He had an accomplice in Nate Jaqua when they enacted the tree falling celebration against the Portland Timbers. But on Thursday night, Roger Levesque needed no assistance with his next masterpiece.
The Seattle Sounders icon, the author of two goals on the night, put a bow on his team’s 4-2 win over the New York Red Bulls with a scuba-diving celebration that will go down as one of the best of the year. (VIDEO)
Here come the Seattle Sounders. They withstood the New York Red Bulls fightback and now with a win on Sunday against the New England Revolution (4 p.m. ET, MatchDay Live), the Sounders could pull to within three points of the league-leading LA Galaxy.
New York will seek redemption on Sunday in Chicago (2 p.m. ET, ESPN) as Thierry Henry, who was in Seattle, returns to the lineup following his suspension.
For forwards like Levesque, their job is obviously to score goals. According to D.C. United assistant coach Chad Ashton, it doesn’t matter if they come through a dive every now and then. With Charlie Davies not speaking to media about the "diving" incident, Ashton did: “It's what forwards get paid to do, and their job is to try and find a goal no matter how they do it.” D.C. United host the Houston Dynamo on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, TeleFutura).
The Portland Timbers, who travel to take on FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, MatchDay Live), are the subject of a New York Times feature in which owner Merritt Paulson admits that MLS “has hit that tipping point.”
It’s become a theme of home matches for the Philadelphia Union as visiting teams consistently pack it in, hoping not to lose against manager Peter Nowak’s side. We’ll see if Chivas USA opt to take a less conservative tact on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, MatchDay Live).
Meanwhile, PPL Park will get set to host its first college football game in November, when the MLS season is done and dusted. It’s Villanova vs. Delaware brought to you by PPL EnergyPlus at PPL Park.
In case you missed it, the latest family that will receive a brand new home courtesy of the TV show Extreme Makeover: Family Edition features a seven-year-old, Jonah Gomez, who is seeking a bone marrow transplant. He names Real Salt Lake’s Kyle Beckerman as his favorite player and they’ve already confirmed there will be a soccer theme in a section of the new home. Here is video of the show's host talking about the bone marrow drive happening as part of the episode.
Real Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium will be one of seven MLS stadiums this weekend that will host bone marrow drives for Gomez. RSL host Toronto FC on Saturday (9 p.m. ET, MatchDay Live).
Just as unexpected as the visit by the crew from Extreme Makeover was to that Utah family, here’s another bit of news about an MLS alum which comes out of the blue. Former FC Dallas and San Jose Earthquakes player Ronnie O’Brien is now a golf instructor, who’s also charged with managing a course.
The Women’s World Cup kicks off this weekend and one of the stars of the tournament admits for the first time to having abused alcohol in the past.
Here’s a preview with all you need to know about the women’s tournament as Germany look to become the first team to win a three-peat of titles.
The US national team gets set to face Mexico in the Gold Cup final at the Rose Bowl on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer and Univisión) and one of the players that manager Bob Bradley will be especially attentive to is Manchester United forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández. The Red Devils’ leading scorer credits a fitness and diet program designed by Man Utd staff for his rise to stardom.
The players from both squads will speak to media for the first time later on Friday. Stay tuned throughout the day to complete coverage from Pasadena, Calif., on MLSsoccer.com.
A bit to the north, the San Jose Earthquakes will be hosting the LA Galaxy in the 2011 edition of the California Clásico, which will precede the Gold Cup final on Fox Soccer (6:30 p.m. ET).
In addition to El Tri, there’s another Mexican team in California. Santos Laguna invaded the Home Depot Center to begin their fitness ahead of the new Mexican season with Athletes Performance staff. LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena also visited training, according to one report. (SPANISH)
While media in Colorado continue to hammer Arena for not disclosing the fact that David Beckham was not playing in the match against the Rapids last weekend, they are also focusing on the return of Brian Mullan, who served a 10-game suspension for the tackle that injured Steve Zakuani. His comeback will take place at Crew Stadium on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, MatchDay Live).
MLSsoccer.com Must-Reads:
Gold Cup: Costa Rica’s Marshall dies in a car accident
Real Madrid name star-studded roster for World Football Challenge in the USA
FC Dallas scoping Gold Cup for possible transfer targets
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