Soccer Buzz

It’s no fun to lose 4-1 to anyone, but with this Argentina and this young and inexperienced US team, it was always a possibility.

For 60 minutes, there were reasons to be impressed with the Americans. Even though the Argentines had most of the possession, I thought the American defensive organization was fantastic, and the Albiceleste seemed frustrated that they couldn’t find a way to break down the US back line. Individually, Jonathan Bornstein was tremendous defending Lionel Messi as the FC Barcelona starlet did not get a chance to display his skills in the first half.

As to the turning point of the game, there are several theories. First, coach Alfio Basile moved Messi to the left wing to get away from Bornstein and play against Marvell Wynne, who received his first cap Thursday night. Second, Bob Bradley removed Ben Olsen for Eddie Gaven. Almost immediately after the substitution, Gaven gave Messi too much space, setting up Argentina’s second goal of the game and opening the floodgates.

I’m not going to defend the substitution, but as SnowyAruba commented late Thursday night, Argentina’s goal explosion was almost an inevitability regardless of people complaining about tactics, heart, and emotion, etc. This Argentina side is going to score a lot of goals; the hope for the United States was only that they wouldn’t score them in those ninety minutes (seriously, they have Pablo Aimar and Carlos Tevez coming off the bench).

Luckily, things get easier against Colombia and Paraguay.

The U-20 World Cup starts tomorrow for the United States. They have the unfortunate situation of having another loaded Brazil side in their group, but the Americans should advance in a group that also includes Korea and Poland.

Now, to MLS week13

Houston Dynamo at FC Dallas

This should be the match of the week as the top two teams in the West face off with Houston now only three points behind their Texas rivals. Houston has been playing so well as of late, and with Brian Ching returning to the lineup, I think the Dynamo extend their winning streak. HOUSTON 2, FCD 1

New York Red Bulls at Columbus Crew

The Red Bulls had last week off after managing a draw at home against Kansas City while the Crew have won two straight. The week off gave New York may have given time for some injuries to the back line to heal, but there are still questions surrounding the Red Bulls defense which is not a good thing against a Columbus attack that is showing signs of life. Of course, the Columbus defense isn’t much to write home about either. NY 2, CREW 2

New England Revolution at Chivas USA

Chivas USA may have been bombed at Houston last Thursday, but Chivas is much different at home. The weakness for Chivas is their slow central defense, but New England’s front line isn’t particularly fast either. I think Chivas will eek out another one at home. CHIVAS USA 1, REVS 0

Colorado Rapids at Chicago Fire

Colorado just received a beating against DC while the Fire haven’t played well in a long time. However, I think the Fire will respond to Dave Sarachan’s firing and win this one at home. FIRE 2, RAPIDS 1

Toronto FC at Kansas City Wizards

The Wizards are facing a two game losing streak, and their attack with the exception of the 3-3 draw at New York, their attack as been impotent without Eddie Johnson. Plus, Jimmy Conrad is now unavailable as well. Luckily for Kansas City, hosting Toronto seems to be the perfect tonic right now. Toronto has only managed one point on the road, scored a total of two road goals this season, and has a road goal differential of -12. KC 2, TFC 0

US Soccer, Argentina Soccer, Copa America, U-20 World Cup, MLS

A couple bits of news:

Fabio Capello has been sacked by Real Madrid less than 2 weeks after winning the Spanish Primera title. And people wonder why Beckham didn’t want to stay.

DaMarcus Beasley has completed his long rumored move to Rangers. It may not be the glamorous move to a Premiership club, but he will be getting first team soccer, play in the Champions League, and he will learn to play in high pressure situations (i.e. any game against Celtic).

In MLS action, DC United hosts Colorado this evening at RFK Stadium. Both teams have serious injury/international duty concerns. I think DC bounces back after losing to Real Salt Lake last week. DC 2, Colorado 0

Copa America begins tonight for the United States as they face Argentina. The Argentines have brought in essentially their best squad possible, and they are dead serious about winning this tournament for the first time since 1993. Meanwhile, the Americans are bringing a team with many young and/or inexperienced players at the international level. Nobody is expecting much from the United States this evening, and in many ways rightfully so.

This leads to the question of why did Bob Bradley bring such an inexperienced squad. After all, Copa America is more prestigious than the Gold Cup so why didn’t he bring the “A” team with him to Venezuela and have the “B” team play in the Gold Cup?

Well, there are many reasons. First, because the United States is a guest team at Copa America, clubs are under no obligation to release players for the tournament. Even if clubs are willing to release players, do you think, for example, that Fulham would be pleased if Carlos Bocanegra or Clint Dempsey decided to play? For some players, it boiled down to a situation of needing rest and making sure their place in the lineup was secured. Mexico is missing several European-based players at Copa America for the exact same reasons. So basically, Bradley knew all of those players would be available for the Gold Cup, but their availability was in serious doubt for Copa America.

Why even accept an invitation to Copa America knowing all of this? First, the Chicken Littles in US Soccer were out in full force after the US was knocked out of the World Cup in the first round. These people were proposing all sorts of changes to improve the US team, one of which was accepting the invite to Copa America, because by their logic, the American players needed to play against quality opposition in big time environments. Initially the US Soccer Federation was going to decline, but perhaps under pressure from the Chicken Littles (and maybe thinking a foreign head coach would want to play in the tournament), they accepted the invitation.

Of course, none of the logistical problems I mentioned above were considered because people were in full panic mode after the World Cup. So now, these same people are complaining that we didn’t bring our full squad. Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the point of playing in Copa America to get our players experience at this level against the best teams (and Argentina definitely qualifies as such)? Most of our first team players have experience playing in pressure situations against high quality teams, but the players on the Copa America roster do not. Therefore, Bradley is accomplishing the goal of playing in Copa America by bringing this squad.

Some people fear that these players will wilt under the pressure and suffer a major confidence blow. Well, isn’t it better to find all of this out about these players now as opposed to finding out about it during a World Cup qualifier or the World Cup itself? Playing Argentina tonight will be shock therapy for some of the players, but this means that many of these young players will have some kind of experience to fall back on when they are called upon in major games down the road.

Finally, people complain about the lack of prestige in the Gold Cup. Well, the only way this tournament gains prestige is if the top teams in CONCACAF take it seriously, because we can’t rely on the incompetent folks that run the confederation. This is what happened in the final: the top two teams each fielding their best possible squads. And nobody that watched that game can tell me that it really didn’t matter.

So in short, this Copa America controversy is nothing but another example of how American soccer fans always find the need to complain about something.

Fabio Capello, Real Madrid, DaMarcus Beasley, Rangers, DC United, Colorado Rapids, US Soccer, Gold Cup, Copa America

A little late today, but I suppose it’s time to review last week in MLS.

Columbus Crew 2, Kansas City Wizards 1 (My prediction: 3-2 KC)

The Wizards looked out of sorts from the beginning, but they created two very good scoring chances on either side of the half. Both Davy Arnaud and Sasha Victorine missed, and the Crew made them pay with two quick goals from Eddie Gaven and Stefani Miglioranzi. This midweek game would be a sign of things to come for both teams.

Houston Dynamo 4, Chivas USA 0 (My prediction: Houston 2-1)

This was somewhat competitive until Shavar Thomas of Chivas was sent off with Houston leading 2-0. This allowed Brad Davis to complete his hat trick in a true rout.

New England Revolution 3, Toronto FC 0 (My prediction: Revs 2-1)

Toronto continued their poor road form with another stinker. The Revs had their way in midfield as even Brad Laurentowicz was able to provide a nice assist on Pat Noonan’s goal. Of course, the Toronto forwards and defenders weren’t much to write home about either.

FC Dallas 1, Colorado Rapids 0 (My prediction 1-1)

The Rapids had plenty of chances to get on the board as they had several near misses throughout the game. Still, it was Dallas able to convert their chance through Juan Toja, one of the best foreign signings in the league this season.

Real Salt Lake 2, DC United 1 (My prediction DC 2-0)

Well, this was the real shocking result of the week as Salt Lake earned their first win of the season over a DC side that was unbeaten in seven. Robbie Findley scored two goals in his debut for Salt Lake after being traded from Los Angeles (another trade that will blow up in Alexi Lalas’ face?). The questions surrounding DC’s defense could re-surface after this debacle, and their attack, which has looked very potent as of late, was lucky to even get one goal from this game.

Columbus Crew 3, LA Galaxy 2 (My prediction 1-1)

Another good result for the Crew, especially since they played over sixty minutes with ten men after Ezra Hendrickson’s stupid tackle on Chris Klein. The Galaxy didn’t show much life until after Columbus took a two goal lead in the second half, and their comeback attempt was undercut by horrible marking on Alejandro Moreno’s goal off a corner kick after Gavin Glinton got LA back in the game with a great diving header. The Crew moved up two places in the Eastern Conference with two wins this week. Meanwhile, LA is praying that the return of Donovan and the arrival of Beckham and Carlos Pavon will give them any sort of hope this season.

Houston Dynamo 1, Kansas City Wizards 0 (My prediction 2-2)

The Wizards created numerous chances in the first half, and Houston was lucky to enter halftime 0-0. Just like their game against Columbus, the Wizards paid for their profligacy when Patrick Ianni scored his first professional goal to give the Dynamo the victory. The Dynamo are back as they are three points behind first place Dallas in the West with the two clubs meeting this week. Meanwhile, there appears to be issues in Kansas City, and with both Jimmy Conrad and Eddie Johnson called in for Copa America, things aren’t going to get any easier.

This weeks prediction results: 2-5

It just doesn’t seem real.

Thierry Henry has passed a physical yesterday, thus completing his move to Barcelona. He has appeared in front of fans and the media in a Barca shirt, pledging that he will give everything to the club.

But it still doesn’t seem real.

Henry had stated on many occasions how much he loved being at Arsenal, even going as far as to say that he would have signed a lifetime contract with them if offered. It’s not hard to see why. Arsenal offered him a new lease on life after struggling as a youngster at Juventus, he had a long standing relationship with manager Arsene Wenger, and he was adored by the fans. Henry even turned down a chance to join Barca last year after the Catalan club defeated Arsenal in the Champions League final, seemingly solidifying the belief that he would retire a Gunner.

Some things have changed since last year, however. The ouster of David Dein as vice chairman and Director of Football unsettled nearly everyone at the club, especially Wenger. Also, Henry may have simply realized that most of the players from the title winning sides of 2002 and 2004 have left the team, and many of these players were never truly replaced. Finally, from the club’s standpoint, Henry struggled with injuries last season, only appearing in seventeen games. Henry’s greatness cannot be questioned, but the club may fear that he is beginning to wear down. In the end, this is not a story of a player lying to his fans and stabbing them in the back. Henry truly did love Arsenal, but he could not foresee all of the changes that would occur in the future.

Now the question is if/who will Arsenal lineup as a replacement. Carlos Tevez could be available as he wouldn’t have to move far, and his form in the second half of the season for West Ham shows that he can succeed in the Premiership. Ajax striker Ryan Babel has said that he could see himself with Arsenal in the future, but he committed to staying in Amsterdam for at least one more season. Bobby McMahon with Fox Soccer Channel has noted that Fernando Torres of Atletico Madrid is a possible target, especially since Arsenal can offer Jose Antonio Reyes as a part exchange.

Finally, the juiciest rumor is that of Nicolas Anelka. Anelka left Arsenal on probably the worst possible terms. With his sulking and his brothers trying to tear up his Arsenal contract, Anelka drew the ire of essentially everyone associated with the club. He has resurrected his career somewhat, but I just can’t see him being brought back. The scenario seems so far fetched that if he were to return, Arsenal fans, after seeing their hero leave them, would have to believe that Armageddon is upon us. But as we’ve all learned, never say never…

Thierry Henry, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Arsene Wenger, David Bein, Carlos Tevez, Ryan Babel, Fernando Torres, Nicolas Anelka

Thoughts from the US 2-1 win over Mexico in the Gold Cup final.

• Although we all enjoy beating Mexico 2-0, it was nice to see the Americans show that they can come from behind against a good opponent. The timing of Mexico’s goal (just before halftime) had the potential to be a psychological killer, but the US came out of halftime ready to play, producing a flurry of chances in the first five minutes of the second half.

• The United State also showed that they can beat higher quality opponents by playing an attacking. Mexican players and coaches loved to complain that the US only played a counterattacking style and was too afraid to open up their game. This was not the case Sunday as the United States created chances throughout the match. Mexico had the advantage in corner kicks, but Oswaldo Sanchez had a much busier day in goal than Tim Howard as the Mexican keeper made numerous good saves to keep the Americans scoreless for 61 minutes.

• The United States also showed that they could respond to pressure. It was obvious that the USSF’s main goal this summer was to win the Gold Cup to win a spot in the 2009 Confederations Cup. A loss would have resulted in some seriously bruised egos not only from losing to Mexico but also from sending a bunch of youngsters to Copa America with a tremendous amount of pressure to perform. With a Gold Cup victory, these younger players (and Bob Bradley) can relax and focus on playing their best in Venezuela.

• Speaking of pressure, before the game, Landon Donovan (who is fluent in Spanish) ripped the Mexican team in an interview with ESPN Deportes. He said that the US is El Tri’s daddy (what he actually said), and he also called out Oswaldo Sanchez, essentially calling him a jerk. It was fitting that Donovan was the one taking the penalty to tie the game against Sanchez. Sanchez tried every psychological tactic he could muster (trash talking, blowing kisses, dancing around before the penalty), but Donovan walked the walk and buried the PK.

• Bob Bradley showed that he is the man for the job. He was criticized for his late game management earlier in the tournament, but he got everything right yesterday. Putting on Ricardo Clark at the half was a great move as it added offensive talent without unbalancing the midfield. I’m a big fan of Clark, and I hope we see more of him in the future.

• Tim Howard showed that he could make the huge saves when he stopped Bofo Bautista from point blank range in the dying minutes of the game. He wasn’t under constant fire, but he delivered when he had to.

• Can we please finish off teams? Brian Ching, who otherwise had a great game, made a great play to find an open net with the US up 2-1, but his off-balance shot hit the post. Not to be outdone, DaMarcus Beasley somehow missed an open net from six yards out with only a few minutes left when Donovan put the ball on a silver platter for him. Mexico was very lucky to have any chance at all to tie this game.

• Still, the same old tired excuses were being trotted out from the Mexican locker room. Coach Hugo Sanchez, like several previous Mexican managers, claimed that his team “deserved a better result”. This is the excuse after every American victory over Mexico, and if a US victory was a somewhat rare occurrence, I could possibly understand. However, in the last ten meetings between these teams, Mexico has lost seven of them, but Mexican coaches (and often players) would have us believe that this is just luck. Perhaps Mexico should seriously consider the possibility that we might be better than them and figure out what they need to change in order to reverse the trend of American dominance. Maybe if they treat games against the United States the way they treat games against Brazil and Argentina, there’s a chance they would fare better against the us. However, I don’t think Mexican players, fans, coaches, and soccer honchos can break out of what Eric Wynalda called the “permanent state of denial”. Sorry, Mexico, but as Ric Flair says, “to be the man, you gotta beat the man. WOOOOOO!!!!”

• Speaking of Hugo Sanchez, he’s lucky that Copa America is starting so soon after the Gold Cup or else he might be out of a job. This blowhard did nothing but rip former coach Ricardo Lavolpe for not getting results. Now, he’s the one losing the United States, and he doesn’t seem to have a grasp on managing the national team. Of his many tactical mistakes throughout the tournament, though, I’d have to say his worst was wearing a hot pink polo shirt under a black jacket. Seriously, that was ridiculous.

• One more thing… Benny Feilhaber’s game winner…WOW

Que golazo!!!

Well, the US did eliminate Canada last night in a way too close for comfort win.

Let’s just cut right to the controversial last minute offside against Canada that disallowed an Atiba Hutchinson goal that would have tied the game. When it first happened, I thought Canada was the victim of highway robbery. The second time I saw the play, it was closer than I initially believed but still onside. Then, an astute poster at Big Soccer posted this video from ESPN Deportes that sheds a different light on the subject.

Perhaps the assistant referee wasn’t flagging for Hutchinson; perhaps he was flagging De Rosario. The ball seems like it was intended for De Rosario, and Onyewu may have decided to cut out the pass to an open De Rosario, which of course landed right in the path of Hutchinson. If this is true, it throws the matter into the dreaded gray area as De Rosario could have been adjudged as taking advantage of an offside position.

Was Canada unlucky not to have equalized? Yes, but they were also lucky to have been in that situation in the first place as the United States, as they did against Guatemala and Panama, were in a position to decisively crush their opponent, only to let them off the mat. Honestly, I don’t know what happened to Donovan early in the second half when he completely whiffed with an open net in front of him.

Anyway, the United States will face arch rivals Mexico in the final on Sunday. I really don’t know how to read this Mexican team. Usually they enter matches against the United States with overconfident in their abilities, and when the US proves it is no pushover, the Mexicans turn to anger, losing their focus entirely. This time, however, they have been playing so poorly that El Tri may be forced to pay the Americans some respect before kickoff (but I wouldn’t bet any substantial amount of money on that). For the United States, maybe playing Mexico will be just the tonic they need cure their finishing woes.

US Soccer, Canada Soccer, Mexico Soccer, Gold Cup

I’ll quickly run down this weekend’s games in MLS before posting about the Gold Cup

Toronto FC at New England Revolution

New England is still without Ralston, Twellman, and Parkhurst.  Still with Toronto playing like a totally different team away from BMO, I think New England breaks out of a three game winless streak.

REVS 2, TFC 1

FC Dallas at Colorado Rapids

Dallas is coming off an indifferent week after needing a 93rd minute goal to beat Salt Lake and then getting pounded 4-0 by Toronto.  Colorado, meanwhile, has lost three straight.  With the game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, I think this is a recipe for a draw.

FCD 1, Rapids 1

DC United at Real Salt Lake

A resurgent DC United side against winless Real Salt Lake.  Does this require any analysis at all?

DCU 2, RSL 0

Columbus Crew at LA Galaxy

Two slumping teams received some reason to believe in their previous games.  Columbus knocked off Kansas City 2-1 on Wednesday, and LA beat RSL 3-2 (sure, it’s only RSL, but LA needed anything to cling to).  The Crew are the better team, but I think Alexi Lalas’ trading spree (acquiring Edson Buddle and Chris Klein) might temporarily scare some of the underachieving Galaxy players straight.

CREW 1, LA 1

Houston Dynamo at Kansas City Wizards

Houston seems to be back, especially after destroying Chivas last night.  For the Wizards, the question is whether their 2-1 loss to Columbus is a blip on the radar or the start of a trend.  Since I’m not quite sure, I will hedge and call this a draw.

Dynamo 2, Wizards 2

Yes, there is some MLS news out there like Dave Sarachan getting fired in Chicago (which happened to make the Sky Sports News ticker) or Chris Klein traded to LA. There are also rumors of Sven-Goran Eriksson returning to England to manage Manchester City. However, I’d rather discuss tonight’s Gold Cup semi-final. I could go on about how the United States has looked excellent with the exception of finishing, but I’d rather discuss the opponent for the Americans

Hello, Canada. I admit that I really don’t have anything against you or your soccer team. In fact, I really like your country. However, because our soccer teams are meeting each other tonight, I’m obligated to hate you for the next 24 hours. It’s nothing personal, just business.

And I won’t make all of the typical jokes about monopoly money, Don Cherry’s fashion sense, or how Tim Horton’s is a couple steps away from taking over the entire country. Still, I hope we can kick the back bacon stink of your soccer team out of the Gold Cup tonight (okay, I made one typical joke). I may actually say some things in the heat of the moment that are pretty mean and over the top. I’ll ask for forgiveness, and since you Canadians are so nice (and I mean that sincerely), you’ll probably accept my apology.

So for now, I offer these final words to you, Canada. Enjoy

In case you didn’t know, this video is from one of the greatest episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 ever. If you get the chance, get a copy of episode 910, The Final Sacrifice, and watch it. And if the video offended you in any way, do as the MST3K theme song says: “Just repeat to yourself ‘It’s just a show. I should really just relax’.”

US Soccer, Canadian Soccer, Gold Cup

Kansas City Wizards at Columbus Crew (Tonight)

The Wizards had hoped they would enter this game on top of the league after only ten games, and it seemed like that would be the case late in Saturday’s game against New York at the Meadowlands. Kansas City fell behind 2-0 early on goals from Juan Pablo Angel and Clint Mathis, and only Kevin Hartman’s point blank save on Dave van den Bergh kept it from being a bigger deficit. However, KC came storming back, controlling the play and coming all the way back to take a 3-2 lead thanks to two second half goals from substitute Yura Movsisyan. Then, in the 89th minute, controversy struck when referee Abi Okulaja awarded a penalty to the Red Bulls, and Angel tied the game with his second of the night. The Wizards were clearly annoyed with the call, especially since it is the third penalty called against them in their last two games at the Meadowlands. As for the legitimacy of the call, I’ll let you decide. (around 2:20. Note that clips are taken from the local New York area broadcast)

A Wizards win not only would have put them top of the league, but it was a four point swing between the two top teams in the East. Moreover, it would have given the Wizards the end of season tiebreaker over their main eastern rivals.

Tonight, the Wizards have to find a way to put all of that behind them as they travel to Columbus. The Crew are coming off a 3-3 draw against New England, a good result for Columbus, but it extended their winless streak to seven games. They will face a Wizards defense that has allowed 8 goals in its last three games (two of them penalties), but the Crew’s defense is struggling as well, especially with international call ups and injuries. I think KC coach Curt Onalfo will be able to get his team to forget the rough end to last Saturday’s game with the Wizards winning in another high scoring affair. KC 3, CREW 2

Chivas USA at Houston Dynamo

After a slow start, Houston has started to pull things together as of late and are currently doing it without Dwayne De Rosario, Pat Onstad, Brian Ching and Ricardo Clark. The Dynamo are on a three game winning streak with Joseph Ngwenya scoring in all three games after being traded from Columbus. Chivas has also been playing well as of late as they have climbed into the top half of the league. However, Chivas hasn’t fared as well on the road so I think home field advantage wins out in this one. HOUSTON 2, CHIVAS 1

MLS, Kansas City Wizards, Columbus Crew, Houston Dynamo, Chivas USA

I said I would talk about the Kansas City/New York game over the weekend today. Okay, I lied, but I will talk about it tomorrow when I preview the Kansas City at Columbus midweek match.

I’ve come across a couple of interesting articles that I’d thought I’d share. Last week, a reader (I have readers?) from Manchester in the UK noted that many in Britain and Europe hope that the game succeeds over here. Coincidentally, Steven Wells of the Guardian (a newspaper that absolutely loves to poke fun/insult the United States) had a blog entry about English views towards Americans playing “their game”, and that perhaps we Yanks know a bit more about this game than the rest of the world believes. I can also assure you that despite the stereotype, most American fans of the game don’t want to see radical changes to the rules similar to the NASL (and many of those ideas came from the Brits).  Americans playing association football is really nothing to fear, unless you fear competition.

Slate had an article about the constant change in the US National Team uniform design/color. Sure, every country’s kits change over time, but you know that Italy will be wearing blue, Mexico in green, England and Germany will wear the white, etc. The United States in the last 15 years has featured red, white, blue, stripes, no stripes, and last but not least, this weird design that looked like denim with a bunch of stars all over the place, as seen in the picture of Marcello Balboa in all of his mullet glory.

The issue has affected fans, particularly those in Sam’s Army. In the late 90s through 2001, the United States would wear red, so Sam’s Army (which really doesn’t have any sort of centralized leadership) encouraged fans to wear red if they wished to stand in that section. Then Nike/USSF decides to switch to blue in 2002, thus screwing all of us over although red remained the color of choice for the fans. Still, I’m no longer sure what to wear nowadays.

Well, where to start?

Real Madrid managed to take care of business against Mallorca to win the La Liga championship. Around the second half of the Madrid/Mallorca and the Barca/Gimnastic de Tarragona games, Barcelona supporters must have sensed that their club would take over first place on the final weekend as their team led 4-0 while Madrid was trailing 1-0. However, two goals from Jose Antonio Reyes sandwiched around a Mallorca own goal gave Los Galacticos their first Spanish league title in four years and let David Beckham leave Spain as a champion before joining the LA Galaxy. Also, it is good to see that Barcelona did not become champions after Lionel Messi’s handball goal against Espanyol a week ago (apparently, Messi needed to recreate both of Maradona’s goals against England in 1986.)

The United States managed to beat Panama 2-1 in a game that probably should have been a bigger victory for the US. The Americans once again could not finish some excellent scoring opportunities, including Clint Dempsey missing a chance while trying to showboat late in the game. Dempsey’s antics made the game interesting in the end with Blas Perez grabbing a goal for Panama a few minutes later. To be fair to Panama, Tim Howard had to come up with a big save against Perez early in the second half to keep the score at 0-0.

Of course, Panama should have finished the game with only 8 men on the field when the referee failed to send off Felipe Baloy for intentionally handling a through ball in the first half, and then didn’t send off Carlos Rivera for bringing down Landon Donovan when Donovan was through on goal. Manual Torres did eventually get sent off for dissent. The Panamanians complained about referee Neil Brizan, but he was awful for both teams, which is par for the course in CONCACAF.

And now for the MLS wrap up. I did fairly well on my predictions until Sunday when I completely missed both games.

FC Dallas 1, Real Salt Lake 0 (My prediction: FCD 2 RSL 1)

Nothing much to see in this game. Dominic Oduro scores in the 93rd minute to add some kind of excitement to this one.

Columbus Crew 3, New England Revolution 3 (My prediction: 2-2)

Exciting game with plenty of goals. Columbus coach Sigi Schmid made some changes to shake up the squad and they did produce some goals thanks to another good game from Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Both teams have defensive issues, especially New England without Michael Parkhurst

DC United 3, Chicago Fire 1 (My prediction DC 3-0)

United have started to play like they are capable, but the Fire are in total shambles at every single position. Goalkeeping, defending, midfield, forwards, you name it; Chicago has problems with. The Fire faithful are ready to form a lynch mob against Dave Sarachan and GM John Guppy, and right now, it’s hard to blame them.

New York Red Bulls 3, Kansas City Wizards 3 (My prediction NY 2-1)

It set up as the game of the week, and it delivered. I’ll talk more about this one tomorrow as there is much to discuss, but this game was not only entertaining from a dramatic standpoint, but the level of play was extremely high. It was also good to see a good crowd at the Meadowlands.

Chivas USA 2, Colorado Rapids 0 (My prediction Chivas 2-1)

Chivas continues to play well at home, and they are quietly putting together a decent season. Brad Guzan looked really good in goal for Chivas, and he should have a bright future with the US national team as well. Meanwhile, Colorado continues to struggle away from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (insert whatever joke you like).

Toronto FC 4, FC Dallas 0 (My prediction 1-1)

Big whiff on my part. Toronto continues to play well north of the border, but unlike their last two games at home, they were able to totally smash their opponent. Two pieces of bad news for Toronto, however. First, Danny Dichio had to leave the game for x-rays, and second, they have to go on the road for six consecutive games. Meanwhile, Dallas has shown that they are capable of some excellent play, but they struggle with inconsistency. I also realize they were injury-riddled and fatigued on Sunday, but I’d still take the East’s top three teams (New York, Kansas City, and New England) over Dallas.

Los Angeles Galaxy 3, Real Salt Lake 2 (My prediction 1-1)

Not a bad effort from the Galaxy, albeit against another cellar dweller. Perhaps the Galaxy can still put together a decent season. They have just signed Honduran forward Carlos Pavon, and he could be the box forward that the Galaxy need. Plus, they are waiting for the return of Landon Donovan (who will also play in Copa America), and they are waiting for some English guy to arrive next month. Salt Lake, on the other hand, continues to look for its first win. What a mess they have on their hands.

This weeks prediction record 4-3.

Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, US Soccer, MLS

The United States plays Panama tomorrow in the Gold Cup quarterfinals. However, I’d rather point out that June 17 is the anniversary of two memorable World Cup games for the United States.

The United States drew Italy June 17th last year 1-1 in a wild match that seemed to feature everything. What an incredible range of emotions I felt during this game. Disappointment when Gilardino scored after US had the better of the play in the opening 20 minutes. Elation when the US equalized 5 minutes later off a Christian Zaccardo own goal. Excitement mixed with rage when De Rossi was sent off for a blatant elbow on Brian McBride. Rage and fear when referee Jorge Lorrionda decided that the Italians couldn’t dare play a man down against the Americans when he sent off Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope on both sides of halftime.

Then came the 65th minute when DaMarcus Beasley appeared to give the US the lead, but the goal was disallowed for offside. This video of American fans at the game in Kaiserslautern seems to reflect how we all reacted at that point.

Still, we were pleased to hold on for a 1-1 draw playing with nine men for nearly 45 minutes (we even created good scoring chances with nine men). Of course, five days later, our World Cup came to an end.June 17, 2002, however, was one of the greatest days in US soccer history. The United States fortuitously advanced to the second round of the tournament despite losing 3-1 to Poland in the final group stage game. I, like most American fans, were just happy to advance…until I realized that our second round opponent would be Mexico. For those of you who aren’t aware, US/Mexico is an intense rivalry with plenty of animosity on both sides.

Unlike the Italy game last year, there was no emotional roller coaster in this one. It was just sheer ecstasy for ninety minutes. Mexico may have had more of the possession, but it was obvious the United States was calling the shots. Mexico was so desperate to shake things up that Mexican manager Javier Aguirre threw on over the hill forward Luis Hernandez in the first half. Hernandez’s most memorable moment was a comical dive after Landon Donovan put the US up 2-0 in the second half. The referee wasn’t impressed by Hernandez’s acting skills, and “El Matador” (or is it El Flop-ador) was booked for diving.

What an unbelievable day! Advancing to the quarterfinals of the World Cup was the ultimate reward for being an American soccer fan. I don’t think I’ll ever forget how I felt in the early morning hours of June 17, 2002.

US Soccer, World Cup 2006, World Cup 2002

In trade news, the LA Galaxy sent defender Tyrone Marshall to Toronto for forward Edson Buddle.

While Jim Brennan is doing a an admirable job playing in the middle of the Toronto backline, head coach Mo Johnston would obviously prefer to have a natural center back to pair with Andy Boyens. The problem, however, is that Marshall’s play this season has been sub-par. Plus, he will be suspended for three games after breaking Kenny Cooper’s leg. Finally, Abel Xavier’s arrival in made Marshall expendable in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles is in desperate need for forwards. So desperate that they are willing to take a flier on Edson Buddle. Perhaps playing with Landon Donovan and David Beckham can help Buddle regain his form of 2004 when he had 11 goals for the Crew in 24 games. If his play doesn’t improve, he will join Kyle Martino, Santino Quaranta, and Nate Jaqua in the Galaxy’s group of players with unfulfilled potential.

Okay, on to this week’s games:

FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake (Tonight 8 PM CT ESPN2)
Salt Lake has been playing better as of late (at least they are picking up a point here and there), and Kenny Cooper’s broken tibia will be problematic for Dallas in the coming months. Dallas has been inconsistent this season, but it is hard for me to predict Salt Lake getting a result from this one. FCD 2, RSL 1

Columbus Crew at New England Revolution
Guillermo Barros Schelotto has played well since arriving in Columbus. Unfortunately for the Crew, it has not translated into victories. The good news for Columbus is that the Revs are missing Taylor Twellman, Steve Ralston, and Michael Parkhurst, all of whom are with the national team. I really question the Revolution’s 3 man back line without Parkhurst in the middle so I think the Crew can eek out a couple of goals. Crew 2, Revs 2

Chicago Fire at DC United
This one features two teams heading in opposite directions. The Fire have only won once since the beginning of May, and with Justin Mapp, Chris Rolfe, and Ivan Guerrero missing for various reasons, this Fire team really doesn’t have much offensive punch. DC United, on the other hand, is undefeated in their last six games, and while several of those games were against mediocre competition, it’s safe to say they have snapped out of their early season doldrums. DC 3, Chicago 0

Kansas City Wizards at New York Red Bulls
This has to be the game of the week with the league’s top two teams meeting at the Meadowlands. Two weeks ago, Eddie Johnson smoked a makeshift Red Bulls defense for a second half hat trick in Kansas City. Unfortunately for the Wizards, EJ is with the national team. KC will at least have underrated forward Scott Sealy back in the lineup for this one to pick up some of the slack. New York picked up some good news as defenders Todd Dunivant and Jeff Parke should be available to help shore up their back line. The Red Bulls should win this one and that’s what I’ll predict. However, I wouldn’t be shocked if KC grabs a result either (yes, I’m hedging). NY 2, KC 1.

Colorado Rapids at Chivas USA
The Amado Guevara saga was supposed to wreck this Chivas team, but they have started to pull it together since Guevara left the team. Without a true playmaker, Chivas has been manufacturing wins in the past two weeks. Grinding it out without a singular creative genius on the field may not sound like the hallmarks of a team managed by Preki, but it has been getting the job done. Meanwhile, the Rapids have lost two straight. Chivas 2, Colorado 1.

FC Dallas at Toronto FC (Sunday)
This should be a tough one for Dallas. Toronto is a tough team at BMO, and Dallas will be playing on short rest. I expect Toronto to come out flying in front of the home crowd, but can they avoid the emotional collapse in the second half that they have suffered in previous home games? I think Dallas has the kind of midfield that can keep this game under control and will allow them to get out of Canada with a point. FCD 1, TFC 1

Real Salt Lake at LA Galaxy (Sunday)
Yikes! Kansas City against New York pits the top two teams this week, and this match features perhaps the bottom two. Salt Lake is in better shape right now, but I don’t think they will be able to pull off a win on the road after playing tonight. RSL 1, LA 1.

Tyrone Marshall, Edson Buddle, MLS, LA Galaxy, Toronto FC

It was nice to see the United States put a team away in the Gold Cup with a tidy little 4-0 victory over El Salvador. Yesterday I noted that DaMarcus Beasley may not play against El Salvador in order to finalize a move to Rangers.

Oops.

Not only did he play, he bagged two goals. Sure, he had chances to make it a hat trick, particularly one shot in the first half that he sent into orbit, but I’m not going to complain about an American scoring a brace.

The strange thing about this victory is that it could set up an inconceivable quarterfinal match against Mexico. Should Mexico lose to Panama tonight (or possibly draw depending on the scoreline), Mexico would be the final team to qualify for the quarterfinals, meaning they would play against the top team in group play, which would be the United States. Everyone expected that the two teams would renew their rivalry for the final on June 24th in Chicago, but not in the quarters. The US did their job, can Mexico do their part?

Sam’s Army was chanting “We Want Mexico!” last night, but right now, I don’t want any part of El Tri. I’d rather face Mexico when they are fat, happy, and convinced they are kings of CONCACAF. They may actually play like they have something to prove against us if we face them next round, but should they snap out of their poor play in the Gold Cup and face the United States sometime later in the tournament, they will more likely approach the game like they have approached so many games that have ended in a 2-0 victory for the United States.

Gold Cup, US Soccer, DaMarcus Beasley, Mexican Soccer

The US faces El Salvador tonight in the Gold Cup. The Americans have already qualified for the quarterfinals, and a draw guarantees that they will win their group. I’d expect Bob Bradley to let some first team guys sit this game out, especially Carlos Bocanegra and Frankie Hejduk who are sitting on yellow cards from the game against Guatemala.

Another player that may sit this one out is DaMarcus Beasley. The Scottish paper Daily Record is reporting that Glasgow Rangers have agreed to a transfer fee with PSV Eindhoven for the left winger, and Beasley would like time off to discuss personal terms. While Beasley wanted to catch on with Manchester City, this wouldn’t be a bad move for him. He would get to play in Europe, and if there’s a league that will force you to become accustomed to physical play, Scotland is it.

Despite Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon shooting his mouth off (again), David Beckham says he fully plans to head to Los Angeles to play for the Galaxy at the end of the month. No real shocker there, in my opinion. Beckham was seemingly never appreciated by the front office, multiple coaching staffs, and the fans at the Bernabeu until he has become one of the driving forces in Real’s resurgence this season. He knows that if he leaves now, he would be departing as a hero in Madrid. Why stick around long enough for public opinion to turn on him again?

In other transfer news, Thierry Henry and his agent have denied that the Arsenal captain has agreed to personal terms with Barcelona. I doubt this saga is over, but at least this is good news for Arsenal for the time being. Some might argue that Arsenal should sell Henry while he can still fetch a hefty transfer fee. I’m not so sure I agree with that logic. Henry may be getting older, but after watching Arsenal’s form drop significantly after his injury early in 2007, one can’t deny the impact he still has on the club. I’d hope that if Henry does leave, Arsenal will look to find an immediate replacement for him, unlike the inability to replace Patrick Viera’s presence in midfield when he was sold to Juventus.

Gold Cup, US Soccer, DaMarcus Beasley, Rangers, David Beckham, Los Angeles Galaxy, Real Madrid, Thierry Henry, Arsenal, FC Barcelona