Results tagged “soccer”

    

Fire Doused By Real Salt Lake

  

Heat Burn Bulls

   

There are no box scores to link to today as none of Chicago's teams were in action last night. However, there's plenty of sports news to go around.

While the Cubs and Sox sat out October baseball, the Chicago Fire joined the Bulls and Blackhawks as another of the city's teams looking to make a splash in their league's post-season action in 2009. The soggy conditions at Toyota Park didn't dampen the Fire's spirits as they celebrated not only a 1-0 victory over Chivas USA, but also clinching a spot in the MLS playoffs. The Fire's goal came in the 67th minute when Chivas' Eduardo Lillingston attempted to clear a Blanco cornerkick but since the ball into his own goal instead. In spite of awful conditions, the Fire still got plenty of chances, taking 14 corner kicks and 13 shots, though only two of those were officially credited as shots on goal. Goalie Jon Busch had three saves in the winning effort.

Earlier this week, we mentioned the current U.S. bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. Yesterday, the bid committee announced a new push for cities to show their support for their role in the bid, including Soldier Field. As of this afternoon, Chicago had around 4,500; Seattle is the overall leader with over 13,000 supporters signed up and surprise Atlanta (~11,000) coming in second.

Even a Cubs fan such as myself has to hand it to the White Sox: this "Well, if we can't be in the playoffs so we might as well completely screw up the playoff picture for someone else" attitude is pretty addictive. The White Sox downed Detroit 5-1 last night, forcing the Tigers into a tie with the Minnesota Twins heading into the last day of the season. Adding a little fun to the festivities, if the Twins and Tigers finished tied, the Twins host a playoff which will have to be played Tuesday because of the Vikings-Packers Monday Night Football game at the Metrodome. Anything that messes even the slightest bit with Bud Selig is totally awesome with us. Okay, but there was a game last night, too. Freddy Garcia looked sharp, pitching seven-plus innings, striking out seven, and giving up only a single run. Carlos Quentin had a two-run homer and Alex Rios also had a great night, knocking in three runs. The Sox wrap up 2009 against the Tigers today at 12:05 p.m. (WGN).

   

Cubs Finally Beat The Cards

D.C. United only got two shots on goal against the Chicago Fire in yesterday's match, but they made the most of those opportunities, scoring the game's only goal en route to a 1-0 victory over the Fire. The Fire had six shots on goal but couldn't convert any of them into points on the scoreboard. The Fire, who remain in second place in the MLS's Eastern Conference, get a breather next week before their September 12 at Real Salt Lake.

Cubs Dodge Sweep

A masterful performance from Rich Harden helped the Cubs beat the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, 7-1. Harden hurled seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and three free passes. The Friars' Mat Latos didn't have the same success, as Chicago was able to post five runs in the first four frames. Those five runs included ribbies from Koyie Hill, Derrek Lee, Kosuke Fukudome and Aramis Ramirez, and were supplemented by solo shots from Ramirez and Milton Bradley in the sixth. In addition to his flash of power, Bradley demonstrated his patience at the plate, drawing three walks as he reached safely in all five of his plate appearances. Sean Marshall allowed the lone San Diego score in the ninth, but the Cubs' big lead made it a non-issue. After salvaging the final game of the series, the Cubs move on to L.A. for a 9:10 start with the Dodgers tonight.

The Oakland Athletics walked off with a 3-2 victory over the White Sox on Sunday, as Chicago fell just short of the series sweep. Scott Posednik tripled home Mark Kotsay in the sixth to score the game's first run, and Jim Thome followed with a bases-loaded sac fly to extend Chicago's lead to two. Starter John Danks gave one back in the seventh after six scoreless frames and then left a runner on second base for Octavio Dotel in the eighth. Dotel got Kurt Suzuki to pop up for out number two, but the next batter, Scott Hairston, tied the game with an RBI double. The Sox failed to add to their tally in the top of the ninth but found themselves only an out away from extra innings when Mark Ellis took Bobby Jenks deep on a 1-0 fastball to clinch it for the A's. The late-inning loss cost the Sox an opportunity to gain ground on Detroit, who remain 2.5 games ahead. Next up, a home stint starting with the Kansas City Royals at 7:11 tonight.

The Chicago Fire rallied from an early two goal deficit but weren't able to hold as the Houston Dynamo edged Chicago 3-2 on Sunday. Houston took a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to goals from Kei Kamara and Ricardo Clark. But the Fire came out hot in the second half, scoring a pair of goals in the first five minutes (Chris Rolfe and Peter Lowry). But in the 83rd minute, Stuart Holden netted a penalty kick for Houston that put the Dynamo up for good and costing the Fire a point and a chance to close in on first-place Columbus. Next up for the Fire in MLS action is a trip next Sunday to Kansas City.

          

It was a tough night for Fire fans at Toyota Park as the Fire dropped a heart-breaker to Tigres UANL in the SuperLiga 2009 Final, 1-1 (4-3) on penalty kicks. Patrick Nyarko headed in the first goal of the game for the Fire early on in the 10th minute to give the Fire an early 1-0 edge. Just before the half, in the 43rd minute, Itamar Batista made some impressive moves that led to a goal of his own for Tigres that tied the game at 1-1. After a scoreless second half and stoppage time, the game moved to penalty kicks. Blanco opened the PK scoring for both teams, but Gaston Fernandez evened the count. Neither team scored in the second round of kicks but then both scored in the third round, Chris Rolfe for the Fire and Lucas Ayala for Tigres. Justin Mapp missed in the fourth round of PKs for Chicago and Armando Pulido answered with a goal for Tigres. Daniel Woolard scored for the Fire to start the fifth and final round, but Itamar Batista answered for Tigres, clinching the victory.

The Ted Lilly-less Cubs got the best of the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday afternoon, winning 5-3. With Lilly sent to the 15-day D.L. due to shoulder inflammation, substitute starter Kevin Hart gave Chicago six innings of five-hit, one-run baseball. The Cubs’ big bats made that one run inconsequential, as Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley each went deep for the North Siders. Bradley’s homer—a pinch-hit solo job in the eighth—seemed superfluous at the time, but provided the Cubs some breathing room when Jonny Gomes launched a two-run homer off Aaron Heilman in the ninth. Kevin Gregg stepped in to record the final out, and the Cubs extended their winning streak to three games. The Cubs will attempt to sweep the series at 1:20 this afternoon.

The White Sox held on for a game-two victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, winning by the score of 4-3. Effective starting pitching from Mark Buehrle and a four-run offensive outburst in the fifth put Chicago on top 4-1 headed into the late innings. That outburst began with a two-run dinger from Jermaine Dye, and after six consecutive Sox’s hits, ended on back-to-back plays at the plate. Chicago’s three-run advantage was safe until the top of the ninth, when closer Bobby Jenks allowed two runs before getting Nick Markakis to ground out, ending the game and preserving the save. It was the tenth win of the season for Mark Buehrle, who appeared to be back in top form after a rocky previous start. The Sox will go for the series sweep when they take the field at 1:05 this afternoon.

The Chicago Fire dispatched the New England Revolution 2-1 last night in Foxboro, earning themselves a trip to the 2009 SuperLiga final. Cuauhtemoc Blanco led the way for Chicago with an assist to Brian McBride in the 34th minute to give the Fire a 1-0 lead. Then Blanco netted an unassisted goal in the 63rd minute to break a 1-1 tie and put the Fire ahead for good. Keeper Jon Busch played outstanding for the Fire, stopping 8 of 9 shots on goal fired by New England. The Revolution - the defending SuperLiga champs - were also a bit short-handed as suspensions, injuries, and other duties kept seven players off their roster for this match. Still, there's nothing to take away from the Fire, who earned the right to host the August 5th SuperLiga final against Tigres UANL. Fire coach Coach Dennis Hamlett said after the game, "You need big plays to win and our big players stepped up and made great plays."

All-Star Ted Lilly notched his 100th career win as the Cubs defeated the Cardinals 5-2 on Saturday afternoon. Lilly permitted only four hits and one run over eight innings, alleviating the pressure on Chicago’s bats. The Cardinals’ Brad Thompson did not have the same success, plunking Milton Bradley with the bases loaded in the first inning and then surrendering a two-RBI base knock to Jeff Baker as the Cubs jumped in front 3-0. St. Louis would get one back in the fourth, but Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano each picked up a run in the fifth to extend The Cubs’ lead to four. Things got interesting in the ninth as Carlos Marmol struggled with his command and a blown call at first base kept the Cardinals’ hopes alive, but Kevin Gregg stepped in to record the final out and preserve the victory. The Cubs and Cards play two today before heading into the break.

  

Brewers Blast Cubs

The White Sox hit Cleveland ace Cliff Lee early and often on their way to a rain-shortened 11-4 drubbing of the Indians. The Sox got off to a quick start, knocking in four runs in the first including a two-run homer from Paul Konerko. Rookie Gordon Beckham went yard in the third and Josh Fields added a solo shot in the fifth as the Sox scored in each of the first six innings except the second and chased Lee after knocking him around for seven runs in just over three innings pitched. As for the Sox, Clayton Richard gave up four runs, struck out six, and got the win. The rain - which forced the game to be called in the top of the seventh - also helped preserve the Sox bullpen as Richard threw all six innings for the Sox. The final game of the series gets underway in Cleveland tonight at 6:05 p.m. (WCIU).

In the final match of the first round of SuperLiga 2009 play, the Fire fell to Tigres UANL 2-1 on Saturday night. The Fire finished the first round at 2-1-0 overall but didn't clinch an advance to the semifinals (thanks to goal differential) until Blanco got a PK late in the 2nd half. Tigres got goals in the 37th and 61st minute while the Fire didn't produce much offense for themselves. This in spite of the fact that the Fire tripled Tigres on shots on goal, 12-4. Patrick Nyarko was fouled in the box for the Fire in the 85th minute that set up the Blanco PK. The Fire now await today's completion of Group B to find out who their semifinal opponent will be on July 15. The Fire head to Wilmington, North Carolina for their next match on Tuesday against the USL Second Division's Wilmington Hammerheads as part of the U.S. Open.

John Danks gave the White Sox his third straight quality start, but it wasn't enough to deliver a win as the Sox bullpen and bats couldn't hold up their end of the bargain and the Sox fell 5-2. Danks was rough early, giving up three runs in the first two innings, but then settled down and held the Dodgers scoreless for the remainder of his seven innings. But his early stumbles, including a two-run homer given up to LA's James Loney in the second, were too much for the Sox to overcome. Matt Thornton gave up two runs in relief in the eighth to help LA along to victory. Of course, credit is also due to LA's starter, Hiroki Kuroda, who held the Sox to two runs on four hits over 8.2 innings. Paul Konerko provided an offensive spark early for the Sox with a solo homer in the second, but the Sox couldn't get much going after that. Game two of the three game set gets underway tonight at 7:11 p.m. (WCIU).

The Cubs walked off with another win versus the Cleveland Indians and Kerry Wood yesterday, triumphing 6-5 in 13 innings. Cleveland broke a 4-4 deadlock in the top of the 13th when Luis Valbuena hit his second solo shot of the contest, putting the pressure on a Cubs’ offense that had been held scoreless since the sixth. Kosuke Fukudome started the bottom half with his fourth hit of the game, singling to right. He then made a break for second on the third strike to Koyie Hill and advanced all the way to third on an errant throw by Indian’s catcher Kelly Shoppach. A subsequent single by pinch-hitter Andres Blanco plated Fukudome to tie the game, and Aaron Miles’ base knock moved Blanco to within 90 feet of a Cubs’ victory. The game came to an abrupt end when Wood uncorked a wild 1-1 fastball that bounced to the backstop, allowing Blanco to come home with ease for the winning run. Derrek Lee and Micah Hoffpauir provided the Cubs’ early offense, both hitting two-run homers in the middle innings to keep their club in the mix. Starter Ted Lilly turned in six quality innings and seven pitchers later David Patton notched the win. The Cubs will go for the sweep at 1:20 this afternoon.

The White Sox had a field day against Manny Parra and the Brewers, scoring six runs in the second inning of a 7-1 victory. Parra coughed up five hits and three walks in that fateful inning, as Jayson Nix, Gordon Beckham, Scott Podsednik and Paul Konerko all drove in runs for the Sox. The outburst ended Parra's day after only five outs, while in the Sox camp starter Jose Contreras pitched eight shutout innings, allowing only two hits and two free passes. Contreras has now thrown sixteen frames since his return to the Bigs, conceding only three hits in that span. Nix, Brian Anderson and Ramon Castro had two hits apiece for Chicago, with the recently aquired Castro adding a solo shot to the Sox's tally in the fifth. The Sox and the Brewers play the rubber game today at 1:05 in Miller Park.

With the Cubs' 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday Carlos Zambrano notched the 100th win of his career, and did so in impressive fashion. One the mound, the Cubs' ace threw six-and-two-thirds shutout innings, allowing only two hits and striking out seven. At the plate, Zambrano scored the game's winning run on a solo shot to center field. Big Z's big fly gave Chicago a 2-0 lead, adding to Mike Fontenot's RBI walk in the opening inning. That lead shrunk to one when setup man Carlos Marmol surrendered a walk and subsequent RBI triple in the eighth, and closer Kevin Gregg had to escape a first-and-third jam in the ninth to preserve the victory. When the 28-year-old Zambrano was asked about the possibility of reaching 300 wins, Z announced his plans for retirement, stating, "after this contract, I'm done." The Cubs will try to extend their modest winning streak to three games when the step into the box at 6:10 this evening.

The White Sox earned an impressive 7-4 victory over Zack Greinke and the Royals Sunday afternoon, completing the series sweep and improving to 3-4 against Kansas City this season. The Sox got to Greinke early when Scott Podsednik hit a leadoff triple in the top of the first and Jim Thome singled him home three batters later. The Royals responded by taking a 4-1 lead over the next two innings, but Chicago added a pair of runs off Greinke in the fourth and another in the fifth to tie the score at four apiece. The game then entered a stalemate until the top of the ninth, when Chris Getz hammered home two runs on a line drive single and Podsednik brought home Getz with a base knock of his own, giving Chicago their 7-4 lead. Matt Thorton picked up the win in relief of John Danks, after the starter pitched 5.1 innings and allowed all four of the Royals runs. It was a no-decision for Greinke, who allowed three earned over seven frames, making it his "worst start" of the season. The Sox hope to bring the momentum home when they square off against the Oakland A's at 7:11.

The Cubs were a clutch hit away from beating the Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday night, but instead dropped the series opener 2-1. L.A. picked up runs in the first and third innings against an otherwise stingy Randy Wells, who fell to 0-2 in four starts despite his 1.80 ERA. With the Cubs trailing 2-0 late, Bobby Scales welcomed himself back to the roster with a pinch-hit solo shot in the eighth inning, cutting the deficit to one run. Then in the ninth, Milton Bradley and Derrek Lee put themselves aboard, and Reed Johnson moved them into scoring position on a ground out to short. This granted Geovany Soto a free pass and gave Chicago loaded bases with only one away, but the Dodgers’ Ramon Troncoso settled down, fanning Scales and Jake Fox to end the threat. The Cubs will look to avenge the loss when game two gets under way today at 1:20.

The White Sox were four outs away from sweeping the Pirates on Sunday, but Pittsburgh posted three late runs to beat Chicago 4-3. Starter Mark Buerhle danced through seven innings, allowing 12 hits but only surrendering a single run. Thanks to a two-run homer from Brian Anderson in the second and a Josh Fields RBI single in the fifth, Buerhle exited the game with a 3-1 lead. The Pirates would not go quietly, however, as Chicago's recently rock-steady bullpen faltered down the stretch. Eric Hinske tagged reliever Octavio Dotel with solo shot in the eighth and Jack Wilson then replicated the feat off closer Bobby Jenks in the ninth. With two outs and the score tied 3-3, Jenks then gave up a double to Nyjer Morgan and a subsequent RBI single to Delwyn Young, as the game slipped away from the Sox. It was Jenks' first blown save of the season. Chicago will open a fresh series with the Los Angeles Angels tonight at 8:05 in Cali.

The Chicago White Sox exacted revenge on the Toronto Blue Jays with a 10-2 drubbing last night, tying the series at one game apiece. Alexei Ramirez atoned for Friday's fielding sins by driving in five runs for the Sox, including a grand slam in the fifth to push the lead from two runs to six. Jermaine Dye also went yard for the Chicago, tacking on a pair in the sixth. The Blue Jays cobbled together two runs in the second inning, but otherwise couldn't figure out starter Mark Buehrle. His six-inning, six-hit performance earned Buerhle his third win of the season, and bumped the Sox's record to 9-8. Chicago also got some help in the field yesterday, as Brent Lillibridge and Jerry Owens both contributed defensive gems. The White Sox will try to take the series this afternoon, as they pit Jose Contreras against Toronto ace Roy Halladay.

The White Sox notched a decisive 8-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays Saturday evening. Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko spotted starter Mark Buehrle two runs in the top of the first, and that lead would grow to six before the Rays brought one across. Konerko and Carlos Quentin both had three hits in the ballgame, including a pair of jacks to left in the fifth inning. Buehrle got the win, holding the Rays to three runs and eight hits over 6.2, allowing Scott Linebrink and D.J. Carrasco to close it out in the late innings. The Sox have a chance to take the series from the defending A.L. champions this afternoon in Tampa.

AP Photo/Paul Beaty