Keller posts shutout as Sounders draw with Chicago
Kasey Keller got his fourth shutout of the season and the Seattle Sounders tied the Chicago Fire 0-0 on Saturday night in Bridgeview, Ill.
The Fire couldn’t muster a goal in the debut for interim coach Frank Klopas. Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson got his first shutout, and had to make two saves on Lamar Neagle in the first 10 minutes.
Chicago midfielder Daniel Paladini rocketed a shot directly on target in the 27th minute. Keller jumped across the goal and punched the ball out of bounds. Paladini fired again in the 29th, but was wide left.
Dominic Oduro almost scored for Chicago in the 60th minute after winning the ball in the box and sending it just wide of the right post.
Chicago hasn’t won a game since topping Sporting KC 3-2 on March 26.
Spain 4, United States 0: At Foxborough, Mass., Santi Cazorla scored twice to give World Cup champion Spain a victory over the United States as the Americans tuned up for the Gold Cup.
The victory avenged a loss in the semifinals of the 2009 Confederations Cup, when the Americans won 2-0 to snap top-ranked Spain’s 35-match winning streak.
The international goals were the third and fourth for Cazorla in his career. He had not scored for Spain since a September 2009 World Cup qualifier against Estonia. Alvaro Negredo and Fernando Torres also scored for Spain, which started just six of the 11 players it began the World Cup final with last July.
Carles Puyol was recovering from knee surgery, Xavi Hernandez is resting after a grueling season for Barcelona, and Iker Casillas, Andres Iniesta and Pedro Rodriguez were on the bench for the start. Seven of Spain’s starters were from Barcelona and Madrid, which played each other in four intense matches over 18 days.
Barcelona won the home-and-home to advance to the Champions League final, Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey, and the teams drew in the league match.
The United States was missing Landon Donovan, who was back at the hotel with an undisclosed illness. U.S. Soccer spokesman Michael Kammarman said Donovan wasn’t feeling well, and the decision was made to let him rest for Tuesday’s Gold Cup opener against Canada in Detroit.
Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Steve Cherundolo came in as second-half substitutes, and captain Carlos Bocanegra didn’t dress.
The crowd of 64,121 was the largest to watch a U.S. soccer game in New England, though just a bit short of a sellout. Many were red-clad supporters of Spain, and those there to see the Americans lost their enthusiasm after the home team fell behind 3-0 in a 13-minute span in the first half.
The most spirit they could muster was a “Let’s Go, Bruins!” chant in support of the NHL team that played and lost to the Vancouver Canucks in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals later Saturday night.
Spain dominated the game, even more so in the first half, with its first good chance in the ninth minute was waved off for offside. Negredo hit the crossbar in the 13th minute, and Spain finally scored in the 28th when David Silva worked the ball in and sent it across to Cazorla, who put it into the upper corner of the net to the goalkeeper’s right.
In the 32nd minute, Xabi Alonso popped one from behind midfield to Negredo as he outran the defense, collected it outside the box and left-footed it into the net.
Cazorla scored again in the 41st minute, leaving goalkeeper Tim Howard banging his hands on his thighs in frustration.
Torres made it 4-0 in the 73rd, knocking it off one goalpost, then the other before it trickled over the line.
Chivas 1, Timbers 0: Marcos Mondaini scored in the 70th minute off a pass from Paulo Nagamura and Chivas USA won for the second time this year at home, beating the expansion Portland Timbers in Carson, Calif.
Mondaini scored in his return from a four-game suspension for a tackle on Real Salt Lake’s Javier Morales.
Chivas USA improved to 4-4-5 in front of a crowd of 14,076 at the Home Depot Center.
The Timbers (5-5-2) controlled the late stretches after the goal, but were unable to tie it. Portland is winless on the road.