Zip_ME87

Great article. Thanks for posting that Bisbee.

Yes. Chase is actually in the 3rd row, not next to the President.

GOAL Mattocks. 66th minute. Vancouver leads Houston 2-0 on Mattocks' brace. Edit: Whitecaps 3-1 Final. Darren subbed out before the full 90 minutes. Nano subbed in later for the 3 minutes of stoppage. Edit 2: Whitecaps FC defeat Houston Dynamo to start the month of June, Mattocks scores twice; late Harvey goal in 3-1 home win Darren Mattocks became the first Whitecaps FC player to score two goals in an MLS match this season, as the young Jamaican’s brace helped the Blue and White end a three-match winless run in MLS, and a five-match winless streak in all competitions, on Bell Pitch at BC Place.

http://www.sounderatheart.com/2012/6/2/305...ong-hgp-chances It's nice to see DeAndre mentioned in this article: But the big winner among the starters is Aaron Kovar. If I can be bold enough to declare a top tier for possible HomeGrown Player signings it would include current Sounders U23 players like Sean Okoli, Deandre Yedlin and Nick Palodichuk. Those three were part of last year's strong U18 run, have selections to national teams, are at top schools and are on short lists of top freshmen of 2011's college season. Kovar belongs in that conversation and maybe at the top.

http://www.sounderatheart.com/2012/6/1/305...her-step-closer by Dave Clark on Jun 1, 2012 10:24 PM PDT in Sounders: Academy, U23 PDL and Reserves Tonight's 2-1 Reserve loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps has two stories for Seattle Sounders fans. One is much larger than the other. It was the story that caused people to change their plans, to adjust their schedules, to come to Starfire a third straight night. Steve Zakuani is back. Or closer to back. Or however you want to parse the language. "Today is a great day," Zakuani said to the press post game. "I got to see the fans, the fans got to see me. It's great to be in front of the fans again. It's a bit emotional also, because it's been 13 months. I feel good because I'm going in the right direction." And the fans did get to see him. There were glimpses of what he was. There was knowledge of what he'll be. There was an attempted chip that was a bit too low. Steve Zakuani wants that attempt back, because he knows exactly what his mistake was. If he gets that same opportunity again he almost certainly makes it. This evening wasn't about performance for Zakuani though. "Today was more than a result. It wasn't about performance," he said with a smile. "It was crossing off another on a really, really big checklist. I did it so I'm happy. I'm going to go home and tomorrow I'm going to be sore, but it's a really good feeling." He was clear. It's going to be a long time before you see exactly the same Steve Zakuani. He spent most of the night as a forward. He used a lot of burst speed. It wasn't the same speed, but close. There were a few times he made those endline runs that were his signature in 2010. His crosses were usually low. He's not going to wait until he's 100% to tell Sigi he's ready. He wants to contribute as soon as he can contribute, even in short periods of time. But it will be different. "The fans are going to have to understand that it's going to be a while before they see me picking up the ball on the halfway line dribbling 50 yards with the ball. If they can understand that it's going to take time, he said, "then it will be good. I need more games like this because that's the only way I'm going to get it back. Training's good, but I need more games. I'm hungry to get into the real thing." Seattle Sounders fans are hungry too. Several hundred whetted their appetite on a Friday night. They saw the new Steve Zakuani. He's a lot like the one you remember. A man with many friends throughout the league. One who is generous and thanks many for helping him in his time of need. He's also still a man that looks right with a soccer ball a few yards ahead of him so he can sprint on to it. Even if he doesn't think he can yet.

Darren Mattocks is starting tonight for Vancouver against Houston in today's only MLS match. http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2012-...van-v-hou/stats EDIT: And he scores in the 4th minute.

Wow, that's horrible news. Way too young.

Bucks Open Cup Run Ends with Penalty Kick in OvertimePDL team dominates but can’t finish off Lions Pontiac, MI (June 5, 2012)- The Michigan Bucks run towards Open Cup history ended Tuesday night when the home team was defeated by the Dayton Dutch Lions (D3 Pro) 2-1 on an overtime penalty kick. The fourth round win for Dayton puts them into the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup where they will travel to Kansas City on Tuesday, June 26 to play Sporting KC of Major League Soccer (MLS). The Bucks came out a bit shaky defensively in the opening minutes but quickly settled into their aggressive tempo much to the delight of the rowdy crowd of over 1,100 fans at Oakland University. Lions forward Eli Garner created several early runs that had the Bucks back line on their heels before he finally opened the game’s scoring. While colliding with a Bucks defender at the top of the eighteen, the ball fell to his feet with only Bucks keeper Adam Grinwas to beat, and he calmly chipped him for a 1-0 Dayton lead in the 12th minute. The goal served as a wake up call to the Bucks, who proceeded to take control of the game offensively with continuous pressure from Tom Catalano and Nermin Crnkic. In between offensive counter attacks by the lower division PDL side, Grinwis came up with two big saves to keep the lead at 1-0 into halftime. Bucks coach Gary Parsons’ game plan was working fairly well into the second half, when injuries caused the Bucks some real problems. The US Open Cup operates under FIFA rules, where each team is only allowed three substitutes for the game. “We expected a long night and a very physical battle. The plan was to go into half time tied or close, if we didn’t have a lead and then make the offensive substitutions that would change the game. With Simon (Omekanda) and Stew (Givens) having to come out to injury, we were never able to bring on Kenny (Uzoigwe) or Stefan (St. Louis) to finish off the scoring. Kenny would have been the difference maker in the second half and over time, but we didn’t have the ability to sub him in,” concluded Parsons. Parsons first sub of the game was replacing forward Steve Miller with Anthony Grant at halftime. Grant has played in two PDL games this year and has scored two goals in each, so the young Jamaican from Bowling GreenUniversity was ready for the call. In the 55th minute, Grant would beat his defender to the ball at the penalty spot, leave him on the ground and struck side netting when he buried his shot past Dayton keeper Matt Williams to knot the score at 1-1. Two minutes later Givens would pull up with a hamstring injury that would force Parsons to use a valuable sub in the back line. Joey Dillon was called on to finish the game at right back. In the 72nd minute Omekanda pulled up lame and had to be replaced by Zach Steinberger, who added instant life to Catalano and Crnkic, who were relentless all night long. With the Bucks lineup complete for the evening, the home side knew they needed a goal in regulation to insure they would not have to play down a man if another injury occurred. The Bucks dominated from the time Steinberger entered the game and he created three spectacular chances, hitting the post on one and sending a cross through the box that only needed to find a body part to be the game winner, but somehow eluded three Michigan players at the six yard line. The Bucks bombarded Williams’ goal with 22 shots on the night (to Dayton’s 8) forcing the goal keeper to make several key saves. The Bucks had several opportunities to score in the waning moments of regulation time, but the ball would not find the back of the net. In overtime, it was much of the same as the younger side continued to press. Kevin Cope had two headers just creep over the bar on successive corner kicks while midfielder Scott Caldwell and defender Chad Barson continued to pick up Lion turnovers and start the counter attack looking for the winning goal. In the 7th minute of the 30 minute over time period, Dillon was isolated on his Lions attacker just inside the penalty box when he awkwardly challenged for the ball. The Lions player went down and referee Kevin Terry Jr. pointed to the spot, much to the dismay of the Bucks bench and the partisan crowd. Michigan native Joel Delass slipped his PK inside the post just past the outstretched arm of Grinwas who guessed the right way but was a few inches short. The Bucks went back to the offensive attack and threw everyone forward for the remaining 23 minutes and created a couple of free kicks that would also just miss the mark. “This is a funny game,” said Parsons. “Sometimes you can dominate but just not finish. So far this year we have not really had this problem so you hate to see it crop up in a game of this magnitude; but it does happen. My heart goes out to these boys. They have played three professional teams on three consecutive Tuesdays and have taken all three to the 90th minute plus and came away two wins in the three tries. We knew we needed to get this done inside of 90 minutes because I was afraid we just wouldn’t have the legs to go on. Our schedule since we started the season three weeks ago has been absolutely brutal and isn’t going to get any easier.” Parsons was referring to the four US Open Cup matches since May 15 and the five league matches the Bucks will play, including the match at Toronto on Thursday and against Chicago on Saturday. Michigan will have to rely on its depth to get through the rough stretch which will have the team playing nine games in just over three weeks to start off the 2012 campaign. The team is currently 3-0 in league play and finish this year’s Open Cup run with a record of 3-1. Bucks Chairman/ CEO Dan Duggan was disappointed with the outcome but pleased with the great crowd, the recent support of the team and his players’ efforts the past three weeks. “Yes we do live for the Open Cup opportunity and this year we took advantage of it by hosting three games in four weeks. That being said, I think US Soccer has learned a couple of things about our success. First, you can’t have Open Cup games on four consecutive Tuesday nights in May and early June. It is not good for the players with the combined league schedule and it certainly is impossible to sell tickets in six days week after week. To have the youth clubs in the area cancel practice the past two Tuesday’s and encourage their kids to attend these high level matches was the fundamental reason why we had the success that we did. We feel like we pushed everyone and used a ton of favors to get people to the matches. With the fee structure that US Soccer is operating under now, a hosting team has to sell at least 2,000 tickets or they will lose money on the event. This will have a negative effect which will keep some teams from bidding or wanting to host in the future. I suspect there will be some changes to next year’s tournament, but all in all I am happy with most of the modifications they did put in this year and I do like have the tournament concluding in early August. We just need a couple of weeks between each round to catch our breath, play our regular season schedule and if we host, have time to properly promote the match so everyone can make it to the event.” After returning from Toronto on Thursday night, the Bucks will host the Fire at CatholicCentralHigh School in Novi on Saturday. Kick off is 7:30 PM and tickets can be purchased in advance for only $5 by visiting the Bucks web site at www.buckssoccer.com and clicking on the TICKETS link. Tickets at the gate will be $10 Adults and $7 Students (5 and under are free to Bucks games). The Bucks and Fire are two of the top PDL teams each year and are the teams who have sent the most players on to MLS. Last year the Fire had eleven players selected in the MLS draft and the Bucks had five so fans will once again get to see tomorrow’s MLS stars today by coming out and supporting the Bucks as they try to hold on to first place in the Great Lakes Division. The article doesn't say it, but I know Chad Barson and Scott Caldwell have been a big part of the Bucks' success. The both played the full 120 minutes against Dayton. This had to be some great experience gained by playing against MLS players in the US Open Cup. I hope to get up to Detroit on a weekend this summer to see Chad and Scott with the Bucks, but I think there's only 3 remaining weekend games at "home" (this Saturday, which I can't make and 2 in July).

Cox Lifts Sounders U23 To WinHand Timbers U-23s first defeat of season with late goal Saturday, June 2, 2012 TUMWATER, Wash. – The Sounders FC U23 defeated the Portland Timbers U-23s 1-0 in dramatic fashion on Saturday night as a stoppage time by Sounders U23 forward Jamael Cox handed his side victory against their Cascadia rivals. Goalkeeper Doug Herrick stepped up big for the Sounders U-23 to keep Portland off of the board, handing the Timbers U-23s their first defeat of the PDL season. The rivalry match was played in front of an enthusiastic crowd of over 1,300 at Tumwater High School. Supporters from both sides made their way out to cheer on their team. The Sounders looked to be off to a dream start as the ball fell to Aodhan Quinn in the second minute just outside the penalty area. He gathered the ball and rifled a shot on goal, but it wen straight at Portland goalkeeper Spencer Richey. Shortly after, a long throw-in by Portland into the Sounders U23 penalty area was headed toward for the corner of the goal, but Herrick was able to make his first of what would be many outstanding saves on the day. Sounders U23 came close in the 19th minute when Quinn was able to pick up the ball at midfield and slot a looping pass through the Portland defense to a diagonally-running Fernando Monge, who had a great look at goal but could not beat Richey. For much of the first half both teams struggled to create chances on goal. In the 26th minute Portland’s Roberto Farfan crossed a free kick into the Sounders U23 penalty area, but the defense stood strong and was able to clear the threat. As the half was winding down Sounders U23 forward Sean Okoli earned a free kick for just outside the right side of the box as he held off two Portland defenders. However, the cross was taken right into the one-man wall and the chance went wasted. The Sounders U23 had one more chance at goal in the 45th minute as DeAndre Yedlin made a run up the sideline from his right back position to whip a cross into the box where two green jerseys were making a run. The Portland defense held strong and won the ball in the air for the clearance, leaving the game scoreless at the break. Early in the second half the Timbers U-23 were knocking on the door as a free kick was given in the 48th minute just outside the Sounders U23 penalty area in the center of the field. The five-man wall stood tall as the kick was taken directly into it, and then cleared out of danger. The Sounders U23 went the other way with the ball down the right sideline, and after some great close-quarters one-two passing between the Sounders U23 midfielders, Monge was sprung into the penalty area with a look at goal. He hit his shot which prompted a diving effort from Richey, but sailed just over and wide of the target. For most of the rest of the game the Sounders U23 survived several good attacking chances by the Timbers U-23s. In the 52nd minute the ball was picked up at the top of the box by Portland forward Erik Hurtado, who was able to beat his defender and send a shot toward goal. Herrick came up with a huge save getting just enough of the ball to send it wide of the post. Herrick came up big again for his team in the 57th minute as he came racing out of his goal to punch away a Portland corner with authority. The attacks on the Sounders U23 goal kept coming in the 72nd minute as Hurtado broke loose behind the defense and tested Herrick again, but again the Sounders goalkeeper was up to the challenge and knocked the shot wide. The last great chance for Portland came in the 87th minute as a good through-ball raced through the Sounders U23 defense to Mark Sherrod, who wound up to strike the ball on goal. Sounders U23 defender Anthony Arena slid in and knocked the ball away just in time for a goal-saving tackle. With the game still knotted at 0-0 entering stoppage time, it looked as though the teams were headed for a scoreless draw. Then, Sounders U23 forward Facundo Dipasquale was able to bring down a long kick from Herrick and slide it past the Portland defense to a streaking Cox, who rocketed a shot past the Richey for the deciding goal. The win puts the Sounders U23s in a tie for second with the Kitsap Pumas in the PDL Northwest Division standings with 12 points. The Portland Timbers U-23s remain in first place with 15 points. The Sounders U23 are back on the field Friday June 8th, when they host the Washington Crossfire at 7:30 p.m. at Franklin Pierce High School. Tickets will be available at the gate, and also at SoundersU23.com. Looking at the picture embedded in the article, DeAndre is maintaining his look from the Spring. Edit: Catching the Sounders and Whitecaps Reserves was great, but I wish I had been in Seattle one more night to have seen Aodhan and DeAndre with the Sounders U23s. Oh well, Zips Soccer season will be here before we know it. It's great to see our guys celebrating together in that picture. GO ZIPS!

My pictures

From Ampai's twitter: 4 Jun ‏@AnthonyAmpai I signed with Buriram United in the Thai Premiere League. I will miss everyone and will always keep yall updated from Thailand. Love yall! 4 Jun ‏@AnthonyAmpai I want to thank everyone who has supported me throughout the years, my Zips, and all the Earthquake fanatics!

I noticed that, too

Bunbury punishes Rapids again

Source Player 2012 Base, 2012 Guaranteed Gavin, B. $60,000, $80,000 Zemanski, B. $57,690, $60,190 Kitchen, P. $85,500, $170,950 Korb, C. $44,100, $44,100 Sarkodie, K. $90,000, $135,500 Bunbury, T. $100,000, $198,000 Bush, E. $44,000, $44,000 Ubiparipovic, S. $55,000, $55,000 Valentin, Z. $90,000, $142,000 Nagbe, D. $90,000, $226,000 Zakuani, S. $110,000, $208,000 Ampaipitakwong, A. $44,000, $44,000 Mattocks, D. $100,000, $192,000 Nanchoff, M. $66,000, $101,000 Speas, B. $58,000, $58,000 Sorry, Z.I.P. - It appears that Darlington leads with Steve being 2nd.

It is sad news since it was the ABJ's decision. Mike did an outstanding job with that blog and should have been allowed to do it as long as he wished. Thanks Mike for a great blog. I'm glad to know you, having met you on my way to Portland for KD's first trip to the NCAA Tourney. I hope I'll continue to see you at Zips' sporting events and that you will continue to blog on another forum.

Darren Mattocks and Michael Nanchoff also started for the Whitecaps reserves in the match. I was fortunate enough to attend part of this match in Tukwila, WA very near SEA-TAC airport while awaiting a red-eye back to Cleveland. Zakuani looked good and had a nice opportunity to score, but the Vancouver GK made a great play. Nanchoff had an assist on Vancouver's first goal (a corner kick by Michael that was headed in by a teammate). Darren completely outran (imagine that ) one of the Sounders' defenders to go 1-on-1 with the Sounders' GK who made the save. Vancouver was leading 1-0 when I had to leave to catch my flight. They went on to win 2-1. I have some pictures of Steve, Darren, and Michael that I'll try to post later. The Sounders' fans LOVE Steve Zakuani. Every time he touched the ball, the applause/cheering was LOUD and Steve graciously acknowledged them. (I admit, as a HUGE Zips Soccer fanatic, I was like a little kid in being able to attend this match...that the timing and location just happened to work out, and that not only Zakuani, but Mattocks and Nachoff were in the match.) Edit: http://www.soundersfc.com/news/articles/20...-whitecaps.aspx

Since Houston has no Mens Soccer program, I suspect Coach Pfau liked the idea of not playing in anyone's shadow. I'm also excited to see who Akron hires as his replacement.

I wish Ampai the best. I hope we'll see him back at Akron someday.

I agree with everything you said. I hope Steve Zakuani is able to make a comeback, and that DeAndre and Steve will one day play together for the Sounders.

Teal Bunbury has 2 goals for SKC in the first 14 minutes vs Colorado. Edit:

Bucks Too Much For Jersey Shore The second half started in a much more subdued fashion for both teams, with Jersey Shore playing down a man and the Bucks in complete control. Bucks head coach Gary Parsons made a couple of second half substitutions early bringing in Thomas Schmitt and Ethan Miller to lead the offense and both would figure in the second half scoring. Schmitt, the University of Akron leading scorer this spring, would set up Catalano for the games fourth goal in the 74th minute.

Great news for Perry Kitchen who had to be subbed out of the DC United v Dynamo game in the first half in Houston this past weekend. In unexpected but totally welcomed news, D.C. United announced on Twitter today that the results of the MRI on Perry Kitchen's knee came back negative. All of his CL's are just fine, and there is no major damage. He'll be listed as Questionable on the team's injury report.

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The full roster isn't there yet, but a couple of Zips (Barson, Caldwell) showing up on Michigan Bucks 2012 roster. Edit (May 15): Thomas Schmitt also on roster now.

You had me going, but that can't be correct... The 2011 media guide shows the Zips as 0-0-1 vs UC-Berkley (Goals 3-3) with 1st meeting in 2010. That's the Elite 8 game in the 2010 NCAA Tourney.