Sunday, July 30, 2017

MLS: Reds Way Too Much For Citizens

At Toronto:

In the lone Sunday Major League Soccer contest, Sebastian Giovinco scored twice (32', 67') as Toronto FC demolished visiting New York City 4-0.

The victory enabled the Reds to tighten their hold on top spot in both the Eastern Conference and Supporters' Shield races.

MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Toronto FC (GP: 22; GD: +19; PTS: 43)
2.   Chicago (GP: 21; GD: +16; PTS: 38)
3.   New York City FC (GP: 22; GD: +9; PTS: 37)
4.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 21; GD: +6; PTS: 35)
5.   Atlanta United FC (GP: 21; GD: +13; PTS: 34)
6.   Columbus (GP: 23; GD: -4; PTS: 32)
7.   Orlando City (GP: 22; GD: -8; PTS: 30)
8.   New England (GP: 21; GD: +2; PTS: 26)
9.   Philadelphia (GP: 22; GD: +2; PTS: 26)
10. Montreal (GP: 20; GD: -6; PTS: 24)
11. DC United (GP: 22; GD: -24; PTS: 18)

NOTE:  With New England and Philadelphia level on points (26), wins (7), and goal differential (+2), the Revolution have scored more goals to date than the Union (36-29).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Kansas City (GP: 22; GD: +11; PTS: 36)
2.   FC Dallas (GP: 20; GD: +9; PTS: 34)
3.   Houston (GP: 22; GD: +7; PTS: 33)
4.   Portland (GP: 23; GD: +1; PTS: 31)
5.   Seattle (GP: 22; GD: +1; PTS: 31)
6.   Vancouver (GP: 20; GD: +1; PTS: 30)
7.   San Jose (GP: 22; GD: -10; PTS: 29)
8.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 23; GD: -14; PTS: 25)
9.   Los Angeles (GP: 21; GD: -6; PTS: 23)
10. Minnesota United FC (GP: 22; GD: -16; PTS: 22)
11. Colorado (GP: 20; GD: -9; PTS: 20)

NOTE:  With Portland and Seattle level on points (31), wins (8), and goal differential (+1), the Timbers have scored more goals to date than the Sounders (39-32).

Saturday, July 29, 2017

MLS: Revs, Red Bulls, Caps, SKC, Loons, Quakes Grab Saturday Wins

Ten games were contested on Saturday in Major League Soccer.

At Atlanta:

Hector Villalba's equalizer in the second minute of second-half stoppage time lifted Atlanta United to a 1-1 home draw with Orlando City.  Kaka scored for the Lions in the 40th minute.

At Foxborough, Massachusetts:

Kei Kamara scored twice (38', 85') and Juan Agudelo once (89') as the New England Revolution dominated the visiting Philadelphia Union 3-0.

At Harrison, New Jersey:

Daniel Royer scored twcie (PK-23', 89') as the New York Red Bulls demolished the visiting Montreal Impact 4-0.

At Frisco, Texas:

Fredy Montero scored twice (49', 67') as the Vancouver Whitecaps picked up their first-ever road win over FC Dallas by demolishing the Hoops 4-0.

At Houston:

Mauro Manotas (37') and Juan Cabezas (81') each scored once as the Houston Dynamo remained unbeaten at home after coming back from a pair of one-goal deficits to gain a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers.  Diego Valeri (13') and Sebastian Blanco (43') each scored once for the Timbers, who saw a third goal, scored at 55 minutes by Fanendo Adi negated by a late offside call.

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Latif Blessing scored the game-winning goal in the 51st minute as Sporting Kansas City held off the visiting Chicago Fire 3-2.

At Minneapolis:

Christian Ramirez (7'), Abu Danladi (40'), Jared Jeffrey (OG-58'), and Miguel Ibarra (90'+1) each scored once as Minnesota United embarrassed visiting DC United 4-0.

At Sandy, Utah:

Ola Kamara scored twice (15', 60') as the Columbus Crew gained a 2-2 road draw with Real Salt Lake.  Joao Plata (PK-50') and Jefferson Savarino (53') each scored once for the hosts.

At San Jose, California:

Nick Lima scored the only goal in the 59th minute as the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the visiting Colorado Rapids 1-0.

At Carson, California:

The Los Angeles Galaxy, in Sigi Schmid's first game in his second stint as their head coach, battled the visiting Seattle Sounders to a 0-0 stalemate.

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Bob Bradley...

Wings' boss?

Sigi's Back In LA

Curt Onafalo got the boot since the Galaxy is having what you could call an off season, with their problems at home.

Europa League: Aberdeen, Toffies Take Series Openers

The third round of Europa League qualifying commenced on Thursday with 29 games.

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

Borna Barisic converted a penalty kick in the 57th minute for the only goal of Osijek's 1-0 series-opening road win over PSV Eindhoven.

At Vilnius, Lithuania:

Maksim Maksimov scored twice (1', 52') as Trakai defeated visiting Shkendija 2-1 in their series-opener.  Stenio Junior kept the Macedonian club alive in the series with his goal in the 39th minute.

At Krasnodar, Russia:

Magomed Suleymanov scored the winning goal in the third minute of second-half stoppage time as FC Krasnodar defeated visiting Lyngby 2-1 in the opening match of their two-game series.

At Graz, Austria:

Roman Neustadter scored the winning goal in the 35th minute as Fenerbahce knocked off Sturm Graz 2-1 in game one on the road.

At Athens, Greece:

Guillermo Molins converted a penalty kick in the 37th minute as Panathinaikos defeated visiting Gabala 1-0 in the opening match of their series.

At Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic:

Adam Janos scored the winning goal in the 87th minute as FK Mlada Boleslav defeated visiting Skenderbeu Korce 2-1 in the opening contest of their two-game series.
 
At Vienna, Austria:

The opening contest between Austria Vienna and guests AEL Limassol concluded in a 0-0 draw.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Junior Fernandes scored the winning goal in the 41st minute as Dinamo Zagreb overcame visiting Odds BK 2-1 in match one of their two-game series.

At Bucharest, Romania:

Rivaldinho's 54th-minute goal enabled Dinamo Bucharest to gain a series-opening 1-1 home deadlock with Athletic Bilbao. Aymeric Laporte scored at 21 minutes for the Spanish club.

At Kiev, Ukraine (due to war conditions in eastern Ukraine):

Pedro Henrique Konzen's equalizer in the 59th minute carried PAOK FC to a series-opening 1-1 stalemate with Olimpik Donetsk.  Stanislav Bilenkyi scored for the Ukrainian club in the 49th minute.

At Gdynia, Poland:

Marcus Vinicius scored twice (31', PK-39') and Rafal Siemaszko once (90'+2) as Arka Gdynia defeated visiting FC Midtjylland 3-2 in their series opener. 

At Ostersund, Sweden:

Fouad Bachirou scored the game's lone goal in the 50th minute as Ostersund defeated visiting Fola Esch 1-0 in the opening match of their series.

At Bordeaux, France:

Younousse Sankhare scored twice in the opening half (18', 33') as Bordeaux held off visiting Videoton 2-1 in game one.  Marko Scepovic kept the Hungarian club alive in the series with his road goal in the 23rd minute.

At Netanya, Israel:

In the 48th minute, Vidar Orn Kjartansson scored the only goal of the match as Maccabi Tel Aviv took the opening match of their series with visiting Panionios 1-0.

At Utrecht, Netherlands:

The opening match between FC Utrecht and visiting Lech Poznan ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

At Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania:

Ricardo Rodriguez scored the lone goal of the match in the 44th minute as AC Milan took the measure of CS  Universitatea Craiova 1-0 on the road in game one.

At Brondby, Denmark:

Brondby and visiting Hajduk Split battled to a series-opening 0-0 draw.

At Ghent, Belgium:

Kalifa Coulibaly's goal in the 76th minute enabled KAA Gent to salvage a series-opening 1-1 home draw with Rheindorf Altach.  Louis Mgwat-Mahop scored for the Austrian club in the fifth minute.

At Giurgiu, Romania:

Astra Giurgiu and guests FC Oleksandriya battled to a series-opening 0-0 stalemate.

At Liverpool, England:

Leighton Baines scored the only goal of the match in the 65th minute in Everton's series-opening 1-0 home win over Ruzomberok.

At Aberdeen, Scotland:

Ryan Christie (5') and Graeme Shinnie (78') each scored once as Aberdeen defeated visiting Apollon Limassol 2-1 in their series-opening contest.

At Belgrade, Serbia:

Richmond Boakye (13') and Guelor Kanga (65') each scored once as Red Star Belgrade blanked visiting Sparta Prague 2-0 in their series opener.

At Burgas, Bulgaria:

Botev Plovdiv and guests Maritimo battled to a game-one 0-0 deadlock.

At Petah Tikva, Israel:

Domenico Criscito (59') and Aleksandr Kokorin (90') each scored once as Zenit Saint Petersburg blanked Bnei Yehuda 2-0 in their series-opening match on the road.

At Marseilles, France:

Valere Germain produced a hat trick (2', 57', 82') as Marseille doubled visiting Oostende 4-2 in the opening contest of their two-game series.

At Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany:

Nils Petersen goal in the 20th minute provided all the scoring in SC Freiburg's series-opening 1-0 home win over NK Domzale.

At Larnaca, Cyprus:

Alberto Sansimena Chamorro (a.k.a Tete, 42') and Hector Hevel (70') each scored once as AEK Larnaca blanked visiting Dinamo Minsk 2-0 in match one of their series.

At Solna, Sweden:

Daniel Sundgren successful penalty kick in the 18th minute enabled AIK Solna to salvage a series-opening 1-1 home draw with SC Braga.  Raul Silva scored for the Portuguese club in the 10th minute.

At Marijampole, Lithuania:

Paulo Ricardo (OG-3'), Paulius Janusauskas (8'), and Karolis Laukzemis (90'+1) each scored once as FK Suduva Marijampole dominated visiting FC Sion 3-0 in their series-opening match.

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

JOZY AND J-MO LEAD TEAM USA TO SIXTH CONCACAF GOLD CUP CROWN AT REGGAE BOYZ EXPENSE

At Santa Clara, California:
AP GOLD CUP 2017 FINAL SOCCER S SOC USA CA
In Wednesday's CONCACAF Gold Cup final, Jozy Altidore (45') and Jordan Morris (88', that's him celebrating after scoring) each scored a goal as the United States won their sixth continental championship, 2-1 over Jamaica at Levi's Stadium.

For the Americans, it was their first Gold Cup title since 2013 and their third under head coach Bruce Arena.

Je-Vaughn Watson scored in the 50th minute for the Reggae Boyz.

Associated Press photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez

MLS: Philly Runs Roughshod Over Nine-Man Crew

At Chester, Pennsylvania:

In the lone Wednesday Major League Soccer contest, Ilsinho (20'), C.J. Sapong (66'), and Marcus Epps (81') each scored once as the Philadelphia Union dominated the visiting (and nine-man) Columbus Crew 3-0.

UEFA Champions League

Round three of UEFA Champions League reached the midway point on Wednesday with nine games.

CHAMPIONS ROUTE:

At Astana, Kazakhstan:

Ivan Mayewski scored the game-winning goal in the 45th minute as Astana defeated visiting Legia Warsaw 3-1 in the opening contest of their two-game series.

At Maribor, Slovenia:

Marcos Tavares scored the only goal of NK Maribor's series-opening 1-0 home win over FH Hafnarfjordur in the 54th minute.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

In their series-opening match, Rosenborg held hosts Celtic to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Beersheba, Israel:

Anthony Nwakaeme Nuatuzor (19') and Michael Ohana (79') produced the tallies as Hapoel Be'er Sheva blanked visiting Ludogorets Razgrad 2-0 in the opening game of their series.

At Ovidiu, Romania:

Cristian Ganea scored the only goal of the match in the 75th minute as Viitorul Constanta defeated visiting APOEL FC 1-0 in their series-opening match.

At Wals-Siezenheim, Austria:

Rijeka gained a series-opening 1-1 road draw with FC Red Bull Salzburg.  After Mario Gavranovic put the Croatian club ahead in the 30th minute, Hee-Chan Hwang equalized the score for the hosts at 49 minutes.



LEAGUE ROUTE:

At Nice, France:

Donny Van de Beek's equalizer in the 49th minute lifted Ajax Amsterdam to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with Nice.  Mario Balotelli scored for the hosts in the 32nd minute.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Dieumerci Mbokani scored the game winner in the 34th minute as Dynamo Kiev held off visiting BSC Young Boys 3-1 in the opening match of their series.

At Bruges, Belgium:

Marcio Mossoro scored twice (59', 73') and Eljero Elia once (63') as Istanbul Basaksehir gained a series-opening 3-3 road draw with Club Brugge.  Stefano Denswil scored twice (16', 78') and Emmanuel Dennis once (5') for the hosts.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

UEFA Champions League: Slavia Prague, Olympiacos, Horses Take Series Openers

The third qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League opened on Tuesday with six games.

CHAMPIONS ROUTE:

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Milan Skoda's successful penalty kick in the 20th minute lifted Slavia Prague to a series-opening 1-0 home win over FC BATE Borisov.

At Skopje, Macedonia:

Jonathan Boareto delivered the only goal of Vardar's series-opening victory over visiting FC Copenhagen in the 65th minute.

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

Moldova's FC Sheriff held Qarabag to a series-opening 0-0 draw on the road.

At Belgrade, Serbia:

El Fardou Mohamed Ben scored twice (6', 56') as Olympiacos took the opening match of their series with Partizan Belgrade 3-1 on the road.





LEAGUE ROUTE:

At Bucharest, Romania:

Constantin Budescu (37') and Filipe Teixeira (61') each scored once as Steaua Bucharest salvaged a series-opening 2-2 home draw with FC Viktoria Plzen. Michal Krmencik (23') and Jan Kopic (53') each delivered a goal for the visiting Czech club.

At Athens, Greece:

Alan Dzagoev (45'+1) and Pontus Wernbloom (56') each scored once as CSKA Moscow blanked AEK Athens 2-0 on the road in the opening match of their two-game series.


Sunday, July 23, 2017

MLS: Timbers, Sounders Grab Sunday Wins

Two games were contested on Sunday in Major League Soccer.

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Goals from Jeremy Ebobisse (14') and Sebastian Blanco (49') enabled the Portland Timbers to snap a six-game winless run with a 2-1 Cascadia Cup road win over the Vancouver Whitecaps.

At Seattle:

Cristian Roldan scored twice (54', 56') as the Seattle Sounders broke open what was at halftime a scoreless stalemate and wound up dominating the visiting San Jose Earthquakes 3-0.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Toronto FC (GP: 21; GD: +15; PTS: 40)
2.   Chicago (GP: 20; GD: +17; PTS: 38)
3.   New York City FC (GP: 21; GD: +13; GD: 37)
4.   Atlanta United FC (GP: 20; GD: +13; PTS: 33)
5.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 20; GD: +2; PTD: 32)
6.   Columbus (GP: 21; GD: -1; PTS: 31)
7.   Orlando City SC (GP: 21; GD: -8; PTS: 29)
8.   Montreal (GP: 19; GD: -2; PTS: 24)
9.   Philadelphia (GP: 20; GD: +2; PTS: 23)
10. New England (GP: 20; GD: -1; PTS: 23)
11. DC United (GP: 21; GD: -20; PTS: 18)

NOTE:  With Philadelphia and New England level on points (23) and wins (6), the Union have the superior goal differential (+2, compared to the Revolution's -1).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   FC Dallas (GP: 19; GD: +13; PTS: 34)
2.   Kansas City (GP: 21; GD: +10; PTS: 33)
3.   Houston (GP: 21; GD: +7; PTS: 32)
4.   Portland (GP: 22; GD: +1; PTS: 30)
5.   Seattle (GP: 21; GD: +1; PTS: 30)
6.   Vancouver (GP: 19; GD: -3; PTS: 27)
7.   San Jose (GP: 21; GD: -11; PTS: 26)
8.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 22; GD: -14; PTS: 24)
9.   Los Angeles (GP: 20; GD: -6; PTS: 22)
10. Colorado (GP: 20; GD: -6; PTS: 20)
11. Minnesota United FC (GP: 21; GD: -20; PTS: 19)

NOTE:  With Portland and Seattle level on points (30), wins (8), and goal differential (+1), the Timbers have scored more goals than the Sounders (37-32). 

CONCACAF Gold Cup: Reggae Boyz Knock Off El Tri For Right To Take On Team USA In Final

At Pasadena, California:

Kemar Lawrence delivered the only goal of the match in the 88th minute while goalkeeper Andre Blake came up with several saves to preserve both the victory and shutout as Jamaica de-throned defending champions Mexico 1-0 in Sunday's CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal match contested at the Rose Bowl Stadium.

The Reggae Boyz will take on the United States in Wednesday's championship game, to be contested at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California (6:30 PM Pacific Time, Fox Sports One and Univision Deportes).

Saturday, July 22, 2017

CONCACAF Gold Cup: Jozy And The Deuce Carry Team USA Past Ticos And Into Final

At Arlington, Texas:

At AT&T Stadium, Jozy Altidore (72') and Clint Dempsey (82') each scored a second-half goal on Saturday as the United States blanked Costa Rica 2-0 in one semifinal match in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Tim Howard made a number of key saves to preserve the shutout.

The Americans will face the winner of Sunday's Mexico-Jamaica game in Wednesday final, to be contested at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California (6:00 PM Pacific Time, Fox Sports One).

MLS: Both New York Clubs, Dynamo, Crew, Hoops, Revs Grab Saturday Wins; Radips and Reds Draw In Toronto; Likewise RSL And SKC In Utah

Eight games were contested in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

At New York:

David Villa (47') and Frederic Brillant (50') each scored once as New York City held off the visiting Chicago Fire 2-1 to end the guests' unbeaten streak at eleven games.

At Minneapolis:

Daniel Royer (16'), Bradley Wright-Phillips (67'), and Alex Muyl (90') each scored once as the New York Red Bulls dominated Minnesota United 3-0 on the road.

At Washington:

Andrew Wenger (6'), Mauro Manotas (15'), and Memo Rodriguez (17') each scored a goal in the first 20 minutes as the Houston Dynamo picked up their first road win of the season, 3-1 at DC United's expense.

At Toronto:

Dominique Badji's equalizer in the 76th minute lifted the Colorado Rapids to a 1-1 road draw with Toronto FC.  Jay Chapman tallied for the Reds in the fifth minute.

At Columbus, Ohio:

Justin Meram scored the only goal of the Columbus Crew's home win over the Philadelphia Union in the 65th minute.

At Montreal:

Cristian Colman scored twice (52', 62') as FC Dallas came from behind to upend the Montreal Impact 2-1 on the road.

At Foxborough, Massachusetts:

Teal Bunbury scored twice (70'73') as the New England Revolution knocked off the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy 4-3.

At Sandy, Utah:

Benny Feilhaber's successful penalty kick in the 59th minute lifted Sporting Kansas City to a 1-1 road draw with Real Salt Lake.  Luis Silva scored for the hosts in the 43rd minute. 

Friday, July 21, 2017

MLS: Late Goal Carries Five Stripes Past Lions In Orlando

At Orlando, Florida:

In the lone Friday Major League Soccer contest, Hector Villalba's goal in the 86th minute and goalkeeper Brad Guzan's five saves for the shutout (in his first MLS match since 2008, when he was with the late, lamented Chivas USA) carried Atlanta United to a 1-0 road win over Orlando City in the league's first meeting of Southeastern clubs since the demise of the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny after the 2001 season.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

CONCACAF Gold Cup: Quarterfinal Round Closes As Reggae Boyz And El Tri Advance To Semis

At Glendale, Arizona:

The quarterfinal round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup concluded on Thursday with two games contested at University of Phoenix Stadium.

In the opener, Shaun Francis (6') and Romario Williams (50') each scored a goal as Jamaica defeated Canada 2-1.

In the nightcap, Rodolfo Pizarro's goal in the fourth minute held up as Mexico defeated Honduras 1-0.

Matchups for the semifinal round:

Saturday at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas:

United States vs. Costa Rica, 7:00 PM Pacific Time

Sunday at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California:

Mexico vs. Jamaica, 6:00 PM Pacific Time

The semifinal winners would square off in the final set to be contested at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, next Wednesday at 6:30 PM Pacific Time.

Europa League: Second Qualifying Round Ends As Three Cypriot Clubs (Along With Aberdeen, Red Star Belgrade) Advance

33 games were played on Thursday as the second round of Europa League qualifying concluded.

At Burgas, Bulgaria:

Plamen Dimov (10'), Fernando Viana (22'), Lachezar Baltanov (47'), and Ferlipe Brisola (90') each scored once as Botev Plovdiv demolished vising Beitar Jerusalem 4-0 in game two and ousted the Israeli club 5-1 on aggregate.

At Chisinau, Moldova:

Alexandre Afonso Alex da Silva (PK-45') and Andre Schembri (80') each scored a goal as Apollon Limassol topped Zaria Balti 2-1 on the road in game two and knocked out the Moldovan club 5-1 on aggregate.

At Minsk, Belarus:

Oleksandr Noyok (21'), Nino Galovic (70'), and Anton Saroka (84') each scored a goal as Dinamo Minsk dominated visiting Rabotnicki 3-0 in game two and ousted the Macedonian club 4-1 on aggregate.

At Lyngby, Denmark:

Mikkel Rygaard Jensen (PK-19') and Martin Ornskov (30') each scored once as Lyngby defeated visiting Slovan Bratislava 2-1 in game two and finished off the Slovakian club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic:

Jan Charamosta (9') and Golgol Mebrahfu (31') each scored a goal as Mlada Boleslav blanked visiting Shamrock Rovers 2-0 in game two and eliminated the Irish club 5-2 on aggregate.

At Solna, Sweden:

Nils-Eric Johansson (48') and Henok Goitom (85') each delivered a goal as AIK Solna blanked visiting Zeljeznicar Sarajevo 2-0 in game two and won their series by that same score on aggregate.

At Larnaca, Cyprus:

Florian Taulemesse scored the only goal of the match in the 33rd minute as AEK Larnaca posted a second 1-0 victory over Cork City, this time at home, and dispatched the Irish club 2-0.

At Korce, Albania:

Sabien Lilaj (50') and Sebino Plaku (83') produced the goals that propelled Skenderbeu Korce to a 2-0 game-two home blanking of Kairat as the Albanian club won their series 3-1 on aggregate.

At Nova Gorica, Slovenia:

Giorgos Masouras (11'), Samed Yasil (16'), and Lazaros Lamprou (23') each scored once as Panionios held off ND Gorica 3-2 on the road in game two and eliminated the Slovenian club 5-2 on aggregate.

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

A game-two 0-0 with Zira was good enough for Astra Giurgiu as the Romanian club won their series 3-1 on aggregate.

At Poznan, Poland:

Darko Jevtic (32') and Nicki Bille Nielsen (90'+3) delivered the goals as Lech Poznan overcame their series-opening defeat by blanking visiting Haugesund 2-0 in game two and took out the Norwegian club 4-3 on aggregate.

At Vaasa, Finland:

Marko Meerits' own goal in the 16th minute proved important as Brondby, despite dropping a 2-1 game-two road decision to VPS, still won their series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Vilnius, Lithuania:

After Maksim Maksimov scored twice in regulation (11', 35') to enable Trakai to square their series with IFK Norrkopoing at 3-3 on aggregate after taking game two 2-1 at home, forcing a scoreless 30 minutes of overtime, Arunas Klimavicius, Modestas Vorobjovas, Svajunas Cyzas, Mykhailo Shkysha, and Justinas Janusevskij all converted their spot kicks as the Lithuanian club won the penalty-kick shootout 5-3 to advance to the third qualifying round.

At Sofia, Bulgaria:

Franck Ohandza (80') and Ante Ecreg (86') each scored once as Hajduk Split downed Levski Sofia 2-1 on the road in game two and won their series 3-1 on aggregate.

At Felcsut, Hungary:

Danko Lazovic scored in the 37th minute to carry Videoton to a 1-1 game-two draw with visiting Nomme Kalju as the Hungarian club won their series 4-1 on aggregate.

At Reykjavik, Iceland:

Omer Atzili (57') and Dor Peretz (66') each scored once as Maccabi Tel Aviv blanked KR Reykjavik 2-0 on the road in game two and won their series 5-1 on aggregate.

At Waalwijk, Netherlands:

Sean Klaiber (18'), Willem Janssen (76'), and Zakaria Labyad (83') each delivered a goal as FC Utrecht defeated visiting Valletta 3-1 in game two and ousted the Maltese club by that score on aggregate.

At Bergen, Norway:

Kristi Qose (64') and Dominik Kruzliak (PK-78') each scored once as Ruzomberok overturned their game-one home defeat with a 2-0 game-two road triumph over SK Brann as the Slovakian club won their series 2-1 on aggregate.

At Marijampole, Lithuania:

Despite dropping a 1-0 game-two home decision to FK Liepaja, FK Suduva Marijampole still won their series with the Latvian club 2-1 on aggregate.

At Bailystok, Poland:

Ilgar Gurbanov (18') and Filip Ozobic (89') delivered the goals as Gabala blanked Jagiellonia Bialystok 2-0 on the road in game two and ousted the Polish club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Larnaca, Cyprus:

Fidelis Irhene (70') and Kevin Lafrance (88') each scored once as AEL Limassol defeated visiting Progres Niederkorn 2-1 in game two and eliminated the Luxembourgian club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Brest, Belarus:

Nouma Ngamaleu (8'), Stefan Nutz (44'), and Philipp Netzer (52') each scored once as Rheindorf Altach dominated Dinamo Brest 3-0 on the road in game two and won their series 4-1 on aggregate.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Brwa Nouri successfully converted his penalty kick in the 60th minutes as Ostersund drew 1-1 on the road with Galatasaray and ousted the Turkish club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg:

Samir Hadji (21'), Enis Saiti (32'), Tom Laterza (59'), and Cedric Sacras (90'+4) each scored once as Fola Esch dominated visiting Inter Baku 4-1 in game two and eliminated the Azerbaijani club 4-2 on aggregate.

At Skein, Norway:

Stefan Mladenovic scored the only goal of the match in the 82nd minute as Odds BK racked up a second 1-0 victory over FC Vaduz, this time at home, and won their series 2-0 on aggregate.

At Domzale, Slovenia:

Ivan Firer (PK-25'), Jure Balkovec (69'), and Semijad Ibricic (71') each collected a tally as Domzale defeated visiting Valur 3-2 in game two and waved so-long to the Icelandic club 5-3 on aggregate.


At Belgrade, Serbia:

Mitchell Donald (10') and Slavoljub Srnic (77') each scored once as Red Star Belgrade blanked visiting Irtysh Pavlodar 2-0 in game two and won their series 3-1 on aggregate.

At Siroki Brijeg, Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Greg Stewart (72') and Gary Mackay-Steven (78') each posted a second-half goal as Aberdeen blanked NK Siroki Brijeg 2-0 on the road in game two and took out the Bosnian club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Herning, Denmark:

Gustav Wikheim (34'), Rasmus Nissen (71'), and Alexander Sorloth (81') each scored once as FC Midtjylland defeated visiting Ferencevaros 3-1 in game two and pulled the plug on their Hungarian guests 7-3 on aggregate.

At Podgorica, Montenegro:

Thorsten Rocher (33'), Philipp Zulechner (39'), and Deni Alar (46') delivered the goals as Sturm Graz dominated Mladost Podgorica 3-0 on the road in game two and eliminated the Montenegrin club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Helsinki, Finland:

Ivan Celikovic's goal in the 71st minute lifted Shkendija to a 1-1 game-two road draw with HJK Helsinki and a 4-2 series victory on aggregate at the Finnish club's expense.

At Petah Tikva, Israel:

Mavis Tchibota (50') and Yuval Ashkenazi (85') each scored once as Bnei Yehuda blanked visiting Trencin 2-0 in game two and won their series 3-1 on aggregate.

At Lucerne, Switzerland:

Muzafer Ejupi scored what proved to be the series-winning goal in the 72nd minute as Osijek, despite dropping a 2-1 game-two road decision, eliminated FC Lucerne 3-2 on aggregate.




Wednesday, July 19, 2017

MLS: Impact, Red Bulls, Caps, RSL, Sounders Gather Wednesday Wins

Seven games were contested in Major League Soccer on Wednesday.

At Montreal:

Blerim Dzemaili scored the winning goal in the 51st minute as the Montreal Impact defeated the visiting Philadelphia Union 2-1.

At Harrison, New Jersey:

Daniel Royer scored twice (90', 90'+1) in the final minutes as the New York Red Bulls demolished the visiting San Jose Earthquakes 5-1.

At New York:

Ashtone Morgan (11') and Victor Vazquez (90'+1) each scored once to carry Toronto FC to a 2-2 road draw with New York City.  David Villa (45'+2) and Maxi Morales (56') produced the Citizens' goals.

At Minneapolis:

Minnesota United FC and the visiting Houston Dynamo battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Carson, California:

Tony Tchani scored the only goal of the match in the 64th minute as the Vancouver Whitecaps knocked off the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 on the road.

At Portland, Oregon:

Joao Plata scored twice (PK-50, 80') as ten-man Real Salt Lake dominated the nine-man Portland Timbers 4-1 on the road.

At Seattle:

Will Bruin (51'), Brad Evans (62'), Gustav Svensson (74'), and Cristian Roldan (78') each scored once as the Seattle Sounders erased a three-goal deficit and upended visiting DC United 4-3.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Toronto FC (GP: 20; GD: +15; PTS: 39)
2.   Chicao (GP: 19; GD: +18; PTS: 38)
3.   New York City FC (GP: 20; GD: +12; PTS: 34)
4.   Atlanta United FC (GP: 19; GD: +12; PTS: 30)
5.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 19; GD: -1; PTS: 29)
6.   Orlando City SC (GP: 20; GD: -7; PTS: 29)
7.   Columbus (GP: 20; GD: -2; PTS: 28)
8.   Montreal (GP: 18; GD: -1; PTS: 24)
9.   Philadelphia (GP: 19; GD: +3; PTS: 23)
10. New England (GP: 19; GD: -2; PTS: 20)
11. DC United (GP: 20; GD: -18; PTS: 18)



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Kansas City (GP: 20; GD: +10; PTS: 32)
2.   FC Dallas (GP: 18; GD: +12; PTS: 31)
3.   Houston (GP: 20; GD: +5; PTS: 29)
4.   Vancouver (GP: 18; GD: -2; PTS: 27)
5.   Portland (GP: 21; GD: 0; PTS: 27)
6.   Seattle (GP: 20; GD: -2; PTS: 27)
7.   San Jose (GP: 20; GD: -8; PTS: 26)
8.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 21; GD: -14; PTS: 23)
9.   Los Angeles (GP: 19; GD: -5; PTS: 22)
10. Colorado (GP: 18; GD: -8; PTS: 19)
11. Minnesota United FC (GP: 20; GD: -17; PTS: 19)

NOTES: With Vancouver, Portland, and Seattle all level on points with 27, the Whitecaps have eight wins, compared to seven each for the Timbers and Sounders; Portland has the superior goal differential compared to Seattle (0, compared to the Sounders' -2); with Colorado and Minnesota United level on points with 19, the Rapids have six wins compared to the Loons' five.