Tuesday, October 28, 2014

KHL October 28th, 2014

Two games for today, beginning with...

Severstal Cherepovets hosting CSKA Moscow. Kevin Lalande and Jakub Stepanek are set to start in goal. Moscow got going in the second period with a Damir Zhafyarov goal, going in unassisted. Cherepovets tied it on a Marek Kvapil goal, fueled by Gennady Stolyarov and Andrei Shefer. Severstal took the lead as Dmitry Kagarlitsky scored, thanks to Pavel Chernov. CSKA tied it in the third period on a power play goal by Nikolai Prokhorkin, powered by Alexander Radulov and Nikita Zaitsev. Moscow won 3-2 in overtime on a Radulov goal, via Prokhorkin and Stephane Da Costa on the power play. The three stars went to Radulov, Prokhorkin, and Zhafyarov.

The other game sees Medvescak Zagreb host Sibir Nobosibirsk. Mikko Koskinen and Barry Brust are the masked men. Zagreb dented the scoreboard with a second period goal by Edwin Hedberg, via Mathieu Carle. Medvescak added on in the third period with a power play goal by James Wright, powered by Carle and Andrew Hutchinson. The final stood at 2-0, and Brust (23 save shutout), Carle, and Hedberg got the three stars.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Monday, October 27, 2014

NHL October 27th, 2014

Two games on a very slow evening, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Minnesota Wild. Darcy Kuemper and Henrik Lundqvist are the masked men. Minnesota got going in the second period on a Nate Prosser goal, via Justin Fontaine and Matt Cooke. The Wild added on with a Cooke goal, his second of the season, fueled by Fontaine and Ryan Carter. Minnesota extended the lead on a Jason Pominville goal, his third of the year, coming off of Mikael Granlund and Marco Scandella. New York got on the board with a third period goal by Kevin Klein, his second of the season, guided in by Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash. The Rangers pulled closer with a Nash goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Matt Hunwick and Derick Brassard. The Wild shot back on a Jason Zucker goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Nino Neiderreiter and Ryan Suter. New York replied on a Brassard goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Carl Hagelin and Zuccarello. The Rangers tied it with an Anthony Duclair goal, made possible by Hunwick and Klein. New York took the lead with a Zuccarello goal, with assists provided by Brassard and Ryan McDonagh. This was all they needed to complete the comeback and win the game 5-4. The three stars were Zuccarello, Brassard, and Klein, while Cooke, Fontaine, Nash, and Hunwick received honorable mentions.

The other game comes from Edmonton, as the Oilers host the Montreal Canadiens. Dustin Tokarski and Ben Scrivens are in goal. Edmonton opened in the first period with a Benoit Pouliot goal, with a lone assist by Mark Arcobello. The Oilers added on with a Nail Yakupov goal in the second period, his second of the season, fueled by Pouliot and Mark Fayne. Edmonton extended the lead on a Taylor Hall goal, his fifth of the year, an empty net goal set up by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse Joensuu. The final was 3-0, and the three stars went to Pouliot, Scrivens (29 save shutout), and Yakupov.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL October 27th, 2014

Nine games on today, as the schedule returns to full strength. The first game is in...

Astana, as Barys hosts Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Mikhail Biryukov faces a lesser foe in Pavel Poluektov in goal. Astana dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Roman Starchenko goal, fueled by Roman Savchenko and Konstantin Rudenko. Khanty-Mansiysk tied it in the third period with a Ben Maxwell goal, assisted by Philip Larsen. Yugra took the lead on a power play goal by Denis Gorbunov goal, passed from Alexei Pepelyaev and Igor Bortnikov. Barys tied it on a Dustin Boyd goal, made possible by Brandon Bochenski and Nigel Dawes. Khanty-Mansiysk won 3-2 with a power play goal by Lukas Kaspar in overtime, with a lone assist by Andrei Sergeyev. The three stars went to Kaspar, Gorbunov, and Maxwell.

Into Russia, as Avangard Omsk welcomes Traktor Chelyabinsk. Michael Garnett and Konstantin Barulin are the reliable goalies. Omsk led off in the first period with a Alexander Popov goal, assisted by Sergei Shirokov. Avangard added on with a third period power play goal by Alexander Perezhogin, powered by Vladimir Sobotka and Denis Kulyash. Omsk extended the lead with a Roman Berdnikov goal, via Valery Vasilyev and Ivan Nepryayev. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars going to Popov, Perezhogin, and Barulin (15 save shutout).

Up in Ufa, Salavat Yulaev brings in Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ville Kolppanen and Leland Irving draw the starts. Ufa started in the first period with an Evgeny Skachkov power play goal, fueled by Alexei Kaigorodov. Nizhnekamsk tied it on a Stanislav Alshevsky power play goal, powered by Nikolai Belov and Yaroslav Alshevsky. Neftekhimik took the lead in the second period on a Maxim Trunyov goal, coming off of Josh Hennessy and Maxim Rybin. Salavat Yulaev tied it in the third period on a Denis Khlystov goal, courtesy of Ilkka Heikkinen and Denis Tolpeko. Nizhnekamsk got goals from Hennessy and Yegor Milovzorov in the shootout to take a 3-2 win. The three stars were given to Hennessy, Trunyov, and Milovzorov.

Out west, Dynamo Moscow hosts Dinamo Riga. Jakub Sedlacek and Alexander Yeryomenko are the masked men. Riga began in the first period with a Miks Indrasis goal, via Krisjanis Redlihs and the goalie Sedlacek. Moscow tied it on a Alexei Tsvetkov goal, with a lone assist by Nikolai Zherdev. Dynamo took the lead on a Konstantin Volkov goal, passed from Konstantin Glazachev and Andrei Mironov. Moscow added on with a Maxim Pestushko power play goal, powered by Kaspars Daugavins and Glazachev. Dinamo got one back with a power play goal by Pyotr Schastlivy, assisted by Marcel Hossa and Charles Genoway. Riga tied it on an unassisted Gints Meija goal. Dinamo took the lead as Schastlivy scored again in the third period, with the help of Linus Videll. This held up for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Schastlivy, Meija, and Glazachev.

Up in Mytishchi, Atlant welcomes Admiral Vladivostok. Ilya Proskuryakov and Atte Engren are between the pipes. Vladivostok struck first in the first period on a Andrei Sigaryov goal, assisted by Artyom Podshendyalov. Mytishchi tied it on an Andreas Engqvist goal, via Matthew Gilroy and Artyom Chernov. Admiral took the lead back in the second period on a power play goal by Jan Kolar, powered by Alexander Kuznetsov. Atlant tied it as Engqvist scored again, thanks to Igor Radulov and Yaroslav Dyblenko. Vladivostok won 3-2 with a goal in overtime by Konstantin Makarov, guided in by Artyom Zemchyonok and the goalie Proskuryakov. The three stars were handed to Engqvist, Makarov, and Kolar.

Out in Belarus, Dinamo Minsk brings in Amur Khabarovsk. Alexei Murygin and Lars Haugen occupy the creases. Khabarovsk got going in the second period with a shorthanded Evgeny Orlov goal, set up by Vyacheslav Litovchenko and Denis Yezhov. Minsk tied it on an Ilya Shinkevich goal, courtesy of Lukas Krajicek. Dinamo took the lead on a Nick Bailen power play goal, powered by Paul Szczechura and Alexei Kalyuzhny in the third period. Amur tied it again with an Alexander Ryazantsev goal, with a lone assist by Tommi Taimi on the power play. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Ryan Vesce clinched it for Minsk by a 3-2 margin. The three stars were given to Bailen, Shinkevich, and Vesce.

Back in Russia, Vityaz Podolsk hosts Jokerit Helsinki. Henrik Karlsson and Harri Sateri protect the nets. Helsinki was first to score in the second period with a Tommi Huhtala goal, coming off of Niko Kapanen and Juhamatti Aaltonen. Jokerit added on in the third period as Huhtala scored again, thanks to Aaltonen. This was good for a 2-0, with the three stars being Huhtala, Karlsson (23 save shutout), and Aaltonen.

East to Kazan, where Ak Bars welcomes Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Vasily Koshechkin and Anders Nilsson receive the starting nods. Magnitogorsk dented the scoreboard with a third period goal by Dais Zaripov, a power play goal powered by Chris Lee and Jan Kovar. This was the only goal in the game, with the final standing at 1-0. The three stars were awarded to Koshechkin (22 save shutout), Zaripov, and Nilsson (24 for 25 in saves).

Finally, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl brings in SKA St. Petersburg. Alexander Salak and Curtis Sanford guard the cages. St. Petersburg opened in the second period with an Alexander Barabanov goal, passed from Dinar Khafizullin and Ilya Kovalchuk. Yaroslavl tied it on a Sergei Plotnikov goal, guided in by Jiri Novotny and Yegor Yakovlev. SKA took the lead back with an unassisted Patrick Thoresen goal in the third period. Lokomotiv tied it again with a Sergei Konkov goal, via Daniil Apalkov and Martin Thornberg. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Staffan Kronwall scored twice for Lokomotiv, while Artemy Panarin had the only goal for SKA. The final was 3-2, and the three stars went to Kronwall, Konkov, and Plotnikov.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Premier League Week 9

The slate of ten games sees the first six come on Saturday this week. We begin with...

West Ham United hosting Manchester City. Joe Hart and Adrian are the goalies. In the seventh minute, Morgan Amalfitano was shown a yellow card for his foul for West Ham. Amalfitano made up for his error with a goal in the twenty-first minute for West Ham, guided in by Enner Valencia. In the forty-fourth minute, Vincent Kompany was given a yellow card for his foul for Manchester City. West Ham took a yellow card for an Alexandre Song foul in the forty-seventh minute. West Ham added on to their lead in the seventy-fifth minute with a Diafra Sakho goal, passed from Aaron Cresswell on a cross. Manchester City got on the board with a David Silva goal, set up by Jesus Navas. They failed to get an equalizer, dropping a 2-1 decision.

Along to Liverpool, who welcomes Hull City. Eldin Jakupovic and Simon Mignolet draw the starts in goal. In the fortieth minute, the first yellow card went to Hull City's Tom Huddlestone for a foul. Hull City had another yellow card in the fiftieth minute on a Hatem Ben Arfa foul. Liverpool had the next three yellow cards, going to Raheem Sterling in the fifty-fifth minute, Mario Balotelli in the fifty-seventh minute, and Jordan Henderson in the eighty-first minute. The first two of those three were for fouls, while the third was for a dive. The game ended in a scoreless draw.

Continuing to Southampton, who brings in Stoke City. Asmir Begovic and Fraser Forster guard the nets. Southampton struck first in the thirty-third minute on a Sadio Mane goal after a set piece. Stoke City's Ryan Shawcross was given a yellow card in the thirty-ninth minute. Stoke City had another yellow card in the eighty-first minute for a foul by Marc Wilson. The final score favored Southampton 1-0, which is only seven goals less than they scored last week.

Next up, Sunderland hosts Arsenal. Wojciech Szczesny and Vito Mannone are in goal. Arsenal had the first yellow card in the twenty-fourth minute for a Kieran Gibbs foul. Arsenal opened with a thirtieth minute goal by Alexis Sanchez. In the thirty-eighth minute, Sunderland's Sebastian Larsson received a yellow card for his foul. Arsenal took the next two yellow cards, going to Danny Welbeck in the fiftieth minute for a dive and Mikel Arteta in the fifty-fifth minute for dangerous play. Sunderland had a pair of yellow cards as well, going to Lee Cattermole for his sixty-third minute foul and to Connor Wickham in the sixty-eighth minute, also for a foul. In stoppage time, Arsenal's lead doubled on another Sanchez goal. This made it a 2-0 win for them.

Moving to where West Bromwich Albion welcomes Crystal Palace. Julian Speroni and Ben Foster man the nets. Crystal Palace began on a sixteenth minute goal by Brede Hangeland from close range after a corner kick. Crystal Palace added on in first half stoppage time with a Mile Jedinak penalty kick goal. West Brom took a yellow card in the same stoppage time session for a Stephane Sessegnon foul. In the fifty-first minute, West Brom got on the board with a Victor Anichebe header goal from close range, off a Chris Brunt cross after a corner kick. Jedinak took a yellow card for his sixty-sixth minute foul for Crystal Palace. West Brom had a pair of yellow cards issued to Craig Gardner in the eighty-second minute and Sebastian Blanco in the eighty-eighth minute, both for fouls. West Brom tied it in the second half stoppage time as Saido Berahino converted a penalty kick. The 2-2 draw held to be a final score.

Closing out Saturday, Swansea City brings in Leicester City. Kasper Schmeichel and Lukasz Fabianski are in the six-yard boxes. Swansea City started in the thirty-fourth minute on a Wilfried Bony goal, courtesy of Gylfi Sigurdsson. In the fifty-seventh minute, Swansea City extended the lead on another Bony goal, set up by Jefferson Montero. This made it 2-0, the final.

On Sunday, the first game saw Burnley host Everton. Tim Howard and Tom Heaton are the keepers. Everton led off with a fourth minute goal by Samuel Eto'o, a header assisted by a cross from Leighton Baines. Burnley tied it on a twentieth minute goal by Danny Ings, via Lukas Jutkiewicz's through ball. In the twenty-fourth minute, Romelu Lukaku was shown a yellow card. Lukaku gave Everton the lead to make up for his mistake by scoring in the twenty-ninth minute. In the thirty-first minute, George Boyd of Burnley received a yellow card. Burnley had another yellow card in the fifty-second minute for a foul by Scott Arfield. Everton had the next yellow card for a fifty-fifth minute foul by Steven Naismith. Burnley was booked twice more, with yellow cards given to Stephen Ward in the sixty-third minute and Ashley Barnes in the seventy-fourth minute, both for fouls. At the eighty-five minute mark, Eto'o scored again to extend the Everton lead, with an assist from Steven Pienaar. The final stood at 3-1.

Next up, Tottenham Hotspur welcomes Newcastle United. Tim Krul and Hugo Lloris guard the woodwork. In the eighteenth minute, Emmanuel Adebayor knocked in a header from close range off a cross from Ryan Mason to give Tottenham Hotspur the first lead. In the twenty-third minute, Yoan Gouffran was shown a yellow card for his foul for Newcastle United. Eight seconds into the second half, Newcastle United tied it on a Sammy Ameobi goal, set up by Jack Colback. At the fifty minute mark, Colback received a yellow card for his foul. Newcastle United took the lead in the fifty-eighth minute on a Ayoze Perez goal, made possible by Remy Cabella's cross. In the sixty-third minute, Tottenham Hotspur saw a yellow card go to Etienne Capoue for a foul. Krul of Newcastle United picked up a yellow card for time wasting in the eighty-seventh minute. Newcastle United had another yellow card in the ninetieth minute for an offense by Daryl Janmaat. The final stood at 2-1 in favor of Newcastle United.

The last Sunday game sees Manchester United bring in Chelsea. Thibaut Courtois and David de Gea tend the nets. In the twelfth minute, Manchester United took a yellow card for a foul by Rafael. Chelsea had a pair of yellow cards in the first half, going to Didier Drogba in the twenty-second minute and Nemanja Matic in the thirty-ninth minute, both for fouls. Chelsea had a second half yellow card go to Cesc Fabregas in the fiftieth minute. Chelsea led off with a fifty-third minute Drogba header, assisted by Fabregas' cross off of a corner kick. Chelsea had another pair of yellow cards go to Oscar in the sixty-second minute for a foul and Branislav Ivanovic in the sixty-fifth minute. Manchester United had a booking in the seventy-seventh minute as Marouane Fellaini was shown a yellow card for a foul. In the eighty-eighth minute, Eden Hazard of Chelsea was given a yellow card for his foul. In stoppage time, Chelsea went down a man as Ivanovic received his second yellow card of the game and was sent off for that foul. Manchester United cashed in on the advantage with a Robin van Persie goal about a minute later after a set piece. The final was 1-1.

Closing out the week, the Queens Park Rangers host Aston Villa. Brad Guzan and Robert Green draw the starts. QPR opened in the seventeenth minute on a Charlie Austin goal, via Bobby Zamora. In the fifty-eighth minute, Aston Villa saw a yellow card go to Andreas Weimann. QPR added on in the sixty-ninth minute as Austin scored again, coming off of a cross from Eduardo Vargas. Aston Villa took another yellow card in the seventy-seventh minute for a foul by Matthew Lowton. The final stood at 2-0.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

Sunday, October 26, 2014

NHL October 26th, 2014

Five games for today, beginning in...

Winnipeg, as the Jets host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Ondrej Pavelec draw the starts in goal. Winnipeg led off in the first period with an Andrew Ladd goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Zach Bogosian and Michael Frolik. Colorado tied it on a Jamie McGinn power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Tyson Barrie and Alex Tanguay. The Jets won 2-1 on an overtime goal by Bryan Little, his fifth of the campaign, assisted by Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien. The three stars went to Ladd, Pavelec (22 for 23 in saves), and Little.

Southwest to Los Angeles, where the Kings welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Jonathan Quick tend the twines. Columbus started in the first period with a Tim Erixon power play goal, powered by Scott Hartnell and Ryan Johansen. Los Angeles tied it in the second period on a power play goal by Jeff Carter, his fifth of the season, guided in by Tyler Toffoli and Drew Doughty. The Kings took the lead as Toffoli scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Carter and Robyn Regehr. Los Angeles added on with a Dwight King goal, assisted by Justin Williams and Carter. The Blue Jackets got one back on a Mark Letestu goal, his third of the season, passed from Corey Tropp and Dalton Prout. The Kings shot back on a third period Tanner Pearson goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Toffoli and Brayden McNabb. Los Angeles finished it at 5-2 with another Pearson goal, his second of the game and seventh of the campaign, made possible by Toffoli and Carter, both of whom got sock tricks. The three stars went to Toffoli, Carter, and Pearson.

Back east, the Chicago Blackhawks host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson faces a lesser foe in Scott Darling in goal. Chicago got going in the second period with a Jonathan Toews goal, his second of the season, via Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane. Ottawa tied it on a shorthanded Milan Michalek goal, set up by Alex Chiasson. The Blackhawks took the lead back with a power play goal by Brent Seabrook, powered by Brad Richards and Marian Hossa. This was it for the scoring, and the final was 2-1. Darling (32 for 33 in saves), Seabrook, and Toews received the three stars.

To California again, as the Anaheim Ducks bring in the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Frederik Andersen are the masked men. San Jose opened in the first period with a Brent Burns goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by Patrick Marleau. The Sharks added on with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. San Jose extended the lead on a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his second of the season, via Marleau and Couture. The Sharks padded the lead in the third period on a Tommy Wingels power play goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Matthew Nieto and Tomas Hertl. Anaheim got on the board with a Matt Beleskey goal, his fifth of the campaign, coming on the power play from Ryan Kesler and Cam Fowler. The final stood at 4-1, and Niemi (33 for 34 in saves), Marleau, and Couture were given the three stars.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Washington Capitals. Justin Peters is mismatched with Ryan Miller in goal. Washington dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Marcus Johansson goal, his third of the season, via Andre Burakovsky and Mike Green. Vancouver tied it on a Henrik Sedin goal, his fourth of the year, a power play goal powered by Radim Vrbata and Daniel Sedin. The Canucks took the lead on a Nick Bonino goal, his third of the season, guided in by Chris Higgins and Dan Hamhuis. Vancouver added on with a Luca Sbisa goal, made possible by Bonino and Higgins. The Capitals got one back on a Liam O'Brien goal, courtesy of Green. The Canucks iced it at 4-2 in the third period with an unassisted empty net power play goal by Vrbata, his third of the year. The three stars went to Bonino, Vrbata, and Higgins, while Green gets an honorable mention.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

MLS Weekend October 24-26, 2014

Nine games on for the final weekend of the regular season in MLS. We begin with a Friday night game in...

Chicago, where the Fire host the Houston Dynamo. Tyler Deric and Sean Johnson receive the starting nods in goal. Houston struck first with an Omar Cummings goal in the eighteenth minute, helped along by Brad Davis. Chicago's Alex took a yellow card for his thirty-third minute foul. The Fire tied the game in the sixty-sixth minute on a Jeff Larentowicz penalty kick goal. Chicago saw another yellow card go to Logan Pause in the seventieth minute for a foul. The Dynamo took two yellow cards in the eighty-second minute, for a foul by Davis and a handball by Deric, followed by an eighty-fifth minute foul putting a yellow card to A.J. Cochran's name. The Fire took the lead in stoppage time with a goal by Florent Sinama-Pongolle. This made it 2-1, the final, with the man of the match being Johnson for his eight-save performance.

Saturday's first game was also the weekend's most important, as the Seattle Sounders FC welcomed the Los Angeles Galaxy to a battle for the Supporters' Shield. Jaime Penedo and Stefan Frei tend the twines. Seattle was hit with a yellow card for a foul by Clint Dempsey in the fifteenth minute. Los Angeles took a yellow card on a foul by Dan Gargan in the twenty-second minute. The Galaxy had another yellow card go to Landon Donovan in the thirty-eighth minute for his foul. The Sounders had another yellow card in the fifty-first minute for Zach Scott's foul. In the seventy-first minute, the chippy character of the game spilled over into coincidental yellow cards for arguments going to Los Angeles' Marcelo Sarvas and Seattle's Gonzalo Pineda. The Sounders opened with an eighty-fifth minute goal by Marco Pappa, set up by Obafemi Martins. Seattle iced it at 2-0 with another Pappa goal in stoppage time, where he stole the ball from Penedo and chipped it in after a short run. The man of the match was Pappa, and the Sounders claimed the Supporters' Shield.

Back east, the Montreal Impact bring in DC United. Bill Hamid and Evan Bush are in goal. Montreal started in the twenty-sixth minute with a Marco Di Vaio goal, passed from Dilly Duka. The Impact had a yellow card for a foul in the fortieth minute by Calum Mallace. DC tied it in the eighty-sixth minute on a Fabian Espindola goal, assisted by Samuel Inkoom. The final was 1-1, and the man of the match was Di Vaio for his final MLS goal, as he is retiring.

Down in the States, the New England Revolution hosts Toronto FC. Joe Bendik and Bobby Shuttleworth receive the starting nods. New England was first to score with a thirty-sixth minute goal by Lee Nguyen, courtesy of Chris Tierney. Toronto's Justin Morrow was given a yellow card in the sixty-first minute for a foul. This was it for the game, with the final favoring the Revolution 1-0. The man of the match was Nguyen.

Further south to Texas, where FC Dallas welcomes the Portland Timbers. Donovan Ricketts and Chris Seitz are called on to start. Portland led off in the forty-third minute on a Darlington Nagbe goal, set up by Diego Chara. The Timbers took a yellow card for encroachment by Gaston Fernandez in the sixty-first minute. In the sixty-third minute, Dallas' Fabian Castillo was given a yellow card for a handball. Dallas took another yellow card for a David Texeira foul in the sixty-eighth minute. Portland added on with an eighty-second minute goal by Maximiliano Urruti goal, courtesy of Fernandez. The final stood at 2-0, with the man of the match being Nagbe's game-winner.

Closing out Saturday, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC bring in the Colorado Rapids. Clint Irwin and David Ousted are the keepers. Colorado took a yellow card for unsporting behavior by Gabriel Torres in the seventeenth minute. Vancouver struck first in the seventieth minute on a Kendall Waston goal, guided in by Pedro Morales. The Whitecaps took a yellow card for a foul by Jordan Harvey in the eighty-seventh minute. This stood up for a 1-0 win, with the man of the match being Ousted for a five-save clean sheet.

Sunday's first game saw the Columbus Crew host the Philadelphia Union. Zac MacMath and Steve Clark are set to start in goal. Columbus began with a thirteenth minute goal by Jairo Arrieta, passed from Ben Speas and Wil Trapp. In the fifty-seventh minute Philadelphia Amobi Okugo received a yellow card his persistent infringement. The Union tied it in the eighty-fifth minute on a Zach Pfeffer goal, helped along by Okugo and Sebastien Le Toux. The Crew took the lead with a ninetieth minute Bernardo Anor goal, going in unassisted. This made it 2-1, and the man of the match was Anor for his timely winner.

Out west, Chivas USA welcomes the San Jose Earthquakes. Jon Busch and Dan Kennedy receive the starting nods. Chivas started in the thirty-third minute on an unassisted Felix Borja goal. Chivas took a yellow card for persistent infringement by Oswaldo Minda in the fifty-first minute. San Jose had a yellow card for a Victor Bernandez foul in the sixty-sixth minute. The final stood at 1-0, with the man of the match being Borja.

The final game of the regular season was in Kansas City, as Sporting brings in the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Eric Kronberg play in goal. New York led off with a fifteenth minute goal by Bradley Wright-Phillips, passed from Eric Alexander. The Red Bulls added on in the seventieth minute as Wright-Phillips scored again, an unassisted goal. The final was 2-0, and Wright-Phillips was the man of the match with his brace.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion and watch for the MLS Cup playoff posts in the coming weeks.

KHL October 25 and 26, 2014

Two games over the entire weekend, with the first in...

Moscow on Saturday, as CSKA hosts Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Vasily Koshechkin and Stanislav Galimov are in the creases. Moscow led off in the first period with a Jan Mursak power play goal, powered by Bogdan Kiselevich and Alexander Radulov. Magnitogorsk tied it on a second period Danis Zaripov goal, fueled by Jan Kovar on the power play. Metallurg took the lead in the third period on an Evgeny Timkin goal, made possible by Bogdan Potekhin. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Timkin, Koshechkin (24 for 25 in saves), and Zaripov.

The Sunday game has the Sochi Leopards host Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Ivan Kasutin and Tomas Popperle are the goalies. Nizhny Novgorod began in the first period with a Jarkko Immonen goal, courtesy of Sergei Demagin and Sakari Salminen on the power play. Sochi tied it on a second period goal by Alexander Shcherbina, via Alexei Krutov. Torpedo took the lead in the third period on a Petteri Nokelainen goal, with a lone assist by Vyacheslav Kulyomin. This was good for a 2-1 win, with the three stars being Kasutin (25 for 26 in saves), Nokelainen, and Immonen.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.