Seattle Sounders’ Loss Demonstrates Need For Video Replay Technology

The Seattle Sounders were deadlocked 1-1 with host CD Marathon in the group stage opener of CONCACAF Champions League play Thursday night at Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula, Honduras when the deciding play of the evening occurred in the 45th minute.    Sounders veteran defender Tyrone Marshall had been tenaciously battling Marathon’s Nicolas Cardozo all evening when the two players collided on the Sounders edge of the pitch.  Marshall sought to clear the area with a kick. What followed was Marshall receiving a yellow card and Cardozo coolly delivering a penalty kick from the box that gave the home team a hard fought 2-1 victory. The most experienced player on the field, Sounders two time All-Star goalkeeper Kasey Keller, sized up his view of the collision with the expertise of an international professional soccer veteran of 40: "The ball came over the top and it took a bad bounce. I didn't expect it to bounce that way. I called for Tyrone [Marshall] to head it to me but it didn't get there. I don't know how it was a penalty.” The seasoned veteran then tackled the essence of the issue, stating, “ I haven't seen the tape but it didn't look like a ...

Seattle Sounders Suffer First Non-MLS Defeat

The Seattle Sounders FC lost to Marathon in the CONCACAF Champions League, after they began the game with a goal by Roger Levesque within the first 17 minutes. Freddy Montero took advantage of an error by one of the Marathon defenders to pass the ball to Roger Levesque, who made a right foot kick into the left side of the net. The Sounders then started to feel relaxed during the game which was a mistake. Orvin Paz of Marathon took advantage of an opening in the goal post to score an equalizer with a right foot kick into the left edge corner in 27 minutes. Nicolas Cardozo applied the final nail to the hopes of the Seattle Sounders by scoring the second goal for Marathon on the basis of a penalty. Marathon appeared dominant at home at their stadium, Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. They were consistent and united throughout the match. The Seattle Sounders appeared to be clueless as to what was happening and were disorganized in defense and passing the ball. The end result saw Marathon receive three points in Group C of the CONCACAF Champions League. Monterrey received the same points in the same group. The Sounders ended their nine ...

Brazilian Geovanni Brings Flair to San Jose Earthquakes

The San Jose Earthquakes signed their first designated player, Brazilian midfielder Deiberson Mauricio, on Monday.  The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Geovanni is known as a versatile and creative attacking midfielder who can score. He started playing professionally in Brazil when he was 18. Since then, his career has spanned from Portugal to Spain to England. Last year he played a crucial role in helping Hull City avoid relegation during the 2008-2009 season. Geovanni scored 13 goals in 65 games with the Tigers during his two year stint there, including a Goal of the Month strike in 2-1 victory against Arsenal. San Jose is currently in sixth place in the Western Conference with 26 points and have played fewer games every team they trail. They are in ninth place overall, meaning they are the first team out of a playoff spot. The main question is where he will play as San Jose now have a number of options going forward. These include Khari Stephenson who debuted with an assist and well talked about performance against Kansas City last week. Despite a season ending injury to Andre Luiz, San Jose is deep going forward, with Arturo Alvarez, Bobby Convey, Sam Cronin, and Chris Wondolowski among ...

David Beckham to Blackburn: What Can He Really Offer Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers are set to become the latest team in the Premier League to receive new ownership as part of a big money takeover. Indian Ahsan Ali Syed is poised to become the new owner of the Blackburn Rovers—one of only four teams to be crowned Premier League Champions—at a cost of an estimated £300 million. Syed is said to be pledging £80-£100 million into a transfer fund for new players, and he has personally announced that he would “love to take Beckham” to Blackburn. David Beckham will surely be glad to hear that his services are coveted by Blackburn, as he is still coming to grips with the announcement of England manager Fabio Capello that he was no longer an international option.   Beckham turned 35 last May and is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon in his left foot. There is no doubting his talent but there are questions over the productivity that he could offer to a team. David Beckham is a global brand. He is an icon of the sport and he is the most widely recognizable and associated football player in the world. Blackburn will most definitely reap the commercial benefit that Beckham carries with him. But it will not be ...

New York Red Bulls: Syncing or Sinking?

Harrison, NJ—After 20 matches in the 2010 MLS season, the New York Red Bulls are in second place of the Eastern Conference with a 9-7-4 record. Despite the recent signings of Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez, the Red Bulls have gone 1-2-2 in their last five games. With 10 matches remaining in the season, are the Red Bulls syncing or sinking?   The Red Bulls Are Syncing Despite Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Red Bulls fought the best team in MLS and were in position to tie the game on numerous occasions. Fans and critics alike have to remember that this was the second match in which recently signed Thierry Henry, and Rafa Maraquez have played together with the rest of team. Take into consideration that this is a transition period for both players. Prior to joining the MLS, their seasons began around this time of the year. While the entire team is in MLS form, Henry and Marquez are going to need a few more games to adjust. On a positive note, Thierry Henry has been attacking the net aggressively and has contributed three assists in four regular season matches. Along with the physical conditioning, there's also the mental ...

Win for Toronto FC Over Cruz Azul Huge for Canadian Soccer and MLS

Last night, Toronto FC knocked off Mexican soccer giant Cruz Azul to kickstart Group A of the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League. Cruz Azul, often nicknamed the Real Madrid of CONCACAF due to their record five championships (tied with Club America for most in tournament history) and back-to-back finals appearances, just couldn't keep up with Toronto, looking sluggish in the opening half which allowed TFC to get out to a 2-0 lead that the Mexico City squad just couldn't recover from, eventually falling 2-1.The win marks the first for Major League Soccer's only Canadian team in tournament history, though realistically, TFC nor the "league" style tournament is not old enough for that to be considered a big deal. Why it is a big deal, however, is that last year TFC fell in the preliminary round to the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USSF Division 2.The win is already being called the greatest victory in the club's short history, and it very well may be. The early win gives TFC a good chance to advance out of the group, as many believe that Cruz Azul are the favourites to claim the group. The other teams in the group are Panama's Arabe Unido and Real ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Live Life on Easy Street

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy could have been in contention for a CONCACAF Champions League title and a US Open Cup.But pratfalls in Tukwila against the Seattle Sounders and the Home Depot Center against the Puerto Rico Islanders put the Galaxy on Easy Street.And while the opponents the Galaxy will face are not pushovers by any stretch of the imagination (a road contest against the Chicago Fire, combined with homestands against the Columbus Crew and New York Red Bulls are still on the cards), a manageable calendar is a manageable calendar. It's what we informally call a breath of fresh air.“It’s strange,” Galaxy defender Todd Dunivant said on the reduced slate of remaining matches. “Our schedule suddenly went from crazy-hectic to pretty good. Now we have one game a week from here on out. We’ve played as many games as any team in the league. It’s going to set up well. I think we only have four more road trips. The league is definitely our focus now.""You want to win those competitions [like the US Open Cup], you want to do well, but when you’re out, that’s definitely less games. Especially the Champions [League]; that’s six games that would have ...

CONCACAF Champions League needs to be more meaningful in MLS

A "parity league", "Minor League Soccer", or even a "footballing joke" are just a handful of the names that the international community, as well as the handful of hardcore American soccer fans label Major League Soccer. For the past two or three years, Major League Soccer has tried every maneuver known to mankind, in an attempt to gain global recognition and be recognized as a noteworthy league. MLS has done this by straining its modest budget through importing aging stars. All in part to really bring attention to the globe that MLS is a serious league. The most notable addition is evidently, Theirry Henry signing with New York Red Bulls last month. While it may look nice on paper for an MLS club to herald the arrival of a superstar, that specific club is going to need prove on the pitch that they're a top-class soccer club.If the league, as well as its clubs, want to gain respect in the international world, they are going to need to excel, emphasize and take seriously in the CONCACAF Champions League, North America's top club competition.Modeled after the UEFA Champions League, it's the "Gold Cup" for soccer club teams in North America ...

Seattle Sounders Honduras-Bound To Face CD Marathon

The next two matches for the Rave Green focus on the international landscape. During its league bye week, the Sounders visit Honduras for the group stage opener of the CONCACAF Champions League on Thursday against CD Marathón. First kick is 7 p.m. PT.Seattle hosts CF Monterrey of Mexico August 25 on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field to begin a three-match home stand across all competitions. League play resumes August 28 as the Chicago Fire and former Sounder Freddie Ljungberg come to town.  Seattle Sounders FC is in a shifting competitive mode with activity being balanced between the Major League Soccer race along with that of international competition. Meanwhile, the U.S. Open Cup semifinal with Chivas USA occurs September 1 at Starfire Sports Stadium in the Seattle suburb of Tukwila. Unbeaten in nine matches with a 6-0-3 mark and allowing only three goals since July 7, Sounders FC had its four game MLS win streak snapped with a scoreless road draw at Chivas USA last week. Seattle is 10-8-7 overall and fourth in the Western Conference at 8-8-5  with 29 points. This week’s foray marks the second trip to Central America this month. Sounders FC secured a place in Group C ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Clasico Revisited

With fresh wind at their sails and a renewed confidence to delivery crucial wins on the road, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy will look to add to their overall league lead as they face the San Jose Earthquakes in the second leg of the California Clasico.In the previous meeting, held on July 22 at the Home Depot Center, both the Galaxy and Quakes played to a 2-2 draw. Landon Donovan salvaged a point late in stoppage time to force the decider at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara.Coming off a 1-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls, the Los Angeles Galaxy are 13-3-4 (43 points) and have a game in hand over Real Salt Lake, who are four points back from the top spot in the Supporters' Shield standings.Frank Yallop's Earthquakes also came off a 1-0 win against the Kansas City Wizards last Saturday and are in a race with Toronto FC for the final MLS Cup Playoffs spot with a 7-6-5 record (26 points).Edson Buddle regained his scoring touch at the Red Bull Arena with his league-leading 13th goal of the season. The Galaxy will need to not rely too much on their scoring ace, as they have ...