Sporting KC's Soony Saad and Mechack Jerome both added to their cap total today in international matches for their countries.
Saad had the more important match of the two as Lebanon was hoping to qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. They needed a win against Thailand and help from China who played Iraq to qualify. Unfortunately China lost 3-1 to Iraq and Lebanon was eliminated. Lebanon though finished the qualifying cycle on a high as they took care of their opponent 5-2. Saad scored what proved to be the game winner one minute into first half stoppage time. The goal, Saad's second for Lebanon and first in a competitive match made the score 3-1. Lebanon scored two more in the second half before Thailand scored one to close the gap to 5-2.
You can see his goal at the 1:39 mark below
While Saad's was the more important game, Jerome's may have been more historic. Haiti played in Kosovo in the first FIFA sanctioned friendly for the Serbian territory that declared it's independence from Serbia in 2008 but has yet to officially be recognized. Jerome earned another cap in the 0-0 draw as the two teams played in front of a sellout crowd of 18,000.
Showing posts with label Lebanon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lebanon. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 05, 2014
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Three Friendlies
It was a day full of friendlies for Sporting KC and it's players. Counting an international appearance for Soony Saad, there were three for Sporting KC today.
The first game of the day was Saad's friendly with Lebanon against Pakistan in Beirut. Saad started for his country, his third time appearing for Lebanon. Lebanon jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 14 minutes. Pakistan pulled one back in the 16th before Lebanon scored a late goal to win 3-1. Lebanon will now begin to prepare for their March 5th game against Thailand. A game that Lebanon must win, and then get help from China in hopes of qualifying for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia.
The second game of the day saw a team made up of Sporting's reserves take on Eastern Florida State College. A 60 minute game saw Sporting not score until the final 10 minutes. Second round draft pick, Adnan Gabeljic scored on a header from a corner kick by fellow draft pick, Alex Martinez. A short time later, Martinez set up a second goal as trialist Carlos Sanchez scored to make it 2-0, the way the game ended.
In the final game of the day, Sporting opened the Disney Pro Soccer Classic with a 1-0 win over conference rival New York. The first half saw both teams put out close to their first XI lineup, minus a few pieces (Matt Besler, Thierry Henry, and Graham Zusi as a few examples). Both teams had chances in the first half, KC's best probably coming when a failed clearance fell to Dom Dwyer but he couldn't get a good shot off. New York on the other hand, had a goal called back after Loyd Sam was ruled to have been offside.
In the second half, New York made a number of changes while KC stuck with the same team until the 60th minute. With the new lineup out there, their high pressure paid off in the 64th. Claudio Bieler forced an errant clearance up field that got knocked into the path of Christian Duke. Duke tried to played the through to Jacob Peterson, but a Red Bulls' defender cut it out. The touch was poor though and a sliding Peterson was able to connect with the ball and put it in to give KC the 1-0 lead. Shortly after that, Kevin Ellis almost set up another goal. A great cross found Bieler in the middle, but his volley was blocked and Gabeljic couldn't turn in the rebound.
Check out the full highlights.
The first game of the day was Saad's friendly with Lebanon against Pakistan in Beirut. Saad started for his country, his third time appearing for Lebanon. Lebanon jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 14 minutes. Pakistan pulled one back in the 16th before Lebanon scored a late goal to win 3-1. Lebanon will now begin to prepare for their March 5th game against Thailand. A game that Lebanon must win, and then get help from China in hopes of qualifying for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia.
The second game of the day saw a team made up of Sporting's reserves take on Eastern Florida State College. A 60 minute game saw Sporting not score until the final 10 minutes. Second round draft pick, Adnan Gabeljic scored on a header from a corner kick by fellow draft pick, Alex Martinez. A short time later, Martinez set up a second goal as trialist Carlos Sanchez scored to make it 2-0, the way the game ended.
In the final game of the day, Sporting opened the Disney Pro Soccer Classic with a 1-0 win over conference rival New York. The first half saw both teams put out close to their first XI lineup, minus a few pieces (Matt Besler, Thierry Henry, and Graham Zusi as a few examples). Both teams had chances in the first half, KC's best probably coming when a failed clearance fell to Dom Dwyer but he couldn't get a good shot off. New York on the other hand, had a goal called back after Loyd Sam was ruled to have been offside.
In the second half, New York made a number of changes while KC stuck with the same team until the 60th minute. With the new lineup out there, their high pressure paid off in the 64th. Claudio Bieler forced an errant clearance up field that got knocked into the path of Christian Duke. Duke tried to played the through to Jacob Peterson, but a Red Bulls' defender cut it out. The touch was poor though and a sliding Peterson was able to connect with the ball and put it in to give KC the 1-0 lead. Shortly after that, Kevin Ellis almost set up another goal. A great cross found Bieler in the middle, but his volley was blocked and Gabeljic couldn't turn in the rebound.
Check out the full highlights.
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Saad Called Up, Juniors Commitments
Two bits of Sporting KC news today.
Saad called up by Lebanon
Sporting KC forward, Soony Saad will miss the majority of the rest of Sporting's preseason. He's been called up to represent Lebanon in a pair of games. The first is a friendly against Pakistan on February 19th. The second game is an AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Thailand on March 5th. Saad will not return to Sporting until after that game, just ahead of the season opener against Seattle on March 8th.
Lebanon still has a shot at qualifying for the 2015 Asian Cup, but will need to beat Thailand, and probably need help. They are currently locked into third place in their group with 5 points. The top two teams in each of the five group qualify automatically along with the best third place team of all the groups. Currently Lebanon is the second best third place team behind Iraq, who is on 6 points. So for Lebanon to even have a chance they must beat Thailand.
The good news for Lebanon is Iraq's opponent is China, who is in second place in their group on 8 points. So for China to clinch qualification, they will need to beat or draw with Iraq. The bad news is that the game is in Iraq. All isn't bad though, because a win by Lebanon and a loss by China would put them level on points. But for that to happen, there will need to be a six goal swing in goal difference (Lebanon is currently at -5 GD while China is on +1). So it's certainly an uphill battle, but against a winless Thailand team it's possible.
Sporting Juniors Commit on National Signing Day
On national signing day it's football that gets the big headlines as high school football players commit to their college future. But the day is not just for college football. All athletes are eligible to sign their letters of intent to play college sports today. That includes soccer, and 12 Sporting Academy players signed their letters of intent to play college ball.
Nine of the twelve players have committed to playing division one soccer. Three of those players have committed to playing in the competitive ACC.
Here's the full list:
Darby Cronin (Missouri-Kansas City)
Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State)
Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines)
Heath Honold (Wake Forest)
Mason Leonard (Drake)
Blake Levine (Baker)
Matthew Lewis (Fordham)
Andy Lopez (North Carolina)
Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia)
Cole Stevenson (Denver)
Austin Williamson (Northeastern State University)
Zach Wright (North Carolina)
Saad called up by Lebanon
Sporting KC forward, Soony Saad will miss the majority of the rest of Sporting's preseason. He's been called up to represent Lebanon in a pair of games. The first is a friendly against Pakistan on February 19th. The second game is an AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Thailand on March 5th. Saad will not return to Sporting until after that game, just ahead of the season opener against Seattle on March 8th.
Lebanon still has a shot at qualifying for the 2015 Asian Cup, but will need to beat Thailand, and probably need help. They are currently locked into third place in their group with 5 points. The top two teams in each of the five group qualify automatically along with the best third place team of all the groups. Currently Lebanon is the second best third place team behind Iraq, who is on 6 points. So for Lebanon to even have a chance they must beat Thailand.
The good news for Lebanon is Iraq's opponent is China, who is in second place in their group on 8 points. So for China to clinch qualification, they will need to beat or draw with Iraq. The bad news is that the game is in Iraq. All isn't bad though, because a win by Lebanon and a loss by China would put them level on points. But for that to happen, there will need to be a six goal swing in goal difference (Lebanon is currently at -5 GD while China is on +1). So it's certainly an uphill battle, but against a winless Thailand team it's possible.
Sporting Juniors Commit on National Signing Day
On national signing day it's football that gets the big headlines as high school football players commit to their college future. But the day is not just for college football. All athletes are eligible to sign their letters of intent to play college sports today. That includes soccer, and 12 Sporting Academy players signed their letters of intent to play college ball.
Nine of the twelve players have committed to playing division one soccer. Three of those players have committed to playing in the competitive ACC.
Here's the full list:
Darby Cronin (Missouri-Kansas City)
Andrew Dittemore (Missouri State)
Andy Ericks (Colorado School of Mines)
Heath Honold (Wake Forest)
Mason Leonard (Drake)
Blake Levine (Baker)
Matthew Lewis (Fordham)
Andy Lopez (North Carolina)
Joey Piatczyc (West Virginia)
Cole Stevenson (Denver)
Austin Williamson (Northeastern State University)
Zach Wright (North Carolina)
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Palmer-Brown, Holiday Up for Awards, Saad and Lebanon Fall
Some news for you today.
Palmer-Brown and Holiday up for US Soccer awards.
US Soccer has announced the finalists for the year end awards for 2013, and two players for local teams were named finalists.
Sporting KC's latest home grown player, Erik Palmer-Brown is up for Young Male Athlete of the Year. Palmer-Brown represented the US at the U15, U17, and U18 levels this year competing in tournaments in Italy, Japan, and France. Palmer-Brown is up against three other professional, Kellyn Acosta of FC Dallas, Shane O'Neill from Colorado, and Will Trapp from Columbus. Also nominated is Shaquell Moore, from the US U17 team.
Also nominated for one of the awards is NWSL MVP and FCKC midfielder, Lauren Holiday, is nominated for Female Athlete of the Year. Holiday had 12 goals and nine assists for FC Kansas City this year in her MVP season. She added three goals and six assists while playing with the US national team. Holiday is up against Sydney Leroux, Carli Loyd, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, and Abby Wambach.
Saad and Lebanon Fall to Iran
It ended up being the minor news of the day in Beirut after the bombing, but Soony Saad and the Lebanese national team played Iran in a big AFC Asian Cup qualifier. After the bombing though, the game was played behind closed doors with no fans in attendance. Saad ended up being an unused substitute in the game as Lebanon fell to Iran 4-1.
The loss put Lebanon in 3rd place in the group with one game left. There is still a chance that Lebanon can qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup though as the best 3rd place team. They currently are the second best team, one point behind Iraq. The final match day sees Lebanon play in Thailand against the fourth place team in their group. Iraq meanwhile plays at home against China who is second place in their group.
There is another question though and that's Group A, where only one team has played 5 games. Oman has clinched a spot in the tournament having played just four games. Jordan is on 5 points after only 3 games. Syria has played 5 games and sits on 4 points, while Singapore has 3 points from 4 games. So there's certainly some questions there that could keep Lebanon out of the tournament.
Palmer-Brown and Holiday up for US Soccer awards.
US Soccer has announced the finalists for the year end awards for 2013, and two players for local teams were named finalists.
Sporting KC's latest home grown player, Erik Palmer-Brown is up for Young Male Athlete of the Year. Palmer-Brown represented the US at the U15, U17, and U18 levels this year competing in tournaments in Italy, Japan, and France. Palmer-Brown is up against three other professional, Kellyn Acosta of FC Dallas, Shane O'Neill from Colorado, and Will Trapp from Columbus. Also nominated is Shaquell Moore, from the US U17 team.
Also nominated for one of the awards is NWSL MVP and FCKC midfielder, Lauren Holiday, is nominated for Female Athlete of the Year. Holiday had 12 goals and nine assists for FC Kansas City this year in her MVP season. She added three goals and six assists while playing with the US national team. Holiday is up against Sydney Leroux, Carli Loyd, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, and Abby Wambach.
Saad and Lebanon Fall to Iran
It ended up being the minor news of the day in Beirut after the bombing, but Soony Saad and the Lebanese national team played Iran in a big AFC Asian Cup qualifier. After the bombing though, the game was played behind closed doors with no fans in attendance. Saad ended up being an unused substitute in the game as Lebanon fell to Iran 4-1.
The loss put Lebanon in 3rd place in the group with one game left. There is still a chance that Lebanon can qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup though as the best 3rd place team. They currently are the second best team, one point behind Iraq. The final match day sees Lebanon play in Thailand against the fourth place team in their group. Iraq meanwhile plays at home against China who is second place in their group.
There is another question though and that's Group A, where only one team has played 5 games. Oman has clinched a spot in the tournament having played just four games. Jordan is on 5 points after only 3 games. Syria has played 5 games and sits on 4 points, while Singapore has 3 points from 4 games. So there's certainly some questions there that could keep Lebanon out of the tournament.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Saad Cap Tied in Lebanon AFC Asian Cup Draw
Soony Saad made his first appearance for Lebanon in an official FIFA competition today in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier. The Sporting KC forward started and played 74 minutes as Lebanon played to a 0-0 draw with Kuwait in Group B. The appearance cap-ties Saad to Lebanon after he represented the United States at the youth level.
The draw leaves Lebanon in 3rd place on 5 points in their four team group with two match days left. The top two in each group automatically qualifies for the tournament, with the best third place team also qualifying. Lebanon currently holds that "best 3rd place" spot as they currently sit on 6 points.
Lebanon has one more qualifier in this round of games, on the 19th at home against group leaders Iran. A loss in that game could be a big blow for Lebanon as second place Kuwait plays Thailand, who has yet to win a game in the group. A draw wouldn't be the end of the world, but would force Lebanon to win the final match day against Thailand, while Kuwait plays Iran, and hope to make up goal difference. A win would likely put Lebanon in a very good position to qualify considering their final match day opponent.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Saad Called Up by Lebanon
Sporting announced today that forward, Soony Saad will be heading to the Middle East to represent Lebanon in their upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Lebanon has two qualifying matches on November 15th and 19th. Both games are key games if Lebanon hopes to qualify for the 2015 edition in Australia.
Lebanon currently sits third in their group on four points, one behind Kuwait for second. The top two teams automatically qualify for the tournament, as does the best third place team. Lebanon travel to Kuwait on the 15th with a chance to leapfrog them and get into second in the group. They will then host Iran in their second game. Iran currently sit top of the group with seven points.
Saad should return to Kansas City on November 20th, giving him three days to re-acclimate himself to the Central Time Zone before KC's second leg of the Eastern Conference finals vs Houston. This could be the first of a few call ups for KC as the US roster for their two friendlies in Europe are set to be announced tomorrow.
Lebanon currently sits third in their group on four points, one behind Kuwait for second. The top two teams automatically qualify for the tournament, as does the best third place team. Lebanon travel to Kuwait on the 15th with a chance to leapfrog them and get into second in the group. They will then host Iran in their second game. Iran currently sit top of the group with seven points.
Saad should return to Kansas City on November 20th, giving him three days to re-acclimate himself to the Central Time Zone before KC's second leg of the Eastern Conference finals vs Houston. This could be the first of a few call ups for KC as the US roster for their two friendlies in Europe are set to be announced tomorrow.
Thursday, October 03, 2013
Saad Called Up but Not Eligible for Lebanon
The Lebanese national team has named their roster for the upcoming international break, and included on the roster was Sporting KC forward, Soony Saad.
The friendly against Iraq is on Monday the 7th with the game against Kuwait on Tuesday the 15th. Lebanon is in the process of trying to qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and the game against Kuwait is a qualifier for that tournament. Lebanon is currently in 3rd place in their group 1 point behind first place Iran and second place Kuwait.
After the announcement though, came this tweet:
So Saad's one time switch to Lebanon from the US has not gone through yet according to that Tweet. With how quickly some of the other one time switches have taken place (Aron Johannsson to the US from Iceland for an example) you have to question where the delay is. Is it on the Lebanese federation not getting his paper work in? Or is Saad dragging his feet in the hopes of a potential US call up in the future. His US future was a talking point fairly recently and he had said he hadn't shut the door on representing the United States. With Saad not eligible to play, one would hope/assume he'll not accept the call up and be available for this weekend against Columbus and against Houston on Wednesday. If he does accept the call up to at least go to Lebanon one would assume he'd miss both.
@SoonySaad has been officially called up to represent Lebanon against Iraq (friendly) & Kuwait (Asian Qualifiers).
— Lebanese Kooora (@Lebanesekooora) October 3, 2013
The friendly against Iraq is on Monday the 7th with the game against Kuwait on Tuesday the 15th. Lebanon is in the process of trying to qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and the game against Kuwait is a qualifier for that tournament. Lebanon is currently in 3rd place in their group 1 point behind first place Iran and second place Kuwait.
After the announcement though, came this tweet:
However, he (Soony) will not be eligible to play yet until FIFA approves
— Lebanese Kooora (@Lebanesekooora) October 3, 2013
So Saad's one time switch to Lebanon from the US has not gone through yet according to that Tweet. With how quickly some of the other one time switches have taken place (Aron Johannsson to the US from Iceland for an example) you have to question where the delay is. Is it on the Lebanese federation not getting his paper work in? Or is Saad dragging his feet in the hopes of a potential US call up in the future. His US future was a talking point fairly recently and he had said he hadn't shut the door on representing the United States. With Saad not eligible to play, one would hope/assume he'll not accept the call up and be available for this weekend against Columbus and against Houston on Wednesday. If he does accept the call up to at least go to Lebanon one would assume he'd miss both.
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Sporting KC Internationals Busy this Weekend
Sporting KC has recently had 7 of their players on international duty, representing their country, and this past weekend was busy for all of them.
On Friday it was announced that Sporting KC's first round pick in the super draft this year, Mikey Lopez had been selected to the roster for this summer's U20 World Cup in Turkey. He's flown straight from France, competing in the Toulon tournament with the U20 team to Portugal, where the team is holding their training preparing for the World Cup.
The news wasn't as good for Soony Saad though. Saad, who scored on his debut for Lebanon had been asked to stay on ahead of Lebanon's 2 World Cup qualifiers against South Korea and Iran. Saad was set to play a role in those games, but because of paper work issues with his one time FIFA switch, he was unable to play in Lebanon's 1-1 draw with South Korea that eliminated Lebanon from World Cup qualifying. Saad has returned to Sporting KC at this time because the paper work issue will not be resolved by the time of Lebanon's other qualifier against Iran.
Friday night, Sporting's two full US internationals were both in the starting lineup as the US took on Jamaica in Jamaica. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi both started for the US in their 2-1 win at "The Office." Both players handled the situation well, Besler remains undefeated when starting for the US now with a 2-0-1 record. Handled the Jamaican attack quite well throughout the game. Zusi also had himself a strong game and was a danger throughout. He set up the first goal of the game doing very well on the right wing before playing in a perfect cross to Jozy Altidore who headed the ball in to give the US a 1-0 lead in the first half. On the opposite side though he gave away the foul that led to the Jamaica goal. And on that play Zusi picked up his second yellow of the Hex, meaning he has to sit out the game this coming Tuesday against Panama in Seattle.
On Saturday, Kei Kamara and Sierra Leone took the field in a virtual must win qualifier in Freetown against Tunisia. A loss would have eliminated Sierra Leone from World Cup qualification. Kamara scored his 3rd international goal of his career as the Leone Stars grabbed a 1-0 lead. They kept the lead until a 44th minute penalty from Tunisia tied the game. Sierra Leone regained the lead in the 72nd though and looked to be on their way to a big win. Unfortunately Tunisia equalized again in stoppage time again to make it 2-2. With that result, Sierra Leone remain 5 points behind Tunisia with only 2 games left to play. This means Sierra Leone needs to win out and Tunisia needs to lose out for the Leone Stars to advance in World Cup qualifying.
Also on Saturday, Haiti took on the world champs, Spain in a friendly in Miami, Florida. Peterson Joseph started the game for Haiti. Joseph ended up being subbed out just before the hour mark, being replaced by his Sporting teammate, Mechack Jerome. Haiti surprisingly kept the result close as they only fell to Spain 2-1.
Things remain busy for Sporting's internationals this week as well. Besler and Zusi have the qualifier against Panama. Sierra Leone face a must win qualifier on the road against Cape Verde. Joseph and Jerome will make their way to Brazil where they will take on the previous World Cup champs, Italy.
On Friday it was announced that Sporting KC's first round pick in the super draft this year, Mikey Lopez had been selected to the roster for this summer's U20 World Cup in Turkey. He's flown straight from France, competing in the Toulon tournament with the U20 team to Portugal, where the team is holding their training preparing for the World Cup.
The news wasn't as good for Soony Saad though. Saad, who scored on his debut for Lebanon had been asked to stay on ahead of Lebanon's 2 World Cup qualifiers against South Korea and Iran. Saad was set to play a role in those games, but because of paper work issues with his one time FIFA switch, he was unable to play in Lebanon's 1-1 draw with South Korea that eliminated Lebanon from World Cup qualifying. Saad has returned to Sporting KC at this time because the paper work issue will not be resolved by the time of Lebanon's other qualifier against Iran.
Friday night, Sporting's two full US internationals were both in the starting lineup as the US took on Jamaica in Jamaica. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi both started for the US in their 2-1 win at "The Office." Both players handled the situation well, Besler remains undefeated when starting for the US now with a 2-0-1 record. Handled the Jamaican attack quite well throughout the game. Zusi also had himself a strong game and was a danger throughout. He set up the first goal of the game doing very well on the right wing before playing in a perfect cross to Jozy Altidore who headed the ball in to give the US a 1-0 lead in the first half. On the opposite side though he gave away the foul that led to the Jamaica goal. And on that play Zusi picked up his second yellow of the Hex, meaning he has to sit out the game this coming Tuesday against Panama in Seattle.
On Saturday, Kei Kamara and Sierra Leone took the field in a virtual must win qualifier in Freetown against Tunisia. A loss would have eliminated Sierra Leone from World Cup qualification. Kamara scored his 3rd international goal of his career as the Leone Stars grabbed a 1-0 lead. They kept the lead until a 44th minute penalty from Tunisia tied the game. Sierra Leone regained the lead in the 72nd though and looked to be on their way to a big win. Unfortunately Tunisia equalized again in stoppage time again to make it 2-2. With that result, Sierra Leone remain 5 points behind Tunisia with only 2 games left to play. This means Sierra Leone needs to win out and Tunisia needs to lose out for the Leone Stars to advance in World Cup qualifying.
Also on Saturday, Haiti took on the world champs, Spain in a friendly in Miami, Florida. Peterson Joseph started the game for Haiti. Joseph ended up being subbed out just before the hour mark, being replaced by his Sporting teammate, Mechack Jerome. Haiti surprisingly kept the result close as they only fell to Spain 2-1.
Things remain busy for Sporting's internationals this week as well. Besler and Zusi have the qualifier against Panama. Sierra Leone face a must win qualifier on the road against Cape Verde. Joseph and Jerome will make their way to Brazil where they will take on the previous World Cup champs, Italy.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
National Team Duty for Sporting Players
One day after Sporting Kansas City advanced to the fourth round of the US Open Cup, three more Sporting players took the field for their country in international friendlies. The first was Soony Saad who made his debut for the national team of Lebanon. In a friendly against Oman, Saad scored Lebanon's only goal in the 1-1 game in Qatar. Saad was supposed to return to Kansas City after the game as Lebanon went on for World Cup qualifiers against South Korea and Iran. Saad posted today on Twitter though that he is going to stay a little bit longer, meaning he's impressed enough that he's impressed enough to earn a place in the team that will travel for their two World Cup qualifiers.
The news wasn't as good for Sporting's two US representatives. Graham Zusi started the USA's game against Belgium. After going down in the 6th minute, Zusi helped set up the equalizer in the 22nd. His corner to the back post was headed back across goal by Clint Dempsey and headed in by Geoff Cameron. Unfortunately things didn't get better for the USA in the second half the US gave up two more goals to go down 3-1. In the 69th minute, Zusi exited the game for Brad Evans. At the same time, Matt Besler entered the game for Clarence Goodson. Up until Besler's entrance he'd looked like the best center back of the night and hadn't even played a minute. Goodson and Omar Gonzalez had looked very poor together. Unfortunately Belgium scored shortly after Besler came on (although the fault more was on Damarcus Beasley not Besler). Besler did make a great tackle later in the half that looked close to being a penalty but on replay showed to be a great tackle. The US though fell 4-2 to the Belgians and now head to DC for a friendly with Germany before heading to Jamaica.
The news wasn't as good for Sporting's two US representatives. Graham Zusi started the USA's game against Belgium. After going down in the 6th minute, Zusi helped set up the equalizer in the 22nd. His corner to the back post was headed back across goal by Clint Dempsey and headed in by Geoff Cameron. Unfortunately things didn't get better for the USA in the second half the US gave up two more goals to go down 3-1. In the 69th minute, Zusi exited the game for Brad Evans. At the same time, Matt Besler entered the game for Clarence Goodson. Up until Besler's entrance he'd looked like the best center back of the night and hadn't even played a minute. Goodson and Omar Gonzalez had looked very poor together. Unfortunately Belgium scored shortly after Besler came on (although the fault more was on Damarcus Beasley not Besler). Besler did make a great tackle later in the half that looked close to being a penalty but on replay showed to be a great tackle. The US though fell 4-2 to the Belgians and now head to DC for a friendly with Germany before heading to Jamaica.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Kamara and Saad Called Up for National Team Duty
Sporting KC have two more internationals for the upcoming international window. Joining Matt Besler and Graham Zusi on national team duty will be Kei Kamara and Soony Saad.
Kamara will be rejoining the Sierra Leone national team for their 2 upcoming qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup. Currently Sierra Leone sit in 2nd place in their 4 team qualifying group on 4 points with a 1-1-1 record at the half way point. The first game is on June 8th when Kamara and Sierra Leone will host group leaders, Tunisia. Tunisia is currently on 9 points, so a loss by Sierra Leone would see them eliminated from qualification and almost assure Tunisia passage to the next round. The second match sees the Leone Stars travel to Cape Verde, who are currently winless in this round of qualifying, but the African Cup of Nations quarter-finalists will be a tough opponent for Sierra Leone. During the stretch, Kamara will not miss any league games as he'll not leave until after KC's game against Montreal on the first and return before KC's match in Dallas on the 22nd. He would miss a potential US Open Cup game should KC win their first match.
Saad is a new addition to the list of Sporting KC internationals. After representing the US at the U17 and U20 level, Saad has filed his one time switch with FIFA to represent Lebanon. Saad will be gone from May 25th through the 31st for a friendly against Oman. Saad will miss Sporting KC's match up against Houston on the 26th as well as KC's first US Open Cup game. The later of those two games is probably the bigger blow for KC because Saad was likely to be a starter for that game for KC.
Good luck to both players as they represent their country.
Kamara will be rejoining the Sierra Leone national team for their 2 upcoming qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup. Currently Sierra Leone sit in 2nd place in their 4 team qualifying group on 4 points with a 1-1-1 record at the half way point. The first game is on June 8th when Kamara and Sierra Leone will host group leaders, Tunisia. Tunisia is currently on 9 points, so a loss by Sierra Leone would see them eliminated from qualification and almost assure Tunisia passage to the next round. The second match sees the Leone Stars travel to Cape Verde, who are currently winless in this round of qualifying, but the African Cup of Nations quarter-finalists will be a tough opponent for Sierra Leone. During the stretch, Kamara will not miss any league games as he'll not leave until after KC's game against Montreal on the first and return before KC's match in Dallas on the 22nd. He would miss a potential US Open Cup game should KC win their first match.
Saad is a new addition to the list of Sporting KC internationals. After representing the US at the U17 and U20 level, Saad has filed his one time switch with FIFA to represent Lebanon. Saad will be gone from May 25th through the 31st for a friendly against Oman. Saad will miss Sporting KC's match up against Houston on the 26th as well as KC's first US Open Cup game. The later of those two games is probably the bigger blow for KC because Saad was likely to be a starter for that game for KC.
Good luck to both players as they represent their country.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Bunbury, Saad, and National Teams
photo courtesy of Jarred Donalson
Some national team news has come out today regarding two Sporting KC players. First, Teal Bunbury has been called up by Caleb Porter to the upcoming U-23 Olympic camp in Florida. The camp will take place December 15th through the 23rd. The camp is in preparation for the upcoming Olympic qualifying. The US has been draw into the group that will play it's games in Nashville. The US has been draw with Cuba, El Salvador, and Canada. The US open against Cuba on the 22nd, play Canada on the 24th, and finish with El Salvador on the 26th. Should KC finish as one of the top two teams in their group they'll qualify for the semifinals at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. The winners of the semifinals will qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London.
In other national team news for Sporting KC players, Soony Saad, could be switching his national team allegiance. Saad has made one appearance for the US U-20 national team. He scored against Canada in his only appearances. Now word out of Lebanon is that Saad is going to train with the Lebanese national team in preparation for their World Cup qualifiers (h/t to The Front Men). Saad would apparently be eligible to play for Lebanon due to his father being a citizen. Which means that he'd be able to play for his "one time switch" because he would have been a citizen of Lebanon at the time of his cap for the US U-20 team.
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