MLS ARTICLES
- World Cup in Foxborough? ‘I think we have a great chance,’ bid president says (Boston Globe)
- With 2026 World Cup in hand, the real work begins for US Soccer (New York Post)
- Kiszla: Roar like a lion. Dream bigger than the ocean. Why we need World Cup soccer in Colorado. (Denver Post)
- Atlanta United has dominated opponents on the road (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- Crew Cuts: Trapp, Steffen ready to play on short rest with break coming (Columbus Dispatch)
- Portland Timbers, Thorns, T2 players and staff volunteer in community as part of Stand Together Week (The Oregonian)
- LAFC’s Omar Gaber ready to help Egypt in World Cup (Pro Soccer USA)
- Miguel Shares Love For Soccer In “How We Do” Major League Soccer Ad (Vibe)
Montreal Impact 3, Orlando City SC 0
- Orlando City nosedive continues with 3-0 road loss to Montreal Impact (Pro Soccer USA)
- Piatti's two goals lead way as Impact slips and slides to a soggy 3-0 win (Montreal Gazette)
Columbus Crew SC 0, Atlanta United 2
- United 2, Crew SC 0 | Atlanta ends nine-game unbeaten streak for Crew (Columbus Dispatch)
- Martinez scores MLS-leading 14th goal, Atlanta United wins (FOX Sports)
Toronto FC 4, D.C. United 4
- MLS Review: Toronto, DC United play out eight-goal thriller (FourFourTwo)
- Nick Hagglund's late brace helps Toronto erase three-goal deficit, earn draw with D.C. United (ESPNFC.com)
New York Red Bulls 2, Seattle Sounders FC 1
- New York 2, Sounders 1: Red Bulls prove too much for Sounders (Seattle Times)
- Daniel Royer, Bradley Wright-Phillips help New York Red Bulls past the Seattle Sounders (ESPNFC.com)
Colorado Rapids 2, Chicago Fire 2
- Katai caps wild opening 24 minutes, Fire tie Rapids 2-2 (Chicago Daily Herald)
- Colorado Rapids take early lead but extends winless skid to nine games with 2-2 tie against Chicago Fire (Denver Post)
San Jose Earthquakes 2, New England Revolution 2
- Danny Hoesen brace draws San Jose Earthquakes level with New England Revolution 2-2 (Pro Soccer USA)
- Revolution battle to a draw in San Jose (Boston Globe)
World Cup in Foxborough? ‘I think we have a great chance,’ bid president says
Boston Globe – June 13, 2018
FOXBOROUGH — The World Cup is coming to North America in 2026. Will Gillette Stadium be one of the host locations?
Brian Bilello, president of Boston Soccer 2026, believes his recently launched nonprofit can lure World Cup action to the Greater Boston area.
“Thinking about 2026 and the opportunity to bring the FIFA men’s World Cup back to North America, to the United States, and hopefully back here to Boston is tremendously exciting,” said Bilello — who is also president of the Revolution — in a news conference at Gillette Stadium Wednesday.
“There will be an effort over the next couple of years for those of us here in Boston to win the right to actually host games here in Boston. I think we have a great chance to do so.”
Foxborough played host to several World Cup contests back in 1994, at Foxboro Stadium. That was the last time the tournament was played in the US.
Officials from FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, met in Moscow Wednesday and voted to accept North America’s bid for 2026 over a bid from Morocco.
With the bid secured, 23 venues — mostly NFL stadiums — will begin campaigns to obtain games for their sites. That list will be narrowed over the next two years, as FIFA and the United Bid Committee analyze the economic and logistical viability of each candidate.
How does Gillette stack up? The fact that the venue is privately owned by the Kraft Group helps the chances considerably because the economic risks of hosting large-scale events at publicly funded stadiums are far greater.
Bilello, a lifelong soccer fan who yearned throughout his childhood for a local team to support, pointed out that private ownership wasn’t the only advantage here.
“When you look at our bid, particularly here in Boston, the venue exists, the transportation infrastructure exists, the airport exists, the hotels exist,” Bilello said. “There is nothing that needs to be built to bring the World Cup to Boston, and that is really important.
“From a big-picture standpoint, this is going to be a relatively easy and low-cost event to bring to North America and to bring to Boston.”
There remains work to be done, though. Should Boston’s bid prove successful, Gillette’s artificial turf would have to be replaced temporarily with a natural grass surface.
Bilello observed first-hand the impact that World Cup action had on improving soccer’s reach in the area 24 years ago. Engagement with the sport skyrocketed nationally, helping prompt the formation of Major League Soccer, which held its first MLS Cup two years later in 1996.
Bilello believes that welcoming the world’s best to Foxborough eight years from now could have a similar galvanizing effect.
“I think fans in the United States want to watch Cristiano Ronaldo, they want to watch Lionel Messi, they want to watch Mohamed Salah,” said Bilello. “I think people will be surprised at how strong the TV ratings are going to be in this World Cup, even without the US men’s national team in it.”
With 2026 World Cup in hand, the real work begins for US Soccer
New York Post – June 13, 2018
The United States couldn’t get into the 2018 World Cup, but on Wednesday the 2026 World Cup was brought to the U.S.
Now what can we do with it?
After the Men’s National Team failed to reach this summer’s tournament, which kicks off Thursday in Russia, the United Bid (a cooperative between the U.S., Mexico and Canada) won the right to host the 2026 World Cup. Now, the sport’s power brokers need to build on that victory.
It’s still undetermined if all three hosts will get automatic berths, as they have in the past. Considering America’s glaring absence in Russia, it’s vital U.S. Soccer leverages enough advancement over the next eight years to make that question moot.
“We believe soccer — or football — will become the preeminent sport in North America,” U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro said via teleconference. “The reality is in the United States on the men’s side, we have a lot of competition with three or four other sports; we’re not at the top yet. We believe this event will become a lightning rod, transformational for the sport. Kids who are now 8, 10, 12 years old can all dream of potentially playing for a national team.”
Soccer has surpassed baseball and is just a shade behind basketball (but far behind football) in popularity among American 18-to-34-year-olds, according to a Gallup poll in December. If soccer leadership plays its cards right, it will be take its place as America’s fifth “major sport” by the time the 2026 World Cup rolls around.
Futbol has long been king in Mexico, but now there are more kids playing soccer in Canada than hockey. Although just four million players are registered in the U.S., despite a population of a third of a billion, Cordeiro said he believes that amount can be tripled by bringing the game to our “disenfranchised and underserved.”
Hosting the 1994 World Cup spawned Major League Soccer. Having the league already in place gives this World Cup a stateside soccer engine to turbo-charge. MLS commissioner Don Garber called it “a monumental step in our collective mission to further advance the game of soccer in North America” and added “there’s no doubt that World Cup 2026 will elevate the sport of soccer to entirely new levels.”
Cobi Jones, who played in the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cups — watched the bid in a New York office with former teammate Brian McBride, U.S. Soccer CEO Dan Flynn and U.S. National Team GM Earnie Stewart. Jones helped the fledgling MLS in 1996, and said this World Cup can have even more impact.
“The legacy of the ’94 World Cup, MLS came out of it. Twenty-odd years later everything has come through that World Cup,” Jones told The Post. “In 2026 the dollars will be more, more attention, impact. Interest will pick up in the sport, [giving] an opportunity for kids in underserved communities to pick up as the money flows into it, and enjoy and play this game. Tapping into ’94, nobody expected [MLS] to be where it is now. I’m excited to see what the possibilities are.
“The onus will be on the powers-that-be to make sure the money and attention flows to those underserved communities, the money trickles down and is invested in the right ways. To be frank, we’re investing in our soccer future. … It’s more players into the pot, which is beneficial not just for soccer and MLS but society. I’m a proponent of sport being beneficial in learning skills in life: Why not soccer?”
FIFA will decide if the hosts get automatic bids. But to ensure the point is moot, Jones said the U.S. must reach underserved communities to find talent, develop teens such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and the Red Bulls’ Tyler Adams and bring soccer passion to the public.
They have eight years to do so.
“It’s huge for our country as a whole. MLS is growing a lot, so to have international teams coming to the U.S. to see how we’ve grown as a country,” U.S. midfielder Kellyn Acosta, 22, said in video from FC Dallas. “To play a World Cup match in front of my friends and family, that’d be huge. I’m definitely excited.”
Pulisic, McKennie, Adams and Acosta, plus youngsters such as Josh Sargent and PSG’s Queens-bred Timothy Weah, will be in their prime when the World Cup comes stateside. Former U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati told ESPN the most important time in the U.S. capitalizing on 2026 starts today.
“It’s always been about this period right now, from the day you get the bid to the day the World Cup kicks off. That’s more important in so many ways than the 31 or 32 days of the event,” Gulati said. “The critical day is what’s it look like the day after? It’s about building the sport in those eight years using the leverage of the World Cup … and hoping that the game is at a higher level the day after.”
Said ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman: “[Soccer] is on the brink of becoming a major sport because kids these days — on their phones, video games — it’s FIFA, it’s soccer. The games only last two hours. I can go on and on about what this sport means. I just think it’s going to blossom having the world’s biggest event in this country. [In] 2026 we may be having a different discussion.”
Kiszla: Roar like a lion. Dream bigger than the ocean. Why we need World Cup soccer in Colorado.
Denver Post – June 13, 2018
The big lion roared and changed the life of a 9-year-old boy forever.
Dom Badji never would have watched a sunset over the Rocky Mountains, never stepped on a soccer pitch for the Rapids and never shared laughter with me if not for a single goal scored 16 years ago.
“It changed everything for me,” said Badji as we stood outside the Rapids’ dressing room, more than 5,000 miles and an ocean away from Dakar, the city where he was born on the west coast of Africa.
Such is the power of the World Cup, the biggest sporting event on the planet.
May 31, 2002, forever altered the path taken by a skinny kid named Dom. Senegal, making its first appearance at the World Cup, was playing Thierry Henry and defending world champion France at a stadium in Seoul, South Korea.
And Badji as watching on television from his sofa from Africa, cheering the underdog national team of his homeland, fondly nicknamed the Lions of Teranga. In the 29th minute of a scoreless match, huge midfielder “Papa” Bouba Diop came charging upfield, lunged at a loose ball in the box, saw it deflect of the hands of the French goalie and poked a shot in the net for the most beautiful ugly score anyone from Senegal has ever seen.
“I was running down the hallway, screaming,” said Badji, recalling a joy so loud he had it let it out.
The 2018 World Cup begins today in Russia. Senegal is back in the 32-team field for the first time in 16 years, and Badji will watch every game wrapped in his national flag, which will feel as a warm a hug from home.
The 2026 World Cup is coming to North America, quite possibly with Denver as a host city for as many as six games.
No sporting event in the world reveals so much of the world’s heart as the World Cup (sorry, Olympics). So I asked five members of the Rapids, from every corner of the globe, to speak on how the World Cup has shaped them.
Ask Badji the player to watch in Russia and he doesn’t name Lionel Messi or Neymar but goes full, unabashed homer and picks Sadio Mane. Asked which team will win the tournament, and Badji shouts “Senegal all the way!”
Marcelo Balboa, United States
In a Broncos town, Balboa is our bona fide soccer star. Great defender. Even greater hair. And the first player in United States history to earn 100 caps for the national team.
A man never forgets his first start in the World Cup. Balboa got his in 1990, on a June day awash in blue, against Italy, at a stadium so loud he could barely hear himself think.
“My heart was beating out of my chest,” recalled Balboa, who took the field in Rome with 90,000 Italians waving flags and screaming. “I was trying to say something to my teammates standing next to me and they couldn’t hear a word.”
His pick to win the 2018 Cup: Belgium or France.
His player to watch: Antoine Griezmann, France.
Tommy Smith, New Zealand
What lengths will an athlete go to reach the World Cup stage? Smith was born 28 years ago in England. But he represented a rugby country, New Zealand, during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The champions club is reserved for soccer snobs, as only eight countries of elite pedigree have taken home the trophy in 20 tournaments, including Brazil (five times), Germany (four) and Italy (four).
But anyone can crash the party. And isn’t that cool? This year, the happy upstart is Iceland, a country where waterfalls outnumber soccer fields by 10-1. Eight years ago, it was New Zealand. The All Whites have never won a World Cup match.
The beauty of the tourney, however, is any underdog can bite. Eight years ago, Smith walked away with a 1-1 tie against mighty Italy.
“The underdog doesn’t have all the external pressure,” said Smith, now a Rapids defender. “To not have that tag as a favorite? It helps you mentally to play each game with the freedom of knowing the country doesn’t really expect you to win, but will always love the underdog.”
His pick to win: Belgium.
His player to watch: Lionel Messi.
Yoshi Mitsuyama, Japan
The NFL has endured a bit of a national anthem hubbub (as you’ve might have heard).
FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, plays the anthem for both sides prior to the match. But it limits the patriotic songs to 90 seconds, so everybody can get on with the game.
Mitsuyama is the newest member of the Rapids staff. He’s an assistant trainer and a native of Tokyo. I wanted to know: When the Japanese anthem plays prior to matches, what warm-fuzzy feelings of pride and nostalgia would bubble inside him?
“Nothing,” Mitsuyama said. “The national anthem is far different in Japan than it is here in the United States. They don’t play it all the time in Japan.”
The World Cup gets it right. Fans can proudly belt out the words to the anthem, if that’s their thing. But it’s about the sport, not the song.
His pick to win: Germany.
His player to watch: Robert Lewandowski, Poland.
Johan Blomberg, Sweden
Who’s the best player in the world?
Those who love soccer pick Messi. Those who adore chiseled abs and outsized attitude pick Cristiano Ronaldo. (Oops, is my bias showing there?)
Blomberg, a midfielder generally listed at 5-foot-10 and 143 pounds, picks Messi. I guess little guys stick together. On a good day, in proper light, Messi appears to be 5-foot-7. Tops.
“That’s the only way I have Messi beat,” said Blomberg, laughing.
But what does he admire most about Messi? His genius on the ball? The magical goals?
Instead, Blomberg replied: “He’s never diving. He always tries to stand up. He just plays.”
Little guys with big hearts don’t flop.
His pick to win: Brazil.
His player to watch: Messi.
Atlanta United has dominated opponents on the road
Atlanta Journal- Constitution – June 14, 2018
COLUMBUS, OHIO — With Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Columbus, Atlanta United has more road wins this season (5) than it had last season.
And it will have nine more chances to improve upon that total. Six of those matches will come against teams that are below the red line.
Atlanta United leads the league with 33 points, 17 coming from the road where it has a better record (5-1-2) than it does at home (5-2-1).
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan said the biggest difference between last season, the team’s first when its road record was 4-6-7, and this season is their approach and developed maturity.
The league record for road wins in the non-shootout era is nine. It has been set by four teams.
“I don’t think it was until the eighth or ninth minute until they touched the ball,” he said. “We had a fantastic period in the first half where we kept the ball moving, one or two touches, made them shift, made them defend. Obviously, they weren’t pressing us high, and we weren’t causing them any problems. Stuff like that is important on nights like tonight. It’s how you get points on the road in MLS.”
Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino said the success is a reflection of chemistry and experience.
“We have been together longer,” he said. “We were able to modify systems. More time together, able to modify the formations, more hours of work on the field just getting to know each other better. That’s been the difference. “
Atlanta United’s only loss on the road this season came in its first game in a 4-0 drubbing at Houston.
Since then, the Five Stripes have defeated the Crew, Chicago, L.A. Galaxy, Orlando and Minnesota and tied New England and NYCFC. Three of those teams are below the red line, which signifies the six teams in each conference that will advance to the playoffs.
Atlanta United has earned points in a variety of ways. It dominated the Galaxy to earn three points, and was dominated after being reduced to 10 men in Minnesota, but still came out with all of the points. It coughed up a late goal and two points against the Revs, and held on for dear life to earn a point at NYCFC.
The win against Columbus was more professional and efficient. Atlanta United went from the 3-5-2 back to the 4-3-3 formation that it had success with last season, enjoyed 54 percent of the possession and allowed just three shots on goal.
“I think it’s really important,” Hector Villalba said. “It’s going to serve us well, because we want to be a good team on the road. That’s something we set for ourselves as a goal this year, to be better on the road, because last year, at times, we were weak. We want to get as many points as we possibly can, and we know it’s impossible to take all of them, but we just want to take as many as we can and be strong on the road.”
Crew Cuts: Trapp, Steffen ready to play on short rest with break coming
Columbus Dispatch – June 13, 2018
Wil Trapp and Zack Steffen didn’t get much of a break after a transatlantic flight that wrapped up a two-game Europe trip with the United States national team.
They returned to Columbus on Sunday and were back at the Crew training facility Monday for some light work.
But they know a break is coming. Following Wednesday’s game against Atlanta United, Crew SC will have an off weekend for the first time since the season started. They do not play again until a June 23 game at LAFC.
“I’m just resting up, staying off my feet a little bit and doing what I need to do out on the field and in the training room to get ready,” Steffen said Monday. “I’m not feeling bad right now so I’m excited for it.”
Trapp has six national team appearances but doesn’t have as much experience with in-season international travel. Still, he was Crew SC’s ironman last season, playing all but 25 minutes of 2017. If there was a short-rest situation, he played in it.
He’ll experience the same situation Wednesday against Atlanta.
“We’re going in Wednesday to win the game,” Trapp said. “There’s nothing else after that in terms of the weekend, so it’s about giving it everything we have in this Wednesday match.”
Asked if it’s easier to play Steffen and Trapp on short rest knowing there’s a break to follow, coach Gregg Berhalter said, “We’ll see. We’ll look at it. I think the most important thing is to see how they’re doing and make sure they’re fit and ready for the game and then we’ll make that decision as it comes closer to gametime.”
His decision, evidently, was that both are ready to go.
Almiron
Miguel Almiron entered Wednesday’s game listed as questionable with a shoulder injury.
It did not keep him out of the starting lineup.
His presence is a benefit to Atlanta, which is a much different team without him. This season, the midfielder from Paraguay has six goals and six assists and has been an integral part of the team’s 9-3-3 start. Without him in the starting lineup in 2017, Atlanta went 1-2-3.
“I think they’re different (without Almiron). It’s like saying, ’How are we different without Federico (Higuain)?‴ Berhalter said Tuesday. “I think when you lose quality you’re gonna be different but that’s not so say they’re not gonna be a great team and that’s not to say that they’re not gonna have really talented guys stepping in, because they do.”
Atlanta has been excellent on the road to start 2018, going 4-1-2 in its first seven games with its only loss coming to Houston on opening day.
The lineup
GK Steffen; D Valenzuela, Abubakar, Mensah Afful; MF Trapp, Artur, Martinez, Higuain, Santos; F Zardes
Jonathan Mensah makes his return to the lineup after not starting the last three with a thigh injury sustained in practice. He made 12 straight starts to begin his second MLS season and for the most part looked much improved after a rough start to 2017. Also back are Trapp and Steffen.
Mike Grella, who played 76 minutes in a 1-1 tie against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, is not in the 18. Grella has made seven appearances since returning from a knee cartilage injury that cost him the latter half of his 2017 season with New York.
Portland Timbers, Thorns, T2 players and staff volunteer in community as part of Stand Together Week
The Oregonian – June 14, 2018
Portland Timbers and Thorns owner Merritt Paulson spent Tuesday afternoon working alongside other members of the Timbers and Thorns organization to pull up weeds and do maintenance on rhododendron gardens at the wildlife habitat at Jenkins Estate in Beaverton.
The event was part of the club's seventh-annual Stand Together Week.
Paulson was joined by Timbers defender Roy Miller and Thorns players Meghan Klingenberg, Ellie Carpenter and Britt Eckerstrom.
Through Stand Together Week, the organization is conducting 33 different volunteer projects benefiting more than 30 organizations across the Portland area. Members of the Timbers, Thorns and T2 joined more than 1,000 volunteers to work on projects this year.
Over the last seven years, the Timbers and Thorns organization has worked on 225 projects as part of Stand Together Week.
The week-long initiative has only grown over time. Along with conducting events in the Portland area this year, the Timbers and Thorns organization worked with several regional supporters groups on additional philanthropic projects.
LAFC’s Omar Gaber ready to help Egypt in World Cup
Pro Soccer USA – June 13, 2018
MOSCOW — History was written for Egypt when Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah stepped up and converted a penalty in the 95th minute of the World Cup qualifier against Congo. Les Pharaohs are record champions on the African continent, having won the African Cup of Nations on seven different occasions.
World Cup qualification, however, has eluded the North African country for much of its history. Only twice, in 1934 and 1990, did Egypt manage to qualify for the world’s biggest stage despite its fantastic record on its home continent.
Los Angeles FC’s Omar Gaber witnessed that historic moment up close, from Egypt’s bench. The right back often acts as a backup to the more experienced Ahmed Fathi with the Egyptian national team. Gaber will still be an important member of a squad that will take on host Russia, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group A of the FIFA World Cup.
Egypt begins the tournament Friday against Uruguay. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 a.m. EST. Fox Sports 1 and Telemundo will broadcast the match.
“Actually, we have good players. We trust each other. We are like one family. We are fighting for each other,” Gaber told Pro Soccer USA when asked about Mohamed Salah’s importance to the squad.
His message was clear: Only as a team can Egypt be successful in Russia.
“I think we have a very good team; this is the first time we qualified in 38 years,” he said. “We have played at the final of the African Cup of Nations many times. We have good players in good clubs. We will do well.”
Despite Gaber’s confidence in the team as a whole, much will indeed depend on superstar Mohamed Salah given Egypt’s lack of experience at the world’s biggest tournament. The Liverpool winger, however, suffered a serious shoulder injury in the Champions League final against Real Madrid at the end of May and will likely miss the first match against Uruguay.
That match, however, will not be seen as the key match for Egypt in Group A. Uruguay is expected by many to walk this group, so Egypt will have to get its points in the group stage matches against Saudi Arabia and Russia.
The second group stage match against Russia at the Saint Petersburg Stadium will be like a mini final for who will finish second in the group behind Uruguay. The newly-erected stadium on Krestovsky Island can be a cauldron when the Russian Sbornaya play there.
Keeping cool in that atmosphere will be key when it comes to Egypt’s chances in that match. It might also be a match in which Gaber could shine for Egypt given his past experiences of having played in Russia.
“I played there once with my former club [FC Basel of Switzerland] against CSKA Moscow. It was a great atmosphere there and people like football there so much. We are very excited to go there,” Gaber said with a smile on his face.
He’s likely very much aware of his chances in that particular game. He’s experienced the hostile atmosphere of the former Red Army team’s home ground.
While CSKA Arena is a relatively small ground, Saint Petersburg Stadium will be a much different beast altogether. With 68,000 feverish Sbornaya supporters cheering for their country to make the next step in the group.
But Gaber almost seemed to relish that chance to take on the host country.
“We will do special things there”, Gaber said with a laugh.
And who knows? With a healthy Salah, Egypt could shock the host nation — fulfilling Gaber’s promise in the process.
Miguel Shares Love For Soccer In “How We Do” Major League Soccer Ad
Vibe – June 13, 2018
Singer, songwriter, and LA Galaxy fan Miguel has teamed up with Major League Soccer for their World Cup broadcast spot “Our Soccer.”
This will be the second ever after the rapper and Atlanta United 2-Chainz’s debut spot in February.
In the June MLS spot, directed by Rollo Jackson, Miguel narrates the beauty of diversity and fandom of the coveted sport. He’s seen cheering his team on from a couch but he’s enamored, nonetheless. The singer is joined by friends, supporting and vying for Mexico.
“Our Soccer” draws on the diversity that defines the MLS, the most representative and progressive league in North America.
The spot, while zeroing on Miguel’s fandom, also depicts an array of fans and bytes of their stories, highlighting the brew of backgrounds surrounding lovers of the sport. In the non-diegetic description, Miguel says, “Our soccer is everywhere. It runs the streets. Reps where we’re from. Makes us known. So the world knows. Who we are. How we live. How we do. Our soccer.”
Despite the differences in the fans, they are united by soccer.
The spot will air online on June 13 and hit broadcast television on Thursday, June 14 in the U.S. and Canada during the World Cup Games.
It’s been also announced the singer is heading to Indonesia for We The Fest in July. In addition to other performers like Vince Staples and SZA, the grounds will also feature plenty of activations like a silent cinema, a WTF skate park and a WTF Post Office where fans can make custom post cards and stamps.
Check out the ad below.
Orlando City nosedive continues with 3-0 road loss to Montreal Impact
Pro Soccer USA – June 13, 2018
MONTREAL — Orlando City has been in a free fall for weeks, and on a rainy Wednesday night at Stade Saputo, the Lions hit a new low.
It’s a low coach Jason Kreis is hoping will end up being the worst of the season, when all is said and done.
During a shambolic performance against the club with most losses in MLS in front of an announced crowd of 15,621, the Lions shot themselves in the foot repeatedly. The Lions (6-8-1, 19 points) dropped their sixth consecutive match in league play, falling 3-0 to the Montreal Impact (5-11-0, 15 points).
It was Orlando City’s final match in league play before the World Cup break.
“I sure hope so,” Kreis said with a laugh when asked if Orlando City has reached its lowest point of the season. “That is 1,000 percent the hope is that this is rock bottom and that we can move forward from here.
“I keep telling the guys, and I believe it to be 1,000 percent true, is that nobody’s helping us out of this. Nobody’s coming over the wall to rescue us. Pretty clearly we’re not getting any 50-50 referee decisions so we’re going to have to take this one ourselves. We’re going to have to work together and bring ourselves out of this.”
The match was the second of back-to-back stops in Canada for Orlando City. It was also the Lions’ fourth road match in a row, including a game against Miami United in U.S. Open Cup play.
When asked what positives he could take from two matches in Canada, Kreis was clear.
“Zero,” he said. “Zero points means zero positives, really. I still think we’re doing some things right in the game, but at the end of the day, we get paid to get points and we didn’t get the job done.”
For the 13th time in 15 matches this season, Orlando City conceded the first goal. For the third time this season, the opposing side scored the first goal of the match on a penalty kick.
The Lions got off to a nightmare start and the Impact wasted no time getting into Orlando City’s penalty area. In the fourth minute, centerback Amro Tarek cleared a shot to the feet of Montreal midfielder Saphir Taider in the penalty area. Taider made his way toward the end line and was tripped up by Orlando City’s Cristian Higuita for a penalty.
Montreal’s Ignacio Piatti stepped up and converted the penalty kick in the fifth minute and Orlando City found itself battling from behind again.
“I’m a little exasperated at the moment because it’s another game where a critical decision just goes against us,” Kreis said. “I vehemently disagree with the call. I don’t think it was anywhere close to a penalty kick. And we’re down 1-0 again.
“Like it or not, the reality of life is that with so many things happening in so many games so many weeks in a row now, it’s really hard to keep coming back from that. Really hard to keep a positive mindset and a positive response to that.
“The challenge is ours. We have to rise to that challenge and be able to do better.”
Things were just as bad in the second half, even though the Lions controlled possession (61.2 percent in the second half) and took nine shots (two on target).
Montreal doubled its lead in the 55th minute thanks to an own goal from Tarek. Piatti found left back Daniel Lovitz on the left side of the penalty area.
Lovitiz didn’t bother taking a touch and sent a low cross in front of the goal. Tarek tried to clear it out for a corner and instead sent the ball into the back of his own net.
The Lions spent the rest of the match frantically searching for a goal. Kreis made three second half subs and all three decisions brought on attacking players.
Piatti put the exclamation point on the match for the Impact with a goal in the second minute of second half stoppage time.
The loss spoiled the MLS return of captain and centerback Jonathan Spector, as well as striker Dom Dwyer’s return to the starting XI.
“We’re frustrated with each and every loss, but the only thing we do is take it one game at a time,” Spector said. “On a six game win streak we took it one game at a time and we’ll do the same in this. We have another opportunity coming up in the Open Cup against D.C. and we need to take that one.”
Orlando City plays D.C. United on Wednesday in U.S. Open Cup action. The Lions resume MLS play June 23 at home against the Impact.
Piatti's two goals lead way as Impact slips and slides to a soggy 3-0 win
Montreal Gazette – June 13, 2018
Ignacio Piatti retuned to the lineup after a one-game absence and scored two goals as the Impact shut out Orlando City 3-0 Wednesday at Saputo Stadium in the driving rain.
The win moved the Impact into ninth pace in the MLS Eastern Conference but, more importantly, Montreal moved closer to Orlando City, the team occupying the sixth and final playoff spot. Orlando has now lost its last six starts and is stuck on 19 points, four more than the Impact. Montreal can close the gap further when the teams meet in Orlando on June 23.
The Impact took advantage of a penalty kick to take a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. The penalty was awarded after Cristian Higuita fouled Saphir Taïder in the box. Piatti scored his sixth goal of the season when he caught goalkeeper Joe Bendik diving to his left while the shot went to the right. Piatti had gone five games without scoring, the longest drought in his MLS career.
He produced a second goal in added time at the end of the game, dribbling around Bendik before tapping the ball home.
“We’re a better team when he’s in the lineup,” coach Rémi Garde said. “He wasn’t 100 per cent for three or four games and I kept him out of the last game because he had a muscle problem. Sometimes, when you don’t play, you come back fresh.
The Impact had a call go its way in the 28th minute as Tony Rocha found Dom Dwyer with a through ball. Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush came out to play the ball at the top of the box. Dwyer beat Bush to the ball but he was ruled offside.
The Impact went up 2-0 on an own goal by Orlando City’s Amro Tarek in the 55th minute. Piatti set up Daniel Lovitz as he made a run at the left side of the box. Lovitz delivered a centring pass intended for Matteo Mancosu, but the ball caromed into the net off Tarek.
Garde said it was good to have the early lead, but he reminded the players at halftime that they let first-half leads slip away earlier this season.
Orlando had two chances in the 66th minute. Dwyer was inches wide of the post with a header and Josué Colmán made a strong run into the box, but Rudy Camacho caught up to him and put enough pressure on him that his kick went over the crossbar. Bush made four saves to preserve the shutout.
The Impact has had more than its share of injuries this season and they may have lost midfielder Jeisson Vargas. He tried to continue playing after twisting his left knee, but left the game in the 33rd minute.
Rain and the threat of a thunderstorm had its effect on the crowd. The announced attendance was 15,621, but the actual turnout was far less.
At halftime, the Impact continued its 25th anniversary celebrations by introducing eight former players with Quebec roots — Patrice Bernier, Mauro Biello, Patrick Diotte, Patrick Leduc, Grant Needham, Adam Braz, Rocco Placentino and Antonio Ribeiro.
United 2, Crew SC 0 | Atlanta ends nine-game unbeaten streak for Crew
Columbus Dispatch – June 13, 2018
Crew SC entered a three-game homestand expecting a test of its strength against Toronto FC, the New York Red Bulls and Atlanta United, with Toronto being the defending MLS Cup champion and the latter two Eastern Conference contenders.
Now, following disappointing performances at home, it begins a much-needed World Cup break after an anemic finish to the first half of its season.
A 2-0 loss to Atlanta in front of 10,132 on Wednesday night at Mapfre Stadium was the Crew’s first loss in 10 games but followed two other home games in which it dropped points. It was a “flat performance,” coach Gregg Berhalter said.
“We got beat by a better team on the night and it’s frustrating,” he said. “I just think for us, it was not a great performance.”
A Crew team looking to make a statement to the rest of the Eastern Conference instead logged just two points of a possible nine over its homestand. It enters the second half knowing there’s work to do.
“You always want to be on the top, but to be on top it’s not easy. There’s a lesson for us,” defender Harrison Afful said. “We have to put this behind us and then make sure we do our corrections and think about them next game.”
The Crew finished with its first home shutout of 2018 but came close to scoring more than once.
Gyasi Zardes fired a shot on target from the left side in the 51st minute. Substitute wing Luis Argudo did the same in the 72nd. On each occasion, Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan came up with a big save.
Instead, Atlanta found the second goal of the game. Hector Villalba easily finished off a ball in transition in the 82nd.
The second half registered the same result as a poor first half in which the Crew logged just one shot on target — a Pedro Santos line drive from distance in the 41st minute — and did not show enough precision to make Atlanta sweat.
Atlanta is a dangerous team, a fact the Crew knew from two losses to it in the 2017 regular season. But in the 30th minute, the Crew did not force a dangerous team to earn its goal, as Josef Martinez finished off his 14th of the season by heading home an Ezequiel Barco corner kick.
The Crew’s best chance came on a set piece of its own, but an open Jonathan Mensah bounced a Federico Higuain free kick wide right in the 28th.
Four games across all competitions in 13 days to start June was always going to be difficult, the Crew knew. That proved to be the case, but now it has a chance to breathe and regroup over its first open weekend since the start of the season.
“We just have to go back and clear our heads,” Afful said. “It’s a long season, and we have more games coming up, so we’ll ... clear our heads and make sure that when we get back on the field we keep our heads up and do the job.”
Martinez scores MLS-leading 14th goal, Atlanta United wins
FOX Sports – June 13, 2018
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Josef Martinez scored his MLS-leading 14th goal of the season, Hector Villalba added a goal in the 82nd minute and Atlanta United beat the Columbus Crew 2-0 on Wednesday night.
Atlanta (10-3-3), the Supporters’ Shield leader, handed Columbus (7-4-6) its second loss in its last 16 home games. United also snapped the Crew’s nine-game unbeaten streak.
Martinez opened the scoring in the 30th minute by heading home Ezequiel Barco’s corner kick. Martinez was injured on the play and was replaced at halftime. Martinez has six goals in the last four games.
Villalba, a second-half sub returning from injury, finished off Atlanta’s counter attack by rolling a shot under goalkeeper Zack Steffen.
Steffen had a 525-minute shutout streak snapped. The runs was the eighth longest in MLS history.
MLS Review: Toronto, DC United play out eight-goal thriller
FourFourTwo – June 14, 2018
Toronto came from behind to earn a point in an eight-goal MLS thriller against DC United, while Josef Martinez scored again Wednesday.
In an incredible clash at BMO Field, Toronto came from 3-0 down and then needed a stoppage-time equaliser to draw 4-4 against DC.
Yamil Asad completed a team move to open the scoring for the visitors, before Paul Arriola headed in their second.
DC struck again on the stroke of half-time, Darren Mattocks scoring to make it 3-0.
But Toronto rallied after the break, scoring twice in the space of nine minutes to get back into the game.
Jonathan Osorio side-footed in Toronto's first before Victor Vazquez converted a rebound after Sebastian Giovinco hit the post.
They completed the turnaround with four minutes remaining, Nick Hagglund heading in a Justin Morrow cross.
While Toronto had all the momentum, DC retook the lead as Asad tapped in a Patrick Mullins cross.
But the hosts had one more response in them, Hagglund heading in an Osorio cross at the back post in the 92nd minute to see the teams share the spoils.
In Columbus, Eastern Conference leaders Atlanta United were too good for the Crew in a 2-0 win.
Martinez scored for the fourth straight game, netting his 14th of the season with a 30th-minute header.
Hector Villalba sealed Atlanta's win with eight minutes remaining, the victory moving them five points clear atop the conference.
A brace from Ignacio Piatti helped Montreal Impact past Orlando City 3-0 and the New York Red Bulls edged the Seattle Sounders 2-1.
Chicago Fire came from behind to draw 2-2 with the Colorado Rapids and Danny Hoesen's double saw the San Jose Earthquakes draw 2-2 with the New England Revolution.
Nick Hagglund's late brace helps Toronto erase three-goal deficit, earn draw with D.C. United
ESPNFC.com – June 13, 2018
Two late goals from defender Nick Hagglund twice saved Toronto FC in a wild 4-4 draw against D.C. United on Wednesday night at BMO Field.
Down 3-0 after 55 minutes, Toronto scored three times in the next half-hour to complete the comeback, with Hagglund's 86th-minute header serving as the equalizer.
In the final minute, however, Yamil Asad put D.C. back ahead after finding himself on the left side of a wide-open Toronto net.
This set the stage for Hagglund once more, as the defender headed in another cross two minutes into stoppage time. Hagglund was an unlikely candidate for a brace, as the goals were just the third and fourth of his five-year MLS career.
Three first-half goals seemingly put D.C. on pace for an easy victory, as the team's pressing attack found plenty of space against a disorganized Toronto back line. Asad opened the scoring in the 12th minute, notching his fourth goal of the season after converting a Luciano Acosta cross.
These early struggles continued to be an issue for Toronto in the 17th minute, as the team was unable to get back after a corner attempt to stop United's counter-attack. Zoltan Stieber launched a long cross into the box and Paul Arriola headed the ball in for a highlight-reel score.
A defensive breakdown led to another United goal in the 45th, with striker Darren Mattocks collecting his fifth goal in his last six league games.
As one-sided as the first half was, however, the second half was almost a total reversal of form. Toronto midfielder Jonathan Osorio scored his team-leading fifth goal in the 57th minute to put his team on the board, followed by Victor Vazquez scoring in the 64th.
That set the stage for Hagglund's two equalizers in the wild final 15 minutes.
New York 2, Sounders 1: Red Bulls prove too much for Sounders
Seattle Times – June 13, 2018
HARRISON, N.J. — Bradley Wright-Phillips scored his 10th goal of the season in the second half and the New York Red Bulls beat the Seattle Sounders 2-1 on Wednesday night.
The home team has won the last five meetings in the series. The Red Bulls’ last home loss against the Sounders came in 2010.
Daniel Royer gave New York (8-4-2) a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute, and Wright-Phillips made it 2-0 in the 52nd. Royer was left open at the far post for an easy finish of Florian Valot’s cross that got past three players.
A well-weighed cross by Ethan Kutler and a clinically headed finish by Wright-Phillips gave the Red Bulls the cushion they needed against the offensively-challenged Sounders.
It was the first career assist for Kutler.
Harry Shipp scored for Seattle (3-8-2) in the 87th minute on a sliding shot that hit off the far post and went in.
This loss didn’t mirror some of Seattle’s other defeats this season in that the Sounders’ attack had its fair share of chances to find goals in addition to Shipp’s that could have changed the dynamic of the contest.
Will Bruin forced goalkeeper Luis Robles into a great diving save off a well-placed header of his own off a first-half corner kick, while Victor Rodriguez’s missed chance on a breakaway also wound up looming large in the match.
Coming off the cross-country trip, the Sounders now have a 10-day break before their next MLS match.
Seattle returns to MLS play with a matchup against Eastern Conference foe Chicago on Saturday, June 23.
The Sounders then play Cascadia Cup rival Portland at CenturyLink Field on Saturday, June 30.
The Sounders will be represented in the World Cup by Swedish midfielder Gustav Svensson and Panama captain Roman Torres.
Daniel Royer, Bradley Wright-Phillips help New York Red Bulls past the Seattle Sounders
ESPNFC.com – June 14, 2018
Daniel Royer and Bradley Wright-Phillips scored goals and Luis Robles made four saves in five chances as the New York Red Bulls held on to beat the Seattle Sounders 2-1 on Wednesday at Red Bulls Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
New York won for the first time in its past four MLS matches while Seattle lost for the fourth time in its last five games.
The Red Bulls have four wins and a draw among the most recent seven matches at home in MLS play against Seattle, with the lone loss coming in 2010. The home team has won each of the past five meetings between the Red Bulls and Seattle.
Royer put the Red Bulls in front at the 37th minute, taking a pass from Florian Valot at the far post after a long run from Ethan Kutler and a cross deep into the box. Valot's pass was little more than a deflection to fool Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei and just slightly changed the direction of Kutler's pass. The assist by Kutler was his first in MLS.
Wright-Phillips found the net with his head in the 52nd minute when he pounced on a centering pass from Kutler and beat defender Cristian Roldan to the ball, directing it to the low and left of Frei at the near post. Sean Davis was also given an assist for his corner kick that started the tally.
Frei's play in net kept the Sounders in the match, as he turned away 11 shots, including three at point-blank range.
Harry Shipp, who entered as a substitute in the 59th minute, cut the New York lead in half with three minutes to play as he pushed a pass from Will Bruin past Robles. Waylon Francis also got an assist on the play.
Both teams will take a break this weekend for group play in the World Cup. New York returns to the pitch on June 23 when it hosts FC Dallas while the Sounders head back to Seattle to host Chicago, also on June 23.
Katai caps wild opening 24 minutes, Fire tie Rapids 2-2
Chicago Daily Herald – June 13, 2018
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Aleksandar Katai scored the fourth goal of the game in the 24th minute and the Chicago Fire tied the Colorado Rapids 2-2 on Wednesday night.
Colorado took a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes on goals by Dominique Badji and Tommy Smith. But nine minutes later, Chicago tied it after an own goal and Katai's finish.
Badji, returning from suspension, got it started in the seventh minute by rolling in his first goal since April 29th. Smith was left wide open for an easy header at the far post.
Danny Wilson's own goal put the Fire within a goal in the 21st. Katai controlled a long pass with his chest, beat his defender and curled in a shot off the crossbar.
Chicago (5-7-4) is 1-2-2 in its last five road games. Colorado (2-9-3) ended a franchise-worst eight-game losing streak. It was tied for the second-longest league losing streak since the start of 2010.
Colorado Rapids take early lead but extends winless skid to nine games with 2-2 tie against Chicago Fire
Denver Post – June 13, 2018
COMMERCE CITY — The Colorado Rapids built a two-goal lead Wednesday and snapped their eight-game losing streak, longest in Major League Soccer this year. But they failed to hold the lead and get the win, walking off the pitch at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park with a 2-2 tie against the Chicago Fire.
The game’s four goals came within the first 24 minutes of the game, with Colorado scoring the first two before the 16th minute.
“In the end, when all said and done, I’m happy that we’ve stopped the bleeding. That was really important,” Colorado manager Anthony Hudson said. “The most important thing is, after a run like this, is we didn’t lose. So we’ve stopped the bleeding and at the end we probably did enough to get three points. We created good chances at the end. So, yeah, I’m disappointed not to get the three points but please we stopped that run.”
It’s been a brutal week for the Rapids. Exactly one week before hosting the Fire, they failed to produce a shot and lost a U.S. Open Cup game 2-0 to the second-division Nashville SC of the United Soccer League. Colorado’s road trip continued through Houston, where it lost its eighth straight MLS game to the Dynamo 2-0 on Saturday.
The Rapids are now 0-8-1 since beginning the season 2-1-1.
Colorado jumped ahead against the Fire with goals from Dominque Badji in the seventh minute and Tommy Smith in the 15th. Smith assisted on Badji’s goal before scoring with a back-door header off a feed from Jack Price to make it 2-0.
“We go two goals up and I think for a period of time there we just had a little bit of panic,” Hudson said. “We allowed them back in the game.”
Wilson’s mistake came in the 20th minute just a couple feet from Colorado’s goal line. Wilson found the ball on his foot and chipped it high in goalie Tim Howard’s net instead of clearing it from danger.
The Fire tied it just four minutes leader when Aleksandar Katai beat the Rapids’ Smith in a footrace down the right wing and lofted a strong shot past Howard and inside the far post.
Both teams had five attempted shots in the first half and 13 for the game. The Fire led in possession at 65.1 percent.
Danny Hoesen brace draws San Jose Earthquakes level with New England Revolution 2-2
Pro Soccer USA – June 13, 2018
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Despite a two goal performance from Danny Hoesen, the San Jose Earthquakes came up short again, settling for a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution Wednesday night at Avaya Stadium.
Hoesen’s goals, his eighth and ninth of the season, bookended goals by Diego Fagundez and Cristian Penilla, as the Quakes (2-9-4, 10 points) saw their winless streak at home extended to six games.
“I feel I can be one of the players that sees the team to success,” Hoesen said. “I try to work hard for the team and score goals, give assists, but eventually it is a team performance. So I just try to do my job, and hopefully soon, it will get us to three points.”
The result was the second straight draw for the Revolution (6-4-6, 24 points) on their two game road trip, and despite earning another point, which keeps them well above the playoffs line in the Eastern Conference, head coach Brad Friedel wanted more from the game in San Jose.
“It feels like a loss, to be honest with you,” Friedel said. “We created enough chances to score more than two goals, and we gave away two very sloppy goals.”
For San Jose, it was another lost opportunity to gain maximum points at home, something the team hasn’t done since its season opening 3-2 win over Minnesota United. Head coach Mikael Stahre, who is finding difficult to explain away the mounting losses, still feels that the Quakes have more to show.
“We conceded two really easy goals, actually, from a transition and from a set piece,” Stahre said. “We can’t concede goals like this. It is absolutely crazy from my perspective. We created lots of chances, but we must also be frank and admit that they also created some chances at the end of the game. I think we were better than the opponent, but it is still just a tie. But, it is a step in the right direction, I think.”
Only a few days removed from it’s shocking loss to LAFC, the makeup of the team was fairly consistent, and with a 10-day break to look forward to, Stahre made only two changes to his starting eleven. Tommy Thompson, who was making his first start of the season, replaced Jackson Yueill, and Francois Affolter came in for the suspended Kevin Partida.
The Quakes came out a bit sluggish on the evening, as a giveaway in the center of the midfield by Florian Jungwirth allowed Fagundez to sprint in on goal uncontested. Andrew Tarbell storming off his line to disrupt the Revs’ midfielder, got a glove to the shot and prevented a sure goal.
Jungwirth atoned for his mistake in the 17th minute with a well timed tackle in the attacking third that dispossessed Kelyn Rowe of the ball, knocking right in the path of Hoesen. The forward danced in on goal, eluded two defenders, and tucked a shot inside the far post for his eighth goal of the season and a 1-0 Earthquakes lead.
But the Revolution would earn the equalizer is spectacular fashion, as Fagundez curled a free kick from 20 yards out over the defensive wall and past a diving Tarbell in the 31st minute.
Much like in Saturday’s game, when LAFC took a 2-1 lead into intermission, New England followed up with its second goal of the half to put the hosts behind. After a corner kick was snagged in the air by Matt Turner, the goalkeeper sprung the visitors on the counterattack. The Quakes couldn’t recover, and within seconds, Penilla was celebrating his sixth goal of the season.
“It’s difficult to go up and then concede, so mentally it wears on us,” Thompson said. “But we showed character and we fought back and that’s what we’ve got to continue to do. Our backs are against the wall right now, but we’ve got to keep going.”
The familiar script continued, as the Earthquakes equalized in the 51st minute courtesy of Hoesen’s second goal of the night. Nick Lima got the play started with a gut-busting run up the right sideline to track down a long pass a send a perfect cross to the far post. Hoesen was first to meet the ball, glancing his header expertly past Miller to tie the score at 2-2.
Needing a spark, Stahre sent in Fatai Alashe into the game with Yeferson Quintana, dropping Jungwirth into the back line in place of the Uruguayan. He then followed with Jahmir Hyka for Thompson, as the Quakes pressed forward in search of a game winner.
“When Florian stepped down to centerback at the end the game, he changed the game,” Stahre said. “He controlled the game really good, and we had more possession and controlled the game much better.”
San Jose created some chances, but the offense couldn’t break through, as the Revolution defense held strong, and both teams had to settle for a point. The result broke the Quakes’ four game losing streak, but it did little to help them in the standings, as they remain in 11th place in the West.
“It’s frustrating,” Quakes captain Chris Wondolowski said. “We lost another lead, and it’s nice to come back though, but that’s not good enough across the board though.”
The Earthquakes next travel to Utah to face Real Salt Lake on June 23, before returning to the Bay Area ahead of their annual summer showdown with the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium on June 30.
Revolution battle to a draw in San Jose
Boston Globe – June 14, 2018
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Danny Hoesen scored two goals to help the San Jose Earthquakes tie the New England Revolution 2-2 on Wednesday night.
San Jose (2-9-4) avoided its first five-game losing streak since 2009. New England (6-4-6) is unbeaten in its last six games in the series, with three victories.
Hoesen opened the scoring in the 17th minute. After a defensive turnover, Hoesen dribbled into the penalty area and sent a left-footed shot past Matt Turner. Hoesen tied it at 2 in the 51st on a header for his ninth goal of the season.
Diego Fagundez tied it, 1-1, in the 31st by bending a free kick over the wall and inside the near post.
Cristian Penilla scored his sixth goal of the season in the 43rd on a fast break to give New England the lead. Penilla dribbled down the left side, cut back his defender inside the box and smashed a shot into the top corner.
