More from PST Latest USMNT news | Premier League season previews | Premier League transfer news

MLS Team of the Week — Stars of Week 1

By Andy EdwardsMar 9, 2015, 3:36 PM EDT
1 Comment

Week 1 of the 2015 Major League Soccer season is in the books. It wasn’t the most exciting week slate of games by any measure, but it sure was nice to have our old friend, MLS, taking up our entire weekend from Friday evening until late Sunday night.

Oh, that was just me? OK, then.

[ FOLLOW: All of PST’s Week 1 MLS coverage| Standings | Stats | Schedule ]

Quality of some of the games aside, a number of players’s Week 1 performances stood out head and shoulders above the rest, and they’re the ones making up PST’s first MLS Team of the Week of the 2015 season.

Thoughts? Questions? Agreements? Disagreements? (Of course not.) Leave them in the comments section, as always. I’m not afraid to defend my picks.

[ READ: PST’s 2015 team-by-team MLS previews ]

Week 1 — MLS Team of the Week

Goalkeeper: Tyler Deric (Houston Dynamo)

source:

Defenders: Kofi Sarkodie (Houston Dynamo), Chris Schuler (Real Salt Lake), Ike Opara (Sporting Kansas City), Moises Hernandez (FC Dallas)

source:

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (RSL), Davy Arnaud (D.C. United), Benny Feilhaber (Sporting KC)

source:

Forwards: Obafemi Martins (Seattle Sounders), Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle)

source:

Seattle clinches unlikely playoff spot with win over Orlando

AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
By Nicholas MendolaOct 17, 2018, 9:48 PM EDT
Leave a comment

Say this for the Seattle Sounders: It’s not wise to write them off.

Brian Schmetzer’s men are going to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the 10th straight season after beating Orlando City 2-1 in Florida on Wednesday.

[ MLS: Rooney scores another wonderful goal ]

The Sounders still have an outside look at finishing as high as third in the West, which is wild considering the start of their season.

Seattle lost its first three matches and had a whopping 12 points through 15 games.

They then kicked off a sparking 13-2-2 run which included a nine-match winning streak.

Not a bad goal from Victor Rodriguez, either:

Rooney swerves long free kick around the wall (video)

Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
By Nicholas MendolaOct 17, 2018, 8:45 PM EDT
1 Comment

Thirty-plus yards is a tricky distance for defending a free kick.

How many guys do you put in the wall in case the shooter has the audacity to shoot?

[ MORE: Henry looks to Pep, Wenger ]

It didn’t matter all that much during Wednesday’s match between DC United and Toronto FC. The shooter was Wayne Rooney, and he curled a fireball around the wall and inside the near post.

The amount of spin on the ball is out-of-this-world, as Rooney and DC aim to gain a four-point advantage over seventh place Montreal with two matches to play.

It’s Rooney’s 10th MLS goal in 18 games. He’s also posted six assists in leading United up the table.

Jamaica edges Panama, earns first Women’s World Cup berth (video)

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
By Nicholas MendolaOct 17, 2018, 8:11 PM EDT
1 Comment

Jamaica is joining the United States and Canada as CONCACAF representatives in this summer’s Women’s World Cup in France after a thrilling 2-2 draw gave way to penalty kicks in Wednesday’s third place match at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.

It’s a first World Cup for the Reggae Girlz, who won 4-2 in kicks.

[ MORE: Henry looks to Pep, Wenger ]

Jamaica held a pair of leads but allowed equalizers in regulation and extra time to push the match into kicks.

That’s when Jamaica coach Merron Gordon rolled the dice, subbing out goalkeeper Sydney Schneider in favor of Nicole McClure.

The backup saved two of four Panama attempts, and Sheyla Diaz buried her attempt to clinch a spot in France.

Panama can still qualify via a two-legged playoff with CONMEBOL’s Argentina, so there’s still hope for one of the great stories in women’s soccer (headlined by 17-year-old goalkeeper Yenith Bailey).

Olympiakos’ Fortounis gets ban for obscene celebration

Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
Associated PressOct 17, 2018, 6:41 PM EDT
Leave a comment

ATHENS, Greece (AP) Olympiakos midfielder Kostas Fortounis has been handed a one-match ban in the Greek league as punishment for an obscene goal celebration during a game this month.

[ MORE: Henry looks to Pep, Wenger ]

Fortounis will miss this weekend’s match against OFI on the island of Crete after the penalty was announced Wednesday.

The 26-year-old Greece international mouthed obscenities toward opposing fans after scoring against AEK Athens on Oct. 7 during a 1-1 draw. He later apologized for the incident.

PAOK currently leads the Greek league standings with 16 points from six matches, level with Atromitos. AEK and Olympiakos follow with 13 points.