Z/Web

Fun little caper. The trailers pretty much tell you the whole story, but Sandra Bullock is perfect for this kind of role, and some of the other casting (William Shatner and Candice Bergen) was inspired. Won’t tax your brain.

A wild game! Steve Ralston scored for Tampa in the 8th minute, quickly followed by Diallo in the 23rd, breaking his the three-game scoring drought (the longest in his MLS career). Newcomer Barclay managed to get himself open and onside on a run against the keeper and finished against Mike Amman like a pro. Three up in the first half it seemed like Tampa had it made, but Moreno’s header brought D.C. back early in the second half. That seemed like it, but then Armstrong was given way too much time to shoot and his long rocket cut the lead in half. Unfortunately for D.C., that was in the 90th minute. Final: 3-2 Tampa Bay.

Good game. Columbus had never won in regulation at Dallas and it didn’t look like this would be the day. Graziani poached a goal early for the Burn, but a wide open Mike Lapper put in a header off a corner kick that tied the score. Then Columbus as dealt a harsh blow as Cunningham was ejected for stepping on an opponent — it looked to me like he was just stumbling for a place to put his foot. Playing a man down, Columbus was surely out of it: but then Brian West finished one of the best goals I’ve seen this year. He caught a long ball from the back, trapped it beautifully with one touch, and slotted it past the keeper so smoothly it was almost unfair. You have no idea how difficult that was! Terrific goal, which also won the game for the Crew. Final: 2-1 Columbus.

Wonderful game. K.C. showed very little offense and it was all San Jose. Canadian DeRosario got some luck when the defender’s clear ricochetted off his body and into the goal, giving the Quakes the early lead. In the second half, defender Nick Garcia (rookie of the year last year) took down DeRosario when he was on a breakaway, and Garcia was justly given the red card as he was the last man. That really opened things up for San Jose, who poured on the offense, but somehow K.C. kept the ball out of the net for a good while. It was injury time when things finally broke down and Junior Agogo’s run down the right left Ronald Cerritos open on the left, and Ronald didn’t miss finishing Agogo’s cross. Final: 2-0 Quakes, who are unbeaten in 11 straight games!

A rather dull game, which stayed nil-nil until three minutes to go. Then suddenly Cobi Jones put together a great run down the left side, dribbled past several defenders, and then crossing to a wide open Hernandez who finished it expertly. One minute later, Hernandez caught a long through ball and put that away as well: just like that, L.A. had won. Final: 2-0 L.A.

I wasn’t expecting much, but this was a terrific seesaw game! Chris Carrieri, the number one draft pick this season, just traded to Colorado from San Jose, put in a weak shot from 25-yards out. Somehow the keeper let it slip under him and into the goal. Minutes later, John Spencer’s header had the Rapids up by two. But wait: Carrieri’s poor back pass gave the ball to Johnny Tores who took the one-on-one with the keeper well and finished with a goal in the 26th minute. Things were quiet until late in the second half when another burst of goals was produced. Chronopoulos got the equalizer for the Revs, then Asad put New England up by one with two minutes to go. It looked like a sure win, but Colorado came back with an injury time goal from Bravo. Great stuff! Final: 3-3.

The U.S. got off to a terrific start with Ante Razov, who threatened mightily against Jamaica when he was put in for the last few minutes, got the start. Just two minutes in he scored on a terrific 40-yard feed from Jeff Agoos (Captain of the San Jose Earthquakes). Minutes later Ernie Stewart had a one-on-one with the keeper and flubbed his shot, but made up for in the 20th minute when he stole the ball from a defender and ran on to score. The rest of the game the U.S. defended well, and T & T weren’t without their chances. Man of the Match was Agoos, who stopped many of T&T’s attacks. Great game, great result, and the U.S. has now almost clinched a spot for World Cup 2002. Next they face a huge game against Mexico in Mexico City on July 1. I can’t wait. Final: 2-0 U.S.A.

Terrific game. L.A. has never lost at Miami, but this time one expected Miami’s form to prevail. But L.A. didn’t back down from Miami’s offense. Serna got an early goal for Miami, but Lalas headed in an equalizer for L.A., followed by an Ian Bishop own goal to give L.A. the lead. Then Cienfuegos put in a brilliant goal: he caught the pass with his left foot, then stuck into the roof of the net with his right. Amazing. It looked all L.A. then, but in the second half, captain Jim Rooney’s diving header brought Miami back within one. It looked dicey for a bit, but Miami kept pressing and L.A. went back on their heels. Rooney was again involved, sending forward a great pass behind the defense that Serna just blasted into the far corner. Great play, terrific equalizer, and Miami have still only lost one game all season! The result’s also great for San Jose, who maintain their 3 point lead in the Western Division. Final: 3-3.

Tampa really needed a win and got the opposite. Carlos Valderama put his foot in his mouth and got himself ejected in the 13th minute by harassing the ref and so Tampa had to play almost the whole game one man short. But Columbus was sparkling. Dante Washington was awesome, scoring a hat trick. He started in the 30th minute, then Duhaney added a goal ten minutes later. Quill got one back for Tampa in the second half and for a moment it seemed like Tampa might regain control of the game. But a terrific goal when Washington pulled keeper Garlick out and back heeled the ball right into Cunningham’s path who put the ball into the empty net broke Tampa’s spirit. Washington hot his second a few minutes later, followed by another from Cunningham. Finally, Washington topped things with the completion of his hat trick and the Crew wiped the floor with poor Tampa. Final: 6-1 Columbus.

Excellent game, with another surprising win for D.C. No goals until the second half, but then Conteh got one followed by 16-year-old Guaranta a minute later. He got a second goal ten minutes later to really hammer home the victory. What’s up with former champs K.C.? They’re starting to struggle. Final: 3-0 D.C.

This weekend I was in Fresno helping move all my parents junk in preparation of a move to Oregon. Amazing that a house can have so much stuff. Heavy stuff, too! I’m very tired.

A good nil-nil result, though I wish San Jose could have scored late to earn the three points. At least they keep their unprecedented unbeaten streak going. Final: 0-0.

Good game, with some great saves by both keepers. Jamaica never loses at home, but the U.S. got the tie they wanted. Just a couple more wins and the U.S. is through to the World Cup 2002. The U.S. looked good, but I’m a bit worried about the scoring drought. We’ll see how they do on Wednesday against Trinidad and Tobago before I get too worried. Final: 0-0.

New York took an early lead with Faria’s goal, but the Metro’s Tim Howard kept them ahead with a number of great saves. But Jamie Moreno equalized for D.C., and then rookie Lisi sent forward a terrific through-ball for Conteh, who stayed onside and cleverly slid the ball under Howard for the winner. Final: 2-1 D.C.

Mild Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy romantic comedy. Hepburn’s a marvelous athlete with Tracy as her grumpy manager and of course they eventually fall in love. Rather dated in a lot of ways (i.e. Hepburn apologizes for wearing pants instead of a dress, but explains they are easier for playing sports).

Awesome game! The two Western rivals battled for supremacy and the new ‘Quakes claimed victory. Landon Donovan scored midway through the first half, and Ian Russell extended San Jose’s lead ten minutes into the second. L.A.’s Sasha Victorine scored a great goal off a header off a corner kick to make the final twenty minutes interesting, but Landon’s second goal in injury time put the matter beyond doubt. San Jose’s terrific form is not an accident: they are playing incredibly well this season. Final: 3-1 San Jose.

Good game. Jamar Beasley scored late in the first half for the game’s only goal. Final: 1-0 Chicago.

Terrific game, with Miami showing off their great offensive power. Chacon started things with a goal in the 22nd minute. Things went a bit dry, but in the second half Serna came alive with a quick goal followed by Preki picking up loose ball in the penalty area. K.C. keeper Tony Meola injured himself on a save and was substituted. McKeon finished off a penalty kick to give the Wizards a bit of hope, but that was quickly dashed by second goals from Chacon and Serna! Final: 5-1 Miami.

A slaughter: Rhine’s heel pass set up Suarez, then he got his own fifteen minutes later. Martinez really set the margin when he scored late in the game. Final: 3-0 Dallas.

An okay game, but neither team could score. The U.S. has a real problem playing without injured Josh Wolff and Clint Mathis. Final: 0-0.

Kreis won this game on a free kick in the 15th minute. Final: 1-0 Dallas.

Okay game, though a little boring. Late in the second half substitute Little, playing only her third game of the season, cooly finished a one-on-one with the keeper and gave Bay Area the win.

What’s wrong with New York? They’ve sure slacked off as of late. They didn’t play great today, though they did score in the first half. But they were outplayed: only their goalkeeper kept them in the game, making a half dozen terrific point-blank saves. In the final minutes, Ritchie Williams took down Jonny Tores for a penalty kick, which Cate finished well to tie the game in the 90th minute. In extra time, New England had two or three great chances, but once again were stopped by the keeper. Final: 1-1.

Great game! Just a dozen minutes in Landon Donovan scored his second goal of the season. He somehow managed to control an awkward through-ball that got to him in the box. He second touch was a slight chip which passed over former San Jose keeper David Kramer and into the goal. Thirteen minutes later, Colorado gave up a soft goal to Jeff Agoos. The defender was given space above the box and he shot a bomb from twenty-five yards out. It shouldn’t have been a problem for Kramer, but he misjudged it and it bounced right in front of him (always a problem for keepers) and into the goal. In the second half, a poor pass from Donovan (his foot stubbed the ground as he kicked) gave the ball to Colorado. The Rapid player kicked the ball forward into space for Spencer who was then one-on-one with Cannon, and the Scottsman got the second goal in two games against the Quakes. But San Jose didn’t panic and played well despite Colorado’s pressure, and finished with the win. Final: 2-1 Quakes.

Boring game. Neither team looked great. The goals came in a sudden burst a few minutes into the second half. L.A. scored and a minute later Perez tied it for the Crew. After that, the teams resorted to their tactic of not scoring again, even after the game went into overtime. The Crew tried, but couldn’t figure out the formula. Final: 1-1.

Poor Tampa’s really been struggling without striker Mamadou (he’s still on suspension). Today they got back defender Steve Trittechuh who broke his fibula just before the season started. Amazingly, eleven minutes in — his first minutes this season — he scored a goal! His header put Tampa in front and things were looking good. But just nine minutes later a simple defense mistake let in K.C. and Gomez equalized. Early in the second half, another slight mistake gave Lassiter a tiny chance and he took it instantly, burning Tampa for the goal. After that K.C. just held on for the win. Final: 2-1 Kansas City.

Odd game: fun, but blighted by some strange referee decisions. Moreno scored early for D.C. and they held the lead and looked far better than Chicago for most of the game. But then a poor clear and an odd bounce gave Eric Wynalda a slight chance and he finished it beautifully to tie the game. Amazing, that was Chicago’s first shot of the entire game! Then came a very questionable penalty kick award for the Fire: a handball in the box in which the ball was kicked at the player. Kovalenko put the penalty kick away. Later, a similar call was not made on the other end: why can the ref at least be consistent? Final: 2-1 Chicago.

Fun film, though like most techno films, takes a great deal of license with reality. I don’t like the stereotype that hackers are criminals (true hackers are computer experts, not kids with mischevious tendencies). Fun to see faces like superstar Angelina Jolie in an early role.