Soccer By Ives

Midfield trio key in USMNT win over Scotland

2012-05-27T19:37:32-04:00

photo by John Todd/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Figuring out how to get Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones and Maurice Edu all on the field at the same time for the U.S. men's national team has proven difficult in the past given their similar playing styles. But head coach Jurgen Klinsmann may have found the solution.

Klinsmann deployed a 4-3-3 formation in the United States' 5-1 win over Scotland at EverBank Field on Saturday night, one in which Edu sat behind Bradley and Jones. And the result was clear to see. The trio of central midfielders dominated a game together for the first time, with Edu helping serving as a blanket in front of the defense while Bradley and Jones got more involved in the attack.

"We worked on that over the last 10 days in training a lot to see how can we kind of get the best out of these guys that are in their club teams really exceptional players but they play really similar positions," said Klinsmann. "And we came up with that in that little scrimmage we had the other day, and it gives us options then playing Landon (Donovan) wide, or giving more freedom actually to go all over the field, as well as a left position player, which was Jose (Torres) tonight.

"If everybody understands his role, and I think Maurice he had more of the job of a No. 6, kind of in front of the two centerbacks to clean things up there and make sure nothing goes through there," Klinsmann added. "Meanwhile, Jermaine and Michael both have the qualities to go forward and they're dangerous going into the box and they love to do that. In the past that was sometimes a bit tricky because when they both only played together and there was no Maurice, then they left some holes behind. Now there was Maurice today and he kept things in order and gave them a bit more freedom. I think it worked out really well."

That it did. Jones and Bradley got involved in the attack constantly and combined with one another often and early, even doing so in the build up to Donovan's third-minute goal. Bradley one-timed a pass to Jones, who quickly fed a streaking Donovan inside the penalty area.

Then Bradley hit a game-winning goal in the 11th minute on a volleyed effort from distance that some circles are saying is the best by a U.S. men's national team player in some time.

"The guy who makes it for me is Jermaine," said Bradley. "Sometimes that ball goes into guys and they're trying to turn or maybe make a play that is too hard for them. He did well just to see that I was moving off of him and laid a perfect ball back and I caught it well. It was a nice little goal.

It was more of the same in the second half. Jones and Bradley played a quick give-and-go at the hour mark that resulted in Donovan's second goal of the game, and Bradley assisted on another Donovan goal five minutes later before Jones headed home a Donovan cross for his second goal for the U.S. team in the 70th minute.

"I think we forget how good (Bradley and Jones) can be when they do go forward, sometimes they like to be a little more comfortable and stay a little deeper, but tonight they really went out on a limb a little bit and took some chances and it came off great," said Donovan. "I thought they were both fantastic and Mo did a great job behind them of cleaning everything up."

The way the trio of central midfielders played against Scotland was a far cry from how they performed in their first match together in March 2011 in a 1-1 draw with Argentina. In that match it was clear Edu, Jones and Bradley did not have the best understanding of how to play off of each other, though to their credit they were going up against Argentina's talented midfielders.

Still, the understanding between them is much improved now and that was clear to see in the three-man midfield Klinsmann deployed against Scotland.

"The more you play consistently together in a similar role obviously you're going to start to learn each other's tendencies and different things that you guys like to do," said Edu. "How you move off the ball and different things like that, and we're similar players so we can kind of play those three positions interchangeably a little bit. But today I thought we did pretty well."

Renteria winner helps Crew roll past Fire

2012-05-27T15:45:00-04:00

By JEFFREY KRAUSE

COLUMBUS, OH.--The Chicago Fire continued a trend on Saturday night as they faced the Columbus Crew for the first time this season. A late push was not enough for the Fire to walk away with any points, as the Crew prevailed, 2-1, behind first half goals from Eddie Gaven and Emilio Renteria.

Columbus dealt fairly easily with an anemic Chicago attack throughout most of the match, and added to their tally just before halftime when Emilio Renteria provided the eventual game-winning goal. Renteria out-muscled Fire rookie Austin Berry off the ball, which gave him all the time he needed at the top of the six yard box to turn and blast his shot past Sean Johnson.

The Crew opened the scoring in the ninth minute, when Eddie Gaven received the ball at the top of the box. He turned towards goal and took advantage of poor marking from Jalil Anibaba to send his strike to the near-post, past Johnson, who looked out of position on the play.

Chicago Head Coach Frank Klopas did not speak to the media after Saturday night's loss, however Assistant Coach Mike Matkovich addressed the early goal by Columbus. "Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't. We dug a hole, but we've got to proud of our team and the way these guys responded on the night. It's been a tough stretch," said Matkovich. "We always have a punch packed though, so it's not like we're going to lay down and you know we're coming. That's the true test of a good team."

Two offensive changes at halftime were not enough for Chicago, though rookie defender Austin Berry did add a second-half goal for Chicago on a Daniel Paladini cross, helping Chicago avoid a shutout in front of over 600 traveling Fire fans.

Chicago now travel to Michigan in US Open Cup play to take on Michigan Bucks on Tuesday, then return to MLS play against New England Revolution on Saturday night, their last match before the FIFA break.

Here are the match highlights:

What did you think of the match? Starting to believe the Crew are for real? Worried the Fire's offense will cost them the playoffs?

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Johnson continues to shine at left back for USMNT

2012-05-27T12:57:00-04:00

photo by John Todd/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- No Timmy Chandler at left back. No problem.

For a second straight game, Fabian Johnson filled in for the absent Chandler at the position that has proved most troublesome for the U.S. men's national team in recent years. And just as he did against Italy in February, Johnson proved himself more than capable of holding his own at left back in the United States' 5-1 victory over Scotland at EverBank Field on Saturday night.

In fact, Johnson's performance in place of Chandler (who denied a call-up for this summer's games) may have seen him lock down the starting spot for the foreseeable future.

"For us having now a very good core of midfielders, this is for us ideal to use him in that (defensive) role because he is technically very gifted," said Klinsmann, "he never panicks, he's calm on the ball, and that allows us then to combine from behind and you don't have to bang the balls forward. I think we have here a very special player developing in the U.S. team with Fabian."

Johnson demonstrated some special qualities in the game that marked his first time playing in the United States, especially on offense. Johnson helped stretch Scotland's back line by constantly making marauding runs forward on the left flank, and he even showed his quality dribbling skills on a pair of occasions.

On one play in the first half, Johnson received a pass deep in the visitors' half and then looked up to see two defenders in his way. Rather than dish the ball back out, the TSG 1899 Hoffenheim defender, who was playing left back for just the second time with the U.S. team, dribbled into the penalty area before cutting inside two players and setting up Terrence Boyd with a shot in front of goal.

"His athleticism, he's intelligent, his positioning, he's tidy on the ball, his composure on the ball," said U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra of what Johnson brings to the team. "He's a smart player."

Johnson has received accolades for much of the week, with Klinsmann calling him the best left back in the Bundesliga during the final few months of this past season. Klinsmann did point out that Johnson enjoys playing left midfield and getting into the attack more during his postgame press conference, and that could be why the coach instructed his versatile player to get forward early and often.

"He told me I have to play like a winger," said Johnson. "Go forward from the defense and that's what I did."

Johnson exploited the space in front of him against Scotland as left sided attacker Jose Torres normally tucked in, and the 24-year-old defender constantly provided an outlet on the flank for his teammates. He joined in on the attack more often than counterpart Steve Cherundolo, even picking up a pair of fouls in dangerous positions in his fourth cap with the U.S. Team.

Johnson still needs to continue to prove that he can handle the rigors of left back, including when to pick and choose his spots to get forward and when to stay defensively disciplined. Scotland did not provide much of a threat going forward, so Johnson was able to sprint up and down the touchline with little to worry about.

The Brazil game will be a different story. But if Johnson manages to pull out an equally impressive performance, he'd take another step towards establishing himself as the left back of the immediate future and helping U.S. fans forget about Chandler.

Soccer Sunday: Your Running Commentary

2012-05-27T09:30:00-04:00

With CONCACAF World Cup qualifying just around the corner, Mexico will be heading toward qualifying trying to recapture the form that led them to a CONCACAF Gold Cup last summer.

'El Tri' will look to get rolling today with a win against Wales in one of two key international matches on the TV schedule today. France is heading toward the Euros as one of the popular darkhorse picks, and their match-up with Iceland could give us a glimpse of that quality.

Today also features a quality MLS match-up, as the red-hot San jose Earthquakes try to keep Sporting Kansas City riding a winless slide. KC hasn't recorded just one point from four matches, but will be at Livestrong Sporting Park, where they are tough to beat.

If you will be watching today's action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Today's TV Schedule is after the jump):

TODAY'S SOCCER ON TV

10 a.m. - Fox Soccer Channel - Cheltenham Town vs. Crew Alexandra (League Two promotion playoff)

2:30 p.m. - Univision - Mexico vs. Wales

3 p.m. - GOLTV - Atletico Mineiro vs. Corinthians

3 p.m. - ESPN3.com/ESPN Deportes - France vs. Iceland

4:30 p.m. - NBC Sports Network - Sporting Kansas City vs. San Jose Earthquakes

6 p.m. - ESPN3.com/ESPN Deportes - Ukraine vs. Estonia

6:15 p.m. - GOLTV - Boca Juniors vs. Godoy Cruz

USA 5, Scotland 1: Match Highlights

2012-05-27T04:25:39-04:00

Soccer By Ives

Donovan hat-trick inspires USMNT to rout over Scotland

2012-05-27T02:00:00-04:00

photo by John Todd/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- U.S. men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann talked earlier in the week about starting this jampacked summer by defeating Scotland in an exciting manner.

Klinsmann got just what he asked for.

Led by a hat-trick from Landon Donovan, the United States defeated Scotland, 5-1, in front of 44,438 fans at EverBank Field on Saturday night. The result extended the Americans' winning streak to five games and was the biggest victory in the Klinsmann era.

"Obviously we are very pleased with how things went tonight, with a wonderful start, with two early goals that I think that set the tone," said Klinsmann. "The team kept the rhytm throughout the entire game, kept the tempo going, the energy was high."

The United States dominated the game from the forefront and jumped out in front when Donovan knocked in his own rebound in the third minute of his first game with the team since last Septemeber. The Americans doubled their lead eight minutes later, as Michael Bradley one-timed the winner on a volleyed effort from distance into the top corner past an outstretched Allan McGregor.

"We came out, we wanted to impose ourselves on them, and try with how we play to put them on their backfoot," said Bradley.

Scotland pulled one back in the 15th minute when a Kenny Miller header bounced off of Geoff Cameron's chest and into the back of the net. But the Americans continued to push the tempo, and their reward came in the second half.

Donovan knocked in his second goal of the match at the hour mark with a composed finish inside the penalty area, and he completed his third career hat-trick for the United States five minutes later with another close-range finish.

"I don't want to be mistaken for not caring, I care," said Donovan. "I like being a part of this team and I'm a professional and I know how to do my job, I've been doing this a long time. Tonight was one of those nights where most things went right."

Jermaine Jones, who assisted on two of the five goals, capped the scoring with a header in the 70th minute.

"Tonight you saw many elements of what we're always talking about and what we're trying to, step by step, to develop," said Klinsmann. "It's a fast-paced game, there's tempo in it, there's one-two kind of touch combinations through our midfield as fast as possible, finding the forwards up there, having pace, build up from the back, no long balls. All those elements I think you saw today."

The Americans next take on Brazil on May 30 at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

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What do you think of the United States' 5-1 win over Scotland? Excited about how the team is playing? Who impressed you?

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Late Borchers winner leads RSL to victory

2012-05-27T01:54:07-04:00

Real Salt Lake saw two leads disappear and looked destined to settle for a point against FC Dallas on Saturday.

Then Nat Borchers delivered a stoppage-time finish any forward, let alone centerback, would be proud off.

Borchers struck a close-range shot into the top corner of the net in the third minute of second-half stoppage time to give Real Salt Lake a 3-2 victory at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night.

Alvaro Saborio notched two goals on the night for an RSL side playing without Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando (who were on U.S. national team duty), but Dallas answered after each finish, with Blas Perez tying things up in the 85th minute.

Borchers finally found the winner, pouncing on the loose ball and calmy striking a curling shot into the far corner to give RSL all three points.

Here are the match highlights:

What did you think of the match? Impressed with RSL's ability to pull out the three points? Think FC Dallas can turn things around, or are they destined to miss the playoffs?

Share your thoughts below.

Mattocks' first professional goal earns Vancouver point in Portland

2012-05-27T01:45:00-04:00

By JOSE M. ROMERO

PORTLAND, Ore. – John Spencer refused to look at Saturday night’s 1-1 draw between his Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps as a disappointing result.

Instead the Timbers coach labeled the match “some of the best football we’ve played all year.”

But make no mistake, Spencer was disappointed in at least one person or group of people – the officials. Like his players, he couldn’t imagine how Portland was not awarded a PK in the 65^th minute when midfielder Kalif Alhassan went down in the box, the victim of what looked to be a tackle without going for the ball.

Referee Jorge Gonzalez elected not to blow his whistle.

The Timbers’ Kris Boyd scored about two minutes later, but Portland failed to seal the deal after the Whitecaps subbed in forwards Eric Hassli and Darren Mattocks in the 72^ndand 83^rd minutes, and Mattocks scored the tying goal in the 84^th minute.

The Timbers (3-5-4) have three draws and a win in their last four matches, a sign of improvement in a team that lost four of its first six games this season. The Whitecaps picked a up a key single point, having had to go to Toronto for the Canadian championship second leg, which they lost on Wednesday.

Portland outshot the Whitecaps 14-6 for the match, but Vancouver played a much better second half. John Thorrington was one of the top performers for Vancouver, which has two points in two Cascadia matches against Seattle and Portland, both draws.

The start of the second half of the match was delayed about 20 minutes while a downpour with thunder and lightning passed over Jeld-Wen Field near downtown Portland. Players were given a short warmup and play resumed for the second half at 8:35 p.m. PT.

The Timbers looked poised to take the lead early in the second half. They peppered goalkeeper Joe Cannon, and one attack paid off when Jack Jewsbury lofted a half-cross, half-shot that Cannon tipped downward. Boyd, in search of his first goal since April 14, knocked in the rebound, and all except the good-sized contingent of Whitecaps fans in the sellout crowd of 20,438 went crazy.

But the Whitecaps (5-3-4) equalized, energized by their forward subs. Vancouver’s depth of options at the attacking positions really showed.

Hassli assisted on Mattocks’ first career MLS goal, a 15-yard shot with no defenders between him and Troy Perkins in the Portland net.

The Timbers’ Eric Brunner and the Whitecaps’ Sebastien Le Toux collided early in the match, and Brunner did not play in the second half due to concussion-like symptoms.

Here are the match highlights:

What did you think of the match? Feel like Portland was robbed of a win? Impressed with Mattocks delivering the late equalizer?

Share your thoughts below.