Album Review - Infinity Overhead

Review

Heading into Infinity Overhead some doubts were cast over the direction that Minus the Bear was headed. Omni represented a substantial shift towards a popper, slicker sound and unsurprisingly it was met with some resistance. While I completely enjoy the album, even I can admit to not quite getting into as much as the likes of Menos el Oso and Planet of Ice. With the release of Infinity Overhead it seems that the band heard the complaints loud and clear. While it may not be another Planet of Ice or Menos el Oso, Minus the Bear's latest offering finds them back on track.

From top to bottom, there really is no low point to be found in the album. While there is no weak track to be found on the album there are some real standouts, most notable of which being Diamond Lightning and Cold Company. Diamond Lightning is just phenomenal. I can't help but get chills every time I listen to it, it's that good. Meanwhile, Cold Company really stand outs because of how strongly it draws from one of Minus the Bear's strongest albums Planet of Ice, bringing back many of the elements that made that album memorable. Another noteworthy track is Listing, which brings a dominantly acoustic sound that allows it to stand out from the rest of the album and accentuate Jake Sniders smooth and powerful vocals.

Drawing from their past works, Infinity Overhead offers an incredible amount of variety. From the poppy, uptempo, and incredibly catchy groove of Lonely Gun, to the chill and atmospheric Diamond Lightning the album encompasses a broad spectrum of styles and moods. Not only is there variety to found stylistically, but through influences drawn from their past albums. From Menos el Oso to Omni, every album is covered. As noted earlier in my discussion of stand out tracks, Cold Company sounds as if it was pulled straight out of Planet of Ice, while Zeroes would sound right at home in Menos el Oso, and Empty Party Rooms would fit perfectly in Omni.

Verdict

Infinity Overhead is really the complete package, offering elements from all of their previous albums while still continuing to forge forward into new territory much like it's predecessor OMNI. Some may take an issue with that, complaining that it just isn't Highly Refined Pirates or that it doesn't more strongly resemble their past work. As long as they stay true to and in touch with their roots as they have in Infinity Overhead I have absolutely no problem with their music continuing to evolve as it has. Sure I too absolutely adore the older material, but that by no means blinds me to the brilliance of their new work.

Score

[5/5]

Top Picks

Diamond Lightning, Listing, Cold Company

First Impressions - Infinity Overhead

Minus the Bear recently posted the entirety of their new album on their website for their fan's listening pleasure, and I've gotta say, from what I've gathered in my listens so far where OMNI could be viewed as a stumble (not by me personally) Infinity Overhead sees the band back in full stride.

If there is one way to describe Infinity Overhead, it would be this: it is essentially an aggregate of all their past works, the best elements of all of their past LPs and EPs working in harmony. As a result of that, you can actually single out single songs as representing Minus the Bear's past albums. To give a couple examples, Zeroes seriously sounds like it was taken straight from Menos el Oso while the album's closing track Cold Company would fit in perfectly in Planet of Ice.

As previously mentioned, some view OMNI as something of a stumble by the Seattle-based band. While I don't necessarily share that same view, I can empathize with it. OMNI represented a more accessible and mainstream sound with a very strong pop influence. While that sound is still evident (see Lonely Gun), Infinity Overhead represents a return to form for Minus the Bear.

Expect my full review once the album drops next week.

A welcome return to winning ways

For nine straight games the Sounders have struggled to produce consistent results, seeming only to be able to get ties and losses after such a great start to the season that saw them win seven of their nine matches. Tonight, however, they broke free of that dreadfully long and record-setting winless run on the back of brilliant performances from two out of three of their designated players (Fredy found himself on the bench in this one) and the triumphant return of Steve Zakuani.

The Sounders absolutely dominated at the start of the first half, holding the vast majority of the possession and creating dangerous opportunity after dangerous opportunity. As the half wore on, however, Colorado began to work their way into the game. Despite possession in favor of the Rapids at the half, they only had a single off-target shot to show for that slight advantage in possession.

The goals came in the second half. Only seven minutes in the Sounders broke the deadlock, Mauro Rosales finding a completely unmarked Alvaro Fernandez off of a corner kick who easily headed the ball down into the turf and past a diving Matt Pickens. The Sounders then doubled their advantage in the sixty fourth minute, Rosales once again the creator. He found himself free enough on the left side of midfield to loft a cross into the box, where Eddie Johnson easily headed the ball past Pickens for his eighth goal of the season. The Rapids weren't just gonna let the Sounders off easy, though. In the seventy ninth minute second half sub Omar Cummings snuck his way into the box and neatly volleyed an excellent cross from Luis Zapata past Brian Meredith. The Rapids nearly dealt a crushing blow to the Sounders in the eighty fifth minute, but thankfully Lawrentowitz's strike deflected off of an offside Cummings before it found it's way into the back off the net.

Despite the win, the most noteworthy headline of the night was the return of Steve Zakuani to competitive action for the first time in roughly fifteen months. Coming on for Rosales in the eighty seventh minute, the thirty nine thousand plus in attendance at Century Link went absolutely nuts. To make Zakuani's return even more touching was his interaction with Brian Mullen after the final whistle, the two trading jerseys.

Next up the Sounders face Chivas USA in the semi-final of the US Open Cup on the eleventh.

The Sounders defy the odds

The Sounders have persevered against all odds, despite being in the midst of a seven game winless run in league play and facing what is perhaps the best team in the league, and have topped the San Jose Earthquakes to move on to their sixth straight semi-final appearance in the US Open Cup. All they needed was a lone goal in the eighteenth minute from the speedy Cordell Cato, who put the ball through the keepers legs from an incredibly difficult angle. Each side had their opportunities in the remainder of the half, but the Sounders lone goal held up. In the second half San Jose really poured it on, subbing on Chris Wondolowski and Steven Lenhart and repeatedly lobbing the ball in to the box and creating chances for their big and dangerous strikers, but the Sounders defense stood strong and ultimately kept the clean sheet.

The Sounders next face Chivas USA in the semi-finals at Starfire July 10th.

Nintendo announce 3DS XL

During tonight's Nintendo Direct event, Nintendo unsurprisingly announced the next iteration of the 3DS, the 3DS XL. Much like the DSi XL before it, the only real differences between this new system and the old one are the battery and screen size. While no statement has been made on how much better the battery life is, the screens are a whopping 90% larger than those of the original 3DS. The retail price was announced at $199.99 and the launch date set at August 19th.

So, what do you think? I know many out there have voiced frustration over the fact that a superior system is retailing for less at launch than the original 3DS, despite the fact that no one can really claim that they couldn't have seen this coming. It certainly proves to be good timing for me, as I have yet to get a 3DS.

Minus the Bear finally announce info regarding their fifth album!

Above is the trailer for the album. The trailer reveals the title of the album, Infinite Overhead. It also reveals the release date of August 28th.

I for one cannot get enough of the clip of the apparent title track. Now I'm salivating for more.

The Fredy and Eddie show

The Sounders kicked off their defense of the Cascadia with a performance that was what could only be described as a tale of two halves, as they went on to salvage a point in a 2-2 draw at BC Place thanks to their reunited attacking force.

The first half had to be one of the worst that the Sounders had ever had the misfortune of playing. While Vancouver allowed them a fair share of the possession, the Sounders offense just couldn't click. To make matters worse, Vancouver was content to catch the Sounders on the counter with disconcerting ease which resulted in the Whitecap's first goal and two other golden opportunities that rookies Omar Salgado and Darren Mattacks sent wide. That first goal came courtesy of left back Alain Rochat, who came streaking down the lefthand side of midfield completely unnoticed and gathered up a pass from Salgado and easily made his way into the penalty area and deposited the ball into the net past Bryan Meredith. Heading into halftime the Sounders were incredibly lucky not to be down two or three goals.

Coming out of halftime, it was abundantly clear that the Sounders got the message. Just two minutes in they found an equalizer, Fredy Montero lobbing the ball across into the path of Mauro Rosales who gathered it up and crossed it into the box for Eddie Johnson who powered the header in past Joe Cannon. The Sounders would continue to press, Montero getting two excellent looks on goal in the space of two minutes, both of which were skillfully denied by Cannon. Despite the constant pressure from the Sounders, the Whitecaps regained the lead through an excellent free kick from substitue Camilo Sanvenzzo who served the ball into the box which managed to evade everyone including Meredith into the Sounders' goal. The Sounders would not let that be the killing blow, and immediately fought back with increased pressure and urgency. It all paid of in the ninetieth minute, when after receiving a headed pass from Eddie Johnson Fredy Montero worked his magic, evading the Whitecaps defense and cooly curling the shot past a helpless Cannon for the equalizer. The Sounders nearly got the game winner in the dying moments of stoppage time, as Zach Scott sent a free header directly off of a free kick from Montero just wide.

Next up the Sounders face the Columbus Crew on Wednesday.

Trade fever

In just the last week the Philadelphia Union has been confirmed to be in talks with Chivas USA over Danny Califf, and now this morning Chivas is apparently orchestrating yet another trade, apparently trading Heath Pearce over to the New York Red Bulls. Oddly the trade was announced via Pearce's Twitter account:

Heath Pearce has officially been traded to the new York red bulls. Thanks Chivas fans for your love during my time here...

— Heath Pearce (@HeathGPearce) May 17, 2012

Now it's just a matter of waiting to find out who and/or what the Goats got in return for these trades. What are your predictions?

EDIT: It's sounding like Chivas is getting Juan Agudelo in return for Pearce and sending out Michael Lahoud in return for Califf.

Eric Hassli's latest work

Thought his golazo against the Sounders last season wasn't repeatable? Well, Hassli proved yesterday night that that goal wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for him with another stunning volley to tie things up in the first leg of the ACC final. Check it out below:

The Sounders keep rolling

 

Despite being on short rest and having to use their eighth different line-up in as many games as a result, the Sounders extended their winning streak to four games and an overall unbeaten streak to five. Not only did the Sounders get the three points, they registered their fifth shutout of the season.

From the first whistle the Sounders dominated the match, defensively allowing only a single shot in the first half and ultimately allowing Philadelphia only a single shot on target while endlessly harassing Philadelphia's back line on the offensive side. Despite the pressure and number of chances the Union's Zac McMath held strong, denying all but one. That goal came in the sixty-third minute, Fredy Montero picked up the ball from Eddie Johnson at the top of the penalty area and slid a beautiful pass to a completely open Mauro Rosales who easily slipped it home into the far corner. MacMath didn't do all the work, however. On two occasions he got a little help from the woodwork, one saw Andy Rose with a header off of the crossbar direct off of a corner and the other a beautiful chip from Montero off of the upper ninety.

After the goal, the remainder of the second half proved to be nervy times for the Sounders as several giveaways and poor passing gifted the Union a handful of opportunities that thankfully they just could not capitalize on. The Sounders held on, though, winning for the third time in eight days and Bryan Meredith earning his first shutout in his first ever MLS start. Now to look forward to next Wednesday, when the Sounders travel down to Frisco, Texas to face FC Dallas.

The legend of Fredy Montero

The curse has been broken, and in spectacular fashion. Leading into tonight's match the Sounders had been winless against the Galaxy since their inaugural season, but one of the Sounders' best offensive performances of the season and an anemic Galaxy lineup saw that winless streak finally and triumphantly broken.

The first half was purely Sounders domination, taking roughly fifty five percent possession and denying the Galaxy any shots on goal. Eddie Johnson highlighted the half with his second strike of the season (his last coming last weekend against Chicago), off of a feed from none other than the captain Mauro Rosales. Rosales received the ball at midfield, took a stride forward, picked up his head and saw Eddie and served in a fantastic ball that Eddie easily headed in past Galaxy 'keeper Bill Gaudette.

The second half saw Michael Gspurning come out after having struggled the first half with a right hip injury, which gave Brian Meredith his MLS debut for the Sounders. The Galaxy began to look more dangerous as the game came to a close, but past a Landon Donovan shot straight at him Meredith's first half of MLS action was largely inactive. The real story of the second half, however, was Fredy Montero's beautiful golazo. He received the ball at midfield from Osvaldo Alonso, took a couple strides forward and upon noticing Gaudette off of his line and performed the audacious, taking a crack from a full thirty five yards out, the ball finding it's way into the top left corner of the goal past a completely helpless Gaudette. There has been frustration voiced over Montero's lack of production, and what a way to satiate the fans and open his scoring account for the 2012 season. You can see the goal in the video below:

Sounders continue their domination of the Fire

Image from mlssoccer.com

The Sounders embark on a hectic stretch of five games in fifteen days with an opportunistic 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire. Not only that, but with this victory they stretch their undefeated run against the Fire to seven games at four wins and three draws.

After some nervy opening minutes in which the Fire held the vast majority of the possession and nearly gained the lead via Daniel Paladini save for a selfless block by Osvaldo Alonso, the Sounders eased their way into the match. The Sounders broke the deadlock in the thirty-ninth minute, Eddie Johnson feeding David Estrada in the box, whose subsequent pass deflected off of the leg of German international Arne Friedrich. Johnson then went on to win the eventual game-winner in the sixty-seventh minute, poking home the ball amidst chaos in the box after Johnson mishandled a free kick from Fredy Montero. Marco Pappa, who came on as a substitute in the sixty-first minute, added the consolation goal for Chicago, the strong wind aiding his in-swinging corner kick inside the far post past Michael Gspurning.

The Sounders return to action in just three days time, hosting the LA Galaxy on Wednesday.

Unexpected Heroes

Image courtesy mlssoccer.com

The most unexpected of heroes combined for the lone goal of this afternoon's match-up between the Sounders and the Colorado Rapids. Zach Scott provided the goal, a beautiful snap header that redirected the ball inside the far post, off of the assist from Alex Caskey off of a corner kick. Caskey proves to be the most unlikely of the two, despite the goal being Scott's first of his MLS career, as he wasn't even in the starting eleven until he was called upon at the last minute due to an injurie Alvaro Fernandez picked up in training.

There was no lack of action leading up to the goal. After an uninspiring first half that saw the Rapids dominate possession and largely dictate the game, the Sounders came out like they had something to prove and absolutely took it to the Rapids. In fact throughout the entirety of the second half Colorado could only register a single shot to the Sounders 12. The two most notable chances both involved Fredy Montero, one that saw a perfect through ball from Eddie Johnson knocked away by Rapids 'keeper Matt Pickens and another drawing Goal of the Week skills out of Pickens through a beautiful chip that he had to scramble to tip over the bar.

Throughout the week leading up to the match there was much anticipation surrounding the one notable storyline of the match: Brian Mullan's first time playing at Century Link after the injury to Steve Zakuani. The crowd of just over 38,000 did not disappoint in let their ill feelings be heard, boos raining down upon Mullan whenever he touched the ball. Ironically he almost played the spoiler in the match, cleaning up on an Omar Cummings shot saved by Michael Gspurning but ruled to be offside.

Notes

• This afternoon's match saw both Eddie Johnson and Alex Caskey's first MLS start
• With ten points out of five matches the Sounders now average two points a match
• With today's shutout the Sounders' defense has now totalled three shutouts on the season and Michael Gspurning now has a goals against average of just 0.40

Album Review - Conversation Piece

Review

When Kurt Travis got unceremoniously dumped from Dance Gavin Dance for the return of former vocalist Johnny Craig I was definitely upset. Had I known that this album would come as a result of that event, I would instead be delighted at Travis' departure from DGD. While DGD stands as my all-time favorite post-hardcore band (although A Lot Like Birds is in a position to threaten that title), Kurt Travis far transcends anything he could have done with DGD in his debut with A Lot Like Bird's in their sophomore album Conversation Piece.

A question that really begs to be asked is what genre does A Lot Like Birds fall into? While they bill themselves strictly as a progressive band, upon a full listen-through of Conversation Piece they prove to be far more than that. In fact, Conversation Piece more or less represents three different genres: progressive, experimental, post-hardcore, and indie (yes indie). It's incredible how smoothly and easily the band makes the transition from genre to genre from song to song. As as example, while Properties of Fiction would strongly be considered post-hardcore with a fantastic interchange of Travis' singing and the screaming of Cory Lockwood, the next song, Truly Random Code, with it's guitar noodling and it's atmospheric electronics is, despite the presence of screams, essentially what I would strongly consider to be indie. Post-hardcore and indie being among my all-time favorite genres, this fusion is nothing short of bliss. Adding Kurt Travis and his top-notch clean vocals into the mix just takes the album to another level altogether.

Instrumentation certainly deserves discussion as well. As mentioned above, Conversation Piece proves to be a representation of various styles of music and with those differing styles come a vast range of instrumentation that is without a doubt impressive. From the chill guitar noodling of indie on Truly Random Code to the intricate and technical guitar-work of progressive and post-hardcore in tracks like Orange Time Machines Care and What Didn't Kill Me Just Got Stronger, A Lot Like Birds never fails to impress. Accompanying these varying guitar styles is the usage of various other musical elements to add to the experimentation, most notably tribal drums and electronics. It all comes together to create a musical package with an overall massive amount of variety, treating the listener to something different at each and every turn.

Verdict

After getting dumped from Dance Gavin Dance, Kurt Travis seems to have found a new home in A Lot Like Birds. With his addition came a complete style shift to something akin to a fusion of post-hardcore and indie, and it definitely proves to be among some of the best music I have ever heard. If you're into either genre (particularly post-hardcore) I strongly suggest that you look into this album.

Score

[5/5]

Top Picks

Truly Random Code, Vanity's Fair, Properties of Friction

Around the Rest of the League, Week 4

Friday, March 30th

DC United [4-1] FC Dallas

If you had asked me prior to this match who would win, I would have said without hesitation FC Dallas despite being weakened as they are by injuries and international call-ups. As it turns out, they really didn't have much of a chance against a DC side whose offense has finally begun to click. Blas Perez did provide a brief period of hope for Dallas, canceling out Maicon Santos' golazo just before halftime. That hope would last only midway into the second half, as DC proceeded to steamroll Dallas.

Saturday, March 31st

Toronto FC [0-1] Columbus Crew

While continuing to show strongly in the CONCACAF Champions League, Toronto continued their league struggles last Saturday falling the Columbus Crew and losing at home for the second consecutive time this season. As long as Torsten Frings is sidelined with the hamstring injury he picked up in the season opener against the Sounders, I expect Toronto to continue struggling to get results.

New York Red Bulls [5-2] Montreal Impact

After dominating a weakened Colorado Rapids 4-1 last week, the Red Bulls and Thierry Henry continued rolling with an equally impressive 5-2 victory over the Montreal Impact. I mention Thierry Henry specifically because he has essentially carried the team in both matches, netting five goals and assisting two goals, accounting for roughly seventy eight percent of the goals in the two game span. A defense strengthened with the presence of Wilman Conde has aided in their recent success as well.

Philadelphia Union [0-0] Vancouver Whitecaps

Despite the hubbub surrounding Sebastian Le Toux's return to PPL Park, the match was a fairly boring affair ending in a boring nil nil result. Despite having one of the deepest front lines in the league, Vancouver continued in their offensive woes, the absence of Camilo and Hassli certainly not making things any better. Likewise, the Union continued in their general struggles as well, although a clean sheet will certainly prove to be a confidence booster for rookie 'keeper Zac MacMath.

Portland Timbers [2-3] Real Salt Lake

What has been said to be one of the best matches of the young season, this one was far from lacking of goals or drama. After RSL took the lead midway through the first half on a Alvaro Saborio penalty kick, the Timbers found their way into the game and grabbed the lead thanks to a pair of clutch goals from the second-year rookie Darlington Nagbe (one of which was incredibly reminiscent of his goal that won Goal of the Year last season). The Timbers failed to hold the score, however, as RSL struck twice in the dying minutes of the match to leave Jeld Wen with all three points.

Seattle Sounders FC [0-1] San Jose Earthquakes

Injuries have certainly been piling up for the Sounders, as it was evident from how they performed in this match just how much all these injuries are beginning to take a toll on their effectiveness on the offense. If not for the penalty controversially drawn by Steven Leinhart and converted by Chris Wondolowski, I'm convinced this match could have ended nil nil. The Sounders certainly got a much better handle on the match in the second half, after letting San Jose dominate much of the run of play in the first, but they simply lacked both luck and the offensive punch needed to convert their chances.

LA Galaxy [1-3] New England Revolution

This is without a doubt the least anticipated result of the weekend. Not only did the Galaxy's defensive woes continue in the absence of Omar Gonzalez, Landon Donovan being sidelined thanks to injury saw their offense become almost non-existent save for a fine goal from Robbie Keane to prevent the shutout. A statement was definitely made by Bruce Arena on his team's recent string of performances through the taking off of David Beckham at halftime. Not to be forgotten about this match was the impressive performance given by the Revolution. Granted it is only one match, but that performance should definitely be a confidence booster for the new-look side as they move forward.

Sunday, April 1st

Colorado Rapids [2-0] Chicago Fire

The absence of Jeff Lawrentowitz due to suspension proved to be the Rapid's downfall last week when they fell 4-1 to the New York Red Bulls. The difference between a Rapids with Lawrentowitz and one without is almost night and day. With him back in the line-up Colorado returned to winning ways, Omar Cummings and new signing Kamani Hill providing the goals.

Chivas USA [0-1] Sporting Kansas City

Chivas' offense continued to remain lifeless, seeing the Goats get shut out once again and in four games they have only managed to find the back of the net just once (notably in their shocking victory over RSL). A hot SKC side who remain the only MLS side so far this season to remain undefeated was far from a preferable opponent for this struggling Chivas side to face.

Around the Rest of the League, Week 3

Friday, March 23rd

Seattle Sounders FC [2-0] Houston Dynamo

Read recap here.

Saturday, March 24th

Toronto FC [0-3] San Jose Earthquakes

It's pretty clear that without Torsten Frings to clean things up in the back Toronto is going to continue to struggle defensively as they did against the Sounders after the German international had to be sent of with a hamstring injury. Chris Wondolowski accounted for two of San Jose's goals while Shea Salinas accounted for the other. Things definitely aren't looking too good for Toronto heading into the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals this Wednesday.

New England Revolution [1-0] Portland Timbers

A goal only twenty eight seconds into the match by Revolution newcomer Saer Sene was all New England needed to top the Portland Timbers and record their first victory of the 2012 season.

Columbus Crew [2-0] Montreal Impact

The Impact continued their first year struggles as they fell 2-0 to the Crew, of which newcomers Milovan Mirosevic and Olman Vargas were the goal scorers. Being down a man since the nineteenth minute certainly didn't help Montreal's chances.

Chicago Fire [1-0] Philadelphia Union

The Union keeps on floundering. Big holes in the defense thanks to injury and international call-ups as well as a seemingly shaky rookie goalkeeper keep the losses piling up. Dominic Oduro scored the match's lone goal.

Real Salt Lake [0-1] Chivas USA

Chivas was at the positive end of most likely one of the most unexpected and surprising results of the weekend. Their defensive play paid off against arguably one of the league's strongest teams, as rookie Casey Townsend cleaned up a rare spill by Nick Rimando to give Chivas the late lead and subsequent victory.

Vancouver Whitecaps [0-0] DC United

Despite having one of the most potent offenses in the league, the Whitecaps struggled to produce many scoring opportunities as they went on to post the season's first nil-nil draw against a struggling DC United. The Whitecaps now lead the Western Conference with seven points.

Sunday, March 25th

New York Red Bulls [4-1] Colorado Rapids

While still only the third match of the season, this one was seen as a must win by many for the Red Bulls after a rather uninspiring 0-2 start to the season. New York made a statement early on, netting two goals in the first six minutes of the match (one gifted to Thierry Henry thanks to an awful backpass by Ross Labeaux and the other put in by Kenny Cooper on the assist from Henry). Early into the second half Henry put in another, easily evading the offsides trap and shaming the Rapids' defense. The Rapids were able to put one back thanks to an excellent curling chip by Omar Cummings, but sadly their offense couldn't muster any more than that. Cooper added the fourth to cap off the night.

Sporting Kansas City [2-1] FC Dallas

The season have been going quite well so far for SKC, but until this weekend they had yet to face Western competition. While not definitive at this point in the season, this result certainly validates how much of a threat SKC is. After falling behind to Dallas on a fantastic free kick by Ricardo Villar, they responded just before the half through an Aurelien Collin goal to draw level. SKC then completed the comeback late in the second half, Kei Kamara redeeming himself after having his earlier penalty stopped by Kevin Hartman.

Houston's Colin Clarke lashes out at a ball boy

Yep. That's right. In that video you hear Houston's Colin Clarke calling the ball boy a "fucking faggot". Some heard the slur but were unsure of whether or not Clarke was the source, but his tweets apologizing for the incident confirm that he was:

Apparently what fueled the incident was a controversial throw-in call, where the ball had been given to Houston despite the ball appearing to have come off of Clark last. As Clark went to take the throw he raised his hand in expectation that the ball would be thrown to him but the boy rolled it him instead. Seems an awfully petty reason for that sort of verbal abuse, doesn't it?

UPDATE: After review by the Discipline Committee, Major League Soccer has suspended Clarke for three matches and received a fine of an undisclosed amount. It has also ben mandated by Don Garber that he attend diversity and sensitivity training. This certainly sends the message that behavior like Clarke's is not to be tolerated.

Estrada nets another as the Sounders get their second straight win

Heading into the match, the Dynamo were riding on a two match winning and shut-out streak, having won on identical 1-0 score lines away at Chivas and San Jose in the past couple of weeks. Despite showing well early on and throughout much of the match, two early goals doomed the Dynamo as they ultimately fell 2-0 to the Sounders in front of yet another sell-out crowd at Century Link Field.

The first came in the twenty third minute, Alvaro Fernandez taking a corner kick which got headed clear straight into the feet of David Estrada. He took a crack, and the ball easily evaded Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall thanks to a rather nasty deflection on the way in. Initially the goal was ruled as a Geoff Cameron own goal, but after further review the goal was deservedly credited to Estrada for his fourth of the season. The second came just four minutes later off of another corner. This time, however, it was a penalty. As Patrick Ianni was rising to head the ball Geoff Cameron gave him a nice shove in the back, the referee making no hesitation in blowing the whistle and pointing to the spot. None other than Brad Evans stepped up to take the penalty, and despite betraying his placement, easily powered it past Hall for his first of the 2012 season.

Around the Rest of the League, Week 2

Saturday, March 17th

Montreal Impact [1-1] Chicago Fire

In front of a record crowd of 58,000 plus, the Impact fought out a well-earned draw against the Chicago Fire. The Impact struck first, captain Davy Arnaud connecting with a Sanna Nyassi cross and heading past Tornaghi the first ever goal scored for the new club. The elation wouldn't last, however, as two of Chicago's key players linked up to equalize the match, Sebastian Grazzini providing the cross to Dominic Oduro to tap in.  

San Jose Earthquakes [0-1] Houston Dynamo

A Brad Davis penalty kick was the deciding factor as Houston got their second road win in a row, matching their dismal road win total of last season. To Houston's benefit San Jose didn't look much of a threat, only putting one shot of frame the entire match.

FC Dallas [1-1] Portland Timbers

Early domination from FC Dallas paid off in an early goal, Blas Perez easily tapping in the rebound from a saved shot. Dallas, however, were not able to deny the Timbers. A defensive mistake led to the ball finding it's way to Darlingon Nagbe who easily put into the back of the net.

Sporting Kansas City [3-0] New England Revolution

An early red card doomed the Revolution. SKC scored three goals in a roughly twenty minute period to comfortably win the match, the goals coming from three of their key attacking players: Graham Zusi, Kei Kamara, and CJ Sapong.

Real Salt Lake [2-0] New York Red Bulls

Despite being up to task against RSL, mistakes continue to haunt the Red Bulls. Real Salt Lakes first goal, a breakaway by none other then Fabian Espindola, was the direct result of a turnover by Marcus Holgersson and a slip by Stephen Keel. RSL then put the game out of reach early in the second half, Luis Gil latching onto the loose ball after Espindola had created havoc in the box and firing it home.

Seattle Sounders FC [3-1] Toronto FC

Read recap here.

Chivas USA [0-1] Vancouver Whitecaps

A goal midway through the second from Vancouver's captain Jay Demerit was the decider in a fairly uninteresting match that saw Chivas control much of the run of play.

Sunday, March 18th

Philadelphia Union [1-2] Colorado Rapids

After a fairly an even and rather boring first half, the game burst to life in the second. The Rapids surprised the Union's home crowd by striking first, new addition Jaime Castrillon finishing of a cross from  Omar Cummings. Despite going down a man after Jeff Lawrentowitz received his marching orders due to yellow card accumulation, the Rapids were able to score a second and as it turns out the winning goal, rookie Tony Cascio taking advantage of a slip by Chris Albright and thumping the ball past MacMath. The Union were able to cut the lead in half thanks to a Pajoy header, but no matter how much they pressured Colorado throughout the remainder of the match they just couldn't find an equalizer.

LA Galaxy [3-1] DC United

After a rough start to the season, which saw them eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions League at the hands of Toronto and then falling 3-1 to RSL in their home-opener, the Galaxy is back to winning ways. Robbie Keane managed a brace, while newcomer Marcelo Sarvas headed home the Galaxy's third goal. DC was able to prevent a shutout, however, Nick Deleon with the beautiful curling strike in off of the post.

Sounders dominate Toronto FC in rebound from Santos loss

Last Wednesday night was definitely one to forget, the Sounders being absolutely dominated by an in-form Santos Laguna side. Tonight's home opener against Toronto FC was seen as a rebound match from that crippling defeat and rebound the Sounders did, David Estrada scoring all three goals to lead the Sounders to a resounding 3-1 victory in front of 38,709 raucous fans.

Just last week Estrada scored his first competitive goal for the Sounders in the home leg of the Champions league quarter-final against Santos, and tonight he was the culprit as the Sounders struck first in the seventeenth minute. Alvaro Fernandez held the ball up well into the box, where he passed it to Estrada who easily stole it off of the fingertips of Toronto keeper Milos Kocic, waded further into the box and easily slid it home through a sea legs. Toronto nearly drew level eleven minutes later, but the stadium collectively heaved a sigh of relief as Ryan Johnson's header clattered off of the post.

Estrada struck once again six mintes after the start of the second half, running onto an excellent through ball and easily striking the ball past Kocic. Johnson, who came just inches away from scoring earlier halved the lead just ten minutes later courtesy of a stunning strike from just outside of the penalty area. The Sounders however, just as they did in the home leg of the Champions League against Santos, were quick to respond. Just one minute later Estrada linked up excellently with Fernandez, performing a one-two and hammered the ball into the back of the net to cap of his hat trick.

Around the Rest of the League, Week 1

Saturday, March 10th

Colorado Rapids [2-0] Columbus Crew

The rematch of last season's play-off wildcard match ended much the same as it did last November, the Rapids coming out on top over their eastern conference counterparts. Both goals were scored towards the end of each half, Defender Drew Moor opened the scoring with a header right before the end of the first and Quincy Amerikwa providing the second and Goal of the Week-worthy strike in the dying minutes of the second. 

Vancouver Whitecaps [2-0] Montreal Impact

Vancouver welcomed the Impact to the league with style, Sebastian Le Toux getting the earliest ever strike for an opening day match and Camilo Sanvenzzo capping off the scoring with a beautiful individual effort culminating from even more fantastic build-up featuring all of Vancouver's key attacking players. Looking past the scoreline and the defensive errors that led to it, though, Montreal overall kept up with Vancouver and it definitely doesn't take any sort of stretch of the imagination to see them being successful this season despite being an expansion team.

DC United [0-1] Sporting Kansas City

Last season's Rookie of the Year opened up the season for his club with a bang, CJ Sapong heading home a stoppage time goal to give SKC the road victory over a largely in-effective DC united side. The story is in the stats: SKC's seventeen total shots eclipsed DC's seven, and even more telling was the difference in shots on goal, SKC with eight and DC with only one. SKC is looking as good as ever, the same sadly cannot be said of DC United.

San Jose Earthquakes [1-0] New England Revloution

An early goal by none other than Chris Wondolowski was the lone tally of the match, ending an opening day winless run dating back to when the Earthquakes re-entered the league in 2008.

LA Galaxy [1-3] Real Salt Lake

This was arguably THE marquee match of the weekend, and while the real action didn't happen until towards the end of the match, man did it deliver. After a fairly even first half that saw the Galaxy smack a couple shots off of the woodwork, the goals began to flow early into the second half. It was the Galaxy who struck first, David Beckham provided the pinpoint service into Edson Buddle who easily headed the ball down and in past Nick Rimando. RSL quickly leveled the match, however. Just two minutes later rookie Sebastian Velasquez whipped a cross into the box that was difficult for the Galaxy to handle, leading to a Sean Franklin own goal. RSL then went on to score twice more, Javier Morales and Fabian Espindola tallying one a piece. The Galaxy poured on the pressure late, but RSL's defense stood strong and the result held.

Sunday, March 11th

FC Dallas [2-1] New York Red Bulls

FC Dallas struck early, taking advantage of the Red Bull's still dreadful set piece defending, Zach Loyd hammering the ball past rookie keeper Ryan Meara. FC Dallas doubled their advantage midway through the second half, Ricardo Villar picking up a Blas Perez pass and neatly chipping it over an advancing Meara. With the introduction of Kenny Cooper to the match, the Red Bulls seriously begun to press FC Dallas as they began to recede into a defensive shell to preserve the scoreline. Cooper managed to get the Red Bulls back into the game with a chip of his own, but despite New York's efforts they just could not find an equalizer.

Chivas USA [0-1] Houston Dynamo

Chivas USA could only remain lucky for so long, after having defended attack after attack from the Dynamo through all ninety minutes of regulation time two minutes into stoppage time Chivas could hold the Dynamo back no longer. Andre Hainault provided the match's lone goal as the Dynamo become only the second eastern conference to win over the opening weekend.

Monday, March 12th

Portland Timber [3-1] Philadelphia Union

After a fairly even and uneventful first half, the match exploded into life early on into the second half, the Union striking first thanks to Gabriel Gomez taking a free kick that found it's way into the back of the net thanks to a Jean-Baptiste own goal. The Timbers didn't let the goal stand for long, Baptiste, the victim of the own goal, the one to head home the equalizer only three minutes later. DP Kris Boyd gave the Timbers the lead just over ten minutes later, Kalif Alhassan providing the service for the target forward to flick home past Zac MacMath. Alhassan capped of the night scoring a goal of his own, a beautiful chip/cross that found it's way into goal.

CCL Quarter Final Leg 1 Recap

Monterrey [3-1] Monarcas Morelia (Highlights)

Monterrey pulled off quite the upset, topping their Primera Division counterpart thanks to a brace from Chilean international Humberto Suazo and a late goal to restore their two goal lead and put the game firmly out of reach of Morelia by A. Carreno after Morelia managed to get back into the game thanks to a J. Huiqui goal.

Toronto FC [2-2] LA Galaxy (Highlights)

Toronto, lifted by a club record and second all-time tournament crowd of 47,653, shocked the Galaxy by getting a two goal lead before the match had hit the twenty minute mark, goals coming from Ryan Johnson and rookie Luis Silva only five minutes apart. The Galaxy, however, soon got back into the game thanks to a Mike Magee goal in the twenty ninth minute. They capped off the comeback in the dying moments of the match with goal by none other than Landon Donovan, who easily latched onto the ball after it had been loose in the box following a Beckham corner and knocking it home.

Seattle Sounders FC [2-1] Santos Laguna (Highlights)

The Sounders got out to a dream start at Century Link, they dominated the match early on, keeping Santos on the back pedal and ruling much of the run of play. That dominance quickly paid of, the Sounders striking first in the twelfth minute David Estrada heading a beautiful Fredy Montero cross past Santos keeper Oswaldo Sanchez. The Sounders couldn't quite maintain the domination they displayed early on in the match, Santos gaining purchase in match as the half drew to a close. Midway through the second half Santos took advantage of their increased authority in the match and leveled the terms, Hercules Gomez gathering the ball off of a Marc Crosas cross and deftly touching the ball past a reaching Michael Gspurning. The Sounders had an almost immediate response, however. Just two minutes later the Sounders earned a free kick in close proximity to the box, Mauro Rosales providing excellent service into the box and Brad Evans catching Sanchez off of his line and heading the ball home.

Isidro Metapan [2-1] Pumas UNAM (Highlights)

Lester Blanco led the way for Metapan, tallying a goal right before halftime and another only minutes after the second half had commenced. Pumas managed to force their way back into the game, however, Eduardo Herrara getting the Mexican team's lone goal in the sixty seventh minute.

Sounders aquire Eddie Johnson from Montreal, at the cost of Fucito and Neagle

It was announced tonight that the Sounders have aquired US international and World Cup veteran Eddie Johnson, who had recently signed with the league and entered the allocation process for placement, from the Montreal Impact at the cost of Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle.

In the release Schmid and Henderson voiced confidence in Johnson's abilities, stating:

“Eddie is a high quality striker who is a very good finisher,” said Sounders FC technical director Chris Henderson, who coached Johnson at Kansas City. “We are very excited to have him join Sounders FC in our quest for another successful season.”

“It’s always difficult to part ways with two quality individuals who have contributed greatly to the success of our first three years,” said Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid. “We saw this as a unique opportunity to bring a player in with World Cup experience who can help us in our quest to win the MLS Cup.”

My initial reaction towards this trade is one of complete shock. While having not scored many goals, Fucito has proven an asset up front putting in the hard work hold up the ball and badgering away at the defense. He has been surrounded by something of a cult following as well, as proven by the Church of Fucito hash tag on Twitter. Even more shocking, however, is the loss of Neagle. His Federal Way origins gave him a strong connection to the city, and he has proven himself a that from the midfield scoring the game winning goal against RSL at Rio Tinto as well as the game winner in stoppage time against Sporting Kansas City at Lovestrong Sporting Park. Despite the immense sense of loss I feel for those two, I ultimately understand the motives behind the move. Not only can Johnson offer what the Sounders have sorely been missing up top to pair with Montero (size, finishing ability, as well as international experience to boot) it's known fact that the Sounders roster contains incredible depth especially with the other acquisitions made in pre-season/off-season. These losses may be jarring, but they do not cripple the team and they bring in a quality striker. As fans we must simply suppress out emotions and think logically. In the front office I trust.

Notes

• Notably, the Montreal Impact now have 5 former Sounders after today's trade (Fucito, Neagle, Nyassi, Wahl, and Montano)

Apple Announces Next OS X Iteration, Mountain Lion

Seemingly out of nowhere, at least for me for which this announcement jumped out me as I was browsing Cult of Mac, Apple has announced today the next version of OS X, to be dubbed Mountain Lion.

Delving into the details of the upgrade, Apple is continuing the process of migrating iOS applications and features back to the Mac. Most notable is the new Messaging app, Notification Center, operating system wide Twitter integration, and GameCenter. Messaging completely replaces iChat, much like Facetime allowing communication between your Mac and any iOS device. In fact, Apple has made the beta version of the application available here. Notifications Center finally provides a native notifications application/system, apparently almost identical to how it appears and operates on iOS. It will definitely be interesting to see how quickly developers get on board, as well as how the system competes with the current notifications solution for Mac users Growl. iOS 5 introduced full Twitter integration to the mobile operating system, and now that integration has found it's way to the Mac. Finally, there isn't too much to say on GameCenter past the unification it allows between desktop and mobile iOS gaming.

While I'm giddy at the thought of a new iteration of OS X, that feeling get's spoiled by the feeling that this upgrade feels, at least to me, to be coming far too soon. The current version of OS X, Lion, has only been publicly available for less than a year. It will be closer to a year by Mountain Lion's release, but that is a ridiculously short amount of time before essentially making it obsolete.

Album Review - Odd Soul

Review

Mutemath's third effort, Odd Soul, sees them take a fairly significant, although seemingly natural, departure in sound and overall style over their first two albums. Rather than continue down the path of electronica infused indie and alt rock, though those elements of their music are still present every now and then, they've instead opted to assume a pre-dominantly blues influenced sound that is incredibly groovy and classic evoking thoughts of music from the sixties and seventies.

A genre shift can be a tricky proposition, but Mutemath make that transition flawlessly creating music at an equal or even higher level than of their past albums Armistice and Mutemath. For that excellence you have to look no farther than tracks like the title track and album opener "Odd Soul" and "Prytania", as well as first single "Blood Pressure". "Odd Soul" in particular is perhaps exudes plenty of swagger and groove, serving to open the album in a big way. "Prytania" follows, offering an infectious groove and an incredibly catchy chorus to tie it all together.

As noted earlier, the bands indie/alt rock/electronica roots are not completely left behind. In particular, the songs "All or Nothing" and "In No Time" sound as if they could be right at home in Armistice, slowing things down with their incredibly chill and relaxing mood and sound. Both tracks are nothing short of absolutely fantastic, both tracks prove to be standouts on the album with their dominant and beautiful usage of electronics accentuated with drums and guitar. While "All or Nothing" sounds akin to what's found on The Dear Hunter's Violet EP of The Color Spectrum "In No Time", takes a much more atmospheric approach that, paired with the beautiful lyrics and beautiful vocals of Paul Meany, accomplishes musical bliss.

Verdict

Despite the genre shift Odd Soul proves to be Mutemath's best effort to date, exuding excellence from beginning to end. I highly suggest anyone with a remote interest for music check this album out.

Score

[5/5]

Top Picks 

Odd Soul, Prytania, All or Nothing, Allies, Equals, In No Time

Sounders Pick Up Four In Supplemental Draft, Plus One More From RSL

The Supplemental Draft, intended for the distribution of the remaining college players invited to the Combine and left over after the SuperDraft, took place this morning and saw the Sounders pick up four more players plus another via trade after the draft was over. With their first pick, 33rd overall, they selected UCSB defender and little brother of DC United midfielder Chris Pontius, Tim Pontius. Second, immediately after their first pick and 34th overall, the Sounders selected EPL reserve midfielder Jason Banton. With their third pick, 53rd overall, the Sounders then selected University of Washington forward Abdul Aman, And finally with their fourth pick, 72nd overall, the Sounders picked up Cal Poly defender Wes Feighner. Only hours after the draft, the Sounders announced the acquisition of midfielder Andy Rose in a trade with Real Salt Lake for the rights of one of last year's draft picks Leone Cruz.

The most exciting of these picks is definitely Banton. He has many striking similarities to Steve Zakuani. Much like Zakuani he came up through the youth systems in the Premier League, not only that but he is much in the same mold as Zakuani as a player, providing an attacking presence on the left wing. Through these similarities, he definitely has plenty of potential. I certainly look forward to seeing how he developes as a player and how he ultimately fits in with the Sounders.

Sounders Sign Cordell Cato

His signing had been rumored for the past couple of months, and yesterday the club confirmed the signing of the Trinidadian 19 year old. Apparently much along the lines of former Sounder Sanna Nyassi, Cato is said to be a versatile player who can play up top (in fact the news release states him as a forward) or on the wing who has plenty of pace.

It looks like the Sounders are going after regaining much of the pace on the right wing that was lost when Vancouver took him in the expansion draft last year and subsequently traded him to Colorado. The incredibly young age is a great bonus, meaning he'll have plenty of time to develop and settle into the team. It will be interesting to see what sort of role that Cato will find himself playing.

Detroit Auto Show Picks

Acura NSX Concept

The concept that really took this year's Detroit Auto Show by storm was Acura's NSX concept. Just over six years ago the production of Acura's flagship sports car ended, and ever since there have been rumblings and rumors of a new model. Now it seems that the NSX is back on track to getting a second generation an re-entering production. What is most notable about this concept, as I'm sure you tell by the image above, is the styling whose sharp lines prove to be incredibly attractive. The much detested power plenum grill is incorporated, but thankfully Acura's designers have quite tastefully integrated the company's controversial signature look into the concept.

2013 Cadillac ATS

Late last year Cadillac unveiled their next full-size sedan, the XTS, at the LA Auto Show. Now they've taken the wraps off of the long-rumored ATS, which offers full competition to BMW's 3-series. The styling is very much in line with that of the previously mentioned XTS, taking Cadillac's design language to a higher level.

2013 Dodge Dart

When it comes to small cars, Dodge has been struggling a bit lately. The Caliber, the rather popular Neon's replacement, was never really able to find success and now that the small car segment is heating up in the US Dodge desperately needs to stake their claim in the market. Sourced mainly from Alfa Romeo, it seems that the Dart could do just that. Gone is the inelegant truck-like styling, and in enters much more attractive and flowing lines. The Dart's taillight design greatly mirrors that of the Charger refresh, a very welcome sight. Unfortunately, for now at least, Dodge only plans to offer the sedan body style.

Lexus LF-LC Concept

Lexus' styling has exactly been all that breathtaking, but they're slowly beginning to change that with the new GS and now the LF-LC concept which has been stated to be the inspiration for all future styling of Lexus models.

Lincoln MKZ Concept

It's no secret that Lincoln has been really struggling lately, and this concept car is intended to show what the future will hold for the Ford sub-brand. The MKZ concept features styling more in tune with the swooping four door coupe style currently in trend. It is certainly much more appealing to the eye than anything currently on offer by Lincoln. Hopefully this soon to be production car will lead to a reinvention of the luxury brand.

Sounders Pick Up Duran And Sodade In SuperDraft

The Sounders certainly surprised many by selecting Creighton defender Andrew Duran with the first round pick, ignoring some enticing Generation Adidas players like Enzo Martinez and Dom Dwyer in the process. Later with their second round pick they selected UAB forward Babeyele Sodade. As previously mentioned, there was much surprise surrounding their picks, especially of Duran. Those critics are simply looking at the pick according to the players available at the time of the pick, not from the perspective of a team that has has positional needs that need to be fulfilled. While the team finished second in the league last season, defense was becoming a bit of a concern and an area that was promised to be addressed in the off-season; the pick of Duran reflects that. While the team scored the most goals of any team last season, forward was another position of concern, as Fredy Montero was the only forward last season to reach double digits when it comes to goals. O'Brian White certainly looked good early on into the season, but he was quickly sidelined with a blood clotting issue. Sodade is intended to fill the void left by White while he remains out, as well as providing the size that left with Nate Jaqua.

Of Sodade, Schmid said:
"Sodade is a big presence up front, he's got good pace, he showed well at the combine. He's had a good career at UAB and he's the kind of player who could be a surprise guy like [Sporting Kansas City forward] C.J. Sapong was last year."

Of Duran:
"He is a player that's very two-footed. He's comfortable playing on the left side of the center in the back as well as the right side. He was the main defender on the team that was the best defensive team in the country last year so he's got to be doing something right."

Quotes sourced from The Seattle Times Sounders FC Blog

Changes Coming This Year For USOC Format

After outcry about the formatting of the competition was voiced in last years tournament, most notably by FC Dallas' head coach Schellas Hyndeman, changing are coming in 2012 for the country's oldest sports competition. The changes include:

• The expanding of the field of teams competing in the tournament from 40 to 64, the largest field of the modern era.
• All 16 MLS teams will take part in the competition for the first time ever, throwing out the old format of entry being determined by last season's performance along with a play-in process to determine the last participant.
• The bidding process is getting scrapped, up until the semi-finals at least. This was the most highly contested element of the competition, as clubs who actually care about the tournament like the Sounders and the Chicago Fire can claim home advantage throughout the entire tournament. Which actually makes sense, because the clubs that do care are more likely to advertise the competition and draw in fans for those matches.
• The tournament starts earlier and ends earlier, to help relieve schedule congestion for MLS clubs, especially those competing in the CONCACAF Champions League as well. The first round plays out on April 15th and the final will be played on either August 7th or 8th

Sounders Announce Signing Of Christian Sivebaek

After having been rumored to be a done deal by Danish sources, today the Sounders announced the signing of Danish midfielder Christian Sivebaek. At his former club, Midtjylland, he played at both the right midfield and and right fullback positions, although it seems that he will mostly ply his trade in the midfield for the Sounders as a back up in the occasion that Rosales isn't available. With his height of 6-foot-3, Sivebaek should prove to be an excellent target for corner kicks.

Technical director Chris Henderson stated in the release: "Christian is a player that we have been following for quite some time, he is a good one versus one dribbler who can provide consistent quality service to our strikers. He has good speed and physical presence."

Sivebaek is the Sounders fourth signing so far this offseason, along with Johansson, Gspurning, and Burch. He clearly provides much needed depth at right midfield, a crippling weakness that the Sounders had the misfortune of experiencing in the play-offs last season after losing Rosales only a few matches from the end of the season. He also provides always needed depth when it comes to other competitions as well.

One Year Reflections: Looking Forward

Thanks to my extreme laziness and pre-occupation with the start of winter quarter I am about a week off of when I was planning to get this written up and posted. I was so lazy as to even ignore Wunderlist constantly pestering me that I had an overdue task. Without any further delay, I will now delve into my plans and ideas for what I will cover and where my blog will go in this updating year.

1. Major League Soccer - If you've been following my blog, I'm sure you're plenty aware of my obsession with all things Major League Soccer and that the primary focus of my blog is a reflection of that. In 2012 I intend to offer a substantially wider rage of coverage, recapping more than just the Sounders matches. The transition of television coverage from the paid and largely unwatched as a result Fox Soccer to NBC Sports should allow me to do so.
2. Additional Authors - One of the major changes I'm planning on implementing this coming year is the introduction of two other authors to help me diversify the content and coverage of topics offered by my blog. In fact, one of them has already accepted my invitation as can be observed in the authors section on the right hand side of my blog's layout. He has yet to make a contribution, but I expect good things from him.
3. More Album Reviews - If you've read my previous reflection, you'll be aware that my initial intent was for this blog to exclusively provide coverage on music. This coming year, while my main focus will remain Major League Soccer, my hope is to expand upon that and write up and publish album reviews and opinion pieces much more frequently.

As always, feedback is welcomed and encouraged. I want to know how I can keep improving my blog and maintaining your interest and readership, so please don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Sounders Hire Ross Fletcher Of BBC As Arlo Replacement

Today the Sounders announced that they had hired Arlo White's replacement, Ross Fletcher of the BBC. In addition, they've also signed former goalkeeper and US legend Kasey Keller as a color commentator. Fletcher has spent the last five years as a soccer commentator and reporter for the BBC.

In the release, team majority owner Joe Roth stated in the release: "Ross and Kasey will bring a new dimension and perspective to Sounders FC broadcasts, the combination of Ross' experience and Kasey's knowledge gives us a sensational 1-2 punch which our fans deserve."

There are some fans out there complaining about and taking offense to the fact that the Sounders didn't sign an American commentator, despite the fact that it is a well known fact that a good American soccer commentator is a rare commodity. When it comes down to it, what matters is the individuals knowledge of the sport and the passion that they have for it, not their accent or nationality. From the following video reel, it is clear that Fletcher definitely fits the bill in both categories. Check out some of his work in the Youtube video embedded below:

You can read further about Fletcher and the signing here.

Also, here is a great interview with Fletcher from Prost Amerika.

Music of the Year - 2011

I completely blanked on doing this, so a week late I present my top artists and albums from 2011 as observed from my charts over at Last.fm. Notably, for my top ten artists my numbers are down significantly from last year. Where I had Minus the Bear ranking in at number one with just under 2000 plays last year, this past year my highest was Portugal. The Man with just under 1300 plays. Also this year for top albums I compiled the list based upon my Last/fm charts rather than iTunes.

Top Artists

1. Portugal. The Man (1263 Plays)
2. Dance Gavin Dance (1260)
3. Silverstein (1123 Plays)
4. The Dear Hunter (1043 Plays)
5. Modest Mouse (980 Plays)
6. Madina Lake (851 Plays)
7. Soilwork (617 Plays)
8. Slipknot (593 Plays)
9. Emery (584 Plays)
10. August Burns Red (571 Plays)

2011 Albums

1. Downtown Battle Mountain II - Dance Gavin Dance (684 Plays)
2. Rescue (Deluxe Edition) - Silverstein (671 Plays)
3. Leveler (Deluxe Edition)  - August Burns (435 Plays)
4. The Color Spectrum The Complete Collection - The Dear Hunter (429 Plays)
5. In The Mountain In The Cloud - Portugal. The Man (395 Plays)
6. World War III (Deluxe Editon) - Madina Lake (348 Plays)
7. Beast (Deluxe Editon) - DevilDriver (318 Plays)
8. Children Of Fire - Oh, Sleeper (268 Plays)
9. Scurrilous - Protest the Hero (164 Plays)
10. Taking Back Sunday - Taking Back Sunday (139 Plays)

MLS Releases Schedule for 2012

Lately fans have been getting a little impatient in their wait for MLS to release the schedule for the upcoming 2012 season. Thankfully the day is finally here. Notably, 2012 will see the longest season in league history, seeing regular season play carry out between March 10th and October 28th, and the play-offs concluding on December 1st. Also noteworthy, of the three hundred and twenty three regular season matches ESPN, NBC, and Galavision will be airing a total of eighty nine matches combined.

Head here to check out the full schedule.

Parke And Evans Called Into USMNT January Camp

News broke today that center backs George John and Omar Gonzalez, after finally getting their chance to prove themselves to Jurgen Klinsmann, had to withdraw from this month's USMNT camp in order to sort out club related issues (it's been reported that Gonzalez might be going out on loan and that John may finally be going over to Europe after making consideration last summer). To fill the void, Klinsmann has opted to finally call in a Sounder (makes that two actually).

The most notable of the two to get their first call up under Klinsmann, and notably their first call up of their career, is Jeff Parke. After getting picked up by New York in the 2004 SuperDraft, he quickly became a mainstay in the Red Bulls defense. Likewise, once he joined the Sounders early on into the 2010 season, he quickly became a mainstay in the back line. It seems that he's finally getting the recognition that he's due.

The other Sounder to get called up is the Sounders go to attacking midfielder, Brad Evans. Although only in restricted capacity, mainly coming of the bench as a right back, Evans has suited up for the US four prior times making three appearances in the 2009 Gold Cup and once in a friendly. Confusingly, rather than voice congratulations and support as they have with Parke, many Sounders fans are voicing confusion as to Evans call up. Sure he's been hampered almost insistently with injury, but that by no means should mark him worthy of such ire and malign. When he can remain healthy, he is one of the major pieces of the Sounders exceptional midfield and is clearly viewed good enough by Klinsmann to get the call up.