jonathan Cheechoo. The three stars went to Haugen (27 for 28 in saves), Gavrus, and Linglet.

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Sunday, October 5, 2014

MLS Weekend, October 2-5, 2014

Four straight days of soccer on North American soil. First of all, a game in...

Philadelphia, as the Union host the Chicago Fire on Thursday night. Sean Johnson and Rais Mbolhi are in goal. Chicago's Lovel Palmer had a yellow card for a foul in the fifth minute. The Fire took another yellow card for a Patrick Nyarko foul in the eighty-sixth minute. Philadelphia started the scoring in the eighty-eighth minute as Amobi Okugo scored, thanks to Brian Brown and Danny Cruz. Chicago took another yellow card in stoppage time for a Jeff Larentowicz foul. The Fire tied the game a minute later on an unassisted Robert Earnshaw goal. This stayed for a 1-1 final, with the man of the match being Earnshaw for his late equalizer.

On Friday, the single game was Sporting Kansas City welcoming DC United. Bill Hamid and Andy Gruenebaum man the nets. Kansas City took a yellow card in the thirtieth minute for a Seth Sinovic foul. DC had a yellow card of their own in the first minute of first half stoppage time for a foul by Davy Arnaud. Sporting's Paulo Nagamura was booked on a yellow card for his foul in the fifty-second minute, followed by Dominic Dwyer getting a yellow card for dissent in the fifty-fifth minute. The game ended in a scoreless draw, with the man of the match being Gruenebaum for a clean sheet with seven saves.

There are five games on Saturday, beginning in...

New York, as the Red Bulls bring in the Houston Dynamo. Tyler Deric and Luis Robles are set to start in goal. New York started in the forty-seventh minute with an unassisted Thierry Henry goal. Houston took a yellow card for an Oscar Garcia foul in the fifty-fourth minute. The Red Bulls had a yellow card go to Peguy Luyindula in the seventy-third minute for his foul. The Dynamo took another booking as Giles Barnes received a yellow card in the eighty-sixth minute. In the eighty-fifth minute, Tim Cahill of New York was ejected on a straight red card for his serious foul. The final held at 1-0 despite the Red Bulls playing at ten men for the last few minutes. Robles was the man of the match for his clean sheet with four saves.

Across the continent, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC host FC Dallas. Raul Fernandez and David Ousted are the gloved men. Vancouver began in the fourteenth minute with a Sebastian Fernandez goal, assisted by Mauro Rosales and Erik Hurtado. The Whitecaps added on in the eighteenth minute as Fernandez scored again, with the help of Rosales. Dallas took a yellow card for a Je-Vaughn Watson foul in the sixtieth minute. Vancouver's Kendall Watson also had a yellow card for his seventy-eighth minute foul. The Whitecaps' hero, Fernandez, was given a yellow card in stoppage time for time wasting. They won 2-0, with the man of the match being Fernandez with the brace.

Back east, the New England Revolution welcome the Columbus Crew. Steve Clark and Bobby Shuttleworth are guarding the woodwork. New England opened in the twentieth minute with a Lee Nguyen goal, via Teal Bunbury. Columbus tied it in the twenty-fifth minute as Ethan Finlay scored, with the help of Tony Tchani. The Crew took a yellow card for a Waylon Francis foul in the thirty-ninth minute. The Revolution saw yellow cards issued to Jose Goncalves for unsporting behavior in the forty-first minute, as well as for fouls by A.J. Soares in the fifty-ninth minute and Jermaine Jones in the sixty-fourth minute. Jones made up for his card with a sixty-seventh minute goal to put New England ahead, guided in by Chris Tierney. In the seventieth minute, Columbus' chances got much worse as Francis was sent off with a second yellow card, this one for unsporting behavior. Another unsporting behavior yellow card went to the Crew's Federico Higuain in stoppage time. The Revolution saw Nguyen get a yellow card for time wasting in stoppage time as well. The final stood at 2-1, and the man of the match was Jones for his game winner.

Westward to Los Angeles, as the Galaxy bring in Toronto FC. Joe Bendik and Jaime Penedo are in the six-yard boxes. Los Angeles began with a twenty-second minute Robbie Keane goal, via Marcelo Sarvas. The Galaxy added on with another Keane goal in the twenty-fifth minute, passed from A.J. DeLaGarza and Landon Donovan. The teams traded yellow cards in the sixty-sixth minute, as Sarvas got one for a foul, while Jonathan Osorio received one for the argument he made. Los Angeles iced it at 3-0 with an Alan Gordon goal in stoppage time, set up by Sarvas. The man of the match was Keane for his brace.

Closing out Saturday, the San Jose Earthquakes host the Portland Timbers. Donovan Ricketts an Jon Busch are the veteran keepers. San Jose took a yellow card for dissent by Jason Hernandez in the twenty-first minute. The Earthquakes led off in the fifty-sixth minute as Chris Wondolowski scored an unassisted goal. Portland tied it in the seventy-first minute with a Rodney Wallace goal, guided in by Alvas Powell. The Timbers took the lead in the seventy-fourth minute on another Wallace goal, via Liam Ridgewell and Gaston Fernandez. Portland had a yellow card go to Wallace in the seventy-eighth minute for a foul. San Jose went down to ten men in stoppage time after a red card ejected Pablo Pintos for his serious foul. The final favored the Timbers 2-1, and Wallace was the man of the match with his brace.

The first Sunday game saw the Colorado Rapids welcome the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and Clint Irwin draw the starts in goal. Seattle started with an eleventh minute Clint Dempsey penalty kick conversion. The Sounders took a yellow card for a foul by Brad Evans in the twenty-first minute. The Sounders added on as Obafemi Martins scored in the twenty-eighth minute, with the help of Marco Pappa. Seattle extended the lead in the thirty-third minute with a Pappa goal, courtesy of Dempsey. Colorado got on the board with a forty-third minute Deshorn Brown goal, going in unassisted. The Rapids had a yellow card for a Shane O'Neill foul in the forty-fourth minute. Colorado's Nick LaBrocca took a yellow card in the sixty-third minute for his foul. Seattle padded their lead with a seventieth minute Martins goal, set up by Lamar Neagle. In the seventy-fifth minute, Pappa received a yellow card for his foul. The final stood at 4-1, with the man of the match being Martins for his brace.

East to Chicago, as the Fire bring in the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Sean Johnson are the gloved men. Montreal had a yellow card for a sixty-fifth minute Hassoun Camara foul. Chicago had a yellow card for a Gonzalo Segares foul in the eighty-eighth minute. The final ended at 0-0, with Bush being the man of the match for his

Finishing off the weekend, Chivas USA host Real Salt Lake. Nick Rimando and Dan Kennedy are in the six yard boxes. Chivas had a yellow card go to Oswaldo Minda for a foul in the twenty-second minute. Chivas scored first in the forty-seventh minute with a Felix Borja goal. Salt Lake had a yellow card for a seventy-seventh minute with a Luke Mulholland foul. Chivas took another yellow card as Nathan Sturgis committed a foul in the eighty-second. Real had a yellow card go to Javier Morales in the eighty-fifth minute for his foul. Chivas won 1-0, and Borja was the man of the match.

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