Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire: Feeling The Heat From Bridgeview

In the continuous quest to track down their lost wheels, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy wander into Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, like a pack of Angelenos on a road to nowhere. On September 4, they face the Chicago Fire in their penultimate road trip.It's a Major League Soccer contest that will have significant implications in the dynamics of the MLS Western Conference Standings, as well as the wide-open supporters Shield race.“Obviously the results the last two weeks are not good,” Arena said after the match against Kansas City. “You can term it however you wish. I won’t dispute history.“It’s disturbing. It was not a good performance on our part. I think those things never surprise you in MLS. I think we’re getting the best shot of every team we play, and that requires that we be, game in and game out, ready to compete. And if we’re not, we’re going to have problems.”“It’s a wake-up call for us,” said defender Todd Dunivant when reflecting on Saturday's game. “We have to pick it back up. It’s been a good couple of months now where it’s really been a slump. The fact that we are still in first place is a ...

Fredy Montero Delivers Again; Seattle Sounders Nip Chicago Fire, 2-1

As the MLS playoffs loom increasingly closer it was imperative to establish momentum during this crucial stage. Saturday night two teams hovering at the five hundred mark sought to move a leg up toward playoff competition as the Chicago Fire with recent acquisition Freddie Ljungberg visited Seattle to face the Sounders before an Xbox pitch Qwest Field throng of 36,386.It was only befitting that Colombia Comet Fredy Montero, the team leader in goals and assists, surge forward to take control when the game was on the line and make the difference.  Montero scored his second of two goals on the night during stoppage time to break a 1-1 regulation time deadlock and commandeer a nail-biting 2-1 triumph that set off an instant celebration on the Sounders bench as well as throughout the stadium.Earlier in the season Montero set a high bench mark for himself for 2010 after an impressive All-Star beginning last year.  “Since the MLS season is longer than that in Colombia where I set my goal of 15 goals,” he explained, “I set a goal of 20 goals here.”Montero was asked if he had a goal for number of assists this season.  “Yes, I have a goal of 10 ...

LA Galaxy Still Search for Their Wheels in 2-0 Kansas City Wizards Loss

Holy Daughters of El Kabong, I have to wonder if I am seeing a broken record unfold before my very weary eyes at Victoria Street these past several weeks.It's a broken record of wasted set pieces, wasted corners, and wasted deliveries inside the six yard box.It's a broken record of botched marking and blown assignments, a gluttony of space surrendered to the opposition, and a back line that even the best of English non-League teams could run rings around.It's a broken record of sloppy execution, decrepit pace, and poor passing to go with finishing that deserves its share of howlers and hisses.It's a broken record of dysfunctional play that only Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy could deliver. Two months of this broken record that I speak of has culminated with their latest setback—a 2-0 shutout loss to Peter Vermes's Kansas City Wizards.For someone who has been following this team since we first started this season, I am wiping my hard-earned frames and making this declaration: the wheels are still off, and the Galaxy are searching in vain for them.For some odd reason unfamiliar to me—maybe it's just divine intervention or just the fact that these teams shot blanks on ...

Thierry Henry scores in Red Bulls win over San Jose!

Harrison, NJ - Playing his best game of the season, Dane Richards orchestrated the New York Red Bulls to a 2-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. In the 46th minute of the first half, Richards scored a spectacular goal as he broke down San Jose's defense and beat their goalkeeper Jon Busch for the score. In the second half, Richards continued to play marvelously when he crossed to Thierry Henry for the second goal of the game in the 63rd minute. For Henry, this was his first MLS goal and the 21,859 fans in attendance acknowledged it with their boisterous cheer of approval.  In response, Henry pointed over to the Empire Supporters Club to thank them and the home crowd for their continual support. Since joining the Red Bulls, Henry had struggled to find the net but it wasn't for his lack of effort. Like any great player, he constantly attacked the net until he finally connected. With Henry scoing tonight, Red Bull opponents have to worry about the offensive threat of Juan Pablo Angel, Rafa Marquez, Thierry Henry, Macoumba Kandji and the "surging spark plug" Dane Richards. In a game where the Red Bulls were never in trouble, they pressured San Jose ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Kansas City Wizards: A Play-By-Play

T-180 minutes to kickoff: After a scoreless draw several weeks ago at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy and Peter Vermes' Kansas City Wizards are ready to clash here at the Home Depot Center. T-150: It was a miserable outing for Major League Soccer at the CONCACAF Champions League. Arabe Unido of Panama shut out Toronto FC 1-0, Santos Laguna defeated Columbus Crew 1-0, a goal festival forged by a boggy pitch and poor goalkeeping saw Cruz Azul top Real Salt Lake 5-4, and at Qwest Field, the Seattle Sounders were shooting blanks against Monterrey 2-0. Is it just me, or are we really that bad? The Galaxy were the last team to have ever won the CONCACAF Champions League (back then it was called the CONCACAF Champions Cup) in 2000, and by the looks of things, it's set to stay that way, I'm afraid... T-120: Time for the lineups. LOS ANGELES GALAXY Manager: Bruce Arena Formation: 4-4-2 Diamond Colors: White tops with blue and gold accents, white shorts, white socks   1 Donovan Ricketts   28 Sean Franklin ---- 4 Omar Gonzalez ---- 22 Leonardo ---- 2 Todd Dunivant   11 Chris Birchall   10 Landon Donovan (C) ---- 26 Michael Stephens   7 Chris Klein   14 Edson Buddle ---- ...

Bob Bradley Wants Aston Villa, but Why Would Villa Want Bradley?

Bob Bradley has recently expressed interest in becoming the manager of Aston Villa, but why would owner Randy Lerner be interested in hiring him?   Throughout his career, Bradley has taken over traditionally underachieving teams and put them on track to be successful.  But is this the type of manager a storied team like Villa is looking for?   Chicago Fire   In 1998, Bradley began his first head managerial position of a professional team coaching the MLS Chicago Fire.  In his first season he led the expansion team to a double, winning both the MLS and US Open Cups. Bradley nearly repeated this feat in 2000, when the Fire won another US Open Cup and were runner ups in the MLS Cup.  Bradley's best finish in the CONCACAF Champions League with the Fire was third place.  Bradley's resigned in 2002 after compiling 82 wins, 54 losses, and 15 ties in the regular season.   New York Metrostars In 2003, Bradley took over the then New York Metrostars and led the team to the US Open Cup final in his first season.  The following season, his last full one with the team, the Metrostars reached the Round of 16 in the MLS Cup.  He was fired with three games ...

Seattle Sounders FC Hosts Chicago Fire As Playoffs Loom Closer

Players of Seattle Sounders FC and the visiting Chicago Fire are well aware that the MLS playoffs are beckoning ever more closely and that Saturday night’s matchup is crucial to their post-season prospects. The match’s potential playoff significance is sufficient reason to build interest in the Emerald City for the confrontation. However, another element emerges as well.  Seattle’s two time All-star, the charismatic Swede Freddie Ljungberg, an international star who is one of the most popular players ever to play for Arsenal in the English Premier League, is making his first appearance in the city since he was recently traded.Seattle Coach Sigi Schmid earlier this week recognized the significance of Ljungberg’s team involvement by asserting that obtaining the internationally known star was a major factor in building a successful franchise.  Ljungberg was one of two leading international names initially on the Sounders, the other being former U.S. national team player Kasey Keller.Seattle Sounders FC aim to reestablish its midseason momentum in the second of three home matches over an eight-day span of great significance in separate competitions when it resumes MLS play against Chicago on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Chicago stands at 6-6-6 with 24 points.Still without points in the group stage of ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Look To Turn Up the Grill at Victoria Street

It won't be long before tailgaters turn up the grill for the college football and National Football League seasons. As for Major League Soccer, the race for the Supporters' Shield is heating up, and in the middle of it all are Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy.The Galaxy are currently MLS's best team with a 13-4-4 record (43 points) and will have seven of their final nine games at home.“It’s good,” Arena said during practice. “It’s been a long haul. We’ve been on the road a lot this year. It’s been tough and hopefully we can take advantage of our home games and win [them].”Since early June, the Galaxy have been 2-3-1, and the need for consistency could not be emphasized any further.“We’ve just got to tighten up the screws, I guess,” said forward Edson Buddle. “We have some time to get things right before the playoffs.”"One of our advantages all year is being able to just look at the game that’s ahead of us. For us, that puts the most emphasis on Kansas City,” midfielder Chris Klein said during training. “When you look at the schedule and see the amount of games at home, I think that makes this game ...

Sigi Schmid Talks About Freddie Ljungberg

Ljungberg will be making his first appearance at the Xbox pitch of Qwest Field since his recent trade from Seattle on Saturday night when his new team the Chicago Fire faces the Sounders in an important MLS match.Seattle Sounders Coach Sigi Schmid talked about the team’s former all-star midfielder Freddie Ljungberg following Thursday’s training session at the team’s facility in the Seattle suburb of Tukwila. “It’s emotional, for sure, because he was a member of this team and he was a very important member of this team and helped us get off to a tremendous start,” Shmid said regarding Ljungberg’s return. “But, at the end of the day, he is not on our team right now and he is with Chicago. We need to worry about our team and about winning the game and he is going to be worried about winning the game for his side.”Much has been written lately about how the Sounders changed as a team after the Ljungberg trade, a period that saw Seattle acquire two major players on the international market, Blaise Nkufo and Alvaro Fernandez. Schmid addressed the question of Seattle performance following Ljungberg’s departure.“We stepped into a good run right after he left,” Schmid ...

Seattle Sounders Drop 2-0 CONCACAF Contest to CF Monterrey

Some nights you get plenty of good looks, but it all comes down to putting the ball in the net. This was one of those evenings for Seattle Sounders FC, who dropped a 2-0 contest to Mexico's CF Monterrey in round two of the CONCACAF Champions League group stage in front of 22,513 on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field Wednesday night. On the plus side, the Sounders, benefiting from a solid fan base, set an unofficial record. Although no official attendance records are kept for Champions League, and previously Champions Cup matches, the aforementioned attendance has been confirmed by CONCACAF officials as the second largest for a Champions League/Champions Cup match played in the U.S. The top mark is 26,528 for D.C. United v Chivas de Guadalajara March 15, 2007. The previous number two crowd was 21,185 for D.C. United v Pumas April 6, 2005. Both aforementioned matches were played at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. As for the Sounders’ cumulative frustration Wednesday night, when the team held a decisive edge in shots taken but came up short in the all-important scoring effort, ace striker Fredy Montero struck the perfect note after the match. "We ...