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MLS West Notes: Rennie not happy with team’s play, Sounders extend Xbox sponsorship, and more

MartinRennie (ISIPhotos.com)

BY MIKE DONOVAN

Head coach Martin Rennie did not mince words after training Tuesday about how he felt about the club’s 3-1 loss Saturday to FC Dallas.

“The Dallas game was one of the worst performances I’ve seen from any team I’ve ever coached,” Rennie told the Province newspaper. “It was like, giveaway, giveaway, giveaway, giveaway, giveaway. Constantly. We went through the video of it yesterday, and I think even the players were shocked with how bad it was, so they have to turn that around.”

The Whitecaps are 1-5-2 in their last eight matches and now find themselves tied for seventh place in the Western Conference standings. And the schedule doesn’t do them any favors with four road matches in their final seven games.

Here are some more news and notes from around the Western Conference:

CHIVAS USA

After collecting his third shutout of the season over the weekend, Dan Kennedy told the club’s web site that he is hopeful for the future. And while the 31-year-old goalkeeper knows that Chivas USA will miss the postseason for another season, he believe the club could be heading in the right direction.

“We are in a point in this season where we are trying to improve and trying to play spoiler and win games. Hopefully what we can do is improve as much as a team, and individuals to build up a core of guys for next season,” Kennedy said.

COLORADO RAPIDS

For the second time this season, the Colorado Rapids have partnered with a youth club from outside the state. After aligning themselves with a North Carolina club in April, the  Rapids have now partnered with the Albuquerque-based Rio Soccer Club to form the Rio Rapids SC. The agreement means youth players will be considered Rapids development players and could potentially be signed as homegrown players by Colorado.

“The MLS footprint is growing,” Ken Levandoski, who is a board member of the Rio Rapids, told the Albuquerque Journal. “The Rapids recognize the talent in Albuquerque, so this can benefit their organization. From our perspective, it provides a pipeline to pro soccer, gives kids a team to cheer for and a chance to dream about possibly playing at that level someday.”

As part of the agreement, the Rapids will continue to play an annual July friendly in Albuquerque.

FC DALLAS

Despite depth issues at the forward spot due to suspensions, international absences, and fitness questions, homegrown player Jonathan Top has not seen the field for FC Dallas in more than a year. Head coach Schellas Hyndman believes that the 20-year-old forward will need to improve his finishing before he will see the field again.

To get opportunities for playing time he just has to get a little bit better on his conversions. If he gets four chances, he might make one. I think what we’re trying to do now is get him to shoot the ball a little bit better,” Hyndman told the Dallas Morning News.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

With Omar Gonzalez playing for the U.S., Kofi Opare got the nod at centerback for Saturday’s match against the Colorado Rapids. It was the first MLS start for the rookie from the University of Michigan. While Bruce Arena said Opare played “very well,” Opare believe he can do better.

“[I] could have been better, a lot better, [there were] mistakes here and there,” said Opare to the club’s web site. “[There is] stuff I need to improve on, also my positioning and communication and obviously we didn’t get the win today. It would have been a lot better if we did.”

PORTLAND TIMBERS

Despite dealing with an adductor injury, Diego Valeri made his presence felt off the bench in Saturday’s 4-0 over Toronto FC, delivering a goal and an assist in just 13 minutes of action. And while the Argentine DP played well in his limited action, it is unknown whether or not Valeri will be able to start this Saturday against Chivas USA.

“We’re really optimistic about where he’s at,” Porter told the Oregonian. “So, we want to be careful, but at the same time we need him because these points in these games coming up are very important.”

REAL SALT LAKE

Despite playing 18 matches and starting eight, midfielder Sebastian Velasquez is still searching for his first goal of the season. In fact, he is the only RSL midfielder to have played more than 100 minutes this season, who hasn’t yet scored.

“I think about it every day — morning, noon and night. Before I go to bed, I watch videos. I do everything I can and I’m just waiting for my goal to come,” Velasquez told the club’s web site. “I came here from college where I was scoring every game, and now it has been a year-and-a-half since I scored. It’s driving me crazy. I feel like once I get my first goal, then I can probably get on a roll.”

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

The Earthquakes U-16 Academy kicks off their season on Saturday against Crossfire Premiere in Redmond, Wash. and their head coach might seem familiar to MLS fans. Stephen Wondolowski, who is the brother of Earthquakes striker Chris Wondolowski, will be the head coach of an Earthquakes academy side for the fourth straight season.

SEATTLE SOUNDERS

The Sounders announced Wednesday that Xbox will continue to be the club’s kit sponsor through the 2014 season. Originally, the sponsorship was set too expire at the end of the season.

“We’re very happy,” general manager and part owner Adrian Hanuer told the Seattle Times.  “It’s been a fantastic partnership. Excited to extend for a year and hopefully this leads to something even longer term, but we’ll let the business groups hash it out and figure out whether we can do something for the long haul.”

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. This is random ? for Portland fans –

    does Valeri get any chatter for Argentina call ups? Not the 1st team obviously, but would he make a friendly squad here or there now that they have qualified?

    Reply
    • Javi Morales doesn’t, and he’s been performing at a high level in MLS for years. I think Argentina’s got such an embarrassment of riches in their talent pool that it’s incredibly difficult to break into the team.

      Reply
      • Just within its Primera Division alone, Argentina has too many options. Add in the European contingent and MLS probably isn’t even an afterthought.

        …Although, Jose Maria Basanta has been playing in Mexico for years, so maybe it isn’t the craziest idea that MLS guys could get a look… some day?

  2. Dempsey is a DP so there would be no need for these shenanigans, but Microsoft announces the sponsorship extension not long after EA inks Dempsey to a sponsorship deal. EA and Microsoft have some partnership for the next Xbox console with their games. Paul Allen is an owner to varying degrees in Microsoft and the Sounders.

    I don’t believe there is a conspiracy in any of this, but I am willing to listen if someone wants to make a case.

    I could be convinced that this EA deal of his was facilitated to get him to Seattle though, but I wouldn’t really call a conspiracy.

    Reply
  3. Husky Stadium doesn’t have real grass, either. It would suck to move games to there. I used to work at UW and the traffic in and out of the stadium area is always a nightmare. Even with all of the renovations, Husky Stadium and the campus area couldn’t compete with the atmosphere in and around the CenturyLink on match days. It really is about as good as it gets. I would love grass, but I am extremely happy with what we Sounders fans enjoy right now.

    Reply
      • I never been to seattle, but is there any space around downtown seattle or in seattle. Whats up with proposed arena land, just make there a 45 to 50 thousand stadium. Soccer stadiums are easy to make, and some of the greatest soccer stadiuns in the world are made on small pieces of land. Look at red bull areba, skc park.

      • Why on Earth would they want to build a 40 – 50 K stadium when they have a great modern one that works just fine? Oh, I forgot people need to watch soccer played on grass. Well I can’t think of a better way/reason to burn tax payer money.

      • One end has suites, thats not a soccer stadium. The nest was made for soccer fans, yeah right and the myth about football fields being oval. clink is nice but u dont need behind goal suites and a nest. If columbus gets a new soccer stadium or new england gets one closer to boston or even new york city fc and cosmos, before seattle, then i see seattle making stadium moves.

      • Again, why??

        What they have works. They are selling out and making money with what works now – it’s relatively new (probably new in stadium years), they are selling out and the fans there don’t seem to mind. Why spend more money to get something that will be smaller and most likely be built nowhere downtown just so that suits are in the right place?

        I have been with MLS since the beginning and know how sharing with the NFL sucked. But in this case it is working and the local fans have no beef. This is unlike NE where the locals have beef with the situation.

        I hear your points, and I am getting some faint argument about aesthetics but what I am not getting is some real meat that justifies a huge cash outlay an additional financial burden to the locals just because we who watch games on TV have beef with no natural grass or nests and stuff.

        If it ain’t broke (and this certainly ain’t) why…break it?

      • I’m not sure exactly why you object to goal level suites and the nest. I’ve sat all over that stadium, lower bowl upper bowl, hawks nest southern upper deck and in the ECS section and the sight lines are always great.

        I find it bizarre that the only people who complain about CLink aren’t from Seattle.

      • The Clink is in/around downtown Seattle. There’s no space to put a new stadium. It’d be out in the suburbs, and attendance would plummet. Besides, they have no reason to leave. I only hear people from outside Seattle clamoring for them to get a new stadium. It’s just foolish imo. Sounders have such a good thing going for them right now, I play pretty much exclusively on turf now (all the parks in Seattle are now turf) and no doubt a well manicured grass field is better, but you get used to turf. It ain’t so bad. So I don’t think it’s worth them leaving Clink to get a grass pitch.

      • You answered it all for us in your opening sentence. No get along and support the growth of the sport in your own area.

        thx

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