by Jason Longshore
1- The first round of the MLS playoffs kicked off in Philadelphia yesterday with the Union winning 3-1 over New England. Carles Gil was injured on a very heavy challenge from Mikael Uhre that was called a foul, but no card was issued. He had to leave the match after trying to continue for a bit. New England had opportunities and failed to convert, while Philadelphia did what they do so well. They opened the scoring and created an avalanche, finding two more in quick succession. Daniel Gazdag scored first from the penalty spot, followed by goals from Uhre and Nathan Harriel.
2- LAFC won the nightcap at home 5-2 over Vancouver, who badly struggled with set piece defending. Denis Bouanga, the MLS Golden Boot winner, scored twice along with the unlikely brace from Ryan Hollingshead. Jesus Murillo also scored for the Black & Gold. Steve Cherundolo said, “In playoff time and in tournaments and in finals in all competitions around the world, set pieces unlock games and unlock results. And it did tonight.”
3- Atlanta United continues its preparation for opening its playoff run on Wednesday in Columbus against the Crew. Two faces you'll see in this picture I took at training on Friday are Tyler Wolff and Osvaldo Alonso. Both are in contention to be part of the squad in Columbus and to play a role in this series. Gonzalo Pineda will speak to the media tomorrow once again.
4- Triple header tonight in the playoffs as Houston hosts RSL at 6pm, Cincinnati hosts the New York Red Bulls at 8pm, and St. Louis plays their first playoff game against rivals Sporting Kansas City at 10pm.
5- Join us this morning as Atlanta United's U17's host NYCFC at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta. Jon Nelson and I will have the broadcast for you on the Atlanta United YouTube Channel. Expect to see some faces who played for Atlanta United 2 this past season and the bulk of the team that won the MLS Next national title last season. Watch at this YouTube link starting at 9am or on demand.
6- Oglethorpe's Jon Akin won his 200th game in his career with the Stormy Petrels as they advanced to the Southern Athletic Association semifinals with a 5-0 win over Millsaps in Brookhaven yesterday. Akin's 200 wins is the most for any coach in the history of the Oglethorpe program, which dates back to 1961.
7- Clayton State won the men's Peach Belt Conference regular season title for the first time since 2010 yesterday in Morrow with their 3-0 win over Georgia Southwestern. Geo Rios scored twice and became the all-time leading scorer in Lakers' soccer history. Clayton State will host the Peach Belt Conference semifinals starting on Nov. 10.
8- The #6 ranked women's SCAD Bees won the Sun Conference title with a 2-2 draw against Southeastern yesterday. The Bees finished the regular season at 15-1-2 overall. It's the program's first conference title since 2015 and will allow the Bees to host the conference semifinal on Nov. 7.
9- Big game in Dahlonega this afternoon that will decide the Peach Belt Conference women's title as Columbus State heads to town to face the North Georgia Nighthawks. CSU has won the last five matches in a row over North Georgia and are led by sophomore Emma Beddow's ten goals this season. The Nighthawks have great balance this year and are in their best position to break the Cougars dominance in the series.
10- On this date in 1971, Emory lost to Sewanee 3-1. Kyle Rote Jr. assisted on every goal for Tigers in the win. Rote Jr.'s father was a famous football player at SMU and with the New York Giants. However, the Dallas Tornado inspired Kyle Rote Jr. to try soccer while he was in high school and after a broken leg in football at Oklahoma State, he transferred to Sewanee and returned to soccer. He went on to become the only US-born player to lead the NASL in scoring and was named Rookie of the Year for the Tornado in 1973.
11- Twelve years later in 1983, a country duet that was written by the Bee Gees and intended for Marvin Gaye became the #1 song in the country. Enjoy your Song of the Day from Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton:
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