TUKWILA, Wash. - Injury-free Seattle hopes to finally break through against the LA Galaxy Monday night (10:30 pm ET, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3.com). Winners of three straight, the surging Sounders are set to try to reverse the historical tide of the series. Landon Donovan and Co. own a perfect 5-0-0 record over Seattle in the past two seasons. That includes a 1-0 Galaxy victory to start the 2011 season, a game that left goalkeeper Kasey Keller frustrated. "We know we should have gotten something out of that game in the first game of the season," Keller said. Seattle’s confidence is high coming into the return leg, with the three-game winning streak under their belt and the expected return of striker Fredy Montero. Montero’s return is bolstered by the recent play of Mauro Rosales, who has started Seattle’s past five matches. On the opposite side of the ledger, David Beckham’s likely exclusion weakens the Galaxy lineup as the English midfielder deals with a stress fracture of his spine. Even with those factors in Seattle’s favor, Keller knows LA always present a difficult challenge. "They have the most points in the league, and they had the most points in the league last year, and so you have to give them a lot of credit because of that," Keller said. "They’ve consistently been winning more games than anybody else. We know we’ve got a tough task." The futility against the Galaxy weighs heavily on Keller and the Sounders franchise as Seattle-LA games have always been heated affairs. In the first meeting at then-Qwest Field, James Riley was sent off after an altercation with Mike Magee. In 2010, the Galaxy’s 4-0 shellacking of the Sounders induced management to offer season-ticket holders a refund for the price of that match. In the 2010 MLS Playoffs, Los Angeles strangled the life out of the Sounders attack to advance by a 3-1 aggregate score in the Western Conference semifinals. While Schmid concedes that "It’s a rivalry that’s greatly in their favor right now," Keller hopes this Independence Day match will be the one that turns the tide. "This is a big game now," Keller said. "We’re obviously disappointed with the way we’ve played against them the last three or four times so we’re going to go down there and try to make that right."
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Despite goal vs. Chivas, Oduro disappointed with himself
It was the same song with a different tune for the Chicago Fire on Saturday night. Chicago tied their fourth game in a row, drawing Chivas USA 1-1 at the Home Depot Center. The Fire have now tied seven of their last eight league matches, compiling a total of 12 draws this year, which are two short of the MLS single-season record with 16 games left on their schedule. Unlike last week, when the Fire tied New York 1-1 at Toyota Park, Chicago took the early lead on Saturday. Attacker Dominic Oduro put the Fire ahead in the 26th minute, collecting a ball on the left wing before racing behind the Chivas defense and into the box, where he beat goalkeeper Dan Kennedy to the far post from a tight angle. WATCH: Full Highlights: CHV 1, CHI 1 But Oduro, who is now tied for the team lead in goals with five, also missed a pair of golden opportunities, botching two one-on-one chances with Kennedy that — if finished — could’ve given the Fire all three points. "I want to say that I’m really disappointed in myself," Oduro told MLSsoccer.com after the match. "I created a lot of chances and I probably could’ve done more in terms of putting balls in the back of the net." Oduro’s first miss came after eight minutes. Midfielder Baggio Husidic slipped the Ghanaian winger behind the Chivas back four on the right side, but Oduro couldn’t get his chip over Kennedy, who parried the ball away. He had another golden opportunity three minutes from halftime. Winger Patrick Nyarko played Oduro behind the back four on the left wing but, yet again, he couldn’t beat Kennedy, sending a rushed right-footer directly at the Chivas keeper. "I think the goalie cut off the angle for me a little bit," Oduro said. "I just have to put the ball on frame, hopefully it goes in, but he made some great saves. He did a great job and I should’ve done a better job. … Again, he had some great saves so kudos to him, but I think I just need to work on some little stuff and that’s what I’m going to keep doing." Oduro’s misses came back to haunt the Fire in the 46th minute, when Chivas midfielder Nick LaBrocca equalized for the Goats. LaBrocca received a ball in the final third, turned and smashed a 25-yard half-volley, driving his left-footer off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net. Chicago didn’t close down LaBrocca on the play, allowing the veteran center midfielder all the time and space he needed to line up his strike. The Fire, who were playing their fourth match in 10 days on Saturday, return to Chicago fed up with drawing games. "We’re really frustrated right now," Oduro said. "I think we are doing so well defensively and offensively and right now we just want to win games. ... We’re not losing, but a win would be really nice."
Chivas USA's Fraser hails impact of catalyst LaBrocca
CARSON, Calif. — Chivas USA have been seeking a catalyst to help the club emerge from its recent doldrums. During the Rojiblancos’ 1-1 draw against the Chicago Fire on Saturday night, it was energetic midfielder Nick LaBrocca, who made the difference in bringing an end to the team’s three-game losing streak. LaBrocca was the engine for the Goats, consistently creating opportunities in attack throughout the match for himself and his teammates. His shot that struck the crossbar in the early stages was a precursor to Chivas USA’s lone goal less than a minute into the second half also on a long-distance shot. LaBrocca's laser from 20 yards out deflected off the crossbar and into the net for the 1-1 tie. The goal was his fourth of a season which has seen him make a steady rise into All-Star consideration. WATCH: Full Highlights: CHV 1, CHI 1 Following the match, Chivas head coach Robin Fraser admitted that the LaBrocca has carried his club this season. "Nick is such a talented player with a great soccer mind and when you put that together with a great engine and is a big part of when we play well, a part of our attack," Fraser told reporters after the match. "He’s very good at finding dangerous positions for himself and, obviously, he’s technically very good around the goal." After struggling to deal with Chicago’s pace during the first half, particularly the bursts of speed from goal scorer Dominic Oduro, it was up to the Rojiblancos’ energy guy to motivate his club. LaBrocca was able ignite his squad with the goal to open the second half, which clearly boosted Chivas. Following the comeback strike, Chivas USA appeared far more confident in front of net and appeared the more dangerous side in search of the potential go-ahead goal. "We needed a high energy start and it was big for us to get that self-belief that we could take it to another level," LaBrocca said after the match. "But unfortunately, we were unable to get the winner." Although the Rojiblancos are still sitting on 18 points, the club has three home games left in the month of July to get back into the playoff chase. Chivas USA and LaBrocca will be forced to get right back to work with a short week and a date against the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday. For the spirited No. 10, Chivas USA remain a club that is not too far off from contending, especially based on their comeback on Saturday night. "Hopefully this is a good sign for us to turn the table a little bit and fix those final pieces that need some polishing," LaBrocca said after Saturday night’s draw. "I think all we need is a little hot streak and we’re right back in it and then no one will want to play us because we are a strong team. But we are still growing as a team and there are still things that we can get better at."
Burling's moment under the lights spoiled by Lindpere
STANFORD, Calif. — Growing up in Colorado, San Jose Earthquakes center back Bobby Burling always looked forward to his family’s tradition of watching the Rapids play on Fourth of July weekend and sticking around for the postgame fireworks show. He probably never imagined the kind of fireworks he’d provide in San Jose’s 2-2 tie with the New York Red Bulls before a franchise-record 41,028 at Stanford Stadium on Saturday. WATCH: FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS First, Burling was victimized by Joel Lindpere’s 85th-minute drive from just outside the penalty box, when his attempted clearance instead led to the ball zipping past goalkeeper Jon Busch for a late Red Bulls equalizer. Then, adding insult to injury, the fifth-year man earned a second yellow card in injury time, resulting in his first ejection in 55 career MLS appearances. "[We’re] disappointed to concede a late goal, but I guess the nature of a deflected shot is always hard to take," Quakes coach Frank Yallop said. "Jon’s going to save the shot and then it goes off Bobby’s head and goes in." Busch felt he had a good bead on the ball, but with the Quakes defense under siege — Busch had made superlative stops on Dane Richards and Lindpere in the previous 30 seconds — it was hard to fault Burling for trying to steer a third attempt wide of the net. Burling was gone by the time media members arrived in the Earthquakes locker room, but it was obviously not the way the 26-year-old wanted to finish a week that began with a vote of confidence; San Jose management felt comfortable enough with Burling’s body of work to sell off fellow center back Brandon McDonald to D.C. United on Monday in exchange for allocation money. "I thought that he actually had a really good game, just a couple of unlucky instances," Quakes star Chris Wondolowski said of Burling. "That’s one of the reasons why I don’t play defense: You mess up, and it costs [you] a goal. I mess up on offense, it’s alright. "It’s not even a mess-up. It’s just one of those things where it’s an unfortunate bounce for them. You can’t blame him." Steven Lenhart, whose 68th-minute goal had put San Jose (5-5-6) in position to take a second comeback win in less than a month, said that Burling has to stay the course despite the unwanted outcome. "Those things happen," Lenhart said. "You don’t dwell on them. You don’t change your game because of them. I think you have to go for that ball every time. ... We’re definitely going to miss him." Burling took his first card in the 80th minute after using a rough-and-tumble shoulder block to dispossess New York forward Juan Agudelo. He was sent off for making a lunging stab at the ball as the Quakes attempted to break out on the counterattack from a 91st-minute Red Bulls corner kick. New York midfielder Teemu Tainio just beat Burling to the ball, short-circuiting what could have been a promising break with numbers for the Quakes. Burling, who shot up immediately after referee Edvin Jurisevic blew his whistle, looked to have been impeded by New York defender Roy Miller just before the showdown with Tainio. That didn’t move Jurisevic, however, who swiftly showed Burling the gate. "I thought Bobby Burling was getting pulled back and we were on a three-on-one break," Yallop said. "It seemed a weird call for me." With McDonald gone and Ike Opara still injured, Yallop’s first two choices as a replacement are right back Chris Leitch and holding midfielder Brad Ring. The coach said he wouldn’t decide until San Jose reconvenes on Monday.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Onalfo's firing shakes up tradition in DC
WASHINGTON – D.C. United are a franchise more rooted in tradition than perhaps any other in MLS. But almost every tradition is interrupted eventually, and with the firing of head coach Curt Onalfo on Wednesday, United have acknowledged the depths of their current predicament by breaking a custom as old as the organization itself.
Onalfo’s dismissal marks the first time in team history that a head coach has been officially fired, and it's also the club’s first midseason coaching change. But given the fact that United have the fewest points, fewest goals scored and the worst goal differential in the league, few can question why DC’s long-standing preference for stability has been trumped by an urgency for change.
“It’s not so much that I was a slave to tradition,” D.C. United president Kevin Payne said on Wednesday morning. “Typically I don’t think [a change in midseason] is a good practice. That’s why we haven’t done it. So to get to the point this year where we felt like we had to do it is really disappointing. But I did feel we had to do it, and I think it was the right thing to do.”
D.C. United are 3-12-3 this season, with just 12 goals scored in 18 league games. They haven’t posted a win in league play since a 3-2 victory over Seattle on June 10.
“I think everybody knows that we’re fighting for our lives and our jobs," said veteran Jaime Moreno, who said he was sad to see Onalfo go but understood the reasoning behind the decision. "Whoever wants to stay here, things need to be changed. We’ll see what happens.”
The choice of Onalfo’s replacement is more surprising than the firing itself. Ben Olsen is still in the early days of his coaching tenure after calling time on his 12-year playing career last winter, and his selection as interim head coach vaults him ahead of more experienced assistants Kris Kelderman and Mark Simpson.
Olsen has been frank about his own need for acclimatization to his new trade and, on Wednesday, his somber reaction to Onalfo’s sudden departure made clear that he sees his new position as a duty as much as an opportunity.
“This certainly isn’t an ideal situation for me because of the mixed emotions, the Curt situation," Olsen said. "But I am here with the club and I’ve got a job to do now. So they’ve put me in charge. I’ll obviously do the best of my ability to get this team going in the right direction.
“Today was a day of letting everything sink in for the guys,” he added. “This was a big adjustment. There’s a lot of love for Curt in that locker room, and there’s a lot of love from me towards Curt. Today we’re just trying to get over the hump a little bit.”
Payne and general manager Dave Kasper made no secret of the fact that Onalfo’s sacking is intended as a message to the club’s fans as well as the playing squad. They view Olsen as the best motivator and leader on the staff, but claim there is no plan to give him the job on a permanent basis. The search for a new boss has already begun, but Kasper and Payne said that no decision will be finalized until the end of the season.
“[Olsen] is an interim coach, and I want to stress that,” Payne said. “It’s inconceivable to me that he would remain in the head coaching job beyond the end of the season, and he knows that. He understands that. Someday he will be our head coach, I think. But I want him to be prepared properly when he takes the responsibility on.
“Ben’s got a lot to learn yet. He’s been thrown into the deep end and he’s taking one for the team, as he did his entire career for us,” Payne added. “But I don’t think there’s anybody better to get the message across to the players and the fans of what is expected, and what our commitment is to our fans, than Benny.”
Diarra plans Mourinho talksDynamo head coach Kinnear pleased with team's performance
Sala heaps praise on Inter's Argentines
FRISCO, Texas – It only takes a few minutes of conversation with Dario Sala to realize the FC Dallas backup goalkeeper has soccer connections reaching around the globe.
When Inter Milan visit Pizza Hut Park to face FC Dallas on Thursday night for an international friendly, the Argentine keeper is looking forward to seeing three of his fellow countrymen who play for the epic Italian side: Esteban Cambiasso, Diego Milito and Javier Zanetti.
BUY: TICKETS: Inter Milan visit FC Dallas at PHP
The FCD keeper has always kept up with Cambiasso’s career, whom he knows from their time back in the Argentine Primera División. Cambiasso played for two of Sala's former clubs, Independiente and River Plate, stays which set the stage for his return to Europe in 2002 with Real Madrid.
“It was a big spot to fill [at Real Madrid when Ronaldo left], so he came back to Argentina and played really well for Independiente," Sala recalled. "Then, he moved to River and went back to Europe more mature. He had really grown up as a player. It’s unfortunate with the year that he had that he didn’t go to the World Cup. That was a shame.”
The 35-year-old keeper also knows Milito and older brother Gabriel, who currently plays for FC Barcelona from their days together in South America.
“Diego was playing for Racing Club and we were with Independiente," he remembered. "It was funny that Gabriel’s team beat him really bad. That happened in the Champions League, when Barcelona and Inter had to face each other. They’re both pretty competitive. Diego has better feet and better skill. That’s why Gabriel is a defender. They’re both unbelievable players and really good people.”
The seasoned keeper also has good things to say about Zanetti.
“I played for his foundation in a charity game back in Argentina. He feeds 200 kids every day out of his pocket,” Sala said. “He played in Buenos Aires for Banfield and I played for his rival, Lanús. He has had a quite good career. To everyone in Argentina that is a professional player, he is someone they can look up to and is a role model for all soccer players about how to be successful in other countries. To represent Argentina and Europe that well is impressive.”
For Sala, who is FCD’s longest-tenured player having been with the club since 2005, he still can’t believe the reigning UEFA Champions League winners will be playing on the same field he has played on for nearly five seasons.
“I never imagined it," he said. "We didn’t even play in the CONCACAF Champions League. It’s amazing. This is the biggest international match that we’ve ever had.”
World Cup Preview: Argentina vs. Nigeria, Group BAgent expects Maicon stay
Onalfo's leash among the shortest ever in MLS
Curt Onalfo’s firing on Wednesday made his stint with D.C. United one of the shortest for a manager in MLS history. He was hired Dec. 28, 2009, and has been at the helm for just seven months and 18 league matches.
The most recent manager to be shown the door in even fewer matches was current Toronto FC technical director Mo Johnston, who made way for the arrival of Bruce Arena at the New York Red Bulls just 12 matches into the 2006 season.
There are only four other head coaches in league history who were given less time with their club before they were given the boot.
MLS Managers With Fewest Matches:
8 matches: Eddie Firmani (3-5-0 with MetroStars in 1996)
10 matches: Thomas Rongen (1-8-1 with Chivas USA in 2005)
15 matches: Mo Johnston (2-3-7 with NY Red Bulls in 2006 after going 2-0-1 to end 2005)
16 matches: Alfonso Mondelo (3-12-1 with Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2001)
18 matches: Curt Onalfo: 18 games (3-12-3 with D.C. United in 2010)
19 matches: Carlos “Cacho” Cordoba (8-11-0 with Miami Fusion in 1998)
19 matches: Ruud Gullit (6-8-5 with L.A. Galaxy in 2008)
Note: Interim managers are not included in this list
Silva tempted by ChelseaJourneyman Adu begins trial in Switzerland
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