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

Fox Soccer to start off the season with a MLS doubleheader

Fox Soccer Channel will host their first-ever MLS doubleheader when the new season kicks off on March 29. FSC will air both the Houston Dynamo-New England Revolution MLS Cup rematch at 7:30pm (ET) followed by the LA Galaxy-Colorado Rapids 'we both missed the playoffs' match at 9:30pm (ET).

The network will begin their broadcast at 7pm with a 30-minute pre-game show and will conclude with a 30-minute post game after the LA-Rapids game.

What an excellent way to start off a season. Hopefully at some point this will become the norm instead of a one-time thing.

USL 2008 Fox Soccer schedule

Fox Soccer Channel will air 28 USL games in 2008 starting April 25. Of these games 25 will be USL First Division (22 regular season/3 post). The three other games will be the title matches for the W-League, PDL and USL Second Division (all of which will be in August).

Here is the full list of TV Broadcasts (all times ET):
Friday April 25 Montreal @ Atlanta 8:00 pm
Friday May 2 Seattle @ Atlanta 8:00 pm
Friday May 9 Miami @ Charleston 8:00 pm
Friday May 16 Minnesota @ Atlanta 8:00 pm
Friday May 23 Seattle @ Vancouver 11:00 pm
Friday May 30 Portland @ Montreal 8:00 pm

Friday June 6 Puerto Rico @ Atlanta 8:00 pm
Friday June 13 Vancouver @ Rochester 8:00 pm
Friday June 20 Minnesota @ Charleston 8:00 pm
Friday June 27 Portland @ Carolina 8:00 pm

Friday July 4 Puerto Rico @ Miami 8:00 pm
Friday July 11 Seattle @ Rochester 8:00 pm
Friday July 18 Miami @ Montreal 8:00 pm
Friday July 25 Montreal @ Rochester 8:00 pm

Friday August 1 Vancouver @ Carolina 8:00 pm
Sunday August 3 W-League Championship TBD
Thursday August 7 Seattle @ Portland 11:00 pm
Saturday August 9 PDL Championship TBD
Friday August 15 Miami @ Carolina 8:00 pm
Friday August 22 Portland @ Vancouver 11:00 pm
Saturday August 23 USL Second Division Championship TBD
Friday August 29 Puerto Rico @ Charleston 8:00 pm

Friday September 5 Minnesota @ Montreal 8:00 pm
Friday September 12 Puerto Rico @ Rochester 8:00 pm
Friday September 19 Carolina @ Charleston 8:00 pm
Sunday September 28 USL-1 Quarterfinals - Second leg TBD

Sunday October 5 USL-1 Semifinals - Second leg TBD
Saturday October 11 USL First Division Championship TBD

US-Guatemala starting lineups

The lists are out and here they are.

US
F: Clint Dempsey, Taylor Twellman
M: De Marcus Beadley, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Benny Feihaber
D: Oguchi Onyewu, Jonathan Bornstein, Carlos Bocanegra, Frankie Hejduk
GK: Tim Howard

Twellman gets the start, biggest shock of the whole list. Donovan playing a little deeper is a smart move.

Guatemala
F: Carlos Ruiz, Marvin Avila
M: Carlos Quinones, Rigoberto Gomez, Jose Contreras, Leonel Noriega
D: Claudio Albizuris, Gustavo Cabrera, Henry Media, Pablo Melgar
GK: Ricardo Trigueno

Two forwards, maybe they are not going to play as much of a bunker game as we thought.

The game starts in 15 minutes on Fox Soccer Channel and Telefutura.

CONCACAF Champions' Cup Finals start tonight

Okay, a lot of the thrill of the Champions' Cup has gone away since no MLS team will be in the mix, but tonight's match should still be fun to watch.

Pachuca CF and CD Guadalajara will meet in the first leg of the final tonight in Guadalajara. These two are both good sides, but I think the edge goes to Pachuca. They have looked exceptional throughout the whole contest while the goats have stumbled a few times.

The winner of this series will represent CONCACAF in the FIFA World Club Cup in Japan this December.

By the way I was surprised to find out that this is only Guadalajara's second trip to the Champions' Cup final with their first being back in the inaugural 1962 edition. I'm sure that has been mentioned before, but I just didn't catch it.

For those interested in watching these great Mexican sides face off, Fox Soccer Channel will air the game live at 9:30pm ET.

USL sign three year deal with Fox Soccer Channel

United Soccer Leagues has announced the signing of a three-year deal with Fox Soccer Channel to televise a projected 27-game schedule annually. These games will include a Friday night USL First Division game of the week as well as W-League, Premier Development League and USL Second Division Championships.

These games will air also air on Fox Sports en Español, Fox Sports World Canada and Fox Sports Middle East/Africa.

In addition, all USL First Division matches not on FSC will be available via the new internet broadcast channel USLlive.com. The cost for the service is either $9.99 per month or $49.99 for a year.

Congrats to the USL on this deal and good work on USLlive.

Here is the list of games for the 2007 season (all times ET):

April 20 USL-1 Charleston v Minnesota 8:00
April 27 USL-1 Atlanta v Minnesota 8:00

May 4 USL-1 Rochester v Vancouver 8:00
May 11 USL-1 Portland v Seattle 11:00
May 18 USL-1 Miami v Minnesota 8:00
May 25 USL-1 Montreal v Miami 8:00

June 1 USL-1 Montreal v Vancouver 8:00
June 8 USL-1 Montreal v Portland 8:00
June 15 USL-1 Carolina v Seattle 8:00
June 22 USL-1 Charleston v Atlanta 8:00
June 29 USL-1 Rochester v Atlanta 8:00

July 6 USL-1 Rochester v Carolina 8:00
July 13 USL-1 Portland v California 11:00
July 20 USL-1 Puerto Rico v California 8:00
July 27 USL-1 Vancouver v Seattle 11:00

August 3 USL-1 Carolina v California 8:00
August 5 W-League W-League Championship TBD
August 10 USL-1 Atlanta v Puerto Rico 8:00
August 11 PDL Premier Development League Championship TBD
August 17 USL-1 Puerto Rico v Miami 8:00
August 24 USL-1 Rochester v Montreal 8:00
August 25 USL-2 USL Second Division Championship TBD
August 31 USL-1 Montreal v Rochester 8:00

September 7 USL-1 Charleston v Puerto Rico 8:00
September 16 USL-1 USL First Division Quarterfinal – Leg 2 TBD
September 23 USL-1 USL First Division Semifinal – Leg 2 TBD
September 29 USL-1 USL First Division Championship TBD

Houston looking for big win in AggieLand

The Dynamo will make their stand in the Champions Cup tomorrow, but it will not be made in Houston. Instead the team will travel about a 100-miles north to Texas A&M to try and save their CONCACAF dreams.

Due to a lack of weekday parking, their normal home will not be available, meaning they will need the Aggies to step up and give this game a much needed pro-Houston atmosphere. With A&M being home to the 12th man, this should be an achievable goal.

As far as the game, Houston finds themselves down a goal and without captain Eddie Robinson or star goaltender Pat Onstad. Not to mention that Brian Ching is so only 50% and Brad Davis is hurting as well. Adding to their worries, Puntarenas will have midfielder Michael Barrantes back after missing the first match due to a red card.

This is not the way the Dynamo want to face this game, but you never get the game you want. For Houston to win this thing, they will need to attack, something they didn't do much in the first leg, and hope backup keeper Zach Wells has another fantastic showing.

All indications are that Ching will see time on the pitch, however he might not be a starter. Houston needs him as a target and playmaker up top. If Ching cannot start, they will need Paul Dalglish is actually do something. Dalglish has great talent, but he was absent during last week's leg.

The worst thing that could happen to the Dynamo would be to give up a goal early. With away goals counting as extra, they would not want to be in a situation where they need three goals to win the match. For this reason, the first 15-minutes should be a little low key, feeling out and looking for a break kind of play. Once Houston has settled down, something they really never did last week, they should be able to start finding openings.

As far as advantages, the pitch will be in much better shape, the weather should be a bit cooler and there is a chance two Puntarenas will not be allow to play due to work visas. Houston will need to exploit all three of these things to steal a win in this series.

The game will air live on Fox Soccer Channel starting at 9pm ET. Tickets are still available here.

CONCACAF Champions' Cup Quarterfinals start tonight

Houston and DC still have a week till they face their first real matches of the year when they join in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup (CCC) Quarterfinals, but tonight when Mexico's CD Guadalajara and Trinidad and Tobago's W. Connection get the festivities moving.

W. Connection will play host and hope to use their speed and perhaps their stadium's condition to their advantage. Guadalajara will be happy to get out level and force Connection to make something happen back in Mexico on the 28th.

With the long history and success of Guadalajara, it is difficult to see them losing the series. However, Connection is a quick team and has worked hard over the last few weeks to get to the CCC Quarterfinals including a big 1-0 win over San Juan Jabloteh to earn this spot.

Fox Soccer Channel will air the game tape-delayed starting at 11pm ET.

The winner of this series will take on the winner of CD Olimpia-DC United series that begins next Wednesday the 21st in Honduras.

Much like Houston, DC will face the problem of still being in their preseason while the other teams in the competition have been playing meaningful games. Add to it that they have to start on the road and you've got the makings of some real bad possibilities.

However, the good news is they play the final leg of the series at home where their fans can give them a bit of a push, especially if it comes down to overtime or a penalty shoot-out. If United has 20,000 faithful screaming away at RFK stadium on March 1, CD Olimpia will have a much tougher time of it.

For Houston, they will play in a stadium that only holds 5-8,000 on the campus of Texas A&M, so they should be able to fill it up (calling all Aggies).

If you are a fan of soccer in America and you live near either of these sites, you should head out to the game. If we want American teams to be taken seriously around the world, we need to start winning some international competitions and we need to show them that, as fans, we know the importance of these matches.

DC and Houston are going to play against very hostel crowds during their road portion of the quarterfinals, it is only fair that Olimpia and Puntarenas get the same thing when they come to America.

You can find tickets for DC United here.

For Houston's home game at Texas A&M, tickets are available here.

MLS teams and national TV

On the schedule, all 13 MLS teams are suppose to be equal. They each play 30 matches with 15 at home and 15 on the road. However, one place where all teams are not equal is national TV broadcasts.

Here is the breakdown by team of games airing on ABC/ESPN2 (ESPN2), TeleFutura/Galavision (T/G), Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) and HDNet (HD):

Team	ESPN2	T/G	FSC	HD	Total
LA	6	6	5	8	25
FCD	6	7	5	2	20
Houston	3	6	6	4	19
Chivas	6	4	5	3	18
Chicago	4	4	4	6	18
DCU	4	5	4	5	18
New York	5	4	5	4	18
New England	4	3	4	5	16
Colorado	4	6	4	2	15
RSL	2	1	4	6	13
Columbus	1	1	3	7	12
Toronto FC	1	2	5	3	11
KC	2	1	2	5	10

No surprise that LA and Beckham have the most games on national TV (25 out of 30!), but I am a bit taken back by FC Dallas in the second position. Perhaps Hoops Nation is starting to take off. I would have thought Chivas or DC or maybe Chicago would have taken that spot. True, those three teams are not far behind FCD, however, about a third of Chicago's and DC's games are on HDNet. I'm not knocking HDNet (I hope MLS helps them gain some subscribers because what I've seen, it's a damn good station), but of the four TV options, they reach the fewest eyes.

No surprise to see KC down at the bottom of the list since, up until last weekend, there was a chance that they would be playing on a high school football field and they were not that great last year, but I am a little surprised to see so few Toronto FC matches. I know, they are new and not American, but since they have their own stadium, I would have thought it might make for some interesting TV.

Real Salt Lake and Columbus were two of 2006's worst teams, so, again, not a surprise that they do not see much national TV time (actually, if it wasn't for HDNet, you would be hard pressed to find the Crew at all).

2007 MLS & 'Beckham' schedule

At long last it is here, the 2007 MLS schedule. All 195 regular season matches will be played between April 7 and October 21.

Colorado will host DC United for the opener on Saturday, April 7 at 3:30pm ET live on ABC. The alphabet network will also broadcast the finally on Sunday, November 18 at noon.

Between these two dates, there will be at lease 111 other live broadcasts of matches.

ESPN2 starts off Thursday Night Soccer on April 12 at 10pm ET, while Fox Soccer Channel begins their Saturday Night soccer opening day (April 7) with Chivas playing host to Toronto FC. HDNet will also start their season on April 7 when the Red Bulls travel to Columbus. TeleFutura/Galavision will air 25 Sunday games beginning with LA against MLS Champions Houston Dynamo in April 8.

If you want to buy tickets, look here.

So what about Beckham?

He moves to LA starting in July and is expected to make his first appearance in August. Interestingly enough, all but one game in August is an away game, which means his home debut might be against Chivas USA on a Thursday night ESPN2 game.

However, if I had to make a guess, I would think Beckham would begin his American experience on August 9th in DC. The reasons are simple, great rivalry and the game will be live on ESPN2. By the way, of the 11 Thursday night games ESPN2 will air between Aug 2 and Oct 18, LA plays in 5 of them. What an odd coincidence.

Needless to say, if you are a LA fan, you will not have a difficult time finding them on national TV

Here is the "Beckham" schedule:

July 21 - Chelsea (friendly) - live on ESPN
July 24 - Pachuca (SuperLiga)
July 28 - Chivas de Guadalajara (SuperLiga)
July 31 - at FC Dallas (SuperLiga)

Aug 5 - at Toronto FC
Aug 9 - at DC United*
Aug 12 - at New England Revolution**
Aug 18 - at New York Red Bulls***
Aug 23 - Chivas USA*
Aug 26 - at Colorado Rapids**

Sept 1 - Real Salt Lake****
Sept 8 - Colorado Rapids***
Sept 13 - at Chivas USA*
Sept 16 - Houston Dynamo
Sept 19 - at Real Salt Lake****
Sept 23 - FC Dallas****
Sept 27 - at KC Wizards*
Sept 30 - at Columbus Crew****

Oct 3 - at Vancouver Whitecaps (friendly)
Oct 7 - at Houston Dynamo**
Oct 13 - Toronto FC***
Oct 18 - New York Red Bulls*
Oct 21 - at Chicago Fire**

* - ESPN2
** - TeleFutura/Galavision
*** - FSC
**** - HDNet

FSC to keep EPL games till 2010

Fox Soccer Channel will continue to air English Premier League matches in the US through 2009/10. The deal was announced today. Also, Fox Sports en Español have won the rights for the Spanish-language broadcasts.

There was no information on if FSC will continue to sublicense some of the EPL matches to Setanta Sports.

US Women looking for gold

USA vs. Canada
8:30pm ET
TV - Fox Soccer Channel

Tonight the US Women play Canada for the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup championship. In recent years, Canada has improved their women's game and is now one the America's biggest rivals. These two have already met once this year to decide a tournament championship when they faced off in South Korea for the Peace Queen Cup. In that outing, the US held a 1-0 lead off a Kristine Lilly goal to take the cup.

That final saw both sides play an amazing 90-minutes of soccer and tonight's game should be no different.

The US will be looking to keep their record unbeaten streak going. It currently stands at 31. They will also be looking to keep their record of never losing a CONCACAF title in which they competed intact (they did not compete in the 1998 cup).

By the way, belated congratulations to the US Women for clinching a spot to the World Cup in China with a 2-0 win over Mexico (I guess all US teams from now on need to clinch spots to the big tournaments with 2-0 wins over Mexico). The US dominated, but Mexico did show some good play at times. Their program is ever improving and I would be very surprised if they do not take third place tonight.

Congratulations also go out to Canada. As I said above, they are getting better every year.

Both the third place and championship matches will air live tonight on the Fox Soccer Channel. The Third place match between Mexico and Jamaica starts at 6pm ET with the US-Canada game starting at 9:30pm ET.

Fox Soccer Channel to air Gold Cups

Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) have won the rights to broadcast both the 2006 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup and the 2007 CONCACAF Men's Gold Cup.

The women's event takes place next week in Los Angeles. If the US takes first or second place, they will automatically qualify for the 2007 Women's World Cup in China. The US does not play till Nov. 22. FSC will air both the US and Canadian matches on the 22nd (starts at 7:30pm ET). They will also air the third place and final on Nov. 26 (starts at 6pm ET).

For the men, FSC will broadcast all three of their group matches. They will also air one quarterfinal, one semifinal and the final. The winner of the Men's Gold Cup will win the CONCACAF spot in the FIFA Confederations Cup. The event will take place in the US from June 6-24.

FSC and MLS Saturday nights

Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) will air MLS matches on Saturday nights starting next season. The big news is that these matches will include a live pre and post game show, giving the league their first ever on-site, three-hour live show.

The pre and post game shows will include analysis of the games, the players and involve fans in the action.

In addition, 'the Fox Sports World Report, will feature an MLS weekend preview hosted by Bobby McMahon, a Sunday night recap of all the MLS action played that weekend, and a Wednesday “MLS Pulse” segment reviewing the week’s matches, highlights, news and notes.'

FSC will air 28 weekly games during the season and at least three during the playoffs.

Just getting the games on the air is good, but the additional pre and post game shows will open up the league to even more people. It will explain the game for those who might not live and breath soccer. Hopefully it will also lead to some better production value across the board.

The league will now of games of the week on Thursday (ESPN2) and Saturday (FSC). Hopefully having these games at standardized times will make it easier for casual fans to follow the game. If you know every Thursday at 7pm there is a match, then you don't have to go hunting to find it.

MLS has made a lot of big moves in the last six months that will bring in a large amount of cash and exposure. The question now becomes can the quality of play on the field reach the level needed to sustain and grow the league? The youth academies and reserve leagues are an indication that they are heading in that direction, but there is still the issue of forced parity.

Anyways, it is nice to know that I'll have 28-weeks of doing very little on my Saturday nights other then watching soccer matches. As if my social life needed another knock against it.

MLS Conference Championships review - Second best is better then the rest

The East and West have been won by the best teams of the moment. Neither game was a 'classic' but they did show promise for an interesting final. The Revolution will make their second consecutive trip to the MLS Cup while Houston get to the final in their inaugural year.

Anyway, here are the reviews:

DC United 0-1 New England Revolution

The DC faithful were there in full force, but even their best efforts were not enough to bring their side together. As has been the case for the last few months, their backline was weak and inconsistent while their attack missed opportunity after opportunity. They were better, but still not the United from June.

New England really didn't play that great of a game, but they were able to hold together in their back third. Time and time again, they got bodies in the middle of passes, but even when they didn't, United tended to blast their shots way off the mark or right to Matt Reis (not to take anything away from Reis who was fantastic). How they managed to not really threaten with nine corner kicks is beyond me.

During open play, United had little flow as even Christian Gomez seemed out of his natural element in the middle of RFK. The number of times they would build something up just to carelessly pass the ball away was maddening. I haven't seen anything like that since the US-Ghana World Cup match. Again, it was better then what they had been serving up for a while now, but still was not enough.

When Gomez came out in the 81st, United no longer had the options needed to force a miracle last moment goal. Jaime Moreno tried to step-up, but he was too little against the blanket of New England's defense.

The Revolution now has their spot in Dallas thanks to Taylor Twellman's wonderful shot in the fourth minute. Their ability to hold a one goal lead for almost a full 90-minutes will make them a major threat to Houston should they ever take a lead next weekend.

In the end, United might have been the better team of the day, but the match went to the better team of the last two months.

By the way, it is nice to see a visiting team know how to celebrate a victory on away soil without instigating a brawl. Maybe Colorado could learn a few things.
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Houston Dynamo 3-1 Colorado Rapids

Those first five minutes had all the makings of an upset, but then the Dynamo started playing their game and within five minutes, the score was tied. Just 11-minutes later, Paul Dalglish struck again to put his side up. Even through they only had a one goal lead, the game was, for all it's promise, over.

Houston connected everything while the Rapids failed to threaten with any sort of consistency. Had it not been for the work of Joe Cannon in goal, Colorado very easily could have been down 3 or 4 to 1 at the half.

Every player on the pitch for the Dynamo played a good game, meaning there was no weak side. The Rapids tried to find some holes, but there were none to be found. Thiago Martin and Clint Mathis were taken out of the game by Houston's marking system and Hovan Kirovski was not getting feed, thus Colorado had no offense.

When Brian Mullan put his volley into Colorado's net in the 71st for Houston's third goal, the victory was secured and the crowd of 23,107 went wild. This was a wonderful outing for the Dynamo, however, they did blow a few big chances. When you have three 1-1s with the keeper and you don't get a goal out of any of them, you have a problem. Yes, Cannon is a good keeper, but there is no excuse for not finishing any of these chances.

Houston now gets to travel the 250 miles to Frisco, Texas, for their chance at the MLS Cup. With the Revolution much further away, you can expect to see plenty of orange in the crowd next week.
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So the final has been set. I'm happy to say that I predicted both games correctly, while the wife was only correct with the Houston match (where she also predicted the score).

By the way, wonderful job by United fans. Almost 20,000 of them showed up even through the NFL Redskins-Cowboys game was going on at almost the same time. That said, the big wow goes to Houston where over 23,000 people made it to the game. They might not have been as loud as their DC counterparts, but it is only their first year. Who knows, perhaps their fan interest will help them land a stadium deal of their own very soon.

The team of Dave O'Brien, Eric Wynalda and Bruce Arena calling the DC match was a pleasant surprise. Arena brought a lot of knowledge to the team (including great information about the way New York played them last week), but O'Brien wasn't that bad himself. In fact, I don't think there was a single moment where I was embarrassed by something he said. Maybe if he had called a few more ESPN matches before the World Cup, there wouldn't have been such a negative reaction.

I'm no big fan of Clint Mathis, but he said something before his side's match that should ring loud and clear around the MLS. His quote, "The regular season doesn't really matter, as long as you make the playoffs." Very true.

Finally, D over at DCenters has lost his soul due to the result of the game. No word yet, but rumor has it that the Revolution will own it and it will be passed around amongst the players till the time that DC next defeats New England in the playoffs. First Rev to get the soul, Matt Reis.

For anyone looking to attend the MLS Cup, you can either contact Evan Mitz at 214.705.6752 or email emitz@fcdallas.net, or go here.

Additional comment - I meant to put this in last night, but forgot. What was up with Fox Soccer Channel during the first 20-30 minutes of the Houston-Colorado match? The camera shots on screen were bouncing around enough to give people seizures while their replay system was playing everything but the event you wanted to see. Fox might be America's soccer channel, but yesterday it was ESPN2 that looked like they actually knew what they were doing.

MLS Playoffs Previews - Conference Championships

One game to decide if your season moves on or if you go home and think about what could have been. Both games take place on Sunday and both are on TV. Thankfully, there are three hours between the two matches, so there is not a chance of overlap.

Anyway, here are my previews.

DC United vs. New England Revolution
Sunday - 4:00pm ET
TV: ESPN2
Radio: DC - 1160am, 1540am (Spanish); Boston - 850am

These teams are coming off opposite experiences as DC was lucky to get past New York while New England was able to get over a poor first 30-minutes to run wild over the Fire.

DC is a mess. Their backline is porous, their middle is shaky and their front is absent. If it were not for the work of Christian Gomez and Troy Perkins, this team would not be playing on Sunday. So what can they do to take it to the Revs?

Ben Olsen will need to provide Facundo Erpen more cover in the back while providing some good through balls on the left side. This will open up their attack and force Steve Ralston to play a big role for New England. It should also force Clint Dempsey to track back to provide some additional defensive coverage for his side, thus reducing the Revs quick attack.

New England has a good backline and a middle that can propel the ball forward regardless of what is placed in their way, however they have lacked on the final touches all season. They need Taylor Twellman, Pat Noonan, Dempsey and Andy Dorman to take advantage of United's backfield madness and take the shots. Perkins is a fantastic keeper, but even the best can't stop everything. Twellman has come to life of late and if Dempsey is available for the game and interested in playing it, they should have a number of good chances to put DC in a hole.

One big advantage DC has is their home crowd. Twenty thousand fans cheering you on is some sort of motivation, but the Revs had some motivation of their own. There is a good chance that this off season will see anywhere from a few to a bunch of their best players leaving for foreign shores (and who knows, maybe their coach will be going elsewhere as well) so this might just represent their last chance to win a crown for their club. For a team with so many good players to have no silverware in their cabinet has to be embarrassing.

In the end, New England is playing the better game at the moment so I have to go with them. DC has not beat a playoff team other then New York since September 3rd (they played 6 other games against playoff teams since that win) while the Revs have only lost one game since that date (they have played 5 games against playoff teams since then, not including the 2 against New York). As much fun as it would be to see all the DC faithful in Dallas for the MLS Cup, I just don't think it will happen.

Prediction:
Me - DC 1-2 NE
Wife - DC 1-0 NE


Houston Dynamo vs. Colorado Rapids
Sunday - 7:00pm ET
TV: Fox Soccer Channel, HDNet
Radio: Houston - 850am (Spanish), 101.7fm (Spanish); Denver - 950am

I still can't believe the Rapids are again in the Western Conference Championship. For a team that tied with Real Salt Lake for the most goals allowed in MLS (49) and a team with the worst goal difference in the entire league (-13), they are doing all right with themselves. However, I think the Rapids playing on Sunday has a lot more to do with FC Dallas's meltdown instead of Colorado's skill.

For the Rapids to advance to the final they will need to do something they have not done since June 26/30, 2004, win two consecutive road games. Yes, it has been 27-months since they last accomplished such an outcome. That's a long time.

The good news for the club is they will have Thiago Martins back in the lineup after being suspended for last weekend's match, so they will not depend so much on Clint Mathis for their offense. Okay, Mathis made a hell of a strike last week in Dallas to save his club in extra time, but I have trouble believing that he can do it two weeks in a row.

Keep in mind that Dallas was playing down a man for the majority of last week's match, yet they still found their way through Colorado's midfield. Unless Kyle Beckerman and Pablo Mastroeni can step into the pocket and shut down Dwayne De Rosario, they have little chance at success.

If De Rosario is shut down, Houston's offense will shift over to Brad Davis. Against Chivas, a team with much better skill then Colorado, Davis was able to slice his way into their back and frustrate the goats. If he can do the same against the Rapids, look for a number of fouls to be committed and kicks to be awarded. Those kicks should allow everyone's favorite Hawaiian Brian Ching to step up and get some force on the ball.

This game will not be a washout, but it has a good chance of being one sided. There really is no reason Houston should loose this game, but there really wasn't any reason Dallas should have lost last week, so it can happen. However, can and will are very different things. As long as the Dynamo don't make a stupid mistake early, they should be heading to their first MLS Cup.

Predictions:
Me - Houston 2-0 Colorado
Wife - Houston 3-1 Colorado

MLS Playoffs Round 1 - Match 2

New England Revolution vs Chicago Fire
Saturday - 7:30pm ET
TV: Fox Soccer Channel, Direct Kick, MLStv
Radio: Boston - 850am; Chicago - 1030am (Polish), 1200am (Spanish)
Aggregate score: Chicago 1-0 New England

The clash continues as the Revolution looks to save their season in spectacular fashion with a home win against Chicago. The problem is, they will need to do it without Shalrie Joseph. Yes, Joseph was out for a large part of the Revs great late season run, but most of that run was against not so great teams or teams suffering from a slump. Without Joseph, the Revs attack will be less effective and more midfield balls will go the Fire's way.

I've also read a lot about the touch conditions the Fire will face in Foxboro. Cold weather and maybe wet weather on a pitch torn up by American football. People talk of this like its the Revs 12th player on the field. But let's be honest, Chicago is not a place of warm sunshine. I think they might know what cold weather feels like. It is true that the pitch condition will be worse then what Chicago has been playing on at home, but they did play in a football stadium last year, so it's not like they have never done it before. Also, bad conditions can cause balls to bounce in strange ways no matter if it is your field or not.

So what is my point? The Revolution is going to come out looking for an early equalizer. If it is rainy, they might hurt their air attack and lessen Taylor Twellmann's ability on the ball. Clint Dempsey will make a few good moves at goal, provided his injury from last week really wasn't serious, but he has not been playing to the level needed to carry his team.

The Fire's big concern has got to be their inability to prevent goals (bad for any soccer team), especially late in the game. It will be hard for Chicago to find net in New England, so they will need a tight backline and a midfield that can intercept.

This should be a non-stop game for the full 90-minutes, but in the end, Chicago should have enough to hold their own against a strong Revolution squad.

New England 1-1 Chicago (Chicago advances 2-1 on aggregate)
So, if my prediction is true, will Andy Dorman become for the Revs what "Bill" Buckner is for the Red Sox?


FC Dallas vs Colorado Rapids
Saturday - 8:30pm ET
TV: DK, MLStv
Radio: Dallas - 1160am, 990am (Spanish); Denver - 950am
Aggregate score: FC Dallas 2-1 Colorado

Could this be the year Dallas breaks their Colorado playoff curse? If it isn't they have some serious voodoo working against them. With Thiago Martins out due to a really stupid red card, the Rapids will be looking to Clint Mathis to lead their offensive attack. Yeah, it is that bad for Colorado.

The Rapids were lucky to walk away from home only down a goal, so their only hope this weak is for a Dallas implosion. On that note, Carlos Ruiz suffered a strained right quadriceps at the end of practice on Wednesday. He did not train yesterday and might miss today's practice as well, but he still plans on playing. If Ruiz is lacking a bit, it might provide a small opening for Colorado. Then again, FCD has Kenny Cooper, Abe Thompson and Ronnie O'Brien there to plug any such holes, so maybe they shouldn't be that afraid.

In the end, I think it will be Colorado's lack of offense that will cost them the game.

FC Dallas 1-0 Colorado Rapids (Dallas advances 3-1 on aggregate)


DC United vs New York Red Bull
Sunday - 6:00pm ET
TV: ESPN2
Radio: DC - 1160am, 1540am (Spanish); New York - 1280am (Spanish)
Aggregate score: DC 1-0 New York

I read an article a few days ago saying something about New York not being that impressed with DC's play. I can understand that because I haven't been for impressed with United for a month or two now, but I've been even less impressed with New York for about, um, 10 years. Okay, cheap shot, but it was fun to do.

Anyway, United did look beatable last weekend, but the Red Bulls could not figure out how to do it. Youri Djorkaeff and Amado Guevara were inconsistent and Marvell Wynne was not holding his own in the back. If New York wants to pull off the upset of the ages, they will need to improve their one touch game and find the openings DC's backline seems to be leaving around these days.

For United it is simple, stop losing the ball in midfield. If they can just hold the ball, New York will fail. It is the easy giveaways that are going to kill this club.

DC United 2-1 New York (DC advances 3-1 on aggregate)


Houston Dynamo vs Chivas USA
Sunday - 8:00pm ET
TV: FSC, DK, MLStv, HDNet
Radio: Houston - 850am (Spanish), 101.7fm (Spanish); LA - 1020am (Spanish)
Aggregate score: Chivas 2-1 Houston

And then it all comes down to Houston. The city that holds the honor of being the first word spoken on the moon will host what could just be an all time classic American soccer match. Both clubs had strong showings last weekend, but due, in part, to luck, Chivas was able to walk away with a win. They now stand 90-minutes away from advancing to the conference final. Not bad for a side that was the worst team in MLS last year.

To get there, Chivas will need a fantastic work rate from Jesse Marsch and Francisco Mendoza in the middle of the field because Dwayne De Rosario's plan is to mark that place as his own. If there is one place Houston is good it is in the middle so Chivas will not want to fight it there. Their plan has got to be forcing Houston to commit fouls. If the goats get 3 or 4 free kicks in dangerous positions, they will find a goal.

Of all the games, I think this is the most likely to go to penalty kicks, but don't be surprised if a late overtime goal ends the match.

Houston 2-0 Chivas (Houston advances 3-2 on aggregate)

MLS Week 28 Predictions

Just two weeks to go in the regular season and all the games mean something. After the weekend, we should have at least one and maybe two more playoff spots decided and we might know who has 'home field advantage' in the first round of the playoff series. By the way, the game of the week on Fox Soccer is Chicago-Columbus at 8:30pm ET.

DC United vs. New England Revolution
7:30pm ET
TV: Direct Kick (DK), MLStv
Radio: DC - 1160am, 1540am (Spanish); Boston - 850am

Although both teams have their playoff spots, this game will be very important. DC United has been stumbling for months and need to show some kind of good form before the playoffs start. For New England, they have recently begun playing like the Revolution of last year, but they have been doing it against some of the worst teams in the league. Are they for real or are they just good at picking off the low fruit?

DC needs to regain their midfield form. Earlier in the season, I was just amazed by the quality they should in the middle third. It was the engine that drove them to the outstanding start, but now it has gone far off the tracks. With Joshua Gros out for this match due to suspension, their job will be that much harder. One other note, since he is one card away from getting suspended for a match, look for Bobby Boswell to get a yellow card, thus keeping him from being suspended for the first playoff game.

For the Revolution, Taylor Twellman is returning to life and providing a double threat with Clint Dempsey, but just as big of a story is the good play Matt Reis has been putting forward in goal of late. His backline is not of the level of DC's, but he has been able to save their failures most of the time. The question for him this week is can he do it without Avery John in front of him? John has been called up for international duty with Trinidad & Tobago.

Prediction:
Me - DC 1-1 NE
Wife - DC 2-1 NE

FC Dallas vs. LA Galaxy
8:30pm ET
TV: HDNet, DK, MLStv
Radio: Dallas - 1160am, 990am (Spanish); LA - 1700am, 830am (Spanish)

FC Dallas must win this game. That might sound odd since they already have their playoff tickets and LA is fighting to keep hope alive, but let me explain. These two play each other again next weekend in LA. Dallas cannot win in LA. If FCD does not beat LA tomorrow, the Galaxy has an excellent chance of sneaking into the fourth spot in the West. Even if they lost the next two games, chances are Dallas will still win the West. If so, they will then have to play LA in the first round of the playoffs, meaning they will have to go to LA and play a team that is very confident and very hot in a stadium Dallas never wins in. This would be a horrible outcome for the team.

Dallas's big question is in goal. In seems like every year this is the question, so why change now. Normal starter Dario Sala is out due to injury, so Shaka Hislop will have to cover. Hislop is a good keeper, but has seemed out of his element in all three of his starts for the team. The best thing FCD can do is keep the ball far away from their posts. The good news for them is Kenny Cooper seems to be working out well in his newish midfield role and Carlos Ruiz and Abe Thompson are finding ways to confuse their opposition. Add to it Ronnie O'Brien, who should get his 100th cap with the team on Saturday, and you have the makings for something good.

The Galaxy, on the other hand, is good at playing desperate. The obvious key is Landon Donovan, but don't overlook Santino Quaranta and Alan Gordon. The addition of Quaranta has brought life to the deadest middle in the league and Gordon is starting to get smart with his touches. However, LA is bad at stopping smart play. Get a good passing game together and you will find their holes.

Prediction:
Me - FCD 2-1 LA
Wife - FCD 3-1 LA

Kansas City Wizards vs. Chivas USA
8:30pm ET
TV: DK, MLStv
Radio: LA - 1020am (Spanish)

Will Chivas finally get a much deserved playoff spot and, in the process, all but kill the off the dismal blah that has been KC in '06?

The Wizards have looked better of late, having only lost one of their last seven, but they still seem uncomfortable on the ball. Their touch is just not there. If it weren’t for the skill of forward Scott Sealy, they would be challenging Columbus for worst in the East instead of New York for fourth. Jose Burciaga Jr and Jimmy Conrad give some good backline protection, but too often their defense is a mess.

Chivas are in the middle of injury city. Hopefully midfielder Juan Pablo García will be able to play along with forward Ante Razov, because as we saw last week against LA, without them Chivas is only half the team they can be. If Chivas can get their ball skill together, they should get the points to reach the preseason and, in a twist of irony, help their coach's former club, New York, make the playoffs.

Prediction:
Me - KC 2-2 Chivas
Wife - KC 1-2 Chivas

Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew
8:30pm ET
TV: Fox Soccer Channel, DK, MLStv
Radio: Chicago - 1200am (Spanish), 1030am (Polish); Columbus - 105.7fm

Of all the games this weekend, this is the one that I care less about. Chicago has their playoff ticket while Columbus has no chance of getting one. About the only thing Columbus might have to play for is the worst record in the league, thus the top draft pick.

The Fire fell apart last week against New York, but that might have been due to their US Open Cup win hangover. I can't recall, but I think forward and key playmaker Andy Herron was taken out in the second half of that game for fear of injury. If that is true, Herron might sit out this one to prep for the playoffs. Without Herron, the Fire will need Chris Rolfe and Thiago to team up to push the attack.

The Crew looked sharp against Dallas, but having slipped behind the wall that was to their, will they be able to bring that skill and intensity to Chicago. Short answer, no. With nothing to play for, it will be interesting to see what Columbus comes up with. Could Eddie Gaven throw off the chains and explode? Will Bill Gaudette become a bulldog in front of the net? Will Jason Garey be accurate again? My guess is no.

Prediction:
Me - Chicago 1-0 Columbus
Wife - Chicago 1-0 Columbus

Real Salt Lake vs. Houston Dynamo
9:00pm ET
No TV
Salt Lake - 700am, 1600am (Spanish); Houston - 850am (Spanish), 101.7fm (Spanish)

It is a shame this one will not be viewable as it might just be a firework of a match. Houston has been wobbling for a while now, but winning like they did against DC last week can really set a team straight. Real can almost taste the playoffs, but anything less then a win will turn that food away.

Houston should field much the same team as the one that took on United. As always, look for the duo of Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Ching to put some flair into the proceedings, but I wonder more about Eddie Robinson on defense. The last few times I've watched him, his timing has seemed a little off. He's not intercepting as much as he did earlier in the year. If he can't solve this problem, Real should find a few chances in the box.

Salt Lake will be looking to Jeff Cunningham to make his statement. He has some good support around him, but without Cunningham cutting deep into Dynamo territory, Real doesn't have a chance. By the way, I just have a hunch that Eddie Pope is going to have a big game on Saturday.

Prediction:
Me - Real 2-1 Houston
Wife - Real 1-2 Houston

Colorado Rapids vs. New York Red Bulls
9:00pm ET
TV: DK, MLStv
Radio: Denver - 950am; New York - 1280am (Spanish)

The battle of the fourth place teams. Neither side deserves a playoff spot, but both might earn one. The Rapids have the easier time of it, but they have been playing a little worse then the Red Bulls.

Colorado is going to have a difficult time getting any points thanks to Clint Mathis. His red card for a hard foul last week has him tossed from their last two games. For a team that has just 7 goals in their last 13 games, losing any of their offensive threats is going to kill them. He might only have 2 goals and 1 assist on the season, but he is good at drawing players to him. That opens up space for Kyle Beckerman. As hard as this is to believe, without Mathis, the team doesn't even limp.

That said, in most games, a limp would be a good experience for the Red Bulls. New York fans have got to be wondering, can Jozy Altidore do it again? The 16-year old wonder boy has twice saved the season for his club, but can he make it happen in the mile high city? It is amazing that Jozy has only one less goal from 21 fewer matches then Amado Guevara. Anyway, the team from New York needs to overwhelm Colorado with shots on goal. Take chances from 30 yards out, flood the box early and often and don't let the Rapids have a chance to settle.

Prediction:
Me - Colorado 0-1 New York
Wife - Colorado 0-1 New York

Vancouver, Rochester meet in finals today

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Rochester Raging Rhinos
7pm ET
TV: Fox Soccer Channel

The USL season comes to an end today as the Vancouver Whitecaps face off against the Rochester Raging Rhinos for the first division championship.

This match up will be fierce as these are the two teams with the fewest number of loses this year (RRR have 4, while VW have 6). Still, the Rhinos come into the match as favorites since they had the better regular season record and home pitch advantage, but Vancouver has firepower.

The man to watch for the Whitecaps is Joey Gjertsen. He has been excellent in scoring (12), assists (7) and more then willing to take shots (60). For the Rhinos, chances are their fate rests with rookie Matthew Delicâte from Wales. Although his numbers are not as strong as Gjertsen, he is their shot (45) and goal-scoring leader (8). If they can also get a good game out of midfielder John Ball, they might just be hosting their third title by the end of the night.

When these teams last met in Rochester, the Rhinos won 2-0, with Delicâte getting the second goal. Earlier in the year, they tied 0-0 in Vancouver.

During last weekend's semi-finals, Vancouver beat Montreal on the road after the first match in the series ended in a 0-0 tie, while Rochester held Charelston to a 0-0 tie in the second game to advance off their 1-0 win at home in the first match of the series.

US Open Cup Final Tonight

There is an extra crisp feel in the air today as the 93rd US Open Cup is about to come to a close. Tonight, the LA Galaxy try to make their season a little less embarrassing as they look for some silverware against the Chicago Fire.

LA Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire
8:00pm ET
TV: Fox Soccer Channel
Chicago - USOC record 25-5 (vs. MLS teams 15-4)
LA - 20-6 (11-4)

The Galaxy are looking to repeat as US Open Cup Champions, and in the process become the first team to do so since 1982-83 when New York Pancyprian Freedoms won it all. For the Fire, they want to left the Dewar Trophy for the fourth time.

One of the biggest questions to be answered is will LA play their best team? With their playoff hopes hanging like an elephant from a dandelion, they Frank Yallop will have to decide how much this game matters. In the MLS, they have 3 games left and need to, at least, get two wins and a tie to even hope for a playoff spot. If Yallop puts out his first team, it could come back to haunt him when his team faces city and stadium rivals Chivas USA this Saturday. For the Fire, they have the luxury of already having a playoff spot and, more then likely, the second position in the East.

I would be surprised if Yallop didn't put Donovan, Albright, Quaranta and Gomez out on the pitch tonight. LA knows that their season is pretty much shot and they know that retaining the cup will give them something to be happy about (not to mention the $100,000 that comes along with the win), so why not go for it. Who knows, this win might spark something in the team for their final three.

For the Fire, Calen Carr has proved his worth in their cup run, as has Thiago and Justin Mapp, but I wonder if Andy Herron will see action. Herron is going to be an important part of any Fire playoff run and coach Dave Sarachan might choose to not risk him tonight.

This match should be a free flowing event, but it probably will not result in many goals. One thing to keep in mind, no team has scored more then 1 goal in the USOC final since LA got two in 2001. Still, these should be a fun one as both teams are very strong in tournaments.

My guess, Chicago 2-1 LA.