Thursday, September 4, 2014

MLS Wednesday September 3rd, 2014

Three games on tonight, beginning with...

The Philadelphia Union hosting Toronto FC. Joe Bendik and Zac MacMath are set to start in goal. Philadelphia had the first yellow card for a thirty-third minute handball by Maurice Edu. The Union opened the scoring the fifty-fifth minute on a Conor Casey goal, coming off of Sebastien Le Toux and Cristian Maidana. Toronto went down to ten men in the seventy-seventh minute as Ashtone Morgan was given a straight red card for a professional foul, followed by an eighty-fourth minute yellow card to Michael Bradley for a foul. In stoppage time, Doneil Henry of Toronto was booked on a yellow card for a foul. The game ended 1-0, and MacMath was the man of the match for his three-save clean sheet.

Up in New England, the Revolution welcome Sporting Kansas City. Andy Gruenebaum and Bobby Shuttleworth are the goalies with long last names. Kansas City struck first in the ninth minute with a Soony Saad goal, going in unassisted. New England took a yellow card in the twenty-second minute for a foul by Daigo Kobayashi. The Revolution saw Teal Bunbury booked in the twenty-ninth minute for a foul as well, giving him a yellow card. Sporting was the next with a yellow card, given to Mikey Lopez in the thirty-fifth minute for a foul. Kansas City' Seth Sinovic had the next yellow card in the thirty-ninth minute, also for a foul. New England tied it in the forty-fifth minute on a Bunbury goal, set up by Jermaine Jones. The Revolution took the lead in the forty-eighth minute as Lee Nguyen scored, thanks to Kelyn Rowe. Sporting was booked again for a foul by Graham Zusi in the eighty-fourth minute, which brought about a yellow card, but New England's Rowe also had a yellow card for a foul. The Revolution iced it at 3-1 in stoppage time with a Nguyen goal, made possible by Patrick Mullins. Nguyen was the man of the match for his brace.

The last game comes from California, as Chivas USA brings in the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and Dan Kennedy man the nets. Seattle struck first with an eleventh minute goal by Obafemi Martins, via Chad Marshall and Brad Evans. The Sounders added on in the sixteenth minute as Martins scored again, thanks to Lamar Neagle and Clint Dempsey. Seattle extended their lead in the thirty-eighth minute on an Andy Rose goal, fueled by Evans. The Sounders padded the lead in the forty-second minute when Rose put another Evans pass in the back of the net. Chivas' first appearance in the box score was not for a positive reason, as Bobby Burling took a yellow card for his forty-ninth minute foul. Chivas did get on the board in the fifty-first minute as Marco Delgado scored, with the help of Eric Avila. Chivas chipped closer in the sixtieth minute as Ryan Finley converted a penalty kick. Chivas took another yellow card for a seventy-second minute foul by Oswaldo Minda. The final stood at 4-2, and Evans was the man of the match for setting up three of the four Sounders goals.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

KHL September 3rd, 2014 (Season Premiere)

There's just one KHL game for today, but it pits the last two league champions against each other in...

Magnitogorsk, where Metallurg hosts Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Yeryomenko and Vasily Koshechkin get the starting nods. Moscow opened with a first period power play goal by Filip Novak, powered by Alexei Tereshchenko. Magnitogorsk quickly tied it on a Sergei Mozyakin goal, fueled by Danis Zaripov and Jan Kovar. Metallurg took the lead with a Zaripov power play goal, coming off of Chris Lee and Mozyakin. Magnitogorsk added on as Mozyakin scored his second of the game, a power play goal made possible by Lee and Kovar. Alexander Lazushin relieved Yeryomenko at this time. Metallurg extended the lead in the second period with a Yaroslav Kosov goal, which was unassisted. Magnitogorsk padded the lead when Mozyakin scored on a penalty shot to complete his hat trick. He got this free opportunity because Martin Karsums held him during a scoring attempt. Metallurg struck again with a Lee goal in the third period, guided in by Zaripov and Kovar, the latter getting a sock trick (three assists). This produced the 6-1 final, with the three stars going to Mozyakin, Zaripov, and Kovar, while Lee is an honorable mention.

Bigger slate tomorrow. Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Sunday, August 31, 2014

MLS Weekend August 29-31, 2014

We begin with a single Friday game, from...

Kansas City, as Sporting hosts the Houston Dynamo. Tally Hall and Jon Kempin are in goal. After a weather delay, Houston got things going in the thirty-fifth minute with a Will Bruin goal. Closing out the half were three yellow cards, given to Kansas City's Dominic Dwyer in the forty-fifth minute for an argument, and then one to each team in the forty-fourth minute as Sporting's Benny Feilhaber and Dynamo's Kofi Sarkodie also had an argument. Houston took another yellow card for a fiftieth minute foul by Ricardo Clark. Kansas City tied the game in the fifty-fourth minute as Dwyer scored, with the help of Feilhaber. The Dyanmo gained the lead in the sixty-second minute on a David Horst goal, assisted by Brad Davis. Houston added on as Clark scored in the sixty-seventh minute, and Davis provided the assist again. The Dynamo took a yellow card in stoppage time for Oscar Garcia's time wasting, but they still won 3-1. Davis' assists on the winning and insurance goals earned him man of the match honors.

On Saturday, the Seattle Sounders FC got things going by welcoming the Colorado Rapids. Joe Nasco and Stefan Frei man the nets. In the fortieth minute, Brad Evans of Seattle took a yellow card for his foul. The Sounders began in the fifty-second minute on a Clint Dempsey goal, set up by Marco Pappa. Seattle took another yellow card for a sixty-second minute foul by Zach Scott. Colorado's Deshorn Brown got a yellow card for his eighty-fourth minute foul. The Sounders held on for a 1-0 win, and the man of the match was Dempsey for his clutch goal.

Up in Canada, Toronto FC brings in the New England Revolution. Bobby Shuttleworth and Joe Bendik are the keepers. New England struck first with a second minute goal by Lee Nguyen. In the fourth minute, Teal Bunbury of the Revolution was given a yellow card for a foul. New England added on in the twenty-first minute with a Kelyn Rowe goal, made possible by Nguyen. Rowe also took the Revolution's next yellow card for his thirty-sixth minute foul. New England was booked again in the forty-seventh minute for a Scott Caldwell foul, earning him a yellow card. The Revolution extended their lead with a Bunbury goal in the fifty-eighth minute, fueled by Charlie Davies and Rowe. Toronto's Gilberto was shown a yellow card in the eighty-second minute for a foul. The final stood at 3-0, and Nguyen was the man of the match for his quick game-winner.

Staying in Canada, the Montreal Impact host the Columbus Crew. Steve Clark and Evan Bush will play goal. The teams exchanged yellow cards in the first half, with Montreal's Ignacio Piatti getting one in the thirty-second minute, followed by Tony Tchani of Columbus being booked in the thirty-fourth minute, both for fouls. The Impact struck first in the fortieth minute as Piatta made up for his card by scoring, thanks to Felipe Martins. Montreal's Hassoun Camara was booked in the sixty-fourth minute for a foul. The Impact saw another yellow card come their way in the sixty-ninth minute, as Bush was given one for time wasting. The Crew saw Wil Trapp booked in the eighty-first minute for a foul. In the eighty-fifth minute, Waylon Francis of Columbus was given a yellow card for a foul. Piatti doubled the Montreal lead in the fifth minute of stoppage time, and the final stood at 2-0. Piatti was the man of the match for his brace.

Back stateside, the Chicago Fire welcome FC Dallas. Raul Fernandez and Sean Johnson protect the woodwork. Chicago took a yellow card for a tenth minute foul by Grant Ward. The Fire took another yellow card as Bakary Soumare was booked for a foul in the fifty-second minute. Chicago finally broke the scoring open in the eighty-third minute with a Robert Earnshaw goal, via Jeff Larentowicz. The Fire's Matt Watson closed out the game with a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time, but the team still won 1-0. The man of the match was Earnshaw, scoring the only goal off the bench.

Into Canada once more, as the Vancouver Whitecaps FC bring in the Portland Timbers for a Cascadia Cup clash. Donovan Ricketts and David Ousted are the keepers. Portland was first to score in the fifty-first minute with an Alvas Powell goal, via Diego Valeri. The Timbers saw a yellow card given to Diego Chara in the sixty-sixth minute for his foul. Portland added on in the seventy-fifth minute with a Maximiliano Urruti goal, set up by Michael Harrington. The Timbers extended their lead with a Rodney Wallace goal in the seventy-ninth minute, via Darlington Nagbe, but Wallace was also hit with a yellow card for excessive celebration. This made it a 3-0 final, with the man of the match being Ricketts for his clean sheet with three saves.

Finally, the San Jose Earthquakes host Real Salt Lake. Nick Rimando and Jon Busch are the veteran goalies. San Jose began in the fourteenth minute on a Sam Cronin goal, set up by Chris Wondolowski. Salt Lake tied it in the thirty-sixth minute as Javier Morales buried a penalty kick. The Earthquakes took a pair of yellow cards in the second half, going to Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi in the sixty-first minute for dissent and Jason Hernandez in the sixty-eighth minute for a foul. The final held steady at 1-1, and the man of the match was Cronin for his goal.

On Sunday, the first game saw DC United welcome the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Bill Hamid are the goalies. DC opened with a fifty-seventh minute Luis Silva goal, assisted by Fabian Espindola and the keeper Hamid. In stoppage time, United extended their lead with an Eddie Johnson goal, set up by Perry Kitchen. This was good for a 2-0 win, with the man of the match being Hamid for his clean sheet with five saves as New York had the majority of the shots.

Finally, stadium-mates Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy wrap up the weekend. Jaime Penedo and Dan Kennedy are the usual keepers. Chivas took the first yellow card in the twenty-second minute for a foul by Andrew Jena-Baptiste. Los Angeles also saw a booking on a yellow card for Baggio Husidic's foul in the thirty-fifth minute. The Galaxy were first to score with a forty-first minute goal by Gyasi Zardes, thanks to Landon Donovan. Los Angeles added on in the sixty-eighth minute as Robbie Keane scored, thanks to Marcelo Sarvas. The Galaxy poured it on in the seventy-first minute with another goal by Zardes, made possible by Donovan and Keane. Things got worse for Chivas as their leading scorer, Erick Torres, was shown a straight red card for his seventy-fifth minute foul. The final stood to favor the Galaxy 3-0, and Zardes was the man of the match for his brace.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Premier League Week 3 2014-2015

Another week of Premier League actions kicks off with...

Burnley hosting Manchester United. David de Gea and Tom Heaton are in goal. In the thirty-eighth minute, Manchester United was given a yellow card to Darren Fletcher. In the sixty-eighth minute, Manchester United was issued another yellow card for a Tyler Blackett foul. In the seventy-sixth minute, Dean Marney of Burnley got a yellow card for his foul. Burnley had another yellow card go to Steven Reid in the ninetieth minute. The goals never came, and the game ended in a scoreless draw.

Over to Manchester City, where they welcome Stoke City. Asmir Begovic and Joe Hart are the keepers. In the twenty-second minute, Phil Bardsley of Stoke City took a yellow card for a foul. Manchester City's Fernandinho matched with a yellow card of his own in the fifty-third minute, also for a foul. Stoke City struck first in the fifty-eighth minute on a Mame Biram Diouf goal, coming from a headed pass by Erik Pieters following a fast break. Yaya Toure of Manchester City picked up a yellow card in the eighty-seventh minute. Stoke City held on for the 1-0 victory.

Next up, Newcastle United brings in Crystal Palace. Julian Speroni and Tim Krul man the nets. Crystal Palace struck very quickly in the first minute on a Dwight Gayle goal from close range. Newcastle United tied it in the thirty-seventh minute on a Daryl Janmaat goal, courtesy of Emmanuel Riviere. Crystal Palace took two yellow cards late in the first half, going to Adrian Mariappa in the forty-first minute and Marouane Chamakh in the forty-fourth minute for fouls. Crystal Palace retook the lead in the forty-eighth minute on a Jason Puncheon goal, passed from Yannick Bolasie. Newcastle United tied it again in the seventy-third minute with a goal by Rolando Aarons, a header after a corner kick. In the eighty-eighth minute Glenn Murray of Crystal Palace took a yellow card for a foul. Later that minute, Michael Williamson put Newcastle United on top with a close range goal after Aarons' shot hit the post. Five minutes into stoppage time, Crystal Palace tied it with a Wilfried Zaha goal, assisted by Scott Dann after a set piece.  Seven minutes into stoppage time, Aarons was given a yellow card for a foul. The game ended 3-3, after a wild finish.

Moving along to where the Queens Park Rangers host Sunderland. Vito Mannone and Robert Green are guarding the woodwork. In the thirty-seventh minute, Sunderland's Lee Cattermole took a yellow card for his foul. In the second minute of first half stoppage time, QPR got on the board with a Charlie Austin goal, via Leroy Fer's header pass after a corner kick. QPR took a yellow card for a Jordon Mutch foul in the fifty-seventh minute. In the second minute of second half stoppage time, Sunderland was given another yellow card for a dive by Emanuele Giaccherini. The Queens Park Rangers held on for a 1-0 victory.

Out to Wales, where Swansea City welcomes West Bromwich Albion. Ben Foster and Lukasz Fabianski are in the six-yard boxes. Swansea City opened in the second minute with a Nathan Dyer goal, via Gylfi Sigurdsson. Swansea City added on as Wayne Routledge scored in the twenty-fourth minute from outside the box. In the twenty-seventh minute, West Brom's Graham Dorrans was given a yellow card for a foul, followed by another West Brom yellow card in the sixty-second minute for a foul by Craig Gardner. Swansea City extended the lead as Dyer scored again in the seventy-first minute, thanks to Sigurdsson's through ball. Swansea City took a yellow card for a Ki Sung-Yueng foul in the seventy-third minute. Swansea City coasted from here to a 3-0 win.

Following that, West Ham United brings in Southampton. Fraser Forster and Adrian are called on to start in goal. West Ham was first to score in the twenty-seventh minute on a Mark Noble goal from long range, set up by Mauro Zarate. Southampton tied it on a Morgan Schneiderlin goal in the forty-fifth minute, coming off of a set piece. West Ham took a pair of yellow cards in the second half, going to Aaron Cresswell in the fifty-sixth minute and Joey O'Brien in the sixty-second minute, each for fouls. Southampton pulled ahead in the sixty-eighth minute on another Schneiderlin goal, passed from James Ward-Prowse's cross after a corner kick. Southhampton took a yellow card in the seventy-ninth minute for a foul by Graziano Pelle, but he made up for his transgression in the eighty-third minute by extending the Southampton lead. This produced the 3-1 final score.

Wrapping up on Saturday, Everton hosts Chelsea. Thibaut Courtois and Tim Howard are the goalies. Chelsea started in the first minute with a Diego Costa goal, coming off of Cesc Fabregas. Chelsea added on in the third minute as Branislav Ivanovic scored, courtesy of Ramires with the through ball. Everton got one back in the forty-fifth minute on a Kevin Mirallas goal, via Seamus Coleman's cross. Chelsea took a pair of yellow cards to lead off the second half, going to Costa in the fifty-sixth minute and Ramires in the sixty-fourth minute for fouls. Chelsea extended their lead as Coleman put the ball in his own net for an own goal in the sixty-seventh minute. Everton clawed back with a Steven Naismith goal in the sixty-ninth minute, set up by Aiden McGeady. Chelsea replied in the seventy-fourth minute as Nemanja Matic scored, and Ramires picked up another assist. Everton got it back in the seventy-sixth minute on a Samuel Eto'o goal, guided in by Leighton Baines with the cross after a set piece. Ramires continued his big day with a goal in the seventy-seventh minute to reestablish the two goal lead for Chelsea, and Matic was there with the assist. In the eighty-first minute, Fabregas was shown a yellow card for a foul. Costa iced the game in the ninetieth minute for Chelsea, making it 6-3 with his second of the game, and John Obi Mikel provided the assist on the final goal.

Starting Sunday, Aston Villa welcomes Hull City. Allan McGregor and Brad Guzan are set to start in goal. Aston Villa began with a fourteenth minute goal by Gabriel Agbonlahor, assisted by Andreas Weimann. Aston Villa added on in the thirty-sixth minute with a Weimann goal, passed from Kieran Richardson. Hull City took a yellow card for a Curtis Davies foul in the forty-second minute. Hull City got on the board in the seventy-fourth minute as Nikica Jelavic headed in a header pass from Stephen Quinn after a set piece. Hull City took three yellow cards in the last ten minutes of regulation, going Jelavic in the eighty-second minute, Ahmed Elmohamady in the eighty-fourth minute, and Quinn in the eighty-seventh minute, all for fouls. Aston Villa's goal Guzan was shown a yellow card in the ninetieth minute for wasting time. It worked, to an extent, as Aston Villa secured a 2-1 victory.

Next up, Tottenham Hotspur brings in Liverpool. Simon Mignolet and Hugo Lloris are the keepers. Liverpool struck first in the eighth minute on a Raheem Sterling goal, passed from Jordan Henderson. Liverpool took a pair of yellow cards in the first half, going to Joe Allen in the twenty-seventh minute and Javier Manquillo in the thirty-seventh minute. Liverpool added onto their lead in the forty-ninth minute as Steven Gerrard buried the penalty kick into the bottom left corner of the net. Liverpool extended the lead with an Alberto Moreno goal in the sixtieth minute after a fast break. Liverpool's players were booked twice more in the second half, as Sterling was given a yellow card for his seventy-fourth minute foul, and Moreno also had a yellow card in the ninetieth minute. The final stood favoring Liverpool at 3-0.

The last game of the week has Leicester City hosting Arsenal. Wojciech Szczesny and Kasper Schmeichel protect the nets. In the twentieth minute, Alexis Sanchez put Arsenal up with a goal. In the twenty-second minute, Leicester City drew level with a goal by Leonardo Ulloa, on a cross by Jeffrey Schlupp. The game was fairly quiet until the eighty-fourth minute, where Leicester City's Marc Albrighton was given a yellow card for his foul, and a minute later, Dean Hammond, also of Leicester City, was booked for a foul. In the first minute of stoppage time, Leicester City was again visited by the referee for a Liam Moore foul, earning him a yellow card. Despite the late aggression, the final held at 1-1.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. While there is no Premier League action next week, be sure to get your hockey fix through my KHL recaps. 

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

MLS Wednesday August 27, 2014

One game tonight, as the Los Angeles Galaxy host DC United. Bill Hamid and Jaime Penedo are the goalies. Los Angeles struck first in the second minute on an Alan Gordon goal, going in unassisted. The teams exchanged yellow cards, as Landon Donovan of the Galaxy and Luis Silva of DC got one apiece for fouls in the eighteenth and twenty-first minutes, respectively. In the twenty-fifth minute, Los Angeles added on with an Omar Gonzalez goal, set up by Donovan. The Galaxy extended the lead in first half stoppage time with a Baggio Husidic goal, via A.J. DeLaGarza and Donovan. DC got a goal as Leonardo put the ball in his own net for an own goal in the fifty-eighth minute. Los Angeles shot back by putting the ball in the right net in the seventy-fifth minute when Donovan converted a penalty kick. United took another yellow card for a Fabian Espindola foul in the eighty-first minute. The Galaxy won 4-1, and Donovan was the man of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Premier League Week 2

This week, the games include six on Saturday, three on Sunday, and one on Monday. We begin with...

Aston Villa hosting Newcastle United. Tim Krul and Brad Guzan man the nets. Aston Villa had the first four yellow cards in the game, all in the second half after an uneventful first half. The cards went to Charles N'Zogbia in the fiftieth minute, Philippe Senderos in the sixty-seventh minute (both for fouls), Andreas Weimann in the sixty-eighth minute for a hand ball, and Carlos Sanchez in the eighty-fifth minute for a foul. In the eighty-sixth minute, Newcastle United's Michael Williamson was shown the yellow card for a foul, and then he was sent off in stoppage time with his second yellow card. The scoring just wasn't there, so both teams escaped with a point from the 0-0 draw.

Next up, Chelsea welcomes Leicester City. Kasper Schmeichel and Thibaut Courtois are the keepers. This was another match in which the first action came in the second half, with a yellow card being given to Dean Hammond of Leicester City for a foul in the fifty-first minute. Chelsea started the scoring in the sixty-third minute with a Diego Costa goal from close range. Chelsea added on in the seventy-seventh minute with an Eden Hazard goal, passed from Cesc Fabregas. This provided the 2-0 result in favor of Chelsea.

Following that, Crystal Palace brings in West Ham United. Adrian and Julian Speroni are in the six-yard boxes. West Ham began with a Mauro Zarate goal in the thirty-fourth minute, following a corner kick. West Ham added on as Stewart Downing scored with an assist provided by Cheikhou Kouyate in the thirty-seventh minute. West Ham took a pair of yellow cards, going to Winston Reid in the fortieth minute and James Tonkins in stoppage time, both for fouls. Crystal Palace got one back in the forty-eighth minute on a Marouane Chamakh goal, via Mile Jedinak. West Ham countered with a Carlton Cole goal in the sixty-second minute, converted off of a set piece. Joey O'Brien of West Ham was given a yellow card for his foul in the seventy-sixth minute. Jedinak of Crystal Palace was later booked on a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-ninth minute. The final stood at 3-1, favoring West Ham.

Up next, Southampton hosts West Bromwich Albion. Ben Foster and Fraser Forster are given the starting nods in goal. In the forty-second minute, West Brom's Chris Brunt was given a yellow card for a foul. Southampton's Nathaniel Clyne was booked in the sixty-sixth minute for his foul. West Brom had another yellow card given to Craig Gardner in the eightieth minute for a foul. This was it for the action, with the game ending in a scoreless draw.

Continuing to where Swansea City welcomes Burnley. Tom Heaton and Lukasz Fabianski are in goal. Swansea City was first to score with a Nathan Dyer goal in the twenty-third minute, assisted by Gylfi Sigurdsson. Swansea City's Jonjo Shelvey was given a yellow card in the seventy-third minute for a foul. Burnley picked up a yellow card for a Michael Duff foul in the seventy-ninth minute. Swansea City's Sigurdsson also had a yellow card-worthy foul in the eighty-fifth minute. It did not impact Swansea City winning 1-0.

Wrapping up Saturday, Everton brings in Arsenal. Wojciech Szczesny and Tim Howard are guarding the nets. Everton opened in the nineteenth minute with a Seamus Coleman goal, courtesy of Gareth Barry off a cross from a set piece. Everton's Leighton Baines was given a yellow card in the twenty-ninth minute for a foul. Arsenal had the next yellow card, given to Per Mertesacker for a foul in the forty-third minute. Everton extended their lead with a forty-fifth minute goal by Steven Naismith, coming on a through ball from a fast break. Arsenal was visited by the referee three times in the second half, for Jack Wilshere's foul in the fifty-fourth minute, Calum Chambers' offense in the fifty-seventh minute, and Mathieu Flamini in the seventy-seventh minute for another foul. After having their fair share of discipline, Arsenal took control with an Aaron Ramsey goal in the eighty-third minute to cut the deficit in half, made possible by a cross from Santiago Cazorla. Olivier Giroud completed the comeback for Arsenal by tying the game in the ninetieth minute on a goal, coming off of Nacho Monreal's cross. This salvaged a point as the game would end 2-2.

On Sunday, there were three games, beginning with Hull City hosting Stoke City. Asmir Begovic and Allan McGregor are the keepers. Hull City went down to ten men when James Chester was sent off on a straight red card in the fourteenth minute. Stoke City saw a yellow card given to Mame Biran Diouf in the thirty-eighth minute for a foul. The shorthanded Hull City was first to score with a forty-second minute goal by Nikica Jelavic. Phil Bardsley had the next yellow card in the forty-fourth minute for Stoke City. Hull City's Andrew Robertson was also booked on a yellow card for his offense in the fifty-first minute. Stoke City took another yellow card in the sixty-first minute for a Bojan foul. Stoke City tied the game in the eighty-third minute with a goal from close range by Ryan Shawcross. This provided the final score, which was level at 1-1.

The next game was Tottenham Hotspur welcoming the Queens Park Rangers. Robert Green and Hugo Lloris are the goalies.  Tottenham Hotspur began with a twelfth minute goal by Nacer Chadli, assisted by Emmanuel Adebayor. Tottenham Hotspur added on in the thirtieth minute on an Eric Dier goal, fueled by Erik Lamela's cross off of a corner kick. Tottenham Hotspur extended the lead in the thirty-seventh minute, as Chadli scored again with the help of Lamela on the cross. In the sixty-fourth minute, Leroy Fer of QPR was shown a yellow card for a foul, and a minute later Tottenham padded the lead again on an Adebayor goal, made possible by Danny Rose. The final stood from here as 4-0 for Tottenham Hotspur.

Finishing off on Sunday, Sunderland brings in Manchester United. David de Gea and Vito Mannone draw the starts in goal. Manchester United started in the seventeenth minute with a Juan Mata goal from in close. Sunderland tied it on a Jack Rodwell goal in the thirtieth minute, via Sebastian Larsson's cross after a corner kick. In the sixty-second minute, Ashley Young of Manchester United was given a yellow card for a dive, followed by another yellow card to Manchester United's Tom Cleverley in the sixty-seventh minute for a foul. The final was a 1-1 draw.

The last game was the featured Manchester City hosting Liverpool on Monday. Simon Mignolet and Joe Hart will protect the nets. Manchester City had the first yellow card for a twenty-ninth minute foul by Yaya Toure. Manchester City began the scoring with a Stevan Jovetic goal in the forty-first minute. In the fifty-fifth minute, Jovetic added on for Manchester City with another goal, set up by Samir Nasri. Manchester City extended the lead in the sixty-ninth minute with a goal by Sergio Aguero, courtesy of Jesus Navas with the through ball. Liverpool's Emre Can was shown the yellow card for a seventy-sixth minute foul. Liverpool got on the board, but it wasn't their own doing, as Pablo Zabaleta put the ball in his own net for an own goal. This produced a 3-1 final favoring Manchester City.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

Sunday, August 24, 2014

MLS Weekend, August 22-24, 2014

We have another set of nine games this weekend, beginning with...

FC Dallas hosting Real Salt Lake. Nick Rimando and Raul Fernandez make the starts in goal. The first half was marred by disciplinary action. Dallas saw yellow cards go to Blas Perez in the thirty-first minute for unsporting behavior, Michel in the thirty-third minute for a foul, and Perez again in the forty-fifth minute for a dive, causing him to be sent off and Dallas to fall to ten men. Salt Lake's Chris Schuler also had a yellow card for unsporting behavior in the forty-fifth minute. With the behavioral issues out of the way, the second half was all about goals. Dallas began in the fiftieth minute on a Je-Vaughn Watson goal, via Michel. Dallas added on with a Fabian Castillo goal in the seventy-fourth minute, courtesy of Tesho Akindele and Michel. Real got one back with an Olmes Garcia goal in stoppage time, set up by Sebastian Velasquez. They failed to tie it, dropping the game 2-1. The man of the match was Michel for setting up both goals with Dallas being shorthanded.

Beginning on Saturday, we have the New York Red Bulls welcoming the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Luis Robles are in goal. Montreal got going in the thirty-seventh minute on a Dilly Duka goal, assisted by Calum Mallace. New York tied it on a fifty-third minute Thierry Henry goal, fueled by Eric Alexander. The Red Bulls took the lead in the sixty-seventh minute as Henry scored again, with the help of Dax McCarty. New York added on with a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal, coming off of Henry in seventy-fourth minute. The Impact made it interesting with a seventy-ninth minute Andres Romero goal, set up by Wandrille Lefevre. The Red Bulls finished it at 4-2 with a Wright-Phillips goal in the ninetieth minute, thanks to Peguy Luyindula. Henry was the man of the match.

Up in Canada, Toronto FC brings in the Chicago Fire. Sean Johnson and Joe Bendik are guarding the nets. Toronto got an early gift as Chicago's Bakary Soumare put the ball in his own net for an own goal. Chicago also had a pair of yellow cards in the first half, going to Lovel Palmer in the twentieth minute for a foul and Alex in the thirty-ninth minute for persistent infringement. The teams exchanged yellow cards in the second half as Soumare got one for a foul in the forty-sixth minute for the Fire, followed by Toronto's Collen Warner being booked in the fifty-seventh minute, also for a foul. The Fire tied it in the seventieth minute as Robert Earnshaw scored, with the help of Grant Ward. Toronto retook the lead as Gilberto deposited a pass from Luke Moore in the seventy-ninth minute. Chicago got another equalizer in the ninetieth minute on a Quincy Amarikwa goal, fueled by Palmer. The Fire took a yellow card in stoppage time for a Gonzalo Segares foul, but they escaped the game with a point in the 2-2 draw. Amarikwa was the man of the match for the timely tally.

Back stateside, the Columbus Crew host the Houston Dynamo. Tally Hall and Steve Clark are the veteran goalies. Columbus began with a thirty-fifth minute goal by Justin Meram, going in unassisted. The Crew added on in the fifty-ninth minute as Adam Bedell scored, with the help of Meram. Houston's Corey Ashe took a yellow card for a foul in the sixty-first minute. Columbus extended their lead with a sixty-fourth minute by Aaron Schoenfeld, via Waylon Francis. The Dynamo had another yellow card in the seventy-ninth minute for a Brian Ownby foul. The final stood at 3-0, with Meram being the man of the match for his goal and assist.

East to New England, where the Revolution welcome Chivas USA. Dan Kennedy and Bobby Shuttleworth are the keepers. The teams exchanged yellow cards early in the second half as A.J. Soares forty-eighth minute yellow card for persistent infringement for New England, matched by Chivas' Tony Lochhead getting a yellow card in the fifty-third minute for a foul. The Revolution began in the fifty-sixth minute as Lee Nguyen scored, thanks to Kelyn Rowe and Daigo Kobayashi. Chivas took another yellow card in the seventieth minute on a foul by Oswaldo Minda. This was it for the game, with the Revolution winning 1-0, and Shuttleworth was the man of the match for four saves and a clean sheet.

Out west, Sporting Kansas City brings in DC United. Bill Hamid and Jon Kempin are the goalies. DC struck first in the twenty-fourth minute on a Fabian Espindola goal, assisted by Luis Silva. United added on in the twenty-eighth minute with a Chris Rolfe goal, passed from Silva. DC extended the lead in the thirty-first minute on a Perry Kitchen goal, via Rolfe. United's Taylor Kemp was given a yellow card in the sixty-first minute for time wasting. Kansas City's Igor Juliao was booked in the eighty-third minute for a foul that drew a yellow card. DC won 3-0, with the man of the match being Rolfe for his insurance goal and an assist.

Finishing up Saturday, the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Jaime Penedo are set to start in goal. Los Angeles started with a fourth minute goal by Landon Donovan, set up by Robbie Keane. The Galaxy's Dan Gargan was given a yellow card in the twenty-first minute for a foul. Los Angeles added on in the thirty-second minute with a Marcelo Sarvas goal, fueled by Keane. The second half was all about discipline. Vancouver saw yellow cards go to Mehdi Ballouchy in the sixtieth minute for a foul and Kendall Watson for unsporting behavior in the eighty-seventh minute, followed by a ninetieth minute red card to Johnny Leveron for a fight. The Galaxy had yellow cards go to A.J. DeLaGarza in the seventy-eighth minute, Sarvas in the eightieth minute, and Omar Gonzalez in the eighty-third minute, all for fouls. The final was 2-0, and the man of the match was Keane for his two assists.

Finally on Sunday, we have the Portland Timbers welcoming the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and Donovan Ricketts are the keepers. Seattle opened in the eighteenth minute with an Obafemi Martins goal, passed from Brad Evans and DeAndre Yedlin. In the twenty-third minute, Liam Ridgewell got a yellow card for a foul. The Sounders added on in the thirty-fourth minute with a Clint Dempsey goal, made possible by Martins turning away from a Portland corner and threading the ball to the scorer. The Timbers took another yellow card for a Norberto Paparatto foul in the thirty-eighth minute. In the forty-sixth minute, Chad Marshall was booked for a foul on a yellow card and Zach Scott gave another yellow card to Seattle for his foul in the fifty-third minute. The Sounders took another yellow card for an Osvaldo Alonso foul in the sixty-first minute. Portland's Maximiliano Urruti received a yellow card in the sixty-fourth minute for dissent. Seattle extended the lead with a Chad Barrett goal in the seventieth minute, via Dempsey. The Timbers got one back in the seventy-third minute with a Fanendo Adi goal, set up by Rodney Wallace. The Sounders got it right back in the seventy-sixth minute as Martins scored his second of the game, with an assist from Gonzalo Pineda. Portland refused to roll over, as Adi scored again in the first minute of stoppage time, thanks to Steve Zakuani. The final stood at 4-2, and Martins was the clear man of the match.

Finishing off the weekend, the Philadelphia Union bring in the San Jose Earthquakes. Jon Busch and Rais Mbolhi are protecting the woodwork. Philadelphia led off with a tenth minute goal by Andrew Wenger, assisted by Sebastien Le Toux and Conor Casey. The Union added on in the fourteenth minute with a Le Toux goal, going in unassisted. San Jose got one back in the fifty-ninth minute on an unassisted Sam Cronin goal. Le Toux marred his good night by taking a yellow card for a sixty-seventh minute foul for Philadelphia. The Earthquakes pulled even on a seventieth minute Chris Wondolowski goal, set up by Shea Salinas. The Union retook the lead in the seventy-second minute as Sheanon Williams buried a pass from none other than Le Toux. Philadelphia kept going in the seventy-ninth minute with Wegner's second of the game, again set up by Le Toux. The final stood at 4-2, and Le Toux was the man of the match for factoring in on every goal.