Return of Matchday LIVE!

Fans, we'd like to thank all of you who have bookmarked, favorited, dugg, etc., Matchday LIVE! We've been away for awhile due a number of factors including school and family/personal requirements, but we want to let you know that by no means is the site and it's mission of providing quality football content dead.

Be sure to check back in the coming weeks for new material, hopefully including live audio for some of the biggest MLS matches, as the American soccer season heats up. Of course, you can still expect the same great updates, news, notes, reports, and thoughts you've come to expect from Matchday LIVE!

We hope our opening few months have earned us your interest and respect, and we hope that you'll come back and check us out again as we work even harder over the summer -- and what a busy summer of football it shall be. Euro 2008, the MLS season, Transfer Windows open...we won't miss a beat so you don't miss a beat. Thanks for your patronage, and we hope to see you again soon!

-- Matchday LIVE USA! Staff

MLS Week 4 Preview

MLS Action heats up this week, with everyone in action around the league. Things got kicked off last night, Thursday, when Columbus picked up a big road win at perennial contenders DC United by the final score of 2-1. An own goal by Gonzalo Peralta in the 43rd minute decided that match in favor of the Crew. Elsewhere, there are 6 matches remaining on the weekend. Four will take place Saturday, and the remaining two will be contested on Sunday, each with a special matinee game.

Saturday's matches feature the "Battle of I-95," as the depleted but confident New England Revolution head to the Meadowland to meet rivals Red Bull New York. Expect this one to be the matchup of the weekend, as tensions always rise when these two fierce adversaries meet on the pitch. First kickoff of the weekend, however, belongs to TFC, as Toronto FC gets it's home campaign underway at BMO Field against Real Salt Lake. This one is a guaranteed sellout, as the rowdy Toronto fans will be out in droves for the home opener. Check the TV listings if you want any hope of catching that match. Look to the west for the final two matches of the day. You won't have to go far to catch Colorado vs. San Jose though, that's the MLS Saturday Game of the Week on Fox Soccer Channel, and it kicks off at 9:30 Eastern time. Finally, defending MLS Champs Houston Dynamo visit David Beckham and the LA Galaxy in California for the final matchup of the night. LA is still trying to right the ship under new manager Ruud Gullit, while Houston is having problems of their own, slumping to an 0-1-2 (2 pts) start to the year.

Sunday's matinee is a 3 PM clash with two of the best in the MLS right now, as Kansas City travels to Bridgeview and Toyota Park to take on the Chicago Fire. These two teams both sit 2nd in the Eastern Conference, behind Columbus, and one would think something's got to give. The final match of the weekend forces the Home Depot Center crew to turn the colors around, as Chivas USA hosts FC Dallas Sunday night, less than 24 hours after LA's Home match. As always, be sure to check out the matches or check out Matchday LIVE! for post-weekend recaps and analysis!

Chelsea Collapses to Heskey at the Bridge

A stunning cross to the head of Emile Heskey in the 92nd minute resulted in a goal for Wigan Athletic that shook up the Premier League title race. Latics fought valiantly at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea but it was Michael Essien 10 minutes into the 2nd half that seemingly eased tensions all around the London ground with a solid blast from 20 yards out. It was not to be for the Blues, however, as Heskey latched on to a cross deep into stoppage time sniping a crucial point for Wigan's survival hopes.

Avram Grant fielded a rare side full of the typical reserves in anticipation of the trip to Everton on Thursday, with Makelele, Drogba, Carvalho, and Wright-Phillips all on the sidelines. Frank Lampard was expected to play, but was a late scratch due to a family situation that came up in pre-game warmups. Chelsea looked on edge as a result, not gelling like the normal Blues first team and Nicolas Anelka could only generate 2 modest chances that were well kept out by Chris Kirkland and the Wigan defense.

Joe Cole's introduction in the second half sparked life into the side, and a bout of sustained pressure finally saw the home side finish off with Essien's rocket into the bottom left corner of the net past the diving Kirkland. There was never really a chance to put it away though, and the players and crowd mostly seemed comfortable in accepting a 1-0 win.

Chelsea paid for their lack of intensity late on as Wigan continued to introduce creative players, with Jason Koumas, Antoine Sibierski, and Marlon King all introduced in the 2nd half. Finally, in the 92nd minute, the lone stroke of needed creativity was found, as a long cross from the left found Emile Heskey slashing through the box, and he did the rest, slicing a diving header past Petr Cech to gain Wigan the crucial point and returning Manchester United to a 5 point title cushion.

BOX SCORE

Chelsea       1 - 1  Wigan Athletic
   Essien 55            Heskey 90+2

Confirmed: Amado Guevara signs with TFC

Toronto FC got a huge boost today when they signed Honduran midfielder Amado Guevara. The former Red Bulls/Metrostars and Chivas USA player, as well as an ex-MLS MVP (2004), may even be available for the match tomorrow when Toronto travels to the Home Depot Center to meet David Beckham and the LA Galaxy. Toronto is looking for not only it's first point of the season (0-2-0 so far), but also it's first relevant goal of the year (their only tally on the season came in the 89th minute of a 4-0 game at DC United).

Guevara brings proven experience as a midfield general against MLS-level competition with his years with the MetroStars/Red Bull New York and Chivas USA and should prove an excellent added bit of creativity (36 career assists) in the midfield behind TFC strikers Danny Dichio and Jeff Cunningham. He is no slouch in the scoring department himself, either, having netted 32 goals in his 107 MLS appearances.

Sources: Toronto FC Roster & ESPNSoccerNet.com

Twice Near Death, Bayern Manages Miracle(s)

A Bayern Munich side far from their best play of the season made not 1, but 2 stunning comebacks in Spain against UEFA Cup Quarterfinal opponents Getafe to advance to the Semifinals of the 2nd highest competition in European Cup football. An early red card to Getafe should have provided all the enthusiasm the Bavarians needed, but instead they came out flat, giving up a goal just before the stroke of halftime to go down 1-2 on aggregate.

Still, they needed only one goal to save them thanks to away goals, but they never looked much like scoring. Truth be told, it was Getafe who should have put the tie away with a golden, wide-open opportunity missed midway through the 2nd half. However, just when the Germans looked to suffer a shocking upset to the Spanish side, a flick of the ball from Luca Toni back to Ribéry salvaged the contest and levelled the match - in the 89th minute no less.

Down a man and having conceded a shock leveler at the death, Getafe seemed down and out. They quickly changed their luck and outlook on progression through the competition with a 3 minute flurry of activity that saw the Spaniards net 2 goals in the first 3 minutes of extra time to take a 3-1 lead on the night (4-2 overall). The raucous fans at the Alberto Perez Coliseum sensed victory within their grasp, and the German outfit continued to look ineffective.

The remainder of the 1st extra period went by without issue for Getafe, as did the first 10 minutes of the 2nd period. Five minutes from victory, however, Keeper Pato dropped a seemingly routine catch allowing Italian striker Luca Toni to tap in, bringing the match to 3-2. A chainsaw would have been needed to cut through the tension in the stadium, and the Germans proved it in the dying seconds as Luca Toni picked up a brace with a header off a Sosa cross leveling the match at 3-3 and giving Munich the away goals lead. A dagger was pierced through the hearts of the Spanish fans in attendance only a few seconds later as the final whistle was blown, and the German giants escaped to face Zenit St. Petersburg in the semifinals.

FINAL BOX

Getafe            3 - 3     Bayern Munich
  Contra 44                   Ribéry 89
  Casquero 1 Ex.              Toni 25 Ex.
  Braulio  3 Ex.              Toni 30 Ex.

Halftime Report: Liverpool 1 - 0 Arsenal

A disgusted Arsene Wenger has just left the Emirates Stadium pitch seeing his team face a 1-0 deficit on Peter Crouch's 42nd minute goal. He has every reason to be livid thanks to poor efforts on both ends of the field, with Arsenal missing a host of opportunities to strike (Nicolas Bendtner in particular hammering a free ball straight at the goalkeeper from 12 yards out), and a defensive lapse leading to the Crouch finish.

Wenger has pulled everything out of his bag of tricks trying to get this team back in form, but it's evident that he acknowledges that the Champions League has to become the priority, being that it is the only competition in which the Gunners are performing well at the moment. A disappointing 1-4-1 run in league play has seen the London side drop to 3rd in the EPL table, and they face a tough test in Liverpool again Tuesday night at Anfield in the return leg of a semifinal which Wenger's men trail on away goals (1-1 result at the Emirates in the middle of last week). Players such as Justin Hoyte are making rare appearances in the Arsenal starting 11 today as Wenger rests the big guns for the 3rd (and more vital given Arsenal's terrible league form) meeting with the Reds in 8 days.

UPDATE: Arsenal have struck back on 54 minutes, and clearly Arsene Wenger feels there's something to be said about the Gunners' challenge for the league title as Emmanuel Adebayor is set to come on and provide a spark to the Arsenal attack!

UPDATE 2: FINAL SCORE... LIVERPOOL 1-1 ARSENAL. Arsenal strikes back on 54 minutes, but introductions of big name players (Arsenal: Adebayor, Hleb; Liverpool: Voronin, Torres) could not entice a winner out of either side. Arsenal slumps to 1-5-1 in it's last 7 league matches with a second 1-1 decision with Liverpool in the week. The two sides will meet again in 3 days at Anfield to decide who advances to the semifinals of the Champions League (Liverpool ahead on away goals 1-1).

Tides Turning on Revolution

Any joy that Steve Nicol and his New England Revolution team experienced in dismantling the defending MLS Cup Champions Houston Dynamo 3-0 in First Kick weekend has surely been eradicated in what has become a tough week for the defending Eastern Conference champions.

Despite the dominating performance, New England's front lines took a big hit. Starting XI mainstays Taylor Twellman (knee surgery) and Steve Rolston (dislocated shoulder) have been lost to extended injuries (Twellman for 6-8 weeks, Rolston for 4-6). In addition the team now faces a game without Jeff Larentowicz after he was shown a direct red card just a few moments ago (7 minutes into their match with Chicago) with the team already down 0-1 on an early Chad Barrett goal (4'). Another story to watch will most certainly be Khano Smith's morale with the club, as he was taken off after 12 minutes by manager Nicol in favor of a more defensive formation.

Since then, things have gone from bad to worse for the Revs. Horrible defending allowing a T. Frankowski goal (22'), a questionable PK award to Justin Mapp by the official (converted by C. Blanco - 37'), and more poor play at the back line resulting in another Frankowski strike (39') sees the Revolution on the wrong side of a 0-4 scoreline and looking more and more like a team in disarray.

MLS Team Previews: Toronto, DC United

Matchday LIVE! continues our 7-part series of MLS Team Previews to get you in the know for the American soccer season which kicked off this past weekend. Today we look at two more Eastern Conference clubs, Toronto FC and DC United. Enjoy! (Click on the pictures for full view)

Toronto FC


DC United

MLS Team Previews: Revolution, Red Bulls

Welcome to part 1 in a 7 part series where we analyse all 14 teams taking part in the 2008 MLS Season, the 13th season of the league. Today we're looking at Eastern Conference rivals New England Revolution and Red Bull New York. We'll break down the rest of the teams this week to keep you up to speed on who to watch as we get deeper into the year!

New England


New York

MLS First Kick - Results

That's right American soccer fans, the MLS season is finally upon us. Five matches have been played so far, and another is coming up tonight as Chivas USA opens their season. Through the week, we'll put out individual team preview posts to get you up to speed on the players and teams to watch all around Major League Soccer this season. First off, results from yesterday's "First Kick" matches (Home team displayed last):

  
Saturday, March 29th
LA Galaxy        0 - 4    Colorado Rapids
                              Cooke 10
                              Gomez (penalty) 60
                              Cummings 67
                              Clark 80

DC United        0 - 2    Kansas City Wizards
                              Trujillo 47
                              Lopez 61

Houston Dynamo   0 - 3    New England Revolution
                              Ralston 16
                              Cristman 32
                              Nyassi 90+3

Toronto FC       0 - 2    Columbus Crew
                              Moffat 26
                              Moreno 76

Chicago Fire     1 - 1    Real Salt Lake
    Blanco 90+2               Soumare (OG) 71

Sunday, March 30
Chivas USA       1 - 1    FC Dallas
    Galindo 84                Toja 21

Remember to stay tuned for previews from each team throughout the week and make sure to bookmark Matchday LIVE! for all the latest news and notes from around the MLS and the globe as the football action heats up!

EPL Week 32: Relegation meets Europe; Merseyside Derby

Another disappointing week for Arsenal sees the Gunners start the weekend's play shockingly in 3rd place, a single point behind Chelsea and 6 behind leaders Manchester United. Arsene Wenger's men will try to shake off a disappointing final half hour at Stamford Bridge in a 1-2 loss to Chelsea, as well as the last month overall, in which they have posted an 0-4-1 record. They visit the Reebok Stadium and relegation candidate Bolton Wanderers, who will be fancying playing the Gunners at arguably their lowest point of the season.

The relegation and European battles collide again, as the week is filled with matches pitting teams from one fight against teams from the other. Birmingham welcomes Manchester City to St. Andrews Ground, West Ham visits the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland, and Reading hosts Blackburn at the Madjeski. Wigan, having lost right back Erik Edman for the remainder of the season to injury (knee ligament ruptures), will likely start Ireland international Kevin Kilbane in his place when they visit Fratton Park to take on Portsmouth this afternoon. The Latics will also be without midfield playmaker Wilson Palacios (2 yellow cards last week vs. Blackburn).

The pick of the day for Saturday comes from Manchester, as Manchester United looks to maintain their vicegrip on the league title when they host Aston Villa. Fulham visits Pride Park needing a result against relegated Derby County to keep themselves within reach of 17th place in the final match of the day.

Sunday's highlight is the second and final Merseyside Derby of the season as Liverpool hosts Everton at Anfield. Everton will try to halt a series of missed opportunities to catch their Liverpudlian neighbors which has seen them lose to Fulham and draw with West Ham United. The other two matches on the day come from London, where Chelsea host Middlesborough at Stamford Bridge and Newcastle United (fresh off Kevin Keegan's first victory in his second stint with the club) visits Tottenham at White Hart Lane.