A former San Diego Sockers star turned into a super sub in a thrilling playoff win on Saturday night.Eddie Velez, a 37-year-old Tijuana native who saw limited action this season, scored with 3 minutes, 35 seconds remaining in the second overtime as the Sockers beat the Tacoma Stars 7-6 to advance to the Major Arena Soccer League Western Conference finals.An announced crowd of 3,307 at Pechanga Arena San Diego watched the longest game in MASL history, with Velez scoring three goals, as did another Tijuana native, 25-year-old Brandon Escoto, who assisted on the winning goal.“This is unreal,” an emotional Velez said in the game’s immediate aftermath. Tacoma pushed the Sockers to the absolute limit, nearly forcing San Diego into a three-man shootout at the end of 20 minutes of overtime. If the Stars had won Game 2, a 15-minute mini-game would have been required.To win their 23rd consecutive match, San Diego (25-1) first had to scramble furiously to get to extra time. Down … [Read more...] about Sockers taken to limits, beat Tacoma in OT to reach conference final
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal and a big save by David Bingham is enough for Galaxy in win over Dynamo
But Bingham came up huge late in the game, going to his knees to kick out a try from Mauro Manotas. That was the second of two saves he had to make and it set up the game-winner four minutes later, with Polenta breaking out of the grasp of DeLaGarza to get his head on a Jonathan Dos Santos corner kick on the edge of the six-yard box. … [Read more...] about Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal and a big save by David Bingham is enough for Galaxy in win over Dynamo
Sockers win on road, go for clincher at home Saturday
Cesar Cerda scored a pair of goals, including the eventual game-winner late in the third quarter, as the San Diego Sockers opened their Ron Newman Cup playoff run with a 6-3 divisional-round win over the Tacoma Stars on Friday night at ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash. The Sockers have won 22 straight matches dating back to the regular season.The Sockers and Stars meet again at 7:05 p.m. today at Pechanga Arena San Diego. With a win, San Diego advances to the Western Conference final. If Tacoma prevails, the two teams will play a 15-minute mini-game to determine the series winner. San Diego scored a first-quarter short-handed goal from Cerda, its of the season, and added a second-quarter Leonardo de Oliveira deflection goal while playing 4-on-4. Tacoma scored early courtesy of Philip Lund, and late on a gorgeous effort by Mike Ramos setting up Dan Antoniuk, leveling the score 2-2 at halftime.The Sockers’ high pressure on the Stars paid off to break the tie, as Hiram … [Read more...] about Sockers win on road, go for clincher at home Saturday
Xolos fall short against Lobos
The last time the Tijuana Xolos played a home match, a pair of replay reviews helped decide the game. Another look at a replay proved to be crucial Friday night. But this time, it was a different outcome. A Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review led to a penalty kick against Tijuana, leading to a 2-1 loss to Lobos BUAP at Estadio Caliente. Referee Eduardo Galvan went to replay early in the second half to confirm a foul by Tijuana’s Julian Velazquez over Uriel Macias. Velazquez was charged for a push in the back for a penalty kick. Leonardo Ramos converted it past Gibran Lajud in the 50th minute. It was the game-winner for Lobos and it was the first of the night for Ramos. The Lobos striker had scored in the 32nd minute to tie the match after Tijuana got an early Gustavo Bou goal. Ramos beat Tijuana defender Luis Fuentes to a volley near the heart of the penalty box to head in his first score of the night. Bou had given Tijuana a 1-0 lead four minutes into the 2019 Clausura Week 15 … [Read more...] about Xolos fall short against Lobos
Revolution’s keys to victory over the Red Bulls
Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page By Dan Shulman Globe Correspondent April 19, 2019 It has gone from dire to calamitous for the Revolution over the past two weeks. After seemingly turning the tide with a victory to end March, the Revolution (1-5-1) put up a pair of zeros in consecutive shutout losses and now face a true test of character and determination.With eight games in the next 29 days, New England can build momentum, starting Saturday with a rivalry game against the New York Red Bulls (1-3-2) in Foxborough.The Revolution started strong under Brad Friedel last season before the wheels came off during a heartbreaking home loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy in July. Since then, New England is 4-14-5 and has scuffled to find any sort of groove. Advertisement At this point, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. So here are New England’s three keys for Saturday. Get Sports … [Read more...] about Revolution’s keys to victory over the Red Bulls