The United States nearly completed a stunning comeback against Belgium in the round of 16 in Brazil. They couldn’t finish the job in the end, but their loss is a gain for a number of MLS teams.
Key players like Michael Bradley, Graham Zusi and DeAndre Yedlin returned to their club teams at a critical juncture of the season. Arguably no return was as important as when Brad Davis came back to Houston.
The Dynamo struggled mightily without Davis in the lineup, losing five straight games in which they failed to score a single goal.
Head coach Dominic Kinnear was happy Davis and fellow World Cup participant Boniek Garcia (Honduras) were back for the Dynamo’s contest versus the Red Bulls last Friday night.
“I think we’re a better team. It doesn’t mean, ‘Hey, now that the band’s back together we’re going to steamroll everybody,’” Kinnear told MLSSoccer.com last week.
“That’s not the case, it’s never been the case in MLS for any team. … Brad’s back, he’ll show some good moments [Friday]. I think it just makes us a better team, and we’ll see how it goes.”
But things went poorly for Houston against New York. Bradley Wright-Phillips scored twice, as the Red Bulls led 2-1 late in the contest.
Houston would win a penalty, and Davis slotted home the equalizer in the 82nd minute. The 2-2 draw ended the Dynamo’s five game losing streak. Davis, still feeling the wear of an egregious travel schedule in Brazil, was immense for a Houston side that desperately needed a positive result after five weeks of woe.
Houston travels to BMO Field for a date with Toronto FC on Saturday night.
Sounders on Yedlin: “For now, he’s in Seattle”
DeAndre Yedlin’s performance in Brazil drew plaudits from the soccer community around the world. After replacing an injured Fabian Johnson early in the first half against Belgium, Yedlin more than held his own.
The soon to be 21-year-old is drawing interest from a number of European clubs in recent days, including Roma, who reportedly reached an agreement with the Sounders star on Sunday.
For now, the Sounders say DeAndre is staying in Seattle.
"DeAndre has had a very good season in Seattle and obviously had a fantastic World Cup. This has drawn lots of interest for him from leagues around the world," Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer said in a statement. "For now, DeAndre is in Seattle and we need him to help us win our upcoming games against Portland. If something transpires with a foreign team, we will announce it."
Selfie for Sporting
The selfie craze is now taking over sports. Everyone is getting in on the act, including Sporting KC’s Dom Dywer, who had some fun after opening the scoring against Chicago on the weekend.
Goal of the week: The Erick Torres show continues
Chivas forward Erick Torres is on fire this season, scoring in 12 of his team’s 17 games so far. He’s the only player on Chivas to score since May 17, an alarming stat that shows how much Wilmer Cabrera’s side relies on the 21-year-old.
Last week he recorded a highlight reel goal against Real Salt Lake. This week he did it again, scoring the game winner versus Montreal deep into stoppage time.
He really does score when he wants.
