Welcome to the Anatomy of a Goal, where each week we dissect one goal (or near goal) from the previous weeks Columbus Crew SC match.

For match 24 on the 2017 MLS Season, we take a look at Marco Urenas 42nd minute post-aided goal that put the San Jose Earthquakes up 1-0, as part of the 2-1 win over Crew SC on Saturday.

Heres a look at the finish from the San Jose striker.

The Earthquakes goal begins with a Jonathan Mensah turnover at midfield. Jonathan is easily dispossessed by Urena, very far up the field, and then falls victim to the less than ideal field at Avaya Stadium. In this play alone, two Columbus players slip on this turf.

As soon as Urena takes the ball, he slides it over to San Joses creative cog Tommy Thompson. With the ball at midfield and the Black & Gold defense scrambling, Thompson has a number of options. He can play a pass across midfield to fellow midfielder Jackson Yueill, carry the ball through the midfield, slot pass to Shea Salinas on the left flank, play a pass right back to Urena or a drop ball to Darwin Ceren.

Jonathans slip makes Thompsons decision an easy one.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

The above video shows Jonathans ill-timed slip, opening up an easy pass to Salinas and giving Urena an open run down the pitch.

As Jonathan slips, Urena easily runs past him while Artur is forced to give chase. Thompson slid the ball into Salinas on the left, who has a half field of space ahead of him with all of Crew SCs right-sided players in the Earthquakes defensive half.

Salinas continues to carry the ball upfield with Urena running level to him as Artur continues to chase the San Jose winger. Jonathan is highlighted because he has partially caught up to the play, but will very quickly slow up and remove himself from the action. Had Jonathan continued his run toward Urena, he may have been able to force a more difficult pass or even prevent this goal.

Toward the goal, Chris Wondolowski runs in front of Wil Trapp and toward Nicolai Naess, attempting to take both Columbus players out of the play and open the middle of the field. Center back Alex Crognale keeps his attention on Urena and wisely moves to cut off his angle on goal.

Salinas slows up as he feels both Hector Jimenez and Artur close him down, and Jonathan continues to trail the play. Crognale is totally focused on Urena, and continues his angled run at the winger while he cuts just behind Artur.

Trapp hasnt fallen for Wondolowskis clever run, trusting his center back to cover the veteran striker while the Black & Gold captain defends the middle third of the pitch.

Having occupied two Crew SC defenders, Salinas slides the ball into the path of Urena. Jonathan continues to trail this play and will not become involved in the effort to stop this goal. Crognale continues to monitor Urena, and the Columbus defenders objective is to force him away from the goal, either toward the end line or toward the attacking left boundary.

Toward the back post, Naess is effectively monitoring Wondolowski, while Trapp continues to cut off any runs toward the middle of the goal.

As Urena heads to the ball he has two options. He can either continue carry the ball toward the end line or he can try to beat Crognale for a shot on goal. To this point, Crognale has done well to position himself between Urena and the goal. Jonathan continues to trail, marking no one, as the rest of the Black and Gold defense holds down the goal box.

Crognale is still well positioned in the above image. The Crew SC center back is only giving Urena a poor angle right to goalkeeper Zack Steffen. Jonathan continues to run straight ahead. By this point, he should either be paying attention to Salinas right behind him, heading toward Urena in aid of Crognale or running right toward the middle of the goal. Jonathan does none of these things.

Despite all of Crognales good decisions, this one slip up costs his team a goal. As Urena realizes that he has no crossing options, he attempts to cut back on Crognale to get a shot on goal. The defender gets over-ambitious and gets his front foot caught on the poor turf.

Urena is then easily be able to cut around Crognale to get an open, if difficult, shot on goal while Jonathan continues his aimless run.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

The above video shows Crognales singular defensive slip up. Despite all of the center backs hard work on this play, one mistake costs his team a goal.

From the side angle, you can see both how well the rest of the Columbus defense has the goal box defended and Crognales mistake. Rather than backing off Urena to force him to continue toward the end line, Crognale attempts to steal the ball, getting caught on his front foot.

Crognale will get a half deflection on the ball with his trailing leg, but hes lucky that he doesnt trip Urena for a penalty kick. The ball actually deflects into a better angle for Urenas shot on goal.

Just behind the play, Jonathan likely could have cut off Urenas path to goal had he continued a hard run.

With no one between him and the ball, Urena is able to take a shot or slide the ball into the path of Wondolowski. Steffen has cut of Urenas angle to the near post, only giving up a difficult shot to the back post. Naess and Trapp have Wondolowski and the middle of the six-yard box well covered.

With only an angle at the back post, Urena slides the ball just around Zack Steffen. Naess continues to play strong defense against Wondolowski.

Urenas shot just beats Trapp in the middle of the box, and hits the inside of the back post . . .

. . .putting San Jose up 1-0 and setting the pace for their win over the Black & Gold.

Findings:

Original post:
Anatomy of a Goal: Urena's Back Post Opener - Massive Report

NOT! (Click to enlarge.)

Last Tuesday, Biglaw was rocked by reports of supposed merger talks between Quinn Emanuel and Williams & Connolly. The news spread rapidly, perhaps because it was so surprising.

Other than being two of the nations finest litigation firms with a shared reputation for zealous representation of their clients, QE and W&C share little in common. Quinn Emanuel is obscenely profitable ($5 million in 2016 profits per partner), rather large (700+ lawyers), and rapidly expanding, with offices in eight U.S. cities and more than a dozen cities overseas.

In cultural terms, Quinn reflects its founder, legendary litigator John Quinn. The firm isentrepreneurial and risk-taking, doing a fair amount of contingency work, and its brash and publicity-seeking. How many Am Law 100 firms have ever advertised in airports?

(Not surprisingly for the staid precincts of Biglaw, the Quinn approach has its detractors. QEs critics or player haters question the accuracy of its profitability, the sustainability of its expansion, and the tastefulness of its self-promotion.)

Compared to Quinn Emanuel, Williams & Connolly is less profitable ($1.6 million in PPP) and smaller (under 300 lawyers). And this is intentional. Given the tremendous talent under its roof and its worldwide reputation, W&C could be much larger and more lucrative than it currently is. But the firm has made a deliberate decision to focus on quality and collegiality, refusing to expand beyond its one D.C. office or even hire many laterals. As Jenna Greene noted in an interesting post-mortem, Why Its a Good Thing That Williams & Connolly Isnt Merging With Quinn Emanuel:

As big law firms fell over themselves to jack up their PPPs and lure top laterals, Williams & Connolly has been like the last samurai, refusing to go with the flow. In the firms 50-year history, the partnership has only hired two laterals U.S. Supreme Court advocate Kannon Shanmugam in 2008 and tax expert Gerald Feffer in 1986. The rest are homegrown.

This approach instills lawyers with the Williams & Connolly culture, which is in many ways the opposite of Quinns. Despite its overall political liberalism its zealously pro-criminal-defendant, for example, and its more likely to hire a former criminal defendant than a former federal prosecutor W&C is culturally (and fiscally) conservative. It does most of its work based on hourly rates, eschewing exotic alternative-fee arrangements, and it pays above-market base salariesbut no bonuses to its associates (who have been wondering, ever since last summers Cravath pay hike, about when theyll get a raise). And you definitely wont see W&C advertisements in airports heck, it took years for the firm to even put up a website.

Given the big differences between the two firms, I reacted with surprise and skepticism to last weeks rumored merger talks. After Williams & Connolly issued its unequivocal denial, I tweeted:

So I decided to do a little digging. I reached out to both firms; both declined to comment. But I also spoke to individual lawyers at both places, and here is what I managed to piece together.

The meeting that gave rise to the rumors took place not last week, but a while ago several weeks or even a month ago. It took place over breakfast, at a Marriott in downtown D.C.

Okay, hold on right there a power breakfast to discuss the merger of two leading law firms at a Marriott? I have great respect for Marriott as a business and stay often at its hotels (Gold Elite, baby), but Marriott is a solid rather than glamorous brand. If the firms wanted to support Marriott International maybe its a client? they could atleast have met at the D.C. Ritz-Carlton, Marriotts top-of-the-line property in the nations capital.

UPDATE (6:51 p.m.): In defense of the Marriott pick, a source points out that it was probably the Washington Marriott at Metro Center(775 12th Street NW), conveniently located down the block from Williams & Connolly (725 12th Street NW).

The breakfast involved a small number of Quinn Emanuel and Williams & Connolly lawyers. The W&C representatives were people that John Quinn knows personally at the firm, through personal friendship or prior work together as co-counsel. Some folks you might have expected at a merger-related meeting were not present; for example, W&C chairman Dane Butswinkas did not attend, nor did all members of the Executive Committee.

What was discussed at the breakfast? The two sides disagree. The QE sources say that business matters were discussed, including referrals of work between the two firms. The W&C sources say that most of the discussion centered on families and summer plans and that to characterize it as an official business meeting would be quite erroneous.

Near the end of the breakfast, John Quinn tossed out somewhat spontaneously, and in very general terms the idea of stronger ties, such as a strategic partnership or maybe even a merger. The W&C lawyers were taken by surprise, since nobody went to the breakfast anticipating such a discussion.

How did the Williams & Connolly lawyers respond? Again, theres some divergence.

The QE sources say that the Williams & Connolly folks did not say no, at least not in a way that would satisfy a clear statement rule. And they claim that John Quinn followed up with W&C lawyers after the breakfast as well, which led to talk of a follow-up meeting sometime in September for further discussion.

The W&C sources disagree. Although the Williams & Connolly lawyers at the breakfast might not have been as blunt as they could have been they were taken by surprise, and didnt want to be rude they made quite clear that the firm was not interested.

According to the W&C camp, when John Quinn raised the subject of a merger, he prefaced it by saying something like, Heres a crazy idea. The W&C lawyers responded along these lines: Haha, that sure IS a crazy idea! Merging with a giant international law firm more than twice our size? We havent opened a second office in our half-century of existence! Heck, we dont even hire laterals!

And thats where things were left until Legal Business, a U.K.-based publication, reported on the supposed merger talks last Tuesday. Their article included comment from John Quinn: It is true that we had a meeting on this subject but it was very preliminary and we dont know what, if anything, will come of this.

This news quickly jumped the pond given credibility by Quinns confirmation, and picked up promptly by the American Lawyer, Law360, and Above the Law and it caused a lot of tsuris over at Williams & Connolly. Senior partners and Executive Committee members were besieged by calls and emails from anxious clients, colleagues, and recruits, expressing concern that the firm they know and love was about to get transformed through absorption into the Quinn Emanuel borg. (As a litigation partner at another Biglaw firm told me, the merger rumors created some serious consternation among W&C clients, associates, etc. and gave me an endless source of amusement.)

As noted earlier, Williams & Connolly can be somewhat press-shy, even secretive. This makes sense; in many of their cases, the best result involves their client never being in the newspaper. But given all the drama, here W&C had no choice but to speak. Firm chairman Dane Butswinkas issued a statement: While Quinn Emanuel is an excellent law firm, we are happy just the way we are. We have no plans to merge with them or any other law firm.

What went down here, from the point of view of each firm?

From the perspective of Quinn Emanuel, there was enough there to justify John Quinns confirmation of something when contacted by Legal Business. Remember that Legal Business contacted John Quinn i.e., Quinn Emanuel didnt make an announcement of its own and remember his caveat that the talks were very preliminary. (Side note: the U.K. legal-media outlets tend to be more aggressive in their coverage of the industry than we are in the States, and they will often report out stories that we might hold pending further confirmation.)

From the perspective of Williams & Connolly, this was something spun out of nothing, and there was no way anyone could have thought that even preliminary discussions were underway. This was an informal breakfast meeting, not attended by W&C top brass, focused on personal rather than business matters. Yes, John Quinn randomly tossed out his crazy idea at the end but that idea was not discussed further back at W&C, and certainly not discussed in the Executive Committee that runs the firm. To the contrary, many Executive Committee members and other firm leaders learned of the supposed merger talks the way everyone else did from news reports.

Whose version of events am I inclined to credit? Speaking for myself, I view the W&C account as more credible. Heres why (in addition to the fact that the talks took place over breakfast not dinner, breakfast at a Marriott.)

John Quinns incredible success, as both a lawyer and businessman, rests upon his energy, enthusiasm, and view that almost nothing is truly impossible. When he gets an idea in his head, he runs with it over mountains, through walls, and past any obstacle standing in his way.

In many cases over his long and distinguished career, many of Quinns ideas including the idea for Quinn Emanuel itself, which he launched after leaving Cravath have turned into huge wins. But sometimes Quinns vision can get ahead of reality, which I suspect is what happened in this case. When he raised the idea of a merger with a few Williams & Connolly partners over breakfast, the fact that they didnt explicitly say hell to the N-O even if they gave many other strong indications that anyone else might have viewed as dispositive gave him just enough of an opening to think that preliminary discussions were underway.

(An alternative hypothesis: John Quinn knew full well that this breakfast chat didnt amount to merger discussions, but decided to confirm to Legal Business anyway. Im not sure, however, what his motivation would be for such a move. Did he want to burnish QEs brand by touting talks with another top firm? Did he want to make mischief for W&C? Its all too speculative.)

If law firm consultants were to use this episode as a case study for how to conduct merger talks, what lessons would they draw from it? Here are three that come to my mind:

1. Communicate clearly. This sounds obvious, but its easier said than done. Despite its reputation for ruthlessness, Biglaw can actually be quite genteel and passive-aggressive. Many lawyers like to think of themselves as learned professionals who are above money-grubbing pursuits, so they can turn skittish when talk turns to dollars and cents.

But a merger is a business deal in which money matters, so dont be afraid to be blunt polite, certainly, but honest. And dont defer difficult issues to the post-merger integration, especially issues surrounding compensation and internal leadership, just because its too awkward to talk about them in advance.

2. Get leadership involved early. This is usually not a problem in most law firm mergers, where the deals originate at the top and then get sold to or foisted upon rank-and-file partners later. But in the rare situation where this is not the case, bring the people with actual decision-making authority into the loop as soon as possible. Otherwise youre just wasting everyones time.

3. Prevent leaks. This apparent misunderstanding would never have seen the light of day if someone hadnt leaked the news to Legal Business. Again, plugging leaks is easier than said than done just ask Jeff Sessions but it can be done, especially if the talks take place between firm leaders and are kept inside a small group.

So thats the skinny of how the supposed QE/W&C merger talks came into existence, along with lessons learned. Best of luck to Quinn Emanuel and Williams & Connolly in their very independent respective futures.

Why Its a Good Thing That Williams & Connolly Isnt Merging With Quinn Emanuel [Litigation Daily]

Earlier:

David Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law and the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey; a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. OScannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at dlat@abovethelaw.com.

Originally posted here:
Anatomy Of A Rumor: The Quinn Emanuel / Williams & Connolly ... - Above the Law

By Dayo Adesulu

The Nigerian Anatomy Act would come under intense scrutiny as over 400 anatomists from 55 private and public universities offering anatomy would converge in Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo this Tuesday.

The chairman of the local organizing committee, Professor Jide Desalu, who disclosed thison Thursday, said there was an urgent need for the society to close ranks and see to the amendment of the anatomy act to meet the needs of the 21st century.

For this reason, according to him, the keynote speaker for the event would be no other person than the majority leader of the House of Representative, Hon. Femi Gbajabimila.

In addition, a retired United Nations Organisations official, Professor Oladapo Walker and an official of the federal ministry of health, Mr. Wole Afolayan would deliver lead papers at the two plenary sessions.

Professor Walker, who is a Babcock University lecturer would dwell on Anatomy as a basic medical science: Re-positing for cutting edge research and innovation with Afolayan speaking on Anatomy in the context of the global sustainable development goals.

Professor Walkers presentation, among other things, would examine anatomy as basic medical science from fundamental perspectives while Afolayans paper would examine the present state of anatomy in Nigeria.

According to Professor Adesalu, the over 80 years old act that has never been amended since its enactment would be a subject both for academic and professional experts in the field to analyse and situate against the modern trends in medical discoveries.

This is the time for specific answers to be provided for what the Nigerian anatomist is to be.

We should have a fundamental philosophy for their training. We cannot pretend that we are far from answering these questions right now.

This, in addition to several other important factors, according to him, underline the uniqueness and significance of this years conference with the theme, Anatomy Act: What Next?

The organisers express the view that Babcock University would remain a landmark in the history of Anatomical Society of Nigeria, especially as a turning point and new beginning for the Nigerian anatomist.

This is the time to make a difference in the life of the many undergraduate students graduating annually but without being mentioned in any public announcement for employment.

This, according to the society, remained the only way to justify the essence of training and the prospective professional destination of the Nigerian anatomist.

See the article here:
Anatomical Society of Nigeria seeks amendment of anatomy act - Vanguard

The game is supposed to be easier when you have the lead, but it doesnt always work out that way, and last night was no exception for the San Jose Earthquakes.

The Quakes were already 1-0 up at the time an exceptional individual effort by Marco Urena in the waning moments of the first half saw to that but the visiting Columbus Crew were making it exceptionally difficult for the hosts to find their way in the attacking third.

It was early in the second half, following a first half that saw the Crew have the run of play, and the adjustments the Quakes were making to get comfortable in the game were only just beginning to take effect. The sold-out Avaya Stadium crowd sensed that the a second goal was coming, especially with the teams growing confidence evident for all to see.

And then, in the 56th minute, the breakthrough happened.

A throw-in deep in Columbus territory was quick taken by Shea Salinas, as he picked out Tommy Thompson making a dash towards the area. Throw-ins are set pieces make not doubt about it and Salinas awareness of the situation allowed him to take full advantage of a Crew defense that was slow to settle into its lines.

Shea did a great job of being alert on the quick throw-in, said Thompson. That can be really dangerous for us, so he put me in a great spot, and I knew that if I got to the endline, Wondo is going to find a pocket in the box, so I took a couple guys on and saw him there, crossed it, and the next thing you know I am on the ground.

The play took just seconds, but it was perfectly executed. Chris Wondolowski tapped in the close range cross from Thompson for his 130th all-time MLS goal and ninth of the season to double the Quakes lead. The Quakes captain immediately dashed towards Thompson in celebration, tackling him to the ground with a flying embrace.

I have a soft spot for Tommy, so especially getting the assist from him, Im a big fan of that, said Wondolowski. He didnt know it was coming. Its an inside joke here that you dont want to be the first one to celebrate with me: it might be a punch or it might be a bear hug. I get a little excited.

To say that Wondolowski gets passionate is an understatement. Since his rise to highest echelon of MLS goalscorers he is currently ranked fourth on the all-time list the 34-year old Designated Player and U.S. international has showed an intensity on the field that few others can match. Wondo is demanding both of himself and his teammates, but none would ever say that he doesnt give his all for the team.

The assist to Wondolowski that sparked the unusual celebration was Thompsons just the third of his career, all notched this season, after not collecting a single point in his first three seasons as the Earthquakes first Homegrown player. And while he hasnt been at the center of any of Wondolowskis fired up goal celebrations, hes seen enough of them through the years to have also expected the flying greeting Saturday night.

"By now I should have known that he'd be doing that, said Thompson. It felt good, it was a great moment for the team and a great moment for Wondo and I."

Thompsons accession as a formidable attacking player has not caught longtime observers by surprise. Rather, it has felt that such performances as the fourth year pro gave against Columbus should have been the norm in seasons past. The 21-year-old midfielder has made incredible strides this season, especially under new head coach Chris Leitch, and his assist to Wondolowski was exactly the kind of incisive play many have been expecting.

With his opportunities to play under former head coach Dominic Kinnear limited, Thompson never really found the rhythm that saw him sign his first professional contract as a teenager. But with Leitch and new general manager Jesse Fioranelli running the show, Thompson has been encouraged, almost directed, to make offense a much bigger part of his game.

Jesse and Chris have given me the license to go forward and be brave and to take guys on, said Thompson. So I approach the game a little bit differently, and I think it has paid off so far."

The freedom to take on the heart of the Crew defense, the confidence to know his teammates have his back, the vision to see Wondo sprinting into space in front of the net: These attributes together were the foundation of the Earthquakes second goal of the evening, and they are the recipe for so many more to come from the creative midfielder.

So what is next for Thompson? In his current run, he finally scored his first MLS goal earlier in July at Atlanta United and he has come ever so close to adding to that tally. Late in Saturdays game, Thompson teed up an effort from just inside the area that looked destined to be his second career goal, but it rocketed off the goal frame and back into the field of play.

I thought it was going to hit the crossbar and go in, so I was disappointed to see it not cross the line, said Thompson. I am looking forward to that first Avaya goal one day.

So are the Earthquakes faithful who give Thompson some of the biggest cheers whenever he steps on the field.

Read the original here:
Anatomy of a Goal: Chris Wondolowski game winner against the Columbus Crew SC - Center Line Soccer