Ciao, Cobi

Taking a look back at Cobi Jones, now that he's stepped off the MLS stage.

I still think there's a small chance, if his injury improves during the offseason, that Cobi might return, but I'd put it at less than ten percent. "

"That would be highly unlikely - to come back next year," Cobi himself said.
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El Guzmano

Brad Guzan won the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award on Wednesday. With the lofty award comes some attention from outside the regular soccer media, one of which was Los Angeles sports talk radio station AM 570.

Guzan was a guest on the Loose Cannons on Wednesday afternoon, which was great for him and for Chivas USA.

The only problem is, host Steve Hartman introduced him as Brad Guzman.

Listen to the podcast here. It's on the lower left side.

(Thanks to DB for this info)

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Classy guy finishes first

Waaaay back in 2006, I took my daughter Yvie out to Home Depot Center with me. I wanted to take some pictures with her and a player or two. The one Chivas USA player I saw and got to take a picture with her was Brad Guzan, who on Wednesday was named the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Guzan was as accommodating then as he has always been. He's a classy kid and has been from the first time I talked to him.

I've shared this picture before on here but I thought it was appropriate to re-post today.

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Alright, Afshin

Pete Vagenas told me once about how his soccer career in Pasadena developed under the guidance of Afshin Ghotbi, who ran a youth club in that area. Afshin has gone on to one of the most varied coaching careers imaginable. I talked with him only a few times when he was the assistant coach of the the Galaxy, and it always struck me how calm and composed he was - in victory or defeat. He definitely seemed like a true tactician of the game.

This article doesn't mention his Galaxy days, but it does explain how Afshin may become Iran's next national team coach.
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Guzan's the best

Congratulations to Brad Guzan as he was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year today. Quite an accomplishment when you consider where he was his first season.

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Sudamericana semifinals

River Plate tied Defensor Sporting of Uruguay 0-0 and qualified for the Copa Sudamericana semifinals. River Plate will meet fellow Argentine side Arsenal in one half of the semis while Club America of Mexico will play Millonarios of Colombia in the other.

At this point, the final most people want to see is River Plate-America. Both sides are loaded with tradition and count on support from millions of fans across the globe. That final would be truly captivating. However, it probably won't happen. Too many things seem to go wrong against Mexican teams in South American competition. Still, Pachuca won this very tournament a year ago to break Mexico's duck in South American tournaments so if anything America has that to draw inspiration from.

A final of Arsenal-Millonarios might still be entertaining but it wouldn't draw nearly the same amount of attention as River-America.

River Plate seems like a team of destiny, at least in this tournament. Their Round of 16 match against Botafogo was one of the more thrilling finishes I've seen in a while. River were playing 9-on-10 and needed a goal to win the series. It seemed like it was all but over until Ariel Ortega hit a perfect cross to Radamel Falcao, who placed the header gently into the back of the net in stoppage time and River Plate won 4-2 and advanced on a 4-3 aggregate.

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I'll get right on it

Got this in my SI.com inbox:

Hometown: Kwekwe

Question: can you please provide information on zimbabwe striker joseph ngwenya on my email address every week.this must include how many goals he scored this season and his current form

Come on, man. I mean, if you made it to SI.com, I'm sure you can go right over to MLSnet.com. Or maybe internet access in Kwekwe is limited to SI.com/soccer.
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Making an entrance

Eric Wynalda was one of the many media members who turned up for Tuesday's Chivas USA media game. He was his usual talkative self. But at one point he walked by a group of us and expressed his feelings over a colleague of ours.

Okay, he was irritated. Jaime Cardenas pretty much sums it up on his blog so go here for the info.

As for the media game, I wasn't able to participate because I had less than 24 hours notice that the game was taking place. It was a bit of a disappointment since I played in the first two and I'm in much better shape now than ever. I would have liked to have participated but I needed more time to prepare. I've got daughters and they've got places to be and I can't just drop everything on a moment's notice. I guess that's what happens when you get old, people start to depend on you.

Oh well. I wouldn't have minded playing on the same team as Eric Wynalda and Christian Miles. Daily News writer Billy Witz played in the game so I'll have to ask him how it went. Actually, the better question would be how the hottest ChivaGirl looked, I mean, played. Kortney was on one of the teams. Honestly, forget Waldo. It was missing out on Kortney I was most upset about.

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Forwards out

Preki ruled out Ante Razov for Saturday, which was expected.

But many are wondering whether Maykel Galindo will see playing time or not. LA Times writer Jaime Cardenas says not to hold your breath.

Galindo told us yesterday that he has a sports hernia, which is far more serious than an abdominal strain. We're waiting to hear from team trainers about some specifics regarding the injury and whether one led to the other or not and the like and once we do, I'll let you guys know.

I don't think Chivas is done, though, even if Galindo doesn't play. I would be more skeptical of their chances if Houston and DC United hadn't also lost 1-0. In fact, the four higher seeds combined for zero goals. I think Chivas was going for the draw and would have been content with that result but were also aware that a one-goal loss wasn't going to kill them. Preki disputed that, though. He said they never go for draws but I don't necessarily buy that.

Preki also said he wouldn't rule out starting Jonathan Bornstein at forward. If that happens, that would be an act of desperation. There are essentially three players to fill the two forward spots: John Cunliffe, Laurent Merlin and Ramon Nunez. Starting Bornstein there would be a bit of a no-confidence vote on that trio. More likely would be another 4-5-1 with a healthy Orlando Perez at left back, a midfield line of Bornstein-Mendoza-Marsch-Nagamura-Kljestan and Merlin up top.

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England 2018?

If you're reading this blog, chances are you follow CONCACAF somewhat closely. And if you do, you know damn well that this region is not the greatest. Okay, it's pretty bad. Let's face it - the U.S. and Mexico pretty much get a pass into the World Cup. I can't imagine either the U.S. or Mexico not qualifying for a World Cup and sometimes I wonder if Mexico's 2001 campaign really happened, and I usually ask myself 'How the hell did that happen?'

Costa Rica is a strong nation and some team usually steps up and makes things interesting (Honduras in '01, Trinidad in '05) but even the Ticos are separating themselves from the rest of the pack.

So when the World Cup rotation was set to head to North America, I was pretty excited. Much like the easy path the U.S. and Mexico have to get to the World Cup, this region had a similar challenge in hosting a World Cup, which would be great for soccer fans on this side of the world.

I was 10 in 1986 and 18 in 1994, so I didn't truly enjoy those tournaments so I've always kind of hoped for a World Cup in this part of the world, one that I could drive to instead of take a 10-hour flight to. I was happy with either Mexico or the U.S. hosting, though I must admit hanging in Guadalajara the night before, say, Germany-Scotland would be awesome. I mean, think about the amount of Estrellas, Sols and Jimador tequila that would be consumed! Fantastic!

Well, those thoughts are now simply pipe dreams. The rotation system is no more and 2018 has been opened up for the world to bid on.

Honestly, though, I thought the rotation system was lame. The way I see it, the World Cup should alternate between Europe and elsewhere, which is how it's been for the longest time.

In 1958, Sweden hosted. Four years later it was in Chile, then England, then Mexico, Germany, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Italy, US, France, Korea/Japan, Germany, South Africa.

Brazil 2014 will snap that streak. There's no way the World Cup will be away from Europe for three consecutive World Cups. I don't see it, and honestly that's sacrilegious.

Let me be the first to congratulate England for hosting the 2018 World Cup. If Brazil deserved to host the 2010 edition, surely England deserves the 2018 tournament. We can hold out hope that 2022 will be in either the U.S. or Mexico.

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Obrigado Brasil

It's been pretty much a well-known fact that Brazil was going to get to host the 2014 World Cup but the official announcement still gives me jitters.

Brazil is now officially the host nation for the 2014 World Cup.

In soccer terms, there are few nations as deserving as Brazil to host a World Cup. The last time Brazil hosted a World Cup, the nation had exactly zero World Cup titles. Now, Brazil has five. Then, games were not broadcast on television. Now, overall viewers for one World Cup numbers in the billions.

But soccer is not the only factor considered for hosting a tournament, and Brazil's economy has lagged. I don't profess to know the economic health of Brazil but I would venture to guess that it is healthier than South Africa's. Maybe it's not, I don't know. But I do know that South Africa isn't a safe nation at all. In fact, I think it has one of the highest murder rates in the world. So if South Africa can host a World Cup despite its economic and safety shortcomings, surely Brazil could pull one off.

Well, that's not exactly the line of reasoning behind this latest selection. Actually, it was the rotation process that landed South America a World Cup. 2014 will be that continent's first World Cup since Argentina 1978, so the continent will be a focus for the tournament, not just Brazil.

Personally, I don't know if I'll go. Who knows if I'll even still be in the business in 2014? As a freelancer, I've got to pay for stuff on my own, and I'd fancy to guess that that would be an expensive venture. I won't go to South Africa for monetary reasons and other issues as well and I wasn't in Germany. I did go to Japan for the '02 World Cup, which was cool.

I'd love to go to Brazil. My daughters will be, uh, let me see, 10 and 8 by then, so maybe we could plan a family trip... or not. That's quite an expensive trip.

Regardless, I'm happy that Brazil got the nod for 2014.

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Facing facts

So I tried this Facebook deal. Some of the Chivas USA players were talking about Facebook and I felt all old since I didn't know what it was all about so I tried it and created an account and all that. Well, I nearly forgot about it until I got a couple of friends trying to add me. So I figured I'd beef it up so it doesn't look so pathetic.

If you want to add me, go for it. You can search for me. I'm the one with the Inland Empire, CA network. And if you can give me some tips on how to not make it look so lousy, I'd appreciate it.

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Rework the postseason

Another writer chiming in on how the MLS postseason doesn't work.

Okay, so that writer is me.

I guess my bottom line is that I feel in many ways the playoffs are cheapened somewhat by the inclusion of teams that have more losses than wins or have had an otherwise drab regular season.

Plus, consider that MLS sees 8 of its 13 teams in the postseason while MLB allows 8 of its 30 teams in the playoffs. Yes, there are too many #$*&!@ baseball games in one season but that season means a whole helluva lot more than the MLS campaign.

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Flagging down the Bull

Pat Walsh points out that Bruce Arena doesn't seem as mighty as he once did.

I'll be honest, that's why even back in early 2006, I was hoping he'd coach a club somewhere, though not necessarily even in MLS. Arena had gotten comfortable with the U.S. national team, leading them out against a lot of undermatched squads, frankly. If he ever lost, he tended to blame MLS, the players, everything but himself.

At the World Cup, when he admitted "blame" for the team's loss and performance, he did so in his trademark sarcastic manner that actually expressed the opposite of taking any responsibility.

I don't think Arena's a bad coach at all, but I do think he started to buy into an overinflated sense of his own importance. A club job, I thought, would reveal the substance of his skill.

I'm not in New York, so I'm curious as to what grade fans or those closer to the situation would grade him.
From my outside perspective, I'd venture a B-. Signing Reyna as a DP for a million dollars? Trading Todd Dunivant? What the heck was up with Wattereaus? Positives would include signing Juan Pablo Angel (who he is apparently pissing off now, though), and Dane Richards.
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Interliga announcement

InterLiga™ 2008, the fifth edition of the tournament that determines two berths for Mexican clubs to the prestigious Copa Libertadores, will be held between Wednesday, January 2 and Saturday, January 12, 2008, with stops in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. The eight teams participating in InterLiga 2008 earned berths based on their combined record in the 2006 Apertura and 2007 Clausura seasons of the Mexican domestic league. The eight squads are: Group A – América, Atlas, Toluca, Morelia;Group B – Cruz Azul, Pumas, Monterrey, San Luis.
If any of the participating eight teams becomes champion of the current 2007 Apertura season, to be crowned the weekend of December 8, that club will be replaced by Atlante. The champion of the 2007 Apertura is required to participate in the 2008 CONCACAF Champions Cup. While InterLiga™ 2008 will determine two Mexican club births for Copa Libertadores known as “Mexico 2” and “Mexico 3”, the other spot, known as “Mexico 1,” has been determined according to the regulations set forth by the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol. Given Pachuca’s required participation in the 2008 CONCACAF Champions Cup due to its status as the champions of Mexico’s 2007 Clausura, CD Guadalajara, the 2006 Apertura champions, have been selected as “Mexico 1” and will participate in the 2008 Copa Libertadores. Schedule In its fifth anniversary, InterLiga will kick off on Wednesday, Jan. 2 in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, with a Group B doubleheader, highlighted by a duel between InterLiga™ veterans Cruz Azul and newcomers San Luis (matches start at 7 p.m. local). Group A action hits Frisco on Sunday, Jan. 6 including a match up between Mexican powers América and Toluca (matches start at 4 p.m. local). InterLiga will return to the Bay Area for the first time since 2005, beginning Thursday, Jan. 3 with Group A action starting at 6:30 p.m. (local time). Less than a week later, Group B clubs will be featured in a doubleheader on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m. (local time). The Bay Area venue will be announced in the coming weeks. For the second consecutive year, InterLiga™ returns to Houston’s Roberston Stadium for a Group B doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 5 featuring Cruz Azul against Monterrey as well a match between San Luis and Pumas (matches starting at 7 p.m. local time). Group A teams will close out the group phase on Wednesday, Jan. 9 in Carson, California including a match between América and Atlas, Mexican League playoff opponents during the last two seasons (matches starting at 6 p.m. local). The InterLiga™ 2008 finals will then take place on Saturday, Jan. 12 at The Home Depot Center, site of the finals in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Match times and order of the games will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Who can name the guys in the photo? Take a wild guess even if you don't know.



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Frank finality

The Galaxy owners, AEG, haven't yet made a decision on whether to retain Frank Yallop. Our poll shows that if our readers had their way, Klinsmann would be the new Galaxy coach.

Some time ago, I asked Landon Donovan if players had spoken to team administration about their preference. Landon admitted the uncertainty was difficult to deal with.

“I think [the players] are doing everything they can for Frank. They’ve given everything for him. If [Galaxy administrators] decide it today or tomorrow, that’s fine. You know how this business is.”

“I’ve gotten to the point where whatever is going to happen is going to happen. If he’s gone, he’s gone. If he stays here, then great. There’s no use worrying about it.”

With the upcoming exhibition games still to be played, Frank's fate could be put off a bit longer.

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Mexico mourns

... or rejoices depending on what colors you wear.

The four most popular clubs in Mexico met on Sunday as Cruz Azul played Pumas and America hosted Chivas.

Cruz Azul got a pair of goals from Miguel Sabah and beat Pumas 2-1. Later in the day, Juan Carlos Silva scored a pair as America beat Chivas 2-1 in the superclasico, which again lived up to its name.

America got a great performance from Memo Ochoa and the goalposts. Two Chivas shots hit the post and several others were saved by Ochoa. The story above doesn't mention crowd count but during the television broadcast the announcers said there were more than 100,000 people in Azteca for the game.

And just for kicks, here's a picture of Francisco Palencia and Cruz Azul goalkeeper Oscar Perez posing with their sons. Little Tristan Palencia's got a cool little hairdo.

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Freddy scores again

This time, it's the winning goal.


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Cazador outtakes

PE colleague Jim Alexander talked to Chivas USA exec Shawn Hunter at a recent game. Although he talked to him at length, Jim was only able to use a small portion of what Hunter told him.

Here's the rest of that interview courtesy of Jim's blog.

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What brave new world?

It could just be a muddy NFL game in London.

Or it could be the beginning of the apocalypse.
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Other issues, other teams

The rivals of the U.S. women aren't resting on their progress, but the U.S. isn't the only squad looking to regroup. While the professional game is progressing in Germany, one Norwegian player is retiring to focus on a teaching career because it's too difficult to do both.

For that matter, Norway's coach has issues of his own in dealing with players.
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Running with the Red Bull

New York's Dane Richards still has an outside chance of picking up Rookie of the Year honors. Unlike Maurice Edu, another top contender, Richards also has a chance to help his team in the MLS playoffs. His speed is one of his greatest assets and it can really stretch the three-man backline of New England.

Here's what the Galaxy's Mike Randolph, no slouch in the speed department himself, had to say about defending Richards.

"Every time they pass him the ball, I feel like I’m at a track meet. I’m just running for my life, basically. He’s a good player, very fast. I just try to keep him in front of me."
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Format finagling

Max Bretos had an interesting suggestion last night. After noting that none of the higher seeds held an advantage in any of the playoffs series thus far, he opined that the current MLS playoff format was a bit unfair to the higher seed. He proposed that the home-and-away series be switched from the current first round to the conference final round, with the first round being a winner-take-all match at the higher seed's home stadium.

I mulled that over. I'm not sure that the current structure is so unfair. Thing is, I don't believe that any playoff team has put away their opponent. After what the Earthquakes pulled on the Galaxy in 2003, everyone knows that not even a four-goal lead is safe. No team in the current playoffs has more than a one-goal lead.

Basically, I have a hard time believing that any of the teams coming home for the final game isn't confident that playing at home for the final game isn't the exact advantage they need to control their destiny. Frankly, if a team can't beat any MLS opponent at home for the right to continue to battle for the championship, they don't deserve to move on. Even a one-goal win by the home teams would guarantee overtime and perhaps a winner-take-all penalty kick format.

Plus, it's hard for me to look at the playoffs as such an upset when Chivas USA is missing both Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo, or when Chicago merely continues its jinx versus DC United. FC Dallas and New York's results are a bit more surprising, but given their playoff history, I'm more than a bit skeptical that they can finish the job.

Rumor had it that the late Lamar Hunt insisted on the current playoff format, after the league owners scaled back the playoffs to save costs. He contended that reaching the playoffs was an honor, and that each team's fans deserved to see and cheer their team in at least one playoff match. The current format allows that, but the solution Bretos proposed does not.

There's a certain logic to Hunt's argument, but I'd like to hear from readers what they'd prefer. Frankly, I'd like more of a Champions League style format - continuing the home and away set-up all through the playoffs, until the final match, which would of course be the winner take all. I realize that would somewhat nullify the home-game advantage that the higher seed in the conference final currently gets.
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Chivas-KC thoughts

Sorry, no running blog from L.B. tonight. I'm on my fifth Bud Light and if all goes well I'll double that by night's end. I don't drink-and-type well so no go.

Anyway, the first half went pretty bad for Chivas USA. Kansas City is up 1-0 at halftime.

The one thing that could have done Chivas USA in has happened as Preki was forced to change his formation. Chivas stressed a "block of eight" this year in which the defensive and midfield lines were responsible for a bulk of the work, but against the Wizards Preki was forced to use a 4-5-1 formation because of injuries, so there goes the "block of eight." Laurent Merlin's okay normally but he needs another forward to play off of and Sacha Kljestan isn't playing like Maykel Galindo normally would.

Chivas are in trouble. The best they can hope for at this point is a 1-1 draw but given their paltry few chances and ineffectiveness on set pieces, that's asking for a lot.

Okay, on to number six. If I'm firing on all cylinders I'll write something after the game. If not, well, I guess they will have gotten to me.

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NY and NE rb

Here we go, here we go! With the pregame show, that is. It's almost over, though. Reyna's on the field.

10 - Sorry, connection problems. Red Bull is playing well but the game is scoreless.
15 - Lots of balls going over the top - not a great-looking game. I could be biased because of the NFL lines.
16 - Altidore with a shot - hits the crossbar. Well done.
21 - Juan Pablo Angel with a shot - way over the top.
26 - Dane Richards and Francis Doe causing New England's defenders all sorts of problems. Altidore can't quite get turned in the box versus two defenders.
28 - Corner kick for NE, earned by Ralston and taken by Ralson. Cleared out.
29 - Nice cross comes to Angel, but his header goes off target. Good chance.
31 - New England is gaining more ground on their counter chances.
32 - Freeman takes a hard outside shot, but Reis hangs on to the ball. Good thing, because Jozy was right there for the rebound.
37 - Red Bulls still pressuring, but still coming up empty. Freekick chance way in the corner now, earned by Reyna. NE clears.
39 -Wells Thompson is a scrapper. He could get carded out of this game, or make a real difference.
42 - Ralston's crosses are quality. Nothing came from that one, though.
44 - Van den Burgh has nice crosses as well, Angel gets on the end of that one, but fouls in the process.
45 - Last chance on a freekick for New York doesn't work out. Good soccer for the Red Bulls, but the scoreboard doesn't reflect that.

2nd half
46 Red Bulls keep their energy up. They're working hard for a goal.
47 - New England looks a little flabbergasted at the work rate of the Red Bulls, but they're managing to hold them off.
50 - The last pass is just missing for New York. They're coming close, but that doesn't count in soccer.
54 - Semi-scrap between Pat Noonan and Angel. The scrum looked intense for a bit, but no punches thrown and no cards given.
57 - NE looking dangerous on their last couple of attack. It's New York's turn to defend desperately.
60 - Shalrie with a hard outside shot - just wide.
62 - Angel with some tricky moves in the box - New York fans boo, wanting a penalty kick, but nothing doing.
63 - New York with an attacking wave, but NE fights it back.
65 - NE looked like it had a great advance going, but Francis Doe got the ball back, then Heaps saved a possible goal by getting to a cross first on the other end.
66 - Twelman in the box, but can't get a shot off. New York a bit lucky there - the ball bounced their way.
68 - Sinisa Ubiparipovic comes in for Francis Doe. That's a bit surprising. I thought Doe had been really active.
71 - Red Bulls have regained the majority of the control, putting pressure on NE again.
72- CK for NE - then another. Ralston takes, cleared.
74 - Michael Parkhurst gets his first card of the year taking down Jozy on the breakaway. Free kick comes to nothing, but New York is pushing hard again.
77 - Time is running out for New York in a game they have dominated but not delivered on the goals.
78 - Chris Leitch on for Van den Burgh.
80 - NE with a nice passing sequence - a draw would be fine for them. They're not giving up on the win, but they're certainly not pushing as hard for it.
83 - Joseph is playing so well for NE - they did well to extend his contract.
85 - Jeff Parke gets a yellow for dissent, apparently. Seth Stammler barely saves a goal from Twellman. Heaps with a forearm to the head of Altidore. Then he's taken down at the top of the box, but the ref plays advantage, even though he gives a yellow leter on.
87 - Clint Mathis on for Reyna, while NE has yet to make a sub. Oh, no - Adam Cristman on for Pat Noonan.
89 - Angel nearly made a flick behind the defense, work, but Parkhurst clears.
90 - James Riley on for Wells Thompson. Cristman and Twellman combine well to keep the ball in New York's end. What looks like a handball turns into a foul for Dane Richards. Coach Bruce Arena is furious, but the replay shows it was the right call. Perhaps not so on the next call, which looked like a New York corner denied. Just the story of the match for Red Bull.

Fulltime

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Panchito's tale

When Francisco Mendoza first arrived at Chivas USA, he was a bit homesick but toughed it out, both on and off the field. He's one of three players still around from the first season. He also earned the nickname Panchito, but he preferred to be called Pancho. At first, he tried to correct people when they called him Panchito but after a while it just stuck and he stopped correcting people.

The Daily News' Ivan Orozco tells us a bit more about Panchito's life.

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Smoke gets in your eyes

The Galaxy are playing a wildfire relief charity match.

Chivas USA, of course, is busy with the playoffs.
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Dictating terms

If Chivas USA plays their game, they will be tough to beat.

Of course, Eddie Johnson will be a handful for Chivas.

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Garber gabs

...with SI.com readers via Jonah Freedman.

Interesting info in that Q&A. He downplays the talk of expanding the DPs from one per team to two per team, which is the a good move in my opinion. He also talks about the US Open Cup and taking summer breaks when important tournaments are going on and how weather plays a role.

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Wilmer Cabrera Intro

The new coach of the U.S. U17 team, Wilmer Cabrera, is going to be introduced by USSF president Sunil Gulati via conference call to the media today.

Yep, I'm on hold again. Same peppy swing music playing. I'll admit to liking the big band era, and had fun during the revival back during the Swingers period in the 1990's, but the same tune again and again is annoying.

Ha! Sunil Gulati just admitted his Spanish is less than perfect. True, but I'd admit the same of myself. It always cracks me up when people say Landon Donovan's Spanish is perfect. It's not. The fact that it exists at all is a good thing, but it's not nearly perfect.

Wilmer is on now, talking about his experience as a player and how he thinks it will help the young players he coaches.

Jeff Carlise asks about the Hispanic community's involvement in the youth ranks. Wilmer says he's just looking for good players, no matter where they are from.

Brian Gomez asks about the biggest challenge faced by Wilmer in his new gig. Wilmer says continuing and improving the success of the U17 team and developing players for the full national team.

Sunil adds that Wilmer's experience as a youth player who came up to play for his national team will inform his coaching.

Sunil talks about how he knew Wilmer for a long time, back in his playing days. He tried to bring him to MLS at one point.

"Fun to play" is part of Wilmer's coaching philosophy. Wilmer says that's the way he learned.

Sunil says that Bradenton is being assessed against the alternative - and if the alternative becomes the better option, Bradenton could be changed.

I ask Wilmer if, since he came up through the youth system of a pro soccer team, if he prefers that to be the future model, rather than Bradenton.

Wilmer says U.S. soccer is not to going to follow one route - that the MLS academy system may look good right now, but it needs to be evaluated for effectiveness before the current U17 system is scrapped.

Then I asked Sunil about the language issue as a potential team divider. Back in 2005, I covered the U17 World Cup in Peru, which featured a number of Spanish-speaking players - the Farfan brothers, David Arvizu, Diego Restrepo - and one of their teammates expressed frustration that sometimes they spoke only in Spanish. He felt left out, and said it happened on the field on occasion as well.

Sunil says he's disappointed that it would ever be considered an issue, especially considering how so many of the top teams in the world - he mentions Barcelona - play well with a variety of languages and cultures. He assumes Wilmer will sometimes speak in Spanish to players who are comfortable in the language, but primarily will communicate in English.

Wilmer says the most important language is the language of soccer.

Someone asks Wilmer about the soccer differences between Colombia and the U.S. Wilmer says it is huge. Wilmer says that soccer is life - or survival for some Colombians. They have to succeed because they don't have other options. In the U.S., he points out, there are many options and education is better, so players aren't motivated the same way. They have to have a passion for the game to dedicate themselves to it.

Wilmer cites the large number of American kids who play soccer - and he mentions the freedom the game gives them versus the restrictions of other sports.

Sunil mentions that the hiring of Wilmer is also a concrete step for the Hispanic outreach initiative.

Sunil says the changes have elicited a range of reactions from the American soccer community. He says he's not trying to turn the world upside-down, but nudge it in a direction that encompasses more of the general society in the U.S. today.

Sunil also explains that a variety of characteristics led him to pick Cabrera for the job. His playing experience, his coaching philosophy, his bilingual skill and his experience with different cultures, especially the Latin community.

That's all folks. Podcast will be up later on the U.S. Soccer site for direct quotes.

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Painful memory

Chivas USA lost in the first round last year. It was a tough loss that lingered with players for quite some time afterward.

If there is any good that can come out of that, it's that it serves as motivation for this year's postseason.

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Winning women

I ranked who I think the top candidates are to replace Ryan. I'd say that there are also other contenders like Tom Sermanni, Mark Krikorian, and Jim Gabarra.

Gabarra could probably sympathize with Jerry Smith’s position as a coach who could possibly be eliminated from contention because of a spouse being a former national team member, since he is married to Carin Jennings-Gabarra. Granted, Carin retired quite a while ago, but she would still have ties to some players, like Kristine Lilly.

Actually, Gabarra has an advantage over Smith due to his recent pro experience from his time at the WUSA, as does another possible candidate, Mark Krikorian. But Smith's long record at Santa Clara could out weigh that.

All things considered, I still believe the female candidates hold the edge here. That's even without including Marika Domanski-Lyfors as a coaching possibility, though she could be a contender. But I belive Pia Sundhage has a decided advantage due to her American coaching experience. A candidate like Jillian Ellis also has comparable experience and achievement to Krikorian, Smith and Gabarra, with the added intangibles of being female and working more recently with the current player pool.
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White rage

When Cuauhtemoc Blanco visited Chivas USA, he was knocked down inside the penalty area in stoppage time by Alex Zotinca. No foul was called and the game ended 1-1. After the game, Blanco was asked about the play and the officiating in general. He put his index finger to his mouth and said he doesn't comment on officiating, that we saw the play and we can comment on it. It was a typical response from him as he doesn't often talk about the referees after the match.

After Thursday's 1-0 win over DC United, Blanco finally talked about the officiating as Luis Arroyave reports.

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The voodoo that you do

I'm trying to explain to a non-MLS friend how Chicago always beats DC in the playoffs. It defies logic, but it keeps happening.

Of course, the match isn't over yet, so this post could look very foolish soon.
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Crystal ball is fixed

I pondered long and hard about my latest SI.com column. I previewed the MLS playoffs which start tonight as Chicago plays D.C. United. I didn't want to do a boring series-by-series preview. Instead, I wanted to break it down in terms of the teams I think have a shot of winning the cup and those who don't. It actually worked out pretty evenly between the contenders and the also-rans.

Still, given my recent run of making picks - which kicked off thanks to a poor weekend in Las Vegas recently - I hesitated. I went back and forth between picking who I thought would win it versus who a safe bet would be and I came up with a pick.

Anyway, let me know what you think about my picks and how I split the teams up.

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Quid pro quo

Here's the article I mentioned yesterday.

My point about things like Germany not hiding the weights of its female players is that the Germans seem a lot more focused on treating both teams like professional athletes.

Eric Wynalda noticed another regard in which the women were unique - the fact that all the TV commentators for the women's game were inclined to be friendly and sympathetic to the players.

"I think it’s amazing that the network will hook up a satellite broadcast to see what Julie (Foudy) thinks of the men’s game, but when the women fall on their face, the boys aren’t allowed to comment."
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With a wonder and a wild desire

Chivas USA's desires are simple: glory or nothing.

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The Good German

Jens Lehmann's situation as an analogy to Hope Solo's (though many things are different) was referenced in the comments of an earlier post.

I also got an email from Billy Witz, another soccer writer, about it.

I can't help but wonder if Greg Ryan were coaching
Arsenal, would Jens now be eating fish-n-chips by
himself off in the corner?

Both Eric Wynalda and another commenter mentioned that open opinion seems to be standard in German culture. Whatever the German philosophy is about tolerating dissention, it doesn't appear to have hobbled their national team performance in any way.
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Anson not an option

Some people have mentioned Debbie Keller as a pre-Solo outcast of the women's team. It's not that I disagree, but I wasn't covering the women's team at the time. I defer to the observations of Scott French or Grant Wahl, who agree that Keller was a remarkable player who deserved more of a national team chance.

Grant, who was covering the women's team at the time, offers more details on the Solo/Keller parallel.

Grant's recounting of Keller's situation also touches on why Anson Dorrance won't be an option to coach the U.S. women again, at least not now. The lawsuit filed by Melissa Jennings is ongoing, though Dorrance settled with Keller in 2004.
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Fresh air

The wildfires that are ravaging through Southern California are nowhere near Carson. But their remnants are.

Because of unhealthy air conditions caused by the wildfires, Chivas USA is heading to Kansas City one day early. Instead of leaving for KC on Friday, the club will leave tomorrow following training.

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Like it's 1998

Greg Ryan may deny it, but at least one person thinks there are definite corrolations between the men's team in 1998 and the women's team this year.

That's Eric Wynalda, a key player on the Steve Sampson's World Cup squad.

I've got more of his views in an article coming out tomorrow, but here's a sampling:

"There are a lot of similarities to 1998."

"Solo was absolutely right. She’s getting all this heat for pointing out what was obvious to anyone in soccer. The story has become about her when she didn’t even play."

"I don’t believe the players on this team when they say that the goalkeeper switch wasn’t a distraction. I played on the team when the starting goalkeeper role was a toss-up between Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel, and it was definitely a distraction."

"I played in Germany, and it was pretty typical there for players to criticize each other and coaches as well. Players would bring that to the national team as well. That’s competitive sports. People have opinions. What’s done on the field is what matters most of all, not what’s said off the field."
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Hacking it

John Hackworth moves on to assist Bradley with the full national team.

Does anyone think John Ellinger will take up the U17 post again?

There's certainly precedent. Both Sigi Schmid and Thomas Rongen returned to youth national team coaching positions (the U20 squad) after being let go by their MLS teams.
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Ante's tale

Ante Razov was on the TV show Extra on Monday. Television crews came out to training about a month or so ago to shoot a segment on him for one of their "Most Eligible Bachelors" segments and it aired on Monday.

That's not why we chased him down yesterday. Actually, I talked to him on Saturday (not about his bachelor status) and Ivan Orozco of the Daily News was among those who chatted with him on Tuesday (like me, he talked to him about his knee).

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Where do we go now?

The San Diego Union-Tribune's Mark Zeigler takes a look at some of the leading candidates to take over for Greg Ryan.

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Greg speaks

Okay, actually he sent an e-mail to the Associated Press. But nevertheless, Greg Ryan discusses his ouster as USWNT coach.

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Panchito returns

Francisco Mendoza hasn't played a game for a while but he returned to training today and slipped right in. He showed no signs of any setbacks and should be ready to go on Saturday.

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Absent three

One of these players said he'd start on Saturday. The other is expected to play. The other hopes to play at some point during the playoffs, though it won't be Saturday.

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Promising return

Ante Razov is not going to play on Saturday but don't count him out of the postseason just yet.

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Bonnie's View

On the recent USWNT goings-on.

I've read Bonnie's stuff for a while now, but I hadn't met her until the 2006 World Cup, where she went out of her way to be nice to me.

"You ask good questions," Bonnie complimented me after a press conference.

I have to say, it was one of the highlights of my World Cup trip.
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Freddy off the bench

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More from Gulati

Some quotes from Sunil Gulati. The entire quote sheet will be up on US Soccer's web site later in the day but for now here are a couple of quotes that I'll put up on here.

On the review process:

We weighed up everything that took place principally in the last 45 days… and partially over the last couple of years. The highlight of those two years of effort and training and preparation is the last 30 days in China.

I’m not going to point to any one fact or any one individual decision. Obviously coaching decisions impact games and all of that was weighed in but I’m not going to try and put a percentage on any particular result or decision.

On hiring a woman:

Obviously we have the national team led by April Heinrichs for a number of years and prior to that we’ve only had men coaches. We will certainly be talking in the next two to three weeks with some female candidates but we’ll have the best coach we can for the national team. If that’s a woman, that would be terrific.

On the different levels of expectations between the men’s and women’s teams:

We do bring a different level of expectations and standard to the women’s program. My guess is that if we would have gotten to the World Cup final in Germany, aside from the immediate disappointment, we would have said ‘Wow. That was pretty terrific.’ Whereas in our women’s program because of the excellence that group has achieved over time, the expectations are much higher and frankly the players and our fans and everyone else knows that we’re not going to win every game but the expectation is that we’re going to be competing for a gold medal virtually every time we’re in a competition.

On Greg Ryan’s 45-1-9 record:

Greg’s record over the last two years is very good in terms of the winning percentages it’s probably the best we’ve had. All of our coaches because of the dominant status of our team obviously have very high percentages but even within that, Greg’s has been very, very good including against top-level teams.

The end of the process, which is the Beijing part of it and those 30 days there for a number of different reasons, it’s not just about one result obviously it’s the only loss Greg has had depending on how we view penalty-kick competitions in tournaments but I think we also were concerned about some of the performance in games we may have won or tied as well as the overall assessment of the program was and based on all of that we came to a decision that we wanted to make a change.

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Greg Ryan status

I'm on hold for the USSF conference call. They're playing peppy swing/big band music. I'm not sure if that's a sign.

It's now officially time for this shindig to start, but the band is still playing. It could be victory music - it could be the last song on the Titanic.

Greg Ryan is out as coach.

Sunil Gulati made it official in his opening statement. No replacement coach is named yet. A search committee has been set up - Mia Hamm is part of it. A coach will be picked in about a month.

Grant Wahl has the first question - Gulati answered it generally about the entire program needing evaluation and review.

Christine Brennan asked about the impact of the goalkeeper decision - Sunil doesn't want to point to one event. Sunil says some female candidates are in the running, but won't promise that a woman will get the job.

Filip Bondy asks, given Ryan's record, why it wasn't considered good enough. Sunil answered that there are different expectations for this team as compared to the men, compared to the past record of success. He acknowledged the excellence of Ryan's record, but he said that the World Cup performances were concerning.

Sunil says he has talked with members of the team, but won't say that Ryan ever "lost the team".

Sunil acknowledges that Brazil is ahead of the U.S., at least technically. He maintains that the U.S. hasn't so much fallen off as many other teams have caught up.

Bonnie Ford wants to know about Sunil's reaction to Solo's being ostracized by her team. He says he believes that some people involved in the situation might do things differently if they could. Sunil says both men's and women's teams have had issues in the past, but they have been handled internally.

Sunil says he will consider foreign candidates for the coaching job. He does point out that they're looking for someone who knows American players and has coached at a high level, because the Olympics are around the corner. He stresses the time issue.

Steve Goff wants to know about Tony DiCicco as a possibility. Sunil says that he doesn't want to discuss specific candidates yet, given some have job status issues with other teams.

Sunil says Mia was picked to represent the players on the decision committee. She was at the top of the list and agreed "enthusiastically" when asked.

Representing the LA crew, Grahame Jones, asked about Ryan's reaction. Dan Flynn takes this one, says Ryan was disappointed.

Sunil says that Solo is not suspended from the team in any way. The USSF has no issues with her, but it will be up to the new coach to decide in what goalkeeping direction to go.

Steve Davis asked about the timing. Sunil answers that it had to be decided quickly, because the Olympics is coming up soon.

Mike Woitalla asks about how most of the coaches at the World Cup were female.

I'm up.

Here's part of what Sunil says to my question.

"The ultimate job of a coach is to give us the best opportunity to succeed."

"Secondly, we need to see progress."

Can anyone guess what I asked?

Anyway, no more updates. I have to drop out of the call, but the entire thing will be podcast on the US Soccer site later.

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Real Salt Lake strikes

Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA were at the same level at the end of '05. But two years later, Chivas is the western champs while Real Salt Lake is still pretty terrible.

Part of the difference I think is that Chivas bagged a gem with their first-ever draft choice while RSL did not. Brad Guzan is a leading candidate for Goalkeeper of the Year while Nik Besagno played 88 minutes this year. Also, Chivas got serious about rebuilding before the '06 season while RSL's first coach made it to the start of this season.

There are some good building blocks in RSL but the club might need more drastic changes to be a true contender.

Here are their top goals from 2006.



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More on Hope

Small tidbit.

And a bit on the upcoming USSF conference call.

Check back here at 1pm Pacific. We'll keep you posted.
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Clasico-free playoffs

The Galaxy did not win on Sunday and thus did not set up a first-round Super Clasico playoff series. Several Chivas USA members, including club owner Antonio Cue, were hoping for the Galaxy to win so that could have happened. Instead, the Galaxy's season is over and Kansas City awaits.

A couple of us talked to Jesse Marsch after Saturday's game about the Galaxy and here's what he had to say about the now-dead series.

"The one thing that would scare you about the Galaxy is that they've been on a bit of a roll. Even if you say they haven't been playing great, they've still been getting results. Now seven teams in a row have been bit by that kind of recipe. You watch them play sometimes and it's not like it's great but they walk away with three points. That scares you a little bit about the Galaxy."

"Certainly Landon is a big-game player. He's proven in the league that he's a big-game player."

"(David Beckham) is a major factor. When he got on the field, the momentum changed completely. It went from being New York's possession and New York's game to all of the sudden the Galaxy's... He started putting some passes together. They started getting some corner kicks and a couple of them were short but they were in their half more when he got on the field. He's a great passer and that's going to help any team out."
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A crashing end

The Galaxy's season came to an end on Sunday in Chicago thanks to John Thorrington's late winner.

David Beckham, Frank Yallop, Joe Cannon and Landon Donovan all chime in on where the team goes from here.

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Award winners

After much thought and analysis, reading up and reviewing, I submitted my votes for the respective league awards.

I expect that not everyone will agree with me, so please feel free to tell me where I let you down. Or let me know how you agree with me.

I had to submit a first-, second- and third-place vote for each category. Some categories only had a select group of players to vote from while others were open to any player in the league. The Best XI was a bit strange. I had penciled Blanco in as a midfielder but he was listed as a forward so that threw me off.

Most Valuable Player: Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Juan Pablo Angel, Luciano Emilio.

Coach of the Year: Preki, Tom Soehn, Juan Carlos Osorio

Defender of the Year: Claudio Suarez, Eddie Robinson, Shavar Thomas

Goalkeeper of the Year: Brad Guzan, Pat Onstad, Matt Reis

Rookie of the Year: Maurice Edu, Robbie Findley, Dane Richards

MLS Fair Play Award: Terry Cooke, Eddie Gaven, Todd Dunivant

Comeback Player of the Year: Eddie Johnson, Adrian Serioux, Gavin Glinton

Referee of the Year: Abbey Okulaja, Jair Marrufo, Brian Hall

Newcomer of the Year: Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Juan Pablo Angel, Maykel Galindo

Best XI
(3-5-2 formation)
Brad Guzan
Claudio Suarez
Eddie Robinson
Shavar Thomas
Steve Ralston
Juan Carlos Toja
Guillermo Barros Schelotto
Christian Gomez
Sacha Kljestan
Cuauhtemoc Blanco
Juan Pablo Angel

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Last of Bueno's Rankings

1. D.C. United (16-7-7). Only Eastern team to end season with loss.
2. Chivas USA (15-7-8). No. 9's message: "I will play during the 2007 playoffs."
3. Houston (15-8-7). A chink in the armor: Dynamo failed to score up a man for 50 minutes with conference title on line.
4. Chicago (10-10-10). If there's any justice, Blanco will win MVP.
5. New England (14-8-8). Uninsipiring come-from-ahead draw at a bad Toronto team.
6. New York (12-11-7). A new wrinkle with this franchise: club has life entering the postseason.
7. Kansas City (11-12-7). Pieced together solid end-of-season effort for a change.
8. FC Dallas (13-12-5). Annual slump entering playoffs in full effect.
9. Los Angeles (9-14-7). At least Cannon gives a shit.
10. Columbus (9-11-10). Better than their record indicates.
11. Colorado (9-13-8). Seriously, does anyone on this team care about anything?
12. Real Salt Lake (6-15-9). Ended the season on a high.
13. Toronto FC (6-17-7). So do they get a pass on leaving players unprotected? On second thought, not much worth protecting.
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All that's left

The Galaxy's season ended in September and then all of the sudden found new life before it finally died when John Thorrington scored in stoppage time today.

But there were some highlights during this season. Here are the top 10 goals for the 2007 LA Galaxy.



By the way, major props to Climbing the Ladder for compiling these videos on each MLS team.

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Joltin' Joe

The always colorful Joe Cannon describing Sunday's game:

I almost felt like we were a second division or a pub team and they were Chelsea.
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On edge

I can't remember the last time I was literally on the edge of my seat for 90 minutes during a regular-season MLS game as I was today during Galaxy-Fire. There was so much drama and so many big plays throughout the match. I kept expecting the Galaxy to score. It kinda had a feel to it, like the one team has 95 percent of the chances but either gets stoned by the goalie or misses wide-open shots and then the other team just gets a goal from out of nowhere. It happens and I thought it would happen today.

I remember during the first half telling my wife that a lot of MLS players lack touch, that you don't see players able to chip the goalie with a soft touch too often. I think I told her that when Wilman Conde took a shot right at Joe Cannon in the second half. To his defense, I told her that Conde wasn't a forward but still.

So of course the game-winner was exactly on the kind of shot you don't see too often in MLS as John Thorrington hit a soft shot over Cannon on a late breakaway.

Credit to Chicago for turning around their season and getting into the playoffs. Sucks for DC United that they get Blanco and Co. in the first round but that's the MLS playoffs for you.

As for my prognosticating skills, I think I'll keep my yap shut from now on. My kisses are deadly these days. Well, actually, I am writing the MLS playoff preview for SI.com so I guess I'll have to pick someone. Crap.

Any requests? Should I pick DC to win both the Shield and the Cup? Or should I pick Houston to repeat? Or anyone else?

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Playoff schedule

Chivas USA vs Kansas City Wizards
1st Leg: at KC, Saturday Oct. 27, 5:30 pt
2nd Leg: at Chivas, Saturday Nov. 3, 7:30 pt

Houston vs FC Dallas
1st Leg: at FC Dallas, Saturday Oct. 27, 6 pt
2nd Leg: at Houston, Friday Nov 3, 6:30 pt

DC United vs Chicago Fire
1st Leg: at Chicago, Thursday Oct 25, 5:30 pt
2nd Leg: at DC United, Thursday Nov 1, 4:30 pt

New England vs New York
1st Leg: at New York, Saturday Oct 27, 4:30 pt
2nd Leg: at New England, Saturday Nov 3, 4:30 pt

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Fire Galaxy Running Blog

Wow, there's an actual pregame show for this game on Fox. The Fox guys don't seem to realize that Gavin Glinton isn't in the starting line-up just because he's playing well, but also because Kyle Martino is out on yellow card accumulation.

Frank is interviewed, says this is a tough game, that the Fire are playing well, but it's great to have the playoff chance come down to one game.

Frank says, "We'll see." as far as getting David Beckham on. As I predicted, he's not in the starting lineup.

The Fox announcers just suggested Frank for Coach of the Year - yikes - what are they thinking. Frank is doing well to hold on to his job.

Now they're doing a Cobi Jones tribute, but they just called him CJ. Excuse me, but CJ is the Fire guy. I'm switching over to TeleFutura as soon as they start coverage.

YAY! Telefutura is on and they are already pimping this match as Blanco versus Donovan. I have a few quotes from Landon on that exact topic.

It’s going to be fun. I probably won’t be near him at all, but it will be fun. I’m excited. No, (I haven't told other Galaxy players what to expect from Blanco) but I will. I think most guys know him and watch him and know what he’s about. You’ve got to be careful with all his antics and what he does. I have to assume that our guys know what they’re doing.

Here's what Mike Randolph said.

I’m looking forward to that a lot, especially since they have Blanco up top. He brings a lot to the table. I’m excited about the game and what it means to the franchise, my teammates and Cobi. We’ll be ready to go.

Toyota Park looks great.

1 - Wow, Rolfe with the early shot. He could be the overlooked big factor in this match. Corner for Fire.

2- Another corner for the Fire. They've come out on fire.

3 - Fire definitely look like they're playing for the win and to bury the Galaxy. Wanchope on an open counter. Cannon takes it off his foot. Wanchope complains, but the announcers agree it was clean - no foul.

4 - Dasan Robinson, down holding his head. Fire dominant early, and Blanco hasn't really been involved.

6 - Juan Carlos Osorio has his tie tucked in funny - like he's eating soup. I guess it's windy out there. Frank Yallop has his suit jacket on. Osorio is a super-animated coach.

7 - Glinton in the box. Oops slipped. Pavon slipped, too.

9 - Galaxy with a little better control in the midfield. The announcers are asking where was Josh Tudela in the beginning of the season. Actually, he was with the team, but not getting playing time. Corner for Galaxy, Pavon (I think) missed the volley chance.

10- It is windy. The announcers are making gone with the wind jokes. Blanco with an outside shot. Cannon tips over, corner for Fire, cleared for a deep free throw.

12 - Another corner for the Fire. Blanco takes short, then serves into box, headed around, eventually out for goal kick.

15 - Cobi on the right gets a corner with hard work. It's cleared out. A Chicago counter comes to Cannon. This game is end to end action, good ad for MLS so far. The Galaxy have put hardly any pressure on Matt Pickens, though, while Cannon has been up against it.

17 - Barrett offsides. Donovan is on the wing, not really his best spot. He's been struggling a bit. The entire Galaxy midfield, actually. Randolph saved what looked like a Barrett break there.

20 - Blanco is arguing offsides with the ref. Game has settled down a bit. The announcers are worried that Blanco is losing his head. He's just getting fired up, guys.

21 - Now the announcers are complaining about how crappy the MLS refs are - they say that they tolerate all sorts of contact.

22 - Cannon saves the Galaxy! Blanco free kick finds CJ Brown, who heads on goal, but Joe just gets a hand on it to get it over the bar. WOW.

25 - The announcers are mocking Barrett, he had a weak pass up front that ruined a break.

27 - The Fire are closing in on the Galaxy goal - working the ball around for chances. The Galaxy are defending like crazy, but essentially possessing the ball almost none of the time.

29 - Now the announcers are impressed by how long Cobi has lasted and the fact that he is still a starter. Landon is so far back he seems like he's playing defender.

32 - Cobi passes into the ref - Chicago wins the ball back. The break nearly yields a scoring chance for the Fire. Now they have a corner. Blanco is talking to Barett about something. He probably wants him to pass. Gonzalo Segares takes the corner, which is headed over the bar for a goal kick.

35 - Now the announcers are talking about how Osorio has orchestrated a great turn around for the Fire. True dat.

36 - Vagenas and Blanco in a spat. Not sure what happened. No replay of the foul yet. Ok, they finally showed it. Blanco took Pete out with a tackle, and Vagenas looked to step on him, then came over and pushed his shoulder when Blanco rolled around complaining. One announcer is sure the step was accidental, but thinks Pete shouldn't have gone over to Blanco.

39 - Cobi bad pass leads to Fire counter, Blanco leads, has shot chance - Cannon comes up big again with the save.

41 - Damn! Barrett misses a practically open goal. Wilman Conde great long pass to Blanco, who sends a perfect pass to Barrett, who beats a diving Cannon, but puts it over the bar.

43 - The announcers keep calling Donovan "the captain-general" of the team. He's only seen the ball on defense it seems. Blanco with another great pass to Chris Rolfe, who slams it over the bar.

44 - The announcer and I are giving Cannon credit for the last two Fire misses. When a goalkeeper plays so well, opponents start to put too much on their chances. On the other hand, a tie, if Cannon does get the shutout, won't save the Galaxy. They have to score.

Halftime - forget Blanco versus Donovan or Beckham. It's been Blanco versus Cannon (and maybe Barrett versus his nerves)- and a draw only helps Chicago.

The announcers are fawning over the play of the Fire and Blanco, but along with the compliments are chastizing them for not putting away chances. Highlights are all Chicago, as well they should be. Barrett is getting roasted for his miss.

Interestingly, the news update is all about a bad fire in Malibu. Hmmmm

Beckham looked antsy on the bench during the game. I wonder if he and Frank planned on him playing the entire second half. I wonder if he'll come in on the right.

2nd half

2 - Telefutura starts the clock over in the second half, which drives me nuts, but I'm not going to do the math to figure out the overall time, so I'll go with it. The Galaxy actually had the ball for a bit there. Randolph is playing well.

4 - Landon with a free kick, but it's pretty far out. Pickens collects. Oh, that's what he looks like. Cannon has his lucky dark blue shirt on. It's working so far.

5- Prus lets some manhandling of Cobi by Blanco go.

8 - Cannon again takes the ball off Barrett's foot again. Announcers agree no foul. Landon nearly reaches Glinton for a counter chance.

9 - Rolfe with a shot. Cannon save. Rolfe muggs Chris Klein and then tried to draw the foul, but Prus makes a good call there. It kills the announcers to admit it, but they do.

10 - Corner for the Galaxy - Donovan takes. Cleared away - Ante Jazic breaks up the Fire counter.

12 - Now the announcers are speculating if the Fire are playing for the tie. They do look like they've taken their foot off the gas. Beckham getting ready to check in. Fans boo.

15 - Beckham is on for Vagenas and the play is completely bypassing him. He looks a bit lost. The Galaxy actually play the ball well out of the back for once, but Jones is whistled for offsides just when the break starts to look dangerous.

17 - Glinton down. Buddle coming in, Pause out, Thorrington coming in. The Galaxy cut him earlier this year - wonder if he'll get a chance for revenge.

18 - Beckham still hasn't touched the ball. The Fire without about three chances to score on their latest attack. Cannon saves one, one is blocked, and the other goes out for a corner which is finally cleared.

20 - Announcers discuss the rising quality of MLS and how many players on the field have played in World Cups.

22- Scramble in front of the Galaxy goal. Galaxy players miss about eight chances to clear. Beckham looks tentative, announcers say. A free kick finally gives him a chance to play, but it's far out. Still, he serves a decent ball to Pavon, who puts it over the bar.

24 - Blanco is mad that Tudela wasn't called for a foul for a tackle.

25 -- Galaxy breakaway, but Pavon shoots over the bar.

26 - One announcer maintains that Blanco tripped himself to get a free kick, but it works and is in a great spot. Strangely, he doesn't take it. Segares does, and puts it over the bar.

28 - Galaxy sub, Alan Gordon on for Josh Tudela. Yallop is throwing everyone forward.

30 - Cannon saves another shot on a Fire counter, this time from Wanchope. Osorio is covering his eyes.

31 - Corner kick for Galaxy. Buddle couldn't connect well and ball is out for GK.

32 - Galaxy with another attack that ends in a Beckham shot over the bar.

34 - Fire counter - Thorrington shoots, Cannon parries for corner. Chicago can taste the playoffs now.

36 - Wanchope sits, Soumare in. Blanco earns a free kick by holding the ball near the corner. It's dangerous, and this one he takes. He shoots for the goal. Cannon saves again.

37 - Now Cobi earns a free kick deep in Fire territory. Troy Roberts nearly gets to Beckham's service. He complains that he was held by Dasan Robinson and the announcers agree, but the ref missed it. No PK.

40 - Big fuss in the box on the Galaxy corner. Pickens is rolling around, saying he got hit. It finally gets sorted out with a goal kick, but Pickens is not happy. I think Buddle thinks of it as payback for the way he was shouldered off the ball on the play before.

44 - Chicago holding on, the Galaxy pressing for the goal. Chicago is putting everyone behind the ball for the tie. Klein earns a foul, Beckham takes, it's cleared.

45 - We're into injury time now. The Fire sub in Calen Carr. That's not exactly a defensive move.

I guess I called it on Thorrington. He gets his revenge. Bad Galaxy backpass gets cut off and since everyone is forward, they pay bigtime. Thorrington has all the time in the world to chip Cannon.

Fulltime

Galaxy lose, and the Fire will play DC. KC will face Chivas USA.

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Heads up

Hi all, I'm not in Chicago, but I'll be watching the game on TeleFutura and doing a running blog here. Hopefully Jaime Cardenas, who is in the Windy City, will chime in with a few comments.

I thought it would be fun to run a contest for the game, so I've decided to announce another giveaway.

The prize is this Galaxy lunchbox, (shipping charges do apply, sorry, overseas fans). The winner will be the person who correctly guesses the final score of the Chicago/Galaxy game, including who scores the goals. If there are duplicate correct answers, the first one with the right prediction in the comments is the winner. They're time-stamped, so that will be the decider.

I realize non-Galaxy fans probably don't want the lunchbox, but I don't have a lot of other stuff from different teams to give away. We might have a Chivas USA contest soon, though, so keep checking back for that one.

Only one entry per person, please. Everyone is eligible (our last giveaway was won by adam), so send your guesses in.

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El Rey Nkong

While Colorado struggled futility in front of the goal on Saturday, Alain Nkong buried a beautiful strike against Chivas de Guadalajara on Saturday.



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Whitewash

"David who?"
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Award winners, first set

I've decided on my Goalkeeper of the Year. Big shock, but I'm going with Brad Guzan. He's been the best 'keeper in the league this season for many reasons. First, his 13 shutouts are the second-most single-season total in MLS history. He's a commanding presence on Chivas' backline and has come up with the big save time and time again.

Preki also gets my vote for Coach of the Year. Few gave Chivas a chance in the preseason. Paco Palencia and Juan Pablo Garcia were gone and with the inexperienced Preki in charge, many predicted doom. Then, the Amado Guevara situation also prompted fears that many to think that Preki didn't know how to handle players. But Chivas USA won the Western Conference. In the end, it may look like Chivas limped across the finish line but they turned away a determined Dynamo team, one of the team's biggest nemesis, to win the conference.

If Chicago wins or ties today, I'm picking Cuauhtemoc Blanco for my Most Valuable Player. Otherwise, Juan Pablo Angel gets the nod.

I'm still trying to sort out my Best XI. So far, I've penciled in Brad Guzan, Juan Pablo Angel, Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Luciano Emilio. The formation is a 3-5-2 so we'll see where I plug in other players.

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Historic draw

I wrote before the three-game series versus Mexico that the games would probably be more useful for that squad than for the U.S. It certainly seems that the female El Tri team learned some important lessons - they managed a tie versus the U.S. for the first time in 22 matches.

Granted, the U.S. squad was greatly affected by defensive injuries, and the game was a meaningless friendly, but it doesn't bode well for the US team and their Olympic dreams that a non-World Cup team could play them even.

It's time to give Mexico credit, though, because this is a squad definitely putting in the difficult legwork to prepare themselves for the Olympics. They took their full squad to the Pan-American games (which I think the U.S. should have done - especially since it probably would have given them an early crack at Brazil - much better to take a loss there, perhaps, and learn how to avoid that in the World Cup, for example), they lined up a difficult series with the U.S., and they've managed a lead versus the U.S. in two out of three of those games. In the final one, the defense hung on for a result.

They didn't even have all their top players here - compared to the U.S. No MariGol, no teen phenom Verónica Charlyn Corral, no Iris Mora. Monica Ocampo may now be the team's top player, though. She's great on the ball, full of nifty moves.

Briana Scurry was in goal for this latest match, but a number of other U.S. players were out due to what seems like a sprained ankle epidemic.

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Checking in from Chicago

The LA Times' Jaime Cardenas is in Chicago for the Galaxy-Fire match. His trip wasn't a waste after all thanks to Colorado's loss on Saturday.

Jaime checks in with his story for the Times as well as some other notes from his blog.

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SJ GM at HDC

John Doyle was spotted at Home Depot Center on Saturday. The new general manager of the San Jose Earthquakes, Doyle was spotted chatting with Chivas coach Preki and Houston boss Dominic Kinnear.

Preki told Doyle not to take any of his players and Doyle said he'd only go after the good ones.

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One who cares

Jim Alexander cares.

A veteran writer who has covered plenty of MLB, NFL and NBA games in the past, Jim makes it out to soccer occasionally and doesn't act like he'd rather be elsewhere.

He turned out for the season finale at Home Depot Center last night and as far as I could tell was the only non-regular out there.

Jim tackles the now-age-old question about the interest surrounding Chivas USA.

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Defeated Dynamo

Houston didn't lose on Saturday at Chivas USA and their position in the Western Conference table didn't change.

But the defending champs failed to beat a 10-man Chivas side to secure the conference title. After the match, their locker room was somber, to say the least. I poked my head in there after leaving Chivas' more joyful dressing room and I heard no noise emanating from Visitor Locker #2.

Here's my brother Danny's reaction story for MLSnet.com. Danny's new nickname, incidentally, is Colin Walsh.

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All the way

Who would have thought after Houston beat the Galaxy 3-1 on Sept. 16 that the season finale in Chicago would mean something?

I guess we should have all expected the Galaxy to do this. After all, this is the third consecutive year the club has hit the jets late in the season after doing little in the beginning part of the year. Even with an all new cast and crew, the Galaxy is still piecing together a late-season run.

In 2005, the Galaxy translated that into an MLS Cup title. Last year, the club fell short of the playoffs but were playing some of the best soccer in the league by year's end.

This season, the Galaxy's seven-game unbeaten streak hasn't been filled with lopsided wins. But wins are wins and the Galaxy's compiling them at breakneck speed.

Today comes another one. Chicago hasn't lost a home game since the dark days of 2007, aka the pre-Blanco era. But the Galaxy has their swagger back and that has taken them a long way before.

Galaxy 2, Chicago 1.

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Scenarios for Chivas

Chivas USA won the west and now will await the result of Chicago-Los Angeles to see who they get.

It's actually pretty straightforward.

If Chicago wins, it's Chivas-Kansas City.

If Chicago and LA tie, it's Chivas-Chicago.

If Los Angeles wins, it's Chivas-Galaxy.

The away leg would be at KC on Saturday, at Chicago on Thursday or against the Galaxy on Sunday. The home leg is likely set for Saturday, Nov. 3.

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Could've used him

While Colorado bowed out quietly, former Rapids striker Alain Nkong scored a clutch goal in Mexico.

Nkong scored a late equalizer as Atlante tied Chivas 1-1 in Guadalajara on Saturday.

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CHV-HOU running blog

I probably won't have time to blog the whole match, but here goes some.

Notes: This match will decide who finishes atop the Western conference and wins home field advantage for the playoffs.

Dylan Hernandez, who covered the San Jose Earthquakes for years, is in the house - the stands, that is, not the press box. He's a baseball writer for the LA Times now, but I'm guessing he still has a soft spot for Dom and his boys.

Houston must win to take finish first in the West. Chivas USA only needs to tie.

Laurent Merlin won the battle to start for the injured Ante Razov. He was my pick on that count all along - he's just more polished on the field than John Cunliffe, usually.


Joe Ngwenya and Brian Ching are up front for Houston.

I've been distracted from the match entirely by the conversation about possible playoff scenarios. The sure thing is that if Chivas USA loses tonight, they're playing FC Dallas. If they win, there are still numerous possibilities to be settled on Sunday, depending on the result of the Colorado game.

Oh, and Jesse Marsch is out due to a right groin strain.

13 - Galindo with a good run to get into the box, but the Houston defense shuts him down before he can get a shot off.

15. Houston is carrying more of the possession, but Chivas USA has looked more dangerous on their counter opportunities.

* Sorry everyone - I had computer problems and couldn't keep up the blog at all. Apologies.

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Wishing and hoping

And thinking, and praying

Some Galaxy players, fans and coaches might be cultivating ulcers watching games on Saturday.

Frank Yallop

I’ll be watching the internet or the games, definitely watching them live. They are a bit nerve-wracking. Sometimes it’s not good to watch them but you have to watch them, because that’s what it is. We’ll be watching and hoping that there are some good results for us and that we can really look forward to Sunday.

Ante Jazic
I probably won’t watch. We’ll be in our hotel or something, and I’lll probably go for a walk. I don’t really want to watch those kind of matches.

Landon Donovan

We watched last week. We said we weren’t going to watch last week, but you’re sitting in your room and you have to watch, so I guess we’ll probably watch. It is nerve-wracking. It takes a lot out of you.

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Llew the legend

Llew Llewellyn doesn't go to post-game press conferences with just a recorder. He often totes a little rolling case with all his media supplies, usually because he leaves for home after interviews instead of returning to the press box to file stories.

I've been saved more than once by Llew when I've discovered too late that I forgot to change the batteries in my recorder. He always has a spare set.

To thank him, I try to bring any commemerative soccer pins I come across back to Llew - who collects them. I brought him one from the World Cup, for example.

It may be that I'll soon be working games in LA without my safety net. As Cobi Jones descended the podium after the press conference following what will likely be his final regular season game, Llew mentioned that he's also probably worked his final Galaxy game.

He's got a trip around the world that he's put off for some time, not to mention book and music projects he's been waiting to tackle.

All the best wishes to one of the best.

Thanks, Llew.
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Los Tres

Chivas USA will put the finishing touches on what has been a strong campaign this season. Win or lose, the club will have set plenty of new regular-season highs.

To think, just three seasons ago Chivas USA was the laughingstock of the entire league.

I took the time to reflect back a bit on 2005 for my Press-Enterprise story this morning. I wrote about the three remaining members from the 2005 squad: Orlando Perez, Brad Guzan and Francisco Mendoza.

If you'd have asked me at the start of the 2005 season to pick three players who would have lasted the longest with the team, I probably wouldn't have picked that trio. Sure, Guzan seemed a no-brainer because he was the first draft choice and all but the other two weren't a given. Mendoza wasn't the most highly-regarded player brought up from Mexico while Perez was a journeyman at best.

I might have thought Isaac Romo or Hector Cuadros would have outlasted Mendoza. I might have put those two with Guzan as the final three. Or Christian Jimenez because he was a young, talented local kid. Or Arturo Torres for the same reason.

Instead, those guys are all gone, all just part of a bad first-year team.

Mendoza has been the best of the original eight the club brought up from Mexico... well, one of the two best. Luis Alonso "Negro" Sandoval has also gone on to succeed. He had a successful spell with Jaguares and even earned a call to the Mexican national team in December 2005. But Sandoval jumped ship in early March, just left to Guadalajara on a weekend trip and decided not to return.

Panchito blossomed into a standout at Chivas USA. Panchito became a fixure under Bob Bradley a year ago and has become one of the club's key players. The losing was hard on everyone the first year but it didn't bring down his spirits any.

"Believe me, I’ve enjoyed every one of Chivas’ three seasons and I’m extremely happy because of that," Mendoza told me.

He's still got room to improve and could be an even more important part of the team next year but Mendoza has come a long way in a short amount of time.

Like Panchito, Guzan has been a fixture with the team. Martin Zuniga was supposed to be the starting goalkeeper the first year but an arm injury in preseason sidetracked those plans. Guzan was tossed into the frey prematurely and was the brunt of many first-year jokes. But he showed quickly that he could play and by the team he was benched in favor of a healthy Zuniga in May, many including myself protested. Zuniga played because he was healthy, not because of Brad's improving play.

Eventually Guzan got the starting job back. He won the praise of Thomas Rongen and Hans Westerhof and first-year goalkeeping coach Javier "Zully" Ledesma. Sure, Guzan gave up a ton of goals that year but he wasn't really in a position to do otherwise. The defense was bad but it was all because of the abysmal formation/scheme/tactics/mindset. Rafa Marquez would have been hard-pressed to keep that defense intact. The three-man backline was a recipe for disaster.

Still, taking all that abuse, both on and off the field, only made Guzan stronger.

"It’s been good to be part of the club since Day One," Brad said. "It’s a good feeling to be able to experience the highs and lows. Obviously the lows have helped me become the player that I am. Without Chivas USA, who knows where I’d be?"

Of the three, Perez surprises me the most. The first year, he was in the same category as Ezra Hendrickson and Francisco Gomez, guys who had played in MLS before and had something to offer. I would have ranked Perez third in terms of value in that group, but again he outlasted Hendrickson and Gomez. EZ was dealt early in '06 and Gomez vanished during the preseason as well.

Perez stuck around. He is a useful player because he is versatile and knows his role on the team.

"Me, Brad and Panchito, we’ve been here from the beginning," Perez told me recently. "We’ve been through it all, the bad times and the good times and I think that our hard work and dedication paid off for us. There have been many players in and out and we’ve seemed to do what we got to do to stick around."
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A darker blue

Joe Cannon has been wearing his dark blue goalkeeper's shirt during the Galaxy's win streak, but he wasn't allowed to wear it against New York, because they were wearing dark blue field uniforms.

So he wore the lighter blue instead.

The Galaxy failed to win.

He'll probably wear the dark blue on Sunday.
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Playoff scenarios

Per a league press release:


Chicago Fire (37)

Clinches with a win Sunday vs. LA Galaxy

Clinches with a tie and either one of the following:
- KC fails to win
- COL fails to win

Clinches with a loss Sunday and both of the following:
- KC loses
- COL fails to win

Kansas City Wizards (37)

Clinches with a win Saturday at FC Dallas

Clinches with a tie and either one of the following:
- LA fails to win
- COL fails to win OR wins by less than a three-goal margin

Clinches with a loss and both of the following:
- LA fails to win
- COL fails to win

^Note: Because Colorado and Kansas City tied both times they met this season, their placing will be determined by goal differential if they finish the season tied in points.

Colorado Rapids (35) – Must win vs. RSL on Saturday.

Clinches with a win and any one of the following:
- KC loses
- KC ties and COL wins by 3 goals or more
- Chicago fails to win

LA Galaxy (34) – Must win at Chicago on Sunday.

Clinches with a win and either one of the following:
- KC loses
- COL fails to win

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Changing history

Steve Davis weighs in on the USWNT.

I've pointed it out before, but I want to ruminate a little on the irony of how Greg Ryan won the USWNT job. Davis mentions that Ryan didn't have the most impressive credentials at the start, and mentions that the media let that slide.

However, it's worth noting again that Ryan wasn't handed the job outright. He was appointed as an interim, a natural choice given that the team had games on the schedule and he was the top assistant at the time.

When Ryan took a young and untested squad to the 2005 Algarve Cup championship, defeating world #1 Germany along the way, he did so in large part on the strength of Hope Solo's terrific performance in goal during that tournament. With the title giving weight to his campaign, Ryan won the job.

It's highly likely that if Solo hadn't played so well, Ryan wouldn't have become her coach.
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Technicality

Toward the end of Wednesday's Mexico-Guatemala match, I looked at a list of Mexico's all-time results to see previous Mexico-Guatemala results. I couldn't remember a time that Guatemala had beaten Mexico and then I figured out why. The last time Guatemala beat Mexico was in 1969, a bit before my time.

I spread the word to other reporters so we could all use that little bit of info in our stories. Apparently, though, someone disputed that with Jaime Cardenas of the LA Times. Seems that some Guatemalans reminded Jaime of Guatemala's win over Mexico in 1998. My first reaction was "Shit! How could I have gotten that wrong?"

But I hadn't.

I don't remember the game but the readers said Guatemala beat Mexico in penalties in 1998. On that list above, it has a game in 1998 that ended in a 2-2 draw. Technically, games that go to penalties are draws regardless of the outcome.

So I didn't screw it up after all. Though they both count as draws, penalty-kick wins in tournaments are one thing but to win a friendly in PKs is hardly a win.

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Bothered by Beckham

A number of the press at last night's game had come specifically to cover Beckham's return to the squad and were not happy that he wasn't made available to the media at all. After Beckham's first matches with the squad, he would do post-game interviews. Locker room interviews with Beckham have always been denied.

Beckham hasn't done post-training interviews, either. So basically, the story many reporters had come to get was completely shut down.

It's not the first time an MLS player has avoided media. I'm not based in New York, but I hear that Amado Guevara, while he played there, boycotted interviews with English media for about a year because he was unhappy with an article written by one reporter.

When Landon Donovan first returned from Germany to play in MLS in 2005, the media attention on him was pretty intense. The Galaxy instituted a rule for a while that Landon wouldn't do any interviews on Fridays.

This was really a pain for me, because at the time, Fridays were the only days I could come to trainings to conduct interviews.

At various points, players have shaken their heads "no" when I've asked for interviews, or just given that quick smile and ignored the pleas to answer questions. Giovanni Dos Santos, at the Mexico Guatemala friendly, tortured the press by smiling and chatting with some cousins of his right in front of the barrier holding back at least fifty reporters begging him to say a few words to them. He ignored them all.

With regards to Beckham, however, here's someone who was supposed to be an ambassador for the sport in the U.S., and now he's been coy and hard to get for days, even though he's back playing. I don't know if he's making a concerted effort to avoid being a distraction to the team while they push for the playoffs, but it's leaving a lot of disgruntled reporters grousing in the press box. It's tough when you promise an editor a Beckham story and can't get a single word from the man.
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Keep on the sunny side

At the beginning of the season, Frank Yallop was ever the optimist. Poor results early in the year didn't dampen his mood too much but by the middle of the season he was f-ing knackered and didn't hide his displeasure with results.

It's been a while but his optimistic mood is back. He didn't slam his team or anything. Quite the contrary, he was pleased that they were still alive in the playoff race.

He said the Galaxy did well not to send everybody forward in the second half in search of a goal and did well to contain the Red Bulls late in the game. By not winning, though, other results impact the Galaxy and the club might be dead by the time Frank goes to sleep on Saturday night.

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Cannon disappointed

After the excessive time it took for the Galaxy to open their locker room on Thursday and being told that the commissioner's mandate was "just a sign," I didn't go in there for one second. It's too bad, because I wanted to get some player reaction about the result. Frank Yallop seemed rather upbeat despite not winning but I wanted to hear how the guys on the field felt.

I did manage to grab Joe Cannon on my way back to the press box.

Joe wasn't quite as positive as Frank.

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Intimately Beckham

A few weeks back, I was interviewing Landon Donovan after a game. Other reporters were asking questions and I was recording his answers when I happened to glance at the locker next to Landon's, which is David's. It was very neat, with only a few toiletries on the top shelf. I noticed with a little surprise that on the shelf was Dove deodorant, which is the same brand I use. It was original fragrance, though, while I believe mine is cool cucumber, or something like that. There was also a bottle of Nivea lotion and some smaller items of stuff that I didn't really check out. At the time, I decided that these details were too trivial to mention, even here on the blog. But after the team's win over Toronto, I saw one out-of-town reporter assiduously cataloguing all the contents. I figure Jakarta now knows about the deodorant, so I'm probably not revealing anything too shocking. Last night, though, there were little gift bags scattered around the locker room. Beckham gave his teammates (or his corporate sponsor provided) samples of his new fragrance line.

"We should all wear this stuff tomorrow, so when we come in, we'll all smell like he does," said Troy Roberts to one of his teammates, just as I was leaving the locker room.

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The Good Ol' Boys club

Here's the latest issue of MLSmagazine. I have a couple of articles in this issue. The one in Spanish is about Maykel Galindo, and then there's also an article on the push for a youth soccer system within MLS and U.S. soccer. You can order issues here.
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Cobi collection

Rachel models the Cobi Jones commemorative t-shirt that they passed out at the game last night. All the Galaxy players wore them at the start of the match, well, except for Cobi himself.
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Post-game meandering

The Galaxy-Red Bulls game was a bit less dramatic than I expected. There were two goals but they were 60 seconds apart or something. And there were long stretches of the game that just dragged on.

But after the match, there was quite a bit going on. David Beckham played but he did not speak to the media. Not sure why. Perhaps his handlers didn't want him to talk. Maybe he didn't feel like talking or maybe the club decided that. It's hard to get a straight answer.

So I went to the post-game presser and got some audio of Frank Yallop. I immediately went into the Red Bulls' locker room but half the team was gone. I missed out on Juan Pablo Angel, Jon Conway, Dave Van Den Bergh and Seth Stammler, some of the guys I was hoping to talk to. The Red Bulls PR people initially told me that Bruce Arena had already talked to the media (one reporter had talked to him apparently) but were going to ask him if he would talk to me. I got tired of waiting so I went into where the players are. I got Jozy Altidore and John Wolyniec but that's about it. Joe Vide was there too but I passed.

I then went to the Galaxy locker room. I really didn't need to because I had enough stuff from Frank Yallop to toss a few quotes into my PE story (which I had already filed for the early editions) and I needed time to write my MLSnet.com story. But I figured I might get some good audio to post here and maybe some more quotes for the PE story.

I got the locker room but there were a handful of reporters waiting outside. Cobi Jones was in the presser and some media stuck around. Others had gone straight to the locker room. But it wasn't open.

Now, league rules say that the locker rooms have to open 10 minutes after the end of the game. There's a sign posted right outside the locker room that says as much, something that includes the words "By mandate of MLS Commissioner Don Garber." But it was already 10:33 and the game ended a little after 10:00. One of the Galaxy PR guys poked his head out and said they were still closed and a couple of us pointed at the sign. He smiled and said "It's just a sign" and then closed the door.

I shook my head and decided not to wait. I walked out and had better luck with the guys afterward. I got Joe Cannon as he was leaving and even caught sight of Beckham as he walked with his little entourage into an elevator presumably up to the stadium club or somewhere else to be whisked away.

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On Becks watch

Back to the Beckham beat.
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Cobi, Cobi, Cobi

I don't know if the ESPN broadcast is showing this yet, but all the Galaxy players came out wearing Cobi t-shirts. The crowd chanted his name maniacally at introductions as well.
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Cobi, my de-facto editor

My SI.com editor Jonah Freedman had Cobi Jones take over his world power rankings.

Pretty cool tribute, but I don't know if this means I have to pitch story ideas to Cobi from now on. If so, I take back those things I said in '05 about you and how you should have retired after the 2004 season...

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Many moods

The fuss about Manny Ramirez and his "Who cares?" comments reminds me that earlier this year I was interviewing Edson Buddle after another Galaxy loss and he seemed pretty calm. (I'd just interviewed Joe Cannon, who was anything but). I asked Edson why he didn't seem upset.

"It's just a game," Edson answered.

At first I was surprised, then I remembered that people deal with stress differently, and they motivate differently as well. Not everyone is exactly the same. Some people carry losses and setbacks with them and take them personally and use that as a push to improve. Others let go and move on.

Sure, Edson wants to score, just like Joe wants to prevent goals. They're different types, though, and they're going to go about their business differently.

Some fans would rather have a player say that the game is the end all and be all - others would rather have the player who, regardless of how he works to stay loose, can get the job done in the end.

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Playoffs on line

A win for the Galaxy tonight would keep them right in the thick of the playoff hunt. A draw wouldn't destroy their chances but would take their destiny out of their own hands. A loss, though, would end their season tonight and render Sunday's game in Chicago meaningless for the Galaxy.

I think, however, that the Galaxy has come too far to piss it all away right now. The playoffs are within their reach. I don't think the team is going to roll over right now, especially at home, especially against a team with nothing to play for. I'm thinking Galaxy 2, Red Bulls 0.

Here's my Galaxy preview story for the Press-Enterprise.

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Do it for Cobi

Even the newest of the Galaxy players would like to send Cobi out on a high note.
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Cobi farewell

Cobi Jones has been a big part of US soccer, but on the national team and in MLS. Tonight might be his final home game in a Galaxy uniform. He's still effective and has even talked about un-retiring recently but it's time for him to go out. He's still got game left and as the saying goes it's better to leave the game then have the game leave you.

Billy Witz of the Daily News and Grahame Jones of the LA Times each have a piece on Cobi.

Also, there's this. Billy talked to Peter Vagenas about Cobi Jones after training on Tuesday and I posted the audio link to it here. It started off with a question Billy posed to Pete about books and Cobi's fondness for books.

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God save the English national team

Suddenly, England's hopes for Euro 2008 need some divine intervention.

Incidentally, I told Andrea that I thought England got hosed on the penalty kick but she wasn't quite in agreement with me. It was a foul, just a question of whether it was in the box and I didn't think it was inside the area.



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Not so peor

What was that about Guatepeor? Guatemala was better than Mexico for one night. It was Guatemala's first win over Mexico since 1969, a bit before my time.

Match reports from Jaime Cardenas of the LA Times, Ivan Orozco of the Daily News and yours truly for the Press-Enterprise.

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Not dressed

Another win versus Mexico for the U.S. team (of note, Nicole Barnhart got the start and shutout in goal) and still more focus on the one who didn't play.
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Gimpy ankle again

First, it was the ankle. Then the knee. Now we're back to the ankle.

One thing is for certain: David Beckham won't start against New York.

"I'm not going to mess with the starting lineup," Galaxy Coach Frank Yallop said. "If he's available, he'll be one of the subs."
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Vagenas riled up

Peter Vagenas said on Tuesday that the only thing that mattered to him was winning Thursday's game against New York and also said the season would be a disappointment if they didn't make it into the postseason, regardless of their late run. He gave us some pretty good sound bites the other day after training.

Listen to it here.

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Hugo Sanchez audio

Hugo Sanchez talks about the loss to Guatemala.

If you hear a faint voice in English, it's because I was near the English translator. The room was really cramped and I didn't have the chance to stand next to the speaker.

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Hugo hates the field

At the Coliseum. He seriously had a hissy fit in the post-game comments about it.

Of course, I'm not sure who is to blame for the team playing there instead of the Home Depot Center.

Soccer United Marketing runs Mexico's U.S. games, and they get a cut of the profit, but so does the Mexican federation. The Coliseum can hold more people, so everyone makes more money there. Hugo might complain, but he should also talk to those in charge of the Mexican team to get venue approval if that is so important to him.
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Crazy

I guess that would sum up the match. Crazy. Six red cards. Each team ends up with nine men. Guatemala scores early, Mexico answers, Guatemala ties it and then wins it while a man up and Mexico's late rally falls short.

Of course, I had Mexico winning 2-0. Guess I'm glad I didn't put any money on it.

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Coliseum crowd count

The attendance for the Mexico-Guatemala match: 42,349.

That's 15,349 more than Home Depot Center but this game would have been waaaaay better at HDC. I mean, it's better to have 100 percent seats filled instead of 50 percent of them sitting empty.

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"For being such a good girl, honey"

I guess the people running the stadium sound system here wants to lull the crowd somewhat.

After Guatemala and Mexico took the field, some Shakira songs came over the PA system.

Kinda strange seeing Mexico and Guatemala running through their pre-game warmups with Shakira's "Underneath Your Clothes" playing loudly.

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Fight on

I have my camera with me but I got a new memory card recently and for some reason I can't download it directly to the laptop. I have to use the base and a lot of wires and crap that I don't have, so you might have to wait a day for some pictures.

But I can tell you about my first impression from the stadium here as we get ready for Mexico-Guatemala. If my kiss of death earlier doesn't sink Mexico in, perhaps the locals' will. The huge "Trojans SC" logo is quite visible in the center circle as are the "USC" marks on each end zone.

The collegiate football hosts here have played like crap recently right here in this building, and perhaps that my carry over to the "hosts" in the futbol soccer part.

There's quite a few blue flags here right now so at the very least we should have a good atmosphere. I'm a bit disappointed, however, that a somewhat small crowd is expected. The chatter here is that there will be somewhere around 30-40,000 here tonight. I was thinking upwards of 50,000 or more but apparently Hugo Sanchez's first game as Mexico coach in LA isn't as big as I assumed.

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Old World win

The U.S. beat Switzerland 1-0 in Basel on Wednesday and snapped a five-game losing streak that dates back to the Copa America opener.

The win is also significant because it's the United States' first victory in Europe since a 1-0 win over Poland a few months before the 2006 World Cup. Also, some young players had key roles in victory. Michael Bradley scored the lone goal late in the match. Danny Szetela sent the cross in on the match-winner. Brad Guzan played the entire second half and had a key save off a late free kick. Freddy Adu looked dangerous in his brief playing time. Maurice Edu did well in the center of the midfield.

Switzerland isn't a world power but the Swiss are a strong side who used the match as preparation for Euro 2008, which they will co-host. Beating the Swiss with a squad mixed with veterans and youngsters is important for coach Bob Bradley. With the win, Bradley is now 1-1 in Europe and now has half the number of victories his predecessor Bruce Arena did in eight years as coach of the U.S. national team.

What are your thoughts on the match? Who stood out? Who underperformed? What does this say about Bob Bradley and how significant do you think it is for him?

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Al grito de guerra

Today's a matchday for Mexico at the Coliseum.

Many are expecting a romp over Guatemala, at least Mexican supporters probably are. Guatemala - or Guatepeor as Pumas coach Tuca Ferreti so bluntly put it - isn't a great opponent but could complicate things.

Mexico's brought a talented squad but this team features a lot of young players. No Rafa Marquez, no Gerardo Torrado, no Fausto Pinto, no Juan Carlos Cacho, guys who have logged lots of minutes under Hugo Sanchez. Instead, we'll see the likes of Giovani Dos Santos, Omar Arellano, Patricio Arajuo and Cesar Villaluz mixed in with vets Carlos Salcido, Memo Ochoa, Andres Guardado and Gonzalo Pineda.

This game is just another in the process of building up both the 2010 World Cup pool as well as the 2008 Olympics so a result isn't the most important thing.

However, I think Mexico will pull it out. With a mix of veterans and youngsters, I expect Mexico to put a few in the back of the net. I'm thinking it'll be 2-0, which given my recent run of picks Guatemala will probably win 3-1. I apologize ahead of time for slapping my kiss of death on El Tri.

Here's a look at the match, in English from the LA Times and in espanol cortesia de mediotiempo.com.

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More from Zeigler

Another stellar column from the Union-Tribune's Mark Zeigler on Hope Solo and the USWNT.

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Solo still the story

Hope Solo may be the most famous person currently on the US women's national team. She's not playing, however.
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In Ante's place

Ante Razov is out for the season but that doesn't mean Chivas USA's done. There is still enough quality on the team to fill in for Ante but the club will need to find a way to fill that void, and soon.

What's best for the team is probably to put Laurent Merlin alongside Maykel Galindo. Merlin won't draw the attention from defenders that Razov did but that might be a good thing, since Merlin is a fine distributor of the ball.

Really, though, Razov's absence just means the midfield needs to contribute even more than it has. The pressure will fall squarely on the shoulders of Francisco Mendoza and Sacha Kljestan. If those two can add some consistent finishing in the playoffs, teams will be forced to pay more attention to the midfielders and open up more room for Galindo and Merlin.

Another option might be Ramon Nunez. He's a bit small - he and Panchito are from the same mold - but he's got skill. He hasn't really shown his full worth yet but that's more because he hasn't been getting a lot of minutes.

Still, though, Chivas USA isn't about Ante Razov. It's not a team that's geared toward any one player, as great a player Ante is.

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Another border skirmish

Jaime Cardenas of the LA Times had a chat with Hugo Sanchez on Monday, and I'll wait for the full story of their conversation to come out in Wednesday's paper.

But one thing Jaime shared with us is news of a friendly match Mexico will play in 2008. It seems that Mexico and the United States will meet up again in February. Unsure of the time, date, TV, site, etc.

The TV, of course, is what could screw this all up, just like it did the proposed match in September in Azteca. Telemundo (who owns the Mexican national team's rights) and Univision (who has the same for the USMNT) need to figure something out between them because broadcasting these games is good for both networks.

Anyway, the game would likely take place somewhere in the Southwest. Arizona has the Super Bowl so don't expect the game there. Cold-weather cities are likely out which leaves Southern California and Texas as the most likely options.

Wherever it is, this seems like a must-watch or must-attend match as it was in February 2007.

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Frank's chatter

Frank Yallop talking about David Beckham's status for Thursday as well as a few things more. Audio is from after Tuesday's training session.

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Tri's arrival

I wasn't at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday afternoon when the Mexican national team arrived on a charter flight from Ciudad Juarez. There's plenty of pictures here that show some of the scene of the team's arrival.

It did remind me a little bit of 2002. I did go out to LAX then, when Mexico arrived at LAX from San Francisco for a friendly against AC Milan right before the team went to Japan for the World Cup. It was so weird because here you had Mexico's World Cup, their best players at the time right before the most anticipated tournament in four years. There were several fans there and as you can imagine they were ultra excited. Then, you had the airport workers standing there completely unaware of this team and what they meant to millions of people. A couple of them were asking each other if they knew who those guys were.

I remember talking to Cuauhtemoc Blanco as he waited for his luggage next to the conveyor belt and how Paco Palencia and Rafa Marquez were leaning against a wall wearing shades, looking too cool to talk. They boarded a bus with a huge FMF logo on it and about 20 minutes into my drive home I heard on traffic reports that there was an unexpected delay on the 105, near LAX. Yeah, I bet that bus was a magnet that day.

Anyway, not sure if the scene afterward was as chaotic on Monday. But this is Hugo Sanchez's first trip to Los Angeles as coach and the anticipation for this match is immense. I'd really be looking forward to it if it wasn't at the #*&!^@ Coliseum.

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Dead ja vu

Although Chivas USA lost out on the perfect home record, they're starting to remind me of the 2005 Earthquakes in other ways.

The 2005 Earthquakes were the Good News Bears, a collection of not-so-big-name players, some which had been rejected from other teams, that really melded as a unit. Dom Kinnear didn't have a lot of coaching experience, but he seemed to really understand players and was making all the right moves that year.

Until the very end, that is. In the final regular-season game, the Earthquakes defeated their main rivals, scoring 3 goals on the LA Galaxy. I was fuming after that match, though. Since the Earthquakes had clinched the playoffs and the top spot in the West for some time, I thought Kinnear should rest his starters, especially a couple who were a bit gimpy, like Wade Barrett.

Now maybe some people don't consider an injured Barrett a big deal, but he's one of those overlooked players that does a lot.

I felt a similar irritation when Preki put Razov out on the field versus FC Dallas.

It's hard to overlook a guy who scores like Ante Razov, but I'm sure that some people assume, oh, the team has already won without Ante a few times this year.

Sure enough, that 2005 Earthquake squad went down in flames to the Galaxy. It didn't help that in the first playoff game, Kinnear had his players push hard for a tying goal rather than simply minimize the goal disadvantage. His team tried so hard to score that they left themselves exposed on defense (sound familiar to CDCUSA versus Colorado) Landon Donovan tore up the Earthquake defense on a counter, and the deficit was too much to overcome at Spartan.
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Seeds of discontent

Or perhaps it's just a bad seed.
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Hugo's marks

With tomorrow being the last game of the year for Mexico, I figured now would be a good time to look at Hugo Sanchez's first year on the job.

His two glaring faults were losing in the Gold Cup final and crashing out of Copa America. Also, there were some friendly losses that weren't great - the U.S. loss in February, losing his first match in Azteca - but overall Sanchez has done well. He's gotten El Tri off to a good start during this World Cup cycle.

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Lonely Boys Rankings

1. D.C. United (16-6-7). Best regular-season team once again.
2. Chivas USA (15-7-7). Cracks in the armor; can they score consistently without Ante?
3. Houston (15-8-6). Rapids kept Houston in race for West's top spot.
4. New England (14-8-7). Bad loss to Crew sets up series with Bulls.
5. Chicago (9-10-10). DC, Chivas - and now Houston - want no part of Blanco.
6. FC Dallas (13-11-5). Great giveaway (Toja wig), horrid match (0-0) against Chivas USA.
7. New York (12-11-6). Jose Burciaga should have been named New York's man of the match.
8. Los Angeles (9-13-6). Wins coming at a fast pace? Still enough time left?
9. Colorado (9-12-8). Surprise, surprise. Look who still has life.
10. Kansas City (10-12-7). So much potential, so little production.
11. Columbus (8-11-10). Meaningless win leaves fans to ponder Sigi's fate.
12. Toronto (6-17-6). Bad news for TFC fans: Maple Leafs suck too.
13. Real Salt Lake (5-15-9). Forget expansion - can we just swap Real Salt Lake for Seattle Sounders?
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Get on the wagon

Some MLS players read our little blog here, at least some from the local teams. But Orlando Perez apparently isn't one of them. Had he followed our blog in recent weeks, he'd have known that one of his favorite performers was cheering his team on recently.

After Sunday's game with the Rapids, Perez answered questions dressed in his street clothes. He sported a sky blue T-shirt that read "The Smiths" on it, complete with silhouettes of band members. When asked about it, he said it was one of his favorite bands.

I think all of us reporters around him all assumed he'd worn it in honor of Morrissey, who took in a Chivas USA-Galaxy game recently from the sidelines while wearing a Chivas USA shirt.

Perez, though, said he had no idea.

"Wow. I didn’t even know that. Wow. I wish I would have known. And he was in concert for 10 days. No one tells us anything. You guys should have let me know like a couple of weeks ago."

I tried, buddy. I tried.

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Now we see why

Chivas USA collapsed in the final minutes of their game against Colorado and lost for the first time at home this season. Afterward, players and coaches said they were pushing forward in search of a late match winner to take care of business on Sunday, that a tie would have done them no good.

Houston showed why Chivas needed a win. Houston beat RSL 1-0 on Monday. Stuart Holden scored a nice goal from the right flank that kind of looked like an attempted cross that went into the back of the net.

If there's any good from this game for Chivas, it's that Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson was sent off for a non-existent trip from behind on Kyle Beckerman. Colorado also got some good news as forward Yura Movsisyan was sent off on a make-up call after shoving Pat Onstad not five minutes later.

Actually, Yura may not be too big of a loss for RSL but the Rapids should win regardless. Chivas USA will have a much tougher time against Houston, traditionally one of their toughest rivals.

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Prodded to vote

I received a reminder that I've got to submit my votes for the MLS awards.

I'm still undecided as far as MVP goes. If Chicago gets in, I'm voting for Cuauhtemoc Blanco. If they collapse at the finish line, the natural second choice for me is Juan Pablo Angel.

I'm leaning towards Brad Guzan for GK of the year, though that might change if, for instance, Houston scores three goals and wins the west against Chivas next week.

For me, though, the most difficult category will be my Best XI. There are so many deserving players - Jesse Marsch was telling me last week that he thought Shavar Thomas should get consideration for defender of the year - that I see on a regular basis and those that I've watched mostly on television.

For those who have already submitted their thoughts in my earlier post, I appreciate your input. If you haven't, please feel free to let me know who you think I should vote for in any category.

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Westin boys

For all you Mexico national team followers, the national team is staying at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in L.A. If you hang out at the lobby, you may catch sight of young Gio or Hugo Sanchez or any of the other dozens of players/coaches/etc.

My schedule won't allow me to be out there but I've been at hotels where teams are staying at before and you'd be surprised how receptive players are when approached by fans. Well, soccer players anyway.

I'm not exactly posting some secrets on here with regards to the hotel. The Mexican federation's web site provided this info.

By the way, just for kicks I tried to reserve a room to see how much it costs. Cheap rooms start at $249 per night and go up through $599 per night. Maybe if they stayed at a Motel 6 then they wouldn't have to charge so much for their games.

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Monday night footy

I'll have to wait until tonight to do my weekly rankings. I was all set to do them now but then I realized that RSL and Houston have a match tonight.

Giants-Falcons doesn't sound that intriguing to me, but honestly neither does Dynamo-RSL. Still, I might check out the RSL match since I've got the MLS live TV thing and it'll be my last chance to use it. I think I watched something around 10 games on there or so, so I suppose it was worth the $20 I plopped down on it. I'd have watched more if I wasn't out at HDC almost every Saturday of the season.

As far as the MLS game goes, if Houston loses, Chivas USA wins the west. If Houston ties or wins, they would still be alive for the Western Conference top spot when they play Chivas on Saturday.

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No way out

Loaded question: Are you going to publically apologize for insulting Briana Scurry?

Form:
A question with a false, disputed, or question-begging presupposition.

Example:
The question "Have you stopped beating your wife?" presupposes that you have beaten your wife prior to its asking, as well as that you have a wife. If you are unmarried, or have never beaten your wife, then the question is loaded.

Exposition:
A "loaded question", like a loaded gun, is a dangerous thing. A loaded question is a question with a false or questionable presupposition, and it is "loaded" with that presumption.

Since this example is a yes/no question, there are only the following two direct answers:

1. "Yes, I have stopped beating my wife", which entails "I was beating my wife."
2. "No, I haven't stopped beating my wife", which entails "I am still beating my wife."
3. "Yes, I'm going to publically apologize", which entails "I did insult Briana, and never apologized."
4. "No, I'm not going to publically apologize", which entails never playing for the team again.

Thus, either direct answer entails a presupposition of the question. So, a loaded question is one which you cannot answer directly without implying a falsehood or a statement that you deny. For this reason, the proper response to such a question is not to answer it directly, but to either refuse to answer or to reject the question.
Since a question is not an argument, simply asking a loaded question is not a fallacious argument. Rather, loaded questions are typically used to trick someone into implying something they did not intend.
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No Cacho for you

Juan Carlos Cacho scored a pair of goals as Mexico overcame a 2-0 deficit to tie Nigeria on Sunday 2-2.

Cacho, though, won't be joining the team for Wednesday's match against Guatemala in Los Angeles. It's just part of Hugo Sanchez's plan of attack for this window.

Other regulars who won't make the trip are Fausto Pinto and Gerardo Torrado. Hugo Sanchez will instead go with a younger squad as players such as Patricio Araujo and Omar Arellano will join the team in their place.

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Options

Colorado beat Chivas USA in what I thought was a game they had little chance of winning. Well, I lost money on bets this weekend so it goes to show what I know.

Colorado is still very much alive in the playoff race. There are four teams left fighting for two spots and three of the four hold their own fate in their hand. KC, Chicago and the Galaxy need only take care of their business to get into the postseason.

However, the Rapids don't have that luxury. They need to beat RSL on Saturday. That's first and foremost. But the rest is pretty straightforward. If the Rapids win and either Kansas City or Chicago loses, they're in.

As far as possible tiebreakers, the Rapids and KC and Chicago could all finish with 38 points. The Rapids tied both games against Chicago and both games against KC so possibly goal differential would come into play. The Rapids are minus four, KC is minus two and Chicago minus six. It seems then the Rapids have some sort of edge there, but not sure on that.

If they pull off the surprise and get into the playoffs, Colorado could play either Chivas or Houston. Heck, they could play DC United. How? If the Galaxy wins out, they would have 39 points. Colorado would get in with a win and a KC loss then, and would finish on 38 points and fifth in the Western Conference, in which case they would move to the other conference for the playoffs and would be seeded fourth.

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Another piece of hardware

From the rich get richer category...

D.C. United picked up their umpteenth trophy on Sunday. Well, I don't know if they actually physically received it - I would venture to say they didn't. But the 2007 Supporters' Shield is theirs.

It's a significant accomplishment. Never before has an MLS team captured consecutive Supporters Shield titles. D.C. has set the standard from the start so that they became the first team to walk away with the honor doesn't surprise me. D.C. won the first MLS Cup, was the first MLS team to win a U.S. Open Cup, the first MLS team to win a CONCACAF Champions Cup and was the first team to win multiple (and consecutive) MLS Cups.

D.C., I bow in your presence.

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Going for broke

Chivas USA lost for the first time at home this season. It wasn't too costly a loss, but Chivas USA was eliminated from contention for the Supporters Shield. They still have a good chance of winning the Western Conference and would do so if RSL beats Houston on Monday.

They wanted to take care of business on Sunday, though. But it didn't happen that way. They didn't want just a draw but instead of a win, they suffered defeat and gave Colorado renewed hope that they could also reach the postseason.

"A tie didn't really do anything for us. Whether we tied or lost it, it really didn't matter except for our home win streak or what not," Brad Guzan said. "At that point, we're pushing for a win and you have to. In this scenario, you try and get three points from the game. Unfortunately we didn't get any."

I actually disagree a little bit with Brad. A point would have forced Houston to beat RSL. With 53 points, Houston would have been five points back with two games left and thus a draw would have eliminated them from contention for the top spot in the West.

However, it was their desire to get a win that cost them the game on Sunday. Can't fault them for that.

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El Guzano Suiza

The USMNT has added Brad Guzan to the roster. Brad's been the goalkeeper of the future for some time. I think he and Chris Seitz could be the Brad and Kasey of their generation.

Anyway, much like his trial by fire with Chivas USA in their first year, Brad was thrown into a difficult test in the Copa America this year. He didn't get the win, but he performed well. So Bradley has called him to Switzerland.
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Streak over

I'm not at the Home Depot Center today, so I watched Chivas USA lose to Colorado on television instead.

Colorado deserves credit for never lying down and fighting until the end, even while a man down. They scored both their goals with that disadvantage. Chivas USA players just seemed to lose their concentration after the tying goal. They seemed content with the tie. I don't know who failed to pick up Omar Cummings on defense, but that was a big mistake.
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Sing, sing a song

I mentioned in my article about the Galaxy's latest win that they were playing, "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" on a boombox in the locker room.

When the reporters first walked in, though, it was James Brown's "I Feel Good" that was blaring out, and some players were even bopping along as they gave interviews.
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Juxtaposition

Well, the East versus West angle really does yield a different perspective. New Jersey's Ives Galarcep has the trade the Galaxy made for Chris Klein as one of the season's worst.

Meanwhile, out in the West, the local writers turned in their ballots for making Klein LA's Most Valuable Player.

It's the first time a player who was not on the LA roster for the entire season has claimed the title. That Landon Donovan didn't win, despite by far being the most productive Galaxy player (8 goals, 12 assists) is a trivial travesty. He did win the Golden Boot - because that's won on merit alone, unaffected by anyone who thinks he should play in Europe and doesn't like his penalty kick ritual.

To me, this is similar to those who argue that Benny Feilhaber should have won the Honda Player of the Year based on his goal against Mexico alone.

Klein had that spectacular goal versus Pachuca in the SuperLiga. He was a good soldier for the team in both his willingness and effectiveness on the defense, but I don't see that as MVP work. Still, it makes for an amusing contrast versus the "biggest trade bust".
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Same ol', same ol'

It would look more prophetic if I had posted it earlier, but it doesn't surprise me that there wasn't much outcry against the women's team at their game in St. Louis.

I have to disagree with some of the posters who mentioned here that they believed the majority of the women's fans were up in arms over how the team was treating Hope Solo. I think a number of fans were bothered, but I'm skeptical about it being a significant percentage, frankly.

As I mentioned before, the image-makers at the US Soccer federation have a vested interest in marketing the squad as ideal role models. From the start of this, they've positioned the other players as the wronged party, and Solo as the destroyer of team codes, norms and ideals. Many people bought that scenario. They've condemned Hope, and don't believe the team was out of line in how they reacted.

To a certain extent, I do think societal norms come into play here. The pressure on females to be seen and not heard is one that persists.

This is seen in how many people agree with what Solo said, but not that she said it, which still baffles me.

Those bringing their daughters to soccer games, however, don't neccesarily have time to parse those nuances out. Women's soccer fans in the U.S. are still an evolving bunch, and they're often not the most knowledgeable. I was talking to a female player once (not Hope) who played in Sweden and she said the great thing about performing there was how well the fans understood the game.

"You don't see crowds in the U.S. cheering a great defensive move, because they don't usually realize that's a great play. They cheer the most at the introductions and when a goal is scored. But the crowds in Sweden were great - they'd pay attention and cheer all the good little things. Great pass sequences sometimes get boos here, because people want to see shots. Over there, the fans go nuts when we possess the ball well, because they know that takes a lot of skill."

So, with a fan base more invested in what they hope the team represents (nice, good girls) than how they actually play, and a snow job by the fed to blame one person (Solo), not to mention the prevelant opinion that a women speaking up is trouble of some kind, it's not a surprise to me that there were only isolated, scattered pockets of protest.

Actually, I think it's a significant step that there was any visible reaction at all. Most people who got turned off by the entire situation simply boycotted the match, or never planned to go in the first place.

Honestly, I have to admit that I also believe there's an element at play here that never liked the women's national team and is reveling in the scandal now for that reason as well. These aren't fans the USWNT has lost - it never had them in the first place.

Though I don't think it's a large number, I do feel badly for the fans that were true, aware and appreciative supporters of the squad for the quality of their play. This was the group disturbed at the limited nature of the direct play the team employed, one that questioned Greg Ryan's tactics long before the goalkeeper switch. They wanted to see more young players given opportunities, and more creative tactics. They cared less about how players act off the field and more about how they play on it. They were probably even slightly cynical about the "We are Family" theme music blaring through the rationale to ostracize Solo.

It's these fans that might be turning on the USWNT. They're not satisfied with the excuses given for the loss to Brazil. They're not buying the distraction that Solo's words became. They're dismayed at how a player vocalizing a relevant opinion is punished by her own teammates.

The quality of these fans is much higher, I think, than their quantity.
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Sueno MLS Playoffs

Los galacticos estan en los nubes.
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Becktory frenzy

The Galaxy won a record five in a row, which of course made their fans happy. David Beckham walked out on the field to celebrate with the squad. He then signed some autographs, causing fans to go a little crazy.
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Saying sorry

Again

I don't think Solo really has a choice here.
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Andale

I had a post sometime ago putting the number of Galaxy players who speak Spanish at seven.

Carlos Pavon, Abel Xavier, Landon Donovan, Chris Albright, Joe Cannon, David Beckham, and Pete Vagenas. I have to up that count by one, to eight. Gavin Glinton speaks Spanish well - probably better than any player besides Pavon. He learned from his mother, who is from South America. I forgot to ask which country.

Here's Gavin talking to Galaxy Deportivo.
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Voepel, not "ma belle"

Mechelle Voepel
She writes words that go together well

Mechelle Voepel contributes to espn.com occasionally, as do I, but she covers women's basketball for the site.

However, she couldn't help but comment on the impression the women's soccer team is giving the world.

Heck, maybe the hoops team can even find a spot for Hope Solo in case the U.S. soccer sorority, er, team remains too "distracted" by her presence.
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1 versus 20?

Stephanie Lopez is confusing me on the definition of forgiveness.

After Solo apologized, Lopez said, she forgave her.

"I'm really just feeling for her because I know she's lonely in a sense," Lopez said.

What I don't understand is how and why, if Solo has apologized and Lopez, at least, has forgiven her, Solo would still be alone. Unless Lopez is one of only a few to forgive, perhaps. Or perhaps some have "forgiven" but continue to shun Solo.
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NYT stamp of something

I can't say whether or not the New York Times really approves of our little soccer blog, but people there do read us, they really read us.

They don't mention us by name in this GOAL blog post, but two of the quotes there are from "Quote jambalaya".

Maybe they didn't want to link to us because they don't like jambalaya?
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Canada boys

They may face off today with their respective club teams, but most of the time, Canadian teammates are "eh, ok" with each other.

1. Jim Brennan and Ante Jazic hug it out.

2. Frank Yallop, former Canada national coach, still giving directions.

3. Kevin Harmse and Adam Braz make fun of each other's facial stubble, while Brennan looks on.





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Previa prepotente

LA, LA, LA
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Xavi boi

David Beckham probably won't play against Toronto tomorrow, but the Galaxy do get another experienced player back from injury - Abel Xavier.
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Tecos' stunner

It was bound to happen, but Tecos?

Santos lost their first match of the Apertura 2007 season to Tecos UAG of all teams. Tecos beat Santos 3-1 on Friday.

With the loss, Santos fell to 8-1-3. Tecos improved to 4-6-2.

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Friendly rivals

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Come again?

I've been getting quite a few responses regarding my recent SI.com column on Edgar Castillo. Apparently, that story compelled some people to respond.

Not all, though, were as - um, moronic I think is a good word - as this guy.

Submitted by Chris

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Question: You all have allegiance to Mexico rather than the US... that's why we don't want you here.

I better tell my buddies Jaime Cardenas and Ivan Orozco that we're not wanted here anymore.
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Boltin' off the bench

After John Cunliffe scored two goals against Real Salt Lake last weekend, I thought I'd catch up with him and talk about his rookie campaign. Now, the focus of the story changed from when I first thought of talking to him.

Instead of an option off the bench, now Cunliffe will be counted on in a different and perhaps more demanding role than before.
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Beck in a little while

Be patient, Galaxy fans, it's not like the team isn't winning.
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After the fall

Here's my take on the main issues the U.S. women are grappling with now.
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Premonition?

I can't say that I saw Ante Razov's injury coming but it was a question I raised to Preki, Jesse Marsch and Ante a few weeks back. With the playoffs no longer in doubt, it seemed natural that resting Razov - as well as other veterans - would be in the club's best interest.

But Preki said flat out that nothing would change.

When Razov didn't play in Salt Lake, I figured Preki either softened his stance somewhat or didn't want to reveal too much of his late-season plans on the record. I thought the same thing on Thursday when Laurent Merlin and John Cunliffe started. But when Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo came on for the last 20-25 minutes, I was surprised. I figured Preki wanted to snatch a win on the road and get closer to the Supporters' Shield.

Perhaps Chivas was a victim of their own success, in that they didn't know how to handle the end of a fantastic regular season. Yes, the Supporters' Shieled is important especially because it carries with it a ticket to the CONCACAF Champions Cup. But the MLS Cup should have been the main goal and with a playoff spot in hand and the top spot in the west within reach, playing Razov wasn't a good idea.
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Quote jambalaya

Lori Chalupny:

We left the World Cup on a pretty high note, considering we lost in the semifinals. I think we fought back really well. It was nice to have a little break, going home and getting my mind away from soccer. I’m really looking forward to getting back with the team.

I think in that game, Brazil deserves a lot of credit. They’re a fantastic team. And as well, we didn’t get a lot of bounces. Nothing seemed to go our way. It was definitely really disappointing. We walked into that tournament ranked number one in the world and we wanted to leave that way. Things happen. That’s why we play the game and that’s why it’s such a great game.

No, not really. Bri is an amazing goalkeeper, as is Hope, as well as Nicole Barnhart. All three goalkeepers we feel comfortable with. We’ve trained with them for two years now and it really doesn’t make much of an impact on the team. It definitely made no impact in the way that we prepared for Brazil.

Shannon Boxx

On the WWC
I’m disappointed in my own experience in the World Cup and the way my personal ending happened with the foul, not really believing it was a foul and leaving my team out there with ten men. That was a disappointement for me, especially after I worked so hard to come back from a serious knee injury. It didn’t end the way I wanted it to.

Returning to action:
So I’m excited to get back on the field and play with my teammates, play with Kristine Lilly. It will be good to take a break and refocus. Now my motivation is even stronger to come back and do well at the Olympics, especially after the way my experience ended at the World Cup.

On whether she would want Solo in goal behind her.
It’s not a question for me, it’s a question for the coach. I’m there to play and that’s not my decision. I’m there to do my job and my role and that’s what I’m going to do for the next three games.

Stephanie Lopez

Looking back on Brazil:
I thought that I played poorly. The decisions I made weren’t quick enough. The pressure that Brazil put on us, I don’t think I was ready for it. My decisions weren’t the right ones. That's why I was disappointed that I let my team down. We’re proud to be a team because you win together and you lose together.

On the goalkeeper switch.

My reaction to it was pretty minor. I definitely wasn’t expecting it, but I don’t think it really affected me. My roommate was Marian and we didn’t really discuss it. It wasn’t an issue. We just kind of thought that we’d take care of our job and everyone else would take care of theirs’. We all as the defense have a lot of confidence in all of our goalkeepers. They all looked great.

On awareness of public reaction to USWNT

"I'm one of those players who doesn’t read any press. For me, I’ve moved on to what’s before me, my college. I can’t do anything about the press or what’s in the past."

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Ante out

Ante Razov may have sprained his left knee in Thursday's match at FC Dallas. If so, the Chivas USA striker might be done for the year.

Razov is slated for an MRI on Friday upon returning to LA but initial fears are that he sprained his knee.

Unlike last year, when Razov broke down in the latter half of the year, Razov has been relatively injury free. A year ago, he played in the first leg of the conference semis but did not play in the second leg, a 2-0 loss to Houston.

I'd like to think Chivas USA have enough to overcome the loss of any one player but Razov isn't just any one player. He's one of their most experienced players and will be a significant loss. At least they'll have two games to get used to the Maykel Galindo - John Cunliffe/Laurent Merlin forward tandem.

On second though, why bother playing Galindo now? Or Suarez? Or Marsch? Or anyone who has had any sort of injury recently, a sprained ankle, a bruise, a cut, a hangnail, anything small now. It's time for Eder Robles, Anthony Hamilton and Erasmo Solorzano to lace 'em up.

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Party line

Lori Chalupny was doing a few interviews today; here's one for USA Today.

Lori didn't have to travel much for this upcoming match, since she is based in St. Louis.

She mentioned to me as well that she hadn't known that Solo was on the roster for the Mexico game until she saw the roster.

And Andrew's soccer365 article picked up some responses.

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Stay the course

With the end of the 2007 season in sight, there has been a lot of talk recently about MLS and a possible second designated player slot for each team. Since MLS announced the DP rule and the three-year window that accompanied it, I thought that was a good amount of time to see if the rule would work.

But now it seems like five months has been enough time for the league to reconsider their original plans. I've wanted to write something on the matter for someone but other stories have surfaced across the web that have made valid points on the topic.

ESPN's Jeff Carlisle said some teams are clamoring for an extra spot while others want to give it more time before re-assessing the rule. What strikes me is that the league didn't come out and say that they would stick to their three-year plan and pretty much left the door open to re-evaluate the rule.

Goal.com's Pat Walsh, meanwhile, had a really well-written column on the matter a couple of weeks back. He makes a good case against expanding the rule.

As far as my own thoughts on the matter, I may still write something for the PE in the coming weeks. I just think it's impossible to know the true effect the rule has had when only five players have been brought in under the DP rule. Juan Pablo Angel and Cuauhtemoc Blanco have injected some world-class talent to their clubs, Claudio Reyna and Denilson have not lived up to their clubs' hopes while David Beckham seized the world's attention but injuries have slowed him considerably.

On the field, DPs have played no role for the four best teams in the league as DC United, Houston and New England have not used their spots while Chivas USA (stupidly) traded theirs away. Angel's and Reyna's team is in the playoffs and Blanco's is getting there while Denilson's is in with no help from the World Cup winner.

When the Galaxy got Beckham, one of the first things I thought of was how the Galaxy would be able to keep Landon Donovan and Beckham. I expected the Galaxy to have traded for a spot by now but I always thought that somehow, someway he'd be in a Galaxy uniform next season no matter what. Turns out the Galaxy might not have to trade for a DP slot in order to keep him after all.

And here I thought we were past the days of MLS' knee-jerk reactions.

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Team effort

If I had to pick a Player of the Tournament for the U.S. at the World Cup, I'd have to go with the tiny sparkplug in midfield, Lori Chalupny. Besides scoring the winning goal against Nigeria, she was a contributer all during the competition, pesky on defending and able to deliver decent passes for opportunities on offense.

Today I called her for an interview and we talked about the World Cup. Most of that is going into a preview piece I'm writing for espn.com tonight.

One thing Chalupny said surprised me a little.

Before the Norway game, this is the quote that AP had from Lori Chalupny.

"That stuff in the media, I don't think it really filters into the team," Chalupny said. "We've known Hope for years and years and I just think she got caught up in the heat of the moment. It's nothing that impacts our team. She's a competitive person and wants to play.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the exact quote in front of me when we talked (we'd been playing phone tag for a little while) and I just referred to the quote in general terms. "You had a quote come out at the World Cup about how what Hope said wasn't a big deal - or that it didn't really affect the team."

Anyway, Lori said that she thought she had been misunderstood, that in fact, what Hope said was a big deal, and that it was something that the entire team decided needed to be handled together, internally and behind closed doors.

Quote added for clarity. Here's what Lori said.

"I think the quote that you're referring to was when I was saying that Greg's decision to play Briana wasn't as big a deal to the team as what it was made out to be. As far as Hope's comments, I think they were actually a big deal. We're dealing with that within our team and trying to get over that."

The closed-door comment came up later, in response to a different Solo-related question.

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First steps

The first step towards a dream Copa Sudamericana matchup (at least for Mexican soccer fans) is well underway.

America beat Vasco da Gama 2-0 in Estadio Azteca while Chivas tied Arsenal de Sarandi 0-0 in Argentina.

For America, a pair of America veterans hooked up for the first goal as German Villa set up Duilio Davino for a goal. The match also kicked off the Daniel "Ruso" Brailovsky era triumphantly.

Chivas, meanwhile, got a somewhat positive result. Against DC United, Chivas lost the first leg but still won the series with a 1-0 home win. A similar result against Arsenal in Estadio Jalisco would do the trick.

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