MLS Saturday May 31st, 2014

Six games on today, beginning with...

The Seattle Sounders FC hosting Real Salt Lake. Jeff Attinella and Stefan Frei draw the starts in goal. Seattle began with a Gonzalo Pineda penalty kick goal in the forty-second minute. Salt Lake's Tony Beltran received a yellow card in the forty-third minute for a foul. The Sounders added on with a Marco Pappa free kick goal in the fifty-fifth minute, which was beautifully tucked in on the right side of the goal after clearing the wall. Seattle added on in the sixty-second minute as Chad Barrett scored, thanks to Lamar Neagle. Real earned another yellow card with a foul by Nat Borchers in the seventy-sixth minute, but the Sounders were also shown one for a Brad Evans foul in the eightieth minute. Seattle iced it at 4-0 with an Obafemi Martins goal in the ninetieth minute, set up by Kenny Cooper. The man of the match was Pappa for his beautiful free kick and strong defense.

Back east, Toronto FC welcomes the Columbus Crew. Steve Clark and Joe Bendik protect the woodwork. Columbus was first to score in the eighteenth minute on a Justin Meram goal, passed from Ethan Finlay. Toronto quickly tied it as Jermain Defoe converted a penalty kick in the twenty-first minute. The Crew got into a bit of trouble after this, as Michael Parkhurst in the thirty-ninth minute and Agustin Viana in the sixtieth minute were both booked for yellow card fouls. Viana made up for his transgression by giving Columbus the lead in the sixty-fifth minute, with the help of Ben Speas. It was Toronto's turn to be visited by the referees at this point. As a result of the goal, Bendik was shown a yellow for expressing his dissent, followed by Gilberto's off the ball foul in the seventy-seventh minute and more dissent from Kyle Bekker in the eightieth minute. Despite the bookings, Toronto tied the game in the eighty-first minute on a Defoe goal, set up by Gilberto. The Crew's Tyson Wahl got a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-third minute. Toronto then took the lead with a timely goal by Doneil Henry, coming two minutes into stoppage time on an assist from Daniel Lovitz. Henry got a yellow for excessive celebration, but it didn't matter as Toronto held on for a 3-2 win. Defoe's brace gives him the man of the match honors.

Staying in Canada, as the Montreal Impact bring in the New England Revolution. Bobby Shuttleworth and Troy Perkins man the nets. Montreal opened in the third minute with an Andres Romero goal, via Marco Di Vaio. The Impact added on in the thirty-eighth minute as Jack McInerney scored an unassisted goal. New England began the referee's bookkeeping with a yellow card foul in the fortieth minute. Montreal's Felipe Martins matched it in the sixty-third minute with his yellow card for persistent infringement. The Revolution picked up another yellow card in the seventy-sixth minute with a foul by Teal Bunbury. The Impact won the game 2-0, and the man of the match was Perkins for his fiftieth career clean sheet, this one having three saves.

Down in DC, United hosts Sporting Kansas City. Eric Kronberg and Bill Hamid are the keepers. DC struck first in the twenty-eighth minute with a Fabian Espindola goal, made possible by Chris Korb. In the last half-hour of the match, there were quite a few cards tossed around. Yellow cards were given to United's Cristian in the sixtieth minute for a foul, Espindola in the seventy-sixth minute for an argument, and Perry Kitchen in the eighty-second minute on a foul, while Kansas City picked up yellows for Erik Palmer-Brown's foul in the seventy-second minute, and Toni's argument in the eight-fifth minute. Then, there was a red card in the fourth minute of stoppage time as Alex Caskey committed a serious foul. Luckily, DC played at ten men for only a couple of minutes, and still won 1-0. Hamid, with five saves in his shutout, shares man of the match honors with Espindola.

Further south to Texas, as Dallas FC welcomes the San Jose Earthquakes. Jon Busch and Chris Seitz are in the six-yard box. Dallas led off in the sixteenth minute with a Blas Perez goal, courtesy of Fabian Castillo. Dallas was the first to receive a card, as Adam Moffat's persistent infringement was shown the book. San Jose leveled the score in the twenty-seventh minute on an Atiba Harris goal, via Steven Lenhart. Dallas took a significant blow in the thirty-seventh minute as Moffat committed a foul that was deemed worthy of a second yellow card and took him out of the game, putting Dallas at ten men for about an hour of game time. The Earthquakes grabbed the lead in the forty-fifth minute on a Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi goal, passed from Khari Stephenson. San Jose picked up a couple of yellow cards late in the second half as Brandon Barklage committed a foul in the eighty-seventh minute, followed by a Cordell Cato foul in the eighty-ninth minute. This did not affect them, as they won 2-1. The man of the match was Pierrazzi for a shot from long range.

Finally, Chivas USA brings in the Philadelphia Union. Zac MacMath and Den Kennedy are the goalies. Philadelphia started with a goal in the twenty-eighth minute as Conor Casey finished off a penalty kick. There was a parade of yellow cards right after the hour-mark, as Leandro Barrera in the sixty-third minute and Erick Torres a minute later picked up yellows for a foul and persistent infringement, respectively, for Chivas. The Union did not escape unscathed, as Fabinho received a yellow card for a foul in the sixty-fifth minute. Keeping with the action, Philadelphia extended their lead as Casey scored in the sixty-sixth minute, his second of the game being assisted by Cristian Maidana. Chivas was booked again in the seventy-third minute on an Eric Avila foul for a yellow card. The Union added on with a Maidana goal in the seventy-sixth minute, passed from Vincent Nogueira. Chivas couldn't catch a break as Oswaldo Minda was shown a straight red card for a fight in the eighty-third minute, putting his team down to ten men. No more damage was suffered, and Philadelphia took a 3-0 win for three points on the road. The man of the match was Casey for his brace.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Eastern Conference Finals: Montreal Canadiens VS. New York Rangers

This post is a reference for the above referenced series, so check back here for each game.

Game 1: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec. In goal: Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price. New York opened in the first period with a Martin St. Louis goal, his fourth of the postseason, courtesy of Dominic Moore and Kevin Klein. The Rangers added on with a Mats Zuccarello goal, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Ryan McDonagh and Dominic Moore. Montreal got on the board in the second period on a Rene Bourque goal, his fifth of the postseason, via Brian Gionta and Lars Eller. New York shot back with a Chris Kreider goal, his second of the playoffs, coming off of Rick Nash. The Rangers extended the lead as Brad Richards potted his fifth of the postseason, thanks to Zuccarello and Marc Staal. New York padded the lead in the third period with a McDonagh power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Derek Stepan and Kreider. The Rangers kept going with a Stepan power play goal, his third of the postseason, with assists provided by St. Louis and McDonagh. New York struck again on a Nash power play goal, made possible by Zuccarello and John Moore. The Canadiens got one back with a shorthanded Eller goal, his fifth of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The final stood from here at 7-2, with the three stars going to Zuccarello, St. Louis, and McDonagh, while Dominic Moore, Eller, Kreider, Nash, and Stepan all get honorable mentions. New York dominated their way to a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec. In goal: Henrik Lundqvist and Dustin Tokarski. Montreal was first to score in the first period on a Max Pacioretty goal, his fourth of the postseason, going in unassisted. New York tied it on a Ryan McDonagh goal, his third of the playoffs, an unassisted goal. The Rangers took the lead as Rick Nash scored his second of the postseason, thanks to Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan. New York added on in the second period with a Martin St. Louis power play goal, his fifth of the playoffs, powered by Stepan and McDonagh. This was all they needed for a 3-1 win, with the three stars going to Lundqvist (40 for 41 in saves), McDonagh, and Stepan. The Rangers head home with a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York. In goal: Dustin Tokarski and Henrik Lundqvist. New York started with a Carl Hagelin first period goal, his fifth of the postseason, fueled by Martin St. Louis. Montreal tied it in the second period on an Andrei Markov goal, assisted by Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher. The Canadiens took the lead on a Daniel Briere goal in the third period, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Thomas Vanek and Rene Bourque. The Rangers tied it on a Chris Kreider goal, his third of the postseason, via Dan Girardi and Derek Stepan. Montreal won 3-2 with an Alex Galchenyuk goal in overtime, coming off of Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta. The three stars were Galchenyuk, Tokarski (35 for 37 in saves), and Briere. The Rangers still hold a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York. In goal: Dustin Tokarski and Henrik Lundqvist. New York began in the first period with a Carl Hagelin shorthanded goal, his sixth of the postseason, set up by Brian Boyle and Ryan McDonagh. Montreal tied it in the second period on a Fancis Bouillon goal, his second of the playoffs, coming off of David Desharnais and Rene Bourque. The
Rangers retook the lead on a Derick Brassard goal, his fifth of the postseason, made possible by Dan Girardi and the goalie Lundqvist. The Canadiens tied it on a third period P.K. Subban power play goal, his fifth of the playoffs, powered by Andrei Markov and Desharnais. New York won 3-2 with a Martin St. Louis overtime goal, his sixth of the postseason, assisted by Hagelin and Brad Richards. The three stars were Hagelin, Desharnais, and St. Louis. New York will head north and push their opponents to the brink with a 3-1 series lead.

Game 5: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec. In goal: Henrik Lundqvist and Dustin Tokarski. Montreal led off with an Alex Galchenyuk power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov. New York tied it on a Derek Stepan goal, his fourth of the playoffs, made possible by Chris Kreider and Marc Staal. The Canadiens took the lead back with a Tomas Plekanec goal, his fourth of the postseason, fueled by Brian Gionta and Galchenyuk. Montreal added on in the second period with a Max Pacioretty goal, his fifth of the playoffs, passed from Brendan Gallagher and Markov. The Canadiens extended the lead on a Rene Bourque goal, his sixth of the postseason, guided in by Lars Eller and Thomas Vanek. The Rangers got one back as Rick Nash scored his third of the playoffs, a power play goal set up by Ryan McDonagh and Kreider. New York pulled closer with Stepan's second of the game and fifth of the postseason, via Kreider, who got a sock trick, and Nash. The Rangers tied it on a Kreider power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, with assists from McDonagh and Derick Brassard. Montreal retook the lead as Bourque scored his second of the game and seventh of the postseason, helped along by Dale Weise and Eller. The Canadiens padded the lead with Bourque completing his hat trick on his eighth of the playoffs, with assists provided by Weise and Markov, the latter getting a sock trick. Montreal iced it at 7-4 with a David Desharnais empty net goal, his second of the postseason, courtesy of Pacioretty. The three stars were Bourque, Markov, and Kreider, while Stepan, Galchenyuk, Pacioretty, Eller, Nash, McDonagh, and Weise all get honorable mentions. The series still favors New York 3-2.

Game 6: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York. In goal: Dustin Tokarski and Henrik Lundqvist. New York got going in the second period on a Dominic Moore goal, his third of the postseason, via Brian Boyle and Ryan McDonagh. This was all they needed for a 1-0 win. The three stars were Lundqvist (18 save shutout), Moore, and Tokarski (31 for 32 in saves). The Rangers advance to the Stanley Cup Finals on a 4-2 series win. 

MLS Midweek Games, May 27 and 28, 2014

There's a handful of games on during the week. The first is a Tuesday game, as...

Sporting Kansas City hosts the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Eric Kronberg are set to start. Kansas City opened with a Toni goal, assisted by Benny Feilhaber. New York picked up some yellow cards as Bradley Wright-Phillips and Dax McCarty committed fouls in the fourteenth and twentieth minutes. The Red Bulls tied it in the fiftieth minute on a Wright-Phillips goal, passed from Thierry Henry. Sporting saw Kevin Ellis pick up a yellow card for a foul in the sixty-third minute. Kansas City also was given a yellow in the eighty-seventh minute on a foul by Toni. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with the man of the match being Wright-Phillips for his equalizer.

On Wednesday, Chivas USA hosts the Portland Timbers. Donovan Ricketts and Dan Kennedy are manning the nets. The two teams traded yellow cards early in the first half, as Danny O'Rourke of Portland committed a foul in the eighth minute, followed by Marco Delgado's foul in the tenth minute for Chivas. Chivas got another yellow card in the twenty-eighth minute on a foul by Agustin Pelletieri. Portland got on the board in the sixty-fifth minute with a Fanendo Adi goal, assisted by Jorge Villafaña and Darlington Nagbe. The Timbers added on in the seventy-first minute as Adi scored his second of the game, set up by Diego Valeri. Chivas, already behind on the scoreboard, went down a man after Bobby Burling committed a serious foul in the eighty-fourth minute, for which he got a straight red. In the eighty-seventh minute, Chivas' Carlos Alvarez was booked for a yellow card on a foul. The Timbers' Rauwshan McKenzie was shown a yellow card for a foul in the third minute of stoppage time. The final was 2-0, with Adi being the man of the match for his brace.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

MLS Sunday May 25th, 2014

Two games on today to close out the week's schedule. The first is in...

Los Angeles, as the Galaxy host the Philadelphia Union. Zac MacMath and Jaime Penedo man the nets. Los Angeles quickly started in the second minute as Leonardo knocked in a Landon Donovan pass for a goal. The Galaxy's Juninho picked up a yellow card in the thirty-first minute for a foul. Los Angeles added on to the score with a Donovan goal in the forty-ninth minute, via Robbie Keane. The Galaxy extended the lead with a Keane goal in the sixty-fourth minute, going in unassisted. Los Angeles padded the lead in the eighty-first minute as Donovan scored his second of the game, courtesy of Keane. Philadelphia avoided the shutout when Maurice Edu scored on a penalty kick in the eighty-eighth minute. This made it 4-1, the final, with Donovan being the man of the match for his record-breaking 135th MLS goal, the first in his brace, while Keane gets an honorable mention.

The other game is from San Jose, as the Earthquakes host the Houston Dynamo. Tally Hall and Jon Busch are the keepers. San Jose began in the thirty-eighth minute on a Khari Stephenson goal, set up by Shea Salinas. The Earthquakes added on as Stephenson scored his second of the night on a penalty kick in the fifty-eighth minute. Steven Lenhart was given a yellow card in the sixtieth minute for a foul, the first booking going to San Jose. The Earthquakes padded their lead on an Atiba Harris goal in the seventieth minute. This was good for a 3-0 win, with Stephenson being the man of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

MLS Saturday May 24th, 2014

Six games on today, beginning with a Cascadia Cup game from...

Vancouver, as the Whitecaps FC host the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and David Ousted make the starts in goal. Seattle opened in the thirty-sixth minute on a Chad Barrett goal, via Kenny Cooper. Vancouver tied it in the thirty-ninth minute as Erik Hurtado put away a Pedro Morales pass for the equalizer. The Whitecaps got into some foul trouble a little bit later, as Gershon Koffie and Matias Laba both picked up yellow cards late in the first half. Koffie made up for his by putting Vancouver ahead on a goal in the sixty-sixth minute, going in unassisted. Sebastian Fernandez was then booked for a foul in the sixty-eighth minute, adding to the Whitecaps' foul trouble. The Sounders tied it on an eighty-second minute Gonzalo Pineda penalty kick goal. Seattle's Osvaldo Alonso was given a yellow card in the second minute of stoppage time for dissent, but the scoring was done. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Pineda being the man of the match for his equalizer.

Way east to New York, as the Red Bulls welcome the Portland Timbers. Luis Robles and Donovan Ricketts man the nets. Portland was first in the books with a yellow card to Ben Zemanski goal a foul in the fifteenth minute. New England began with a thirty-sixth minute penalty kick goal by Bradley Wright-Phillips. The Timbers tied it on a Maximiliano Urruti goal in the forty-fifth minute, set up by Steve Zakuani. There were six yellow cards issued after this goal, all for fouls. Pa Modou Kah in the forty-sixth minute, Will Johnson in the fifty-seventh, and Rauwshan McKenzie in the seventy-second had the cards for Portland. The Red Bulls had Lloyd Sam in the sixty-fourth minute, Jamison Olave in the sixty-eighth minute, and Armando in the seventy-first minute get booked. The Timbers took the lead in the seventy-fourth minute on Urruti's second of the game, going in unassisted. New York's Eric Alexander was shown a yellow card in the eighty-third minute. This was it for the game, with the Timbers earning a 2-1 win, and Urruti was the man of the match.

Staying in the east, the New England Revolution bring in DC United. Bill Hamid and Bobby Shuttleworth are in the six-yard boxes. DC got chippy near the end of the first half, with Chris Korb in the thirty-ninth minute and Perry Kitchen in the forty-second minute both picking up yellow cards for fouls. New England started the scoring in the fifty-fifth minute with a Patrick Mullins goal, courtesy of Diego Fagundez. The Revolution entered the books on a Teal Bunbury foul in the sixty-fourth minute. In the sixty-seventh minute, Fagundez and Davy Arnaud had an argument, which earned each of them yellow cards. United was able to tie the game in the seventy-third minute on a goal by Fabian Espindola, passed from Cristian. Fagundez put New England right back ahead in the seventy-seventh minute with an unassisted goal. DC's hopes were really crushed in the eighty-second minute when Eddie Johnson was shown a red card for a serious foul. The Revolution won 2-1, with the man of the match being Fagundez.

West to Columbus, as the Crew host the Chicago Fire. Sean Johnson and Steve Clark are the keepers. Columbus was first to score in the tenth minute on an Ethan Finlay goal, passed from Federico Higuain. The Crew added on as Jairo Arrieta scored, and Higuain was given credit for another assist on the play in the twenty-fifth minute. Higuain got a little too bold with his defense in the fifty-fourth minute, drawing a yellow card for encroachment. Chicago's Quincy Amarikwa evened the discipline by taking a dive in the fifty-seventh minute that was also worthy of a yellow card. The Fire's Patrick Ianni was also booked in the eighty-first minute for a yellow card on his foul. Columbus won the game 2-0, with the man of the match being Higuain.

Out in Colorado, the Rapids welcome the Montreal Impact. Troy Perkins and Clint Irwin are the goalies. Colorado got a quick start in scoring, with Dillon Powers scoring on a penalty kick in the fifth minute. Montreal's Wandrille Lefevre was shown a yellow card in the fortieth minute for an off the ball foul. The Rapids added on in the fifty-fourth minute with a Kamani Hill goal, assisted by Edson Buddle. Colorado extended the lead in the fifty-eighth minute as Shane O'Neill scored an unassisted goal. The Rapids picked up a yellow card of their own in the seventy-second minute, as Drew Moor was booked for a foul. Colorado padded their lead on another Powers goal in the eighty-fourth minute, via Marlon Hairston. Montreal avoided the shutout when Andres Romero scored in the eighty-eighth minute, with Perkins picking up the assist. O'Neill was shown a yellow card in the second minute of stoppage time for a foul. The final was 4-1, and Powers was the man of the match.

Finally, in Salt Lake City, Real brings in FC Dallas. Chris Seitz and Jeff Attinella draw the starts. The first half was fairly routine. In the second half, Salt Lake's Tony Beltran was shown a yellow card in the sixty-first minute for a foul. Dallas' Victor Ulloa evened the discipline in the sixty-seventh minute when he received a yellow card for dissent. Dallas had two more yellow cards come their way, as Matt Hedges was called for a foul in the eightieth minute and Fabian Castillo was booked for unsporting behavior in the eighty-third minute. Real also had another yellow when Javier Morales committed a foul in the eighty-fifth minute. The scoring was non-existent, resulting in scoreless draw. Attinella gets the man of the match honors for turning aside three saves for his clean sheet.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

MLS Friday May 23rd, 2014

One game on tonight, as Sporting Kansas City hosts Toronto FC. Joe Bendik of Toronto and Eric Kronberg of Kansas City are the keepers. Toronto's Gilberto opened up the discipline by picking up a yellow card in the thirty-ninth minute for a foul. Kansas City opened the scoring with a Dominic Dwyer goal in the forty-seventh minute, courtesy of Sal Zizzo. Mark Bloom of Toronto picked up a yellow card in the fifty-seventh minute for a foul, and things got worse with a sixty-third minute red card issued to Steven Caldwell of Toronto for his serious foul. Still, Toronto pulled level with a Luke Moore goal, passed from Jermaine Defoe. Sporting was put in the books in the seventy-ninth minute on a Paulo Nagamura foul that received a yellow card. Kansas City retook the lead in the eighty-fourth minute when Dwyer buried his second of the game on a penalty kick. Moore was booked for a yellow card when he showed his dissent for the foul that led to the goal. Toronto once again got an equalizer in the first minute of stoppage time on a Bradley Orr goal, via Nick Hagglund. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Dwyer being the man of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

MLS Wednesday May 21st, 2014

There are a pair of games on tonight, beginning with...

DC United hosting the Houston Dynamo. Tally Hall of Houston and Bill Hamid of DC are in goal. DC began in the twenty-eighth minute on a Chris Rolfe goal, passed from Fabian Espindola. United picked up a yellow card in the thirty-sixth minute for a foul by Davy Arnaud, and another yellow card was issued for Lewis Neal's foul in the fifty-sixth minute as well. DC added on with an Espindola goal in the sixty-third minute, and Rolfe was there with the assist. Houston's Giles Barnes was booked for a foul in the sixty-fifth minute, earning him a yellow card. United's Espindola was also shown a yellow card in the seventy-second minute for unsporting behavior. The Dynamo got chippy in stoppage time, and Brian Ownby was whistled for a fight, earning him a straight red card in the second minute of stoppage time. DC won 2-0, with Espindola being the man of the match.

The other game comes from Los Angeles, where the Galaxy host FC Dallas. Raul Fernandez and Jaime Penedo are the keepers. Los Angeles opened with a Robbie Keane goal in the twenty-fourth minute, made possible by Gyasi Zardes. The teams exchanged yellows later in the half, as Kofi Opare of the Galaxy and Tesho Akindele of Dallas were booked for fouls. Los Angeles added on with a Zardes goal, passed from Juninho. Dallas got on the board in the sixty-fifth minute when Akindele scored, thanks to Jair Benitez. Dallas was booked again in the seventy-first minute on a Je-Vaughn Watson foul. The Galaxy hung in for a 2-1 win, with the man of the match being Zardes.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.