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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European Cup Day (9/24/2013) : Some Highlights and Reactions

Tuesday Cup Action in Europe ;

• Borussia Dortmund v 1860 Munchen
• Young American Bobby Wood started and finished on the bench for this match at the Allianz Arena against the talented squad from Dortmund
• First half ended scoreless with Dortmund dominating possession but looking slight vulnerable on the counter

Baggy gray sweats tucked into tape around the ankles

• After finding the crossbar twice, Dortmund was able to take the lead through an Aubameyang penalty, drawn by Marco Reus
• Mkhitaryan found the net before the end of extra time to seal the win for Dortmund
• An all-around good match, both teams can take positives away from this one

• Hoffenheim v Energie Cottbus
• Fabian Johnson played all 120 minutes in this DFB Pokal match
• Like Dortmund, Hoffenheim waited until extra time to punish their opponent
• Final : Hoffenheim 3 - Cottbus 0
• http://www.livematch.goal.com/home/locale/en-us/?matchId=1568127&ICID=OP

• Sunderland v Peterborough United
• Jozy Altidore started and played 85' in Sunderland's first game under caretaker Kevin Ball
• Giaccerini tapped in the game winner in the first half
• Altidore was a step or two back of being able to get on the end of the cross
• Final : Sunderland 2 - Perborough 0

• Tottenham v Aston Villa
• Brad Guzan played the backup role as Tottenham expunged Villa from the league cup with a score of 4 - 0
• The first Tottenham goal was exquisite, see gif
• Highlights :

Colorado Rapids : Should We Be Paying More Attention?

On June 29th the Colorado Rapids came from behind to beat the Impact in Montreal. The win snapped a 3 game losing streak for the Rapids and propelled them into a two and a half month stretch where they went 7-1-4 in the league.




Colorado has matched up well with the best of the western conference; beating the LA Galaxy twice, going undefeated in 3 games against Real Salt Lake, and managing a tie with Seattle at Century Link Field. Colorado plays Portland this Friday (NBCSN) with the chance to take even more points from a team near the top of the western conference.

Colorado is not exactly sneaking up on anybody, they are third in the most recent MLSsoccer.com power rankings, but most of the media attention remains on Los Angeles, Seattle, Salt Lake and even Portland. Does Colorado's young roster have enough talent and exuberance (maybe ignorance?) to finish out the season in the top five (or three) of the western conference? Do guys like Edson Buddle and Marvel Wynne provide enough leadership to make the Rapids believe they can beat the Galaxy or Sounders in a two-game series?

If Colorado finishes 4th in the west and faces Portland in the playoff round, at home, then they will prove a very difficult task for an equally inexperienced Timbers team. Beyond that, if the regular season is any indication, the Rapids are capable of stealing a series from one of the top 3 in the western conference.

Selected Highlights from the Weekend of 9/15/2013 ;

CONCACAF Players :

• Jozy Altidore was disallowed an apparent goal that would have tied Sunderland's game with Arsenal. The referee awarded a free kick for the push on the edge of the penalty box ;

Image from 101greatgoals.com

• Giovanni Dos Santos scored an equalizer for Villareal in their game against Real Madrid ;

• Tim Howard and Everton managed a shutout against Chelsea in a 1 -0 win ;

Everton vs Chelsea 1:0 MOTD by footballdaily1

• Jose Torres played 90 minutes for Tigres in a 1 - 0 win against Cruz Azul ;

• Alejandro Bedoya played 75' for Nantes in a 1 - 0 victory over Sochaux ; 
• Bedoya reportedly played in a central midfield position.
• Aron Johannsson continued his wizardry from the penalty spot (approx. 2:40) in a 3 - 0 win for AZ Alkmaar against Go Ahead Eagles ; 

• Club Tijuana featured Edgar Castillo, Greg Garza, and Paul Arriola in a 2 - 2 draw at Chivas Guadalajara ;