Matt Pickens, Colorado Rapids (Missouri State 2002) by Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images
CHICAGO (Dec. 21, 2010) — U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named 24 players to the training camp roster that will begin gathering Jan. 4 at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The group will prepare for the USA’s first match of 2011, a friendly against fellow FIFA World Cup finalists Chile on Jan. 22 at The HDC. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CT, with broadcast information to be announced at a later date.
“The timing is right to assess many of the younger players and to broaden the player pool as we look forward to the next three years,” said Bradley. “These extended camps give the coaching staff an opportunity to work with these players closely, and at the same time expose them to what the environment and expectations are like at the international level. We have a good feel for the veteran players in the pool, several of whom are coming off long seasons, and we certainly expect many of them to be part of the program for the important tournaments this year.”
But it could be another pair, one brewing far less longer than the three years Casey and Cummings have been together, that could deliver a surprise. The Earthquakes’ Geovanni and Eduardo have only been on the same team for two-and-a-half months, but in their nine games together, and as Eduardo’s fitness has improved, San Jose’s Brazilian pair has looked a little more dangerous each match.
They may not have the 28 goals and 14 assists that Casey and Cummings have combined for – as a matter of fact, Geovanni’s has one goal and two assists while Eduardo has yet to tally either – but they’ve quickly and easily built a friendship and on-field understanding of each other that usually takes months, if not years, to develop.
Matt Pickens, Colorado Rapids (Missouri State 2003) by Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images
Matt Pickens (Missouri State 2003) and his Colorado Rapids teammates help open the Major League Soccer playoffs on Thursday evening when they host the Columbus Crew in the 1st Leg of a home and away Quarterfinal.
Thursday Oct 28 8 pm CT
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
ESPN2
From MLS – Matt Pickens has been solid in goal for the Colorado Rapids all season. His 1.10 goals-against average is good for sixth best in the league, and his seven shutouts are a respectable total. One of those shutouts came against the Columbus Crew, the Rapids’ opponents in the Eastern Conference semifinals. That was a 1-0 win at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
But in their other meeting this season, Pickens was beaten three times in a 3-1 loss at Crew Stadium. It was one of only two times all season that Pickens conceded three goals in a game. The other time? Against the New York Red Bulls, the Eastern Conference winners and the Rapids’ possible opponents in the next round. The Rapids lost 3-1 to the New York at Red Bull Arena.
Soccer America has Colorado ranked 7th of the eight teams – 7. Colorado (10-1). None of the darkhorses can be counted out, and the Rapids are potent because of a solid midfield core (Jeff Larentowicz, Pablo Mastroeni) and an array of attacking talents (Omar Cummings, Conor Casey, Macoumba Kandji, Jamie Smith, Brian Mullan). Can their defense measure up?”>
Read more: Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens has been almost flawless in super season – The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/rapids/ci_16433478?source=rss#ixzz13forLgQ9
Here’s the rest of the weekend TV schedule:
Oct 30 5pm ET on FSC
Real Salt Lake at Dallas, 1st leg
Pizza Hut Park
Oct 30 10pm ET on TeleFutura/Regional TV
New York at San Jose, 1st leg
Buck Shaw Stadium
Oct 31 8pm ET on ESPN2
LA Galaxy at Seattle, 1st leg
Qwest Field
And on a final note – In his final game before retirement, the Chicago Fire’s Brian McBride — after a long, successful career in MLS, with the U.S. national team and in the English Premier League — scored his 80th MLS goal with a back-heel in last weekend’s Chicago win over Chivas USA. McBride’s brilliant finish came off a pass from Freddie Ljungberg in the 40th minute. McBride, who played in three World Cups (1998, 2002, 2006) and scored in two of them, left the field in the 50th minute of Chicago’s 4-1 win.
According to an email sent by Coach John Leamy at Missouri State, it looks like Zach Thornton’s injury during the MLS All-Star game will in fact lead to recent Missouri State graduate Lance Parker getting his first start in a league match for his Chivas USA squad. Coincidentally, he’ll be facing Colorado which will also feature an MSU Bear between the pipes!
I just wanted to share the news that Missouri State University Soccer will have two starting goalkeepers facing off against each other this Saturday night when Chivas USA travels to Colorado and takes on the Rapids. Lance Parker will be starting for Chivas, as regular starter Zack Thorton was injured in last week’s MLS All Star game. Matt Pickens will once again be tending the nets for Colorado. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:30PM Central Standard Time. Please check out the team’s websites at cdchivasusa.com and coloradorapids.com .
On a somewhat related note, the 23rd Annual Missouri State University Auction Benefiting Athletics will take place on Friday, August 14th for the first time in the new JQH Arena! Doors open at 5:00pm with the live auction taking place at 7:30pm. Additional information can be found at missouristatebears.com. Looking forward to seeing you there!
According the MLS preview, this is a crucial matchup in the Western Conference at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as the Colorado Rapids and Chivas USA, tied for fourth place in the division. Both teams come into tied for what would be the final spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Thornton is listed as questionable with a quad strain while Dan Kennedy is out due to knee surgery. The game is on Direct Kick so find someone with satellite!
“Often times when young players get the opportunity to step in and contribute, they fail because the moment gets to them, put too much pressure on themselves, or perhaps they have a run of bad luck. Matt was able to make the most of his opportunity and run with it,” said Diego Gutierrez, a former teammate on the Fire. “When his moment came, he stepped up, played with confidence, made saves that were both routine and extraordinary, and made his teammates better. With the goalkeeper position, you want someone who projects confidence to your team, and Matt was able to that and more.”
City Islanders rookie Cody Reinberg nodded home his first professional goal in the closing moments. Reinberg’s score was set up by service from Anthony Peters, one of two players loaned to Harrisburg (1-1-1, 4 points) for the weekend journey by Major League Soccer’s D.C. United. Peters entered in the 88th minute for Nicki Paterson, while John DiRaimondo came on the 65th for Middletown’s Jason Pelletier.
DiRaimondo is a DC United signee who was on loan for the weekend USL-2 game. He’s also a St Louis boy, having played for the SLU Billikens (2006) as well as St Louis University HS.
Sorry, knowing the quality of our weather prognosticators around here I probably shouldn’t even bring up the Winter Storm Watch that flashed across Twitter yesterday afternoon. Any bets there won’t be any in Springfield?
While pondering the weather and it’s impact on your schedule, have you added these quality options?
US Men at El Salvador – Saturday 8pm, ESPN2
Some history lessons from the US MNT blog, including the fact that the last visit to El Salvador in 2004 was only the 2nd win ever in Central America. Here’s the Salvadoran roster and players to watch. The Villanova vs Pitt game should start around 6pm so the conflicts will be limited by then.
KC Wizards vs Colorado Rapids – Saturday 8:30 pm, Direct Kick
The KC Wizards are in Colorado on Saturday for a game against the Rapids. The Wizards may be without Arnaud and Wolff for the game. The Wizards haven’t won in Denver since June 9, 2004, a span of five league matches. The Rapid’s should have Matt Pickens (Missouri State Bears) in net yet again.
I’m drafting this after midnight while mulling the details of my client call in St Louis Monday morning. Probably a sign of things to come this season as my Small Business consulting efforts continue to bear fruit. Do you struggle to manage the technology needs of your firm, and wonder about all these internet technologies that you hear about? I help firms take control and manage technology to achieve their sales and marketing goals. That’s one reason for this website, as a showcase for websites that work, search engine optimization and marketing and community development. If you’d like to learn more, call me at 569-8062 or send me an email. I’d love to learn more about your needs.
High School girls soccer begins today! I’ll be driving back from St Louis in time to take in the inaugural game for two new girls programs this season. The Carthage Tigers are hosting the Logan-Rogersville Wildcats at 5pm and I plan to be there to document it. It’s a Central Ozarks Conference match and I’m looking forward to participating as the game continues to grow here in Southwest Missouri.
Other games being played today include the Pleasant Hope Pirates are hosting District foes Springfield Catholic while the Camdenton Lakers have the Richland Bears coming to town.
Two additional programs will play their inaugural games on Tuesday, weather permitting. The Branson Pirates will play host to the Log-Rog Wildcats and the Carl Junction Bulldogs will host their large school neighbor, the Joplin Eagles. A week of firsts while the majority of the Springfield teams wait until next week to play due to Spring Break. Ozark travels to Harrison, Willard to Pleasant Hope and Waynesville hosts Helias on Tuesday.
West Plains will kick off in Harrison (AR) on Wednesday and Thursday sees a flurry of activity. My schedule Thursday opens with the Hillcrest Hornets hosting the Marshfield Blue Jays. Log-Rog plays their 3rd game in 4 days with their first home game, against Pleasant Hope. Carl Junction hosts Carthage, the Nixa Eagles open their season with a visit to West Plains while Springfield Catholic hosts the Lebanon Yellowjackets. I may be able to catch the Catholic Varsity at 6pm as well.
Rolla opens their season Friday with the Central Federal Tourney, site of Mike Howard’s 500th win last March. Parkview heads for Carthage while Kickapoo and Ozark host a round robin with a pair of KC teams. Blue Springs South and Park Hill South play Kickapoo and Ozark on Friday, while Saturday the visitors will visit Ozark and Kickapoo. I think the round robin games should be great openers for the teams involved and worth a trip out for anyone interested in the girls game. I’ll be in St Louis this weekend so I’ll be trying to get an early peek at potential playoff opponents. Alternately I’ll be able to catch some competitive Club games at the Metro United College Showcase.
Oh, and we can’t forget – the US Men’s team continues their road to South Africa with an away game in El Salvador on Saturday. The rosters have been announced, training began today and the game will be broadcast live at 8 pm on Saturday on ESPN2.
The KC Wizards will also be playing on Saturday night, in this case at the Colorado Rapids. The Rapids lost to Chivas, with Matt Pickens (MSU 2002) getting the start. Did anyone make it to the home opener Saturday? Any plans for attending future games? I’d love to share your game reports with the readers of this website.
You missed a good game on Thursday if you were wrapped up in the NCAA early round games. The Seattle Sounders clobbered the NY Red Bull 3-0 which is a nice introduction to the league. They’ve got a 21 y.o. Columbian kid by the name of Freddy Montero you’ll be seeing a lot of this season.
I’ll be drowning my sorry in St Louis this weekend, and plan on enjoying the Chivas USA vs Colorado Rapids match at 9:30 pm CDT. Both teams have goalies on the roster that are Missouri State Bear alum’s, maybe we’ll get to see one or both of them. The MSU website has a nice roundup on the two of them.
With the opening of the Major League Soccer season coming this weekend, it’s time for me to get caught up with the comings and goings on the MLS rosters. In particular, what’s up with the goalkeepers that Missouri State has sent to the major leagues. But before I dive into those details, a quick update on a new prospect.
Justin Alford (Poplar Bluff/Springfield SC) has been invited to tryout with Chivas USA for five days next week. It’s Spring Break for Justin and he’s ready to measure himself at the next level. I was fortunate to catch up with him Sunday after the Bear’s late afternoon practice.
I neglected to ask him but I’m guessing he has former Poplar Bluff classmate Tyler Hansbrough’s UNC team at the top of his March Madness brackets. How about you?
Lance Parker – Lance is now officially a member of the Senior Roster at Chivas USA, albeit with 0 years of experience. You may recall the Reserve League was eliminated which meant 100 players across 15 clubs were not re-signed. Lance played in the preseason game against the Fire, winning a 1v1 battle with Blanco I understand, and has also found a new place in LA that’s a mile from the beach. All excellent signs for the #3 keeper behind Zach Thornton and Dan Kennedy.
Matt Pickens – Matt returns to the MLS to play for the Colorado Rapids. We last saw him at the Chicago Fire before his short stint with Queens Park Rangers in England. The Rapids website notes that he’ll battle for the 1st team position with Preston Burpo who was 3-0-1 in September 2008.
Matt’s joined on the roster by another St Louis native, John DiRaimondo, who begins his second year on the senior roster after two years on the Reserve roster. DiRaimondo played at SLU/SLUH.
The Clemson Tigers have released the news of their new signing. As noted here early,
CLEMSON, SC – Jesse Miech has been named an assistant men’s soccer coach for the Clemson University Tigers as announced by Head Coach Trevor Adair Tuesday. He’s already missed in this region.
