It was a late Friday night for me and Danielle and our podcast kind of reflected that I think! But, as always, we had a great time talking about soccer!

This week, Danielle and I talked about Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, Juan Agudelo’s move back east and what we really think about players’ rights in Major League Soccer.

So check it out here! -> http://bit.ly/19apIDR

Remember, you can follow Aerys Soccer on Facebook and on Twitter at @AerysSoccer! And Chicks & Free Kicks is also free on iTunes; just search for “Chicks & Free Kicks” or “Aerys Soccer Talk”!

As with most Real Salt Lake games this season, the first half was slow and fairly uneventful. The most notable thing was Carlos Salcedo making his first start. Salcedo came through the RSL academy and is the first academy product to play in an MLS game with the senior team. Salcedo earned his first yellow card of his professional career in the 37th minute with a dangerous high boot to New England’s Chris Tierney.

New England seemed content with sitting back and defending in the first half, but RSL put on subs Sebastian Velasquez and Olmes Garcia to spark the attack, which they did! New England came out strong in the second half. RSL defender, Chris Schuler, went in for the challenge, missing the ball, and allowing Kelyn Rowe to send a cross in to Ryan Guy who volleyed it past Nick Rimando to score the game’s opening goal.

Real finally put themselves onto the board when Velasquez took a shot which Bobby Shuttleworth parried into the path of a lurking Devon Sandoval. Devon power slid the ball past Shuttleworth, pulling his team onto level terms.

From a corner, Javier Morales picked out Kyle Beckerman at the top of New England’s 18 yard box. RSL’s captain did a good job of keeping his volley on frame forcing Shuttleworth into another athletic save. However, it once again fell into the path of an RSL player. This time Olmes Garcia, in a similar fashion as Sandoval’s goal, somehow managed to turn and get a shot off while falling backwards. RSL were up 2-1!

The game got even more intense in stoppage time. A New England free kick caused confusion in the box, and the referee gave Carlos Salcedo a second yellow for a handball even though he wasn’t actually even involved in the play. It was Tony Beltran who had his arm somewhat extended and a soft penalty was called against Real.

As Saer Sene stepped up to take the PK, the fans in the stadium were the loudest they had been all night, urging their team to get the draw. As Sene powered the ball low to the right, Nick Rimando did what Nick Rimando does and saved it! All you could hear in the stadium was the RSL players celebrating with Rimando.

RSL travel to Canada to take on Montreal this Saturday.

That was the sound of a win. After the midweek loss to Sporting Kansas City, the New York Red Bulls were not about to be held down and it showed by the 4-1 scoreline against the Revolution. The first eight minutes had three goals; Dax McCarty in the fourth minute, Brandon Barklage in the sixth minute (own goal) and Fabian Espindola in the eighth minute).

photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls

New England wasn’t sitting back though; sure they had that early own goal but they never really seemed to get back in it after the early goals. Players gave their best shot but never really got the chance to secure anything solid.

And that was enough for Thierry Henry (82nd minute) and Johnny Steele (89th minute) to get two goals late in the game by the Rev’s goalkeeper, Bobby Shuttleworth.

photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls

The Man of the Match this time around was Dax McCarty, once again proving that he gets work done and is not afraid of getting physical. Some cautions were given this game to NE’s Kalifa Cisse for collision with McCarty in the 35th minute, that had Dax slow to get up but still able to play on.  NY’s Luis Robles was given a yellow for time wasting in the 78th minute. Thankfully, no reds were given in this game after Juninho picked up one late in the game against Sporting Kansas City’s Jimmy Nielsen midweek, who was up to his antics once again last night during the LA Galaxy match but the ref in that game pretty much told him to play on.

photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls

And before we leave you this week, the above photo is courtesy of the Red Bulls facebook page. RBNY donated merch sales from Saturday’s game to The One Fund Boston (OneFundBoston.org). The MLS Anthem, heard in Arenas throughout the league as players enter the pitch, was replaced by The Standells’ “Dirty Water,” a song that has a direct tie to Boston sports, specifically played after every Red Sox victory at Fenway Park.

During a training session before the game, headcoach, Mike Petke was quoted as saying, ”It’s very reminiscent of 9/11, in the sense that 9/11, the world was – everybody was a New Yorker. Now, after this happened, everybody’s from Boston. It’s true. And I expect that when they come here and the starting lineups are announced, they’re out on the field, that we’re going to give their players a nice round of applause.” It certainly did feel like we were all from Boston this week.  Supporters and fans alike for all teams across the league showed their support for Boston teams by giving a moment of silence for the victims and those lost before the games.

New York will meet Toronto FC at BMO Field April 27 with the game being televised on MSG.

Looks like FC Dallas are starting to build up some steam! With yet another win, this time on the road, Dallas retain their place atop the western conference.

Fernandez with crucial save for FC Dallas

On Saturday, FCD traveled to Foxborough, Mass., for their second away game of the season. Their first away game ended in a 3-1 loss to Chivas USA, so this time they were looking to extend their winning streak.

I’m not going to lie, the first half completely bored me. It was a pretty standard defensive outing with the FCD backline holding steady. As usual, the attackers created plenty of chances in the first half but failed to find the back of the net. I realize it’s still the beginning of the season, but as other teams head to midseason form, the trio of Kenny Cooper, Fabian Castillo, and David Ferreira will need to be sharper with their chances. Against the Revs, FCD should have been at least 1-0 going into halftime. I’m sure they’ll find that lethal touch sooner or later, I’d just prefer it be sooner rather than later.

The Revs came out to fight the second half and really started battling in the midfield. Thanks to Andrew Jacobson, Dallas continued to control the field. Later towards the end of the game, Kenny Cooper and the Revs goalkeeper Shuttleworth collided heavily just after Kenny managed to get the tips of his hair on the ball. Even as the ball bounced into the back of the net, the linesman waved it offside. Little bit of a debate on whether or not he was actually offside but c’est la vie.

Then Blas Perez came on for Cooper. In the 87th minute he found gold! His glancing header managed to find the back of the net and FCD got their 3 points they had fought so hard for!!

Now to talk about Raúl Fernández. Last week, we saw Chris Seitz start against Real Salt Lake since Fernández was on international duty. Given the recent communication issues with RF and the backline, I was pretty happy to see Seitz in goal. This week, Schellas put Raúl back in the net. While he wasn’t called to pull any thrilling saves in the first half, he did more than his duty in the second half. The photo above shows just one of his absolutely incredible saves from the game. As long as he keeps up this impeccable form, I’m good with him in goal. Competition for starting spots is always exciting, I’m super happy to see both Seitz and Raúl performing well.

FC Dallas are on the road again next week as they travel to Canada to take on Toronto!

Well this is it! We’re are days, just days away from First Kick 2013 in Major League Soccer! Already, the expectations are high and the ladies here at Aerys Soccer cannot wait for the teams to hit the pitches again.

As we gear up for this season, we’re still looking for some writers to cover teams in MLS. Do you love talking about your favorite team? Feel the need to write up a rant or gush about a new player? Need to call out your coach or sing the praises of your favorite forward? Check out the graphic below listing the teams we have openings for and if you’re interested, let us know!

Hmmm, some great MLS teams listed! If you’re a fan of one or of the league in general, shoot me an e-mail at trista.lutgring@gmail.com! We’d love to bring you on board!

And as always, make sure to follow us at @AerysSoccer as we dive into MLS 2013

Cheer up, kid. You can still get home field advantage.  / Photo posted by Fire fan Gloria M. Futan on the Chicago Fire Facebook page.

The Chicago Fire came into the weekend as one of only two teams in the conference already assured a spot in the playoffs, but with a chance to move into a tie atop the East if they could pull out a road win against New England and Sporting KC lost to the Red Bulls.

Neither happened, as the Fire fell 1-0 to the Revs behind a lackluster, low-energy performance, and Kansas City played New York to a scoreless draw.

The Revolution found the only strike of the match in the 17^th minute as Fagundez latched onto a feed from Kelyn Rowe in the middle of the park. The Uruguayan-born, Massachusetts-bred forward dribbled into space and lashed a driven shot that beat Sean Johnson at the far post to give the Revs a 1-0 advantage over the Men in Red.

New England nearly doubled its lead in the 20^th minute as a corner kick bounced around the 18-yard box before rookie Fire defender Austin Berry cleared the ball from danger.

The Fire went into the break trailing 1-0 and emerged from the locker room in search of an equalizer. The Fire found an opportunity in the 60^th minute on the counter when Flaco Fernandez picked up a loose ball in the middle of the park. The Uruguayan midfielder sprinted into space and fed Rolfe on his left, however, the Revs recovered and knocked the ball out for a Fire corner kick.

In the 72^nd minute the Fire nearly found the elusive goal. Fernandez played a simple through ball to Segares inside the 18-yard box. The Costa Rican defender was in on goal but his left-footed shot sprayed wide of frame.

The result, combined with D.C. United’s stoppage time go-ahead goal over the Crew, pushed Chicago down to third place in the standings with United leapfrogging them by a point into second, at least for one week.

The stage is now set for a showdown in next Saturday’s regular season finale between the Fire and United for that coveted second seed. But with only four points separating 2-5 in the standings, seeding is totally up for grabs as the final weekend looms.

One thing is clear: the Fire control their own destiny. United, unbeaten in its last 6 matches, will be a tough task coming off a flat performance and disappointing loss, but the Fire have only lost three at home this season and the stakes are high. A win will move them back into second with home field advantage in the semifinals. A draw will at least keep them out of the bottom two and the opening knockout round of the playoffs.

This quote from Logan Pause sums it up from here on out:

“The rest of the games now are going to be a dogfight. Sometimes it’s not the prettiest soccer, but you’ve got to fight and claw and know that every point. Every possession matters, every point matters, and you know it’s going to be no different next Saturday against D.C.”

Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter for more commentary on the final week of the MLS regular season, and me at @dwag29 if you also revel in Chicago sports masochism.  

Red Bull Arena is sold out tonight for RBNY’s potential playoff-clincher against #1 Sporting KC. Photo via newyorkredbulls on Facebook.

We only have two more weekends in MLS and the race to the Cup is at its boiling point.

Three of today’s six matches have major playoff implications in the Eastern Conference, as the Red Bulls, Dynamo and Crew all look to clinch their spots. Sporting KC and Chicago Fire can rest a little more comfortably in their matches with the Red Bulls and Revs, knowing they’re already in. But SKC doesn’t want to relinquish that top spot and the Fire can catch up to them with three points tonight. Can you feel the heat?

The only issue with tonight’s action? It’s all on at the same time! If only MLS had its version of NFL RedZone.

Not only that, but the U.S. Women’s National Team resumes their Olympic Victory Tour at 6:30pm ET with a friendly against Germany, ranked #2 in the world. And as your resident USWNT writer, you know I’m not missing that one. My DVR will be on overdrive. Here’s what I’ll be watching and my predictions:

New York Red Bulls vs Sporting KC. – 7:00pm ET, Red Bull Arena (MSG+ NY)

The Red Bulls are home, in front of a sellout crowd, facing the #1 team in the conference. Win and they’re in. Piece of cake, right?

RBNY spent the season aggressively acquiring new talent — Sebastian Le Toux, Heath Pearce, Tim Cahill – to make sure they’re still standing on December 1. The Red Bulls have only lost 2 games at home this season, so the chances that they pull out 3 points in this one are pretty high. Then again, who was their first home loss to? Oh, right. Sporting KC.

Now, even if they lose, RBNY can still get in with a Crew loss at D.C. United today, but this team doesn’t want to leave their playoff chances in anyone else’s hands, especially their rivals down I-95. If they draw against KC, they can still get in with a Dynamo loss to Philadelphia (not likely) or a draw between the Crew and United.

My pick: Red Bulls 2 – 1 Sporting KC

U.S. Women’s National Team vs Germany - 6:30pm ET, Toyota Park (FOX Soccer Channel)

While the Chicago Fire are on the road at New England, their home turf will be occupied by the two top women’s soccer teams in the world: USA and Germany. Yes, it’s only a friendly and there’s no major international tournament in sight until the 2015 World Cup, but there’s something different about this one. It’s the U.S’s first match in five years without Pia Sundhage at the helm. USWNT Development Director, Jill Ellis, will step in as interim head coach.

But it’s not just about a new head coach. This is the beginning of a new era for the U.S. Women. It’s unlikely that the U.S.’s lower spine, Christie Rampone and Shannon Boxx, will return for the 2015 World Cup. Abby Wambach will be 35. Youth is on the rise. Becky Sauerbrunn will likely anchor the center of the backfield, but the rest of the defense is up for grabs. Will Olympic heroine Carli Lloyd keep her role as the attacking central midfielder, or will Lauren Cheney or even Tobin Heath supplant her? We’re going to see more of Sydney Leroux, for sure. But will Olympic alternate Christen Press get in the fold? This may be a Fan Tribute Tour for their Olympic victory, and in this match we’ll see the familiar faces, but everything is changing.  The competition for 2015 starts now.

My pick: USA 3- 2 GER

Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter for MLS and U.S. Soccer commentary throughout the weekend. You can also follow me at @dwag29 if you can put up with my during commentary Notre Dame and Chicago Bears football games. 

I don’t really want to repeat myself with this week’s MLS Preview, but let’s face it. The East is just more interesting again this week! Week 29 will break some hearts, if it hasn’t already. As we head into another busy weekend, we can only expect more possible upsets and twists and turns.

In the West, the lines have been drawn. As only the top five teams from each conference clinch playoff spots and there’s only this week and next left of games, there’s not too much that can change. San Jose are clear by almost 10 points, and while I don’t exactly expect them to sit back during their last two matches against Seattle and FC Dallas respectively, they really have nothing to worry about.

The ones to really watch in the next two weeks will be the Vancouver Whitecaps and FC Dallas. Currently Vancouver is sitting in fifth with 37 points and FC Dallas right behind them with 36 points. But really, Dallas has no real hope as Vancouver has a game in hand over them. But hey, if Vancouver lose both games this week and next and Dallas wins, then that would be the biggest shake up.

But to the big sha-bang. The East Coast. This top five changes with every game. And as most of them are playing each other in the next couple weeks it can only keep changing.

This weekend, watch the Philadelphia Union take on the Houston Dynamo on Sunday. The Union have no hope of getting into the playoffs this year. They can, however, still have a say in who does. The Dynamo are sitting on the bubble, one point above the Columbus Crew. If Philly can pull off a win, or hell even steal two points, Houston will be in a crunch.

But that depends on how the Crew fair. Now, I know this is going to sound bias, but this game will also be important. The Crew will be taking on their biggest rivals, the Chicago Fire. Surely, it will be a game that will not disappoint. The Fire are sitting second in the points, only three above the cut off line. So a loss on their part would mean a lot to the Crew in several different ways. And while the boys in Black and Gold are still a little shaky, they are fighting for a lot. I wouldn’t expect anything less than a great push from them to get the clutch win.

New England Revolution has a role like the Union – a chance to really mix things up. They aren’t in the playoff picture, but they will play third-place New York Red Bulls, who travel to Gillette Stadium without Thiery Henry. The Revs haven’t lost to the Red Bulls at Gillette since 2002 either, so if they can slay the giant, I’m sure D.C. United, Houston Dynamo and the Columbus Crew will be thankful.

Here’s your complete schedule for the weekend:

Saturday -
1 p.m Montreal v. Sporting KC
7:30 p.m. New England v. New York
8 p.m. Real Salt Lake v. Portland
8:30 p.m. Chicago v. Columbus
10:30 p.m. Seattle v. San Jose
10:30 p.m. LA Galaxy v. Toronto FC

Sunday -
4 p.m. Philadelphia v. Houston
7 p.m. D.C. United v. Chivas USA
7:30 p.m. Vancouver v. Colorado

Be sure to check back with the ladies of Aerys Soccer for your round ups and MLS news throughout the weekend!

Hey footy fans and welcome to Thursday! As international breaks start, countries are preparing for the first of their World Cup qualifying matches. We’ve got news on the USMNT front, plus some headlines from MLS, EPL and … is Nicklas Bendtner too fat to play in Serie A? It’s your Thursday Daily Kick Around!

Serie A

It’s interesting to hear how some players adjust when moving to different leagues. They talk about learning languages and getting around local towns. But rarely do you hear about weight concerns! Apparently that’s what ex-Arsenal not-so-darling Nicklas Bendtner is dealing with at his new club, Juventus. He missed summer pre-season to look for a new club and apparently forgot he needed to stay in shape. Now Juventus coaches are pointing out his waist line is a little out of sorts. That’s the breaks.

Dimitar Berbatov may be getting settled in at Fulham after his trek around Europe, but not everyone is letting go the fact he teased so many clubs. Fiorentina are demanding Berba pay back the club for the plane tickets used by the player and agent Emil Dantchevto take them to Florence for a medical. Only … Berba didn’t go to the medical. Instead he landed in England to meet up with Fulham manager Martin Jol. Whoopsies.

Major League Soccer

It was a crazy night in MLS last night. The Colorado Rapids suddenly showed up and stomped on the Timbers, handing Portland a 3-0 loss. The New England Revolution found their form as well, breaking the Columbus Crew’s winning streak and nabbing three points of their own with a 2-0 win.

The 2012 season might not be over, but that doesn’t mean current league powerhouse San Jose Earthquakes are planning for the future. They currently have out-of-contract EPL left back Jordan Stewart  training with them for a 10-day stint. It seems Stewart might be a replacement for 36-year-old captain Ramiro Corrales.

U.S. Men’s National Team

Who’s excited about the USMNT games against Jamaica coming up? I can’t wait! While the team is now in Jamaica for the first match set for Friday, Columbus is getting prepped for the teams arrival this weekend for the second match. If you’re in the area, hit up Crew Stadium Sunday for an open and free practice session!

If you don’t know much about USMNT call-up Terrence Boyd, you need to check out this ESPN article. Deciding to play for the US wasn’t one of Boyd’s easiest decisions and getting the necessary paperwork to do it proved to be quite the challenge for him. It’s a great read and you should check it out!

English Premier League

Zenit St. Petersburg are still busy attempting to pull players in. And apparently Manchester United’s Nani isn’t immune to getting some calls. It seems the Portuguese winger isn’t too happy with how things are going in the beginning of the session and the Russian club’s general manager confirmed today they are in negotiations with Nani for a move.

Good Monday to you all! I hope you had great weekends! Today’s headlines are packed with US Soccer news, and big news from the English Premier League, including John Terry’s ban. It’s your Monday Daily Kick Around!

U.S. Men’s National Team

The USMNT are in Mexico for the first time since 1984. The game, set to kick off at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, will definitely be entertaining. It is US v. Mexico after all! Yesterday, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann named a 23-man roster to take to the match. The biggest snub I think would be D.C. United’s Chris Pontius. Chris has been on fire for D.C. this season and definitely deserves the call up.

Major League Soccer

The SuperClasico kicked off last night in LA between the Galaxy and Chivas USA. And make no mistake, it definitely was a show from the Galaxy. They stomped Chivas 4-0.

Other scores:
Philadelphia 1 – Chicago 3 
New England 0 – Montreal 1 

La Liga

Saturday marked a big day for Barcelona forward David Villa as the club took on Dinamo Bucharest. He played in his first game since his broken leg last season. And he told media after the match, which Barca won 2-0, he felt “very pleased” and good on the pitch; he intends to come back better than ever this eason.

English Premier League

Well John Terry has the luck of someone on his side, that’s for sure. After being found not guilty of racial abuse to Antoin Ferdinand this summer, it seems the UEFA is reducing his three-match ban from the red card he received during the Champion’s League second-leg semi-final match. ESPN is reporting Terry’s ”final match of his suspension was deferred for a probationary period of three years.” If that isn’t lucky, I don’t know what is considering Terry’s track record.

Manchester United’s ploy to go public with its shares is sort of blowing up in their face. Some headlines are even comparing it’s demise to that of Facebook’s recent stock fall.

PrivCo, an independent financial analyst, said United’s stock price could plummet further – and gave the shares a value that would mean the club is worth less now than when the Glazers bought it in 2005. 

World Soccer

Some times things happen during matches when players’ tempers get out of control. One ref is hitting back at a player who he claims purposely attacked him on the field. During a friendly match yesterday between Portuguese side Benfica and German side Fortuna Dusseldorf, Benfica’s Luisao allegedly knocked over ref Christian Fischer on purpose. And Fischer plans to sue Luisao because of it.

Fischer, who refused to restart the Esprit Arena game after the 38th-minute incident, told the Express he would be taking legal action, adding: “As proof, I got hold of the TV recordings. Thus he [Luisao] can say whatever he wants. It just makes his statements even more ridiculous: everyone saw what happened.”