soccer

bdure_usat: I'll be painting tomorrow if you want to come over and watch it dry. RT @GrantWahl: Yanks-Phills pushing 4 hours.

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:38:13 -0800

bdure_usat: I'll be painting tomorrow if you want to come over and watch it dry. RT @GrantWahl: Yanks-Phills pushing 4 hours.

Lyon, Arsenal advance; Liverpool, Barcelona in trouble

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:20:41 -0800

Lisandro Lopez scored a last-minute equalizer to give Lyon a 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Wednesday and a place in the knockout ...

bdure_usat: OK, Liverpool, make me a liar! Nice goal. RT @bdure_usat: Second straight Champions League game going to 0-0

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:26:49 -0800

bdure_usat: OK, Liverpool, make me a liar! Nice goal. RT @bdure_usat: Second straight Champions League game going to 0-0

bdure_usat: Second straight Champions League game going to 0-0 -- when will Michel Platini change the format so teams will score??!!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:26:10 -0800

bdure_usat: Second straight Champions League game going to 0-0 -- when will Michel Platini change the format so teams will score??!!

bdure_usat: RT @avfccentral: @bdure_usat spector's on already for ilunga

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:08:03 -0800

bdure_usat: RT @avfccentral: @bdure_usat spector's on already for ilunga

bdure_usat: Jonathan Spector dropped to bench for West Ham against Aston Villa (Brad Friedel) today. Everyone ready to panic, or is that OK?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:57:14 -0800

bdure_usat: Jonathan Spector dropped to bench for West Ham against Aston Villa (Brad Friedel) today. Everyone ready to panic, or is that OK?

bdure_usat: Rubin Kazan 0, Barcelona 0 -- the Russian club now owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Spanish giant.

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:23:27 -0800

bdure_usat: Rubin Kazan 0, Barcelona 0 -- the Russian club now owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Spanish giant.

bdure_usat: Reminder that Rubin Kazan and Barcelona are on FSC right now, and the outcome is very much in doubt.

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:39:15 -0800

bdure_usat: Reminder that Rubin Kazan and Barcelona are on FSC right now, and the outcome is very much in doubt.

bdure_usat: #MLS awards: Zach Thornton GK of the year, Steve Ralston and Chicago Fire win fair play.

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:06:52 -0800

bdure_usat: #MLS awards: Zach Thornton GK of the year, Steve Ralston and Chicago Fire win fair play.

bdure_usat: USA in good company. RT @kkfla737: Colombia shocks Argentina, knocking them out of the U-17s!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:57:26 -0800

bdure_usat: USA in good company. RT @kkfla737: Colombia shocks Argentina, knocking them out of the U-17s!

bdure_usat: RT @ussoccer: Italy 2, U-17 #USMNT 1. The U-17 WC Nigeria ends for the U.S.A. with a loss to a European team for the third-straight tourney

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:56:18 -0800

bdure_usat: RT @ussoccer: Italy 2, U-17 #USMNT 1. The U-17 WC Nigeria ends for the U.S.A. with a loss to a European team for the third-straight tourney

bdure_usat: Don't see THAT call often. RT @ussoccer: Italy keeper holds the ball too long and the U.S. will get indirect kick just inside top of the 18

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:08:31 -0800

bdure_usat: Don't see THAT call often. RT @ussoccer: Italy keeper holds the ball too long and the U.S. will get indirect kick just inside top of the 18

bdure_usat: RT @kylejmccarthy: Gonzalo Segares ruled out of second leg after reinjuring his left knee during substitute appearance in Sunday's 2-1 loss

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:05:37 -0800

bdure_usat: RT @kylejmccarthy: Gonzalo Segares ruled out of second leg after reinjuring his left knee during substitute appearance in Sunday's 2-1 loss

bdure_usat: USA-Italy, U-17 round of 16, 10 a.m. ET, ESPN360.com. In other words, for most of us, Twitter.

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:35:00 -0800

bdure_usat: USA-Italy, U-17 round of 16, 10 a.m. ET, ESPN360.com. In other words, for most of us, Twitter.

bdure_usat: Anyone else miss colorful goalkeeper jerseys? http://tinyurl.com/ygwkzrz

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:04:16 -0800

bdure_usat: Anyone else miss colorful goalkeeper jerseys? http://tinyurl.com/ygwkzrz

MLS playoffs offer no comfort for higher seeds

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:02:07 -0800

Maybe Major League Soccer is lacking dominant teams. Maybe the top teams are cautious away from home.

bdure_usat: Nah -- gotta go with @dunord RT @AreYouOnTheBall: Compile ur tweets&call it a twog?hm maybe rework the name a bit :)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:38:45 -0800

bdure_usat: Nah -- gotta go with @dunord RT @AreYouOnTheBall: Compile ur tweets&call it a twog?hm maybe rework the name a bit :)

bdure_usat: Please nominate me for best Twitt ... what? .... not a category? RT @ussoccer Best of USSoccer Awards are back for 2009 http://bit.ly/3kRLgA

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:27:57 -0800

bdure_usat: Please nominate me for best Twitt ... what? .... not a category? RT @ussoccer Best of USSoccer Awards are back for 2009 http://bit.ly/3kRLgA

Four teams clinch knockout berths in Champions League

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:26:41 -0800

Manchester United got two late goals against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday to clinch a spot in the Champions League knockout round along ...

bdure_usat: UEFA Champions League uses head-to-head tiebreakers. That's for those of you who think it's some #MLS novelty.

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:09:19 -0800

bdure_usat: UEFA Champions League uses head-to-head tiebreakers. That's for those of you who think it's some #MLS novelty.

bdure_usat: Couple of huge saves for Dida -- glad my local FSN is offering up this game.

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:33:36 -0800

bdure_usat: Couple of huge saves for Dida -- glad my local FSN is offering up this game.

bdure_usat: If your local FSN affiliate picks it up, you'll get Milan-Real Madrid in a few minutes.

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:27:33 -0800

bdure_usat: If your local FSN affiliate picks it up, you'll get Milan-Real Madrid in a few minutes.

Soehn leaves D.C. United after three seasons as head coach

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:07:39 -0800

D.C. United says Tom Soehn has withdrawn from consideration to stay on as the team's coach after three seasons.

bdure_usat: One-year leagues: NISL, XSL, PSA, XFL ... any more?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:06:11 -0800

bdure_usat: One-year leagues: NISL, XSL, PSA, XFL ... any more?

Beckham will split another year between MLS and Milan

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:11:45 -0800

David Beckham will return to AC Milan on loan in January after the Italian club reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Galaxy ...

Fox Soccer Channel leaps in first year of TV ratings

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:30:00 -0800

After a year as a Nielsen-rated channel, Fox Soccer Channel isn't quite challenging Monday Night Football in the cable ratings but can point to impressive growth across the board -- doubling or tripling its ratings from fall 2008 for most programming.

Here's the most impressive part: The ratings gain can NOT be explained by an upsurge in cable and satellite companies adding the channel, says FSC executive VP and GM David Sternberg.

"Our total audience increased a little over 1%," Sternberg says. The channel is available in just under 35 million households. Quick comparison: ESPN was at 98 million households a year ago; broadcast networks were at 114 million.

A few comparisons of average viewers from this time last year (Sept. 29-Oct. 26, 2008) to this year (Sept. 28-Oct. 25), according to an FSC release:

- Premier League live/first-run: 84,000 / 142,000
- Super Sunday +: 21,000 / 74,000
- Major League Soccer: 27,000 / 51,000
- Serie A live/first-run: 33,000 / 49,000
- Fox Soccer Report, 10 p.m. ET: 12,000 / 29,000
- Fox Soccer Report, 1 a.m. ET: 8,000 / 13,000
- Fox Football Fone-In: 12,000 / 25,000
- Sky Sports News, noon ET: 3,000 / 21,000
- Sky Sports News, 7 p.m. ET: 8,000 / 36,000

The Premier League, not surprisingly, is the star property. Six of FSC's top 10 broadcasts in 13 months of Nielsen data have been Premier League broadcasts this fall, led by Chelsea-Tottenham with 296,000. The No. 1 broadcast was the USA-Mexico Gold Cup final this summer (369,000).

The other three of the top 10 were also English -- a February game between Liverpool and Chelsea, the FA Cup semifinal with Everton and Manchester United in April, and the Community Shield in August.

If you're wondering about Champions League, which FSC started carrying to much fanfare this fall, wait until the end of the group stage. In any case, there's no comparison with fall 2008, when ESPN still carried the league.

Also not mentioned are some of the smaller U.S. leagues FSC carries -- USL, college soccer and WPS this summer. Sternberg was pleased with the first season of WPS but says FSC has a secondary motive on those leagues.

"Beyond the ratings, it's important for us to be seen as having that commitment to all levels of soccer in the United States," he says.

Sternberg pointed to a couple of factors to the MLS improvement. First, FSC has more time slots with no competition from local broadcasts. Second, FSC has been leading into MLS games from live international soccer.

"Sequencing our schedule on a Saturday from Premier League to Serie A to MLS is definitely a good one for us," Sternberg says.

MLS has nudged past Serie A but still trails the Premier League by a wide margin. That's a clear sign that FSC has a different audience than ESPN, where unofficial numbers for the Premier League show an average of 257,000, trailing MLS ratings at 290,000 (if David Beckham and the Galaxy are playing, 419,000.)

FSC has put some effort into the news and discussion programs. Sternberg points to a new set, cleaner presentation and emphasis on popular pundit Bobby McMahon on Fox Soccer Report. On Fox Football Fone-In, Sternberg is happy with the addition of Hall of Famer Eric Wynalda.

"He's been a good addition to our team," Sternberg says. "He's opened up a lot more discussion of soccer in the U.S. -- MLS and youth levels. He's a good source of debate and always manages to get things going on the program."

Will the rising numbers sway cable and satellite companies that haven't added FSC?

Sternberg: "I hope so. I think it will open people's eyes in the cable and satellite industry to the popularity of this programming. These are meaningful audience numbers. When you can draw 282,000 people at 10 a.m. ET on a Sunday to watch Liverpool-Manchester United, you're a meaningful player in the multichannel universe."

Chivas rallies to tie Galaxy in playoff series opener

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:46:10 -0800

Maykel Galindo scored in the 50th minute and Chivas USA rallied to tie the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-2 on Sunday in the first game ...

Revolution beat Fire in Game 1 of Eastern Conference semis

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:41:30 -0800

Shalrie Joseph scored in the 75th minute to lift the New England Revolution to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire on Sunday ...

Salt Lake blanks defending MLS Cup champion Crew

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:07:01 -0700

Robbie Findley scored in the 88th minute to give Real Salt Lake a 1-0 win over the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew on ...

Sounders rail against ref after keepers keep playoff scoreless

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:43:56 -0700

Sounders part owner Drew Carey wasn't cracking jokes. He was spewing anger in an elevator.

U.S. women win 1-0 in Germany on Wambach goal

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:50:12 -0700

Abby Wambach scored for the United States to beat world champion Germany 1-0 in Thursday's friendly.

MLS playoffs have expansion team, L.A. rivalry, Beckham

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:49:14 -0700

From soccer-mad Seattle to England's global soccer celebrity, this year's Major League Soccer playoffs have a few things not ...

U.S. women get World Cup test two years early

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:38:34 -0700

This week, women's soccer has a matchup any sports promoter would love to make: No. 1 vs. No. 2.

Toronto coach Cummins loses job after missing playoffs

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:49:11 -0700

Toronto FC has dismissed interim coach Chris Cummins after the team missed the playoffs and finished with a losing record.

Hull manager calls Altidore's tardiness, tweet 'unacceptable'

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:30:20 -0700

Hull fined U.S. striker Jozy Altidore on Monday for tweeting an apology after he was left off the squad against Portsmouth because ...

America beats Chivas, boosts hopes of reaching playoffs

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:21:59 -0700

Colombian defender Aquivaldo Mosquera scored in the third minute Sunday as America edged archrival Chivas 1-0 in the Mexican ...

As it happens: MLS' big day

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:03:00 -0700

Six teams, two playoff berths. We'll keep the standings atop the post and update them with final results. Standings include opponent, goal difference (for/against), and tiebreakers. All times ET

Asterisk - played final game.

*40 Salt Lake: +8 (43/35), advanced
--
*40 Colorado: +4 (42/38), advances if NE loses
39 New England: -5 (32/37), advances with tie or win (plays Sunday)
--
*40 D.C. United: -1 (43/44), eliminated
*39 Toronto: eliminated
*39 Dallas: eliminated

Here's why:

NE wins: In the current three-way tie, Salt Lake (2-2-1) has a better head-to-head record than Colorado (2-2-1) and D.C. United (1-2-1). So if the current three tied teams get only one spot, then Salt Lake takes it.

NE draws: In the case of a four-way tie at 40, then we look at head-to-head among the four tied teams. Salt Lake wins that tiebreaker with 1.57 points per game (3-2-2), ahead of New England's 1.5 (2-1-3). Then it resets to three teams, and New England (1-0-3) beats Colorado (1-1-2) and D.C. United (1-2-1).

NE loses: That leaves us with three teams at 40. Salt Lake wins the first tiebreaker (see above). That leaves us with two teams. Colorado and D.C. United split the season series 1-1-0, but Colorado wins on goal difference (+4 to -1).

-------

Updates (reverse chronology):

12:30: SEA 2-1 DAL (final): Dallas can't come back. Congratulations, Salt Lake -- you're in.

Also, LA beat SJ 2-0 to win the West.

12:20: SEA 2-1 DAL: Can't describe it due to technical difficulties, but the Sounders have just scored again. Brad Evans with the goal.

11:57: SEA 1-1 DAL: Freddie Ljungberg sends one across the face of goal. Fredy Montero stretches to get a foot to it, sending it back to the center. That leaves Nate Jaqua with a tap-in, and we may have more math to do. Whoever stayed to watch this at RSL's home of Rio Tinto Stadium is loving that.

11:37: About to resume in Seattle. Meanwhile, Los Angeles leads San Jose 1-0. If that result stands, the Galaxy will win the West.

11:30: Inside the tiebreakers: As it stands now, Real Salt Lake advances in 7th with a 2-1-2 record (1.60 points per game) against the other two teams at 40 (COL 1.40, DC 0.80). Then Colorado takes 8th on goal difference over D.C. United.

If Dallas ties to make it four, then D.C. United has a chance. RSL still has the best head-to-head (1.57 ppg). Then we reset to a 3-way tie, and D.C. United edges out Colorado and Dallas.

If NE ties to make it five, RSL still has the best head-to-head among the five. Then we reset to a four-way tiebreaker, and New England makes it.

10:58: RSL 3-0 COL (final): At the very least, Real claims the Rocky Mountain Cup for winning the season series with the Rapids. They're also well-placed to make the playoffs unless Dallas and New England beat them out.

10:50: SEA 0-1 DAL: Atiba Harris is left alone near the corner of the box, and he drills it far post past Kasey Keller. Makes a shushing gesture to the Seattle fans. Bad move with so much time left to play.

10:48: RSL 3-0 COL: Yura Movsisyan with a couple of subtle moves on the break and a cool far-post finish. Off to compute the tiebreakers on 40 points.

10:38: SEA 0-0 DAL: Game is underway. Great opportunity for Dallas, which was well out of it a few weeks ago.

10:31: KC 2-2 DC (final): So close for D.C. United. Rodney Wallaces hits the inside of the post in stoppage time. Toronto is eliminated; D.C. United faces a painful wait.

10:27: KC 2-2 DC: A minute after a terrific Steve Cronin save, a scramble in the box sees a handball on the D.C. line. Red card, PK, Claudio Lopez ties it in stoppage time.

10:17: KC 1-2 DC: Unbelievable here. Julius James injured his hamstring but stayed in because DC had used all three subs. A few minutes later, he leaps up in the box and heads home his first goal of the season. DC's chances improving; Toronto must be shaking heads now.

10:03: KC 1-1 DC: Fred brought down in box; Jaime Moreno (as always) takes the PK. Tie game. A tie here eliminates Toronto.

9:54: RSL 2-0 COL: Halftime. In KC, Boyzzz Khumalo replaces Luciano Emilio. Ben Olsen came on at halftime for Danny Szetela.

9:50: Toronto would win a four-way tiebreaker at 39 points. That means DC, DAL and NE would have to lose and RSL would have to tie or lose. RSL could knock them out in about an hour, leading 2-0 with halftime drawing near.

9:44: NY 5-0 TOR (final): Adrian Serioux brings down two-goal scorer Mac Kandji in the box, and Kandji lets Matthew Mbuta take the PK. Final whistle thereafter, and Toronto can only hope for a lot of results to fall their way.

9:40: RSL 2-0 COL: Rapids had played well since conceding the goal, but Real hits back on the break, with Andy Williams finding Robbie Findley breaking into space. Preston Burpo comes out to challenge, Findley flips the ball over his head and gets just enough of a boot to it to send it goalward. A two-goal margin would give RSL the tiebreakers over Colorado.

9:32: RSL 1-0 COL: Rapids with a fantastic chance -- free kick goes high over box, headed on goal, good save Nick Rimando, Conor Casey close to goal but boots over at awkward angle.

9:25: DC 0-1 KC: Halftime.

9:23: RSL 1-0 COL: Group effort -- will take a couple of replays to sort out the scorer as Salt Lake overruns the Rapids defense. Officially, it's Robbie Findley's 11th on a sweet looping pass from Fabian Espindola. Also, the carnage continues in Giants Stadium -- NY 4-0 TOR.

9:18: Quick updates -- D.C. United has lost Christian Gomez to injury, bringing Jaime Moreno off the bench. In Utah, it's all Salt Lake so far.

9:12: NY 3-0 TOR: The Canadian team hasn't made much trouble for the Red Bulls this half, and now Juan Pablo Angel has pretty much wrapped it up.

9:07: DC 0-1 KC: Kei Kamara makes people very happy in New England, Dallas and Salt Lake.

9:05: RSL 0-0 COL: Remember when Colorado had a lot of specialist wingers? Now it's converted center mid Mehdi Ballouchy and converted defender Kosuke Kimura. Salt Lake starts Robbie Findley and Fabian Espindola up top.

8:44: NY 2-0 TOR: Halftime. KC-DC also underway.

8:25: NY 2-0 TOR: Juan Pablo Angel leaves Adrian Serioux behind with brilliant first touch, then finishes. TFC now in massive trouble.

8:20: KC 0-0 DC. Some surprises in injury-riddled D.C. lineup, with Fred and Danny Szetela among the starters. KC remakes backline with Jimmy Conrad, Michael Harrington and Jonathan Leathers out -- Aaron Hohlbein, Matt Marquess and Graham Zusi in.

8:15: NY 1-0 TOR. Still 1-0 thanks to NY keeper Bouna Coundoul, who has made one sprawling save and one mad dash off his line to win a collision with Chad Barrett.

7:57: NY 1-0 TOR. Juan Pablo Angel to the retiring Albert Celades, who flicks it ahead to the streaking Mac Kandji. Composed finish through the small pond in front of the Toronto goal. Nightmarish start for TFC.

7:55: Pouring rain but no lightning, so they're getting ready to go In the Swamp. The name is well-deserved, with puddles on the artificial turf in front of each goal. Brian Edwards in goal for TFC, replacing injured Stefan Frei.

7:15: We see from @RedBullsReader that the kickoff in Giants Stadium has been pushed back to 7:55.

6:30 p.m.: Toronto at New York is one hour from starting. Expect soggy conditions for the Giants Stadium finale -- the ALCS, across the river, was just postponed. All other games tonight should have good conditions, with a slight chance of storms in Salt Lake.

What will happen on MLS' final weekend

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:12:00 -0700

Can't stand the suspense or the scenario-crunching? Here's what will happen this weekend in MLS, chronologically:

Toronto at New York, 7:30 p.m.: A lot of people seem to be assuming Toronto will march right over the last-place Red Bulls. Don't overlook the motivation of New York playing the final game of a magical era -- the interim coachship of Richie Williams. (Oh, and it's also the last pro soccer game in Giants Stadium.) New York wins, leaving Toronto waiting on 39 points and hoping.

D.C. United at Kansas City, 8:30 p.m.: Desperation time should bring out the best in United, and Steve Cronin has proven to be a terrific stop-gap shot-stopper. D.C. wins, leaping up to 42 points and eliminating Toronto. (DC 42, Colorado 40+, Toronto 39)

Colorado at Salt Lake, 9 p.m.: The Rapids really didn't want to play a meaningful finale in Rio Tinto. The team and the crowd will be revved up for this one. Salt Lake gets to 40 and makes up the goal difference on Colorado, also at 40.

San Jose at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.: Galaxy wins, clinching the West.

Dallas at Seattle, 10:30 p.m.: This one's tough. FCD is so close to the Miracle of Frisco, but playoff-bound Seattle won't want the excitement to die down with a deflating loss at home. We'll call it a 2-2 draw. Dallas joins the crowd at 40. As you'll see in the tiebreakers below, that's not enough. Dallas and Colorado are eliminated.

So overnight, the playoff race looks like this:
42 D.C. United
40 Salt Lake
---
40 Colorado
40 Dallas
39 New England (game to play)
39 Toronto (out)

D.C. United wins the head-to-head tiebreaker over New England and therefore will have clinched a berth.

Breaking the tie (for now) at 40: Salt Lake and Dallas each have a 2-2-1 record, or 1.4 points per game. Colorado is at 2-2-2, or 1.33 points per game. Salt Lake beats Dallas on goal difference.

On to Sunday ...

Houston at Chivas USA, 3 p.m.: With Galaxy's win and Seattle's draw, this is a battle for second place in the West. They'll draw, giving Houston home field in the second leg when they meet up again in the playoffs.

New England at Columbus, 6 p.m.: If the Revs win, they're in with D.C. United, and all the 40-point teams are out. If they lose, Salt Lake is in. But they'll draw, just to make us do the four-way tiebreaker for one remaining spot.

The 40-point tiebreaker

Salt Lake: 1-1-1 vs. COL, 1-1-0 vs. DAL, 1-1-0 vs. NE: 3-3-1, 10 pts/7 games (1.43)

Dallas: 1-1-1 vs. COL, 1-1-0 vs. NE, 1-1-0 vs. RSL: 3-3-1, 10 pts/7 games (1.43)

New England: 0-0-2 vs. COL, 1-1-0 vs. DAL, 1-1-0 vs. RSL: 2-2-2, 8 pts/6 games (1.33)

Colorado: 1-1-1 vs. DAL, 0-0-2 vs. NE, 1-1-1 vs. RSL: 2-2-4, 10 pts/8 games (1.25)

And so Salt Lake still wins on goal difference.

Unless, of course, any one of these predictions is wrong in the slightest.

MLS: Attempting to comprehend scenarios

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:10:00 -0700

Seven teams, three berths, endless combinations.

The tiebreakers for MLS playoff berths go in this order:

1. Head-to-head (points per game if more than two teams tied)
2. Overall goal difference
3. Overall goals scored

The list below shows all seven teams, their final opponents (all times ET) and their head-to-head records (U.S. standard Wins-Losses-Draws) against the other teams in the playoff chase. Parentheses show whether the team wins head-to-head (W), loses (L) or goes to overall goal difference (GD).

The benefit here, I hope, is that you can quickly add up the records if you have a tie with multiple teams. Just copy this to Notepad or your favorite text editor and remove teams that aren't involved.

Some teams are calculating their own scenarios (see D.C. United for one example and feel free to add others in the comments).

42 Chicago - vs. Chivas USA, 8 p.m. Thursday (ESPN2/Deportes)
vs. COL 2-0-0 (W)
vs. TFC 1-0-1 (W)
vs. NER 0-0-2 (GD)
vs. DCU 0-2-1 (L)
vs. DAL 1-1-0 (GD)
vs. RSL 1-0-1 (W)

40 Colorado - at Salt Lake, 9 p.m. Saturday (Fox Soccer Channel/FSE)
vs. CHI 0-2-0 (L)
vs. TFC 1-1-0 (GD)
vs. NER 0-0-2 (GD)
vs. DCU 1-1-0 (GD)
vs. DAL 1-1-1 (GD)
vs. RSL 1-0-1 (W or GD, pending Sat.)

39 Toronto - at New York, 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Direct Kick/MLSNet)
vs. CHI 0-1-1 (L)
vs. COL 1-1-0 (GD)
vs. NER 1-0-1 (W)
vs. DCU 1-0-1 (W)
vs. DAL 0-1-1 (L)
vs. RSL 1-1-0 (GD)

39 New England - at Columbus, 5 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2/Deportes)
vs. CHI 0-0-2 (GD)
vs. COL 0-0-2 (GD)
vs. TFC 0-1-1 (L)
vs. DCU 1-0-1 (W)
vs. DAL 1-1-0 (GD)
vs. RSL 1-1-0 (GD)

39 D.C. United - at Kansas City, 8:30 p.m. Saturday (Direct Kick/MLSNet)
vs. CHI 2-0-1 (W)
vs. COL 1-1-0 (GD)
vs. TFC 0-1-1 (L)
vs. NER 0-1-1 (L)
vs. DAL 1-0-1 (W)
vs. RSL 0-1-1 (L)

39 Dallas - at Seattle, 10:30 p.m. Saturday (Direct Kick/MLSNet)
vs. CHI 1-1-0 (GD)
vs. COL 1-1-1 (GD)
vs. TFC 1-0-1 (W)
vs. NER 1-1-0 (GD)
vs. DCU 0-1-1 (L)
vs. RSL 1-1-0 (GD)

37 Salt Lake - vs. Colorado, 9 p.m. Saturday (Fox Soccer Channel/FSE)
vs. CHI 0-1-1 (L)
vs. COL 0-1-1 (L or GD, pending Sat.)
vs. TFC 1-1-0 (GD)
vs. NER 1-1-0 (GD)
vs. DCU 1-0-1 (W)
vs. DAL 1-1-0 (GD)

Saturday showdowns

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:44:00 -0700

UPDATES

Final: Chivas USA fights back for a tie with San Jose, but they've handed Columbus control of its own destiny in the Supporters Shield race.

11:43 p.m. ET: While I was in the RFK tunnels and then in transit, Seattle came back from a 1-2 deficit to win 3-2 over KC and clinch a playoff spot. Dallas held on to beat Colorado 2-1.

So with one game left and Seattle in the playoffs with 44 points, here's the playoff bubble:

Chicago 42, Colorado 40, Toronto 39 /// New England 39, D.C. United 39, Dallas 39, Salt Lake 37

They're listed in order of the tiebreaking math done by ElJefe at Big Soccer.

10 p.m. ET: D.C. United hangs on at muddy RFK Stadium. The loss actually hurts Columbus -- Chivas USA could win out and take the Supporters Shield. D.C. United now joins a gaggle of teams at 39 points. The following list does NOT attempt to compute tiebreakers. We have three teams at 39 and may get a fourth, and the tiebreakers will need to be figured among all four.

Updated playoff bubble (all with two games left except those in italic, who have one):
Chicago 42, Seattle 41, Colorado 40, Toronto 39 /// New England 39, D.C. United 39, Salt Lake 37, Dallas 36

9:30 p.m. ET: Halftime in two games, with Seattle and Dallas up 1-0. D.C. United, in the 67th minute, also up 1-0. Seattle on the verge of clinching a spot.

8:43 p.m. ET: D.C. United and Dallas jump out to 1-0 leads. Will we have four teams on 39 points tonight?

8 p.m. ET: New England 0-0 Chicago. Toronto holds tiebreaker with New England, so we'll rank TFC ahead of the dreaded line. Haven't worked out all the possibilities yet, but the Fire should be safe.

Updated playoff bubble (all with two games left except those in italic, who have one):
Chicago 42, Seattle 41, Colorado 40, Toronto 39 /// New England 39, Salt Lake 37, D.C. United 36, Dallas 36

6 p.m. ET: Real Salt Lake batters the Toronto goal but can't break through. Toronto 1-0 RSL. That eliminates Kansas City and leaves RSL in bad shape. New England, which has announced the departure of longtime assistant Paul Mariner, is temporarily out of the top eight.

Updated playoff bubble (all with two games left except those in italic, who have one):
Chicago 41, Seattle 41, Colorado 40, Toronto 39 /// New England 38, Salt Lake 37, D.C. United 36, Dallas 36

ORIGINAL POST

The next-to-last weekend of MLS action sees the teams broken down into three groups:

1. In the playoffs, still alive for Supporters Shield
2. Not yet in the playoffs
3. Out of the playoffs

Every contending team has two games left except Chivas USA, which has three.

We'll update this glance as the day goes on, pressbox wi-fi permitting (wi-fi or not, check Twitter updates). All times ET. All games on DirectKick and MLSNet unless noted.

The domestic day starts the USL First Division final's second leg (2:30 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel). Vancouver must overcome a 3-2 deficit at Montreal without Martin Nash.

SUPPORTERS SHIELD
49 Columbus - at D.C. United, 8 p.m.
44 Los Angeles - at Houston, 3 p.m. Sunday (TeleFutura)
44 Houston - vs. Los Angeles, 3 p.m. Sunday (TeleFutura)
44 Chivas USA - vs. San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

PLAYOFFS
41 Chicago - at New England, 6 p.m. (Fox Soccer Channel)
41 Seattle - at Kansas City, 8:30 p.m.
40 Colorado - at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
38 New England - vs. Chicago, 6 p.m. (Fox Soccer Channel)
----
37 Salt Lake - at Toronto, 4 p.m.
36 D.C. United - vs. Columbus, 8 p.m.
36 Toronto - vs. Salt Lake, 4 p.m.
36 Dallas - vs. Colorado, 8:30 p.m.
32 Kansas City (owns tiebreaker over NE) - vs. Seattle, 8:30 p.m.

OUT: San Jose, New York.

Also this weekend, we'll have a team playing for a trip to South Africa at RFK. We'll learn tonight who'll be playing tomorrow in the semifinals and final of the Volkswagen Jr. Masters tournament, with 12 Under-12 teams playing for a spot in the world finals in South Africa next year. Meet the qualifiers here and check some amusing ads with MLS players here (obviously filmed before Kei Kamara's trade to Kansas City).

Player ratings: USA-Costa Rica

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:47:00 -0700

The ratings barely matter. The game in a nutshell: Wide-open start, five minutes of awful defense, U.S. dominance thereafter.

GK Tim Howard 5: Not at fault on the goals; little else to do.

D Steve Cherundolo 5: Not in the vicinity on first goal. Involved somewhat in attack.

D Oguchi Onyewu 5: Beaten badly on first goal, then recovered. Knee injury is awful news.

D Carlos Bocanegra 6: Effective game; made a few incisive passes forward.

D Jonathan Bornstein 6: Beaten on second goal, though others also at fault. Made up for it. More than made up for it. Scored tying goal.

M Stuart Holden 6: Helped to keep things moving as U.S. midfield showed well.

M Michael Bradley 7: Constantly buzzing around on offense; scored first goal by cleaning up rebound.

M Benny Feilhaber 6: Won a few battles in midfield and distributed well.

M Landon Donovan 7: For the first game in quite a while, he's not credited with an assist, and he squandered a couple of chances. But his shot led to Bradley's goal, and that wasn't the first time he forced a good save from Costa Rica's excellent keeper.

F Conor Casey 6: Glaring miss early, but he followed up with a couple of clever touches and effectively dummied the ball to Donovan for one glorious chance.

F Jozy Altidore 7: Worked hard to spring teammates and win free kicks. Also had his share of wasteful finishing, but his precise flick-on header to Donovan was a beauty.

Subs:

M Robbie Rogers 6: Got in position but missed a couple of good chances.

M Jose Torres 6: Midfield continued to dominate and create chances while he was in.

F Kenny Cooper NR: Not on for long, not able to get his head on the late frantic crosses.

Details on Davies crash

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:31:00 -0700

It was a bit of a shock when U.S. Soccer's Michael Kammarman called today's press conference to order and said he had an announcement -- Charlie Davies was in a single-car accident with a fatality on the George Washington Parkway, a scenic route along the Potomac River in Virginia.

Kammarman made it clear that the team and U.S. Soccer didn't know much else. The questions for Bob Bradley, Carlos Bocanegra and Landon Donovan proceeded normally, not mentioning the accident. Some reporters managed to send Tweets from the press conference (not those of us getting erratic Blackberry signals for some reason), and readers started hunting around for more information while the press conference was in progress. It was a surreal scene, knowing that the outside world was scrambling to get more answers while we were going through a subdued press conference.

U.S. Soccer's Neil Buethe took questions separately, after the players and coach had left. But it was clear that they were just coming to terms with what had happened and still didn't know much other than the word that Davies' injuries were not life-threatening and that he was in the middle of surgery that would take more than 2 1/2 hours.

The accident happened around 3:15 a.m., but the team had just learned a few hours before the 2:30 p.m. press conference. There was an optional team breakfast, so Davies' absence from that meal didn't trigger any concern. Team officials learned of the accident in late morning, and Bradley informed the team before lunch. (In retrospect, it's easy to see why players seemed withdrawn while walking past the conference room just before the press conference.)

The stretch of the Parkway where the accident occurred can be confusing. Coincidentally, I drove through that area on my way out of the press conference.

When asked if Davies' injuries could be career-threatening, the U.S. Soccer staff said it was too soon to know. The word "possibly" was uttered, but that seemed to be out of a lack of definitive word from the hospital. Grant Wahl, one of the reporters at the press conference, later Tweeted that U.S. Soccer had "withdrawn" the word "possibly."

"We don't know specifically what the surgery is for," Buethe said.

U.S. Soccer has issued a brief statement.

More details as they become available.

Player ratings and analysis: USA-Honduras

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:41:00 -0700

Driving past the Washington Monument and the White House on the way home tonight, one thing stood out -- the USA often fares well as an underdog.

And make no mistake, the USA was not a big favorite to win in Honduras and clinch a World Cup berth.

Not in a country desperately seeking an escape from political chaos.

Not against a team that has been in terrific form through two years of qualifying and has the talent to bring a legit Inter Milan player (David Suazo) off the bench.

Not when two of the USA's three world-class players, Oguchi Onyewu and Tim Howard, make defensive blunders leading directly to goals.

Not when CONCACAF sends its typical officiating crew that's either paying intermittent attention or is scared to upset a home crowd that's been rocking the stadium for hours.

Not with a starting forward (Conor Casey) whose inclusion in the starting lineup caused many fans to look for paper towels to clean up the drinks they just spewed on their laptops in shock.

Not against a Honduran goalkeeper (Noel Valladares) playing out of his mind.

Not after falling behind 1-0 on a wonderfully taken free kick from Honduras' Julio Cesar de Leon, a player for Italy's Torino who scored twice in this game.

And yet, this team did it. Much of the country may not notice, pre-occupied with Tim Tebow and so forth. The World Cup qualifier isn't even the only big international event for the USA this weekend -- Tiger Woods and company are playing the Presidents Cup. But this win, for those who crowded into bars hours ahead of kickoff to see it, will be recognized as one of the best in U.S. history.

Not a bad game, either, especially compared with the usual fare from Central America. Any insomniac Europeans who stumbled upon this game would have been impressed, at least after the jitter-ridden opening minutes.

Honduras played well and mostly clean. This team deserves to go to the World Cup but will need help from the USA on Wednesday against Costa Rica to do so. (Though if it comes down to a Honduras-Argentina playoff, U.S. fans would do well to rally behind the CONCACAF team.)

On to the ratings ...

GK Tim Howard 7. Curious decision to come out and then back away, as if expecting a (deserved) offside whistle, on the play leading up to the second Honduran goal. Otherwise excellent, particularly on a well-taken Suazo shot in the second half.

D Jonathan Bornstein 6. OK defensively and got forward a bit, forcing a stellar Valladares save.

D Oguchi Onyewu 7. One minute of madness with a giveaway and a foul -- perhaps a soft one, but he shouldn't have given the ref the chance to make the call. That led to Honduras taking a 1-0 lead. The other 89 minutes were rock-solid, with vital clearances throughout the second half.

D Carlos Bocanegra 5. Missed a golden opportunity in the first half and wasn't as assertive as he could be in central defense.

D Jonathan Spector 5. Not his best game, but nothing horrendous.

M Ricardo Clark 5. Central midfield didn't control much of the game.

M Michael Bradley 6. See Clark, but Bradley had a couple of menacing long-range shots.

M Stuart Holden 7. Set up a great chance for Charlie Davies in the first half and was creative on the flank.

M Landon Donovan 9. Won the ball deep, over and over. Raced forward with blistering counterattack, drawing desperate Honduran fouls. Set up Casey's second goal. Clinched it with picture-perfect free kick.

F Charlie Davies 6. Set up first Casey goal with good flick-on from longball. Got on the other end of a Holden cross for well-placed header that forced brilliant Valladares save, but could've done better with rebound. Had a couple of slip-ups but was generally a good threat.

F Conor Casey 8. Outleaped Valladares for first goal and converted well-timed run for second. Also drew plenty of Honduran fouls. Made thousands of U.S. fans eat their words.

Subs: Incomplete grades for Jozy Altidore, Benny Feilhaber and Steve Cherundolo.

World Cup judgment day

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:11:00 -0700

Quick look at the most meaningful World Cup qualifiers Saturday. Home teams first, all times Eastern, all predictions wrong.

ASIA/OCEANIA

Bahrain-New Zealand (11:30 a.m., FSC). First leg of a playoff to send a team to the World Cup that will excite no one.

EUROPE (second-to-last group games unless noted -- group winners advance, eight runners-up advance to playoff)

Group 1: Portugal-Hungary (3:40 p.m., Setanta) and Denmark-Sweden (5 p.m., delay, FSC). Current standings: Denmark 18, Sweden 15, Portugal 13, Hungary 13. End of the line for Portugal?

Group 2: Greece-Latvia. Both teams on 14. Leaders Switzerland (17) visit Luxembourg; fourth-place Israel (12) hosts Moldova.

Group 3: Czech Republic-Poland (2:30 p.m., Setanta pay-per-view) and Slovakia-Slovenia. Believe it or not, the latter game could send someone to the World Cup -- Slovakia (19) is in with a draw. Slovenia (14) is tied with idle Northern Ireland. The winner between the Czechs (12) and Poland (11) could vault into second; loser can forget it.

Group 4: Russia-Germany (10:55 a.m., Setanta). They'll finish first and second, but in what order? Germany (22, one point ahead) would be in great shape with a draw.

Group 5: Estonia-Bosnia/Herzegovina. Bosnia takes second with a win, draw or Turkish stumble at Belgium. Spain has clinched first.

Group 6: Ukraine-England (12:15 p.m., Setanta pay-per-view). England has clinched, though its fans aren't likely to be so happy that we can see this game over satellite in the States while it's only on the Internet in England. Ukraine (15) can pass idle Croatia (17) for second.

Group 7: France-Faroe Islands (3 p.m., FSC). France is finally in position to clinch at least second place. First place might be out of reach -- Serbia is four points ahead with a home game against Romania.

Group 8: Ireland-Italy (3 p.m., Setanta pay-per-view). The hosts (16) can move within one point of first-place Italy with a win. Third-place Bulgaria (11) is only mathematically alive.

Group 9 has finished, with the Netherlands first and Norway second.

SOUTH AMERICA (second-to-last weekend; all games at 6 p.m., three on Setanta pay-per-view)

Argentina-Peru: Fifth-place Argentina (22) gets a break with the last-place team coming to visit.

Colombia-Chile: Chile (27) can clinch one of the four automatic bids; Colombia (20) is eighth but not out of it.

Ecuador-Uruguay: Teams on either side of the bubble -- Ecuador has 23; Uruguay 21.

Venezuela-Paraguay: Paraguay has already clinched a spot; Venezuela (21) is still in it.

AFRICA

Egypt, Morocco and Cameroon have crucial games,

Projection time: MLS playoffs

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:55:00 -0700

The games are getting tight in MLS. Chivas USA was the only team to score two goals last week.

MLS also has hit a lull in the schedule thanks to World Cup qualifying. Just one game Wednesday, three on Saturday and one the next Wednesday. Several teams will be watching at 4 p.m. ET Saturday hoping to see Toronto lose at home to San Jose, which would all but clinch playoff spots for the three teams on 41 points.

Columbus - 46 pts.
Clinched playoff berth
Maximum possible points: 55
Contending for Supporters Shield, top seed in East

Form: Suffered first loss at home to Seattle. 2-2-1 in last five, on heels on epic win streak. Chad Marshall is out with an left MCL sprain. U.S. call-up Robbie Rogers will miss Saturday's game.

Remaining: At New England (Sat.), at D.C. United, New England

Outlook: Having two games against playoff-hunting Revs could hurt Shield chances, but five-point lead in East should stand.

Los Angeles - 44 pts.
Clinched playoff berth
Maximum possible points: 50
Contending for Supporters Shield, top seed in West

Form: Erratic, alternating big wins with puzzling performances. Several key players dealing with minor injuries but still playing. David Beckham is among those banged up as he travels to Europe for World Cup qualifiers, but maybe England will keep him on the bench through most of those games.

Remaining: At Houston, San Jose

Outlook: Game at Dynamo should decide West. Tie would favor Galaxy, giving them season tiebreaker over Houston.

Houston - 44 pts.
Clinched playoff berth
Maximum possible points: 50
Contending for Supporters Shield, top seed in West

Form: Not great. Two wins in last eight. Good news is Eddie Robinson's return, making the team deeper. Richard Mulrooney is an unfortunate name on the injury list, but he's the only one.

Remaining: Los Angeles, at Chivas USA

Outlook: Championship-tested team can turn it on at the right time. Oct. 18, when the Galaxy visit, would be the right time.

Chicago - 41 pts.
Maximum possible points: 47
Outside shot at Supporters Shield, top seed in East

Form: Struggling through five-game winless streak with injuries taking out half of the starting defense and a few other players.

Remaining: At New England, Chivas USA

Outlook: Should be dangerous if players can get healthy. Should hang on to playoff spot and could seal second spot in East with win over New England.

Seattle - 41 pts.
Maximum possible points: 47
Contending for top seed in West; outside shot at Supporters Shield

Form: Great on the road but can't score at home despite fanatical support. A few injuries affecting the team's depth, but a light schedule ahead should help.

Remaining: At Kansas City, Dallas

Outlook: Would lose tiebreaker to Chivas USA, which has games in hand, so the Sounders seem destined for fourth in the West. Finding early-season form would help in the playoffs.

Chivas USA - 41 pts.
Maximum possible points: 53
Contending for top seed in West; outside shot at Supporters Shield

Form: Unbeaten in four games, though a home draw against New York won't inspire the fan base. Injury list is still long, but they've been playing without most of the wounded for most of the season.

Remaining: Kansas City (Sat.), San Jose, at Chicago, Houston

Outlook: Those two games in hand are like pocket aces for Preki's squad at this point. They could easily be in first place in the West by the time L.A. and Houston have their Oct. 18 showdown in Texas.

Colorado - 40 pts.
Maximum possible points: 46
Mathematically alive for top seed in West (not Supporters Shield); realistically playing to maintain playoff spot

Form: Hanging in the race with lost of draws and penalty kicks. Goalkeeper Preston Burpo is a solid replacement for injured Matt Pickens, but the offense is missing Colin Clark (left ACL tear).

Remaining: At Dallas, at Salt Lake

Outlook: Vulnerable, particularly if rival Salt Lake can pick up points and make the season finale a fight for the last spot.

New England - 38 pts.
Maximum possible points: 47
Mathematically alive for Supporters Shield and top seed in the East; realistically playing to maintain playoff spot

Form: One win in last six, though four of those games were on the road. Steve Ralston has joined Taylor Twellman on the injured list.

Remaining: Columbus (Sat.), Chicago, at Columbus

Outlook: Having all three remaining games against the top East teams could be a huge opportunity, but it's also the most difficult final month among all the contenders.

D.C. United - 36 pts.
Maximum possible points: 42
Contending for playoff spot

Form: Won three straight CONCACAF Champions League games; lost three straight MLS games at home. Bryan Namoff has missed time with a concussion; Ben Olsen will be suspended for the next game.

Remaining: Columbus, at Kansas City

Outlook: Enigmatic team could put everything together and win last two, but given the current mood, that seems unlikely. And that might not be enough.

Toronto - 35 pts.
Maximum possible points: 44
Contending for playoff spot

Form: Labored through some recent road games, but they're generally healthy.

Remaining: San Jose (Sat.), Real Salt Lake, at New York

Outlook: With game in hand and one of the least challenging slate of remaining games, this is the team all the bubble teams fear most.

Salt Lake - 34 pts.
Maximum possible points: 43
Contending for playoff spot

Form: Two road losses have left team in bad shape. Lacking the spark of last year's team.

Remaining: New York, at Toronto, Colorado

Outlook: Might need to win out, but the good news is that they can hold back other playoff contenders along the way.

Dallas (33), Kansas City (32) and San Jose (28, four games remaining) are mathematically alive but would some improbable results.