Sunday, November 30, 2014

MLS Cup Playoffs: Sounders Foiled Again As Junino Puts Galaxy Into Cup Final Against Revs (At StubHub Center) On Away Goals

At Seattle:

Juninho scored the series-winning goal in the 54th minute on Sunday night as the Los Angeles Galaxy, despite dropping a 2-1 game-two road decision to the Seattle Sounders, won Major League Soccer's Western Conference Final on away goals with the aggregate score at 2-2, spoiling goals from the Sounders' Brad Evans (26') and Clint Dempsey (32').

The Galaxy will host the New England Revolution in their ninth MLS Cup Final next Sunday at the StubHub Center in Carson, California (12:00 Noon Pacific Time, ESPN).

The Galaxy will look to become the first team to win five MLS Cup Finals while the Revs will look to win their first title, in this, their fifth Cup Final appearance.

Saturday, November 29, 2014

MLS Cup Playoffs: Charlie Davies Scores Twice As Revs Finish Off Red Bulls, Reach First Cup Final Since '07

At Foxborough, Massachusetts:

Charlie Davies scored twice (41', 70') on Saturday as the New England Revolution gained a 2-2 home draw in the second match of their two-game Major League Soccer Eastern Conference playoff final with the New York Red Bulls and won the series 4-3 on aggregate.

The Revolution will play in their fifth MLS Cup Final next Sunday against the Los Angeles-Seattle series winner.  The Revs have come up empty in all four of their previous appearances (2002 and 2005 against the Los Angeles Galaxy; 2006 and 2007 against the Houston Dynamo).

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Europa League

24 games were played on Thursday as Europa League group-stage action resumed.

Group A:

At Villarreal, Spain:

Luciano Vietto (26') and Denis Cheryshev (63') provided the scoring as Villarreal salvaged a 2-2 home draw with Borussia Monchengladbach.  Raffael Caetano de Araujo (55') and Granit Xhaka (67') each tallied once for the group-leading German club.

At Zurich, Switzerland:

Yassine Chikhaoui converted two penalty kicks (39', 59') as  FC Zurich defeated visiting Apollon Limassol 3-1, knocking the Cypriot club out of European competition.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1.    Borussia Dortmund (GP: 5; +7; PTS: 9)
2.    Villarreal (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 8)
3.    FC Zurich (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
4. z-Apollon Limassol (GP: 5; GD: -12; PTS: 3)

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group B:

At Turin, Italy:

Torino battled visiting Club Brugge to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Helsinki, Finland:

Macoumba Kandji scored the game-winning goal in the second minute of second-half stoppage time as HJK Helsinki eliminated visiting FC Copenhagen 2-1.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1.   Club Brugge (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 9)
2.   Torino (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 8) 
3.   HJK Helsinki (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 6)
4. z-FC Copenhagen (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 4)

z-Eliminated from tournament




Group C:

At London:

Benjamin Stambouli scored the only goal of the match in the 49th minute as Tottenham Hotspur to lock up a berth in the knockout stage.

At Tripoli, Greece:

Demba Ba (15') and Gokhan Tore (PK-61') each scored once for Besiktas, whom despite blowing a two-goal lead and settling for a 2-2 road draw with Asteras Tripoli, still clinched a berth in the knockout stage.  Jeronimo Barrales (72') and Facundo Parra (83') each scored a goal for the Greek club, who were still eliminated from European competition.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. x-Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 11)
2. x-Besiktas (GP: 5; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
3. z-Asteras Tripoli (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 5)
4. z-Partizan Belgrade (GP: 5; GD: -8; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group D:

At Glasgow, Scotland:
Alan Carvalho scored twice (8', 13') as FC Red Bull Salzburg held off Celtic 3-1 on the road.  Despite the defeat, the Bhoys still laid claim to a knockout-stage berth and will join their Austrian guests in the Round of 32.

At Giurgiu, Romania:

Sadat Bukari scored the only goal of the match as FC Astra Giurgiu knocked off Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 and eliminated the Croatian club from the tournament.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. xx-FC Red Bull Salzburg (GP: 5; GD: +9; PTS: 13)
2.   x-Celtic (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 8)
3.   z-FC Astra Giurgiu (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 4)
4.   z-Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 3)

xx-Won Group D and clinched berth in knockout stage

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group E:

At Khimki, Russia:

William Vainqueur (55') and Aleksei Ionov (61') delivered the goals as Dynamo Moscow locked up the Group E title with a 2-1 home win over Panathinaikos.

At Estoril, Portugal:

In a match that was suspended on Thursday due to heavy rainfall but was concluded on Friday, Memphis Depay (6'), Luciano Narsingh (14'), and Georginio Wijnaldum (82') each scored a goal as PSV Eindhoven blew a two-goal lead, fell behind, but came back to gain a 3-3 road draw with Estoril and locked up a berth in the knockout stage. Toze (12'), Kuca (30'), and Diogo Amado (39') each socred goal for the now-eliminated Portuguese club.

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. xx-Dynamo Moscow (GP: 5; GD: +5; PTS: 15)
2.   x-PSV Eindhoven (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 8) 
3.   z-Estoril (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4.    z-Panathinaikos (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

xx-Won Group E and clinched berth in knockout stage
x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group F:

At Milan, Italy:

Dani Osvaldo scored the winning goal in the 50th minute as Inter Milan won the Group F title with their 2-1 home win over FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

At Saint-Etienne, France:

Ricky van Wolfswinkel's equalizer in the 21st minute enabled Saint-Etienne to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Qarabag FK.  Ruslan Rotan scored in the 16th minute for the Azerbaijani club.

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. xx-Inter Milan (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 11)
2.      Qarabag FK (GP: 5; GD: -2; PTS: 5)
3.      Saint-Etienne (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 5)
4.      FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (GP: 5; GD: -2; PTS: 4)

xx-Won Group F and clinched berth in knockout stage

Group G:

At Rijeka, Croatia:

Moises Lima Magalhaes (26') and Andrej Kramaric (PK-34') delivered the goals as HNK Rijeka defeated visiting Standard Liege 2-1 and knocked the Belgian club our of the tournament.

At Rotterdam, Netherlands:

Jens Toornstra (56') and Karim El Ahmadi (83') produced the goals that enabled Feyenoord Rotterdam to clinch a berth in the knockout stage with their 2-0 home blanking of defending Europa League titlists Sevilla.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. x-Feyenoord Rotterdam (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 9)
2.    Sevilla (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 8)
3.    HNK Rijeka (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. z-Standard Liege (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 4)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage
z-Eliminated from tournament


Group H:
At Krasnodar, Russia:

Nolan Roux delivered the equalizer in the 79th minute as LOSC Lille Metropole kept their slim hopes of advancing alive with their 1-1 road draw with FC Krasnodar.  Ariclenes da Silva Ferreira scored in the 35th minute for the now-eliminated Russian club.

At Wolfsburg, Germany:

Romelu Lukaku (43') and Kevin Mirallas (76') each scored a goal as Everton locked up the Group H crown with a 2-0 road win over VfL Wolfsburg.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. xx-Everton (GP: 5; GD: +8; PTS: 11)
2.      VfL Wolfsburg (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
3.      LOSC Lille Metropole (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
4.   z-FC Krasnodar (GP: 5; GD: -6; PTS: 3)

xx-Won Group H and clinched berth in knockout stage
z-Eliminated from tournament


Group I:
At Bratislava, Slovakia:

Yuya Kubo scored twice (18', 63') as BSC Young Boys defeated FC Slovan Bratislava 3-1 on the road.

At Prague, Czech Republic:

The match between Sparta Prague and visiting Napoli ended in a 0-0 deadlock, which locked up a knockout-stage berth for the Italian club.

GROUP I STANDINGS:

1. x-Napoli (GP: 5; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
2.    Sparta Prague (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 10)
3.    BSC Young Boys (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 9)
4. z-FC Slovan Bratislava (GP: 5; GD: -16; PTS: 0)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group J:

At Aalborg, Denmark:

Thomas Enevoldsen scored the only goal of the match in the 72nd minute as Aalborg BK moved into second place in Group J following their 1-0 home win over Steaua Bucharest.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Jeremain Lens (53') and Miguel Veloso (78') each scored a goal as Dynamo Kiev locked up a berth in the knockout stage by blanking visiting Rio Ave 2-0.

GROUP J STANDINGS:

1. x-Dynamo Kiev (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 12)
2.    Aalborg BK (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 9)
3.    Steaua Bucharest (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 7)
4. z-Rio Ave (GP: 5; GD: -7; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group K:

At Barysaw, Belarus:

Stefanos Athanasiadis scored twice (82', 88') as PAOK FC defeated already-eliminated Dinamo Minsk 2-0 on the road. 

At Guingamp, France:

Marko Marin (6') and Khouma Babacar (13') produced the goalpower that carried Fiorentina to a 2-1 road win over Guingamp as the Italian club locked up the Group K title.

GROUP K STANDINGS:

1. xx-Fiorentina (GP: 5; GD: +8; PTS: 13)
2.      Guingamp (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
3.      PAOK FC (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 7)
4.   z-FC Dinamo Minsk (GP: 5; GD: -12; PTS: 1)

xx-Won Group K and clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group L:

At Trabzon, Turkey:

Mehmet Ekici scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 86th minute as Trabzonspor clinched a berth in the knockout stage with a 3-1 home win over FC Metalist Kharkiv.

At Lokeren, Belgium:
Hans Vanaken scored the only goal of the match in the seventh minute as Lokeren knocked off knockout-stage-bound Legia Warsaw 1-0 at home.  The win did the Belgian club no good, though, as because of Trabzonspor's win over Metalist, they were still eliminated from the tournament.

GROUP L STANDINGS:

1. x-Legia Warsaw (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 12)
2. x-Trabzonspor (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
3.     Lokeren (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
4. z-FC Metalist Kharkiv (GP: 5; GD: -6; PTS: 0)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament

  


Wednesday, November 26, 2014

UEFA Champions League, Group D: Gunners Top Dortmund To Clinch Knockout Stage Berth; Anderlecht Top Galatasaray, Qualify For Europa League Round of 32

Two UEFA Champions League Group G games were played on Wednesday.

At Brussels, Belgium:

Chancel Mbemba Mangulu scored twice (44', 86', that's him celebrating after his second goal) as RSC Anderlecht assured themselves of Europa League knockout-stage action with their 2-0 blanking of Galatasaray, eliminating the visiting Turkish club from European competition.

AFP/Getty Images photo

At London:
Champions League - Arsenal progress with victory over Dortmund
Yaya Sanogo (2') and Alexis Sanchez (57',that's him celebrating) produced the goals as Arsenal laid claim to a berth in the knockout stage for the fifteenth consecutive season following their 2-0 home win over fellow Sweet-Sixteen entrants Borussia Dortmund.

Photo from Yahoo-Eurosport website

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. x-Borussia Dortmund (GP: 5; GD: +10; PTS: 12)
2. x-Arsenal (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
3. o-RSC Anderlecht (GP: 5; GD: -2; PTS: 5)
4. z-Galatasaray (GP: 5; GD: -12; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in Champions League knockout stage

o-Eliminated from Champions League but clinched berth in Europa League knockout stage

z-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League, Group C: Zenit Knock Eagles Out Of Tournamen; Monaco Top Sweet-Sixteen-Bound Leverkusen On Road

Wednesday saw two matches contested in Group C of the UEFA Champions League.

At Saint Petersburg, Russia:
Danny delights Zenit and knocks out Benfica
Danny scored the only goal of the match in the 79th minute as Zenit Saint Petersburg defeated visiting SL Benfica 1-0, eliminating the Portuguese club from the tournament and, in fact, European competition. Here, we see the Eagles' Jardel tackles Zenit's Jose Rondon.


At Leverkusen, Germany:

Lucas Ocampos scored the only goal of the match in the 72nd minute (that's him celebrating after scoring) as AS Monaco defeated group-leading and knockout-stage-bound Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 on the road.

AFP/Getty Images photos

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. x-Bayer Leverkusen (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
2.    AS Monaco (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 8)
3.    Zenit Saint Petersburg (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. z-SL Benfica (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 4)

x-Clinched berth in the knockout stage

z-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League, Group B: Cristiano Ronaldo Provides Lone Goal In Galacticos Win Over Basel As Real Wins Group; Ludogorets and Liverpool Draw; Bulgarian Club Eliminated

Two UEFA Champions League contests were played in Group B on Wednesday.

At Sofia, Bulgaria:

Rickie Lambert (8')and Jordan Henderson (37') each scored a goal as Liverpool settled for a 2-2 road draw with Ludogorets Razgrad.  Dani Abalo (3') and Georgi Terziev (88', seen here, second from left) delivered the goals for the Bulgarian club, who were still eliminated from the tournament.

Getty Images photo

At Basel, Switzerland:

Cristiano Ronaldo (that's him, fourth from left, celebrating) scored the only goal of the match in the 35th minute as Real Madrid locked up top spot in Group B with their 1-0 road win over FC Basel.

AFP/Getty Images photo


GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. xx-Real Madrid (GP: 5; GD: +10; PTS: 15)
2.      FC Basel (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 6)
3.      Liverpool (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 4)
4.   z-PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 4)

xx-Won Group B and clinced knockout-stage berth in Champions League

z-Eliminated from Champions League but still alive for Europa League knockout-stage berth

UEFA Champions League, Group A: Super Mario Carries Mattress Makers In Knockout Stage; Juve Knock Out Malmo In Sweden

Action from Match Day #5 in the UEFA Champions League continued with eight Wednesday games, two of them taking place in Group A.

At Madrid:
Mandžukić takes Atlético through in style
Mario Mandzukic provided a natural hat trick (38', 62', 65') as Atletico Madrid locked up a berth in the knockout stage with their 4-0 home demolition of Olymiacos. Raul Garcia is show here celebrating after scoring the Mattress Makers' first goal in the ninth minute.

Getty Images photo

At Malmo, Sweden:

Fernando Llorente (49', that's him celebrating with Arturo Vidal after tallying) Carlos Tevez (88') provided the scoring that lifted Juventus to a 2-0 road win over Malmo FF, eliminating the Swedish club from the tournament while putting themselves on the cusp of advancing to the Champions League's knockout stage.

AFP/Getty Images photo

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. x-Atletico Madrid (GP: 5; GD: +11; PTS: 12)
2.    Juventus (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
3.    Olympiacos (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 6)
4.  z-Malmo FF (GP: 5; GD: -9; PTS: 3)

x-Clinched berth in Champions League knockout stage

z-Eliminated from Champions League, but still alive for Europa League knockout-stage berth

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

UEFA Champions League, Group H: Dragons Seal BATE's CL Fate With Dominating Second Half In Belarus

Two Group H contests took place in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

At Barsaw, Belerus:
Herrera pulls the strings as Porto march on
Hector Herrera (56', that's him on the left), Jackson Martinez (65'), and Cristian Tello (85') each delivered a second-half goal as FC Porto broke open what was at halftime a scoreless stalemate and ended up blowing out FC BATE Borisov 3-0 on the road, ending any hope the Belorussian club had of advancing to the Champions League's knockout stage while locking up the Group H title themselves.

AFP/Getty Images photo

At Lviv, Ukraine:

Mikel San Jose scored the only goal of the match as Athletic Bilbao (shown here celebrating their victory) defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 on the road.

AFP/Getty Images photo

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. xx-FC Porto (GP: 5; GD: +12; PTS: 13)
2.   x-Shakhtar Donetsk (GP: 5; GD: +11; PTS: 8)
3.   z-Athletic Bilbao (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
4.   z-FC BATE Borisov (GP: 5; GD: -20; PTS: 3)

xx-Won Group H and clinched a berth in the Champions League's knockout stage

x-Clinched berth in Champions League's knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament, but still alive for Europa League knockout-stage berth

UEFA Champions League, Group F: Chelsea Way Too Much For Schalke; Lions Top Maribor At Home, Eliminate Slovenian Club

Two games were played in Group G of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

At Gelsenkirchen, Germany:

Five different goal scorers---John Terry (2'), Willian (29'), Jan Kirchoff (OG-44'), Didier Drogba (76', that's him celebrating at game's end), and Ramires (78')---each tallied once as Chelsea destroyed Schalke 5-0 on the road and clinched top spot in Group G.

Getty Images photo

At Lisbon:

Carlos Mane (10'), Nani (35'), and Islam Slimani (65',that's him celebrating with teammates after scoring) each delivered a goal as Sporting CP climbed into second place in Group G following their 3-1 home win over NK Maribor, eliminating the Slovenian club from the tournament.

AFP/Getty Images photo

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. xx-Chelsea (GP: 5; GD: +12; PTS: 11)
2.      Sporting CP (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
3.      FC Schalke 04 (GP: 5; GD: -6; PTS: 5)
4.   z-NK Maribor (GP: 5; GD: -8; PTS: 3)

xx-Won Group G and clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament but still alive for Europa League knockout-stage berth


UEFA Champions League, Group F: Leo The Lion Becomes King Of The Champions League As Barca Demolishes APOEL; PSG Wins Too

Tuesday saw two games played in Group F of the UEFA Champions League.

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Lionel Messi delivered a natural hat trick (38', 58', 87', that's him celebrating after completing his triple) and became the all-time leading goal scorer in European Cup/Champions League history with 74 as Barcelona demolished APOEL FC 4-0 on the road.

At Paris:

Edinson Cavani (that's him here) scored twice (33', 83') and Zlatan Irbrahimovic once (78') as Paris Saint-Germain dominated visiting Ajax Amsterdam 3-0.

AFP/Getty Images photos

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. x-Paris Saint-Germain (GP: 5; GD: +5; PTS: 13)
2. x-FC Barcelona (GP: 5; GD: +8; PTS: 12)
3. z-Ajax Amsterdam (GP: 5; GD: -6; PTS: 2)
4. z-APOEL FC (GP: 5; GD: -7; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament but still alive for Europa League knockout-stage berth


UEFA Champions League, Group E: Roma and Horses Draw In Russia; Sergio Aguero Hat Trick Powers Citizens Past Stunned Bayern

Group-stage play in the UEFA Champions League resumed on Tuesday with eight games, two of them in Group E.

At Khimki, Russia:
Berezutski and CSKA foil Roma at the last
Vasili Berezutski's late equalizer (90'+3) enabled CSKA Moscow to salvage a 1-1 home draw with AS Roma.  Francesco Totti (that's him battling with the Horses' Aleskandrs Cauna, left) scored for the visiting Italian club in the 43rd minute.

AFP/Getty Images photo

At Manchester, England:
Agüero grabs stunning win against ten-man Bayern
Sergio Aguero delivered a hat trick (PK-22', 85', 90'+1) as Manchester City came from behind to upend visiting Bayern Munich 3-2.  That's Sergio, celebrating his game winner with teammates.

Getty Images photo

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. xx-Bayern Munich (GP: 5; GD: +9; PTS: 12)
2.      Manchester City (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 5)
3.      AS Roma (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 5)
4.      CSKA Moscow (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 5)

xx-Won Group E and clinched a berth in the knockout stage

Sunday, November 23, 2014

MLS Cup Playoffs: Revs, Galaxy Take Series Openers

The Major League Soccer Cup Playoffs resumed on Sunday with the opening contest of each of the respective conference finals.

At Harrison, New Jersey:

Jermaine Jones scored the winning goal in the 86th minute as the New England Revolution took the opening match of the Eastern Conference Final 2-1 on the road over the New York Red Bulls.



At Carson, California:

Marcelo Sarvas scored the only goal of the match in the 52nd minute as the Los Angeles Galaxy bested the visiting Seattle Sounders 1-0 in game one of the Western Conference Final.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

MLS Dispersal Draft: Hoops Select Dan Kennedy; Only Seven Goats Selected, All In The First Round

In Wednesday's Major League Soccer dispersal draft of players from the roster of the late Club Deportivo Chivas USA, goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, the jewel of the Goats' roster,  was selected first by FC Dallas.

Dan was one of only seven former Goats selected in the draft.  Los Angeles' other MLS club was dissolved last month.

The other players selected:

Matthew Dunn, midfielder, selected by the New York City Football Club, one of two expansion clubs set to start play in 2015.

Thomas McNamara, forward/midfielder, selected by DC United.

Danny Toia, defender, selected by the Montreal Impact.

Caleb Calvert, forward, selected by the Colorado Rapids.

Kristopher Tyrpak, forward, selected by the San Jose Earthquakes.

Marco Delgado, midfielder/defender, selected by Toronto FC.

All of the aforementioned players were selected in the first round, with all 20 surviving clubs (including both expansion clubs NYCFC and Orlando City SC) passing in the second round.

No included for selection in the draft was forward Erick Cubo Torres, who returned to Chivas of Guadalajara.

Monday, November 10, 2014

MLS Cup Playoffs: Scoreless Home Draw In Game Two Good Enough For Sounders As Seattle Eliminates FC Dallas To Get Crack At Galaxy For West Title (And Chance To Host Cup Final)

At Seattle:

A 0-0 Monday home deadlock against FC Dallas in the second match of their two-game Major League Soccer Western Conference semifinal series enabled the Seattle Sounders to advance on away goals with the aggregate score at 1-1. 

Here's the schedule for the MLS Cup conference finals:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Harrison, New Jersey:

New York Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution, Game #1, Sunday, November 23 @ 10:30 AM Pacific Time (NBC)

At Foxborough, Massachusetts:

New England vs. New York, Game #2, Saturday, November 28 @ 12:00 Noon, PST (NBCSN)



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Carson, California:

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders FC, Game #1, Sunday, November 23 @ 2:00 PM PST (ESPN)

At Seattle:

Seattle vs. Los Angeles, Game #2, Sunday November 30 @ 6:00 PM PST (ESPN)

The two conference final winners will meet in the MLS Cup Final at the home of the higher-seeded club on Sunday, December 7 @ 12:00 Noon Pacific Time on ESPN.

Sunday, November 09, 2014

MLS Cup Playoffs: Revs, Galaxy Demolish Respective Opponents, Advance To Conference Finals; New England To Get Red Bulls Next

Action in the Major League Soccer Cup Playoffs continued on Sunday with two games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Foxborough, Massachusetts:

Goals from Lee Nguyen (43'), Jose Goncalves, and Teal Bunbury carried the New England Revolution to a 3-1 game-two home victory over the nine-man Columbus Crew and a 7-3 two-game conference semifinal series aggregate victory.  The Revs will take on the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference final.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Carson, California:

Landon Donovan delivered a hat trick (11', 55', 72') as the Los Angeles Galaxy destroyed visiting Real Salt Lake 5-0 in game two of their conference semifinal series and took their series by that same score on aggregate.  The Galaxy will next take on the Seattle-Dallas winner in the Western Conference final.

Saturday, November 08, 2014

MLS Cup Playoffs: Red Bulls Knock Off DC United To Advance To East Final

At Washington:

Peguy Luyindula scored a critical goal in the 57th minute on Saturday as the New York Red Bulls, despite dropping a 2-1 road decision in game two of their Major League Soccer Cup Playoff Eastern Conference semifinal series with DC United, ousted the conference's top-seeded club 3-2 on aggregate, having finally ousted the capital city's club in MLS Cup playoff action on their fifth attempt.

Thursday, November 06, 2014

Europa League

The second half of Europa League group-stage action opened on Thursday with 24 games.

Group A:

At Zurich, Switzerland:

Yassine Chikhaoui scored the winning goal for FC Zurich in the 29th minute in a match in which all five goals were scored in the first half-hour.  The hosts defeated visiting Villarreal 3-2.

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Raffael Caetano de Araujo (56') and Patrick Herrmann (90'+5) delivered the goals as Borussia Monchengladbach defeated Apollon Limassol 2-0 on the road.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Borussia Monchengladbach (GP: 4; GD: +7; PTS: 8)
2. Villarreal (GP: 4; GD: +6; PTS: 7)
3. FC Zurich (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
4. Apollon Limassol (GP: 4; GD: -10; PTS: 3)



Group B:

At Helsinki, Finland:

Valtteri Moren scored the winning goal inthe 81st minute as HJK Helsinki knocked off visiting Torino 2-1.

At Copenhagen, Denmark:

Lior Relaelov delivered a natural first-half hat trick (7', 30', 36') as Club Brugge demolished FC Copenhagen 4-0 on the road.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Club Brugge (GP: 4; GD: +7; PTS: 8)
2. Torino FC (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
3. FC Copenhagen (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
4. HJK Helsinki (GP: 4; GD: -6; PTS: 3)



Group C:

At Tripoli, Greece:

Harry Kane scored the game winner in the 42nd minute as Tottenham Hotspur defeated Asteras Tripoli 2-1 on the road.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Demba Ba scored twice (PK-57', 62') as Besiktas defeated visiting Partizan Belgrade 2-1 and eliminated the Serbian club from the tournament and European competition.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1.    Besiktas (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 8)
2.    Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 8)
3.    Asteras Tripoli (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
4. z-Partizan Belgrade (GP: 4; GD: -7; PTS: 1)

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group D:

At Giurgiu, Romania:

William Amorim's equalizer in the 79th minute enabled FC Astra Giurgiu to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Celtic.  The draw did the Romanian club no good as they were eliminated from the tournament.  Stefan Johansen scored for the Bhoys in the 32nd minute.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Jonathan Soriano delivered a hat trick (40', 64', 85') as FC Red Bull Salzburg clinched a berth in the knockout stage with their 5-1 road demolition of Dinamo Zagreb.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. x-FC Red Bull Salzburg (GP: 4; GD: +7; PTS: 10)
2.    Celtic (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 8)
3.    Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. z-FC Astra Giurgiu (GP: 4; GD: -6; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group E:

At Khimki, Russia:

Kevin Kuranyi scored the only goal in the 77th minute as Dynamo Moscow laid claim to a berth in the knockout stage with a 1-0 home victory over Estoril.

At Athens:

Georginio Wijnaldum scored the winning goal in the 78th minute as PSV Eindhoven knocked Panathinaikos out of the tournament 3-2 on the road.

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. x-Dynamo Moscow (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 12)
2.     PSV Eindhoven (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
3.     Estoril (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4.  z-Panathinaikos (GP: 4; GD: -4; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group F:

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

Nikola Kalinic scored twice (15', 73') as FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk defeated Qarabag FK 2-1 on the road.

At Saint-Etienne, France:

Moustapha Bayal Sall's 50th-minute equalizer lifted Saint-Etienne to a 1-1 home draw with Inter Milan.  Dodo scored for the Nerazzurri in the 33rd minute.

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Inter Milan (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 8)
2. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
3. Qarabag FK (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
4. Saint-Etienne (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 4)



Group G:

At Rotterdam, Netherlands:

Karim El Ahmadi (8') and Lex Immers (20') each delivered a goal as Feyenoord Rotterdam blanked visiting HNK Rijeka 2-0.

At Seville, Spain:

Jose Antonio Reyes scored what proved to be the game winner in the 41st minute as Sevilla defeated visiting Standard Liege 3-1.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Sevilla (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 8)
2. Feyenoord Rotterdam (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 6)
3. Standard Liege (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. HNK Rijeka (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 4)



Group H:

At Wolfsburg, Germany:

Aaron Hunt (47', 57') and Nicklas Bendtner (PK-89', 90'+1) each scored twice in the second half as VfL Wolfsburg hammered visiting FC Krasnodar 5-1.

At Liverpool, England:

Leon Osman (27'), Phil Jagielka (42'), and Steven Naismith (61') each delivered a goal as Everton dominated visiting LOSC Lille Metropole 3-0.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. Everton (GP: 4; GD: +6; PTS: 8)
2. VfL Wolfsburg (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. LOSC Lille Metropole (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. FC Krasnodar (GP: 4; GD: -6; PTS: 2)



Group I:

At Prague, Czech Republic:

David Lafata scored twice (29', 84') as Sparta Prague demolished visiting FC Slovan Bratislava 4-0, eliminating the Slovakian club from the tournament while staying level on points with Napoli for first place in Group I.

At Naples, Italy:

Jonathan De Guzman's hat trick (45'+2, 65', 83') provided all the scoring in Napoli's 3-0 home domination of BSC Young Boys.

GROUP I STANDINGS:

1.    Napoli (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
2.    Sparta Prague (GP: 4; GD: +7; PTS: 9)
3.    BSC Young Boys (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
4. z-FC Slovan Bratislava (GP: 4; GD: -14; PTS: 0)

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group J:

At Kiev, Ukarine:

Domagoj Vida (70') and Oleh Husyev (90'+3) provided the scoring as Dynamo Kiev blanked visiting Aalborg BK 2-0.

At Vila do Conde, Portugal:

Claudiu Keseru (61') and Lucian Filip (90'+4) provided the goals that carried Steaua Bucharest to a 2-2 road draw with Rio Ave.  Diego Lopes provided both goals (35', PK-77') for the now-eliminated Portuguese club.

GROUP J STANDINGS:

1.    Dynamo Kiev (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 9) 
2.    Steaua Bucharest (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS; 7)
3.    Aalborg BK (GP: 4; GD; -4; PTS: 6)   
4. z-Rio Ave (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

z-Eliminated from tournament



Group K:

At Guingamp, France:

Claudio Beauvue (44') and Christophe Mandanne (86') each delivered a goal to carry Guingamp to a 2-0 home win over Dinamo Minsk.

At Florence, Italy:

Manuel Pasqual equalized in the 88th minute and lifted Fiorentina to a 1-1 home draw with PAOK FC.  Maarten Martens scored in the 81st minute for the Greek club.

GROUP K STANDINGS:

1. x-Fiorentina (GP:4; GD: +7; PTS: 10)
2.     Guingamp (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
3.     PAOK FC (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
4.     FC Dinamo Minsk (GP: 4; GD: -10; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage



Group L:

At Lokoren, Belgium:

Abdul Majeed Waris delivered the equalizer in the second minute of first-half stoppage time to carry Trabzonspor to a 1-1 road draw with Lokeren.  Ayanda Patosi scored in the fifth minute for the Belgian club.

At Warsaw, Poland:

Ondrej Duda scored the winning goal in the 84th minute as Legia Warsaw locked up a berth in the knockout stage by eliminating visiting FC Metalist Kharkiv 2-1.

GROUP L STANDINGS:

1. x-Legia Warsaw (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 12)
2.    Trabzonspor (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
3.    Lokoren (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
4. z-FC Metalist Kharkiv (GP: 4; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament