Altidore Strikes Back??

According to soccerway.com, Jozy Altidore is being given the start today by Sunderland with Fabio Borini as his strike partner. Further changes are present in the midfield where Seb Larsson finds a spot on the bench to make way for Sung-Yong Ki. If Sunderland can manage to avoid a red card (never a given for this team) I think Altidore will take advantage of his opportunity, play well, and (yelp!) score his first goal of the Premier League campaign.

MLS Cup Playoffs, Quick Picks 11/3/2013

Houston vs New York

• Both teams are entering this one on a high so hopefully we see some positive soccer today
• I'm expecting Houston to come out swinging, look for them to push numbers early to try and score quickly
• Red Bulls will match the intensity and earn a result on the road, Houston 2 - New York 2
• The Red Bulls will protect their lead at home and win on aggregate, Houston 3 - New York 4

RSL vs LA Galaxy

• These familiar foes should provide the best soccer in this round of the playoffs
• RSL is still searching for their most consistent front line and has been shuffling their outside back in recent weeks
• The dangerous Galaxy attack, spearheaded by Robbie Keane, will find a way to break the disciplined RSL and win the game 3 - 1
• RSL will rebound at home to take a two goal lead but the Galaxy will find a way to take on back, winning on aggregate LA Galaxy 4 - RSL 3

MLS Cup Playoff Predictions, 11/2/2013

Sporting Kansas City vs New England Revolution

• Two teams with strong defenses open the Eastern Conference semifinals this afternoon
• Both teams finished the season strong, look for continued solid play from each team
• New England's youth goes head to head with a more seasoned KC team
• Look for the attacking talent of the Revolution to earn the result for the home side before Kansas City wins the series at Sporting Park. Today's result: Revolution 2 - KC 1, Aggregate Result: Kansas City 3 - Revolution 2

Portland Timbers vs Seattle Sounders

• This one should be wild as the teams from the northwest look to reach the western conference finals and the fans of each team brag about how they are the coolest, most authentic supporters in the history of soccer
• Good attacking players, turf, football lines, and a huge crowd should turn this one into a prime-time spectacle
• Bad blood between the two sides could produce some audacious challenges and plenty of cards finding their way out of the referee's pockets
• Caleb Porter and the Portland Timbers should find a way to grind out a result tonight in Seattle, Timbers 2 - Sounders 2. Look for Portland to frustrate Seattle in their home leg and win the game 1 - 0 to take the series. 

Bedoya nets winner for Nantes as a late substitute

Ale Bedoya managed to bag the winner for Nantes yesterday, shortly after he entered the game. Watch the video below and see him score with a good far post run; (goal sequence starts at 5:15)

An incredible finish for CONCACAF

The last day Hex drama is a big hit for CONCACAF as the USA, Costa Rica, and Honduras have booked their spots in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup. Graham Zusi and Aron Johannsson netted late goals that might as well have been machetes into the throats of Panamanians, thus sending Mexico to a playoff with New Zealand. Twitter was quivering over the results, here are a few of my favorites;

Did you know: New Zealand has 4.3 million people. Did you know: New Zealand has 60 million sheep. Did you know: New Zealand is awesome
— Kevin Lincoln (@KTLincoln) October 16, 2013

Zusi is in the locker room like.... @BestSoccerShow pic.twitter.com/gqFDL9JTwD
— D. Ringo (@i_amringo) October 16, 2013

. @KyleBeckerman tells me Panamanian players were begging US to take it easy on the field. "I told them I got to play hard to get to Brazil"
— roger bennett (@rogbennett) October 16, 2013

goals;

Part 1: Salt Lake Lineup Decisions; Who should start at forward for the playoff run?

Real Salt Lake has spent this season cycling through 5 different players at the forward position. Each player has had good moments and each player has drifted into obscurity for extended time periods. This article is an attempt to identify the most productive striker pair that Real Salt Lake can deploy heading into the playoffs. 

The Players:

Olmes Garcia - Fast, physical, and a constant nuisance to opposing defenses, Olmes stole the hearts of Salt Lake City fans early in the season with a fantastic finish in Vancouver and a dominating substitute performance against the LA Galaxy. 

Garcia pays tribute to a friend

Garcia has an impressive 5 goals and 4 assists in under 1,000 minutes of league play. He has not found the net, however, since July 13th in a 3 - nil win at Dallas and he is yet to score a goal in a game in which he starts. It seems clear that Garcia helps his team the most as a 2nd half substitute. For now. Expect to see this guy earn a consistent starting role in the next 2 years but he's just not there yet.

Devon Sandoval - Sandoval is another exciting, young striker on the Salt Lake roster and he has scored some clutch goals for the club in his rookie campaign. Sandoval was crucial in the team's Open Cup run and has chipped in 3 league goals. Devon, as oppose to Garcia, has relished the starting role, with all 3 league goals coming in matches where he started.

Bruiser

Sandoval is still learning what Jason Kreis expects from his players and although the work rate is there, Sandoval still has a ways to go before his tactical awareness and participation in build up play are where they need to be. Look for him to be a factor late in games when coming off the bench. The possible exception being if Saborio runs cold but I have a tough time seeing Kreis bench him as long as he is healthy.  

To be continued....

Everton v Manchester City Recap

In Early Saturday action; (This was going to be a more thorough post recapping the weekends soccer but I got busy, so it's been reduced to this...)

• Romelu Lukaku scored an early goal (16'), giving him, at the time, 4 goals in 151 Premier League minutes in an Everton shirt. Lukaku finished the game on 4 goals in 232 minutes. 

hgf by 21cad

• Manchester City struck back immediately with a goal from Negredo. City kept the pressure on, culminating in a 45' strike from Aguero into the far side of the net. Aguero managed to find the far corner from a tight angle and just blasted past Tim Howard's feet. 
• City continued to dictate the game but Everton were unlucky to give up a soft penalty for a foul on Zabaleta in the 69th minute. The misfortune continued as Tim Howard guessed the direction of Aguero's shot and reached his hand to the ball, only to have the ball bounce of the inside of the post, into Howard's head, and then backwards into the goal.

31 by 21cad

FULHAM - STOKE;

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