MLS Game 4: Out of Words

Tonight's game between D.C. United and CF Montreal was a wonderful, wild 4-4 thriller! I am out of words to describe it. My syntax wasn't perfect on every call, but hopefully my excitement helped share just how engrossing and fascinating and exhilarating this game was!

Enjoy:

Red Bulls vs Montréal highlights

Calling a Red Bulls game in person for the first time since March 2020 was a blast on Saturday, made all the better by a thrilling finish in the thick of the MLS playoff race:

Montreal Impact vs New York Red Bulls highlights

It was back to MLS for me on Saturday, and I got to call my first MSG broadcast of the year as the Red Bulls went on the road to play the Montreal Impact.

I love calling games with Shep Messing, because he always has an opinion (or several) and a story (or a million). We had a good time watching this one, but I don't think the local fans will remember it quite as fondly. Here's how it looked / sounded:

We also did a post-game piece for the MSG website as the Red Bulls move forward to Saturday's game, which I'll also get to call, this time in person.

Preseason invitees 2013 - Eastern Conference

The MLS preseason is inevitably a blur of players coming and going as teams try to fill out their rosters. Here is an attempt to keep track of who's under contract, who's in camp with whom, and which teams are keeping spots open for the summer.

Information is unofficial, acquired to the best of my ability via team and media reports.

Eastern Conference:

Chicago Fire (17-11-6, 4th East) -- Frank Klopas			Signed: 26 / Open: 4
2013 Newcomers: MF Joel Lindpere (trade, New York), FW Maicon Santos (re-entry, D.C. United), MF Jeff Larentowicz (trade, Colorado), MF Brendan King (1990, Bray Wanderers - Ireland), MF Dilly Duka (trade, Columbus), FW Quincy Amarikwa (trade, Chicago), MF Yazid Atouba (draft, 1993, Cameroon),
Draft: Atouba, LB John Gallagher (1990, Penn State), GK James Belshaw (1990, Duke), DF Caleb Konstanski (1991, Indiana)
Trial: GK Alec Kann (1990, Charleston Battery), FW Colin Rolfe (1990, Houston), DF Pascal Chimbonda (1979, Guadeloupe), DF Leo Lelis (Fluminense, Brazil)
Other: GK Jay Nolly (1982, Vancouver) - rights acquired, unsigned

Disney Day 5: Distinct anti-climax

Well, the second game wound up being a playoff game of sorts, with Houston and Montreal battling to determine who would advance to Saturday's third-place match, but the ending was distinctly short on drama. A chippy game ended in a 1-1 tie, meaning Houston, Montreal, and Kansas City all tied with identical 0-1-2 records, having tied games against each other and lost to tournament juggernaut Vancouver. With goal differential as the tiebreaker, Houston (-1) advanced ahead of Montreal and KC (both -3), while Montreal finished third in the group by virtue of its two goals scored. I'm honestly not sure I've ever seen a four-team group end with one team 3-0 and the other three ALL finish at 0-1-2.

Disney Day 3: Quiet afternoon

Sunday's games lacked the compelling storylines of Friday and the in-stadium atmosphere of Saturday, with all four teams putting out lineups laced with reserves. With a threat of rain hanging over the afternoon, we arrived to call the Houston-Vancouver opener and worried a bit about what would happen if it started to rain - more worried about the technical equipment from the broadcast than anything else - but thankfully didn't have to worry about it.

Disney Day 1: Quick hits

I'm exhausted after the first day of this year's Disney Pro Soccer Classic, so I'll just give a brief recap and add the boxscores from today's games. I'll try to post later on the whole experience of the day.

The first game was a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference final, but it was a very different encounter. Kansas City controlled play but created limited chances in a scoreless tie against Houston. The Dynamo got good news in a late appearance from Brad Davis, his first of the preseason, but were outplayed at times by a sharp, fit Kansas City squad. Still, that bend-but-don't-break Houston defense held out for another shutout. Bobby Boswell and Geoff Cameron are tough to break down. Sporting seemed to take the opening game more seriously than any other team, playing every starter available except one (Julio Cesar) and using only three substitutes. Houston played four-fifths of its starting defense and kept the back line on the whole game but used five subs in the offensive half.

The second game came to life after about 15 minutes, and Vancouver wound up with a well-deserved 3-0 win over Montreal. The Impact, playing their first gated game as an expansion club, competed hard but were outclassed in a chippy game. These teams used almost their entire rosters, so the second half got a bit hectic, but Vancouver put together some quality goals. The downside was injuries - Davide Chiumiento and John Thorrington both left hurt, with Thorrington looking particularly devastated at the prospect of yet another serious injury.

Boxscores from both games after the jump

Disney preview: Montreal Impact

The 2012 Disney Pro Soccer Classic starts on Friday, signaling the final countdown to the MLS season. I’ll be calling games at the tournament for the third straight year, teaming up with Simon Borg as part of MLSsoccer.com’s coverage of the group stage and then working the final day of the tournament on the ESPN3 broadcasts. As the week goes on, I’ll preview each of the eight teams set to participate in Orlando.

The tournament starts on Friday, and Simon and I will call the second game of the doubleheader, pitting Canadian rivals Montreal and Vancouver against each other in a preview of their March 10 opener. With that in mind, I’m starting the previews with MLS expansion club Montreal.