International Soccer Network

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Sounders Dominate Quakes

The Seattle Sounders FC won their third straight game after crushing the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.  Seattle looked the stronger team early on with a handful of shots and close calls in the first ten minutes. In front of 38,880 spectators, Seattle climbed to 3-3-3 on the season.

In the 24th minute, defender Brad Evans floated a pass into the box and midfielder Mauro Rosales barely missed the net with a wild, diving header.  Just before the one third mark, Eddie Johnson crossed to Rosales in the middle who fumbled it and struggled to control. Meanwhile, striker Lamar Neagle came flying down the middle and essentially stole the ball from his teammate as he smashed the ball right at San Jose keeper Jon Busch and into the back of the net.

At the end of the half, Evans was fouled within free kick range by opposing player Rafael Baca, who was issued the first caution of the match. Seattle captain Rosales curled the free kick over the wall of defenders and hit the inside of the near post as it gently settled in the goal. The goalie never stood a chance as the kick was one of the nicest this spectator has witnessed in some time.

Alan Gordon looked to be the strongest player for the Earthquakes. In the 37th,  a well-taken free kick set him up for a strike on goal which went just over the bar. San Jose mainly played with little aggression and pace. Their left midfield and attacking unit did not communicate effectively and continually made bad passes. The non verbal communication from midfielder Walter Martinez made it clear that San Jose was frustrated with their own decision making.

In the second half, Neagle received a ball in open field from Servando Carrasco and juked two San Jose defenders before going near post to beat the keeper. Neagle, a young player, is one of those guys whom when they are in the zone will make other teams pay for errors. Neagle finished with two goals. The match marked his first time scoring since his hat trick in August of 2011, which is exactly why he deserves the designation as the Subside Sports Man of the Match.

Eddie Johnson, the top scorer for Seattle last year, had a particularly flat performance. He missed a handful of shots, could not keep down passes, had poor vision and appeared lazy. The three or so chances he had on goal were poorly struck and his best chance during the game was forfeited for a pass to the far post where no one was waiting. Johnson also needs to work on his attitude problem as he and Chris Wondolowski were issued cations for their last minute scuffling and shoving.

The match ended with more excitement when Obafemi Martins collected a lame clearance from San Jose and easily scored the fourth goal for Seattle.

D.C. United Falls to Union

A downtrodden D.C. United hosted the Philadelphia Union, at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 21st. D.C. United were unable to recover from a sloppy first half and fell 3-2 to the visiting team. The Subside Sports Man of the Match goes to Jack McInerney for his two goals on the night.

The first strike came in the 7th minute, when Union forward Conor Casey threaded the ball through the United defense to Jack McInerney, who juked beautifully and beat keeper Bill Hamid. The second dagger from Philadelphia came in the 10th minute: Sheanon Williams hit a long sideline pass to Danny Cruz, who then found Casey in the middle. Casey struck powerfully and through the defender’s legs for the second goal of the match.

In the 18th minute, D.C. United retaliated with their own smart looking goal, only their third on the season. United defender Brandon McDonald chipped to captain Dwayne De Roasario, who kept his head up and found open striker Perry Kitchen. Kitchen one-touched the ball past Union keeper Zac MacMath.

Ten minutes later, Union’s Williams threw the ball into McInerney for another goal. The throw-in must have floated at least 35 yards and was quite accurate.

The first half ended with the Union having one more promising chance, but MacMath was in the right place at the right time for the important stop. Despite being down two-one at the half, the home side came out rejuvenated and strong. Two minutes in, a fantastic aerial cross from the outside met the head of DC United striker Lionard Pajoy for the team’s fourth goal of the season! The trailing home team continued to fight and controlled much of the second half, but they were unable to score.

An entertaining physical matchup between Casey and Dejan Jakovic carried on in the second half. Both players took turns fighting each other off the ball, Jakovic earning a yellow card in the 67th minute for a strong takedown. During stoppage time, Chris Pontius got flipped and folded in the air. He landed awkwardly and painfully, but was unscathed by the mishap, fortunately. Attendance for the match was 12,349. The last place D.C. United will have to do more if they have any hopes for a winning season. DC falls to 1-5-1, as Philadelphia climbs to 3-2-2 on the season.

Sounders and Revs Battle to Draw

It was a battle of unexpected bottom-dwellers as the worst team in the East traveled to the home stadium of the worst team in the West. After ninety minutes of play it became clear why these two clubs are sitting at the bottom, respectively. The Revolution and the Sounders both looked tired and could not produce goals. The match ended with a nil-nil draw with Seattle missing a handful of easy shots.

The first easy shot which did not produce any points came from Steve Zakuani. An early cross set up an open goal on a pedestal, but the forward decided to shoot directly at the goalie. The ensuing corner produced another opportunity as Osvaldo Alonso struck the ricochet and it barely went over the crossbar. A goal kick was awarded, but the replay clearly showed the New England keeper touching the ball as it sailed out of bounds.

In the 22nd minute, Alex Caskey threaded a ball to Lamar Neagle who was blocked by the keeper. On the retaliatory pursuit from NE, Michael Gspurning came up for a stop on a through ball. Following the stop, Neagle set up Mauro Rosales, who overshoots and misses another chance (that’s three aggregate missed chances so far). Shortly thereafter, DeAndre Yedlin puts a ball out in front of Neagle for a scoring chance, however, Neagle was unable to keep up with the pass.

New England had their fair share of highlights and missed chances as well. For instance, Lee Nguyen committed a terrible shot in the 36th which verges on embarrassing. Bobby Shuttleworth was in top form; in the 39th he came way outside of his box and made a huge stop. Just before the end of the half, Zakuani broke down the middle and only had the keeper to beat, but his shot went directly at Shuttleworth. The first half ended with booing from the home team.

The second half drooled on much like the first half. A handful of chances for both sides with the defensive units (particularly the keepers) holding strong. Gspurning had some more crucial saves, including a great one during stoppage time.

There were a handful of fresh faces in the latter half: Andy Dorman, Saer Sene, Andy Rose, Philip Lund, and Mario Martinez. Attendance for the afternoon was 38,323. Seattle was short on the offensive core with Eddie Johnson and Obafemi Martins both not in uniform. It was clear that the team missed them.

Subside Sports Man of the Match: GK Michael Gspurning, Seattle Sounders FC

Porter’s Timbers Draw with Sounders

Coming off a victory over tough Mexican league club, Tigres UANL, Seattle advanced to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. Djimi Traore and DeAndre Yedlin both had amazing, distance goals in the last match; Traore’s goal was world-class and floated around the Internet as a top goal for the week.  Saturday night was no different as the Sounders and Timbers both used great goals to settle the score, finishing with a 1-1 draw.

Seattle and Portland are longtime rivals. This year marks the third consecutive Cascadia Cup between the two clubs. Seattle won in 2011 and Portland took home the trophy last season. Seattle leads the overall rivalry, stretching back to 1975 at 41-28-10. They also lead in aggregate goals during league play 9-6 since introduction of the Timbers to the MLS a few years ago.

Just a few days before the match, Seattle Sounders FC confirmed the signing of Levante striker Obafemi Martins. Martins hails from Nigeria and has been playing in various European leagues while in his early twenties; his contract buyout from Levante was over three million euros! Now 28, he is still in top form and is expected to link up well with Eddie Johnson for goals. Martins is obviously a Designated Player for the Seattle Sounders FC.

The Portland Timbers also had some new roster additions to boast, as they signed ex-Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre.

After a very windy start (Osvaldo Alonso’s early free kick to beat the keeper was gobbled up in a gust), Seattle appeared to be the stronger team. However, Ryan Johnson and Darlington Nagbe looked eager to score.

In the 13th minute, Steve Zakuani stole the ball and broke down the sideline past his defender and crossed beautifully to Johnson, who was open for the goal! A minute later, Portland crossed into the box and Johnson’s header hit the post. In the 20th minute, Johnson had a very clean stepover and a curving shot on target, but Donovan Ricketts was there for the save.

Michael Gspurning had some great saves in the first half, including an instance of mayhem during which he had two saves and was fouled.

One of the great matchups of the game was between Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and the Johnson/Nagbe duo. They exchanged fouls and steals for the full ninety and provided a healthy dose of energy and keen positioning.

The second half looked very much like the first half, lots of chances, lots of great defense, missed shots, and only one goal. Alonso fouled outside the Seattle eighteen; the ensuing free kick hit the crossbar. Yedlin, coming off of his amazing goal versus Tigres, tried another shot from outside. It was uncontrolled and off target to say the least. Portland possessed well for the middle third of the match, but Gspurning and the Seattle defense held strong.

In the 70th minute, Martins came in for Mario Martinez. Even though Martins looked a bit jet lagged and confused on the field, you can tell he is one of the more talented, quick players on the field. His lack of performance in the first match is understandable when considering he signed his contract a day earlier and has no real practice time with the Seattle Sounders FC. In no time at all I expect him to be a leader for the team.

Portland subbed in Rodney Wallace for Nagbe late in the match, which proved to be their best strategic play of the match. In the final minute of regulation, Portland chipped a ball forward into Seattle territory, which led to a corner. The corner was partially cleared, ricocheted a few times, and was popped into the box by Andrew Jean-Baptiste, and finished perfectly by Wallace. It was a devastating last ditch effort to say the least.

Sounders Fall to Impact in Game #1

Seattle Sounders FC kicked off their fifth season opener against the Montreal Impact. Historically, Seattle has struggled against the Canadian based club; the Sounders lost 4-1 in their last MLS meeting.  This season was no exception as the Sounders labored to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Impact.

Led by last year’s leading scorer Eddie Johnson (14), Seattle entered this season after a disappointing playoff performance to end the previous season. Fredy Montero is on a loan for the season, so a key offensive figure will be sorely missed. With Mauro Rosales aging quickly, as was obvious in Saturday’s match, other players will have to step up to the pitch as the season progresses.

The game began with the two sides exchanging chances and possession. Neither side stood out for the first half an hour of play. Seattle had a plethora of first half corners, but were unable to produce any goals. Impact striker Marco Di Vaio looked hungry for goals early on, but could not manage to stay onside long enough to have an effect. Rosales and Johnson linked up several times in the first half, but Johnson’s shots on goal were either directly at keeper Troy Perkins or wide of the goal.

The first and only goal of the match came from Davy Arnaud. Faster than the Sounders could position themselves, Felipe chipped a through pass to Arnaud, who sent the ball soaring over Michael Gspurning and into the back of the net in the 35th minute.

The first half saw a few more on target shots from both sides, but the defense and goalkeeping did not falter. Seattle led in possession, tackles, and shots on target in the first half. If only they could manage to produce points from these.

The second half played out in much the same manner. Montreal began with a player down for the first few minutes as Di Vaio did not return to the pitch immediately following the kick off. Several minutes into the half he returned to the field. His absence was primarily unnoticed.

For the Sounders, the second half proved disappointing to say the least. A circus of events occurred in the box as the Impact almost sealed the win twice before it was cleared to safety. Shortly thereafter, Andy Rose left the field with a confirmed left elbow contusion. He is expected to recover quickly. Seattle almost tied it up in the final third of the game. Brad Evans recovered the ball outside the Impact’s goal box and struck a beauty which slid through the defense only to hit the post, then Perkins, and then bounced away to safety. Again, in the 81st minute, a fantastic cross from Alex Caskey landed at the feet of an open Johnson. He stuck quickly and with purpose, but merely hit the crossbar; another missed chance for Seattle.

The final minutes of the match were frustrating for the Sounders and their fans. The Impact players began to flop and become injured, wasting at least ten minutes of regulation time. The crowd responded by hurling items onto the field and booing at the injured players. Seattle had one final attempt as a great cross from DeAndre Yedlin found Rosales. Rosales tried a sideways aerial kick with little success.

To say that the 38,998 fans in attendance were disappointed would be an understatement.  But this is a young season and the Sounders are sure to find success and soon.

Subside Sports Man of the Match: D DeAndre Yedlin, Seattle

Yedlin had a stellar match, and I would award him the Man of the Match. His keen awareness, speed, and great ball movement for such a young player will undoubtedly progress as the season continues. He is a Washington native and spent his collegiate career with The University of Akron. He was the team’s first Homegrown Player, having been signed on January 11th after two All-MAC First Team selections as a Zip. His start on Saturday marks the youngest player to start in the club’s history.