Music of the Year - 2012

After losing the number one spot in my charts last year, with the release of Infinity Overhead Minus the Bear reclaimed the number one position from Portugal. The Man. It seems that on average I listened to music less in 2012 than I did in 2011, seeing one fewer artist overall with a thousand plus plays. Another noteworthy observation is my neglect of albums that were released in 2012. Where only two of the top ten albums from 2011 had less than two hundred plays, a whopping six did this year.

Top Artists

1. Minus the Bear (1273)
2. Mutemath (1179 Plays)
3. Demon Hunter (1100 Plays)
4. Thrice (795 Plays)
5. The Dear Hunter (693 Plays)
6. Inhale Exhale (577 Plays)
7. Modest Mouse (474 Plays)
8. The Answering Machine (470 Plays)
9. Soilwork (453 Plays)
10. Deftones (451 Plays)

2012 Albums

1. Demon Hunter - True Defiance (Deluxe Edition) (624 Plays)
2. Minus the Bear - Infinity Overhead (546 Plays)
3. Inhale Exhale - Movement (209 Plays)
4. Circa Survive - Violent Waves (203)
5. Before Their Eyes - Redemption (196 Plays)
6. Our Last Night - Age of Ignorance (195 Plays)
7. Linkin Park - Living Things (181 Plays)
8. Deftones - Koi No Yokan (175 Plays)
9. As I Lay Dying - Awakened (144 Plays)
10. Lamb of God - Resolution (138 Plays)

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.