Recently in MLS 2012 Category

The MLS All Stars seem to have Chelsea's number and just like he did six years ago, Dwayne De Rosario proved to be a pivotal player in this years win too. The DC United midfielder set up Chris Pontius for the equalizer.

Before that two Chelsea veterans had sent their side ahead as John Terry scored from a header and then Frank Lampard batted the ball with his leg past Dan Kennedy after the goalie completely missed collecting a cross. The goals negated the All Stars bright start when Chris Wondolowski took advantage of Terry's flubbed clearance to gather the ball and send it past Henrique Hilario. Nice build up by Donovan and Thierry Henry who sent a nicely curling cross that Terry was unable to clear and the lucky break came Wondolowski's way.

Things were status quo till the 92nd minute when Eddie Johnson suddenly had possession of the ball in front of goal and released a shot which deflected off a defender past Turnbull. Yes, that Eddie Johnson. When did we last take his name? But he's back to scoring goals this time for the Sounders.

Yossi Benayoun who was at Arsenal last season on loan started for the Blues. Marko Marin who had an impressive game against PSG last Sunday caught the eye again for the Champions League winners. The other big name Eden Hazard came on in the second half but did little of note.

soccerblog

No Kaka for MLS but Tim Cahill is ready

| Comments | TrackBacks

No Kaka for MLS.jpg

As per Thierry Henry, all that keeps the Red Bulls from an official announcement is Tim Cahill's medical examination. By the way, that also puts the kybosh on Kaka's MLS arrival.

soccerblog

Tim Cahill.jpg
Tim Cahill plays much, much larger than his 5' 8" frame

The Red Bulls get a shot in the arm with Tim Cahill's move to the MLS on a £1m transfer. At Everton and as a Socceroo, Cahill is best known for some outrageous goals emerging through a thicket of tall defenders to score via one of the hardest noggin in the business. He is not a half bad set piece taker having shared those duties with Mikel Arteta for the Toffees. And his goal celebration involving a punch up with the corner goal only cements his legendary status.

Cahill established himself first at Milwall as a big game player scoring the game winning goal against Sunderland in the FA Cup semi-finals in 2004 to take the S.London club to their first final since 1945. Man Utd however proved to be an insurmountable obstacle and they lost, 0-3. Moving to Everton thereafter he proved to be an instant hit becoming the club's top scorer and the club's player of the year and was nominated for the 2006 Ballon D'Or. He was David Moyes's poster boy for unearthing hardworking gems in a career which lasted 7 years and 56 goals for the Toffees. 31 of them have come from headers. One of his lasting accomplishments before leaving was to equal legend Dixie Dean's record of scoring in three Anfield derbies. No wonder he's a club favourite.

As an international, Cahill shone for Australia in the 2006 World Cup scoring a brace against Japan in a 3-1 victory. Four years later, he scored one of the more memorable goals of the 2010 World Cup against Serbia in trademark fashion.

He joins the Red Bulls at the top of the Eastern Conference, a team that leads in goal scoring in the division with 37 and his inclusion should add many more to that total. Their game will really open up with a proven goalscorer from corners and free kicks.

soccerblog

Thierry Henry's 10th goal of the season and his first since April 28th after which a hamstring injury kept him out for six weeks couldn't have been a sweeter reminder that the legend still has it. All hail the king!

With this win, the Red Bulls are in second place in the Eastern conference.

soccerblog

Take that Stuart Pearce, he seems to say. Becks at his best. An open field goal and a set piece with his trademark wicked Magnus effect. He had to be that good because Kris Boyd was in form playing in front of MLS's most avid fans.

soccerblog

Sam Cronin of the San Jose Earthquakes lying prostrate on the pitch makes a miraculous recovery after getting struck by a ball kicked right at him by David Beckham. Those Herbalife jerseys worn by the LA Galaxy do have magical healing powers.

Becks was angry at Cronin's time wasting tactics as the Galaxy trailed 3-4 with about a minute to go. He was booked and then got into a shoving match with the Earthquakes. The MLS however took a dimmer view and banned him for a match. You do have to admire Becks accuracy. Maybe Stuart Pearce should take a closer look at this video.

soccerblog

mesut ozil (176x300).jpgAndrea Pirlo (238x320) (223x300).jpg
Mesut Oezil has been a shadow, Andrea Pirlo a giant

Mesut Oezil is no Andrea Pirlo: This Euro is all about how Andrea Pirlo got his groove back on. The 2010 World Cup was all about how Pirlo was finished and Oezil was the superstar of the new generation. Forward two years, Pirlo made himself critical to Juve's success and in this Euro showed his mesmerizing mastery over the ball as he fed Italy's attack with laser like precision and executed a panenka as a perfect coda. Oezil was not able to capitalize on his Real Madrid form as he failed to impose his undoubted talent on this team, at times looking very peripheral and disconnected. He was suitably laconic.

The battle of the Mario's was an unequal contest: Balotelli was a force of nature when it counted as Gomez faded. Jogi Low brought back the Bayern Munich striker for this match with every probability he would add to his tally of three goals. Before the England match, the debate was whether Balotelli would even begin as Cesare Prandelli sought to bring his volatile striker to book. It did not happen and Balotelli made a right nuisance of himself in front of goal and only wayward shooting and some excellent defending kept England from harm. He was on target against the Germans helped by some inept defending. At the other end a Juve led defense yielded no quarter and Gomez was subbed off for Klose.

Mat Hummels is no John Terry: Antonio Cassano casting aside Hummels like a used dishrag for Balotelli's first goal. Philipp Lahm pumping his legs in a futile chase to get to Balotelli before the City striker unleashed his shot. It was abject defending. The previous match saw Terry turning in a phenomenal performance when he became the LeBron James of blocked shots hurling his body in front of Cassano and Balotelli to bring off some spectacular saves as England kept their flag flying for 120 minutes through sheer defensive will. The Germans would have been well served channeling some of Terry's spirit.

This German side has talent, but its vanilla: Where is that famous never say die attitude? We used to hate the Germans before because they would play the same boring football for 90 minutes and refuse to lose. Andreas Brehme, Lothar Mattheus, and Rudi Voller, all part of the 1990 World Cup winning team. Voller and Frank Rijkaard ejected for spitting at each other. Then seeing England off on penalties in the semi-finals before beating Argentina in the in one of the most degrading finals. Now we love them to death because they are the antithesis of Spain, the old Germany. Except they seem to be the old Spain; the bottlers of yore, a bunch of Morientes's bound in scotch tape. It's all tied to austerity somehow and Angela Merkel is to blame.

Germany chose a dynasty, Italy chose experience: Italy dismissed as old in the 2010 World Cup did not exactly jettison age when it came to picking this Euro squad. Andrea Pirlo: 33 years of age, Antonio De Natale: 34 years of age, Gianluigi Buffon: 34 years of age. The priority was clear. To wipe out the bitter memories of the World Cup. An average age of 28 years, fully five years older than the German squad. The youngest in this competition, a team with an eye to the future, giddy in its multiculturalism. The Germans can put winning on hold because of their youth but for a number of Italians this was the last out. They looked hungrier, more engaged, and scrapped hard as the underdogs.


soccerblog

Alessandro Del Piero to Montreal Impact?

| 1 Comment | TrackBacks

alessandro del piero.jpg

The Juve legend might be moving to Canada and becoming a Quebecois. If that happens he will join Marco Di Vaio, the former Bologna and Juve striker who became the Impact's first designated player. The Gazzetto Dello Sport is reporting Del Piero is vacationing with Joey Saputo, the Impact owner in Florida.

What do the Impact get if they land Del Piero? Someone who keeps redefining peak, time and time again. He's always at the summit. Giving a 110%. Juve's top scorer and Bianconeri to the core. This will be a signing that will impact the MLS big time.

soccerblog

david beckham.jpg
When will he start hawking his tattoos?

Thierry Henry replaces David Beckham as MLS's most highly paid player. The former Arsenal striker earns a base salary of $5m which increases to $5.6m with compensation included. Next in line, Henry's Red Bull team mate, defender Rafa Marquez with a $4.6m salary and no guaranteed compensation.

David Beckham, the top earner the last five years, saw his base salary decline to $3m with another $1m added as compensation, in his new contract. This represents a 40% cut from his previous guaranteed salary of $6.5m. But hey, all is not dark in the Beckham household for daddy gets a bonus carrying the Olympic torch. The MLS players union released their 2012 player wages this weekend:

The MLS top ten:

1. Thierry Henry (Red Bulls): $5,000,000 - $5,600,000.00
2. Rafa Marquez (Red Bulls): $4,600,000 - $4,600,000.00
3. David Beckham (Galaxy): $3,000,000 - $4,000,000.00
4. Robbie Keane (Galaxy): $2,917,241 - $3,417,242.00
5. Torsten Frings (Toronto): $2,000,000 - $2,413,666.67*
6. Landon Donovan (Galaxy): $2,400,000 - $2,400,000.00
7. Julian De Guzman (Toronto): $1,863,996 - $1,910,746.00
8. Danny Koevermans (Toronto): $1,150,000 - $1,563,323.33*
9. Kris Boyd (Portland): $1,250,00 - $1,500,000.00
10. Eric Hassli (Vancouver): $550,000 - $790,000.00

The Galaxy and Toronto boast the most number of players in the rich list but they are at the bottom of the table in their respective divisions. Toronto have scored 8 goals in their 10 matches having won only one of those. Their performance comes with a caveat for Frings and Koeverman have not provided much impact being out with injuries. Plus, MLS couldn't you have rounded off their salaries. Did you owe them for a stick of chewing gum?

The high octane Galaxy have scored only 15 goals in their 13 matches. Pretty shocking.

It's almost as if Landon Donovan is saddled with a reverse Messi problem. He scores more goals for his country because there is better quality in the midfield than his own club. Just look at what he did against Scotland with Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones providing that insurance playing just behind him.

soccerblog

New England Revs paste LA Galaxy, 3-1

| Comments | TrackBacks

This has to go down as one of the most pathetic expositions of defending. The Galaxy could have propped up cardboard cutouts of AJ DeLaGarza, Sean Franklin, Andrew Boyens, and Todd Dunivant to do a better job. For a number of seasons defending was the Galaxy's achilles heel and one of the reasons for last year's success was their water tight back four.

The Revs were buoyed by Shalrie Joseph and Lee Nguyen who were outstanding. The rookie Kelyn Rowe caught the eye with his first MLS goal. The Revs also got some great minutes from Chris Tierney, Ryan Guy, and Saer Sene as they kept Josh Saunders a busy man under the sticks.

At the other end, Matt Reis was rarely tested with Beckham coming close with a free kick and Edson Buddle flubbing a simple chance with a clear path to goal. The Galaxy had to wait till late in the second half for Robbie Keane's goal to narrow the gap. Becks was subbed off at half time and from reports had a meltdown. Not good for his Olympics prospect is it?

soccerblog

A fine hat trick and a clever assist for Mehdi Ballouchi's goal capped a busy evening for the Arsenal legend. Kenny Cooper also got on the scoresheet with his spot kick after Dax McCarty was brought down in the box.

Good thing the Red Bulls scored a lot of goals because they looked shaky at the back and Ryan Meara did not have the best of outings. Sana Nyassi and Justin Mapp provided the strikes for the Impact.

soccerblog

A smoking start by the Red Bulls in their home opener against the Colorado Rapids as they scored two goals within the first five minutes! Thierry Henry took full advantage of a defensive lapse to finish impeccably and then set up Kenny Cooper's goal with a perfect outlet. Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas were in the house to see their former team mate rock n' roll.

Henry added another beating the Rapids's offside trap as he latched onto Wilman Conde's lofted ball on the run and then turned his body around to curl the ball into an empty net with the inside of his right foot. The rout was complete as Cooper matched Henry's tally guiding the ball into goal from a Roy Miller cutback on the touchline. In the waning last seconds Henry could have scored a hat trick but Matt Pickens just about saved his shot.

For the Red Bulls, Wilman Conde was back and his forceful presence bolstered the shaky defense which got caught out against FC Dallas and RSL on the road. Rafa Marquez made the one mistake getting stripped of the ball leading to the Rapids scoring a stunning consolation goal from Omar Cummings.

The Rapids are owned by Stan Kroenke, who is the majority owner of Arsenal, Thierry Henry's former club. This match was a good one for celebrity sighting with Spike Lee, Steve Nash, Eric Cantona, Neymar, Tony Parker, Kate Upton, Lindsey Vonn, Reggie Bush, and many others attending.

soccerblog

Red Bulls fall again this time to Real Salt Lake, 0-2

| Comments | TrackBacks

Two matches, two defeats. It could have been a lot worse if it had not been for some neat goalkeeping by Ryan Meara. The Red Bulls defense was all sixes and sevens as RSL pushed up field and recorded goals from Fabian Espindola and Luis Gil.

Thierry Henry's bicycle kick was a highlight. Only problem it was off target

Not exactly the sort of start Red Bulls were looking for as they return home to face Colorado on the 25th.

soccerblog

An excellent Blas Perez and crap defending by the Red Bulls saw them lose their MLS opener to FC Dallas.

Perez, the Panamanian signing was instrumental in creating both goals for Dallas while Kenny Cooper, the record goalscorer for his old club, scored on debut for Red Bulls to pull one back.

Thierry Henry left his mark almost scoring a quick witted goal of a free kick and then laying a measured ball for Cooper to race through for his goal. Ryan Meara, the Red Bulls goalie had an excellent debut saving at least three goals. What an improvement on Bouna Condoul.

soccerblog

Offers

    Newsletter


    Solar Electric Light Fund


    Steel Pulse


    ABOUT SOCCERBLOG.com

    SoccerBlog.com is a fan-driven site founded by Christian and Shourin. Our goal is to cover the beautiful game and talk about some of the issues that may not be covered elsewhere. Since we aren't any good at playing, we decided to talk about soccer instead!


    THE $300 HOUSE

    Change the world with 300House.com. Join us today and make a difference >>


    Your Ad Here >>
    Contact: christian [at] christiansarkar [dot] com

Monthly Archives

About this Archive

This page is an archive of recent entries in the MLS 2012 category.

MLS 2011 is the previous category.

Soccer Advertising is the next category.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.