I Dig Sports
PORT COLBORNE, Ontario — Brad Rouse and James Michael Friesen took home the two 25-lap features for the Cosco Haulage DIRTcar Sportsman as Archer’s Truck Service presented the racing action at the New Humberstone Speedway Sunday evening.
Rob Pietz took home the checkered flag for the Pro Fabrication RUSH Late Models. Billy Bleich Jr. won the main event for the JC Auto Thunder Stocks, which was home race number one for the Insta Panels Duel on the Dirt. Leroy Buscumb won race one of the Insta Panels Duel on the Dirt for the Glo and Go Tanning Mini Stocks. Mitch Dumont won the Airhardt Deliveries Pro 4 Trucks feature.
Jay Mallory and James Michael Friesen were on the front row for the Cosco Haulage DIRTcar Sportsman feature from Opening Night with Friesen in the lead. Rouse moved up to third, Rouse to lead on lap seven.
Once out front, Rouse would not relinquish the lead. Rouse would go on to score the win. In the nightcap feature for the Cosco Haulage DIRTcar Sportsman, James Michael Friesen would use his pole position to take the lead away early from Jordan Cosco. Adam Leslie moved up through the field as would Brad Rouse to move into the top three. Friesen would lead all 25-laps to score the win.
Pro Fabrication RUSH Late Models first home race for the Northeast Late Model Alliance saw John Pinsonneault leading the field at the drop of the green. David Pangrazio would take the lead away and was being pressured by Adam Ferri and Rob Pietz. Ferri would take the lead and then Pietz would take the lead away at the midway point and would not look back as he would go on to score the win.
Home race number one for the Insta Panels Duel on the Dirt for the JC Auto Thunder Stocks saw Billy Bleich Jr and Donny Lampman on the front row with Bleich showing the way. Bleich continued to show the way as Rob Murray moved into second place. Bleich dominated the event, leading all 20 laps to score the victory.
The Glo & Go Tanning Mini Stocks had their first home race as part of the Insta Panels Duel on the Dirt and it was Evan Curtis and Kourtney Kocarik on the front row. Cole Hardy flipped, in turn, one to bring out the red flag on lap one. Hardy was alert and talking to medical personnel and visited the on-track care centre. Jay Moulton and Evan Curtis would lead the field back to the green flag with Moulton taking the lead. Moulton, Curtis, Olivier Larocque, and Leroy Buscumb all battled for the lead in the closing laps. Moulton’s lead would come to an end on lap 15 after spinning in turn four. Buscumb would hold off several challenges to score the win.
Mitch Dumont took the lead away from Danny Wurster on lap one of the 15-lap feature for the Airhardt Deliveries Pro 4 Trucks. The first caution of the event would come out on lap six as Brian Aube hit the front stretch wall.
On the restart, Dumont and Dylan Llord would pull away from the field as Llord would take the lead exiting turn two. Dumont would regain the lead with five laps remaining. Dumont would go on to score the win.
The Vintage Cars saw Jeff Larmet hold off challenges from Conrad Baker and Rick St. Pierre to score the victory. Qualifying heats were won by Andy Imbeault and Rick St. Pierre.
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CALIFORNIA, Mo. — Sunday night saw the third annual Dylan Bias Memorial Race come to the Double-X Speedway with Kyle Bellm winning the headlining 360 sprint car feature.
Bellm took the lead from the pole and led the 25-lap distance to end Tyler Blank’s four-race winning streak. Blank was running second when he suffered a flat tire with two laps remaining.
Tyler Utz posted a good finish in second, Taylor Walton was third, Ayrton Gennetten finished fourth and Randy Martin completed the top five.
The Henson brothers Derek and Cole led the field to the green flag to begin the super stock event. Derek Henson would use the low groove to take the lead which never grew over four car lengths for the duration of the event.
Toby Ott and Marc Carter ran second and third right on the bumper for the majority of the event. Some close racing between Henson and Ott led to Ott coming to a stop on the top of turn four on lap 22. On the restart Derek Henson was still at the point with Carter and Cole Henson lining up behind him.
With three laps remaining, Henson would hold the slim advantage over the field to claim the victory. Marc Carter would earn a well contested second, Cole Henson was third, Zach Zeugin was fourth and Joe Miller finished fifth after starting 13th.
The hobby stock division rolled out next on the feature slate with Chuck Coffey and Kyle Smith running one-two early and just past the halfway point Dakota Girard joined the fray. Smith and Girard would challenge the leader on the white flag lap but Coffey was not to be denied.
Smith would win the duel for second with Girard finishing third.
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WEEDSPORT, N.Y. — Danny Dietrich has certainly been on a roll this year, and now he can add an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victory at Weedsport Speedway to his list of accomplishments.
Dietrich, driver of the Gary Kauffman Racing/Weikert’s Livestock/Sandoe’s Fruit Market/Pace Performance/Big Cove Whitetail Trophy Hunts/Drop Of Ink Tattoo/Sweeney Cars/Self Made/No. 48 sprint car, put fans on their feet Sunday night in central New York, utilizing a late-race restart to power around Danny Varin with just five circuits remaining.
Impressive enough, Dietrich accomplished his feat with a severed component in the rear suspension; a bent w-link.
“We are really starting to like this place,” Dietrich said of Weedsport Speedway, who now owns eight victories this year including his $5,000 All Star Circuit of Champions triumph. “Hats off to this entire team. We are clicking really well right now and the results show. There are so many people that help make all of this possible. Just a surreal feeling right now. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going into next weekend.”
Starting from the outside of row four, Dietrich was not speedy in his pursuit of the top spot, ultimately fading to a position just outside of the top-five during the first few circuits. In fact, Dietrich did not crack into the top three until lap 26 of 35.
During his late-race surge to the top, Dietrich was given some help, as Larry Wright, who was racing just ahead of Dietrich in the runner-up spot, made contact with the outside retaining wall on the 27th circuit, ultimately ending his night. The ensuing caution, which allowed Dietrich to restart on the tailtank of race leader Danny Varin, created the recipe for Dietrich’s eventual takeover.
Although Dietrich relied on the bottom of the speedway to get to himself that far forward, it was the top that proved to be the winning route. Utilizing momentum, Dietrich used a slingshot move around Weedsport’s cushion to gain command for the first time on lap 30, navigating the narrow edge in turns three and four to eventually work around Varin.
“I knew that is where I needed to be,” Dietrich continued. “[Danny Varin] was pretty good on the bottom, so I knew if I kept my pace up and built some momentum, I’d have a shot at him around the top. That late caution really helped us out. It gave me a chance to move up a lane and use clean air to get around him.”
Varin chased Dietrich to the final checkers, followed by Spencer Bayston, Cory Eliason and Greg Wilson.
Matt Sheppard topped the 35-lap modified feature.
The finish:
Feature (35-laps): 1. 48 – Danny Dietrich, 2. 00 – Danny Varin, 3. 70X – Spencer Bayston, 4. 26 – Corey Eliason, 5. 20W – Greg Wilson, 6. 13 – Paul McMahan, 7. 98H – Dave Blaney, 8. 14 – Tony Stewart, 9. 5W – Lucas Wolfe, 10. 87 – Aaron Reutzel, 11. 11 – Dale Blaney, 12. K4 – Chad Kemenah, 13. 70 – Brock Zearfoss, 14. 10 – Paulie Colagiovanni, 15. 07 – Gerard McIntyre, 16. 98 – Joe Trenca, 17. 47X – Dylan Westbrook, 18. 5 – Justin Barger, 19. 45 – Chuck Hebing, 20. 99 – Skylar Gee, 21. 35 – Tyler Esh, 22. 99L – Larry Wight, 23. 88C – Chad Miller, 24. X – Dan Bennett
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ST. LOUIS -- Ryan O'Reilly slammed his stick against the boards in frustration.
He had just sent the puck sailing over the glass for a delay-of-game call while on the penalty kill in the first period of Game 6. He had just handed the Boston Bruins' power play, best in the NHL playoffs since 1981, an opportunity to take an early lead on a five-on-three advantage, which they did on Brad Marchand's goal at 8 minutes, 40 seconds. After the Bruins' 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday to send the Stanley Cup Final to a Game 7 on Wednesday, O'Reilly said his mistake was undeniably a turning point in the game.
"Obviously not the start that we wanted. Bad play by myself there to take the penalty there to take it to five-on-three. It took the wind out of our sails, and it took too long for us to climb back in," O'Reilly said. "I'll take a little blame for that. That penalty set them up on the five-on-three and gave them a lot of confidence with a big goal there. We could have killed that penalty and gotten back to work."
The Blues did some work in Game 6 -- but not enough of it. They trailed the Bruins in shots on goal (34-29) and shot attempts at even strength (38-35), and they lost the special-teams battle, as the Bruins went 1-for-2 on the power play and the Blues went 0-for-4 despite generating 12 shots on Boston goalie Tuukka Rask with the man advantage.
"We did have momentum. We had some good looks. We didn't score. Rask made some good saves," Blues coach Craig Berube said. "Can it be better? Yeah, it has to be better. It could have won us the game tonight."
There were a variety of reasons the Blues were unable to capture the Stanley Cup in Game 6. One of them was luck, or a lack of it, as goalie Jordan Binnington was fooled by a deflected puck that bounced into the net for the Bruins' second goal, and the Blues nearly had one past Rask that was swatted away by Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy's stick. But many of their struggles track back to poor decisions with the puck, failure to physically dominate the Bruins on the forecheck and, as O'Reilly noted, an inability to give the massive crowd gathered inside and outside the arena the chance to get into the game early -- a problem reminiscent of their Game 3 loss at home to Boston.
"I'm sure people are disappointed. We're disappointed," Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester said. "But I think the way we have to look at it is that if you had told us at the beginning of the year, or even around Christmas, that we'd have a chance at a Game 7 and a Stanley Cup, I think everyone would have taken it."
For the Blues, there are other reasons for optimism. Binnington has earned a reputation for bounce-back efforts. Including the regular season, he's 13-2 with a 1.83 GAA (28 goals against, 918 minutes) and a .934 save percentage (394 saves, 422 shots) in games immediately following a loss. In the playoffs, Binnington is 7-2 with a 1.86 GAA and a .933 save percentage following losses. Also, although the Blues dropped to 6-7 at home, they're 9-2 on the road.
"Of course we wanted to win [at home]. It didn't happen. We have to move on, get ready for the next one," O'Reilly said. "We're confident. We're a great road team. Maybe that's our story. Maybe we have to get it done on the road."
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Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily: Blues, Bruins headed for Game 7
Published in
Hockey
Monday, 10 June 2019 04:57
On Sunday, the city of St. Louis was buzzing. More than an hour before puck drop of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, more than 30,000 fans packed a downtown square around the arena. Inside, the crowd was loud as ever. The Blues had a chance to capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history -- at home, no less. But the Bruins had other plans, winning 5-1 to force a Game 7.
Here's everything you need to know about how Game 6 played out in this edition of ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily.
Jump ahead: Last night's game | Three stars
Play of the night | Social post of the day
About last night ...
Game 6: Boston Bruins 5, St. Louis Blues 1 (series tied 3-3)
After plenty of pregame hoopla, St. Louis took the ice and looked awesome. The Blues were aggressive on the forecheck and penetrated Boston's D with sustained pressure in the offensive zone. The Blues outshot the Bruins 5-1 early on, then got the first power play. That's when the game swung.
St. Louis couldn't capitalize on its early looks. Boston -- with a 5-on-3, thanks to Ryan O'Reilly sending a puck over the glass -- struck first on a goal from Brad Marchand. (The Bruins, by the way, are now 25-1 in the postseason when Marchand scores a goal.) The Bruins' top line showed up, and David Pastrnak scored his first 5-on-5 goal of the series.
But this game was all about Tuukka Rask, who has been exceptional when the stakes are highest this postseason. We now have our first Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final since 2011 ... Boston's most recent championship. But St. Louis still feels good about its chances in Wednesday's winner-take-all showdown: Including the regular season, Jordan Binnington is 13-2 with a 1.83 goals-against average (28 goals against, 918 minutes) and a .934 save percentage (394 saves on 422 shots) in games immediately following a loss.
Three stars
1. Tuukka Rask, G, Boston Bruins. With the Bruins facing elimination this postseason, Rask is 3-0 with a 1.33 GAA and .953 save percentage. He has allowed only four goals in those three games.
2. Brad Marchand, LW, Boston Bruins. Marchand's opening goal silenced the crowd, and also brought with it a sense of inevitability that Boston would win. After all, in 2011, it was Marchand who opened the scoring in a pivotal Game 6 against Vancouver.
ESPN ON ICE daily podcast, with Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post
ESPN ON ICE daily podcast, with Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post on SCF Game 6. Video by Greg Wyshynski
3. Karson Kuhlman, RW, Boston Bruins. The rookie hadn't played since April 30, but immediately injected energy on the David Krejci line and scored a goal to boot. He became the 21st Bruins player to score this postseason, a record.
Play of the night
Rask makes save with puck on his back
Tuukka Rask makes an incredible stop by trying to pin the puck to his back after he made the initial save.
Rask posted some ridiculous saves, and also benefited from a bit of luck. This play encapsulates both.
Dud of the night
The Blues' power play looked to be much improved at times, and it got some great looks against Rask. St. Louis had four power-play opportunities and generated 12 shots -- not bad. But the Blues couldn't score on any of them, and that killed the momentum and ultimately doomed them.
Social post of the day
Charles Glenn, thank you for everything. #stlblues #WeAllBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/GUtYt7GB0i
- St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) June 10, 2019
It was an epic farewell anthem from Charles Glenn, who is retiring this year due to his multiple sclerosis.
Quotable
"Growing up, every one of us shares the same dream. We were all a little kid once, and we all wanted this bad. And I think it was just an element of savoring this moment and not letting it end tonight. It was exactly what we needed. He stepped up, and we all ... I mean, like, when he talks, you listen. That's the presence that he has." -- Charlie McAvoy on Patrice Bergeron's pregame speech that inspired the Bruins to Game 6 victory.
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Six players have been added to the field for this week's U.S. Open, rounding out the list of 156 names who will vie for the title at Pebble Beach.
All players who were inside the top 60 in this week's Official World Golf Rankings but not otherwise exempt earned spots, a provision that covered Andrew Putnam (No. 50), Emiliano Grillo (No. 53) and Scott Piercy (No. 59). All three played their way up the rankings following the first top-60 cutoff after the PGA, including Piercy who was a runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
Putnam will make his second U.S. Open start, while Grillo and Piercy will play for the fourth and eighth time, respectively. Jazz Janewattananond, who contended at last month's PGA Championship, moved up to 61st in the latest rankings to barely miss out on a trip to Pebble Beach.
Those inclusions brought the field to 153, leaving the final three spots to be filled by first alternates from previously-held sectional qualifiers. Bernd Wiesberger was the top alternate from the qualifier held in England, and he'll now make his fifth tournament appearance. Joel Dahmen was first alternate from the loaded Columbus sectional, and he'll make his U.S. Open debut weeks after finishing second at the Wells Fargo Championship.
The final spot went to veteran Harris English, who lost a 3-for-2 playoff at the Canada sectional but will now make his first major appearance since the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills.
The USGA does not make public the priority ranking of the remaining tournament alternates. Should a fully exempt player withdraw, he'll be replaced by a sectional alternate based on the USGA's undisclosed ranking, while a player who qualified via sectionals would be replaced by an alternate from his specific sectional.
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Manchester United will have to double their record transfer outlay for a defender in order to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace after their opening bid was rejected, sources have told ESPN FC.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is targeting right-back Wan-Bissaka as part of his summer overhaul, but United have had an initial offer of £35 million plus £5m in add-ons turned down.
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Palace believe they are in a strong position after securing Wan-Bissaka on a contract until 2022, and the 21-year-old has said he is happy to stay at Selhurst Park next season.
The Eagles have not ruled out letting the England under-21 international leave but are planning to hold out for a guaranteed £50m with a series of add-ons that could take the deal past the £60m mark.
That would almost double the £31m United paid Benfica for Victor Lindelof in 2017 and would make Wan-Bissaka -- who has had only one full season in the Premier League -- the third most expensive player in their history.
Paris Saint-Germain right-back Thomas Meunier is among the options if a fee for Wan-Bissaka cannot be agreed, but Arsenal are also interested in the Belgium international.
Solskjaer is continuing his squad rebuild after agreeing a £15m deal with Swansea for Daniel James. The Wales winger is expected to be officially announced as a United player once the international transfer window opens on Tuesday.
The manager is still hopeful of completing the bulk of his summer business before the start of preseason training on July 1. Players and staff fly to Perth for the start of the preseason tour on July 7.
Meanwhile, United remain in talks with Juan Mata about extending his stay at Old Trafford.
It was confirmed on Friday that Mata, who will become a free agent on June 30, has a contract offer on the table, but sources have told ESPN FC that negotiations are ongoing.
United, who have released Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia, are hopeful that the 31-year-old midfielder will stay, but he has a host of other offers from the Premier League, Italy and Spain.
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CINCINNATI -- After the U.S. men's national team lost 1-0 to Jamaica last Wednesday, it didn't seem as if things could get much worse for the Americans.
Four days later, they're worse. Way worse.
The U.S. was absolutely hammered 3-0 -- on home turf no less -- against a Venezuela side that gratefully accepted all the gifts the Americans gave them. And to be clear, the U.S. was in giving mood. There was the horrible pass from goalkeeper Zack Steffen that set up the first of two goals from Salomon Rondon. Then there was Venezuela's second from a throw-in, with the U.S. defense seemingly set, that allowed Jefferson Savarino to fire a shot off the post and then score himself on the rebound. Finally, a simple long ball found Rondon in space, isolated against Aaron Long, before the West Brom forward carved out enough space to hammer a shot past a helpless Steffen.
Yes, Jhon Murillo looked to be offside in the run-up to Rondon's first but bad calls happen, especially when there is no VAR on hand, as was the case in this friendly. The fact that Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Michael Bradley were all missing didn't help either, but the U.S. cannot hide behind excuses such as this. In moments of adversity a national team must come together, collect itself, and find a way to get back in the game. Instead the U.S. crumbled here.
When the half mercifully reached its end, boos could be heard from the Nippert Stadium crowd. Midfielder Wil Trapp didn't blame the fans.
"It's unacceptable to lose 3-0 at home," he said.
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Manager Gregg Berhalter tried to project an air of composure after the match, though given the nature of the defeat his words didn't inspire much confidence.
"I think we need to be calm. I think we need to look at the game, look at what we need to improve on, and then set out to do it," Berhalter said. "It's really tough after a result like this and start making excuses. I don't really want to do that. But what I'd say is we're still getting guys where they need to be, and we're not there yet, and that's pretty clear. So we're going to keep working on it."
So now Berhalter finds himself in something of quandary heading into the Gold Cup. Does he persist with the same tactics and personnel? Have some players played themselves out of the lineup? These are questions that apply to almost every part of the field. I say almost because Jozy Altidore, after coming on at halftime, gave the team a spark with his movement, link-up play, and being an overall attacking presence in the final third.
Everywhere else there appear to be problems. The midfield lacked bite overall, and seemed incapable of doing anything to stop Venezuela's attacks. At the other end of the pitch, the chances the U.S. did create were squandered fairly easily.
Most sobering of all is the frailty of a defense that had been among the more stable parts of the U.S. team since Berhalter took over. On this day it had all the tensile strength of papier-mache. The three goals in that first half were more than the U.S. had conceded in the five previous games combined under Berhalter.
There were several reasons as to why. The team's press wasn't cohesive and communication was lacking. Certainly Long looked as if he were shaking off some considerable rust after having not played for the last month because of an injury, but Berhalter defended his decision to put the New York Red Bulls defender on the field.
"We need to get Aaron where he needs to be. We need to get him fit," Berhalter said. "So the question is: Do we not play him? Do we not give him this game routine because we're worried he can fail the challenge? Or do we know where we need to go and because of that he plays. To me it was clear. I needed to play. He needs fitness. Forty-five minutes was enough. He came out injury-free, which was positive. And then we build."
Despite the result, Berhalter is determined to stay the course.
"The guys worked hard. They gave what they had. They came up short," he said. "And it doesn't mean that we're going to scrap all the plans. We're always evaluating, we're always seeing how effective we can be, and where we need to improve. And we're just going to continue that process."
When the likes of Pulisic, Adams, Bradley and Altidore return to full fitness, the U.S. will no doubt be a better and more dangerous side. But even then, there are questions. Can Berhalter afford not to have Adams play in the center of midfield? The U.S. manager wants Adams' aggression, but also the passing ability of either Bradley or Trapp. But can either provide the defensive presence needed on their own? The answer, particularly in Trapp's case, seems to be no. That is in part why Adams has been put in the hybrid right back/center midfield role. The issue becomes exacerbated when the team isn't on the same page with its press, as was the case Sunday against Venezuela.
"When we were in good shape, sliding side to side, they weren't able to really break us down," Trapp said. "As soon as we allowed ourselves to get stretched, they found balls forward, second balls, and could create chances."
Another question is whether the U.S. has the personnel to play out of the back. It's easy to dismiss Steffen's mistake as a one-off, but he made a similar error against Jamaica, although that one went unpunished. And what of the U.S. team's ability to score goals? The Americans probably will have no problems doing that against Guyana, but what about the more difficult games that will follow?
Then there is the troubling matter of the team's competitiveness. This is an issue that Berhalter brought up after both of the recent friendlies. That used to be a calling card of the USMNT. Now it seems to come and go like the wind.
It's as if there are too many balls in the air right now for Berhalter to juggle.
The team did what it could to put a positive light on what transpired.
"The games showed us what we need to work on, that's a good thing," Steffen said. He later added, "It's all up here, it's all mental. It's really just about everyone buying into that system."
Trapp added, "From the midst of adversity, we have to respond and build character, and that's what it's about. Are we happy with the results? Absolutely not. Are the fans happy? Absolutely not. But all we can control is getting on the field, training, and having time together to work through these things."
Is there enough time to do that? It seems unlikely, but Berhalter & Co. have nine days to figure it out.
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MLS Power Rankings: LAFC top, Union close behind at Gold Cup break
Published in
Soccer
Sunday, 09 June 2019 20:03
After a handful of games from Wednesday to Saturday, MLS is now officially on its Gold Cup break -- a break that lasts just long enough for teams to get a breather and regroup, but not long enough that most teams will have their contingent of internationals back, CONCACAF-affiliated or otherwise.
It's all very MLS. There's no denying that some teams need the break a lot more than others.
The paucity of games means that the rankings aren't dramatically different than last week, when we did a reset of things just ahead of the mid-season pause, but we are rewarding a few teams who started the season poorly for a spurt of good form.
We're not heartless, after all. We know just how important these rankings are.
Previous rankings: Week 14 | Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
1. LAFC (11 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss)
Previous ranking: 1
Next MLS match: June 28 at Colorado, 10 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+
With their Gold Cup hiatus underway, LAFC are reportedly on the verge of completing a bit of business by selling Andre Horta back to SC Braga of Portugal. Horta never clicked in LA and the club is taking a bath on the deal, but how many clubs could whiff that hard, admit failure, and not really have a problem?
2. Philadelphia Union (8-4-4)
Previous ranking: 2
Next MLS match: June 26 v. New England, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
The Union handled a weakened Red Bull team on Saturday, opening up a four-point gap in the Eastern Conference. Ilsinho doesn't always do magic, but he seems to pull out the tricks when Philadelphia needs him most. Saturday's assist and goal coming off the bench made the difference.
Union come from 2-0 down to beat Red Bulls
Philadelphia's dream start to the MLS season continued as Ilsinho inspired the Union to a 3-2 win over the New York Red Bulls after trailing 2-0.
3. Houston Dynamo (7-3-3)
Previous ranking: 3
Next MLS match: June 22 at Portland, 11 p.m. ET, ESPN+
While crossing their fingers that a trio of Hondurans and a smattering of other players don't get hurt on international duty, the Dynamo prepare for a trip to Portland that will happen before the Gold Cup contingent returns.
4. New York City FC (5-8-1)
Previous ranking: 4
Next MLS match: June 29 v. Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
City scored seven goals (five for themselves, two for FC Cincinnati) in a win on Wednesday night that extended the unbeaten run to 10 games. Even with the run, NYCFC was suffering from a decided lack of wins -- getting three points against the league's worst team was a must.
5. LA Galaxy (9-1-6)
Previous ranking: 4
Next MLS match: June 22 at FC Cincinnati, 7.30 p.m. ET
The Galaxy laboured their way to a 2-1 defeat at home against New England on Sunday night. It's the kind of result that looks bad on paper and worse in reality. LA now hits a brief pause ahead of the Gold Cup, a well-timed chance to recharge the batteries and work out some of the defensive kinks in evidence against the Revs.
6. D.C. United (7-6-4)
Previous ranking: 6
Next MLS match: June 26 vs. Orlando, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+
United is 0-4-1 in their last five matches, seems prone to silly mistakes, isn't getting great production from its stars, and is still just four points back of first place in the Eastern Conference. Things could be worse at Gold Cup time.
7. Atlanta United (8-2-5)
Previous ranking: 15
Next MLS match: June 26 at Toronto, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+
You can't really have a "vintage" performance when you're only in your third season as a club, but we're going to say it anyway: The vintage version of Atlanta United showed up on Saturday against Chicago. The Five Stripes are now in third and charging up the table -- do we even need to say "watch out" to the rest of the East?
8. New York Red Bulls (7-3-6)
Previous ranking: 8
Next MLS match: June 28 v. Chicago
The Red Bulls got Ilsinho'd. Sometimes it happens. Whatcha gonna do?
9. Montreal Impact (8-3-7)
Previous ranking: 11
Next MLS match: June 26 v. Portland, 8 p.m. ET
Considering how much time Ignacio Piatti has missed in 2019, and the up-and-down nature of the Impact's form, the fact that Remi Garde has Montreal in second place in the East (tied with DC United) is pretty remarkable.
10. FC Dallas (6-4-6)
Previous ranking: 10
Next MLS match: June 22 v. Toronto FC, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+
FC Dallas enters the Gold Cup break in fifth place, fresh off a weird draw against San Jose playing with a makeshift group. The bright spot was the goal from debutant Francis Atuahene, a player the club needs because of the thin roster entering the summer.
11. Seattle Sounders (7-5-4)
Previous ranking: 9
Next MLS match: June 29 v. Vancouver, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Missing something like half their team, the Sounders dropped a result in Montreal in midweek. No reason to panic, maybe, but that makes it a three-game losing streak for Brian Schmetzer's club.
12. Minnesota United (6-3-7)
Previous ranking: 12
Next MLS match: June 29 v. FC Cincinnati, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPNdeportes
Every glimmer of hope in Minnesota is quickly followed by a painful setback. Three losses in a row has the dark clouds descending on the Loons and it will be a major test of Adrian Heath. Counting on a weak group of clubs to salvage the playoffs in the West is not a winning formula.
13. Orlando City (5-3-7)
Previous ranking: 13
Next MLS match: June 26 at DC United, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+
The Lions are the current title holder of the ESPN MLS Power Rankings "Dead Average" award. Good enough to represent a threat, bad enough that a multiple goal loss to a bottom feeder is never a surprise.
14. Toronto FC (5-4-6)
Previous ranking: 14
Next MLS match: June 22 at FC Dallas, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Toronto FC got VAR'd hard at home against Sporting, playing without Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore. But the Reds fought back from VAR-assisted deficits twice to secure a point, which is some comfort.
15. San Jose Earthquakes (5-4-6)
Previous ranking: 20
Next MLS match: June 26 v. Houston Dynamo, 10.30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Chris Wondolowski scored again and the Quakes earned a point on the road in Frisco despite the howler of the year from Daniel Vega. The Quakes deserve more credit then they got here -- taking eight points from a possible 12 in their last four matches has pulled them into playoff contention.
Topsy turvy stalemate in San Jose
The San Jose Earthquakes came back from a goal down but couldn't hang on, as FC Dallas drew level in the final minutes at Avaya Stadium.
16. Real Salt Lake (6-1-8)
Previous ranking: 15
Next MLS match: June 22 at Chicago, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+
The Gold Cup break brings intrigue to Utah, where the rumour is that Joao Plata is headed for Mexico. The Ecuadorian has done some good work in the shadow of the Wasatch, but he's not a first choice player for Mike Petke at this point. Can RSL snag a more productive player when the transfer window opens in July?
17. Columbus Crew (5-2-9)
Previous ranking: 16
Next MLS match: June 23 vs. Sporting Kansas City, 5.30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
The Crew are off until June 23 for the Gold Cup, so let's instead consider the news this week that the club's new downtown stadium is tentatively scheduled to open during the 2021 season. With all that the Crew fans have been through, the idea of their club getting a second soccer-specific venue must seem like an unbelievable dream.
18. Colorado Rapids (4-3-9)
Previous ranking: 24
Next MLS match: June 22 at Vancouver, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+
THE RAPIDS AREN'T IN LAST PLACE ANYMORE! Sure, Portland has played three fewer games and Colorado still has a worse goal differential, but positives are positives. Credit where it's due -- Conor Casey's side has a five-game unbeaten run going and more points in their last five than everyone but LAFC.
19. Portland Timbers (4-2-7)
Previous ranking: 17
Next MLS match: June 22 vs. Houston, 11 p.m. ET, ESPN+
The Timbers' disastrous start to the season didn't end their chances at the playoffs and neither did the loss to LAFC in the first home game of the year. They lost that game, but the fight (both figurative and literal) they showed should be a platform for the rest of the season.
20. New England Revolution (4-4-8)
Previous ranking: 22
Next MLS match: June 26 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Revs fans got to see Bruce Arena get a win in his first game in charge of the club last week against LA, but they'll have to wait until another few weeks to see the new head coach stalk the sidelines at home. In the meantime, there's an Open Cup match in Jersey that Arena probably won't take very seriously.
21. Sporting Kansas City (3-7-5)
Previous ranking: 19
Next MLS match: Friday at Toronto, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Two soft penalties helped SKC get a point in the Great White North, a fine result on paper. The problem is that Sporting had three (much needed) points in their grasp and broke down defensively in the final minutes of the game. 2019, even with injuries considered, is not feeling very Vermesian.
22. Vancouver Whitecaps (4-6-6)
Previous ranking: 19
Next MLS match: June 22 vs. Colorado, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Yordy Reyna is quite often the difference between Vancouver showing any teeth on the attacking end and lacking any menace at all. Friday's result was a perfect example, with the Peruvian changing the complexion of the game for the Whitecaps when he came on as a substitute with about a half-hour to go.
23. Chicago Fire (4-6-6)
Previous ranking: 22
Next MLS match: June 22 vs. Real Salt Lake, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+
We'll leave this one to Dax McCarty. "It's not been good enough," he said after the 2-0 loss in Atlanta. "The entire season's not been good enough. So if guys can't figure what they want and if they don't want to be here then maybe we need to have honest conversations with ourselves because it's not good enough from the team."
24. FC Cincinnati (3-2-11)
Previous ranking: 24
Next MLS match: June 22 v. LA Galaxy, 7.30 p.m.
FCC got housed at The House That Ruth Built (2.0) by NYCFC on Thursday and didn't even get to score their own consolation goals. Generally speaking, it's a very bad sign when Own Goal is tied for the team lead in goals scored.
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Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak wants to leave in the summer following broken promises over his future -- and the boyhood Manchester United fan favours a move to Old Trafford over Paris Saint-Germain, a source has told ESPN FC.
Last week, Oblak voiced concerns about Atletico's competitiveness, with star forward Antoine Griezmann set to leave and Lucas Hernandez, Diego Godin, Filipe Luis and Juanfran also departing.
- When does the transfer window close?
Oblak wants Atleti to match his ambition and is considering his options, with PSG also in the running after announcing that Gianluigi Buffon would leave in the summer.
However, a source told ESPN FC that United are ahead in the chase for Oblak, despite the fact that they will not be playing in the Champions League next season.
The source said the 26-year-old wants to play in the Premier League.
David De Gea's United future is in considerable doubt -- the Spain international is also a PSG target -- and sources told ESPN FC in April that United were considering triggering Oblak's €120 million buyout clause in the event De Gea leaves.
Earlier this year, Oblak signed a new deal until 2023 and was told the Atletico squad would be strengthened to compete for La Liga and the Champions League.
Brazilian centre-back Felipe has joined from Porto and striker Nicolas Ibanez has come in from Atleti's Mexican franchise Atletico de San Luis, but the source said Oblak did not feel the list of possible Griezmann replacements was good enough.
- When are the Premier League fixtures published?
- When does the new Premier League season start?
- Who has qualified for Europe from the Premier League?
- When does the transfer window close?
Regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in the world, Oblak won his fourth Zamora Award as La Liga's best goalkeeper after helping Atletico finish second in the table last season.
The Slovenia international kept 27 clean sheets in 50 matches in 2018 -- more than any other goalkeeper in Europe's top five leagues including Liverpool's Alisson and United's De Gea -- and conceded just 36 goals.
Manchester United declined to comment when asked by ESPN FC about interest in Oblak.
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