Match Thoughts: Columbus Crew vs. Chivas USA

So when is a match with 6 goals and three equalizers not epic? When it's at Crew Stadium featuring Columbus and Chivas. Now I'll readily admit that I got this one wrong in my MLS preview this week. I figured the match would totally suck, the Crew would scrounge a goal, and they'd get three points. Instead, Chivas got a lead, fell asleep at the switch, and Columbus scrounged a goal: then repeat two times.

The Goats got us off to an early start and had some nice possession in the Crew 18. Justin Braun had a shot blocked in the 3rd minute. The next minute he sent a cross in to Nick LaBrocca, who managed to get his header by Will Hesmer to make it 0-1 to Chivas.

So then the Crew thought, oh crap, we're losing to Chivas, so they decided to get some pressure on the ball. Chivas started to show some signs of some uncharacteristic defensive lapses. I mean, they've defended pretty well all year. However, in the 12th minute Kennedy pulled a Robert Green, only to have Jazic come in and BARELY clear the ball off the goal line to preserve the lead. It came crashing down in the 17th though when DP Mendoza decided to finally show up. He slotted a ball home past a defenseless Kennedy to tie the game at 1-1.

Toward the end of the half, the Goats started to crank things up again. More pressure culminated in a corner in the 38th minute. Boyens elevated and got his on the corner and made it 1-2 to the Goats going into the half time break.

The Crew kind of lolly-gagged around a bit to start the second half again. While the defense, and Hesmer, sat around thinking about what they were going to have for dinner, Flores stepped up for the goats and clanged a shot off the post. Then the Crew realized that were losing to Chivas again and that's bad.

So they stepped up the pressure again. Mendoza got a break in the 50th that Kennedy just managed to save. Then in the 51st, Gardner managed to get off a shot that went off target. Then in the 52nd, Chivas brought it out, made the worst back pass you'll ever see in professional soccer, and Mendoza grabbed it and slammed it by a befuddled Kennedy to even the game at 2-2.

Unfortunately the Columbus Defense, and Will Hesmer, were still standing around watching the ball go back and forth thinking "Ooh, pretty!" So Chivas decided they really wanted to try and get three points. Flores hit a strike in the 57th, while the defense was picking dandelions, and made it 2-3.

So once again, the Columbus offense, much maligned this year, decided to step up and salvage something against an equally fragile Chivas defense. In the 64th minute Kennedy saved a shot, but it rebounded out to Ekpo who put it home to equalize again at 3-3.

Disaster struck for the Goats in the 69th minute. Flores, the most recent Chivas goal scorer, made an absolutely bone-headed tackle and picked up his second yellow card, earning a one way trip via red card to the showers. Columbus subbed in Jeff Cunningham and immediately went full out attack. However, they couldn't find the back of the net. They came close though. In the first minute of stoppage time, Jazic came to the rescue again and cleared a shot off the line, this time by Jeff Cunningham. This preserved the 3-3 score, which is how the match finished.

Manchester United's Paul Scholes retires.

Manchester United MF and icon Paul Scholes announced his retirement from professional football today.

Scholes made his debut in 1994 and made 676 appearances for the Red Devils. During his 16 years at the club he won 10 EPL titles and 24 trophies in all and scored 150 goals. He made a late appearance as a sub in Man U's loss to Barcelona on Saturday.

Scholes says he will return to United in a coaching role next season.

2 MLS managers bite the dust on Memorial Day.

2 different MLS coaches will now have to find other plans for the summer. Both the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Chicago Fire announced that they were sacking their managers today.


The expansion Vancouver Whitecaps sacked head coach Teitur Thordarson. They haven't won since downing TFC on opening day, and they've compiled a 1-5-6 record, worst in the Western Conference. He will be replaced by Director of Soccer Operations Tom Soehn for the rest of the year. Thordarson was the manager for the Whitecaps at the Division II level and stayed on to start the MLS campaign.

The Chicago Fire have been off to an equally bad start in the Eastern Conference. They've only managed a 1-4-6 record so far. Today they sacked head man Carlos de los Cobos. Cobos was the manager last year as well, and the Fire missed the playoffs for only the second time in their history. He will be replaced by Technical Director Frank Klopas on an interim basis.

The Whitecaps and the Fire played to a draw earlier this year.

Goal.com: Bedoya to replace injured Feilhaber

Goal.com is reporting, citing a Swedish newspaper, that Alejandro Bedoya will replace the injured Benny Feilhaber on the USMNT Gold Cup Roster. People were surprised that Bedoya was left off of the squad in the first place but it looks like he'll get his chance. Feilhaber suffered an ankle injury in New England's 0-1 loss to the LA Galaxy Saturday night. He is expected to be out at least a month.

Bedoya plays for Swedish top-flight club Oredro, where he has scored 5 goals in 9 appearances this season. He was also left off the USA World Cup roster last year.

Match Thoughts: Portland Timbers vs. DC United

This was a wild night in the Rose City. I didn't include this in the MLS preview, but coming into the match, it would be easy to favor Portland. After all, they've been the most hyped team in MLS over recent weeks, and DC has been struggling a bit, maybe even more now with Dax McCarty and Charlie Davies out for this one.

After RSL's loss last night the Portland announcers started throwing around the phrase "Best home team in MLS." First off, call me when you go unbeaten in 29 straight at home. Second off, they've been really fortunate at home and haven't really dominated anybody. Looks like somebody also failed to send DC the memo that nobody wins in Portland except Portland.

DC United outplayed Portland pretty much the whole game. Their defense was better, their possession was better, and their finishing was certainly better. As impressive as Portland has been at times over recent weeks, they've still had a tendency to let other teams bring the game to them, and that's what DC did.

DC was eager even early on. In the 12th minute, Brettschneider, starting up top for CD9 hit a shot that went just barely wide. That should have woken Portland up, but it didn't. The next minute, DC got an attacking throw in, and Perry Kitchen got his head on it and slipped it past Troy Perkins to give DC a 0-1 lead. Time to see how Portland responded to being down at home.

Turned out they didn't respond well at all. They looked totally non-threatening in the run of play. They did get a couple of set piece chances, but DC defended them really well. Portland has lived by the set-piece way too much this season, and it bit them today.

The questionable officiating that is quickly becoming the hallmark of MLS began to rear it's head in the 31st minute. Portland set up for a free kick at decent range, but the ref payed zero attention to the fact that the DC United player (I forget who) kept sneaking up to the ball spot. In the end, he was no more than six yards from the ball, and deflected the kick. Oops.

DC Continued to press the ball through the rest of the half. In the 40th minute Ngwenya got a nice header on goal that resulted in a great save from Perkins. In the 43rd minute Najar launched a shot wide and Ethan White hit a hard shot from close range that Perkins barely saved in the 44th.

The half ended with more bad officiating. Portland was on the attack in and around the DC penalty area, moving with purpose like they might create a chance. The ref blew his whistle right in the middle of the attack to end the half. Portland and their fans were furious, and I can see why. You never see that happen. Still the half ended and DC led 0-1.

Portland coach Spencer obviously fired up his troops at half time, because they came out on fire and really took it to DC. Kenny Cooper decided to stay onside, for the most part, and hit a shot that was blocked in the 48th. He had another attempt on target in the 51st that was saved by Hamid. The next minute Sal Zizzo sent a screamer shot in but it went just wide. Portland was playing much better. DC brought in Josh Wolff to try and counter.

Things really erupted in the 64th minute. On a corner kick, Cooper and DC defender Jakovic got together at the near post. Jackovic had his arm on Cooper, but Cooper was obviously giving as good as he was getting and shoving back with his entire body. Jakovic actually got the ball as the two went down, but the ref blew for a penalty kick. Really, and I mean REALLY soft PK, in my opinion. That crap happens on every corner in every game every week.

Anyway, Cooper stepped up, hit a horrible penalty kick, and Hamid saved it. However, the DC keeper's joy was short lived as the linesman put his flag up, indicating that Hamid had come off his line. Yeah, he did a little bit, and I know it's the rule, but peruse Youtube and you'll see that almost every keeper does this every time. Ok, whatever, retake the PK.

Anyway, Cooper stepped up, hit a horrible penalty kick, and Hamid saved it. YES, AGAIN, and YES AGAIN, the linesman flags him for coming off the line. Hamid goes all ape-shit, as does the rest of DC, and he gets a yellow card. By this point, John Spencer has seen enough and tells Cooper that Jewsbury is taking the next kick. So he does. Hamid, too scared to even move off the chalk, makes a horrible lunge at a barely adequate PK and misses, the match is equal at 1-1. What a mess.

Well, back to action with the game tied and DC United fuming. Then in the 74th minute, Chara falls on the ball in his own 18, hits it with his hand, and concedes a PK to DC. I thought this was pretty harsh, and might have even been a make up call type of situation. Anyway, Pontius hits the PK and gives DC the lead again at 1-2.

DC seemed to finish it off in the 85th minute. Portland was totally asleep at the switch on a DC goal kick, Wolff ended up getting on the end of the long ball and banging it home past an equally asleep Perkins to make it 1-3. No sunshine songs in Portland.

Watch out though, because in the 85th, Portland struck back. Perlaza heads in a goal off an attacking throw for Portland not unlike DCs first goal, and it was 2-3. However, they couldn't muster another shot on target and DC held on to become the first team to beat Portland at home.

And Timber Joey wept on his chainsaw.

Match Thoughts: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. New York Red Bulls

In my MLS preview this week, I gave the Caps a pretty good chance to knock off the Red Bulls and pick up their first win since opening weekend. I mean, they usually play pretty well at home. Also, the Red Bulls have been struggling lately, and they were already missing Rafa Marquez and Henry. So, lets see what happened.

Vancouver very much came out on the front foot, and NY struggled early on containing the attack. Hassli got a shot off as early as the second minute, and made a pest of himself in general for the NY defense.

It wasn't just the Vancouver DP that was making a pest out of himself. NY has a guy that's pretty good at that too, Luke Rodgers. He was all over the Vancouver 18, and in many ways was the only Red Bull who really showed up. He got off a couple of shots in the first ten minutes, but couldn't get anything on target. Yet.

Those chances were pretty much against the run of play though. Vanouver was definitely in the game. Their goal came in the 24th minute. Carlos Mendes upended Camilo in the area, and it earned the Whitecaps a PK. Hassli stepped up and smoked the spot kick into the back of the net. Sutton guessed right in goal for NY, but the ball was by him before he got down. 1-0 to the home side.

The Red Bulls weren't of a mind to surrender to the expansion side though. Even though Vancouver had the better possession, NY had the better chances, mostly through the feet of Luke Rodgers. This was good because Agudelo was pretty much absent.

NY finally got their goal from Rodgers. In the 33rd minute he scored after a set piece chanced and evened the game at 1-1. That score held through the rest of a rather lackluster half.

The second half was rather bleh. Both teams had some chances, but nothing really of any great quality. NY had a bit of a flurry toward the end, but nothing came of it, and the match ended at 1-1.

So what does this result mean for the teams? While New York probably really did see this as a winnable match, they'll certainly take the point on the road minus Marquez and Henry. For the Whitecaps, the frustration continues to build. Week after week they come out and play decent ball. Some weeks, like this week, they probably play well enough to win, but the pieces just aren't there right now to be able to seal the three points.

UCL FInal: Barcelona vs. Manchester United

I spent a lot of time this last week thinking about who I thought had the edge in this match. On one hand, I think Barca has been hands down the best team in Europe this year. They're so selfish with possession, they have such good quality players they looked like the clear choice. On the other hand, you knew the English would come out support United. All year, Manchester United has embodied that never say die spirit in grinding out the results they needed to win the Premier League title. In the end, I decided Barca would probably win 2-1. I just couldn't bet against Messi.

Well it was a good thing I didn't. However, United did come to play. They did especially well in the first 10 minutes or so. They kept the ball quite a bit, denying Barca their game. The United pressure was really good, and the back four for Barca started to show some uneasiness. Unfortunately, they couldn't translate it into any chances, except one where Javier Hernandez was totally offside.

United couldn't keep the pressure up though. Barca eventually got the ball, and then they started playing their game. United was reduced to chasing the ball. In the 17th, minute Pedro had the first serious chance and just barely missed. It was a portent of things to come. The shots started coming from Villa and company, Barca had settled. Finally in the 27th minute, Xavi sliced a nice pass into Pedro who put it past Van der Sar and gave Barcelona the 1-0 lead. Good stuff.

United responded though. Again, this is not a team that gives up. Rooney decided he was not going to be absent from this big game, and his presence was felt. In the 33rd minute, he did a nice little 1-2 with Ryan Giggs and calmly put the ball into the Barca net to equalize at 1-1. Very nice goal. Totally against the run of play. United played much better the rest of the first half to hold that tie until the break at 1-1.

The second half was a different story. United never had a chance. Barcelona came out really looking to put their stamp on the match and that's exactly what they did. Van der Sar was left for dead in goal by United, and Barca put on sensation pressure. The Little Genius himself scored his first goal on English soil in the 55th minute. The United defense left him all lone, for some reason, at the top of the area and Messi just buried it to give Barca the 2-1 lead.

It never got any better for United either. Van der Sar faced shot after shot, stopping almost all of them. The one he didn't get came off the foot of David Villa. Again United left him space and he put it in from the top of the box to make it 3-1. United were toast an reduced to squabbling. Giggs in particular. In the 78th minute he complained for a penalty while HE STILL HAD THE BALL. Giggs knows better, perhaps sleeping with a reality tv star has made him stupid. United never threatened again and the match ended 3-1.

Congrats to Barcelona, the 2011 UEFA Champions League Champs!

Match Thoughts: Real Salt Lake vs. Seattle Sounders

Another tough night at Rio Tinto.

First off, I want to say that Seattle is a class team, and they played great. Kasey Keller turned in a first class performance tonight, and I'm glad I got to see him before he retires.

That being said, RSL was the better team until the 58th minute, when once again, we had an MLS/US Soccer official blow a huge call and influence the game. Jamison Olave tackled Fucito as he was driving toward the goal. Foul? Yes. Yellow Card? Absolutely. The ref showed Olave a straight red, reasoning that Olave was the last defender. This is total bullshit. Replays show Nat Borchers at least a shoulder ahead of Olave, AT LEAST. Also, Tony Beltran is right there too, though he might not have been close enough to matter. Nat certainly was. It should NEVER have been a red card.

Now, all the credit to Seattle. They took advantage, just like any good team would, and both their goals were great. However, all that space being exploited by Montero wouldn't have been there without the red card, and we wouldn't have lost the best defender in MLS either. Olave's last red card was in September of 2009, he knows what he's doing.

RSL got a nice goal back late, and had another chance right at the death. Props to Seattle, but this one really leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Puddle's MLS Preview: Saturday, 5/28 Late Matches

Let's not forget about the 4 late starts tomorrow night as well:


Chicago Fire vs. San Jose Earthquakes
These two teams met earlier this week in a US Open Cup match. Chicago won the match on penalties in San Jose. Back in the league, San Jose has been in pretty good form while Chicago last won...when exactly? Still the Fire have been playing really hard and I'll bank on them to secure at least a point at home.


Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas
This is the only reason I feel slightly bad about going to the Riot tomorrow night. Thank god for Match Day Live, so I'll be able to catch this derby after I get home. It's already number 1 on my viewing schedule for the weekend, since I won't get to watch the Champions League final until Sunday morning. Dallas has been on a tear and Houston has slumped some, but a derby match is always up for grabs. I'll give the Dynamo an edge at home though.


Colorado Rapids vs. Sporting KC
Don't look now, but KC got a win earlier this week in the US Open Cup. Colorado has been kind of bleh, and I'm gonna pick the boys from Sporting to get off the league snide in Denver. They've gotta win sometime, right?


Real Salt Lake vs. Seattle Sounders
A battle of two teams that are having a tough time scoring right now. No offense to Sounders fans, but I hope RSL puts it in tomorrow night. We need a goal bad. Still both of these teams are pretty creative, and I look for a fun game to be punctuated with an RSL win. (hopefully)

Puddle's MLS Preview: Saturday, 5/28 Early Matches

Here's my thoughts on the early starts in MLS this Saturday, May 28.


Toronto FC vs. Philadelphia Union
The Union managed to get their offense on track in their last match versus Chicago, and managed to keep their defensive effort up as well. Ruiz was a lot more active, but still hardly sign of Le Toux. For TFC, who knows? I think the Union will be the favorite here, but I'm betting TFC can salvage a point at home.


Vancouver Whitecaps vs. New York Red Bulls
The Red Bulls come into this one stumbling a bit, after a loss and two draws. Meanwhile, Vancouver hasn't won since their first game. They've played some decent footie from time to time though. NY will be missing Marquez, so I'm going out on a limb here and saying the 'Caps will pick up all 3 at home. Probably dumb, I know.


Columbus Crew vs. Chivas USA
This match stunk earlier this year, and my guess is it will stink again. Give the Crew a goal and the three points.


New England Revolution vs. LA Galaxy
So Revs have struggled all year, even though signing a certain USA midfielder was supposed to be a big deal. Meanwhile, LA eeked out a win on Wednesday with a Landycakes PK. I don't expect the Galaxy will need to count on PKs against the Revs though. Three points to Los Galaxicos.

Match Blurb: Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas

This actually wasn't a bad match to watch, pretty entertaining. However, by the time it was over I was just left scratching my head thinking, "now what did I just see?" Really is kind of puzzling.

Neither team really seemed to come out fired up, and most of the opening minutes was spent around the midfield, the two teams seeming to size each other up. However, at this point, if I had to say one team looked like it had more of a killer instinct, I'd have said it was going to be Seattle.

Watch out though because first impressions tend to be, and often are, dead wrong. While not exactly busting the game open, Dallas got their one big chance in the 18th minute and Brek Shea took it, slotting a shot home past Kasey Keller to give Dallas the 0-1 advantage on enemy turf. It also sucked the Seattle crowd right out of the match, as the lead held until half time.

Needless to say, the Sounders weren't really keen on surrendering three points at home, and they came out hard in the second half. As I think of it, I can't really think of one decent chance Dallas even tried to have in the second half. At one point, probably around the 85th minute, they showed the possession stats for the second half and it wads Seattle 73%-27% Dallas. The Sounders were getting some quality looks too, but Hartman was just a rock. At one point, he made back to back saves to preserve the clean sheet, and Dallas took the win by the 0-1 advantage.

So we learn here that home field advantage is nice to have, but you can't depend on it. The fairly early goal took the usually rowdy Sounders crowd out of the game for the most part, and you could sense the frustration really building in the arena. The visiting team must thrive off of that. Dallas certainly seemed to. The crowd about brought the whole building down on Toledo twice in the second half for would be penalties. Far be it from me to stick up for Toledo, but I thought he got both calls totally right. The more controversial of the two came very late as Fucito seemed to be pushed down right in front of goal. Even the usually tame Seattle announcer was livid. Still, the replay clearly shows Fucita shoulder to shoulder with the defender , and it totally looks like Fucita goes down way too easily as opposed to trying to stay with the ball and take a shot. You're not going to get that call that late in a match. Follow Messi's lead and stay on your feet.

I must say that Dallas spent a lot of time on the floor too. Many times, especially in the second half, when a Sounder even touched a member of FC Dallas the Dallas man would hit the pitch like they had been shot in the face by a Navy Seal. It started to get really old.

That being said, good three points for Dallas on the road. For Seattle, they're gonna have to go to the drawing board a bit because the fans aren't going to win them every game.

Kolo Toure Suspended 6 months by The FA.

Sky Sports reported today that Manchester City defender Kolo Toure has been suspended by the English FA for 6 months following a failed drug test.

Toure will be able to play in September as the FA made the suspension retroactive to March 2nd, when City suspended him.

Arsenal's Arsene Wenger has said the failed test was a result of Toure accidentally taking a diet pill belonging to his wife.

Match Thoughts: Philadelphia Union vs, Chicago Fire

Coming into this match, the Union had been having a bit of a tough time. Their defense had been pretty decent but the offense anemic at best. They had slipped from top of the Eastern Conference to third behind the New York Red Bulls and Houston Dynamo. The Fire have been poor most of the season, but fought back to a 2-2 draw in their last match.

Though neither side really had an offensive advantage early, you could tell from the run of play the the Union were really focusing on offense. Carlos Ruiz in particular seemed to be chasing the scoring touch. Throughout the first half he took his chances, but never seemed quite able to find the target, He was very active though. He did finally get a shot on target in the 37th.

The Union had most of the chances in the first half, and certainly had the best chance. That came in off a corner kick in the 25th minute. Valdes rose up out of the crowd, got his head onto the corner and beat the keeper, only to see it smack off the bar. Philly should have been up 1-0. However, we went to the half tied at 0-0.

Philly came into the second half in the same mood which they had played the first. Sitting there watching the match, you really got the impression that the goal was coming for the Union, it was just a matter of time.

The goal finally did come in the 64th minute when Michael Farfan stoked the ball home off of a free kick pass from Nakazawa to make it 1-0. The Union celebrated the return of their offense.

However, they might have paid some more attention to defense after that. In the 67th minute, Chicago roared back with a goal from Oduro, who had been the one member of the Fire that had given the Union trouble. His strike from a difficult angle equalized at 1-1, and took the life out of the Philly crowd.

Philly was lucky though, because they still had Carlos Ruiz. He finally capitalized for the Union in the 75th when he took a left footed half volley from outside the area and lobbed it in over Conway to make it 2-1. Definitely a goal of the week candidate.

Still the Fire didn't go down without a fight as the last 15 minutes produced chances from Gibbs, Barouch, Oduro, and Pappa, but they couldn't find the back of the net and the match ended at 2-1.

For the Union, hopefully they can take these 3 points and build on it, especially with the offense looking much better. I don't know what to say for the Fire though. They played hard and they fought with a lot of determination. The results just aren't there.

USA Gold Cup Roster Announced

The Following is a list of players selected by head coach Bob Bradley for participation in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.



Goalkeepers
Tim Howard--Everton
Marcus Hahnemann--Wolverhampton
Nick Rimando--Real Salt Lake


Defenders
Carlos Bocanegra--St. Etienne
Jonathan Bornstein--Tigres
Steve Cherundolo--Hannover
Clarence Goodson--Brondby
Eric Lichaj--Leeds
Oguchi Onyewu--Twente
Tim Ream--New York Red Bulls
Jonathan Spector--West Ham United


Midfielders
Freddy Adu--Rizespor
Michael Bradley--Aston Villa
Clint Dempsey--Fulham
Landon Donovan--LA Galaxy
Maurice Edu--Rangers
Benny Feilhaber--New England
Jermaine Jones--Blackburn
Sacha Kljestan--Anderlecht
Robbie Rogers--Columbus Crew


Forwards
Juan Agudelo--New York Red Bulls
Jozy Altidore--Bursaspor
Chris Wondolowski--San Jose Earthquakes

Puddle's Gold Cup 2011 Preview

The league season for pretty much everybody besides MLS is over. However, even though we don't have the FIFA World Cup this summer, we do have a couple of international tournaments, including the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The winner of this tournament will get to play in the Confederations Cup in Brazil one year prior to the next FIFA World Cup.
Here's is Puddle's preview of this year's Gold Cup action.

CONCACAF GOLD CUP
Dates: June 5th-25th, 2011.
Host Nation: USA
Current Holders: Mexico
Most Successful Nation: Mexico: 5 titles.

GOLD CUP FACT: Since it's inception in 1991, no country other than Mexico (5 titles), USA (4 titles) and Canada (1 title) has ever won the Gold Cup.


Group A
Costa Rica
Cuba
El Salvador
Mexico


Group B
Grenada
Guatemala
Honduras
Jamaica


Group C
Canada
Guadeloupe
Panama
USA


Obviously the favorites will once again be Mexico and the USA. Canada should field a good team, with several MLS notables, and I look for Costa Rica and Honduras to perhaps be dark horses as well. Costa Rica in particular will be very motivated.

As for the USA, Bob Bradley is going to be under a lot of pressure here. The team hasn't done that well in it's friendlies since South Africa, and there are a host people (myself among them) that think Bradley has taken the USA as far as he can. the defense in particular has been suspect and we'll also wonder who is going to score the goals. Charlie Davies might have been tapped for the squad, but that might be in doubt because of his last injury. I'm sure we'll have Altidore, and probably Agudelo. Findley has been hurt, and he probably wasn't in the mix anyway. Perhaps Bunbury will be called? We'll find out soon, but I don't think Altidore is the answer at striker.

My prediction is somewhat unpatriotic, as I predict Mexico will defend their title. I can't wait for the matches to begin!

Match Thoughts: Houston Dynamo vs. New York Red Bulls

This match was pretty entertaining. If you sat down and just looked at the match commentary sheet, you might think to just watch the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes, since that's when the goals were scored. However, both teams had some nice undercurrents and guys playing hard off the ball. It was a nice tactical soccer match. Much better than the Supercrapico in LA.

Things got shaken up early. Real early. 43 seconds in Rodgers knocked the ball back to a trailing Dane Richards who blasted it from well outside the Houston penalty area and caught the Dynamo defense and Tally Hall flat-footed, giving the New Yorkers a 0-1 lead. Everybody caught their breath and waited to see how the Dynamo would respond.

To their credit, they didn't fold at all or even really look shaken. They shook it off and continued with their game plan which was trying to control possession so the Red Bulls (going without the injured Henry) couldn't dictate the game. It worked pretty well and started to produce chances. Will Bruin made his presence felt in the 8th minute when he got a header on target, but was more effective when he sliced into the NY penalty area in the 11th minute, only to be hacked down by Rafa Marquez and earn the Dynamo a PK. Brad Davis stepped up and sent Sutton the wrong way on the spot kick, equalizing at 1-1.

Both teams continued to generate chances throughout the first half. Unfortunately, the final ball in the attacking third seemed to be escaping the reach of both sidesm especially Houston, and Brad Davis, who had a hell of a game for the Dynamo on both sides of the ball was clearly frustrated. Still, neither team was able convert again and we went to the break tied at 1-1.

NY came out strong in the second half and focused on an attacking presence. This generated a couple of chances for them in the first 5 minutes. In the 47th Richards, who was like lightning in a bottle all night, got in only to have his shot blocked. Rodgers got a decent look in the 49th minute, but his on target strike was corralled by Tally Hall.

However, after the opening flurry by New York, Houston started to take control. Will Bruin found the side netting in the 61st minute and Boswell had a header go just off target in the 63rd. They had a real great chance in the 66th when Geoff Cameron got 1 on 1 with Sutton, but the 6'6 keeper hit the deck and literally took it off his feet. Cameron got another crack in the 73rd minute, but totally choked the chance away, despite having another 1 on 1, he let lost control of the ball off of his own feet and dribbled harmlessly out for a goal kick.

Houston looked like they would get the game winning goal in the 82nd. Cameron got his head on a corner, and though Sutton saved it, it rebounded right to Koke who put it in and scored his first MLS goal to give the Dynamo a 2-1 lead.

Then the Dynamo took Brad Davis out for a defender and in my opinion, they sat back way too much. They allowed NY to finally wrestle the ball away and produce a couple of chances. This bore fruit in stoppage time, when Mehdi Ballouchy got his head on a corner and equalized at 2-2. That would be the final goal and salvage a point for the Red Bulls on the road.

All in all, I think Houston played the better game, but the result was deserved because they had chances to put the game away and they just didn't get it done. Cameron's flub in the 73rd looms large over this result. NY didn't play real well but proved they could grind out a result without Henry, and should buck them up a bit going forward.

Match Thoughts: Chivas USA vs. LA Galaxy (The Superclasico)

Really? Is this what MLS thinks is a derby game? This looked more like a few folks got together to kick a good ol' Mitre ball around the backyard on a Saturday night. That's about how much intensity this match had.

Now both of these sides were coming in on high notes. Last week the Galaxy destroyed Sporting KC in the Home Depot Center. Really though, who hasn't destroyed Sporting KC during their road trip exile? Chivas USA had a more impressive win, taking all three points from the Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. Neither club played like they did last week.

Chivas got out to a pretty quick start though, and it looked like it caught LA a litte flat footed. In the first minute Justin Braun, who had the hat trick last week, got his head on a corner kick and just missed putting it on target. Chivas USA continued to press the attack during the opening five minutes, aided by sloppy play on defense from the Galaxy. They couldn't get it on net though.

Finally about the sixth or seventh minute LA fell into their groove and took control. Dunivant put a dangerous cross into the are in the 7th minute that was just barely picked off by Dan Kennedy. In the 15th minute, David Beckham found himself standing over a free kick just outside the area. Predictably, he whipped it in and Omar Gonzalez got a head to it, but he put it just off target.

Chivas tried to fight back after that little danger, but unfortunately for the Goats, they couldn't muster much. Moreno did get a decent look in the 23rd minute, but Ricketts was there as per usual.

Finally the Galaxy struck in the 26th minute. David Beckham, who came into the game with 4 assists this year, found himself over yet another free kick close to the Chivas area. If you give this guy too many chances, it's gonna bite you in the butt, and it bit Chivas here. Once again Becks whipped the ball toward the area, and this time Barrett got a good back header on it to ease past Kennedy far post to give the Galaxy a 1-0 lead. That was also our margin at the break.

The second half was even more pedestrian and sloppy than the first half was. The best chance came in the 49th minute when Barrett took a nice ball from JPA and got one on one with Kennedy. He actually got around the Chivas keeper and looked at the net but SOMEHOW put it off target. Horrid finish.

The other story of the second half was the pressure applied down the stretch by the goats. Apparently LA decided they didn't need to try to score again and they sat back and tried to absorb the Chivas pressure. Chivas almost made them pay a couple of times. In the 66th minute, Zemanksi hit what looked like a sure equalizer only to be denied by the wood work. An unnerved looking Ricketts also was forced to make a save late off the foot of La Broca, but in the end, LA held on for the 1-0 win.

Until Chivas gets better, we need to stop hyping this game. It sucks. Neither team was up for it. Of course, with Chivas wanting to go to an all local SoCal squad, well then they might never be competitive. Not sure what's up with that, but last night the game belonged to the Galaxy.

Ancelotti sacked at Chelsea.

Just a short time after their 0-1 loss at Everton, Chelsea FC confirmed that they have sacked manager Carlo Ancelotti. Despite guiding the Blues to their first ever double last season, finishing 2nd to United and a quarter final Champions League exit (also at the hands of United) was not good enough for Ancelotti to stay for the final year of his contract.

Chelsea will begin the search for a new manager immediately, and surely Carlo will land somewhere else. He has been rumored to go to Roma. He won the Champions League as manager for AC Milan

Survival Sunday: Blackpool and Birmingham City are relegated.

Going into the final round of fixtures today in the Barclay's Premier League, West Ham had already been relegated, leaving two spots open. Five teams were on the bubble to fall into those two slots. They were:

Wigan Athletic
Blackburn Rovers
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Birmingham City
Blackpool

The top 3 escaped, the bottom two did not.

Blackpool fought hard against Manchester United, but the newly crowned champs were just too much for the Tangerines, and beat them 4-2. Birmingham City conceded a late goal at Spurs and lost 2-1, to finish them off.

For the survivors, Wolves and Blackburn squared off. Blackburn won 3-2 to seal their top flight status. Wolves remained one point ahead of Birmingham City and Blackpool. Wigan climbed out of the bottom 3 with a 1-0 win at Stoke.

I do feel bad for Blackpool, and I'm impartial as to Birmingham, who won the Carling Cup this year. This will be a huge hit to the finances of these clubs.

Match Blurb: Portland Timbers vs. Columbus Crew

This is going to be just a blurb because this match was a total snooze fest. I mean hey, props to Portland picking up another big three points at home. It's not like the Crew ever got off the bus though.

The only player that even showed up for Columbus was Heinemann. He also gave the Crew their only real scoring chance of the the entire match in the 42nd minute. He got his head on a pass and put it on goal. It looked like it was surely heading to the bottom corner. However Troy Perkins, in what is a sure bet for a save of the week nominee, just barely got a hand on it and knocked it wide. We had 0-0 at the break.

Just about thirty seconds into the second half, we got our only other excitement of the night. Former Crew member Eric Brunner got his head on a free kick in the 46th minute and put it past Hesmer, giving Portland the winning 1-0 margin. The Crew had a half chance in the 87th minute when Rogers nicked the post.

So what do we take from this? Well the Crew might be in trouble. This clean sheet on the back of a drubbing by the Quakes shows what a power outage they're having. Honestly the Crew have been better than I thought they'd be, but they're having a tough time right now.

I think Portland has cause for concern as well. Another set piece goal. Hey sure, it's great to score off these chances, but they need to start putting the ball in the net during the run of play. This is a couple weeks in a row where they haven't played really well, but kudos to them for picking up the points.

All hail Christiano Ronaldo.

This guy is good, we all know that. We also know they have a few pretty good goal scorers in Spain. Today however, CR7 went a cut above the rest.

He came into Real Madrid's match with Almeria already tied with the all time record for goals in a season in Spain at 38. Before the match was done (an 8-1 rout by Real) he scored two more to set the new mark at 40.

CR7 has been in the news a lot lately for possible conflict with the coaches and such, but one thing is for sure, no matter who is coaching, this guy is also SPECIAL. Congratulations!

Congrats to Lille!

Lille clinched it's first French title since 1954 on Saturday with a 2-2 draw at Paris-Saint Germain. Defending champs Marseille were also held to a draw, giving Lille the title with a match to spare.

Lyon holds a 2 point lead over the Paris club for the final Champions League spot.

With Ligue 1 all done and dusted, most, if not all, of the major leagues in Europe have been decided.

Match Thoughts: San Jose Earthquakes vs. Columbus Crew

I like to watch the Quakes. Sue me. Wondo is a great scorer and they do have some people in the MF that can provide, when they're on form. The Quakes have played better of late, but haven't had the results, especially at home. Could they change that against the Crew?

Well let's just answer that right away. Yes. This match was pretty much all San Jose. It started early with Wondo putting a 30+ yard strike just wide. That woke up the Crew defense a little bit. In the 9th minute the Quakes ran a little nice 1-2, and Stephenson got a shot on goal, but it was an easy save for Hesmer.

After that the Crew kind of got their heads on straight, and started playing the possession game. It was effective in one sense, they kept the ball for long periods. However they got no shots on goal, and it started to look like they were just passing the ball around, not being able to find any cracks in the Quakes defense. The first half finished in a bit of a lull at 0-0.

The Quakes exploded during the second half though, and it was great to see if you were one of the Quake supporters who were riding out their home winless streak. All the goals came in fairly short order. In the 50th, Wondolowski took a nice volley off a cross from Ryan Johnson and put it in the back of the net, 1-0 to the Quakes. In the 59th, Lenhart put a header on goal and it bounced in off McDonald's back. 2-0. The Quakes finally capped the scoring in the 62nd when Stephenson hit a great distance drive past Hesmer to make it 3-0, which was the final.

The other big moment came in the 79th minute when McDonald received s dtrsight red card. Honestly, there wasn't much in it, and it doesn't look like the appeal will be successful.

All in all though, best perfromance of the year fro mSan Jose, and Columbus looks like they have more to do.

Congrats to Porto.

Porto beat Braga 1-0 on Wednesday to capture the 2010-2011 Europa League. This is their first major title in 7 years.

CONCACAF Champions League 2011-2012 Draw sets Group Stages

The draw for the next edition of the CONCACAF Champions League took place yesterday and here are the Results:

Group A
LA Galaxy (USA)
Alajuelense (Costa Rica)
Winner of Pumas vs. Morelia (MEX) vs. Caribbean Club Championship runner up.
Winner of Montagua (HON) vs. Municipal (GLA)

Group B
Colorado Rapids (USA)
Real Espana (HON)
Winner of Santos Laguna (MEX) vs. Olimpia (HON)
Winner of Metapan (El Savador) vs. Caribbean Champion

Group C
Mexican Champion
Tauro (PAN)
Winner of FC Dallas (USA) vs. Alianza (El Savador)
Winner of Canadian Champion vs. Real Esteli (NGA) vs Walter Ferreti (NGA)

Group D
Monterrey (MEX)
Comunicaciones (GLA)
Winner of Seattle Sounders USA vs. San Francisco (PAN)
Winner of Herediano (Costa Rica) vs. Caribbean 3rd place club.

Qualifying round games will be played July 26-28 and Aug 2-4

EPL Blurb: Sunderland vs. Wolves

I actually watched this whole match, but despite the goal count, it was rather pedestrian.

Sunderland started out well. The commentators were speculating that the Black Cats might already be on summer break, with their place in the Premier League for next year already secured. They came out hot on the attack, hitting the wood work and forcing Hennesy into a save or two, but couldn't notch a first half goal.

Wolves were slightly more fortunate and they need all the fortune they can get in the fight to stay up. They got agoal against the run of play in the 23rd as Craddock scored a nice volley off a cross to give the Wolves a 0-1 lead that held until the 34th minute, when Sessegnon scored a volley off of a corner for Sunderland that equalized at 1-1.

Wolves came out on fire in the second half, knowing they needed all 3 points. They got all 3, with goals from Fletcher in the 54th and Elokobi in the 78th. The 1-3 result gave Wolves a vital 3 points after beating West Brom, and puts them on an inside track to stay up. For Sunderland, well, nothing more to play for, so who cares?

Match Thoughts: Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire

Yes folks, after I saw the score for this match, I was actually excited to fire up Match Day Live and watch a Fire match. I know, weird huh?

Things didn't start out well for the Fire though. Let's face it, TFC had played well in their last home match, knocking off the Dynamo, and they were gonna try to build on it. Almost from the first minute they started to exploit gaps that were opening up in the Fire defense. Maicon Santos had three pretty decent chances in the first ten minutes, but couldn't get it on goal. The pressure paid off though as Plata, the hero of the Dynamo match, was left all alone in the 9th minute and slotted home the first goal of the match to make it 1-0 to TFC. It looked like it was going to be a long night for the Fire.

Try as they might, the Fire finally pushed their way into the attacking third in about the 16th minute, This created a couple of half chances for them. Bone had a shot blocked, and Gibbs hit a volley off the ensuing corner just a little too high. At least it served notice to TFC that the Fire weren't going to roll over.

Another significant moment happened in the 25th minute. This time it was bad news for TFC. De Guzman picked up his fifth yellow card of the season and will miss the next match. Not good. Really guys, those cheap yellows add up.

Both teams did get additional chances before the break. Plata had a shot right outside the six yard box blocked in the 36th minute, and Soolsma had a header saved in the 44th. For Chicago, Bone had another shot blocked in the 36th, and Oduro blasted a shot off of Frei in the 42nd, but we went to the half with TFC up 1-0.

The second half was a little sloppy on both sides, and this let the Fire back into the game. However, TFC started the quicker as Maicon Santos drove home a 30+ yard strike through the legs of Chicago keeper John Conway to make it 2-0. I'll bet Conway wishes he had that one back.

However it was all Chicago after that as we witnessed yet another TFC collapse. Papa got a goal for Chicago off of a free kick in the 63rd minute to make it 2-1. Bone and Barouch combined efforts in the 75th to score a weird goal, but the Fire would take it, and equalize at 2-2. They actually had a good chance to grab the win in the 83rd, Palladini got 1 0n 1 with Frei, but Frei made a killer save and salvaged a point for the struggling Canadian side.

All in all if you're the Fire, you have to be satisfied that you came back from 2 down on the road and got a point. However, it looks like they might be getting something on offense, so if they could solve their defensive lapses it might give them a chance for better results against better clubs. For TFC, another wasted chance, and more dropped points at home. This time they dropped them from a winning position. Something big needs to happen up there to jolt that squad.

Charlie Davies out with hamstring injury

Bad news for DC United. MLSsoccer.com is reporting that F Charlie Davies will miss "a couple of weeks" due to a hamstring problem. The USA forward sustained the injury against Colorado and left the match in the first half.

In more bad news for The Screaming Eagles, fellow F Josh Wolff picked up a groin problem just a few minutes after Davies was subbed out. Wolff was subbed as well, and might be out a couple weeks.

Neither player participated in training on Monday.

Another Trophy Bites the Dust

We really gotta be more careful with these trophies.

Following the lead of Sergio Ramos, Ajax GK Maarten Stekelenburg dropped the Dutch Eredivisie trophy off the team bus when he ran into some overhead tram lines. A Fan picked it up and handed it back up to the team.

Stekelenburg, seriously, you're a goal keeper. You're supposed to be able to hold on to stuff.


Click here for the ESPN article and video

Match Blurb: New York Red Bulls vs. Chivas USA

Both the power delay at Red Bull arena and the fact that the match was televised in Spanish means I didn't pay a ton of attention to it. You just get a blurb from me on this one, but it was a pretty good match.

First off: Chivas USA. For a team that looked like they were going to be firmly stuck at the bottom of the table all season, the Goats have been doing well. Their defense has been pretty good all season, and you'd expect that from a Robin Fraser team. Now they've started to score goals though. One had o wonder if that would change with Mondiani out. Fortunately they have Justin Braun, who put up a hat trick today. The Red Bulls had no answer for him. The Goats were clearly not intimidated by the big time Red Bulls and talk of Henry, DeRo, and company. I think Fraser is starting to get through to these guys and you just might see them poking around the bottom playoff spots.

As for the Red Bulls...well? They had some good moments, most of them on the offensive side of the ball. They were pretty much a mess on defense tonight. It looked like Condoul was about ready to explode. Maybe Justin Braun was invisible, cause he went unmarked a lot. I suppose the Red Bulls will say the positive was DeRo getting his first goal, albeit from the penalty spot. In the final analysis though, a loss to a team like Chivas at home brings them crashing back to earth a bit. It's still early in the season, too early to crown anybody champion. Sometimes the hype doesn't help the club.

Match Blurb: Real Salt Lake vs. Houston Dynamo

I was too busy cheering last night at the RIOT to keep any detailed notes about the match, but here are my general thoughts about the 0-0 draw.

First off, for RSL. Javier Morales was indeed missed. We tried corners and set pieces with Warner, Will Johnson, Andy Williams, and Nelson Gonzalez. However, none were really good enough, and we had a lot of uncharacteristic give-aways in midfield. Williams didn't have his best game, but the energy of the club certainly went up after he came in. However, the defense was on their A-game and Rimando was awesome in goal to help assure us a point.

Houston also played pretty well. They're a big strong team. Tally Hall had a great night in goal as well, but was helped more by RSL shooting off target than anything else. Will Bruin was totally silent next to Mr. Olave.

All in all I think it was a fair result. Not the result I wanted, but fair, RSL had a couple of great chances late but couldn't capitalize. We'll see where we go from here.

All 3 Serie A relegation slots are decided.

Next weekend will be a little anti-climactic in Serie A. The Title is already decided, and now we also know which teams will be relegated to the Serie B. Bari and Brescia had been previously relegated, and surprise team joined them today.

Sampdoria.

That's right. Last year they finished fourth and played in the Champion's League this year. Now. after selling their two star players during the January window, they're in Serie B for next year. Pretty lame for the Samp fans. I've generally enjoyed watching them play.

West Ham is relegated from the EPL. Avram Grant is sacked.

West Ham United became the first team to be relegated from the EPL this season after blowing a 2 goal lead and losing to fellow relegation threatened side Wigan Athletic 3-2.

Hammers head man Avram Grant (douche bag) was sacked as manager following the match. About an hour after the match, to be exact. Kevin Keen will manage the last game of the season next week. One has to wonder if the Hammers might have stood a better chance had they canned Grant in January. I think they might have.

The 3 points keeps Wigan in the thick of the battle to remain in the EPL next season. The last two slots will be decided next weekend.

Congrats to Manchester United.

Well, this pains me to say as a Chelsea fan, but congrats to United on their record breaking 19th League Title. That's pretty insane.

Wayne Rooney's PK in the 73rd minute earned a draw with Blackburn and sealed the title for the Red Devils. Doubtless United fans will be happy about this victory overshadowing Man City's FA Cup win today as well.

Puddle's MLS Preview--Saturday 5/14 Late Matches

My thoughts on the Saturday night starts for MLS. I'll be attending the RSL vs. Houston match at Rio Tinto. Looking forward to it.


Real Salt Lake vs. Houston Dynamo
I'm really looking forward to this match. RSL begins life after Javi 2011, and I think Houston is going to make some noise, despite coming off two straight losses. The big question is, if Warner comes in for Javi, can he handle it, and how big of a roll will Alvarez and Williams play? If RSL can keep their MF in hand, which I think they can, they should eek out a win against a good Houston team.


LA Galaxy vs. Sporting KC
I'm going to rename the Galaxy the Donovans, seeing as how he does pretty much everything for them. Gosh, they might really miss him when Gold Cup starts. However, he'll be there tomorrow and Sporting KC stinks, so three points to the Galaxy. Where's Ochocinco when you need him?


San Jose Earthquakes vs. Columbus Crew
The Crew keep getting results, and San Jose continues to have trouble. Wondo is still playing well though, and he always gives them a chance. This might be a good one to watch, and I'll call it a draw.


Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers
Everybody is tuning into this match, and they should. Red Bulls and Galaxy gave us one half of good footy last week, this match, being a real rivalry game, might give us two halves. However, I think Portland is still gonna have trouble on the road and Sounders will win. This match is great for MLS and US Soccer in general though.

Puddle's MLS Preview--Saturday 5/14 Early Matches

Blogger was down a lot of the week, so here's my rundown of the Saturday MLS early matches, just a little late, but before they start!

Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire
Neither of these teams set the world on fire, no pun intended, during midweek matches. TFC lost and Chicago earned yet another draw. However, last time TFC played at home they looked pretty good in picking up all three points. I think they're doing better and have a great shot at taking 3 points from the Fire.


New England Revolution vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
Every time the Caps hit the road I want to predict their first MLS road win. New England has been inconsistent at best, so there's a chance here for Vancouver if they can avoid making the mistakes. I think this week they get it.


DC United vs. Colorado Rapids
DC has been looking better, especially at home. The defense is looking a lot better, though I think they have a bit to go. Conor Casey (Baldy) should play for Colorado. I think DC will play well, but the Rapids will find a way to squeeze out a point from that young DC defense.


FC Dallas vs. Philadelphia Union
Don't look now, but the Hoops are starting to get things cranked up a but, even without the MVP. Both teams played midweek, Dallas winning and Philly coming on late to salvage a draw against the LA Donovans. The Union are still having issues scoring, and I'll take Dallas at home in this one.

Kenny Dalglish--Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss.

Liverpool FC has ended speculation by signing Manager Kenny Dalglish to a 3 year deal. I don't care much Liverpool, but he's done a great job and deserves the contract. He's brought in some key new players and really turned Liverpool around.

I still think Liverpool might need a player or two to really contend for the EPL title, but I expect they'll pursue players over the summer. Looks like next year is going to be interesting.

EPL: Tottenham vs. Blackpool

This match was a perfect example part of the greatness of soccer. Here we are late in the season, neither team is going to win a trophy, but both sides had something to play for. Tottenham was trying to chase a Champions League spot while Blackpool needed every point they could muster to stay up in the Premier League next year.

Spurs came out on the front foot. Knowing they needed all three points ahead of a clash with Man City, they came out after an early goal against the Tangerines. Gareth Bale was active early with a shot on target in the 14th minute Modric also had a shot in the 17th that was deflected wide, and Spurs were looking pretty good.

Blackpool never just sits back though, and you could tell they were not at all awed by playing at White Hart Lane. They had a flurry of chances about mid first half and forced Gomes into some great saves.

Gareth Bale kept at it though. He had a great chance blocked in the 30th. He needed a little help though. In the 33rd minute he sent one of the best crosses you'll see but nobody could get on the end of it. Despite multiple chances from both sides, we went to the half on a 0-0 tie.

The tempo was pretty high when both sides came out for the second half. Things were marred in the 62nd minute with a major injury. Blackpool Captain Charlie Adam took down Gareth Bale on a rough tackle that wasn't even deemed a foul. Turns out to be bad news for Spurs. Bale is out for the remainder of the season with ruptured ligaments in his ankle.

Things got really interesting in the 74th minute when Dawson was tagged for handball in the box, giving Blackpool a penalty. Charlie Adam stepped up to take, and hit a pretty good PK, but Gomes got to it and knocked it out of bounds. However, on the next play Gomes made a horrible tackle in the box for a foul, and Blackpool got another PK. Adam didn't miss this chance, he slotted it and put the Tangerines up 0-1.

Spurs really turned it up a notch after that to try to get the equalizer. In fact, it didn't really look like it was going to happen. However, in the 89th minute, Jermaine Defoe blasted a shot in from distance that equalized at the death, and the match ended at 1-1.

Blackpool will certainly do better with the single point than Spurs as they struggle to stay up. The result put Tottenham in an even bigger whole prior to the City match, which we know didn't turn out the way they planned either. Now it looks like Spurs may not even get a Europa league spot next year.

Congrats to Barcelona.

Barcelona won their third straight La Liga title after a 1-1 draw at Levante on Wednesday.

Congrats to them for the 21st League title in 111 years.

Italy Champs--AC Milan
Germany Champs--Dortmund
Spain Champs--Barcelona

2011 MLS Cup to be played at the Home Depot Center

MLS announced today that the 2011 MLS Cup Final will be played at The Home Depot Center in LA on November 20, 2011.

I'd prefer Rio Tinto, but I suppose nobody wants to be cold.

Six FIFA members accused of misconduct in WC 2018/2022 voting.

Via FOX Soccer and the AP


Well, I'm sure NOBODY saw this coming, right?

The British government has been looking into misconduct allegations during the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Citing unpublished evidence uncovered by The Sunday Times, the Brits are accusing two members from the Ivory Coast cand Cameroon of taking 1.5 million dollar bribes to vote for Qatar. Qatar beat out the United States for the 2022 Cup. Also, at least four other members are accused of ethical misconduct through the whole affair.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said he will act on punishing the members if the evidence is presented. Too bad it won't get the USA and the UK back all the money we wasted.

Here in SLC we know all about this stuff. Think 2002 Winter Olympics.

Place your Bets: Luke Rodgers vs. Landon Donovan

So some of you may remember there was a little game between LA Galaxy and NY Red Bulls Saturday night. It got some hype. Pretty good match too, at least half of it. Well, NY F Luke Rodgers got into it with LA MF "Landycakes" Donovan after getting tired of the Galaxy captain bitching about every call that didn't go his away. Rodgers made a motion with his hand at Landycakes that left no doubt that Rodgers thought Landon talked too much. Landon responded, loud and clear with a "Fuck off." Read his lips folks. Somewhere Wayne Rooney wishes he could play in America so could get away with swearing on TV.


PHOTO CREDIT: mlssoccer.com


Well, that war of words continued after the match:

LUKE RODGERS: "It is just a bit annoying. It is like having two referees on the pitch. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

AND: “When Thierry scored, he’s running the whole length of the pitch to yell at the linesman. You know, he must have eyes like a hawk to see [if] Thierry was offside.”

LANDON'S RESPONSE VIA TWITTER: "I'm confused. Who is Luke Rodgers?"


So there you have it. Rodgers levels a justifiable criticism and Landycakes responds, not by addressing the issue, but running down his opponent. By the way, Landon, that opponent came into your house and stole a point.

I'm not demeaning the way Galaxy play soccer, they're a great side, but their attitude towards opponents and officials is degrading and disrespectful. Both Donovan and Beckham are constantly complaining and whining. Coach Bruce usually runs his mouth too. I saw it first hand at Rio Tinto, the night RSL lit up LA 4-1. Instead of playing, LA whined.

I'll take Rodgers in this one. He's absolutely right. Shut up and play soccer. I didn't hear Becks whining when he didn't get a red card after almost breaking Wolff's legs in DC a few weeks back.

Match Thoughts: Toronto FC vs. Houston Dynamo

So in Puddle's MLS preview last Friday, I glossed over this match pretty well, proclaiming Houston would take it. After all, TFC has stunk in about every way possible in recent weeks, who could blame me, yeah? We'll have to forgive TFC for not buying into that, even thought there did seem to be a few more empty seats than I'm used to seeing at BMO field.

The first half opened with sides seeming to want to play the long ball. That's something that Aron Winter had specifically said he didn't want to see out of TFC, but they were doing it. The Dynamo were keying in on Brad Davis, which is usually a pretty good plan. Davis got a chance on free kick in the 7th minute, but was closer to row D in the parking lot than he was to the TFC goal.

TFC looked somewhat dangerous early too. In the 11th minute De Guzman put a great top shelf shot on target, only to be denied by Tally Hall. All in all, TFC looked the better side and were playing decent footy, but the flow of the game was being disrupted a bit by a lot of fouls. TFC hadchances by Soolsma and Peterson respectively, but both were off target.

Houston had given dynamic rookie Will Bruin a week off, and they were trying to run things to Sergio Koke, as well as Davis. Both were pretty much invisible in the first half. Koke did have a shot on target in the 43rd, but it was saved rather easily by Stefan Frei. We went to the half tied at 0-0.

Whatever Winter said to the TFC boys at half seemed to work, and they came out on the front foot for half number two. Peterson had another decent strike in the 46th, that forced Hall into another save. Then the pressure paid off in 49th when TFC's Soolsma was tackled in the area, earning a PK. The next minute, Joao Plata converted the PK into the roof of the Houston net to give TFC a well deserved 1-0 lead. Over the next 10-15 minutes, Toronto carved up Houston's defense pretty well, but couldn't quite get another goal.

That changed in the 881st minute. TFC captain Maicon Santos had checked in previously, and he took a beautiful ball from Plata and slooted it past Tally Hall to give TFC a 2-0 lead. That seemingly decided things.

Then a funny thing happened. Houston woke up. They started pushing a ton of pressure toward the TFC goal. I don't think TFC took their foot off the gas, Houston just stepped it up. Davis finally found the target in the 87th, but Frei saved it. However, it shortly went back out to Palmer at the top of the area, who cranked it up and scored his first goal of the season cutting the lead to 2-1. The Dynamo continued to press into stoppage time, but couldn't really trouble Frei again, and the match ended 2-1.

Major props to TFC. Despite the fact that they didn't really finish the game all that well, it was one of the better efforts this season. It was nice for the home fans to see a nice win. Disappointing for the Dynamo, and I'll get to see how they respond next week at Rio Tinto. I'm looking forward to it. Will Bruin seems like a great prospect.

Gareth Bale done for rest of the year.

The Original Winger and Spurs' official website are reporting this morning that Gareth Bale has suffered ruptured ligaments in his right ankle and will miss the remainder of the Premier League season, including Tuesday's big clash with Manchester City.

Bale suffered the injury from a tackle by Blackpool's Charlie Adam in the second half of Saturday's 1-1 draw with the Tangerines. He is expected to be ok for the start of next year's preseason

Tim Howard Allstate ads

USA and Everton FC Goalkeeper Tim Howard recently debuted three commercials for Allstate Insurance. All three are hilarious, but this is my favorite. Nice job, Cool Tim.

EPL Blurb: Manchester United vs. Chelsea

Well, being the game of the year in the EPL, you'd have thought Chelsea could have shown up in the first half. I mean, I don't know that anybody really expects to beat United at Old Trafford, but it's really that much harder when you take the first half off and come out for the 2nd down 2-0.

Ancelotti said that if he could have made 11 subs at half time, he would have. That about sums it up.

The Blues did make a game of it in the second half, but United could afford to just sit back and absorb the pressure. In the end, they won 2-1, and you have to give them credit for getting the job done on their own turf. Chelsea has been the best team in the League for the last two months, but United was the best team today. Pity.

EPL: Everton vs. Manchester City

It really is a pity that Fox Soccer and ESPN don't show more Everton matches. Nobody plays better backs-to-the-wall football than the Toffees, and they showed it in this match. I also think that Everton kind of embodies the "physical but not dirty" play that has risen to prominence in the Premier League. Now if they could just get a steady, durable striker.......

City came into this one knowing that 3 points would essentially seal a Champs League birth for them next season. However, whether it's against Liverpool or Everton, Man$hitty seem to have issues playing up that way.

City had ample chances to ice this game before the first ha;f was even over. Everton's defense was having a tough time dealing with David Silva, and who can blame them. He might not get the most ink, but I think Silva is City's best player. Silva had a shot go just wide of Howard's goal in the 9th minute, and in the 11th, he put a beautiful cross into the area that Viera somehow hit high of the target. Big missed chance. City finally did score in the 28th, and Silva was involved. This time he drove into the box, then made a smart little dish to YaYa Toure who beat Howard and gave the City the 0-1 lead.

Not to make it sound like Everton was playing poorly though, because they weren't. That physical game was giving City problems on both ends, but the Toffees weren't converting things into shots on goal. They did have the majority of possession in the first half though and went to break down 0-1.

Everton decided to get it on in the second half. They opened up with a ton of pressure on the City goal. They had several free kicks and corners, but again, couldn't quite trouble Joe Hart.

City got a great counter chance out of this from Toure in the 51st minute. He stormed up the pitch and got one on one with Tim Howard, but the American made himself big in front of net and came up with a game saver. That's why he's the USA Number 1.

However, the physical style of play continued to frustrate ManCity. It resulted in a scrum between Kompany and Rodwell that almost turned into a brawl. Both players were booked, but you could feel the tension building.

Everton broke the tension in the 66th minute when Distin got his head on a great set piece to beat Hart and equalize at 1-1. The Everton faithful were jubilant, with good reason. City looked to be on the ropes.

Everton finally threw the knock out punch in the 72 with one of the better goals that you would have seen this season. Neville pulled up from outside the 18, and skied one in. Osman got a head on it from about 12 yards and nailed it top shelf. Nothing Hart could do. The 2-1 lead was the final margin.

Great win for Everton, and it looks like Tuesday's Spurs/City clash will be highly interesting.

Congrats to AC Milan.

As much as it pains me to say it, congratulations are in order for AC Milan. Milan clinched the Serie A title yesterday after a 0-0 draw with Roma. For the first time in six years, the scudetto will pass from Inter.

There's no begrudging the title to Milan though. They're a quality side and had a great season. The two derby wins against Inter were both key, and the hole Rafa Benitez put Inter in proved too deep to climb out of.


This is the 18th scudetto for AC Milan.

Match Thoughts: LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls

This match had a ton of hype coming in. You had Beckham vs. Henry. Landon Donovan involved, as was DeRo. Many marquee matchups for MLS have been a bust so far this year, would this one be a bust as well?

No, not really anyway. The first half was a thing of beauty, probably about the best soccer MLS is capable of putting out. The second half was, well, not so much, but it had it's moments as well.

The pace of the first half was astounding, both teams came right out of the gate looking to score and grab the advantage. LA got the first real good look in the 4th minute but Landon Donovan's shot was saved. NY countered right up the pitch and Henry put on a show. He grabbed a ball that wasn't even meant for him, put on a little side show, and slipped the ball past Ricketts to give NY a 0-1 lead. Nice goal and a shocker.

LA wasn't about to take it lying down though, and they stormed back down the pitch. Angel put a shot on goal in the 5th, only to have it saved. The chances proceeded to go back and forth at almost a break neck pace. In the 12th, NY got two good looks. Richards had a shot bloked, the rebound went right to DeRo, but he shot the ball high. Richards and Henry both had shots in the 15th as well, but neither of them went in.

The momentum swung back to the Galaxy after that. Angel put the ball in the back of the net in the 26th, but it was called back for offside. Donovan followed it up with a wide shot in the same minute, and Angel hit wide in the 32nd. The Galaxy finally got the equalizer in the 41st minute when Donovan emerged off a corner to head in a goal and tie the game at one. LA almost took the lead in the 43rd when Donovan squirted the ball past the keeper, only to have the ball cleared at the last second by Tim Ream. We went to the half tied at 1.

Unfortunately, we would also end the game tied at 1-1. Both teams clearly took their foot off the gas. DeRo just about beat Ricketts in the 76thm that proved to be the best chance of the second half. Juan Agudelo came in for NY, but he couldn't make a difference.

It was a bit of a disappointment to end at 1-1, but NY will take the point on the road I'm sure. Donovan will rue the fact that he couldn't score on an empty net, and the Galaxy drop points at home.

RSL's Morales breaks ankle in win over Chivas.

A huge blow for Real Salt Lake as MF Javier Morales had his ankle broken on a red card tackle from Mondaini of Chivas USA. Mondaini's red was the second red card of the day for an outclassed Chivas squad. RSL went on to win the match 1-0 after a goal from Will Johnson in the 87th minute.

Morales will have surgery and is expected to miss 4 months. This is the third high profile injury off a questionable challenge in two weeks for Major League Soccer.

Match Blurb: Portland Timbers vs. Philadelphia Union

Just a couple thoughts on Last night's Timbers vs. Union matchup.

Snooze fest.

We should have known we were in trouble when the thing that was getting top billing in the lead up to the match was Portland's crowd. I'm not dissing Portland's crowd, but they didn't have a ton to cheer about. Timber Joey finally got to fire up his saw, but only once, and they had to wake him up to do it.

The Union tried to "park the bus" in front of the goal and then hope for a chance on a counter the other way. It didn't work. Perkins was forced into a couple of saves, but this one was a yawner by far.

A couple of words about Fox Soccer's "Soccer Night in America." The new graphics were snazzy and all that jazz, but there wasn't a lot different. Maybe it was because the game was kind of meh, but it just didn't seem to be all that different. Of course, I liked FSC's MLS coverage anyway.

Everton FC 2011/2012 Away Jersey

More new kit designs for next year being unveiled. Here's the Everton Away Jersey:




Pretty sweet.


Check it out at their website

Puddle's MLS Preview: Saturday, 5/7 Late Matches

A couple of big matches late Saturday as well:

Chicago Fire vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
So...who wants this one? I doubt Chicago does, as this team has been boring and not very good at winning. Vancouver can be pretty entertaining, but it's always a big question mark which Caps team shows up? The mistake prone clueless team or the really fine looking, sharp, on the ball Caps? Tomorrow I say the latter, and The Caps pick up 3.


LA Galaxy vs. NY Red Bulls
This is the one everybody's watching. It really is turning into a major MLS rivalry. So, who ya got? Becks and Landycakes or Henry and DeRo. I can't bet against Landycakes at home, So I'll take Galaxy. They'll be hungry after the loss down in Dallas last weekend. Should be fun.

Puddle's MLS Preview: Saturday, 5/7 Early Matches

Some big games and big moments in MLS on Saturday, here's my rundown.


Real Salt Lake vs. Chivas USA.
Chivas head coach Robin Fraser used to be an assistant at RSL. Normally I would pull for him to do well, but RSL needs a good performance here after back to back losses. RSL is having some injury issues up front as Paulo Jr. is likely out and Saborio is still having issues as well. I think RSL will like being back in front of their fans in league and pick up 3 points.


Toronto FC Vs. Houston Dynamo
How can you not like Houston in this one? They've been playing pretty darn well lately, despite losing to Colorado at home last week to two fluke goals. TFC has been in the toilet, and if they don't show up looking like they care tomorrow, Houston will feast upon them. I'll take Dynamo for three points.


New England Revolution vs. Colorado Rapids.
So remember a couple of weeks ago when the Revs got that one guy that Chivas didn't get, and everybody crucified Chivas? Well, last week Chivas crucified the Revs. *oops* Meanwhile, Colorado picked the aforementioned lucky win in Houston, but lost Omar Cummings in the process. Depth? Where? Look for the Revs to come back strong and pick up three points here.


Columbus Crew vs. Seattle Sounders
So, Seattle owns the Crew in Columbus, yeah? Well, they owned DC in RFK too, so I'm not buying those stats based on a whole two years worth of data. Crew have been in great form, but they let Vancouver back in last week. I think they'll Seattle in this week too, and this will be a draw.


DC United vs. FC Dallas
DC picked up a big three points earlier this week against Seattle, and Charlie Davies continues to be inspiring. FC Dallas had a HUGE win against LA though, and Shea looks to be coming on strong. I'll say each team gets a point out of this one.

Match Thoughts: DC United vs. Seattle Sounders

Coming into this match on Wednesday night, this appeared to be two teams going in opposite directions. Seattle had destroyed TFC the previous week at home, despite the loss of Zakuani and White. DC had given up 8 goals in their last two games and looked to be in a downward spiral. They desperately needed a good result.

Could DC try push forward a little more and not sacrifice support for their struggling defensive unit? Well they certainly tried as Pontius got a shot on target in the first minute, but then Seattle kind of took control. The Sounders looked to Freddy Montero to really help out with goals, but he still looks like he lacks some discipline. In the 3rd minute he had a chip shot that was easily saved and then skied one over the bar in the 13th.

Finally DC started to push back. In the 26th minute Andy Najar got in a good position, but instead of dishing to Davies for a wonderful chance, he chose to take the shot himself, and the end result was an easy save for Keller. Selfish. In the 30th minute, CD9 showed him how it was done. He made a beautiful pass intp the area for Wolff, who slotted it past Keller to give DC a 1-0 lead. DC then took control for the rest of the half with Kitchen, Pontius, and Wolff all getting looks, but the half ended at 1-0 to DC.

DC came out of the half on the right foot as well, as Wolff returned the favor to Charlie Davies in the 52nd. CD9 netted Wolff's pass and DC led 2-0. Seattle was in trouble.

The Sounders did fight back though. They kept trying to get the ball in to Jaqua, but he just couldn't get it into net when he did get it. He played really hard though and deserves a lot of credit. Seattle got some help in the 70th minute when they were awarded a PK. Evans scored the spot kick and that made it 2-1 to DC. They pressed the rest of the match, but couldn't beat Hamid in goal, and DC held on to a vital 3 points with a 2-1 victory.

It was annoying to hear so much before the match about how Seattle owned DC United and owned RFK. I have a lot of respect for Seattle and their fans, but they tend to want to crown themselves the best team in MLS because they have a longer history in US Soccer. You're seeing the same thing to an extent in Portland. The history is great, but call me when you win MLS Cup. Sounders seemed overconfident and DC took advantage, sneaking in the back door a little bit. Much credit to the Eagles.

Match Thoughts: FC Dallas vs. LA Galaxy

The biggest bit of news coming into this match last Sunday night at Pizza Hut Park was that David Beckham had attended the Royal Wedding the day before. Trust me, if you were OBE and invited, you'd go too. Anyway, most people probably thought the Galaxy would run roughshod over a Dallas squad without their MVP. Congrats to Dallas for proving otherwise.

The first half wasn't exactly the greatest football from either side. Temps in Frisco were in the 40s, and it seemed to be affecting both sides. You'd thought they were playing in Antarctica, listening to the LA announcers whine.

At any rate, Dallas had the better of the few chances in the first half. They even forced Ricketts into a couple of save of the week candidate saves. The Galaxy continued to suffer from uninspired play up front, as JPA seemed to be really cold, because he wasn't moving much, as per usual. Even the Galaxy announcers have caught on to that. The biggest moment of the half was probably in the 33rd minute, when Benitez went down with an injury for Dallas. Needless to say, we went to the break at 0-0.

The second half was more eventful for a number of reasons. Dallas started off on the score sheet in the 47th minute with a good goal. Castillo lifted a nice volley over the head of Ricketts to put FC Dallas up 1-0. Of course LA had to complain about it. They complain about pretty much every goal against them.

LA fought right back right away though. In the 51st minute Landon Donovan got on the end of a ball into the 6. He tucked the ball inside the near post and wrapped himself around the post in the process. He got up, dusted himself off, and we were even at 1-1.

After a lightning delay, which the LA Announcers didn't really care for, we came back out and both teams had made substitutions. We had eight minutes or so left to play after about an hour stoppage. Shea got the best of Ricketts with a goal similar to the first, lobbing it in over his head to give FC Dallas a 2-1 win.

Rongen sacked as USA U-20 Coach

Via Fox Soccer's Ives Galarcep


Fox Soccer and ESPN Soccernet, among others, are reporting that US Soccer has sacked US U-20 coach Thomas Rongen. Apparently, failing to qualify for the U-20 World Cup cost him the job. Former USMNT player Tab Ramos will take over the coaching duties for now,

Click on the link above to see Fox Soccer's coverage.

Arsenal 11/12 Home Soccer Jersey - WorldSoccerShop.com

Arsenal 11/12 Home Soccer Jersey - WorldSoccerShop.com





World Soccer Shop debuting the Arsenal 2011/2012 Home Jersey. Badge design marks the club's 125 year anniversary.

EPL: Arsenal vs. Manchester United

Well this was a big match, and it was made even bigger by the result at Stamford Bridge the day before. Chelsea beat Spurs, and moved to within three points of United for the title. If United wanted to stretch that back to six ahead of the next clash with the Blues at Old Trafford, they needed a win at the Emirates.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure the play lived up to the hype, though there were certainly some more controversial moments. One had to wonder how the Gunners would respond after a string of disappointing results.

They actually responded quite well, and outplayed United for most of the match. They came out all guns blazing, no pun intended. In the 3rd minute, Wilshere got a nice look but hit the shot wide. Arsenal kept coming though. In the 8th minute Theo Walcott hit a shot just over, and in the 15th he found himself inside the United 6, only to have Evra poke the ball away at the last second.

United finally got a little possession after this spell, but that came crashing to a halt in the 32nd when Walcott delivered an expert ball toward Van Persie in the area. Vidic stuck a hand up, and clearly knocked the ball away, but no penalty was awarded. I don't normally care, but Arsenal got screwed.

That was the last big action before the half, and we went in the break at 0-0. Arsenal had the better of possession, but once again had nothing on the score sheet to show for it. The Vidic handball was a big talking point.

The first real chance of the second half fell to United. In the 49th minute, Wayne Rooney lined up over a free kick. Looking confident, he smacked the shot on target only to have it saved. United would rue the missed chance.

In the 56th minute, Robin Van Persie sliced and diced the United defense. Just when it looked like they had his run stopped in the 18, he kicked the ball out to Ramsey who slotted hit home to give Arsenal the 1-0 lead.

United looked a little stunned, and really tried to get the goal back, but they had a hard time prying the ball away from the Gunners. Chelsea was getting closer in the rear view mirror. In the 77th minute, Rooney and Nani ran on a breakaway, and it looked like the equalizer was coming for United, but Nani's shot was saved, and Arsenal took the 1-0 victory.

The three points helped Arsenal keep a grip on the 3rd place and keep them in a fight for second. More importantly, it sets up what is probably the EPL match of the year next week at Old Trafford: United vs. Chelsea. The winner very likely takes all the marbles. Footy at it's best.

Great Run for the Victory,

Melbourne Victory's run in the AFC Champions League ended last night with a 1-1 draw with Gamba Osaka. Had they won, they might have gone through, but it was not to be. A great performance by the guys.

The match also marked the end of the career of Victory Captain Kevin Muscat, who is now officially retired. He's a legend in Aussie soccer.

UCL: Manchester United vs. Schalke '04

Glory, glory Man. United. That's about all there is to say about this tie. Thanks for showing up Schalke, not. Basically, both semi final matchups sucked, but this one sucked worse than the not so classic Clasico. At least we got to see Messi yesterday. Today all we got to see is United's second team take apart a near bottom Bundesliga side. Very lame.

Already up 2-0 with two away goals in Germany, United had a big upper hand, which they used. Rooney and Rio Ferdinand didn't even dress, and Giggs was on the bench. Didn't matter, Schalke pretty much stayed in the tunnel.

United got goals in the first half from Valencia in the 26th and Gibson in the 31st. This made that aggregate 4-0, and it was over. Jurado got a cosmetic goal in the 35th, and we went to the half 2-1 as far as the match was concerned, but the tie was decided.

The second half was a yawner with United's place in Wembley all but booked. Schalke didn't really threaten and Anderson, who had just scored two goals in his career coming in, netted two, one in 72nd and one in the 76th to put an exclamation point on it. 4-1 the match final and 6-1 on aggregate.

So, on May 28th, Barcelona will meet Manchester United in the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final in London. They have met twice before in that match, each team winning once. Who will be the champion this year?

Serie A: Lazio vs. Juventus

So here we have another match between teams in Serie A that are trying to sort out the European spots for next year. Lazio just clinging above Udinese and Roma, Juventus just behind them.

Despite the stakes, it turned out to be a little bit of a pedestrian affair. The first half was very tactical and you got the sense the teams were feeling each other out. More chances arose in the second half, but only one was taken.

Lazio looked the stronger of the teams right off. They took the pressure to Juve, but they just sat and soaked it up really. Hernanes had a good look in the second minute, but hit the shot just wide. Brocchi had a rather nice look off of a corner in the 26th, but headed it right at the keeper. Then in the 33rd, Floccari looked likely to score, but again the shot was saved. Bending, not breaking, for Juve.

Things started to open just a little as we approached the half. Matri finally had an attempt on goal for Juventus in the 36th, only have it saved. Felipe Melo had a gorgeous look in the 41st, but his poor finish went way over the bar and we went to the half at 0-0.

The 2nd half looked a lot better. Juventus came out and attacked a little. In the 49th, Del Piero put a great shot just high, and it looked like we had a match on our hands. Lazio almost took the lead in the 53rd, when Brocchi put a shot JUST high over the bar. A great chance.

The teams traded half chances until we got to the 81st minute, when Juve got what looked like a really promising break. However, Ledesma brought Melo down around midfield and earned his second yellow card and put Lazio down to ten men. At this point, Juve cranked up the heat. It paid off in the 87th minute when Pepe slotted one home to give Juventus the 0-1 win.

The biggest effect from this game is on Lazio failing to really cement 4th spot. That could be a really big deal with Udinese coming up for them. For Juve, Europa league football is still in their sights after they picked up a crucial three points in the Capital.

City wants Big Fee for Tevez.

Via The Original Winger

If anybody wants to take Carlos Tevez off Manchester City's hands this summer, they're going to have to pay up, big time. Reports are circulating this morning that City want 50 million pounds for their Talisman and Captain.

That's a pretty steep price, nearly Torres money. Rumor still has it that Tevez wants out, and if he decided to hold out, City might not get that much. First bit of news on what could be a really interesting summer transfer window.

UCL: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

Well, this was the end of Clasicos for the year, and I think most of us will agree that the last installment wasn't very classic, outside of Messi's play and his goals. Real Madrid came into the match down two away goals and knowing that they would need a minor miracle to advance to the Champion's League Final in London. We were hoping, in that context, that this version would indeed be classic.

Madrid came right out of the gates with a nice attacking start, and they looked like they were going to make a game out of it, like they weren't willing to yield all the possession to Barca. However, after a few minutes, normal service was resumed for Barca and they hogged the ball as per usual. We had some of the fouls and some of the diving that had marred the first leg, but not too much. It looked like both sides actually fancied playing some football.

Barca finally started building some pressure around the 22nd minute, when Sergio Busquets got a decent header off of a corner, but it went right to St. Iker for the save. Then Messi decided to really get involved. In the 32nd minute he got off a wonderful shot that forced Casillas into an equally wonderful save. The Little Genius was at it again barely a minute later, but this time his shot was off target. Barcelona wasn't deterred though, David Villa got off a shot in the 34th which forced Casillas to again earn his pay, Pedro put a hot high in the 35th, and in the 37th Messi came on again putting another shot on target. They were tearing Madrid up, but despite that, we still went to the half at 0-0.

Controversy again reared it's head almost right away in the second half. Higuain put the ball in the back of the net right off the bat, and appeared to have given Madrid a leg to stand on in the tie, but the goal was disallowed because Mascherano went down right behing the play, ostensibly at the hand of Christiano Ronaldo. CR7 was furious, as replay showed he had a right to be. On replay you could clearly see that Ronaldo had been fouled by Picque and had fallen into Mascherano. Instead of needing only one goal to equalize the tie, Madrid was still stuck, and in my opinion, screwed.

Barca put it all to bed a few minutes later. In the 54th minute Iniesta slipped a nice ball into Pedro who finally beat Casillas and gave Barca a 1-0 lead, 3-0 on agg.

That was pretty much it. Madrid did equalize the match in the 64th minute with a goal from Marcello, but it was too little, too late. After that, Madrid, obviously frustrated, started fouling and Barca started diving, making the match nearly as ugly as the first leg, but in the end the match was a draw at 1-1, with Barca advancing 3-1 on aggregate.

Ronaldo complained about the goal afterward, and rightly so. A goal that early could have changed the dynamic of the second half. I won't say it cost them the tie though. Real lost the tie because they sat back at home and let Barca dictate in leg 1, then imploded when they got flustered. Sure, the refs were horrid, almost MLS like at times, but you can't convince me that Barca didn't deserve to advance. In a tie where there wasn't a lot of football played, Barca played it better.

Congrats to Norwich!

We now know the second of three teams who will be promoted to the Premier League next year in England. Norwich beat Portsmouth 1-0 and cemented the spot after Cardiff lost 3-0 to Middlesbrough.

Norwich joins QPR as automatic qualifiers. The third and final spot will be determined by a playoff between Cardiff, Swansea, Reading, and either Nottingham Forrest or Leeds.

AC Milan 11/12 Home Soccer Jersey - WorldSoccerShop.com

AC Milan 11/12 Home Soccer Jersey - WorldSoccerShop.com

The New AC Milan Jersey for 11/12 from World Soccer Shop:

Congrats to Queens Park Rangers!

Congratulations are in order for QPR, who clinched a promotion spot to the Premier League with a 0-2 win away at Watford. Now we wait to see what 2 other teams from the nPower Championship will join them.

EPL: Liverpool vs. Newcastle United

This entry is probably gonna be pretty short as this match kind of sucked, despite three goals.

Let's put it this way, Liverpool wanted the match, Newcastle is quite obviously already on summer vacation, their goal of remaining in the Premier League complete. That attitude really showed for both sides.

Liverpool started the scoring in the 10th minute as Maxi Rodriguez slammed home a strike that deflected off the side of Newcastle's Simpson. A nice little bit of luck for the Reds, and they took a 1-0 lead.

Newcastle tried to respond, and got quite a few chances. In fact, they really held onto the ball more than Liverpool did the rest of the first half, but their was no inspiration or motivation in their game at all. They had corner after corner and set piece after set piece but it all came to nothing, 1-0 to Liverpool at the half.

The second half was scarcely more entertaining. In the 58th minute, Luis Suarez was taken down in the area and a PK was awarded. Dirk Kuyt easily scored the spot kick and it was 2-0. In the 65th minute Suarez himself got on the score sheet after a nice little 1-2 with Dirk Kuyt. The Uruguayan eased the ball into the net through a Newcastle defense that was obviously already out playing golf and sipping martinis.

That's about all their is to say. Great job by Liverpool, but Newcastle didn't exactly put up a fight. Still, the Reds move into 5th place ahead of Spurs on goal difference as they look to cement a place in next year's Europa league.

EPL: Chelsea vs, Tottenham

Both of these teams came into this London Derby with something to play for. For Chelsea, they needed a win and hope for a Manchester United loss at the Emirates to have a realistic shot at the title. Spurs have had a bit of a tough time following their Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid. A run of draws coupled with decent form by Manchester City and Liverpool had put not only a Champions League spot in question, but perhaps even a Europa league spot.

The match started open for both sides. After all, a draw wasn't going to do anybody any good. Spurs had some good possession in the Chelsea area early, and got a free kick for Rafael Van der Vaart. Unfortunately, it sailed over everybody and and resulted in nothing.

Chelsea took charge for a bit after that. Both Torres and Drogba started up front. Torres had a nice look in the 11th minute, but his shot was deflected. He certainly played better today. Drogba was doing his thing too. In the 13th minute he set up a free kick, that he promptly drilled off Spurs' crossbar. Replays showed Gomes got a finger to it that probably kept it out. The Blues were having the better of possession now.

Spurs were undaunted though, and they got a goal against the run of play. They came up the pitch in the 19th minute and Brazilian Sandro fired off a hell of a strike that bent beautifully into the top corner to give Spurs a 0-1 lead. The Blues fans were stunned. The game got a little contentious after that. In the 23rd, Essien had a header saved by Gomes. Torres got a shot off in the 24th, and in the 25th, Gareth Bale took a dive that was disgusting to watch.

The first bit of real controversy came on the stroke of half time. Lampard took a shot from about the top of the area. It looked to be a given for Gomes, but he messed it all up in a Robert Green type fashion. The ball squirted between his legs and went at least mostly over the goal line. Indeed, the linesman gave the goal, and we were tied up at 1-1. However, all replays pretty much suggested that the whole ball didn't cross, and Lampard shouldn't have scored. Nonetheless, the goal counted and we went to the half knotted at 1-1.

The second half was really the Chelsea show, mostly run by Drogba. The Spurs never really threatened again, but the half was not controversy. In the 68th minute Malouda was clearly taken down in front of goal, but no penalty was given. Chelsea were screwed over there. Maybe it was a bit of a makeup call. Who knows? It ended up being all good for Chelsea though, in the 88th minute Kalou put the winner in the back of the net after a flurry of activity in front of Gomes' goal. Replays showed he might have been offside, but Chelsea will take it either way, and they took the derby 2-1.

It's hard to not feel like the Spurs got screwed a little bit here. Both Chelsea goals were dubious. However, goal line technology debate aside, if Gomes hadn't committed yet another howler, it wouldn't have been an issue. Plus, the Spurs really didn't make an effort, especially in the second half despite Van der Vaart's whining and Bale's diving. It doesn't look like Bale will have any Champs league glory next year unless he's playing for someone else.

For Chelsea, this result combined with Arsenal beating United puts them to within 3 points of The Red Devils going into next week's showdown at Old Trafford. They outplayed Spurs, who really lack a striker, and they didn't deserve to go down in defeat either. Next weekend will be awesome.