+19
Justin Braun comes back from a four-match stint on the bench to score his first hat trick and lead Chivas USA to victory.
Chivas USA may not have been the most unlikely candidate to hand the New York Red Bulls their first home loss of the season, but they hardly seemed a likely candidate. Behind Justin Braun's first three goals of the season, though, that's exactly what they did, winning 3-2 on Sunday.
The victory was the first by a MLS team travelling across three time zones this year. More impressively, it was the first time the Red Bulls had lost since April 9 and the first time all season they had given up more than a goal. Braun actually scored as many goals as the rest of the Red Bulls opponents have scored all season.
Braun had come into the match on a 13-match pointless streak and had not scored a goal since last year. He had started the match on the bench during each of Chivas USA's past four and was only given the start after Marco Mondaini was suspended for his ankle-breaking tackle of Javier Morales. Braun's first two goals were particularly well taken, but his third was basically a tap-in. The last one came in the 56th minute and stood up as the game-winner.
The Red Bulls twice found the equalizer, first off the foot of Thierry Henry, who scored his fifth goal in four games and then from a Dwayne DeRosario penalty, which was his first goal with the Red Bulls.
Justin Braun entered Sunday's game against the New York Red Bulls riding a 13-game goalless streak. He the day tied with Alejandro Moreno for the team lead after scoring his first career hat trick. Shortly after scoring his third goal, Braun was removed in favor of newly signed academy product Chris Cortez as Chivas USA clung to a 3-2 lead.
The third goal was probably the easiest he's ever scored as all he had to do was tap in a ball that came directly to him off a deflection. Simon Elliott had sent in a free kick that Moreno headed toward goal that ricochetted off the goalpost. The ball came right to Braun's feet.
Braun's career seemed to be an upward trajectory last season when he scored his ninth goal on Sept. 10, 2010. That he went scoreless in Chivas USA's last seven matches of the season didn't seem to be a huge problem, but the scoring drought continued into this year and he eventually lost his starting job.
Despite Chivas USA lacking any pure scorers, Braun started the previous four games on the bench. Braun was only given the start after Marcos Mondaini was given a four-game suspension for his ankle breaking tackle of Javier Morales last week.
Just Braun, who received his first start since April 9, has scored two goals for Chivas USA, but the New York Red Bulls have managed to equalize both times as their match heads into halftime tied 2-2 on Sunday at Red Bull Arena. The goals are Braun's first since Sept. 10, 2010, a span of 13 appearances.
Both of Braun's goals were quality, and showcased a certain versatility. The first, which came in the 6th minute, was almost a chip from the edge of the penalty area. Braun took a pass from Nick LaBrocca, cut it back, and hit a pinpoint shot from about 18 yards out. On his second, Heath Pearce sent a free kick into the area that Ante Jazic kept in bounds and tapped back to Braun, who beat Condoul.
The Red Bulls got their first equalizer when Rafael Marquez dropped a pinpoint pass from beyond the center line to Thierry Henry, who had gotten behind his mark. Henry was able to control the pass and then beat Dan Kennedy for his fifth goal in four matches. The Red Bulls got the second equalizer when Luke Rodgers drew a penalty from Heath Pearce and Dwayne De Rosario buried the kick for his first Red Bulls goal.
New York Red Bulls coach seems perfectly willing to stick with the lineup that has helped make his side one of the hottest in MLS, as he is once against rolling out a starting lineup that features Thierry Henry and Luke Rodgers paired at forward against Chivas USA. The backline and midfields are also unchanged from recent weeks.
With Marco Mondaini serving a four-game suspension for his tackle on Javier Morales, Chivas USA coach Robin Fraser is giving Justin Braun his first start since April 9. Braun has come off the bench in each of the three games after being unused on April 16. he'll start alongside Alejandro Moreno.
Red Bulls lineup: Coundoul, Solli, Ream, Marquez, Miller, Tainio, Richards, Lindpere, De Rosario, Rodgers, Henry. Bench: Sutton, Mendes, Keel, Rooney, Agudelo, Ballouchy, Kassel
Chivas lineup: Kennedy, Jazic, Pearce, Zemanski, Valentin, Elliott, Flores, Truijillo, LaBrocca, Moreno, Braun. Bench: Thornton, Umana, Trujillo, Mendoza, Mayen, Estupian, Cortez
Maybe the Los Angeles Galaxy just wanted to give Sporting Kansas City some hope. Maybe they were trying to imitate the horrendous Kansas City defending this season. Whatever the reason, the Galaxy gave away an own goal to put them behind, but then dominated en route to a 4-1 win at the Home Depot Center. Landon Donovan scored a pair, Juan Pablo Angel finally found the back of the net and David Beckham wrapped it all up with a beautiful free kick tomove LA back atop the Western Conference.
Donovan's two goals gave him 110 for his career, the fourth-most in MLS history. The first came on a spot kick after Beckham was taken down by a Kei Kamara karate kick and the second came on the end of a good passing sequence that left him with just the keeper to beat. Those two goals took LA from 1-0 down to 2-1 up after Omar Gonzalez put Kansas City ahead with an own goal in the first half.
After a rough start to the season in which he'd scored just one meaningless goal, Angel finally got on the scoresheet with his second of the season. That set the stage for Beckham, whose free kick from distance curled just inside the post as a reminder that he may be aging, but his set pieces are as brilliant as ever.
It took a while, but the San Jose Earthquakes finally have their first home win of the 2011 season. It's no coincidence that it happened as Chris Wondolowski finds his form either. Last season's Golden Boot winner got off to a slow start, but he scored his third goal in four matches against the Columbus Crew on Saturday night to help the Quakes to a 3-0 win despite losing Brandon McDonald to a 79th minute red card.
Columbus entered the match on a seven-game unbeaten streak and with the match still scoreless at halftime, it looked like they might get a point out of another match. Wondolowski ended those hopes though when he got on the end of a Ryan Johnson cross in the 50th minute and opened the floodgates. Nine minutes later Steve Lenhart scored against his former team to make it 2-0, then just three minutes later Khari Stephenson added one of his own with a 25-yard bullet that left Will Hesmer hopeless.
An off the ball elbow netted McDonald his red card, but it wasn't going to stop the Quakes from getting their three points. They had earned the win and were victors for the first time in seven matches.
The DC United and Colorado Rapids match began like many matches have for United this season. United starts the match with a lot of really good possession. They scrounge up one or two decent scoring opportunities. Their opponents score on their first attempt. That attempt for the Rapids would come on a long free kick from Jamie Smith. The ball would deflect off of the back of Dejan Jakovic and land at the feet of Colorado defender Drew Moor who would put the ball in the back of the net.
DC would be hit with the injury bug before the half was over however. Both starting forwards, Charlie Davies and Josh Wolff, would exit with injuries to the hamstring (Davies) and groin (Wolff). They would be replaced by Santino Quaranta and Joseph Ngwenya respectively.
The Terry Vaughn show would begin just before halftime. Drew Moor would trip up Dax McCarty at midfield. Moor was clearly the last defender, and McCarty would have had a free run at Matt Pickens in the Colorado goal. Referee Terry Vaughn decided that the foul was only worthy of a yellow card. The DC crowd, players, and bench would erupt in anger at the decision, but that would pale in comparison to the anger in the 55th minute. Jeff Larentowicz clearly fouled Ngwenya in the box, and Vaughn signaled to play on. Ngwenya would chase Vaughn down the field to plead his case, but it would fall on deaf ears.
Colorado fans would also get their bad call from Vaughn. Chris Pontius dribbled into the box in the 60th minute and lean his shoulder into Rapids defender Kosuke Kimura. Pontius would lose his balance and fall the RFK field. This is the play where Vaughn would attempt to correct his earlier mistake and call a penalty on Kimura. It was clearly a foul against Pontius. Pontius would take the penalty and convert to give DC the 1-1 draw.
The match between the New England Revolution and the Vancouver Whitecaps got off to a nice start with both sides getting a chance or two early. In the 18th minute, a Chris Tierney cross would skip into the box. The ball bounced high to Benny Feilhaber who would get a head on it. Feilhaber could not believe his luck however as the ball would deflect off of the back of Vancouver defender Mouloud Akloul and roll wide of the post.
Vancouver received a lively performance from young forward Omar Salgado. Just before halftime Salgado would receive the ball at the top of the box and would uncork a laser beam left footed blast. Reis did well to get a hand on it to make the save and keep the game scoreless.
The Revolution would get their break through just after halftime. On a long throw in to the box by Darrius Barnes, the ball would bounce out to Benny Feilhaber. Feilhaber would bring the ball down with a very nice touch and draw the foul to earn a penalty. Revolution captain Shalrie Joseph would put the penalty in the side netting to give New England the 1-0 lead.
Omar Salgado would see Matt Reis spoil his fun once again in the 70th minute. Salgado would place a header inch perfect in the bottom corner of the goal only to see Reis get his finger tips on it to keep the Whitecaps off of the scoreboard.
Joao Plata took an early knock from a harsh tackle by Yamith Cuesta, but that didn't stop the small Ecuadorian from scoring a very good goal. Plata received a pass on the left side and dribbled toward the middle of the goal box before unleashing a strong, low shot that found it's way to the back of the net. Plata has been finding his form lately, and he looks to be a terrific addition to the Toronto midfield.
Toronto would add a second goal just after halftime when Maicon Santos unleashed a 35 yard shot that would skip right through the legs of Fire goalkeeper John Conway. It was such an unbelievable howler by Conway that one has to wonder if Sean Johnson didn't win his starting job back on that one play alone.
Jacob Peterson would bundle over Toronto's Orr Barouch just on top of the goal box in the 62nd minute. Marco Pappa would step up and score a beautiful free kick to pull the Fire back within 1 at 2-1.
Corben Bone had an excellent match for the Fire. He would play a low hard cross in the box in the 75th minute that Stefan Frei was only able to get a hand on. Barouch was in the right spot at the right time and would tap it in the goal to earn his side a draw.
After a overly physical and thoroughly non-entertaining first half, the Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake played a polar opposite second half that had a little bit of everything, except goals. In the end, the Dynamo couldn't finish the good chances they created and Salt Lake couldn't break down the Houston defense and the match ended in a 0-0 draw.
Andre Hainault was the man of the match for Houston, making several well timed and important tackles. Combining with his defensive partner Bobby Boswell, the normally dangerous RSL never really tested Dynamo keeper Tally Hall. You could really see that Salt Lake will be able to be successful without their star midfielder Javier Morales, but they may need some more time to figure out just how to go about it.
All the credit though to the Dominic Kinnear's team for having a plan and playing a tactically smart match that gave them another positive road result. While RSL probably won't be thrilled with dropping points at home, but considering all they've been through and not having Fabian Espindola available tonight as well, a point might not be such a bad result.
FC Dallas made sure they're offense could get going in a 4-4-2 formation tonight. Thanks to goals from Fabian Castillo and Brek Shea, FC Dallas downed the Philadelphia Union 2-0. The two goals were the first time that the Union had given up more than one goal all season and the loss marks their third of the year.
Dallas pressured high midway through the second half with the new formation as Marvin Chavez and Fabian Castillo linked up on the wings and then Castillo broke free and slotted a ball to Shea for the game's first goal. Shea scored his third of the year and is making the most of his new contract extension.
Just before the end of the first half Dallas struck again with Castillo. Jackson Goncalves found some space on the wing and crossed a perfect ball into the penalty box where Castillo sat free to head it home.
The Union couldn't respond in the second half as they subbed both Carlos Ruiz and Jack McInerney to begin the second half. The chances began to come but none could go past Dallas keeper Kevin Hartman. Philadelphia lacked a lot of shape in the midfield in both halves which allowed Dallas to pressure with Chavez and Castillo.
The win moves Dallas into a tie with the Los Angeles Galaxy for first place overall in Major League Soccer with 17 points. Philadelphia remains second in the Eastern conference with the loss.
Sporting KC continue their half-season road trip with a visit to the Home Depot Center tonight.
In a remarkable turn of events, neither Donovan Ricketts nor Jimmy Nielsen will play tonight. Rickets is ill and will not dress at all tonight. Nielsen's situation is a little bit different. Well, I'll give you the word direct from Sporting KC: "The coaches just wanted to get Eric some game action, since he has been looking good in practice, reserve games, etc." Yikes. Sporting is currently sitting in dead last place with only 4 points achieved in 6 matches played.
The Galaxy will look for an inspired performance from the return of David Beckham into the lineup. He missed out the midweek trip to Philadelphia due to needing "rest".
LA Galaxy: Saunders; Franklin, Gonzalez, DeLaGarza, Dunivant; Donovan, Juninho, Beckham, Magee; Lopez, Barrett
Sporting KC: Kronberg, Espinoza, Cesar, Collin, Harrington, Auvray, Arnaud, Stojcev, Zusi, Bunbury, Kamara
Everyone expect the FC Dallas-Philadelphia Union game to be a low scoring affair but the way things are going in Frisco in the first half, Dallas could be on their way to another three points. In the 42nd minute, Dallas was on the attack yet again as Fabian Castillo headed home the game's second goal after a great cross from Jackson Goncalves. Jackson was able to spring free on the wings and he sent a perfect ball into Castillo.
The goal was Castillo's second of the season and marks the first time that the Union have given up two goals in a game all year.
Between the Brek Shea goal earlier in the first half and the second goal, Dallas really controlled the bulk of the chances. Chalk it up to more possession in the midfield or what, Dallas looked very hungry from the 25th minute on here.
Before then it was mostly Philadelphia with the chances on goal. Justin Mapp and Roger Torres were doing well to pressure the Dallas back four and even put the Toros's defense in a couple tight spots early on. Ugo Ihemelu and George John were able to save their club a couple times.
Just a couple days after signing a contract extension, Brek Shea is making the most of it by scoring the game's first goal to by FC Dallas up 1-0. Shea easily put home the goal thanks to some solid play between Fabian Castillo and Marvin Chavez on the wings. Chavez fed Castillo who found Shea wide open on the far post. The goal came in the 29th minute of the match and was Shea's third of the season.
The Shea goal was easily the best chance of the night for Dallas thus far. For the most part both Dallas and the Philadelphia Union have been feeling one another out in the first 30 minutes of the match.
The Union have had a couple solid chances on Kevin Hartman's goal. The counter attack from the Union out of Justin Mapp and Roger Torres has been tough for Dallas to deal with so far but Ugo Ihemelu and George John continue to show why they are one of the best center defense duo in the league.
FC Dallas comes into tonight's contest with the Philadelphia Union on a four-game unbeaten run. The Union themselves are coming off a dramatic draw on Wednesday night to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The big change tonight for the Union is the lack of Carlos Ruiz. Instead of starting against his old club, he will begin tonight's match on the bench as Peter Nowak is opting more for what looks like a 4-4-2.
Schellas Hyndman is looking to slowly transition into a 4-4-2 themselves and tonight they start the same lineup that beat Toronto FC on Wednesday night in Frisco. They'll need to get young Fabian Castillo involved earlier than they did on Wednesday and hope that Brek Shea can find the back of the net after getting a new contract with the club through 2015.
FC Dallas Starting XI: Kevin Hartman, George John, Ugo Ihemelu, Jackson Goncalves, Zach Loyd, Marvin Chavez, Eric Alexander, Daniel Hernandez, Andrew Jacobson, Brek Shea, Fabian Castillo
FC Dallas bench: Chris Seitz, Moises Hernandez, Bobby Warshaw, Bruno Guarda, Bryan Leyva, Eric Avila, Ruben Luna
Philadelphia Union Starting XI: Faryd Mondragon; Sheanon Williams, Danny Califf, Carlos Valdes, Jordan Harvey; Justin Mapp, Amobi Okugo, Brian Carroll, Roger Torres; Danny Mwanga, Sebastien Le Toux
Philadelphia Bench: Zac MacMath, Jack McInerney, Michael Farfan, Gabe Farfan, Carlos Ruiz, Kyle Nakazawa, Keon Daniel
DC United hosts the Colorado Rapids in a rematch of their April 3 encounter in which the Rapids destroyed United 4-1. Caleb Folan would strike twice with goals from Omar Cummings and Jamie Smith to lead Colorado to victory that day.
United has turned in back to back solid performances against the Seattle Sounders and FC Dallas, and they'll be looking to continue their good play against the defending champions. Inserting Ethan White at centerback beside Dejan Jakovic and moving Perry Kitchen to right back has made the back line more consistent over the last two matches.
The Rapids will be without Folan and Cummings tonight due to injuries. Conor Casey is on the bench and could see action as a substitute. The Rapids will be counting on Jeff Larentowicz and Pablo Mastroeni to stifle the United attack and be a calming presence in the midfield.
DC United: Hamid; Kitchen, White, Jakovic, Woolard; Najar, Simms, McCarty, Pontius; Wolff, Davies
Colorado Rapids: Pickens; Kimura, Marshall, Wynne, Moor; Thompson, Larentowicz, Mastroeni, Smith; Akpan, Amarikwa
The Vancouver Whitecaps visit the New England Revolution tonight in their second visit to the east coast this season. They'll hope to do better this time than the previous visit --- a 0-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union.
New England's going to be looking to continue to work in Feilhaber and Lekic into the side in hopes that they can turn their recent bad form around. The Whitecaps are likely to sit back and play very defensive in the match. They'll be looking to catch New England on a counter or set piece early, and then sub on more attacking players later in the second half and go for the win.
This is the first start for Vancouver's Long Tan. The Chinese striker will be looking to make an impact as he pairs with the young Omar Salgado. Jay DeMerit also returns to the anchor the back line for the expansion side.
New England Revolution: Reis; Barnes, Soares, Cochrane, Alston; Tierney, Feilhaber, Joseph, McCarthy, Boggs; Lekic
Vancouver Whitecaps: Nolly; Knight, DeMerit, Akloul, Wagner; Salinas, Brovsky, Koffie, Teibert; Salgado, Tan
MLS' Saturday slate of games is just about ready to get underway and it begins with the Chicago Fire visiting BMO Field to take on Toronto FC. It's hardly the epitome of MLS play with these two teams among the league's worst, but this early in the season with an expanded playoff field, everyone can still make the playoffs.
For Toronto, it's essential that they figure out a way to keep Chicago from pouring in the goals. On DC United has allowed more goals than Toronto this season and it won't be easy for them going up against one of the league's best bargains and best strikers early on, Diego Chaves.
Chicago just need to figure out how to get things done on the road. They've managed a couple of road draws this season, but have yet to grab three points away from Toyota Park. BMO Field isn't the best place to try and break such a streak either so they'll have their work cut out for them.
Toronto FC (4-3-3): Frei; Eckersley, Williams, Cann, Gargan; Tchani, de Guzman, Peterson; Plata, Maicon, Soolsma
Chicago Fire (4-5-1):Conway; Anibaba, Cuesta, Gibbs, Segares; Paladini; Oduro, Puerari, Bone, Pappa; Chaves
Let's face it, the game people want to watch this week is the renewal of the Cascadia Cup between Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. These two teams have a history that goes back to 1975 and has been played across three different leagues (or four, depending on who you ask). But, there's enough to say about that game in a whole separate column and right now, we should remind that there's a full schedule of games going on in the rest of the league.
Last week's predictions: 5 of 9.
It's been a bit of a one step forward, two steps back kind of season for both of the teams. Toronto FC, after a somewhat promising start in which they claimed six points in their first five games, have just three points in their past four. The Fire started the season with four points in two matches, but have just three points in their past six and have not won since Week 2. Neither team has much of an identity, despite promises from their coaches to establish one this year. Carlos de los Cobos' planned 3-5-2 has not been seen since Week 1. Aron Winter has at least stuck with his 4-3-3, but it's been hard to find anything resembling an attack. Pick: Tied 0-0.
If there's a pair of teams that have been harder to figure out this season than these two, I'm not sure they could be. The Revolution defied the odds and picked up a bunch of unexpected results early in the season, then added two immensely talented players but still find themselves near the bottom of the standings. The Whitecaps are coming off another thrilling result at home (Davide Chiumiento scored the equalizer in stoppage time), but have yet to win on the road and have claimed just one point four matches away from Empire Field. The Revolution will once against be without Ousmane Dabo, who finally made his debut a week ago. Predicting a result does not seem to be any easier this week. Pick: Revolution 1-0.
Did I just call the Revolution and Whitecaps the hardest teams in MLS to figure out? Well, I hate to contradict myself, but these two might be even tougher. United has, at times, looked capable of making a serious playoff run. They are, after all, the only team to beat the Crew and did so handily. The Rapids started with a three-game winning streak, followed it up with a three-game losing streak and are now in the midst of a three-game unbeaten run despite continuing to battle injuries. This week, they are without Omar Cummings, but should get Conor Casey back. United are coming off consecutive matches with a result for just the second time this season and are Charlie Davies and Josh Wolff are looking dangerous on the attack once again. Pick: Tied 2-2.
The injury to David Ferreira on April 23 was supposed to be a serious blow to the Toros, who had already gotten off to a disappointing 1-3-1 start. Instead, they seem to have been inspired by it as they have now claimed 10 points in their past four matches. The biggest key to this resurgence has been the defense, which has allowed just two goals during the four-game unbeaten run after allowing eight goals in their first five. Kevin Hartman, in particular, has rediscovered the form that made him arguably the best goalkeeper in 2010. The Union know a thing or two about defense, as well, allowing one goal or fewer in all eight of their matches. The big question for them is whether or not their offense can keep up, as they've failed to score more than a goal in any match, either. The biggest surprise has been the lack of production from Sebastien Le Toux, who has just one goal and one assist after registering 14 and 11 a year ago. Pick: FC Dallas 1-0.
After an undefeated start that also featured a trip to the CONCACAF Champions League finals, RSL has looked far more pedestrian in recent weeks. The win over nine-man Chivas USA continued a rather unimpressive run. Well, unimpressive is probably the wrong way to put it ... just below the standard they've set for themselves. For all the hand-wringing, the Royals have lost just once in MLS play and still have a 28-match home unbeaten streak against league competition. They may have lost Javier Morales for the season, but if any team is capable of overcoming his loss, it's RSL. The Dynamo are at an ebb in their season, having lost two matches last week after a six-match unbeaten run. Sergio Koke should add to their attack, but it is going to take some time. Pick: RSL 2-1.
When they embarked on their season-opening 10-game road trip, it seemed like the Sporks could probably be just fine if they could at least average a point per game. Six games in, they have just four points and have, arguably, their three toughest opponents still to play. The Galaxy have not been quite as dominant as they probably would like, but they have been getting plenty of results, including a tie against the Union on Wednesday. Landon Donovan has re-emerged as one of the top offensive threats in the league and has now scored five goals in his past four matches. David Beckham should also be back for this one, which won't be good for a SKC team that has struggled on defense all year. It would seem SKC's best hope would be to turn this into a shootout, but their high-scoring ways have petered out in recent weeks. Pick: Galaxy 3-1.
After a rough patch that had seem them lost three straight and claim just two points in their past five matches, the Earthquakes seemed to have victory in their hands on Wednesday. But a 91st minute equalizer forced them to settle for a single point, extending their winless streak to six matches. You'd think a home match would be just what they needed, but they have yet to win at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Crew, while still failing to impress, got another result and have no gone unbeaten in their past seven. Emilio Renteria continues to carry much of the scoring and the defense is still quietly among the best in the league, having allowed just three goals in their pat seven matches. Pick: Tied 1-1.
We'll have a separate preview up later today, but for now just know that these two teams and fanbases are not particularly fond of one another as this renews a 35-year-old rivalry. Pick: Sounders 2-1.
With three goals allowed and 11 goals scored, the Red Bulls +8 goal difference is already the best in the league. But in their past five, they've been even better as they've gone 4-0-1 and outscored their opponents 10-1. The Red Bulls have long been considered the most talented team in MLS, but have been showing it in ways previously unseen. The Goats had quietly put together a five-match unbeaten stream before going down to nine men and falling 1-0 to RSL last week. They aren't the most talented team, but their defense has rounded into respectable shape as they've allowed just four goals in their past seven matches. With this game at Red Bull Arena, it would still be a bit shocking for the Goats to become the first team to win on a cross-country trip this year. Pick: Red Bulls 2-0.
MLS Power Rankings, Week 9: Portland Timbers Continue To Climb
by Jeremiah Oshan
The Timbers' 1-1 tie with the Seattle Sounders was apparently enough proof for our editors to push them into the second tier.Continue reading »
May 16 3:51p