Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com
By TRAVIS CLARK
It only took 23 seconds for Manchester United to open the scoring Wednesday night in Houston.
Italian starlet Federico Macheda took an errant backpass from Kevin Alston and beat Donovan Ricketts, a harbinger for the rest of the evening, as Manchester United beat the MLS All-Star team 5-2. Macheda then doubled United's lead off a corner kick just over 10 minutes later.
The All-Stars settled down, and Brian Ching pulled one back in front of a home crowd of 70,728. It would get no closer, as United hit again, scoring three more times, including a brilliant individual effort from Tom Cleverly, and a cheeky lob by Mexican forward Javier Hernandez, who scored on his Manchester United debut. Dwayne De Rosario added a second for MLS.
Here are a few other stories to get your morning going:
Vancouver wins priority coin toss
At halftime of last night's All-Star Game in Houston, a coin toss was won by the Vancouver Whitecaps, awarding the 2011 expansion side the choice of the first pick in either the MLS SuperDraft and MLS Expansion Draft. The Whitecaps will also get first priority over Portland when it comes to signing players from the second division, and the two will then get to choose alternately between things like Allocation spot, Designated Player ranking and other player mechanisms.
Marathon rolls, Joe Public snatches late draw
Marathon had no problem against Panamanian club Tauro, winning 3-0 on the road for a seemingly insurmountable advantage heading back home. A brace from Claudio Labarinas led the way as the Hondurans triumphed easily.
Trinidad & Tobago side Joe Public left it late, but left Costa Rica with a 2-2 draw heading into the second leg against Brujas. Trent Noel equalized in second half stoppage time as Joe Public aims to progress to the group stage. Brujas had opened the scoring just over a minute in, but couldn't hold on to a late 2-1 lead.
Internacional goes up in Libertadores
A matchup of two Brazilian clubs in the storied Copa Libertadores tournament ended with Internacional up after the first leg by a 1-0 margin over Sao Paulo. Giuliano's goal in the 67th minute was all the scoring this one would see, as Internacional dominated proceedings, outshooting their opponents 12-3, but only coming away with the single goal.
——–
What did you think of Wednesday night's All-Star game? Disappointed? Excited that Vancouver and Portland are so close to joining? Can Joe Public do it again? Is Internacional going to hold on to a one-goal lead?
Share your thoughts below.
Your implications of the coin toss are incorrect. Because Vancouver won, they get to choose 1 of the 8 categories to choose first, then Portland gets to choose one of the remaining 7 to choose first, etc.
Well, for one night the Fort Worth Stockyards was no longer the biggest field of turds in Texas.
Seems a little unfair that Vancouver would get the first overall pick in the Super Draft and Expansion Draft as well as first crack at allocations, discover players, etc…why not allocate all that stuff evenly between the two clubs?
If what you say is true, it makes a lot more sense than completely giving Portland the shaft.
Alston: fail.
I think Travis is wrong about that. I believe that by winning the toss, Vancouver gets to choose which of the 8 categories they would like a crack at first. Then Portland chooses and they alternate each category afterwards. The winner of the coin toss was not given first priority in everything.
It was an entertaining All-Star game. However, if you take away Kevin Alston’s crap pass, and if the linesman calls Javier Hernandez offsides, which he clearly was, then it’s a 3-2 game.
M – I – C – K – E – Y M – O – U – S – E !!!!!
Everyone sing along.
That was Man U “B” Team at best and we couldn’t do anything and ofcourse the excuses will roll on in, the MLS guys were tired, Donovan only played 15 mins because he played the night before. These all-star teams only get to train together for like 2 days so they don’t know each that well, they don’t take it seriously, blah blah blah.
They got spanked and in turn MLS as a league got spanked. We need better american talent, Lalas pre-game talking up Alston for a future nat position and then 20 seconds in, he screws up.
Seriously. That would be wack.
It seemed like Marshall was the only guy who wanted to play for MLS.
This is correct. The winner of the coin toss did not get 1st priority on everything, the only get to choose which individual category to pick from first and they’ll get the first choice in that particular category. Everything else will be alternated between who chooses 1st and 2nd.
any real fan of the league dosent give a sh.it about the all-star game… They played together for what, 2 weeks before the game..if that.. and they had subs ever 2 minutes. it was a novelty for both teams. nothing to get worried about. Its not like i was throwing anything at the tv. but apparently you were
I was thinking it seemed a little unfair.
Oh well back to the real games. If the MLS All Stars won the game, the haters would just say ManU is in its preseason. Not getting worked up over this one but it would have been a little better for the All Stars to play like this game meant something to them (as in play a little defense).
Alston is to blame for the loss. If he doesn’t give the gift pass in the first 22 seconds the game might have been different. To go down in the first 22 seconds to Man Utd definitely put all the players down a notch metally and physically. The game was basically over at that point. Alston shouldn’t have been invited in the first place and the proof was his play for the entire time he was on the field. I have 2 guys on my amateur team that are better than him and faster. That set the MLS back a few years…thanks Alston. Go play baseball!
Agreed. Especially because the Canadians should be back of the line anyhow
Even though he botch the first pass and paid dearly for it, I didn’t think he play poorly overall.
that was not MU’s B team…. though MU was missing several starters. The game was more a reflection of Ferguson – the ultimate manager – working his coaching magic with his team & his team responding as Ferguson’s team typically respond. It was not only a classy team beating the MLS, but arguably one of the best futbol managers doing what he does best – bring the best out of talented players.
…but Kansas City beat that same Man U team. I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on exhibition matches. That’s why they’re called exhibitions.
I think that is a little bit of an overreaction to one game. Did you think after the KC Wizards victory over Man U that MLS was one of the world’s best leagues?
Although I do love the fact that Alexi runs his yap in the pregame and Alston coughs up the ball for a goal in the first minute and then after the game Alexi pulls a 180 and starts being a litte bit more humble about the League and gives Man U their due. It’s just like what Landon said in Wahl’s book, Alexi is in over his head…classic!
Yeah, the All-Stars didn’t come to play, and yeah, they’re not as good as Man U. This surprises people?
I’m not going to write off the league or panic about our talent pool because a team of decent but incohesive indidividual players lost big to Man U, even if it was a “B-C Team”. They’re Man U for eff’s sake, a team with ten times the economy of all MLS combined and a nearly unparalleled tradition of winning big. They lost the previous match to a 10 man KC side, and they sure as heck weren’t going to get beat by a clearly inferior team in front of so many of their fans. SAF was riding these players too; the EPL start is 2 weeks away, and you know they want silverware this season.
Overall, I was entertained, which is what All-Star Games are all about anyway. Great to see so many footie fans show up when in years past MLS struggled to put butts in smaller venues like Pizza Hut Park.
And like I said yesterday, I think the Galaxy’s poor result against PRI is more reason to be upset about the league. Go Quakes!
Yeah, but that was such an ugly, glaring error that to look past it is difficult.
I thought one of the more interesting moments was when Hopkins chimed in on a conversation he had with Shalrie Joseph where the Revolution midfielder reportedly took the senior management of New England Revolution for not doing enough to help the club.
i understand opposing fans calling utd “man u”, but its frustrating that the commentators and espn in general has started doing it. seriously, if you say “man u” outside old trafford, you are likely to get beaten up pretty badly.
“The Whitecaps win means the club will now have the right to declare first priority on one of the player mechanisms on August 11. The Whitecaps and Timbers will then alternate choices through the priority list.”
From the linked article. Perhaps we should read the articles first, eh?
kind of yoda-esque, your reply.
Is it really that frustrating to you? We’re not outside of Old Trafford…so who cares?
Why do some people always look for the smallest/silliest things to complain about?
word to your last paragraph.
the first error was horrific, but i think he played well afterwards
Alston made a crap pass…but to say that it set MLS “back a few years” is more than a little extreme. It was just an exhibition. No one will care about it next week.
man, u really burned me up with that comment
Italian starlet? That’s pretty funny.
Joe Public is still the best club name.
it’s just a sign of ignorance. you would think someone that has been in the game that long and in england such as john harkes would know that.
and just to give you a little background, man u is the term used by opposing fans to make fun of the united players that died in munich.. so yeah maybe just a small deal to you, but not a small deal to the club.
Hmm no morning wrap of how Seattle dominated Metapan in front of 17k in a midweek game.
…and the nickname “Dynamo” was made popular by the communist controlled East German police. But as time has gone by people associate it with the nickname of the German based soccer team. The meaning has changed over the years, just as “Man U” has. You can go anywhere in the world and people call the team Man U. It’s not a big deal anymore, to the club or the supporters. You’re just trying to make something out of nothing.
Look up “ignorance” in the dictionary and you will find a picture of John Harkes.
Only Joe Mama could top that.
ya If you forget the first 20 seconds (lol) of his game he was really good. First time I’ve watched him the whole season; maybe I’ll watch a revs game after all.
Lalas is an idiot, what do you expect?
Seattle did win and looked good in their game against Metapan but they probably didn’t score enough goals imo to advance. In fact I think all the MLS teams trying to qualify (TFC, LAG) for the group stages left goals on the field and they will probably pay for not finishing their chances. I think that is the weakest link in MLS, there are not enough quality goal scorers.
actually it was more like 2 or 3 days of training before the game. thats it. the lack of communication between players, especially the back line, was very evident.
+1
A. Lalas is the most bitter, uninformed soccer media figure we have available. Why the heck does he continually get a say in things?
B. That wasn’t United “B” team. European teams don’t have “B” teams, they understand how to rotate players. Almost all of those players will be rotated into the starting XI during the season. The likes of VDS, Rafael, Evans, O’Shea, Nani, Obertan, Fletcher, Hernandez, Macheda, Giggs, and Scholes.
MLS did well with what they had. Blame their piss poor scheduling capabilities for ruining it. They were without Buddle and Donovan at a 100% and Bruce is just a crap coach at times.
I’m a DC fan but you don’t put Moreno on with 30 left in a high speed game like that, as he disappears which is what happened.
Harkes picture is also next to a few other words that begin with “i,” including: infidelity and immaturity. Just as the former Mr. and Mrs. Eric Wynalda.
A few things re: last night’s game:
1. Pearce confirmed that he is useless and was rightfully left off the WC squad;
2. Cleverly is a star in the making;
3. Giggs is a legend;
4. Javier Morales and David Ferraro are legit;
5. Shalrie Joseph was the best player on the pitch for the MLS All-Stars;
6. Alston is fast but needs A LOT of fine tuning (see Wynne, Marvell)
7. O’Shea looked fat
As someone said above, who cares who won? I was entertained. Think about this. If these United players were playing for MLS clubs, don’t you think almost every one of them would be selected as All-Stars? Case in point, would you rather pick Jonny Evans or Chad Marshall as your starting center back or Oberton v. Pappa? Come on, we were beat by good players. Get over it.
An MLS team played a match that mattered last night. Why is there not even a passing mention?
it actually is a big deal to the supporters. not all, but a lot of them. especially long-time fans of the club. i personally don’t see why you’re so offended by me being annoyed by it.
The game was entertaining.
Talent wise, the gap was not massive. It was there, but it wasn’t HUGE.
Training and team “cohesiveness?” Uh….. yeah.
MLS looked like a bunch of guys who had never played together.
Because they were a bunch of guys that had never played together.
“Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?”
“Except for the little shooting incident, it was great!”
My question is why? Idc what anyone says in its defense, the current All-Star game setup of “MLS vs. really good club team” is dumb and does NOT showcase MLS’ growth, especially with inept fans voting in undeserved players and missing out on other deserving players such as Zakuani.
If we really insist on doing an All-Star game, it should be East vs. West. MLS All-Stars vs. [insert club team] makes us look amateurish. But of course, MLS & Garber are whores for $$$$ and last night’s game drew 70,000+ so the format wont be changing any time soon
Which is why I’d muchhhh rather see “MLS club vs. European club” friendlies such as Philly Union vs. Man Utd, than MLS “All-Stars” vs. Man Utd.
The clubs play better because they have team chemistry. They’re not an assortment of All Stars.
Embarassing. Maybe MLS is not as far along as they think!
And let’s be honest, Garber beaming about this being the “4th most-attended All Star game in US sport’s history” does not reflect soccer growth in American…
It reflects:
-Man United’s massive popularity/fanbase in America of American’s and British ex-pats,
-The popularity of Javier Hernandez in the Hispanic communities around Houston. Massive turn-out of Mexican-Americans to watch Chicarito…also a testament to Man Utd’s shrewd marketing strategies. (see Ji-Sung Park and their success in the Asian market)
the finishes by UTD were clinical. very much why their players are at the top of the world.
macheda and cleverly will be stars at UTD if they stay there. and why would they go any where else?
and that was hardly UTDs B team. every one of those players sees the starting line up during the season.
those of you who are saying this makes the MLS look bad, are really not thinking very well.
any one who knows anything about this game, knows the story. it hardly makes them look bad.
fun game to watch.
Gee, I guess you can’t just throw a bunch of guys together for 2 days and put them up against one of the best teams in the world and expect them to compete. It works against OK teams, but teams like United are going to crush you. It was entertaining though
People need to relax on Alston – it wasn’t the world cup. After the big error, he played well against some of the best wingers in Europe, Giggs, Nani…
No offense to Marvell Wynne, but Alston’s got a lot of skill to go with his speed. Definitely the USMNT right back of the future…
It did not help that we had several players unable to play because of Champions League play. If MLS wants its all-stars to play in the All-Star Game, it’s going to have to work around Champions League scheduling. If that means moving the All-Star Game into August or a week earlier in July (which I think would have been feasible), so be it.
I was a little disappointed in the coin toss. Everything I read beforehand made it seem like the toss would actually occur as part of halftime at the All-Star Game. Instead, we get a few seconds of voice-over video that was taken earlier in the day in an empty stadium. Boring. I see no reason why they couldn’t have done a little MLS pomp and circumstance and actually had the representatives do the coin toss on the field in front of the 70,000+ and a live TV audience.
agreed. couple all of that with the fact they played together for 2 days and the fact the LA players got there that day…it’s no surprise. what has been a surprise is how well the MLS has done over the past couple of years in these games. they get no time to play together.
either way, very fun game to watch.
Ummm, we are talking about a coin toss, right?
I’m actually pretty excited about Alston’s potential future for the USMNT. Yeah he made a bad pass in the All-Star game, but it’s not like he missed a penalty that would have won the MLS Cup.
Zach, I don’t disagree with you. I would MUCH prefer a East v. West type match and I agree that there were some massively poor selections made (i.e. Moreno, Pearce)
And, yes, United are marketing geniuses. I haven’t heard an ovation for a substitute like that for Chicharito since….I don’t even know. Glad he scored. Kid could be special. By the way, I am an United fan…and not a fairweather fan. Began with the days of Gary Bailey in goal (yes, before I could talk).
an* East…
i agree. it really irks me. its just ignorance on espn’s part. its disrespectful to those who died in munich.
oh my god you are soooo clever
I disagree, I believe they should give Portland the shaft in every possible way.
I’m not offended, I just think it’s silly to complain about something that billions of people say. If Manchester United didn’t want to be called Man U, they would ask people not to say it.
…and I don’t know what fans you know, but I don’t know of any who are annoyed by the nickname Man U. You must be referring to a small minority of people.
I’m just saying, the coin toss actually had a bit of hype around it, and the result was not worth my time at all. If they’re going to make a big deal about it, make it a big deal. If they want it to just kinda fade into the ether, don’t pump it up to be anything.
if we can keep his goals allowed to one per game and Omar’s goals alowed to ne and Bronstein’s to oen every other game, we’d only allow 2.5 goals per game and our defense would be OK….
wait, how many goals are scored on average in top flight soccer?
That was not even close to the same United team that KC played. Try again.
Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play.
It is so funny that people are defending the MLS team so much. If they had won, we would all be hearing about how the gap is closing and MLS is really good! This was said after every all star game the last few years. I am a huge MLS fan, sadly, a 13 year Rapids season ticket holder. Yes, MLS talent levels are growing leaps and bounds, but there is still a lot of work to be done and last night proved it.
This was not the same United team that played KC, so people should stop bringing that up as well.
well i guess since you dont know anyone offended by it, then no one is, right? after all, you know everyone.
link to bleacherreport.com
that might help.
now find me a link to ANYONE associated with utd referring to the club as man u. or any supporter songs sung in old trafford. or any official merchandise with man u on it. the reason they dont come out and scold the public is bc that would alienate fans.
but after all, you dont know anyone offended by it, so it’s surely not a big deal.
the revs might not be in the hole they’re in if shalrie could keep his nose clean….considering the way he let down his teammates, he should just keep his head down and get to work….oh, and shut his effing pie-hole
Last night re-inforced something I think I already knew. It is 100% about speed of play. A combination of physical speed, precision and sharpness of passing and mindset.
The Man U players turned in on a little last night and the true gap became apparent. The MLS players simply weren’t prepared or didn’t have the physical attributes or class to keep up. How many weak or sloppy passes did the MLS have last night?? A ton.
Sure they were just thrown together and it’s not to say that some couldn’t turn it up a step, however it does show that at any given time, an MLS player is not Premier League quality.
Primarily this arguement is for INTL call ups. A good MLS season doesn’t mean much. A forward with strong physical attributes like Ching (size) might sneak something against higher quality, but as far as touch, vision and class.. an MLS season at this point is equal to lower championship or high League 1.
newsflash dude, MLS isnt exactly rolling in cash. they need games like this.
Javier Morales I thought was right there with Marshall especially in the second half.
I’m a Manchester United (so as to not offend anyone) die-hard and don’t necessarily condone the usage of Man U, but to be fair your link is to a site where I’ve seen MANY fans and columnists use the term. I scan the Bleacherreport site from time to time and for you to try and put the onus back on someone else to find a site where “Man U” is used is pretty irresponsible and petty.
Early goals change games. That being said the MLS boys were looking to play an offensive game regardless of the outcome. It’s a show, and was a lot of fun to watch. I think the scoreline was a little flattering for MANU considering the Alston gift and the Conde gaffes. I agree that Morales and Ferreria looked good.
It is much nicer to see only one side that looks like it has never played together vs. an East vs. West MLS Allstar game with two sides that look like they have never played together.
Well… i call it fair, since they always refer to “The MLS”.
The scoreline speaks more to the fact that ManU is starting to gel and the All Stars were trying to feel each other out. Sure MLS All-Stars can beat lesser clubs who’s youngsters aren’t phenoms. Some good work in the midfield and Juan Pablo was dangerous but the MLS defense was bad. They didn’t play their assignment a few times and got burned. Another sign that for them it was more like a pick-up game.
To everyones credit, the comments seem to be the same whether the MLS wins these games, or Man U crushes the MLS.
Perhaps a better indication of the development of our league and players will come out of the next USA game against a very young Brazilian squad…
Let me get this straight. Ricketts was rested in a Champions League game Tuesday night and then the next night his head coach selects him for an All-Star game? And had the nerve to say the All-Star wasn’t a priority? Love it.
or maybe Private Joe
yes, a grammatical mistake compared to a reference to a song glorifying a plane crash, that sounds fair.
sorry, to clarify, i put that link as a sort of background to show i wasn’t making this gripe up. and i was telling him to find a site where someone affiliated with man utd such as a player or a coach refers to it as such, not a random site like i did, as he thinks that it is a nicknamed condoned by the club.
It was an exhibition. The game against the All-Stars meant just as much as the game against Kansas City, which is absolutely nothing. Is that easy enough for you to understand?
bleacherreport…are you serious?!?! that’s what you’re using to support your opinion?
I’m done with this. It’s such a silly discussion. I’m not going to waste anymore time with it.
Exactly right mate. Exactly right. Hard for people to really see and appreciate, but that’s one big difference between the Champions league knock out stages and mid table in Spain or Italy or England, let alone the MLS. I think, though, that some MLS players would make the squad sheet of the weaker sides in top European leagues. Most though would be down a division. No doubt about it.
Let’s wait and see, however, as players improve between 19 and 24 over here (players that weren’t good enough in Colombia or Honduras at 19 to get to Europe) the lesser European clubs might start taking our league more seriously as an emerging talent pool. Like a Scandinavian league!
I agree that it’s lazy to not just say Manchester United, but our sportscasters will say Mizzou over Missouri any day of the week. For God’s sake, one ESPN anchor says “The Nation” in an annoyingly whiny voice when referring to the Red Sox. No one means anything by using the name. You don’t have to condone anything. In fact, you can feel all superior because you know what it means, it’s a surefire way of sniffing out bandwagon fans. But getting this upset, you’ll have to take up the cause for everything referring to a team that could be equally as offensive. I expect to see you on Washington Redskin forums decrying the team’s name, because of the racial stigma. And there are many others, for sure.
The only thing I learned from this game (and it’s something I’ve thought for some time): they need to get rid of that ridiculous trophy ceremony at the end. It’s meaningless to the visiting club if they win it, and it’s embarrassing to the MLS players (or it should be) if they win it. Instead, after the game have both teams walk together around the field applauding the fans and the game. It’s supposed to be a celebration, so end it with a celebration. While on the field, every player wants to win; but when the game is over the result is meaningless, so don’t try to instill meaning with a silly little piece of tin.
So, it is hard for you to understand that the team fielded against KC was not the “same” United team as you called it.
You have got to be kidding me! So crap on the MLS sophomore? The Allstars as a team failed as a team, but heck, what do you expect when there was little preparation playing against some of the best players in the world who, by the way, actually train together as a team? Further, there wasn’t one player on that field for the Allstars with a mindset weak enough to be crushed by Alston’s mistake. Thank goodness you aren’t making coaching decisions for games that matter, because you would toss out a player who at 22, playing in front of a crowd of 70,000 for the first time in his life, made a mistake, with zero support from a back line who clearly hadn’t practiced together enough – in an allstar match, no less! Seriously, a truer measure of Alston’s talent is how he plays from week to week for one of the worst teams in the league (read: a team held together by it’s defensive line), and how well he recovered from the mistake he made last night. If you couldn’t see how well he performed after the error (shutting Nani down time and time again, for example), then you have no clue how to spot fantastic potential in a young player who, I hate to tell you, you will be watching defend for the Nats in the years to come.
This.
link to i28.tinypic.com
It was a very entertaining match, and while the score (5-2 Manchester United) was a bit lopsided, both teams played good ball. It was not the dead match that the AP reported.