Sunday, August 30, 2015

MLS: Sunday Rivalry Wins For Sounders, Red Bulls

Two games were contested in Major League Soccer on Sunday.

At Seattle:

Obafemi Martins (6') and Brad Evans (PK-42') delivered the scoring as the Seattle Sounders held off the visiting Portland Timbers 2-1 in a Cascadia Cup clash.

At Harrison, New Jersey:

Bradley Wright-Phillips scored twice (42', 64') as the New York Red Bulls manhandled visiting DC United 3-0 to reclaim the Atlantic Cup.

MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   DC United (GP: 28; GD: +1; PTS: 44)
2.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 25; GD: +15; PTS: 42)
3.   Columbus (GP: 27; GD: +1; PTS: 41)
4.   Toronto FC (GP: 25; GD: +2; PTS: 37)
5.   New England (GP: 26; GD: -1; PTS: 37)
6.   Orlando City SC (GP: 27; GD: -14; PTS: 29)
7.   Montreal (GP: 23; GD: -4; PTS: 28)
8.   New York City FC (GP: 27; GD: -8; PTS: 28)
9.   Chicago (GP: 26; GD: -7; PTS: 27)
10. Philadelphia (GP: 27; GD: -11; PTS: 27)

NOTES:  With Toronto FC and New England level on points (37), the Reds have more wins (11) than the Revolution (10); with Montreal and New York City level on points with 28, the Impact have more wins (eight) than NYC FC (seven); with Chicago and Philadelphia level on points (27) and wins (seven apiece), the Fire have the superior goal differential (-7, to the Union's -11).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Los Angeles (GP: 28; GD: +16; PTS: 46)
2.   Vancouver (GP: 27; GD: +8; PTS: 45)
3.   FC Dallas (GP: 25; GD: +5; PTS: 41)
4.   Kansas City (GP: 25; GD: +5; PTS: 40)
5.   Portland (GP: 27; GD: -3; PTS: 40)
6.   Seattle (GP: 27; GD: +2; PTS: 38)
7.   San Jose (GP: 26; GD: +3; PTS: 38)
8.   Houston (GP: 27; GD: +1; PTS: 35)
9.   Colorado (GP: 26; GD: -2; PTS: 33)
10. Real Salt Lake (GP: 27; GD: -11; PTS: 32)

NOTES:  With Kansas City and Portland level on points (40) and wins (11), Sporting have the superior goal differential (+5, to the Timbers' -3); with Seattle and San Jose level on points (38), the Sounders have more wins (12, to the Earthquakes' 11).


Lost August...........

Means lost job.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

MLS: Reds, Crew, Revs, Dynamo, Hoops, Rapids Gather Saturday Wins; Lions And Fire Battle To Weather-Delayed 1-1 Draw In Orlando

Seven games were contested in Major League Soccer on Saturday.


At New York:

Justin Meram scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute as the Columbus Crew knocked off New York City 2-1 before 30,018 fans at Yankee Stadium.

At Toronto:

Michael Bradley (35') and Jozy Altidore (55') each found the back of the net as Toronto FC defeated the visiting Montreal Impact 2-1.

At Chester, Pennsylvania:

Diego Fagundez scored the only goal of the match in the 51st minute as the New England Revolution defeated the Philadelphia Union 1-0 on the road.

At Orlando, Florida:

Eric Gehrig's own goal in the 37th minute lifted Orlando City to a 1-1 remnants-of-Hurricane-Erika-originated-weather-delayed home draw with the Chicago Fire.  David Accam scored for the guests in the 30th minute.  The kickoff, scheduled for 7:30 PM Eastern Time, was delayed one hour and 50 minutes.  Then, during the first half, came another delay, one that lasted 67 minutes.  The contest finally ended at 12:10 AM Eastern Time on Sunday morning.

At Houston:

Ricardo Clark (34') and Raul Rodriguez (87') delivered the goals as the Houston Dynamo blanked the visiting (nine-man) Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0.

At Frisco, Texas:

Tesho Akindele (PK-51') and Fabian Castillo (79') each scored once as FC Dallas blanked visiting Real Salt Lake 2-0.

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Maynor Figueroa and Kevin Doyle each delivered a goal as the Colorado Rapids knocked off visiting Sporting Kansas City 2-1.

Friday, August 28, 2015

MLS: Quakes Stay Hot By Cooling Off Hot Galaxy In Cali Clasico

At San Jose, California:

Shea Salinas scored the only goal of the lone Friday Major League Soccer match in the 18th minute as the San Jose Earthquakes won their fourth consecutive game 1-0 at home over the ten-man Los Angeles Galaxy in the latest edition of the California Clasico.

Europa League Group-Stage Draw

The draw for the group stage of the 2015-16 Europa League took place on Friday in Monaco.

GROUP A:

Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Celtic FC (Scotland)*

Fenerbahce (Turkey)

Molde FK (Norway)



GROUP B:

FC Rubin Kazan (Russia)

Liverpool (England)

Bordeaux (France)

FC Sion (Switzerland)



GROUP C:

Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

PAOK FC (Greece)

FC Krasnodar (Russia)

Gabala FK (Azerbaijan)



GROUP D:

Napoli (Italy)

Club Brugge (Belgium)*

Legia Warsaw (Poland)

FC Midtjylland (Denmark)



GROUP E:

Villarreal (Spain)

FC Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)

Rapid Vienna (Austria)*

FC Dinamo Minsk (Belarus)



GROUP F:

Marseille (France)

Sporting Braga (Portugal)

FC Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic)

FC Groningen (Netherlands)



GROUP G:

FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine)

Lazio (Italy)*

Sainte-Etienne (France)

Rosenborg BK (Norway)



GROUP H:

Sporting CP (Portugal)*

Besiktas (Turkey)

Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)

Skenderbeu Korce (Albania)*



GROUP I:

FC Basel (Switzerland)*

Fiorentina (Italy)

Lech Poznan (Poland)

Belenenses (Portugal)



GROUP J:

Tottenham Hotspur FC (England)

RSC Anderlecht (Belgium)

AS Monaco (France)*

Qarabag FK (Azerbaijan)



GROUP K:

FC Schalke 04 (Germany)

APOEL FC (Cyprus)*

Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)

Asteras Tripoli FC (Greece)



GROUP L:

Athletic Bilbao (Spain)

AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands)

FC Augsburg (Germany)

Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)*



Action begins on Thursday, September 17.

*Clubs who were eliminated in the playoff round for UEFA Champions League group-stage berths





Thursday, August 27, 2015

CAPS BLANK IMPACT, WIN CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE AND VOYAGERS CUP (AND SECOND STRAIGHT CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BERTH)

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Octavio Rivero (40') and Tim Parker (53') each scored a goal on Wednesday night as the Vancouver Whitecaps blanked the visiting Montreal Impact 2-0 in game two to win their first Amway Canadian Championship and Voyagers Cup title 4-2 on aggregate.

The Whitecaps also won a berth in the group stage of the 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League.

CONCACAF Champions League: Wednesday Home Wins For Comunicaciones, Motagua

Two games in the CONCACAF Champions League were contested on Thursday.

GROUP D:

At Guatemala City:

Wilson Lalin scored the only goal of the match in the 11th minute as Comunicaciones all but knocked visiting Central FC out of the tournament with a 1-0 home victory.

Group D Standings:

1. Los Angeles Galaxy (GP: 2; GD: +9; PTS: 6)
2. CSD Comunicaciones (GP: 2; GD: -4; PTS: 3)
3. Central FC (GP: 2; GD: -5; PTS: 0)



GROUP E:

At Tegucigalpa, Honduras:

Wilmer Crisanto (68') and Eddie Hernandez (75') delivered the goals as CD Motagua blanked visiting Walter Ferretti 2-0, placing the Nicaraguan club on the brink of elimination.

Group E Standings:

1. Club America (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
2. CD Motagua (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
3. Deportivo Walter Ferretti (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

Europa League Playoff Round: Ajax, Dortmund, Athletic, Molde Advance To Knockout Stage; Saints Knocked Out By Midtylland

22 games were played on Thursday as the Europa League's playoff round concluded.

At Almaty, Kazakhstan:

Despite dropping a 2-1 road decision in game two to FC Kairat, Bordeaux, with the aggregate score at 2-2, still advanced to the group stage on away goals.

At Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic:

A 0-0 road stalemate in game two with FK Baunit Jablonec proved to be enough for Ajax Amsterdam as the Dutch club won their series 1-0 on aggregate.

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

Richard Almeira de Oliveira (PK-4'), Reynaldo dos Santos Silva (43'), and Afran Ismayilov (61') each scored a goal as Qarabag dominated visiting BSC Young Boys 3-0 in game two and ousted the Swiss club 4-0 on aggregate.

At Kazan, Russia:

Carlos Eduardo Marques scored the only goal of the match in the 35th minute as Rubin Kazan defeated visiting FK Rabotnicki 1-0 in game two and won their series 2-1 on aggregate.

At Szekesfehervar, Hungary:

Tomasz Kedziora scored the only goal of game two in the 57th minute as Lech Poznan won the contest 1-0 on the road and eliminated Videoton FC 4-0 on aggregate.

At Helsinki, Finland:

A 0-0 game-two road stalemate was more than good enough for FC Krasnodar as the Russian club completed their two-game aggregate beatdown on HJK Helsinki 5-1 on aggregate.

At Saint-Etienne, France:

Benjamin Corgnet scored the match's lone goal in the 15th minute as Saint-Etienne defeated visiting Milsami Orhei 1-0 in game two and eliminated the Moldovan club 2-1 on aggregate.

At Thun, Switzerland:

Borek Dockal (10'), Josef Husbauer (21'), and Costa Nhamoinesu (71') delivered the goals as Sparta Prague gained a 3-3 game-two road draw with FC Thun and took the series 6-4 on aggregate.

At Trondheim, Norway:

Despite dropping a 1-0 game-two home decision to Steaua Bucharest, Rosenborg BK won their series with the Romanian club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Brondby, Denmark:

Ricardo Costa scored in the 21st minute as PAOK FC gained a game-two 1-1 road draw with Brondby, more than good enough for the Greek club to finish off their Danish hosts 6-1 on aggregate.

At Split, Croatia:

Josef Sural scored the only goal of the match in the 23rd minute as FC Slovan Liberec defeated Hajduk Split 1-0 in the second game of their two-match contest, which the Czech club won 2-0 on aggregate.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Fernandao scored twice (7', 78') as Fenerbahce dominated visiting Atromitos 3-0 in game two and ousted the Greek club 4-0 on aggregate.

At Athens:

Dodo (a.k.a. Luiz Paolo Hilario) scored twice (6', 60') as Gabala gained a 2-2 game-two road draw with Panathinaikos as the club from Azerbaijan, with that same score on aggregate, advanced on away goals.

At Alkmaar, Netherlands:

Jop Van der Linden (80') and Robert Muhren (85') produced the late goals as AZ Alkmaar overcame their series-opening road defeat with a 2-0 game-two home win over Astra Giurgiu and ousted the Romanian club 4-3 on aggregate.

At Novi Sad, Serbia:

Igor Duric (OG-19') and Michal Duris (60') each scored once as FC Viktoria Plzen blanked FK Vojvodina 2-0 on the road in game two and took out the Serbian club 5-0 on aggregate.

At Liege, Belgium:

Elzaz Hussein scored the series-winning goal in the 42nd minute as Molde FK, despite dropping a 3-1 game-two decision on the road to Standard Liege, still managed to advance on away goals with the aggregate score at 3-3.

At Wals-Siezenheim, Austria:

Despite dropping a 2-0 game-two regulation decision on the road to FC Red Bull Salzburg which tied their two-game series at 2-2 on aggregate, Dinamo Minsk, after 30 minutes of goal-free overtime, with Fatos Beciraj, Roman Begunov, and Syarhey Palitsevich all converting their spot kicks, won the penalty-kick shootout 3-2.

At Dortmund, Germany:

Marco Reus delivered a hat trick (27', 32', 57') while Shinji Kagawa added a double (40', 90') as Borussia Dortmund manhandled visiting Odds BK 7-2 in game two and eliminated the Norwegian club 11-5 on aggregate.

At Bilbao, Spain:

Gorka Elustondo scored the series-winning goal in the 24th minute as Athletic Bilbao defeated visiting MSK Zilina 1-0 in game two and, with the aggregate scored at 3-3, won their series with the Slovakian club on away goals.

At Herning, Denmark:

Morten Rasmussen scored the only goal of the match in the 28th minute to carry FC Mitjylland to a 1-0 game-two home win over Southampton and a 2-1 series win on aggregate.

At Warsaw, Poland:

Tomasz Brzyski (16'), Guilherme Costa Marques (62'), and Ondrej Duda (PK-90'+5) produced the goals that carried Legia Warsaw to a 3-2 game-two home victory over Zorya Luhansk and a 4-2 aggregate victory for the series to advance to the group stage.

At Lisbon, Portugal:

A 0-0 game-two home stalemate with Rheindorf Altach was good enough for Belenenses as the Portuguese club bested the Austrian club 1-0 on aggregate.

Champions League Group-Stage Draw

The draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League took place on Thursday in Monaco.

GROUP A:

Paris Saint-Germain (France)

Real Madrid (Spain)

FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)

Malmo FF (Sweden)



GROUP B:

PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)

Manchester United (England)

CSKA Moscow (Russia)

VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)



GROUP C:

SL Benfica (Portugal)

Atletico Madrid (Spain)

Galatasaray (Turkey)

FC Astana (Kazakhstan)



GROUP D:

Juventus (Italy)

Manchester City (England)

Sevilla (Spain; as last season's Europa League winners)

Borussia Monchengladbach (Germany)



GROUP E:

Barcelona (Spain; defending champions)

Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)

AS Roma (Italy)

FC BATE Borisov (Belarus)



GROUP F:

Bayern Munich (Germany)

Arsenal (England)

Olympiacos (Greece)

Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)



GROUP G:

Chelsea (England)

FC Porto (Portugal)

Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)

Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)




GROUP H:

Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russia)

Valencia (Spain)

Lyon (France)

KAA Gent (Belgium)



Group-stage play opens on Tuesday, September 15.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

CONCACAF Champions League:

Three games were contested in the  the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday.

GROUP B:

At Heredia, Costa Rica:

Jonathan Hansen's penalty kick in the 33th minute enabled CS Herediano to gain a 1-1 home draw with Tigres.  Antonio Briseno scored for the Mexican club in the 14th minute.

Group B Standings:

1.  UANL Tigres (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
2.  Club Sport Herediano (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 4)
3.  Isidro Metapan (GP: 2; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

NOTE: In the one game played thus far between Herediano and Tigres, the Mexican club has scored one away goal.



GROUP C:

At Panama City, Panama:

Goals from Richard Rodriguez (89') and Mario Osuna (OG-90') enabled San Francisco FC to come from behind and knock off visiting Queretaro 2-1.

Group C Standings:

1. Queretaro FC (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
2. San Francisco FC (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
3. Verdes FC (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)



GROUP F:

At Tegucigalpa, Honduras:

Alberth Elis scored the only goal of the match in 60th minute the as CD Olimpia defeated the visiting Seattle Sounders 1-0.

Group F Standings:

1.  Seattle Sounders FC (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
2.  CD Olimpia (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3.  Vancouver Whitecaps FC (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1




MLS: Fire and Rapids Post Wednesday Home Wins

Two games were played on  Wednesday in Major League Soccer.

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Kennedy Igboananike scored twice (22', 73') as the Chicago Fire knocked off the visiting New York Red Bulls 3-2.

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Kevin Doyle delivered the game-winning goal in the 80th minute as the Colorado Rapids defeated the visiting Houston Dynamo 2-1.

UEFA Champions League Playoff Round: Astana (A First For Kazakhstan), BATE, Leverkusen, Red Devils (For A 20th Time), Horses Advance To Group Stage

Five games were played on Wednesday as the playoff round for UEFA Champions League group-stage berth came to a close.

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Nemanja Maksimovic scored the historic series-winning goal in the 84th minute as FC Astana gained a 1-1 game-two road draw with APOEL FC and won their series 2-1 on aggregate to become the first club from Kazakhstan to ever qualify for the Champions League's group stage.

At Belgrade, Serbia:

Despite dropping a 2-1 game-two road decision to Partizan Belgrade, FC BATE Borisov, with the aggregate score at 2-2, still advanced on away goals.  Igor Stasevich delivered the goal in the 25th minute that ultimately sent the Belorussian club into another Champions League group-stage appearance.

At Leverkusen, Germany:

Hakan Calhanoglu (40'), Admir Mehmedi (48'), and Karim Bellarabi (88') each scored a goal as Bayer Leverkusen overturned their series-opening road defeat with a 3-0 home domination in game two against Lazio and knocked out the Italian club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Bruges, Belgium:

Wayne Rooney delivered a natural hat trick (20', 49', 57') as Manchester United demolished Club Brugge 4-0 on the road in game two and ousted the Belgian club 7-1 on aggregate and advanced to the group stage for the 20th time.

At Khimki, Russia:

Seydou Doumbia scored twice (49', 72') while Ahmed Musa scored what proved to be the series-winning goal in the 85th minute as CSKA Moscow defeated Sporting CP 3-1 in game two and eliminated the visiting Portuguese club 4-3 on aggregate.

The ten clubs that were eliminated from Champions League contention over the past two days will play in the Europa League's group stage.

AFC Champions League

Two games were played on Wednesday as the AFC Champions League's quarterfinal round continued.

At Jeonju, South Korea:

The opening match between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and visiting Gamba Osaka ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

At Tehran, Iran:

Lima scored the only goal of Al-Ahli Dubai FC's series-opening 1-0 road victory over Naft Tehran in the 62nd minute.

CONCACAF Champions League: Shutout Win For DC United

Three games were contested in the CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday.

GROUP A:

At San Jose, Costa Rica:

Deyver Vega got the scoring started in the 31st minute as Deportivo Saprissa demolished visiting W Connection 4-0, placing the Trinidadian club, who have now suffered back-to-back 4-0 drubbings on the cusp of elimination from the tournament.

Group A Standings:

1. Deportivo Saprissa (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
2. Santos Laguna (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
3. W Connection FC (GP: 2; GD: -8; PTS: 0)



GROUP G:

At Guatemala City:

Carlos Ruiz delivered the game-winning penalty kick in the 86th minute as CSD Municipal defeated visiting Santa Tecla 2-1.

Group G:

1. CSD Municipal (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
2. Real Salt Lake (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Santa Tecla FC (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)



GROUP H:

At Washington:

Miguel Aguilar (37'), Kofi Opare (70'), and Conor Doyle (90'+1) produced the scoring as DC United dominated visiting Montego Bay United 3-0 as the Jamaican club are on the verge of elimination from the tournament.

Group H Standings:

1. DC United (GP: 2; GD: +4; PTS: 6)
2. Arabe Unido (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
3. Montego Bay United FC (GP: 0; GD: -6; PTS: 0)

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

UEFA Champions League: Five Clubs Advance To Group Stage: Dinamo Zagreb, Malmo (At Bhoys' Expense), Maccabi Tel Aviv, Shakhtar, Valencia Advance To Group Stage

Five games were contested on Tuesday as the playoff round for UEFA Champions League group-stage berths continued.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

El Arbi Hillel Soudani scored twice (9', 80') as Dinamo Zagreb dominated visiting Skenderbeu Korce 4-1 in game two and ousted the Albanian club 6-2 on aggregate.

At Malmo, Sweden:

Markus Rosenberg (23') and Felipe Carvalho (54') delivered the goals as Malmo FF overcame their series-opening defeat with a 2-0 game-two home blanking of Celtic and eliminated the Bhoys 4-3 on aggregate.

At Tel Aviv, Israel:

Eran Zahavi's goal in the 24th minute proved vital as Maccabi Tel Avia gained a 1-1 game-two home draw with FC Basel and, with the aggregate score at 3-3, advanced to the group stage for the first time in eleven years on away goals.

At Lviv, Ukraine:

Due to the ongoing unstable situation in eastern Ukraine, this contest was played at Lviv.  In this one, Marlos (10') and Oleksandr Hladkyy (27') each scored a goal as Shakhtar Donetsk gained a game-two 2-2 draw with visiting Rapid Vienna and won their series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

Despite dropping a 2-1 game-two road decision to AS Monaco, Valencia still won their series 4-3 on aggregate.  Alvaro Negredo scored what proved to be the series-winning goal for the Spanish club in the fourth minute.  Five Spanish clubs (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, and Valencia) will play in the Champions League's group stage.

AFC Champions League

Two games were played on Tuesday as the quarterfinal round of the AFC Champions League commenced.

At Kashiwa, Japan:

Paulinho scored what proved to be the game winner in the 40th minute as Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao held off Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 on the road in the opening match of their two-game series.

At Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

Carlos Eduardo scored twice (36', 85') as Al-Hilal Riyadh dominated visiting Lekhwiya 4-1 in the opening contest of their two-game series.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

MLS: Galaxy Lower Boom On Citizens

At Carson, California:

In the lone Sunday Major League Soccer contest, Robbie Keane scored twice (54', 81') as the Los Angeles Galaxy demolished visiting New York City 5-1.

MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   DC United (GP: 27; GD: +4; PTS: 44)
2.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 23; GD: +13; PTS: 39)
3.   Columbus (GP: 26; GD: 0; PTS: 38)
4.   Toronto FC (GP: 24; GD: +1; PTS: 34)
5.   New England (GP: 25; GD: -2; PTS: 34)
6.   Montreal (GP: 22; GD: -3; PTS: 28)
7.   New York City FC (GP: 26; GD: -7; PTS: 28)
8.   Orlando City SC (GP: 26; GD: -14; PTS: 28)
9.   Philadelphia (GP: 26; GD: -10; PTS: 27)
10. Chicago (GP: 24; GD: -8; PTS: 23)

NOTES:  With Toronto and New England level on points with 34, the Reds have more wins (10) than the Revolution (9); with Montreal, New York City, and Orlando City level on points (28), the Impact have more wins (eight) than the two expansion clubs (seven apiece); NYCFC have a better goal differential than Orlando City (-7, to the Lions' -14).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Los Angeles (GP: 27; GD: +17; PTS: 46)
2.   Vancouver (GP: 26; GD: +12; PTS: 45)
3.   Kansas City (GP: 24; GD: +6; PTS: 40)
4.   Portland (GP: 26; GD: -2; PTS: 40)
5.   FC Dallas (GP: 24; GD: +3; PTS: 38)
6.   Seattle (GP: 26; GD: +1; PTS: 35)
7.   San Jose (GP: 25; GD: +2; PTS: 35)
8.   Houston (GP: 25; GD: 0; PTS: 32)
9.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 26; GD: -9; PTS: 32)
10. Colorado (GP: 24; GD: -4; PTS: 27) 

NOTES: With Sporting Kansas City and Portland level on points (40) and wins (11), SKC have the superior goal differential (+6, to the Timbers' -2); with Seattle and San Jose level on points (35), the Sounders have more wins (11, to the Earthquakes' 10); with Houston and Real Salt Lake level on points (32) and wins (eight), the Dynamo have the superior goal differential (0, to RSL's -9)

CAF Champions League

Two games were played on Sunday in Group A of the CAF Champions League.

At Omdurman, Sudan:

Al Hilal, thanks to Athar Eltahir's goal in the seventh minute,  defeated visiting TP Mazembe 1-0.

At Tetouan, Morocco:

Jesus Rodriguez Tato (13') and Abdeladim Khadrouf (PK-75') delivered the scoring as Moghreb Tetouan defeated visiting Smouha 2-1, as the Egyptian club was eliminated from the tournament.

Group A Standings:

1.    Moghreb Tetouan (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 8)
2.    Al-Hilal (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 8)
3.    TP Mazembe (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 8)
4. z-Smouha SC (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 3)'

NOTES: With Moghreb Tetouan, Al-Hilal, and TP Mazembe all level on points (8), the Moroccan club is technically in first place since they've gathered four points from games played against Al-Hilal and TP Mazembe.  The Sudanese club has three points from games played against the Moroccan and Congolese clubs.  TP Mazembe has two points in games against Al-Hilal and Moghreb Tetouan.



MLS: Reds, Quakes, Crew, Philly, Rapids, RSL, Caps Rack Up Saturday Wins

Seven games were played in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

At Toronto:

Jozy Altidore scored twice (PK-83' 85') as Toronto FC smashed open what had been a scoreless stalemate at halftime and destroyed visiting Orlando City 5-0.

At Washington:

Chris Wondolowski (4') and Shea Salinas (52') each delivered a goal as the San Jose Earthquakes blanked DC United 2-0 on the road as goalkeeper David Bingham came up with his third consecutive shutout.

At Columbus, Ohio:

Jack McInerney scored the game winner in the 88th minute as the Columbus Crew upended visiting Sporting Kansas City 3-2.

At Montreal:

Sebastien Le Toux scored the lone goal of the match in the 78th minute as the Philadelphia Union knocked off the home-standing Montreal Impact 1-0, spoiling Didier Drogba's MLS debut with the hosts.

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Dillon Serna's opening-minute tally proved to be enough as the Colorado Rapids defeated the Chicago Fire 1-0 on the road.

At Sandy, Utah:

Javier Morales (PK-12') and Sebastian Jaime (19') delivered the goals early and Real Salt Lake blanked the visiting Seattle Sounders 2-0.

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Cristian Techera scored the only goal of the match in the 32nd minute as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated FC Dallas 1-0 at home.

CAF Champions League: Knockout-Stage-Bound Al-Merrikh Gain Win On Road

At El Eulma, Algeria:

In action from Group B, Bakri Al-Madina scored twice (71', PK-90') as Al-Merrikh defeated MC El Eulma 3-2 on the road in the lone Saturday CAF Champions League contest.  The Sudanese club had already locked up a berth in the semifinal round.

Group B Standings:

1.  y-USM Alger (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 15)
2.  x-Al-Merrikh (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
3.  z-El Setif (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 4)
4.  z-MC El Eulma (GP: 5; GD: -6; PTS: 0)

y-Won Group B and clinched berth in knockout stage

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament