Angels Links: NY is Blue, and Seattle steals a point in Portland

Dempsey scores in stoppage time to steal a point for the Seattle Sounders

The Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers played a wild one in Portland to close out the MLS weekend. Joevin Jones pounced on his own rebound to give the Sounders an early lead. But the match turned on its head right before halftime, as Darlington Nagbe was brought down by Brad Evans in the box. The Timbers were awarded a penalty, and to add insult to injury for the Sounders, Brad Evans received a red card and Seattle went down to 10 men. Fanendo Adi scored the penalty, and only moments later, Dairon Asprilla scored to give the Timbers a 2-1 lead going into halftime. But Portland failed to close the game out, and right at the death Clint Dempsey scored to salvage a point for Seattle.

NYCFC beats New York Red Bulls 2-0, claim their first win at Red Bull Arena

For a rivalry to be a true rivalry, each side has to win some of the games to prevent things from getting too lopsided. For their first couple years of existence, NYCFC played nail to New York Red Bulls hammer, including one particularly painful 7-0 loss at home last year. NYCFC gained a measure of revenge Saturday, winning 2-0 and collecting their first ever win at Red Bull Arena. Jack Harrison and Ben Sweat scored for NYCFC, and the visitors were decisive in their victory. New York Red Bulls managed only one shot on goal in the game, and will surely be dissapointed with how things went in their derby defeat.

Confederations Cup Semifinals set

The Confederations Cup semifinal match-ups are set, and no one is really surprised at the teams that are left. In the one match-up, European champions Portugal take on Chile, winner of the last two Copa America tournaments. In the other match-up, World champion Germany takes on Gold Cup winners and CONCACAF power Mexico. It would not be surprising if any team won the whole thing, Portugal-Chile feels like a toss up, and though Germany has looked good so far, Mexico must feel like they can take advantage of a young German side and reach the final. Portugal vs. Germany is Wednesday at 11 am PT on FS1, and Germany vs. Mexico is Thursday at 11 am PT, also on FS1.

USMNT names final 23-man Gold Cup roster

The USMNT named its final Gold Cup roster ahead of the tournament’s start on July 7th. It’s an interesting mix of veterans and newcomers, with regulars such as Omar Gonzalez, Graham Zusi, and Alejandro Bedoya paired with newcomers Dom Dwyer, Kelyn Rowe, and Kenny Saief. It’s important to note that the U.S. can make up to six changes between the group stages and the knockout rounds, so if the U.S. advances to the knockout rounds as expected, be on the lookout for changes to the team.

San Jose Earthquakes fire Coach Dominic Kinnear

On Sunday the San Jose Earthquakes fired head coach Dominic Kinnear. This was Kinnear’s second stint with the club, and although the Quakes are currently in a playoff spot, the club has been inconsistent this season, and missed the playoffs the last two years with Kinnear at the helm. Technical Director Chris Leitch takes over the job as head coach looking to guide the Quakes to the playoffs in a wide open Western Conference.

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