MLS - 2012 Season

[SoCalJoe]

Brek Shea held out due to throwing a hissy fit at the coach (or something to that affect). However, they were playing the road joke that is Portland, and beat the Timbers 5-0. Hard to fathom, but Portland hasn't scored away from home in 697 minutes.. That's almost 8 matches The team has utterly quit since the firing of the coach, and is an embarrassment to the great fans in Portland.

[Clevelandmo]

Dont know what to say about Portland Joe. I feel bad. Spencer is a good guy and coach, I'm not sure it was time to fire him. His results seemed reasonable to me for a second year expansion team. I have to wonder if we dont have too many snobby fans, especially in Cascadia, who want to apply European attitudes to MLS teams. If the coach doesnt get results for the club after 1 1/2 seasons, lets throw him out. Lest we forget this is a new league that implements parity and doesnt have the salaries of European leagues. Can we really place the same standards on the coaching, produce wins or that's it. This early in the game should you not consider the youth, the playing style, the atmosphere of games, the fans, etc as a collective in terms of how you are advancing as a club. Anyway, at this point I want Darlington Nagbe away from the Timbers.

As far as Shea, all I can say is I believe he is yet another example of my assertion that at this stage in the development of MLS and US soccer, most talented players are better off attending a few years of college prior to playing MLS. Maturity, discipline and perspective are valuable traits for a professional athlete today.

[Clevelandmo]

I had a crazy dream that FCD won a game this season. Please don't wake me. It was so refreshing. Zzzzzzzz...

Drweams do come true.

But seriously, a big congrats to the Dallas FC U18 academy for winning the USSF Development Academy National Title.http://www.fcdallas.com/news/2012/07/finals-week-u-18s-win-national-title

HOUSTON - This team likes to keep things interesting. At times, you thought it would be another disappointing end to an otherwise amazing season, but after 90 minutes, the FC Dallas U-18 Academy team won the U.S. Soccer Development Academy national championship Sunday night with a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps.

In the first championship match featuring two MLS-affiliated clubs in the Academy's five-year history, FC Dallas became the first MLS side to win it all at the U-17/18 level. But at times it looked like Vancouver would be the side to win the title and claim that honor, as FC Dallas created chance after chance that went unfulfilled.

In the 10th minute, Homegrown forward Jonathan Top got the team's first chance, but sent his header just wide of the goal. A minute later midfielder David Robledo put a shot on goal that was saved by Whitecaps goalkeeper Callum Irving before being cleared out by a defender. On the ensuing corner kick in the 12th minute, defender Mark Ashby headed his chance just over the crossbar.

Vancouver got its first chance in the 16th minute, when star midfielder Ben Fisk beat FC Dallas goalkeeper Eduardo Cortes with a long range shot from the left side, but Fisk's attempt hit the inside of the far post and bounced straight back out without clearing the goal line before ushered out of danger by the Dallas defense.

Fisk would not be denied in the 24th minute however, as Vancouver built a counter attack after Irving made a save on Nick Rochowski, who normally plays right back for FC Dallas but started in a forward position in the championship match. Fisk carried the ball up the left flank before playing a little give-and-go with forward Caleb Clarke in the attacking third. Clarke played the ball back to Fisk, who gave it a first-touch strike to score the opening goal of the game.

The Texas side tied the game in the 31st minute when Danny Garcia earned a penalty kick after being tackled by Irving in the box. Irving saved the initial shot, but Garcia pounced on the rebound to put away the game-tying goal.

FCD nearly took the lead in the 35th minute, after recently signed Homegrown midfielder Kellyn Acosta dribbled the ball up the right flank and passing it to Top. Top returned the ball to Acosta near the top of the box with a slick back-heel pass. The midfielder's shot rang off the crossbar to deny Dallas the go-ahead goal.

Instead, the go-ahead goal came in the 42nd minute in Vancouver's favor. With the Whitecaps pressuring, Clarke sent a cross into the FC Dallas box. Midfielder Flavio Guzman attempted to clear the ball out of the box, but instead the cross deflected into the goal to give the Canadian side a 2-1 lead just before the half.

FC Dallas made one change at the half, bringing forward Jose de la Tejera on to the field in place of Rochowski, a move which head coach Chris Hayden later said was a premeditated tactical plan to bring a jolt of energy into the game. And the plan worked.

With de la Tejera on the field, the FCD offense gave Vancouver's defense fits for the rest of the night. In the first 20 minutes of the second half, FC Dallas put two shots just wide of the frame and forced Irving to make four tough saves to hold onto the lead.

But the Whitecaps' lead vanished in the 69th minute after a defensive miscue. De la Tejera intercepted the ball and broke in on goal from the left side before beating Irving with a well-placed shot low to the far post to tie the match for FC Dallas.

After several more chances at the match-winner either sailed just wide, were block or saved by Irving, the forward notched the game-winner in the 84th minute. Acosta played a short corner to Garcia from the right side and the Central Conference Player of the Year sent a ball over the top into the box that de la Tejera headed home to secure the first national championship for the FC Dallas U-18 Academy team.

The win capped off an outstanding season that the squad dedicated to the memories of former teammate Jose Perez and club icon Bobby Rhine, both of whom passed away within a week of each other just days before the start of the 2011-12 Academy season. It was also the perfect way to send off the 11 players on the week's 18-man roster who will move on from the program after this championship match.

[jumpkutz]

Great sign unfurled at end of MLS All Stars vs. Chelsea match..."TERRY'S A GREAT GUY....SAID NO ONE EVER." LMAO!!!

[dallasbill]

As far as Shea, all I can say is I believe he is yet another example of my assertion that at this stage in the development of MLS and US soccer, most talented players are better off attending a few years of college prior to playing MLS. Maturity, discipline and perspective are valuable traits for a professional athlete today.

I've never tried this youtube thing yet but I'll give it a shot. I don't know if this only runs regionally/locally but...



'nuff said.



btw...here's the link in case I don't do this right.

http://youtu.be/edFLfmWyssc

[dallasbill]

1. Brek Shea...shut up and play soccer. There's a great sign that I USED to love that someone at the stadium hangs saying "you better Brekkenize". Mmmm, not so much. He's believing his own hype and it's time for him to start backing it up. Around here, one of the worst things someone can say about a man is he's "all hat and no cattle". Let's round up the herd Shea or stop firing your damn pistols.

2. Mo...thanks for the shout out to the Academy team. Those kids work really hard and in this sweltering heat. Props to them.

3. This just in...Steven Beitashour's for real. Hope to see a lot more of him (against teams other than FCD).

[DCHeather]

DC United have an interesting ticket promotion for tonight's game against the Union. You bike to the stadium and you get a free ticket. Given that there's good possibility of rain, it will interesting to see how this pans out. DC has been adding bike lanes throughout the city for the past few years along with a bike rental program. I like it. Even though I lived in the city for a brief period, I only tried biking to work once...that was enough. Had one too many close calls in that one time event. But that was years ago, just before push for biking to work programs and lanes.

http://www.dcunited.com/news/2012/08/fr ... ike-to-rfk

Hoping drivers are a lot more respectful to those on bikes. But doubt it.

[AggieMatt]

Biking in DC traffic is borderline insane. You'd be safer running.

Maybe they can add it to the X Games though.

[Clevelandmo]

Portland to announce Caleb Porter as their new coach today
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/08/report-timbers-to-announce-porter-as-head-coach-on-wednesday.html

The beginning of an MLS dynasty.

[JackCaz]

Portland to announce Caleb Porter as their new coach today
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/08/report-timbers-to-announce-porter-as-head-coach-on-wednesday.html

The beginning of an MLS dynasty.

I was hoping he'd end up with the Crew since he was just up the road. Yeah, they're going to be good.

[Clevelandmo]

Portland to announce Caleb Porter as their new coach today
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/08/report-timbers-to-announce-porter-as-head-coach-on-wednesday.html

The beginning of an MLS dynasty.

I was hoping he'd end up with the Crew since he was just up the road. Yeah, they're going to be good.

I firmly believe he went to Portland because of the fanbase and incredible gameday atmosphere. Getting atmosphere and a home game advantage was something he put a lot of effort into at Univ. of Akron. For that reason, I dont believe there was a chance of him going to the Crew and it might have had something to do with him turning down the DC United job. He is going to love it at Jeld-wen

[SoCalJoe]

Thanks for posting Mo, once they went into the tank I stopped paying attention. Great hire, I actually think the Olympic failure will help Porter in his next gig, and I'm loving it that it's Portland. The Timbers are on 30 straight sellouts w/8000 on the waiting list for season tickets. At least they gave the faithful two straight home wins w/one of them being a Cascadia derby match over Vancouver.

[pettyfog]

Wow.. gotta get back to paying attention. That's huge.

Then of course, I read the comments on that post.. and want to bang my head from what I see as folks who are half-right, and those who are right , but for the wrong reasons.
Even given total support by fans and management, it's gonna not be easy.
A great case study is Tom Fitzgerald re: the Crew. His collegiate level record before and after his MLS tenure speaks to his ability at the college level. His implosion at the Crew, when the skill level, not to mention ego cloud, was much different tells us about what Porter has to deal with.
Porter's Olympic flameout has nothing to do with his possible success.

I'm sure Mo agrees that Porter focusses on PROGRAM vs Project. Olympic management is project management. If you want to see the difference, look at Toronto. ALWAYS a project position.
Vs the Crew.. which is 'ehhhh..' so there's no 'right' way to do it, just gotta 'Hope for Change' when it comes to your leadership's abilty and attitudes.

[Clevelandmo]

I'm likely wrong, but I dont blame the Olympic failure on Porter. That team did not play like a Caleb Porter team, it played like a Jurgen Klinsmann team. Brek Shea could've also just cleared the freakin' ball, but it doesnt matter because they werent going to get anywhere anyway.

I predict success and that city will soon be known as Porterland.

[BarryWhite]

Anyone else read No Short Corners?