Wednesday, May 30, 2012

US Open Cup: Timbers Knocked Out At Home By Eric Wyndala's Amateurs; Sounders Blast Silverbacks

The US Open Cup's third round concluded Wednesday night with two games.


At Tukwila, Washington:


Sammy Ochoa scored twice (62',66') as the Seattle Sounders spanked the visiting Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) 5-1.


At Portland, Oregon:


Artur Aghasyan scored the only goal of the match in the 95th minute as Cal FC (USASA) knocked off the home-standing Portland Timbers 1-0 on the road in overtime to advance to the fourth round.  The Eric Wynalda-founded amateur club became the first squad from the fifth-level Unites States Adult Soccer Association to defeat an MLS team without the use of a penalty-kick shootout in US Open Cup play.  The Timbers' Kris Boyd's penalty kick in the 80th minute sailed over the crossbar.


Here are the match-ups for the fourth round, with all games scheduled to be played next Tuesday, with the host club listed first.


At Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:


Harrisburg City Islanders (USLP) vs. New York Red Bulls


At Boyds, Maryland:


DC United vs. Philadelphia Union


At Pontiac, Michigan:


Michigan Bucks (PDL) vs. Dayton Dutch Lions (USLP)


At Kansas City, Kansas:


Sporting Kansas City vs. Colorado Rapids


At San Antonio:


San Antonio Scorpions (NASL) vs. Charlotte Eagles (USLP)


At Stanford, California:


San Jose Earthquakes vs. Minnesota Stars (NASL)


At Tukwila, Washington:


Seattle Sounders vs. Cal FC (USASA)


At Cary, North Carolina:


Carolina RailHawks (NASL) vs. Chivas USA

Brazil Ain't Exactly Scotland

At Landover, Maryland:


Neymar (12'), Thiago Silva (26'), Marcelo (52'), and Alexandre Pato (87') each scored a goal as Brazil dominated the United States 4-1 on Wednesday in an international exhibition match.  Herculez Gomez scored the Americans' lone goal in the 45th minute.

Buducnost Drop Season Finale

At Podgorica, Montenegro:


Lovcen defeated home-standing and already-crowned Montenegrin First League champions FK Buducnost Podgorica 1-0 on the final day of the regular season on Wednesday.

AFC Champions League: No Japanese Clubs Left

The AFC Champions League's Round of 16 concluded with two games played on Wednesday.

At Ulsan, South Korea:

Kim Shin-Wook (54'), Naoya Kondo (OG-71'), and Lee Keun-Ho (88') each provided a goal as Ulsan Hyundai held off visiting Kashiwa Reysol 3-2.

At Guangzhou, China:

Cleo scored the only goal of the match in the 31st minute as Guangzhou Evergrande defeated visiting FC Tokyo 1-0.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

US Open Cup: Seven MLS Clubs Fall

Fourteen games were played on Tuesday as the third round of the US Open Cup tournament commenced as fourteen US-based Major League Soccer clubs took part (the Seattle Sounders host the NASL's Atlanta Silverbacks in Tukwila, Washington and the Portland Timbers host the last remaining USASA club left in the tournament---Cal FC---on Wednesday).


At Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:


Following 90 scoreless minutes of regulation time, Lee Nyguen scored twice (94', PK-99') and Benny Freihaber once (103') in the first overtime period to give the New England Revolution a 3-0 lead, Brian Ombiji (111'), Sainey Touray (117'), and J. T. Noone (120') each tallied once in the second overtime to square things up a 3-3 for the Harrisburg City Islanders (USLP), Steven Basso, Bilal Duckett, Drew Yates, and Andrew Marshall converted their penalty kicks during the shootout while goalkeeper Nick Noble saved Benny Freihaber's PK to preserved the Islanders' 4-3 shootout victory and the right to advance to the Round of 16.


At Richmond, Virginia:


Marcelo Saragosa scored the overtime winner in the 107th minute as DC United defeated the home-standing Richmond Kickers (USLP) 2-1.


At Cary, North Carolina:


Brian Shriver scored the winning goal in the 88th minute as the Carolina RailHawks (NASL) knocked off the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1.  


At Charleston, South Carolina:


Kenny Cooper (14'), Heath Pearce (45'), and Connor Lade (70') each scored a goal as the New York Red Bulls dominated the Charleston Battery (USLP) 3-0 on the road.


At Columbus, Ohio:


Goals from Jan Gerrit Bartels (79') and Gibson Bardsley (81'), in both cases, assisted by substitute Daniel Holowaty, enabled the Dayton Dutch Lions (USLP) to come from behind and shock the Columbus Crew 2-1 on the road.


At Chester, Pennsylvania:


Freddy Adu scored twice (29', PK-73') as the Philadelphia Union whitewashed the visiting Rochester Rhinos (USLP) 3-0.


At Pontiac, Michigan:


Nermin Crkic scored the winning goal in the 93rd minute as the Michigan Bucks (PDL) shocked the visiting Chicago Fire 3-2 in overtime.


At St. Petersburg, Florida:


Andre Akpan scored what proved to be the game winner in the 33rd minute as the Colorado Rapids downed the Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) 3-1 on the road.


At Kansas City, Kansas:


Soony Saad scored twice (65', 69') as Sporting Kansas City held off visiting Orlando City (USLP) 3-2.


At San Antonio:


A successful penalty kick in the 51st minute from Hans Denissen provided all the scoring as the San Antonio Scorpions (NASL) stunned the visiting Houston Dynamo 1-0.


At Frisco, Texas:


Goals from Darryl Roberts (43') and Nate Thornton (90'+4) provided the scoring as the Charlotte Eagles (USLP) blanked FC Dallas 2-0 on the road.


At Sandy, Utah:


Before the largest crowd to attend a USOC non-final (17,212 at Rio Tinto Stadium), Kevin Venegas (3'), Neil Hlavaty (PK-45'), and Simone Bracealello (58') each tallied a goal as the Minnesota Stars (NASL) knocked out Real Salt Lake 3-1 on the road.


At Ventura, California:


Cesar Romero (not THAT one) scored the only goal of the match in the 13th minute as Chivas USA took out the Ventura County Fusion (PDL) 1-0 on the road.


At Stanford, California:


Sam Garza scored twice in the second half (63', 70') as the San Jose Earthquakes came from behind to overcome the visiting Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) 2-1.

AFC Champions League: Adelaide United and Bunyodkor Advance To Quarterfinals

The Round of 16 in the AFC Champions League continued with two Tuesday contests.

At Adelaide, Australia:

Jonathan McKain scored the only goal of the match in the 42nd minute as Adelaide United knocked off visiting Nagoya Grampus 1-0.

At Seongnam, South Korea:

Hayrulla Karimov's penalty kick in the 53rd minute provided all the scoring as FC Bunyodkor knocked off Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 1-0 on the road.

Monday, May 28, 2012

4-2 Home Win For Racing Club

At Montevideo, Uruguay:


Anibal Hernandez scored twice (PK-60', 70') as Racing Club de Montevideo doubled up on visiting River Plate 4-2 in Monday Uruguayan Primera Division (Clausura) action.

Road Draw For B36

At Fuglafjordur, Faroe Islands:


Clayton Soares' equalizer in the 83rd minute enabled IF Fuglafjardhar to gain a 1-1 Monday Faroese Meistaradeildin home draw with B36.  Bardhur Olsen scored for the guests in the 43rd minute.

FC Seoul On Top In South Korea

At Seoul, South Korea:


Dejan Damjanovic scored twice (PK-37', 90') as FC Seoul found themselves atop the K-League standings following their 3-1 home win over basement-occupying Incheon United.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

MLS: C. J. And Kei Help SKC End Winless Skid

At Kansas City, Kansas City:


C. J. Sapong (5') and Kei Kamara (39') each tallied once as Sporting Kansas City held off the visiting San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 to end their four match winless streak in the lone Sunday Major League Soccer contest.


MLS STANDINGS:


EASTERN CONFERENCE:


1. DC United (GP: 15; GD: +9; PTS: 27)
2. New York (GP: 13; GD: +8; PTS: 26)
3. Kansas City (GP: 12; GD: +7; PTS: 25)
4. Columbus (GP: 12; GD: 0; PTS: 18)
5. Chicago (GP: 12; GD: 0; PTS: 18)
6. Houston (GP: 11; GD: 0; PTS: 16)
7. New England (GP: 12; GD: -2; PTS: 13)
8. Montreal (GP: 13; GD: -6; PTS: 12)
9. Philadelphia (GP: 11; GD: -6; PTS: 8)
10. Toronto FC (GP: 10; GD: -13; PTS: 3)


WESTERN CONFERENCE:


1. Real Salt Lake (GP: 14; GD: +8; PTS: 29)
2. San Jose (GP: 14; GD: +10; PTS: 27)
3. Seattle (GP: 13; GD: +7; PTS: 24)
4. Colorado (GP: 13; GD: +2; PTS: 19)
5. Vancouver (GP: 12; GD: -1; PTS: 19)
6. Chivas USA (GP: 13; GD: -5; PTS: 15)
7. Portland (GP: 12; GD: -3; PTS: 13)
8. FC Dallas (GP: 15; GD: -9; PTS: 13)
9. Los Angeles (GP: 13; GD: -6; PTS: 11)

Easy Win For Boca

At Buenos Aires:


Juan Insaurralde (13'), Dario Cvitanich (43'), and Pablo Mouche (84') each delivered a goal on Sunday as Argentinian Primera Division (Clausura)-leading Boca Juniors dominated visiting Godoy Cruz 3-0.

Road Win For Club Africain

At Kairouan, Tunisia:


Skander Cheikh's penalty kick in the 81st minute proved to be the game winner as Club Africain got the measure of Kairouan 2-1 in Sunday Tunisian Ligue 1 action.

Goose Eggs In Liepaja

At Liepaja, Latvia:


The Sunday Latvian Virsliga contest between FK Liepajas Metalurgs and visiting Ventspils ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Home Win For League-Leading HJK

At Helsinki, Finland:


Sebastian Mannstrom (14') and Askeli Pelvas (41') provided the scoring on Sunday that carried Finnish Veikkausliiga-leading HJK Helsinki to a 2-0 home win over Lahti.

Millonarios Drop Apertura Finale At Home

At Bogota, Colombia:


Marco Lazaga scored the only goal of the match in the 66th minute on Sunday as Patriotas defeated home-standing Millonarios 1-0 in the Colombian Primera A Apertura season finale for both clubs.  Millonarios, who finished 13th of 18 clubs, missed out on the Apertura playoffs.

Another Scoreless Draw For Santos

At Santos, Brazil:


The Sunday Brazilian Serie A contest between Santos and visiting Sport Recife ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

RAILWAYMEN WIN PROMOTION TO LEAGUE ONE

At London:


Crewe Alexandra's manager Steve Davis celebrates winning the League Two Play Off Final


In a battle of two clubs who last played in the third-highest level of English soccer three years ago, Nick Powell (15') and Byron Moore (82') provided the scoring as Crewe Alexandra blanked Cheltenham Town 2-0 on Sunday to win the English Football League Two promotion playoff final at Wembley Stadium and will join already-promoted Swindon Town, Shrewsbury Town, and Crawley Town in League One next season.  Here's Highwaymen manager Steve Davis with the Playoff Final Trophy.


PA photo

Chilean Apertura Playoffs: Colo Colo Advance To Semifinals

At Iquique, Chile:


Following up their 3-3 home draw from last Wednesday's series opener (in which Esteban Paredes scored in the 8th and 50th minutes and Mauro Olivi delivered his stoppage time equalizer [90'+3]), Colo-Colo, thanks to goals from Carlos Munoz (10') and Mauro Olivi (35'), defeated Deportes Iquique 2-1 in Saturday's second match and won their two-game Chilean Primera Division (Apertura) playoff quarterfinal series four points to one.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Landon Donovan Hat Trick Carries Team USA

At Jacksonville, Florida:


A hat trick for Landon Donovan (11', 50', 65') carried to United States to a 5-1 home domination of Scotland in an international exhibition match played on Saturday night.

MLS: Victory (And Points) At Last For TFC; More Woe For Galaxy; Wins For Crew, DCU, Rapids, RSL

Eight games were played in Major League Soccer on Saturday.


At Houston:


Andrew Hainault scored the winning goal in the 57th minute as the Houston Dynamo came from behind to upend the visiting, struggling Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1.


At Toronto:


Danny Koevermans scored the only goal of the match in the 88th minute as Toronto FC not only picked up their first points of the season, but their first victory, 1-0 at home over the Philadelphia Union.


At Columbus, Ohio:


Eddie Gaven (9') and Emilio Renteria (42') each delivered a first-half goal as the Columbus Crew held off the visiting Chicago Fire 2-1.


At Washington:


Maicon Santos scored the winning goal in the 60th minute as vastly-improved DC United held off the visiting New England Revolution 3-2 to move into first place in the Eastern Conference.


At Commerce City, Colorado:


Jaime Alberto Castrillon scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute as the ten-man Colorado Rapids defeated the visiting Montreal Impact 3-2.


At Sandy, Utah:


Alvaro Saborio scored twice (59', 75') while Nat Borchers scored the game winner in second-half stoppage time (90'+3) as Real Salt Lake downed visiting FC Dallas 3-2.


At Portland, Oregon:


Darren Mattocks scored the equalizer in the 84th minute as the Vancouver Whitecaps gained a 1-1 Cascadia Cup road draw with the Portland Timbers.  Kris Boys scored for the Timbers in the 67th minute. The start of the second half of the contest was delayed for 20 minutes by a thunderstorm that produced lightning strikes (and plenty of rain) in the vicinity of Jeld-Wen Field.


At Carson, California:


David Estrada's equalizer in the 60th minute lifted the Seattle Sounders to a 1-1 road draw with Chivas USA.  Juan Agudelo scored in the 56th minute for the Goats.

DRAW CLINCHES MONTENEGRIN FIRST LEAGUE CROWN FOR BUDUCNOST

At Podgorica, Montenegro:


The Saturday Montenegrin First League contest between FK Buducnost Podgorica and visiting Rudar finished in a 1-1 draw, good enough for the hosts to lock up the league crown and a berth in the second qualifying round for next season's UEFA Champions League.

Torino End Serie B Campaign With Scoreless Road Draw

At Bergamo, Italy:


Torino, who already clinched promotion to Serie A, battled relegated Albinoleffe to a 0-0 road draw on Saturday as the two clubs closed out their Italian Serie B seasons.  The Bull, along with Pescara, won automatic promotion to the top flight, while Sassuolo, Hellas Verona, Varese, and Sampdoria will take part in playoffs to determine the third promoted club.  Empoli and Vicenza will take part in relegation playoffs while Nocerina, Gubbio, and Albinoleffe were relegated to the third-level Liga Pro Prima Division (formerly Serie C1).

TERRIERS WIN TENSE PK SHOOTOUT TO WIN PROMOTION TO ENGLISH LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

At London:


Huddersfield Town's Daniel Ward celebrates with the League One Play-Off Trophy


After 120 scoreless minutes, in a penalty-kick shootout that lasted eleven rounds, Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Alex Smithers converted his spot kick while his Sheffield United counterpart Steve Simonsen, who made three huge saves in normal time, then two more in the shootout, saw his kick sail over the crossbar as the Terriers win the shootout 8-7 and therefore won Saturday's English League One promotion playoff final at Wembley Stadium to gain promotion to the League Championship after an eleven-year absence.  The Terriers will join already-promoted Charlton Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday in the second highest level of soccer in England.  Shown here is Hudderfield Town's Daniel Ward celebrating with the League One Playoff Trophy.


PA photo

CFU Club Championship: Islanders Club George Town To Advance To Final Round

At George Town, Cayman Islands:


Jonathan Fana delivered a hat trick (22', 54', 56') while Hector Ramas added a double (4', 20') as the Puerto Rico Islanders annihilated George Town SC 8-0 on Friday in the final contest of the second round of the CFU Club Championship.  The Islanders, along with AIA Caledonia from Trinidad and Tobago, advanced from Group Four to the final group, joining W Connection (Trinidad and Tobago) and Antigua Barracuda (Antigua and Barbuda) with the top three finishers advancing to the group stage of next seasons CONCACAF Champions League.


FINAL GROUP FOUR STANDINGS:


1. Puerto Rico Islanders (GP: 2; GD: +8; PTS: 4)
2. Caledonia AIA (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS: 4)
3. George Town SC (GP: 2; GD: -13; PTS: 0)


The Puerto Rico Islanders and Caledonia AIA advanced to the final round.

Stoppage-Time Goal Rescues Home Point For FC Tokyo

At Chofu, Japan:


Mosato Morishige's stoppage-time equalizer (90'+1) enabled FC Tokyo to salvage a Saturday J.League home draw with Urawa Red Diamonds.  Marcio Ricardes scored in the 89th minute for the visiting Reds.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Catalans Send Pep Out A Winner As Barca Pop Athletic To Cop King's Cop

At Madrid:


Pedro scored twice (3', 25') and Lionel Messi once (20') as Barcelona, in Pep Guardiola's final game as coach, smothered Athletic Bilbao 3-0 on Friday to win the Copa Del Rey Final.  It was the 14th and final trophy won by the Catalans under the outgoing coach.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Copa Libertadores: Santos Survive PK Shootout To Advance, Assuring Brazilian Entry In Final; Universidad de Chile Also Survive PK Shootout

The quarterfinal round of the Copa Libertadores concluded with two games on Thursday.


At Santos, Brazil:


Alan Kardec scored the only goal of the match in the 77th minute as Santos topped visiting Velez Sarsfield 1-0 in the second game of their two-game series.  The series, deadlocked at three points apiece and with neither club scoring a goal on the road in the two games, went directly into the penalty-kick shootout.  In the shootout, Alan Kardec, Paulo Ganso, Elano, and Leonardo Lourenco Leo Bastos all converted their  spot kicks as Santos won the shootout 4-2 to advance to the semifinal round, in which they would face fellow Brazilian club Corinthians.


At Santiago, Chile:


Marcelo Diaz scored in the 17th minute to give Universidad de Chile a 1-0 lead in the second game of their two-match series, only to see Club Libertad score on the road, thanks to Osvaldo Gonzalez's own goal in the 22nd minute.  After the 1-1 deadlock for game two, with each club registering three points and each scoring a goal on the road, Charles Aranguiz, Marcelo Diaz, Raul Ruidiaz, Matias Rodriguez, and Gustavo Lorenzetti all made their spot kicks as Universidad de Chile won the penalty-kick shootout 5-3 to advance to the semifinal round and a two-match encounter with Boca Juniors.

HJK Beaten On The Road

At Vaasa, Finland:


In Thursday action from the Finnish Veikkausliiga, Steven Morrissey scored the only goal of the match in the 54th minute as VPS Vaasa defeated visiting HJK Helsinki 1-0.

CFU Club Championship: Devon and Trevin's Excellent Adventure

At George Town, Cayman Islands:


Devon Jorsling (47', 70') and Trevin Caesar (72', 76') each scored twice as Caledonia AIA busted open what had been a scoreless stalemate into a 5-0 rout of George Town in Wednesday action from Group Four in the second round of the CFU Club Championship, clinching final group qualification for the Trinidadian club.


GROUP FOUR STANDINGS:


1. x-Caledonia AXA (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS: 4)
2. Puerto Rico Islanders (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
3. George Town SC (GP: 1; GD: -5; PTS: 0)


x-Clinched berth in final group

US Open Cup: Carolina RailHawks Show PSA Elite Who's Boss

The second round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup took place with sixteen games on Tuesday.  It's in this round that we start seeing clubs from the second-division North American Soccer League and third-division USL Pro League.


At Jacksonville, Florida:


Mike Ambersley (2'), Daniel Antoniuk (19'), and Keith Savage (65') each tallied once as the Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL) dispatched the home-standings Jacksonville United (NPSL) 3-0.  Next up for the Rowdies an encounter at St. Petersburg with the Colorado Rapids next Tuesday in the third round, which we first see action from the sixteen US-based Major League Soccer clubs.


At Bridgeview, Illinois:


Eli Garner (38') and Daniel Holowaty (90'+2) provided the scoring as the Dayton Dutch Lions (USLP) defeated the Chicago Fire Premier (PDL) 2-1 on the road.  Next Tuesday, the Dutch Lions will visit the Columbus Crew.


At Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:


Yann Ekra (48') and Brian Ombiji (77') provided the scoring that carried the Harrisburg City Islanders (USLP) to a 2-0 home blanking of the Long Island Rough Riders (PDL).  Next Tuesday, the New England Revolution will pay a visit to Harrisburg.


At Pittsburgh:


Stew Givens' penalty kick in the 90th minute was the only goal of the Michigan Bucks' (PDL) 1-0 road win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USPL). Next Tuesday at Pontiac, the Bucks will host the Chicago Fire.


At Wilmington, North Carolina:


Danny Barrera scored twice (25', 57') as Cal FC (USASA) demolished  the Wilmington Hammerheads 4-0 on the road (USLP).  Next Tuesday, the club founded by Eric Wynalda will take their shot at the Portland Timbers on the road.


At Cary, North Carolina:


Brian Shriver delivered a quadrupled (7', 23', 40', 90') as the Carolina RailHawks (NASL) horsewhipped visiting PSA Elite (USASA) 6-0.  The RailHawks will host the Los Angeles Galaxy next Tuesday.


At Fort Lauderdale, Florida:


Aly Hassan scored a hat trick (42', 57', 69') while Polo Morales added a double (89', 90') as the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) smoked the visiting Fresno Fuego (PDL) 7-2. Next Tuesday, the Strikers will travel to Stanford, California for a match with the San Jose Earthquakes.


At Sanford, Florida:


Max Griffin (26', 42') and John Rooney (28', 71') each scored twice as Orlando City (USLP) destroyed the visiting Kansas City Athletics (USASA) 7-0.  Next up for City, an encounter next Tuesday with Sporting Kansas City in Kansas City Kansas.


 At Charleston, South Carolina:


Dane Kelly (69') and Nicki Paterson (79') provided the goal power that enabled the Charleston Battery (USLP) to come from behind and upend visiting Reading United (PDL) 2-1.  Next Tuesday, the New York Red Bulls will be heading to Charleston.


At Rochester, New York:


Tam McManus (25'), Conor Chinn (43'), and J. C. Banks (76') each scored a goal as the Rochester Rhinos (USLP) whitewashed the visiting Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) 3-0.  The Rhinos will travel to Chester, Pennsylvania for a contest next Tuesday with the Philadelphia Union.


At Germantown, Maryland:


Christopher Agorsor scored twice (20', 82') as the Richmond Kickers (USLP) demolished the Aegean Hawks (USASA) 4-0.  The Kickers host DC United next Tuesday.


At Conyers, Georgia:


Raphael Cox scored the only goal of the match as the Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) defeated the Georgia Revolution (NPSL) 1-0 on the road to set up an encounter with the three-time defending champions Seattle Sounders for next Tuesday at Tukwila, Washington.


At West Des Moines, Iowa:


Simone Bracalello (19') and Miguel Ibarra (84') provided the scoring as the Minnesota Stars (NASL) defeated the Des Moines Menace (PDL) 2-0 on the road.  The Stars will face Real Salt Lake at Sandy, Utah next Tuesday.


At San Antonio, Texas:


With goals provided by Pablo Campos (67') and Kevin Harmse (74'), the San Antonio Scorpions (NASL) blanked the visiting Laredo Heat (PDL) 2-0.  Next Tuesday, the Scorpions will host the Houston Dynamo.


At El Paso, Texas:


The Charlotte Eagles (USLP) defeated the El Paso Patriots (PDL) 1-0 on the road, thanks to Scott Jones' own goal in the 72nd minute.  The Eagles will, next Tuesday, get a crack at FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas.


At Fullerton, California:


Frankie Lopez scored twice (PK-35', 107') while Travis Bowen added an insurance tally in overtime (116') as the Ventura County Fusion (PDL) knocked off the Los Angeles Blues (USLP) 3-1 on the road.  The Fusion next Tuesday will take on Chivas USA at home.



Wednesday, May 23, 2012

MLS: Quakes Post Massive Comeback Win Against Galaxy; Fire Top Visiting Hoops; Crew Blank Sounders In Seattle; Red Bulls And Goats Draw In Jersey

Four games were played in Major League Soccer on Wednesday.


At Harrison, New Jersey:


Kenny Cooper's equalizer in the 56th minute lifted the New York Red Bulls to a 1-1 home draw with Chivas USA.  Ex-Red Bull Juan Pablo Angel scored for the Goats in the 46th minute.


At Bridgeview, Illinois:


Goals from Sebastian Grazzini (45') and Marco Pappa (63') enabled the Chicago Fire to come from behind to defeat FC Dallas 2-1 at home.  Matt Hedges scored for the Hoops in the 40th minute but Blas Perez failed on his penalty kick in the 52nd.


At Seattle:


Justin Meram (14') and Emilio Renteria (75') each scored a goal as the Columbus Crew knocked off the Seattle Sounders 2-0 on the road.


At Carson, California:


With goals from Stephen Lenhart (76'), Khari Stephenson (PK-81'), and Alan Gordon (90'+4), the San Jose Earthquakes came back from two goals down to upend the ten-man Los Angeles Galaxy 3-2 on the road.

LATE GOAL HANDS CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP TO TORONTO FC

At Toronto:


Reggie Lambe scored the only goal of the match in the 83rd minute as Toronto FC defeated the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 in Wednesday's second game of the Amway Canadian Championship, enabling the Reds to win their fourth consecutive title 2-1 on aggregate and advance to the group stage of next season's CONCACAF Champions League.

Copa LIbertadores: Boca Juniors and Corinthians Advance To Semifinals

The second half of the quarterfinal round of the Copa Libertadores commenced with two games played on Wednesday.


At Rio de Janeiro:


Santiago Silva scored the series-winning goal in 90th minute as Boca Juniors gained a 1-1 road draw in game two with Fluminense, enabling the Argentinian club to win their two-game series four points to one.


At Sao Paulo, Brazil:


Paulinho scored the only goal of both the match and the series in the 87th minute as Corinthians defeated visiting Vasco da Gama 1-0 in game two and won their two-match all-Brazilian series four points to one.

Tough End To Rough Season For Grasshoppers

At Lausanne, Switzerland:


Matt Moussilou scored the winning goal in the 87th minute on Wednesday as Lausanne Sport defeated visiting Grasshoppers 2-1 in the Swiss Super League season finale for both clubs.  Grasshoppers finished eighth in the league this year, and perhaps fortunate enough to do so (and avoid relegation) as FC Sion were docked 36 points for fielding ineligible players and Neuchatel Xamax had their license revoked for not providing the necessary financial documents and guarantees (they were demoted to the fourth division).

Late Goal Secures Road Draw For DIF

At Helsingborg, Sweden:


Brian Span's goal in the 74th minute lifted Djurgarden to a 1-1 Wednesday Swedish Allsvenskan road draw with Helsingborg.  Daniel Nordmark scored in the opening minute for the hosts.

Red Dogs Win Romanian Cup, Go To Europa League Playoff Round

At Bucharest, Romania:


Emil Adrian Scarlatache scored the only goal of the match in the 57th round as Dinamo Bucharest defeated Rapid Bucharest 1-0 on Wednesday to win the Romanian Cup championship and a berth in the playoff round for next season's Europa League.  Rapid will play in the Europa League's second qualifying round.

Scoreless Wednesday In Oslo

At Oslo, Norway:


The Wednesday Norwegian Premier League contest between Valerenga and visiting Rosenborg ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Sarajevo Drop Season Finale; Will Take Part In Europa League Qualifying

At Skopje, Macedonia:


Newly-crowned champions Vardar defeated visiting second-place FK Metalurg 2-0 in a local Skopje derby as the Macedonian First League season came to a close.  Vardar will play in the second round of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League, while Sarajevo, third-placed Skendija 79, and Macedonian Cup winners Renova will play in the opening round of Europa League qualifying.

FH Beaten In Reykjavik

At Reykjavik, Iceland:


Baldur Sigurdsson (10') and Kjartan Finnbogason (63') each delivered a goal on Wednesday as KR Reykjavik defeated visiting FH Hafnardordur 2-0 in Icelandic Urvalsdeild action.

Lions Top Silkeborg, Still Denied League Crown By Wild Tigers

At Copenhagen, Denmark:


Mostafa Abdellaoue (18') and Dame N'Doye (61') each tallied once as FC Copenhagen held off visiting Silkeborg 2-1 in the Danish Super League season finale for both clubs on Wednesday.  The Lions' league title chances ended when FC Nordsjaelland blanked visiting AC Horsens 3-0 as the Wild Tigers clinched their first-ever league title as well as a berth in the group stage of next season's UEFA Champions League.  The Lions will enter the Champions League's third qualifying round.

Stoppage-Time Goal Gains Home Draw And Playoff Berth For Colo Colo

At Santiago, Chile:


Mauro Olivi's stoppage-time equalizer (90'+3) combined with Esteban Paredes' double (8', 50') lifted Colo Colo to a 3-3 Wednesday home draw with Deportes Iquique in the Chilean Premiera Division's regular-season (apertura) finale for both clubs, both bound for the playoffs.  Colo Colo finished in sixth place while the visitors finished third.

Sarajevo To Get Shot At Europa League Qualifying

At Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina:


FK Sarajevo and visiting Borac Banja Luka battled to a 2-2 Wednesday draw as the Bosnian Premier League season came to a close.  Since Zeljeznicar, who won the league title (and a berth in the second qualifying round for next season's Champions League) also won the Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup, and that runners-up Siroki Brijeg also played in the cup final (they will take part in the second round of qualifying for next season's Europa League), by finishing fourth, Sarajevo (along with Borac Banja Luke) will play in the opening qualifying round for the Europa League.



AFC Champions League: Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal Advance To Quarterfinals

The Round of 16 in the AFC Champions League continued with two games played on Wednesday.


At Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:


Naif Hazizi (PK-36'), Abdelghani Faouzi (45'+1), and Abdoh Autef (88') each scored a goal as Al-Ittihad dominated visiting Persepolis 1-0.


At Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:


Byung-Soo Yoo delivered a quadruple (23', 38', 53', 61') while Christian Wilhelmsson added a double (26', 59') as Al-Hilal dismembered visiting Bani Yas 7-0 to advance to the quarterfinal round.

Goose Eggs In Tunis

At Tunis, Tunisia:


The Wednesday Tunisian Ligue 1 clash between Club Africain and visiting (and relegation-threatened) Gabes ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

End Of An Era At Stamford Bridge

He sure picked a perfect time to go out on top.

Women's Professional Soccer, R. I. P.

The ongoing legal wrangling with an ousted owner may have put the final drain on what money the league had left.

Last year, WPS played with six clubs, all based in the Eastern Time Zone.  One of them, based in Boca Raton, Florida, was expelled after the season.

They had already cancelled their 2012 season with hopes to return for 2013.

This marked the second women's soccer league in the past decade to close up shop after having played three seasons.

Road Win For The Cactus

At Kuressaare, Estonia:

Karl Luigend (19'), Markus Jurgenson (24'), and Rauno Alliku (31') each scored a goal on Tuesday as FC Flora downed Kuressaare 3-1 on the road in Estonian Meistriliiga action. 

AFC Champions League: Al-Ahli (Via PK Shootout), Sepahan Advance To Quarterfinals

The knockout stage of the AFC Champions League got under way on Tuesday with two games.

At Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

With goals in regulation time from Marcelo Camacho (22') and Amad Al Hosni (75') plus an overtime tally from Victor Simoes in the 118th minute, Al-Ahly won the penalty-kick shootout against home-standing Al-Jazira 4-2 to advance to the quarterfinal round.

At Isfahan, Iran:

Bruno Correa (8') and Moshen Bengar (35') delivered the goals as Sepahan defeated visiting fellow Iranian club Esteghlal 2-0 to advance.

Monday, May 21, 2012

CFU Club Championship: Goose Eggs For Puerto Rico Islanders And Caledonia AIA

At George Town, Cayman Islands:


With the withdrawal of the Baltimore Sportif Club (Haiti) from the tournament, the number of entrants in Group Four from the second round of the CFU Club Tournament was reduced to three (Puerto Rico Islanders, Caledonia AIA from Trinidad and Tobago, and George Town SC from the Cayman Islands).


In the opening match in this group on Monday, the Puerto Rico Islanders and AIA Caledonia battled to a 0-0 stalemate.


GROUP FOUR STANDINGS:


1. Peurto Rico Islanders (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
    AIA Caledonia (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
3. George Town SC (GP: 0; GD: 0; PTS: 0) 

Leesiders Stretch Unbeaten Run To Five Games

At Drogheda, Ireland:


Daryl Hogan's second-half equalizer (56') helped Cork City stretch their League of Ireland Premier Division unbeaten streak to five games on Monday with their 1-1 road draw at Drogheda United.  Declan O'Brien scored for the hosts in the 27th minute.

Dominating Win For HJK

At Helsinki, Finland:


Juho Makela scored twice (35', 81') as HJK Helsinki found themselves atop the Finnish Viekkausliiga standings following their 3-0 Monday home domination of FC Honka.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

MLS: Timbers Take Advantage Of Chicago Miscue To Top Visiting Fire


At Portland, Oregon:


With goals from Eric Brunner (20') and Logan Pause (OG-53'), the Portland Timbers defeated the visiting Chicago Fire 2-1 in the lone Sunday Major League Soccer contest.


MLS STANDINGS:


EASTERN CONFERENCE:


1. New York (GP: 12; GD: +8; PTS: 25)
2. DC United (GP: 14; GD: +8; PTS: 24)
3. Kansas City (GP: 11; GD: +6; PTS: 22)
4. Chicago (GP: 10; GD: 0; PTS: 15)
5. New England (GP: 11; GD: -1; PTS: 13)
6. Houston (GP: 10; GD: -1; PTS: 13)
7. Columbus (GP: 10; GD: -3; PTS: 12)
8. Montreal (GP: 12; GD: -5; PTS: 12)
9. Philadelphia (GP: 10; GD: -5; PTS: 8)
10. Toronto FC (GP: 9; GD: -14; PTS: 0)


WESTERN CONFERENCE:


1. Real Salt Lake (GP: 13; GD: +7; PTS: 26)
2. San Jose (GP: 12; GD: +10; PTS: 24)
3. Seattle (GP: 11; GD: +9; PTS: 23)
4. Vancouver (GP: 11; GD: -1; PTS: 18)
5. Colorado (GP: 12; GD:+1; PTS: 16)
6. Chivas USA (GP: 11; GD: -5; PTS: 13)
7. FC Dallas (GP: 13; GD: -7; PTS: 13)_
8. Portland (GP: 11; GD: -3; PTS: 12)
9. Los Angeles (GP: 11; GD: -4; PTS: 11)

SANTOS LAGUNA AVENGE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DEFEAT BY BEATING STRIPED GANG FOR MEXICAN CLAUSURA TITLE

At Torreon, Mexico:


Daniel Luduena (6') and Oribe Peralta (65') each scored a goal on Sunday as Santos Laguna defeated visiting Monterrey 2-1 in the second game of their two-match Mexican Primera Division Clausura playoff final, enabling the hosts to win the series 3-2 on aggregate.

Road Draw For Racing Club de Montevideo

At Melo, Uruguay:


Martin Crossa scored twice (17', 87') as Racing Club de Montevideo battled home-standing Cerro Largo to a 2-2 Sunday Uruguayan Primera Division deadlock.  Rino Lucas (9') and Nicolas Guevara (46') each scored once for the hosts.

Defensive Boo-Boo Nets Road Draw For Club Africain

At Hammam-Lif, Tunisia:


Mohamed Khadheri's own goal in the 88th minute enabled Club Africain to gain a 1-1 Sunday Tunisian Ligue 1 road draw with relegation-threatened Hammam-Lif.  Ihaab Boussefi scored for the hosts at 15 minutes.

Grasshoppers Drop Zurich Derby At Home

At Zurich, Switzerland:


Berat Djimsiti scored the only goal of the match in the 75th minute as FC Zurich defeated Grasshoppers 1-0 on the road in Sunday Swiss Super League action.

Road Draw For Djurgarden

At Gothenburg, Sweden:


Rene Makondele's equalizer in the 72nd minute enabled BK Hacken to salvage a 1-1 Sunday Swedish Allsvenskan home draw with Djurgarden.  DIF's goal came from Ricardo Santos in the 58th minute.

No European Play For Roses After Road Defeat

At Kranj, Slovenia:


Bla Sujica scored both goals (34', 38') as Triglav (who still have hope of avoiding relegation via playoffs) ended any hope ND Gorica had of taking part in Europa League qualifying by defeating the visiting Roses 2-0 on Sunday in the 1.SNL season finale for both clubs.

OFK Belgrade End Season With Home Defeat

At Belgrade, Serbia:


Bojan Beljic scored the only goal of the match in the 11th minute as Sloboda Sevojno defeated OFK Belgrade 1-0 on the road on Sunday as the Serbian Super League season came to a close.  OFK finished the season in eighth place.

Red Dogs Clinch Europa League Qualifying Berth

At Bucharest, Romania:


Dragos Grigore (7'), Ionel Danciulescu (PK-27'), and George Tucudean (78') each scored a goal as Dinamo Bucharest closed out their Romanian Liga I campaign with a 3-0 Sunday home whitewashing of Astra Poliesti.  The Red Dogs, who finished fifth in the league standings, will take part in Europa League qualifying for next season.  When they will enter will depend on what happens in their Wednesday Romanian Cup final against Rapid Bucharest.  The winner will go into the Europa League playoff round, the loser into the second qualifying round.