AP photo: Oakland A’s Billy Butler hits a sacrifice fly for an RBI off the Boston Red Sox in this Sep 2nd photo is now without a team
Oakland, Ca- The Oakland A’s have announced that they have released Designated Hitter, Billy Butler. The club still owes him 11.67 million dollars on his contract. The move signals that the A’s are in total rebuild mode. Look for other moves later after the season ends.
There has been speculation that the clubhouse altercation with Danny Valencia in August was a factor in the decision, but Butler remarked that it was a non-issue. Butler had a poor year in 2015 hitting just .251. He had 15 homers and 66 RBIs. This year, Butler was used primarily against left-handed pitchers. His average was .276, and he had just four dingers and 31 ribbies on his stat sheet this year.
Many people were shocked last year when the A’s signed Butler to a three-year, thirty million dollar deal last year. He numbers were on the downside in Kansas City and for a team with limited resources as the A’s, the news of his signing was shocking. They made a mistake, and now they have to take their lumps as Butler is no longer a member of the A’s.
sjearthquakes.com photo: San Jose Earthquakes Chris Wondolowski scores his tenth goal becomes the first player to score ten or more goals in seven seasons as he faces off here against the Seattle Sound on Saturday night at Avaya Stadium
SAN JOSE, Calif.-The Earthquakes struck early, but failed to fend off a late surge from an aggressive Seattle Sounders team on Saturday night, settling for a 1-1 draw in a crucial game in the Western Conference race.
The draw between the Western Conference rivals caps off a frustrating four-game skid for San Jose in which the team has been held without a win while sitting in the 7th spot in the standings.
While the Earthquakes will certainly take the one point allotted to them in Saturday night’ tie, the frustration is mounting within an organization that’s on the fringe of being eliminated from the playoff race.
“It hurts,” said head coach Dominic Kinnear. “If you look at New York, Houston and even tonight, you walk off the field with two points out of those three games. It hurts you in the standings and it hurts because I think we should have had more.”
Entering the day just three points behind the red line in a tight race for the final playoff position, San Jose looked to snap their untimely winless streak with a relentless attack that kept Seattle on their heals through most of the early going.
San Jose tested Seattle’s net minder Stefan Frei early and often while scrapping their way to multiple set pieces early on in the match, sending multiple dangerous attempts towards the net that were just barely turned away.
But it would be none other than Chris Wandolowski who would snap the Earthquakes’ streak of 235 straight minutes without a goal, as the captain would flick a shot passed the outstretched hands of Frei in the 20′ minute after a nice touch by Jordan Stewart sent the ball towards the front of the net.
Wandolowski’s score would mark his 10th career goal against Seattle, the most by a single player in MLS history against the team.
The Sounders would respond with a tempered attack of their own, as Seattle’s Tyrone Mears threatened an equalizer after skipping a ball across the front of the San Jose goal just minutes later, but San Jose would escape the half holding their 1-0 advantage.
Entering the final half of play in a desperate bid to keep their own playoff hopes alive, the Sounders pushed forward against the San Jose defense with relentless pressure of their own, dominating the control of the game.
San Jose’s defense would eventually break on a costly mistake, allowing a free kick from Nicolas Lodeiro to squeak past goaltender David Bingham to notch things up at 1-1.
San Jose fought desperately for a last-minute score to reclaim the lead, sending multiple threatening free kicks and a botched strike by Chad Barrett towards Seattle’s net, but had their efforts turned away to end the night with just one point.
After the game, both coaches expressed dismay at the outcome that barely helped either of the two playoff hopefuls.
“You can’t creep up, you have to take big steps,” said Kinnear. “But right now we’re creeping instead of taking big steps.”
San Jose will look for the elusive three-point win next Saturday in the tough confines of the Colorado Rapids
SAN JOSE- The San Jose Earthquakes invited C.F. Pachuca, a club from Mexico and last year’s Liga MX champions, to play in an international friendly in San Jose. The Quakes attempted a big comeback but ultimately fell short, losing 4-3 as time expired.
The first half was all Pachuca as the international club netted two first half goals to hold a two goals to none lead. It appeared that if the first half continued into the second, San Jose was headed for some major trouble.
And when the second half begun, it looked troubling as the visiting team struck first with another goal early in the half from a penalty kick. Fortunately, San Jose was poised to fight back down by three goals and they did just that.
In minute 64, the Earthquakes were on the scoreboard, when midfielder Tommy Thompson found the back of the net for the first time this season. Thompson has been on loan from SJ’s affiliate, the Sacramento Republic FC, since July. Four other players from the Sac Republic squad came on loan to compete in the friendly as well.
The Quakes showed a ton of fight, even though their opponent scored on a penalty kick again just two minutes later. San Jose battled back down by three goals and actually scored a minute after Pachuca. Midfielder Shea Salinas was the shooter as he nailed the far side netting.
In between minutes 60 and 70, the two teams scored three goals altogether as both offenses hit their stride with a little bit of help from chippy play. Pachuca’s midfielder, Ruben Botta, received two yellow cards and was sent off the field around the same time as all the goals.
With their opponents down a man, the Earthquakes hoped to take advantage and cut the two goals lead. However, it took the team too long as they were finally able to cut the lead to one in the second minute of extra play.
Once again it was Salinas who got it past the goalkeeper, but ultimately the Earthquakes fell short, 4-3.
Salinas had a tremendous game and some incredible goals to go with it. The Quakes have struggled to score recently so Saturday night’s friednly was a positive for them going forward.
San Jose’s next matchup is against the Seattle Sounders, next Saturday in San Jose at Avaya Stadium.
photo by sjearthquakes.com: The Columbus Crew stopped the San Jose Earthquakes at every turn for a shutout at Mapfre Stadium
In a battle for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, the San Jose Earthquakes couldn’t move up in the standings after a 2-0 loss to the Columbus Crew on the road on Saturday.
The Crew scored a goal in each half in their shutout of the Quakes, who were outshot 14-7. Ethan Finley converted in the 32nd minute off a cross from Justin Meram. Finley slid the ball past David Bingham to give Columbus a 1-0 lead.
Bingham had to leave the game late in the first half, after an apparent back injury sustained while diving for a ball. That allowed Andrew Tarbell to make his MLS debut in net, and he impressed immediately with a big save off Adam Jahn.
But Tarbell had little help in front of him. The Earthquakes managed few offensive chances, with Chris Wondolowski not making much of an impact.
Meanwhile, the Crew put the game away in the in the 84th minute on a penalty kick goal by Meram. Merman drew the penalty attacking the net and was taken down by Marvell Wynne. Up 2-0, Columbus was well on its way to winning three points.
The Earthquakes’ next match will be Sept. 10 against the Sounders. They are currently tied with the Timbers for the sixth and final playoff spot
ISI photos: San Jose Earthquakes and New England Revolution deadlock to a 0-0 draw at Avaya Stadium on Wednesday night
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Earthquakes saw a valuable three points slip away Wednesday night at Avaya Stadium with the Quakes settling for a nil-nil draw with the visiting New England Revolution. With only nine games remaining in the regular season the Quakes are locked with the Portland Timbers for the sixth and final playoff spot with 32 points.
Right on their heels are the Seattle Sounders (31 points) and Vancouver Whitecaps (30 points) pushing for the final berth in postseason play. The Revs, likewise, are trying to move up to the top of the table. They sit in eight place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind D.C. United (29 points) for the East’s last playoff spot.
The Quakes were dealt an early blow when forward Quincy Amarikwa had to be subbed for in the 34th minute with an injury. His replacement Chad Barrett failed to produce much in terms of offensive pressure, leading Quakes boss Dominic Kinnear to sub in Henok Goitom in the 76th minute.
The match itself was quite chippy, with the two teams combining for 28 fouls. Anibal Godoy, Darwin Ceren and Simon Dawkins all received yellow cards for the Quakes while the Revs’ Gershon Koffie and Teal Bunbury were also booked.
San Jose managed only seven shots, with one actually hitting the target of New England keeper Brad Knighton. David Bingham was forced to make saves on 3 of New England’s 12 shots on net.
The Quakes hit the road Saturday to face another team struggling to stay relevant in the East. San Jose faces the Columbus Crew, dead last in the division with 23 points, Saturday at 4:30 pm.
sjearthquakes. com photo: Victor Bernandez finds the inside of the net for the San Jose Earthquakes first and only goal of Friday night against the Houston Dynamos at Avaya Stadium in San Jose
SAN JOSE–Under smokey skies the San Jose Earthquakes took on the last place Houston Dynamo Friday night in an effort to seize hold of sixth place in the Western MLS standings. Houston has lost or tied their last 6 games and San Jose at the moment is on the outside looking in when it comes to playoff hopes. A win tonight coupled with a Portland loss would put San Jose into 6th place. Portland, which has struggled with away games, is on the road against Seattle this Sunday.
It has been tough of late for the Quakes who had played to six draws in their previous 11 road matches. San Jose was able to beat Vancouver 2-1 last Friday which may get them back on the winning track especially since road wins are so very difficult. With the Quakes one point behind Portland for a coveted playoff spot the momentum of that Vancouver win may be just what the team needs. “We are poised to do well in this run to the playoffs,” said forward Quincy Amarikwa. The Earthquakes are 5-3-1 all-time at home against the last-place Dynamos.
It was a tough start for San Jose missing a nice set-up and then watching as Houston drove downfield scoring the first goal of the evening taking the early lead 1-0 when #6 Ricardo Clark scored. Late in the first half the Earthquakes had a direct free-kick, missing on the attempt that could have tied up the game. Houston would take the 1-0 lead into the locker room at the half. Although San Jose created three chances they only took one shot on target.
The second half saw San Jose with several great scoring opportunities but coming away empty. Houston took full advantage creating a great chance early in the second half that enabled #50 David Horst to extend the Houston lead to 2-0. The Earthquakes kept the pressure on Houston and finally found the net off the foot of #5 Victor Bernandez San Jose now trailing 2-1. The second half saw more possession time for the Earthquakes and the creation of more scoring opportunities but there would be no further scoring for either team as Houston went on to win the game 2-1.
Head Coach Dominic Kinnear was disappointed at the outcome of this game. “I’m disappointed, we had a lot of chances but it just didn’t happen,” said Kinnear. He referred a number of times to the lost opportunity to catch Portland but did give credit to Houston despite the fact that they are last in the conference. “They are a good team and work well together,” he said.
While it was not the end all be all for the Earthquakes a win would have been pretty nice and was essentially expected especially playing at Avaya. The most disappointing of all was the fact that this was only the second loss at home for the team.
sjearthquakes.com photo: San Jose Earthquakes Chris Wondolowski who scored in the 59th minute to help force a draw was the game hero on Sunday in Houston
Chris Wondolowski’s second half goal was good enough to force a 1-1 draw for the San Jose Earthquakes on the road against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday night.
Down 1-0 in the 59th minute, Wondolowski found room in front off a cross from Cordell Cato, and he deflected it in to even the match. It was the captain’s 118th career goal and also marked an important milestone — Wondolowski has now scored against all 21 MLS teams he’s played against. His career actually started with the Dynamo before joining the Earthquakes.
“It’s kind of cool,” Wondolowski said on the accomplishment. “It is special. Houston has always had a special place in my heart and I really spent some great years here. It took a little while but it’s a great feeling.”
He almost had two goals on the night, but his chance from close range late in the first half was denied by Dynamo goalie Joe Willis. Instead, it was Houston which struck first in stoppage time, courtesy of Alex. The Brazilian forward zig-zagged his way around the Quakes’ defense and beat David Bingham to put the Dynamo ahead 1-0.
Opportunities were abound for both teams late to take a 2-1 lead, but the goaltenders stood tall. Simon Dawkins’ try from the left of the box was pushed aside by Willis in the 70th minute. Bingham came up huge in the 90th minute, stopping a free-kick attempt from Cristián Maidana that was headed by Andrew Wenger in on goal.
“We had some real good looks in the second half,” Quakes’ head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “Obviously they were taking control in the last little bit and we were kind of running on fumes there but that goal gave us some real good confidence. We had some real good looks to put up 2-1.”
San Jose outshot Houston 15-13, with shots on target even at three apiece, though the Dynamo controlled nearly 60 percent of the possession.
This is the Earthquakes’ ninth tie of the season, and they remain winless on the road at 0-5-6. They are still eighth in the West, and will face New York City FC at Avaya Stadium next on Friday.
the guardian.com photo: Liverpool’s Divock Origi celebrates after scoring with teammate in win over Milan at Levis Stadium on Saturday night
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Liverpool Football Club topped Associazione Calcio Milan 2-0 in Saturday night’s International Champions Cup at Levi’s Stadium. After a nil-nil first half, the Premier League side rode a 59th minute goal Man of the Match Divok Origi to beat its Serie A foe. Roberto Firmino also scored for the Reds in their second fixture in the States following a 1-0 loss to Chelsea at the Rose Bowl Thursday.
Liverpool, looking to prep for a rebound in Premier league play after ranking eighth on the table last season, dominated play with its pass-heavy offense forcing the pace. Despite the technical advantage, neither the Reds nor Milan couldn’t create enough offensive rhythm to find the back of the net until the second half.
Origi came on in the 46th minute for striker and star Daniel Sturridge. The 21-year-old Belgian, starting his second season with Liverpool after stealing the occasional start from Sturridge, proved his worth by opening the scoring in the 59th minute. Origi took Alberto Moreno’s feed from the left wing and bent it perfectly inside the far post.
Origi’s strike opened the floodgates for the Reds, with Firmino finishing off a beautiful strike in the 73rd minute. The confident Brazilian slid to tap in a ball redirected to him, finish his goal by striking a leisurely pose in celebration. Sheyi Ojo slid the pass that was directed back to Firmino for the doubling goal.
While the win gave Liverpool its first ICC win, Milan was coming off a 8-6 shootout win over Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga. Manager Vincenzo Montella wasn’t distressed over the loss in his first season at the helm of AC Milan, but instead hopes it helps the once-mighty Rossoneri prepare for the Serie A season starting August 21st. Milan finished seventh in the Serie A table and have struggled to match clubs like Juventus during the transfer window.
Milan takes a stab at Chelsea August 3rd in Minneapolis while Liverpool wraps up its ICC run by returning to England for a meeting with FC Barcelona on the 6th. Before that though, they’ll face AS Roma Tuesday in St. Louis. The Premier League kicks off for the Reds on August 14th, with Arsenal welcoming Liverpool to Emirates Stadium.
goal.com photo: Liverpool’s Divock Origi scored early in the match against Milan as Liverpool won in a shutout 2-0
SANTA CLARA, Calif.—For the fourth straight year, the Bay Area was treated to the annual International Champions’ Cup showcasing some of Europe’s top soccer clubs. This year, AC Milan and Liverpool took the pitch at Levi’s Stadium for a pre-season, in which the Reds shutout the Italian side 2-nil.
With two of some of the oldest and most well-known clubs in the world battling, one would awesome a sold out crowd filled with soccer crazies getting a chance to see teams they only dream of in person. However, Saturday’s draw was not the case, as only 30,758 fans were in attendance; marking one of the worst attended events to date at Levi’s since its opening two years ago.
With a capacity of 68,500, the International Champions’ Cup didn’t even fill half the capacity of the Super Bowl 50 site. To put that into perspective, Levi’s Stadium had completely closed it’s upper deck to fans and were only utilizing the lower two tiers for the matchup. Saturday must’ve been a huge disappointment compared to last year for Relevant Sports, the organizing partner of the tournament. Last year, the International Champions Cup made multiple stops in the Bay Area, including a sold out Levi’s for a matchup between Barcelona and Manchester United.
Relevant Sports renewed a ticketing partnership with Vivid Seats earlier this year, stating “Last year’s International Champions Cup had the most sell-outs in our history, and we expect even more this year.” However, this year is not off to a great start, as many of the match-ups have been poorly attended throughout the country.
The poor attendance didn’t disappoint the managers of the expected clubs either, as both Vincenzo Montella and Jürgen Klopp love the chance to showcase their teams in front of fans around the world.
Saturday’s matchup was the only one scheduled in the Bay Area for the 2016 cup.
Chris Wondolowski missed a potential game-winning goal in the MLS All-Star game on Thursday (Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
By: Eric He
SAN JOSE — In the spirit of All-Star games in the United States, the MLS version is perhaps treated the least like an All-Star game.
Indeed, the 2-1 score at Avaya Stadium on Thursday night was filled with the spirit of competition as Arsenal FC took down the MLS All-Stars. Though billed as a “friendly” with both teams subbing at will, there was no slacking on defense , attempts at trickeration or lackadaisical efforts — just the best of MLS trying to beat a premier European club.
They came up three minutes and one goal short. In the 87th minute, Arsenal’s Chuba Akpom tapped home the game-winner off a centering feed by Nacho Monreal.
“We train with each other day so I knew what Nacho (Monreal) was going to do,” Akpom said. “I knew what he was looking at. I just tried my best to anticipate where he was going to go and thankfully I found a bit of space and it was there.”
The goal came at the expense of San Jose Earthquakes’ goaltender Ryan Bingham, who played the second half.
Another Quake, Chris Wondolowski, checked in in the 73rd minute along with Clint Dempsey with the game tied 1-1, and had a glorious opportunity to give the MLS All-Stars a late lead, but his right-footed shot from in close sailed just high.
“I got too steep on (the ball) and tried to come across my body and get the goalkeeper, but I wasn’t able to get on top of it,” Wondolowski said. “That’s part of the game.”
Both teams traded chances late, and it seemed like it would only be a matter of time before someone broke the tie — and it was.
While his team didn’t get the win, MLS All-Stars head coach Dominic Kinnear — also the Earthquakes’ head coach — was thrilled to soak in the atmosphere along with two of his players.
“Really happy, being local as I am. Really fun to represent the MLS in this fashion in an area that I know ever so well,” Kinnear said. “And for (Wondolowski) and (Bingham) to get a chance – for Chris, his story just seems to be getting better and better and I think David’s inclusion to the team was well deserved.”
Arsenal took an early lead on a penalty kick goal by Joel Campbell, who drew the call after a run into the box and he was interfered with by Laurent Ciman. Campbell buried the shot just past the dive of goaltender Andre Blake.
MLS had a great chance early on as Andrea Pirlo delivered a great ball on a long pass right onto the foot of Giovani dos Santos, but dos Santos was denied by Arsenal goaltender Peter Cech.
The MLS All-Stars evened the game right before halftime in stoppage time of the first half as Didier Drogba took advantage of three point blank opportunities off a turnover to beat his former teammate in Cech. Though his first two chances were denied by Cech and then an Arsenal defender, Drogba slid his third try into the back of the net.
While playing for Chelsea with Cech, Drogba scored 13 goals in 15 appearances against Arsenal.
“I will have fun with (Cech) because I scored, but he already killed me, he said, ‘This time I gave you the goal.’” Drogba joked.
Out of the half, MLS had a prime opportunity to jump ahead, as Sebastian Giovnico’s bid from the box came hard at Cech, who dove to fight it off.
And Arsenal was able to fend off a talented and focused MLS group, once that impressed their manager, Arsene Wegner.
“The MLS team was exceptional,” he said. “Exceptionally strong. Look at the results for the MLS All-Star Games made in the recent years. In the last four years, they won three times. When I looked at the players on the team sheet I thought that could be a very difficult game for us, and it was.”
To wit: shots in the game were even, 15 apiece. Possession went to Arsenal, but just by a slim 52-48 margin. Kinnear lauded the talent of the MLS roster, joking to his players that “if you ever run into trouble, just pass it to a guy who’s won a Champions League or a World Cup or a World Footballer of the Year, and you’ll be in good shape.”
“The sky’s the limit really,” Kinnear said on the state of MLS. “I think you’re seeing not only the emergence of young players, but the names and the talent that are coming over here.”
For Wondolowski, the experience of suiting up in his home stadium for a primetime match such as an All-Star game was memorable.
“It still gives me goose bumps,” he said. “It’s amazing to be a part of that. I love these fans and I think it’s a mutual love and respect. I enjoyed it.”
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