LA Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire: A Play-by-Play (and Other Miscellany)

T-180 minutes to kickoff: Man, what the heck just happened on Tuesday? Bruce Arena must have rounded up a bunch of imposters posing as the Los Angeles Galaxy to go out on Tuesday at the Home Depot Center against the Puerto Rico Islanders. The lack of form could be a problem this afternoon against the Chicago Fire. T-170: I almost typed "Chicago Red Stars" by mistake on the previous paragraph. That's WPS. I am used to writing that phrase rather than "Chicago Fire" because I first got my big break on Bleacher Report writing on Women's Professional Soccer. (And how about FC Gold Pride? They are running away with the regular season crown right about now.) T-160: The Los Angeles Galaxy are still at the top of the 2010 Major League Soccer standings, but they sure aren't playing like they deserve to be at the top, having had a string of poor performances in the past several matches. You know, this was the dry spell that I was hinting at in my preview of the D.C. United contest, and whether or not the Galaxy will snap out of their funk starting today remains to be seen. T-150: The Chicago ...

Steve Zakuani: From Africa To London To Seattle Sounders Stardom

A major reason why soccer has been called “the beautiful game” is its international dimension, the idea of bringing people together from various cultures and life experiences throughout the world. Steve Zakuani’s story falls into that dimension, a young man with international roots who followed his dream and is now one of the quickest and most productive strikers in Major League Soccer. The Seattle Sounders star was born in Kinshasa in what was then Zaire and is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “We moved to London when I was 4,” Zakuani revealed following a Sounders training session. “It was 1992. London is so international and there are so many Africans there that I became friends with many of them, as did my family members. In fact, some of my first soccer games were with African friends in London.” Perhaps Zakuani was destined by the stars to become a soccer player. The family, after all, was based in North London. Steve grew up near White Hart Lane and the famous stadium that the Tottenham Spurs of England’s Premier League call home. As events emerged, however, Zakuani was destined to forge an important link with another famous North London club, that being Arsenal. Those roots ...

Fredy Montero Header Leads Seattle Past San Jose, 1-0

Fredy Montero continued his red hot streak Saturday night in a crucial MLS Western Conference showdown with an adroitly executed header to give visiting Seattle Sounders FC a 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes before 10,351 at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara. The Montero goal, the only score of a fiercely contested defensive struggle, came in the 26th minute as the speedy Colombian striker took a cross from Sanna Nyassi in front of the goal and headed it past San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch. The blazing streak of Montero continued with the game clincher against the Earthquakes.  He has been involved in a score through a goal or assist over eight consecutive MLS games with four goals and five assists.  On the season Montero has seven goals and eight assists. Montero’s scoring impetus carried into the international realm as well.  Last Wednesday at home against El Salvador’s Metapan in Champions League play Montero came off the bench in the second half to drill home a textbook perfect 40-yard missile to produce the only score of the game in another 1-0 Sounders success. Since Sana Nyassi has become a regular, he has also been productive in the assist capacity after using his speed ...