Old demons once again doom Reds

SALT LAKE CITY -- The same shortcomings continue to doom Toronto FC, who have yet to earn a clean sheet while playing outside the comfort of BMO Field, and even the similar artificial surface of Rice-Eccles Stadium couldn't change that.

When looking for an explanation, TFC head coach John Carver said that his team continually suffers from the same mistakes, and he told his players following the 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake that he's starting to feel like a recording, saying the same thing after each match.

So, rather than dictate only his thoughts, Carver opened the floor to his players for a two-way discussion on what needed to be done to set Toronto FC on a successful course. Their private conversation lasted for several minutes following the match, more than twice the normal time that teams hold post-match talks.

"I don't really want to talk about what goes on in the dressing room, but it's like everything else," said Carver. "If you keep making the same mistakes, I start sounding like a recording. We're all making the same mistakes, and I'm seeing the same things. So, I'm asking for some feedback from the guys and what they're thinking. And, again, that remains private. You have to respect that. But, it was an open discussion and it was quite positive and the good thing is everybody respected each other's opinions." The most consistent problem for Toronto has been its defending, an issue that seems to amplify itself on the road. With the exception of a 3-2 result at Los Angeles in April, TFC has yet to earn another point on the road all year.

"It seems to be the story of our life at the moment, especially on the road," said Carver. "I don't know how we could defend like Trojans at home, maybe it's because you've got 20,000 screaming fans down your throat and if you make a mistake they'll let you know about it. But, there's something not right when we are away from home. You claw your way back into the game, you think you've got something from the game and then, again ... you shoot yourself in the foot -- and you come away with nothing."

Carver said that he has no doubt that his players give maximum effort on the field, but he's starting to realize that there may not be enough ability in some positions. In those situations, Carver feels he's going to need to make some changes.

"I feel for the guys who have given, again, maximum effort," he said. "The one thing I've got to start considering now is -- and I've never, ever doubted the effort and energy that they've given the team. But, sometimes you've got to start wondering their ability is good enough. I've said to certain individuals -- without going into it because I like to keep it private -- that the way we defended at times wasn't good enough. And, I need to do something about it."

Goalkeeper Greg Sutton saw a lot of the ball against RSL, doing his best to make sure that the 20 shots -- nine on frame -- fired his way didn't end up in the net. He was able to keep out all but two. The first goal for Salt Lake came off the head of Jamison Olave, and the second came after Sutton parried a Kyle Beckerman shot and the loose rebound was swept up by a sliding Robbie Findley.

Losing concentration was the reason for the breakdowns in defense, from Sutton's view. Other than a few key moments, where RSL scored, he felt the defense played well. Like Carver, Sutton feels the pattern of failing is too familiar.

"It's the same old story -- we can't put 90 minutes together," said Sutton. "We let ourselves down. We did well to get ourselves back into the game in the second half. I thought we did what we said we wanted to do at halftime, and when we came out it was pretty effective. Then we had that mental error again. It's one thing to happen once or twice, but now it's becoming a habit -- a real bad habit."

The Reds are still looking for a consistent option at striker. Their lone goal against RSL came off a beautiful free kick from Amado Guevara. It's good to get goals from the midfield, but they're still vying for solid front men.

They thought they had found their man in Chad Barrett, who traveled with TFC to Salt Lake, but have yet to receive word that the deal is finalized. Carver doesn't understand what is holding up the trade from completion.

"In fairness, it's been the story of the season," said Carver. "That's why we've been desperate at trying to get some strikers in, and when we feel like we've gotten so close to one -- where it was announced on Thursday by the commissioner that we would have a deal done by tomorrow, which was Friday. It's now Monday and the deal still hasn't been done. I'm a bit perplexed.

"I'm just surprised that something can't be done that's quite simple, that can take so long. It seems that everybody else seems to be able to trade over the last few days, but we can't. What is that?"


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All-Stars demonstrate strength of MLS

TORONTO -- After the MLS All-Stars' 3-2 victory against West Ham United at a packed BMO Field, All-Star head coach Steve Nicol thought his temporary charges earned the victory.

"It was a fantastic performance," Nicol said. "We thoroughly deserved to win and it was a pleasure for me."

Cuauhtemoc Blanco garnered MVP honors by scoring a goal and an assist in his 45 minutes of action. He said that it wasn't difficult to merge stars from across the league in order to overcome a strong West Ham United team.

"We also wanted to put in a good team performance because we are a bunch of players that play against each other every week and haven't played with each other," Blanco said. "But we proved tonight that we can come together and we played as a team, we worked as a team and we won as a team. So, overall, it was a very good performance."

It started off a bit sluggishly for the All-Stars as they tried to figure out how to communicate and how to mesh with each other. Without much practice time, the opening stages of the match turned into the time where the team could mold into a unit.

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SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Highlights: MLS 3, WHU 2: 350K
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2008 All-Star First XI: Photos

"We were feeling each other out, trying to figure out where the space was going to be," All-Star captain Jimmy Conrad said. We really only had one practice and that was yesterday. We only had eight guys at our practice on Monday. It's going to take 15-20 minutes."

Defensive midfielder Shalrie Joseph said that the team settled into the game after Dean Ashton opened the scoring with the first of his two goals.

"Soccer's a universal language," Joseph said. "Playing with these guys makes it easier. These are some of the top guys in the league. It makes it easier."

Ashton's goal was met with an instant reply from Christian Gomez. The goal restored parity and allowed the All-Stars to show off to the crowd with their newfound momentum.

"We got the flair going once we got scored on," Conrad said. "We scored a great first goal and then we loosened up a bit. The first 20 minutes was just about us feeling each other out. We don't know who they are as players. We see these guys on TV a little bit, but we don't know what they're about. We have to figure out what they are trying to accomplish. I thought as the game went on, we did a better job of that. The only time we were threatened was when we turned the ball over in bad areas."

As the match progressed, the All-Stars' superior fitness came to the fore. West Ham is in the middle of its preparations for the English Premier League season, allowing the All-Stars to surge forward and keep the Hammers inside their own half.

"We wanted to be the aggressors," midfielder Steve Ralston said. "We were in better shape than them. We wanted to try to get on top of them."

Dwayne De Rosario's penalty ensured a happy ending to the night, one that Nicol feels established that the quality of MLS players continues to improve with each passing year.

"It's always a pleasure to be involved with good players," Nicol said. "I think we showed tonight that not only do we have good players in this league, but we have great players."


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New faces key Quakes' draw with NY

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Jose Earthquakes have been experiencing the growing pains every MLS expansion team faces as they build a new team from scratch, but the club is hopeful for a strong finish to its first season back in the league after the signings of three new players this month.

Darren Huckerby, Francisco Lima and Scott Sealy all figured prominently in San Jose's 1-1 tie against New York Sunday afternoon at Buck Shaw Stadium. Huckerby scored his first MLS goal, banging in the rebound of a Sealy shot, while Lima controlled the midfield for most of the match.

The Earthquakes' first two games with their new players have ended in ties, but with an overall 3-9-6 record, San Jose has already shown an improvement from the beginning of the season.

"I think the first half today was probably the best we've played this year," San Jose coach Frank Yallop said after Sunday's game. "Overall, our performance was excellent, to be honest. I thought we were very good today, and I was really happy with the spirit and the togetherness and everything, the creation of chances. Finishing is the thing we can't do now, but again, that will come."

For the most part, San Jose controlled the run of play Sunday against New York, and the three newest Earthquakes were a large part of the team's showing, even if they have barely met their teammates. After giving up an own goal in the fourth minute, San Jose scored the equalizer nine minutes later.

"Scott makes the first (shot) and Darren scores it, so that's always a good start," Yallop said. "I thought Lima held possession well. Both Darren and Lima have been in Canada for the week. Lima got back on Friday night, practiced Saturday and played, so he has not even trained. Darren was there 'til Thursday so he missed training as well, but I thought both guys did great. Scott's more game-fit.

"We're building a team here that's going to be good for many years, hopefully, and I think that we all, myself included, get carried away with the results we've had," Yallop continued. "I look at the performances of individuals and the team, and we're not far off. I think that we've got a pretty solid team. We need to add in certain areas and juggle around the (salary) cap and all that stuff, but I thought we were the better team today with the ball."

San Jose has struggled on the offensive side of the ball so far, scoring just 12 goals in their 18 games, so even though he's pleased with his three new signings, coach Yallop admits he isn't finished putting his side together.

"We're always looking," he said. "I think, the three guys we signed have been terrific for us. If we can add one more ... You know, Ryan Johnson is a terrific player for this club -- wherever he plays he does his best and he tries hard, and I think he does well. (But) he's not a natural forward and a goal scorer. If we can add another quality forward, I think that will make us more of a force."

New York's coach Juan Carlos Osorio had good things to say about the trio of new Earthquakes.

"With their new signings, they should have a good second half of the season," Osorio said. "Darren (Huckerby) is a threat, not only because of his pace but also because of his ability to come inside and combine with the strikers. Lima has a good left foot, good quality, and also a good free kick taker. Sealy is a very good forward, and a proven goal scorer in this league, so I think they're on the way up and they'll be a difficult team to play against, as they proved today."

San Jose, after another week getting acclimated to their new teammates, will have the chance to show just how difficult they can be next Sunday when they face the Los Angeles Galaxy at home.


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Crew strike first, hold off Rapids

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Steven Lenhart made the first start of his MLS career, scored his third goal in six games -- and then was sent off before the first half was out. But the Columbus Crew withstood the pressure from the Colorado Rapids despite the man disadvantage, then got a second late goal for a 2-0 victory Sunday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Lenhart put the Crew ahead in the 21st minute then was ejected in the 43rd. Jason Garey sealed the victory for the Crew with his goal in the 75th minute, but goalkeeper William Hesmer certainly did his part, recording seven saves on the night as the Crew pulled within a point of the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Conor Casey had Colorado's best chance early, getting a rebound off a throw-in in the 12th minute and unloading a powerful shot on the turn that Hesmer was just able to punch to his left.

Lenhart gave Columbus the edge with a 21st-minute goal on an assist from Stefani Miglioranzi, who found Lenhart to the right of the net and forced Rapids 'keeper Bouna Coundoul to come out of the goal and challenge him in front of the near post as Lenhart fired low into the far corner.

The opportunities were increasingly falling Colorado's way as the first half progressed, but they were unable to finish on their chances. The Rapids had an excellent opportunity in the 24th minute, with Mehdi Ballouchy passing to Colin Clark from midfield and Clark centering it for Casey, who headed it just wide of the goal.

The Rapids responded again in the 32nd minute with an opportunity in front of the goal, but Hesmer punched it out, recording another big save from close range.

Colorado nearly caught a break when Hesmer handled a pass back to the goal, setting up an indirect kick from just outside the penalty box. Terry Cooke charged in for the kick, apparently thinking it was a direct kick, and easily buried it into the goal behind Hesmer, but the goal was not allowed and Columbus was given a goal kick, escaping the threat.

Christian Gomez made good use of Ballouchy, finding him open when Gomez was getting extra attention, and setting up combinations like Ballouchy's pass to Terry Cooke on the wing, from where Cooke chipped it into the center and Casey sent a high header that Hesmer pulled in at the goal's edge.

The game was rough, with Columbus determined to get physical on the Rapids' home turf. Danny O'Rourke was shown a yellow card in the 13th minute after a sliding trip of Clark, and the Crew's Frankie Hejduk and Andy Iro and Colorado's Nick LaBrocca all earned yellow cards later in the match.

Lenhart played aggressively from the early minutes, getting a nasty push off on Facundo Erpen in the 15th minute that wasn't called. By the 43rd minute, however, when he sent Erpen to the turf with an elbow in front of Colorado's goal, he was shown a red card and ejected from the game by referee

With Columbus down a man, the Rapids kept the pressure on throughout the second half, keeping the ball in Columbus' back third. They were unable to find the net, however, and Columbus added to their lead when 63rd-minute substitute Jason Garey took a flick-on from Eddie Gaven after a long downfield kick from Hesmer. Garey was able to maintain control despite pressure from Erpen in front of Colorado's goal, flicking it over Coundoul for a much-needed insurance goal.

The Rapids kept ramping up the pressure, with Clark missing two close shots in the last 15 minutes of the match, settling and shooting once wide and firing from the top of the area in the 82nd minute, just high.

Hesmer came up with two remarkable saves in the dying moments to preserve the shutout. Omar Cummings dove headlong to send a low header goalward, but Hesmer acrobatically kicked it aside.

Then Christian Gomez tried his luck with a free kick that was almost on the goal line, near the left corner. Gomez whipped the ball inside the near post, but Hesmer dove back and somehow knocked it away from almost right on the goal line.


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Clavijo, Rapids finding consistency
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RSL avoid late-match meltdown

SALT LAKE CITY -- With a crucial three points on the line against Toronto FC, it seemed like Real Salt Lake had cooked up the perfect recipe for a late-game disaster once again.

RSL yielded a slim lead in the 83rd minute when a foul by Jamison Olave set up a TFC direct free kick just outside the top of the penalty area. Amado Guevara curled his shot over the wall and under the post -- past a diving Nick Rimando and his outstretched hands -- to knot the game at 1-1.

But Robbie Findley refused to let the game become the latest to get away from Real in the closing minutes. Findley keyed a 2-1 RSL victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Monday night when he stuck a dagger in the Reds' comeback hopes with a spectacular game-winning goal in the 87th minute.

Findley netted his team-high fifth goal of the season when he corralled a ball after TFC 'keeper Greg Sutton deflected a shot by Kyle Beckerman toward the top of the box. He beat a pair of Toronto defenders to the bouncing ball and threaded a sliding strike right between to make it 2-1.

Just like that, a seeming draw was back to a sure win.

"It's such a relief," defender Chris Wingert said. "It would have been such a disappointment if we came away with a draw in that game after working so hard. It would have been a real letdown."

That moment also proved to be sweet redemption for Findley. He had a ready-made opportunity to put RSL up 1-0 in the 27th minute when Wingert set Findley up with a perfect cross inside the six-yard box, only to see him clank a chip shot off the left post and back out the other side.

It would have been easy enough at that point to second-guess himself, but Findley was determined to make another play when the situation arose to do so.

"It's always tough if you miss a goal early in the game," Findley said. "You usually think about it the whole game. I think I did a good job of letting it go and just keep on focusing on the game."

In terms of confidence for the front line, the late goal was a huge thing too. Kreis had worked to keep both Findley and Yura Movsisyan thinking positive at halftime after several first-half shots did not go their way.

Getting such a dramatic goal, the RSL boss thinks, will have a long shelf life for Findley.

"I'm so glad that things fell Robbie's way there in the end because I think it's very important for his development here," Kreis said.

Another player who also took an important step forward was Olave. The Colombian defender netted his first career MLS goal when he pushed a header over Sutton for the match's first goal in the 63rd minute.

Olave nearly netted his first header on a free kick from Javier Morales two minutes earlier, but that attempt sailed wide. He finally broke through when Wingert sent in a long ball from the right side toward him in front of the left post.

Olave leapt into the air and got his head under the ball -- easily pushing it over Sutton and into the net.

For Kreis, the goal proved just how well-rounded a player he is.

"He's been nothing short of spectacular and defensively tonight he was spectacular as well," Kreis said. "I was very excited to see him score a goal because I known all along he could be dangerous for us on attacking corners."

Olave nearly traded his good fortune for bad with his foul and subsequent yellow card in the 83rd minute. But with disaster averted, he could walk away instead feeling satisfied at his contributions to another victory.

"Fortunately, I'm starting to reach a good level," Olave said. "Every day, I'm working a little bit harder to get to the level I should be at."

The win not only helps RSL hold onto first place, but it shows another step in the club's maturation process -- namely the ability to pull out a late-game goal when needed.

For Kreis, that is the sweetest part of finally guiding his players to a rare winning record.

"It makes me feel very good," Kreis said. "It makes me feel like my faith is well-placed in them and I know it's a mentally strong group."


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Wizards, Fire still streaking

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The Kansas City Wizards extended their unbeaten streak to seven games and the Chicago Fire theirs to five games in a 0-0 draw at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Saturday night. The Wizards had the better of the chances but Chicago goalkeeper Jon Busch held his fort and goalkeeper Kevin Hartman did the same for Kansas City for their league-leading seventh shutouts of the season.

The match began promisingly for each side on the attack as both showed the ability to be dangerous. Fire forward Chris Rolfe nearly broke the match open in the 14th minute as he went in alone on Hartman after a long pass out of midfield. His shot from the top of the box forced Hartman to leap high while palming the ball out with his left hand for a corner.

The Fire corner turned counter for the Wizards, though, as forward Claudio Lopez was loosened into the Fire end where he forced a corner that resulted in Davy Arnaud redirecting Lopez's service into the box at the near post. But Busch gobbled up the attempt and kept the scoreboard empty into the 15th minute.

By the half-hour mark, the Wizards' high pressure on the ball was serving them well as Chicago built well but found little near K.C.'s box. The home side's possessions, however, broke down in combinations that lacked the necessary timing and combination.

The emotion and energy of the match began to grow as the overflow crowd's noise spiked late in the half. To the delight of the crowd and those standing on vehicles outside the stadium, Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Wizards right back Michael Harrington tussled in the K.C. box before a 44th-minute corner. Arnaud then broke in on Busch's left after a clearance and beat midfielder Logan Pause, but failed to get off a cross despite the promising situation.

Dominating the chances through the opening half of the second 45 minutes, the Wizards tried to take some of the drama out of the match. Midfielder Kurt Morsink hit 25-yard shot first that Busch bobbled but held on to. Then left midfielder Roger Espinoza used a stepover and a spin to beat his man on the left side of the Chicago box but Busch knocked his attempt off the crossbar.

After a 54th-minute Arnaud volley from 16 yards off an Espinoza penetration that finished off a nice combination, Arnaud laid the ball back for an onrushing Jewsbury whose low, blistering cross just evaded midfielder Sasha Victorine but sat for Lopez at the far post in the 64th minute. His attempt forced a save from Busch at his right post.

The Fire tried to ignite their attack four minutes later during a scramble in the Wizards box, but the resulting shot from Blanco from a prone position did little to trouble Hartman.

In the 74th minute, the Fire dodged a bullet. A Michael Harrington cross was aimed in from the left flank and John Thorrington, who had moved to right back, saw it hit his arm and bounce down. Referee Mark Geiger ruled it was a handball, but just outside the edge of the area, and the resulting free kick came to nothing. But the Wizards felt the foul had occurred inside the area.

But despite the Fire's defensive posturing and the Wizards three offensive substitutions, Chicago still saw the better late chances. First Patrick Nyarko got off a quick shot under a defender that nearly caught Hartman napping, but the veteran 'keeper was still able to the parry the chance in the 74th minute.

Thorrington went high and wide with a bullet shot in the 81st from 19 yards followed by substitute Stephen King who went wide left from the right side five minutes later.

In the end, the hot hands of the two goalkeepers had earned each their seventh shutout of the season, to tie with Nick Rimando of Real Salt Lake, despite the efforts of each side's attackers.

The Wizards visit D.C. United at RFK Stadium next Saturday while the Fire play host to Chivas USA at Toyota Park.


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RSL fall to Deportivo Saprissa

SALT LAKE CITY -- For all of the trouble MLS teams have had producing any good result against Real Salt Lake on their home field this season, foreign club teams keep leaving with plenty of victories.

RSL stumbled in its second international friendly in two weeks, falling 2-1 to Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa on Wednesday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Real scheduled a match with the three-time CONCAF Champions' Cup winner as part of its annual Pioneer Day celebration. Saprissa struggled in the first half while figuring out the RSL defense, but took off in the second half behind rapid-fire goals from Ronald Gomez and Armando Alonso.

Just as he did against Santos Laguna, RSL coach Jason Kreis mixed in plenty of reserve players with his regular starters to begin the match. The results were much better for the club during the early stages than it ended up being against Santos two weeks ago.

Real just missed on a golden opportunity to stake out a quick lead in the eighth minute. Dema Kovalenko angled a free kick through a cluster of players to Kenny Deuchar in the center of the penalty area. Deuchar uncorked an on-frame header, but Saprissa 'keeper Keylor Navas knocked the ball down before it could reach its intended destination.

Throughout the half, RSL controlled possession like they hoped to do, but could not cash in on it. Kyle Beckerman lofted a ball over a defender on the near side of the box in the 34th minute, but Navas easily scooped up his shot.

RSL's final chance of the half came in the 44th minute when Robbie Findley put his head onto a ball sent to him in the area. But Findley's shot bounced forcefully off the right post and ricocheted backward.

Saprissa opened up things in the second half by nearly turning a pair of corner kicks into goals in the 51st minute. Walter Centeno swung both kicks into the center. The first one set up a header that just sailed over the crossbar. The second was deflected away by RSL 'keeper Kyle Reynish.

RSL stepped up its own attack in the 55th minute. Fabian Espindola -- seeing his first action after sitting out several weeks with a knee injury -- penetrated the six-yard box. Espindola bent a shot around the near post, but Alexander Robinson met the ball and cleared it away before it crossed into the net.

Saprissa finally took a 1-0 lead in the 58th minute when Gomez drilled a long shot after being set up perfectly by Centeno.

Alonso quickly put the Costa Rican club up 2-0 in the 62nd minute. He barreled down into the box, drawing out Reynish. Reynish dove after the ball, but Alonso patiently waited until he was out of the way. He then rifled a shot past defender Nat Borchers, who raced over to protect the empty net.

A fight took some of the friendliness out of the friendly late in the match. Saprissa defender Gabriel Badilla and RSL forward Yura Movsisyan were both sent off in the 83rd minute after their roles in nearly sparking a brawl between the two clubs.

Chris Wingert finally put RSL on the board in the 90th minute when Tino Nunez hooked it to him on the run and Wingert pushed it past a Saprissa defender into the back of the net.


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