Sideline Views

New blog

2008-10-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Alright, so you guys weren't expecting a new post on here. I wasn't expecting to write one. But I can't stay away from blogging. It's become ingrained in me. I've had reactions to certain things over the course of the last week or so and I've felt like blogging about it but haven't had an outlet.

Now I do. Check out the-touchline.blogspot.com for my latest ramblings on the world of futbol. I explain some things about the new blog over there and why I chose to start a blog from scratch instead of continuing here.

But the inspiration to continue came from here. I can't explain how much your comments on the previous post meant to me. For a while, I couldn't read them without getting choked up. Anyway, I hope you'll continue on to The Touchline (which I must say was one of the two finalists for the name of this blog that Andrea came up with). And if you choose not to, that's fine too.

So that's it. This I suppose was the epilogue of this tale. This blog will remain here, for nostalgia sake I suppose.

And with that, I'm out.

A Fond Farewell

2008-10-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

I'm sure a few readers out there have probably guessed what's coming.

It's time. Time to shut down Sideline Views. This blog started because I was trying to prove the viability of soccer content that wasn't just news or commentary, but little extra bits of info here and there. I wanted to link it to a soccer site that I was working for at the time. That job didn't work out, but I got attached to the freedom blogging provides - the instant outlet to what I wanted to say and share with the world.
Luis was not only a good sport to go along with my idea of a blog, but he also became a big reason why I kept it going. From the start, it made our blog unique, because we had different points of view (though a surprising number of readers never seemed to figure out that I posted in green, while his posts were blue).
Luis' insightful, provocative posts would inspire me to take the time out of busy days to try to add what I could to the blog. Many of our faithful readers also helped keep us motivated to maintain the blog. Your comments, criticisms and praise really meant a lot to us.
When we could, we experimented with what innovation we were able to wring out of our limited technological talent. We put up audio clips of our interviews, videos, features, and more than a few photos.
In some ways, working on the blog helped prepare me for what I'm moving on to do now. I'm the new writer/editor for Goal.com USA. This new job is also why I left my position as contributing writer for espn.com.
Some of the ideas I have in mind for the Goal.com site in the future are things that I tried out on Sideline Views first. I'm not giving up reporting about soccer - far from it. With Goal.com, I think I'll be able to do a better job of that than ever. It just won't be here anymore.
I offered the blog to Luis to run on his own if he liked, but he declined, saying the fun of the whole thing was working with a partner on the project. Maybe he'll write his own farewell message later.
I'm not going to take the blog offline just yet. I'll leave it up here for those who want to search the archives (or steal our pictures).
For new material, though, I'll be writing exclusively for Goal.com now. Check out my daily feature article!
Luis' latest writings can still be found at Sports Illustrated, MLSnet and the Press Enterprise.

This is LB. I'll just jump in here since this should be the final post. As AC mentioned above, the whole fun of this was having a partner to work with. It wouldn't be Sideline Views without AC. I never felt like it was my blog, but I never felt like it was her blog. It was truly ours and we inspired each other and the loyal readers did as well.

I thought it was great to put audio links on the blog, take time and money (10 bucks a month, not that much, but still...) to put up things that nobody else was putting up and we got some awesome stuff. That Frank Yallop post-game presser about how f-ing knackered they were last year was classic. Truly awesome stuff. And you readers got to hear all that, unedited, raw, and that made it great. And I felt honored to be able to take that to you all.

We weren't trying to scoop people, though we had the Brad Guzan move to England first. And we weren't necessarily trying to bring you breaking news. We just had thoughts and could formulate opinions and such. And we enjoyed working for the readers, even if it meant taking a little extra time to work on something that we knew we weren't going to get paid for.

But now, AC is moving on in her career and if anyone deserves anything grand, it's her. She has been an inspiration in so many ways and will continue to be one I'm sure. So this blog, her brainchild, one I was fortunate to be a part of, is no more.

As AC mentioned, you guys can follow us through our various outlets. It's not the same, but this blog wouldn't be the same without Andrea.

Sven update

2008-10-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

I'm writing my PE column on Mexico and Sven Goran Eriksson, the now under-fire Mexico head coach.

Just had some thoughts I'm writing on here that may or may not make it into the piece.

First, last week I wrote about how Mexico might not qualify but odds are against it happening. Mexico has a plus four and Jamaica a minus three and barring two lopsided routs Mexico could lose and still get through.

Of course, the fact that Mexico has not qualified yet is enough for concern and FMF people have the right to be upset, which is one of the points of my column.

Anyway, here's a possible scenario that could see Jamaica through and Mexico out. If Honduras beats Mexico 3-0 and Jamaica routs Canada 5-0, Jamaica and Honduras go through.

How likely is that? Not very likely, according to history. Mexico has lost a World Cup qualifier by three or more goals at least once, but that was way back in 1973. They've lost by a pair of goals a few times since but not by three or more.

However, Mexico has not fared well in Honduras in their last two trips there. In 2001, Mexico lost 3-1 and in 1996 they lost 2-1. In 1993, though, Mexico won by 4-0 down in Tegucigalpa.

A Honduras victory is possible especially since Honduras was 20 minutes away from achieving as much in Azteca. But I guess it depends mostly on which Mexico team shows up, and that will depend on how Eriksson prepares for the match.

Is it possible Eriksson doesn't survive the year? Yeah, sure but I think Mexico would have crash out of qualifying for that to happen. To me, Mexico will probably get a draw down in Honduras and qualify for the Hexagonal. If that happens, the pressure will remain on high - could we call that an orange threat level? - for the winter and until the Hex begins.

Becks back to Prem?

2008-10-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

It's unlikely, of course, even for a loan. He did practice with Arsenal last year to get in shape. Obviously, Becks wants to stay in as high a form as possible to continue playing for England.

I don't think Beck's contract allows for a loan to another team. It would be the Galaxy's luck to have him badly injured again. Alexi Lalas used to insist that Becks practicing with another team was fine, playing was another matter. Of course, he said something similar to Amado Guevara way back in the MetroStars era, and Amado played games during the offseason anyway. I'm trying to think of the last player MLS loaned out to any team, and I'm drawing a blank. Was it Brian McBride with his Everton gig in 2002? I think there's a more recent example, but I can't remember it. Suffice it to say, though, MLS does not readily loan players.

For the love of the game

2008-10-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

Raul Macias is spreading the gospel of soccer.

The Dope Show

2008-10-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

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.

None too happy

2008-10-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

That would be Justino Compean, President of the Mexican Football Federation (FMF).

On the Mexican Federation's web site, Compean spells out in detail how he feels about Mexico's current situation, not through to the Hexagonal with one game to go.

If you can read and understand Spanish, check it out for yourself on the site. But if you don't, I've translated his words below.

And, of course, those are not words of happiness.

Compean:
It's a sad analysis, one of disappointment. To gain just one point as a visitor is far from what the Mexican national team should be.

The expectation was to go into Honduras having already qualified, and that's been compromised. There are no positive results as visitors. We rescued one point out of six and that's not what we expected to achieve as visitors. Gaining one point was not the most convenient thing, even if it is valuable, but that's the reality for this team, who should have gotten to Honduras already qualified.

It is obvious... we have fallen short - the officials, the players, the coaching staff, nobody has achieved anything when you only gain one out of six points.

It is true that the goal differential helps us but let's not be satisfied and go through falling down. We have everything - infrastructure, players, support from the owners. There is not a single excuse we have for not having qualified.

I am sure Mexico will be in the Hexagonal one way or another, and afterwards the World Cup. We have everything necessary to go. But I hope that on November 19 in Honduras we all have different faces. Today on our faces are disappointment, sadness, letdown. But we have to keep working and moving forward.

TnT vets over USA newbies

2008-10-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

New and exciting doesn't always produce the desired results.

Reaction from Port-of-Spain

Recap

Grahame takes a look at Torres and congratulates Bradley

Trouble for El Tri?

2008-10-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

Mexico did not win in Edmonton on Wednesday. Canada played a valiant match and twice went up on Mexico but could not hold on as Mexico and Canada tied 2-2.

Coupled with the result in Kingston - Jamaica 1, Honduras 0 - Mexico does not have a spot in the Hexagonal wrapped up.

So, does that mean Mexico is on the brink of elimination?

Not really.

Here are the group standings through five games:

Mexico 10 points, plus 4 goal differential
Honduras 9 plus 3
Jamaica 7 minus 3
Canada 2 minus 4

So in order for Mexico to not qualify for the Hex, Honduras would have to beat Mexico and Jamaica would need to beat Canada, and then...

Jamaica would have minus 2 with a 1-0 win while Mexico would be at plus 3 with a 1-0 loss. So Jamaica would have to win by a lot and/or have Mexico lose by a lot.

Jamaica 4-0 means Honduras would have to beat Mexico by the same score. Jamaica would have plus one while Mexico would be even.

If Honduras beats Mexico by one, whether it's 1-0 or 6-5, then Jamaica needs to beat Canada by seven goals.

Of course, if you are arguing that Mexico is underachieving for even being in a position on the last game where they wont go through... well, that's a different story. And I don't know if you'll get too much of an argument from anyone on that.

U.S./TnT WCQ running blog

2008-10-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Clinching means new faces and starters for the U.S., including Torres.

----------------Guzan----------------
Hejduk---Califf---Orozco---Pearce
---------Edu--------Torres-----------
Kljestan-------Adu------Beasley (c)
--------------Altidore-----------------

Harkes and Dellacamera wax nostalgic over the "Shot heard 'round the world" by Paul Caliguri.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" actually sounds really awesome played by a calypso band. The bandleader exhorts the crowd to sing along to TnT's anthem. A few of their players also comply.

Jozy and Stern John are interviewed about the importance of the match. Jozy wants to make a good impression, SJ wants to take his country to the World Cup.

Kickoff!
1 - I've switched to Galavision, by the way. Jozy goes down wincing - he's back up, though. Don't know if he was trying to gain a little ref sympathy or was hurt.
2 - Torres tries to reach Bease with an over-the-top pass, but it's too far.
3 - Torres gives up a FK right at the edge of the box. Torres tosses his hands up, but this is going to be a tough one for Guzano. He punches the ball out, but it rebounds back in and Orozco finally clears it.
4 - On the counter, Sacha tries to lay ball back for Adu, but it gets cut off for a corner. Adu sends it in, Edu trips going backward for it, falling awkwardly as the ball skips merrily by.
7 - Captain Bease tries to take the ball on the wing on his own - doesn't work there.
8 - Torres is lively in the midfield, though playing it a bit safe. The announcers note U.S. nerves as Califf gives up a corner.
Yorke tries to shoot, but he's well covered and can't hit the ball clear - wide.
9 - Adu with a cute flick, but it misses Altidore.
10 - Guzan stops a shot from distance - gives up a bit of a rebound, but no TnT players are there and he scrambles to catch it. The announcers give him guff for that.
12 - The U.S. gets the ball off a bad touch of a TnT defender. Adu then gets fouled. Sach sets up the FK. It doesn't clear the first man, but Hejduk kills the counter by putting the ball out.
14 - Nice to see Torres confident, asking for the ball back from Sacha. Adu send ball wide to Hejduk gets there and his cross is out for a corner. The corner comes back to Adu, the U.S. scrambles to shoot, while TnT defends desperately and finally holds the young Americans off. They looked lively there, though.
16 - Bease gets shoved down. Torres tries a nifty through-ball. It doesn't make it, but the announcers praise him anyway.
17 - The announcers now complain on Heath Pearce's behalf - he was shielding the ball out when it looked to them that he was clearly fouled, but TnT get the ball. And then they nearly score, but the shot is high over the goal.
19 - The U.S. is playing little-guy defense, running everywhere to poke the ball away, but not really retaining any possession.
20 - Bease with a great cross.
23 - The announcers have fun with Edu/Adu passes. Torres loses the ball in a bad spot but chases his man to slow down the attack.
25 - This time Bease loses the ball in midfield and it leads to a shot Guzan has to dive for. Altidore tries a pass to a charging Bease, but DaMarcus is called offside. The announcers replay the move and disagree with the call.
27 - The anthracite shirt makes B.Bradley look more severe than ever.
28 - Orozco with a nice play kills a TnT attack.
29 - Adu is ragged by the announcers, who say he's there to be "the Donovan of the team" and he's not doing it. They note that Adu has a move here and there, but the U.S. isn't controlling the midfield.
32 - Now the announcers speculate that Bradley will be pissed at his midfield at halftime.
33 - Edu's pass doesn't make it to Adu.
34 -Hislop is down and being taken off the field. No, Hislop is coming in, I got that backwards.
35 - TnT break on the counter and Adu pulls a player. The crowd and announcers want a card for that. Doesn't happen.
37 - Torres from distance - way over. Not as close as his attempt against Cuba.
38 - Guzan with a poor clear gives up a close throw. A handball goes uncalled, but the TnT cross is poor and out for a goalkick. Guzan escaped a bit there.
39 - The announcers don't like the Edu/Adu combo for anything but comedic rhyme. They want to see Danny Szetela come in.
40 - Adu way overshoots a breaking Torres. Ugh.
41 - Hejduk gets his cross off, but right to the goalkeeper.
42 - Sacha falls over twice. Half the US team has mud and dirt all over their white uniforms. They look pretty grubby. They're not playing much better, either. Hejduk slips after reaching an Adu pass.
43 - Ha, the announcers aren't sure that the halftime highlights will be - nothing stand out as very good so far this match.
45 - TnT mounts a charge on goal - Orozco clears, then Pearce.
45+ TnT is controlling the ball for the last shot. And here it comes, as the U.S. defense is split, but the shot is wide.
Halftime - well, so far, not one of the newbies is really making a case to move on the the main team for the matches that really matter.
48 - Midfield play looking better for the U.S. early on in the second half.
49 - Yorke to Edwards - could have been dangerous, but Edwards faffed it up.
53 - Corner for TnT. It's headed away, but comes right back and Yorke nearly gets a shot off, then Scotland - wide.
55 - I'm back to watching ESPN during the second half, but I imagine the Spanish announcers were yelling on that last play.
56 - The crowd is increasing in noise - especially the insistent drums.
59 - Edu works hard to get the ball back, but Sach gives it away twice as quickly there.
61 - GOAL! TnT has overcome the youngsters! Edwards leads it out and dinks a cross in. The shot from Latapy rebounds off the post and rebounds in off Guzan. 1-0 TnT leads.
63 - Harkes and JP tell us at least 40 times that Latapy is forty.
69 - Davies is in for Adu - why does poor Charlie always gets sent in during a loss?
70 - Can't believe Jozy got that corner, but now the U.S. has a chance - or did - foul in the box negates the play.
75 - GOAL! Ok, that's why they send Charlie in. Jozy is like a bull in a china shop, banging off bodies in the box to keep the play going and finally slots a ball through that Charlie puts away for his first senior team goal. 1-1
76 - Latapy is out to a big cheer.
77 - TnT attacking hard now.
78 - Penalty! Hislop is pulled in the box. Guzan sets up against Yorke.
79 -GOAL! Yorke stuttersteps, getting Guzan to dive and miss his low shot. 2-1 Trinidad and Tobago are up again. JP reminds Harkes that he played against Yorke and Latapy in his day. Harkes is probably thinking, "Heck, I could go down there right now and do better than the U.S. midfield at present."
81 - Bease FK. Bounces around and Hislop goes in hard against his CDCUSA teammate. Sach overthrows Hejduk.
84 - The U.S. nearly gets another goal - Sach with a great header creates a chance, but Jozy hashes up the put-away.
87 - A flurry near the TnT goal, but the U.S. can't get a shot through the forest of defenders.
88 - Rolfe is on for Pearce. Torres came out earlier, with Szetela finally in.
90 - Szetela with a great low cross, but no one from the U.S. is able to get on to it. too bad. Tasty-looking ball.
90 + Harkes waxes nostalgic about playing versus the TnT coach.
Final whistle - TnT wins.
I'm not sure what sort of impression Jozy left today - his hustle helped create the U.S. goal, but then he grabbed Hislop for the penalty. Basically, it was what one might expect from young players, scrappy play, but a lot of mistakes.

And the finalists are...

2008-10-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Two of the following cities will win MLS expansion teams within the next few years. These were the seven bids submitted from groups with interest to take MLS to the following cities: Atlanta, Miami, Montreal, Ottawa, Portland, St. Louis and Vancouver.

I know not the financial backing of these particular bids. FC Barcelona is behind the Miami bid and Falcons owner Arthur Blank is supporting a bid for Atlanta, so it seems there is some pretty solid financial footing among the group.

But all things being equal, I've got to favor two cities from the rest of the pack.

I'd love to see MLS in Portland. As I've said before here on this blog, I think Portland is a great venue for soccer. The Trail Blazers enjoy quite a bit of support there but there aren't any other major pro teams there; no NHL, NFL or MLB teams. The Timbers have a passionate following that could carry over into MLS. And there is a natural rival nearby with Seattle. You think Galaxy-Chivas USA was an instant classic? Can you imagine Timbers-Sounders in MLS? I'd pay to see that.

As much as I'd like to support Atlanta, I think Montreal would be a great MLS town. Much like Portland-Seattle, there would be a natural rivalry with Toronto FC, whose fans have shown a tremendous amount of support for their club. Sure, there have been some streaming issues with the club but season ticket sales have been booming, and that's for a club who has had little success in their first two seasons. Montreal might have such a built-in fan base awaiting such a club. There could be a fertile fan base in Montreal as there was in Toronto and I don't know if I can say the same for Atlanta or Miami.

Still, I believe that Miami goes straight to the top because of Barcelona's backing. Barcelona is in good with the league and that's got to count for something. I think that is unfortunate because Miami already had their shot at MLS and failed.

Time to step up

2008-10-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

The United States is through to the hexagonal so tonight's game in Port-of-Spain is meaningless, right? After all, it's not even posturing as first or second place gets you the same thing: a spot in the hex. Standings don't improve based upon your finish in the semifinal phase, so long as you finish.

Well, in terms of the hexagonal, no, tonight's game will not have an effect on that. But the game will carry a great deal of meaning for U.S. players.

In fact, there are five players I've singled out who I think need to show a lot in Trinidad tonight.

1. Freddy Adu. Young Freddy, the stage is yours. American fans have been salivating for years over the prospect of a European-season Adu leading the offense from the middle of the field. We have seen flashes of brilliance from him, as well as moments of absurdity. But in order to ensure more playing time next year in the Hex and Confederations Cup, Adu needs to have more of the former and less of the latter. Adu's biggest problem is his inability to constantly distribute the ball. Often times, he makes runs like a mad man through the center of the field and does not incorporate his teammates. While that can pay off, Adu needs to pick his spots better. Also, he has to try and solidify his spot among a deep group of midfielders. If Adu is going to be the heart and soul of the US attack come 2010, he needs to seize opportunities like tonight.

2. Brad Guzan. Tim Howard is the unquestionable number one goalkeeper. But if he goes down with injury, Guzan is next in line. Can he handle being the number one goalkeeper? Well, he had a brilliant career in MLS and made his way to England. But club accomplishments can only take you so far. Guzan will have plenty of opportunity to show he can be the number one goalkeeper, and there is an outside shot he and Howard could become the modern-day version of Friedel-Keller. Guzan will get tested. Trinidad will be a much tougher challenge than Barbados.

3. Heath Pearce. The defense for this match is woefully inexperienced. Frankie Hejduk is the senior member of the squad but how much he will have left in the tank in '09 and '10 remains to be seen. Entering this match, Pearce is the one player on the backline that seems to be in line for a starting spot in Hex games next year and beyond. He has to show leadership and help stabilize a young backline and ensure that inexperienced players like Michael Orozco and Marvell Wynne do not get rattled.

4. Jozy Altidore. Much like Freddy Adu, American fans have salivated over the prospect of having Altidore see meaningful minutes in meaningful games. Altidore is perhaps the best U.S. forward prospect, well, if not ever then certainly near the top. At some point, he will have to blossom and show that he is worthy of the hype. With a qualifier or three more under his belt, Altidore should be a first-choice starter in next year's Hex. But the time to show he can handle the pressures of a hotly-contested road qualifier is now.

5. Sacha Kljestan. With a loaded midfield, it seems Kljestan has an uphill battle of finding playing time. However, he did well to earn a start against Cuba and play well in that game. Now, with some of the more experienced players out of the way, the stage is there for Kljestan to show his worth. Kljestan is a strong two-way player for Chivas USA and is one of the best young midfielders in MLS. Should he carry that over consistently with the US, it will be just another strong option Bob Bradley will have in the Hex.

Canada contemplates Mexico

2008-10-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

The Invasion - Or Not

2008-10-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

They're coming! New clubs, investment, etc, coming to spice up little ole MLS.

Barsa bids!

Blank bids!

Jack's not terribly impressed with the history of foreign investment so far

Gullit prophesies doom.

Grahame has a blog! Well, ok, the LA Times has a blog and Grahame is on it, taking Gullit on.

Write for ESPN

2008-10-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

There is a bit of a catch - you have to be LA-based, and you should have some soccer and journalism experience.

As Jen Chang, the U.S. page editor, has detailed, I've left my contributor post at espn.com. I'll have more news on where I've landed later on, but for right now, the big news is that people who thought, "I could write something better than that," whenever they read my articles now get a chance to try.

Seriously, I've had a good run with espn, and I'm pretty proud of the history of articles I've built up there.

Change is good, though, and I think the job will be an exciting opportunity for the right person.

My take on Torres

2008-10-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

Here's my Tuesday PE column on Jose Francisco Torres.

It's along the same lines as the things I wrote when he first accepted the call-up to the US national team. But there was one prominent voice in this column that I hadn't mentioned here before.

I actually got to write a last-minute story on, not just Torres but the whole Mexican-American issue for Futbol Mundial. At first the story was supposed to be sort of a general piece about the Edgar Castillos and Michael Orozcos of the world. But then we got word that Torres had committed to the US and it was on. It became a rather timely piece for the magazine, which is great since fortunes change in the soccer world quickly. For instance, we could have written about a coach or team in qualifying but who is to say that said coach or said team will be in the same shape as before.

Anyway, I talked to Sunil Gulati about Torres and the issue in general and some of what didn't make it to the magazine wound up here.

Torres talks

2008-10-13T22:36:00.000-07:00

An outing of around 20 minutes – what are your thoughts?

I’m very happy. I’m grateful to the coach for putting me in. I thank God that things worked out for me to come play for the U.S. I’m very happy. We won, we came out with a victory in front of our fans. (the camera pans to a fan sign: Torres > Castillo)

What did you think this experience was going to be like?

I was nervous when I got here. I thought it was going to be different. But I got here Monday and all my teammates welcomed me. Little by little, I was training more and getting to know my teammates. I think I have great teammates that have treated me well.

Did you know about the drama over you in Mexico? What are your thoughts?

I think I made the right decision. I did wait for an opportunity from Mexico, but they didn’t give me one. I waited a while, and then the U.S. called again. I talked with my family and then I was the one who decided to come. I think it’s a great opportunity for me to play and succeed. Thank God, things are turning out well.

Congratulations.

Thanks.

TnT takes on U.S. young 'uns

2008-10-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

Play the pundit. What do you think about Bradley's moves lately? Has he been too conservative? Is it too late for TnT? Will the fringe players and newbies perform well?

Lobster Bib Rankings (Oct. 13)

2008-10-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

Two weeks left in the regular season and most clubs are sinking. There are four clubs worth a damn right now (those ranked, conveniently enough 1-4), a fifth that can go either way and nine clubs who can't get their acts together, nine clubs that vary from pathetic to uber-pathetic. And nine clubs who still have a chance of reaching MLS Cup 08.

Gotta love the playoff chase.

1. Columbus Crew (16-6-6). Can't imagine any other team occupying this spot for the rest of this season.
2. Houston (11-5-11). Need points to stave off a hard-charging Chivas squad.
3. Chivas USA (12-10-6). Few gave them a shot of repeating as conference champs, but that's exactly what could happen.
4. Chicago (12-9-7). May have sent message to Columbus: watch out for Fire in conference title game...
5. New England (12-9-7)... which New England have little shot of reaching now that Steve Ralston has a broken leg.
6. Real Salt Lake (9-10-9). Rio Tinto Stadium better become a house of horrors for opponents soon if RSL wants to reach postseason.
7. FC Dallas (8-9-11). Dropping points at home means must-win road games coming up.
8. Kansas City (9-10-9). Wizards sit in a playoff spot despite horrendous road record.
9. Colorado (10-14-4). Needing a win, Rapids came out with a losing effort against LA.
10. Toronto (8-12-8). Can't afford to drop points like that... well, they couldn't if they were actually alive.
11. Los Angeles (8-12-8). Nothing like two consecutive home wins to get a little fire going.
12. San Jose (7-11-9). It was too difficult for first-year club to maintain midseason surge.
13. DC (10-14-4). Road shutout is nothing to hang heads about for this disaster of a club.
14. New York (9-10-9). 14 goals allowed in last six games - that's not the way to close out a season.

East too?

2008-10-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

That Galaxy breakdown I did earlier was, I should have written, was for the Galaxy to finish third in the Western Conference. But I realized while I was writing it and as others have since pointed out that there is actually a chance the Galaxy can finish ahead of all but three Eastern Conference teams and claim one of the two wild-card playoff spots.

How is that possible? Well, this is MLS after all and as I wrote earlier, anything can happen. It doesn't matter what you've done from April to September, because everything is amplified tenfold now.

Statistically, though, it is possible.

- First and foremost, the Galaxy must win at Houston and against FC Dallas. Two wins gives the Galaxy 38 points.
- Kansas City must not win. The Wizards host San Jose and travel to New England. Two losses keeps them at 36 points. Two draws gives them 38 points, and it would go to a tiebreaker. Each team beat the other once so tiebreaker then is goal differential, and if the Galaxy win out and KC doesn't win, LA wins that tiebreaker.
- New York is home to Columbus and at Chicago. New York needs to either lose both or draw one and lose the other. The latter gives them 37 points. NY holds the tiebreaker over the Galaxy.
- DC United has 34 points. A win and draw would give DC 38 points but LA would have the tiebreaker. Two wins puts DC at 40 points, anything short of that gives LA the edge.
- Toronto needs to not win out. Toronto beat the Galaxy twice this year and two wins would give them 38 points.

Chivas' road to the playoffs

2008-10-13T10:46:00.001-07:00

So apparently we've not countered a Galaxy post with a Chivas USA post. The Galaxy post below about how they could get to the playoffs sparked this, so to counter that particular topic I'll offer here how Chivas USA can get to the postseason.

They're in. Congrats. Now try and win a postseason series. And feel free to score a goal this year.

Reading + Soccer = READ Futbol Mundial

2008-10-13T08:26:00.001-07:00

It's not often that I get to combine my enthusiasm and experience in both soccer and education, but as guest editor for READ Futbol Mundial, that's exactly what I was able to do.

I've contributed articles to Futbol Mundial before, but the READ version is a different magazine aimed at engaging middle school students to read more by using soccer as a lure. The articles are trying to present positive role models and be instructive on different levels, teaching not only reading and writing skills, but a little financial literacy as well.

I was honored to be asked to participate in the project of putting together their second issue. I wrote quite a few of the articles in the magazine (Luis contributed one, too). The READ Futbol team put together an essay contest for kids as well, with "My Favorite Player" as a topic.

This issue is being distributed in the New York area, but all of the articles are available on the website and anyone in the country can enter the reading or essay contest. There's an option to upload photos. The issue has articles on the Olympics, a Claudio Suarez book review, an interview with Juan Pablo Angel, and more.

I've always respected the views of our readers, so if you have any suggestions and comments, post them here or on the READ Futbol Mundial site.

Galaxy's road to the playoffs

2008-10-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

Mathematically, the Galaxy are still alive for a playoff spot. How is this possible, you say, considering their absolutely dreadful season?

It is MLS after all, and everyone is alive with two games to go, Galaxy included.

So how does the league's best offensive/worst defensive team get into the postseason. It's complicated, but it's possible.

- Galaxy has to win at Houston and at home against FC Dallas. That would give them 38 points at season's end.
- Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas must draw this weekend. RSL must then lost to Colorado. That would give Real Salt Lake 37 points.
- An FC Dallas draw to RSL and loss to the Galaxy would give FC Dallas 36 points.
- Colorado must lose to Chivas USA on Sunday. With that and a win over RSL, that would give the Rapids 37 points.
- San Jose must not win out. San Jose actually has three games left and if they win out they'll have 39 points.

So there it is in a nutshell. Two wins and a lot of help. Not likely but possible. Reason enough for Galaxy fans to keep hope alive.

Gary on the game

2008-10-13T01:14:00.000-07:00

Gary Smith, the coach of the Rapids since Clavijo resigned in August.

BA post win

2008-10-13T01:11:00.000-07:00

Bruce speaks briefly, sorta.

No, that's not all there was to Bruce's statement on the game. But my battery was flaking out, so that's all the video of Bruce I have.