Youngsters send message to Fire vets

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Perhaps the Chicago Fire care about the U.S. Open Cup too much.

A pair of goals by reserve Mike Banner, one early and one late, helped the Fire defeat the Cleveland City Stars of the USL Second Division 4-1 Tuesday at Toyota Park to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. The Fire will play D.C. United next Tuesday.

The Fire have won the Open Cup four times in their 10 previous seasons of existence, a level of success in the tournament unmatched and unchallenged by any other MLS team. But the Fire's last seven goals this season have been scored in Open Cup play.

In MLS play, the Fire have gone 333 minutes without a goal heading into Saturday's game at Columbus. Fire coach Denis Hamlett, who used a lineup of almost all reserves Tuesday, said the scoring could be read as a challenge to the starters.

"It sends a message to our veteran guys that these guys can play," Hamlett said.

Said Banner: "Considering our losing streak, tonight was a big game for everybody,"

The Fire had the run of play in the game against the Stars, who are in their second year of existence and currently stand in second place in the USL Second Division.

Banner, a reserve midfielder, scored the game's first goal in the 13th minute, getting the ball near the upper left corner of the penalty area from a cross by Calen Carr. He thought about one-timing a shot but slipped, then dribbled once before putting the ball top shelf past Cleveland goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap.

"I wanted it to land on my left foot, which is my strong foot, but it doesn't always happen that way," Banner said. "The defender forced me inside and I hit it and it went in."

In the 23rd minute, Carr himself dribbled the ball in from the right side along the top of the penalty box, then sent a left foot shot into the near corner under Gilstrap.

In the 26th minute, Chris Rolfe, who played as a reserve in the Fire's scoreless draw with San Jose Saturday, was tripped by Cleveland's Kiel McClung 12 yards out. Chad Barrett, the Fire's leading scorer this season, put the penalty kick away hard and high for a 3-0 Fire lead.

The City Stars got on the board in the 61st minute on a hard 20-yard shot by Kiel McClung that zipped past Fire reserve goalkeeper Nick Noble. The Fire got that goal back in the 73rd minute when Banner got his second goal of the game, firing a shot up and over Gilstrap's head into the upper left corner of the net.

"We knew the fourth goal would put the nail in the coffin," Banner said. "Peter (Lowry) played me a great ball and I was able to get it on my left foot and put it away."

"Our mindset was right tonight," Hamlett said. "We took the game right at them."

Unlike in the play-in game against the Columbus Crew of MLS when he used many regular starters, Fire coach Denis Hamlett used mostly reserves against the City Stars. He used Noble, defenders Austin Washington, Brian Plotkin, Daniel Woolard and Lider Marmol, and midfielders Banner, Stephen King, Lowry and Carr.

Marmol was making his first appearance for the Fire after suffering a knee injury earlier this month. Marmol was a part of a controversial tug-of-war with the New York Red Bulls for his services back in March.

In the second half, Hamlett subbed for both Rolfe and Barrett, using Polish forward Tomasz Frankowski and rookie Patrick Nyarko in their place.


Fire, Wisla Krakow battle to scoreless draw
Bayern send Duisburg down

Tough stretch looms for Dynamo

HOUSTON -- The time for picking up points with a full roster is ticking away for the Houston Dynamo.

After the team played what was their best match of the season in a June 8, 3-1 win against Toronto FC, the Dynamo are winless. They are mired in a three-game rut of mediocrity that has the team is puzzled over a recent lack of consistency.

They were missing several starters in a 2-0 loss to New England on June 12. They simply could not convert anything in a scoreless draw at Colorado on June 21, and last Thursday at home, they let a 1-0 lead slip away in the second half of a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas.

One defensive gaffe cost the team two points in the standings and a shot at tying the LA Galaxy atop the Western Conference standings.

And things are not going to get easier for the two-time defending MLS Cup champions. They have no league matches scheduled at home in July, and they are going to lose starters to World Cup qualifying (and the attendant friendlies) and the U.S. Olympic team during the stretch run of the season.

That's not exactly the peachiest outlook for a team that expects much more of itself.

"And it is just going to get crazier," said Craig Waibel when asked about the upcoming schedule. "Just wait four more weeks. It is not even close right now to what it is going to be."

The Dynamo begin that madness with a trip to Charleston, S.C. for a U.S. Open Cup match Tuesday -- a rematch of a 1-0 loss to Charleston a year ago. If the Dynamo advance this time, they will face a quarterfinal match in the competition the following Tuesday. Then, on July 12, the Dynamo begin play in this year's SuperLiga, which will see them play three games in a week's span.

Waibel thinks the Dynamo, a team that keeps itself near the top of the standings with good defense and clutch scoring, has not responded well to improved play by the opposition.

"If you just go back and watch every team that has played us, it's their best game, it's their biggest game," Waibel said. "I don't think we have done a great job handling that kind of pressure, but at the same time, we only have four losses.

"I am hesitant to go too far into it, but I will say, without insulting any other team, or having it sound like I am taking shots at other teams, that I think this team is disappointed being in second place," he continued. "That right there tells you the character and the expectations that we have set for ourselves.

"We are not content with where we are at. Now, that is not to take a shot at anyone else, but I think that gives you an idea of how we picture ourselves."

Last week's game against FC Dallas, a team Houston tied in each of the teams' three meetings this season, almost certainly summed up the Dynamo's 2008 frustrations. Despite a ton of chances, the Orange scored just once -- then gave up a goal on a defensive mistake and as a result failed to move up in the standings.

The Dynamo have scored just one goal or less in nine of their 15 games this season and have won just once in that situation. And the team's defense is putting too much pressure on an underachieving offense that is going to thin out when international games come calling.

Both sides of the ball deserve criticism, but head coach Dominic Kinnear, after a light practice in Houston this weekend, was not ready to dish out the blame.

"I don't really like to throw out criticisms," said Kinnear. "I think we would like to say that we said Thursday night whatever we had to say. And I think our frustration was definitely the reason for our words.

"Every day, I think you can improve in every area. And the one thing that I think we need to work on most is just being consistent day in and day out. I think if we can do that, we are going to be in better shape."

Kinnear is referring to comments by both Brian Ching and several other veterans recently calling out the defense and mistakes made at critical times.

To be fair, Ching also criticized himself for a sub-par game. But the frustrations are perhaps starting to come to the forefront.

Happy or not, winning is still the why the team shows up and Kinnear has a good reason why that is not happening more often.

"Why are we losing games? We are making mistakes and we aren't punishing teams for theirs," Kinnear said. "We have seven ties, and we have come out with more points that we have lost, but that is the reality of our situation. But it's important for us to start winning games."


Undermanned Dynamo look for mix
Russ doubtful for final stretch

Hot United get quickly back to work

WASHINGTON -- D.C. United have had barely 48 hours to savor Sunday's 4-1 thrashing of the Los Angeles Galaxy before the onset of their U.S. Open Cup campaign against the Rochester Rhinos in the cozy confines of the Maryland Soccerplex on Tuesday night. Many of D.C.'s starters are injured or drained, whether by Sunday's muggy weather conditions or merely the day-to-day toil required to sustain the team's dramatic recovery in recent weeks.

But there will soon be time to unwind, relatively speaking: Tuesday's match kicks off an unusually calm July for United, with their MLS calendar nearly wiped clean to make space for Open Cup and SuperLiga action. There's only one league match all month -- a July 22 home date with Houston -- and even that is a reschedule from an early June rainout.

"It's totally different, the fact that you just get in the SuperLiga and you focus on that," said D.C. head coach Tom Soehn. "Obviously the beginning and the end of the season get a little more jam-packed, where you're playing every third or fourth day. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, [depending on] if you're getting in a groove."

United has made a habit of crashing in the final stages of the last few seasons, due in part to strenuous stretch runs which began in the heat and toil of late summer action. So the scheduling gods seem to have finally smiled on D.C., allowing the club to focus on two knockout tournaments without requiring Soehn to reach quite as deep into his roster as last year. Twelve months ago, what was essentially a reserve side lost to the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL Second Division in the first and last game of United's ill-fated Open Cup journey.

While SuperLiga's group format guarantees at least three matches and offers the sort of international glory that D.C. has lusted after for several years, an Open Cup run depends on United navigating a tricky tie against Rochester this week. The Rhinos are presently stuck in the USL-1 basement but history and timing could lead them to fancy their chances of an upset. Rochester is the only non-MLS team to win the Cup since the top-tier league began in 1996, and Sunday's harsh conditions could contribute to dead D.C. legs at the Soccerplex.

"Obviously we had a game today on a hot day, two days before, so my guess would be some reserves," said midfielder Clyde Simms on Sunday, when asked about Soehn's lineup choices for Tuesday. "But we'll have to see."

United's boss faces some intriguing questions. Red-hot goalscorer Luciano Emilio has probably earned a break, but the recent waiving of Franco Niell leaves the front line rather thin at the moment. Jaime Moreno and Santino Quaranta will miss out because of injuries -- so can he afford to rest playmaker Marcelo Gallardo, even though the Argentinean has rounded into excellent form of late? Reserve Rod Dyachenko has been somewhat inconsistent this season. Is he prepared to marshal the D.C. attack?

The Black-and-Red have declared greater enthusiasm for this year's installment of the nation's oldest cup competition, which in recent seasons has all too often been lost in their grinding shuffle of league play and international tourneys. Beyond the normal lust for hardware on East Capitol Street lies another enticement: United are surely eyeing the fact that a Open Cup title would offer a straightforward path back into the 2009 CONCACAF Champions League.

Soehn would surely like his team to maintain their present momentum and mount a legitimate U.S. Open Cup challenge, but his comments after the Los Angeles victory suggested that he's also got his eye further down the road.

"It's important that the last stretch of the season is when you are at your sharpest," he said, "and we still have some room to improve."


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Grant: We’re Playing The Best Football
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United keep eye toward postseason

Nicol hails 'complete performance'

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The frustration kept building and building for the New England Revolution as the victories and draws came, but the performances did not.

In Saturday night's 2-1 victory against Toronto FC, the performance finally arrived.

When it came, it brought fluid passing in the midfield, increased distribution to the wide areas and expansive diagonal balls to stretch out the defense.

Revolution head coach Steve Nicol was pleased that his team came out and strung together the type of performance to sweep aside an improved TFC side.

"I think against Houston and tonight are the two of the most complete performances that we've had," Nicol said. "We've had a lot of changes and a lot of things disrupting us, but tonight we've passed the ball as well as we've done all season."

Much of the credit for the performance falls at the feet of captain Steve Ralston, who scored twice and roamed all across the field to conduct the Revolution performance.

Ralston deflected much of the credit and focused on how his team improved at the start of the game.

"We needed to be better from the opening whistle," Ralston said. "The last couple of weeks, we talked about it but we didn't do it for some reason. We were frustrated, especially last week in Salt Lake. Hopefully, we can continue this."

One thing the Revs won't want to continue is the tendency to let teams hang around for little reason. Shalrie Joseph's own goal made the last 11 minutes harder than it should have been.

"We did make it hard on ourselves at the end. It's a rotten goal to lose," Nicol said. "They never looked like scoring before that. When a team gets a goal, it's always going to be backs to the wall. We'd have rather kept a clean sheet and made it easier on ourselves again, but we got three points." Nicol wants his team to cut out the nervous moments at the end of the game, but lauded the team's overall performance.

"It was certainly a long last 11 minutes," Nicol said. "But if we can pass the ball like that and make chances like the way we did tonight on a regular basis, then we'll certainly be happy."

Nicol also wants to see Taylor Twellman back on the field on a regular basis. The striker returned after missing seven games with an ankle injury. While Twellman was quiet in his brief stint, Ralston thinks his teammate will have an important impact in the coming weeks.

"I know their defenders noticed him when he was on the field," Ralston said.


Aragones: We’re Ready To Die On The Field
Ralston hasn’t missed a beat

Quakes dictate pace in road draw

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- All things considered, the San Jose Earthquakes should have won their road game at Toyota Park Saturday.

Playing like they were at home instead of thousands of miles away, the Earthquakes had the run of play in the second half but could not muster a shot on goal in the second half out of six shots taken. Kei Kamara's rebound opportunity from 18 yards out in the 86th minute that went wide left, after John Cunliffe hit the base of the post, was the most glaring and painful of the missed opportunities.

But for a team with a 2-5-1 mark on the road going into the contest, and only six goals scored in those eight games, a tie is an acceptable result.

"I thought we created some real good chances," San Jose coach Frank Yallop said. "It felt that our final pass or finish was not good. We really did not make the 'keeper make a save, and if we had done that, we would have scored a goal tonight.

"I think to come here and play like we did was terrific," Yallop continued. "I felt we deserved a point, if not the win."

Kamara, who had missed the last five Earthquakes games while playing in World Cup qualifying for his native Sierra Leone, had the team's lone shot on goal, had three shots on the night, and was disconsolate that he failed to turn the game in his club's favor.

His best chance, the one in the 86th, was off a shot by second-half sub Cunliffe from the far right side that glanced off the far post and right out to Kamara at the middle of the 18-yard box. Kamara danced with the ball for a moment, then sent it hard but wide left.

"I saw the ball coming out but I didn't want to hit it first time because I saw everybody shifting to that (right) side. I tried to take a touch, but when I took that touch, it led me to another touch because it would not have been clean enough. So I just have to hit that on frame.

"To come away with a point, it is OK, but we had chances and we have to stick one in the back of the net so we can come away with three points," he said. "We had chances, chances we have been complaining we have not been getting in front of the goal."

"He played good, but he had two great chances to score," Yallop said. "He was a little rusty with us, but he was dangerous all night. That chance in the 86th, you've got to hit the target there."

Cannon faced four shots on goal on the night, two in each half. The Fire had a corner kick in the 71st minute, and the ball eventually popped out to Mapp on the left wing. His shot was punched up and over by Cannon. Yallop said it was Cannon's best save of the night.

"I thought it was the toughest save because it came through a crowd," Cannon said. "I picked it up last minute and hit it pretty good."

The Earthquakes, 3-8-3 overall, have scored only one goal in their last four league games, going 0-2-2 in that period. Despite those poor results and their last-place standing in the Western Conference, they played with an enthusiasm and desire that was greater than that of the home team.

Before Cunliffe's post late, in the 52nd minute, Kamara was dragged to the ground by Fire defender Bakary Soumare after a misaimed header by Fire defender Brandon Prideaux set Kamara up just atop the penalty area. Ramiro Corrales took the free kick but it glanced off the crossbar and out.

"At this point, we are just trying to get a point everywhere, and we feel we can win anywhere we play," said defender Kelly Gray, a former Fire player. "We thought we matched up pretty well against them, and I thought we outplayed them. We got a point but we lost two. We are playing solidly defensively but we can't score goals. It's encouraging we got as many chances as we did. We just need to get them in the net."

Yallop had two familiar names to reinsert in his starting lineup, defender Nick Garcia, who was playing his first game since May 31 because of a right MCL sprain, and Kamara.

The return of Kamara was key to the Earthquakes, who have lost the services of forward Peguero Jean Philippe and Gavin Glinton to injury issues. They also lost forward Jovan Kirovski, recently acquired from Colorado, when he suffered a right foot injury in a practice collision and will be out for six weeks.

Besides Cunliffe, Yallop also substituted Shea Salinas for Jason Hernandez in the 82nd minute.


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O'Rourke looking to escape PK jinx

COLUMBUS -- There always seems to be one kid at camp or on the playground that is the recipient of a "kick me" sign discreetly attached to the back of his shirt.

At times, novice defender Danny O'Rourke must feel like he's been singled out, although the piece of paper covering his No. 5 Crew jersey would read "penalty kick me."

O'Rourke is the runaway league leader this season in committing fouls that have led to penalties. He was penalized in each of the first two games, had another four games later and added a fourth call against him in the Crew's 13th game, after fouling the Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham.

That's four of the five penalty kicks Crew opponents have taken. No other team has been victimized more than three times.

"He's given up some penalty kicks, but in fairness, not all we're just. The Beckham one wasn't a penalty kick," Crew assistant coach Mike Lapper said.

The problems for O'Rourke have been a combination of naiveté while learning a position, some borderline officiating in the eyes of the Crew, and, yes, possibly his reputation in prior years as a hard-nosed midfielder.

"I had that midfield kind of enforcer role and I embraced it. That's what the team needed so that's how I played," he said. "If (referees) have that opinion of me it would be very disrespectful of refs going into game thinking that right away. If the foul warrants a PK or warrants a card, so be it, but you can't go into it thinking 'This guy's got a reputation for fouls' or 'This guy's got a reputation for diving.'"

The 2004 Hermann Trophy winner at Indiana had been a midfielder until he was moved to the backline at the start of this year. He knocked down Toronto's Jeff Cunningham inside the box in the season opener and fouled Oscar Echeverry of New York in the next match.

Luckily for him, goalkeeper Will Hesmer made stops on both attempts from the spot. The Crew was as fortunate against Kansas City when O'Rourke got entangled with Kansas City's Scott Sealy. All was quiet for O'Rourke until he breezed by Beckham on June 21 and the English international went down in the box.

"Obviously, the last one against Beckham I didn't think was a PK," Crew coach Sigi Schmid said. "Toronto first match was a PK. The second against New York was also a PK. The third one against Kansas City, I'm not sure that was a PK."

Lapper said O'Rourke is still understanding the nuances of when and where to make a play for the ball and his opponent. The consequences of a foul 40 yards from goal, such as the kind O'Rourke was used to as a midfielder, are less than one inside the box.

"Athletically he's good but he has to learn the position things," said Lapper. "There's certain areas you can tackle on the field and certain areas you can't. He's learning that. As long as he keeps an open mind and is accepting of criticism and has heavy shoulders, because we're trying to help him, not kill him, as long as he understands that he'll be OK."

O'Rourke has not shirked his responsibilities for the PK calls -- half of them, anyway.

"The first two were pretty legitimate. Those were learning curves when I was a little too aggressive. The last two were awful. Everyone would agree with that as well," he said. "I've made it a point to work on it to not be as aggressive in the box and play more positional. If I dwell on it and think about it it's not going to help. It will make me a worse player. I put it behind me and hope the refs get a clue and things start changing. Hopefully, they will.

"After the first two games I had to step back and really work on it and I think I did. I've watched the other two (calls) over again and they were Sunday league calls, so I don't understand what they're doing."

Despite the penalty kick fouls, O'Rourke has not been afraid to make challenges in tight situations.

"Danny has big enough shoulders and confidence in his own ability to learn from it and get better," Lapper said.

Yet, new challenges have been tossed to O'Rourke even as he learns the fundamentals of playing in the back. Injuries to Gino Padula and Ezra Hendrickson and national team duty for Frankie Hejduk have left the defensive lineup unsettled.

In the past three matches the right-footed O'Rourke has started at right back, center back and last Saturday against Colorado he made his debut at left back.

"Obviously, not practicing there all week made it different but a defender should be able to play all roles in the back," he said. "I might not be like Frankie is in getting up and down but I feel comfortable with the other three we have.

"Outside back is a little more cut and dry depending on what kind of formation you're playing against. If you're playing a 4-4-2 it's basically your job to take that outside back and talk to Robbie (Rogers), the outside midfielder. Center back is a little more positional, which is different for me."

Lapper, a former defender with the U.S. national team, appreciates O'Rourke's versatility.

"If we had to rank him in order of how we see him with what this team needs it would be center back, right back, then left back," he said. "We haven't found anyone to put that name on the left back position. We're still looking."

Schmid is still pondering where to put O'Rourke for Saturday's match vs. Chicago, "I like things he does as center back -- his speed and the ability to cover there. Right now the way our team is with a couple of injuries it makes sense for him to play left back as he did the last game. Going against Chicago, I don't know if he'll be in the middle again paired with (Chad) Marshall or on the outside."

Or, maybe there's a new gig for O'Rourke in a season of surprises.

"They mentioned me going out and finishing up with the forwards -- just a hint for the next game," he joked after Tuesday's practice.

One area he won't go is between the posts.

"My roommate is Will (Hesmer)," he said. "He'd take a little offense to that if I tried to take his spot. I might find the locks changed by the time I got home."


Disastrous stretch dooms Crew
Hargreaves: We Went For The Draw

Crew ready to exorcise demons

COLUMBUS -- After another second-half, point-producing rally on the road, the Columbus Crew might be ready to exorcise the demons of past failures.

During the past few years while the Crew missed the MLS Cup Playoffs, the team's hallmark had been snatching defeat from the jaws of victory by allowing late goals. Last season, for example, the Crew gave up four winning goals and a tying goal from the 80th minute on. Those lost points were a major factor in missing the postseason by three points.

What a difference a season and an attitude adjustment make. The Crew's latest comeback was Saturday at The Home Depot Center. Los Angeles led 2-0 until the 67th minute when Brad Evans scored and four minutes Guillermo Barros Schelotto knocked in a penalty. The Galaxy regained the advantage in the 83rd minute on a penalty kick call in favor of David Beckham that Landon Donovan converted, but reserve rookie forward Steven Lenhart got the equalizer in the 88th with his first MLS goal.

The second half was reminiscent of the match in San Jose on May 10 when the Crew went from one down to a 3-1 lead in a span of 12 minutes after the break.

"We know we are a good team," veteran defender Frankie Hejduk said. "Last year we didn't believe we were going to survive the game, as a team, so we didn't get it done the last 10 minutes of the game. In the preseason we made it a big issue that we've got to stop taking goals the last 10 minutes. If we do give some up, we've got to score some.

"We've taken that mentality this year. We've had some goals scored on us still in the last minutes this year but we've also scored a couple in the last minutes. We've come back in games, unlike last year. We're buying into each other and believing in each other and have a group of guys willing to work hard for each other and never giving up."

Another difference is the goals given up in the final 10 minutes haven't been as costly as last season with one exception. New England scored in the 89th minute on a rebound after Will Hesmer made a penalty kick save to give the Revolution a 1-0 victory.

It appeared for a while Saturday that another goal from the spot would mean defeat when Donovan beat Hesmer from the spot but Lenhart, who attended nearby Azusa Pacific University and had dozens of family members and friends in attendance, put away a loose ball after a strike by Hejduk.

"It had to feel pretty good for him to come back to his hometown," midfielder Brian Carroll said of Lenhart. "He gave us a spark off the bench. He really helped us. To get a point on the road was really huge. Honestly, even though it's not a win, if you said going into the game we'd be down two-zip in a really tough place to play we'd be happy with that point."

Hejduk, no stranger to discussions about hair length, put the frizzy-haired Lenhart's goal in a unique perspective. "We always make fun of him because he has a big mop of hair on his head," Hejduk said. "That mop head just got a little bit bigger. That's how you want your forwards to be. You want your forwards to be confident."

The Crew had reasons to smile afterward save for the penalty call that went against defender Danny O'Rourke while marking -- or, as the replay seemed to show, not guarding -- Beckham. If O'Rourke did touch the Galaxy superstar it might have been with the big toe of his boot yet Beckham went down hard.

"I don't like talking about referees and PKs in general," Carroll said diplomatically. "I have a feeling that's one where the ref should have let it go."

Hejduk was more succinct, noting the discrepancy in penalty calls this season. Opponents have taken five (not including one in a recent Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match against Chicago that was made in the final moments of overtime that led to the Crew's elimination) while the Crew have been awarded two.

"We've had a lot of calls go against us this year. It's been awful," he said. "We've had maybe seven against us?" Maybe three have been legitimate. It's just a bunch of (garbage) to tell you the truth. The penalty Beckham got (Saturday) epitomized everything. The guys are joking -- we're getting calls against us at home, too."

Somehow, though, maybe the nebulous soccer gods were watching. In the waning moments Beckham had an open shot to win the game from eight yards out and missed it well high.

"Justice was served on that play," Hejduk said. "Nine of 10 times he would have buried it. Someone or somebody, some other power said he deserved that one."

And with that the Crew returns home from a two-game trip with four points after also downing Kansas City 3-0 on June 14. The last match in Crew Stadium on June 7 was a 2-0 loss to San Jose that marked the Crew's fourth consecutive match without a goal. With six in the past two matches, that dubious mark is a distant memory.

"It will be nice to be home again," Carroll said. "We've gained a lot of confidence in how we've played these last two games on the road."


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