DC-Houston game postponed again

DC United vs Houston Dynamo
4 June
22 July
23 July?

Why is it that these two clubs can't get this game played? Last month is was rain that canceled it and tonight it is a lack of power. For the second time in about a week, RFK is having power issues and according to the Dynamo's blog, it will prevent the game from taking place tonight.

Instead, the two teams will try to get this game out of the way tomorrow evening, the night before the All-Star game.

I do not see any official report over this, so perhaps the Dynamo front office is wrong or maybe jumping the gun. Anyway, with the game suppose to start in about 4 hours, United better act fast to get the word out or else they might have some upset fans in the parking lot.

2008 US Open Cup - Third Round sees three MLS teams go down

Last night is the perfect example of why I enjoy the US Open Cup so much. Seeing all these underweight teams try to out punch MLS sides really is enjoyable. Sure, the MLS teams see this as little more then a reserves match, but it is still good fun.

As bad as it is that MLS teams dropped three of the eight games last night, it is actually much better then last season when five top teams fell. The biggest surprise of the night took place in Maryland where Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2) bounced the Red Bulls out of the Open, even though they played down a man for an hour.

Ranking just below on the shock level was the Dynamo losing on kicks to the Charleston Battery (USL-1), even though Houston played up a man for 50 minutes and up 2 men for 15. Really, the defending MLS Champions were up two men for 15-minutes and could not find a way to get a goal. Not only that but the Battery's Osvaldo Alonso was still giving the Dynamo fits in the second period of overtime (Alonso must be on Kinnear's radar after last night). I think Dynamo forward Franco Caraccio summed up the whole night for his club when he collapsed to the pitch in shame after having his penalty kick stopped, thus giving the Battery the win.

The only other lose came in Seattle where the Sounders showed Chivas USA the exit. The goats have not won a USOC match since beating the Charlotte Eagles (USL-2) on 13 July 2005. This streak includes a defeat by Roma FC of the USASA.

There was almost something big in Dallas, however FCD was able to get a late stoppage time goal to take Miami 2-1.

Kansas City also needed a little rally as they were down 2-0 in the 67' minute before coming back to tie and send it to extra time where they piled on two more goals for the win.

DC United needed two goals via free kicks from Marc Burch to take down the Rhinos of Rochester. Both New England (last year's USOC champ) and the Fire (perennial USOC powerhouse) easily saw off their foes for the evening.

Here is the full list of results:
FC Dallas (MLS) 2-1 Miami FC (USL-1)
Charleston (USL-1) 1(4-3)1 Houston (MLS)
DC United (MLS) 2-0 Rochester (USL-1)
Carolina (USL-1) 2-4 Kansas City (MLS)

CP Baltimore (USL-2) 2-0 New York (MLS)
New England (MLS) 3-0 Richmond (USL-2)
Chicago (MLS) 4-1 Cleveland (USL-2)
Seattle (USL-1) 2-0 Chivas USA (MLS)

These results move the numbers a bit when it comes to higher versus lower ranked teams. Before last night, it stood at 19-2 (90.5%) for those higher ranked, but now is at 24-5 (82.75%).

It does look like home field advantage was reinstated. During the second round, home sides only went 3-5, but yesterday saw only one visitor walk away with a win.

Here is the schedule for next Tuesday night's round of eight:
Chicago Fire at DC United (Boyds, Md)
Crystal Palace (USL2) at New England (New Britain, Conn)
Charleston (USL1) at FC Dallas
Kansas City at Seattle Sounders (USL1)

Can Crystal Palace bring down two giants? Will the Battery take out both teams from the Lone Star state? Will Seattle give another MLS team an introduction to soccer in the Northwest? Can DC finally beat Chicago in a playoff situation? It will be fun to find out.

2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage Schedule

Yesterday saw the draw for the first ever Concacaf Champions League group stage. The two seeded MLS sides, DC United and Houston Dynamo, were drawn into groups A & B respectively.

As far as the other MLS clubs, if New England beat Joe Public FC in their preliminary playoff, they will move into group C along with Atlante FC. Chivas USA faces a possible date with Club Santos Laguna in the Group D.

MLS will likely have a fifth team in the group due to Canada getting one spot. If TFC does make it, they will join the Revolution in Group C.

The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout phase.

Since over half of the teams in the group phase are not known at this time, it is difficult to point to who has the toughest group, but it does look like Group A could turn into a very difficult one if Cruz Azul and Olimpia both advance (although Marathon is not much better).

After the playoff runs take place (26 Aug - 4 Sept), we'll be able to see who has, on paper, the hardest road to the knockout phase.

Group A
DC United (USA)
Deportivo Saprissa (CRC)
Winner: Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes
Winner: Isidro Metapan or Marathon

Home Team Listed First (All times Eastern)
16 Sept D.C. United – Deportivo Saprissa (8p)
17 Sept Isidro Metapan or Marathon – Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes (10p)

23 Sept Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes – Deportivo Saprissa (TBD)
24 Sept Isidro Metapan or Marathon – D.C. United (10p)

30 Sept Deportivo Saprissa – Isidro Metapan or Marathon (10p)
01 Oct D.C. United – Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes (8p)

07 Oct Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes – Isidro Metapan or Marathon (8p)
09 Oct Deportivo Saprissa – D.C. United (10p)

21 Oct Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes – D.C. United (10p)
23 Oct Isidro Metapan or Marathon – Deportivo Saprissa (8p)

29 Oct D.C. United – Isidro Metapan or Marathon (8p)
29 Oct Deportivo Saprissa – Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes (8p)


Group B
Houston Dynamo(USA)
CD Luis Angel Firpo (SLV)
Winner: Jalapa or San Francisco FC
Winner: Harbour View FC or Pumas UNAM

Home Team Listed First (All times Eastern)
16 Sept Jalapa or San Francisco – Harbour View or Pumas (TBD)
17 Sept Houston Dynamo – CD Luis Angel Firpo (10p)

23 Sept Jalapa or San Francisco – Houston Dynamo (TBD)
24 Sept Harbour View or Pumas – CD Luis Angel Firpo (TBD)

30 Sept Harbour View or Pumas – Houston Dynamo (TBD)
02 Oct CD Luis Angel Firpo – Jalapa or San Francisco (8p)

08 Oct Houston Dynamo – Jalapa or San Francisco (10p)
09 Oct CD Luis Angel Firpo – Harbour View or Pumas (10p)

22 Oct Houston Dynamo – Harbour View or Pumas (10p)
22 Oct Jalapa or San Francisco – CD Luis Angel Firpo (TBD)

28 Oct CD Luis Angel Firpo – Houston Dynamo (10p)
29 Oct Harbour View or Pumas – Jalapa or San Francisco (TBD)


Group C
Atlante FC (MEX)
CD Olímpia or CD Marathon (HON)
Winner: Joe Public FC or New England Revolution
Winner: Montreal Impact or Real Esteli

Home Team Listed First (All times Eastern)
17 Sept Montreal or Esteli – Joe Public FC or New England Revolution (TBD)
18 Sept Atlante – HON1 (10p)

24 Sept Joe Public FC or New England Revolution – HON1 (8p)
24 Sept Montreal or Esteli – Atlante (TBD)

30 Sept Atlante – Joe Public FC or New England Revolution (8p)
02 Oct HON1 – Montreal or Esteli (10p)

08 Oct Joe Public FC or New England Revolution – Montreal or Esteli (8p)
08 Oct HON1 – Atlante (10p)

21 Oct Montreal or Esteli – HON1 (TBD)
21 Oct Joe Public FC or New England Revolution – Atlante (8p)

28 Oct HON1 – Joe Public FC or New England Revolution (8p)
28 Oct Atlante – Montreal or Esteli (10p)


Group D
Club Santos Laguna
CSD Municipal or Deportivo Jalapa
Winner: LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders
Winner: Chivas USA or Tauro FC

Home Team Listed First (All times Eastern)
16 Sept LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders – Chivas USA or Tauro (TBD)
17 Sept Club Santos Laguna – GUA1 (8p)

23 Sept Chivas USA or Tauro – GUA1 (TBD)
25 Sept LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders – Club Santos Laguna (TBD)

01 Oct GUA1 – LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders (8p)
01 Oct Chivas USA or Tauro – Club Santos Laguna (TBD)

07 Oct GUA1 – Chivas USA or Tauro (10p)
08 Oct Club Santos Laguna – LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders (8p)

22 Oct Club Santos Laguna – Chivas USA or Tauro (8p)
23 Oct LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders – GUA1 (TBD)

29 Oct Chivas USA or Tauro – LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders (TBD)
30 Oct GUA1 – Club Santos Laguna (10p)

Santino Quaranta - There weren't enough pills in the world for me

Before Freddy Adu or Jozy Altidore, there was Santino Quaranta, the great young hope for American soccer. He had loads of talent and looked to be a player around which a team could be built, so at age 16, DC United signed him to a pro-contract. All started out fine, but soon the pressure and loneliness of a child in an adult's world would get the better of him.

In a must read interview from this past weekend, Quaranta tells his tale, which includes addiction to painkillers, cocaine and alcohol. Even though you've hear this story before, young rising star turns to the party life only to see everything else crash around him, it is still worth a read.

Thankfully DC United recognized that they, in part, failed too and offered Quaranta a second chance. The fact that he looks to be making the most out of this chance is excellent.

Concacaf Champions League field reveald

Little, old Concacaf is soon to have a Champions League of our own and now we know just who is going to take part within it. In all, 24 teams will take part in this year's Champions League, with four of them coming from the US.

Eight teams will advance directly to the group stage (two clubs each from the United States and Mexico and one club each from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras), with the others taking part in a two leg playoff.

Here is the full list of teams:

USA (4 teams): Houston Dynamo (2007 Major League Soccer champion); D.C. United (2007 Major League Soccer regular-season winner); New England Revolution (2007 MLS Cup runner-up); Chivas USA (2007 MLS regular season runner-up)

MEXICO (4 teams): Atlante FC (2007 Torneo Apertura champion); Pumas UNAM (2007 Torneo Apertura Runner-up); 2 teams to be determined (2008 Torneo Clausura champion and runner-up)

COSTA RICA (2 teams): Deportivo Saprissa (Torneo Invierno winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Verano winner, or second place team in Torneo Verano if same champion for both Invierno and Verano)

EL SALVADOR (2 teams): CD Luis Angel Firpo (Liga Mayor Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)

GUATEMALA (2 teams): Deportivo Jalapa (Torneo Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)

HONDURAS (2 teams): CD Marathon (Torneo Apertura 2007 winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)

PANAMA (2 teams): San Francisco FC (ANAPROF Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)

BELIZE (1 team): Hankook Verdes (2007-08 BPFL/RFG Insurance Cup Champions)

NICARAGUA (1 team): to be determined; Winner of playoff between Apertura winner (Real Estelí FC) and winner of Clausura.

CANADA (1 team): to be determined; Winner of three-way qualifying series between Toronto FC, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps.

CARIBBEAN (3 teams): Harbour View FC (Jamaica); Joe Public FC (Trinidad & Tobago); winner of playoff between Puerto Rico Islanders and San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad & Tobago)

The schedule has the group qualifying or preliminary round going from 26 August to 4 September. The six match group stage starts 16 September and ends by 30 October. The knockout phase does not take place till late February of next year with the final take place the last two weeks of April.

The winner will advance to the Fifa Club World Cup in December 2009.

VW backs DC and MLS in $4-6 million deal

The rumor is now official, DC United has a jersey sponsor.

Volkswagen has signed a multi-year deal with United that will be worth as much as $3.7million annually for the club. By Vee Dub's commitment to the top-level US league does not end with one shirt as they have also become the official automotive partner of MLS. This partnership will give the league an additional $1-2m annually.

A final official announcement is expected next week.

It will be interesting to see how VW runs with their MLS partnership. Will they use any footage or players in commercials/billboards or are they just interested in having their logo behind Beckham and the rest during press conferences?

For DC, like I said yesterday, this is a good get and at almost $4m a year, it is sure to make their bottom line a lot nicer. Also, having a well known, European based company on a MLS jersey is a very good idea.

This deal makes DC the ninth MLS side with a jersey sponsor. It is also the second biggest sponsorship after LA's $3.5-$5m a year deal with Herbalife.

DC United and VW in jersey sponsor deal?

Is a new jersey sponsor about to join the MLS ranks? It seems so as the Examiner reports the sighting of a DC United player in RFK wearing a team jersey with the Volkswagen logo. No official word has come out of the front office but it is no secrete that the team has been looking hard for a shirt companion.

If completed, the arrangement would make United the ninth of 14 Major League Soccer teams to sell the front of its jersey to a corporate sponsor. The Los Angeles Galaxy currently has the league’s top deal, reportedly earning between $3.5 million and $5 million a year from Herbalife through 2011.

Volkswagen of America recently strengthened its ties to the Washington area, announcing in September that it was moving its headquarters from Detroit to Herndon. It has announced major sales targets increases in North America over the next 10 years.

Since DC released their 2008 shirt earlier this year, speculation has been ripe that a shirt deal was on the way as the entire front of the jersey had little on it.

If United land VW, it will be a very solid get as they are a well-known international company with a good history in the sport. Also, as you can see in my mock-up of the jersey, their logo would not clash with a DC jersey.

Returning from the great blog exile

After a bit of a surprise 3-week sabbatical from this blog, it is funny where life will take you, I'm happy to be back. So what did I miss?

From the limited number of MLS matches I've seen, it looks like I've been absent for the start of a really solid season. Refs are calling fewer fouls allowing the game to achieve a much better pace then in the past. Got to admit, I like this.

Seattle ended up keeping the Sounders name for the expansion team saying they had to listen to the fans. If only someone could have seen this coming.

The US women will join their male counterparts in Beijing for the Olympics after beating Costa Rica 3-0 in the semifinals to earn one of the two Concacaf spots. The fact that they then went on to beat Canada in a closely fought, meaningless first place match (you don't get to type that a lot) only adds to the fun of it all.

LA's defense is still good for a few laughs.

MLS teams repeated last year's results in the Concacaf Champions Cup as both Houston and DC exited the competition in the semifinal round. With this the final version of the CCC, let's hope for better results in the new Concacaf Champions League.

Real Salt Lake still has their curse over DC United in Utah. The last two years the defeat at Real came closer to mid-season and started a bit of a downturn for United. It will be interesting to see what comes of it this year.

Do you think Houston is second-guessing their Boswell for Wells trade at all? With Onstad out and Bobby not yet in the Dynamo groove, I'm guessing this isn't the start that Kinnear was hoping for. Then again, it is a long season and Dominic has worked wonders before.

Three games in and Kenny Cooper and Landon Donovan are creating and finishing chances at a very exciting clip while Blanco doesn't seem to be going to ground every time he touches the ball. If these things hold up, this season might just be one for the record books.

Beckham is actually playing so 2008 is already better then 2007.

Hugo Sanchez failed to live up to any of his promises and was unanimously kicked to the curb as coach of Mexico.

Overseas, it is wonderful to see Brian McBride back on the pitch and returning to full form. Too bad it is probably a bit too late for Fulham. On the plus side, can you say Olympic overage spot? McBride, Altidore and Adu with a bit of Sacha Kljestan on the side might just be the recipe for offensive success in China.

So there is three weeks in a nutshell. I have missed this.

2008 Concacaf Champions Cup - De Rosario carries Houston past Municipal; Pachuca win date with DC United

Houston Dynamo 3-1 CSD Municipal

Houston was outplayed for most of the first half, but held their own enough to keep the score level. Then came the second 45, otherwise known as the Dwayne De Rosario show.

De Rosario was all over the pitch creating chances while slowing Municipal's attacks. His first goal was coated in luck as Municipal's Claudio Albizuris clearance attempt into De Ro's chest was a bit strange. However, luck alone does not explain the goal as it took talent to quickly settled the ball and get off a perfect shot.

The goal gave Houston a bit of a swagger and their passing game greatly improved from that point on. The improve passing gave Corey Ashe an ability to show off his speed and cause some moments for Municipal's backline, which leads to the controversy.

Ashe earned a pk from a light foul by Municipal defender Renato Blanco. Most days, I don't think that would have been a pk and Ashe likely would have got a yellow for a dive, however this one looks to be a makeup call for some series pushing and tripping Brian Ching suffered in the box during the first half.

The second goal lead to a fight after the kickoff, which should have resulted in a red card to Selvyn Ponciano for purposely smacking Chris Wondolowski with his cast (after re-watching the video, Ponciano pauses his arm movement for a moment, slightly looks at Wondolowski, then throws his arm, which is in a hard cast, right into Wondolowski's face). If Municipal went down to 10, as they should have, the game would have been over.

The ensuing restart caught Municipal off guard as Wondolowski finished a fantastic centering ball by Ashe.

Municipal then earned a pk of their own off a light handball call against Wade Barrett. Barrett's arms were protected his chest, which can go either way. There was no intent, but the ref wanted to make up for the light Houston pk, so he gave them the kick. Fair.

But it wasn't done yet as Municipal ran through a suddenly lackluster Houston side and earned, what looked like, a free and clear second goal. However, the ref called a handball, thus no goal. This was the worst call of the game as it was not even close to right, nor was it a correction of a previous mistake. The game should have been 3-2 with a couple more minutes to play.

So Houston was lucky but still deserved the win. However, there are some questions about the Dynamo defense heading into the season as Boswell is still not on the same page and their speed, or lack there of, is bound to cost them. On offense, Brian Ching still does not appear to be fully back from last season's injury and Franco Caraccio needs to learn when to kill off games (I know he is try to impress, but a late sub when your team is up needs to know when to hold off).

Overall, Municipal might not have won the series, but they did win respect. If this game was played again with Fredy García, the outcome could easily go the other way. Still, Houston matches on. Congrats and great show by the 14,348 fans who made it out last night.

Houston will face the winner of Deportivo Saprissa (CR) - Atlante (Mex) series in the semifinals. Atlante leads 2-1 going into tonights match in Mexico.

Goals:
Houston - Dwayne De Rosario 47', 69'(pk), Chris Wondolowski 75'
Municipal - Guillermo Ramírez 86'


Pachuca 1-0 Motagua

In the nightcap, Pachuca and Motagua played a very unexciting match that was decided by Luis Montes's goal in the 43'. Pachuca is still getting wins, but they are nowhere near as impressive as they were last year as their attack is very forgettable. Still, with goalkeeper Miguel Calero looking strong, DC will have a difficult time getting past them.

Goal:
Pachuca - Miguel Calero 43'

2008 Concacaf Champions Cup - Houston looks for first KO of the year; DC United dominates

Houston Dynamo - CSD Municipal
Team tied 0-0 in first leg
8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
Robertson Stadium
TV: Fox Soccer Channel
Radio: KBME 790AM (Eng)
Tickets

Tonight, for the first time since winning the MLS Cup last November, the Houston Dynamo return to their home pitch and they need a win if they want to keep their chances of becoming the top club team in the world alive. However, to do so, they must get past a very tough side in CSD Municipal.

The two played a feisty game last week in Guatemala that saw a number of quality chances for both sides, but no goals.

If the Dynamo are to win this match, they will need another fantastic performance from, drum roll please, Dwayne De Rosario. With Stuart Holden and Brad Davis unavailable for the match, his team will again look to the Canadian to be their engine. He will need to push the offense by sending in good balls to Ching and Wondolowski as well as taking some long-range shots to force Municipal's defense out of their box. He will also need to work with Ricardo Clark to prevent Municipal from cracking their defense.

The Dynamo's backline looked good in Guatemala, but Mario Rodriguez and Freddy Garcia still managed to make trouble and it is only due to the great work of goalkeeper Pat Onstad that Houston did not lose the match late. They can expect more of the same tonight.

Even with their issues, Houston still has the edge in this one. Everyone will be looking to Ching to provide the goals as their score pool is limited, but Ching has this habit of finding the net when he needs to. Add to it the best defensive line in the league and it should be enough to get them into the semifinals.

Predictions:
Me HD 1-0 Municipal
Wife HD 1-0 Municipal


DC United 5-0 Harbour View
DC wins series 6-1

What a home opener for DC United. On a pitch that might be the best in America, United demolished Jamaica's Harbour View thanks in huge part to the efforts of Fred. He was all over the place on the night. Making the needed tackles to stop breaks while providing perfect passes to setup DC's attack.

Although the first 45 minutes were tight, at no time did the outcome ever seem in doubt. And once United figured out Harbour's offside trap in the second half, the real damage began. Luciano Emilio picked up where he left off last season while Devon McTavish managed a brace to run his campaign total up to three goals from two matches. Really, Devon McTavish.

Santino Quaranta came on in the 64' and had an immediate effect on his side. He cut through the tired Harbour backline and generally caused havoc in front of goal. His two assists are a testament to what he brought into the game and as long as he doesn't let stuff like this go to his head, he looks to be on his way to playing a significant role in United's season.

If there is a downside for DC from all this it is the lack of action their defense saw on the night. No matter who they face in the next round, they will face a tougher test in their final third. Nothing really stood out as a major issue last night but that might be due to the lack of force from Harbour them the strength of the back.

Goals:
DC United: Devon McTavish 26', Luciano Emilio 63', 66', Devon McTavish 68', Fred 88'

2008 Concacaf Champions Cup - Can DC ruin Harbour's View?

DC United - Harbour View
Teams tied 1-1 in first leg
7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT
TV: Fox Soccer Channel
Radio: WFED 1050AM (Eng), WACA 1540 AM (Spn)

DC United returns home for the first time since November with the hope that home pitch advantage will give them the extra boost needed to send them into the next round of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

After a rough showing in Jamaica for the first leg, DC hopes the improved playing surface at RFK will allow them to play a game based on their strengths, i.e. passing and speed. If so, we can probably expect a solid night from Marcelo Gallardo who, even in Jamaica, had some dangerous moments.

However, DC will miss Jaime Moreno due to a hamstring injury suffered in the first leg, which will probably result in 5 foot 4 Franco Niell getting his first start for the club. The question he will need to answer is if he has had enough time to work out his role with striker partner Luciano Emilio?

On the Harbour View side of things, they are missing two key players due to visa issues. Both midfielder Kemeel Wolfe and striker Rafiek Thomas were denied access to the US for unknown reasons. Since both of them were very important to their sides 1-1 draw in the first leg, this is a big blow for Harbour.

The good news for the Jamaicans, defender Christopher Harvey is back after serving a one game suspension. Harvey will help steady Harbour's back line and will probably be all over Niell. Combine their improved backline with the strength of midfielder Richard Edwards and forward Kemar Petrekin and United should have a busy night ahead of them.

That said, I've got to go with DC for this one due to the strength of their passing game. This will allow the team to slip in behind Harbour's defense and get some great shots on goal.

It will be a struggle, but United will win.

Predictions:
Me DC 3-1 HV
Wife DC 2-1 HV

One last thing, let’s hope Jamaica and the US can change their rules so future teams will not have to face such visa problems.

SuperLiga 2008 Schedule released

The second edition of the cross-border showdown is booked and if 2007's tournament is any example, we can expect some of the best games of the season.

The four teams representing MLS have been known for some time as they were based on last season's performance, so the main part of today's announcement was the Mexican teams. Houston, DC, New England and Chivas USA will take on Chivas Guadalajara, Atlante, Pachuca and Santos.

Group A
Houston Dynamo
D.C. United
Guadalajara
Atlante

Group B
Chivas USA
New England
Pachuca
Santos

Date	Match	Venue	Kickoff (ET)
July 12	DC - Guadalajara	RFK Stadium, DC	8pm
July 12	Houston - Atlante	Robertson Stadium, Houston	10pm
July 13	NE - Santos	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough	8pm
July 13	Chivas USA - Pachuca	Home Depot Center, Carson	10pm
July 15	DC - Atlante	RFK Stadium, DC	8pm
July 15	Houston - Guadalajara	Robertson Stadium, Houston	10pm
July 16	NE - Pachuca	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough	8pm
July 16	Chivas USA - Santos	Home Depot Center, Carson	10pm
July 19	DC - Houston	RFK Stadium, DC	8pm
July 19	Atlante - Guadalajara	TBD	10pm
July 20	Chivas USA - NE	TBD, LA	8pm
July 20	Santos - Pachuca	TBD	10pm
July 29	Seminfinal 1	TBD	TBD
July 30	Seminfinal 2	TBD	TBD
Aug 5	Final	TBD	TBD

2008 Concacaf Champions Cup - We are all DC and Houston fans tonight

The pretending stops tonight as two MLS sides final take to the pitch in games the matter. Both DC United and the Houston Dynamo will represent MLS and American soccer over the next few weeks as they try to earn the Concacaf spot in the FIFA World Club Cup this December.

Last year, both teams looked strong in the Concacaf Champions Cup, but fell in the semifinals to their Mexican opponents.

For the opening round, DC United will play Jamaica's Harbour View while the Dynamo get Guatemalan side CSD Municipal. With both MLS teams still in preseason, these games will not be easy.

DC United at Harbour View
8pm ET/5pm PT
TV: Fox Soccer Channel

Harbour View is in the middle of a very bad run of play, winning just one of their last eight domestic games, plus they might be without striker and former Metrostar Fabian Taylor. I can't tell for sure, but I think he has signed with Norwegian side Notodden FK. The teams website has a news release about Taylor, but sadly my Norwegian fails me at the moment, so I'm not sure what exactly it says. However, I see that there is a poll on the right hand side asking who the team's top scorer will be this season and he is listed as an option.

If it is true that Taylor is gone, United will want to send a big thank you across the Atlantic. Without Taylor, Kavin Byran, who is just back from injury, will need to take over things on top. DC get another break as defender Christopher Harvey is suspended for the match due to a red card from Harbour's qualifier last December.

All of this should allow United time to organize and settle. Their main concern for this match will be stamina as none of them are truly match fit. To combat this, they will need their midfield, lead by designated player Marcelo Gallardo, to control the game. If DC's defense is chasing balls for most of the first half, Harbour will pull out a surprise.

In the end, I think it will be a little bit of a struggle, but DC should get out of Jamaica will no less then a tie.

Predictions: Me DC 1-1 HV, Wife DC 2-1 HV

One last thing, I'm not sure Harbour View coach Lenworth Hyde Sr. fully understands the CCC as he said, "Going out there today we can't give up any goals. The away goal rule is in effect so we have to be very disciplined defensively." The CCC does not use the away goal rule like they do in Europe. Never a good side when your coach doesn't know what type of game needs to be played.


Houston Dynamo vs. CSD Municipal
10pm ET/7pm PT
TV: Fox Soccer Channel

Municipal are also in the middle of a bad streak as they have lost their last two matches 1-0 and have dropped to third in the league, however they still have plenty of class, most of which has spent some time in MLS.

Fredy García spent some time with Columbus, but never really achieved much in their midfield. However, back home with Municipal, he has proven himself to be a threat at any moment. The combination of García with Fred Thompson (not the former presidential candidate) has proven very difficult for teams to break.

But Houston's biggest concern is probably on their own side of the ball. Right now the club is missing a number of midfielders due to injury and Olympic call-ups. Adding to these problems is the lack of cohesion in the back and a bunch of unknowns up top and it might be difficult for the Dynamo to come out of Latin America with anything good.

For this to work, Houston needs an outstanding performance by Dwayne De Rosario with Ricardo Clark picking up the problems before they get to the back line. When they do sneak through, Waibel, Robinson and Barrett will need to watch Bobby Boswell as he is the new man to their lineup.

This one will probably be a bit of a slog as Municipal is very happy to play the foul game. Don't forget Carlos Ruiz played here during his formative days and he still shows what he learned every time he steps out of the pitch (watch out Ricardo Clark).

Predictions: Me HD 1-2 Municipal, Wife HD 2-1 Municipal


So why are we all DC and Houston fans tonight? Simple, if soccer in America ever hopes to gain respect both internationally and locally, we need all teams to win on the international level. If MLS wins the region, they will have a chance to play a major team from Europe or South America in a meaningful competition, which will give the league a chance to catch additional eyeballs. The more people that pay attention to MLS, the better it, and the people that play in it, become.

Full Concacaf Champions Cup schedule here.

Santino Quaranta humbled, wants to play again for DC United

After a year and a half away, Santino Quaranta wants to return to DC United, but does he have the maturity and discipline to make such a move happen?

Quaranta reputation as a slacker and a bit of a troublemaker, combined with his injury issues have lead to him bouncing between three teams in the last two seasons. When the Red Bulls finally cut him in January, no one was really shocked. However, the 23 year old is hoping to have a second act revival by winning a spot on DC United's roster.

According to Steve Goff, Quaranta has been working hard to get back into shape as he wants to prove himself to DC. He is currently on trial with the team and they will decided whether to offer him a contract after a warm up tournament in San Antonio, Texas, next weekend.

Quaranta has some fantastic skills when he's on, but he fell into the same hole as so many other young players with talent and became a bit of a classless diva (look no further then the salute he gave DC United fans on his first trip back to the capital after his trade to LA). However, if he is serious about this and if he sticks with it, he still has the possibility of many good, if not great, years ahead of him.

As far as the reaction from United fans, I'm going to guess that if he truly apologizes and then backs it up by some great play on the pitch, they will forgive him for his past actions.

If he does win the DC spot, he can expect to make less then the $105,000 he earned last year. Quoting GM Dave Kasper, "He would have to start a lot lower, and we've talked about it."

In the end, Quaranta has a big opening her to prove himself as a player and a person. If he fails for any reason he will have only himself to blame. I just hope doesn't because it would be a shame for him to be another Clint Mathis.

$70,000 study to see if DC United stadium is worth it

The prospect of bringing DC United to Prince George's County in Maryland got a $70,000 boost as the state's stadium authority has order a study to see what impact the team would have on the local economy. Although this study will look at a number of issues, a location for the stadium will not be one of them.

The final report is not expected till July. DC United has promised to repay the state the cost of the study if they decided to stay in DC.

United has stated again and again that they would prefer to stay in the district, however with Mayor Adrian M. Fenty cool on the idea, they may be forced out of town. That said, Fenty has softened his position a bit of late, including using some public monies for the project, however there are still a number of outstanding issues.

In the end, this is a smart move by United, as they need to figure out exactly what options they have. I think most soccer fans would prefer United play in DC, but if they exhaust every effort to make it work and still cannot get it, they need to look elsewhere. Without a stadium, the team doesn't make money and without more money the league does not move forward.

2008 Concacaf Champions Cup schedule - Can Houston or DC win the region?

In just two weeks both DC United and the Houston Dynamo will play their first meaningful matches of the year as the final installment of the Concacaf Champions' Cup (CCC) gets underway. The winner of this the CCC will represent the region at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan this December.

The tournament is made up of three stages with each stage being a two leg (home-away) affair. Here is the full schedule (all times Eastern - FSC will air all matches in the US, though some are tape delayed):

Quarterfinals
Leg 1
QF 1 - CD Motagua (Hon) 0-0 Pachuca CF (Mex)
11 March Estadio Tiburcio Carias Andino - Att: 35,846
QF 2 - Harbour View (Jam) 1-1 DC United (USA)
12 March Harbour View Stadium, Kinston - Att: 6,985
QF 4 - CSD Municipal (Gua) 0-0 Houston Dynamo (USA)
12 March Estadio Mateo Flores - Att:
QF 3 - Atlante FC (Mex) 2-1 Deportivo Saprissa (CR)
13 March Estadio Andres Quintana Roo, Cancun - Att:

Leg 2
QF 2 - DC United (USA) 5-0 Harbour View (Jam)
18 March RFK Stadium - Att: 12,394
DC United win series 6-1
QF 4 - Houston Dynamo (USA) 3-1 CSD Municipal (Gua)
19 March Robertson Stadium - Att: 14,348
Houston Dynamo win series 3-1
QF 1 - Pachuca CF (Mex) 1-0 CD Motagua (Hon)
19 March Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca - Att:
Pachuca win series 1-0
QF 3 - Deportivo Saprissa (CR) 3-0 Atlante FC (Mex)
20 March Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San Jose - Att: 23,000
Deportivo Saprissa win series 4-2

Semifinals
Leg 1
SF 1 - Pachuca (Mex) vs. DC United (US)
01 April Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca
SF 2 - Houston Dynamo (US) vs. Deportivo Saprissa (CR)
02 April Robertson Stadium

Leg 2
SF 1 - DC United (US) vs. Pachuca (Mex)
08 April RFK Stadium
SF 2 - Deportivo Saprissa (CR) vs. Houston Dynamo (US)
09 April

Finals
Leg 1 - Winner SF 2 vs. Winner SF 1
23 April
Leg 2 - Winner SF 1 vs. Winner SF 2
30 April

The schedule means that if DC United advances to the end, they will host the second leg in all three rounds. Houston, meanwhile, will get to host the second leg only in the first round.

Both MLS sides will face the challenge of meeting teams in the middle of their season, but in the first round, Houston looks to have the tougher opposition. Municipal is a historic club in Guatemalan soccer and their current roster contains a large number of players from their national team, including Juan Carlos Plata. Also, chances are good that their 30,000 seat home stadium will be near capacity for this match.

DC should have an easier time with Harbour View as they are a good club but not a dominant one. However, the Caribbean winner has often given their first round opponent trouble, so United should not look past them.

Last year both DC and Houston had good runs in the CCC, only to fall in the second round to teams from Mexico. This year they have a little easier time of it as the matches start two and a half weeks later then they did in 2007, giving them more time in pre-season training to prepare.

Onyewu loves US-Mexico derby, wants next match in DC

Oguchi Onyewu, who has been in much better form the last couple months, loves to play Mexico because it brings out so much.

“Obviously the rivalry is there and it’s a derby in terms of CONCACAF, so we get up for those games.”
...
"The emotions are gonna be high for those games just because of the rivalry which has been going on for quite some time.”

And as much as he enjoyed the 70,000 fans in Houston for this month's meeting, he hopes the next time the US takes the pitch, they do it 'in front of a true home crowd.'

“I hope we play (next) in D.C. We need to play in our nation’s capital. I don’t know the last time we played there; I think it was 2004.”

“We don’t have a national stadium but still, I think we should play in our nation’s capital every once in a while (as other national teams do)."

There is a lot of talk about DC hosting a US men's event with most of it colored by the ongoing DC United stadium situation, but Onyewu is right, the national team should play in the nation's capitol from time to time.

For the record, the last time the US team played a match in DC was 14 October 2004 when they smashed Panama 6-0 in a World Cup Qualifier. The crowd for the Thursday night match was 19,793.

So it seems the Gooch is pushing for RFK to host US Soccer's top-5 opponent tentatively scheduled for June 8th, but as he says, "It’s not me who decides where we play though; I’m just a soldier on the field."

2008 MLS schedule is out

Major League Soccer has released their full 2008-season schedule. Each of the 14 teams will play 30 regular season games. All teams will play each other twice (one home, one away) for 26 matches. The other four matches will be played against different intra-conference teams with a premium placed on rivalries. This represents the closest MLS has ever come to a traditional single table type schedule.

The season will run March 29 - Oct 26 for 31 weeks in total.

You can find a full schedule here.

Just like 2007, there are four national broadcast partners this season, airing 113 regular season games. In total ESPN2 will air 27, Fox Soccer Channel 32, HDNet 30 and TeleFutura 24.

Fox Soccer Channel will kickoff opening weekend with a doubleheader on Saturday March 29th. ESPN2 will have a doubleheader of their own on Thursday April 3. Big shock, both of those doubleheaders will feature the LA Galaxy. In total, LA will have 20 of their matches shown on national TV, including one on ABC when they travel to DC on June 29 (the full breakdown is FSC 5, ESPN2 5, HDNet 5, TeleFutura 4, ABC 1). Right after this game, ABC will air the Euro 2008 finally live (wow!).

Playoffs dates are:
Conference Semifinals Leg 1: Oct 30 - Nov 2
Conference Semifinals Leg 2: Nov 6 - Nov 9
Conference Championship: Nov 13 - Nov 16
MLS Cup: Nov 23

DC United gets their own Beckham

He's a great reader of the game, smart with his passes and can kill you on dead balls and he's now part of DC United. Marcelo Gallardo has joined the club as the league's newest Designated Player.

He might not have the hair, fashion or following of Beckham, but Gallardo will be called upon to perform the same basic role of central playmaker. The question now is does he have it in him?

During his recent time with Paris-based club Paris-Saint Germain, he saw limited playing time, but his earlier stint with River Plate (2003-06) showed him to still be a force. Overall, Gallardo should be able to bring some solid technical skills to the team and match up well with Jaime Moreno and Franco Niell.

DC signed Gallardo to a two-year deal for an undisclosed sum (probably around $1.5m a season). This move strongly suggests that Christian Gomez is soon to be playing elsewhere (Gallardo will wear Gomez's old #10), which will surely upset some fans and increase the pressure on Gallardo to perform quickly.

On a different subject all together, is DC looking to be the shortest team in the league. First they go with 5'4" Niell, now they sign 5'6" Gallardo. Must make 6'2" Marc Burch and Zach Wells feel like giants. Also, if this turns out to be a good thing, DC will need to thank none other then the New York Red Bull's Juan Pablo Angel as he encouraged Gallardo to come to MLS. Then again, if it all goes wrong, it is yet another reason to hate the Bulls of New York.

DC looking at Maryland stadium option

DC United really wants to build a home in the District, however they can't wait indefinitely for this to happen. Since talks with the city are stalled, United have decided to officially consider the possibility of building their stadium in Price George's County, Maryland (just East of DC). The county has convinced the state's stadium authority to conduct a $75,000 feasibility study to figure out the economic impact of a soccer stadium on the area.

Without a doubt, the team would love to stay in DC especially with a stadium at Poplar Point, but in the end, they need to get a permanent home in order to start turning a profit. With Maryland officials seemingly much more interested in helping make this a reality, it is no shocker that the team is willing to listen to them. Add this to the bad blood from the breakdown of negotiations last summer and you've got all the makings for a move to the suburbs.

It will be interesting to see if this official move by the club causes DC officials to rethink their position.