The Week in Review

Thursday

Portland @ California - In a game where California had the better of play in the second half, it was Portland's keeper, Josh Wicks that set David Hague up for the game winner in the 89th minute. California had been applying all of the pressure when Wicks just clogged a clearance towards the opposite box.  The Victory defense completely misplayed the ball and ended up leaving Hague alone with the keeper Eric Reed.  Reed simply didn't have a chance.  The home team out shot the visitors 14-4, but it was all for not as they only got two on goal which were both handled by Wicks.

Final: 1-0 Portland
My Prediction: 1-0 Portland

Miami @ Seattle - Chris Eylander was a busy man in the Seattle net, making nine saves, but he made the Sounders lone goal stand up.  In the 44th minute, Hugo Alcarez-Cuellar played in a nice corner that Miami keeper Patrick Hannigan couldn't hold on to.  The ball fell to defender Zach Scott unmarked at the back post for the easy tap in.

Final: 0-1 Seattle
My Prediction: 0-2 Seattle

Friday

Puerto Rico @ Montreal - Montreal came into this game having lost their last two home games and not having won in their last four home games.  They almost stretched that to five, but Antonio Ribeiro came up the hero less than a minute from the end of stoppage.

Final: 0-1 Montreal
My Prediction: 1-2 Montreal

Atlanta @ Rochester - Rochester was undefeated in their last six before this game, including four wins in that stretch.  Atlanta was winless in their last six with four losses.  Both teams decided to buck their respective trends.  Atlanta's Dan Antoniuk scored a nice goal in the 44th minute to give the Silverbacks the lead at the half.  Rochester didn't get quite as much pressure on Atlanta as you would think in the second half, and defensive sub John Queely was sprung in stoppage time getting in one-on-one with Rochester keeper Chase Harrison to apply the game sealer.

Final: 2-0 Atlanta
My Prediction: 1-3 Rochester

Saturday

Vancouver @ Charleston - USL Live has the PR @ Montreal match linked where this one is supposed to be, so I haven't been able to go back and review it.  The brief report is that Super Trooper Dusty Hudock had more to do in his net that Richard Goddard did in his, but it all came out in the wash.  Joey Gjertsen scored in the 36th minute to set the champs up to steal three on the road.  Stephen Armstrong evened it up in the 56th to avoid the home loss.

Final: 1-1
My Prediction: 1-0 Vancouver

Miami @ Portland - The third game in three days to be decided in stoppage time.  Larry Olum did the honors for Portland in this one, scoring the only goal of the game.  Old Man Gregor played in a beautiful free kick the Olum lobbed back across the face of the goal over Miami keeper Gabard Fenelon to win the game.

Final: 0-1 Portland
My Prediction: 0-2 Portland

Sunday

California @ Montreal - The bizarro game of the week got going right around half time.  Maricio Vincello took a relatively soft yellow in the 38th, then five minutes later went in hard on Luis Aguilar to get his second and an early shower.  With the hosts a man down, the Victory took advantage.  Of course that was after Luis Aguilar got a yellow of his own just before the half setting up a dangerous free kick for the Impact and a scramble in the box that nearly saw Montreal grab the lead.  Yuri Morales played a beauty of a cross in that found the head of Josh Hansen.  Hansen knocked it in for the 1-0 lead in the 59th minute.  Morales scored one of his own from outside of the box on a pretty tremendous blast.  That iced the game and was good for the most unexpected result of the week.

Final: 2-0 California
My Prediction: 0-2 Montreal

Tuesday

Seattle @ Rochester - In addition to being without Scott Vallow for the season, Rochester will be missing Matthew Delicate for a while after this one with a broken jaw.  Vallow's injury is really starting to hurt the Rhinos it seems.  In this game, his replacement, Chase Harrison, dallied on the ball, Sebastien Le Toux stormed through, took it and scored before Harrison could even turn around.  Eylander, on the other hand, had another spectacular night, stopping six shots including a Johnny Menyonger penalty in the 83rd that would have tied the game up.  In truth, Seattle looked more the home team than Rochester did most of the match.  Just a really bad game for the Rhinos.

Final: 1-0 Seattle
My Prediction: 0-1 Rochester.

Vancouver @ Carolina - I haven't been able to convince myself to watch any of this game.  It's got ugly written all over it.  Only 13 shots were take total, four of those forced a keeper to make the save.  Of course, Vancouver's Lutz Pfannenstiel, making his debut for the Whitecaps was not forced to make a single save to get his clean sheet.

Final: 0-0
My Prediction: 0-0

Wednesday

Charleston @ Atlanta - A missed clearance by the Charleston defense allowed Warren Ukah to play the ball to Antoniuk who fought off a couple of defenders to poke the ball past Dusty "The Fuzz" Hudock in the 21st to get things going.  The second goal was actually more pathetic on the part of the Battery with Rodrigo Rios playing a cross in that Brandon Curran knocked into his own net attempting to put it over the end line.  "Hot Fuzz" didn't have a chance.  Lazo Alavanja pulled one back on a quality free kick from distance in the 31st.  In the 43rd, David Hayes and Dan Antoniuk played a nice one-two that Hudock rushed out on and missed to give Atlanta the 3-1 lead.  One final note before the half, Mike Richardson made a poor challenge just outside of the Atlanta box to get the first yellow of the game.  That was important because one minute after the half, Richardson made another bad challege to get his second yellow and a red.  Interestingly, Richardson received all cards given in this game.  Nice contribution Mike!  As time wore down in the second half, Atlanta was increasingly willing to hoof the ball into Charleston's half and let them work the ball back down the field.  In stoppage, the Battery was able to do something with it as Alavanja nearly knocked in another long range effort.  Silverback keeper, Ryan McIntosh, wasn't able to control it allowing Aaron King to march in and roof the rebound.  Too little too late, however.

Final: 2-3 Atlanta
My Prediction: 1-1

Miami @ California - Not quite the toilet bowl of last week, but it certainly had all the feistiness of the Open Cup match between Minnesota and California.  Heck it even had a Ricardo Sanchez red card.  Cali also got the opposing coach sent off for the second game in a row.  But I get a little ahead of myself.  Zinho got things going in the 35th with a nice ball to Sean Fraser right down the middle and Fraser put it away.  I have yet to see what happened that caused the coach to get sent off based on the box score, and the announcers make no mention of it that I can tell.  But sometime, apparently in the 64th, the Miami coach was dismissed from the proceedings.  Ricardo Sanchez was a little frustrated to have lost the ball to Zinho and took him out from behind without really making an effort at the ball.  Straight red was the call.  At least his teammates didn't have to haul him off the field for the coach to put him in a headlock.  The Victory were doomed however, three minutes later, Luis Gonzalez played a corner in that California went ahead and stuck it in their own net.  Couldn't make out who did the honors though.  John Pulido added another to the tally four minutes after that with a nice long drive that took a deflection of another California defenders head on the way in.  Lil' Chuck Kim pulled one back just before the end of regulation.  That was how it ended.

Final: 3-1 Miami
My Prediction: 1-1

For the week that makes me 5-6, with one correct margins of victory and two perfect scores.  For the season I'm now at 35-51 with 14 correct margins of victory and eight exact scores.  The random number generator is 29-57.

Rankings:
Rnk(+/-) Team (W-D-L) Notes
1(0) Vancouver (7-6-2) - Two more road draws in Charleston and Carolina
2(+3) Portland (6-3-2) - Wins in Cali, at home vs. Miami
3(+4) Seattle (7-4-5) - Win at home to Miami and in Rochester
4(0) Carolina (4-6-3) - Bunker ball at home gets a scoreless draw
5(+2) Montreal (6-5-3) - A little lucky vs. Puerto Rico, stomped at home by Cali
6(-4) Rochester (6-6-5) - Two home losses to Atlanta and Seattle
7(-1) Puerto Rico (3-6-4) - Last second loss in Montreal
8(+4) Atlanta (5-4-5) - Wins in Rochester and home vs. Charleston
9(+1) Charleston (5-4-6) - Home draw to Vancouver, loss in Atlanta
10(-1) Minnesota (2-5-6) - First of two idle weeks
11(-1) California (2-5-7) - Busy week, home loss to Portland huge win in Montreal, home loss to Miami
12(-1) Miami (5-2-10) - Losses in Portland and Seattle, win in Cali

Predictions:

Friday

Carolina @ Rochester - No Vallow, no Delicate, against a team that should be bitter rivals despite their newness and coming off consecutive home defeats.  Nothing looks good for the Rhinos right now.  They could probably put an extra field player in goal and have him move forward the full 90 without Carolina being able to score.

My prediction: 0-0

Saturday

Puerto Rico @ Charleston - The Islanders played pretty well in Montreal, but after California's performance in Montreal I'm not sure if that means anything.  Charleston continues to be up and down.  The Battery will be without Mike Richardson after he got sent off in Atlanta, but I'm not sure that matters either.  Hey Puerto Rico fans, another prediction that doesn't involve an Islanders draw!

My prediction: 2-1 Puerto Rico

Vancouver @ Atlanta - The 'Caps have had a pretty outstanding road stretch getting six points in four games without a single loss.  Atlanta all of a sudden looks like they did at the beginning of the season and kind of how many expected them to play. 

My prediction: 1-2 Atlanta

Portland @ California - The Timbers continue to roll through a lull in their schedule facing off against the Victory for the second time in two weeks.  The Victory sandwhiched an incredible win in Montreal with home loss to Portland and Miami.  Plus, California will be without Mad Dog Ricardo Sanchez.  Sadly, that actually makes the Victory's chances worse.  Sanchez is at the point now he could do anything I wouldn't bat an eye.  Heck, he could charge in the stands at Kezar and rip out a California fans throat ala Patrick Swayze in Road House and I wouldn't be surprised.

My prediction: 2-0 Portland

Sunday

Carolina @ Montreal -  Well, Carolina will probably score one goal this weekend, you would think, but they aren't playing a home game and they are playing two of who are supposed to be the best three teams in the league.  I guess I just can't figure out which game they are either going to fluke one in or draw a penalty.  Who knows what Montreal is going to do at this point?  They should only have to score one in this game, like at against PR, but will it happen?

My prediction: 0-0