Anyone watching the US Olympic qualifier?

Man, the US is collapsing.

The Olympics tends to be a boring, pointless tournament anyway, as this round of qualifying shows. A real lack of quality.

we gotta win this one to get to qualify right? we win we in, we lose we out?

I just turned it on...How has Teal looked?

Yes, the US needs a win to progress. A draw or a loss and it's over. With a win, the US would somehow win the group (lol @ canada) and go to the knockout stage. The two teams that make the final go to the Olympics.

FF YEAHHAHHAAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHHAH

BOYD LOOKS A HELL OF ALOT BETTER THAN TEAL

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLL OMFG YES AMERICUH

3-2

Wow. Just as fast they went down 2-1 they come back to 3-2.

THIS MATCH IS RIDIC

GO MIX GO SHEA GO FREDDY GO AMERIKKKA

SEAN JOHNSON WITH TEH EPIC SAVE FTFW

How was that not a red card?

****KKKKKKKKKKK COME THE **** ONNNNNENENNENENNENNEN

Holy shit.

THAT"S WHY YOU DON"T ****ING STALL AND PLAY THROUGH YOUR ****ING DEFENSE FOR 20 MINUTES STRAIGHT ****ING PATHETIC

They deserved the loss, I hate in when any of my teams do that shit... seems like karma every ****ing time...

If Porter wanted to play that way he shouldn't have brought on two mother****ing offensive subs... ****ing bullshit tactics by our head coach.

jesus ****

Obviously Porter's out. Other than that, it's embarrassing. To fail to qualify out of that group...eek.

Sporting KC feeling the magic as it sits atop the standings

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/26...#storylink=cpy

Last year’s win against FC Dallas was a milestone victory for Sporting Kansas City for several reasons, but Sunday’s thrilling win against Schellas Hyndman’s Dallas club might signal something even more special.

The 4-1 win June 12, 2011, at Pizza Hut Park was Graham Zusi’s masterpiece — a two-goal, one-assist symphony that served as a coming-out party for Zusi, who would go on to be selected the MLS breakout player of the year.

It also was the first match to feature centerbacks Aurelien Collin and Matt Besler flanked by Chance Myers on the right and Seth Sinovic on the left in the starting lineup.

Additionally, that victory boosted Sporting KC, which improved to 2-6-4 at the time, from seven to 10 points in the season’s 12th game.

Part of those early struggles undoubtedly stemmed from a 10-game road stretch that opened the season, but already there is a much different tenor to the 2012 season.

Only three games into the year, Sporting KC, 3-0-0, has accrued the maximum nine points possible and sits atop the Major League Soccer table after dispatching FC Dallas 2-1 on the strength of Kei Kamara’s 88th-minute goal.

“I don’t think there’s another team in the league that’s playing to the level that they’re playing at right now,” coach Hyndman said after FC Dallas was handed its first loss.

Sporting KC has had at least 10 more shots than its opponent in all three games to date, which is among the myriad reasons it is safe to say coach Peter Vermes’ club has been the most dominant squad in the season’s first 15 days.

“Frankly, I really don’t know and I don’t care,” Vermes said. “For us, the most important thing is for us to be focused on what we do. If you spend too much time looking at your opponents, they start to pass you by.”

It’s a message Sporting KC’s players have taken to heart.

“It’s a little bit of a carryover (from last year), but it’s more about how we’re playing right now,” said Zusi, who leads MLS with four assists, including at least one in each game so far. “We’re very confident, and we have a team that didn’t change much from last year. We have a specific way we play, and that is carrying over from last year, and we’re better at that style. We’re playing very well right now, and we’re tough to beat.”

Maintaining that high level and playing with consistency from game to game is the drumbeat Vermes wants Sporting KC to march to as the season moves into a new month.

“Winning is a habit, and losing is a habit,” said Kamara, who now has scored in back-to-back games five times since joining Sporting KC in 2009 and leads the league in shots (24) and shots on goal (11). “If we can keep this habit, I would love it.”

Perhaps the most encouraging sign for Sporting KC was that it took a shot in the mouth when Ricardo Villar chipped in a free kick during the 25th minute for a 1-0 FC Dallas lead, but the home side didn’t lose its composure.

“We were honestly better than them,” Collin said. “This was big proof of what we are right now — confident but at the same time fighting, but not crazy. Keeping the cold blood. I am very proud of this team tonight.”

The club is perfect through three games for the second time in its history and could start 4-0 for the first time ever with a win Sunday against Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles.

“It’s the sign of a good team that we didn’t play that well tonight, but we still found a way to win,” Besler said. “If we can find different ways to win each night, we’re going to get a lot of points.”

To reach Tod Palmer, call 816-234-4389 or send email to tpalmer@kcstar.com. Follow him at twitter.com/todpalmer.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/26...#storylink=cpy

MLSSoccer.com Week 3 Power Rankings.

Sporting on top.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...ankings-week-3

Sunday was a great day. I love the heart that this team plays with. There is no quit in them
That was a LONG run by Chance at the end of the game, and credit to Kei for continuing to fight as well.

I'm starting to get kinda worried about yellow card accumulation though.

Wow! This is awesome, and a little hard to believe. . I think we can play with anyone, but I never thought of us as the top team(right now) in MLS for some reason.

Nice writeup in USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/socce...=1tto6b7v5ldb4

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Charles Gooch
The Kansas City Star


It doesn't really matter if it came against a team depleted of its offensive firepower. It doesn't matter if it wasn't pretty. It doesn't matter if it wasn't a dominating performance from the opening whistle to the last flickering second of stoppage time.

The math is always the same. A win always equals three points. (Unless it's a friendly, of course.) Sometimes a win is pretty. Sometimes it's ugly and dirty. Sometimes it's extraordinarily lucky. Doesn't matter, in the long run. It's still a win.

Sporting Kansas City might not be lighting the entire world en fuego with its play (though it has been the most consistently entertaining MLS squad this young season) and there might be questions that linger about what happens next, but right now, they are top of the table. The only team with nine points from its first three games.

That isn't to say that the problems or the questions don't matter. They do. It's just about perspective. At least to start with.

XI Thoughts is a creatively named weekly feature of The Full 90. It incorporates 11 thoughts (or sometimes questions) on the most recent game. If you see a blue link, it's probably at the least worth a click. It's usually funny and will open in a new tab/window. Like this.

1. This was the first real challenge and KC passed it
Before Sunday, KC had beat up on a team that was down to 10 men for 75 minutes and another that appears offensively inept. But remember: A win and a win are both wins.

Dallas, however, was the first real challenge. Sure, Brek Shea and David Ferreira weren't around. But Schellas Hyndman's squad is as defensively sound as you'll find in MLS.

Ugo Ihemelu. Kevin Hartman. Daniel Hernandez. Zack Loyd. George John. These are MLS Cup-winning, Hall-of-Fame worthy, All-Star-caliber, National-team eligible, EPL-enticing players.

And Sporting piled on enough pressure that they broke down three times -- the Aurelien Collin goal, the Chance Myers penalty and the Kei Kamara winner.

It might not have been 90 minutes of brilliant Sport-elona soccer. But KC pushed for space, found it and turned it into three points.

2. A tale of two halves
I wrote last year that Hyndman had drawn up the blueprint on how to beat KC -- Pressure Sporting's distribution out of the back, slow down the overall pace game, keep tight lines when defending, push everything wide and then cut off space. If you can steal an early goal, all the better.

That plan worked fairly well in practice (right down to the early goal), as FCD stymied Sporting on Sunday for 45 minutes. Sporting seemed to accept the snail's pace (made worse by a little post-tackle gamesmanship by Blas Perez and Daniel Hernandez on more than one occasion) dropping off into a very defensive 4-1-4-1 for the first 25 minutes.

Space was hard to find. Counter-attacking lanes closed quickly. And every shot on Kevin Hartman was from a poor angle or from well outside the box.

But then Sporting woke up; likely prodded on by Dallas' goal, Jimmy Nielsen's "this isn't who we are" pep talk and, most importantly, Aurelien Collin's no-look header deep into stoppage time Sporting Kansas City began to re-assert themselves and pile on a crock-pot full of pressure cooking.

3. Why Collin's goal changed the game.
If Dallas went into halftime up a goal, the plan would've likely been to sit on the game and choke the life out of Kansas City -- like a giant python (unless you are deathly afraid of snakes, then picture something less terrifying in your own mind).

KC's goal meant that Vermes could re-organize the team and bring the focus back on playing like Kansas City. And KC came out like they were shot out of a cannon in the second half. How dominant were KC in the second half?

Shots: 9 > 4
Corners: 7 > 4
Open Play Crosses: 13 > 5
Totals Passes: 192 > 119
Possession: 61% > 39%

The dominance, via domino effect, led to the space being available for the game winner.

4. Let's talk about the game winner.
The goal was 1) a late shocker, 2) ripped straight out of a KC training ground exercise and 3) an absolute peach.

Here's the full build-up that shows the passes before the one-touch clinic.

Of course, it was not nominated for Goal of the Week. Because, presumably, Kamara didn't give it a poke from 45 yards out and/or Myers didn't half volley it from the edge of the box. I'll wait for a proper explanation.

Sidebar: What the heck was Hartman doing on that shot? Seems like he was shading far post. Did he think the pass was going to get by Kamara to Sapong? I don't know. Seems odd.

5. Speaking of Chance Myers, he was the Man of the Match
I get that Kamara deserves a lot of love for his game (he's currently top of the Castrol Index right now and everything), but it was Myers who created the two best chances for KC.

His work in the box earned the penalty kick (though Kamara missed it) and the final goal doesn't happen if he doesn't beat the Dallas defender to the ball.

He also created the best chance for Dallas (the foul on Perez that led to Ricardo Villar's goal) but whatever.

The former first-overall draft pick isn't the fastest guy on the team (that's probably Teal Bunbury). He's not the strongest on the team (that's either Matt Besler or C.J. Sapong). He's not the most athletic (Kamara).

But I don't think that KC has another player with his motor or stamina. At 88 minutes into the game, he's able to find top gear after an entire evening of playing in near top gear. That's impressive.

I've given him some stick in the past -- but I truly do love the way he plays. He's physical on both sides of the ball. He's getting better going forward and he's dramatically improved in the air.

6. Man, Kamara shots a lot.
The first thing Kamara does when he gets the ball in the attacking third is to set his body and look for a shot. Heck, I think the first thing he does when he gets out of bed in the morning is look for a way to position himself for a shot.

He's got 24 of them on the season -- by far the most in the league. He's on pace for 248 shots this season (that's 8-per game). Last year's shot-taking leader? MLS MVP Dwayne De Rosario. He had 113.

7. The Disappearance of C.J. Sapong
KC's sophomore striker had a very poor game: 0 goals, 1 shot and 10 successful passes for C.J. That's not good.

Now, a little bit of that was he was alone up top. With Kamara and Convey pushed wide and deeper than usual, Sapong did have the thankless task of fighting off both John and Ihemelu. But that's only a partial reason. Sapong needs to learn (and he likely will) how to get into better channels and avoid the two-on-one fight.

8. Hair does matter.
You might think that hair matters as much to soccer performance as athletic ability matters to sports journalism. And you might be right. I might just be a bald, unathletic lunatic blogger searching for patterns in some sort of knee-jerk folic reaction.

Well, perhaps not. I submit Exhibit A.

http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2...y9X1.St.81.jpg

And Exhibit B.

http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2...SybZ.St.81.jpg

Yes. Since Zusi and Espinoza have grown out their hair, both have transformed from bench/rotation players into rising stars in MLS. The two of them are as responsible for Sporting KC's current position as anyone on the team.

This is the sort of analysis and pattern research that people should pay big bucks for!

9. Winning duels creates offense.
Sporting got out-dueled by Dallas (57%-43%). That's not going to make Vermes happy. His team thrives off winning 50-50 duels.

When Sporting wins a duel, it will immediately turn that defense into an offensive move. Just like a basketball team that thrives on transition baskets. It's a disruptive style of play that KC can carry out because it has so much team speed and athleticism.

But it's hard to get into that rhythm (and get into space easier) when you're not winning those duels.

10. Do points against the West matter?
In the long run, there are 102 points available on the season. But, for KC, only 27 of those points will come from games against the West. That's just about 26 percent. So, 75 percent of the points that KC will earn will come against the Eastern Conference.

Sporting already have six points against the East with 23 games remaining. If you spot KC a reasonable 1.8 points/game average (slightly higher than last year's 1.5 p/g for the year to account for KC being slightly better), that would translate to 45 points just against the East. With the win over Dallas that would mean a hypothetical 48 points.

In this hypothetical, KC would just need one point from its 8 remaining matches against the West to match last year's total of 51 points -- when they won the Eastern Conference.

That's probably pie-in-the-sky and relentlessly optimistic, but you see where I'm going. It's to illustrate the larger point: Wins against the West aren't nearly as important as wins against the East.

And, despite the supposed strength of the conference, KC actually had a winning record (7-5-6) against the West last year. So, there.

11. But here's why the West still matters.
Despite all I stated in the last thought, the West is still where the real challenges will come from as the bulk of the best teams in the league reside out West (Seattle, Los Angeles, Salt Lake).

Hyndman said after the game that KC "are much further ahead than any other team in the league" at this point. They'll get a chance to put that to the test with huge "measuring stick games" over the next four weeks.

That starts this Sunday at Chivas. The Goats aren't a great team, but they just beat one (a 1-0 win over Salt Lake at Rio Tinto). They also have the one player who can rival Roger Espinoza as "The Best Guy in MLS That No One Talks About Because He Doesn't Play in New York, LA or the Pacific Northwest" in goalkeeper Dan Kennedy. These will be tough points.

After that KC hosts Los Angeles (April 7) and Salt Lake (April 14) before a two-game swing at Vancouver (April 18) and Portland (April 21). Those are tougher points. And also bigger measuring sticks.

Regardless of how KC has played up to this point, those five games might determine how the rest of the season will play out. Even if the points don't necessarily matter as much.

All three goals were pleasing to the eyes.

Got to beat the billy goats because a tough stretch is coming up.

Chivas is full of assholes but anyone who drinks RSL's milkshake in their own house needs to be taken very seriously.

This was posted on the Cauldron Facebook page. Hahahaha.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...40353057_n.jpg

First the Quakes hold on in Seattle and play fantastic defense (OMG JUSTIN MORROW, and Bernardez is absolutely dominant), plus Lenhart puts on a beautiful heel performance.

Now the Revs are embarrassing LA at the HDC. Holy christ, tonight is awesome.

Crazy town.

Ok, I just saw the highlights of the SEA\SJ game. Obviously SJ had a good day at the office for keeping them off the board but that PK was shady as hell.

It doesn't help that I hate Lenhart.

Literally my least fav player in the league.

No question. It was one of the softer penalties I've ever seen awarded.

For some reason I'm perfectly okay with that (and for the very same reason I love Lenhart)!

Ok, Nagbe is a ****ing star.

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Jesus Christ. The first goal was top-notch, too.

FWIW: He grew up in the US and is on his way to becoming a citizen, iirc.

I know its early and everything but LA at the bottom of the table? Someone take a picture of that it isn't really how things work in the MLS.

http://i.imgur.com/rL3Z5.png

Hears the Olympic qualifier games out at LSP were lots of fun. Good energy in the stadium.

It is weird as hell seeing those different kinds of crowds there though.

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rnQtiXurZyA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I almost forgot that this signals the return of Ryan Smith who now sutis up for Chivas. How awkward.

http://www.sportingkc.com/sites/kans...%20x%20350.jpg

http://www.mlssoccer.com/sites/leagu.../CHV-v-SKC.jpg

CHIVAS USA vs SPORTING KANSAS CITY
THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.
April 1, 2012 (WEEK 4, MLS Game #35)
6 p.m. PT (KDOC; KSMO)

Coming off their first win of the campaign, Chivas USA will try to put a stop to red-hot Sporting Kansas City when the clubs meet Sunday evening at The Home Depot Center. Chivas went to Real Salt Lake and came away with a rare victory, a 1-0 result last weekend. Sporting are the only club with three wins from three starts on the season, hitting the road for the first time for a 2-1 win at FC Dallas last weekend.

REFEREE: Edvin Jurisevic. SAR (bench): Anthony Vasoli; JAR (opposite): Frank Anderson; 4th: Allen Chapman
MLS Career: 39 games; FC/gm: 21.8; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 4; pens: 5

DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)

INJURY REPORT:

CHIVAS USA - OUT: MF Marvin Iraheta (L knee ACL); FW Juan Pablo Angel (concussion symptoms); DOUBTFUL: DF Michael Lahoud (R hamstring strain)
SPORTING KANSAS CITY -- OUT: GK Eric Kronberg (lower back injury)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

SUSPENDED: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD

ALL-TIME (14 meetings): Chivas USA 4 wins, 19 goals ... Sporting 6 wins, 22 goals ... Ties 4
AT CARSON (7 meetings): Chivas USA 3 wins, 10 goals ... Sporting 2 wins, 9 goals ... Ties 2

LAST YEAR (MLS):
3/19: CHV 2, KC 3 (Conrad 56; Zemanski 84 - Sapong 2; Bravo 45, 74)
7/9: KC 1, CHV 1 (Bravo 90 - LaBrocca 30)

This is the only league meeting between the teams this season.
Sporting Kansas City has won on each of their last two visits to The Home Depot Center to face Chivas USA, including a 3-2 victory last year.

Chivas USA have come away with points on their last three visits to Kansas City. The last KC win at home in the series came in 2008 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

Coaches record: Robin Fraser vs. KC: P2 W0 L1 D1 ... Peter Vermes vs. CHV: P5 W2 L2 D1

CHIVAS USA

Chivas USA went onto the road for the first time this season and came away with their first victory of the campaign, a 1-0 victory against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium. Chivas USA sit in a tie for eighth place in the Western Conference with 3 points from 3 games.

LAST MATCH

The game's lone goal came in the 72nd minute. Chivas USA fullback Ante Jazic floated a cross from the left, and as Nick Rimando went to claim it, Casey Townsend challenged and the ball slipped from the RSL goalkeeper's grasp. The rookie striker reacted quickly to get a foot to the ball and hit it into the back of the net.

Chivas USA head coach Robin Fraser made no changes to the team that fell by a 1-0 scoreline to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at The Home Depot Center.

CHIVAS USA (4-2-3-1): Dan Kennedy - James Riley, Heath Pearce, Rauwshan McKenzie, Ante Jazic - Oswaldo Minda, Peter Vagenas (Ben Zemanski 67) - Ryan Smith (Scott Gordon 74), Nick LaBrocca, Laurent Courtois (Cesar Romero 81) - Casey Townsend.
TEAM NEWS

Chivas USA won for the first time ever at Rio Tinto Stadium, and won for the first time on the road since last Aug. 6, a 3-2 win at New England.

"The team has played well and we haven't gotten the results that we might've deserved or could've deserved," said Chivas head coach Robin Fraser. "And to come in tonight, in what is the hardest place to play in the league, this win comes down to guts and determination."

Rookie Casey Townsend scored Chivas USA's first goal of 2012 after 252 minutes of play, netting the game's only goal for the win.

"That's what I do," Townsend said. "I'm going to go up and battle for the ball and make it difficult for the goalkeeper, and that's what I did. There was a mix-up between him and the center back and it dropped nicely for me, so I just put it away."

Townsend was starting a second consecutive match with Juan Pablo Angel still sidelined with concussion symptoms.

"I'm feeling really good right now," Townsend said. "I'm just happy that I could help the team win and when Juan comes back, he's a great player and he'll help the team more and we'll be an even better team for it."
Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy recorded his first shutout of the season, a year after he posted nine clean sheets in his first year as the first-choice goalkeeper.

"It was another extremely engaged and developed performance," Fraser said. "And when I see him play that way, we are able to grind out results."

Said defender Rauwshan McKenzie, who was facing his former club: "We've got a great group of guys on the backline - a lot of experience besides myself. We're just starting to gel - two 1-0 losses but with the bounce of the ball we could probably be up 1-0. And to come here in a tough place against a great team and walk out of here with three points, it feels good."
SPORTING KANSAS CITY

Sporting Kansas City remained the only team perfect on the 2012 season, getting a late 2-1 victory against FC Dallas on Sunday evening at Livestrong Sporting Park. Sporting have 9 points from 3 matches to lead the Eastern Conference.

LAST MATCH

FC Dallas became the first team to score on Sporting KC in the 25th minute, when Ricardo Villar drove home a free kick, curling his shot over Jimmy Nielsen's wall and leaving the KC ëkeeper rooted to his line.

But SKC leveled the score 3 1/2 minutes into first-half stoppage time. From a free kick some 35 yards out from goal on the left, Graham Zusi flighted a service into the box and Aurelien Collin flicked a header into the goal.
In the 50th minute, KC had a glorious opportunity when Chance Myers broke into the area on an overlap and was brought down by Ugo Ihemelu. Kei Kamara stepped to the spot and fired toward the lower left corner, but Hartman guessed right, sprawled and tipped the ball over the endline.

But Sporting still had the final answer two minutes from the end. Myers raced onto a return pass out of midfield down the right flank and sent a rolling cross to the near post where Kamara slid in and poked home for the winner.

Sporting head coach Peter Vermes made no changes to the team that recorded a comprehensive 3-0 victory against the New England Revolution at Livestrong Sporting Park.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY (4-2-3-1): Jimmy Nielsen - Chance Myers, Aurelien Collin, Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic - Julio Cesar, Roger Espinoza - Kei Kamara, Graham Zusi (Lawrence Olum 91+), Bobby Convey (Jacob Peterson 93+) - C.J. Sapong.
TEAM NEWS

Sporting Kansas City became the 15th team in MLS history to start a season 3-0-0. Only one of those teams has failed to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs: the Kansas City Wizards in 2006.

"This is the proof of where we are right now," said French defender Aurelien Collin. "Confident. Fighting, but not crazy. The cold blood. I'm proud of the team tonight."

Graham Zusi had a pair of assists in the win, setting up both goals. He now leads MLS with four assists this season, with at least one assist in each game this season. It was Zusi's second career two-assist game, his first coming last Sept. 10 vs. Houston.

"When you have guys that can finish the way they do in the box, my part's easy," Zusi said. "They do all the work. I just stick it in the box, and those guys finish it off, so I'm lucky to have them. The assists aren't a credit to me. They're a credit to them."
Zusi is still recovering from a quadriceps strain suffering before the preseason, though he has started all three matches this season.

"He's starting to get out of that," manager Peter Vermes said. "He's actually more and more healthy every week. I hope that as we go into this week, he'll be feeling even better physically, which will mean he'll be able to provide us with the kind of playmaking that he can do."
The penalty missed by Kamara was the first missed by Sporting since the 2007 season, snapping a string of 13 consecutive conversions.

"After the PK, he told me that he told me he was going to block it," said Kamara,. "I didn't hear him before. But it was well-saved. Before, maybe three or four years ago, I would have been killing myself. But it was early in the game. I just had to keep going and keep plugging at it."

Going to the Dallas Cup today. Should be fun.

Really interested to see how this Colorado/Chicago game shakes out. Not quite sure what to make of these teams yet.

ugly first half. Hopefully Bunbury can come in around ~70 min and make some noise...

Also, still kinda waiting for Convey to get going...

Bunbury looked ok 1-0 is all that matters

Looked sorta shitty but made it happen another 3 points.

Moreno is a douche.

CARSON, Calif. – Sporting Kansas City continued their run as MLS’ lone unbeaten club on Sunday as they improved to 4-0 on the season by defeating Chivas USA 1-0 off a lone goal by forward C.J. Sapong.

After struggling to create offense in the first half, Sporting broke through in the 47th minute when Graham Zusi fired a shot that bounced off the cross bar. The deflection fell back to the midfielder, and Zusi headed it across the goalmouth to a waiting Sapong, who buried a header for his third goal of the season.

Chivas USA controlled possession in the early stages of the match, but had an injury scare in the 19th minute when winger Ryan Smith collided with SKC midfielder Chance Meyers, appearing to injure his right knee. Although Smith was down on the ground for several minutes, the former Sporting man was able to continue.

Following the tackle, the match settled into a physical battle in the midfield in which as both sides looked to earn the game’s first chance. The smash-mouth play ultimately resulted in the game’s first yellow card in the 34th minute for Sporting defender Seth Sinovic for impeding Smith.

OPTA Chalkboard: See how Chivas tried to thwart Sporting attack

As the half wore on, Sporting began to control more of the match and were aggrieved when a penalty was not awarded by referee Edvin Jurisevic in the 39th minute after Chivas defender Rauwshan McKenzie appeared to foul Sapong hard in the box while the striker went up to head down a dangerous cross.

The finest chance of the half came in the 44th minute when Chivas defender James Riley chipped a ball into Smith, who broke his marker and earned a one-on-one with goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen, but was unable to get off a shot off before losing control.

After opening the scoring just two minutes into the second half, Sapong nearly struck again in the 49th when his shot was cleared off the line by Chivas USA midfielder Laurent Courtois. In the 54th, the hosts nearly equalized when Courtois played a ball forward to Nick LaBrocca, whose shot bounced off the left post.

FULL LINEUPS AND BOX SCORE

The Rojiblancos continued their pressure as the second half wore on, but poor finishing doomed them as they fought for the equalizer. Such was the case in the 66th when defender Ante Jazic played in a cross to a waiting Casey Townsend, who fired a shot well over the bar.

In the 74th minute, Kei Kamara nearly doubled Sporting’s lead off a corner kick when the winger headed a cross that forced a palm save from Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy. As the match wore on, the Goats kept pushing forward for the equalizer, but were unable to break Nielsen's bid for his third shutout this season.

Sporting will look for their fifth straight victory next week when they return home to Livestrong Sporting Park next Saturday to host the LA Galaxy on April 7. That same night, Chivas USA travel north to JELD-WEN Field to take on the Portland Timbers.

Heh, that Chivas crowd is rough. I am not sure if that brand is ever gonna "take" down there.


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Another win, I'll take it. And a nationally televised game on Saturday.

So we've given up a total of 1 goal through 4 games .. I'll take that.

the combination of Besler\Collin\Cesar is very very good... basically playing with an extra centerback.

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Was about to say the same thing. I think Cesar is the key factor. He makes our defense disruptive as hell.

Cesar is dependable.

You can always count him cleaning up a mess and efficiently defusing a dangerous situation.

Cesar cruised forward for a #fail moment when he tried to boot one. I think even he was laughing at his attempt

Charles Gooch
The Kansas City Star
In 17 years of existence, Kansas City have never started a season with four-straight wins. Until now, of course.

With its 1-0 win over Chivas USA on Sunday night, Sporting Kansas City stay on top of the Major League Soccer table with 12 points heading into Round 5 of matches.

Compared to last year, Sporting didn't earn its fourth victory until June 25 or its 12th point until June 17th.

Kansas City are 10-2-3 its last 15 games (playoffs and regular season) dating back to last September. In that same span, its record is 3-1-1 with only two goals allowed on the road.

Here are some more leftover stats, notes and quotes from the victory.

• Sporting Kansas City are the only team in MLS with four wins and are the only squad without a loss or draw this season.

• Still on pace for a 102-point season with a mere 30 games remaining.

• The most points ever earned in a single MLS season: 68 by the Los Angeles Galaxy in 1998. There were 32 matches that season.

• The most points earned in a 34-match season: 67 by the Galaxy last year.

• KC have a league best +6 goal differential.

• Jimmy Nielsen leads MLS 'keepers with 4 wins and 3 shutouts. (He's tied with Vancouver's Joe Cannon and San Jose's Jon Busch for the league lead in shutouts.)

• Speaking of shutouts, Nielsen earned his 20th in his three-year MLS career. His goals allowed average this season is 0.25.

• The only goal against KC thus far came off a free kick from the foot of Dallas' Ricardo Villar.

• Only Vancouver (0) have allowed fewer goals scored this season.

• The win last night was KC's second on the road in 2012. In 2011, KC's second road win came on June 12 against Dallas -- the 11th road game of the season.

• C.J. Sapong picked up his third goal of the 2012 season, tied for fifth-most in the league.

• KC are 8-0-0 when Sapong scores a goal.

Sapong: "It feels amazing, we probably haven't played to our fullest potential yet, but we're still grinding out those wins and that's a good sign so hopefully we'll just keep riding that and then by the middle of the season be playing our best soccer."

• Graham Zusi picked up his fifth assist on the season, which leads all of MLS. The assist was the seventh game-winning helper of his career and third of the '12 season. He's the only player in MLS with multiple game-winning assists this year.

• Chivas defender Ante Jazic didn't mince his words when asked about the goal: "A weak goal that we shouldn't give up, we were caught in a bad turnover in the middle of the park. We were caught sleeping as a backline when the ball hits the crossbar, just amateur basically."

• Quote of the night from Chivas midfielder Laurent Courtois: "You can't get a goal against us starting from a throw in, that's not possible and this we did again."

• The KC shot parade continued with 19 for KC (10 were on target). Chivas only had 6 (though none on target). It's the fourth-straight game KC has out-shot its opponents by a double-digit margin this season.

• Kansas City have 81 shots on goal this season. The next closest team in MLS is Montreal with 58.

• Kei Kamara -- who leads the league with 28 shots this season -- only had 4 last night.

• On the other side of that ledger, KC's defense didn't allow a single shot on goal. It is the fourth-time in club history that a KC 'keeper faced no shots.

• On the season, Sporting have allowed only 32 shots on goal.

• Former KC midfielder Ryan Smith suffered five fouls last night -- tied for most by a player in an MLS match in 2012. Hmmmmmm.

Strong Sporting, struggling Galaxy mark memorable March

http://www.socceramerica.com/article...memorable.html

Sporting Kansas City is living up to predictions that it will win the Eastern Conference and challenge for the league title, but the defending MLS Cup champion Galaxy has sunk to the bottom of the Western Conference. There’s a lot to ponder as the first calendar month of MLS play concludes, and here are some of the more compelling storylines:

NEW KINGS IN KANSAS CITY? The popular choice to top the Eastern Conference is in that very spot with the league’s best record at 4-0-0.

C.J. Sapong, the 2011 Rookie of the Year, is so far resisting any sophomore jinx. He got the only goal SKC needed to down Chivas USA, 1-0, at Home Depot Center Sunday night. SKC overran Chivas USA for much of the game and amassed a 20-6 edge in shots, though a Nick LaBrocca shot rang off the post in the 54th minute, seven minutes after Sapong scored his third goal of 2012.

Sapong tallied after Graham Zusi hustled after his own shot off the crossbar and bumped through Chivas USA defender Heath Pearce to head it to Sapong, who nodded it into the net. SKC has conceded only one goal in four games, a stat reminiscent of how the 2011 champion rolled to its title.

GALAXY IN CHASE MODE. The defending champion, expected to lead the Supporters’ Shield race as it did last year, is instead way back in the pack and riddled by defensive miscues.

Apparently, that season-opening 3-1 thumping by Real Salt Lake at Home Depot Center wasn’t an aberration. The Revs came west to post the same scoreline Saturday, blasting out to a 2-0 lead with goals in the 10th and 13th minutes to drop the Galaxy into a hole it scratched futilely to escape.

There are still seven months of season to be played, but the Galaxy’s attempts to replace Defender of the Year Omar Gonzalez and regain last year’s defensive resilience -- not to mention near-invincibility at home -- are faltering. Another night of bad breaks impacted the result and had either one of David Beckham’s first-half free kicks that struck the woodwork gone into the net, LA might have reversed the momentum. Instead, by the time Robbie Keane scored in the 78th minute, the game was long gone.

Keane’s goal, his third of the season, contrasted sharply with Edson Buddle’s finishing. He shanked two shots from good spots. Deprived of Landon Donovan, who was bothered by tightness in his quads, the attack sputtered and though better in the second half seldom tested Revs keeper Matt Reis.

Also missing were those Donovan slaloms up the wings the Galaxy often uses to relieve pressure by knocking balls into his path. As a result, opponents are piling heavier pressure on the Galaxy, which can’t rely on Gonzalez bailing out dire situations with powerful tackles or howitzer headers.

The loss dropped LA (1-2-0) to the bottom of the Western Conference, which is led by Real Salt Lake, San Jose, and Colorado at 3-1-0.

‘CAPS CLOSING IT DOWN. As bad as the Whitecaps’ performed defensively last season during their MLS debut campaign, they are nearing a record for stinginess in year two. They are also right behind the Western leaders at 2-0-2.

A 0-0 tie at Philadelphia Saturday extended Vancouver's goalless streak to 360 minutes, as in every minute it’s played since the season started. It passed Seattle, which posted 350 shutout minutes to start its own MLS existence in 2009. The all-time record, strangely enough, is held by the 2007 Red Bulls, which opened with 421 scoreless minutes en route to a 12-11-7 finish and 45 goals conceded.

The Whitecaps are getting it done through solid showings in all defensive departments. Keeper Joe Cannon has twice won the MLS Save of the Week honor, and backup Brad Knighton stepped in capably when a quadriceps injury forced Cannon out of the lineup during a 1-0 defeat of Chivas USA at Home Depot Center March 18.

Defender Jay DeMerit won that game with his first goal since signing with MLS prior to the 2011 season, which turned out to be a rough one for both the ‘Caps and their captain. As the ‘Caps labored to match the aggression and intensity of MLS, DeMerit struggled through injuries and sharp lapses in form as he too adjusted to a new environment.

Paired this season with Argentine newcomer Martin Bonjour, DeMerit is stabilizing the back line with his experience and leadership. So far, South Korean international Young-Pyo Lee has been a speedy, skilled upgrade at right back. There have been a few breaks, too; in the tie at PPL Park, a Carlos Valdes shot came back off the upright, and Cannon easily snagged a scuffed Brian Carroll attempt from point-blank range.

Tested by a tougher shot from Keon Daniel, Cannon turned it away to keep the ‘Caps on course for a league record. Their chance to set that mark comes Saturday at San Jose, which left Cannon exposed in the Expansion Draft 17 months ago.

NEW WAY IN SAN JOSE. The Quakes are also among the early-season surprises; they upended the Sounders, 1-0, Saturday with a Chris Wondolowski penalty kick and are 2-0 on the road (at Seattle and Toronto) after winning just three of 17 away from home in 2011.

As he did last year, keeper Jon Busch is stoning the opposition with big saves, yet he’s being called upon less often. Newcomer Victor Bernardez is emerging as a tough, reliable centerback, and Sam Cronin is tearing into tackles and spraying smart passes as the hub of a slicker, quicker midfield feeding on the energy of Rafael Baca, Marvin Chavez and Shea Salinas.

The always-moving, ever-dangerous Wondo and bruising battler Steven Lenhart are really starting to annoy opposing defenses. Lenhart tumbled rather easily to draw the penalty kick Wondolowski converted and later took a caution in the 64th minute for time-wasting.

THREES WILD FOR RSL AND RED BULLS. Thierry Henry hit a hat trick and RSL coach Jason Kreis used a trio of substitutes as the Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake, respectively, logged impressive wins.

Henry’s second three-goal game in his MLS career swept away Montreal, 5-2, at Red Bull Arena. He also earned an assist by nicking a centering pass from Jan Gunnar Solli that Mehdi Ballouchy poked into the net as New York reacted assertively to the absence of Luke Rodgers, whose failure to secure a renewed work visa will keep him overseas for a few months at least.

RSL struck twice in the final minutes to stun Portland, 3-2. Trailing the Timbers, 2-1, on a pair of spectacular goals by Darlington Nagbe that triggered a thunderous atmosphere at Jeld-Wen Field, Kreis brought on Fabian Espindola and Jonny Steele. Along with earlier substitution Will Johnson, they overturned the scoreline with two very late goals.

Steele, an offseason signing making his third MLS appearance, equalized from a Johnson pass in the 89th minute. Three minutes into stoppage time, as Kyle Beckerman called for the ball, Espindola flicked a lob from the left side of the penalty area, and the RSL captain darted forward to steer a first-time shot inside the post.

Hey Landon why u mad tho

http://www.sportingkc.com/sites/kans...20LSP%20DL.jpg

Sporting Kansas City announces Sports Radio 810 WHB as radio partner for the 2012 season

http://www.sportingkc.com/sites/kans...liams%20DL.jpg


Sports Radio 810 WHB will be the new official radio home of Sporting Kansas City, as announced Thursday by Kevin Kietzman on Between the Lines.

As part of the partnership, 810 WHB will broadcast six Sporting Kansas City matches at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, starting with this weekend’s sold out match against the LA Galaxy. Sporting Kansas City play-by-play announcer Callum Williams and color analyst Jake Yadrich will feature on each broadcast.

“We are thrilled to announce that Sports Radio 810 WHB will be the official radio home of Sporting Kansas City this season,”*Sporting Club CEO Robb Heineman said. “We look forward to working with Sports Radio 810 and its award-winning staff to broadcast Sporting Kansas City content throughout the region.”

Following each home match for the remainder of the 2012 season, 810 WHB will also air a new postgame show, The Final Whistle: Sporting KC Postgame, that will allow fans to share their views immediately after every match by calling in at 913-3-810-810. The Final Whistle will be hosted by the commentary team of Josh Whisenhunt and Andy Edwards.

"We are very excited to be partnered with a great local organization like Sporting Kansas City,” Union Broadcasting president Chad Boeger said. “In a very short period of time, they have redefined the sport of soccer in our community.*They do a tremendous job on and off the field."

The show will run in addition to the weekly soccer show on 810 WHB, which will make its 2012 debut on Tuesday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m. CT and feature live fan discussion as well as interviews with Sporting Kansas City players, coaches and executives.

Since its formation in 1999, Sports Radio 810 has grown to become one of the largest and most listened to sports radio stations in the country. The station has a daytime signal strength of 50,000 watts, with a listening area that includes the states of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

That is cool. Hopefully they keep snide comments about the sport to themselves for the most part.

GAMEDAY

I never get to watch the Royals here in Dallas. Today, they're on at the same time as SKC. I'm watching SKC.

Kei Kamara is maybe the most lovable player in MLS.

They topped the Irish Jig with that celebration.

Sapong and Kamara have THE BEST goal celebrations

Donovan throws a hip into Kemara and, predictably, Twellman sees nothing. Clueless.

Dominating effort. SKC is a remarkable 5-0-0 to begin the season.

You guys have such an awesome team/franchise. This season owns so far.

I wish I had a ~wealthy suitor~ to take me on an MLS dream tour to KC, Portland, Seattle, etc.

Watched the last half. Nice win by SKC.

absolutely dominated a very good LA Galaxy team.

This... team... is.... good.

wow.

810 did a great job on the post game. SKC dominated all phases. AND it was almost as if Beckham wasn't on the field!

Awesome. Best start of any team in the league since 1.998

Perfect

Quakes win! 12 points in 5 games!

http://i44.tinypic.com/16knxo2.gif

This season is the opposite of last season thus far.

I am starting to feel good about this.

Well, at least we have one good pro sports team in KC.

If Sporting only wins one game the rest of the season, I hope it is against RSL. I hate that team. Despise even.

There are a lot of assholes in the MLS, but I dislike Beckerman more than any of them. I hope Espinoza crushes him.

I'm pretty sure we are going to win more than 1 game ;)

That would be a "Ryan Leaf gets arrested twice in 4 days" type of awrful downward spiral. Hahaha.

But that RSL game is going to be very interesting. Two of the best teams in the league IMO and the pair made for some great games last year. Lucily Espinoza seems to give RSL and Beckerman fits so we will see how it shakes out.

I am really looking forward to watching these two teams play.

I will update the OP tonight.