Columnist Nick Green has written 100 Percent Soccer
since 2005. A
native of England, he began writing about soccer in
the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat
in the stands for one in
the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home
Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas
USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer.
Married to a long-suffering soccer widow, he has a cat
named Pele.Wednesday Roundup: Olympic Qualifying & More
Crunch Time in Mexico
The U.S. and Mexico are 90 minutes away from qualifying for the Olympics in China.The U.S. plays Costa Rica, a nation that has never beaten the Americans in four tries, at 6 p.m. while Mexico faces Canada in the nightcap.
Costa Rica features Torrance's Vanessa Rojas on its squad, while the U.S. has Torrance's Shannon Boxx.
“We haven’t played them since 2004, but it looks like they have improved," said U.S. defender Kate Markgraf. "They have really technical players and they look more athletic then they have in the past. We will have to see how much they try to attack or if they sit back, but we can adapt and play our style according to the flow of the game.”
The Americans handily beat Costa Rica 4-0 the last time the nations met.
There's no TV coverage.
Chivas USA Youngsters with USA
Chivas USA midfielders Jorge Flores and Gerson Mayen have been called up to the U. S. Under-20 National Team for a three game tournament in Portugal beginning Tuesday against Northern Island.Flores played in all five U-20 games in January, including three as captain; Mayen, who signed with Chivas USA on March 27, will be with the U.S. U-20 squad for the first time.
Milestone for Matt
Former Galaxy goalkeeper Matt Reis, now with the New England Revolution, is closing in on an MLS regular season record for consecutive minutes and can creep closer tonight against the Kansas City Wizards.Reis, who has has started 72 consecutive regular season games for the Revolution, the longest current active streak in MLS, has played the last 6,480 minutes for the club, just shy of Pat Onstad's record 6,648 minute stretch set from 2005-2007.
Hamilton Honored
Finally, the second annual Doug Hamilton Memorial Soccer Classic will be played Saturday in New Jersey between Rutgers and the University of Connecticut.Hamilton, a former Torrance resident, was Galaxy GM when he died in March 2006 from heart complications at the age of 43. He is also the brother of Chivas USA Vice President of Soccer Operations Stephen Hamilton. Proceeds from the game benefit Hamilton's son Aedan.