GROUP STAGE 3: Dallas finishes group stage as only undefeated

BOXSCORES

Every game on the schedule had meaning this weekend. All 8 teams in Majors Cup were eligible to advance by merely winning their game this weekend. However, three of the four games were decided rather quickly so we'll start with the most competitive match-up.

Capital District  3
D.C. Forever      2

The scoring started on Saturday afternoon when Montero fired a 30 yard shot over the keepers head to give the Gunners the early 1-0 lead. This lead was short lived when Joseph drove in the equalized. Then in the 87 minute of his game he put in his 2nd goal of the match to give D.C. Forever a 2-1 lead. In the nightcap Capital District saw Angel score a goal that would not count with him sitting on the teams bench and the score remained 2-1. On Sunday, both clubs had an assortment of players left available. Jaime Moreno's goal in the first half tied it up for the Gunners, but a 2-2 score would not be enough to advance the team into the Majors Cup Semi Finals. D.C. Forever still held the tiebreaker for second place in their group. Then in the 43rd minute Ryan Johnson put one in the net but it was called off due to offsides. The score remained 2-2. Johnson would not be denied when in the 73rd minute he put in what proved to be the game winner.

Gateway United  5
Garden State    1

Conor Casey put the Saints up on top early when he scored on Wednesday night, but it was Jeff Cunningham and David Ferriera that put this game to bed when they added another 4 points. The Kickers were already making due without Schelotto and were held at bay with a single point from Ekpo.

Columbus Crew         4
Los Angeles Galaxy    0

The Crew and Galaxy really did play against each other on Saturday and any way you score it, the Crew were better on this day. In reality Columbus won 2-0. In BSL scoring the Crew won 4-0, and the game was not even that close.

F.C. Dallas     7
Chicago Fire    2

The Hoops finished off the group stage undefeated and with the most impressive stats. Their offense is impressive and should be considered the favorite to win the Majors Cup. Chicago had a good game but will not be advancing.

GROUP STAGE 2: Rolls reversed as groups tighten up

BOXSCORES

Not a single team that won last week was able to dublicate that same success in game 2.

Gateway United  6
Chicago Fire    4

Gateway United put last weeks massacre behind them and compiled another 6 points this weekend. The result this time gave the team a 6-4 win over the Fire. The Saints capitalized on a lot of last minute scores. Conor Casey had a penalty kick in stoppage time. Landon Donvon had an assist in the 83rd minute and Claudio Lopez got his 2nd assist in the 81st minute of his game. Chicago scored 4 points in the first half of their game on Sunday making the match real interesting, but blanked in the 2nd half.

FC Dallas      3
Garden State   3

Last weeks juggernaut, F.C. Dallas, came back down to earth with a decent 3 point game and for a while it looked to be enough as the Hoops were in control with several players fading out on Garden State's roster. By the end of Saturday the score was 3-1 and the Kickers were left with Schelotto and Ekpo available. With the help of 2 second half goals by Schelotto, the Kickers grabbed a much need point in the standings with a 3-3 tie.

L.A. Galaxy    6
D.C. Forever   4

D.C. Forever was looking to go 2-0 in Majors Cup play with the outstanding work of Brad Davis who collected a goal and 2 assists. The Bandits built a 4-0 lead before the Galaxy hit the field. A quick goal by David Beckham in the 7th minute cut the score in half and gave Los Angeles plenty of time edge even closer. Then Beckham hit the post in the 32nd minute that would have tied it up for L.A. by their halftime, but close doesn't win games. The scored remained 4-2 and with Donovan Ricketts pending a clean sheet it looked like the game would end with a 4-3 victory for D.C. Forever. Then with the game winding down Edson Buddle pounded in the game winner giving the Galaxy the 6-4 victory.

Columbus Crew     3
Capital District  1

Capital District is finding the last month difficult to score. The leagues #1 offense failed to finish on several occassions. Fredy Montero missed atleast 2 scoring opportunities as did Stuart Holden. Blanco could have had an assist and Busch was a half away from a clean sheet. In the end all the Gunners could muster was 1 point against the Crew. Meanwhile the MLS defending champs used their MVP to do their goal scoring to win 3-1.

All 8 teams in Majors Cup are eligible to advance into the Semi-Finals with only one game left in the group stage. The winners of game 3 will advance. Only the possibility of a tie can complicate things.

GROUP STAGE 1: BSL leads in Group A, MLS leads in Group B

BOXSCORES

FC Dallas 12
Gateway United 6

Leading the way for the opening group stage matches was the game between Gateway United and F.C. Dallas. The Hoops shattered the scoreboard with 12 points in what may stand as the highest scoring Majors Cup game for a long time to come. The entire game posted 18 points which should also be a record for quite a while. Dallas got 6 goals from 5 different players and 5 assist from 4 other starters. They even left a 6th assist on the bench. How good of a night was it for F.C. Dallas, well the team even got an assist from an own-goal. The only positive news for Gateway United is the teams 6 offensive points gives them a great edge if tiebreakers become an issue down the line.

Chicago Fire  3
Garden State  1

The other BSL team in Group B did not fair much better. Garden State could only muster a goal from Chris Rolfe. The problem was the goal was generated by 2 assist from Banner and Pappa that helped Chicago build a 3-1 lead. The Fire did not score again leaving some possibilties for the Kickers to make the game interesting on Sunday. A combined 4 players were active for Garden State on Sunday and all of them came up empty.

D.C. Forever  4
Columbus Crew 2

Moving over to Group A, things looked a whole lot better for the BSL squads as D.C. Forever scored early and often to build a 4-0 lead before the Crew's Sunday game. The Bandits got contributions from 4 seperate players and had to feel good about their lead. However, Columbus possess a potent offense. Franie Hejduk goal early in the game cut the score to 4-1, but with no assists registered with the goal their was still an uphill climb for the Crew. In the 94th minute Columbus scored again on a penalty kick, but the team needed something with more player involvement. The game ended with D.C. Forever taking it 4-2.

Capital District  3
L.A. Galaxy       2

The most competive game of the week came between the Galaxy and the Gunners. Capital District was able to find the back of the net again and took an early 2-0 lead with a goal from Montero and an assist from Guevara. Then on Saturday night Los Angeles came back with a ton of drama. First, Delagarza scored an early goal, then it was taken away as an own goal, and then Delagarza scored again. Instead of a 2-2 tie, the Gunners still held a 2-1 lead at the Galaxy's halftime. Then Los Angeles scored again on a corner kick from David Beckham to Edson Buddle. The assist finally tied it up 2-2 for the Galaxy, but Buddle was a late substitute and could not give his team the lead. Then on Sunday afternoon Capital District got a 9th minute goal from Santos to give the Gunners the 3-2 win and 3 points in the standings.

Game two next weekend will be key for the teams at the bottom to get some wins with only the top 2 in each group moving on to the Semi-Finals.