Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Toronto FC: A Play-By-Play (and Other Miscellany)

T-180 minutes to kickoff: The Los Angeles Galaxy will have to soldier on for a couple more matches without the assistance of Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle, who have paced the USA to a 1-0 win over Algeria and a spot in the Round of 16. This Saturday, the Galaxy travel to the site of this year's MLS Cup, BMO Field, to take on Toronto FC in a quest to make amends for their draw earlier this season. T-170: While we're on the subject, let's talk a little bit about BMO Field. BMO stands for Bank of MOntreal (note the capitals in this one) Financial Group, the sponsors of this CAD $62.5 million gem in Exhibition Place. This is an open-air structure that seats up to 21,800 strong. This originally was slated to be located on the campus of York University. But York backed out of the offer, and so the site was moved to the location of the demolished Exhibition Stadium. This site is also home to the Toronto Nationals, the 2009 champions of Major League Lacrosse. T-160: In the past, BMO Field was home to a surface made of FieldTurf. However, last year ...

Why Thierry Henry Signing with Red Bulls is Bad Omen for Major League Soccer

Having boarded a jet to New York, rumors are rife that Thierry Henry has said adiós to Barcelona, and has gone on to pen a two-year deal with MLS side New York Red Bulls. Is this a step forward for the Red Bulls, or a case of history repeating itself? Anyone who remembers the North American Soccer League (NASL) can probably remember a previous New York team, the Cosmos, who drew large crowds upwards of 40,000 fans per game by bringing in foreign talent such as the legendary Brazillian Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer of Germany. When Pelé signed for Cosmos he was over 35 years old, and when Beckenbauer jumped on board he was 32. Both men, while legends in their prime, were aging fast before they crossed the Atlantic and spearheaded a wave of overpaid, aging superstars often unable to still perform at the levels that propelled them to super-stardom. There were a lot of factors in the decline of the NASL. Over-expansion was a huge reason, but one of the primary causes of the decline was a mismanagement of funds that saw millions spent on these aging stars rather than engaging the public and working to bring through young domestic talent. If we fast forward ...

This Is The Los Angeles Galaxy: Bryan Jordan

This is Part 19 in a series of articles on the players that make up the 2010 Los Angeles Galaxy.One of the rising young stars itching to get his name across on the big stage is Bryan Jordan of the Los Angeles Galaxy. The No. 27 is a utility player on the pitch, able to play as a forward, a wide midfielder, or a defender.His versatility has made him a smash hit with the Portland Timbers. Now he looks to continue to provide another wrinkle in Bruce Arena's 4-4-2 system.Bryan Jordan was born on September 13, 1985 in Pasadena, California. Pasadena, as you all should know by now, is the home of the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl Game, held at the stadium of the same name. Before the Home Depot Center was erected, the Galaxy played all their home matches at the Rose Bowl from 1996 to 2003.Aside from the New Year's Day hoopla surrounding the Granddaddy Of Them All, Pasadena is a city of the arts. PasadenART Weekend is a three day citywide event which, as of 2007, encompasses ArtNight, ArtWalk, ArtHeritage, ArtMarket, and ArtPerformance, a vibrant outdoor music event showcasing emerging and nationally recognized ...

MLS: Seattle Sounders Return To Portland To Launch Defense Of Hunt Open Cup

The MLS postseason continues as the Seattle Sounders begin defense of their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Sounders will face the Portland Timbers in a third round match on June 30 at PGE Park. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. The match will be televised by FSN. The Sounders-Portland winner advances to the quarterfinal round to meet the Chivas USA-Austin Aztex winner on either July 6 or 7. A crowd of 16,382 filled PGE Park last year as The Sounders defeated the Timbers, 2-1. Seattle proceeded to win the cup with victories over Kansas City, Houston and D.C. United. Portland, a member of U.S. Soccer Division 2, advanced to the third round by beating the Kitsap Pumas of the PDL, 4-1, in Bremerton on Tuesday night. Seattle and the other seven MLS teams enter Open Cup play at the third round stage. The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Sounders Speak: Sigi Schmid’s Recent Observations

The Seattle Sounders have plenty of games scheduled for the busy period following the World Cup break. On Sunday afternoon the Sounders will be in action in Chester, Pennsylvania.  The team will face the Philadelphia Union at their new soccer specific home. The next MLS competition will be July 4 on the road against the Western Conference leaders, the Los Angeles Galaxy.  On July 11 the Sounders will return home to entertain FC Dallas. The Sounders then travel to face D.C. United at RFK Stadium July 15. There is also plenty of activity outside the MLS.  The Sounders are in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third round competition.  U.S. Soccer has now bracketed Seattle and the Portland Timbers with the L.A. Galaxy and AC St. Louis in Division 2. The Sounders and Timber will square off June 30 in Portland. The Sounders FC-Portland winner advances to the quarterfinal round to meet the L.A. Galaxy-St. Louis winner on either July 6 (St. Louis) or July 7 (L.A. Galaxy). On July 18 Seattle will host the internationally round Celtic FC in a highly anticipated friendly. Also on the international front, the Sounders host Metapan of El Salvador June 28 as part of the CONCACAF competition. The return leg is scheduled ...

MLS: Seattle Sounders Set for Deja Vu Clash With Philadelphia Union

It's déjà vu time for the Seattle Sounders.  They hope to reconnect with the good times from their first meeting with the Philadelphia Union, who the Sounders visit Sunday afternoon. It was a grand evening when Seattle opened the season against the Philadelphia visitors in the MLS opener, as 36,241 fans at the Xbox pitch of Qwest Field saw the home team prevail 2-0 over the Eastern visitors. First half goals by strikers Fredy Montero and Brad Evans supplied all the necessary scoring, as the defense shut down Philadelphia and the Sounders began the season on a winning note. The following week, Seattle looked for momentum in the form of a second win in a row when trouble ensued, revealing early the kind of topsy turvy activity that has defined their season to this point. The Sounders hosted the New York Red Bulls and lost 1-0, despite tough defense coupled with successful ball possession offense. The locals set a team record for corner kicks, with 12, but ended up with an upset loss due to their inability to convert scoring opportunities. The Sounders hope to prevent that pattern from this point forward. Just before the World Cup break, following a stirring 3-0 home win over the New England Revolution, Seattle hoped to carry a ...

World Cup 2010: USA and England Through to Last-16, Relief Beyond Belief

England and the USA have progressed to the Last-16 of the 2010 World Cup after a Landon Donovan goal, in the 91st minute against Algeria, won the Group for the U.S. Meanwhile Jermaine Defoe's early strike proved enough to gain second place for a nervous Three Lions as they edged past Slovenia 1-0. The story of the night was Landon Donovan's heroic injury time winner, that put the U.S. through when all looked lost in the Loftus Versfield Stadium. With England hanging on to a 1-0 lead, and both games moving into the phases, Team USA were in third position behind Fabio Capello's misfiring team, who were Group leaders for most of the afternoon, and Slovenia who were second on four points. However, cometh the hour, cometh the man. Jozy Altidore forced his way into a shooting position and fired home, but Mbouli proved equal to the effort, as he had been to all of Team USA's best chances. The ball squirmed free to Donovan who made no mistake from just six yards to cue wild celebrations, as the entire of Team USA's squad made their way to the LA Galaxy man who had dived into the corner flag. One of the World Cups greatest goal ...

Some New England Revolution Questions That Needed Asking (Pt. 2)

Having submitted a few burning business/operations questions to Revolution COO Brian Bilello already, I figured I would continue to take up the Revolution’s generous offer and ask some of Mike Burns as well.   (See the first discussion here .) The good news is on the “soccer side” of things; I don’t know of anyone who can question the soccer specific focus or knowledge of the staff. Steve Nicol is nearly sainted in these parts, and Michael Burns (if not everyone’s idol) certainly seems worthy of respect. I’ll caveat this blog with the understanding that I only have public information. Luckily, that includes a decent review of salary information from the MLS Player’s Union and statistics from websites near and far. I do not, however, know all the intricacies of contracts and the detail of some MLS transfer and personnel rules. Some of this is easy to find, some not. If my assumptions are off base, I’d love to understand more by those who know it. Question: I’m sure this is a question that will be posed time and time again, but can you describe the roles of both Steve Nicol and yourself when scouting, drafting and acquiring players? Why I ask: To be fair, ...

Some New England Revolution Questions That Needed Asking

So there’s this little competition called the World Cup going on. And yet, I’m writing about the New England Revolution—a team that’s not actively playing right now. How could this be? Well, there are too many pundits talking about the World Cup already, some of which even make sense (some). And something came up about the Revolution that interested me. The Revolution offered an online question/answer time with Revolution Chief Operating Officer Brian Bilello and VP of Player Personnel Michael Burns. Being a cynic, I might call this damage control for an increasingly disinterested or frustrated fan base. But given the floodgates that will likely open on them, it is indeed a generous offer. The offer is appreciated, and I know many fans hope the answers are more than a simple  “you don’t get it,” “we tried that before,” and the ones that nearly say, “hey, this is really hard, you know.”   Yes, we know. But first, here’s what I’d really like to know, and this round—at least—I humbly send to Mr. Bilello. I’ll skip the Soccer Specific Stadium questions, since that just hurts my head. Question: Do the New England Revolution have a “mission statement” from an overall perspective (not specifically on the field)? Why I ask: Sometimes, the ...

Houston Dynamo Downs C.D. Aguila To Take 2010 Charities Cup

(Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, Copright 2010, All Rights Reserved) Facing off in 90 degree temperature at 8:00 pm CDT, the Houston Dynamo took the field against CD Aguila in the Second Annual Dynamo Charities Cup. The Dynamo did not waste time getting on the scoreboard as forward Joseph Ngwenya took a pass from midfielder Juan Manuel Quevedo in front of the net to make the score 1-0 at the eighth minute. They came back in the 28th minute to make the score to 2-0 on a pass from Francisco Navas Cobo to fellow midfielder Corey Ashe. At the end of the first half, the Dynamo held onto its 2-0 score as they headed to the locker room. In the first half, Aguila were held to 5 shots on goal with goalkeeper Miguel Montes having 3 saves. The Dynamo took 11 shots on goal with goalkeeper Tally Hall tallying 3 saves. In the second half, the Dynamo came out just as they had in the first half, with midfielder Juan Manuel Quevedo drilling a shot from the top of the box in the 50th minute, which was brilliantly deflected by Apulia’s Montes. ...