Wednesday, July 31, 2013

MLS All-Star Game: AS Roma Too Much For MLS All-Stars

At Kansas City, Kansas:

In front of 21,175 fans at Sporting Park, Kevin Strootman (4'), game Most Valuable Player Alessandro Florenzi (47'), and Junior Tallo (68') each scored a goal on Wednesday night as AS Roma dominated the Major League Soccer All-Stars 3-1 in the MLS All-Star Game.  Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy) scored the lone goal for the All-Stars in second-half stoppage time (90'+1).

UEFA Champions League: Bhoys, Ludgorets Grab Series Openers At Home; Legia, Maribor, Yellow Canaries Score Equalizers To Gain Series-Opening Road Draws

Five games were played on Wednesday as the third round of UEFA Champions League qualifying continued.

At Molde, Norway:

Vladimir Dvalishvili's equalizer in the 68th minute lifted Legia Warsaw to a 1-1 game-one road draw with Molde FK.  Daniel Chima scored for the hosts in the 29th minute.

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Marcos Tavares delivered the tying goal in the 64th minute as NK Maribor gained a series-opening 1-1 road draw with APOEL FC.  Esmael Goncalves scored in the 21st minute for the hosts.

At Razgrad, Bulgaria:

Marcelo Marcelinho (54') and Milail Aleksandrov (67') provided the scoring that carried Ludgorets Razgrad to a 2-1 game-one home win over Partizan Belgrade.  Sasa Markovic scored in the 49th minute to help the Serbian club stay in the two-match series.

At Salzburg, Austria:

Cristian Baroni's successful penalty kick at the death (90'+5) carried Fenerbahce to a game-one 1-1 road draw with FC Red Bull Salzburg.  Alan Carvalho scored for the hosts in the 68th minute.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Kris Commons scored the only goal of the match in the 76th minute as Celtic defeated visiting Elfsborg 1-0 in their series-opening match with the Swedish club.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

UEFA Champions League: Steaua, Viktoria Plzen, Zenit, Metalist Took Series Openers On Road; Game-One Triumphs For Lyon, PSG, Dinamo Zagreb, Austria Vienna

The third round of UEFA Champions League qualifying commenced on Tuesday with ten games.

Champions Route:

At Astana, Kazakhstan:

Aldin Didic (8'), Roman Murtazayev (79'), and Sergei Khizhnichenko (90') each delivered a goal as Shakhter Karagandy took control of their two-game series with Albania's Skenderbeu Korce with a 3-0 game-one domination at home.

At Tbilisi, Georgia:
Gabriel Iancu scored both goals (64', 80') as Steaua Bucharest blanked Dinamo Tblisi 2-0 on the road in game one.

At Vienna, Austria:
Daniel Royer scored the only goal of the match (25') as Austria Vienna defeated visiting FH Hafnarfjordur 1-0 in their series opener.

At Tallinn, Estonia:
Marian Cisovsky delivered a hat trick (2', 52', 90'+2) as FC Viktoria Plzen all but punched their ticket for the playoff round with their series-opening 4-0 road demolition of JK Nomme Kalju.

At Basel, Switzerland:
Valentin Stocker scored the only goal of FC Basel's series-opening 1-0 home win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 39th minute.

At Zagreb, Croatia:
Ante Rukavina scored the only goal of the match in the 89th minute as Dinamo Zagreb blanked visiting FC Sheriff Tiraspol 1-0 in the opening contest of their two-game series.

League Route:

At Farum, Denmark:
Aleksandr Kerzhakov scored the only goal of the match in the 49th minute as Zenit Saint Peterburg took the opening match of their two-game series with FC Nordsjaelland 1-0 on the road.

At Thessaloniki, Greece:
Marko Devic scored twice (PK-43', 72') as FC Metalist Kharkiv downed PAOK FC 2-0 in the opening contest of their two-game series.

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

Memphis Depay (61') and Jurgen Locadia (75') delivered the goals as PSV Eindhoven blanked visiting SV Zulte Waregem 2-0 in their series opener.

At Lyon, France:
Milan Bisevac scored the only goal of the match in the 64th minute as Lyon defeated visiting Grasshoppers 1-0 in game one of their two-match series.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

MLS: Sounders Bounce Back To Top Visiting Goats

At Seattle:

Brad Evans (23') and Lamar Neagle (57') provided the scoring as the Seattle Sounders came from behind to defeat visiting Chivas USA 2-1 in the lone Sunday Major League Soccer contest.

MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Kansas City (GP: 22; GF: 31; GD: +10; PTS: 36)
2. New York (GP: 22; GF: 33; GD: +6; PTS: 35)
3. Montreal (GP: 20; GF: 32; GD: +3; PTS: 35)
4. Philadelphia (GP: 22; GF: 33; GD: +3; PTS: 34)
5. New England (GP: 21; GF: 27; GD: +8; PTS: 30)
6. Houston (GP: 20; GF: 23; GD: +3; PTS: 30)
7. Chicago (GP: 20; GF: 25; GD: -5; PTS: 25)
8. Columbus (GP: 21; GF: 24; GD: -3; PTS: 23)
9. Toronto FC (GP: 21; GF: 19; GD: -10; PTS: 17)
10. DC United (GP: 21; GF: 10; GD: -25; PTS: 10)

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Real Salt Lake (GP: 22; GF: 36; GD: +12; PTS: 37)
2. Colorado (GP: 23; GF: 28; GD: +4; PTS: 34)
3. Portland (GP: 21; GF: 31; GD: +11; PTS: 34)
4. Los Angeles (GP: 22; GF: 32; GD: +5; PTS: 33)
5. Vancouver (GP: 21; GF: 33; GD: +4; PTS: 32)
6. FC Dallas (GP: 21; GF: 27; GD: 0; PTS: 32)
7. Seattle (GP: 19; GF: 24; GD: +2; PTS: 28)
8. San Jose (GP: 22; GF: 23; GD: -10; PTS: 27)
9. Chivas USA (GP: 21; GF: 19; GD: -18; PTS: 17)

BREK SHEA GOAL LIFTS TEAM USA TO FIFTH CONCACAF GOLD CUP TITLE (FIRST SINCE 2007)

At Chicago:

Brek Shea (pictured here celebrating with teammates) scored the only goal of the match in the 69th minute (42 seconds after entering the game as a substitute) as the United States defeated Panama 1-0 on Sunday to win their fifth CONCACAF Gold Cup championship, their first since 2007.  The Americans played without head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who was suspended in the aftermath of his late ejection from last Wednesday's semifinal match.  The victory was the Americans' eleventh in a row, stretching their longest ever winning streak.

USA Today photo by Jerry Lai

MLS: Reds, Impact, Red Bulls, Revs, Philly, Rapids, Quakes Pick Up Saturday Wins

Eight games were contested in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

At Toronto:

Jonathan Osorio (87') and Andrew Wiedeman (90'+4) provided the late heroics as Toronto FC came from behind to upend the visiting Columbus Crew 2-1.

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Hendry Thomas (41') and Dillon Powers (47') each scored a goal as the Colorado Rapids blanked the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0.

At Washington:

Dimitry Imbongo Boele (54') and Diego Fagundez (63') provided the scoring as the New England Revolution came from behind to top DC United 2-1 on the road.

At Montreal:

Blake Smith scored the only goal of the match at the death (90'+6) as the Montreal Impact defeated visiting Sporting Kansas City 1-0.

At Harrison, New Jersey:

Fabian Espindola converted two penalty kicks (23', 89') and Dax McCarty delivered the game winner (90'+4) as the New York Red Bulls blew a two-goal lead, fell behind, then came back to upend visiting Real Salt Lake 4-3 despite a natural hat trick from RSL's Alvaro Saborio (PK-45', 80', 82').

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Antoine Hoppenot scored the game's lone goal in the 85th minute as the Philadelphia Union defeated the ten-man Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 on the road.

At Houston:

Mike Magee's equalizer in the 63rd minute carried the Chicago Fire to a 1-1 road draw with the Houston Dynamo, just two minutes after Cameron Weaver scored to give the hosts a short-lived lead.

At Santa Clara, California:

Victor Bernardez (PK-55') and Steven Lenhart (58') delivered the scoring as the San Jose Earthquakes, despite finishing the match with ten men, held off the visiting Portland Timbers 2-1.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Europa League

The second round of Europa League qualifying concluded on Thursday with the second game of each of the forty two-match series.

At Kazan, Russia:
Gokdeniz Karadeniz scored the only goal of the match in the 52nd minute as Rubin Kazan defeated visiting FK Jogodina 1-0 in game two and won their two-match series 4-2 on aggregate. 

At Orhei, Moldova:
After a 1-1 game two deadlock which saw the two clubs stalemated at 2-2 on aggregate, the series between FC Milsami Orhei and visiting FC Shakhtyor continued through 30 scoreless minutes of overtime.  The hosts--thanks to successful spot kicks from Guilhereme de Paula Lucredo, Artur Patras, Constantin Iavorschi, and Andrei Ciofu---won the penalty-kick shootout 4-2 to advance to the third qualifying round.

At Dubnica nad Vahom, Slovakia:
Fanendo Adi scored twice (15', 71') as FK Trencin held off visiting IFK Gothenburg 2-1 in game two and won their series with the Swedish club by that same score on aggregate.

At Podgorica, Montenegro:
With Waldemar Sobota (31') and Marco Paixao (34') providing the scoring, Slask Wroclaw gained a 2-2 game-two road draw with FK Rudar Pljevlja, more than good enough for the Polish club to win their two-game series 6-2 on aggregate.

At Zilina, Slovakia:
Jakub Paur scored twice (38', 55') as MSK Zilina blanked visiting Olimpia Ljubljana 2-0 in game two, and with the aggregate score at 3-3, won the series on away goals.

At Gliwice, Poland:
Ulrich Kapolongo scored the series-winning goal in overtime (108') as FC Qarabag--despite dropping a 2-1 regulation decision in game two, forcing the series to be deadlocked at 3-3 on aggregate----won their two-match series with hosts Piast Gliwice 4-3 on aggregate.

At Skopje, Macedonia:
Mijo Caktas' goal in the 60th minute enabled Hajduk Split to gain a 1-1 game-two road draw with FK Turnovo---and a 3-2 series aggregate victory as the Croatian club advanced to the third qualifying round.

At Tbilisi, Georgia:
Vazha Lomashvili (OG-45'), Josef Martinez (49'), and Marco Schneuwly (84') each scored once as FC Thun defeated Chikhura Sachkhere 3-1 on the road in game two and won their series 5-1 on aggregate.

At Aktobe, Kazakhstan:
Sergey Davydov's double (6', 61') enabled FC Aktobe to overturn their 1-0 game-one road defeat from last week with a 2-0 home win over visiting Hodd in game two and a 2-1 series aggregate victory.

At Lankaran, Azerbaijan:
Rayo (PK-13', 62') and Shimon Abuhatzira (26', 44') each scored twice as Maccabi Haifa leveled hosts Khazar Lankaran 8-0 in game two and easily won their series 10-0 on aggregate.

At Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg:
With scoring courtesy of Simonas Paulius (33'), Jurijs Zigajevs (47'), Vadim Yanchuk (51'), and Daniils Turkovs (65'), FK Ventspils dominated Jeunesse Esch 4-1 on the road in game two and won their series 5-1 on aggregate.

At Yerevan, Armenia:
Mantas Kuklys converted a penalty kick in the 88th minute as Zalgiris Vilnius gained a 1-1 game-two road draw with Pyunik and took out the Armenian club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Baku, Azerbaijan:
Despite dropping a 1-0 road decision in game two, Tromso IL still won their two-match series with Inter Baku 2-1 on aggregate.

At Zhodino, Belarus:
Roman Vasilyuk (53') and Vitaliy Kibuk (60') each scored once as FC Minsk blanked visiting Valletta 2-0 in game two and ousted the Maltese club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Graz, Austria:
Ellert Hreinsson scored the only goal of both the match and the series in the 39th minute as Breidablik knocked off SK Sturm Graz 1-0 on the road in game two and by that same score on aggregate to advance.

At Gothenburg, Sweden:

Martin Ericsson scored the only goal of the match in the 84th minute as BK Hacken defeated visiting Sparta Prague 1-0 in game two and won their two-game series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Constantin Budescu scored what proved to be the series-winning goal in the 69th minute as Astra Giurgiu defeated Omonia Nicosia 2-1 on the road in game two and took out the Cypriot club 3-2 on aggregate.

At Liberec, Czech Republic:

Dzon Delarge scored in the 14th minute as Slovan Liberec defeated visiting Skonto FC 1-0 in game two, and with the aggregate score at 2-2, won their two-match series on away goals.

At Targu Jiu, Romania:

After a scoreless opening match in Estonia, Erico scored twice (35', 57') as Pandurii Targu Jiu demolished visiting FC Levadia Tallinn 4-0 in game two and won their two-match series 4-0 on aggregate.

At Tel Aviv, Israel:

Omer Damari scored twice (PK-22', 61') as Hapoel Tel Aviv gained a 2-2 game-two home draw with Beroe Stara Zagora  and won their series 6-3 on aggregate.

At Sundsvall, Sweden:

Jakob Orlov scored twice (25', 86') while Mikael Dahlberg completed the incredible comeback with his tally in the 87th minute as Gefle IF overturned their 3-0 series-opening road defeat with a 4-0 win at home over Anorthosis Famagusta FC in match two and won their two-game series 4-3 on aggregate.

At Chisinau, Moldova:

Olexiy Gai scored in the 26th minute as Chornomorets Odessa, despite a 2-1 defeat on the road in game two, still ousted FC Dacia Chisinau 3-2 on aggregate.

At Burgas, Bulgaria:

Marian Ognyanov (80') and Todor Nedelev (88') provided the scoring as PFC Botev Plovdiv blanked visiting HSK Zrinjski Mostar 2-0 in game two and won their series 3-1 on aggregate.

At Senica, Slovakia:

Bojan Kaljevic scored the only goal of the match in the 38th minute as FK Mladost Podgorica defeated FK Senica 1-0 on the road in game two and took the series 3-2 no aggregate.

At Utrecht, Netherlands:

Goals from Omar Er Rafik (26'), Geoffrey Franzoni (PK-64'), and Yannick Bastos (72') lifted FC Differdange 03 to a 3-3 road draw in game two with FC Uthrecht and a 5-4 aggregate victory for the series.

At Toftir, Faroe Islands:

Hamza Younes scored twice (11', 63') as FC Petrolul Ploiesti demolished Vikingur 4-0 on the road in game two and polished off their Faroese opponents 7-0 on aggregate.

At Rhyl, Wales:

Ivan Mocinic (36'), Ivan Boras (40'), and Goran Mujanovic (66') each provided a goal as HNK Rijeka dominated Prestatyn Town 3-0 on the road in game two and completed their two-match beat-down of the Welsh club 8-0 on aggregate.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Lazar Veselinovic (41', 82') scored twice as Dinamo Minsk defeated Lokomotiva Zagreb 3-2 on the road in game two, and with the aggregate score at 4-4, won the series thanks to away goals.

At Aalborg, Denmark:

A 0-0 game-two road stalemate against Aalborg BK was more than good enough for FC Dila Gori as the Georgian club won their series 3-0 on aggregate.

At Debrecen, Hungary:

Peter Kovacs (35'), Bismark Adjei-Boateng (51'), and Oyvind Storflor (58') provided the scoring punch as Stromsgodset dominted Debreceni VSC 3-0 on the road in game two and won their two-match series 5-2 on aggregate.

At Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland:

A 0-0 stalemate on the road in game two was good enough for Red Star Belgrade as the Serbian club eliminated IBV Vestmannaeyjar 2-0 on aggregate.

At Budapest, Hungary:

With goals through the courtesy of Nemanja Bilbija (27'), Enver Alivodic (41'), and Stojan Vranjes (64'), FK Vojvodina defeated Budapest Honved FC 3-1 in game two on the road and took out the Hungarian club 5-1 on aggregate.

At Liege, Belgium:

Imoh Ezekiel scored twice in the second half (68', 73') as Standard Liege registered a second 3-1 win, this time at home, over KR Reykjavik and finished off the Icelandic club 6-2 on aggregate.

At Siroki Brijeg, Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Vedran Jese (20') and Jure Ivankovic (76') each delivered a goal as NK Siroki Brijeg overcame their series-opening road defeat with a 2-0 home win in game two over FC Irtysh Pavlodar and eliminated the Kazakhstani club 4-3 on aggregate.

At Belfast, Northern Ireland:

After Marcelinho's goal in the 27th minute enabled Xanthi to top Linfield 1-0 on the road in regulation time in game two, the series (deadlocked at 1-1 on aggregate) went into overtime, where Michael Gault scored for the home-standing Blues in the 99th minute, only to see that guy Marcelinho strike again in the 105th minute.  With the aggregate score at 2-2, the Greek club advanced on away goals.

At Edinburgh, Scotland:

Seven different goal scorers, beginning with Magnus Eriksson tallying in the 21st minute, each scored once, lifting Malmo FF to a 7-0 road annihilation of Hibernian in game two and a 9-0 series aggregate victory.

At Poznan, Poland:

Tomasz Kedziora scored the game winner in the 40th minute as Lech Poznan topped visiting Honka 2-1 in game two and eliminated the Finnish club 5-2 on aggregate.

At Perth, Scotland:

Stevie May scored the series-winning goal in the 21st minute as St. Johnstone gained a 1-1 game-two home draw with Rosenborg, enabling them to knock out the Norwegian club 2-1 on aggregate.

At Derry (Londonderry), Northern Ireland:

Paulo Henrique scored twice (56', 82') as Trabzonspor dominated Derry City 3-0 in game two on the road and eliminated the Candystripes 7-2 on aggregate.

At Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina:

A 0-0 game-two stalemate on the road was good enough for FK Kukesi as the Albanian club eliminated FK Sarajevo 3-2 on aggregate.


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

CONCACAF Gold Cup: It's Team USA vs. Panama For All The Marbles

The semifinal round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup took place on Wednesday with both games played at Arlington, Texas.

In the opener, Landon Donovan scored twice (27', 53') as the United States defeated Honduras 3-1 to advance to the final.  Team USA head coach Jurgen Klinsman was ejected by referee Walter Quesada in the 87th minute for arguing over a foul on DaMarcus Beasley.  Whether he will coach in Sunday's final will depend on a decision by CONCACAF's disciplinary committee.

In the nightcap, Roman Torres scored the winning goal in the 61st minute as Panama knocked off Mexico 3-1, ousting the tournament's two-time defending champions.

Team USA will take on Panama in Sunday's final at Soldier Field in Chicago (1:00 PM Pacific Time, over the Fox Network).

ATLETICO MINEIRO WIN PK SHOOTOUT, CAPTURE COPA LIBERTADORES CROWN

At Belo Horizonte, Brazil:

After Jo (47') and Leonardo Silva (87') each scored a goal, Atletico Minerio bested visiting Club Olimpia 2-0 in regulation of Wednesday second match of the the Copa Libertadores final.  With each team having garnered three points and neither club scoring a goal on the road in the series, 30 minutes of what proved to be scoreless overtime were played.  Then, Alecsandro, Guilherme Mihomem Gusmao, Jo, and Leandro Silva all converted their spot kicks as the Brazilian club won the penalty-kick shootout 4-3 and  their first-ever South American club championship.  The Rooster will play in December's FIFA Club World Cup, which is slated to take place in Morocco.

CAF Champions League: Cairo Giants Battle To 1-1 Draw

At El Gouna, Egypt:

Mohamed Aboutrika's penalty kick in the 54th minute enabled Al-Ahly to gain a 1-1 road draw with arch-rivals Zemalek in the lone Wednesday CAF Champions League contest, which was played in Group A.  Ahmed Gaafar scored in the eighth minute for the hosts.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Al-Ahly (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
2. Zamalek (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
3. AC Leopards (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Orlando Pirates (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)

UEFA Champions League: Ludogoretz Razgrad, Maribor, Legia Warsaw, Partizan Belgrade Advance To Third Qualifying Round

The second qualifying round for the upcoming UEFA Champions League concluded on Wednesday with four games.

At Razgrad, Bulgaria:

Daniel Abalo Paulos scored twice (12', 78') as Ludogoretz Razgrad defeated visiting Slovan Bratislava 3-0 in game two and won their two-match series with the Slovakian club 4-2 on aggregate as they overturned their game-one road defeat.

At Maribor, Slovenia:

Goran Cvijanovic (28') and Mitja Viler (47') each scored a goal as NK Maribor defeated visiting Birkirkara 2-0 both in game two and on aggregate for the two-contest series.

At Warsaw, Poland:

Vladimir Dvalishvili scored the only goal of the match in the 53rd minute as Legia Warsaw defeated The New Saints 1-0 at home in game two and won their series 4-1 on aggregate.

At Belgrade, Serbia:

A 0-0 game-two home stalemate with Shirak FC was good enough for Partizan Belgrade as the Serbian club, with the aggregate score at 1-1, advanced on away goals.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

UEFA Champions League: Bhoys, Elfsborg, FC Sheriff, Dinamo Tbilisi, Steaua Bucharest, Dinamo Zagreb Advnace To Third Qualifying Round

The second week of the second round of UEFA Champions League qualifying got underway with thirteen games played on Tuesday.

At Karagandy, Kazakhstan:

Ihar Zenkovich scored the only goal of the match in the 82nd minute as FC Shakhter Karagandy registered a second straight 1-0 victory over FC BATE Borisov, this time at home, and won their two-game series 2-0 on aggregate.

At Daugavpils, Latvia:

James Keene (41'), Viktor Claesson (61'), Niklas Hult (66'), and Martin Andersson (PK-84') each delivered a goal as IF Elfsborg demolished Daugava Daugavpils 4-0 on the road in game two and completed their two-match annihilation 11-1 on aggregate.

At Niksic, Montenegro:

Fernando Gomes de Jesus scored twice (52', 65') as FC Sheriff Tiraspol arrested FK Sutjeska Niksic 5-0 on the road in game two and won their two-game series 6-1 on aggregate.

At Tallinn, Estonia:

Yankuba Ceesay (28') and Damiano Quintieri (35') each scored once as JK Nomme Kalju won both game two and their series (on aggregate) with visiting HJK Helsinki 2-1.

At Molde, Norway:

Martin Linnes (5') and Aliou Coly (78') provided the scoring as Molde FK blanked visiting Sligo Rovers 2-0 in game two and ousted the Irish club 3-0 on aggregate.

At Korce, Albania:

After a second 0-0 stalemate, Nurudeen Orelesi scored the only goal of the series in overtime (116') as Skenderbeu Korce defeated visiting Neftchi Baku 1-0 on aggregate.

At Torshavn, Faroe Islands:

Xisco (PK-7'), Jaba Dvali (12') and Darko Glisic (84') provided the scoring as Dinamo Tbilisi defeated EB/Streymur 3-1 on the road in game two and handily finished off the Faroese club 9-2 on aggregate.

At Tel Aviv, Israel:

Tal Ben Haim (25') and Eran Zahavi (79') delivered the goals at carry Maccabi Tel Aviv to a 2-1 game-two home win over Gyori ETO FC and a 4-1 series win on aggregate over the Hungarian club.

At Skopje, Macedonia:

Federico Piovaccari (23') and Alexandru Bourceanu (72') each scored once as Steaua Bucharest defeated FK Vardar 2-1 on the road in game two and won their two-match series 5-1 on aggregate.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Efe Ambrose (16') and Georgios Samaras (70') each delivered a tally as Celtic took game two of their series with Cliftonville 2-0 at home and finished off the club from Northern Ireland 5-0 on aggregate.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Andrej Kramaric scored the only goal of the match with his successful penalty kick in the 78th minute as Dinamo Zagreb blanked visiting CS Fola Esch 1-0 at home in game two and easily won their two-match series 6-0 on aggregate.

At Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Tomas Wagner (5') and Milan Petrzela (30') each scored a goal in the first half-hour as FC Viktoria Plzen, despite finishing the contest with ten men, defeated FK Zeljeznicar Sarajevo 2-1 in game two and won their series 6-4 on aggregate.

At Hafnarfjordur, Iceland:

Bjorn Sverrisson (38') and Atli Bjornsson (90'+2) provided the scoring as FH Hafnarjordur defeated visiting FK Ekranas 2-1 in game two and ousted the Lithuanian club 3-1 on aggregate.




Sunday, July 21, 2013

CONCACAF Gold Cup: Team USA, Honduras Advance To Semifinals

The quarterfinal round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup concluded on Sunday with two games played at Baltimore.

In the opener, Clarence Goodson (21'), Joe Corona (29'), Eddie Johnson (60'), Landon Donovan (78'), and Mikkel Diskerud (83') each delivered a goal as the United States smothered El Salvador 5-1.

In the nightcap, Andy Najar scored the only goal of the match as Honduras defeated Costa Rica 1-0.

The US and Honduras will play the in the first half of Wednesday's semifinal doubleheader at Arlington, Texas (4:00 PM Pacific Time).  The winner will take on the Mexico-Panama winner in next Sunday's final at Chicago.

CAF Champions League: Home Win For Recreativo do Libolo

At Calulo, Angola:

In the lone Sunday CAF Champions League contest, Aguinaldo Policarpo Medes Veiga scored the first goal of group-stage play in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time as Recreativo do Libolo knocked off visiting Esperance de Tunis 1-0 in opening contest of Group B play.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

MLS: Draws Galore; Fire Scorch Hapless DCU; Revs Knock Off Crew In Columbus

Eight games were played in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

At Seattle:

DeAndre Yedlin's hat trick in the 65th minute lifted the Seattle Sounders to a 1-1 home draw with the Colorado Rapids.  Drew Moor scored for the visitors in the 60th minute.

At Toronto:

The New York Red Bulls battled home-standing Toronto FC to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Montreal:

Visiting FC Dallas held the Montreal Impact to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Columbus, Ohio:

Goals in second-half stoppage time from Jose Goncalves (90'+1) and Diego Fagundez (90'+4) carried the New England Revolution to a 2-0 road win over the Columbus Crew.

At Chester, Pennsylvania:

In a match in which the start of the second half was delayed for an hour due to lightning, the Portland Timbers held the home-standing Philadelphia Union to a 0-0 draw.

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Chris Rolfe scored twice (2', 45'+1) as the Chicago Fire dominated visiting DC United 4-1.

At Sandy, Utah:

Ike Opara scored the winning goal in second-half stoppage time (90'+7) as Sporting Kansas City came from behind and upended hosts (and ten-man) Real Salt Lake 2-1.

At Carson, California:

Gyasi Zardes scored the winning goal  in the 57th minute as the Los Angeles Galaxy came from behind to overtake the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1.

MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Kansas City (GP: 21; GF: 31; GD: +11; PTS: 36)
2. Montreal (GP: 19; GF: 31; GD: +2; PTS: 32)
3. New York (GP: 21; GF: 29; GD: +5; PTS: 32)
4. Philadelphia (GP: 21; GF: 32; GD: +2; PTS: 31)
5. Houston (GP: 19; GF: 22; GD: +3; PTS: 29)
6. New England (GP: 20; GF: 25; GD: +7; PTS: 27)
7. Chicago (GP: 19; GF: 24; GD: -5; PTS: 24)
8. Columbus (GP: 20; GF: 23; GD: -2; PTS: 23)
9. Toronto FC (GP: 20; GF: 17; GD: -11; PTS: 14)
10. DC United (GP: 20; GF: 9; GD: -24; PTS: 10)

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Real Salt Lake (GP: 21; GF: 33; GD: +13; PTS: 37)
2. Portland (GP: 20; GF: 30; GD: +12; PTS: 34)
3. Los Angeles (GP: 21; GF: 32; GD: +7; PTS: 33)
4. Vancouver (GP: 20; GF: 33; GD: +5; PTS: 32)
5. FC Dallas (GP: 21; GF: 27; GD: 0; PTS 32)
6. Colorado (GP: 22; GF: 26; GD: +2; PTS: 31)
7. Seattle (GP: 18; GF: 22; GD: +1; PTS: 25)
8. San Jose (GP: 21; GF: 21; GD: -11; PTS: 24)
9. Chivas USA (GP: 20; GF: 18; GD: -17; PTS: 17)

CONCACAF Gold Cup: El Tri, Panama Advance To Semifinals

The quarterfinal round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup got under way on Saturday with two games played at Atlanta.

In the opener, Gabriel Torres (PK-25', 37') and Blas Perez (78', 88') each scored twice as Panama blasted emotionally-spent Cuba 5-1.

In the second match, Raul Jiminez scored the only goal of the match in the 84th minute as Mexico held off Trinidad and Tobago 1-0.

The Panamanians and El Tri will face each other on Wednesday in the opening match of the semifinal round at Arlington, Texas at 4:00 PM Pacific Time (Fox Soccer).

CAF Champions League: Orlando Pirates Held To Scoreless Home Draw In Johannesburg

At Johannesburg, South Africa:

The contest between Orlando Pirates and the Republic of the Congo's visiting AC Leopards ended in a 0-0 Group A stalemate as CAF Champions League group-stage action commenced on Saturday with this one contest.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Europa League Draw

The draw for the third round of Europa League qualifying took place at Nyon, Switzerland on Friday.

The opening contests will take place on August 1 with the return matches to be played on August 8 (subject, of course, to change).

The game-one hosts are listed first.

Chornomorets Odessa-Dacia Chisinau winner vs. Red Star Belgrade-IBV winner

FC Irtysh Pavlodar-Siroki Brijeg winner vs. Udinese (Italy)

Ventspils-Jeunesse Esch winner vs. Maccabi Haifa-Khazar Lankaran winner

Dinamo Minsk-Lokomotiva Zagreb winner vs. Trabzonspor-Derry City winner

Slask Wroclaw-Rudar Pljevlja winner vs. Club Brugge (Belgium)

IFK Gothenburg-Trencin winner vs. Astra Giurgiu-Omonia winner

Swansea City (based in Wales but plays in England's Premier League and represents England) vs. Malmo FF-Hibernian winner

Petrolul Ploiesti-Vikingur winner vs. Vitesse Arnhem  (Netherlands)

Skonto-Slovan Liberec winner vs. FC Zurich (Switzerland)

Hodd-Aktobe winner vs. Breidablik-Sturm Graz winner

Randers FC (Denmark) vs. Jagodina-Rubin Kazan winner

Zalgiris Vilnius-Pyunik winner vs. Honka-Lech Poznan winner

Sevilla (Spain) vs. Mladost Podgorica-Senica winner

Hajduk Split-Turnovo winner vs. Dila Gori-Aalborg BK winner

Kukesi-FK Sarajevo winner vs. Metaluhr Donetsk (Ukraine)

Levadia Tallinn-Pandurii Targu Jiu winner vs. Beroe Stara Zagora-Hapoel Tel Aviv winner

Tromso IL-Inter Baku winner vs. FC Differdange 03-FC Utrecht winner

Motherwell (Scotland) vs. FC Kuban Krasnodar (Russia)

Saint-Etienne (France) vs. Shakhtyor Salihorsk-Milsami Orhei winner

Jablonec (Czech Republic) vs. Stromgodset-Debreceni VSC winner

FC Qarabag-Piast Gliwice winner vs. Anorthosis-Gefle winner

Rijeka-Prestatyn Town winner vs. Olimpia Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Asteras Tripolis (Greece) vs. Rapid Vienna (Austria)

Zrinjski Mostar-Botev Plovdiv winner vs. VfB Stuttgart (Germany)

Estoril (Portugal) vs. Hapoel Ramat Gan (Israel)

Vojvodina-Honved winner vs. Bursaspor (Turkey)

Xanthi-Linfield winner vs. KR Reykjavik-Standard Liege winner

Sparta Prague-BK Hacken winner vs. FC Thun-Chikhura Sachkhere winner

Valletta FC-FC Minsk winner vs. Rosenborg-St. Johnstone winner