Match Thoughts: DC United vs. FC Dallas

Hernandez of FC Dallas and De Rosario of DC fight for the ball (Getty Images)

DC United and FC Dallas got together at RFK stadium and played a cracker of a match last night, at least if you're a neutral or a DC United fan.  They played some pretty sweet football.  FC Dallas on the other hand, well they look to be in some trouble.  DC absolutely tore them apart in the second half.

Of course, Dallas didn't look all that great in the first half either.  DC obviously came out to play well and put on a show for their fans.  No more Charlie Davies?  No problem.  They still have reigning MLS MVP Dwayne De Rosario, and he was on fire in this one.  He nearly scored what might have been the goal of the year in the 13th minute.  Somehow he took a half volley from outside the box and hit the far corner of the woodwork.  Kevin Hartman looked on in disbelief and in the end was just glad to see it bound away from the goal.

However, DC continued to dominate in attack.  Dallas looked like they were having a hard time keeping up with DC all night, and the team in black began to exploit the space in the Dallas defense.  In the 28th minute, former Dallas man Maicon Santos took a ball from DeRo and took a bullet shot toward the same corner his teammate had missed minutes earlier, only this one went in, and DC took the 1-0 lead.

Dallas did deserve some credit for hanging in for the rest of the first half though.  They caught a break late in the half that let them equalize. Daniel Hernandez chested a clearance down and fed the ball back forward.  DC defender Emiliano Dudar tried to play it but mistouched it and it went through to Dallas forward Blas Perez who slotted the ball under the DC 'keeper to make it 1-1.  Perez was in an offside position at first, but MLS ruled that the goal should stand because a DC player touched the ball, initializing a new phase of play.  Controversial, yes, but the half ended at 1-1.

Luckily for DC, the controversial goal didn't really matter in the end, as they totally tore Dallas apart in the second half.  I'm sorry, but it didn't look like Dallas even belonged on the same pitch with DeRo and DC.  They took the lead in the 59th minute when Nick DeLeon took a ball from Santos and blasted it by Hartman into the top of the goal to make it 2-1.

DC United was nowhere near done though.  In the 65th minute, DeLeon made his presence known again, this time getting the ball to Danny Cruz in the area, who knocked in yet another goal to make it 3-1.  Finally Santos finally put the final nail in the coffin of his old team.  In the 73rd minute he headed a spot on cross from DeRo into the back of the net to make the final score 4-1.

It was a dominant performance by DC and a pretty pitiful performance from Dallas.  The Hoops have gotten so used to running things through and for Brek Shea, but he didn't have it last night at all.  Sure, he was tired from Olympic qualifying, but as others pointed out, Shea hasn't looked good for the Men's National team, the U-23 team, or FC Dallas so far this season.  He might be suffering from a bit of burnout.  Also, Dallas captain Daniel Hernandez received two yellow cards, and the resulting red will keep him out of Dallas's next match against New England.

CCL Semis: Toronto FC vs Santos Laguna

TFC's Ashtone Morgan in Wednesday's match (Mexsport/MLSSoccer.com)

I think a lot of us thought that Wednesday night's CONCACAF Champions League match between Toronto FC and Santos was going to get ugly.  However, I for one expected it to be ugly on the scoreboard, not in the red card/fighting kind of ugly.  Toronto was playing without their captain and key defensive player Torsten Frings, and the smart money was on the Mexican power house side to put a real whipping on TFC, but to the Reds' credit, it didn't work out that way.

It really could have though.  Despite a little early possession by the Canadian champs, Santos looked to be the much more dangerous side.  TFC's trap wasn't working well and was resulting in good runs and chances for the Mexican side.  In the 12th minute, TFC turned the ball over in their own end and Darwin Quintero nearly made them pay, but his shot was well saved by Milos Kocic.  In the 19th minute, it was American international Herculez Gomez's turn to test Kocic. but the TFC 'keeper saved his shot as well.  Finally in the 30th minute, Gomez broke free off of a pass from Quintero and slotted the ball past Kocic to give Santos the 0-1 lead.

I really thought Toronto would just fold here.  I even commented to that effect on my twitter stream live during the match.  To their credit, they didn't.  In fact, they responded really well.  In the 34th minute Danny Koevermans had a shot barely cleared off the line.  Then in the 37th minute, TFC equalized off of a set piece, as Miguel Aceval knocked the ball through the Santos wall and into the goal to make it 1-1 at halftime.

There would be no goals in the second half, but there was plenty to talk about.  Both sides created multiple chances, but both 'keepers played well and were up to the task.  The story of the match started to become it's physical nature.  I had trouble believing what I was seeing, but TFC actually looked like they got into Santos's heads.  Marc Crosas earned Santos's first yellow in the 76th for a hard tackle on TFC's Ryan Johnson.  Then just over a minute later Osmar Mares earned a straight red for a studs up follow through into the chest of Richard Eckersley.    However, in the end, TFC couldn't take advantage of the Santos shortage and the match finished at 1-1.

Then the extra drama really started.  Right at the whistle, Quintero head butted TFC's Ashtone Morgan, who had been physically tangling with the Santos player all match long.  The linesman saw it, called the referee's attention to it, and Quintero was issued a red card.  Then an all out brawl started, with players and staff from both teams.  Santos claims there were TFC players sucker punching Santos players during the melee.  I didn't see it, so I don't know.  Gomez claims to have seen Morgan punch Quintero in the face before the head butt, so who knows?

All I know is, TFC managed a good result that will give them a shot in the next leg.  However, they still gave up an away goal, and my advice is that they should probably think twice before starting a fight down in Mexico.

Still, it was somewhat ironic to see a Mexican side complaining about an American referee for a change!

UCL: APOEL vs. Real Madrid

CR7 is not happy after missing a shot vs. APOEL (Getty Images)

Often in American sports you run into the team that's "just happy to be here."  We all know what I'm referring to.  Maybe it's that low seeded team that somehow makes it into the sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.  Maybe it's the baseball team that somehow managed to sneak into the playoffs for the first time in years.  We also call them "Cinderellas" and while they can be a fancy bet down at the sports book, not many people really give them a chance.

This year has seen one of the finest Cinderella stories ever in the UEFA Champions League.  In soccer parlance, they're often called minnows.  They're the club that comes from a tiny country, Cyprus in this case, and doesn't have money, but they make it all the way through the qualifiers and into the Champions League proper.  Apoel Nicosia did one better than that story this year.  They made it through the group stage, and even knocked French powerhouse Lyon out in the first knock out round.  Now they were up against Real Madrid though, and that's a different story.  Madrid is the most successful club in the tourney's history, with 9 European Championships to their name.

I don't want to leave the impression that Apoel was "just happy to be here" though, because I don't think they were.  They really tried to survive the Madrid onslaught, and came pretty close.  It took 75 minutes for Madrid to finally break down the defense and the 'keeper. 

Unfortunately for Cinderella, the glass slipper totally shattered after Karim Benzema headed home Kaka's cross for the first goal in the 74th minute.  Just eight minutes later, Marcelo centered a pass to a trailing Kaka, coming into the six unmarked, and he added another goal to make it 0-2.  Benzema added a third for good measure in the 90th.  Apoel, for their part, could not manage a single shot all day, and the match ended 0-3 to Madrid.

That is an Everest sized mountain to climb for Apoel going into Madrid next week, and even though I'm a Madrid supporter, there's a part of me that hopes they make a game of it.  So often soccer fans become jaded over money, transfers, and missed opportunities.  Those of us that are fans of big clubs that are in major tournaments every year seem to expect to win, and take it for granted.  We can all learn something from Apoel.  First, always put forth the effort.  This team has worked their tails off to get this far.  Second, whatever comes your way, don't just be "happy to be here."  We may not always get the results we want in football or in life, but we should all make the most out of our experiences.

So, do I think Apoel has a chance in Spain?  Probably not, but let's not forget, even Mount Everest gives up it's summit every year for people who work hard and keep the right attitude.  These kind of people are the guys that make up Apoel's squad.  Best of luck to them.

Wenger Receives 3 Match European Ban

                                                  mirrorfootball.co.uk

Seems Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is up to his old tricks.  Namely, thinking that the only reason the Gunners ever lose is because of referees.  It looks like it's gotten him into trouble again.

Today UEFA slapped him with a 3 game European ban for comments he made to the match official after Arsenal was eliminated from the Champions League by AC Milan.  Weird thing is, Arsenal won that match 3-0 (The Gunners had lost 4-0 in Italy).  At any rate, the ban and accompanying 40,000 Euro fine ($53,000) were handed down for "improper conduct."

If Arsenal qualifies for the Champions League or the Europa League, which looks likely, Wenger will be serving his third such UEFA ban in a year.  The other two bans stemmed from instances in last year's Champion's League, and the qualifiers this year.

Wenger has indicated he will appeal the ban.

MLS Disciplinary Notes: Seattle vs. Houston

The major thing that made headlines in this match was, unfortunately, Colin Clark cursing out a Seattle ball boy.  However, there were a couple of other issues which warranted a look from the league, and this morning, they came down with decisions on those.

First off the Dynamo's Adam Moffat was suspended one game and fined for a tackle made on Osvaldo Alonso.  In 35th minute, Moffat hit Alonso just below the knee with a high boot. He was issued a yellow card for the play.  MLS says the suspension and fine are because Moffat endangered the safety of his opponent.

Sounders midfielder Alvaro Fernandez was also fined an undisclosed amount for embellishment of contact.  In the 82nd minute, Fernandez reacted to contact with Houston's Brad Davis, who was on a yellow card, like he had been shot or something.  He went to the floor, clearly in an attempt ton get Davis sent off.  Fortunately, the referee wasn't buying his antics.  Fernandez has gained a reputation for diving, and it appears to have caught up with him.

I agree with the action in both of these cases, with one issue.  I think Fernandez should be suspended for a game.  Last year, MLS set as precedent for diving after Charlie Davies dived and earned a PK against RSL.  Later in the season, RSL's Alvaro Saborio was fined and suspended for diving and earning a PK.  Surely Sounders fans would point out that Fernandez was not trying to win a PK.  However, he was obviously trying to get Davis sent off, which would affect not only the current match (which Seattle led 2-0 in the 82nd minute) but a future match as Davis would have been suspended.  To me that's just as unsportsman like.  However, I am glad the league decided to take some kind of action.

Match Thoughts: Columbus Crew vs. Montreal Impact

The Columbus Crew celebrate after scoring.  (MLSSoccer.com)

It looks like the Crew really benefited from a week off between their opening loss at Colorado and their week three matchup vs. Montreal Impact.  Not that they played a perfect game, and certainly the Impact red card helped, but they looked a lot better and also seemed very capable of making some noise in the Eastern Conference.

The Crew got on the right foot in the opening minutes.  In minute two, Eddie Gaven was already up to his usual excellent work rate.  He sent the opening salvo in on the Impact goal, only to see it go wide.  Emilio Renteria also caused a lot of problems for Montreal.  He got loose on a break in the 13th minute but also saw his shot sail wide of the mark.

It wasn't all Columbus though.  The Impact are starting to look better and gel.  Don't forget that they have a lot of MLS veterans on their side that can do some damage once they're on the same page.  Former Colorado Rapid Sanna Nyassi had the Impact's first quality chance in the 16th minute, putting a header on goal that was well saved by Andy Gruenebaum.

The Impact continued to have some joy up the flanks, with Justin Mapp in particular creating with some nice balls in.  Unfortunately for the expansion side, it all came crashing down in the 19th minute.  Midfielder Jeb Brovsky went up for a ball against the Crew's Milovan Mirosevic and landed his elbow to the back of the Crew man's head.  He received the red card for his trouble, and the Impact would be down to ten for the rest of the match.

You have to give the Impact credit though.  They still tried to compete and didn't just totally bunker in.  Nyassi forced another save out of the Crew 'keeper from a set piece in the 23rd, and Felipe made some in roads as well.

The Crew finally got their noses in front in the 30th minute.  Felipe Martins brought Renteria down in the area and conceded a PK against the Impact.  They weren't very happy with this, and Nyassi was shown a yellow card in the process.  Mirosevic calmly iced the spot kick and the Crew took the lead into halftime at 1-0.

Montreal continued their high work rate and strong effort in the second half, but the Crew's man advantage began to show.  A lot of credit must be given to Impact 'keeper Donovan Ricketts, who pretty much stood on his head in the second half trying to keep the Impact in the game.  The former Galaxy man made save after save and generally withstood the Crew onslaught.

That all changed when Columbus finally got the better of him in the 66th minute.  Shaun Francis sent a cross into the area and Crew newcomer Olman Vargas rose and headed the ball into the bottom corner of the goal to make it 2-0 to the Crew.

Montreal would get a couple of half chances later in the match, but just couldn't really trouble the Crew keeper, and the match ended with the 2-0 score.  The red card was unfortunate.  The Impact really came to play in this one and I just can't help but think things might have been different had they kept everybody on the pitch.  However, you have to give credit to the Crew as well.  Crew Stadium is a tough place to come get points because the Crew supporters are great and the team is always up in the game for them.  In particular, Vargas and Mirosevic had great matches, and Renteria earned man of the match honors.

MLS Suspends, Fines Dynamo's Colin Clark

If you've read my blog for awhile, or perhaps if you're familiar with my twitter stream, you know that I'm often skeptical of Major League Soccer's "punishments."  Let me say right off, I think they got this one absolutely right.

Last Friday night, in the early minutes of the Dynamo's match at Seattle, on-field microphones picked up Dynamo midfielder Colin Clark using some pretty offensive language toward a ball boy.  I'm not going to repost it here, but let's suffice it to say both words start with an F, and included an anti-gay slur.

Oops.

For his part, Clark issued a fairly prompt apology via twitter at about 12 AM Pacific time, Saturday morning--

"I'd like to offer a sincere apology to everyone who watched the game, especially the ball boy for whom I used awful language towards,"

His next tweet read--

"I didn't mean to disrespect anyone and am sorry for letting my emotions get the best of me, It's not who I am and it won't happen again."

Clark also released a more full statement later.  However, today MLS handed down disciplinary action including a 3 game suspension, a fine of an undisclosed amount, and league mandated sensitivity/diversity training.  I think they got it just about right.  It's not overkill and it's not a slap on the wrist either.

My take on this whole thing:  I don't think Colin Clark is a bad guy.  His apologies seem sincere.  He apologized personally to the ball boy.  He says that this is not who he is, and I'll take him at face value on that.  He apparently doesn't have a history of this type of behavior.

Anyone that's played competitive sports at any level knows that sometimes your emotions can get the best of you, though that's tempered by the fact that this happened very early in the match.  It's not an excuse at all, but I'll take Clark's word that he just lost his head and shot his mouth off.  Hopefully the punishment will keep him from doing that again, and in theory it will make other players or staff think twice about this behavior in future.

UCL: Benfica vs. Chelsea

Chelsea's Fernando Torres in UCL action.  (Getty Images)

Chelsea had a tough week coming into their first leg of quarterfinal action at Benfica.  Last Wednesday they lost a lead late at Manchester City, and then had a disappointing home match on the weekend that ended in a draw vs. Spurs.  They looked like a side that might be content to play for a draw in Portugal, but what they actually put out was a great road performance.

The match took awhile to really get off the ground, as it looked like neither side was really willing to take a risk early on.  The first chance of the match fell to Chelsea in the 11th minute, but it was a long range effort from David Luiz that went well wide. Fernando Torres saw his first chance of the match on 22 minutes, but saw his volley miss as well.

Benfica would have a number of chances from set pieces throughout the evening, but they really didn't get a lot of quality from them and rarely troubled the Blues.  In the end, they would rue those missed opportunities.  

The best chance of the first half came to Chelsea in the 40th minute.  Raul Meireles set up  just outside of the 18 and sent a scorcher of a drive in on the Benfica goal.  Artur managed to dive and parry the ball away to preserve the 0-0 scoreline going into halftime.

Benfica must have had a great halftime talk as they came out on fire.  One of their best chances of the match came in the 47th minute as Oscar Cardozo sent in a drive on the goal that was blocked off the line by David Luiz.  The Benfica players shouted for handball, but Luiz had kept his hands firmly to his side as to not concede the PK.

Chelsea finally hit pay dirt in the 75th minute.  Ramires, playing against his former club, triggered a counter attack down the Chelsea right hand side.  The ball ended up at the feet of Torres, who sent a great cross into the six.  Saloman Kalou came streaking in unmarked and tapped the ball into the net to give the Blues the 0-1 lead and the all important away goal.

Benfica pushed for an equalizer in the last 15 minutes, but they never really seemed to threaten.  They looked to pretty much be out of ideas as to how to unlock the Chelsea defense, which stood firm.  In the end, Roberto Di Matteo's men held on to the 0-1 win and will take a good edge back to Stamford Bridge next week.

Match Thoughts: New York Red Bulls vs. Colorado Rapids

Cooper & Henry celebrate the Red Bulls first win of 2012 (Getty Images)

If you had just looked at the records of these two teams coming into this match, you probably wouldn't have expected this result. Seems like there was a lot of that going around world football this weekend. New York came into their opener fresh off of road losses at San Jose and Salt Lake, and they really looked to be struggling. The Rapids had taken all the points from their first two, including a home win against Columbus and road win at Philly.

It didn't take the Red Bulls very long to turn all that right on it's head. In the third minute of the match, Colorado's Ross LaBauex tried a risky back pass that ended up at the feet of Thierry Henry. You had to know what he was going to do with it. The Frenchman easily slotted the goal by a stunned Matt Pickens to give the Red Bulls a 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately for the Rapids, it wasn't anywhere close to being done. In the 6th minute Kenny Cooper made a great run into the area and took a pass from Henry. Cooper hit the goal home to the far post to make the lead 2-0 and send the home crowd into a frenzy.

The Rapids settled down a little after that though, and carved out a couple of good chances. They had to be thinking it would be great just to get one back before halftime, but it wasn't to be. Jaime Castrillon got his head to the end of a set piece in the 32nd minute, but Ryan Meara made a nice play and grabbed it. In the 42nd minute, they got another look from a set piece but Tony Cascio put the free kick just over the bar to ensure the scoreline still read 2-0 going into the interval.

Thierry Henry struck once again fairly quickly in the second half. In the 53rd minute he got in behind the Rapids defense on a set piece. Ok, more like he torched the Rapids defense on a set piece. In true Henry fashion, he slipped the ball past Pickens and made it 3-0.

All was not lost to the Rapids though, at least not yet. After all, New York will give you chances. In the 77th minute, Rafa Marquez channeled Tim Ream and gave the ball up near his own area. Omar Cummings lobbed the ball over Meara for a Rapids goal that made it 3-1.

At that point all the Rapids needed was one more quick goal to make the Red Bulls nervous, but it didn't happen. In fact, they conceded again to let the Red Bulls seal the deal. A scrum ensued in front of the Rapids goal in the 89th minute and somehow Kenny Cooper managed to poke the ball into the net to make the final score 4-1.

A great win for the Red Bulls, although they did look vulnerable at times. They clearly have the tools to go far if they can stay healthy and Meara can be solid. For the Rapids, 6 out of the first 9 points isn't too bad, especially with 2 games being on the road. Thierry Henry was awarded MLS player of the week for week 2 for his performance.

Inter Milan Sack Claudio Ranieri

I don't know how many clubs, especially big clubs, have fired two different managers in the same season before, but tonight it's happened. Inter Milan have sacked manager Claudio Ranieri. Inter had only won 1 of it's last 10 league matches and crashed out of the UEFA Champions League.

They have confirmed that youth manager Andrea Stramaccioni will take the helm of the club on an interim basis, but you've got to think they'll be looking for a bigger name come next season. A couple of articles I've read are suggesting former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas. As both a Chelsea and an Inter fan, I really hope not.

Ranieri, who has formerly managed clubs such as Roma and Chelsea, and won the Copa del Rey with Valencia. He was hired after Gian Piero Gasperini was fired last September. Stramaccioni becomes Inter's 5th manage since Jose Mourinho departed for Real Madrid after the 201o season.

Match Thoughts: Real Salt Lake vs. Chivas USA

I don't ever take notes when I'm enjoying myself at the RioT, so these RSL updates are usually just general impressions. Of course, by the end of the match on Saturday, I wasn't really enjoying myself anymore.

Once I got home and saw some replays from a different vantage point, I realized my initial feelings posted on Twitter were probably overly critical. I admit that I get caught up in the moment and get mouthy when my team loses. It comes from years as a Chelsea fan, especially recent years when you expect to win.

It seemed to me, sitting behind the north goal in our season seats, that we were settling for too much wing play. Fabian was getting some joy up our left, but we just couldn't make the connection in the final 3rd, especially in the second half. I also thought we were settling for too many long distance chances. Dan Kennedy is one of the best 'keepers in MLS and he'll take those all day I'm sure. What I'm not sure about is why Kennedy kept shanking his goal kicks out of bounds, but we still couldn't take advantage of the gift of possession, especially in 2nd half stoppage time.

Once I got home and watched some highlights, I saw what we were really dealing with. Chivas bunkered in and really clogged up the midfield, hence the wing play. RSL started to break it down late, but they just couldn't beat Kennedy.

As for Chivas. they did exactly what they needed to do. They soaked up the RSL possession and pressure, and caught the fluke goal on one of their only real chances of the match. It's almost Italian in the tactics, only Chivas wasn't quite as aggressive in the counter. I bet nine times out of ten, Nicky comes up with that spill and the goal doesn't get scored. Credit to them though, they defended desperately and well.

For RSL fans, get used to seeing that kind of tactic. I think it'll be employed a lot more. RSL needs to work on breaking down that bunker, and I think once Javy, Sabo, and Will get back we'll have a better run at it. It does make me feel bad to hear callers on the post game show talking about how Javy and Sabo suck. Neither of them do, and Sabo really was RSL's greatest threat in the second half. The ball just didn't bounce our way. Next up, Portland.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Peter Crouch vs. Man City

This HAS to be goal of the weekend. It was even number one in ESPN's top plays. Not only is it a superb volley by Crouch, but the ball goes 96 yards without touching the ground. Fantastic soccer!

EPL: Everton vs. Arsenal

Thomas Vermaelen heads home a goal. (Getty Images)

It's really hard to sit here and write about this match and not think Everton deserved a point out of this one, especially in light of the fact that they had a perfectly good goal ruled out. Still. for Arsenal. they seem to be getting some of the breaks now that weren't going their way early in the season.

The evening started like it was just going to be a typical Arsenal performance. They got possession and kept it, featuring a string of one and two touch passes. It wasn't long until they started creating chances. However, most of them fell to Aaron Ramsey, and he couldn't hit the broadside of a barn in this one. In the sixth minute he got a really good look at close range, yet somehow sprayed the ball wide.

However, the Gunners came good in the 8th minute, after another Ramsey shot was blocked. They set up for a corner kick and Robin van Persie used it to send in a gorgeous cross. Thomas Vermaelen leaped into the air and headed it away from Tim Howard and into the goal to give Arsenal the 0-1 lead.

Arsenal continued to control much of the first half, but the Toffees slowly got their feet underneath them. The game's real moment of controversy came in the 32nd minute. Everton was on one of their best attacks of the match and Royston Drenthe smacked the ball in for what appeared to be an equalizer. The celebration was short lived though, as the flag was up for offside. Replays clearly showed he was on. With the goal ruled out, halftime came with Arsenal still holding the 0-1 lead.

Everton came out actively looking for the equalizer and kept Arsenal somewhat on the back foot through the second half. However, lack of creativity in the final third really limited their chances, despite their possession. In the end, the best chance fell to Royston Drenthe in the 78th minute, but his shot following a corner kick sailed harmlessly over the bar. All in all, I'm sure Arsenal felt fortunate to be picking up all three points, but I think Arsene Wenger should stop complaining about the refs for awhile.

Match Thoughts: Real Salt Lake vs. New York Red Bulls

RSL's Paulo Jr. goes down in the box. (AP Images)

Us Real Salt Lake faithful have gotten pretty used to beating the Red Bulls, Thierry Henry or no. They do particularly well against the New Yorkers at Rio Tinto Stadium, as RSL has come away with clean sheets on the last 4 meetings in Sandy. This match really didn't turn out any differently.

Hans Backe came out with a little different game plan this time. Usually the Red Bulls employ a 4-4-2 look, but for this one they came out in a 3-5-2 to try to challenge RSL in the midfield. They had some limited success but really couldn't stop the Claret and Cobalt.

RSL struck first in the 39th minute. Fabian Espindola beat the high New York line and Paulo Jr. flicked the ball to him, creating a 1 on 1 with rookie New York 'keeper Ryan Meara. The crafty Argentinian smacked the ball through Meara's legs with a powerful nutmeg to give RSL the 1-0 lead. Henry did get a flick on chance in the 43rd minute, but Nick Rimando was up for it and saved it, sending the teams to the break with the 1-0 scoreline.

New York went back to their usual formation on the second half and brought Kenny Cooper into the match. Cooper nearly paid immediate dividends, forcing a save out of Rimando on 48 minutes. However, RSL took total control in the 58th minute. Sebastian Velasquez sent a nice little lay off pass to Espindola, but Meara saved his point blank effort. Unfortunately for the young 'keeper, the rebound fell right to Luis Gil, who pounded the ball into the net to make it 2-0 to Real Salt Lake.

The Red Bulls got a lot of possession late and tried to mount a comeback. Their biggest chance came in the 76th minute when Jan Gunnar Solli took a close range shot from an angle, but Rimando pulled off a nice near post save to preserve the nice 2-0 win for RSL.

I think the Red Bulls did have some luck with that midfield set up. However, a lot of RSL's issues in the first half seemed to stem from over cooking a lot of their passes. Espindola had some great runs, but RSL seemed to have trouble finding him on occasion. Sebastian Velasquez looked pretty good again, especially in the second half. Javy Morales and Sabo both looked decent in their late appearances, and hopefully RSL will be even better once they get back.

On another side note, Fabian Espindola and Chris Schuler earned MLS Best XI honors in week 2 for their performances. Congratulations guys!

EPL: Blackburn vs. Sunderland

Yakubu sports his "Pray 4 Muamba" shirt after scoring. (Premierleague.com)

Don't look now, but the Blackburn Rovers are not only out of the bottom three, but actually putting some distance between themselves and the bottom of the table. Coming into this home match vs Sunderland. they were seeking back to back Barclay's Premier League wins for the first time this season. Sunderland played a tough FA Cup match with Everton on the weekend, and were dealing with several suspensions. The recipe was just right for a Rovers victory.

It was Rovers who got the first chance on goal. In the third minute Yakubu took a pass from Junior Hoilett and squirted free on goal. His shot beat the 'keeper, and looked to be going inside the near post, only to have Craig Gardner knock it off the line.

Blackburn continued to control most of the first half, as Sunderland looked horrible. Martin Olsson had two shots come close in the 10th minute. His first look was saved, the rebound fell to him, but he put the shot wide. Still Sunderland was able to hold on and a scrappy first half ended 0-0.

Blackburn really started to turn the screw in the second half. Mauro Formica sent a great volley in on goal in the 53rd minute only to have Mignolet knock it away. Then in the 59th minute, Mignolet punched away a long throw in, but it fell right to Hoilett, who slammed the volley into the back of the net to give Rovers the 1-0 lead.

At that point all eyes turned to Sunderland to see if they would respond. They really didn't, and continued to struggle. They did get one chance at an equalizer though. In the 79th minute the ball fell to Dong-Won Ji right in front of the goal, but he totally missed the sitter and Blackburn maintained the lead.

They expounded on their lead late and sealed the points. In the 86th minute, Bradley Orr sent a cross into the area and Yakubu rose and headed the ball into goal to make it 2-0. For his celebration, Yakubu pulled up his jersey and showed a "Pray 4 Muamba" shirt. Another classy move as the league rallies around the fallen Bolton midfielder.

Rovers held on for the 2-0 win and the 3 points actually moves them 6 points clear of the relegation zone. It's still not total safety, but you can see that the team is coming together a little bit, and I think they just might stay up. For Sunderland, it was a less than memorable performance, but they really didn't have much at stake in the league.

Torsten Frings Out 4-6 Weeks

Huge injury news on the MLS front this morning, and it's a big blow for Toronto FC. Defensive DP Torsten Frings suffered a hamstring injury on the plastic pitch in Seattle and will be out 4-6 weeks. Ouch.

Frings will not only miss league matches, but the entirety of TFC's CONCACAF Champions League semifinal series against Santos. This will leave a big hole in their defense, a hole that Santos will be very keen to exploit. Frings backup is a rookie, so it could get really scary.

So the question is, will TFC try to bring someone in to help out?

I hope Frings makes a speedy and full recovery. I'm kind of pulling for TFC a bit this year. These guys need to make the playoffs.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Fernando Torres vs. Leicester

Yes, there were probably better goals this last weekend, and yes, this is a crummy video, but hey, I'm a Chelsea supporter, so I'm gonna give kudos to El Nino who scored a brace to help the Blues advance past Leicester in the FA Cup. Nice job Torres!

Match Thoughts: Sporting Kansas City vs. New England Revolution

Matt Reis is consoled by Sharlie Joseph (Getty Images)

The New England Revolution had a bad day Saturday in Kansas City. They really got their hats handed to them by a superior Kansas City side. Yes they were down a man for most of the game, but they really didn't look all that into it prior to that. I fear it might be a long season for the Revs supporters.

New England did have a couple of chances very early. Benny Feilhaber hit a shot wide in the 5th minute, and Lee Nguyen followed with another miss a few seconds later, but that was pretty much all she wrote for the Revs offense.

In the 9th minute Matt Reis came way out of goal to make a tackle on his left side. Sporting still had the ball, and Roger Espinoza sent a shot in on goal that looked sure to catch Reis out. Fortunately for the Revs, the shot hit the post and bounced away.

Then it all fell apart in the 14th minute. Stephen McCarthy got into a scrum with C.J. Sapong just outside the Revs area. There was nobody else between Sapong and the goal, and the foul was whistled and McCarthy was shown the red card. The Revs felt hard done buy as there really wasn't any kind of goal scoring opportunity and the play was headed toward the corner, but he was the last man. and the Revs faced the daunting prospect of playing down a man for the rest of the match.

A good team like Sporting is usually going to capitalize off of this, and they did in a big way. In the 28th minute the Revs failed to clear a scrum in front of their goal and Graham Zusi eventually tapped the ball home to give KC the 1-0 lead. Then in the 39th Kei Kamara had a shot saved by Reis, but the ball fell right back to him and with no defenders around to help, Kamara easily banged the ball into the goal to give Sporting the 2-0 lead going into half time.

Sporting came out and iced the game very quickly in the second half. In the 47th minute Seth Sinovic sent a back bass to C.J. Sapong in the box. Sapong easily slammed in the goal to give Sporting the 3-0 lead.

It was a score that held to full time as the Revs were never able to really mount a serious campaign on the Sporting goal. Instead, Benny Feilhaber and company continued to complain to the referee about every little thing as opposed to playing football, and Sporting easily closed them out to collect the three points.

Match Thoughts: Philadelphia Union vs. Colorado Rapids

Tony Cascio celebrates after scoring vs the Union. (Getty Images)

It was another East vs. West clash at PPL Park on Sunday as the Philadelphia Union hosted the Colorado Rapids. The Union came in after dropping their first match against the Timbers, while Colorado pasted the Crew the prior weekend at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Surely the Union were excited to get home in front of their supporters, but the Rapids had other ideas.

The Rapids got out of the blocks fast, creating a chance in the opening minute. Omar Cummings broke away on the Union goal, but Zac MacMath, who had a horrible match for Philly last week, managed to turn it away and deny the Rapids the early lead.

Philadelphia largely controlled the first half after that. Gabriel Gomez worked Matt Pickens in goal twice from free kicks, but the Rapids' 'keeper was more than up to the task. The Union got their first really good chance of the game in the 33rd minute, when newcomer Lionard Pajoy ripped a shot at the Rapids goal, only to have it drift wide. In the 41st minute Danny Mwanga announced his presence with a shot on target only to have it well saved by Pickens.

As the first half came to a close, Jeff Larentowicz picked up a yellow card for the Rapids in the 44th minute. That would come back to haunt him later, but the half ended 0-0.

The Union continued to create chances out of the gate in the second half. In the 48th minute Michael Farfan had a shot blocked. The ball then fell to Pajoy, but his return shot was easily saved.

In the 56th minute the Rapids finally made the Union pay for missing out on their opportunities. They sent an early cross into the area, and it looked like MacMath was going to collect it easily. Instead the ball went through his hands and fell to Jaime Castrillon, who easily tapped the ball into the open goal to make it 0-1 to the Rapids. It was another howler from the young Union 'keeper, the second in as many weeks.

However just two minutes later, the Union were handed a bit of hope. Larentowicz went in from behind on Keon Daniel in the midfield and picked up his second yellow card. Seeing the red, he went to the locker room knowing he had made a dumb mistake and wondering whether or not it was going to cost his team.

Luckily for the Ginger Ninja, the rest of the Rapids were up to the task. In the 62nd minute they went up 0-2 after Tony Cascio got loose and again beat MacMath to smack a ball into the goal at the far post. Yes, it had a lot of power, but MacMath did get a touch on it and in my mind should have done better.

The Union refused to go away though, still fighting on with the man advantage. Pajoy headed in a gorgeous goal off of a corner kick in the 67th minute to make it 1-2. They also had a couple more good looks before the end of the match. Farfan hit the crossbar in the 72nd, and Pajoy had a gorgeous look in the 89th, only to send the shot over the bar. In the end, the Rapids held on for the 1-2 win and picked up a valuable 3 road points that will surely come in handy in the Western Conference race.

Pray For Muamba

A couple of weeks back I had a death in the family that required some travel time. Things are settled now, so The Puddle is getting back in the scene.

Obviously the most important story in football right now is Fabrice Muamba's fight for life. The Bolton midfielder collapsed during an FA Cup match Tottenham of an apparent heart attack. I did catch this story while I was away but wasn't able to comment on it.

At the match, both sets of supporters recognized the trouble and both medical teams responded immediately. The match was abandoned and Muamba was taken to the London Chest Hospital. There it took doctors over two hours to get his heart restarted.

However, at a presser this morning the NHS and Bolton released an update on his condition and there is some reason for optimism. He's showing small signs of improvement, including moving his legs and arms, and having his heart beat without the aid of medication.

However, he remains in critical but stable condition. Hopefully all football fans will continue to keep him in their prayers and his recovery will continue.

Match Thoughts: LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake.

LA's David Beckham holds off RSL's Luis Gil (AP Images)

So most of what us MLS fans have heard all through the preseason is about how the Galaxy were going to win everything there is to be won this year. Of course, those of us who aren't Galaxy fans were skeptical. I mean, if the Galaxy are just going to win it all, why bother watching? Well the product the Galaxy put on the field in the first two games (CCL against TFC and the MLS opener against RSL) might portend that the coronation of the Galaxy as an uberteam is a little premature.

Early on in the match against RSL, both teams held some possession, but it looked like RSL was a bit more keen to do something with it. Fabian Espindola gave the LA defense trouble all night long, and Paulo Jr made some nice runs as well.

It took about a half hour for the chances to start coming from either side, but when they did, they were quality. Landon Donovan cracked one off of the crossbar in the 28th minute. The ball then fell to Mike Magee, but Nick Rimando was up to the task and saved Magee's shot. At the other end of the pitch in the 31st minute Paulo Jr. forced a nice save out of Josh Saunders. The rebound went to RSL's Sebastian Velasquez, but the rookie put his shot wide.

Sarvas would crack the bar one more time for LA, this time in the 44th minute. Still, it didn't go in, and we went to the half still even at 0-0.

Both teams came to life more in the second half, but for the most part, RSL seemed to have an edge. Fabian Espindola continued to make a pest out of himself, having a shot saved in the 47th. At the other end, Robbie Keane started to zero in for the Galaxy, forcing a save out of Rimando in the 49th.

Finally the Galaxy edged out in front in the 71st minute. David Beckham sent a gorgeous early ball into the area for Edson Buddle. Buddle rose and headed the ball past Nick Rimando to give the Galaxy the 1-0 lead. At that point, the LA folks sat back and thought normal service had been resumed at the Home Depot Center.

Their relaxation didn't last long though. In the 73rd minute Velasquez sent a cross into the LA penalty area. The ball deflected off of LA defender Sean Franklin and into the net to equalize the match at 1-1, much to the delight of RSL's rat-tailed rookie.

Things quickly got worse for the Galaxy. Javier Morales and Alvaro Saborio checked in for RSL as the Claret and Cobalt went for the jugular. It didn't take long. Morales took a low centering pass from Ned Grabavoy in the 80th minute and slipped it by Saunders to give RSL the 1-2 lead. After that, Bruce Arena subbed out a defender, trying to force the equalizer. RSL made the Galaxy pay dearly for this quick fashion, as Espindola slipped the still regrouping defense and smacked a ball inside the far post to make 1-3 and seal up all three points for RSL.

This is where I'm supposed to give the Galaxy a pass and fawn all over them because they played TFC earlier in the week. Boohoo. If your team is so great, you should be able to play two matches in a week. Lets face it, LA didn't look all that great against TFC either. They have defensive issues. This will probably come more into play when they take on opponents like RSL, who have really good defenses of their own. I'm not claiming to be unbiased, but the Galaxy just seemed to want this one handed to them, and RSL didn't oblige. Sorry guys. They need more depth, and the tactical change by Bruce Arena cost them the third goal. They gave up a combined 5 goals in the first two matches, 3 at home. They need to get solid on defense. Oh, and the go ahead goal? Do you know why Morales came in unmarked? Because David Beckham was too busy bitching at the referee to play soccer. Beckham isn't even the captain. At one point he also tossed the ball away a good 30 yards in frustration, but was not given a yellow card. Sorry Galaxy, you're not really a global brand and you DO actually have to play the games.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Quincy Amarikwa GOLAZO

Okay, so don't tell me I'm too much of an RSL homer here. My goal of the weekend indeed comes from MLS, but from the other side of the Rockies. Late in the Colorado Rapids match against the Columbus Crew, Quincy Amarikwa hit this great strike to seal the win.

Match Thoughts: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Montreal Impact

Montreal's Joshua Gardner and Vancouver's Y.P. Lee. (AP Images)

So this was the first of the MLS games from last weekend that I wanted to check out for a couple of reasons. One, I wanted to see how the Montreal Impact would do in their debut. Two, Vancouver has done a little retooling that should help them challenge for a playoff spot. Unfortunately, the end product wasn't all that great from either side, but it was the first game of the season.

Montreal took the possession in the early going, but really seemed to me to be lacking in some confidence. While it's true that the lineup they put out has lot of MLS experience, most of them haven't played together much. Even the early attempts at goal were week, with Sanna Nyassi rolling a shot right at Joe Cannon in the first minute and Joshua Gardner missing well wide in the the third.

Once Vancouver got a hold of the ball they wasted little time. In the fourth minute they countered and Eric Hassli headed a ball over to Sebastian Le Toux, who took the ball and poked it by Donovan Ricketts to give the 'Caps a 1-0 lead early on. The rest of the first half continued in much the same fashion, with Montreal looking slightly lost and Vancouver posing a more realistic threat, but there were to be no more goals, and the first half ended 1-0.

Vancouver pretty much iced the match early on in the second half. In the 54th minute they put together what to me was the best build up play in the game that resulted in Camilo putting a goal inside the far post to make it 2-0 to the Whitecaps.

Montreal looked a little better in the second half. Their best chance of the match came in the 61st minute when Davy Arnaud put a header on target following a corner kick. He beat Cannon but Y.P. Lee was there to clear it off of the line and preserve the clean sheet. The 'Caps would ultimately go on to win by the 2-0 score.

Vancouver didn't look like world beaters by any stretch, but it really seems like they've improved. I really love the addition of Le Toux up front and Y.P. Lee and Bonjour on the back. If DeMerit can stay healthy, they should go a long way on solidifying the Whitecaps' defense.

For Montreal, it was the first game of their first MLS season. I'm not sure anybody expected all that much, reasonably. Davy Arnaud was the best for them, and Ricketts will be solid in goal. They're gonna need work on the back though, and the service out of the midfield will need to be better to help create goals. However, this should all improve the more these guys play together.

2012 CCL Quarters: Morelia vs. Monterrey

Monterrey's Jesus De Nigris strikes. (Rayados.com)

So this matchup is the only quarterfinal to pit two Mexican Primera sides against each other. Monterrey is the defending CCL champs, meanwhile Morelia has been flying high in the league. I looked for Morelia to do better honestly.

The match started out a little tentative on both sides. The clubs traded possession a bit, but there were no chances carved out until Edison Toloza put Morelia's first shot high in the 17th minute. After that, Morelia seemed to begin to warm to the task.

Their possession became much more steady and they started to hem Monterrey in close to their own penalty area. In the 20th minute Rafael Marquez Lugo rolled a shot on goal, but their best chance came in the 22nd minute. Edgar Lugo took a cross in the area and put a bullet header on target. Jonathan Orozco stuck out his left leg, and the ball barely deflected wide off of his shin. It really should have been 1-0.

Then just a few minutes later, Monterrey struck first against the run of play. In the 28th, Mauricio Romero took down Angel Reyna Martinez just inside the 18, resulting in a penalty kick for Monterrey. Humberto Suazo stepped up and nailed the spot kick to make it 0-1 to Monterrey.

Morelia responded right away to giving up the all important away goal, engineering a couple more quality chances before halftime. Marquez Lugo nearly struck again in the 37th, but Orozco denied him. Unfortunately for Morelia, Suazo added a second for Los Rayados in the 41st, taking a centering pass and slapping it inside the far post to make it 0-2 to Monterrey at the half.

Morelia did their best to climb back into the tie in the second half. Monterrey had surrendered a number of quality set piece chances, but just couldn't convert one. They did get their goal from the run of play in the 60th minute. Joel Huiqui took a gorgeous cross from Edgar Lugo and headed it into the back post to make it 1-2.

Had it stayed like that, Morelia might have felt better about their chances in the return leg. However, disaster struck in stoppage time. Monterrey sent in a shot in the 92nd minute, it was blocked but the ball ended up bouncing around in front of the goal mouth. Finally Abraham Carreno got a foot to it and tapped it in to give Monterrey the 1-3 win.

That will mean Morelia will have to score 3 goals at Monterrey and keep Suazo and company out of the net. I'm not real confident in their chances of accomplishing that.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Ashley Young vs. Tottenham

For my goal of the weekend from this past week, check out Ashley Young's second goal of the day against Spurs on Sunday. United didn't really play well, but got the crucial three points to stay hot on City's tail.

Puddle's 2012 CCL Quarterfinal Preview

I want to point all of the Puddle's readers that are interested in MLS, Mexico Primera Division, and CONCACAF Champions League to an excellent article on FoxSoccer.com about the Mexican sides that will be participating in the last 8 of CCL. Eben Lehman does a great job hashing out the chances of each side. Check out the article HERE.


Also here's my take on the Quarter-Final matchups:


Morelia vs. Monterrey
The defending CCL Champs will probably be the underdog in this one. However, Humberto Suazo's in form return to the club should help bolster Monterrey and give them a better chance to defend their title. However, Morelia has been in great form and I'll give them the edge in this one. Might be tricky with the 2nd leg being at Monterrey though.

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Santos Laguna
The advantage that Santos is going to have here is that they're in midseason form, and are playing pretty well. Seattle is just coming off the end of preseason. Plus the second leg is in Mexico. I look for Seattle to put a up a great fight, but come up short. They must NOT let Santos secure an away goal, that will be a key. If they can come out of the Clink with a clean sheet, they'll have a much better chance. I'll take Santos though.

Toronto FC vs. LA Galaxy
I look for Toronto to be much improved this year, and to sew up their first MLS playoff spot. However, I just don't see them overcoming the Galaxy here. Tough draw for them, especially with the second leg being in LA. I think TFC is leaps and bounds better than before, but the Galaxy are just too good for this matchup.

UNAM Pumas vs. Isidro Metapan
Remember when the Rapids said Metapan were the weakest team in that group? Oops. Metapan could be a sleeper here. Pumas have not been all that great in league play, and were less than stellar at times in the CCL group stage. The winner of this series gets either Morelia or Monterrey, so while I think Metapan will takes this, I think it will ultimately be the winner of Morelia/Monterrey in the final.

Italian Match Thoughts: Juventus vs. Chievo Verona

Cheivo Verona's Michael Bradley (Goal.com)

It could be that more Americans were tuning in to watch Serie A and Chievo Verona this weekend after Michael Bradley's standout performance for the national team against the Azzurri this week. What they would have seen was in my mind pretty much a classic Italian away side performance from the Flying Donkeys.

Juventus took some sharp criticism for perhaps looking tired against AC Milan in their last match, particularly since Milan has been playing in Champions League and Juve isn't playing European football. Antonio Conte seems to have addressed that, because Juve came out with a hot hand in this one.

They nearly got on the board in the second minute. Paolo De Ceglie nearly got the job done as he squeezed a shot off on the Chievo goal, but got a little too fancy with it. This gave Chievo 'keeper Stefano Sorrentino a chance to size it up and turn it away.

De Ceglie got it right in the 18th minute though. Andrea Pirlo sent in one of his patent gorgeous free kicks. It was headed off the post and fell to De Ceglie, who put it in to give Juve the 1-0 lead. It was not without controversy though as replays showed he was offside. Still, the goal stood.

Juve would get one more good chance in the first half. Simone Padoin got a shot on goal in minute 40 that was saved, and the half ended with Juve holding the 1-0 lead.

Late in the second half the Flying Donkeys would make Juve pay for not adding that second goal. They hung in there all match long and just waited for their chance, which came in the 76th minute. Boukary Drame took a shot on goal for Chievo. Leonardo Bonucci tried to clear the ball off the line, but ended up actually helping it into the net to make it 1-1. The goal was awarded to Drame, and is his first Serie A goal. Chievo managed to hold on for the final 14 plus minutes and take a point off of Juve at home.

This could be critical as the result leaves Juve three points behind Milan for the top spot with a game in hand, they'll now have to win that game as the season continues to click towards it's climax. For their part, Milan thrashed Palermo 0-4.

Bundesliga Report: Borussia Dortmund vs. Mainz 05

Dortmund's Shinji Kagawa on the ball. (China Post)

I haven't gotten to watch much Bundesliga action this year. Our cable system only carries Goal TV on the Spanish Tier, so the only ones I get to watch are on ESPN3. Last night I decided to take in the Dortmund vs. Mainz 05 match. Dortmund came into the match unbeaten in their last 17, and winners of all their matches since the winter break.

I was very impressed. Honestly, Dortmund might be the most impressive team I've personally watched outside of Barcelona this year. Not being really familiar with the Bundesliga, I'm not sure what kind of competition Mainz puts up, but Dortmund was really in control for about 98% of the match.

Dortmund came out of the chute with a few good chances in the first ten minutes. Sven Bender sent a shot just off target in the 6th minute, and Lukasz Pizczek had another trickle just wide in the 9th. Mainz was lucky to escape the first ten without damage.

However Dortmund pushed into the lead in the 26th minute. Shinji Kagawa had a shot blocked, but the rebound fell right to Jakub Blaszczykowski, who banged the ball into the goal to make it 1-0 to the Yellow Blacks. That was also the score at half time.

Mainz managed to hang around throughout the second half though. Dortmund created many more chances, but just couldn't break through for the second. Mainz took advantage of that in the 71st minute, as a former Dortmund man came back to haunt his old team. Mohamed Zidan took a pass from Adam Szalai and slotted the ball past the Dortmund 'keeper to make it 1-1. Dortmund would have the last laugh though, as Kagawa slipped the Mainz defense and scored the go ahead goal after a nice centering pass from Pizczek in the 77th. Dortmund held on for the 2-1 win to move a step closer to defending their Bundesliga title.

Andre Villas Boas Sacked by Chelsea

So there was some rejoicing in London today as embattled manager Andre Villas Boas was officially sacked by Chelsea FC. The move comes after a severely disappointing loss away to West Brom yesterday.

Of course, Villas Boas has been under fire for some time. I doubt anyone was seriously bothered by Chelsea's exit from the Carling Cup, but the Blues just barely got out of their Champions League group, and the league form has bordered on terrible all season. Add to that several spats with high profile players such as Frank Lampard, and you have a recipe for disaster.

I really backed AVB for a good portion of the year. I honestly thought Roman would at least give him the season, but after his horrible player choice in the Champions League defeat against Napoli, it seems that it was just a matter of time before he was gone.

As for this Chelsea fan, I say, good riddance. However, while I certainly don't think AVB was the right man for the job, I think the Chelsea players and board need to take some of the blame too, and hopefully get this thing turned around.

FIFA Approves 2 Goal Line Tech Systems For Final Testing..

You might have missed this caught up in all the match action today, but it's potentially a big piece of news. The International Association Football Board (IFAB) today approved two different goal line technologies for final testing. They are hoping if all goes well a system could be in place for the Club World Cup in December and definitely for the next FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

One system by Sony called Hawk-eye is a camera based system that has been used for Cricket and tennis. The other system is called GoalRef, and it employs a magnetic field. GoalRef is owned by a German/Danish company. Both systems would send an electronic signal to the referee within a second of the ball crossing the line. FIFA is adamant that the final call would still rest with the referee.

According to the ESPN Soccernet article, Sepp Blatter has softened his stance on this technology after Frank Lampard's disallowed goal against Germany in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Hopefully one of these systems will work well and can be used. It's a step in the right direction. Competitions would be still allowed to use the 5 referee system employed in the Champions League as well.

In related news, FIFA has also ruled that women playing soccer may wear the hijab headscarf if it is their Islamic belief. They also withdrew a motion to allow a 4th substitute in extra time.

Final approval of the goal line systems could come in early July.

Puddle's Goal of the Midweek: Clint Dempsey vs. Italy

No surprise that Clint Dempsey gets my goal of the midweek. Dempsey becomes only the fourth USA player to score against Italy, and powered the USA to it's first ever win against the Italians with this great finish.

International Friendly: England 2-3 Netherlands

England's Adam Johnson fights for the ball. (AP Images)

Well well, what have we here? Upheaval in the England camp? Who knew? This match was always going to prove a bit of an unknown to England supporters, but in the end, there might still be more questions than answers about the side headed into Euro 2012.

Caretaker manager and former Capello assistant Stuart Pearce threw out the first WTF moment of the proceedings by naming Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker as captain for the match. Odds had heavily favored Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, but Stu had other ideas. I personally was not down with this at all.

However, Parker did a pretty good job all match long, so I guess I can't complain. Stuart also made some other interesting choices, some of which worked out pretty well. In particular he gave starts to the Manchester City duo of Adam Johnson, who I've always liked for a spot in the Three Lions, and Micah Richards. These two combined rather well, and tested the Dutch defense, but the first half at Wembley ended scoreless.

The Netherlands are quite the contrast to England. They have the same coach that took them to the 2010 World Cup final, and 9 of the 11 starters from that final in the starting lineup for this match. In particular, Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben is pretty good, or a lot more than pretty good. He managed to put the Dutch up in the 57th minute, taking the ball off of Daniel Sturridge in the England end, then making Smalling and Cahill look foolish before drilling the ball by Joe Hart to make it 0-1. Just a minute later The Dutch went up 0-2, after Klass-Jan Huntelaar headed in a goal on the next attack. However, he bumped heads with Smalling, and both left the match. Smalling was taken to the hospital.

Credit to England though for trying to salvage something from what should have ended up being a dismal night. They almost waited too late. In the 87th minute, Cahill took a through ball from Leighton Baines and scored to make it 1-2, surprising what bit of the crowd was left in the stadium. Then in the 90th, Ashley Young converted another England through ball, this time from Phil Jones, and equalized at 2-2.

However the Dutch and Arjen Robben would have the last laugh. Robben snatched a goal in stoppage time, that partially deflected off of Gary Cahill, to give the Netherlands the 2-3 win.

So, can we have Harry now? Please?

International Friendly: Italy 0-1 USA

Nocerino (L) and Michael Bradley (R) fight for the ball. (Getty Images)

Yes, I will admit to being skeptical coming into this one. The USA had not beaten the Azzurri in 82 years of trying. Plus, the Italians rarely lose, and often don't concede goals, on their home soil. I honestly thought that if our defense played well, the best result we could probably get would be 0-0 draw. As a fan of Serie A, I know that when you actually get a chance to score on an Italian side, you better take it.

The Italians did stretch and test the USA defense all day. Even though they were without such key players as Manchester City's Mario Balotelli, they still brought in plenty of firepower. In the 5th minute Christian Maggio sent a ball in to Thiago Motta, and Motta squeezed off a close range shot that forced a great save out of Tim Howard. Tim was a wall for the USA.

The USA did have some first half possession, but had a hard time creating good chances, which is the norm for teams against Italy. Maurice Edu missed from distance in the 30th, and Clint Dempsey forced a save from Gigi Buffon in the 38th. The Italians had bossed the run of play, but the two sides were scoreless at half time, which probably suited the Americans just fine.

Italy came out in continued attack in the second half, but it was the Yanks who drew first blood. In the 55th minute Jozy Atlidore took a cross from Fabian Johnson, then did a gorgeous little lay-off to Clint Dempsey. Deuce fired the ball into the back of the net to give the USA a 0-1 lead.

However, there was a lot of time left to go and the Italians were not going to go gently. The final minutes of the match severely tested the USA defense. Chievo Verona's Michael Bradley was a standout for the Americans in the defensive midfield, helping to mop up any mess. Jonathan Spector and Clarence Goodson came up with some key blocks late, and Howard continued to stand tall. The closest Italy would come was late in stoppage time, when Riccardo Montolivo found some space but saw his shot drift just wide. When all was said and done, the USA held on to the 0-1, certainly to go down as one of our most famous results. Hopefully we can keep it up, especially on the defensive end, through World Cup Qualifying.