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You know whats on the line

in News 15.11.2019 09:41
von wh3171 • 195 Beiträge

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork. Air Max 270 Mens Cheap .com) - As we inch closer to Major League Soccers showpiece event, its safe to say we are getting two teams that are in the best form throughout the playoffs. So often you dont get the two best teams, but the Los Angeles Galaxy and New England Revolution have nearly been unstoppable since the final month-plus of the regular season and into the postseason. There are plenty of interesting subplots to follow for both clubs leading up to the game. Will Landon Donovan end his career with another MLS Cup title? Could a win for New England signal the beginning of another period of dominance circa the mid-00s when the club trotted out stars such as Clint Dempsey, Taylor Twellman, Michael Parkhurst and others. The Galaxy will be gunning to become the first club in MLS history to win five titles, with New England aiming for its first while also trying to erase the memory of three consecutive MLS Cup losses from 2005-2007. So which side will hoist the Philip F. Anschutz trophy? Heres TSNs positional breakdown of Sundays match. FORWARDS Its a case of contrasting styles and philosophies when it comes to comparing the forwards from New England and Los Angeles. The Revs have been riding their relative youth all season, while the veteran- laden Galaxy have two of the best forwards in the short history of Major League Soccer. On the back of Donovan and Robbie Keane, the Galaxy fired home 69 goals over the course of 38 regular-season games, and amazingly, the team really didnt hit its stride until after the World Cup in late June. Donovan notched 10 goals and added 19 assists, while Keane buried an MLS- career best 19 goals and chipped in an impressive 14 assists. Add to that the pace of Gyasi Zardes and the bruising, physical presence of Alan Gordon coming off the bench as a substitute, and the Galaxy may have the best attack corps in the league. For New England, its been a bit of a rotation as far as who gets the starting nod. The Revs endured an eight-match losing streak at one point during the regular season, but emerged and caught fire down the stretch thanks to some excellent play from Teal Bunbury and Charlie Davies. Davies has been the clubs inspirational leader of late as the New Hampshire native, who nearly lost his life in a auto accident in October of 2009, has powered the Revs through the playoffs with four goals, including two in the clinching match against New York in the East finals. Bunbury was acquired by the Revolution in a trade with Sporting Kansas City in the offseason and has rounded into form down the stretch with four goals. The 24-year-old is a quick, versatile player who can play as a lone striker or underneath in a supporting role. Add in rookies Patrick Mullins and Steve Neumann, who can play as a forward or midfielder, and the Revs have a talented, young strike force that should serve them well for years to come. Unfortunately, even if you had Davies, Bunbury, Mullins and Neumann on the field at the same time, you might not get as much production as you would from a power couple like Donovan and Keane. EDGE: LOS ANGELES GALAXY MIDFIELD The midfield is the crux of the attack for any club, and both sides have shown the ability over the course of the season to be able to change formations freely and still dominate the middle of the park. If you can control the middle of the field, you will be able to control the pace of the game. Jay Heaps club has shown the ability to adapt formations freely as they began the season in an unconventional 4-1-4-1 with Scott Caldwell sitting in front of the back four, while switching to a more standard 4-2-3-1 later in the season. The stars of New Englands midfield are Lee Nguyen and United States international Jermaine Jones. Nguyen has been exceptional all season and was on the shortlist of nominees for MLS MVP. Nguyen is a pacy, possession-oriented player who kills the opposition with late runs into the box that often result in easy goals for the Texas native, who fired home a career-best 18 and added five assists. Jones is a proven, powerful box-to-box midfielder who starred for the American squad at this summers World Cup and scored an outstanding goal against Portugal during the group stage. A veteran of the European game with German clubs Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke, Jones experience abroad as well as his time with the U.S. national team has allowed him to mesh perfectly with the Revolution. His presence in the midfield gives the club a major boost. Caldwell is a major asset on the defensive side of the ball, while Chris Tierney can provide excellent service into the forwards from either flank. There is plenty of quality in the Los Angeles midfield with Juninho, Marcelo Sarvas, Baggio Husidic and Stefan Ishizaki. Sarvas, Husidic and Ishizaki combined for 13 goals this season, an impressive total for midfield players, while Juninho was held without a goal, but he has been an integral part of the Galaxy for five seasons with his penchant for inch-perfect passing and the occasional long-range strike. Donovan will occasionally drop into the midfield to help keep possession and give the Galaxy more control of the game, but he isnt strictly a midfield player. All four of the above mentioned fit into the Galaxy picture well, but none of them can match the quality Nguyen and Jones have shown this season. EDGE: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION DEFENDERS Both clubs come into Sundays showpiece event with solid back lines. New England has relied on veteran Jose Goncalves and promising youngster Andrew Farrell. But the defensive unit struggled at times during the season, yielding 46 goals over the course of the season. Goncalves was signed by the Revs in January of 2013 and has become the leader of the club with some exceptional play in the back. His first season in MLS yielded him the Defender of the Year award. He has excellent positional sense and is good in man-marking situations as well as defending set pieces in the air. Farrell was a No. 1 overall SuperDraft selection by the Revs in 2013 after trading with Toronto FC to grab the top spot. Farrell started his career as an outside back, but has shown the ability to move into the middle of the park with little trouble. Also able to slide into the middle next to Goncalves is A.J. Soares, who is in his fourth season with the Revs and has seen the club rise from the bottom of the league all the way to MLS Cup. Soares is a versatile back who can also play out wide if needed, but the Revs emotional leader at the back is Kevin Alston. Alston is in his sixth season with the Revs and has scored one goal. He was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in early April of 2013 and returned to the field as a second-half substitute on July 27 against D.C. United. The 26-year-old was then named the 2013 Comeback Player of the Year. Los Angeles, has the best defender on the field for either side in U.S. international Omar Gonzalez, along with central defense partner A.J. DeLaGarza. Gonzalez has been at the top of his game for most of the season and played a key role for the U.S. mens national team. He is a big, physical presence who is excellent in the air on set pieces, both defending and attacking as the Dallas native scored four goals during the regular season. DeLaGarza should be slotted next to Gonzalez, giving the Galaxy one of the best center-back pairings in the league. On the outside, Robbie Rogers has been playing left back recently, while Dan Gargan started at right back against Seattle. The left side could be where the Galaxy are perceived to be a bit weak as Rogers began his career as a midfielder and only recently moved to defense. Gargan has been a solid performer for Los Angeles when called upon, contributing five assists. Goncalves and Soares form an excellent pair, but Gonzalez and DeLaGarza are simply better, which gives Los Angeles the upper hand. EDGE: LOS ANGELES GALAXY COACHING The coaching matchup is a case of the master against the student in the coaching ranks as Bruce Arena patrols the sideline for the Galaxy, while Jay Heaps roams the technical area for New England. Arena is approaching legendary status within the U.S. coaching ranks. He is a four-time MLS Cup winner, a three-time Coach of the Year and a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Arena is also the all-time leader in wins amongst coaches in U.S. National Team history. He led the U.S. to the FIFA World Cup twice, including a historical quarterfinal berth in 2002 in Japan/Korea. The 62-year-old has a career regular-season record of 159-98-54 in MLS and a postseason mark of 27-9-4, including a 9-4-2 postseason record with the Galaxy. His 159 career regular-season wins are the second most in MLS history, while his 27 postseason wins are the most in league history, four more than Seattles Sigi Schmid. That is a resume any coach would struggle to top, but Heaps has done a nice job since taking the Revs post in 2012. Guiding the up-start, rebuilt Revs to a 9-17-8 record in his first season in 2012, Heaps turned the Revolution around in 2013, taking the team to a 14-11-9 record, 51 points -- the second-highest point total in club history -- and a return to the postseason. Despite falling to Sporting Kansas City in the postseason last year, the groundwork was laid and the Revs are reaping the benefits of Heaps work this season. An 11-year MLS veteran, Heaps anchored the Revolutions defense from 2001 until his retirement at the close of the 2009 season. He will be hoping to lead the Revs to their first MLS Cup title. EDGE: LOS ANGELES GALAXY Sundays game is shaping up to be a classic between two of the leagues marquee franchises. But with the match being held at StubHub Center, the Galaxy have another small edge. Well go for the storybook ending as Donovan will conclude his illustrious career with at least one goal and a fifth MLS Cup title. PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES 3, NEW ENGLAND 1 Cheap Nike Air Max 270 Womens . Freddie Roach said if the Rios fight "does not go well, we will seriously talk about his retirement," but that Pacquiao was training as well as ever for the Nov. Air Max 270 Mens Discount .com) - The 2014 Holiday Bowl is the first postseason venture pitting a pair of ranked foes against each other, as No. http://www.max270cheap.com/nike-men-s-air-max-270-react-black-varsity-grey-ao4971-001.html . Bach, a 59-year-old German lawyer, was elected Tuesday as president of the International Olympic Committee. He succeeds Jacques Rogge, who stepped down after 12 years. Bach, the longtime favourite, defeated five candidates in a secret ballot for the most influential job in international sports, keeping the presidency in European hands.WINDSOR JUNCTION, N.S. -- On what was already a long day, Roger Sloan decided to play one extra hole and boy, was it worth it. Sloan, of Merritt, B.C., calmly rolled in an eight-foot putt on the first playoff hole to defeat Derek Fathauer and capture the inaugural Nova Scotia Open. It was the Canadians first Web.com Tour win and it came after the tournaments final 37 holes were played on a marathon of a Sunday. “It feels good. I dont know what feels better,” Sloan joked. “To win or to be done today. That was a long day.” After draining his final putt and raising his arms in the air, the crowd broke out into a spontaneous rendition of "O Canada." It had meaning for the Calgary-born Sloan, who said hed earmarked the first-year tournament stop on his calendar as soon as he heard it announced. His great-grandfather emigrated from Holland to Canada in 1955 and landed at Pier 21 in Halifax. “Deep down, I wanted to win this tournament since I saw it was in the works,” Sloan stated. “Its just so refreshing to be back in Canada. Im excited to have done this on Canadian soil.” The victory, which came while his mother and aunt looked on from the large gallery, gave him $117,000 and moved him to 12th on the tours money list, up from 80th. It also means hes in excellent position to finish the year inside the top 25 and earn a spot on next years PGA Tour. But the tall, blond-haired Sloan, who now makes his home in Houston wasnt thinking about that just yet. He was there to savour the win and to bask in the satisfaction of getting the job done. Holding the Nova Scotian Crystal trophy over his head, it was clear the main thing on his mind was breaking through for a win. “All year, Ive been jumping up leaderboards and I get a little bit of nerves and make a bogey," he said. "You know whats on the line. You play well youre going to make money and, if you make money, youre going to get a PGA Tour card. And Im absolutely thrilled that I didnt let that distract me this week. I did not think about the PGA Tour once.” Of course, the money will come in handy. Sloan has no sponsors and has essentially bankrolled his own career to this point. It will also be interesting now to see if Golf Canada will find a place for him in the RBC Canadian Openn in a few weeks time. Nike Air Max 270 Womens Discount. Despite some requests, hed been turned down for a spot up to this point. Sloan held a share of the 36-hole lead and sat on that when tropical storm Arthur forced a suspension of play on Saturday. When he started the third round early Sunday morning, he admitted there were some nerves. “When I teed off in the morning in the third round, thats probably the most nervous I was all day,” said Sloan. “My first seven or eight holes, I scrambled very well. I didnt hit too many great tee shots, I didnt hit too many quality approach shots but my short game and my putter kept me in it for the first eight holes. After that, finally I started to get a little bit of rhythm, after that I felt comfortable the rest of the day.” After finishing his first round of the day, Sloan remained tied for the lead with Derek Fathauer at -10, but some shaky play in his final 18 changed that, as he bogeyed the eighth, ninth and 12th holes. Meanwhile a six-under front nine by Fathauer gave him the lead. On the 17th, Sloan hit a hybrid to the green, but the shot landed left, took a horrible kick, rolled down a steep embankment and nearly into a hazard. Somehow, he managed to extricate himself from the tangle for a par. Playing two groups ahead, Fathauer stumbled in with bogeys on the 16th and 18th, the latter a three-putt on the tricky greens at Ashburn Golf Club. Walking up the final hole, Sloan, with his ball sitting on the fringe, asked his caddie where their position. I had zero awareness all day long, Sloan said. [On 18] I turned to my caddie and I asked him ‘Do you know where we stand? He said ‘Yes, I said ‘OK go ahead and tell me and he said ‘Well were sitting in good position and if you want to make a playoff you just need to get up and down.” The victory makes the Sloan the third Canadian to win a Web.com Tour event on Canadian soil, joining Richard Zokol (2001 Samsung Canadian PGA Championship) and David Hearn (2004 Alberta Classic). And he joins Adam Hadwin, who showered Sloan with beer after the win, as Canadians with victories this year. After a long day and the biggest win of his career, what were Sloans plans for celebration? “Sleep,” he stated. “I have a 5:30 a.m. flight.” ' ' '

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