MLS ARTICLES
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MLS boss Don Garber on promotion/relegation, sports betting, a winter schedule, SKC
Kansas City Star – May 15, 2018
The past two decades have sent Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber to 20 grand openings across the country, the vast majority of them brand-new soccer-specific stadiums.
His latest stop drove him to Kansas City, Kansas., to tour Pinnacle, a new state-of-the-art training center designed for Sporting Kansas City and U.S. Soccer. He was struck by one key difference in the facility — its emphasis on becoming more competitive on the field.
“It’s almost getting to the point where you get a bit numb because we’ve had so many buildings that we’ve opened,” Garber said Tuesday. “But I’m probably more impressed by facilities like this, where clubs are putting bricks and mortar in the ground that are not just about delivering a fan experience, which is super important, but delivering an experience for the players that will allow them to be more competitive.”
After touring the facility with Sporting Club principal owners Cliff Illig and Mike Illig and coach Peter Vermes, Garber met with the media for a wide-ranging news conference. The interview covered topics such as promotion/relegation in MLS, the viability of a winter schedule, a potential change to homegrown rules and how the league will respond to a Supreme Court decision that paves the way for states to allow sports betting.
The conversation has been moderately edited for clarity.
Question: How important is it for the league to have facilities like this?
Garber: “It is incredibly important for so many different reasons. It’s not just the actual value that it provides our team. It really elevates what Major League Soccer is all about. When you have this kind of investment and this public-private partnership, which is a great model for other states in the U.S. and other provinces in Canada, it shows the significance of Major League Soccer and what we aspire to be. I think in this particular facility, Peter Vermes walks around with Mike Illig and Cliff Illig with such a deep emotional commitment to what this facility represents for Sporting Kansas City — how do they approach performance, how do they differentiate themselves from other clubs, how do they come up with a strategy for their team that’s different from other clubs and gives them a point of difference. So that if I was a player from anywhere around the world or a U.S. player who has an opportunity to play in any market, and I came through this facility with Peter and his coaching staff, I can’t imagine that it wouldn’t be incredibly enticing for me to want to play for this team.”
Question: What are your thoughts on the Supreme Court decision that will allow states to legalize sports betting?
Garber: “The league has been spending a great deal of time quietly trying to understand PASPA and to prepare for what we all were hoping would be a positive Supreme Court ruling. We just think that the states should have the opportunity to make those decisions on their own. But we also think that gambling is happening, so we might as well find a way to manage it, organize it and in our case get an integrity fee to cover some of the costs that we’ll have to ensure that everything is proper. But to also put our arms around it in a way so that we could use this as a way to enhance our fan development. Ultimately it’s not just about people betting on games or having the in-game bets, prop bets, but it’s a matter of how do we build a fan base? To be one of the top leagues in the world, we gotta grow our fan base. We have to have more fans. We have to have higher television ratings. We have to engage with our fans. Maybe sports betting becomes one of those ways that we can build a fan base. We could work with some of the providers to be able to provide exposure to our players and have them engage more with our games. I think ultimately that will be a positive. But it’s a day old. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done.”
Question: Do you consider Kansas City a model franchise for future expansion teams?
Garber: “Very much. There was a question if Major League Soccer would survive in Kansas City. And here we are today where in many ways Kansas City is best in class in so many aspects of the club. In a market that’s a relatively small market, to have the size of their fan base, to have the number of sold-out games, to have the state-of-the-art facility, to have this new Pinnacle, to be able to have a team that is competitive with other clubs for the last number of years, to have a terrific technical director and coach in Peter Vermes, it very much is a model.”
Question: Is promotion/relegation viable in MLS?
Garber: “Just because there is promotion/relegation in other leagues that were founded on different principles doesn’t mean that it would make sense in Major League Soccer. We have a vibrant No. 2 league in the USL. We have (Sporting KC principal owner) Cliff (Illig) and his partners that have just put $60 million of capital, along with the public, into this building. If all of a sudden they’re playing in a different division that doesn’t have national revenues — because the USL doesn’t have that — how does that make any sense? There’s no economic rationality to promotion/relegation whatsoever in the era that we’re in today.”
Question: Is a winter schedule viable in MLS?
Garber: “If we could align with the calendar, we would. Why wouldn’t we? It makes a lot easier for us to have the summer open so that we can take a break when our players are getting called into international competitions and capture some of the opportunities when international clubs wanna come here. But you guys know what the weather is like around the country. We’ve had snow and horrible weather in the beginning of our season in early March. There is no league in the world that plays across (four) time zones and three climate zones. We have to operate in an environment that is consistent with the norms and factors that exist in North America.”
Question: Have targeted allocation money (TAM) funds made the impact you expected?
Garber: “More than we expected. It was a three-year commitment, so you’re probably not going to see any changes in the short term, but it was right on target. We basically were saying that we want to put more money into our rosters to be able to have our clubs determine how can they use those funds to improve the middle of their rosters. The mechanism was a good mechanism. The single entity that we have and our ability to manage these kinds of decisions was a way to effectively deliver that. If we need to evolve it, put more money in, change it or reallocate it, we’ll sit down as a group, and we’ll figure that out.”
Question: Will the homegrown rule and territories change?
Garber: “We’re looking at evolving our homegrown and academy process. I don’t know what those changes will be, but certainly there’s been so much investment at the academy level, we need to be sure that we’re doing our part to help develop the national team but also to ensure that our clubs can deliver on what it is they’re investing in. Maybe that means that clubs can go outside of their location. That would mean L.A. could come to Kansas City, but it could mean Kansas City could go to Columbus. We’re talking about maybe investing more in homegrown subsidies and things like that to figure out if there are ways we can incentivize our clubs to continue to invest. But that’s all on the drawing board — nothing that’s ready for prime time yet.”
U.S. women’s national team, 2019 Gold Cup men’s doubleheader coming to KC
Kansas City Star – May 16, 2018
Three months after Kansas City unveiled a stunning $75 million national training center, the soccer facility has its first major visitors on the calendar. And it lured high-profile games down the street, to boot.
The United States women’s national team will visit Children’s Mercy Park on July 26, and the venue will also host a 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup men’s doubleheader next summer.
The U.S. women are scheduled to face Japan at 6 p.m. on July 26, following a match between Brazil and Australia at 3:15 p.m. in the second annual Tournament of Nations. The four teams will play a round-robin format at three different venues, with the home to Sporting Kansas City hosting the openers.
The U.S. women plan to arrive four to five days earlier to train at Pinnacle, a shared facility between U.S. Soccer and Sporting KC that opened in February. Part of the venue’s concept was drawing the national teams to Kansas City on a more regular basis.
These two events represent a starting point.
“I think you need these events to have those nations come in, see the facility and experience the world-class nature of it,” Sporting KC president and CEO Jake Reid said. “Then ultimately when they leave, they’re talking to everyone else about it. I think that’s how the word spreads.
“I don’t think you can underplay the importance of having a world-class training facility that can host four different teams. So, yeah, I believe it makes a massive difference and will only continue to enhance the type of events we get here.”
U.S. women’s coach Jill Ellis toured Pinnacle on Wednesday, along with Jay Berhalter, the U.S. Soccer chief commercial officer. Berhalter laid out several factors in determining locations for both men’s and women’s national team matches, with the stadium and field king among them.
But, he added, “The training facility is definitely a component that we look to make sure our teams have a great environment. We always want that. So having a world-class facility available is definitely a plus.”
That could bode well for Kansas City in the latter announcement Wednesday — the men’s Gold Cup matches in 2019. The participants in the doubleheader will be announced in September. It’s not yet guaranteed to include the U.S. men’s national team, though the Americans have played at Children’s Mercy Park each of the previous two times the venue has hosted the biennial tournament.
“I’d say, just based on the history and what we know, we’re (optimistic) that there’s a pretty good chance of that happening,” Reid said.
The U.S. has automatically qualified for the Gold Cup, which will be played in 13 American cities, along with sites in Central America and the Caribbean. The 16-team event runs from June 14-July 7. The 2019 version will be the third trip to Children’s Mercy Park.
The Gold Cup includes six automatic qualifiers — the U.S., Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago, along with 10 open spots secured through qualification. It’s likely to be the first major tournament for the U.S. men after hiring a coach and general manager. U.S. Soccer’s search for both positions is ongoing after the team did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup this summer.
The U.S. women have played seven times in Kansas City, the previous three at Children’s Mercy Park. They have never lost inside the stadium. The July tilt with Japan will be a rematch of the 2015 World Cup Final won by the Americans.
The appearance comes only months after Kansas City lost its National Women’s Soccer League franchise, FC Kansas City, to Salt Lake City.
“Our players love coming here. It’s a very comfortable place for us,” Ellis said. “I think the fans and the field are usually the two leading qualifiers in terms of what we want, and they’re both fantastic here.”
MLS this week: Costa Ricans punch (early) ticket to Russia
Associated Press – May 16, 2018
Despite the U.S. national team’s absence, Major League Soccer will have plenty of representatives at the World Cup, especially on the Costa Rican team.
Costa Rica has six active MLS players on its roster who are slated to go to Russia. Costa Rica’s coach, Oscar Ramirez, wasn’t messing around and went straight to his final roster , even though teams were only required to submit provisional rosters of 35 players this week. Final 23-man rosters aren’t due until June 4.
“It is a group of boys with more experience, completed with the excitement of players who have not been in a World Cup, plus a tactical aspect,” Ramirez said at a press conference Monday in announcing his decision.
Other teams also released final rosters, although they still are officially considered preliminary until the June deadline. Panama has seven current MLS players on its 35-man provisional roster, which will be whittled down.
Costa Rica has been to four World Cups, most of any Central American nation. At the 2014 tournament in Brazil, Los Ticos went to the quarterfinals but were defeated by the Netherlands on penalties.
The roster includes Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas and the six MLS players: forward Marco Urena from LAFC, defender Francisco Calvo from Minnesota United, defender Ronald Matarrita and midfielder Rodney Wallace from NYCFC, midfielder David Guzman from the Portland Timbers and defender Kendall Waston from the Vancouver Whitecaps.
“Personally, I am extremely happy. It’s my second World Cup — I worked very hard and expected to be called in and earn a spot on the final list,” Urena said. “We know the responsibility that we have after what we achieved in Brazil. It’s going to be a big test for us, but we have a group with a lot of World Cup experience and that will help us. I have no doubt that Costa Rica will have a great tournament.”
Waston was at practice with the Whitecaps in Vancouver when the roster announcement was made, so he was unaware that it was official. The team brought out his wife and son as a surprise at the end of practice when Carl Robinson made the announcement to the team.
“It’s a huge accomplishment. I think I feel very happy, very proud. A lot of emotions are going on at this moment because in my mind I remember four years ago it was a different feeling. Now I can enjoy this moment. … It was a lot of great feelings,” Waston said.
The Costa Rican team opened its pre-World Cup camp Tuesday with available players at the Fedefutbol-Plycem Sports Complex. The first day of official training camp for the teams is May 28, with the kickoff match in Russia set for June. 14.
THE REST OF THE LIST: Here are the rest of the MLS players who made provisional rosters for the World Cup: Columbus Crew midfielder Cristian Martinez, Houston Dynamo defender Adolfo Machado, Red Bulls defenders Fidel Escobar and Michael Murillo, Earthquakes defender Harold Cummings and midfielder Anibal Godoy and Sounders defender Roman Torres for Panama; LAFC defender/midfielder Steven Beitashour for Iran; LAFC defender/midfielder Omar Gaber and Orlando City defender Amro Tarek for Egypt; LAFC forward Carlos Vela and LA Galaxy forward Giovani dos Santos and midfielder Jonathan dos Santos for Mexico; Portland Timbers midfielder Andy Polo and Orlando City midfielder Yoshi Yotun for Peru; Sounders midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro for Uruguay; and Sounders defender/midfielder Gustav Svensson for Sweden.
MATCH OF THE WEEK: The New York Red Bulls, winners of three straight, including last weekend’s 2-1 victory at Colorado, visit Atlanta United on Sunday. Atlanta is in first place in the Eastern Conference and coming off a 2-1 victory at Orlando City. It was United’s fourth road win this season. United goalkeeper Alec Kann said he expects the Red Bulls to be another pressing team that will be “organized and try to stop us from getting out on the break.”
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Columbus Crew forward Gyasi Zardes had three goals last week to earn Player of the Week honors . He first scored last Wednesday in the Crew’s 1-0 victory at home over the Philadelphia Union then added two more (again at home) in a 3-0 win over the Chicago Fire. Zardes is now tied for the league lead for goals with eight, and Columbus is in second place in the East.
GAMBLING: MLS weighed in on the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Monday that struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which limited sports betting to four states that met a 1991 deadline to legalize it. The ruling means that all states now can adopt laws regulating sports betting, though some already have the legal framework in place.
“Although Major League Soccer is supportive of today’s Supreme Court decision, we also believe that it is critical that state legislatures and other regulatory bodies work closely with the professional sports leagues in the United States to develop a regulatory framework to protect the integrity of each of our respective sports. We look forward to being a part of that process,” the league said in a statement.
David Guzman becomes first Portland Timber to be named to a World Cup roster
The Oregonian – May 15, 2018
Portland Timbers midfielder David Guzman will represent Costa Rica at the FIFA World Cup in Russia next month.
Guzman is the first-ever player to be named to a World Cup roster while competing for the Timbers.
Costa Rica announced their complete 23-player World Cup roster Monday. Along with Guzman, former Timber Rodney Wallace will be representing Costa Rica at the World Cup as well.
This will be the first time that both Guzman and Wallace compete at a World Cup.
Guzman might not be the only Timbers player headed to the World Cup this summer.
Winger Andy Polo was has been named to Peru’s preliminary 25-player roster for the World Cup. Peru will need to cut its roster down to 23-player ahead of the tournament, but Polo appears to be in a good position to make the final roster.
Kick this: Atlanta United and New York Red Bulls rematch will be spicy
Atlanta Journal-Constitution – May 16, 2018
There is drama, perhaps obscured in the background now, that nonetheless surrounds the Atlanta United’s match against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday.
Call in Kick-Gate Part II.
Beyond a battle of two of the top teams in the MLS Eastern Conference, there is the matter of the pointed accusations made against Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino by New York manager Jesse Marsch last season. It will be the first meeting since Marsch accused Gerardo Martino of telling his players to kick the Red Bulls during the 0-0 draw on Oct. 15.
After the game, Marsch said, “Their bench is yelling to kick our guys from the bench, OK. So Martino is yelling in Spanish to kick our players.”
Martino denied the accusation after the game, as did Atlanta United players Anton Walkes and Julian Gressel. Some of Atlanta United’s players hadn’t heard about Marsch’s accusations until Wednesday’s post-practice interview session in advance of the rematch.
In fact, some seemed stunned.
“He never game that indication,” centerback Leandro Gonzalez Pirez said of Martino. “He never did. I’m 100 percent sure. He’s the opposite. He wants to play all the time with the ball. He wants to attack. He wants to pressure. He never gave that indication. I’m 100 percent sure.”
Midfielder Miguel Almiron said, “No. No. No. Tata would never give us that order.”
Still, the controversy will be present.
Marsch’s accusation wasn’t part of one throw-away sentence. It was in the middle of a longer diatribe about the style of play he said Atlanta United adopted during the game. The Five Stripes played the game without Almiron and Chris McCann and were on the tail end of a stretch of playing nine games in less than five weeks.
“It was a little bit shaky in the start but once we cranked things up, we took over the game,” Marsch said. “And the shame is that, you know they just decided they wanted to kick us almost every time, referee doesn’t want to hand out yellows, so they are allowed to kick him more.”
He continued: “So you know, I understand that it’s a good team and they are the darlings of the league right now, but I don’t think that you should be able to come into a place and behave in that manner and not to have some kind of recourse.”
No Atlanta United players were punished by the MLS Disciplinary Committee later that week.
Atlanta United midfielder Jeff Larentowicz didn’t seem surprised by Marsch’s tactic. At the time, there was a chance that the teams could meet in the first round of the playoffs less than two weeks later.
“Come on,” he said. “I played against Jesse. I know how he his. He’s a coach. He’s passionate. It bleeds into his players. That’s kind of the way it is. It’s expected. Always expect it out of him and expect it out of his team. If anything, it’s something to be prepared for.”
So, there may be extra spice when the teams meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.
Atlanta United (8-2-1) leads MLS in points (25) and goals scored (25) and returns many of the players that were involved in that game in Harrison, N.J. The Red Bulls (6-3-0) are tied with Atlanta United on goal difference (plus-12) and have won three consecutive games, as well as four of five.
Gonzalez Pirez said he thinks the accusations may be insulting to Martino, who isn’t scheduled to meet with the media until Friday.
“I don’t know that coach,” Gonzalez Pirez said of Marsch. “Different coaches have different things. For Tata, 100 percent sure he never gave that indication.”
Atlanta United’s defense shutting down opponent’s best
Atlanta Journal-Constitution – May 17, 2018
Atlanta United has become particularly proficient in not just reducing the influence of an opponent’s best attacking player, but in taking them entirely out of the game.
In six of the past seven games, some of the league’s better attacking players haven’t been able to find a way over, around or through the red-and-black (or peach) wall that Atlanta United has developed in either the 3-5-2 or 4-3-3 formations.
LAFC’s Carlos Vela: Five shots, just one on goal. L.A. Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Zero shots. Montreal’s Ignacio Piatti: One shot, not on goal. Chicago’s Nemanja Nikolic: One, shot, not on goal. Sporting KC’s Johnny Russell: One shot, on goal. Orlando City’s Dom Dwyer: Three shots, just one on goal. None of those players scored. Atlanta United went 5-1-0 in those games. NYCFC’s David Villa is the exception, with one goal from four shots, two on goal, and one assist in 55 minutes in a 2-2 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“I think you look at games that we’ve had, with Zlatan, even with Dwyer in the last game, it’s about limiting their service, limiting their ability to score, making them do things they’re not comfortable doing,” Atlanta United midfielder Jeff Larentowicz said. “Everyone sticks to the game plan and follows it and that’s what’s worked.”
By the ends of the games against the Galaxy and Orlando City, Ibrahimovic and Dwyer were being forced to midfield or out wide just to receive the ball. That’s where Atlanta United’s Kevin Kratz said any team prefers the other team’s best attacker to be.
During the game, when either Ibrahimovic or Dwyer did receive the ball, it was often with their back to the goal and almost always with a defender in close proximity. That awareness comes from the work done studying film and during training.
Atlanta United midfielder Darlington Nagbe said that the team has done a very good job keeping its shape within either formation, which is why opponent’s attacking players rarely have time to receive the ball or space to move once it is received. Kratz said captain Michael Parkhurst’s communication with the other defenders and midfielders has been key to maintaining the team’s shape.
Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino said part of the team’s attacking plan against Orlando City was to make sure that Dwyer and his teammates such as Sacha Kljestan and Justin Meram were marked even when the Five Stripes had the ball.
“We are in a good moment, the defense,” Atlanta United’s Leandro Gonzalez Pirez said. “We are working to keep that moment.”
Next comes Bradley Wright-Phillips and New York Red Bulls on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Wright-Phillips is among the most prolific scorers in MLS history. The 33-year-old Englishmen is having another fantastic season with six goals and five assists in nine appearances. With a combination of speed and nose for goal, he has 92 goals in 148 appearances dating to the 2013 season when he was signed after playing for Brentford, Charlton Athletic, Southampton and Manchester City in England.
“He’s the ultimate finisher,” Larentowicz said. “He’s a guy that lives on service, lives on playing on the back shoulder and getting in behind and finishing crosses.”
Producing the same results against Wright-Phillips as the team has had against other opponents will require the same work. Gonzalez Pirez said communication will be key among the defenders to make sure that someone is always aware of where Wright-Phillips is because he’s very good at winning the second ball and attacking.
“You limit the amount of time he can be served the ball in those dangerous places and limit his chances to score,” Larentowicz said.
D-FENSE!
How Atlanta United’s defense has done against an opponent’s top scorer and/or best offensive player this season,and the game’s result:
Houston, Alberth Elis, 6 shots, 3 on goal, 0 goals, 1 assist. Loss
D.C. United, Darren Mattocks, 4 shots, 1 on goal, 1 goal, 0 assists. Win
Vancouver, Kei Kamara, DNP. Win
Minnesota United, Abu Danladi, 0 shots, 0 assists. Win
LAFC, Carlos Vela, 5 shots, 1 on goal, 0 goals, 0 assists. Win
NYCFC, David Villa, 4 shots, 2 on goal, 1 goal, 1 assist in 55 minutes. Draw
L.A. Galaxy, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 0 shots, 0 assists. Win
Montreal, Ignacio Piatti, 1 shot, 0 on goal, 0 assists. Win
Chicago, Nemanja Nikolic, 1 shot, 0 on goal, 0 assists. Win
Sporting KC, Johnny Russell, 1 shot, 1 on goal, 0 goals, 0 assists. Loss
Orlando City, Dom Dwyer, 3 shots, 1 on goal, 0 goals, 0 assists. Win
Fafa Picault or Jay Simpson could start for Union at striker vs. Real Salt Lake
Philadelphia Inquirer – May 16, 2018
Union manager Jim Curtin has a major lineup problem on his hands. With C.J. Sapong injured and Cory Burke suspended, someone else will probably have to start at striker in Saturday’s game against Real Salt Lake at Talen Energy Stadium on Saturday.
Curtin held out hope at his Wednesday news conference that Sapong will be able to play. But the odds sounded slim, as Curtin said Sapong is dealing with a quad contusion in his left leg and a groin injury. Both injuries were sustained in last Wednesday’s loss at Columbus. Sapong was on the field at Wednesday’s practice, but was not a full participant.
In theory, the next guy off the bench should be Jay Simpson. But when Curtin listed potential names on Wednesday, the $623,000 Englishman wasn’t the first one mentioned. Fafa Picault was.
Granted, Simpson was mentioned a half-second later. It might be reading the tea leaves a bit too much to presume Picault is the more likely starter.
But Picault is naturally a winger, not a striker. So it says something that Curtin put his name in the mix.
“Everyone knows about his one-on-one ability, he has a knack for crashing the back post, he can jump,” Curtin said of Picault. “It’s not necessarily the biggest guy or the strongest guy, it’s the first one off the ground, and he he has an ability to leap before an opponent. He knows where the ball will pop up.”
More notable was Curtin’s omission at first of another candidate: David Accam. He played striker some while with the Chicago Fire, and has the goal-scoring pedigree for the role. He also isn’t afraid to press defenders high, which Curtin likes. Accam’s hustle play to pick the ball off Montreal’s Jukka Raitala and set up the Union’s second goal last Saturday was proof of that.
But Accam isn’t a great jumper, which matters given how many crosses the Union like to play in from the wings.
“You watch Fafa jump in the air, Fafa probably gives you a little more in the aerial game,” Curtin said. “David has played up there. … He can do it. I think Fafa can do it also. … Those are two guys that we’re comfortable with going up there.”
The big question is whether Curtin will be comfortable with Simpson. He hasn’t scored since the second game of last season, and has played just two games this year — both as second-half substitutions. This weekend could bring a chance to step up, and he needs to take it.
FC Dallas Practice Observations: May 16
Dallas Morning News – May 16, 2018
Another day out on the beautiful training ground for FC Dallas. Today the temps were just above 80 but the humidity was worse than usual. It made for a sweaty day.
The entire U19 academy team was in training today. They usually end their own session right about when the senior side is starting. Today the u19s basically served a role of “living dummies” in the sense they replicated Vancouver. You’ll see below.
News and Notes
Paxton Pomykal is back in training. He looks solid. Like he’s put on a little muscle mass. That’s really good, he needed some strength. He also slotted right back in as the Mauro Diaz back up and also got some time at right wing.
Bryan Reynolds at right back continues to be a thing. He’s growing into it.
Jordan Cano and Ema Twumasi are both here training. FCD Head Coach Oscar Pareja told me yesterday that neither of them nor Francis Atuahene would play for OKC in any US Open Cup games.
Speaking of Francis Atuahene, Pareja says he’s about a week away from returning to training.
Brandon Servania continues to look really sharp to me. I think he’s pressing hard for time at one of the deep mid spots. It may be hard to come by, but this kid is showing.
If by chance you are worried that Servania and Pomykal might conflict in their efforts for PT, that’s no problem. Servania is an 8. Pomykal is a 10 or wing. Now we do see Pomykal pop up in some reserve or academy situations as a 6/8 type. He can do it, but mostly that’s just fill in. With the senior team, he’s an advanced, attacking midfielder.
Kris Reaves is still missing after his sports hernia surgery. Another month for him I think.
Chris Richards is still with the US U20s, but wouldn’t be activated till after the MLS season anyway.
Training observations
After the warm-up, jogging, cones, lines, and other types of work, FCD split into two group. Josema Bazan worked with the offense and Marco Ferruzzi with the defense.
Since both sets of this drill are senior side versus academy they aren’t quite full physicality. The Academy kids are good players but this is more of a half pace set up than “real” game conditions. The U19s replicate the Vancouver shapes and the FCD coaches give them directions that replicate the style of the Whitecaps. Think of them as a practice squad from American football.
Offense: Josema Bazan
This group was the FCD front 4 playing against an Academy 6 + some of the tall yellow figure dummies. This drill is mostly about the FCD front 4 working their rotations and patterns, spotting gaps, exploiting holes where they think they can get at Vancouver.
Green (the academy starting back 6 from the game against Houston last Saturday): Chris Cappis, Edwin Cerrillo, Chris Fuentes, Imanol Almaguer, Holland Rula, and Alex Bautista.
Gray (4 play at a time): Maxi Urruti, Cristian Colman, Roland Lamah, Tesho Akindele, Ema Twumasi, Mauro Diaz, Paxton Pomykal, Michael Barrios, Santiago Mosquera.
Defense: Marco Ferruzzi
The FC Dallas back 6 + a keeper play against 8 of the U19s (set up as the forwards + midfielders + two attacking outside back). For this drill the FCD back 5 build out from the keeper and try to pass to two “strikers” behind the Red team (being played by two more U19s). When they do, the Red team immediately counter-attacks. FCD’s back 6 have to recover quickly into their defensive shape and hold them off.
Red: A bunch of U19s. I only know a few by sight including Thomas Roberts, Gibran Rayo, Emmanuel Paga, and Ronaldo Damus.
Gray (6 of these 12 play at a time): Kellyn Acosta, Carlos Gruezo, Jacori Hayes, Victor Ulloa, Anton Nedyalkov, Maynor Figueroa, Matt Hedges, Reggie Cannon, Ryan Hollingshead, Reto Ziegler, Jordan Cano, and Bryan Reynolds.
In the early version of this drill, Red drops off and allows Gray to play around with the ball in the back. In The later version, Red does a high press and tries to steal as Gray builds out.
Final Drill
After about 30 minutes of the above, the Academy all take off for the day except Chris Cappis. The big final drill was two FCD teams going head to head.
The Gray team looked exactly like what I might predict would be the lineup for this weekend so I won’t mention the personnel. Gray also had a full goal with a keeper behind them to defend but “scored” on the other end by having a player dribble through 1 of 3 ten yard goals made with flags. Red was in a different shape and again were playing as Vancouver. So this drill too was mainly about building out versus a press (or no press) and then defending a direct style counter.
Since FCD has more than 22 field players right now, Cappis and Ferreira went to the other end of the training ground where Cappis hit crosses to Ferreira. Ferreira did rotate into the drill and Cappis continued to hit crosses for different players.
Catching up with Oscar Pareja
Without having watched practice at all, Maynor Figueroa seems like the obvious person to fill in for Reto Ziegler. Can you talk about the luxury of having a player with such experience in the back to step in?
Right. Maynor is one of the options. To be quite honest, we’re thinking on probably change the model if it’s necessary, utilize different players.
But, talking about the luxury to have experience of someone like him is important. That applies to the team, having anybody with his professionalism.
We talked about Brandon Servania last week, so perhaps not in regard to him specifically… But do you feel any obligation when a young guy is showing well in training to think, “Now I have to get him some minutes?” Or is it just week to week, “This is what I have to do to face this opponent?”
The good news is that we have many of them doing a good job during the training. The bad news is that we need to line up just eleven. And to have people that aren’t in the lineup, that are playing well also. Or others that aren’t in the 18 roster are doing a great job in the training.
What happens when you have some players who are maybe young and not getting much minutes, maybe eventually they will be playing somewhere else, Oklahoma or Tulsa or somewhere. That’s just the limits that we have to deal with.
Are you able to get enough games between Academy, loan games, or whatever else scrimmages you organize for those guys?
No… No. We all know that’s now enough.
What do you think the solution is there?
Well, we are bringing the USL next year. That’s the solution. You can see we’re in the process to do it.
Other than that you can have as many academy games as you can, but that is a stage they are already passed by. If I have to do it we’ll do it. And simulations on the trainings, a couple inter-squads that you can do against the academy or something.
But the real minutes in the professional competition is important, having these guys there in a team. That’s something that we have to deal with.
I saw Paxton Pomykal is back in training, how does he look to you?
He’s good, looking stronger. I’m always afraid with the boys that come from the recovery to have some weaknesses or some movement that indicates they are tentative or something… but that’s not the case with him.
How was Kellyn Acosta’s 60 minutes in your opinion?
I reviewed the game, and I did it again because of him… because I wanted to really see and be objective in the evaluation. I thought Kellyn’s game was much better than we all thought.
Is he ready to go a full 90 now?
In terms of minutes, maybe not. Not 90, not just yet.
Consistency with the level that we all know about Kellyn and things like that, is a process. It’s a process, you know that. He struggled with the precision, it’s just going to be building him up into what we want.
Orlando City not underestimating shorthanded Toronto FC
Pro Soccer USA – May 16, 2018
There’s a list of reasons for Orlando City to doubt Toronto FC.
The Reds are in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference table with just seven points through nine matches. Top striker Jozy Altidore is out after foot surgery. Sebastian Giovinco, the club’s most expensive player, will miss Friday’s meeting between the two clubs after he received a red card in TFC’s 3-2 loss to New England.
Orlando City coach Jason Kreis knows the troubles that have befallen Toronto FC, despite the club’s run to the CONCACAF Champions League final.
He and the Lions are still approaching the Reds with caution. Orlando City (6-3-1, 19 points) will face Toronto (2-6-1, 7 points) at 8 p.m. on Friday at BMO Field in a match that will air in Orlando on WRDQ-Channel 27 and will be live streamed on ESPN+.
“If we don’t have respect for Toronto, we don’t have respect for anybody,” Kreis said.
“This is a very good team. A team that’s a little bit hard-done with some decisions that have gone against them the past couple of games to pick up losses where they probably should have picked up draws. Maybe, you know, a bad performance or two and a ton of injuries.”
Kreis said Orlando City doesn’t take confidence from know their opponent is weakened. The club’s confidence comes from its performances this season, including in the second half against Atlanta United.
“It’s not something where we say, ‘OK, they don’t have Giovinco and they don’t and they don’t have Altidore, so we can relax,’” Kreis said. “No. Absolutely not. They have other players that have proven, time and time again in MLS competition and in CONCACAF competition that they’re quite capable of scoring and creating goals, as well.”
Holding midfielder Uri Rosell likely will see an increased role on Friday with Yoshi Yotún suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
“From my prospective, all I see is a very difficult opponent,” he said. “I don’t care if they are last or if they are on top of the standings. At the end, it doesn’t mean anything because when you start playing, you don’t think about what position they are. You just play as good as you can. It seems like a topic, but every game is difficult.”
Tarek grateful for World Cup opportunity
Centerback Amro Tarek on Wednesday spoke to members of the media for the first time since being named to Egypt’s 29-man provisional roster ahead of the World Cup.
“We are 29 players and just 23 are going to the World Cup,” Tarek said. “I’m happy to be part of this and to be able to play the friendly games [against Kuwait and Belgium].”
Yotún called up
Peru’s 24-man provisional World Cup squad was unveiled Wednesday morning and Yotún was among the players named. Peruvian national team manager Ricardo Gareca will eventually narrow the squad down to 23 ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Yotún has been capped 70 times for Peru’s national team. This summer will mark Peru’s first World Cup appearance since 1982.
World Cup Countdown: Peru names two MLS players to 23-player squad
Soccer America – May 16, 2018
The number of MLS players selected to play in the World Cup or named to preliminary rosters is up to 23 with the selection of a pair of players to Peru’s 23-player squad.
The group named by Coach Ricardo Gareca includes second-year Orlando City midfielder Yoshi Yotun and first-year Portland Timbers winger Andy Polo.
Yotun and Polo played in 15 and nine World Cup 2018 qualifiers, respectively, for La Blanquirroja, which qualified for the first time since 1982.
Costa Rica (23-player roster):
Francisco Calvo (Minnesota United)
David Guzman (Portland Timbers)
Ronald Matarrita (NYCFC)
Marco Urena (LAFC)
Rodney Wallace (NYCFC)
Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Egypt (29-player short list):
Omar Gaber (LAFC)
Amro Tarek (Orlando City)
Iran (35-player preliminary roster):
Steven Beitashour (LAFC)
Mexico (28-player short list):
Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy)
Jonathan dos Santos (LA Galaxy)
Carlos Vela (LAFC)
Panama (35-player preliminary roster):
Harold Cummings (San Jose Earthquakes)
Fidel Escobar (NY Red Bulls)
Anibal Godoy (San Jose Earthquakes)
Adolfo Machado (Houston Dynamo)
Cristian Martinez (Columbus Crew)
Michael Murillo (NY Red Bulls)
Roman Torres (Seattle Sounders)
Peru (23-player roster):
Andy Polo (Portland Timbers)
Yoshi Yotun (Orlando City)
Sweden (23-player roster):
Gustav Svensson (Seattle Sounders)
Uruguay (26-player short list):
Nicolas Lodeiro (Seattle Sounders)
Whitecaps 2, Earthquakes 2: Split happens after defensive faults
The Province – May 16, 2018
Like a busted jukebox, the Vancouver Whitecaps keep playing the same old song.
The Caps outshot and out-chanced the San Jose Earthquakes Wednesday night at B.C. Place, continuing a run of form that’s seen them generate plenty of chances but few goals, and were forced to settle for the second 2-2 result in under a week.
“Déjà vu, I think, wasn’t it?” Caps coach Carl Robinson said after the game.
“Too many individual errors that led to goals when we were in control of the game, like Friday night (vs. Houston). When you do that and you get punished, it stings. I think that was the case again tonight. We created chances, we just didn’t take them.
“… I sound like a broken record. Does it concern me? Yes. Am I worried? No.”
The last time the Earthquakes rolled into town, they left shaken by a 5-0 Major League Soccer playoff defeat, but led twice in Wednesday’s matchup, and held 54 per cent of possession. The Caps outshot the visitors 22-16 — 9-3 on target — and spent much of the second half peppering the Southsiders section with errant attempts.
“Kei (Kamara) had two or three good headers, which nine times out of 10 he scores. Yordy (Reyna) could have gotten three goals. But we conceded two bad goals, which is more worrying for me,” said Robinson. “(Resiliency) is a good trait to have; character in your team. And we certainly have that. What we need to try and instill in the team is a little bit of quality.”
Cristian Techera and Reyna scored for Vancouver (4W-5L-3D), who hop on a plane Thursday morning ahead of a game in Dallas in three days’ time. The ‘Quakes (2-5-3), who are tied for last in the West, had gone winless in seven games after winning their opener, but have picked up points in their last two games.
Here’s what we learned Wednesday night:
Reyn Man
Reyna started up top in a 4-4-2 — the third consecutive game they’ve used that formation — and has started to show the form he displayed at the end of last season.
Three minutes into the game, Felipe sprung him behind the defence, but his chip floated just wide. He timed his run perfectly to keep the flag down — for once — as Vancouver leads the league with 5.2 offside calls per home game.
Reyna also set up Cristian Techera for the opening goal, controlling another Felipe pass at the edge of the circle, drawing the defence to him before poking a perfectly weighted ball through to Techera, who placed it far corner on his favoured left foot.
(Side note: Kei Kamara jokingly made sure to hold down Techera’s jersey, after the Uruguayan was red-carded after his last goal. The Caps are undefeated — 21 wins, nine draws — when ‘El Bicho’ scores or has an assist.)
The Peruvian international nearly equalized in the 55th minute, stealing the ball at the edge of the area, navigating through two defenders before unleashing a rocket that Andrew Tarbell did well to knock aside. Six minutes later, he volleyed a cross from Marcel de Jong over the crossbar from eight yards out — one of 13 second-half shots — and it looked like the Caps were going to go wanting again.
But the two hooked up again moments later, and this time Reyna got his head on the ball in the 64th minute, deflecting it home for his first goal of the season.
“He was terrific. He was lively, he was sharp,” Robinson said of Reyna, who had six shots, three on target — both team-highs.
“But that’s what we need — we need Yordy to come up with big for us in key moments.”
VAR out, man
For the second time this year, the Caps surrendered a goal in the dying moments of the first half, with Danny Hoesen getting behind the defence and chipping a ball past an onrushing Brian Rowe to tie the game at 1-1.
The ensuing protests from Vancouver’s defenders gave the VAR plenty of time to look at the call, but Hoesen looked to be exactly even with Kendall Waston when the through ball came from Florian Jungwirth.
The crucial moments at the end of each half have been troublesome for the Caps. They’ve given up five goals in the final two minutes of each half this season.
“For 43 minutes, I thought we controlled the game. We created a lot of chances, and had the opportunity to score two or three goals, and we didn’t,” said Felipe. “And as it’s happening this year, a lot of times one chance for the other team, and they score a goal. And that’s what happened the first half.
“We started 1-0. If we keep a clean sheet, we win the game. I think it’s a bit of lack of concentration in the final two minutes of the half. We need to play 95 minutes at the same level of concentration. We know what we’re about, we know the situation of the past few games … we can’t be feeling sorry for ourselves.
“The team has to keep confident, because in the beginning (of the season) we weren’t creating, but now we’re creating a lot of chances. It’s just we need to capitalize. We can’t hide from that. It’s a fact, especially myself.”
Goal rush
There have been at least 2.5 goals scored in 23 of San Jose’s last 28 games, so you knew more offence was coming, especially from a team with the fourth-best scoring per 90 away minutes (1.8) average in the league. Only three teams in the West had scored more than the ‘Quakes coming into the game, with two of them playing more games.
The inevitable goal came when the Caps got caught out defensively again, with Vako collecting the ball at midfield, then storming down the centre of the pitch. He out-paced Efi Juarez all the way to the edge of the area, forcing the defence to close up on him, allowing the San Jose winger to move the ball to an unmarked Nick Lima at the corner of the box. He took two dribbles and unleashed a curling, left-footed shot into the far top corner in the 53rd minute to put the visitors ahead 2-1.
“(Vako) drove 30, 40 yards with the ball, and at any level of football, you need to get numbers around it,” said Robinson. “It was a bad goal. Another bad goal.”
Marcel de Jong had a strong game both offensively and defensively — his four chances created was second only to Felipe, and his three tackles were tied for the team lead — but he was caught shading inside because of Vako’s strong run and partially screened goalkeeper Brian Rowe as he tried to recover.
“I saw there was a lot of space between the defender and me and he kind of backed off and I like that. I got an opportunity and I took it, luckily it went it,” said Lima. “I like it when I get that space. It’s different to get that much space. Usually I’m pressed tightly, but when I have that space, I’m free to get after it. When I’m given that space, we have to take advantage of that.”
Brazilian Bomber
Felipe also showed some of the skill that made him an integral part of the New York Red Bulls’ offence before he was traded to Vancouver. He led the team in passes again and picked up two assists on the night, pushing his team lead to five on the season.
His delivery off free kicks and linking the midfield and forwards was as influential on the game as Reyna. His 86 touches was 21 more than the next closest player, and he led the team in passing accuracy with 92.3 per cent, as well as producing a game-high five key passes.
School’s out
The Whitecaps had won the Big Chance battle in each of their last three games — a BC defined as a situation where a player is expected to score — and did it again Wednesday. Their issue has been converting them.
Waston bounced two headers into the ground, and Kamara — the Headmaster won eight of his 15 aerial battles — misfired on two chances inside the penalty area — kicking the post in frustration on the second one — and Reyna missed a one-on-one chance with Tarbell in the 83rd minute to net the winner. They forced the Quakes keeper into seven saves, while Rowe stopped a single shot for the Caps.
“We need to go back to the drawing board on our finishing, because we’re not hitting the target enough,” said Robinson. “If we hit the target on half of (our chances), we’re sitting here with three points.”
Earthquakes settle for draw with Vancouver
San Jose Mercury News – May 16, 2018
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Nick Lima wanted to get more than a point Wednesday night.
And, he and his Earthquakes teammates almost did. But in the end, they were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps in an entertaining game before a crowd of 17,357 at B.C. Place Stadium.
“At the end of the day, we’ll take a draw,” said Lima, who put the Quakes ahead 2-1 before the Whitecaps pulled even. “But I think it was a game where we could have got three points. We should have got three points.
“But now we know – and I think we knew it before – we’re a team where we can go on the road and get three points in a tough environment like this. That gives us a lot more confidence.”
The Earthquakes (2-5-3) are unbeaten in two games after going winless in seven, but they squandered a 2-1 lead after overcoming a 1-0 deficit.
Lima’s tally was the first of the season. Danny Hoesen scored the Quakes’ other goal, posting his second marker in three games.
Cristian Techera and Yordy Reyna tallied for the Whitecaps (4-5-3), who were kept winless for the third straight game and sixth time in their past seven outings.
Reyna created the deadlock in the 64th minute as he headed Marcel de Jong’s cross in off the head of Quakes defender Shea Salinas.
The Quakes were forced to play catch-up early as Techera opened the scoring in the 19th minute. He took a short through ball from Reyna and beat Quakes goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell with a low roller.
However, the Quakes caught a break as Hoesen got behind Whitecaps defenders and volleyed a long lead ball over goalkeeper Brian Rowe in the first minute of first-half added time.
Lima sent the Quakes ahead 2-1 in the 53rd minute as he curled in a shot from the right wing after taking a pass from Vako Qazaishvili. The midfielder triggered the play as he made a long run up the middle of the pitch unchecked and then sent a pass out wide to Lima.
“I just shot it,” said Lima. “There was a lot of space between me and the defender, and he kind of backed off. I got an opportunity, I just tried to take it and, luckily, it went in.”
The Earthquakes remained unbeaten in their past six games against the Whitecaps.
Earthquakes top striker Chris Wondolowski was deployed as a second-half substitute for the second straight game. He came off the bench to set the record for most MLS goals with a single club (136) in a 3-1 win over Minnesota last weekend. But he could not make a difference this time.
The move offered Wondolowski a chance to rest as the Quakes played the second of three games in a week. But Wondolowski has recorded more goals (11) and shots (58) than any other player – for either side – during all-time MLS meetings between the Quakes and Caps.
“It’s always hard to put the captain on the bench, but the purpose was to organize the team in the best manner,” said Quakes coach Mikael Starhe.
He suggested that Wondolowski will be able to have a good game when the Quakes host D.C. United on Saturday.
The Earthquakes put three shots on target compared to Vancouver’s nine. Tarbell preserved the draw with a point-blank save on Reyna in the late going.
“He had some phenomenal saves in the first half, and in the second half he had some, too,” said Lima.
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