Wednesday, August 28, 2019

MLS Midweek - August 28, 2019

We've got just a cross-Canada game this week, as the Montreal Impact host the Vancouver Whitecaps. Maxime Crepeau and Evan Bush are in goal. Vancouver started in the 17th minute with a Yordy Reyna goal, via Michaell Chirinos and Tosaint Ricketts. Montreal tied it on an own goal by the Whitecaps' Doneil Henry in the 35th minute. The Impact took the lead with a Maximiliano Urruti goal in the 37th minute, made possible by Bacary Sagna. Montreal's Urruti had a yellow card for persistent infringement in the 51st minute. The final was 2-1, with Urruti as the man of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

MLS 2019 - Week 25

The league-designated rivalry week is here, starting on Thursday with...

Sporting Kansas City hosting Minnesota United FC. Vito Mannone and Tim Melia are the goalies. Hassani Dotson of Minnesota took a yellow card for a 74th minute foul. Graham Zusi of Kansas City received a yellow card for an 81st minute foul. Sporting dented the scoreboard in the 88th minute with an Erik Hurtado goal, helped along by Johnny Russell and Ilie Sanchez. This stood for a 1-0 win and made Hurtado the man of the match.

On Friday, Orlando City SC welcomes Atlanta United FC. Brad Guzan and Brian Rowe man the nets. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez of Atlanta had a yellow card for a 36th minute foul. The Five Stripes got going in the 60th minute with a Josef Martinez goal, assisted by Ezequiel Barco. Atlanta's Julian Gressel took a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The final stayed at 1-0, with Martinez as man of the match.

To the northwest, the Portland Timbers bring in the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and Steve Clark patrol the penalty areas. Seattle opened in the 22nd minute with a Cristian Roldan goal, assisted by Raul Ruidiaz. The Sounders added on in the 47th minute with a Ruidiaz goal, made possible by Jordan Morris. Kelvin Leerdam of Seattle received a yellow card for a 53rd minute foul. Portland got on the board in the 54th minute with a Diego Valeri goal. The Sounders saw yellow cards for a Joevin Jones foul in the 65th minute and time wasting by Saad Abdul-Salaam in the 84th minute and the keeper Frei in stoppage time. The final remained at 2-1, with Ruidiaz as the man of the match, which secured the Cascadia Cup for the Sounders.

On Saturday, the New England Revolution host the Chicago Fire. Kenneth Kronholm and Matt Turner are between the sticks. Nicolas Gaitan of Chicago had a yellow card for a 1st minute foul. New England started in the 17th minute with a Wilfried Zahibo goal, via Brandon Bye and Carles Gil. Michael Mancienne of the Revolution had a yellow card for a 30th minute foul. The Fire tied it in the 41st minute with a Francisco Calvo goal, set up by Gaitan. New England pulled ahead with a Gustavo Bou goal in the 86th minute, although he received a yellow card for delay of game. In stoppage time, Micheal Azira of Chicago picked up a yellow card for a foul, as did the Revolution's Juan Agudelo. The final was 2-1, with Bou as the man of the match.

Along to Philadelphia, where the Union welcome DC United. Bill Hamid and Andre Blake tend the twines. Philadelphia led off in the 5th minute with a Kacper Przybylko goal, guided in by Kai Wagner and Brenden Aaronson. The Union added on in the 16th minute with an Aaronson goal, made possible by Przybylko. Paul Arriola of DC had a yellow card for a 21st minute foul. Philadelphia extended the lead as Ilsinho scored in the 36th minute, thanks to Przybylko. The Black and Red got on the board in the 56th minute with a Luciano Acosta goal. Alejandro Bedoya of the Union received a yellow card for his 73rd minute foul. Leonardo Jara of DC earned a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The final stood at 3-1, with Przybylko earning man of the match honors.

In Canada, Toronto FC brings in the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Quentin Westberg are the gloved men. Bacary Sagna of Montreal had a yellow card for an 8th minute foul. The Impact cracked the scoresheet in the 49th minute with a Bojan goal. Toronto's Nicolas Benezet took a yellow card for a 55th minute foul. The Reds tied it in the 63rd minute with a Marco Delgado goal. Toronto saw yellow cards for Jozy Altidore's dissent in the 70th minute and fouls by Richie Laryea in the 73rd minute and Justin Morrow in the 79th minute. The Reds took the lead with a Morrow goal in the 81st minute, helped along by Altidore and Michael Bradley. They made it stand for a 2-1 win, with the man of the match being Morrow.

Back stateside, New York City FC hosts the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Sean Johnson are the veteran keepers. NYRB began with a 10th minute Alex Muyl goal, set up by Alejandro Romero Gamarra. NYRB's Muyl took a yellow card for persistent infringement in the 15th minute. NYCFC saw yellow cards for fouls by Maximiliano Moralez in the 27th minute and Alexander Ring in the 31st minute. NYCFC tied it in the 43rd minute on a Moralez penalty kick goal. Kemar Lawrence of NYRB picked up a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. NYCFC gained the lead on a Heber goal in the 53rd minute, coming off of Anton Tinnerholm and Moralez. Marc Rzatkowski of NYRB received a yellow card for an 85th minute foul. In second half stoppage time, Ronald Matarrita of NYCFC earned a yellow card for a foul and then a straight red card for violent conduct. The final remained at 2-1, with Heber as the man of the match.

Way out west, the Rocky Mountain Derby sees Real Salt Lake welcome the Colorado Rapids. Tim Howard and Nick Rimando are the American keepers. Brooks Lennon of Salt Lake received a yellow card for an 8th minute foul. Colorado saw yellow cards for fouls by Diego Rubio in the 48th minute and Keegan Rosenberry in the 73rd minute. Real's Kyle Beckerman picked up a yellow card for a 74th minute foul. The Rapids had yellow cards for a Kellyn Acosta foul in the 80th minute and dissent by Lalas Abubakar in the 87th minute. Colorado went down to ten men when Kei Kamara saw a straight red card for a foul in the 89th minute. Salt Lake saved it for late, going ahead on a Joao Plata penalty kick goal in stoppage time. Real added on with a Jefferson Savarino goal three minutes later, set up by Albert Rusnak. The final was 2-0, with the man of the match being Rimando for his five-save clean sheet.

Saturday ends with the San Jose Earthquakes bringing in the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Maxime Crepeau and Daniel Vega man the nets. Vancouver struck first in the 6th minute with a Jakob Nerwinski goal, assisted by Theo Bair. San Jose tied it in the 7th minute on a Judson goal, via Chris Wondolowski and Cristian Espinoza. The Earthquakes' Florian Jungwirth had a yellow card for dissent in the 31st minute. San Jose took the lead in the 34th minute on a Wondolowski goal, fueled by Jungwirth and Magnus Eriksson. The Earthquakes' Marcos Lopez saw a yellow card for persistent infringement in the 72nd minute. San Jose added on with an Andres Rios goal in the 73rd minute, guided in by Eriksson. The final was 3-1, with Wondolowski picked as man of the match.

On Sunday, FC Cincinnati hosts the Columbus Crew SC. Eloy Room and Przemyslaw Tyton draw the starts in goal. Columbus was first to score in the 22nd minute with a Gyasi Zardes, helped along by Luis Diaz and Pedro Santos. Cincinnati saw a yellow card for a 23rd minute Andrew Gutman foul. Connor Maloney of the Crew had a yellow card for time wasting in the 31st minute, while the Orange and Blue's Maikel van der Werff was booked for a foul. Columbus added on in the 33rd minute with another Zardes goal, via Harrison Afful. In the 43rd minute, the Crew's Afful saw a yellow card for time wasting. Columbus extended the lead in first half stoppage time as Diaz scored, thanks to Santos. Mathieu Deplagne of Cincinnati picked up a yellow card for a 57th minute foul. The Crew's Artur got a yellow card for a 62nd minute foul. The Orange and Blue got on the board in the 89th minute with a Kekuta Manneh goal, passed from Emmanuel Ledesma. In second half stoppage time, yellow cards were issued to Columbus' Jonathan Mensah and Cincinnati's Victor Ulloa and Ledesma, all for fouls. The final was 3-1, with the man of the match being Zardes.

To Texas, where FC Dallas welcomes the Houston Dynamo. Joe Willis and Jesse Gonzalez are between the sticks. Houston saw yellow cards for an Alberth Elis dive in the 15th minute and a Jose Bizama foul in the 23rd minute. Dallas drew first blood on a 24th minute Reto Ziegler penalty kick goal. Dominique Badji of the Toros took a yellow card for a 28th minute foul. Dallas added on with a Jesus Ferreira goal, set up by Zdenek Ondrasek in the 29th minute. Ferreira of the Toros picked up a yellow card for a 33rd minute foul. Dallas extended the lead as Ondrasek scored in the 56th minute, with the help of Ryan Hollingshead and Michael Barrios. The Toros padded the lead as Ondrasek scored again in the 64th minute, thanks to Badji. The Dynamo got on the board with an 80th minute Memo Rodriguez goal, helped along by Mauro Manotas and Elis. Dallas finished it at 5-1 with a Barrios goal in stoppage time. The man of the match honors went to Ondrasek.

Finally, El Trafico is on with Los Angeles FC bringing in the Los Angeles Galaxy. David Bingham and Tyler Miller guard the woodwork. The Galaxy kicked off the scoring in the 2nd minute with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal, assisted by Cristian Pavon. LAFC tied it in the 12th minute on a Latif Blessing goal. The Galaxy retook the lead with an Ibrahimovic goal in the 15th minute, set up by Favio Alvarez. The Galaxy added on with a Pavon goal in the 16th minute, made possible by Alvarez. Jorgen Skjelvik of the Galaxy earned a yellow card for a 28th minute foul. LAFC got one back in first half stoppage time on another Blessing goal. Giancarlo Gonzalez of the Galaxy received a yellow card for a 51st minute foul. LAFC tied it as Carlos Vela scored, with the help of Mark-Anthony Kaye. The Galaxy's Alvarez took a yellow card for an 81st minute foul, and teammate Servando Carrasco was booked for a foul in the 84th minute while Ibrahimovic also earned a yellow card for dissent. The final remained at 3-3, with the man of the match being Blessing.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NWSL 2019 - Week 19

We're back with a full weekend ahead of an international break. Three games roll on Saturday, beginning with...

The North Carolina Courage hosting Reign FC. Casey Murphy and Stephanie Labbe protect the nets. North Carolina got going in the 82nd minute with a Lynn Williams goal, set up by Crystal Dunn. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the woman of the match being Williams.

Next, the Washington Spirit welcome the Orlando Pride. Ashlyn Harris and Aubrey Bledsoe are in goal. Washington led off in the 9th minute with a Crystal Thomas goal. Orlando tied it in the 31st minute with a Marta goal, set up by Rachel Hill. Paige Nielsen of the Spirit had a yellow card for a foul in the 38th minute. Washington retook the lead in the 59th minute with an Ashley Hatch goal, via Tori Huster. In stoppage time, yellow cards were issued to the Spirit's Bayley Feist and the Pride's Claire Emslie for fouls. The final remained at 2-1, with Thomas as the woman of the match.

Saturday ends with the Houston Dash bringing in Sky Blue FC. Kailen Sheridan and Jane Campbell are in the six-yard boxes. Sky Blue saw a yellow card for a 7th minute foul by Caprice Dydasco. Sky Blue began in the 26th minute with a Carli Lloyd goal, via Jen Hoy. Sky Blue's Erica Skroski received a yellow card for a 34th minute foul. Sky Blue added on in the 41st minute with another Lloyd goal, assisted by Raquel Rodriguez. Sky Blue picked up yellow cards for a 49th minute Gina Lewandowski foul and time wasting by the keeper Sheridan in the 83rd minute. Houston avoided the shutout with a Kealia Ohai goal in stoppage time, made possible by Ariana Calderon. This produced the 2-1 final score, with Lloyd selected as woman of the match.

On Sunday, the Portland Thorns FC host the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher and Adrianna Franch are the experienced keepers. Portland struck first in the 12th minute with a Christine Sinclair goal, via Tobin Heath. The Thorns added on in the 24th minute with a Midge Purce goal on a rebound. Portland extended the lead in the 56th minute as Purce scored again on a rebound. Chicago's Nikki Stanton had a yellow card for a 63rd minute foul. The Thorns' Heath received a yellow card for a 70th minute foul. The Red Stars saw a yellow card for a Yuki Nagasato foul in the 84th minute. The final was 3-0, with the woman of the match being Purce.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0. 

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

MLS Midweek - August 21, 2019

Three games on at the midweek session, beginning with...

New York City FC hosting the Columbus Crew SC. Eloy Room and Sean Johnson protect the nets. David Guzman of Columbus had a yellow card for a 12th minute foul. New York City led off in the 36th minute with a Valentin Castellanos goal, assisted by Maximiliano Moralez. The Crew had yellow cards for a Jonathan Mensah foul in the 49th minute, dissent by Room in the 64th minute, and an Alex Crognale foul in the 68th minute. The Pigeons' Ronald Matarrita received a yellow card for an 80th minute foul. The final was 1-0, with Johnson's six-save clean sheet making him man of the match.

Also, DC United welcomes the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Bill Hamid are the keepers. New York began in the 6th minute with an Alejandro Romero Gamarra goal. DC went down to ten men in the 24th minute with a red card given to Wayne Rooney for violent conduct. Felipe of the Black and Red picked up a yellow card for a foul in the 34th minute. The Red Bulls would also go to ten men as Amro Tarek received yellow cards for fouls in the 37th minute and first half stoppage time to earn his ejection. DC tied it in the 55th minute with an Ola Kamara goal, helped along by Joseph Mora. New York retook the lead with a Daniel Royer penalty kick goal in the 59th minute. Quincy Amarikwa of the Black and Red saw a yellow card for a 73rd minute foul. The final was 2-1, with the man of the match being Royer.

Finally, Los Angeles FC brings in the San Jose Earthquakes. Daniel Vega and Tyler Miller are in the six-yard boxes. Los Angeles struck first in the 6th minute with a Diego Rossi goal. The Black and Gold added on in the 17th minute with a Carlos Vela penalty kick goal. San Jose's Florian Jungwirth had a yellow card for a 19th minute foul, as did teammate Anibal Godoy in the 35th minute. Los Angeles extended the lead in the 41st minute as Vela scored again, thanks to Rossi. The Black and Gold saw yellow cards for a dive by Latif Blessing in the 65th minute and a foul by Tristan Blackmon in the 74th minute. Los Angeles padded the lead in the 81st minute with a Josh Perez goal, via Mark-Anthony Kaye. This produced the 4-0 final score, with Rossi as the man of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NWSL Midweek - August 21, 2019

Two games on at midweek with...

The Washington Spirit hosting the Utah Royals FC. Nicole Barnhart and Aubrey Bledsoe protect the nets. A weather delay came early in the first half, delaying the contest for nearly two hours. Washington's Elise Kellond-Knight had a yellow card for a 5th minute foul. Utah saw a yellow card for a 50th minute foul by Christen Press. The final remained as it started at 0-0, with the woman of the match being Press for having the best chances of the game.

The other game has the Chicago Red Stars hosting the Orlando Pride. Ashlyn Harris and Alyssa Naeher are the American keepers. Orlando began in the 33rd minute with a Rachel Hill goal, set up by Chioma Ubogagu and Marisa Viggiano. The Pride added on in the 61st minute with an Ubogagu goal, courtesy of Hill. Orlando saw a yellow card for an 81st minute foul by Ali Krieger. The Pride went down to ten women in the 90th minute when Alanna Kennedy received a straight red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity. Chicago got on the board in stoppage time with a Tierna Davidson goal on a rebound. This only made it 2-1, the final, with Ubogagu selected as woman of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

MLS 2019 - Week 24

A full slate of games this weekend begins with eleven on Saturday, the first being...

The New York Red Bulls hosting the New England Revolution. Matt Turner and Luis Robles man the nets. New York opened in the 18th minute with a Marc Rzatkowski goal. New England tied it in the 65th minute with a Gustavo Bou goal, passed from Carles Gil and Juan Agudelo. The final remained at 1-1, with the man of the match being Turner, who went nine for ten in saves.

Westward to Ohio, as FC Cincinnati welcomes New York City FC. Sean Johnson and Przemyslaw Tyton are in goal. Eric Miller of New York City received a yellow card for a 23rd minute foul. In the 26th minute, Allan Cruz of Cincinnati had a yellow card for a foul. The Orange and Blue started in the 30th minute with a Cruz goal, courtesy of Andrew Gutman and Victor Ulloa. The Pigeons tied it in the 32nd minute with a Valentin Castellanos goal, assisted by Maximiliano Moralez. New York City took the lead in first half stoppage time with a Heber goal, via Castellanos and Moralez. The Pigeons added on in the 71st minute with another Castellanos goal. New York City extended the lead in the 89th minute as Heber scored his second of the game. This produced the 4-1 final score, with the man of the match being Castellanos.

Staying in the state, the Columbus Crew SC bring in Toronto FC. Quentin Westberg and Eloy Room are the newcomer keepers. Toronto led off in the 42nd minute with a Jonathan Osorio goal, made possible by Jozy Altidore. Columbus tied it in the 48th minute with a Pedro Santos goal, via Wil Trapp. The Crew took the lead in the 82nd minute on a David Accam goal, assisted by Harrison Afful. The Reds retied it with an Altidore goal in the 90th minute, passed from Auro and Marco Delgado. Jonathan Mensah of Columbus had a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The final was 2-2, with Altidore earning man of the match honors.

Up in Canada, the Montreal Impact host FC Dallas. Jesse Gonzalez and Evan Bush are the gloved men. Montreal began in the 8th minute with a Lassi Lappalainen goal. Dallas saw yellow cards in the 35th minute for persistent infringement by Bryan Acosta and dissent by Reto Ziegler. The Impact added on with another Lappalainen goal in first half stoppage time. Montreal extended the lead as Orji Okwonkwo scored in the 56th minute, thanks to Saphir Taider and Lappalainen. The Toros got on the board in the 59th minute with a Zdenek Ondrasek goal. The Impact received yellow cards for fouls by Okwonkwo in the 68th minute and Jukka Raitala in the 81st minute. Dallas got closer with a Ziegler penalty kick goal in the 85th minute. The Toros tied it in the 90th minute with a Ryan Hollingshead goal, passed from Michael Barrios. In second half stoppage time, yellow cards for fouls were issued to Daniel Lovitz of Montreal and Barrios of Dallas. The final was 3-3, and Lappalainen was the man of the match.

Back stateside, the Chicago Fire welcome the Philadelphia Union. Andre Blake and Kenneth Kronholm draw the starts in goal. Chicago struck first in the 38th minute with a Nemanja Nikolic goal, assisted by Przemyslaw Frankowski and Johan Kappelhof. Aurelien Collin of Philadelphia took a yellow card for a 43rd minute foul. The Fire added on with a Nikolic penalty kick goal in the 45th minute. Chicago went down to ten men when Nicolas Gaitan received a straight red card for a foul in first half stoppage time. The Union's Jamiro Monteiro had a yellow card for a 66th minute foul. The final remained at 2-0, with Nikolic as the man of the match.

North to Minnesota United FC bringing in Orlando City SC. Brian Rowe and Vito Mannone are between the sticks. Minnesota had a yellow card for Jan Gregus' foul in the 32nd minute. Orlando City's Dom Dwyer took a yellow card for not retreating in the 57th minute. The Loons received yellow cards for fouls by Chase Gasper in the 63rd minute and Ike Opara in the 70th minute. The Lions got going with a Nani penalty kick goal in the 70th minute. Minnesota evened it in stoppage time with an Abu Danladi goal, which resulted in a 1-1 draw with Danladi as the man of the match.

Back south, Sporting Kansas City hosts the San Jose Earthquakes. Daniel Vega and Tim Melia patrol the penalty areas. San Jose was first to score in the 25th minute with a Chris Wondolowski goal, assisted by Cristian Espinoza. Kansas City tied it on a Benny Feilhaber goal in the 50th minute, set up by Jimmy Medranda and Johnny Russell. The Earthquakes saw yellow cards given to Judson and Jackson Yueill for fouls in the 59th and 61st minutes, respectively. Roger Espinoza of Sporting took a yellow card for a 65th minute foul. Kansas City took the lead with a Graham Smith goal in the 76th minute. Sporting's Russell picked up a yellow card for persistent infringement in the 88th minute. The final was 2-1, with Smith's heroic go-ahead goal making him man of the match.

In Texas, the Houston Dynamo welcome the Colorado Rapids. Clint Irwin and Joe Willis are the veteran keepers. Adam Lundkvist of Houston earned a yellow card for a 2nd minute foul. Colorado drew first blood in the 7th minute with a Diego Rubio goal, via Sam Nicholson. Jack Price of the Rapids had a yellow card for his 25th minute foul. Colorado added on in the 38th minute with another Rubio goal. The Dynamo got on the board in the 74th minute with a Mauro Manotas goal, coming off of Lundkvist. Tommy Smith of the Rapids received a yellow card for his 76th minute foul. Houston tied it in the 79th minute with another Manotas goal, passed from Tommy McNamara. Sam Vines of Colorado had a yellow card for an 81st minute foul. The final remained at 2-2, with Manotas' comeback brace earning him man of the match honors.

Out in California, the Los Angeles Galaxy bring in the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and David Bingham are set to start in goal. Los Angeles went down to ten men in the 6th minute with a straight red card for Daniel Steres denying a goal-scoring opportunity. Jordan Morris of Seattle received a yellow card for persistent infringement in the 21st minute. The Sounders cracked the scoresheet in the 42nd minute with a Raul Ruidiaz goal, assisted by Harry Shipp. The Galaxy tied it on a Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal in the 45th minute, set up by Sebastian Lletget. Los Angeles took the lead in the 65th minute with an Ibrahimovic penalty kick goal. Seattle retied it with an own goal by the Galaxy's Jorgen Skjelvik in the 82nd minute. The final was 2-2, with Ibrahimovic selected as man of the match.

Backtracking to Utah, where Real Salt Lake hosts Los Angeles FC. Tyler Miller and Nick Rimando are the strong keepers. Salt Lake's Corey Baird had a yellow card for a 6th minute foul. Los Angeles saw a yellow card for Walker Zimmerman's time wasting in the 17th minute. The Black and Gold went down to ten men in the 48th minute as Zimmerman picked up a second yellow card for a foul. Real took a yellow card for a foul by Everton Luiz in the 56th minute. The teams returned to even strength when Salt Lake's Aaron Herrera put the hosts at ten men by taking a straight red card for denying a goal scoring opportunity in the 62nd minute. Los Angeles dented the scoreboard with a Carlos Vela penalty kick goal in the 64th minute. The Black and Gold added on in the 82nd minute with an Adama Diomande goal, set up by Lee Nguyen. The man of the 2-0 match was Miller for his four-save clean sheet.

Saturday ends with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC welcoming DC United. Bill Hamid and Maxime Crepeau are the gloved men. Lucas Rodriguez of DC had a yellow card for a 14th minute foul. Vancouver kicked off the scoring in the 18th minute with a Yordy Reyna goal, via Russell Teibert. The Whitecaps had second half yellow cards for fouls by Teibert and Andy Rose in the 53rd and 69th minutes, respectively, and time wasting by Crepeau and Hwang In-Beom in stoppage time. The final was 1-0, and Reyna was the man of the match.

Finally, the Portland Timbers bring in Atlanta United FC. Brad Guzan and Steve Clark protect the nets. Atlanta got started in the 14th minute with a Leandro Gonzalez Pirez goal. The Five Stripes had yellow cards for fouls by Jeff Larentowicz in the 24th minute and Florentin Pogba in the 33rd minute. Jorge Moreira of Portland took a yellow card for a 42nd minute foul. Atlanta's Ezequiel Barco picked up a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. The Five Stripes added on in the 46th minute with a Josef Martinez goal, set up by Julian Gressel. The final was 2-0, with the man of the match being Gonzalez Pirez.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0. 

NWSL 2019 - Week 18

The NWSL features only three games this weekend, beginning with...

The Orlando Pride hosting the Utah Royals FC. Nicole Barnhart and Ashlyn Harris are the veterans in goal. Utah got going in the 60th minute with a Christen Press goal, via Lo'eau LaBonta. Orlando's Kristen Edmonds picked up a yellow card for a 63rd minute foul. The Royals added on with an Amy Rodriguez goal in the 77th minute, set up by Vero Boquete. The final was 2-0, with Press as the woman of the match.

Also on Saturday, the Portland Thorns FC welcomes the Washington Spirit. Aubrey Bledsoe and Adrianna Franch protect the nets. Portland led off in the 5th minute with a Hayley Raso goal on a rebound. The Thorns added on in the 19th minute with an Emily Sonnett goal, set up by Tobin Heath on a corner kick. Elise Kellond-Knight of Washington received a yellow card for a 58th minute foul. Portland extended the lead as Christine Sinclair scored on a rebound in the 63rd minute. The Spirit got on the board with an Andi Sullivan goal in the 68th minute, made possible by Rose Lavelle. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the woman of the match being Sonnett.

Finally, Sky Blue FC brings in Reign FC to Red Bull Arena on Sunday. Casey Murphy and Kailen Sheridan are the young keepers. Sky Blue began in the 36th minute with an Elizabeth Eddy goal, set up by Kenie Wright. Reign tied it with a 38th minute goal by Jodie Taylor, via Allie Long. In the 84th minute, Reign's Long picked up a yellow card for a foul. The final held at 1-1, with Long named woman of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.