US defender Cat Whitehill to miss Olympics

The US Women's team suffered another injury blow this week as defender Catherine Whitehill was diagnosed with a torn ACL. This injury will prevent her from heading to China in an attempt to win back-to-back gold medals.

Whitehill played every minute of the 2007 World Cup and held her own under very strong attacks. She is a key player in the US backfield and will be very difficult to replace.

This news comes three-weeks after midfielder Leslie Osborne was also ruled out of the Olympics due to an ACL tear.

With two similar injuries in less then a month, one has to wonder if training is to blame. Whitehill's father Phillip Reddick seems to suggest this might be the case:

They've really been working them hard," he said.

Whitehill tweaked the knee prior to the team's trip to South Korea for the Peace Queen Cup.

"They thought it was fine," Reddick said. "Yesterday (Tuesday) morning at practice, the knee buckled and it looks like it's a torn ACL.

This is a very serious situation and one the coach Pia Sundhage should be looking into.

Whitehill is expected to take 8-months to recover from this injury.

University wants to team up with Dynamo in stadium deal; De Rosario kicks like a horse

It is looking more and more likely that if the Dynamo want a stadium in downtown Houston, they are going to need Texas Southern University's backing. Good news for the Dynamo, TSU's new athletic direct Charles McClelland is very interested in such a venture.

"My understanding of the proposal is that the Houston Dynamo and Texas Southern University would share the use of the stadium, including some signage, so it would be the home of Texas Southern University athletics and football program," McClelland said Wednesday, two days after meeting with a city official involved in the stadium negotiations. "We're interested and understand that there has to be a financial commitment from the university, but we are very pleased with the direction of the talks and hope to be able to come to a resolution in the near future."

While McClelland declined to disclose the size or range of the financial commitment because of the ongoing nature of the talks, he is confident the range that has been discussed is "within the capability of the university."

If the two teamed up, the Dynamo would get a stadium, but come fall, it would also be used for American football, so the question is how bad do they want a stadium?

The always entertaining to read Dave Rossman of the Houston Chronicle has his spot on take concerning the situation. To sum him up, the Dynamo need TSU more then TSU need the Dynamo. Why?

It's about the political capital a public institution of higher learning such as TSU brings into the equation.

Even then, while not ready to disclose figures, McClelland believes what the Dynamo and the city are asking is within reach.

Hooray, the Dynamo say. An added bonus. Suddenly, city money being committed to such a project no longer solely finances a private sports enterprise that may or may not generate the tax revenue or jobs it promises to deliver long-term.

Now, it also benefits one of the largest historically black colleges in the nation — one that has played a key role in the advancement of Houston for more than 60 years.

Don't think for a second the city isn't crossing its fingers for TSU to join in the negotiations.

Short of AEG or Golden Boy Promotions covering the ever growing construction cost on their own (something neither is willing to do), going in with TSU is the Dynamo's best chance of getting their stadium anytime in the next four years. Yes, it will suck to see the gridiron lines (although I think the damage done to the pitch by American football is far more offensive), but if the other option is another suburban stadium that makes it more difficult for fans, a few additional lines on the grass are worth it.

In other Houston Dynamo related news, it's official, midfielder Dwayne De Rosario kicks like a horse.

During their match on Saturday De Rosario shattered Chivas defender Lawson Vaughn's nose while attempting a bicycle kick in the box. Sadly, Vaughn will require three surgeries to repair his nose and other facial injuries. When asked about it, Vaughn's agent Ron Waxman said, "I was told it was as if he had gotten kicked in the face by a horse." Ouch.

Hopefully Vaughn will make a full recovery. He is expected to be out for four to six weeks.

The MLS disciplinary committee ruled that De Rosario would not face suspension or fines beyond the already awarded yellow card for the play.

To close out the Houston news, the club signed former DC United forward Guy-Roland Kpene to a developmental contract on Wednesday. His time with United didn't yield much, but with the Dynamo hurting on attack, he might get a better chance in Houston to show what he can do.

Beasley out for months

US and Rangers midfielder DaMarcus Beasley will miss months of play due to a knee injury he picked up in his clubs 3-2 Champions League defeat this past Tuesday. Beasley suffered the injury after colliding with the Stuttgart goalkeeper.

With surgery and a long lay off ahead of him, it is pretty safe to assume that he will not be wearing the US jersey anytime soon. This is a real shame as his move to Scotland has been a good for him. His touch on the ball and attacking style has improved after a less then grand time with Manchester City last season.

Let's hope for a fast recovery.

By the way, I had to fight the temptation to roll out the pun in the title on this one. I mean DaMarcus Beas-knee is just screaming to be heard.

Beckham out up to six weeks

David Beckham's knee injury will cost him 4-6 weeks of play. The injury is a 'ligament strain' in his right knee.

He is under going tests today to learn the extent of the injury. If it is as serious as suspected, Beckham will probably miss both the September 8 and 12 Euro qualifiers for England as well as league matches through early October.

If there is one good side to this for the team, this should probably be enough time for his left ankle to finally heal completely.

Josh Gros's career is in jeopardy

During DC United's match against Columbus this past Saturday, Josh Gros suffered his second concussion of the season and some sources near the player are concerned "the career of the fourth-year midfielder-defender is in jeopardy and he should not play again this season."

The reason for the alarm is due to the way in which he is being harmed by contact with the ball as opposed to knocking heads with another player or hitting the ground.

"On Saturday, after heading the ball off his temple, he complained of blurred vision and was removed. He had a headache and vomited in the locker room. His symptoms subsided within 24 hours, but the club felt further evaluation was necessary."

If such comparatively light touches are causing this many problems, the fear is that he has suffered a much more serious injury then previously thought.

It is always horrible to see this sort of thing happen but oddly it seems to be happening more and more in MLS.

"It's so scary and it seems the last couple years there have been so many more," United midfielder Ben Olsen said. "I don't know what the cause of that is; maybe we are just more aware of the injury now and the science of it is better."

Whatever the cause, hopefully Gros will recover and return to the pitch soon.

Beckham out of Toronto FC match

Beckham has ruled himself out of tomorrow's match with Toronto FC.

"Today was the first time I've run and running straight forward is not a problem but turning corners is still a problem for me at the moment," Beckham told reporters after a morning practice session.

"I don't think I will be involved in the game tomorrow unfortunately," he added. "Unless there is a drastic change I won't be on the pitch tomorrow."

This is sure to ruffle some feathers in Toronto but probably not as many as it did in Dallas. In his interview concerning tomorrow's match, he did talk about the whole mess in Dallas: "I know I've been criticized for not appearing in Dallas but, like I said before, I'm here for five years not just this year."

ESPN2 will still carry the match tomorrow, however they might change the 30-minute pregame, which was going to focus around Beckham. However, the network will get another chance of televising Becks first match when they carry the LA-DC match live this Thursday.

Missing this match will probably give the league another black eye, however there is some good news as it looks like Beckham will not be called back to England to play a friendly against Germany later this month due to the injury.

Beckham out for FC Dallas Superliga match

Scratch Big-D off the list of places David Beckham will see during his inaugural year in LA as he will not make the trip for their Superliga meeting. This is LA's last scheduled meeting with FC Dallas in Dallas this year.

Instead, Beckham will stay in California to work out the soreness from the scar tissue in his left ankle.

Head coach Frank Yallop hopes he will be available for this Sunday's match on the road against Toronto FC, however he made no promises. If this week is not to be, perhaps Beckham's first MLS outing will be next Thursday night in DC when LA rolls into town to play United live on ESPN2. United just announced that there are only 400 tickets left for this match, so if you are in the DC area and want to see it, you better act fast.

Even if he does play against TFC, DC will still be able to say that Beckham played his first meaningful match in America against United. Always got to think of a good marketing line.

For fans in Dallas, there is still a chance that the two sides could face off in the MLS playoffs.

Jimmy Conrad out with broken jaw - again

Jimmy Conrad has a very interesting streak going on as he has broken his jaw (or had his jaw broken) for the second year in a row (makes me wonder who holds the record for breaking the same bone in consecutive seasons).

Last year it was fellow US national Clint Dempsey who cracked him but for 2007 Brazilian midfielder Ricardo Virtuoso got the honor during this past Saturday's match.

The break is on the right side, just like last year, but is sever inches higher. "It doesn't hurt as bad this time," he said. "It's like a toothache."

Needless to say, Conrad will be out for a little while with this one, but he hopes to be recovered enough to make the US men's CONCACAF roster. If he does, it means Kansas City might be without their captain for 2 months.

As of this time, Virtuoso has not been suspended or fined due to this incident.