Bleacher Report article...

Last night's game was the source for my first article for BleacherReport.com... Sporting KC: Battle Between Playoff Contenders Ends in 1-1 Draw

The editor gave my ego a boost when he said it was an excellent piece and called it "nearly flawless." One nice thing about writing for B/R is that I can use Getty Images, which are, quite frankly, usually a lot better than mine, if only because they're using better equipment.

That's all for now... See you soon...

USWNT Thoughts And Big News (For Me)...

In the first game since their heartbreaking loss to Japan in the final of the World Cup, the United States Women's National Team played Canada to a 1-1 draw before 16,191 fans at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. The US took an early lead on a 10th minute penalty kick by Abby Wambach. Canada equalized just before halftime on a goal in the 42nd minute by forward Melissa Tancredi, with an assist to midfielder Kelly Parker. In post-game interviews, team captain Christie Rampone gave credit to Tancredi for finishing a good shot, but also put some of the blame on the spacing issues involved with learning their new one forward system. The second half had both teams creating scoring chances but Canada's Erin McLeod and halftime substitute Nicole Barnhart both saved anything that came their way.

I've been writing this while also trying to watch the Sporting KC match with Real Salt Lake. It's kind of distracting, really.

That's not the only thing, though, that's distracting me right now. I'm still a bit surprised about a bit of news I got yesterday after I got home from the USWNT training session at the stadium, and that's the big news for me I mentioned in the post title. My application to write for BleacherReport.com was accepted. From what I hear, they're really picky about who they let write for them, accepting only 20% of the applications they receive. Their partner sites include CBSSports.com, USAToday.com, and NBA.com, as well as local editions associated with the newspapers in Seattle, San Francisco, Houston and Los Angeles.

So, most of my writing will be moving there. I will still post photos and small blog posts here, but I'll be concentrating on the shiny play toy I've been given.

That's all for now... See you soon...

Movin' On Up To The Top...

On May 22nd, Sporting KC were basement dwellers in the Eastern Conference of MLS. Not only were they bottom of the table for the conference, they had the fewest points of any team in the league. Turns out they were only squatters for a while. With today's 3-0 win over Houston, the club moves into first place, ahead of Columbus by virtue of a better goal differential.

Forward Teal Bunbury opened the scoring in the ninth minute, putting a ball from midfielder Graham Zusi in the back of the net. Bunbury also scored in the 73rd minute, this time with an assist from defender Julio Cesar. Rookie of the Year candidate CJ Sapong collected his fourth goal of the season in the 79th minute. Graham Zusi and Kei Kamara were credited with the assists.

Aside from the early goal, Houston manager Dominic Kinnear said the main difference between the sides was the 64th minute red card given to his Honduran forward Carlo Costly. Costly was given the early shower after a dangerous tackle on Sporting's Chance Myers. Myers, who will have an x-ray on Monday, was substituted in the 78th minute as a precaution.

I'll have to get pics up later as I need to get to work. That's all for now. See you soon.

Us Against The World

Not that anyone in the stadium was surprised, but the referees impacted another Sporting KC match at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. Referee Ricardo Salazar, linesmen Brian Poeschel and Peter Manikowski made several questionable calls. It's hard to pick the one that had the most impact on the game, either the linesman allowing Sean Franklin's first goal in the 25th minute which appeared to be offside, or the 2nd half goal by Aurelien Collin being disallowed, even though it doesn't seem possible that Collin was offside. Omar Bravo was in an offside position, but the officials told manager Peter Vermes that the goal was disallowed for Collin being offside. Vermes called taking away a world class goal like that was unacceptable, and I agree with him. Having seen several replay angles, there's no way that goal should have been disallowed.

Speaking of Collin, it was good to see him, Davy Arnaud and Jeferson on the field again. They seemed to be a bit rusty, but that's understandable, considering how long they were out (in the case of Davy, especially). Vermes said they were lacking rhythm in the game and that was one reason Davy came on late, but Davy played well, putting several balls into the box and making a general nuisance of himself.

One other thing about the officials: Before tonight, when was the last time that Landon Donovan and David Beckham were both booked in the same game? I'm sure Ricardo Salazar will be hearing from the commissioner about that. *rolls his eyes* The only thing that refs in this league need to be hearing is that they need to either get better, quickly, or look for another line of work. The quality of the officiating, as I've said before, is holding MLS back in its quest to become one of the premier leagues in the world. I wouldn't go so far as to say the officiating in the English Premier League is perfect, but it's certainly light years ahead of MLS and one reason it's widely regarded as the best league in the world.


Some pics from tonight's game and then I'm going to call it a night...

Defender Seth Sinovic, one of the unsung heroes of the defense (I think)...

Aurelien Collin celebrates Julio Cesar's goal...

Goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen kneels to watch the video board on the south end for Omar Bravo's penalty kick...

Galaxy manager Bruce Arena...

Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes...

That's all for now... See you soon...

Well, that sucked...

Sporting KC took only their 2nd loss in their last 18 MLS matches with a 3-2 defeat to FC Dallas. Questionable officiating (I would have said the same if SKC had won) marked the entirety of the match, most notably in the yellow cards to Teal Bunbury. Unfortunately, that is plural, and Teal will miss the game against Houston on September 10th. He was going to miss the Galaxy game anyway with his call-up to the national team.

I was not the only person in the post-game press conference who was reminded of the team's loss to Seattle. The team had a late lead, went down a man due to a red card, and gave up two goals in the dying minutes to lose the match. Manager Peter Vermes, however, gave credit to a very tired but resilient Dallas squad and said the team just simply didn't play well to close out the match.

Teal's red card was the team's 3rd in their last 5 matches.I still don't understand how he got the first yellow card, much less the 2nd. Vermes pretty much refused to address it, saying the team had been down this road too many times this season. I have a feeling that that was his way of not getting fined or suspended. I'll say it for him. This team got screwed with its pants on. That is not to take away from FC Dallas at all. They had an opportunity to get points from the match and they took advantage of it. However, before the absolutely horrible red card in the 76th minute, the team was putting tremendous pressure on FC Dallas keeper Kevin Hartman and the Dallas defense. Teal even hit the crossbar in the 56th minute with what would have been a top shelf goal if it had been even 6 inches lower and 6 inches to the right. Sporting KC did continue to put pressure on Dallas after the red card, but as Vermes said after the game, they did not do well with balls out on the wing, not getting close enough to deny service into the penalty area.

It was really a combination of the red card, Dallas playing well late and Sporting KC not putting the game away when they had the chance. I'm rambling now, I know, but I can't really help it. The team lost, which never puts me in a good mood, and I'm having difficulty importing photos off of my camera. I'm not sure why, but I'll just simply try to get photos done later.

That's all for now... See you soon...

Our House...

Sporting KC moved to 2nd in the Eastern Conference with their 1-0 win over Handball DC United at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Sunday night. Kei Kamara's goal in the 19th minute was all the offense the stout KC defense needed, with another strong performance by goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen. Nielsen made a key save in the first half that may be another save of the week candidate.

Evidently, Portland manager John Spencer asking me if I had a big head has been passing around the building since Wednesday. One of the security supervisors came by and asked me if Spencer had really said that to me. I'm also now getting crap for it from some of my fellow media critters. It's okay... as long as they're talking about me, right?

Here's some photos from tonight's game...

A fan's banner parodying DC United's logo...


Jimmy Nielsen celebrating Kei Kamara's goal... or just trying to duck another bobblehead...


Referee Alex Prus shows a yellow to DC's Santino Quaranta after a foul on Roger Espinoza...


And one from Wednesday... Portland manager John Spencer shortly before he asks if I had a big head...


That's all for now... See you soon...

They Say It's Your Birthday...

Sporting KC picks up a big win, defeating Portland by the final of 3-1. Interesting stat from tonight's game: All three goals were scored by a birthday boy (Soony Saad) or someone on the eve of their birthday (Graham Zusi x2). Sporting KC is also now in 3rd place, 1 point behind 2nd place Philadelphia and 4 points behind Columbus for the top spot. It is not out of the question that KC could finish in first, but they have to keep playing well, like they did tonight, and get some help.

It was during the celebration of Graham Zusi's first goal when a "fan" did something incredibly stupid and potentially dangerous. Two people had taken the heads off of their Omar Bravo bobbleheads and threw them on the field. One kind of lobbed it softly in the general direction of the field, but one of them threw it like he was skipping a rock on the river. This hard plastic projectile hit Jimmy Nielsen in the head, making contact with his eyebrow and cheek, but thankfully not his eye. The two fans were identified on video and were both removed from the stadium. The one whose throw hit Jimmy will be facing felony battery charges. Someone from the Cauldron responded to one of my tweets on the matter by saying they should bring them down to the members stand and they could all have a little "chat."

I've got pics to put up, including Soony Saad celebrating his birthday in style, with a goal in his MLS debut, but I need to get to bed (I've got to work in the morning). And I had a coach give me crap again (not that I'm complaining). When I asked the Stadium Question, Portland coach John Spencer asked me if I had a big hat or I just had a really big head. I had my Sporting KC hat on backwards. :D

I'll have photos up later, I promise.

That's all for now... See you soon...

The Thrill Is Gone...

I like to try to be objective when I write about the games that SKC plays, but tonight, that just isn't going to happen. I think the last chance of that happened when Seattle scored twice in the final minutes to scrape by with a 2-1 win at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, ending the unbeaten run at 14 and is the first loss at LSP in league play.

It all started with the 59th minute "red card" for Omar Bravo. I say it that way because that red card was completely unjustified. Granted, Omar did leave his feet when going for the ball, but Omar got the ball and then Pat Noonan ran into him. The ironic thing about the whole situation was that while I was looking at the video board, I saw referee Jair Marrufo telling one of our players that he should look at the replay while pointing toward the video board.

After the post-game pres conference, I was sure Peter Vermes felt the same way about the call that I did. He said that when players and coaches screw up, there are consequences, but referees don't seem to be held to the same standard. He was absolutely right, but that won't stop the league from fining him for what he said. This team has been on the bad end of a, pardon my French, bullshit red card or non-call on penalty kicks way too often this season. As a sports official myself, I understand that it's a hard job, but when I screw up, there are consequences. The same should be able to be said about MLS referees. MLS wants to be considered one of the best leagues in the world, but they won't be if the quality of the officiating doesn't improve, and quickly.

Before I give myself a stroke thinking about the officials too much, I'll just post some pics and call it a night...

The "revolutionary" color guard for tonight's game...


Former KC player (current technical director in Seattle) Chris Henderson and SKC VP of communications Rob Thomson...


Birthday boy Jimmy Nielsen celebrates Kei Kamara's goal in the first half...


I took this one because I loved the sign... And the kid's so serious-looking...


Evidently, Jimmy's not the only MLS keeper that sticks his tongue out... Kasey Keller does too...


MLS All-Star Matt Besler tries to make his way through the Seattle defense...


That's all for now... See you soon...

And The Beat Goes On...

This is how good teams play at home. You score first to take the opposing team out of their rhythm and make sure you keep it tight at the back. It seemed to me that this team was fighting. Fighting for every ball and fighting for their teammates, especially after Roger Espinoza's red card in the 56th minute.

Before the game started, I said (and I have people who can verify this) that Teal would score tonight. In the 34th minute, he did. RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando stoned Kei Kamara (who I also said would score) from close range. Rimando could not control the rebound and it found its way to Teal's feet. Teal put the ball in the back of the net by way of Rimando's head. Teal's goal was also the first this year that RSL has allowed in the 15 minutes on either side of halftime.

The one person who I wouldn't have called scoring a goal (besides Jimmy Nielsen) was Roger. It's not that I don't think he's capable of it. It's just that tonight's goal was his first in a league game since 2008.

Sporting KC's unbeaten streak has now reached 14. That streak (6-0-8) ranks 1st in franchise history and 3rd in MLS history. The record is 19, set last year by FC Dallas.

Here are tonight's photos...

Jimmy Nielsen bending over to talk to the young boy who walked out with him...


The Sporting KC bench's reaction to Roger Espinoza's goal...


Jimmy celebrating Teal's goal...


Referee Hilario Grajeda shows RSL's Nat Borchers a yellow card in the 46th minute...


Manager Peter Vermes during the post-match press conference...


That's all for now... See you soon...

Lucky Thirteen...

It seemed, for a while at least, like the magic had run out and Sporting KC's unbeaten run would come to an end. But then AJ Soares got sent off in the 82nd minute for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. As Peter Vermes said during the post-game press conference, the team had pretty much dominated the 2nd half, but it seemed like the soccer gods had deemed the men in Sporting blue worthy of a little help. Or something. The team came away with a point, but this was one of the worst-officiated games this season. Terry Vaughn, tonight's referee, has been one of the worst referees in MLS for quite some time. It may seem like I say that a lot, but I always cringe when I see him walk out of the tunnel. Both teams didn't seem very happy with his work tonight, and I can't say that I blame them.

I'm rambling and I'm sorry, but I've got a headache and even Excedrin hasn't helped it. I'll just post some pics and call it a night.

I didn't write down his name, but this guy that sang the national anthem was pretty damn good...


If looks could kill, this linesman would be lying in the morgue...


Omar Bravo makes a run into the box...


Revs coach Steve Nicol at the post-game press conference...


The happy goal-scorer and bobblehead subject...


That's all for now... See you soon...

FM2011 Predicted Bradley Firing

Granted, FM2011 is usually a BizarroWorld when it comes to coaching changes, but it really did predict this in a way...

A couple of weeks ago, I was playing FM2011, coaching York City in England. I'd gotten them promoted to League 2 and was going through the offseason. Anyway, on July 23, 2011, the game said that due to a bad performance at Copa America, Bob Bradley had been fired. Here's hoping, though, that the rest of the scenario does NOT play itself out. The game then said that Bruce Arena would replace Bradley and Bradley would replace Arena in L.A. We've already tried Bruce Arena as head coach and I don't want to do it again. But, the game was only 5 days off on Bradley's termination as USMNT head coach.

The other coaching "cascade" if you will (in this game "universe") went this way: Mourinho gets fired by Real Madrid. He gets replaced by Arsene Wenger from Arsenal. Arsenal then hires David Moyes from Everton, who hires Alan Shearer to replace him. Talk about Looney Tunes...

In other real world news, defender Aurelien Collin will be out for 4-6 weeks following an injury to his lower back. He suffered a nondisplaced fracture of the transverse process of both the L2 and L3 vertabrae. That means that they're cracked, but didn't break off. Peter Vermes, in making the announcement during the weekly press conference, said that he'd suffered the same injury, but his was displaced, necessitating surgery. Vermes said that he's challenged Collin to get back in the same time he did. He was told he would be out 6 months, but was back doing two-a-day sessions on the field in 4 weeks. Good luck to Aurelien and hope he feels better soon.

That's all for now... See you soon...

As Hot As The Weather Was...

...the offense was hotter. With three goals in 9 minutes in the first half (the quickest three-goal burst in the league this season), Sporting KC put up a pace that Toronto FC simply could not match. Kei Kamara, who almost missed the match with a sore right ankle, scored twice six minutes apart (28th and 34th minutes). Omar Bravo added the third, and eventual game-winner, three minutes later. Kamara's two goals were his first in 12 games, snapping the longest goal drought of his career. He last scored against New England on April 25th, almost three months ago.

Bravo's second goal, coming in the 64th minute, did two things (besides restore a three-goal lead). First, it matched the team's season high for goals with 4 (scored in the 4-1 win in Dallas). Second, it marked the 3rd time in franchise history that the team had two players score twice in the same game in league play, and the first time since 1996. Across all competitions, it's the 2nd time this year. Chance Myers and CJ Sapong each netted twice in the Open Cup v. New England on May 25th.

Jeferson made his league debut tonight and notched an assist, finding Omar Bravo with a ball into the box. Bravo made Stefan Frei make a save, but Frei couldn't control the rebound and Bravo slotted it home after getting around Frei.

Jeferson also did something that Peter Vermes hadn't planned on when the game started. He went the full 90. The plan, at least as Vermes laid it out on Wednesday after the Newcastle game, was to have Jeferson play 60-75 minutes at the most. That plan, though, got tossed in the garbage when Aurelien Collin had to come out in the 62nd minute. Vermes said after the game that "he took a knee to his lower back and glute and basically when he hit that last ball it kind of aggravated it and he actually made the right decision in coming out."

This game also marked the first time since the loss to the Galaxy that the team had allowed more than 1 goal. It didn't hurt that they scored 4, but it was the first time since May 14th they'd allowed more than 1. Not a bad stretch at all.

Next up for Sporting KC is game two of the nine-game homestand on July 30th against New England. The last time these two teams met in league play, New England pulled out a 3-2 victory in Foxboro. However, the last time they met, period, was that 5-0 shellacking in the Open Cup qualifier at BVDAC.

Here are some pics from tonight's game.

Kei Kamara's 2nd goal...


Omar Bravo's first... His eyes are closed...


Referee Chris Penso looks on as Frei gets treatment on his right wrist...


Peter Vermes gives 4th official Landis Wiley an earful (not that this is new)...


That's all for now... See you soon...

EPL Unbeaten Streak At 2

Cross one off of my life's To Do list... see an EPL team play. Granted, I still have see Liverpool play on the list, but I can say I've seen a team from England's top division live and in person. I just wish I could say that the game was more entertaining.

Scoreless draws are a part of the game, I know, and it was pretty freaking hot out here. The game time temperature was listed as 99. It felt hotter than that, but that's what the official thermometer said.

That's not to say that there weren't interesting bits of the game. New designated player Jeferson made his debut. There were passes he made to Omar Bravo that suggested he had been training with the team for more than just 2 days.

Newcomer Soony Saad also made his first team debut, coming on for Teal Bunbury just after the hour mark. He looked good and he wasn't afraid to shoot the ball, which is a bit refreshing. Some guys seem to be waiting for the perfect shot before they take any shot. That's not meant as a criticism, just an observation. Sometimes, though, you just need to put the ball on frame and see what happens.

Daneil Cyrus also came on as a 2nd half substitute. He's had more time training with the team than the others, and it shows. He seemed to be more comfortable with his teammates.

Next up for Sporting KC is a home matchup with Toronto FC. The lineup that Toronto puts on the field on Saturday will probably look nothing like their lineup 5 weeks ago at BMO Field. Their many roster moves have made sure of that. Kickoff is at 7:30pm per usual.

Here are some of my fave photos from tonight's game.








That's all for now... See you soon...

Last Road Game For A While

When the Houston Dynamo scored in the 8th minute, I had a feeling that it was going to be a long night. The team, however, responded well and did not concede again. The ball did find the back of the net again, but was ruled out for offside. It was a good call one of Houston's players was offside and interfered with Jimmy Nielsen's ability to make a play on the ball.

In the 51st minute, when Colin Clark went in on Aurelien Collin with studs showing, I thought it was certainly a yellow, but I wasn't really that surprised when Kevin Stott went with the straight red. It was, as mentioned on the broadcast, a "frustration" tackle and a "cynical" foul. It also presented SKC with an opportunity to get an equalizer.

Nineteen minutes later, when Brian Ching kicked Collin from behind (wonder what he did to earn that distinction), I would have been surprised if Ching HADN'T seen red. Ching had absolutely no way to get to the ball and deserved to be sent off. The 2nd red also removed any excuses SKC might have had for failing to equalize.

It seemed strangely appropriate that it was Collin that got the equalizer. With Dynamo fans booing him every time he touched the ball, it's almost as if they said it was his fault he was fouled by Clark and Ching. I can't even blame him for the yellow card for the celebration after the goal. I probably would have gotten carded too.

So, with the draw, the SKC unbeaten streak in MLS play runs to 11, the 2nd longest streak in the league this season. The team also continues its stingy defense and runs its streak of allowing 1 or 0 goals in a game to 12.

Next up for the men in Sporting Blue is an international friendly with Newcastle United of the EPL. It is the first of 10 straight games at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. A nice long winning streak would go a long way to helping people forget how bad the 10-match road trip was.

That's it for now. I'll have more tomorrow on the new acquisitions (Soony Saad, Deneil Cyrus and a major player to be announced later today). See you soon.

An Opportunity Wasted

I'm sure some people will be making excuses for the weather, the officials... any number of things, really... as reasons the SKC run in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup came to a screeching halt. Fact is, it seemed there were people on the field that didn't take the Richmond Kickers seriously, and when you get to this stage of a tournament, any tournament, you can't do that. Well, you can, but you do so at your peril.

To his credit, manager Peter Vermes is as incredibly "ticked" to use his word as most fans are. After the game, he said that practice won't be much fun the next few days. It shouldn't be. How, if you're a professional athlete, do you forget everything that had gotten you through the last 12 games unbeaten across all competitions? How, if you're taking pride in your performance as a soccer player, do you let a game end like that. When you come up on a delay like that, treat it like an intermission that will allow you to refocus your efforts.

I'm a supporter of the team, and have been since the beginning. I'm saying these things because I'm just as miserable that they lost as they are (or pretty darn close). I'm mad, like Peter Vermes, that people seemed like they were just going through the motions, especially after the 2nd goal. I'm upset because I want the team to do well every day, in everything they do. I'll get over it, eventually. I always do. At the same time, I want the players to remember how this feels and use it as fuel to do better next time. While dropping out of the US Open Cup closes one path to the CONCACAF Champions League, there is still another open to us, the league title. I just don't want the way the team went out of the cup to affect league play. They still have a 10-game unbeaten streak in MLS play and they still haven't given up more than 1 goal in 11 straight league games.

On a more positive note, I've acquired a copy of the team's all-time roster (as provided to them by the Elias Sports Bureau). Over the next few days/weeks, I'm going to be putting on my detective's hat and go look for them. Well, not literally look, but using the power of the Internet, I'm going to try and find as many of them as I possibly can and report back on what they're up to. It's going to be a lot of work, but it may be a lot of fun, too.

That's all for now. See you soon.

And One More Equals A Dozen

Talk about waiting for the last minute. Sporting KC forward Omar Bravo scored on a header in the third of four minutes of stoppage time to equalize the game at 1-1 and extend the team's unbeaten streak to 12 games across all competitions (10 in league play).

That's an impressive streak, but the team also continued one that's a touch longer and equally impressive. The team allowed 1 or fewer goals for the 13th straight game. The last time the team gave up more than one goal was against the LA Galaxy all the way back on May 14th. The stinginess of the defense has been a key to the team's unbeaten streak.

Next up for Sporting KC is the US Open Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday, July 12, at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. They will face the Richmond Kickers of USL Pro, the 3rd tier of soccer in the United States. Now, before you simply dismiss the Kickers as just a small team out of their element and ripe for a beatdown, take this into consideration. While Sporting KC enjoyed a fairly easy 3rd round match at home against the Chicago Fire PDL team, Richmond beat the Columbus Crew 2-1... on the road. Sporting KC takes Richmond lightly at their own peril.

I've actually got some pics for tonight. Shocking, I know.

Tell me that Aurelien Collin and Justin Braun aren't both fouling each other...


Looks like the White Puma is getting ready to pounce...


I think Jimmy's saying to the official, "You've got to be kidding me..."


Michael Harrington being marked closely by Chivas's Michael Lahoud...


I would still like to ask Jasen Anno how you don't call for a penalty kick on this?


And, I wish the focus was better, but this is the game-winner... Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy is airborne and the ball is in the back of the net (upper left of the picture).


That's all I have for now... See you soon...

This One Goes To Eleven

On the strength of a 1-1 draw against the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids, the Sporting KC unbeaten streak is now at 11 across all competitions. When confined to just league games, the 4-0-5 streak is 2nd in franchise history. Only the 10-0-2 streak to start the 2000 MLS Cup season is longer.

The Rapids scored first on a goal in the 32nd minute by Conor Casey. Casey got on the end of a Tyrone Marshall free kick, chested the ball down and got the ball in the back of the net. This seemed to be part of the plan by the Rapids to simply play long balls down the field and pray someone would get on the end of it. This was especially evident after Graham Zusi tied the game in the 62nd minute. The Rapids continually played long ball after long ball and when the ball would go out of bounds, they would drag their feet, literally, and it would take at least a minute to get the play restarted. I suppose that's what you do when the other team seems like they're going to score any second and you're just trying to hold on for a draw, but it was ridiculous. So much so that there were 6 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the 2nd half. There were 9 at the end of the home opener, but they had to clean garbage off the field for that.

I'll have more later. I'm coming down with a cold and it sucks. See you soon...

US Open Cup 3rd Round

I know I keep saying "I should have pics up later..." but I will... Seriously...

When I got to LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, I was given photo bib #9 (we have to wear these green things to make sure people know, if they didn't see our credentials, that we can be on the field). I remarked at the time, "Maybe this means that Teal Bunbury (#9) will score tonight?" In the third minute, Teal Bunbury did in fact score. Good thing I bought lottery tickets before the game too. I also got a good pic of Teal that I will be giving to Wikipedia, since his page doesn't have one.

Eric Kronberg stopped the only shot Chicago put on net (they had 5 shots total) with Milos Stojcev and Kei Kamara scoring in the 2nd half for a final tally of 3-0. This puts Sporting KC into the quarterfinals of the US Open Cup and they will host the Richmond Kickers, who defeated the Columbus Crew 2-1. The game will be played at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Tuesday, July 12th at 7:30pm. This means the team has 6 home dates in July, including the international friendly with Newcastle United on July 20th.

Across all competitions, Sporting KC is now on a 9-game unbeaten streak with wins in 4 of their last 5 matches. Kronberg has not yet allowed a goal in 3 Open Cup matches. Chicago came close, but the one time they did get the ball into the net, it was ruled out for offside.

The team is playing fairly well, even though they did have a lull for most of the first half after Bunbury's goal. As Peter Vermes said after the game, he'd warned them about not taking this game seriously enough in the lead-up to it and was even more forceful during halftime because they didn't seem to be keeping that warning in mind. They had several chances to extend their lead in the first half, but they just didn't seem to be able to capitalize.

But the main thing is that they're into the quarterfinals of the Open Cup, the winner of which gets an entry into the CONCACAF Champions League for 2012. Vermes made it clear after the match that he feels that this team has as good a chance as any team that's still left in the competition and whenever you have a chance to win silverware for the club, you need to take it. Maybe this means the team will make a concerted effort to win the tournament and hope that their form also extends to league play. With 14 of their last 19 at home (plus any additional home dates for Open Cup play), Sporting KC has an incredible opportunity to make a run at a playoff spot and possibly pull off the double (Open Cup and MLS Cup). I'm not saying they will, but it's a possibility.

That's all for now. See you soon...

A Few Thoughts...

Just a few thoughts right now after the 2-1 Sporting KC win at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park tonight... Should have pics later.

1) The team continues to play well. The unbeaten streak has reached 7 games (8, if you count the Open Cup win over New England). They've jumped from 9th all the way up to 6th, putting Chicago, New England and Toronto in the rear view mirror. They are now 3 points out of a playoff spot (top 3 qualify with 4th and 5th playing a play-in game), with 11 of the next 13 and 14 of our last 19 at home. The rough start to the season will be something to laugh at later if we can continue our good form at home and qualify for the playoffs.

2) The United States Soccer Federation needs to fire Bob Bradley. The team's performance over the last 6 or 7 matches has been inconsistent at best. Losing to Panama and Paraguay is inexcusable. I haven't watched tonight's game yet, but I have a feeling that when I do, I'm going to want to throw things at the television.

3) I will be referring to the leadership of MLS as asshats from now on. Why? Quite simply because they claim they want the sport to grow in this country, but they scheduled league games at the same time as national team games. If you want the sport to grow, don't make it compete against itself. You would think that would be a pretty simple concept to grasp, but that's what you get for thinking.

4) Omar Bravo seems to be coming into pretty good form. After his hernia injury, what he calls the first real injury of his career, he seems to be getting back to the form he had while at Chivas Guadalajara.

5) After the game, I asked a few people if what happened to the Galaxy today (starting keeper injured, backup gets sent off) had happened to us, who would be in net... I had a couple people say Kei Kamara (including Kei), but when I asked Jimmy Nielsen, he said Roger Espinoza. When I commented that a couple people had said Kei, he said he'd still rather have Roger. Personally, nothing against Roger, but I think I'd rather have Kei. He's taller and athletic (not that Roger's not athletic).

6) On Tuesday, Sporting KC needs to plow Chicago Fire PDL into the ground. Peter Vermes said after the game tonight that they team wants to win the tournament. If that's true, they need to destroy Chicago. Doing that will accomplish two things: 1) Send a message saying the team's serious about the Cup; 2) Continue the team's good form at home. The quarterfinal hosts have also been announced. If Sporting KC wins Tuesday, they will also host the quarterfinal match against the winner of the Columbus Crew-Richmond Kickers match, currently set for July 12th.

That's all for now. See you soon...

It Was Magic...

I think I'm just now coming down off the natural high of having attended a USMNT game. Last night's match at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park was nothing short of magical. Not necessarily the way the team played (well enough, but not as good as they're capable of), but just the atmosphere and the fact that I didn't have to drive 12-14 hours or hop on a plane to get there. This is one of the reasons the stadium was built, to host national team games, and it was just like I'd imagined it.

To the photos... Just some of my faves for the night... I'll post some from Panama-Canada later...











That's all for now... See you soon...