51黑料

51黑料 City SC forward Mykhi Joyner turned 19 on Saturday, and in the team鈥檚 game that night, he scored his first goal in Major League Soccer play.

鈥淒efinitely best birthday,鈥� he said after the game. 鈥淏est gift to myself.鈥�

Joyner got another present a day later. On Sunday, he was supposed to fly to Florida to take part in a U.S. Soccer under-20 domestic identity camp. But when an injury forced Nashville鈥檚 Taha Habroune out of the U-20 camp in Spain, with those who are the top candidates for a spot at the upcoming U-20 World Cup, Glover was promoted.

The Spain camp is the last chance for coach Marko Mitrovi膰 to look at players before the roster for the U-20 World Cup has to be turned in on Sept. 18. While in Spain, the U.S. team will play Morocco on Sept. 5 and 7. The U-20 World Cup begins on Sept. 27 in Chile. Joyner will miss City SC鈥檚 match with Dallas on Saturday and would miss more if chosen for the team.

A lot has happened for Joyner lately. His incidental contact with a Vancouver player in the closing minutes of that game led to Vancouver being awarded a penalty kick that won it the game. (On Saturday, PRO, the Professional Referees Organization, said that decision was a mistake.) The game came just days after, in the final personnel move of Lutz Pfannenstiel鈥檚 time as sporting director, Joyner was promoted back to the first-team roster, making him eligible for the rest of the season.

Being involved in a play that gave his team a loss could have been an issue for Joyner, but it turned out it wasn鈥檛.

鈥淭o be honest, a lot of credit goes to my teammates,鈥� Joyner said. 鈥淭hey uplifted me. They told me that it鈥檚 OK, mistakes happen.

鈥淚 happened to make a mistake that game, even if it wasn鈥檛 a PK, I鈥檓 not going to be the one to point fingers. So I just used that anger and put it into the game (Saturday), and I wanted to show the fans that I鈥檓 here and I want to play and I want to score and I want to win.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 actually not even surprised,鈥� said midfielder Eduard Lowen, a charter member of the Mykhi Joyner fan club, 鈥渢hat he鈥檚 going to score sooner or later, that he鈥檚 going to be a part of this team sooner or later because he has the quality. He鈥檚 just a great kid. I like him a lot on and off the pitch. I think we also need some of that, a young player who maybe doesn鈥檛 think about things so much as maybe, like a more experienced player who is taking on defenders and maybe doesn鈥檛 care so much and it鈥檚 just about playing free and having joy and having fun on the pitch. And I think you can see that with him, and that鈥檚 definitely something we need. I think he could have scored already a couple times earlier, a couple of games before. Credit to him to continue to not stick his head in the sand. I really like this kid a lot, really good player, and I鈥檓 really, really happy for him. I鈥檓 really excited to see what we鈥檙e going to get out of him.鈥�

鈥淗e鈥檚 dynamic,鈥� said interim coach David Critchley. 鈥淗e鈥檚 pacey. He鈥檚 brave. He wants to take on defenders.

鈥淗e鈥檚 got a good end product with his finishing and crossing, and he鈥檚 very good in the air as well.鈥�

Joyner鈥檚 return to the first team will likely cost him his shot at winning MLS Next Pro鈥檚 Golden Boot as the top scorer. He has 14 Next Pro goals, second-most in the league behind Samuel Sarver of North Texas, but may not play for City2 again, at least until the playoffs.

Joyner played 31 minutes against Houston and had another shot that could have been a goal. His .44 expected goals total in the game was second only to Klauss on a stagnant night for City SC鈥檚 offense.

鈥淚 think I鈥檓 reading the game a little bit better,鈥� he said 鈥淚 think I can still improve. But yeah, I should have buried it, but I missed it.鈥�

Teeing it up

Swedish golfer Robert Karlsson, in town for the Stifel Charity Classic this weekend at Norwood Hills Country Club, took part in a chipping contest with City SC players Chris Durkin and Tomas Totland on Tuesday, hitting balls from the deck in front of the Ultra Club in Energizer Park down to the center circle.

Asked if hitting the ball from the second deck of the stadium down to the field reminded him of any hole he had played, Karlsson said, 鈥淵es, the seventh hole at Pebble Beach.鈥� It may be the first time anyone has connected City SC鈥檚 stadium with one of golf鈥檚 most storied courses.

The first hole at Energizer Park measured 82 yards, while the seventh at Pebble Beach is 106 yards, though in the 2010 U.S. Open, it played as short as 92 yards 鈥� and there鈥檚 a 40-foot elevation change from tee to green at Pebble Beach. (In the 2010 U.S. Open, Karlsson had a birdie, a bogey and two pars at No. 7.)

Durkin and Totland may not be the best golfers on City SC, but Durkin acknowledged they probably talk about it the most. Each golfer took 10 shots, with City SC donating $500 for each ball that landed in the center circle, which had a 10-foot radius, to the tournament鈥檚 charities. Totland went first and landed three. Durkin was next and got four. Karlsson went last and put all 10 in the circle. Totland led in the unofficial closest-to-the-pin competition, but Karlsson beat him on his last shot.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a good thing there鈥檚 no water or sand,鈥� Totland said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 only one big green to hit, so it was a lot of fun.鈥�