Week 7 Spotlight

Top 11

G - Jon Conway Jon Busch
D - Bakary Soumare
D - Jeff Parke Chad Marshall
D - Michael Parkhurst
M - Dwayne De Rosario Dane Richards
M - Kyle Beckerman
M - Cuauhtemoc Blanco
M - Steve Ralston
M - Christian Gomez
F - Robbie Rogers Taylor Twellman
F - Juan Pablo Angel

Coach: Steve Nicol brought back Steve Ralston slowly a week ago and now did the same with Taylor Twellman. The two combined for Sunday's match-winner.
Denis! I'm still impressed by how Hamlett has helped this team gel.

Top player: Robbie Rogers bagged a pair of goals and completely turned the match around.

Top goal: Cuauhtemoc Blanco's left-footed blast was a stunner. Absolutely.

Top save: Jon Conway turned Mike Randolph away to maintain the Red Bulls' lead and the club went on to win 2-1.

Top game: Columbus 3, San Jose 2. The Crew showed us another manner in which they can win games - the come-from-behind method, which until now had not been shown by any club this season.

A week of firsts: Some notable firsts occurred in Week 7, including but not limited to:

- Brian Ching, Dwayne De Rosario, Juan Pablo Angel and Taylor Twellman were among the players who scored their first goals this weekend.
- Houston won their first game of the season.
- FC Dallas lost their first game ever in which Kenny Cooper scored a goal.

Top pass: Okay, this may not become a regular feature but there were some outstanding passes this weekend. Dane Richards and Emmanuel Ekpo had sublime passes to set up goals but Andy Williams' chip that set up Kyle Beckerman's goal was an absolute thing of beauty.

Unflagging support - In the absence of TFC, and in a week in which their respective sides took it on the chin, the home fans at DC and LA provided great atmosphere.

LOWLIGHTS

Ugo Ihemelu is talented but prone to the occasional bonehead move. We saw that here with the Galaxy and apparently he hasn't gotten past making mental mistakes. His handball led to Houston's match winner.

Landon Donovan took a pair of flat-out dives against New York. We've all seen Donovan tear up the league in the first month to know that he is much better than having to resort to dives.

Dario Sala and Bouna Coundoul each made puzzling charges off their respective lines, and each resulted in a goal.

The reffing in the LA/NY match - once a lot went uncalled, players started pulling every trick, shove and late tackle in the book. "Letting them play" shouldn't become "Letting them beat up on each other".

Ay, Mami!

I spent Mother's Day with my mom, and in the course of catching her up on my activities, I mentioned covering the De La Hoya match. I told her about my controversial question. She laughed at the consternation I had caused.

Then she told me, "Oscar - Andrea, do you know I have his autograph?"

I gaped. My mother doesn't follow sports. She doesn't like violence of any kind. I don't think she's ever watched any boxing match in her life, except perhaps while flipping channels. The capper is that she doesn't care much for celebrity news in general and would recognize very few famous folk if she saw them in person. I couldn't imagine her ever asking anyone for an autograph, and the idea that she had De La Hoya's already boggled my mind.

She explained.

My mother worked as a nurse for the Blood Bank, and teams of staff members occasionally traveled out to donor events in different towns. In Barstow (basically a pitstop on the way to Vegas) for a blood drive, they had parked near a local restaurant for lunch. My mom, however, had packed her own food and was eating in the vehicle with another nurse, Sandra. Then a bus pulled up. "De La Hoya" and "Goldon Boy" were emblazoned the side of the transport. Sandra was giddy with excitement as the star and his entourage entered the eatery. She wanted an autograph, but she was too nervous to ask for one. My mom being the friend she is, offered to do it (this part of the story really surprised me - my mom's quiet, and quite shy). Yet she marched inside, where she realized she didn't have any paper. She decided to ask the cashier (yep, at the place where she wasn't even a customer) for some cash register paper. The clerk was accomodating, even when my mom ventured to ask for two pieces. Paper now in hand, she approached De La Hoya. He was gracious and took a quick break from his meal to sign two autographs, one for an exaltant Sandra, and the other for my mom, who had decided she might as well commemorate the event.

"Where's this autograph?" I demanded. It wasn't that I didn't believe my mom, but rather that I wondered if she'd kept it anywhere. She had.

In 1997, De La Hoya was probably at the height of his career, still undefeated. I had to laugh at the coincidence that the only autograph my mom ever got was from the boxer I'd recently put on the spot about his soccer involvement. Small world, no?

Loose Barnacles Rankings (May 12)

1. Columbus (6-1-0). Finding new and exciting ways to win matches.
2. Chicago (5-1-1). If defense wins championships, give Chicago the title now.
3. New England (4-3-1). That Twellman guy, he's pretty good.
4. Toronto (3-2-1). Week off gave locals chance to check out Blue Jays, Blue Jays gave no reason to tune back in.
5. FC Dallas (2-2-3). Dario Sala reminds us what's not to like about FC Dallas.
6. New York (3-1-2). Workmanlike effort may be this team's calling card.
7. Kansas City (3-3-1). Week off to sort out offensive issues.
8. Colorado (3-4-0). Ugo Ihemelu handed the Dynamo their first win.
9. Houston (1-2-4). One win and all seems right with two-time champs.
10. Los Angeles (2-3-2). No goals, no assist from Donovan, Becks translates into Galaxy loss.
11. Real Salt Lake (2-3-2). Jason Kreis should talk mess about officials more often.
12. Chivas USA (1-4-2). Will DC United provide Chivas a much-needed walkover win? Or...
13. DC United (2-5-0). ...will Chivas USA provide DC a much-needed walkover win?
14. San Jose (1-4-1). Growing pains in full effect.

Liguilla finally set

Necaxa and Atlas tied 0-0 on Sunday and by virtue of a better regular-season record Necaxa advanced to Mexico's Clausura 2008 Liguilla.

Thus, the matchups are...

(1) Chivas vs (8) Monterrey
(2) Santos vs (7) Necaxa
(3) Cruz Azul vs (6) Jaguares
(4) San Luis vs (5) Toluca

As far as which lower seeds have the best shot of pulling off an upset, Chivas needs to be very careful about Monterrey. Los Rayados are potentially a sleeping giant and have an array of offensive firepower at their disposal. Jaguares has a strong offense too and Cruz Azul has a tendency of choking.

Another outcome from Sunday's match: Atlas need only worry about Copa Libertadores now. The club faced another two matches in the middle of the upcoming week as Atlas will play Boca Juniors in the Copa quarterfinals, but now the club need only focus on the Argentines. In some ways, Necaxa did Atlas a favor because there is no way the club would have been able to adequately compete in both tournaments.

Subdued Becks

A.C. has been away from her computer for most of the day so I thought I'd post a link to the story she wrote for Soccernet on David Beckham and his match against the Red Bulls.

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.

AWOL fans

If you watched the Chivas USA-New England match, you may have noticed the large number of empty seats at the match. While this is nothing new - empty seats commonly outnumber filled ones at Chivas home games - what was different from this particular match was the absence of a certain fan group.

Legion 1908 was not present at the match, and no the Mexican Chivas did not have a reserve-laden match within driving distance on Sunday.

Apparently, a member of Legion and a member of the new Chivas USA supporters group Union Ultras were involved in some sort of altercation. A Chivas staffer told us that one member of each group committed an "act of violence" at the last Chivas USA match at HDC, on April 26 against the Galaxy. Apparently, there was one altercation inside the stadium and a retaliatory one outside.

Chivas USA banned the fans involved, one from each group, for two games - Sunday's match against New England and Saturday's game against DC United. Apparently in solidarity for the banned Legion member, the bulk of Legion chose to sit the games out as well. Union Ultras, a fledgling and hearty band of supporters, were present and did their best to support their club. I heard there were some members of Legion at the match but went on their own and not as part of the supporters club.

That Chivas USA banned a member of Legion is a positive sign. Violence won't and shouldn't be tolerated no matter the circumstances and the club is apparently not turning a blind eye toward such nonsense. As is often the case, several bad apples can tarnish the rest of the bunch, and from what I could tell at the stadium today there weren't anything but stand-up Chivas USA fans there, albeit a small band of them.

If Legion chose to support themselves over the club and the players, so be it. At least those who do go and do care about Chivas USA can rest easy that there won't be any threats of violence in next Saturday's match.

Saving face

Fulham wins and stays in the Prem.

And then there were nine

Pachuca's bid for a double ended on Saturday as the two-time reigning CONCACAF champs fell to San Luis in Mexico's repechaje round of the postseason.

Pachuca actually beat San Luis 2-1 on Saturday but San Luis, on the strength of their 1-0 win on Wednesday, went through.

Due to injury, Michael Orozco did not play in either match for San Luis, though. Jose Francisco Torres played for Pachuca. He didn't start but Pachuca coach Enrique Meza realized early on that Torres' influence was necessary. Meza subbed out Jaime Correa in favor of Torres and the Texas native was active in the midfield.

San Luis will now play Toluca while Cruz Azul faces Jaguares in the Liguilla. Chivas, Santos and Monterrey will await Sunday's Atlas-Necaxa result to find out their respective fates.

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.

Beckham post NY

David Beckham talks about the Galaxy's 2-1 loss to New York.

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.

Brit Week celebrity game

Anthony LaPaglia in goal.
Rivers Cuomo, #10, battling for the ball
Scoreboard - the teams were tied for most of the match.
LaPaglia making a save

Ok, I didn't see most of it, and frankly, the format - UK vs World - was inconsistent. Alexi Lalas played on the UK squad, for example. The final score was UK 5, World 3.

Jonny's not marching any more

The woes continue for Chivas USA - Jonny Bornstein is out for up to eight weeks with a knee injury. He has a lateral collateral ligament sprain, picked up in Thursday's training.

I talked to a somber Panchito Mendoza briefly after Friday's training. "It's been a difficult start to the season this year," he stated.

Ca va mal

No, not the Toronto band, but the experience of one French player at the 2006 World Cup.

Bravo, Backscratchers?

Now that Oscar De La Hoya and his Golden Boy Productions have invested in the Dynamo, AEG has returned the favor.
Speaking of favors (and quid pro quo) LA's Ruud Gullit may not know who Scott Bolkan and Vardan Adzemian are, but he certainly knows who Josh Wicks and Bryan Jordan are (by the way, his Galaxy teammates do call him BJ, so I'm going to blame them for the nickname and go ahead and use it). Wicks and Jordan originally belonged to the Portland Timbers, so perhaps it wasn't surprising that Portland later acquired two players from their own open tryouts who were conveniently loaned to them by the Galaxy. It also makes sense that Gullit, busy with coaching the Galaxy squad, would leave the wheeling and dealing (beyond delegating, "I want Jordan and Wicks - make it happen.") to someone else.
So here is the latest on Bolkan, and surprise, his Galaxy connection is through Paul Bravo.

To Bravoly go . . .

Youth; the final MLS frontier
These are the duties of the Director of Soccer
His long-term mission
To identify and develop talent
To seek out new stars for the Galaxy
To boldly go to South America or South Central to find hidden gems

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, laeei

While he's breaking uncharted ground, Paul Bravo will also be the coach of the new Galaxy Rios U20 team. They've got some ringers on that squad, too - UCLA's Kyle Nakazawa, Brian Perk and David Estrada, not to mention the first Galaxy Rios player ever - Tristan Bowen.

Smartasses United

Me: So, Landon, you guys are basically at .500. You've won as many games as you've lost, conceded the same amount of goals you've scored.

LD - We're exactly at .500, not basically.

Me: What's it going to take to push the balance into the positive for you guys?

LD: A win this weekend, obviously.

Gender differences

Ah, the ACL - what a tenuous hold it maintains on an athlete's career.

Higher Learning = Lower Level?

I make the case that the college game isn't preparing American players adequately. Agree or disagree and tell me why in the comments.

DC United/Chicago Fire running blog

Ya'll ready for some soccer? Here's my score call, before the game starts. 2-1 Fire, Goals by Blanco and Rolfe, DC goal by Moreno. Predictions welcome and accepted up to kickoff.
The pregame is covering all the basics of the MLS season so far. Not earthshattering, but a good review. Crew surprising, DC and Houston disappointing. Foudy brings up a point I think is too often overlooked - teams without international callups have an advantage during the season. They can continue relatively undisturbed. Is Tim Howard the only USMNT-eligible player in England not in danger of relegation? Oh, right, Spector.
Foudy and I are simpatico tonight - she scoffs at Kreis' punishment for criticizing the refs of MLS. Granted, I made fun of Kreis himself for even bothering to complain, but the one-game suspension goes to far. Fine the fellow, sure, but the suspension makes the league seem really over-sensitive and thin-skinned.
Olsen! Methinks if the surgery doesn't take, Olsen could take over as DC coach if Soehn doesn't right the ship.
It certainly didn't take VW long to jump into their sponsorship - I've heard them mentioned at least 20 times and the game hasn't even started yet.
Blanco is taking a style cue from Taylor Twellman - his shirt is kind of tight. Marcello Gallardo isn't even going to play tonight. Groin injury.
Thorrington reps the South Bay in his player intro - which technically isn't even a home town - its an area.
Pedro Gomez is in the midst of the Barra Brava, but Dellacamera cuts off his fervent description of the experience to start covering the game.
I guess it was just Cuauh's warm-up top that was tight. His Fire jersey looks fine.
Streamers! Lovely! That looks great, because they're in the stands, not on the field.
1- Ugh, could the announcers actually call the game a little? There's so much commentary around it, but they haven't said anything about the play.
3- Moreno and Soumare tangle up. Morenro gets the foul, Santinto Quaranta takes it, hits it far too low to be effective.
5 - Chicago look calm in the back - DC clearly doesn't have that confidence. How could they after how many they've given up?
6 - Cuauh is down, Quaranta stepped on him when Cuauh was executing a sitspin with the ball.
8 Fire with good play, Prideaux to Barrett, Rolfe ready to in front of goal, but Barrett's weak cross is cut off.
9- Franco Neill gets fouled, Luciano Emilio takes FK, into the wall, Fire recover the ball.
10 - Chicago FK. It's about 50 yards away, but Zach Wells looks nervous anyway. He catches the easy header from Barrett, though.
14 - Announcers discussing the field conditions for the past minute. Dull.
16 Simms rockets a shot from about 30 yards out. It's wide, but Busch dives for it anyway.
17 - Prideaux changes his shoes, going for the longer cleats - o00h, Fire attack, Rolfe, knocks it to Thorrington, who slips badly.
18 - DC corner - way over everybody.
20 - Emilio with a quick turn, shot, over the bar. His scoring touch has deserted him.
21 - Burch with a good run and cross into the box, but the Fire "D" clears.
22 - Neill with another DC high shot.
23 - Mapp with a 40-yard run on a counter, but Wells gets down to collect the low shot.
24 - DC FK deep in Fire territory. He serves it into the box, but the Fire clear.
26 - Chicago corner kick. Side netting.
27 - Gonzalo Segares fights through a tackle and takes an outside shot, perhaps hoping the rain will make the ball slip through the hands of Zach. No luck. Wells collects.
30 - Ha, ha! Burch gets a yellow. Blanco, working the ball out of the back, gets the ball to safety with a nifty backpass. Burch, perhaps thinking he was sure to have a play on a pass, bangs right into Cuauh very late, knocking him down. No emotional control there.
34 - DC with a play in the box - offsides. Burch helped build that up, though, and sent in a good cross, so props there.
35 - Rolfe fouled by Dyachenko, and he's talking to the ref about it, clearly unhappy about something. He probably is lobbying for persistent infringement.
37 - Blanco passes to Barrett, who has to turn back to collect the ball, which gives the DC defense more time, Barrett's shot deflects off a defender, our to Moreno, who sets off on a counter.
39 - GOAL! Justin Mapp! Rolfe with a run up the right, serves a good cross high to Barrett, who nails a knockdown header to a streaking Mapp, who knocks it straight into goal from the top of the box. 1-0 Chicago.
41 - Thorrington down - Simms gets a yellow for basically running over him there.
43 - DC players look pissed and desperate. Not a good look. Quaranta serves in a decent cross, but there is no way that Neill is going to beat Soumare to a high ball.
45 - Gomez has some gossip on a frustrated Wilman Conde. Apparently the Fire refuse to trade him to an East Coast team. The Galaxy could use him, I suppose, but they probably don't have the salary cap room.
Halftime - DC had more possession, but didn't really look dangerous, while the Fire worked the road team counter perfectly.
49 - Soehn must have said something spicy - DC look a lot more energetic, but the Fire are holding strong.
51 - Dyachenko with a low shot - Busch, little shorty that he is, gets down well for it.
54 - The DC songs are really good - nice and loud. I'd give them singing over TFC. Barrett's shot in the box saved well by Wells. Very good job there by Zach.
56 - Fire starting to get the upper hand now.
57 - Wells again saves well from a close-range Barrett shot. Foul on the ensuing corner, DC ball.
58 - Segares in the box, beats Wells, just wide.
61 - Corner for DC - Busch catches it.
62 - GOAL! Blanco! Luis and his prediction are looking great. Thorrington with a nice penetrating pass to Cuauh, who collects in stride, drifts out and then hammers a ball that bends into the top corner past a diving Wells. Sweet goal, a bit similar to Beckham's first this weekend, but on the other side of the field. 2-0 Fire.
64 - Seriously, that goal was coming. Wells could only make ridiculous saves for so long, while the DC midfield was getting run roughshod.
65 - Francis "Grandpa" Doe on for DC. Andy Herron coming in for the Fire.
67 - Neill runs for a ball in the box, manages to get it, lays it back for Emilio, who futzes around instead of shooting and loses the ball. Crowd is getting on his case, rightly.
68 - FK for DC, Burch shoots towards goal - there's a reason there isn't a Bend it like Burch.
69 - A mess in front of the DC goal nearly results in an own goal.
73 - Mapp out for Woolard. "Woolly Bully" hasn't seen much action this season, but he's on the field now.
74 - Yellow to Brain Namoff. I'd almost believe a couple of DC guys are willing to get carded out to get away from the misery of this game. It's not the scoreline that is as painful as how harmless DC has looked.
75 - Moreno falls into another oldie-who-is-a-goodie, Gutierrez. Diego is down and in pain, Moreno might have accidently stepped on his broken wrist.
77 - DC corner, Emilio heads it nowhere in particular and it goes out.
79 - Emilio loses the ball in the midfield - it's an egregious move because Peralta worked hard to win the ball from Blanco before that.
82 - Even if a Fire player gets beat, the shape of their defense stays solid, and DC is not coordinatng well enough to overcome that.
84 - Doe fights for a ball in the box, lays off for Neill, who has shoots into a defender. Corner for DC - it leads to another corner. Fire sub in Stephen King for Rolfe before it's taken.
86 - Crossbar! Off the corner. Oh, that's poor from ESPN. No replay on a crossbar shot? Super Lame. Moreno on the header.
88 - Simms with another outside shot, Busch dives, but it's wide.
90 - DC are looking at least as inept at the Galaxy ever did last season. Another corner chance comes to nothing for them.
90 + - I can hear Thorrington from here - "Fucking jerk!" He's responding to Dyachenko's late and hard tackle on Logan Pause. Pause looks ok, though, and Namoff shoves Thorrington off Dyachenko.
Blanco looses Herron on a counter, who beats his defender and is alone on goal, Wells has come out fast and slide tackles the ball to safety.
Luis has the prophet's touch! 2-0 it is. DC hasn't stopped the pain. Chicago is number one in the league right now.
"We concentrated for 90 minutes. We're in good shape physically and mentally, and every game, we're playing better," says Blanco. Pedro Gomez translates that a little more liberally, but close enough.

For a good cause

Charity auction. I wonder if the prize includes a flight out to LA. I guess so. Not bad.

Alecko's plight

It's still a little strange seeing Alecko Eskandarian in a Chivas USA uniform. But then again, he's only played 13 minutes in six games this season and has been limited in his practice time as well. As this picture taken at Disney's California Adventure attests, though, Eskandarian is a full-fledged member of the team.

I asked him if he felt like he was a part of the team even though he hasn't played or trained much.

I carpool with five of the guys so everyone knows me pretty well and knows once I get back I’ll be ready to step in and contribute as if I didn’t miss a beat.

He can't play, he can't train so his contributions are limited.

Right now I’m doing all I can to be a cheerleader and try and help the guys but it’s really, really tough to know that I can’t be out there with them and can’t help them out.

Once Eskandarian gets back, he should see some playing time. With Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo battling injury, Eskandarian could have put in some serious playing time over the first six games but his groin had other plans.

Anyway, here's a story I wrote from our chat on Monday.

Stunning win

America had such a terrible domestic campaign, the only thing that gave their supporters hope was Copa Libertadores. But even after getting past the group stage, it didn't look like that was much of a consolation prize. Flamengo beat America 4-2 in Azteca and coach Ruben Omar Romano didn't survive the night.

America needed to win by three on Wednesday to advance, a tall order for any club. But somehow, someway America reached deep down inside and pulled off a shocking result. America beat Flamengo 3-0 in the Maracana on Wednesday and advanced to the quarterfinals of Copa Libertadores.

Here's how they did it:

Talky-talk

I was also a guest on Brad Feldman's In the Net show this week.

The Monkey's Paw

"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find you get what you need." Or sometimes, when you get what you thought you wanted, it turns out not exactly as you wanted it.

I'll confess that I was somewhat glad when the San Jose Earthquakes moved in 2005. I could sympathize with the fans and players of the organization who were sad about it, but there was a more objective side of me that despised watching the games at dingy, medieval Spartan Stadium. Too small, too squeezed in, poor visibility for the fans - the game couldn't breathe, even when good players were performing magic there. Plus, I was tired of the posturing by MLS - whatever credibility remained in the league was being compromised by the threats to move the team without follow-up action. Either move them or leave them alone, I thought. Other things like the weak media coverage the team often got, the lack of city support or a local owner and the high rent demanded by San Jose State for Spartan also made me firmly believe that the quality squad would be better off in Houston.
I felt justified for a while after the move. Houston took to the Dynamo, and the team repaid that enthusiasm in spades, winning two championships. With Lew Wolff involved in bringing the San Jose Earthquakes back into the league, this time with a timeline on their own stadium, it seemed a good move all the way around.
Except - the Dynamo still don't have a stadium, or plans for one. Well, there are talks going on, including a proposal to share their new stadium with a football team. Yes, that would mean football lines, most likely, even if partly covered up during Dynamo games.
What's most important to fans when it comes to the new stadiums? I have to admit that I balked at the artificial surface installed in Toronto. I thought that set a horrible precedent, that MLS shouldn't accept a new stadium proposal that didn't feature a grass field. Wasn't that the whole point of moving out of stadiums that used AstroTurf? Would Philly even consider an artificial surface if BMO hadn't gotten away with it?
The thing I dislike, but am willing to not consider too detrimental is a stage. I'd prefer that all MLS stadiums not have one, but unfortunately, they're all the rage. Columbus, which wasn't built with one, ended up putting one in. That's just an aesthetic gripe, though, and I realize that the stadiums should have options to make money besides soccer. Solvency is a good thing.
The Dynamo would be the first MLS team to agree to share their new stadium (if that's how it works out) with a football team. MLS obviously didn't listen to me about Toronto's fake field, and I doubt they'll be fazed by my input here, but I'm trying to figure out if football lines on a field are a fundamental compromise to the integrity of the game (I do think artificial fields qualify here, as did Spartan's horrid sightlines) or just a preference, like not wanting a stage or wanting a roof.
Should MLS teams (and fans) be happy with whatever they get in the way of new stadiums? If one must compromise, what matters most? What should be considered essential to a positive game experience?

No crossover here

When MLS clubs started front-jersey sponsorship, I wondered how other sports leagues would react. Would it force them to reconsider their own policies against advertising on their own shirts? Would they even notice that professional clubs in this country were selling multimillion dollar deals for such advertising?

Now, I didn't expect to see the Dallas Cowboys sporting Coca-Cola on their jerseys anytime soon but I still wondered what other sports leagues felt about front-jersey sponsorship.

Tim Lemke of the Washington Times wrote a story that explored other sports leagues and their thoughts on front-jersey sponsorship. The consensus is that it won't happen anytime soon in leauges like the NBA and NFL, though at least one sports league said it would never say never.

I think if that happens, though, there would be such a huge backlash that the sports leagues would have to be prepared for that. Either that or our society would have to shift into one that would more readily accept such things because I don't think it would right now.

Personally, I don't really care if other pro leagues went the way of the soccer world. Would I want to see the Dodgers sporting AT&T or something? Not necessarily, but I wouldn't stop supporting them. It's a sign of the times. I mean, there are ads everywhere else in baseball and football stadiums, why not carry it over to the uniforms?

Hometown heroes

Yep, I thought Jacob Peterson got robbed on Goal of the Week by the league - he wasn't even nominated, and his goal was great. That's why I laughed to see in the media roundup link that the local ABC station in Denver, doing their soccer report, compiled a Goals of the Week feature with Peterson's goal leading off the clip show.

Heck, why not? If the world disses you, find another way to get the job done, anyway, Jason Kreis.

Mahoney breaks down the griping.

Chivas USA: Blast from the past

I think this may have been one of the first pictures I took with my trusty Kodak camera. I remember when it was brand new and the LCD screen worked because I hadn't yet run it over with my truck. This particular day, I was testing out the zoom. I was at a Chivas USA training session in early 2005 and snapped this picture.

Bonus points to anyone who can name all the people in this picture.

Back on track

Brad Guzan was close to the English Premiership but his move to Aston Villa was squashed in the 11th hour.

After five games this season, Guzan had been hardly as effective as he had a year ago when he won MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. The Aston Villa move got to his head, critics said, and some even questioned whether Guzan should get called up to the US national team anytime soon.

Now, he's got his first shutout and seemingly has his confidence back.

I asked Brad if he could point the finger at anything as to his poor early-season form - the move to the EPL, a change in goalkeeper coach, etc. - but he didn't really answer it directly, just said he didn't want to get too low or too high.

Then I asked him about overcoming adversity, because he had nothing but adverse conditions in 2005.

"That was one of the positives to definitely take away from that first year. That was a tough year physically, mentally and the whole thing was a tough season to swallow. Looking back on that and with everyone saying 'Oh, the last two weeks have been tough for him.' That was nothing compared to Year One."

Selling ads

With DC United's recent announcement of a front-jersey sponsor, I got to thinking. Will DC fans support Volkswagen now that the German automaker will have its logo splashed across DC shirts for the next four years? Or will it not have that affect on the United faithful?

I've always tended to support companies who support the things I like, especially in soccer terms. For instance, I always buy Gold n' Soft margarine because they were Galaxy sponsors for several years, though I don't think they still sponsor the Galaxy. But they are the only margarine brand I know off hand and certainly the only one I recognize by sight. I tend to go to Home Depot over Lowe's for the same reasons. That, and there's a Home Depot right down the street from me. And I'm partial to Corona beer and Coca Cola probably because I've seen those logos for years on Mexican soccer jerseys.

Anyway, as an MLS fan, will you tend to support Best Buy over Circuit City, Volkswagen over Audi, Sierra Mist over Sprite or whatever other companies sponsor MLS over those that don't? Does that make a difference or factor into your purchasing decisions?

Atlas moves on

It wasn't easy but Atlas of Guadalajara moved on to the quarterfinals of Copa Libertadores. After taking the first leg by 1-0 at Lanus of Argentina, Atlas needed just a draw to get through, and that's what los Zorros got as Tuesday's match finished 2-2. Twice Atlas went ahead but twice Lanus responded, the final goal coming in the 90th minute.

Drama ensued as Lanus had several more opportunities in stoppage time but Atlas prevailed. Atlas will await the winner of the Boca Juniors-Cruzeiro series in the quarterfinals.

Perhaps complicating Atlas' Copa task is the domestic campaign. Atlas will play Necaxa in the repechaje round with games scheduled for Thursday and Sunday.

De Ro's force

Dwayne De Rosario has no goals this season but that doesn't mean he does not possess a lethal shot.

De Rosario's failed bicycle kick against Chivas USA on Saturday struck Lawson Vaughn's face. Vaughn left the game and is now out 4-6 weeks. De Rosario's blow broke Vaughn's nose in several places and also opened a gash that required 32 stitches to close.

I'm supposed to talk to the Law later this morning so I'll let you know what he says about the injury.

Business with pleasure

Normally when I go out to training or games, I go it alone and my daughters don't go with me. But Monday wasn't one of those days. Chivas USA took their team picture at Disney's California Adventure and being the father of 4- and 2-year-old girls, I jumped at the chance to go to the theme park.

Actually, it wasn't too far out of my normal routine. I have season passes to Disneyland/California Adventure so I'm there quite a bit. Usually, though, it's just me and my girls but Monday it was me, my girls and Chivas USA, at least for a few hours.

The girls had fun. They seemed more interested in climbing up and down the stairs than anything, but they also took some pictures with some players. When I go to Disneyland or California Adventure, there are some rides I can't go on because my youngest is doesn't meet the height requirements on some of the rides, so my oldest tried to get someone to watch her little sister for a few minutes so she and I could go on one of the rides she's not been on. She asked Preki if he'd watch her little sister but Preki politely declined. Of course, Yvie didn't exactly clear it with me or anything but that's another story.

Anyway, if any of our readers are planning a trip out there and wants some tips on how to navigate through the park(s), let me know. I'm definitely trying to maximize my season passes before they expire and I've picked up on several do's and don'ts.

Ruud refuses

To change his focus from the team as a whole.

Morgan Campbell of the Toronto Star is the one Ruud is talking to in this clip, but Ruud does that to all the media.

Ruud has the clout to do that, by the way. Frank Yallop, I think, was a bit overwhelmed by media demands and probably a bit worn down by talking about Beckham all the time. He's not going to get that hassle up in San Jose. Ruud just won't give the media many soundbites on Beckham; he'll talk all day, but it's always about team, team shape, and team contributors. He'll do it all with a smile, but he's quite stubborn in his own way.

80% of the Galaxy's improvement this year is probably due to a full-strength Beckham, but little things like Ruud's approach are likely having an impact as well.

Let's be #5!

While I'm agreeing with people, let me say that I also agree with Kevin Keegan - or perhaps, he agrees with me, since I've been saying this about the league abroad for years.

While talking with Dave Denholm on his podcast show, I pointed out that MLS is the other extreme in predictability. With the salary-cap imposed parity, the league is so wide open that teams at the bottom last year - like Columbus - have turned things around. Honestly, there isn't any reason fans of any team in MLS can't hope and aspire to be champions. It simply isn't that way in England. The same teams, the ones with the most money, are at the top year after year.

Canceling out the votes

ESPN group power rankings

Streaming silly

An email reader wants me to take Mike Wilbon to task over criticizing TFC fans for throwing streamers onto the field during corner kicks, but I think Wilbon is right.
I love atmosphere at games, but I hate anything being thrown on to the field. TFC fans aren't being original in this - the Legion 1908 of Chivas USA has a streamer ritual towards the goal near the end of every home match.
Thing is, I've seen Brad Guzan fight his way through streamers when trying to catch a cross - and he didn't look happy about the "support" from the fans.
I've watched TFC matches where the team needed only a goal to win or draw late in the game and fans were still throwing streamers to the opposition corner kicker, eating up clock time that their squad could presumably use to score.
I hate, hate, anything outside the field of play physically affecting the game. The emotional impact of fan support doesn't need to be translated into stuff flying out from the stands. The streamer shower almost always delays the match. What's a few seconds lost in return for atmosphere?, some might ask, but I really fail to see the point. Plus, I think it sets a bad precedent to throw anything on to the field - streamers today, something heavier and more painful in the future, perhaps. Cheer, jeer, sing, but don't detract from the game. It's a turn-off to me to watch players pick streamers off from the corner arc. I want to see soccer being played.
Granted, some people throw confetti after goals - I'm ok with that because the action stops for a bit after goals anyway, since a team celebrates scoring.
I remember asking Kevin Hartman about streamers and he pointed out that he didn't mind confetti, but streamers often didn't unroll and just remained on the field. His worry was that a defender, who often backs up while watching an attacker instead of where one is stepping, could turn an ankle or knee by stepping on the lumpy streamer roll. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it's not a valid concern.

Punching over my weight

Audio of my question to De La Hoya and subsequent reactions.

Kicking the Law

Chivas USA's Lawson Vaughn had to leave Saturday's game in the 12th minute. He'd recently battled a hamstring injury but the reason for his departure was not related to that.

Early in Saturday's match, Houston's Dwayne De Rosario attempted a bicycle kick some 15 yards from goal. Instead of hitting the ball, De Rosario's boot slammed into Vaughn's face. Vaughn immediately went down as blood poured from his face.

It was difficult to see on television where it was coming from, and I just assumed it was from his nose. But Vaughn had a deep gash on his nose and cheek and had his nose broken as well on the play. Chivas USA's blog has a pair of great pictures of Vaughn's cut and subsequent bandages.

This is the second time a Chivas USA player has had his nose broken. Claudio Suarez had the same fate a few weeks back, but Suarez suffered his injury during a training session.

My guess is Vaughn will be fit enough to play in Sunday's game against New England and that he will carry that scar for quite long time.

All Coaches Rankings

1. Columbus Crew - Sweet vindication for Sigi Schmid this year after two years of missing post-season
2. Chicago Fire - On the other end of the spectrum, Denis Hamlett is making good on finally getting the head coach gig
3. Toronto FC - John Carver is breaking the cliche about foreign coaches in MLS - he's doing quite well
4. New England - Steve Nicol has proven he's one of the best in MLS - but the Fire have his team's number in early going
5. FC Dallas - Steve Morrow's squad will rue dropped points of so many draws later this season.
6. Colorado Rapids - Christian Gomez > Marcello Gallardo looks obvious. Fernando Clavijo > Tom Soehn is more surprising.
7. Kansas City - Curt Onalfo keeps tinkering - the ideal combination could come up soon.
8. Los Angeles Galaxy - Ruud Gullit is very glad David Beckham is both on his team and healthy
9. New York Red Bull - The curse of New York hasn't broken Juan Carlos Osorio yet, but he hasn't buried it, either.
10. Chivas USA - Preki has more job security than his players, perhaps.
11. Real Salt Lake - Jason Kreis gets the Argentine connection on his squad going, but then defense can't shut Beckham down.
12. DC United - Tom Soehn is suffering through a sophomore slump and the absence of Ben Olsen.
13. Houston Dynamo - Winning MLS Cup twice in a row brought Dom Kinnear a lot of respect - but that winless record is merciless.
14. San Jose Earthquakes - It's a good thing Frank Yallop is happy to be back in SJ, because this team isn't creating much joy.

Sangre americana J17

The regular season is over in Mexico but all four of the First Division Americans we've kept tabs on have reached the postseason. Michael Orozco's San Luis side will face Jose Francisco Torres' Pachuca club in the repechaje, or wild-card, round while Daniel Hernandez and Jaguares as well as Edgar Castillo and Santos reached the Liguilla directly.

Here's how they finished off their regular season campaign, as well as a debut for another young American.

Michael Orozco: Did not play in San Luis' 4-1 loss at Santos.

Jose Francisco Torres: Played final 33 minutes in Pachuca's 0-0 draw at Pumas.

Edgar Castillo: Played 90 minutes in Santos' 4-1 win against Santos.

Daniel Hernandez: Played 90 minutes in Jaguares' 2-2 draw with Chivas.

Sammy Ochoa: Played the final 27 minutes in Tecos' 0-0 draw with Veracruz. Ochoa's minutes were the first he played in the First Division this season and the first since Feb. 14, 2007.

Los Bukis Rankings (May 5)

Por unos ojos cafes...

1. Columbus (5-1-0). Another team, another victim. Crew will be tested, though, with a pair of road games.
2. Chicago (4-1-1). Fire's defense molding into league's best.
3. FC Dallas (2-1-3). Road shutout is acceptable, even if San Jose's on the opposite side.
4. Toronto (3-2-1). Hard to imagine Toronto not competing for playoff spot.
5. New England (3-3-1). No goals for, seven allowed against Chicago, eight for, three allowed against rest of league.
6. Colorado (3-3-0). Comfortable Christian Gomez means trouble for rest of league.
7. Los Angeles (2-2-2). Sloppy defense holding back stellar offense.
8. Kansas City (3-3-1). Can this team score from run of play anymore?
9. New York (2-1-2). Not much to get excited about here.
10. Chivas USA (1-3-2). Finally, a full-strength lineup. And not coincidentally, a shutout.
11. Houston (0-2-4). Forget Ching-Caraccio tandem; nobody here is clicking.
12. DC United (2-4-0). Gotta get their act together to compete in tough conference.
13. Real Salt Lake (1-3-2). A draw that felt like a loss.
14. San Jose (1-3-1). Over-under for Earthquakes goals in 2008: 23. I'm taking under.

Week 6 Spotlight

Here's our look back at Week 6.

GK: Brad Guzan, Chivas USA
D: Facundo Erpen, Colorado
D: Chad Marshall, Columbus
D: Bakary Soumare, Chicago
M: Christian Gomez, Colorado
M: Javier Morales, Real Salt Lake
M: Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago
M: John Thorington, Chicago
M: David Beckham, Los Angeles
F: Fabian Espindola, Real Salt Lake
F: Robbie Rogers, Columbus

Coach: Sigi Schmid: Four consecutive wins and 15 points from six games is nothing short of amazing. Hands down the best team in the league, Schmid has the Crew playing masterful soccer.

Denis Hamlett - I wouldn't expect the team with off-field-drama to pull together so well on the field - Hamlett keeps his team focused.

Goal: David Beckham's free kick was a thing of beauty. Can't get tired of watching those kinds of world-class set pieces.

I liked Beckham's first goal better - unexpected and yet so well done.

Save: Brad Guzan took a shot off his face late in Saturday's match against Houston to preserve the road point.

Rimando's save on Donovan's header was the grab of the weekend for me.

Top match: Galaxy-Salt Lake. These days, Galaxy games are exciting even without Donovan's goals and taunts.

Top attack: Chicago. Cuauhtemoc Blanco did not get credit for an assist but he started two of the three plays that ended up in goals. This may be the Fire team we can expect to show up if their players can finish regularly.

Top defense: Chicago. Yes, New England is missing Taylor Twellman but Chicago's early-season defensive run is no fluke. The Fire picked up its fourth shutout in six games with another standout defensive effort.

LOWLIGHTS

Galaxy defense. Yes, Beckham and Donovan can score goals but the Galaxy's defense is showing little improvement this season. What will happen when the goals dry up, as they are bound to at some point?

Kei Kamara. He's got the weight of San Jose on his shoulders, and he's collapsing under it. His finishing is atrocious but he's been San Jose's best option up front. Perhaps that will change now that Jean Phillipe Peguero has arrived.

Roger Espinoza.Some red cards, such as Claudio Suarez's against Houston, are necessary. But Espinoza's red card against the Crew was not. In fact, it was just plain dirty. And dumb, for it left Kansas City shorthanded for more than 50 minutes while down by two.

DC United - Everything about their performance in Colorado was poor.

Crew fans - So few around to enjoy the team's best start in years.

New England - They don't fold like this in the playoffs, but when did the Revs make losing to the Fire by multiple goals a habit?

Hometown Boy and Jaime

It was nice to see Jaime Motta at the De La Hoya/Forbes fight, because since Jaime often covers soccer, he was one of the few familiar faces I saw that evening. We chatted for a bit in the pressbox before he went to perform his television duties. Jaime got a short exclusive with Oscar after his win.

Drawing Real

Highlights

More extensive highlights in Spanish

Keeping up one's guard

Yes, Oscar did answer my question, and almost everything he said went into my article on his ownership of the Dynamo.

People say that David Beckham is charming, but I'd have to say that Oscar holds his own in that department as well. He was cracking jokes on the stage, making the guy he'd just defeated, Steve Forbes, laugh.

Jab, jab,

I sincerely meant no disrespect to Oscar De La Hoya at the postfight press conference. I wanted to get a question in about why he took on partial ownership of the Houston Dynamo, and though I was willing to acknowledge the publicity he garnered for the team by fighting in their colors, I also wanted to ask about his level of involvement this year, since he has two other big farewell fights coming up. It was intimidating, though, to be surrounded by so many boxing reporters, because I was pretty sure they didn't care much about soccer. I raised my hand anyway, trying to claim the traveling microphone being used for questioning. "One more," said the moderator.
I was relieved to be handed the microphone and blurted out my questions.

"Oscar, you're so respected in the boxing world - why take on owning a soccer team? And are you going to have time, with all your fights, to do anything with the Dynamo besides wear their colors?"

I didn't expect the reaction that followed. Heads swiveled, and murmurs of surprise/disapproval/confusion broke out. Oscar seemed a bit stunned. Bernard Hopkins, hovering over his shoulder, looked like he was ready to walk off the dais to confront me. The moderator glared at me, asked who I was writing for, and informed me my question was "smart-ass". I guess I have to work on my polite phrasing, but I thought the questions were legitimate.

De La Hoya/Forbes fight

Oscar's mariachi band plays the Mexican national anthem as he gets laced up. He's in Dynamo colors, though it's really an orange stripe on his black shorts. His cornermen are wearing orange jackets, though, and his gloves are orange.
Sylvester Stallone is here, Tobey Maguire is here, Kevin Connelley is here, Mike Tyson, and a bunch of other famous folk.
The U.S. anthem is sung by Nicole Schrezinger of the P-cat Dolls. A montage of Forbes' fights are shown. He marches in to "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)".
Meanwhile, the Dynamo/Chivas USA match ends in a scoreless tie, which I suppose doesn't bode well for Oscar tonight. His team still can't get a win, though they manage not to lose on the night they received their championship rings.
A special flag waves in front of Oscar's entrance. It's the Mexican flag on one side, the U.S. on the other.
Oscar looks vaguely Halloweeny with the orange and black. I don't recognize the mariachi song heralding his entrance, but it's loud.
Forbes is introduced to a chorus of boos. Oscar gets thunderous cheers.
Round 1 - The upperdeck starts to stomp in anticipation. Forbes comes out swinging. Oscar hits back. Forbes is getting in some good shots to the face, while Oscar seems to concentrate on body shots. A few whistles break out from the crowd. Oscar doesn't look as dominant as predicted. The Dynamo might have jinxed him. Forbes gets in the last punch before the bell.
The crowd here is totally different from the soccer bunch. Almost no kids at all tonight. Women with much bigger - ahem - pectoral enhancement, higher heels and less clothing. The guys are bigger too, but in a more general larger body type. Everyone wears a lot more black.
Round 2 - Mayweather Sr. must have said the right stuff to Oscar - he had a much better 2nd round - got to Forbes several times.
Round 3 - Oscar nearly gets Forbes up against the ropes, but Forbes wriggles free. He's got a speed punch on him, Forbes. He lets loose as he steps forward quickly with it so he gets better range and he's hit Oscar with that jab a few times now.
Round 4 - Now it's Forbes' turn to put Oscar against the ropes. He gets in a few hits there, though Oscar recovers to return the favor.
Round 5 - What do you guys think of Ruud not using his subs? Well, besides Gordon. The crowd here at the HDC is chanting Oscar's name, urging him on. He's punching a bit tired right now. Still more accurate than Forbes, but Forbes looks faster. Oscar gets to Forbes' nose, though. It's bleeding, while Oscar still looks relatively pretty. Sweaty, though.
Round 6 - Pace of fight picking up. Oscar gets the better of it, especially in one flurry where he pounds Forbes. The HDC has filled in nicely. It looks good under the orangey (Dynamo) glow of the ring lights.
Round 7 - the upperdeck is stomping again, urging Oscar on. Oscar isn't punching combos much now. He's winding up hard one-shot punches when he sees an opening. Right when I type that, Oscar lands a flurry on Forbes.
Round 8 - Forbes is fighting this round smart - moving lively, making Oscar spend energy going after him. He's jabbing Oscar a few times, and ducking Oscar's hard hits.
It seems to be a contest with the people around me - who has the smallest cellphone. One looks like a stick of gum.
Round 9 - Oscar sharper now. had Forbes on the ropes briefly. Forbes won't be caught, though, ducks away at first chance.
Round 10 - Another tough flurry from Oscar, but Forbes staggers forward to land a few of his own. Oscar looked much better, though.
Round 11 - random women are screaming. I think they're just taping the telecast at home so they can rewind to that sound and say, "that was me!" Chants of "Oscar" drown them out. Oscar working his jab well, snaps back Forbes' head.
Round 12 - Forbes comes out looking determined. He dives into Oscar with punches. Oscar plods along, fighting smart and keeping his guard up. it's not glamorous, but it works. He lands more solidly than Forbes. Forbes punches back, but Oscar is in the center position of the ring and generally always in control. Fight is over.
Oscar is declared the winner. It wasn't a decisive victory, but pretty solid.

The Ring

Tonight I'll be venturing to a place both familiar and yet new; I'll be at the Home Depot Center. That's my regular stomping ground, though I'm usually there to cover soccer. I'm doing that again, but soccer's not the primary event at the HDC this evening. This time, I'll be in the press box to keep tabs on the Houston Dynamo's new owner, Oscar De La Hoya, as he takes on Steve Forbes.

Oscar is wearing Dynamo colors into the ring, and he's said that he hopes the night is a winning one for both of them. The Dynamo take on Chivas USA in Robertson Stadium.

Gifts that keep giving

On his birthday, Becks got a peek at concrete evidence of his influence in the U.S.

Awards, applause, anticipation

This week's poll question comes courtesy of Pat Shay, Chicago Fire fan extraordinaire, though he's now relocated to New York. I met Pat and his lovely wife Mary Theresa Archbold last night at the Los Angeles Comedy Fest, where they are performing their award-winning show, Jazz Hand: Tales of a One-Armed Woman.

Theatre digression: Their show is simply excellent. It's funny, touching and genuine. Mary and Pat have great energy and chemistry on stage, and they play off each other so well. My buddy Rachel laughed so hard, she was in tears (it's not a cliche if it actually happens - I think).
In a past life, I was a big theatre buff/geek/actor/director/playwright and the little details like Mary's grade in a class due to her lighting board issues, the distinction between the choreography of Jerome Robbins versus Bob Fosse and the eager determination of auditions are hilariously dead-on. LA folk, go check them out; they're only in town for one more performance - Sunday night at 7pm. Tell the ticket lady Andrea sent you (it won't result in any discount, but I've always wanted to say that). For the rest of you, check their website for upcoming appearances in other places.

Back to soccer: Post-show, Pat mentioned that he'd like, as a Fire fan, to see Blanco win an MLS championship before Beckham does. Granted, Blanco was the designated player who came the closest to that feat last year. It got me wondering if this would be the year for the DP champion, who would win that title, or would another non-DP squad take it all?

Late injury update

No Alvaro Pires, no Ely Allen - and in a bit of a twist, no Abel Xavier. He's being held out as a precautionary measure, but basically Xavier, and/or his body, hates the turf and almost never plays on it.

Birthday Becks

What to get the guy who has it all on his 33rd? Becks would probably appreciate a win against RSL as a nice group gift from his teammates.

Shaka's latest

Donovan-centered.

By the way, the 2005 LA Galaxy did not qualify for the playoffs on the final day of the season. On that day, they dropped down into the last playoff spot (they were higher up before) but they had already qualified by multiple games over their other Western Conference rivals.

Oscar on the ropes

Apparently De La Hoya's soccer ties extend farther than just owning the Dynamo. The USMNT gets a mention here in an article about why so many in Oscar's own community have shunned him.

Comedian Paul Rodriguez, a friend of De La Hoya, said the audience that rooted most venomously against De La Hoya was "the Mexican who speaks Spanish and who roots for the Mexico soccer team over the U.S. soccer team, even though it's hard to understand why you're loyal to a country that wasn't loyal to you."

Sangre americana J17

The final weekend of the Clausura 2008 is upon us and the players we've followed so far each have a shot of league glory.

Michael Orozco, San Luis at Santos, Sunday 2 p.m. PT: In what could be the most attractive matchup of the weekend, Orozco's San Luis squad visits Edgar Castillo's Santos. For Orozco, the match represents a shot of winning the group title or going into the wild card round, or repechaje. San Luis has at least that much secured. Santos features forward Matias Vuoso and midfielder Daniel Luduena, and Orozco should have his hands full with at least the former. TV: Azteca America.

Jose Francisco Torres, Pachuca at Pumas, Sunday 10 a.m. PT: After not playing against Deportivo Saprissa on Wednesday, Torres could see his return to the field on Sunday against Pumas. Pachuca needs a win to have any hopes of a league title. A win would secure a spot in the repechaje round. Torres' spark could come in handy on Sunday but the attack was fluid on Wednesday against Saprissa without Torres in there. TV: Univision.

Edgar Castillo, Santos vs. San Luis, Sunday 2 p.m. PT: For Castillo, the match is merely posturing. Santos has clinched the Group 3 title and can finish anywhere from 5th to 3rd in the overall league standings. Still, Santos should field its full lineup which includes Castillo. The New Mexico native has played 90 minutes in the last three games. TV: Azteca America.

Daniel Hernandez, Jaguares vs. Chivas, Saturday 3 p.m. PT: Hernandez will face a tough challenge in Chivas. Forwards Omar Bravo and Sergio Santana have combined for 17 goals this season. Hernandez should start in central defense for Jaguares. The result will only help Jaguares' position in the playoffs. At best, Jaguares is the fifth seed - at worst, it's the eighth. TV: Azteca America.

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.

Soccer makes outcasts cool

I'm not saying I agree with the premise of this paper, and I'm well aware that it's focusing on the growing popularity of soccer in Australia, but I'm curious about how much is applicable to the sport's growth in the U.S.

Expansion: year two

Having covered Chivas USA in 2005 when they were the worst team in the league and one of the worst the league has ever seen, and having covered them in 2006 when they improved substantially and in 2007 when they won the Western Conference, I feel like I have good first-hand knowledge of the trials and tribulations of an expansion MLS team.

Toronto is hosting New York on ESPN2 tonight and I feel in a way about them the way I felt about Chivas in 2006. I knew the worst was over, even after some tough early losses. And I knew the team was going to compete for a playoff spot, one which they eventually nabbed.

Toronto has talent. They have guys who can score goals and guys who can defend. They've got a new coach. But more importantly, they've taken their lumps and learned from them. Now I don't want to say that Toronto is going to compete for the MLS Cup title just yet. It's only May and the team's got a lot to prove. But everything seems to be coming together for them thus far this season, after a rough little start to the season.

I have no idea why Real Salt Lake is still struggling but it seems that Toronto has their act straightened out in Year Two.

To the victor go the jokes

Raul Vargas, the Galaxy's equipment manager, has been with the team as long as Cobi Jones has - from the very start of the club - so he takes their wins and losses especially to heart. At practice the other day, he stopped by to tell me how I should wave to any Chivas USA players.

Not like this:

But like this:

Even as I chuckled, I was thinking about how the Galaxy won the first SuperClasico last season, only to go on to two 3-0 losses to Chivas USA. The teams also have yet to meet where it really matters - the playoffs. Bottom line, that "laughing best when laughing last" stuff is true.

Los Tuzos a Japon

Pachuca is the best team in CONCACAF. Los Tuzos beat Saprissa at home 2-1 on Wednesday in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup and won the series on a 3-2 aggregate. Let's see, Pachuca now has won Copa Sudamericana, CONCACAF Champions Cup (twice), Mexico's Clausura 2006 and 2007 and SuperLiga all in the last two calendar years. And to think, this club was in the second division just a decade ago.

For those interested, Jose Francisco Torres did not play in the match.

If you want to watch an extended clip with match commentary, go here.

Game highlights