My Sports News Digest

BURNABY, B.C. (MLS/MacMahon) — On the surface, it’s just another midseason match. But this Saturday’s encounter between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Colorado Rapids (7 pm ET; watch LIVE online) takes on a heightened importance given the pair’s proximity to each other in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. Vancouver sit fourth with 22 points, while the Rapids are three points back in fifth spot. “The swing can be quite big if you get those three points, so in that sense people look at in-conference games as that kind of six points, but at the end of the day you get three [...]

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Salt Lake City (MLS/Newsfeed) — Real Salt Lake has the most points in MLS thanks to a lengthy unbeaten streak. Chivas USA, however, is one of the few teams to beat RSL this season. With a bevy of players returning, RSL will try to avenge that defeat and add to its best start in team history Saturday night. Salt Lake (9-3-2) went 4-0-2 before its two-week break from league play and pushed its point total to 29 with a 3-2 win over visiting FC Dallas on May 26. Defender Nat Borchers scored his first goal of the season and ninth [...]

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SEATTLE (MLS/Oshan) — The streak lives. The Seattle Sounders’ 1-1 tie with Chivas USA on Saturday at Home Depot Center certainly wasn’t the most satisfying road point they’ve earned, but it was enough to run their road unbeaten streak to 10 games (7-0-3). For the most part, the Sounders had the run of play, and outshot Chivas 11-5. But they still needed a David Estrada equalizing goal in the 61st minute to pull out the tie. “We feel very confident on the road, we feel we’re going to do well,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said. “It’s something we always [...]

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COLUMBUS (MLS/Newsfeed) – Foremost among the reasons for signing former LA Galaxy midfielder Chris Birchall to a multi-year contract on Monday is the Columbus Crew’s 2-4-2 record. The numbers tell the story for a side that’s struggling through a crater full of injuries, forcing Robert Warzycha to rely on young players who are still learning about the speed of the game at the professional level. “He is a quality player who has experience,” Warzycha said on Monday. “If you want to close the game or score in the end, you need experience on the field. Sometimes with so many young [...]

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(MLS/Bianchi) — Colorado Rapids head coach Oscar Pareja returned to his old stomping grounds on Sunday and promptly found himself with the kind of advantage that practically demands three points. During a two-minute span in the first half, FC Dallas’ Daniel Hernandez and Blas Pérez were each awarded red cards, leaving the home side with just nine men and giving the Rapids a golden chance to collect three badly needed points. And despite their season-long struggle to score away from home, Colorado went out and capitalized on their man advantage, as Jaime Castrillón and Martín Rivero each scored in the [...]

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BELL GARDENS, Calif. (MLS/Newsfeed) – Once again Sueño MLS 2012 – presented by Allstate continued its search for talent, but this time there were only 30 players to see. While Chivas USA Youth Academy scouts watched the Day 2 qualifiers take part scrimmages one player stood out: James Camacho, a goalkeeper from Riverside, California. Camacho, 16, raised eyebrows not only for his striking resemblance to Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, but also for his astonishing shot-stopping skills. A onetime state champion in high school, he conceded a few goals over the weekend, but that didn’t worry him much. “I was very [...]

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BELL GARDENS, Calif. (MLS/Newsfeed) – Once again Sueño MLS 2012 – presented by Allstate continued its search for talent, but this time there were only 30 players to see. While Chivas USA Youth Academy scouts watched the Day 2 qualifiers take part scrimmages one player stood out: James Camacho, a goalkeeper from Riverside, California. Camacho, 16, raised eyebrows not only for his striking resemblance to Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, but also for his astonishing shot-stopping skills. A onetime state champion in high school, he conceded a few goals over the weekend, but that didn’t worry him much. “I was very [...]

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (MLS/Lepper) – The San Jose Earthquakes’ depth might have passed its biggest milestone yet on Saturday, when the club showed that a Chris Wondolowski goal is no longer a prerequisite for winning. While Wondolowski turned in what he considered a subpar performance against the Philadelphia Union, the Quakes continued to dominate the ball – eventually winning the possession battle 59-41 percent – and found goals in the 76th and 93rd minutes from Steven Lenhart to post a 2-1 victory. It was San Jose’s first win without a goal from Wondolowski since June 11 of last year, when [...]

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