10 Bright Spots of MLS Week Thirteen and a Finishing Lesson for the U.S. of A.

United States vs. Paraguay anger/frustration with a little bit of game review taken out at the bottom of this post...

1. Maykel Galindo - his performance this past weekend might not have been as impressive but the Cuban striker keeps finding the back of the net, even when the seemingly sure-fire Juan Pablo Angel has cooled down a bit; Galindo’s Kenny Cooper-esque goal (remember that chip from the same corner of the 18 last year) sealed the 2-0 rebound win over New England


2. Nicolas Addlery - the D.C. United forward came out of “obscurity” and was signed not more than a month ago after the Virginia Beach Mariners disbanded; between Nicolas and Guy-Roland Kpene, they have injected youth into a tiring and aging United line-up; his selection as MLS Player of the Week keeps DC atop the awards stand as they have 3 of those last 4 honors; an injury to Kpene will see Addlery continue to get his time up top with Luciano Emilio


3. FC Dallas Defense - you can make the argument that Houston, Columbus, Chicago, Colorado, and Chivas USA all forced shutouts, but the Hoops backline dealt with a boatload of adversity; it was Bobby Rhine, Aaron Pitchkolan, Clarence Goodson, and David Wagenfuhr that managed to shut down DeRo and the Houston offense; Wagenfuhr also jumpstarted the offense at times with some outside runs as the Hoops also managed to outshoot one of the hottest teams in the league

4. Kei Kamara - struggling all year to find the net, Kamara found it when most needed this past Saturday against the Red Bulls; RBNY’s newly configured defense was effective but let down for Kamara in the 69th minute allowing the Crew to seal their third consecutive victory as their rise in the standings tries to match pace of DC United; the Bulls managed a measly shot on goal while Columbus wasn’t much better but Andy Herron’s cross found Kamara for the nod home

5. Sam Reynolds - an “emergency” GK signing has scored himself some points with Mo and Gansler; his first half was shaky but Reynolds came through when it was sorely needed, making five decent saves to preserve the away tie with Kansas City - Reynolds and Djekanovic. Why not save some cap room and get rid of Greg Sutton? Despite Reynolds' decent game, just like Djekanovic he is raw and somewhat shaky. He got away with some iffy play at times. What were your thoughts on Collin Samuel's debut?


6. Michael Harrington - in the most entertaining game of the weekend, Harrington is third fro m the Toronto/Kansas City match-up; he has become the favorite for rookie of the year and is a real threat on the outside; even more impressive was that he originally played fullback at UNC and, recognizing his talent, he was asked to mold to outside midfield in order to fit the rookie into the KCW line-up


7. Chad Marshall - a fantastic defensive performance against Juan Pablo Angel as he altogether kept Angel, for the first time, off the Top 10 Brightest Spots of the Week; Marshall has been laboring with injury problems and consistency issues after first taking the league by storm earlier in his career; slowly he is making his way back onto the USMNT radar and a performance like this will surely help; as soon as his durability returns look for the US to have yet another central back they can depend on

8. Fred - the DC attacking midfielder has slowly started to find his groove and his MLS scoring account was opened this week after finishing a Nicolas Addlery ball in Thursday nite’s drubbing of Colorado; it’s going to take a little longer and he might not score as often as he did with the Melbourne Victory but he is ready to work his way into that Latin Trifecta even if he’s got to make room for himself

9. Danny Dichio - he doesn’t create much, but when given a decent cross there is almost no one I would rather have in the six battling with the defenders; once I saw Dichio in the vicinity of that cross from Ronnie O’Brien (wish Dichio and Drew Moor were on the same team then maybe he would have finished that sitter, even if it was slow lob of a cross)

10. MLSNet.com’s new look - the verdict is still out on the new website, but it does manage to put a crapload of information on one page and as a stat-lover and as a person who yearns for omnipotence in the world of soccer, the MLS webmasters of done well.

Because I Think...’s Worst (but not really...) of the Week: It’s not MLS, but most of the players on the US Men’s National Team are from the MLS and that performance against Paraguay was one of the most entertaining, frightening, promising, and unbelievably frustrating things I have ever seen; Rico Clark was wonderful, Benny Feilhaber was great until he lost his cool with 20 minutes to go, Benny Olsen fought his ass off yet again but little mistakes and big misses kept the US stale; Feilhaber’s through-ball was a thing of beauty, Justin Mapp’s mazy run through three Paraguayan defenders was just as good and with finishes it all would have been world class football...instead, we saw Eddie Johnson push a near post header wide, Justin Mapp opt out of a through ball to EJ and a far post chip hit the cross bar, Drew Moor missed a wide open header by putting it right into the keeper’s arms (he was almost TOO open), and errant crosses wasted precious chances. Let us not forget the gift-pass from Jimmy Conrad, whose game beside that was rather efficient. In all honesty, though, Bradley has come to Venezuela to test his young’uns. What do we know so far?

Drew Moor can play. His crossing adequate. His tackling adequate. His defensive presence adequate. Let him compete for that right-back spot.

Demerit and Conrad still work well in the middle and could potentially keep Onyewu and Bocanegra honest. Let us forget that Conrad backpass ever happened.
Benny Feilhaber, Ricardo Clark, and Michael Bradley is your midfield of the future folks. Bradley showed it in the Gold Cup and Clark and Benny have shown it in Venezuela. Kljestan was functional. Put Justin Mapp on the wing and improve his decision making and you have a decent midfield people.

Jonathan Bornstein is his own worst enemy, but when on point, he can play with some of the best players in the Western Hemisphere. We have yet to see him against an England, France, or Portugal.

Brad Guzan deserves a chance in goal before this tourney is through.

What are your thoughts?

Paraguay 3, United States 1
Copa America

Goalscorers
PAR: Edgar Barreto, Roque Santa Cruz, Salvador Cabanas
USA: Ricardo Clark

Holy Feilhaber! (Thanks Matt.)

(MLS Recaps below this post, 10 Bright Spots of Week 12 out Monday)

United States 2, Mexico 1
Soldier Field
Gold Cup Final

The USMNT pulled it off in dramatic fashion Sunday night with another PK conversion from Landon Donovan and arguably the best goal of the tournament from Benny Feilhaber (his second international strike). Overall, it was a game in which although Mexico was pressuring and had some real nice looks at Timmy Howard's net, you could feel the Americans oozing confidence and chomping at the bit. It was raw but gradually as the game went on, a somewhat polished team finished a tough two goal turnaround to win 2-1 over Tricolores. Hugo Sanchez must be feeling the pressure now as two losses in a CONCACAF tournament spells "re-evaluation" for the Mexican legend. Bob Bradley pulled it off and it seems the team is starting to mesh well and learn each other. Feilhaber, Bradley, and Mastroeni all work well together - Rico Clark did add energy, but also some unforced errors (not that Bradley and Feilhaber did supply a good many of those either). Howard solid in goal, expected no less. Yes, we need a striker - but the reserved look for Dempsey or Donovan is working well. While Beasley, in form, is fantastic on the wing and showed it several times this cup (his finals performance was a little weak though). Gotta love the depth and, even more so, you have to be somewhat excited to see the young Copa America take on such quality teams. At least we'll get a sense as to where our depth stops...

Anyways the picture about sums up the win...

5 BRIGHT SPOTS of the MATCH

1. Benny Feilhaber - a text I received from a friend after his impressive strike, "Holy Feilhaber!". Couldn't have said it any better - but the truth is, everyone saw the progress and talent emanating from the HSV young'un and despite some errant touches/crappy passes he seemed to know what he had to do to make that midfield functional. Mastroeni did well to adjust quickly to Feilhaber and was his usual no holding back self although the midfield were getting the run around from; it will be nice to see him continue to get time against real big guns in the Copa America

2. Brian Ching - he might not have been the greatest but he certainly showed flashes of brilliance; that turn on the Mexican defender and the ensuing post-clanker was well-executed (although a finish would have been nice); also his work rate was Brian McBride-ish and was what allowed him to draw that penalty kick in the 62nd minute; now to return to help Houston continue their run of good form

3. Andres Guardado - he didn't turn us around like he did in the last meeting, but his goal was well read and his industriousness on the wing inspired "veterans" like Nery Castillo and Carlos Salcido to decent showings; his collision with Jonathan Spector was unfortunate and I only hope he is alright (big balls not to come out)

4. Jonathan Spector - filled in real well for Frankie Hejduk and made a good case for the starting role, although Frankie Simek (his sub after the collision with Guardado) played admirably as well; it will be nice to have depth at that position (both are not on the Copa America squad as Danny Califf and Marvell Wynne will be looked at instead)

5. Tim Howard - that close range save on Bofo Bautista was amazing and his performance, although a tad shaky at times, was typical of an American GK vs. Mexico; silent confidence is Howard especially when you compare him to the douche-bag that is Oswaldo Sanchez (still bitter about that swipe he took at Eddie Johnson in their last encounter); can't wait to see him have another solid year with Everton as the number one and even England great Phil Neville thinks Timmy will leave himself a "legacy" at Goodison Park!

MLS Game Recaps

Here are some great recaps from various contributors at Top Drawer Soccer. If you want a light read and want the intricacies of each match, take a look at'em.

New England 3, Toronto FC 0

Welshman Andy Dorman starts slow but finishes strong with two goals to bring his season tally to 5 and dispatch of the shifty Toronto Reds. Match Recap.

FC Dallas 1, Colorado 0

Juan Carlos Toja provides the offense...again...as FCD overcomes adversity and a strong home presence to defeat the Rapids. Match Recap.

Real Salt Lake 2, D.C. United 1

Oregon State product and Galaxy castaway Robbie Findley welcomed himself to Salt Lake with 2 goals to douse the hottest squad in MLS. Match Recap.

Columbus 3, Los Angeles 2

LA's woes continue as Gaven continues his form and uses his Copa call-up as an excuse to help the Crew dismantle the Galaxy for their second straight win. Match Recap.

Houston 1, Kansas City 0

De Ro and Onstad were back but it was former U-20 USMNT star Patrick Ianni that took the spotlight with a strong header to open his MLS scoring account and sink the Wizards for the second consecutive time. Match Recap.

Each Game a Little Better than the First

I think I saw Bob Bradley smile tonight. I'm serious.

Anyways - a 3-0-0 group stage for the USMNT with wins against Guatemala 1-0, Trinidad and Tobago 2-0, and El Salvador 4-0. The results from tomorrow's Group C match-ups will determine if the US takes on cinderellas Guadeloupe or the third place team from C.

BRIGHT SPOTS

1. Benny Feilhaber and Michael Bradley - a couple errant passes here and there certainly doesn't ruin the fact that their work ethic, composure (pretty good for two guys averaging 20 years of age), and vision were above par; once their technical and tactical abilities catch up somewhat and mix it in with some stiff competition from Rico Clark and a little down the road Dax McCarty or Sacha Kljestan and we have ourselves a decent midfield; it will be interesting to see the reactions to a Mexico, Costa Rica, or Canada.

2. Clint Dempsey - we need a tad more creativity in the line-up and somebody other than Deuce has step up and I'm not talking about Oguchi Onyewu's creativity (how many ways to get a red card); Duece also came back into the midfield and fought for the ball while showing a dare I say, veteran presence on the field

3. Damarcus Beasley - his play against El Salvador was sensational; DMB knew he was going to get chopped, hit, battered, and bruised but held steadfast and tucked the ball away twice (the first one looked like a mishit). Beasley has regained his form (could be cause he's looking actively for a club) and it was evident throughout the group stage

DARK SPOTS

1. Short Passing - the passing up until the third game (and even then there were some weird choices being made) was somewhat atrocious; I understand the squad has been still working on getting a feel for each other but a lot of the reason the USMNT had a bittersweet group stage was because execution was at a recent low; the 4-0 win vs. El Salvador was promising however

2. Oguchi Onyewu - he played better against El Salvador but overall, I think his stock took a tiny nose dive into the middle Premiership realm - instead of Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Liverpool looking at him, you can expect Onyewu to be courted again by Fulham, Bolton, Middlesbrough, the likes of an Osasuna or Real Zaragoza, or maybe even a Siena or Catania - he still has the quarterfinals and hopefully beyond to make his mark

3. Referees - again against El Salvador it seemed the game was under control - but Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago were iffy; and even this last game, El Salvador were taking pot shot after pot shot upon Damarcus Beasley and Clint Dempsey

Next Game: Quarterfinal vs. TBA - Saturday 6/16, 4:30pm, FSC

U.S.A. 1 - Guatemala 0

It was the same physical atmosphere as the friendly deadlock they had earlier this year, but the U.S. got their goal early and held on despite Oguchi Onyewu's sending off with 20 minutes to go. Clint Dempsey finished a nice Taylor Twellman cutback after he caught Guatemala's central defender Melgar sleeping. Landon Donovan, fresh off his 6-0 drubbing of Drew Carey, had a decent game creating chances and taking men on, but the game was really a tale of two halves. One organized and creative soccer, the other physical and scrappy as all hell. The youngsters, Bradley and Feilhaber, in the middle were effective but with some glaring mistakes at times. That is to be expected. An in-depth look at the game tomorrow, ratings and all.


One thing to say though: Pineda, the ref, (and I normally never comment on officiating) was inconsistent and abnormally selective...I don't like him.

Photo Courtesy of Trent Davol, International Sports Images on USSOCCER.com

Tidbits of the Week

Philadelphia's own Chris Albright has been ruled out for the summer with a torn hamstring, further diminishing a dilapidated Los Angeles squad. Not looking good for the Philadelphians, Bobby Convey and Albright are injured. Now Dan Gargan, Colorado Rapids fullback, has to carry the Philly torch of representation.

Real Salt Lake are expected to announce a major player signing this coming week. Everyone's bets are on Kasey Keller who has been told that a new contract is not happening at Borussia M'gladbach. His year was so-so as a strong start led to a dismal finish and a relegation battle.

According to Yanks Abroad, a host of suitors are keeping an eye out for American winger DaMarcus Beasley. Glasgow Rangers, Claudio Reyna's old club, appear to be first on the list. Beasley was not picked up by Manchester City after a semi-successful loan period and his time at home club PSV Eindhoven has, barring a coaching switch/nasty injuries to starting right or left wingers, come to a close.

On October 14th and October 17th, 2007, the US Men's National Team will head on over to Europe to take on some decent opponents in Switzerland and the Spanish region Catalonia (which Barcelona is in). Switzerland is a formidable opponent as we have yet to beat them (0-3-3 all time) and Catalonia will be interesting. As it is not a FIFA team, they field players of Catalonian descent. Stars like Albert Luque (the Newcastle dud), Pepe Reina (the Liverpool hero), and Raul Tamudo (the Barca killer) have suited up for Catalonia. Many wonder why we couldn't get better opponents...you can thank Euro 2008 qualifying for that.

Heavily coveted wonderkid Gareth Bale, who plays for Southampton of the English Championship, has solidified a $20mm dollar move to the Tottenham Hotspur. If Southampton hadn't botched the Championship promotion playoffs, it could have (but probably not) been different. The other strong suitor was Manchester United who failed to play hard this early in the game. Alex Ferguson had stated, however, that Bale was on his list to bring in. Maybe he's not too worried as he looks to pry either Hotspur godsend Dimitar Berbatov or out-of-favor Jermain Defoe away from White Hart Lane.

Former Leeds United and Celtic goalscorer (although his account has all but dried up nowadays) Chris Sutton might wind up in the Championship next season with Norwich City where he spent several years at almost 15 years ago.

David Beckham has been recalled by Steve McClaren to the England national team to face Brazil in an international friendly and Estonia in a Euro 2008 qualifier. The 'prodigal son's' return to England's line-up is bittersweet for Galaxy and American soccer fans as possible absences could bite into the AEG/Galaxy/MLS investment. Alexi Lalas has already issued a response...

Former Aston Villan J'Lloyd Samuel has been picked up on free transfer by the Bolton Wanderers. After several years of contribution, Samuel was left out consistently of the Aston Villa squad last year. His imminent contract expiration was supposed to spark a tiny transfer war, but Bolton got their man rather easily.

US Men's National Team Gold Cup Roster

Goalkeepers (3) - Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

Defenders (8) -Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

Midfielders (8) - DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution)

Forwards (4) - Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards),Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)

Clearly, there are some notable omissions here. A Frankie Hejduk inclusion baffles me, instead of opting for a young back and solid attacking back like Burciaga Jr. Some other players left out were Bobby Boswell, Chris Rolfe, Kyle Beckerman, and Bennie Olsen. It is nice, however, to see Michael Parkhurst get the nod though. Any others missing that hit a nerve?

U.S.A. 0 - Guatemala 0

Ok...so the play was relatively boring, but there was a good soccer IQ without the exposure to commit to execution. Justin Mapp has a plethora of good runs only to see his burst of acceleration blocked by a Guatemalan shin or his step-over thwarted by a double team. Mapp was the player of the day for the US of A. Dempsey had his moments, but again showed me that not playing that much at Fulham is getting to his head. Everyone is saying Feilhaber and Bradley are the future of the U.S. midfielder. I see Ricardo Clark hearing that and then beating Feilhaber and Bradley to starting position. However, they were both solid, Bradley especially. The American backline was shaky and Carlos Ruiz gave them a bit a trouble. I am all for Jay Demerit getting a cap, but if he can’t handle the likes of Lomano Lua-Lua of Portsmouth or Giorgios Samaras of Man City (“lower-tier” Premiership strikers and guys who gave Jay particular trouble), how can he handle the likes of CONCACAF strikers Marlon King, Carlos Ruiz, and Kikin Fonseca. Granted we got the clean sheet, but I don’t think we’ll see Demerit starting come qualifying (and I don’t think many people even expected that). Kenny Cooper also looked remarkably oafy. His touch was pretty bad. I thought he was supposed to be the Yao Ming of the MLS. With all this said, I don’t see this as a step back. Bob Bradley still deserves the position. Dear Bob, I know that’ll inflate the head, but please don’t go losing to China 5-0. Thanks, Breton.

Answer me that pop quiz at the bottom of this post. I will mail you a tootsie roll and a picture of Eddie Johnson signed by me if you do.


Player Ratings:

FC: Eddie Johnson (5) – better than last game but still doody
FC: Landon Donovan (6) – did Ecuador get to his head? No real help though
ML: Justin Mapp (7.5) – his runs were countered but of the right mind
MC: Benny Feilhaber (6) – better vision, but still shaky
MC: Michael Bradley (7) – solid, he really does seem to get it
MR: Clint Dempsey (6) – somebody tell Chris Coleman to play him
DL: Jonathan Spector (5.5) – 21 caps, but still shaky to me, only 21 though
DC: Jimmy Conrad (7) – a real presence in the back, had problem with speed
DC: Jay Demerit (6) – there is potential, but he’s still raw
DR: Frankie Simek (6) – physical, feisty, decision making will come
GK: Kasey Keller (6) – made saves when he had to, but nothing pressing

Sub: Kenny Cooper (5.5) on in the 59th minute for Benny Feilhaber
Sub: Brian Mullan on (-) in the 67th minute for Eddie Johnson
Sub: Wade Barrett (-) on in the 74th minute for Jonathan Spector

Team Average: 6.125


Unused Substitutes:

Steve Cherundolo
Damarcus Beasley
Kyle Kelderman
Brad Guzan
Brian Carroll
Taylor Twellman

Next up for USMNT: vs. China, June 2nd, 2007

POP QUIZ:

Who said “My knee! Oooooh my knee?!”

Which star soccer player (not playing) raised his arms only for national television to capture some nasty pit stains?

Variety

- Take a look at the Fulham FC website splash. They like their American boys.

- Thanks to formerRedBullfan for the link to Giovanni Savarese's letter to fans and inquirers as to how he was dispatched of: CLICK HERE.

- Want to know what it's like in Norway. Cam Weaver, last year's USL Division One Scoring Co-Champion (with Romario no less) was transferred from the Seattle Sounders to FK Haugesund of the Norwegian Tipplegangen (1st Division). This kid can play and won Rookie of the Year and Scoring Champion awards last year. Here is a link to his take on the Scandanavian life on and off the field.


- I understand that the MLS Goal of the Week shows live clips of the nominated goals, but the English Premiership has a pretty sweet take on their Goals of the Week. Check it out here.

- First week of CASA Soccer League games are cancelled thanks to the wonderful Northeast weather. Same first week schedule next weekend.

Here's the USA roster for the friendlies coming up against Ecuador and Guatemala:

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
Goalkeepers (3) - Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
Defenders (8) -Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Jay Demerit (Watford FC), Oguchi Onyewu (Newcastle United), Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
Midfielders (7) - DaMarcus Beasley (Manchester City), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Brian Carroll (D.C. United), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire)
Forwards (6) - Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)

- Trust me when I say I didn't forget about the new partnership between the German Bundesliga and Major League Soccer. Regardless of whether or not it is pure crap, a partnership is a partnership and any marketing is good marketing. Here are several news sources to read up on it: Eurosport, MLSNet

- Ronaldinho's proposed transfer to AC Milan has been referred to as a "joke". His brother and agent has reports that Ronny is planning on sticking around at Nou Camp. Read here.

- Juninho Pernambucano, the midfield artist of Olympique Lyonnais, is uncertain about his future at Gerland. Terrible blow if this happens. Not that they don't have a solid midfield in Tiago, Kim Kallstrom, Jeremy Toulalan, and others. I guess it's just not the same when you've won 5 Ligue 1 titles and still no Champions League final to your name. Somebody tell Juninho that the Houston Dynamo of D.C. United would be happy to give him that Champions League (Cup) title...

- The UEFA Cup Quarterfinal Draw

FC Sevilla (ESP) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
AZ Alkmaar (NED) vs. Werder Bremen (GER)
Bayer Leverkusen (GER) vs. Osasuna (ESP)
Benfica (POR) vs. Espanyol (ESP)

Three Spanish teams. Not bad. I can't believe Newcastle choked.

- England squad for the upcoming Euro 2008 Qualifiers against Isreal and Andorra


Goalkeepers: Scott Carson (Charlton Athletic, on loan from Liverpool), Paul Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur), Ben Foster (Watford, on loan from Manchester United)
Defenders: Ashley Cole (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea), Phil Neville (Everton), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Gary Neville (Manchester United), Jonathan Woodgate (Middlesbrough, on loan from Real Madrid)
Midfielders: Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Kieron Dyer (Newcastle United), Scott Parker (Newcastle United), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards: Darren Bent (Charlton Athletic), Andrew Johnson (Everton), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur)

Beckham would have fit right nice in there. Joey Barton got arrested and consequently dropped from the squad.

- Here's another analysis of the problems and benefits of the Designated Player Rule. So far this rule has done nothing but good, unless somebody can prove to me otherwise. Anyways, here it is.

- Can somebody please tell me why I should keep giving FSC Commentator Christian Miles more chances to redeem himself? This guy is terrible. There is not one redeeming quality about his presentation and commentating. Please persuade me to like him (I muted the last game).


***I was asked recently to cover some aspect of World Soccer for a website, Sportingo.com. I would really like your input as to what I should write about. Americans Abroad? Team Breakdowns, A Breakdown of Great Young Players Worldwide by Continent (I'm partial to that one)? PLEASE throw me any suggestions you might have!

A Decent Start...

CONCACAF Champions Cup


D.C. United 1, CD Guadalajara (Chivas) 0
First Leg, Washington D.C.

A last minute thriller by the man of the month, Luciano Emilio, saved D.C. United from having a defecit heading into Guadalajara for the second leg. Both goals came in the last 25 minutes making this one a nailbiter in front of the 27,000 or so on hand. Omar Bravo looked Andres Guardado-like for Chivas but D.C. kept fighting. I'm just wondering where Yinka Casal and Fred are going to fit in as I had absolutely no problems with De Roux on the left side today. That's what the last few preseason games will tell us. It is still a tough route to get through to the final as nothing comes easy in Guadalajara.


DCU: Emilio (90+)
CHV: O. Bravo (63)

Houston Dynamo 2, Pachuca 0
First Leg, Houston, TX

I think yesterday's Robertson Stadium power outrage helped Houston out. Calm and collected was NOT Houston's game, but they got the job done. The shakiest aspect of the game was Houston's defense in the early moments of the game. The Dynamo also started without DeRo who came on in the 76th still smarting from a tight hammy. The amount of defensive miscues Houston had were equaled by the amount of crap marking jobs Pachuca had. Ching's header was golden. Wondolowski, MLS reserve scoring champ, connected wide-open as well. The marking was atrocious. Just like D.C., however, we have to remember that heading to Mexico will be interesting. I think the Dynamo will pull through.

HOU: Ching (57), Wondolowski (84)
PAC: NONE

UEFA Cup


AZ 2, Newcastle 0
AZ wins 4-4 on away goals.

How sad is that. Onyewu, cup-tied, had to sit and watch the mess that was the boys from Tyneside. Sadness. They even had a goal called back in injury time. Shota Arveladze and Danny Koevermans dispatched the Magpies with their respective goals. Now all Newcastle can do is fight really hard for a European spot next year. Looks real unlikely.

Other Scores:
Espanyol 4, Maccabi Haifa 0 (Espanyol wins 4-0 on aggregate)
Benfica 3, Paris Saint-Germain 1 (Benfica wins 4-3 on aggregate)
FC Sevilla 3, Shakhtar Donetsk 2 (Sevilla wins 5-4 on aggregate)

- Benny Feilhaber, Frankie Simek, and Jay Demerit all got call-ups to the US National team for their friendlies against Ecuador and Guatemala. I single these three out because they have never played for the national team before. Other than that, it is rather European-based heavy. The statistics, however, tell us otherwise as 11 of the 24 are MLS-based. I'm looking forward to seeing Benny in the middle the most. Benny plays his ball with Hamburg of the German Bundesliga, Frankie Simek plays with Sheffield Wednesday, and Jay Demerit plays for Watford of the English Premiership.

- Toronto FC has sold out their 14,000 season tickets. That's amazing. Go to Jesses' Toronto FC blog for more info.

Arsenal give way to Brad Friedel.

Blackburn 1, Arsenal 0 (FA Cup Fifth Round replay)

An 87th minute goal by late sub Benny McCarthy sunk Arsenal. Ahem - I said B'burn would win - cough. I still don't know why McCarthy was benched in favor of young striker Matt Derbyshire, but either way he made his presence known. Arsenal dominated possession and had the most chances but that's where finishing comes in. Brad Friedel was solid, as usual. Blackburn will move on to face Damarcus Beasley and Man City (hopefully Beasley plays) on March 11th. Rovers - welcome to the FA Cup Quarterfinals.



Other news:

* The Sevilla game vs. Real Betis (the one I recommended) was stopped prematurely due to Juande Ramos, Sevilla's coach, getting hit by a unidentified object (most likely a bottle) from the crowd. I'm sorry, but what the F*** is wrong with people. Tell me. Somebody. Stupid f***s. I'll keep you updated once punishments are handed out.

* Despite my desire to see Robbie Fowler in the MLS and his rumored talks with New England Revolution, here is an article quoting his agent that Qatar is a more likely destination. Other than money, what is the appeal of Qatar?? Liverpool, however, has signed Andriy Voronin putting Fowler 4th down on the pecking order.

* Ex-RBNY young'un Gabriel Ferrari didn't get into Sampdoria's 2-1 win against Atalanta.

* U.S. Soccer Federation has backed the preparation and efforts towards a 2018 World Cup Bid. This came even before Sepp Blatter, FIFA's president, said that it is very likely that 2018 might not be going to England or Europe in general. Instead, it's gonna stay over in the New World or possibly even Asia. Here is the article.

*Olympique Lyonnais has announced plans to build a new stadium by 2010. I have been to their current stadium, Stade de Gerland, and it gets the job done but it is pretty damn old.

USA to Play China

The Men's National Team will take on the Chinese Men's National Team on June 2nd in San Jose, CA. Look to see a lot of Earthquakes supporters there and in a joyful mood because I guess, with an educational twinge to it, that they will have their MLS team back by then. Anyways, this friendly will be a good test right before the CONCACAF Gold Cup which starts June 6th and goes til June 24th.

Well well well...

Seems very likely, based on various rumors and chatter on other blogs, that Bob Bradley will be our new American coach. It's been longer than a Jet Blue flight waiting for Gulati's decision.

He has been operating under an Interim tag. His track record, however, has seen him defeat Denmark 3-1 and Mexico 2-0. Wins against Mexico are things you can't take likely. He did it without several players, too. No Onyewu, no Cherundolo, etc. In accordance with what several have said to me recently, it is about time. New Jersey man getting what he deserves.

In other news:

Jemal Johnson will join up with Eddie Lewis at Leeds United. In my opinion, we will never hear from either of them again. Leeds has turned into the black hole of the Championship. Seems only a couple years ago there was... Jamie McMaster, Alan Smith, Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Paul Robinson. The list is seemingly endless. Oh well...

USA Men's Nat'l Team Copa America Schedule
June 28 vs Argentina (in Maracaibo)
July 2 vs. Paraguay (in Barinas)
July 5 vs. Colombia (in Barquisimeto)

Great competition! This will be interesting as the first game takes place only 4 days after the Gold Cup final. Coach Bradley is gonna have to put his head to work on this one. That's a lot of games in short period of time. Poor MLS, yet again missing most of their stars.

Then again, the absence of stars normally hastens the development of those waiting for their chance.

PENDING:

1. Those MLS Predictions (by early-mid March)
2. Spotlights on MLS Players (first one by early March)
3. shoot me any ideas or things you would like me to cover.

Breton