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Soccer Wednesday: Your Running Commentary

Perry Kitchen

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

While Sporting Kansas City has kept their four point lead at the top of the Eastern Conference, both D.C. United and Toronto FC are doing their best to keep pace.

Second place D.C. United host third-place TFC on Wednesday evening in their third meeting of the regular season, with both teams gunning for a victory. D.C. have won three matches in a row even without the injured Fabian Espindola while TFC are hoping to get out of a slump, winning just once in their last seven matches.

It’s a busy evening for Major League Soccer on Wednesday as three other games take place in addition to the one at RFK Stadium. The struggling New England Revolution host the Colorado Rapids, the exciting Vancouver Whitecaps travel to the Chicago Fire, while Real Salt Lake host Thierry Henry and the New York Red Bulls.

Also in action on Wednesday evening are a couple of friendly matches. Manchester City face Liverpool in a preseason friendly match at Yankee Stadium and Club America host host La Liga champions Atletico Madrid at Estadio Azteca. The final place in the Copa Libertadores final is up for grabs as well with favorites San Lorenzo visiting Bolivar. Finally, NWSL leaders Seattle Reign FC visit the Houston Dash, with the match on ESPN3.

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 Soccer TV schedule is after the jump):

6 p.m. РClub America vs. Atletico Madrid РBeIN Sports USA/BeIN Sports en Espa̱ol

7 p.m. – D.C. United vs. Toronto FC – MLS Direct Kick/MLS Live

7 p.m. – Manchester City vs. Liverpool – Fox Sports 1/ESPN Deportes

7:30 p.m. – New England Revolution vs. Colorado Rapids – MLS Direct Kick/MLS Live

7:55 p.m. – Atletico San Luis vs. Santos Laguna – Univision Deportes

8 p.m. РPalmeiras vs. Fiorentina РBeIN Sports USA/BeIN Sports en Espa̱ol

8 p.m. – Morelia vs. Necaxa – ESPN3

8 p.m. – Merida vs. Toluca – Galavision

8:15 p.m. – Bolivar vs. San Lorenzo – Fox Deportes

8:30 p.m. – Chicago Fire vs. Vancouver Whitecaps – MLS Direct Kick/MLS Live

9 p.m. – Real Salt Lake vs. New York Red Bulls – ESPN2/ESPN Deportes

9 p.m. – Houston Dash vs. Seattle Reign – ESPN3

9:55 p.m. – Pumas UNAM vs. Atlante – Univision Deportes

10 p.m. – Atlas vs. Dorados – Galavision

Comments

  1. Luis Gil looks like a star player in the making when it comes to his passing, vision, and touch. What he needs to improve on, however, is movement off the ball and finding space. He’s only 20, so I expect he’ll improve in these subtleties with age and experience.

    Reply
    • i actually think he does have good off the ball movement. RSL is just content with playing the ball through Morales and Plata 80% of the time

      Reply
      • you know, ive been debating this in my head for a while. I think he needs to be more of the focal point in the midfield, but as long as he is being played on the sides and javier morales is the focal point he might not reach his full potential.

  2. Man, I missed the Galaxy game on the wkd. Ha ha, I like the mania. So two blowouts so far today?! Come on RB! You must whip it!!!

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  3. Has Gil fallen out of favor in Salt Lake? Second straight match on the bench; as a fan with no rooting interest, I have no desire to watch Mulholland or Grabavoy in that midfield.

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    • As I understand not so much out of favor as beaten out by Mulholland who’s been shockingly good. Gil also isn’t a natural wide player. Ideally he’d be in Morales spot but but he’s obviously not beating out Morales. RSL plays a diamond so it’s not a true wide spot but even so, not ideal for him. That said, I’m disappointed that he hasn’t truly broken out yet.

      Reply
  4. Toronto was pretty awful. Bradley put the ball on a platter three times and his teammates made a mess of each one. And, those were the highlights.

    DCU playing very well these days. I’m starting to think of Deleon as the American Rooney. Hamid continuing his solid play. Same for Kitchen, Rolfe, Korb and others.

    Reply
  5. Well then, I can only tell you one thing, If goal.com or SBI wants me to write for them it will cost them. I do not work for free. What I can not understand is how many do write for free.

    Think about it dudes, do something for yourselves, get paid for what you do.

    Reply
  6. I think Hagglund earned some extra money on the side tonight. How the heck does run right past DeLeon without even attempting to stop him, then,when his keeper makes the save, head the ball into the back of his own net? How is that type of incompetence even possible?

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      • I do as well, it was just poor timing. If someone asked him, since coming back what improvements have you seen that the league still needs to make, If then he said the refs need to improve,then that would be fair. However don’t do it after a loss, at home, when you were up a man.

      • I would concur with bryan, Fast Edouard, although I should say it is speculation based an a basic knowledge of how most niche journalism works in blog format such as SBI. As a writer, you should expect to make nothing at first, unless you have an established name and audience that will bring a new crop of regulars to the site immediately. New writers are effectively interns, learning the business and being compensated by the opportunity to build a portfolio of bylines for a credible and recognized site run by a top national journalist in the subject matter.

        This portfolio becomes the currency that they can then use to pursue an income-generating position or full-time career, such as by (1) moving into an entry-level position with a larger media organization that offers a traditional career path (not many left really, and competition is high) (2) advancing to a Senior Writor or Editor position in the same or similar type of shop (don’t expect a ton of money if you are so fortunate as to be paid at all) or (3) Starting your own blog/outlet, either as a competitor or a supplemental resource for an underserved market.

        Seems to me you would be best served simply pursuing the entrepreneurial route (3) above. If nobody is covering NASL etc. comprehensively (I have no idea if Ives has discontinued or scaled back — it would surprise me but I have no info here), why bother scoring the unpaid job, when you can just set up a simple blog yourself and own the content? The costs would be very low… almost negligible but for your time. If you find you can keep up with the subject matter, and the blog is quality, you can then sell or license the content to SBI or Goal or Si.com, and become the self-employed “subject matter expert”. Even get yourself a Fast Eddie Twitter feed.

        You almost certainly won’t get rich writing about soccer. You may very well not clear the poverty line, even as a very good writer working full-time. It’s a tough business and a low-margin industry. But you get to spend all day on soccer.

  7. What the ……………? So, the writers here work for free then? It would not surprise me.

    What do you call things like this? Oh yeah, an opportunity to get recognized, a chance to make some money one day.

    I have always wondered, since I first entered this blog, about the writers. I read them, and I googled them, and I found out they weren’t professional writers, they all had been writing for free, you know, college newspaper. So, it seems you are still writing for free, but it will help you, in fact, your should pay for the education you are getting.

    Don’t you guys know, you have something of value. Don’t give it for free anymore.

    Reply
    • It’s an insanely competitive market. Writers at SBI aren’t in it for the money. They’re either in it for the love of the game/the love of the craft (if they have an outside job), or for a chance to build a portfolio.

      Obviously, it’d be great if Ives could pay the writers, but I think they know that they are valued, and can move on to a paying job if they do well with their opportunity at sbi.

      Reply
  8. OK, settle down, I have a question. I know there are 3 or 4 teams in NASL that can give the best in MLS a test. And one for sure, that will give them a behind the shed whopping.

    Yesterday someone complained that neither SBI or goal. speaks of NASL and then it was answered. If you would like to represent (write) on the NASL just email Goal. or SBI.

    Here is the question. I am an award winning writer (sports) and I am interested in the job. Would someone answer my question, maybe you would Mr. Karell, what does the job pay?

    Reply
    • I am a lot like the soccer players who come the MLS. my best days are behind me.

      But, and it is a big but, I retired from writing for a living, not pushing my body to unimaginable heights as a player. Maybe I got some good years left.

      So, someone tell me! What does a writer at Goal.com or SBI earn?

      Reply
    • Grandpa? Is that you? Sorry folks. He likes to go off his meds, pretend to be an award winning writer and spout complete nonsense.

      Reply
  9. Other items on this soccer Wednesday. Bayern Munich arrived in New York earlier today. Pep, with Julian, held a press conference. Did anybody watch it?

    Reply
      • wth, I usually don’t do things like this but………………… btw, u post as Lu?

        anyway, No, I was only quoting the words from the Bayern Munich American web-site.

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