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This is where I will post my weekly A-League Wrap Up

A-League Weekly Wrap Up - Week 15
by Brendan McCreary, Pittsburgh Riverhounds Fan
28.July.2003
The Toronto Lynx defeated the Atlanta Silverbacks in front of 3,530. Neither Atlanta nor Toronto has a good chance of making the playoffs but Toronto still has a chance. Atlanta went up 1-0 in the 1st minute after Mac Cozier beat the keeper. But Toronto answered in the 22nd minute with a goal by Nikki Vignjevic after he picked up a loose ball and created the goal. The final goal of the match was scored by the Lynx in the 33rd minute. After receiving a nice Brian Ashton pass Sebastian Barclay chipped the ball to give the Lynx the win. Final score was 2-1 Lynx.
The Rochester Rhinos met the Richmond Kickers in a rare event where the game is postponed to the next day due to lightning. The game got delayed in the 25th minute. At the time Richmond was holding a 1-0 lead after a nice build up and a good cross by Tony Williams to Kevin Jeffrey who poked it in the 8th minute. They doubled their lead in the 55th minute when Paul Lekics got in a good shooting position and buried it to make it 2-0. That is how the game ended. Both teams are in a playoff spot right now but could use some more wins to keep off the teams trying to catch them. Final score was 2-0 Richmond.
A very important match between the Portland Timbers and Cincinnati Riverhawks took place in front of 324 in Cincy. Both teams could use a win as Cincinnati are 2 points out of the playoffs and the Timbers are just in the playoffs. The Riverhawks took the lead in the 55th minute when Allen Eller shot in a corner. McKinley Tennyson evened up the game in the 80th minute when he also scored off a corner. The game went into OT and it was ended by the Timbers in the 99th minute. Jake Sagare scored on a powerful shot to give the Timbers the three points. Final score 2-1 Timbers.
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds traveled to Canada to face the Montreal Impact. The Riverhounds are making a late playoff run and after a win vs. Montreal in OT they are now only seven points out of the playoffs. The game was ended in the 94th minute after Ricardo Villar sent a nice pass to Derek Potteiger who was all alone and ended the game. However Montreal is still leading the division because Rochester also lost. Final score was Riverhounds 1-0.
The Vancouver Whitecaps got a big win vs. Team Calgary in front of 3,469. This helps them stay very close to Portland for the last playoff spot. Vancouver got their first goal in the 8th minute when a shot by Nico Craveiro was deflected into the net. Just 4 minutes later the keeper for the Whitecaps, Alex Marques, stopped a Calgary PK to keep the lead at 1-0. Vancouver finished off the scoring for the game in the 37th minute, Jordan was about to score but he was brought down before he could. The PK was awarded and Oliver Heald made it 2-0. Final score was 2-0 Whitecaps.
The Minnesota Thunder beat the Portland Timbers. This was an important match; Minnesota can soon wrap up their playoff fight with some more wins while Portland lets Vancouver gain some points on them. The only goal of the match came in the 92nd minute in OT. Amos Magee ended the game and sent the 7,568 to their feet. The Thunder out shot the Timbers 21-10. Final score was 1-0 Thunder.
In a very important divisional match the El Paso Patriots and the Milwaukee Wave United met. Greg Howes gave Milwaukee the lead in the 9th minute after half-volleying a shot in after a cross from Troy Dusosky. Matt Schmidt made it 2-0 after his shot was deflected into the net in the 61st minute. That was the end of the scoring and gave Wave United the win. They now move in front of El Paso for the final playoff spot in what should prove to be an exciting battle. 1,978 fans came out to see this game. Final score was 2-0 Milwaukee.
The Richmond Kickers got the always hard to get point at Frontier Field against the Rochester Rhinos. Richmond struck first in the 11th minute as he headed the ball into the net. Rochester tied it up in the 20th minute when Yuri Lavrinenko scored his first after hitting in a corner. But Richmond took the lead once again in the 57th minute. Jeffery sent a nice pass to Paul Lekics' who buried the chance and made it 2-1. Richmond held onto the lead for awhile but with time running out Rochester tied it. Kirk Wilson shot in it in after a failed clearance attempt. OT could not produce a winner. This game let the Pittsburgh Riverhounds gain more points on the Rhinos, the Riverhounds are now five points out of the playoffs. Richmond helped solidify their playoff spot. Final score was 2-2 draw.
The Syracuse Salty Dogs traveled to face the Pittsburgh Riverhounds for the FSW TV game. 1,817 showed up for this one. The Riverhounds got the one and only goal in the 10th minute. Villar sent a ball to Gary Depalma, the ball was blocked though by a defender and it hit off his head, he lost the ball as it went to the foot of Depalma. Depalma then crossed it to Thiago Martins who put a slow, but accurate shot behind the keeper. That was the only goal of the game. Randy Dedini now has seven shutouts. The Riverhounds move closer to the playoffs and it should be an exciting rest of the season. They are 5-0-0 under new coach Ricardo Irribarren. Final score was 1-0 Riverhounds.
The Toronto Lynx surprised the Charleston Battery in OT. The only goal of the game was scored in the 94th minute after Barclay sent a perfect cross to Ryan Lucas who headed it in. The score was kept at zero for the Battery with a great PK save by Lynx keeper Theo Zagar in the 35th minute. The Toronto Lynx are trying to make a playoff run of their own but still need to gain nine points on Rochester. Charleston is still atop the Southeast division. Final score was 1-0 Lynx in front of 3,213.
The Montreal Impact were almost upset by the Atlanta Silverbacks. Atlanta scored first in the 17th minute after Jordy Broder took a loose ball and put it in the net. The Impact tied it up but not until the 77th minute when Ze Roberto sent a nice thru ball to Mauro Biello who tied it up. But in the 90th minute Montreal won the game when Ze Roberto headed in a Martin Nash cross to win the game and send the 1,242 home unhappy. After the win Montreal is now back in first place, in the Northeast and in the league. Final score was 2-1 Montreal.
Virginia Beach shut out the Charlotte Eagles 3-0. Roy Lassiter scored the only goal of the first half in the 14th minute. Dante Washington scored a pair also as he tries to catch up to Thiago Martins and Doug Miller for the leader in goals. His goals came in the 49th and 59th minute and sent the 2,611 in attendance to their feet. The game ended 3-0. The Mariners are staying alive in the playoff race but will need to gain some more points on Richmond. Final score was 3-0 Mariners.
The Seattle Sounders defeated Team Calgary by six goals, for the second time this season! Kyle Smith started the scoring with a nice shot to the far post in the 7th minute. Andrew Gregor scored on a PK in the 22nd minute. Sean-Michael Callahan scored in the 36th minute after he tapped a cross into an empty net. Matt Hulen scored his first professional goal when he chipped the ball over the keeper and into the net making it 4-0 Seattle in the 46th minute. Gregor scored his second of the night when his shot hit the goalie and went in the 54th minute. And finally! Viet Nguyen scored off a free kick when it went right into the top corner making it 6-0. The match was surely a sight for the 2,217 in attendance. With the win Seattle increased their lead over the Northwest division. Final score 6-0 Sounders.
The Vancouver Whitecaps gained some important points when they beat the Indiana Blast. The Whitecaps moved in front of the Timbers for the final playoff spot. The Whitecaps scored first but not until the 43rd minute when Carlo Corrazin scored on a PK after a handball in the box. Justin Jordan then scored two straight goals for the Whitecaps. Both of them were off passes from John Sulentic and they came in the 49th and 64th minute. The order reversed however when Jordon set Sulentic up for a goal making it 4-0 in the 71st minute. But Indiana wasn't going to lose 4-0; Quiroz intercepted the Whitecaps keepers pass and passed it to Jeff Dresser for the easy tap in and to make it 4-1. Jeff Dresser scored again in the 83rd after firing in a rocket to make it 4-2. That's the way it would end for the 1,234. Final score was 4-2 Whitecaps.
The Portland Timbers played Team Calgary in front of 4,261. Nick Reyes started the scoring for Calgary in the 8th minute when he got behind the Timbers defense and chipped it over the keeper from 35 yards out. Gavin Wilkinson answered for the Timbers in the 33rd minute when he deflected a corner into the net. The game would end 1-1 even after OT but the Timbers out shot Calgary 16-7. This is a bad loss of two points for the Timbers and the Whitecaps moved into the final playoff spot. Final score was 1-1.
The Rochester Rhinos played the Charleston Battery in front of 9,487. The Rhinos got things started when they score in only the 3rd minute when Ian Fuller got it behind the keeper. Paul Conway scored for the Battery to make it 1-1 in the 28th minute. That score remained until the 88th minute when Fred Commodore bicycled a cross into the net to give the Rhinos the lead! But the Battery tied it back up at two in the 90th minute when Chris Dore scored! The Rhinos are being closely chased by Pittsburgh but there is still a six point difference. Final score was 2-2.
Milwaukee Wave United really helped their playoff spot with a 5-1 win over El Paso. Nicks Walls made it 1-0 Milwaukee when he slotted the ball into the net. But in the 20th minute both Nick Walls and Freddy Jaurez were red carded. Greg Howes made it 2-0 but not until the 41st minute, he got in a good shooting position, avoided a defender and shot it in. Mike Griego made it 2-1 when he scored a goal when he chipped it over the keeper to give El Paso the goal in the 55th minute. Milwaukee answered in the 63rd minute when Greg Howes scored again to make it 3-1 after a give and go and a shot. Chad Dombrowski and Anthony Maher both scored late goals for Milwaukee to give them the win. Milwaukee is now four points ahead of El Paso for the last playoff spot, they also have four games in hand. Attendance was 1,866. Final score was 5-1 Milwaukee.
Cincinnati Riverhawks faced the Vancouver Whitecaps in front of 412 loyal fans. The Riverhawks took the lead in the 32nd when Mike Apple scored on a fierce shot. But the Whitecaps answered with two second half goals. Carlo Corazzin received a cross and buried it to tie it up at one in the 58th minute. Corazzin scored again after he perfectly headed in a cross in the 86th minute. This now moves the Whitecaps into a playoff spot in the Northwest division. Final score was 2-1 Vancouver.
also seen at http://www.a-league.com/features/2003/fea,2003,0020.shtml

A-League Weekly Wrap Up - Week 14
by Brendan McCreary, Pittsburgh Riverhounds Fan

21.July.2003
8,237, the largest crowd in Montreal Impact history, turned out for the match versus the Toronto Lynx (also pretty good for a Wednesday game!). Montreal and Rochester are currently battling for the Division lead as only one point separates them. Eduardo Sebrango gave Montreal the lead in the 33rd minute. Toronto answered in the 49th minute. Ali Ngon was tripped in the box and Vignjevic buried the ensuing penalty kick to tie it up. The Impact took the lead again as sub Sita-Taty headed a perfect cross into the net in the 72nd minute. That lead would stand until the 90th minute when, once again, Ali Ngon was tripped in the box. He took the penalty himself this time and tied it up once again. The game went 12 minutes into overtime where it was ended by Ali Ngon for his second of the night. Final Score was 3-2 Lynx.

Virginia Beach and Syracuse played on Friday. Virginia Beach needed to win this game because they are battling with Richmond for the final playoff spot in the Southeast division. Syracuse is proving to be a tough team as they are in the middle of things in the Northeast and they proved that to the Virginia Beach crowd of 1,554. The match was pretty uneventful except for a couple of minutes. And that is what Syracuse took advantage of, with two quick goals. Jack Jewsbury gave Syracuse the lead in the 63rd minute and then Gabe Valencia doubled it in the 67th. Final score was 2-0 Syracuse.

Calgary traveled to El Paso for the Fox Sports World TV Game. El Paso is holding on to a playoff spot but only by two points. A win would really help them solidify their position. El Paso took the lead in the 20th minute as Andrade sent a nice through ball to Mora who blasted it by the keeper. The two hooked up again to double El Paso's lead in the 36th minute. Mora scored again after tapping a pass from Andrade. Calgary got their only goal of the match after Sean Fraser was pulled down in the box. The penalty kick was put in by Misail Tsapos in the 55th minute to make it 2-1. Tsapos scored again to finish the game in the 61st minute. He took a free kick just outside the 18 and sent a wicked shot into the net. Final score was 3-1 El Paso.

Indiana and Milwaukee met in front of 1,873 Indiana fans. Milwaukee is currently five points out of a playoff spot and need some points to catch up. Jamar Beasley gave the Blast the lead in the 43rd minute after he scored off a pass from Godfrey Tenoff. The lead got bigger in the 60th minute after Rodrigo Costa scored a beautiful goal off a free kick right into the corner of the net. Milwaukee got their first goal in stoppage time. John Ball was brought down in the box and Dino Delevski converted the penalty to make it 2-1. In the final seconds of stoppage time Jeff Dresser scored to make it 3-1 Blast for only their third win of the year. Final score was 3-1 Indiana Blast.

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds played the Atlanta Silverbacks. The Riverhounds have played 4 games in 8 days and are 10 points out of a playoff spot. The Riverhounds came out strong with 5 scoring chances in the first 15 minutes but Atlanta scored first when John Barry Nusum headed in a corner kick in the 31st minute. In a nice play, that sent the 1,535 in attendance to their feet, Joey Worthen was taken down in the box. Thiago Martins buried the penalty kick in the 81st minute. Regulation time ended with the score tied at 1-1. It only took the Hounds a couple seconds into overtime to win it. Ricardo Villar sent a nice ball to Corey Woolfolk who was in a 1-on-1. He dribbled a little bit and then blasted it into the net to give the Hounds the win. Final score was 2-1 Riverhounds.

Seattle drew 4,976 for the match between the Seattle Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Whitecaps are trying to get a playoff spot so they need to start gaining points on the Timbers. Meanwhile, the Sounders are safely atop of the division with 37 points. Vancouver started the scoring in the 7th minute when Oliver Heald converted from the penalty spot after Jason Jordan was tripped in the box. The Sounders answered in the 20th minute when Viet Nguyen had a shot go off the crossbar. The rebound was then headed in by Andrew Gregor. The rest of the match was pretty evenly played. A player from each team was sent off in the 90th minute and the game ended 1-1.

Milwaukee Wave United and the Cincinnati Riverhawks played in front of 407 fans on Saturday. This was a very important match as both teams are fighting for a playoff spot and both are now two points out of the final playoff spot. Both teams came out shooting as there were three goals in the first 15 minutes. Milwaukee took the early lead when Greg Howes took a pass from Aldrich and put it in the net in the 9th minute. But Cincinnati answered just three minutes later when Sastoque tied it up. Milwaukee took the lead once again in the 15th minute when Digital Takawira pounded one into the net. Milwaukee kept that lead until just before halftime when Allen Eller tied it up at two. Milwaukee ended the scoring in the 79th minute when Nick Walls scored the game winner. Both teams are now tied for third place in the Central division. Final score was 3-2 Milwaukee.

Rochester traveled to Charleston to face the Battery. 3,012 showed up for this match. Rochester is battling Montreal for the first spot in the Northeast division while the Battery are relatively safe atop the Southeast. Rochester took the lead in the 31st minute after Doug Miller headed in a Hayes cross. The Battery equalized in the 59th minute as Conway sent a nice ball to Josh Henderson who sent the ball past the keeper to make it 1-1. Regulation would end with the score 1-1. The Rhinos ended the game 8 minutes into OT after Bill Sedgewick sent a cross into the middle which was headed into the net by sub Jamel Mitchell to give the Rhinos the win. Final score was 2-1 Rhinos.

4,507 Minnesota fans went home sad after the Thunder lost to the Charlotte Eagles 1-0. This game helped the Eagles get back into the playoff hunt though they still do have a long way to go. The Thunder could use a couple more wins to secure there place on top of the Central division. The one and only goal was scored by Andy Guastaferro after he one timed a cross by Mark Pinch into the net from just inside the 18. That goal came just before halftime in the 45th minute. The Thunder out shot Charlotte 17-13 but couldn't find a goal. Final score was 1-0 Charlotte Eagles.

2,117 Richmond Kicker fans went home happy though, after they helped solidify their position in second place in the Southeast division with a 1-0 victory over the Syracuse Salty Dogs. The Kickers are 9 points behind first but 7 points in front of third. However Syracuse is still 10 points out of a playoff spot. The only goal came just three minutes in when Kevin Jeffrey volleyed it in. The game would end 1-0 Richmond.

The Montreal Impact once again set a franchise record for attendance as 8,307 came to watch them play the Atlanta Silverbacks. The Impact scored the only goal of the game in the 18th minute when Sita-Taty Mantado gave the Impact the 1-0 lead. There were no goals the rest of the game but the Impact dominated play. Montreal out shot Atlanta 17-4 while they also had had 9 more corners than Atlanta. This victory put the Impact back on top of the Northeast division, but only by one point. Final score was Impact 1-0.

It was a good day in Canada as the Vancouver Whitecaps posted a season high crowd of 5,316. They all came out to see the Whitecaps beat the Sounders 2-0. In the 10th minute Jason Jordan fired a shot that hit the post, Carlo Corazzin then put in the rebound to make it 1-0 Vancouver. The Whitecaps finished the game in the 86th minute. The Whitecaps had a 3 on 2 break and Oliver Heald had an open shot, which made it 2-0. This now moves the Whitecaps two points behind the Timbers for the last playoff spot. Final score was 2-0 Vancouver.

This was first seen at http://www.a-league.com/features/2003/fea,2003,0019.shtml