The US looked terrible on Saturday.  Not only did El Salvador look like the more skillful team, but they actually looked like they wanted to be there.  Here is my quick analysis of the game just to get it out of the way:

US = poor defending, poor passing, no energy, poor dribbling —–> watching a bunch of retards hump a door knob!

El Salvador = passionate, skillful, dangerous but naive.

The US didn’t show up to play and they paid the price.  I truely believe that our players are better than what they showed on the field . . . with a few exceptions.  El Salvador scored two great goals and should get all the credit in the world for taking it to the US.  Unfortunately for the El Salvador, they are still too naive and let their lead slip away to the far more experienced US team.

Quintanilla picked up a Beasley give away to creat the counter attack that led to the first goal.  A series of passes by El Salvador around the US’s box left Bocanegra on the ground after a missed tackle and Quintanilla wide open for their first goal.   In the second half, Zelaya, for El Salvador, beat Beasley down the wing and crossed the ball to the on coming Castillo. Castillo out jumped Hejduk and put the ball under Guzan for the second goal.  El Salvador was up 2-0.  With 15 min left in the game, Hejduk broke free on the right side and put in a perfect cross to a wide open Altidore for the US’s first goal. With two minutes left Hejduk earned the US a point when he headed home a loose ball in the box.

Here are my player ratings for the US team:

Guzan: 5, he  got scored on twice but did little wrong. Some were left with the question, “would Howard have stopped those goals?”

Hejduk: 6, poor defending, Castillo was eating him up.  The cross for the first goal, granted the El Salvador left back was tending to the left mids leg cramp leaving Hejduk tons of space, and the game tying goal.  Man of the match for the US.

Bocanegra: 4, late to challenges, was beat several times by Quntanilla, and poor passing.

Califf: 4, see Bocanegra

Pearce: 2, the worst player for the US on the night.  He couldn’t handle his attacker, never linked up with Beasley, and never got into the attack.  He was on the field too long in my opinion.  Bornstein got a call up today for the game on Wednesday.

Dempsey: 5, showed some flashes of skill and insight but he also turned the ball over way too much. He worked hard on both sides of the ball.

Bradley: 5, the only player who really came out to play.  But tonight we saw the Michael Bradley of a year and a half ago. Tons of youthful energy, but showing up late to tackles and missing the mark on his passing.

Kljestan: 3, lucky for Sacha, Pearce was also on the field, so Sacha doesn’t get the honor of worst player on the field.  He looked out of place with the national team.  He was too slow physically and with his thought process.  He is supposed to bring the offense through the middle, but spent most of his time on the field passing the ball to El Salvador players.

Beasley: 3, another bad night for the jitter bug.  He constantly killed offensive plays and only linked up a few times well with Donovan and Ching.  His giveaway led to the first goal.  He was moved to left back for the woeful Pearce and got eaten alive for the second goal.

Donovan: 5, quiet game for Landon.  He didn’t see the ball much but did what he could when he had it. He caused the most trouble of any of our attackers and drew the defense out for the first goal.  El Salvador did a great job taking him out of the game though.  If El Salvador can neutralize him I wonder what he is going to do when he goes up againts a good defense.

Ching: 4, Did what he could but failed to take advantage of his size.  He looked slow and without ideas.  Ching doesn’t do well in isolation, he needs a complimenting striker. With Donovan neutralized Ching looked hopeless.

Subs:

Torres: 6, played a big role in the US’s comeback.  With the exception of one bad giveaway he was one of the few bright spots for the US.  He should start next game.

Altidore: 6, came in and immediately made an impact.  He showed more energy and athleticism than Ching and might edging his way into a starting role.

Edu: n/r

The first week is in the books and there was a lot of exciting soccer on display.  Here is an updated Power Rankings, predictions, and Best XI.

Green Army MLS Power Rankings:

1. (Last week 1) Columbus Crew: Stays on top with after their 1-1 tie with Houston, one of the better games over the weekend.

2. (2) Chicago Fire: With the exception of a Kenny Cooper bomb that caught Busch out the Fire destroyed Dallas, in their 3-1 win.

3. (5) Houston Dynamo: They looked like the team to beat in the West.

4. (3) Real Salt Lake: did not play this weekend, but drops one spot for Houston.

5. (6) Toronto FC: Offensive powerhouse, that isn’t likely to get scored on unless the opposing team is sending in 25 yard bombs like Davy Arnaud.

6. (10) Seattle Sounders: Ball-errific!! Came out strong in their opening game with a 3-0 win over NY. Look like a playoff calibur team.

7. (7) New England: An inexperienced squad took the field against SJ and managed to squeak out a 1-0 win.

8. (8) KC Wizards: If not for Davy Arnaud’s two spectacular goals and De Ro’s miss from the PK spot this game could have gotten ugly for KC.

9. (9) Chivas USA: When your goals come from Paulo Nagamura things can’t be going well. Still, they pulled off a 2-1 win.

10. (11) Colorado Rapids: Looked much, much better defensively . . . and then they fucked up. Poor clearance by Kimura gave Nagamura a gift for the game winner and the Rapids go home without any points.

11. (4) NY Red Bulls: Awful first game for last year’s MLS Cup runner’s up. They were missing a few players and should improve, but this squad could be one of the worst teams in the league . . . if the following four teams weren’t in the league.

12. (13) DC United: Gave up a two goal lead to LA. On the bright side, rookies Pontious and Wallace looked great.

13. (12) FC Dallas: No surprise here. They had their moments but the defense is a disaster.

14. (14) LA Galaxy: Lucky for them DC has one of the worst defenses in the league.

15. (15) San Jose: Can’t score goals you can’t win games. This weekend might have been a taste of this season is going to go for San Jose.

How did my predictions turn out?:

Prediction: NY 3-1 Seattle, actual NY 0-3 Seattle

I knew Seattle was good, what I didn’t know was how bad NY is.

Prediction: Columbus 2- 1 Houston, actual Columbus 1 -1 Houston

Could have gotten this one right if Houston’s defense didn’t all apart at the end of the game.

Prediction: Chicago 3-0 Dallas, actual Chicago 3- 1 Dallas

Basically got this one right.  A 60 yard bomb from Cooper was the only way Dallas could score.

Prediction: Toronto 2-2 KC, actual Toronto 3-2 KC.

Both teams offense was on display as was poor defending.

Prediction: Colorado 1-0 Chivas, actual Colorado 1-2 Chivas

Could have gotten this one right if it wasn’t for 6 minute defensive collapse by the Rapids. Chivas really had no hope of scoring.

Prediction: NE 0-0 SJ, Actual NE 1-0 SJ

A fortuitous goal made the difference for NE.  I think the easiest prediction anyone can make is putting a 0 by San Jose.

Prediction: DC 0-1 LA, actual DC 2-2 LA

LA was able to break a weak defense and so was DC.

Green Army Best XI:

Keller (Seattle)

Brennen (Toronto)         Kennedy (Seattle)        Conde (Chicago)

Nagamura (Chivas)          Alonso (Seattle)

Arnaud (Kansas City)        Guevara (Toronto)      Schellotto (Columbus)

Donovan (Los Angeles)       Montero (Seattle)

Subs: Shalrie Joseph (NE), DeRosario (Toronto), Brad Evans (Seattle), Justin Mapp (Chicago), Sebstian Le Toux (Seattle)

The first MLS game of the season is in the books and what a game it was.  Not only was it the debut of the Seattle Sounders in MLS, but the product on the field was some of the best we’ve seen in MLS and the atmosphere was electric.  Poor defending and careless passing in the midfield spelled doom for the the NY Red Bulls.  NY started out brightly controlling most of the possession.   Seattle’s pressure and discipline proved too much for the Red Bulls and Seattle took control.  Poor marking allowed Le Toux to find a wide open Montero for Montero and Seattle’s first goal ever in MLS.  Montero turned provider a few minutes later, as he cleverly snuck a ball into the box for Brad Evans to slot home between Cepero’s legs.  Osorio quickly replaced Andrew Boyens with first round draft pick out of Maryland, Jeremy Hall. Hall helped stabalize the defense and keep Seattle in check until the half.  NY struggled in the second half as well, but did enjoy a few moments of good possession.  Unable to break Seattle’s backline, NY gave up one more goal in the 75th minute when Montero stripped Petke for a breakaway and cooley put the ball in the upper V.

In the end it was great peformance by Seattle and terrible day for New York.  To be fair, NY will probably never use that lineup again.  Players such as Johnson and Pacheco in the backline and former Real Madrid man, Celades, in the defensive mid spot could have helped keep the score more respectable.  We also can’t forget that Seth Stammler and Khano Smith should be ready go soon.  On the bright side Jeremy Hall had a great game.

Coach Schmid must be beaming with joy after his teams 3-0 performance.  Seattle showed that it has the players to be real contenders this year, but they can’tget over excited just yet.  NY was shakey at best and they will have much tougher competition down the road.  I think it was a great start for the expansion side both on and off the field. It was a positive start to what should be a great MLS season.

Here are my player ratings:

NY Red Bulls

Danny Cepero: 5, Did what he could with the defense he had in front of him.

Kevin Goldthwaite: 3, Didn’t close down on Montero for the first goal, gets a yellow card up field in the first half, and gets owned by Nyassi all game.

Mike Petke: 5, would have been 6 or 7 but getting stripped by Montero for Seattle’s 3rd goal dropped his rating.  One of the few bright spots on the NY team.

Andrew Boyens: 4, Taken off early by Osorio for Hall.  Probably should have been Goldthwaite taken out, but no other left back on the roster.

Carlos Mendes: 4, Seattle scored 3 goals.  It wasn’t a good day for any defender playing for the Red Bulls.

Sinisa Ubiparipovic: 4, Off night for the midfielder.  Didn’t show much during the first half and was substituted for the more athletic Borman at the half.

Juan Pietravallo: 5, not a bad game for the Argentian, but the Seattle Midfield is too much for him.  Started the game off very well, but Seattle quickly took over.

Dane Richards: 4, completely neutralized the whole game.

Jorge Rojas: 5, too slow.  Had moments of good skill but was overwhelmed by Seattle’s pressure.

Macoumba Kandji: 5, Hurtado’s bitch.  Was more of a factor than Dane Richards, but that doesn’t say much. Forced a great save from Keller in the second half.

Juan Pablo Angel: 5, smothered all night. The Seattle defense gave him no space despite all his hard-work.

Subs:

Jeremy Hall: 6, Looked good when he came on for Boyens.  Added some stability to the right side and helped stop the bleeding.

Danleigh Borman: 4, Should have just left Ubiparipovic on the field and saved a sub.

SeattleSounders

Kasey Keller: 6, only tested twice and came up with a brilliant save against Rojas.

Zach Scott: 6, Great game from the USL standout.

Tyrone Marshall: 7,  was the leadership the  back-line needed. Ran an organized and impenetrable defense.

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado: 7, dominating presence.

James Riley: 6, Defended well and got up the field well.

Sanna Nyassi: 7, owned the right side.  Displayed great speed, skill, and imagination. All that was missing was a goal.

Osvaldo Alonso: 8, One of Seattle’s best players.  Owned the middle of the pitch through hard tackling and great passing.

Brad Evans: 7, A goal and solid on both sides of the ball.  Making a case to keep his starting role once Ljunberg is healthy.

Sebastian Le Toux: 7, Proved he could handle the play in MLS.  Had a great assist on Montero’s first goal.

Nate Jaqua: 6, Did what was expected of a target forward.  Showed off some moves and was a great compliment for Montero.

Fredy Montero: 10, if there was ever a 10 performance, Montero had it.   He scored two goals, assisted one, and entertained with slick moves and passing.  Seattle hit the jackpot with this kid.  It is still very early in the seas0n but he showed he has the potential to be a weekly game breaker.  Also an early favorite for goal celebration of the year.

Subs:

Steve Zakuani:  6, did great in his limited time. I’d like to see what he can do with a full 90.

Roger Levesque: N/A

Seattle Sounders Front Office: 10

Seattle Sounders Fans: 11 !!!!!!!!

Here are the Green Army’s official power rankings.  Right now I’m basing the rankings on how the teams finished last season and what they have done in the offseason.  After few weeks of play the real contenders will start to show themselves.  I’ll try to update this every frequently.  Also, at the bottom I have my predictions (random guesses)  for this weekend’s first round of games.

1. Columbus Crew

The reigning MLS champions are returning almost all their key players.  They are poised to repeat this year, but we have to see if the aging Schelotto can put together another MVP year.

2. Chicago Fire

Arguably the best team in 2008.  The team is a nice mix of youth and experience.  This should be a breakout year for players like Pappa and Nyarko.

3. Real Salt Lake

Should be the  class of the West this year.  They were literally inches away from playing in the MLS Cup last year.  The team returns all of its key players.

4. NY Red Bull

Runners up in last years MLS Cup.  Even though they made it to the MLS Cup, Coach Osorio sill felt his team needed improvement.  The Red Bulls spent the offseason overhauling their team, bringing in players like Celades, Pacheco, Oduro, and Hall.  With the return of Angel and Rojas they boast a speedy and dangerous team.

5. Houston Dynamo

No Jaqua, no De Rosario, and now no Eddie Robinson.  Houston lost two of its best offensive weapons in the offseason in DeRo and Jaqua.  Robinson has recently sustained an injury that should sideline him for a significant amount of time.  Houston’s success has always come from its team play and not its individual talent.  I think they will still be a top team in the West.

6. Toronto FC

Toronto look like real playoff contenders this year.  The acquisition of De Rosario and Pablo Vitti give Toronto one of the most potent attacks in the league.  Not to mention they owned the Superdraft by picking the top midfielder, Cronin, top keeper, Frei, and top striker, O’Brien White.  Toronto has also secured the services of Adrian Serioux from FC Dallas to help shore up the back line.  All that remains is to see if Toronto can put it all together.

7. New England

Slowly but surely, New England’s top talent has been slipping away. The loss of Parkhurst to Europe might be too much for the club to overcome this season.  They definitely have enough quality to make the playoffs this year, but another MLS Cup appearance is at least a few years away.

8. KC Wizards

The Wizards have done a lot of work starting at the end of last season.  They have a acquired an admirable crop of offensive talent in Josh Wolff, Abe Thompson, Herculez Gomez, Adam Cristman, and Santiago Hirsig.  The return of Claudio Lopez at a reduced contract should help their offense.  With Conrad is still around to the lead the backline, the Wizards look like a top of the table team.

9. Chivas USA

The return of Sacha Kljestan is a huge boost for the club.  There is a very real possibility that he might be off to Europe in the summer but the return of Bornstein and Galindo might help soften that blow.  Chivas will be hurting without Claudio Suarez holding down the backline, and Preki’s big challenge is going to be keeping clean sheets this year.  Another challenge the club will face is the absence of Burling, Vaughn, and Razov for at least another month with injuries.  Not to mention Victorine who isn’t scheduled to return until the end of May-early June.

10. Seattle Sounders

The Sounders have done everything an expansion side can do to prepare for their first season.  They got one of the best coaches in the league in Sigi Schmid, 2008 MLS Coach of the Year, they secured top foreign talent, (Freddie Ljunberg and Fredy Montero), hometown hereos (Kasey Keller and Sebastian LeToux), young players (Nathan Sturgis, Steve Zakuani, and Sanna Nyassi), and finally, proven performers in the league (Jaqua, Riley, Marshall, and Evans).  The team has a fantastic front office and an enviable fan base.  This should be an incredible year for the team even if they don’t make the playoffs.  It takes more than just good players to be successful in this league.  If Seattle can get some good chemistry by the summer time, they should be a playoff contender.

11. Colorado Rapids

Being a Rapids fan just doesn’t seem worth it anymore . . . that is what I believed until they fired Clavijo. I’m back on the bandwagon now and pretty optimistic about this years group.  No they haven’t made a ton of trades or acquisitions and normally that would be worrisome.  I’m putting some faith in Coach Smith. Colorado’s backline looks very promising with Gibbs, Guerrero, and Ihemelu. The midfield returns a solid group Mastroeni, Ballouchi, Clark, and Cooke.  Up top Conor Casey will lead the charge for the Rapids.  The Rapids also managed to acquire the services of goalkeeper Matt Pickens, defender Ty Harden, and forward Ross Schunk.  The team is good enough to make the playoffs, but first they have to work on being consistent.

12. FC Dallas

I predict that Coach Hyndman will be replaced by mid season. Dave Van Den Bergh and David Ferraira should help offensive production in the midfield, and the return of Kenny Cooper is key to their success this year.   Dallas’s defense is still a question mark.  They have a nice stable of central defenders but not real outside backs.  Hyndman is a great college coach but he doesn’t have the depth to coach the professional game.  There have been a few comments emerging that the training lacks professionalism and serious concerns over the physical preperation of the players.

13. DC United

It is strange to see DC United ranked so low but they haven’t done much to turn their fortunes around.  The return of Ben Olsen and Christian Gomez should boost their offense.  Luciano Emilio regained his form at the end of last season and hopefully he can continue to produce.  Their defense is practically non existent and they will struggle to stop goals all year.

14. LA Galaxy

Bruce Arena will turn things around, but it will take time.  The Galaxy look to start the season off on the wrong foot.  Their list of injuries is extensive and includes starting players Eddie Lewis, Todd Dunivant, Edson Buddle, and Ricketts. The return of Landon Donovan helps bolster their playoff chances.  We’ll see what Beckham can do when he gets back but I’m not putting much stock in him turning anything around.

15. San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose looked good at the end of last season but they didn’t do enough this offseason to improve.  The addition of Cam Weaver and Bobby Convey really helps them fill some gaps but they aren’t looking like a playoff contender.  Their defense is solid enough especially with Joe Cannon in goal.  Up top they are really hoping Cam Weaver is the missing piece of the puzzle.

FIRST ROUND OF GAMES:

Thursday, March 19

9pm (et), ESPN 2,  NYRB at Seattle: 3-1 NY

Saturday, March 21

8pm (et), FSC, Columbus at Houston: 2-1 Columbus

Chicago at Dallas: 3-0 Chicago

Toronto at KC: 2-2

10:30pm (et), FSC, Colorado at Chivas USA: 1-0 Rapid

New England at San Jose: 0-0 San Jose

Sunday, March 22

3pm (et), Telefutura, DC United at Los Angeles: 1-0 LA

The Red Bulls are a tall order for an expansion side.  Houston could pull off a tie at home against the champs, but I think Columbus will edge them for a victory. Chicago is going to be too much for Dallas that isn’t particulary good at home.  Toronto and KC both have great offensive weapons that should cancel each other out.  Colorado should take advantage of a Chivas side that is starting off the season with a lot of injuries.  New England will struggle early this season. LA v. DC used to be a clash of the titans in MLS now it is more like a joke.  I think LA will beat DC at the Home Depot Center.  DC is usually a slow starter and this year looks like no exception.

What do you think of the rankings going into the season?  How do you think the games will turn out this season?

The MLS season is less than two weeks away and the MLS official Fantasy League game is now open.  Since most of you just pretend to work and read soccer blogs all day I have set up a league for FC Denver. Now all you slackers can actually put your arm chair knowledge to work and see if you can pick a winning team.  The fact of the matter is that the Green Army is going to dominate the league, but the rest of you can give it a shot.  Its no fun climbing to the top if you can’t trample the little people on the way there.  So for any door mats . . . err . . . I mean challengers out there here is the info to get started:

Go to: MLS Fantasy Challenge

Sign up for the league and start picking your team.

After your team is set click on the League option on the upper part of the page and click on “Find League”

Click on the “join an existing league” option and search for the “FC Denver League.”

Click on the league, and the password is: fcdeez

I’ll come up with a cool prize for the winner in the next few days.

Our 1st Annual “Kick Cancer in the Balls” 9v9 Charity Soccer Tournament was a resounding success. We met our donation goal, joked around with our fellow club mates, and got to play the game we love on a perfect Spring Day.

None of this was possible without your help. Each and every one of the 70 plus attendees chipped in a donation to assist a FC Denver family in need.

Since the club was founded over three years ago, this day stands alone as my proudest day to represent FC Denver. Our goal was to raise $2000 and honestly I didn’t know how we were going to be able to logistically do it based on the numbers of players and the suggested donation amount. But where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Now, help me add the numbers up…if you take the $1694 we raised at the event, and add Raphael’s generous matching donation amount of $186, you have $1880 even, correct? That’s the total I thought we raised, but since Sunday afternoon, we’ve had an additional $100 of donations come on our website. This brings us to $1980. And you better believe I will be chipping in the additional $20 from the club to get us to our goal of raising $2000 for the Swanson family!!!! We had over 30 people that donated $30 or more! What a great and thoughtful community.

The tournament itself was a blast with the Sixers coming out victorious in the Championship game over Snafu 3-1. The Sixers are pictured in the 1st/top picture above getting their victory pose on.

The Raffle was a big success as well (other than George giving away Rapids home opener seats to a game that doesn’t exist ). We gave away framed art, Rapids Tickets, and Rapids Scarfs and Flags. Thanks to George and Kate Joebgen for donating items to the raffle (and to Lyle and his buddy Joel with “Geeks who Drink” for the steller work on the poster).

Thanks again for making this tournament a terriffic success. I  can tell you, from my emotional conversation with Dennis at the end of the event, that he greatly appreciates what you have done to assist him and his wife during their time of need. We pulled together and did something with a purpose larger than ourselves, and for that, we should all be commended. Can’t wait until next year

Our Silver Team started the season off on the right foot. They tied Denver Rangers 2-2, a team that has been together for a few years.  The Silver team was up 2-1 until the dieing minutes of the game when the Rangers found an equalizer. Goalscorers were Jonathan Tovar that scored off a rebound on a breakaway shot from Jeff Crow. And Jeff scored the 2nd off of a pass from Jonathan.

Here is a match report from Coach Bolsen:

We had a lot of shots in the first 10 to 15 minutes with nothing comming of them. It took a few minutes to get our defence settled in and organized. After the first 15 minutes it was back and forth with each team getting a couple of chances but nothing really substanial until close to the end of the first half. Jeff got free 1 on 1 with the keeper, bounced a shot off the keeper and I think Jonathan finished it. In the second half, Rangers started playing a real tight offside trap that burned us probably 5 times in the first 10 minutes. But then finally we got a good one through clean, and put it away. Play continued kinda back and forth until one of their guys stepped up with the ball, no one closed on him and he ripped a shot from 25 out. I was out of position and it went in. Then with about 2 minutes left, their forward star dribbled the ball through, with defenders on both sides that didn’t step through a challenge and burried it far corner. With those two minutes left we had 3 really good chance on goal, including an indirect free kick from 10 out for a pass back to the keeper. We just couldn’t get them to drop.

By: Eric Fulton

Another season is here and I am excited to introduce our newest team….the FC Denver Silver Team!

While much of the club will be playing in our first annual “Kick Cancer in the Balls” Tournament, the Silver team will be kicking off their inaugural game on Sunday. I want to make sure you know a little about them and support them while they grow as a team. Here’s what you need to know:

Team Coach/Manager:

Bill Bolsen

Bill is a young and promising coach and leader. He is organized, confident, and has a good approach to leading a new team. Amateur coaches, especially new coaches, often get too caught up in Win’s and Losses and lose sight of the more important long-term goal: Player enjoyment and growth. And while Bill wants to create a winning side, he knows it gonna take time and will only happen if players enjoy playing on the team and being involved with the club.

Background: Bill started playing at a young age (5) in Evanston, IL. While he loved soccer and wanted to continue to play, lady luck wasn’t always on his side in High School and College. In his Sophomore year of High School, there were 5 keepers his age, and in college at the University of Dayton, he was one of 4 keepers to try out for one open spot. While his tough tryout circumstances limited his amount of play (played intramurals in College), he always stayed involved with the game through assisting his Dad (a Soccer Coach) or attending and assisting one of his family members soccer matches.

He moved out to Denver last fall and begin working construction for Habitat for Humanity, and found out about FC Denver. A couple of weeks later, he joined the White team and played with them all fall and winter. During this time with the club, he showed the dedication and interest in the game that every coach looks for in their players. He attended practices, worked through difficult games,  and offered to play several games a day if teams needed the goalkeeper assistance.

Here’s the roster:

GOOD LUCK TO THE FC DENVER SILVER TEAM IN THEIR FIRST GAME THIS WEEKEND!!!

We’re organizing our 1st Annual 7v7 Charity Soccer Tournament next Sunday (03/08) to raise money for a fellow FC Denver family in their fight against Cancer. We hope the entire club can get behind this important cause. Here are all the details for the tournament, followed by some comments and stories from current FC Denver members:

KICKING CANCER IN THE BALLS

Sunday, March 8th at Hampden Heights Park

Tournament Runs from 10am to 2pm

To Register and for More Information Visit FCDenver.org

YOUR DONATION OF $20/PLAYER WILL PROVIDE GREATLY NEEDED ASSISTANCE TO ANDREA SWANSON IN HER FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

Eric Fulton, FC Denver Club Director:

The stark reality is that Cancer will affect all of us whether personally or through a loved one. Approximately one out of every two American men and one out of every three American women will have cancer at some point during their lifetime (ACS). Cancer is currently affecting several member of the FC Denver Community and we want to do our small part to bring awareness and provide assistance.

This fun inter-club tournament provides the opportunity to provide real and direct assistance to a local family that has drained their savings in their prolonged fight against cancer. Here’s their story:

It has been 3 years since Andrea Tolosa-Swanson, wife of Dennis Swanson, FC Denver Masters Player, was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare but very curable form of cancer.

Andrea went through chemotherapy in the spring of 2006 followed by radiation treatment during the fall. By the winter of 2006, she was in complete remission (disease free). That only lasted 8 months.  In fall 2007, she began prep treatment for a stem cell transplant and high dose chemotherapy that left her in and out of the hospital.  She endured anautologous stem cell transplant (using her own stem cells from her blood) and was released from the hospital in late January with no signs of disease.

3 months later, the disease was back and the most recent round of treatments began. Her cancer has now become resistant to chemotherapy and continues to grow.  There is one last option left for them and that is the clinical trial. All the while, the medical bills keep coming. This is where our club can be of assistance. We hope to raise $1,500 to assist Dennis and Andrea in their continued battle.

Lino Vitale, FC Denver Green team and management member:

“Ladies and gentleman, we all love to get together and play soccer with one another.  We have built friendships, groups and family ties that we would not of had if it were not for this club!  But as one of the leaders and voices of this club, I am asking you to make this event a HIGH priority!!!  This is what life is about, not winning games, scoring goals, or bragging about your team!!  This is about helping and supporting someone close to us and their family.  This is something that we not only for the Swansons, but for all of us who have suffered from cancer in some way!

If you cannot afford the $20, give what you can, but above all come to support this and keep those in your prayers!!!  We are FC DENVER…not white/green, not mens/womens; we are one club!!!  It is easy to be involved when life is good, our character is measured when things are difficult!!  Lets prove this club and ALL its family have that character!!!

I look forward to seeing a HUGE turnout…ciao for now…and FORZA FC DENVER!!!”

Raphael Martorello’s, captain of our Men’s Premier team:

His mother recently relapsed, 7 years after beating breast cancer, with a rare form of Leukemia. Here is her story told here in her son’s words:

“My mom had breast cancer 8 years ago and beat it.  Unfortunately, the chemo and radiation she received caused chromosomes in her blood to be altered and 7 years later she came down with a rare form of Leukemia. When diagnosed, she was faced with a palliative care option (which means she would die in 4-6 months and just get treatment to ease the pain) or she was given a 2-5% chance of living if she went through a rigorous and not fun set of procedures to include chemo rounds and then a stem cell transplant.  What further complicated her situation is that transplants require harsh chemo and typically those older than 60 (she is 65) are ruled out as the complications from the procedure cause organ failure such as heart attack, kidney failure, etc.  She decided to go for it, and each step of the way was miserable but survived….stating she wanted to die a number of times in the process.  She had 3 miracles.  First, the chemo actually killed much of her bad cells (rare when you have a therapy-related type of leukemia like she did).  Second, her body was able to rejuvenate and not relapse as quickly as expected (it was expected she would relapse in 2 weeks and not be eligible for a stem cell transplant…and she lasted 4-6 before relapsing).  Third, her sister miraculously was a donor match, which allowed for us to get the stem cells donated rapidly before she relapsed and would be ineligible.  Every step of the way, we hoped for the best but expected the worse….

….recently, she left the hospital on February 20th after having had her stem cell transplant.  She has 100 days to see if the transplant sticks, but her odds are over 50% at this point.  Now, when you live with this type of thing you are always worried about relapse, etc….but so far, so good.  It is truly a miracle.  Furthermore, in this day and age where the media and masses have fun beating up our medical system…my uncle who is a doctor in Switzerland told me that if she lived there, they would have gone straight to palliative care and not spent the money on a 2% case such as hers.  In fact, he went with her records to a major university hospital that treats Leukemia patients in Switzerland, and they specifically gave him that feedback.  Yet here in the US, we took the risk, gritted down and went for it, and potentially are looking at a very good result here.

She is keeping a journal that people can track her progress on and leave messages at www.caringbridge.org and her site name is daniellemartorello.”

If you get the chance, please stop by her site and wish her the best. Its small things like this that can really impact other lives. I hope this story relates the gravity of the cause and although, we can’t move mountains, we can each do our part to make the world a better place. I hope everyone can make it out to support the cause on Sunday.