Wednesday, September 27, 2017

NWSL Midweek: September 27, 2017

Just one game today, as the Houston Dash host the North Carolina Courage in Rio Grande Valley. Sabrina D'Angelo and Jane Campbell play in goal. North Carolina opened in the thirteenth minute with a Samantha Mewis goal off a turnover, assisted by Abby Dahlkemper. The Courage added on in the thirty-eighth minute with a Lynn Williams goal, passed from Ashley Hatch. North Carolina extended the lead in the fifty-first minute as Debinha scored, with the help of Williams and Samantha Mewis. In the fifty-sixth minute, the Courage padded the lead with a Hatch goal, helped along by Debinha. The final held at 4-0, with the woman of the match being Debinha. Also strong for North Carolina were Samantha Mewis, Williams, Hatch, and Abby Erceg, while Houston's best were Kristie Mewis, Rachel Daly, and Janine Beckie.

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Monday, September 25, 2017

NWSL 2017: Week 23

We're back for the second-to-last week of NWSL action in the regular season. We begin in...

Orlando, as the Pride host the Portland Thorns FC to lead off a three-game Saturday. Adrianna Franch and Ashlyn Harris protect the nets. Portland's Allie Long took a yellow card for an eighteenth minute foul. In the sixty-ninth minute, Kristen Edmonds of Orlando had a yellow card for a foul. The final stood at 0-0, with the woman of the match being Thorns center back Emily Menges. Franch (two-save clean sheet) and Hayley Raso also played well for Portland, while the Pride's best were Monica, Alanna Kennedy, and Alex Morgan.

Up north, the Washington Spirit welcome the Boston Breakers. Abby Smith and Didi Haracic are the goalies. Boston got going in the forty-seventh minute with a Natasha Dowie goal, passed from Adriana Leon and Angela Salem. In the fifty-fourth minute, Leon's heavy touch bounced off of Kassey Kallman of Washington and into the net behind Haracic to add to the Breakers' lead. In the fifty-fifth minute, Boston extended the lead as Brooke Elby sent a cross that deflected off of Kallman and the crossbar, where Leon then tapped it in. In the sixty-eighth minute, Amanda Frisbie of the Breakers took a yellow card for a foul. In the seventy-seventh minute, Rosie White of Boston received a yellow card for her foul. The final held at 3-0, with Leon as the woman of the match. The Breakers also saw good performances from Dowie, Elby, Allysha Chapman, and Megan Oyster. Washington's best were Alyssa Kleiner, Meggie Dougherty Howard, and Mallory Pugh.

Down in Texas, the Houston Dash host the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher and Jane Campbell draw the starts in goal. Chicago opened in the twelfth minute with a Jen Hoy goal on a rebound from her initial shot that Campbell had saved. The Red Stars added on in the twentieth minute with a Casey Short goal, after Campbell mishandled a corner kick by Vanessa DiBernardo. Houston got on the board with a twenty-fourth minute penalty kick goal by Amber Brooks. Chicago replied with a penalty kick goal by Christen Press after Brooks was charged with a handball in first half stoppage time. In the seventy-fifth minute, Andressinha took a yellow card for a foul for the Dash. In the eighty-fifth minute, Houston pulled a goal back as Rachel Daly scored, with the assist from Kristie Mewis. In the eighty-ninth minute, Yuki Nagasato received a straight red card for her foul against Daly. The game ended 3-2, with the woman of the match being Short. Also starring for the Red Stars were DiBernardo, Press, and Hoy, while the Dash's best were Janine Van Wyk, Mewis, and Daly.

On Sunday, Sky Blue FC bring in the North Carolina Courage. Katelyn Rowland and Caroline Casey are the keepers. North Carolina began in the twenty-seventh minute with an Ashley Hatch goal, via Kristen Hamilton's headed pass. In the sixty-fifth minute, Nikki Stanton of Sky Blue had a yellow card for a foul. Sky Blue tied it on a seventy-fifth minute Raquel Rodriguez goal after Sam Kerr's shot attempt drew Rowland out of position. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with the woman of the match being Casey for her six-for-seven saves performance. Also strong for Sky Blue were Mandy Freeman, Erica Skroski, and Stanton, while the Courage's best were Jaelene Hinkle, McCall Zerboni, Hatch, and Lynn Williams.

Finally, in Seattle, the Reign FC host FC Kansas City. Nicole Barnhart and Lydia Williams protect the nets. Kansas City started in the twenty-third minute with a Shea Groom goal, via Sydney Leroux. Seattle saw a yellow card for a Megan Rapinoe foul in the sixty-ninth minute. The final was 1-0, with the woman of the match being Groom. Also strong for Kansas City were Becky Sauerbrunn, Desiree Scott, and Leroux, while the Reign's best were Rebekah Stott, Rumi Utsugi, and Rachel Corsie.

NWSL Team of the Week
GK Caroline Casey
RB Rebekah Stott
CB Becky Sauerbrunn
CB Emily Menges
LB Casey Short
DM Brooke Elby
AM Shea Groom
AM Kristie Mewis
FW Adriana Leon
FW Ashley Hatch
FW Natasha Dowie

Sunday, September 24, 2017

MLS 2017: Week 29

All teams are in action this weekend, beginning with eight games on Saturday. We start with...

New York City FC hosting the Houston Dynamo. Tyler Deric and Sean Johnson are in goal. New York City began in the sixth minute with a Maximiliano Moralez goal, via Andraz Struna. Houston tied it in the sixteenth minute on a Mauro Manotas goal, coming off of Vicente Sanchez. The final held at 1-1, with the man of the match being Deric for going six for seven in saves to preserve the road draw for the Dynamo.

Up in New England, the Revolution welcome Toronto FC. Clint Irwin and Cody Cropper draw the starts in goal. Victor Vazquez of Toronto took a yellow card for dissent in the sixty-first minute. New England got going in the eighty-second minute on a Lee Nguyen goal, via Chris Tierney. Toronto tied it in the eighty-fourth minute with a Nicolas Hasler goal, assisted by Michael Bradley. The Revolution retook the lead with an eighty-seventh minute goal by Kei Kamara, coming off of Nguyen and Tierney. Kamara took a yellow card for dissent in stoppage time. The final held at 2-1, with Tierney the man of the match.

Backtracking to DC, where United brings in the San Jose Earthquakes. Andrew Tarbell and Steve Clark are the backups in goal. Florian Jungwirth of San Jose had a yellow card for a fiftieth minute foul. DC led off in the fifty-seventh minute with a Patrick Mullins goal, via Paul Arriola and Luciano Acosta. DC added on in the sixtieth minute with a Mullins goal, set up by Arriola. Andres Imperiale of the Earthquakes took a yellow card for a sixty-seventh minute foul. DC extended the lead as Mullins completed his hat trick in the sixty-eighth minute. In the eighty-eighth minute, DC made it a 4-0 win with Mullins' fourth goal of the game. For obvious reasons, Mullins was named man of the match.

Over in Philadelphia, the Union host the Chicago Fire. Matt Lampson and Andre Blake are the gloved men. Philadelphia opened in the tenth minute with a Chris Pontius goal, via Keegan Rosenberry and Warren Creavalle. Matt Polster of Chicago had a yellow card for a sixteenth minute foul. In the forty-second minute, Johan Kappelhof of the Fire had a yellow card for his foul. The Union added on in the fifty-fifth minute with a Pontius goal. Philadelphia extended the lead in the sixty-fourth minute as C.J. Sapong scored, thanks to Fabinho and Alejandro Bedoya. Chicago got on the board in the sixty-seventh minute with a Luis Solignac goal, passed from Nemanja Nikolic and Polster. The Union saw yellow cards for persistent infringement by Rosenberry in the eighty-fifth minute and a foul by Creavalle in the eighty-sixth minute. The final stood at 3-1, with Pontius as the man of the match.

West to Ohio, as the Columbus Crew welcome the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Zack Steffen are in the six-yard boxes. Columbus started in the sixth minute with a Jonathan Mensah goal, via Federico Higuain. New York tied it on a fourteenth minute Bradley Wright-Phillips goal, made possible by Sean Davis. Kemar Lawrence of the Red Bulls had a yellow card for a forty-first minute foul. Hector Jimenez of the Crew received a yellow card for a forty-second minute foul. Columbus retook the lead in the fifty-fourth minute with a Justin Meram goal, helped along by Higuain. The Crew added on in sixty-sixth minute with a Josh Williams goal, passed from Higuain. In the seventy-first minute, Higuain received a yellow card for dissent on a penalty kick call that led to a Gonzalo Veron goal to get New York a goal back. Wright-Phillips and Muhamed Keita of the Red Bulls took yellow cards for fouls in the seventy-third and eighty-sixth minutes, respectively. Columbus saw yellow cards for time wasting by Jukka Raitala in the ninetieth minute and Pedro Santos' foul in stoppage time. The final was 3-2, with the three-assist man Higuain earning man of the match honors.

North to Minnesota, as United FC brings in FC Dallas. Jesse Gonzalez and Bobby Shuttleworth are the keepers. Dallas struck first in the fourteenth minute with a Tesho Akindele goal, via Michael Barrios. Minnesota tied it on a twenty-fourth minute Christian Martinez goal, helped along by Kevin Molino. Minnesota took the lead in the thirty-fifth minute with a Miguel Ibarra goal, coming off of Ramirez and Ibson. Minnesota had yellow cards for fouls by Francisco Calvo in the fortieth minute and Ethan Finlay in the forty-second minute. Collin Martin of Minnesota took a yellow card for his fifty-eighth minute foul. Minnesota added to their lead with a Finlay goal in the seventy-first minute, guided in by Ramirez and Martin. Dallas saw yellow cards for fouls by Barrios and Hernan Grana in the seventy-fifth and seventy-eighth minutes, respectively. Dallas went down to ten men in the eighty-first minute with an Akindele foul that earned a straight red card. Minnesota extended the lead as Abu Danladi scored in the eighty-eighth minute. The final stayed at 4-1, with Ramirez named man of the match.

In Utah, Real Salt Lake hosts the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and Nick Rimando are the solid keepers. Salt Lake dented the scoreboard in the fifty-second minute with a Jefferson Savarino goal, via Albert Rusnak. Seattle had a yellow card for a foul by Kelvin Leerdam in the fifty-seventh minute. Real added on with a sixty-sixth minute Luke Mulholland goal, assisted by Savarino and Joao Plata. The Sounders' Lamar Neagle took a yellow card in stoppage time for his foul. The final held at 2-0, with Savarino as the man of the match.

Saturday ends in Vancouver, as the Whitecaps FC welcomes the Colorado Rapids. Tim Howard and David Ousted are between the posts. Vancouver was first to score in the fourth minute with a Fredy Montero goal, helped along by Yordy Reyna. Jared Watts of Colorado had a yellow card for a fourteenth minute foul. The Whitecaps' Tim Parker took a yellow card for his thirty-fourth minute foul. In the forty-third minute, the Rapids' Mekeil Williams had a yellow card for a foul. Colorado tied it on a Dominique Badji goal in the forty-fifth minute. In the fifty-fourth minute, Vancouver retook the lead with a Reyna goal, set up by Montero. Micheal Azira of the Rapids had a yellow card for an eighty-seventh minute foul. The final was 2-1, and Reyna was the man of the match.

On Sunday, Sporting Kansas City brings in the Los Angeles Galaxy. Clement Diop and Tim Melia are the goalies. Jonathan dos Santos of Los Angeles had a yellow card for a foul in the first minute. Kansas City led off in the eighteenth minute with a Daniel Salloi goal, via Diego Rubio and Graham Zusi. Sporting added on in the thirty-fifth minute with a Rubio goal, helped along by Seth Sinovic and Ilie Sanchez. Michael Ciani of the Galaxy had a yellow card for his fifty-fifth minute foul. Los Angeles got on the board in the fifty-eighth minute with a Romain Alessandrini goal. Jack McBean of the Galaxy took a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The final held at 2-1, with Rubio as the man of the match.

Southeast to Georgia, where Atlanta United FC hosts the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Brad Guzan play in goal. Atlanta began in the twenty-eighth minute with a Hector Villalba goal, via Carlos Carmona. Atlanta added on in the seventy-third minute with a Jeff Larentowicz goal, passed from Julian Gressel and Carmona. The final stayed at 2-0, with Carmona named man of the match.

Finally, the Portland Timbers host Orlando City SC. Joe Bendik and Jeff Attinella play in goal. Jonathan Spector of Orlando City had a yellow card for a fourteenth minute foul. Portland struck first in the fifteenth minute with a Diego Valeri penalty kick goal. The Timbers added on with a Darren Mattocks goal in the twenty-ninth minute goal, helped along by Dairon Asprilla and Diego Chara. Orlando City went down to ten men in the forty-seventh minute as Spector took a second yellow card for a foul. Antonio Nocerino of Orlando City received a yellow card for his dissent in the fifty-second minute. Portland extended the lead as Valeri scored again in the fifty-ninth minute. Liam Ridgewell of the Timbers had a yellow card for an eightieth minute foul. Orlando City went down to nine men in the eighty-fourth minute as Victor Pagliari Giro took a straight red card for violent conduct. The final was 3-0, with Valeri named man of the match.

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Wednesday, September 20, 2017

MLS Midweek: September 20, 2017

Two games on today besides the US Open Cup, which is not covered on this blog. We begin in...

Georgia, as Atlanta United FC hosts the Los Angeles Galaxy. Jon Kempin and Brad Guzan are in goal. Atlanta opened in the thirteenth minute with a Josef Martinez goal, via Yamil Asad. Atlanta added on with a sixteenth minute goal by Asad. Atlanta extended the lead in the twentieth minute as Asad scored again, thanks to Hector Villalba and Miguel Almiron. In the thirty-ninth minute, Atlanta's Villalba took a yellow card for a foul and Los Angeles went down to ten men as Jermaine Jones took a straight red card for violent conduct. Atlanta padded the lead with an Almiron goal in the forty-third minute, via Asad. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez of Atlanta had a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. Romain Alessandrini of the Galaxy took a yellow card for his fifty-eighth minute foul. Atlanta brought things back to even strength in the eighty-second minute as Brandon Vazquez took a straight red card for violent conduct. The final held at 4-0, with Asad the man of the match.

Up in Canada, Toronto FC hosts the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Alexander Bono protect the nets. Montreal started in the tenth minute with an Ignacio Piatti goal. The Impact added on in the twelfth minute with a Marco Donadel goal, via Piatti. Montreal extended the lead in the twenty-fourth minute on a Piatti goal, made possible by Anthony Jackson-Hamel. Deian Boldor of the Impact put Toronto on the board in the forty-second minute with his own goal. Montreal got back on track with a Jackson-Hamel goal in the forty-seventh minute. The Impact padded the lead with a fifty-first minute Jackson-Hamel goal, coming off of Blerim Dzemaili. Toronto pulled one back in the seventy-seventh minute with a Tosaint Ricketts goal, assisted by Raheem Edwards. Toronto got closer with another Ricketts goal in the seventy-ninth minute, helped along by Armando Cooper. The final stood at 5-3, with Piatti named man of the match.

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Sunday, September 17, 2017

MLS 2017: Week 28

All teams are in action this weekend, beginning with ten Saturday games. The first is in...

Georgia, as Atlanta United FC hosts Orlando City SC. Joe Bendik and Brad Guzan are the goalies. Orlando City started in the tenth minute with a Dominic Dwyer goal, passed from Donny Toia. Atlanta tied it in the thirty-sixth minute on a Josef Martinez goal, assisted by Julian Gressel and Hector Villalba. Orlando City retook the lead in the thirty-ninth minute with a Dwyer goal, coming off of Scott Sutter. Atlanta tied it again in the fifty-fifth minute with a Martinez goal, helped along by Chris McCann. Orlando City regained the lead in the fifty-eighth minute with a Cyle Larin goal, made possible by Dwyer. Atlanta tied it once again as Martinez completed his hat trick with the help of Villalba. The final stood at 3-3, with the man of the match being Martinez.

Up in Canada, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC welcomes the Columbus Crew SC. Zack Steffen and David Ousted play in goal. Vancouver opened in the fifteenth minute with a Fredy Montero goal, courtesy of Yordy Reyna and Cristian Techera. Columbus tied it on a nineteenth minute Ola Kamara goal, passed from Kekuta Manneh. The Crew had yellow cards for fouls by Josh Williams in the twenty-sixth minute and Mohammed Abu in the thirty-third minute. The Whitecaps' Kendall Waston had a yellow card for his fifty-sixth minute foul. Columbus pulled ahead in the sixty-third minute on a Manneh goal, made possible by Wil Trapp. Justin Meram of the Crew took a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. Vancouver tied it on a Tony Tchani goal, helped along by Montero and Jakob Nerwinski. The final stood at 2-2, with Montero named man of the match.

Back east, the Montreal Impact bring in Minnesota United FC. Bobby Shuttleworth and Evan Bush are set to start in goal. Collin Martin of Minnesota had a yellow card for a second minute foul. Montreal led off in the ninth minute with a Patrice Bernier goal, assisted by Blerim Dzemaili. Minnesota tied it in the twentieth minute on a Kevin Molino penalty kick goal. The Impact had a yellow card for dissent by Dzemaili in the fifty-third minute. Montreal took the lead back in the fifty-fifth minute with a Dzemaili goal, fueled by Michael Salazar and Daniel Lovitz. Minnesota retied it in the sixtieth minute with a Christian Ramirez goal, courtesy of Ibson. Samuel Piette of the Impact had a yellow card for a sixty-second minute yellow card. Minnesota took the lead in the eighty-ninth minute on an Abu Danladi goal, passed from Ethan Finlay. Victor Cabrera of Montreal received a yellow card for a stoppage time foul. Minnesota won 3-2, with Dzemaili earning man of the match honors in a loss.

Down in Texas, FC Dallas hosts the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and Jesse Gonzalez are the goalies. Matt Hedges of Dallas had a yellow card for his fifty-third minute foul. Seattle saw yellow cards for dissent by Clint Dempsey in the sixtieth minute and fouls from Kelvin Leerdam in the sixty-seventh minute, Nicolas Lodeiro in the eighty-ninth minute, and Lamar Neagle in stoppage time. The game ended at 0-0, with the man of the match being Frei for a three-save clean sheet.

North to Chicago, as the Fire welcome DC United. Bill Hamid and Matt Lampson protect the nets. Brandon Vincent of Chicago had a yellow card for a fifteenth minute foul. The Fire cracked the scoresheet in the twenty-third minute as DC's Ian Harkes committed an own goal. Chicago added on in the sixty-second minute with a Vincent goal, set up by Arturo Alvarez and Drew Conner. The Fire iced it at 3-0 with a Nemanja Nikolic penalty kick goal in the ninetieth minute. Vincent was the man of the match.

Backtracking to Kansas City, where Sporting brings in the New England Revolution. Brad Knighton and Tim Melia are in the six-yard boxes. New England drew first blood in fourth minute with a Teal Bunbury goal. The Revolution went down to ten men in the eleventh minute as Krisztian Nemeth took a straight red card for violent conduct. Kansas City tied it in the sixteenth minute on a Gerso Fernandes goal. Sporting took yellow cards for fouls by Diego Rubio in the twenty-third minute and Jimmy Mendranda in the twenty-sixth minute. Kansas City took the lead in the forty-fifth minute on a Rubio goal, set up by Fernandes and Graham Zusi. Sporting added on in the fifty-seventh minute with a Rubio goal. New England saw yellow cards for Claude Dielna in the eighty-sixth minute and Diego Fagundez in stoppage time, both for fouls. The final held at 3-1, with Rubio named man of the match.

West to Colorado, where the Rapids host New York City FC. Sean Johnson and Tim Howard guard the woodwork. New York City began in the nineteenth minute with a Thomas McNamara goal, helped along by Andrea Pirlo. Colorado saw a yellow card for dissent by Joshua Gatt in the fifty-eighth minute. New York City's Johnson took a yellow card for time wasting in the sixty-third minute. The Rapids tied it in the eighty-eighth minute with a Dominique Badji goal. New York City's McNamara took a yellow card for time wasting in stoppage time. The final was a 1-1 draw, with Badji the man of the match.

Over in Utah, Real Salt Lake welcomes the Portland Timbers. Jeff Attinella faces former mentor Nick Rimando in goal. Salt Lake struck first in the fourteenth minute with an Albert Rusnak goal, helped along by Luis Silva. Portland tied it in the forty-seventh minute with a Diego Valeri goal, assisted by Dairon Asprilla. Real took the lead back with a sixty-first minute goal by Jefferson Savarino, made possible by Rusnak. Kyle Beckerman of Salt Lake had a yellow card for a sixty-eighth minute foul. Darlington Nagbe of the Timbers received a yellow card for his seventieth minute foul. Real's Yura Movsisyan took a yellow card for an eighty-seventh minute foul. Real won 2-1, with Rusnak the man of the match.

In California, the Los Angeles Galaxy bring in Toronto FC. Alexander Bono and Jon Kempin are the less-experienced goalies. Toronto was first to score in the twenty-fourth minute with a Drew Moor goal. Los Angeles had a yellow card for a Bradford Jamieson foul in the twenty-ninth minute. Toronto added on in the thirty-seventh minute with a Tosaint Ricketts goal, helped along by Nicolas Hasler. Toronto extended the lead in the seventy-sixth minute with another Ricketts goal, passed from Victor Vazquez and Jonathan Osorio. Toronto padded the lead as Vazquez scored in the seventy-eighth minute, thanks to the keeper Bono. Nathan Smith of the Galaxy had a yellow card for an eightieth minute foul. The final remained at 4-0, with Ricketts honored as man of the match for his brace.

Saturday ends with the San Jose Earthquakes hosting the Houston Dynamo. Tyler Deric and Andrew Tarbell draw the starts in goal. San Jose dented the scoreboard in the thirty-third minute with a Danny Hoesen goal, made possible by Kofi Sarkodie and Marco Urena. Sarkodie took a yellow card in the thirty-sixth minute foul the Earthquakes for his foul. Houston's Tomas Martinez had a yellow card for a fifty-third minute foul. The Dynamo had a yellow card for an eighty-first minute foul by Alberth Elis. Andres Imperiale of San Jose took a yellow card for an eighty-sixth minute foul. In stoppage time, Houston's A.J. DeLaGarza took a yellow card for his foul. The final remained at 1-0, with Hoesen the man of the match.

On Sunday, the games end with the New York Red Bulls hosting the Philadelphia Union. Andre Blake and Luis Robles are the keepers. New York saw a yellow card for a thirty-fifth minute foul by Michael Murillo. The Red Bulls had a yellow card for a Gonzalo Veron foul in the sixty-ninth minute. Fabinho of Philadelphia received a yellow card for his seventieth minute foul. The final was 0-0, with Blake named man of the match for his eight-save clean sheet.

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Wednesday, September 13, 2017

MLS Midweek: September 13, 2017

Two games on tonight for midweek action in soccer. We begin in...

Georgia, as Atlanta United FC welcomes the New England Revolution. Cody Cropper and Brad Guzan are the keepers. Atlanta led off in the second minute with a Josef Martinez goal, made possible by Miguel Almiron. New England had yellow cards for fouls by Andrew Farrell in the sixth minute and Gershon Koffie in the eighth minute. The Revolution went down to ten men in the sixteenth minute as Xavier Kouassi took a straight red card for a foul. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez of Atlanta had a yellow card for his twenty-third minute foul. Atlanta added on with a Martinez penalty kick goal in the thirty-first minute. In the thirty-eighth minute, New England found themselves at nine men when Antonio Mlinar Delamea took a straight red card for denying a goal scoring opportunity with his hand in the penalty area. Atlanta extended their lead as Martinez completed his hat trick on another penalty kick goal. Atlanta padded the lead in first half stoppage time as Anton Walkes scored, thanks to Greg Garza. Atlanta kept going in the seventieth minute with a Kevin Kratz goal. Atlanta continued with a Yamil Asad goal in the seventy-third minute, made possible by Chris McCann. Atlanta iced it at 7-0 with a Hector Villalba goal in the ninetieth minute. Martinez was named man of the match.

Over in Vancouver, the Whitecaps FC bring in Minnesota United FC. Bobby Shuttleworth and David Ousted protect the nets. Vancouver began in the fifth minute with a Yordy Reyna goal, via Marcel de Jong. The Whitecaps added on in the thirty-first minute with an Erik Hurtado goal, coming off of Brek Shea and Reyna. Michael Boxall of Minnesota had a yellow card for a forty-fifth minute foul. Minnesota saw a yellow card for Collen Warner in the fifty-second minute for a foul. Vancouver extended the lead in the eighty-eighth minute as Shea scored, thanks to Fredy Montero. The final was 3-0, with Shea named man of the match.

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Monday, September 11, 2017

NWSL 2017: Week 21

We're back for another week of games, beginning on Thursday due to Hurricane Irma. First up...

The Orlando Pride host the Seattle Reign FC. Lydia Williams and Ashlyn Harris protect the nets. In the thirty-seventh minute, Seattle's Carson Pickett took a yellow card for fouling Orlando's Camila. The Reign's Merritt Mathias had a yellow card for delay of game in the fifty-seventh minute. Seattle saw a yellow card for Lauren Barnes in stoppage time against the Pride's Alanna Kennedy. Orlando got going in stoppage time with an Alex Morgan goal, via Dani Weatherholt. The Reign tied it a minute later with a Jess Fishlock goal, coming off of Nahomi Kawasumi. The final held at 1-1, with the player of the match being Morgan. Other Pride stars were Ali Krieger, Camila, and Rachel Hill, while the Reign's best were Rebekah Stott, Rachel Corsie, Rumi Utsugi, Fishlock, and Megan Rapinoe.

On Saturday, FC Kansas City welcome the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher and Nicole Barnhart tend the nets. Kansas City saw a yellow card to Lo'eau LaBonta for a sixty-sixth minute foul. The game didn't feature a lot of opportunities, and ended in a 0-0 draw, with Barnhart the woman of the match for her three-save clean sheet. Also strong for the hosts were Sydney Miramontez, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Desiree Scott. Chicago's best were Casey Short, Katie Naughton, Julie Ertz, and Christen Press.

The other Saturday game has the North Carolina Courage hosting the Houston Dash. Jane Campbell and Katelyn Rowland are in goal. North Carolina opened in the twenty-sixth minute with a Kristen Hamilton goal, via Abby Erceg and Jessica McDonald on the long throw-in play. In the sixty-third minute, Abby Dahlkemper of the Courage fouled Houston's Kristie Mewis to earn a yellow card. In the sixty-fourth minute, Cari Roccaro of the Dash pulled down North Carolina's Ashley Hatch, receiving a yellow card for her efforts. In stoppage time, Janine Van Wyk of Houston took a yellow card for a foul. The game ended 1-0, with Hamilton the woman of the match. Also starring for the Courage were Denise O'Sullivan, McDonald, and Lynn Williams, while the Dash's best were Amber Brooks, Cami Levin, Andressinha, and Kristie Mewis.

On Sunday, the Boston Breakers bring in the Portland Thorns FC. Adrianna Franch and Abby Smith are set to start in goal. Portland dented the scoreboard in the seventy-second minute with a Christine Sinclair goal, after Boston's Julie King stalled Hayley Raso's progress, with the clearance falling to Sinclair for the goal. The Breakers' Megan Oyster had a yellow card for a foul on Raso in the eighty-second minute. The final stood at 1-0, with the woman of the match being Raso. Also strong for the Thorns were Sinclair, Franch (four-save clean sheet), and Meghan Klingenberg. Boston's best were Midge Purce, Allysha Chapman, Rosie White, and Natasha Dowie.

Finally, Sky Blue FC hosts the Washington Spirit. Didi Haracic and Kailen Sheridan are the young goalies. Sky Blue started in the forty-third minute with a Maya Hayes goal, after Sam Kerr's shot was deflected by Washington's Shelina Zadorsky. The keeper, Haracic, was down after contact with Hayes. The Spirit tied it on a Whitney Church goal, set up by Zadorsky on a seventy-fifth minute corner kick. Washington took the lead in the eighty-fifth minute with a Mallory Pugh goal, made possible by Lindsay Agnew. The final held at 2-1, with the woman of the match being Church. Zadorsky, Haracic, Kleiner, and Agnew excelled for the Spirit, while Sky Blue's best were Domi Richardson, Nikki Stanton, Taylor Lytle, and Hayes.

NWSL Team of the Week
GK Adrianna Franch
RB Rebekah Stott
CB Whitney Church
CB Amber Brooks
LB Allysha Chapman
DM Jess Fishlock
AM Kristen Hamilton
AM Hayley Raso
AM Christine Sinclair
FW Maya Hayes
FW Alex Morgan