By IVES GALARCEP
It is rivalry week in Major League Soccer this week, as many of the league’s most intense match-ups are on the schedule, led by the Seattle Sounders’ visit to take on the Portland Timbers.
The Timbers are still searching for their first win of the 2014 season as they take on the same Seattle side they eliminated from the MLS playoffs last year.
In Texas, Western Conference-leading FC Dallas take on the Houston Dynamo in a clash of teams off to solid starts in 2014. The Dynamo suffered a tough road loss in Vancouver last week, but return home to BBVA Compass Stadium, where they will look to hand FC Dallas their first win of the season.
Sporting Kansas City plays host to Real Salt Lake in a rematch of the 2013 MLS Cup Final. Both teams have multiple players coming off international duty with the U.S. Men’s National Team, and both teams head into the match unbeaten.
SBI will be providing live commentary
how on earth has SKC not scored
Terrible call by Salazar to given Horst a straight red. Completely changed the game. Pitiful.
rsl looks out of sorts
DC finally gets a win.
So, Jose Mari, at least, can score goals from the run of play for the Rapids!
Columbus looks so dangerous. Toronto is putting on a performance though.
Dempsey hat trick.
Bradley great goal.
Looks like the haters will have nothing to whine about.
Looks like Vancouver bought Seattle’s old turf.
Did Congress outlaw defense this week? USMNT coughs up 2 goals in the second half of a friendly, and MLS stands at 14 goals from 3 games so far today. Good way to help build the fanbase
Said Debbie Downer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ_R-G_i4Xk
great day for the nats. edu levels for the union.
add that michael bradley guy to the list
Great game to watch
What a difference once Cooper subbed off, with an already suspect midfield, you gotta wonder if Sigi has a grasp on this team’s strength and weaknesses
Seattle-Portland. Both teams attacking the penalty area and getting players inside the box. Both teams getting goals as a result. As a coach, fan, and student of the game, this is the kind of play I want MLS teams to be doing regardless of MLS team doing it. Outstanding.
YES! Can we just stop talking about Clint being done? He was money–so many quality touches, good finishes, and helped out on defense. I wish I could be in tne PTFC locker room right now…
Now can Jozy get suspended?
Both teams could have easily scored 6 in that. Really entertaining game for MLS, good to have on national TV. Some shocking from both teams so they are going to have to look at that but overall a really entertaining game. Tie was probably fair, both teams had a ton of chances.
Say what you want about MLS but that was fun
The most entertaining MLS game I have watched since New York red Bulls versus Galaxy during Beckhamania
Perhaps the most entertaining MLS game ever played!! I remember that late Angel equalizer (I hope that’s what it was…lol)
Solid game vs mexico and hattrick vs portland. Id say good week for clint
if only martins could finish..
Dempsey is back!!
Or Yedlin pass to him. That was totally a shot.
perhaps but he still should have finished that excellent pass from Dempsey
oh well, heck of a match
Ah, I was thinking of a different thing. heh
Neagle for the national team. Cooper should be traded for a decent centerback
Wow dempsey hattrick!
Why didn’t neagle start?
Don’t know honestly. If Seattle is going to go 4-3-3 Neagle needs to start. He tracks back a lot better than Cooper
Yep, he has great chemistry with clint, and hes also a UNLV Rebel!
Holy cow. This oughta be a wild last 3 mins and stoppage time!
Sounders playing way better without Cooper on the field.
And without Cooper on the field Yedlin looks like a better defender. If Sigi knows anything about tactics he will never start Cooper again
He should never sit Neagle.
Yedlin draws a PK. Dempsey with a hat trick
dempsey in-form?
looks that way
Sigi is a pretty poor tactician IMO, their attack seems to rely more on individual brilliance as opposed to a cohesive team effort
Nevermind
How the heck did martins miss that header??
The defending in this game from both sides (especially Seattle) is shockingly bad. This game should really have 10+ goals by now. Evidently Seattle has never heard of closing down players in midfield or not cheaply losing possession.
Attack as one and defend as one I don’t think Seattle’s ever heard of it, Dempsey Martins and Cooper are playing their own game. They are so focused on attacking I think they are forgetting how good Portland is. Blame this game on Anibaba and Cooper mostly not Yedlin
…..on the bright side Montreal should be up 5-0 right now.
Bradley Wrong-Phillips
Everyone here hating on Yedlin needs to watch this game a bit closer. Admittedly he has been out of position multiple times but he is getting no help at all from those in front of him. Numerous times he has been left 2 v 1 with little options. Not his best performance but it is far from all his fault.
No point in trying to talk sensibly. Somewhere along the line, Yedlin must have kicked their dog, and they are forever bitter.
+1 these people love to bash blindly. Same people who thinks wondo can make it to premier league
haha so in a comment calling out people for bashing a player, you find a way to bash a player
never bashed wondo cause its true
I said the same thing in a comment earlier. People aren’t watching the whole build up, Kenny Cooper just doesn’t believe in defense or passing back to keep possession or anything tactical for that matter
Okay, hilarious.
Yedlin’s fiance is freaking out at Twellman on Twitter because he ripped him.
How is that not a penalty for Seattle? The Portland defender is all over Marshall, if he isn’t holding him it’s a clear goal for Seattle.
Really open game though, tie game so far is probably fair. Issue to watch for Seattle is their midfielders already picking up lots of yellows.
Anibaba screaming at Yedlin after Yedlin refuses to play ball out for huge gash in Valeri’s knee. Dempsey screaming at Yedlin after ward for not being close to where he should be.
Yedlin a good 30 yards out of position again, way up field, and counter attack just walks into his side of the box as right center back is marking two guys. Misses by inches.
If Portland were a decent team they’d make Seattle pay for it by now.
I would love to hear the Sounders whine a bit more about fouling skilled players since they are just mauling Chara and Nagbe left and right.
I don’t have much stake in the MLS but both these teams are mauling each other/themselves. Valeri managed to hurt himself on Alonso. It’s just manic.
+1. Both teams are guilty of being wild in this one. Kah went in extremely wildly at one point. Pineda has done it multiple times for Seattle.
Yeah, they’re hacking away pretty good. That gash on Valeri’s leg reminded me of a smaller version of what happened to Disco Stu’s leg.
Portland has so much speed in their attack.
Seth Vertelney @svertgoalcom 2m
Yedlin’s having a bit of a shocker defensively so far #MLS
I wouldn’t exactly say it was a shocker if you have actually been watching MLS this year.
Wait.. What? I thought everyone was saying Yedlin was going to Brazil after the Mexico game…
( CR 7 hatrick by now?)
A hat trick at least.
Probably a hat trick of hat tricks, at least, plus some
Even coentrao would have slithered up and gotten a goal
well he made that look easy
Not to continue on the Yedlin train but he was 30 yards out of position there and then got nutmegged.
Alhassan just nutmegged Yedlin like he wasn’t even there.
So… Yedlin has been learning defense from Omar Gonzalez apparently.
He’s like Dani Alves but… he can’t defend.
To be fair, sometimes Dani can’t either.
Can’t or won’t 🙂
That’s what Liken is saying. I think he is being sarcastic or sardonic right there, depending on what those words mean.
Is Deandre Yedlin EVER in position? This kid is getting burned left and right by everybody.
Blame Kenny Cooper!!!! It’s 2 on 1 or 3 on 1 most of the time, no one is coming back to support on defense
Freddy Adu plays better defense than Yedlin.
Jesus, this kid is horribly defensively.
What exactly is horribly defensively?
That was terrible from Yedlin. Nagbe embarrassed him.
What a start in Portland.
klinsman is right, all i see is Seattle fouling nagbe