RSS
Kenleigh’s Kause, Regis, Mines, Casey, Chad Marshall, Nikki Marshall, more!
Today we hear from Regis University men’s soccer coach Tony McCall, and we take a look at the Colorado School of Mines men’s and women’s teams, Colorado Rapids coach Gary Smith’s comments on the Ugo Ihemelu trade, my votes for Major League Soccer player of the month, the Super Classico between Chivas USA and Los Angeles Galaxy and more!
PLEA FOR ASSISTANCE: Regis University men’s soccer coach Tony McCall and his wife, Jennifer, have an 8-month-old daughter named Kenleigh who has Down syndrome. The McCalls are asking folks for financial support for “Kenleigh’s Kause,” helping find a cure for Down syndrome. The family will participate in the Step Up for Down Syndrome walk at 9 a.m. Sept. 27 at City Park in Denver, or you can go directly to the Kenleigh’s Kause team page to make a donation. Here’s the link to the Step Up for Down Syndrome page, and here’s a link to Kenleigh’s Kause. Down syndrome is a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops mentally and physically. It affects about one in every 800 babies.
REGIS VS. RAPIDS: Facundo Diz scored twice as the Rapids reserves topped Regis University 4-0 Tuesday afternoon at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Ross Schunk and guest player Luke Williams also scored for the Rapids. Both of Diz’s goals came in the second half. The reserve team’s lineup consisted of Preston Burpo, Rob Valentino, Ty Harden, Mike Holody, Ross Smith, Greg Dalby, Pat Noonan, Eric Denton, Williams, Diz and Schunk. Read more about the exhibition here.
CONOR CASEY’S TEETH: ESPN reports that Rapids striker Conor Casey had not joined the U.S. camp in Utah as of Wednesday evening because he had his wisdom teeth removed Monday in Denver. ESPN’s Steve Davis writes that although Casey’s “hold-up play in the same stadium as an MLS All-Star was a highlight a month back against Everton,” he probably won’t be much more than insurance as the Nats take on El Salvador in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium. Read Davis’ whole story about the U.S. lineup here.
MY VOTES FOR MLS PLAYER OF THE MONTH: I voted for Columbus defender Chad Marshall, and Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer was my second choice. In August, Marshall helped the Crew to a 3-1-0 record while playing the full 90 minutes in each match. Each of his two goals in the month were game-winners, including a free kick strike against the Rapids on Aug. 1, and he had one assist. Hesmer went on to win the monthly award, voted on by the North American Soccer Reporters. New England’s Shalrie Joseph was the runner-up, and Rapids striker Omar Cummings was third.
GARY SMITH ON THE IHEMELU-MOOR TRADE: Rapids Head Coach Gary Smith spoke to MLSNet.com’s Owen Perkins about the trade that sent Ugo Ihemelu to Dallas for Drew Moor, a draft pick and allocation money. “In Ugo you’ve got a pristine athlete with lots of pace, and a terrific kid at that as well. But I think with Drew you’ve got maybe a little bit more of a cultured defender. A little bit more capable on the ball. And hopefully as versatile at right back and at center back.” Smith said the Rapids’ late second-half collapse against Chicago had something to do with the deal. “That’s not to say that the move that was made with Ugo was solely based on that, but it did play a part in it. … ” Read Perkins’ whole story here.
SUPER CLASSICO REVIEW: Henry Schultz, an occasional contributor to ColoradoSoccerNow.com and our departed friend FC Rocky, had this to say about last weekend’s Chivas USA-Galaxy match: “It was just awful. Errant passes, big, bouncy first touches resulting in loss of possession, etc. There were a couple of flashes from Beckham, like when he reached behind for an unexpected bounce and hooked a perfect pass forward with the back of his heel. Overall, a dull exhibition, however much the commentators tried to hype the ‘rivalry’ between the teams.” Hank is working on a book review for us that we’ll publish in the coming months.
OREDIGGERS IN THE RANKINGS: The Colorado School of Mines women’s soccer team is tied for fourth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America rankings for the central tegion. The women posted victories last week at home against Washburn University and Nebraska-Omaha. The Mines men are ranked third in the central region. The men beat Northwest Nazarene 5-1 on Aug. 27 and the University of Mary 3-0 on Monday.
REMEMBER WHEN CELTIC WAS IN TOWN? ESPN reports that Hull City has signed Dutch striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who was released by Celtic at the end of the Scottish Premier League season, on a two-year deal. Vennegoor of Hesselink was a member of the Celtic team that met the MLS All-Star Team in 2007 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Read the whole story here.
CU AWARD: University of Colorado senior Nikki Marshall was named CU’s Athlete of the Week for Aug. 24-30. She has won the award seven times, more than any other Buffalo. Marshall scored the first two goals Sunday in Colorado’s 8-1 win over St. Mary’s in record fashion. Marshall scored her first goal 23 seconds into the game, setting a school record for the fastest goal in program history. Just two minutes later, she scored the winning goal.
Leave your response!