Assessments - Everyone Has 'Em

I've been writing the Liga MX Best XI all Apertura long . Can I just say that few things make me feel more like a hack than the type of articles that are popular in sports now. 

Edgar Castillo, who now plays for Atlas

I blame Letterman and his Top Ten list. Or fantasy football. Either way, listicles are the popcorn of the Internet sports world. 

I mean, obviously, there's something valid in writing about which players did well over the weekend of games. But soccer isn't as quantifiable as other stats based sports, so there's quite a bit of conjecture and speculation on my part as I subjectively try to decide who makes the Best XI cut. 

There also isn't enough time for me to watch every Liga MX game, but I do try to catch the highlights. So I hope my judgments are fair. 

Just for fun, here's another writer's take on NY's Mike Petke's coaching. 

Video Review, On Your Side

There's been much debate over the MLS Disciplinary Committee's usage of video to go back and slap players with fines and suspensions.

Now, it's possible that many of these same critics will not only praise this system but will be glad it's in place.

Rafael Marquez got away with a horrible act of violence in New York's 2-2 draw with San Jose on Saturday. Marquez... well, look for yourself.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xy6rCYtzJSY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It's pretty bad. He wraps up Salinas, drags him down and for good measure kicks him in the head. Salinas broke his clavicle on the play and a key figure from San Jose's impressive early start is now gone.

Marquez deserves a lengthy ban. As if the Committee needs any reminding, Marquez began the season by serving a two-match ban for shenanigans he created after the Galaxy and Red Bulls played the first leg of their playoff series last year. I think a 3-5 match will be given, and I think five would be fair.

Anyway, without this recent rash of retroactive suspensions, not sure what sort of action would have been taken. I do believe this would have gone punished in some form or another but because the Discipline Committee is now quick to slap suspensions on players, this one should be pretty simple and straightforward.

And hopefully the criticisms over the use of the Discipline Committee and their suspensions will be quelled.

MLS - Fire versus Red Bulls

Wow, in HD one can really see the sun damage on John Harkes's face. Need more make-up, John.

I love Toyota Park by the way. Great stadium. Nice views everywhere, and the brickwork is sweet.

Bretos, A. Lalas and Twellman discussing the USA loss. Twellman has an excellent point about the youth of the USA team not matching Mexico's talent with young players. Duh. I could have said that back in 2005, when Mexico won the U17 World Cup.

1 - Dane Richards on an early run. Fire snuff it out.

3 - What a joke. Commentators talking about how the Fire miss Brian McBride. McBride was fine, but who the Fire really miss is Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Blanco made the team go.

5 - I nominate Eric Wynalda for the Fire coaching vacancy, by the way.

6 - Does anyone else hate Henry's beard as much as I do? I hate it like I hated Ronaldo's horrible 2002 haircut. Ugh.

7 - Richards helps the Bulls get a corner. It's taken well, but no one from NY is able to connect.

12 - Commentators snark slightly on Charlie Davies' goal total. Also, notice how all the studio hosts believe Bradley is staying in charge of the USA team. .

14 Cuesta gets a yellow for tackle on Joel Lindpere. DeRosario takes a crappy freekick.

15 - Oduro gets in deep, Keel cuts off his cross.

17 - Barouch misses from the top of the box for the Fire. Too high.

19 Fire getting more of the ball than New York, who don't look like the top team in the East at present. I know, technically, the Union are tops in the East, too.

21 - Johnson with a nice save on Richards. Gives up the corner, but the Fire eventually clear.

23 - Can anyone in the booth give Harkes a crippling blow to his voicebox? Twellman or Lalas would have better insight. Harkes is the master of the painfully obvious. Plus, he's not funny. At all.

24 - FAIL - FAIL! The All-Spanish commentary on the Gold Cup trophy ceremony is a fallacy. There was English spoken. Howard was wrong, just as wrong as he was four times in the USA v Mexico game. The MLS announcers should make the truth clear. Be honest, Harkes. I know it's hard.

26 - Johnson with another nice save, this one low.

27 - Fire on the counter, but Oduro blows it with a lame pass and promptly chastises himself like a four-year old, pounding his fists on the grass of the field.

30 - Blah, blah, the announcers have forgotten about the game going on in front of them and are wondering on -air if John Rooney will room with his brother. Please.

31 - Those concerned about the match, I'm here for you. Red Bulls passing the ball aimlessly in their half of the field.

32 - Barouch with a header to the corner - missed it, but not by much. Kid's got talent.

34 - Richards with a great wing run and a wasted cross right to Johnson. If Richards could ever learn to cross, he'd be a beast. He'd be in Europe, not MLS. But right now, every cross is a roll of the die. So he's in MLS.

37 - Stone doesn't want to claim credit for coining "Bouna-time"? Can't blame him.

38 - Cuesta, already on a yellow, is tempting fate by getting another foul.

39 - Now the announcers are telling the story of Mike Magee playing the majority of the Galaxy match as a goalkeeper. Highlights or it didn't happen.

40 - GOAL! Cuesta with a horrible clearance - right into Lindpere, who catches up to the ball and hits a nice angle to the corner. Not only does Cuesta gift Lindpere the ball, but in shock, he doesn't close down in time, allowing the shot. 1-0 Red Bulls.

42 - Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, but Lindpere is also persistent and opportunistic. Good qualities in MLS, where shaky moments happen.

45 - Fire pout their way to halftime. You can always tell a young team - they act like more possession and chances should count for something in soccer. It's all about the finishing and the scoreboard, boys.

Halftime - Lalas thinks Bob's USA coaching is fine. Twellman finds more criticism with the move for Bornstein after Cherundolo's injury. Then they segue, really awkwardly, to the Women's World Cup.

Considering he let four goals in last night - the AllState commercials with Tim Howard are really annoying. I want to yell at the screen, "Forget about being cool! Watch for Barrera! You should have had that shot!"

Hm, Hope Solo goes from being ostracized in 2007 to being the main feature in the ESPN halftime report. Meanwhile, where is former USA women's coach Greg Ryan?

46 - Announcers discuss whether Henry is disinterested in this match. It's the beard, I think. It makes him look like he's given up on life and caring about anything.

49 - Bogus call. Nyarko wasn't faking, he just stepped on the NY player's leg. Of course he went down. He lost his footing.

53 - The Fire go close with a freekick.

55 - De Rosario tries to defy the law of physics and put a shot on goal from an impossible angle.

57 - GOAL! Pappa is the Pappa! Marco with an outside shot beats Coundoul. Coundoul misjudged the pace of the ball and didn't so much punch as barely nudged the ball, and it continued on its merry path to the back of the net. 1-1 All square.

58 - Bouna Time! for a bad flub, that is.

60 - Hi to all the folks who got here because Dodger writer Dylan Hernandez got bored at the airport and mentioned my blog on his Twitter. How 'bout them Dodgers this year? Who hates McCourt like I hate Henry's beard?

64 - Magee needs to make a triumphant return to the Red Bulls as their new goalkeeper.

66 - Pappa is injured. This is not good for the Fire.

68 - Pappa's fine now. Just overshot a cross.

69 - Pappa test Coundoul with a shot, but Bouna has this one. The Red Bulls look tired. This game is ripe for the Fire.

70 - Corben Bone is on for Baggio Husidic. Mendes, a Red Bull lifer, goes to ground trying to make something happen in the box. Nothing doing.

72 - Keel is clearly trying to make Henry feel better about that horrible beard by sporting really bad hair and an atrocious headband.

75 - Ballouchy, Henry and Lindpere work together to earn a corner and Keel gets a free header. The bad hair probably contributed to his bad miss.

77 - The Fire supporters still sounding energetic. If the players look tired - well, have you ever played in Chicago in the summer? Brutal. Life-sapping humidity.

78 - Teemu Tainio with a yellow card foul on Pappa.

80 - Hans Backe has fallen asleep. Or at least, that's the best reason I can come up with for New York not having a single sub yet.

81 - Nice save by Coundoul. Now he's down on the ground though. He didn't land well from that dive.

83 - Meanwhile, Chicago has just made its third sub. Pappa comes out, probably because he played Gold Cup and is still fatigued.

85 - Bouna Time - aka craziness - in the box as he clears the ball off a Fire player, but it doesn't result in a goal.

87 - Fire pressing late for the win, but one can't tell as the announcers gab about random Gold Cup and points in the table.

88 - Chaves is a mini-Pappa, but nowhere near as effective. You need to believe, Diego!

90+ Fire closing in as time runs down.

Mike Jones makes his MLS debut for New York. Oduro tries to be the hero, ignores Chaves and goes over the bar.

Fulltime - It's a draw. Tired match from both sides. Not MLS at its best by far. Plus, we never got Magee in goal highlights. I feel cheated.

The Dope Show

Steroids is a problem that has plagued other professional American sports, most notably baseball.

But it was just a matter of time, really, until steroids made their way into MLS. On Thursday, they did as New York players Jon Conway and Jeff Parke were slapped with fines and suspensions after positive tests.

The two players tested positive for androstatriendione (ATD) and boldenone metabolites, according to a release, which are considered performance-enhancing substances.

Per MLS rules, each player has been banned for 10 games, including playoffs, effective immediately. They've also been docked 10 percent of their annual salary.

The release also says that both players purchased an over-the-counter nutritional supplement that contains ATD at "a vitamin store that is part of a national chain." Not sure what the intent of that information was but possibly they'd just like to be as detailed as possible. When you say steroids, after all, most people probably would think some sort of needle injection.

So what does this mean for New York? Well, Conway has started 28 of 28 games this season. Caleb Patterson-Sewell and Terry Boss split the goalkeeping duties in New York's last reserve match. Conway isn't the best 'keeper in MLS but it's a notch or three down from Conway to Patterson-Sewell and Boss.

As for Parke, only Seth Stammler and Kevin Goldthwaite have more starts among field players than Parke. Still, the club can probably absorb Parke's loss better than it can Conway's.

Perhaps the info about the national chain is to dissuade any fears about players possibly shooting up in the locker room. Maybe the two players made an honest mistake and took stuff without reading the labels too closely.

Still, steroids are steroids and professional athletes of all people should be careful about what they ingest, whether it's a plate of food at breakfast or nutritional supplements. Thus, the league was left with little choice but to follow procedure and ban the players.

Tearing up the turf

In case you missed the Battle in the Big Apple (at the stadium in New Jersey} or simply want to relive the highlights.
"Ambidexterity, people!" I sometimes roll my eyes at Max Bretos when he's announcing, but of all the English-language announcers, I think his enthusiasm for the game is unparalleled.


Or if you prefer the highlights in Spanish:

Galaxy/Red Bull running blog

Well, well, if the montage of the nine goals scored the last time these two teams met in New York doesn't amp you up for this game, I don't know what will.
Galaxy
* 1 - Steve Cronin (GK)
* 3 - Greg Vanney
* 4 - Ante Jazic
* 7 - Chris Klein
* 8 - Peter Vagenas
* 10 - Landon Donovan
* 12 - Troy Roberts
* 14 - Edson Buddle
* 15 - Alvaro Pires
* 20 - Carlos Ruiz
* 23 - David Beckham
New York
* 18 - Jon Conway (GK)
* 2 - Kevin Goldthwaite
* 4 - Carlos Mendes
* 6 - Seth Stammler
* 9 - Juan Pablo Angel
* 11 - Dave van den Bergh
* 13 - Jorge Rojas
* 19 - Dane Richards
* 20 - Oscar Echeverry
* 27 - Andrew Boyens
* 60 - Jeff Parke

Actually, besides Jozy, I think the player that New York will miss in this game is Clint Mathis. He made a real impact in that Galaxy game.
Kickoff!
1 - Ruiz cuts the wrong way and misses a Galaxy pass.
2 - Foul on Klein - who gets a yellow Sullivan doesn't think it was deserved, but the ref wants to keep things under control.
3 - Beckham blocks the kick with his face and women scream/cheer as he grins sheepishly.
4- New York is attacking from the start, though Dane Richards gets stood up by Jazic. Dane's speed can be deadly.
5 - Galaxy get a deep throw, but NY get the ball back quickly as Vagenas puts the ball out.
6 - Becks drives a deep FK, but the Red Bull backline isn't fooled - Conway claims the ball.
8 - The fans are noisy - but its indistinct. No clear chants. Richards from distance over the bar.
9 - Echeverry slips just before the cross, or it might have been a better one.
11 - Cronin grabs the ball a nanosecond before Angel gets there.
12 - The Galaxy work a good attack up the field, but Jazic's cross isn't great. Klein can't really do anything with it. It's too close to the line when he tries to bring it down.
13 - NY goes the other way, but the Galaxy line blocks two shots.
14 - Buddle goes down, earning the G's a foul, but in their own half.
15 - Becks takes it, then catches up the the rebound but his cross is deflected.
16 - NY - Richards in the box but Cronin dives to snuff the ball. Ruiz misses on the other end. Wide. Match is back and forth now, pace picked up a lot.
17 - Beckham get fouled in midfield. Now Jazic fouls Richards - as Dane lies on the ground, the camera catches his arm freckled with rubber turf bits.
19 - Angel! He cuts around Roberts, leaves him on the ground, gets the ball into the edge of the box and fires on Cronin, who palms the ball away. He's lucky that didn't break his wrist. The shot was a rocket.
21 - Donovan breaks free, hits a great pass for Ruiz, who fires low, but Conway gets a footsave on it and even tangles up Ruiz while he secures the ball, preventing a rebound goal.
23 - Donovan sets up another attack, passes to Jazic who crosses to Ruiz, but it's too far in front of Fish and Conway gets it.
24 - Every close-up shot of the players shows pissed-off faces. It's hot down there, but also the defense is heated on both sides. I don't see nine goals in this game.
25 - Or maybe. Donovan earns a foul just at the top of the box. Becks sets up.
26 - Becks hits wall - gets a corner. It's cleared.
28 - Weird midfield play there - Becks is far back.
29 - GOAL! Cronin had to come out of the box to kick away a ball, leaving the goal empty. Becks corrals the ball in midfield, passes up to Buddle, who beats Parke in the box and trusts Ruiz, dinking a chip pass in front of goal to him. Ruiz gets a head on it, it dinks into goal slowly, but because Conway was out of position, it goes in. 1-0 Galaxy.
32 - That is weird - it really didn't look like Pires fouled Angel there. I guess the name gets the call at times. Or the more spectacular fall, since Angel tumbled over the back of Pires.
34 - GOAL! Van den Burg! Stammler scrapped for the ball in midfield, passed to Rojas, who slipped a tricky ball to VDB. He had a smidgen of room and split the ball between defenders, surprising Cronin and hitting side netting. 1-1 Tied up.
38 - Vanney gets a foul, though he protests that Ech was pulling on his shorts. The FK is cleared.
39 - Donovan volley from a Klein pass, but it's high.
42 - Buddle is handling the ball as much as any playmaker right now.
43 - Ech earns a deep FK as Roberts fouls him. Galaxy clear.
44 - The Galaxy are playing these nice short passes, but the turf confounds a lot of their efforts.
45 - Angel gets on to a lucky bounce, then attacks and hits a perfect pass to Ech, but Roberts slides in perfectly to prevent the shot. Nice.
45 + Galaxy build up a play, Ruiz looked like he was fouled, but the ref lets it go, then perhaps squares up the justice as Angel tumbles at the other end without a call.
Halftime - I like the way that the Galaxy played better than New York, but VDB's goal was worthy. New York's scrappy defense can't be faulted, either.
46 - Angel in the box, goes down, not call.
47 - NY doesn't have the buildup that the Galaxy have, but as long as Angel is on the end of those long passes, they have a major threat on goal.
49 - Richard is coming off the field on a stretcher - no one touched him but the turf or the heat may be to blame.
50 - NY attacking with ten men. Stammer with an outside shot, but unlike VDB, he hits it with rise and it goes over the goal.
52 - Ruiz with a shot in the box - Conway blocks, but Ruiz looks threatening now. At least he's forcing the issue, where the goalkeeper has to make saves.
53 - Jazic is pissed that there's a corner there. NY threatens with it, but the header is wide.
55 - SAVE - as the Galaxy defense is befuddled, VDB fires again, but Cronin stops this one.
56 - Galaxy shot on the other end is stopped b Conway.
57 - Buddle works hard to earn a corner for the G's. It goes far over to LD, whose shot is defelcted for another corner. Becks takes it, Buddle touches the ball down but his shot his deflected.
59 - Rojas! Over the bar! Wow, though it looked like offside on VDB, the play was valid and Rojas was right in front of goal.
60 - Another pass from Stammler finds Rojas, who crosses to Angel. Klein gets a foot in, NY corner. Cronin catches it.
61 - Another NY corner. Ruud looks frustrated. Something's going to give soon. Cronin catches the service, though.
63 - Now the Galaxy have a corner. Ech is out for John Wolyniec. Beck's service is headed out for Angel. Conway gets a yellow for shoving someone.
64 - Conway punches out the next corner.
65 - Ruiz and Buddle both chase a through ball from LD, but Conway gets there first.
66 - Long pass for Angel again. One of those is going to pay off, but it won't be this one.
68 - Galaxy in the box, but shot is deflected and only a corner. NY clears it.
69 - SAVE! Croning comes up big on a save after VDB crosses perfectly to Rojas and he put a knockdown header on frame.
71 - GOAL! The Galaxy were looking dangerous in the attack, but the Red Bulls strike on the counter. Angel gets the ball in the box and completely jukes Vanney in the box, then lifts the ball to the far post over Cronin as the goalkeeper comes out to shut him down. 2-1 New York
Vagenas gets a yellow for dissent. He was mad that he was pulled by Rojas as he tried to reach Vanney to help on defense just before Angel's goal.
73 - New York on the attack again, beating the Galaxy defense hard and firing on goal. Cronin is beaten but Roberts kicks out the ball on the line. Ball falls to VDB, who fires over the bar.
76 - New York looks really confident on the counter now, while the Galaxy look tired.
78 - Ruiz in the box, great work to beat is defender, but shoots into an onrushing Conway.
79 - Vanney is out for Gordon. Gullit is chasing this game.
80 - LD in the box, but Parke snuffs his cross.
81 - So close! VDB beats Klein and shoots on goal by an angle, Cronin parries to the foot of Woly! Over the bar!
83 - Angel with a tricky play over Cronin but the ball goes out on him.
85 - SAVE! Cronin denies VDB. I thought that was in goal but Cronin knocked it out towards the back of the side netting.
86 - Becks gets a pass from Ruiz who is working hard, though he should have scored more than one. Becks' cross is cleared, though.
88 - Pete tries from distance after a run of Galaxy possession. LD mad he didn't get the pass as shot goes wide.
89 - Pietrevalho comes in for VDB.
90 - Gordon in the box. Red Bulls snuff that chance.
GOAL! LD! I DON'T EVEN THINK HE WAS TRYING TO SCORE! LD looked like he was trying to cross for Buddle, but it was a bit too high, then the ball took a crazy bounce in. 2-2
Angel on the other end cracks a shot on goal - Cronin dives and catches it.
LD Again! But it's off the post! Wow.
Final whistle.
Pretty crazy, sexy football, and a hot game. Nuts all the way around, but in the end, I think the result was fair. I may like the short possession passes the Galaxy were pulling a bit more than the passes over the top that NY was working, but the Red Bulls worked it to perfection and deserved both their goals. The Galaxy, however, deserved a little something, though they got lucky with the flukey goal.
OK, not nine goals, but four wasn't bad and it was an exciting game all around.
Ha, ha, both Angel and LD thought their team should have won in the post-game interviews. Big surprise.
I'm not in NY, by the way, but I can guess what Becks is saying in his post game presser.
"We could have won it, but we did well to get the draw so late."
"It was hot."
"Landon showed his skill."
"It showed our character and heart that we kept fighting."
"I hate turf." OK, Becks wouldn't say the last one, but I would bet he thought it.
VBD jokes about his weaker foot in the FSC interview. He's an amiable character and a quality player, even if he looks gangly on the field sometimes. It's deceptive.

New York drops the ball

My SI.com editor Jonah Freedman takes the New York Red Bulls to task about the Claudio Reyna retirement situation.

Freedman argues that if New York knew about Reyna's impending retirement, which really he should have been euthanized when he first broke down this year, then the Bulls should have made a push for Ronaldinho.

Is that far-fetched? Should the Red Bulls have gone after one of the biggest names in world soccer?

Probably, but would they really have paid the millions of dollars necessary to acquire his services? Jonah points out that Man City and AC Milan drove the price up by bidding against each other. Would New York have driven the price even higher?

New York needs a superstar, that much is true. Yes, Juan Pablo Angel is a great player but his starpower doesn't extend off the soccer field. Ronaldinho's does.

I don't know if Ronaldinho would have come stateside. Gut and all, he's still got soccer left in him. But I'm just not sure if he would have considered New York an option.

All speed, no glory?

Dane Richards played a key role in New York's 1-1 draw with Chivas USA on Saturday. He gave Chivas USA fits in the first half with his speed and play along Chivas' left side, as he drew a yellow card and set up the set piece that led to the Red Bulls' only goal.

Just how good is Richards?

Chivas midfielder Jesse Marsch isn't about to pencil Richards in on the league's Best XI anytime soon.

Marsch was asked what makes Richards tough to deal with after the match and said:

Speed. Pure speed. Not to discredit him in any way but he's just a fast guy. That's what he is. It's not like you're dealing with him being creative or him being alert or him being a playmaker. He's just fast. If you're smart and you understand how to play against speed, it's not difficult. How many times did you see Claudio (Suarez) get beat by him? Never because he knows how to play against fast guys.

Chivas USA/NY running blog

Sorry this is late. I couldn't find the TV channel for this at first.
"Andrea, why aren't you at the game?"
1. Gas is expensive.
2. I have no assignment to cover this match.
So TV running blog it is.
NY - Jon Conway, Kevin Goldthwaite, Hunter Freeman, Carlos Mendes, Seth Stammler, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Dave van den Bergh, John Wolyniec, Dane Richards, Andrew Boyens, Jeff Parke
Chivas USA: Brad Guzan (GK), Claudio Suarez, Jim Curtin, Francisco Mendoza, Ante Razov, Carey Talley, Jonathan Bornstein, Bobby Burling, Jesse Marsch, Sacha Kljestan, Justin Braun
15 - I love the matches in Spanish - the announcers usually sound much more serious about the game. Boyens with a header attempt on the set play - it's wide of goal.
16 - Announcers don't like the midfield of Chivas USA right now. "Poor touches and timing" they complain.
17 - Wow, flashback reference there. Justin Braun hits a pass for Panchito way ahead, and Jesus, the PbP guy, says, "Not even the son of the wind, Carl Lewis, could get to that ball."
18 - Dane Richards goes for a long pass, and has the ball when Bobby Burling falls over, the announcers get excited, but then trip over Ubiparipovich's name. They decide to call him Sinisa insteas.
21 - Burling is down on the ground again.
23 - Richards in the box, beats his defender well, closes in on Guzan, but shoots far post and misses badly! "He beat his defender with a move like Michel Platini, but he shot like Dane Richards, " says the announcer.
26 - FK for NY, courtesy of a foul on Richards.
GOAL! Van Den Burgh! Wow - Guzan is not getting to England with moves like that. Van Den Burgh serves the ball in, a looping ball that Kevin Goldthwaite charges and jumps for, but he misses. Guzan is rooted to his line, then moving toward the crashing players, while the ball drops and then merrily skips into the side netting untouched. 1-0 NY.
29 - Braun is down and the announcers have a conniption fit about the uncalled foul on Andrew Boyens, whose elbow landed on Braun's face.
32 - Panchito racing Dane to a ball, which seems a losing proposition, but Panchito just gets there and puts the ball out for a corner.
33 - Corner is cleared.
34 - Announcers are calling Panchito and Dave "speed demons". It sounds cooler in Spanish - demonios.
35 - SAVE off the line, Hunter Freeman! After the ball was chipped over Conway, coming off his line, Freeman just dinked it back.
36 - Handball! Twice over, it looks like - the last one off a Claudio Suarez scissor kick in the box.
39 - Chivas USA is playing much better than when the game was scoreless.
40 - Parke gets fouled by Razov, as Ante is trying to reach a long pass.
43 - Dane in the box, ball stays there for a while, but once the shot finally comes, it's a soft one and Guzan picks it up easily.
45 - FK for NY, Goldthwaite goes up for it, but heads it wide and crashes heavily.
45 + Chivas USA's energetic rush in reaction to the goal against them appears to be ebbing.
GOAL - The NY defense booboos big time - pass to the center defender just as he moves forward and so the ball goes behind him. Conway doesn't react quickly enough, and Razov pops in to sidefoot the ball past him into the goal. 1-1.
Halftime: It was Goldthwaite who hit the pass as Jeff Parke was moving forward - wow, what a blunder. New York must be disheartened, while Chivas USA is right back in this one.
60 - The wrapping around Justin Braun's head to keep his eyebrow cut from opening up looks like electrical tape.
65 - Not too much going on - back and forth but little in the way of clear chances.
72 - Freeman is fouled by Flores - Stammler takes a shot, but Guzan catches it well.
74 - Etcheverry is getting stick from the announcers for killing NY attacks. They can't stand his lack of understanding and connection with his teammates.
76 - This is a pretty messy sloppy game. Passes are going awry - it's not just the goals that are based on mistakes, it's a theme for this match.
80 - Sassano is coming in for NY's captain, Stammler.
82 - Magee with a pretty horrid cross attempt.
85 - Ck for NY - nothing comes of it. Announcers are having a go at Boyens who is down again, calling him a dirty player who fouls, pulls shirts and fakes injury a lot.
87 - Sassano pulls Panchito's arm on an attack - gives Chivas USA a FK in a good spot. On the FK, Braun doesn't get to the ball (Boyens is holding his shirt).
88 - Hamilton in for Braun.
89 - Ante gets cleated and goes down, but Sassano, I think, says something to him about it and Ante steps on his foot in retaliation. It's not much, but the ref give hims a yellow.
90 + CK for Chivas USA - it's cleared after some trouble.
Dane is down - having collided with Panchito - whose small size seems to be part of the reason the ref shows little pity when Dane stays down after the clash.
One last attack comes to nothing for Chivas USA - the teams split points as the ref blows the final whistle.

Speaking of the charity game

Angel didn't play - he just made an appearance. Also, not to tell my ESPN editor what to title his own posts, but it looks like according to Theirry Henry, it should be called, "Jason Kidd can ball?" Yeah, and where's blogMaverick covering the things that really matter?

Red Bulls Gore the Goats

Man, New York is king of the 1-0 win lately, no? Here's the view from the other side, as well.

Altidore in Spain

No, not for the match today, but permanently, for Villareal.

Can I just say how excited I am to have young American talent going to La Liga again?

I've known Jozy since he was fifteen and playing ping-pong with Dan Kelly at the U17 World Cup in Peru in 2005 (which means the Times is wrong about him joining the squad after his rookie season in MLS; he was done with the U17s by then). What struck me at the time was that his parents weren't along for the trip - although he was the youngest one there. Yet Jozy was fine, a sign of his early maturity.
Granted, I'm based on the West Coast, but I never really bought into the rumors that Jozy was getting big-headed on his own press.
He seemed distracted, definitely. It's hard to focus in the here and now when you're thinking about someplace else. I think that happened to Guzan a little bit when his Aston Villa transfer fell through. Plus, Jozy is competitive enough to get easily frustrated when things get worse - an injured Angel and Reyna left him with little help on his club. A young player can be a great complement to the core of a team, but asking Altidore to carry the squad was more than a bit much.
It will be interesting to see how New York copes with his time left with the squad as well as his departure. It might give Juan Carlos Osorio a chance to restructure, or completely cripple the rest of the season to lose his young gun and have injured vets left.

Red Bull NY/Chicago Fire

Well, Chad Barrett already scored, but I was having brunch.

31 - Announcers talking about Juan Pablo Angel's back problem.
33 - Usually I harp on English announcers for not talking about the game, but this time, the Spanish-speaking ones have gone off on a long tangent about FC Dallas firing Steve Morrow. They're not talking about the game at all.
34 - Rolfe to Barret, but the give and go doesn't go.
36 - NY, according to the announcers, cannot penetrate, cannot probe, cannot test the Fire with the non-threatening way they're playing right now.
38 - Jon Busch leaps to punch the ball and comes down on top of his defender, Bakary.
39 - NY FK, Reyna takes, Sassano's shirt gets torn, Parke looks like he reaches it, but his header is wide. The announcers ding the ref.
40 - Danleigh Borman one-times a pass over the bar. Nice volley try.
45 - Announcers discussing the Osorio soap opera.
Halftime - Chicago winning the grudge matchup between the two teams.

More from Borman

Audio of my little chat with New York's Danleigh Borman following Saturday's 2-1 win over the Galaxy.

Not Juan but two

Here is audio of Juan Carlos Osorio and Juan Pablo Angel at the press conference following the New York Red Bulls' 2-1 win over the Galaxy on Saturday.

Primero hablan en espanol pero tambien contestan unas preguntas en ingles.

Massive win

My post-match report on the Red Bulls-Galaxy game for MLSnet.com, from the New York point-of-view.

Juan Carlos Osorio called the three points "massive" but the way in which they got them speaks volumes. Not only did they put the clamps down on Landon Donovan and David Beckham, the Bulls showed quite a bit of character after Alan Gordon's equalizer.

I also wrote about Dave van den Bergh and his thoughts on his battle with Beckham and Danleigh Borman's first career goal and first career goal celebration.

Also, I'll have audio up later in the day so fans and poachers alike can enjoy.

Hoping for time

I got the chance to talk to Danleigh Borman about his goal. I asked him, somewhat jokingly, if he would become the Red Bulls' new offensive weapon now that he scored a goal.

"I just hope to play again the next game, you know."

Can't say, won't say

Just got back from downstairs. I had the chance to talk to Dave van den Bergh and asked him what David Beckham said to him when the Galaxy captain barked at a fallen van den Bergh in the second half. He smiled and said "I, uh, I don't know".

After our chat as he walked away, he turned around, smiled and said "I won't repeat that."

NY-LA running blog

3 - LD with a shot, but Conway with a diving save
4 - Alan Gordon! It looked like a goal, but it's called back for offsides. Too late for the confetti guys, though, who already cut loose.
6 - Sean Franklin with a sliding tackle stops an NY attack.
9 - NY is actually having the better of possession, though LA has had better chances.
12 - Beckham crosses into the box after a good run of play from LA, but NY clears.
14 - Mike Randolph has a good double play, saves the ball from going out of bounds, then tackles ball away from Dane Richards. Richards is down for a while, though.
16 - The play is bypassing Beckham and the Galaxy are the worse for it.
17 - Bad play by Franklin - heads ball to Richards, who chips into the box for Altidore, but somehow the Galaxy escape when Jozy doesn't shoot first-time and the defense closes in.
18 - Beckham crosses in, but the service bypasses Gordon, the intended target.
20 - Jozy with the ball in the box, goes down, doesn't get the call. Counter finds Donovan running for the ball in the box, but it bounces over his head into Conway's arms.
GOAL! Hunter Freeman with a long throw in gets the ball in the box to Jozy, who this time holds his defender off well, turns and shoots, Cronin parries it, but the ball falls to Danlieigh Borman, who slots it in while Cronin is still scrambling up. 1-0, NY.
23 - NY free kick in a good spot out above the arc. Into the wall.
26 - Beckham on the counter - oh, Franchino isn't fast enough to keep that. Galaxy corner cleared.
28 - Randolph with a nice play gets the ball to LD, who is a step slow collecting it and loses it. Beckham is really wandering around the field now, trying to get into the play somewhere the Red Bulls don't expect it.
32 - Galaxy looking a bit better, LD in the box, loses it, fouls.
33 - Randolph with the ball in the box, can't cross, goes out for FT.
34 - Becks to Klein, to Randolph, but his sliding shot is wide.
36 - LD on the the run - out for FT.
37 - McDonald booked for a late tackle on Borman.
39 - Beckham, who has been running up top like a third striker just now, draws a yellow. He sends in a pinpoint ball to the box and three Galaxy players just clean miss it.
41 - Maybe it's just me, but Red Bull look better without Reyna in the middle.
42 - Cronin punches out a cross.
43 - Galaxy corner, Becks sets up. Gordon heads it high - over the crossbar. Got to get those down, Gordo.
45 - Juan Carlos Osorio probably has a lot of nervous energy - he's running off the side of the field even before the final whistle.
Halftime. The Galaxy had some decent half-chances, but they've yielded far too much ball control to the Red Bulls, who are executing good one-touch passes and working well to pressure the Galaxy. They just look more coordinated than the Galaxy, frankly.
47 - Galaxy looking a little more energetic. NY has a little cheering section here, actually. Red Bull have a West Coast division here in Santa Monica, and they bought out a section of tickets.
49 - Speaking of the energy drink - NY don't bring any freebies to the press box any more. Galaxy corner gets cleared out.
50 - Vanney gets pulled down going into the box - he and G fans can't believe he didn't get the call.
51 - Beckham is staying put on the right - and getting no love. Galaxy do get a corner from an attack up the left, though. LD puts it it - Gordon heads it over the bar. Down, Gordo, down.
55 - FK - Beckham sends it in - Red Bulls clear for corner - kinda close to an own goal. Becks takes corner - cleared. Leads to another corner, misses everyone.
57 - LD lays off for McDonald - whose shot is blocked. Galaxy still on the attack, but the bounce goes right for Red Bull.
58 - Dane Richards is so fast. NY counter - stopped for corner, Cronin punches it out over bar, another corner, out for goal kick.
60 - Galaxy FK, Becks sends it in after fussing over NY standing too close - Conway punches out to Franchino, whose shot is wide by quite a bit.
62 - Long pass reaches Angel, whose low shot gets caught, after a slight bobble, by Cronin.
64 - Gordon with a great through pass to Becks, whose cross is way off. That's like Tiger shanking a drive, but it happens.
67 - LD pass to Becks cut off by VDB.
68 - Prus gives Beckham a yellow for a late tackle on VDB.
70 - Osorio must be hotblooded, because it's a chilly sort of LA night, and he's only got a dress shirt on. Gullit is wearing his dark suit.
71 - Galaxy on the attack, look like they should have a multitude of chances, but in the end, get only a corner our of it. Becks' service doesn't clear the first defender.
73 - Gordon turns his defender, shoots on goal from top of arc - way high.
74 - Angel latches onto a long pass - Cronin parries the low shot.
75 - Goldthwaite gets a yellow for a tackle from behind on LD. Becks' service gets cleared.
77 - GOAL! The left side gets it done! Vanney to Randolph to Gordon! Gordon turns and slots it in far post. 1-1
78 - GOAL! NY comes right back. Richards beats half the Galaxy line for speed, sends in nice pass to Angel, Cronin is off his line too late - Angel touches it past him and into the net. 2-1 NY.
81 - Randolph nice header attempt on goal, but Conway catches.
83 - Woly is in for Dane.
83 - BJ is making his MLS debut for Franchino, who is probably gassed at this point. Galaxy on the attack again - but the final shot by McDonald is high by quite a bit.
85 - Galaxy attack - again thwarted by good clearances of their final crosses.
88 - Prus, who has let an awful lot go this match, calls the play by Becks in the corner tight, giving NY the ball. Crowd, now officially announced as 27,000, is livid.
89 - Might be a make-up, but Becks gets the call on a FK about 30 yards out. It's an indirect, though. Magee is out for Chris Leitch. Becks is fussing over the ball placement. Not much time left. Shoving in the box forces Prus into the middle of the scrum. It's a good ball by Becks, but NY is able to clear.
90+ Becks on FK again. Cleared. Galaxy frantic on the attack, but Conway cuts off LD's final, desperate cross in the box. Long balls also go awry.
Final whistle - The East runs rampant again.

RB/TFC running blog

Traffic tied me up - but here we are, with TFC leading on a Marco Velez header.

34- It seems a slight shock every time I see Tyrone Marshall in a TFC uniform. I know FC Dallas fans despise him for breaking Kenny Cooper's leg, but he was a nice guy to the press, always a great interview and had the cutest Jamaican accent ever.
37 - Edu nearly latched on to a ball in the box, but NY is able to counter and they get a FK from a handball outside the box.
39 - GOAL! Van den Burgh takes the FK. I'm somewhat surprised it got through. It wasn't that stunning of a strike. Harkes agrees with me, so I suddenly think he's a better commentator than before. 1-1
41 - TFC with a FK of their own, but it's far out and NY clears.
43 - Well, NY certainly killed TFC's momentum, getting that goal and evening the game before the half.
44 - TFC fans look cold and the weather seems gray on TV. Wynne with a good catch-up play to take away a ball in the box. He's great at those.
45 - Reyna nice move in midfield. Gets the foul.
45 + Altidore give/go with Magee. Magee's go didn't go very well, though, and Jozy can't catch up to it.
Halftime. TFC fans are making me feel a bit guilty for sitting around in bare feet, shorts and a tank top. Pretty even game from what I've seen.
The Dick's Sporting Goods commercial makes me wonder - who in that spot is having a good year? davino, kinda, Christian, sure. Poor Ching and worst off is the commercial's star, Ben Olsen. Who knows if he'll be back.
46 - Reyna's out. Sinisa Ubiparapovic is in. Another FK for TFC. This one is closer, Dichio almost gets to it.
48 - TFC has come out with energy, pressing NY back - until NY counters. Reyna has a lower leg injury. Oooh, fighting. . . well, not really. Jozy is up in all of it.
49 - Replay shows Jozy shoving Robert, then Robert shoving Freeman, but the order is unclear. Abbe sets up a compromise, gives Robert a card, and TFC the ball.
52 - Jozy from outside. Over the bar.
55 - Rohan Rickets is looking pretty good. Nearly got an assist in there. Dane Richards comes in for NY.
61 - TFC has improved so much from last year. Magee cracks a shot on a counter, just wide. good to see him back, even though it's a bit startling to see how his baby face has aged in all the time he's been not playing.
65 - Edu nearly climbs the back of VandenBurgh when VDB cuts in to try to take the ball. FK, but robert hits it too low.
67 - It's raining now. conditions are ripe for a flukey goal.
69 - Jon Conway, the NY goalkeeper, is the grandson of actor Tim Conway, whose movies I watched as a kid. I can see the resemblance, though Jon is a hugely tall, athletic guy. TFC FK cleared out.
73 - Scrappy play, JPD is doing well to keep up with the call. Kevin Goldthwaite is down.
76 - Conway off his line to catch up to a ball slotted into the box.
78 - The emotional pitch of this game is climbing. Both sides have hard game long, if a gamewinner comes, this will especially sap the morale of the loser.
79 - jozy feeds Dane with a little shovel pass, but the connection misses - just barely. NY seems inspired, attacks with numbers, Angel gets a head on the ball, but can't quite flick it and the ball is cleared.
85 - Jeff Cunningham is finally in the game. Very little time for late heroics.
86 - Reyna on the bench. Both of NY's DP's are struggling with injuries. That really handicaps the club.
90 - Late attack by TFC, but the Robert to Robinson connection misses.
90 + Jon Wolyneic into the game for Altidore. TFC pushing hard. Guevara shoots, deflection, Conway catches. CK for NY. Short corner by Magee, doesn't quite get his cross off.
Final whistle. Pretty fair result.