5Mar/110
Seattle Sounders Drop Cascadia Summit Opener to Portland Timbers
The Seattle Sounders' unofficial opening salvo in the Great Northwest MLS rivalry didn't close as well as they'd hoped. In the 21st minute, a rain-soaked Kasey Keller seemingly stopped a shot on goal only to have the ball lay up a few feet in front of him as he watched it rocket to the back of the net off of Timbers forward Jorge Perlaza. Most assuredly this goal was weather-related. However, the Sounders did nothing to earn a victory—weather-related goal or not. The Sounders' playing style hasn't changed this year. There are still spots of unbridled excitement riddled in between many minutes of passing the ball around on defense. Speaking of defense, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado is now back in the lineup. He had an up and down night, mixing a few good plays with some bad. Most notably on defense, though, was the play of Jeff Parke. Parke made plenty of mistakes, but he was slow to correct them and was constantly in the wrong place. Most remarkably—aside from providing zero cover for the aforementioned goal—Parke allowed several balls to run right past him and across the middle of the goal. It's a wonder Keller is losing his hair. If Sounders coach Sigi Schmid insists on playing everything ...3Mar/110
Los Angeles Galaxy Choke Against Club Tijuana, Fall in Penalties 4-3
The Los Angeles Galaxy seem to be making a nasty habit of choking in penalty shootouts as well as giving up leads at the worst times possible. If Bruce Arena's side expects to defend their Supporters Shield, let alone contend for the MLS Cup, well...they probably would be wise to keep their expectations low. After Frankie Hejduk became Goat No. 1 for a foul that led to Club Tijuana even the score at 2-2, the Galaxy proceeded to lose in penalties 4-3 with Jovan Kirovski becoming Goat No. 2 for his inability to learn from his transgressions at the 2009 MLS Cup. Granted, Los Xolos played like a side in midseason form, but on the other side, the Galaxy played discombobulated football for the good part of 90 minutes with Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Juan Pablo Angel lacking the communication and know-how to be contenders. Omar Gonzalez equalized for the Galaxy in the 41st minute off of Beckham and Donovan finished off the delivery from Chris Birchall to make it 2-1. Joaquin Del Olmo's Club Tijuana took an early 1-0 lead in the 38th minute thanks to Gilberto Mora and equalized on the penalty from Miguel Lopez in the 82nd minute. The Galaxy will ...3Mar/110
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Club Tijuana: A San Diego-Sized Measuring Stick
With the Los Angeles Galaxy set to begin their 2011 Major League Soccer campaign on March 15 against the Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field, Bruce Arena's men will be due for some fine tuning when they take on Club Tijuana tonight at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego in San Diego, California."It's our first real preseason game," midfielder Landon Donovan said. "We've played a lot of scrimmages but this is our first chance. We're two weeks out now so this is a big test."While the Galaxy have played preseason matches against the Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids and Vancouver Whitecaps, those were mere scrimmages. This time, it's for real.Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles De Caliente, managed by Joaquin del Olmo, are a team that plays in the Liga de Ascenso, the second division of Mexican football. Having won the 2010 Apertura, they are another league title or a victory over the 2011 Clausura champion away from promotion to the Primera Division de Mexico. Currently in the 2011 Clausura, Tijuana are 2-5-1 (11 points) and are on track to make the Liguilla (playoffs)."Any time you play against a Mexican team it's exciting, certainly a different style of play from ...2Mar/110
Seattle Sounders and Manchester United Set for a 2011 Friendly in Seattle?
EPL Talk, the online blog for the English Premier League has leaked the Manchester United travel schedule for 2011 and guess who is on it?It's being reported that Man U. will begin play right here in Seattle at Qwest Field.If you recall, earlier this year the Sounders promised there would only be a single international friendly, but that the visiting team would be a world top-five. Well, congrats to the front office if the rumor is true. They landed one of the true big names in soccer and the sellout is virtually guaranteed.The Sounders, for their part, have remained silent on the subject. An announcement is sure to come soon, we hope. When the front office does announce the opponent for the friendly, and if it's Man U., they'll have satisfied a chief complaint from Sounder fans last season.Despite the valiant efforts to provide more games, Boca Juniors and Celtic did not satisfy the fans' desires for good, quality international teams.Add that to the grueling schedule the Sounders faced while trying to bring home an MLS Cup and the fans were much higher on the team than on the front office last season. In other Sounders news, the Cascadia Cup ...2Mar/110
New York Cosmos 2011 Asia Tour Kicks off with Pelé, Eric Cantona and Cobi Jones
The New York Cosmos kicked off the 2011 Asia Tour today when Pelé, Eric Cantona and Cobi Jones arrived safely in Singapore. From now until March 9, all three New York Cosmos Ambassadors' purpose is to demonstrate the organization's good-will commitment to developing young talent and building global partnerships. The tour begins in Singapore and continues onto Hong Kong starting March 6 (featuring Pelé only) and ending March 9, as stated in their press release: "Other programs taking place in Singapore will include: A Q&A session hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (AmCham Singapore) in conjunction with the U.S.-Asia Pacific Regional Business Summit. AmCham Singapore Chairman Dr. Steve Okun will address 'What’s Next In the Soccer World' and will talk to Pelé, Cantona and Jones about the important role that soccer plays to bridge communities. A gala dinner with Singapore President S.R. Nathan and his wife in attendance, benefiting the Bone Marrow Donor Programme. Ribbon-cutting of a brand new soccer pitch being unveiled at the Singapore Sports School. A soccer clinic hosted by Cobi Jones with Team Hope, an organization committed to 'changing lives through football.' An exclusive launch of the Umbro x New York Cosmos home kit with ...1Mar/110