Several U.S. internationals, having recently returned to their teams following a few days off after U.S. national team camp, got onto the field.
For instance, Landon Donovan and Omar Gonzalez (pictured) were back into the Galaxy’s starting 11 as Bruce Arena (presumably walking around with a copy of that new contact folded up into his jacket pocket) and his team met Armenian club FC Shirak.
A couple of prominent names, however, still weren’t on the field. Robbie Rogers sat out with an ankle strain picked up in training, and that’s what Rogers needs as he seeks to put things right after last season’s disappointing re-entry into MLS.
Nor was Robbie Keane around, although Arena sold the LA Galaxy blog that the Irish international, who has been limited to jogging, may be back in training next week.
Brad Evans and DeAndre Yedlin were back in Seattle’s lineup in a 0-0 draw against Portland. In fact, Evans had the captain’s armband as the teams met down in Tucson. And things got a little testy, apparently.
I mean, who could have seen that coming?
Mike Magee wasn’t quite ready to get back on the field for his team, but that didn’t stop Chicago from topping D.C. United, 2-0. That’s two in a row for Frank Yallop’s new team following a 1-o win over Toronto in the Fire’s preseason opener earlier this week.
New frontrunners Eddie Johnson and Fabian Espindola saw their first action for D.C. United, but the wise guys at Black and Red United said the ongoing lack of chances created stuck out. If you’re a D.C. United fan, “lack of chances” is the last thing you want to hear after a 2013 season that resembled the first 21 minutes of Saving Private Ryan. That is to say, it was pretty hard to watch.
Brad Davis, another U.S. World Cup hopeful, was back on the field for Houston, helping to set up one goal as his team got past San Jose, 3-1. Omar Cummings, who never quite got going for Dominic Kinnear’s team last year, had two goals.