September 2008 Archives

Sasha strikes

Photo by Steve McCrank

Had a longish conversation with once and former Galaxy midfielder and now and current Chivas USA player Sasha Victorine after he scored the winner in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Kansas City Wizards.

Local journalists are happy to see Victorine back for more reasons than just his play - he is thoughtful, usually more than happy to chat and generally a good quote (I feel an MLS all-quote team list coming on):

On whether he had a point to prove after the Wizards let him go reportedly in part because of "declining production:

"Obviously you go in there and say I feel like I can still get goals and get assists and help teams win games. That's the point I wanted to prove to those guys that letting me go would hurt them. Who knows what it ultimately ends up doing to them at the end of the season, but I just feel comfortable we got our points here and we got a win at home."

On how joining Chivas USA has been:

"First day you come into a new team it's always a little questionable about how the guys are going to treat you and if they respect you. I've tried to come out to the practice field and work hard and show that I'm here to help them win and they've been very respectful to me helping me feel I'm part of the team quickly."

On playing in the stadium as a member of the "other" team:

"It's so far in the past for me. It's weird coming back to this stadium and being in a different locker room, but I tell you what they've made it a great home for me so far and I'm just enjoying it."

On being a hometown boy (his parents live in Corona) returning to L.A.:

"It's a little weird for sure. It's great - my family gets to watch me play and its been a few years since they got to see me play all the time, so it's always nice to be back in California. You can't beat these nights, this weather out here at night."

On the economic realities of the trade:

"We're not multimillionaires who can pick up and move very easily - my wife has a job in Kansas City and for the remainder of the year she's going to keep working out there and making trips with my daughter out here. It's tough, it's hard. I'm excited because they're here this weekend and they definitely gave me a lot of energy."

On what was up with K.C. this year anyway:

"They're trying to find an identity I think. My personal opinion is they like to go young (Victorine is 30) and they want guys who are fast and athletic. Sometimes that doesn't build a great team. I think you've got to have guys that battle, fight every game."

On whether the goal was extra special:

"Sure, you sit all week thinking what can I do to score a goal, how can I do anything to get something back. When it went in obviously a lot of relief, a lot of happiness. ... I've got to give a lot of credit to the guys on the team here because they've made me feel welcome and accepted me on the team very quick."

On whether Chivas USA suits his style of play;

"Before this game and the last game I was out for three weeks I hadn't trained much. Fitness-wise hadn't been in the best shape because I'd been out with a quad strain and a (muscle) pull and in the last two weeks ... I've really been trying to get my game going. ... What they try to do here is the quick one-two touches, the triangles moving the ball, keeping the defense from having to chase it. So I think that's the style of soccer I like to play."

Yeah, he was pretty happy.

Photo by Steve McCrank

GOLTV will air this (apparently) updated comedy "documentary" stariing former Python John Cleese at 5 p.m. Wednesday that's a couple of years old, but now includes references to Euro 2008.

From the GOLTV press release:

The documentary begins with a look at the frenzy behind the 2008 UEFA Euro in Austria and Switzerland, offering an unconventional, amusing take on the game of soccer, which attracts more viewers than the Olympics and more money than Hollywood. Cleese then presents his "alphabet of soccer" from A to Z through comedic sketches and in-depth, documentary-style vignettes.

The Art of Football also features one-on-one interviews with Cleese and superstar players like Pelé, Michel Platini, Thierry Henry and Franz Beckenbauer. In addition, Cleese will talk to famous artists, musicians and politicians to capture their thoughts on the world's most popular sport.

TiVo worthy? You decide:

Two team's, one season, different directions.

Passion, guts, determination - Chivas USA have embraced those qualities, the Galaxy have not. For the most part, that's the difference between the two franchises this season.

Reading between the lines, Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena appears to agree:

"This is not a project were looking at in the short term, but building this team up over the next couple of years and getting the right kind of characters on the field and by that I mean in terms of their personalities, their competitiveness and their ability. We've got to get the right balance and the right combination of players. Obviously, this year we're going to evaluate what we have and how we can make it better."

Here's Arena on one of the team's major weaknesses that surfaced yet again in Chicago:

"Between (central defenders) Sean (Franklin) and Troy (Roberts) and our goalkeeper (Josh Wicks) in that game ... I bet there's not 50 league starts in there in those three positions - right down the heart of your team and that's obviously an issue."

Storm clouds were (literally) gathering as the Galaxy practice ended Monday at Home Depot Center, the suffocating miasma of the sticky air seemingly reflecting the deepening gloom engulfing the team.

Veteran Pete Vagenas, usually one of the friendliest and most accommodating Galaxy players, walked off the field, his gaze locked at the ground straight ahead in a clear sign he was in no mood to talk.

Landon Donovan hobbled by, a leg encased in ice, a metaphor for a cold, stark season seemingly staggering to an inevitable conclusion.

I was there to gauge the mood of the team after another dispiriting loss last week to the Chicago Fire - and it wasn't difficult to discern:

"We're a little bothered, frustrated by our last game," said rookie defender Sean Franklin, out of Cal State Northridge. "We've got four games left. I'm pretty sure we've got to win out or at least get three of the four. We've got to come up with a better mentality this weekend in Columbus."

Franklin acknowledged the Galaxy just keep making the same old errors:

"We talked about how we had to step up to the midfielders and not give them a lot of space because they will shoot. They got space, (Rolfe) dribbled and exactly what we didn't want to happen, happened. ... We need to do a better job communicating."

Coach Bruce Arena agreed:

"In general I don't think we played well," he said. "We're too inconsistent. Our defending as a group isn't good enough. We have some major holes open in our defense and that's not attributed only to defenders, it's attributed to the entire group."

I'll have more from Arena on the Galaxy's psyche in Tuesday's column and whether he can bailout the Galaxy any better than Congress could the banks today.

A couple of notes from training:
*Goalkeeper Steve Cronin practiced today for the second time since his injury.
*Defender Eduardo Dominguez was also back practicing with the team for the first time since making a flying visit to Argentina where at 12:52 p.m. Sept. 15 his wife gave birth to the couple's first child - a son. Mateo Dominguez weighed in at about 6 pounds 6 ounces.
*Angels outfielder Juan Riviera was at practice today and had his picture taken with Donovan.
*The Galaxy reserves (1-5-2) lost 2-1 to their Chivas USA (2-3-3) counterparts Sunday, Maykel Galindo getting the winning goal in a come-from-behind victory in the 81st minute. Izzy Sesay, 18, scored the Galaxy's opener from a Pete Vagenas cross. Newly-acquired Chivas USA midfielder Dejair assisted on Keith Savage's equalizer.

Chivas USA reserves lineup: Lance Parker, Eric Ebert, Jim Curtin, Bobby Burling (Keith Savage 46), Gerson Mayen, Kraig Chiles, Daniel Paladini, Dejair Ferreira (Ian Etherington 66), Jorge Flores, Anthony Hamilton (Maykel Galindo 60), Roberto Nurse.
Galaxy reserves lineup: Josh Saunders, Joe Franchino (Ely Allen 46), Julian Valentin, Scott Bolkan, Vardan Adzemian, Mike Randolph, Peter Vagenas (Alvaro Pires 46), Brandon McDonald, Josh Tudela (Mike Muñoz 59), Bryan Jordan, Israel Sesay.

Sunday college scores:
UCLA men 2 (2-3-3) Cal State Northridge 2 (4-3-1)
LMU men 1 (1-2-4) Oregon State 1 (3-4-2)
Cal State Dominguez Hills men 3 (9-1-1) Cal Poly Pomona 1 (3-6)

Arizona State 1 (6-2-3) Long Beach State 0 (6-3-2).
UC Irvine 2 (6-5) Pepperdine 1 (4-5-2)
Cal State Northridge 1 (6-3) San Francisco 1 (4-5-2)
Cal State Dominguez Hills 1 (6-5) Cal Poly Pomona 0

When I worked at the L.A. Times' Ventura County Bureau, every Sunday the reporter on duty was required to scour the death notices, call a relative of the deceased and write an obituary about a "regular" human being.

It was a twist on the old journalism class assignment of interviewing a person at random and writing a profile of them on the theory that everyone has a story that needs to be told. If memory serves, it was based/ripped off from the N.Y. Times, which at one time ran a regular, similar feature called "A Life Well Lived."

I was reminded of this Saturday when my wife read an unusually long paid obituary in the Daily Breeze about 28-year-old Devon Markert, a Long Beach resident and teacher at Torrance Adult School who died earlier this month of brain cancer after her fourth surgery.

Her obituary read in part:

"She was an avid soccer player throughout her childhood and adolescence, playing on competitive traveling teams and on the 1996 Central California State Championship Buchanan High School team. She credited soccer with giving her an identity, the opportunity to develop and sustain close relations, and the strength to face tough situations with hope and confidence. She stated in a draft of her memoirs: Joining the soccer team was the single most important decision of my life. Soccer helped me forge my identity as a scholar-athlete and kept me distracted when I needed a distraction. I don't know if I was always good, but I turned into a solid player. The lessons I learned through my various soccer teams and the relationships I made on and off the soccer field were important character-building experiences that continue to carry me through the tough times of today."

A life well lived indeed.

Devon Markert's obituary is here.

Here are the results that mattered Saturday for Chivas USA:
Chivas USA 2 Kansas City Wizards 1
Houston Dynamo 1 Toronto FC 1
Colorado Rapids 5 Red Bull New York 4
Real Salt Lake 3 San Jose Earthquakes 2
Dallas plays D.C. United at noon Sunday
(Just for the sake of completeness, Sigi Schmid's Columbus Crew beat the New England Revolution, 1-0, and lead the league. Let's hope he doesn't get fired)

Here's how the Western Conference shakes out so far in the 30-game season:

Team GP PTS
Houston Dynamo 25 40
Chivas USA 26 36
Colorado Rapids 26 34
Real Salt Lake 26 34
FC Dallas 25 30
Los Angeles Galaxy 26 29
San Jose Earthquakes 25 29

Of the last four regular season Chivas USA games left, the next two are on the road (Saturday at D.C. United, Oct. 11 at the San Jose Earthquakes) and the last two at home (Oct. 19 vs. the Colorado Rapids, Oct. 25 vs. the Houston Dynamo).

Game story.

Just to expand on what eagle-eyed beat reporter Phil Collin noted in his gamer: Victorine spells his first name "Sasha," while Kljestan spells his "Sacha;" for some reason both were spelled the way Mr. Klejstan spells his name over both players' lockers. (I empathize with the locker room staff, BTW; you just know this reporter and others are likely to make the same mistake).

Quotable:
Peki on the team effort:

"I give my guys an incredible amount of credit. Because they fought and they're fighting the whole year. They deserve what they're getting. They put themselves in a good position. Hopefully we'll take care of the business in the rest of the season.

On Sasha Victorine:

"He fits good in our system. He plays the ball on the ground. He sees things around him. He's a smart soccer player. He can score goals. He's good on set pieces. You could see in the 72nd minute he starts cramping, but he stuck to it. He has a good mentality that fits our group."

Notable:
*Striker Maykel Galindo was pleased to get his first minutes since mid-July when he came on as a 77th minute sub for Alecko Eskandarian.

"Little by little I'll keep improving and hopefully I'll be fine for the end of the season," he said. "I feel a little bit of pain, but I think it's (from) the surgery I had."

*Striker Alecko Eskandarian, who now has two goals in two straight games ("a streak," insisted the scribe seeking an angle next to me in the press box) sounded relieved he's continuing to work his way back into match fitness:

"I'm just very happy to be back playing. At the end of the day it was very, very frustrating to go through what I went through: six months of not knowing what was wrong with me and then doctors couldn't find what was wrong with me and me questioning myself. And then finally with the exploratory surgery finding that my groin was torn. When they fixed that it was a huge weight off my shoulders. I put it all behind me and focused on salvaging the season and really trying to help my teammates. A lot of the guys, since I'm new here, didn't know what I could bring to the team or if I could contribute so every day I've just been fighting for the respect of my teammates and seeing if I can help this team.

"I feel better every day. Obviously I'm not 100 percent and my fitness still needs work, my touches, my sharpness. When you're out for so long you take for granted the little good habits you need to get into."

Highlights:

Finally, the Chivas USA reserves play a make-up game 10 a.m. today (Sunday) against the Galaxy reserves on Field 4 at Home Depot Center. Originally scheduled for Aug. 15, the game was postponed due to injuries and international call-ups. The Chivas USA reserves are coming off a 3-1 loss against Real Salt Lake on Sunday, which gave them a 1-3-3 record.

I had a pretty good conversation with Sasha Victorine after the game, too, and I'll post that Sunday.

Was magician David Copperfield in the house for the second half?

Despite a disappearing act worthy of a prime time special, Chivas USA hung grimly onto their two-goal half time advantage and salvaged a crucial 2-1 victory, overcoming a pretty Josh Wolff bicycle kick with 20 minutes to go.

With both Colorado and Real Salt Lake winning today and temporarily climbing above them in the standings, Chivas USA needed all three points to maintain their tenuous grip on second place in the Western Conference and remain just two points above the pair nipping at their heels by night's end. Chivas USA even managed to close the gap to four points on leaders the Houston Dynamo, who could only tie 1-1 today with FC Toronto. There are four games left in the season for Chivas USA.

Back with more later from the locker rooms.

It's the Sasha and Sacha show at Home Depot Center where Chivas USA is leading the Wizards 2-0.

Sacha Kljestan has an assist, while Sasha Victorine has an assist and added the soaring second goal on his first start for Chivas USA that comes against his old club.

Ante Razov created the first in the 26th minutes, sending a telling pass that pierced a flat Wizards defense allowing Victorine to get behind it on the left wing and cutting a ball back that was met by Alecko Eskandarian from about seven yards out. It was his second goal in two games.

The second came in second half stoppage time, Kljestan passing to Atiba Harris, who made a deft touch to set up Victorine's handsome effort from 19 yards out.

But Chivas USA's injury woes continue, Razov coming out with a likely calf problem after just half an hour. Justin Braun replaced him.

The lone striker left on the bench, Maykel Galindo, who is struggling to recover from sports hernia surgery, is warming up. Incidentally, Roberto Nurse, largely ineffective since signing from a Mexican team, isn't even on the bench.

Chivas USA finished the half with eight shots to the Wizards' two, who haven't managed to hit the target.

NPR is in the building this evening preparing a story on Jorge Flores and tabbed your truly for a quick interview, so I'm a little late with the lineups.

The night's important numbers: the Wizards have won just once on the road this season and and Colorado's 5-4 win over the Red Bulls earlier today means Chivas USA is third in the table and seven points behind Western Conference leaders Houston, which drew 1-1 with Toronto.

Dan Kennedy continues in goal for Chivas USA, while there are two changes in the back line with Carey Talley and Jonathan Bornstein both out with concussions. Alex Zotinca returns for his first game of the season after suffering a long-term knee injury and Panchito Mendoza moves from midfield to defense alongside regulars Claudio Suarez and Shavar Thomas.

In midfield, Sasha Victorine gets his first start against the club that just traded him to Chivas USA, Jesse Marsch gets his first start after returning from a jaw fracture, while Atiba Harris and Sacha Kljestan complete the midfield.

Up front it's Alecko Eskandarian and Ante Razov.

Maykel Galindo is on the bench.

The Wizards start former Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, while Herculez Gomez resurfaces in Kansas City, too, after his recent trade from the Rapids and starts in midfield.

In attack for the Wizards - Abe Thompson and Josh Wolff.

The game is on Fox Soccer Channel.

In their quest for a fan base, Chivas USA has never met a promotion club officials didn't like (the Mexican-oriented club even had an Armenian night earlier this season) and tonight is Manhattan Beach Night.

Given the city's connections with soccer this makes a modicum of sense (former Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid, Galaxy playmaker Landon Donovan, U.S. National Team Coach - and former Chivas USA Coach - Bob Bradley all live there, while new Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena has said he intends to move there).

While most Chivas USA fans simply hope the team beats the Kansas City Wizards tonight (7:30 Fox Soccer Channel) and continues its playoff push, it's bonus night for residents of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach.

Residents of those communities qualify for $4 off a prime seat at midfield ($32) and $3 off one behind the goals ($15) and get a free Chivas USA hat to boot. The first 200 fans who buy a ticket will attend a meet and greet with Chivas USA holding midfielder (and Manhattan Beach resident) Jesse Marsch as well as defender Jim Curtin who lives on the border of Manhattan and Hermosa. Call Chivas USA ticket rep Mike Gratten at 310-630-4599 to get in on the action.

MB Mayor Richard Montgomery (a nice guy and soccer fan as it turns out) will conduct the pre-game coin toss and a five-minute film about the city will air on the stadium's big screen. About 1,300 MB kids play soccer, according to the mayor, and they are invited to parade across the field before the game.

The Daily Breeze wrote about Marsch (one of the game's nice guys as long as you don't have to play against him) when the brat-eating Wisconsin boy moved to MB a couple of years ago. Here's writer Bob Holtzman's October 2006 story on his change of lifestyle:

Jesse Marsch carried his surfboard away from the water and through the sands of Manhattan Beach and gazed up at the homes of the beachside town.

It was more than 10 years ago and Marsch dreamed about watching the sun set every night across the Pacific Ocean.

The Chivas USA midfielder retold this story last week from his home on The Strand, sitting on his patio, looking down at the water and beach.

The native Midwesterner has adjusted well to the South Bay lifestyle, welcoming visitors into his home while drinking a cup of coffee while wearing black sunglasses, dark plaid skater shorts and a pink designer T-shirt. His hair is a little shaggy and he bragged about how Emerson, his 5-year-old daughter, proudly wears flip-flops everywhere she goes.

Marsch has scored two goals and had three assists for Chivas in 30 matches and will try to help Chivas advance to the Western Conference championship today at 5 p.m. in Houston.

Marsch and his wife, Kim, grew up in Racine, Wis. So far, they have no complaints about the ocean view from their house or the moderate weather that enabled them to take Emerson and their son, Maddux, who turned 3 last Monday, to Disneyland with Marsch's parents on Tuesday.

"It makes things a lot easier when you don't have to help the kids get on their snow pants and boots," Kim Marsch said.

The family almost never made it to California.

They were living in Wrigleyville, the Chicago neighborhood surrounding the Cubs' Wrigley Field, while Marsch played for the Chicago Fire. But the Fire told Marsch he wasn't part of their plan for the future. Marsch, who will turn 34 on Nov. 8, considered retirement.

Instead of making a snap decision, Marsch consulted with an old friend and coach, Bob Bradley, who recruited Marsch to Princeton University and coached him as a rookie at D.C. United and then from 1998 to 2002 in Chicago.

Marsch liked the idea of playing for Bradley again and couldn't turn down the chance to live in Southern California again. This time, it would be in one of those houses overlooking the ocean.

"I came out here a little early and researched it, looking at Westside Rentals and on Craigslist," Marsch said, retracing the steps so many people do to find a rental home by the beach. "And the woman we rent from is actually from Kenosha, Wis., which isn't far from Racine. And she took a liking to me."

Marsch has seemed to have a bit of a blessed time during his time in Southern California. When he spent the summer working on his senior thesis, friends helped him get a job bartending for a catering company, serving drinks to "Hollywood-type people," and living in Westwood.

He actually had a chance to work the Emmy Awards, but it didn't work out.

"I bartended the L.A. (PGA event) Open and if I had been here another week, I would have worked the Emmys but that meant calling Bob (Bradley) and telling him I'm going to be late for preseason camp. I didn't have the (guts) to do that."

Decision-making like that is why Bradley has such deep trust in Marsch. Bradley said that he could tell from the first time he saw Marsch play he knew Marsch "had a soccer brain and an idea of how to play."

Marsch has shown that knack all season for the Goats.

"My soccer career is rejuvenated," Marsch said. "Playing for Bob again feels right. On the field, I know what he wants and expects. He's done a fantastic job with this team. Before I got here, I thought, maybe I'll retire. Now, I'm thinking about one or two more years, maybe a little bit longer. Of course, you've got to look at it year-by-year at this point."

Kim said it took some adjusting, and was a little confused when people would ask where she was from.

"I thought do I look that different?" Kim said. "People would tell me they know I'm not from here because I'm too talkative, too nice."

Marsch is doing his best to fit in, though. He's got a surfboard in his bedroom and the ocean is just steps away.

Not that everyone is completely buying this transition from the Midwest to West Coast. Fellow midfielder Sacha Kljestan grew up in Huntington Beach and he's not convinced that Marsch has fit right in just yet, either.

"He tries to think he's SoCal with his shaggy hair," Kljestan said. "He's still got no style, but we love him anyway."

Chivas midfielder Jesse Marsch enjoys walking with his wife, Kim, along The Strand behind their home in Manhattan Beach. The winters are more enjoyable in the South Bay than in Chicago, where he used to play.

Photo by Scott Varley

Here's more on the game from a Kansas City point of view.

I'll blog from the game as usual.

There was plenty of local college action Friday:
*No. 5 USC 3 LMU 0 (The sixth consecutive home win for the Trojans (8-1-0), which also set a program record with what's now a 15-game home unbeaten stretch. LMU is now 4-4-2).
*Pepperdine 6 Idaho State 0 (Amanda Rupp of Encinitas, a La Costa Canyon High grad, had two goals and three assists as Pepperdine moved to 4-4-2).
*Long Beach State 2 Arizona 0 (Lindsay Bullock scored two goals as Long Beach State improved to 6-2-2).
*Cal State Dominguez Hills women 1 Cal State San Bernadino 0 (Sophomore Kristan Boyle of Long Beach's Wilson High headed home a cross from Jessica Murphy of Torrance's West High with just two seconds left in regulation for the win. The Toros evened their record at 5-5).
*No. 9 Cal State Dominguez Hills men 1 Cal State San Bernadino 0 (CSUDH moves to 8-1-1 on the season).

After the realities of the last week - politicians seeking to bail out their banking buddies or (even worse) the Galaxy doing an excellent impression of a PDL team (no disrespect intended to that league) - I figured those of us with brains shaped like this (thanks to reader KLF for the link) could do with a laugh.

So check out these (mostly) true and (mostly) funny soccer-related items and have a good weekend:
*The Church of England is targeting soccer sinners.

*If you're heading to Vegas this weekend you might want head for the Riviera Casino and check out this huge freaking foosball tourny.

*Now this is taking youth soccer a little too far.

*This next one is not strictly soccer related, but could proove useful to those LA Riot Squad members who have been known to enjoy a beer (or four). The best part: it's a public service announcement by England's National Health Service (can anyone see our laugh a minute federal government doing this?). (Thanks to Joseph for the link).

*Finally, this one proves that the new Women's Professional Soccer league has not one shred of self-awareness.

Just like D.C. United, the WPA will be fussy how the media uses its acronym:

Please first reference the league in print or broadcast coverage using the full name of Women's Professional Soccer. Please do not abbreviate the league¹s name to Women's Pro Soccer, or qualify it as the Women's Professional Soccer, the WPS, Women's Professional Soccer league, WPS league, the Women's Professional Soccer league, or the WPS league.

Fair enough. But as observant reader Llew pointed here's the e-mail address the league will be using just in case anyone needs clarification: (leaguedepartment)@womensprosoccer.com.

Doh!

I know I'm ready for some half-decent soccer after watching two bad games in two days involving Mexico and the Galaxy (although in truth Blanco was fun to watch as usual and it's great to see a DP actually make a difference on the field rather than just selling shirts off it).

Guess I should be glad I didn't make it three games by watching the No. 2 Bruins (7-0-2) get held 0-0 by Santa Clara on national TV last night (although to be fair a combined 30 shots from the two women's programs likely made the game more entertaining than the final score suggested).

Also on Thursday, the UCLA men (2-3-2) were held to a 1-1 tie by UC San Diego. Next: Cal State Northridge at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Drake Stadium.

Let's hope Saturday's 7:30 p.m. Chivas USA-Kansas City Wizards game at Home Depot Center provides an antidote (it's Manhattan Beach Night).

That means, according to Chivas USA:

Families can take advantage of Chivas USA's Family Pack, which gets you four tickets, four hats and four hot dogs starting at just $58. Chivas USA will also be celebrating Manhattan Beach Night, where city leaders will be greeted by Manhattan Beach resident Jesse Marsch and a special 'Parade of Champions' will give soccer-loving kids from Manhattan Beach the opportunity to walk around the field prior to the game. For tickets call 1-877-CHIVAS-1.

Unlike the Galaxy, Chivas USA (sitting second in the Western Conference) actually have a legitimate chance at making the playoffs.

Other games in Southern California include:
No. 5 USC-LMU 3 p.m. today at McAlister Field.
LMU men-Oregon State Sunday at Sullivan Field in Westchester.
Cal State Northridge women-San Francisco Sunday at Matador Field in Northridge.

TV best bets:
7 a.m. Saturday Stoke City-Chelsea on Fox Soccer Channel
9:30 a.m. Saturday Arsenal-Hull City on FSC
7 p.m. Saturday Atlas-Chivas Guadalajara on KFTR
8 a.m. Sunday Wigan Athletic-Manchester City on FSC
11:30 a.m. Sunday AC Milan-Inter Milan on FSC
2 p.m. Sunday Club America-Cruz Azul on KFTR

Almost forgot: Here's a preview of the Cal State Dominguez Hills women's program.

Yvonne Vasquez, who led the CCAA in goals last year, returns as the Toros' top scoring threat.

Photo by Scott Varley

Just not good enough is the verdict.

An unspectacular David Beckham. A sublime Blanco move. A goalkeeper and others - Sean Franklin is not the MLS MVP folks - that are just not good enough. Did I say that already?

At this stage of the season it's not worth doing tactical analysis. The season (again) has pretty much passed the Galaxy by.

Game story.

Box score basics.

YouTube highlights:

Apologies: the blogging software has been down for hours, only just came back up and I have other things to do.

So very briefly:
*The Galaxy play another must-win game against Chicago at 6 tonight on ESPN2.

*Former Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan played - and lost - his first game with Aston Villa Wednesday night.

*The Cal State Dominguez Hills men are eyeing another championship.

Toros midfielder Scott Mariano started 14 games last year.

Photo by Scott Varley

That a Juan Carlos Valenzuela own goal in the 75th minute gave Chile a 1-0 win over Mexico pretty much summed up the tenor of this game.

Neither team exhibited much rhythm and attacking opportunities were sparse - especially in a dull first half dominated (and I use the term loosely) by Mexico.

In fact, the only two real scoring opportunities of the opening 45 minutes provided bookends to the half. In the second minute a Chilean defender came close to scoring an own goal, while Chile striker Fabian Orellana produced the game's sole moment of intoxicating brilliance on the right wing, beating three Mexican defenders and unleashing a shot in stoppage time.

The second half goal came as Valenzuela attempted to rather casually cut out a cross by striker Jose Fuenzalida from reaching a lurking forward behind him and knocked it in the net from a couple of yards out.

Overall though, not much value for money for the overwhelmingly pro-Mexican crowd of 32,924, many of whom not surprisingly didn't stick around long and headed for the exits early.

Updated: That's the first time I've heard a post-game press conference conducted in the three languages of Spanish, English and Swedish, but Mexico Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson didn't have much to say in any of them.

Samples of what he said (with what he actually meant following):
*"I like the mentality of the team. They worked very hard." (But they played like generally crap and I couldn't point to anything that was particularly effective."

*"It was very important to me to work with players we'd never worked with before." (And after that performance thank gawd I don't have to see most of them again in a national team jersey).

Paraphrased question: Could you tell us who especially impressed you?
Paraphrased answer: I couldn't single anyone out. (Are you kidding me?)

Marta, generally universally acknowledged as the world's best female player, was picked today in the international draft by the as yet unnamed L.A. Women's Professional Soccer franchise.

All told, 28 foreign players were picked by the seven WPS teams over four rounds.

It doesn't mean the players will automatically join the league. It simply gives the team that picked a player the right to negotiate with them - if the club currently holding their contract agrees.

"The international draft was created to allow an equitable opportunity for the individual WPS clubs to develop their teams, by assigning the WPS-playing rights to the seven franchises that are beginning play in April 2009," said Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. "Now they can go out to the market - and after receiving permission from the player's clubs - put together the most competitive team they possibly can based on their selections."

Still, Marta is apparently interested in the WPS, even though she currently plays for a Swedish team. But she won't come cheap: L.A. picked third, so it's likely the first two teams to pick were scared off by her price tag.

L.A. also picked Japanese midfielder Aya Miyama, who has been compared to a female David Beckham by some British newspapers and Chinese striker Han Duan.

The complete international draft.

Smaller crowd than usual for a Mexico game tonight, perhaps because of the relatively high ticket prices given the squad of youngsters and "B" team players trying to force their way back into the international reckoning.

BTW, Mexico and Chile last met June 4 in the Copa America when they played to a 0-0 draw.

The Mexico starting lineup (4-3-3):
GK Memo Ochoa
D Diego Martinez
D Juan Carlos Valenzuela
D Leobardo Lopez
D Pausto Pinto
M Antonio Naelson
M Jaime Correa
M Luis Ernesto Perez
F Enrique Esqueda
F Francisco Fonseca
F Carlos Ochoa

Chile (4-3-3)
GK Miguel Pinto
D Marco Estrada
D Osvaldo Gonzalez
D Han Martinez
D Roberto Cereceda
M Manuel Iturra
M Fernando Meneses
M Emilio Hernandez
F Jose Pedro Fuenzalida
F Boris Sagredo
F Fabian Orellana

The game is on Telemundo.

The basics on the 8 p.m. friendly were recounted in Tuesday's column.

Here's more on the challenges facing Sven.

And former CD Guadalajara prodigy Carlos Vela was otherwise engaged Tuesday banging home a hat trick for Arsenal in his first start for the London club.

I plan to blog from the game tonight and fans who are attending should remember there's a pre-game Futbol Fiesta Zone with live music and a massive 50-foot-tall Mexico National Team jersey fans can sign. Activities crank up at 4 p.m. in parking lot six.

A smattering of Galaxy related reads for your perusal:

*Soccer America's Ridge Mahoney looks at Landon Donovan's MLS MVP chances. (On track for a career-best season, Donovan is doing his best to impress so he can jump ship to Bayern Munich, Europe in general or really anywhere as long as he flees the increasingly erratic Galaxy).

*Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl checks in with the latest scheme being concocted by Galaxy power broker Tim Leiweke. (Leiweke's latest contention that the Galaxy are actually being harmed because of the designated player rule has a kernel of truth, but good luck selling this to the rest of MLS long since convinced L.A. receive preferential treatment).

*Variety reveals the television empire building plans of Galaxy owner Anschutz Entertainment Group. (Televised reserve team games anyone?).

*Finally, I keep forgetting to blog this, but if you've always wanted to know whether Alan Gordon can hit a really little hole better than a yawning big one (and you have $500 you didn't put in WaMu stock burning a hole in your pocket) you might want to sign up for the annual Galaxy Day on the Links.

From the (edited) Galaxy press release:

The LA Galaxy Foundation will host their annual Day on the Links golf tournament on Monday, October 20 at Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms Resort in Industry Hills, Calif. LA Galaxy players, coaching staff and TV personalities will tee off at 11 a.m. on the Eisenhower Course, with on-course contests and prizes, a post-tournament awards dinner, raffle and silent auction adding to the festivities. Foursomes and individual spots start at just $500.

The event's proceeds will benefit the LA Galaxy Foundation's outreach programs, including Kicks for Kids, Camps for Kids, a new Reading Garden built with the Home Depot Charitable Foundation, the annual Foundations' Feast and the Holiday Assist Program.

To register for "Day on the Links," go here, call Gloria King at 310-630-2222 or e-mail gking@lagalaxy.com.

It's adios, Hugo, hola, Sven, when Mexico plays Chile Wednesday at the Coliseum. Tickets are still available, by the way.

Spent the day columnizing for Tuesday's newspaper about the most popular national team in Southern California - Mexico - which plays an 8 p.m. Wednesday exhibition at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum against Chile.

Fans who want to get an autograph or two from Mexican National Team stars should show up at the adidas Sports Performance store Tuesday on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Tecos goalkeeper Jesús Corona, Pachuca's Fausto Pinto and Jaime Correa, Toluca's Antonio Naelson and Monterrey's Luis Pérez will be on hand for the hour-long autograph session that begins at 11 a.m. Fans can win match tickets and gift cards.

In other news, Landon Donovan was named MLS Player of the Week Monday (surprise!) after his dominating three-goal performance in the 5-2 win over on the weekend over D.C. United. The award is the ninth of Donovan's MLS career, tying him with Jeff Cunningham, retired Galaxy great Cobi Jones and Chivas USA's Ante Razov for the most in MLS history.

Donovan, who leads the league in goal scoring, now has 19 goals and will inevitably become the third player in Galaxy history to score 20 or more goals in a season. Carlos Ruiz got 24 goals in 2002 and Eduardo Hurtado slammed home 21 goals in 1996. The Galaxy have reached the MLS Cup in each of the previous seasons in which they had a 20 goal scorer. Oh great, helluva time to break the string, huh?

How prolific is Donovan? This from MLS:

"For just the second time in MLS history, a player has reached the 19-goal mark in 20 games. Landon Donovan did it Saturday with his hat trick against D.C. United. The only other player to score at that pace through 20 games was Trinidadian Stern John, who did it with the Columbus Crew in 1998 en route to 26 goals in 27 games.

John's 1998 campaign is still the best scoring rate during a single season at 0.96 goals per game. Donovan could break that record this season."

The chart:
Highest Single-Season Scoring Rates in MLS History:

Yr. Player Team GP Goals AVG
1998 Stern John CLB 27 26 0.96
2008 Landon Donovan LA 20 19 0.95
2000 Mamadou Diallo TB 28 26 0.93
2002 Carlos Ruiz LA 26 24 0.92
1996 Roy Lassiter TB 30 27 0.90

Oh, and Donovan was saying all the right things over the weekend in encouraging Juergen Klinsmann's Bayern Munich to come in for him after the season. Contrary to at least one report, however, the German giants have not tendered any sort of offer for Donovan.

BTW, David Beckham and Alan Gordon have joined Landon Donovan and Greg Vanney on official warning from MLS, meaning that they will receive a mandatory one-game suspension if they receive one more yellow card. Next for the Galaxy: the Fire Thursday in Chicago on ESPN2.

In college soccer, Loyola Marymount University junior goalkeeper Patrick Simpson was named West Coast Conference Player of the week for the second time this season. That's the first time an LMU player has won the honor in a season since former Chivas USA player Arturo Torres did it three times in 2000. Simpson came within seven minutes of pitching two shutouts against #9 Northwestern and #11 Illinois-Chicago over the weekend.

UCLA men 2 (2-3-1) Santa Clara 0
No. 2 UCLA women 3 (7-0-1) New Mexico 0
No.4 USC 4 (7-1-0) SMU 0
Long Beach State 3 (5-2-2) Utah State 0
Pepperdine 0 (3-4-2) Marquette 0
Arizona State 2 Cal State Northridge women 1 (5-3)
Sacramento 1 Cal State Northridge men 2
Loyola Marymount women 4 (4-3-2)Oral Roberts 1
Loyola Marymount men 0 (1-2-3) No. 11 Illinois-Chicago 0

Also:
U.S. Women's National Team 2 Ireland 0
U.S. lineup: 1-Hope Solo (18-Nicole Barnhart, 46); 17-Lori Chalupny, 3-Christie Rampone (4-Rachel Buehler, 46), 15-Kate Markgraf, 2-Heather Mitts (14-Stephanie Cox, 46) 16-Angela Hucles (10-Aly Wagner, 46), 7-Shannon Boxx - Capt., 11-Carli Lloyd, 9-Heather O'Reilly, 5-Lindsay Tarpley, 6-Natasha Kai (21-Kacey White, 63).

Serious bloggers actually blog immediately after the game.

The rest of us go to Oktoberfest.

Game story from a Galaxy perspective.

The United view.

By the way, David Beckham had yet another sub-par game complete with errant passes, petulant behavior and little creativity. Yet Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena, perhaps playing politics, praised his performance as "excellent," while Becks himself simply conceded it was "all right."
"I'm sure I've played better," he said. "I've definitely played worse."

Best line of the night goes to Bruce Arena as he left the post-game conference, leaving David Beckham to face the media. "Monday!" said Bruce brightly of the next practice day, which players usually have off. "Yes, Monday," said Becks, considerably less enchanted with the idea.

Quotable:
Pete Vagenas on the early goal:

"I was ready to walk out the stadium when they scored off the corner kick to be honest with you. I can't tell you how many times we went over set pieces this week."

United Coach Tom Soehn on the outcome:

"We got careless. I'm not sure if the early goal caused that. We turned over the ball in some really bad spots. Guys like Landon, you can't afford to leave them unmarked."

On the officiating:

"The officiating crew had a bad night. ... The red card? The whole Galaxy staff looked at me - it was just a soft card."

On the season:

"I won't lie - it's been a tough season. As we look to get guys back it's going to take a little bit of time to find our rhythm. ... Some of the mistakes we're making are real basic."

On the Swiss cheese-like United defense:

"Landon did a good job of finding the holes and we didn't account for them. ... They moved the ball around well and exposed some of our weaknesses."

Arena on the early goals in each half:

"The way we came out in the second half - we gave up another goal. These are bad habits. These are things we have to get better at - concentration has to improve."

On the difference between the desultory performance last weekend in Kansas City and tonight:

"I accept the responsibility for Kansas City - because I put Landon and David in an unfavorable position. They had a lot of games, travel and I put at least two tired players on the field. My job as the coach here is to position players to be successful and I didn't do David any favors in Kansas City nor did I do Landon any favors. ... If I had to redo it, I'd probably do things differently on that day."

On the officiating:

"What can I say? At this point we're not willing to give back the three points. We needed three points tonight so we're going to take them anyway we can get them."

Beckham on the end of the winless streak:

"To go so many games without a win - I've never done that before - and I'm sure many of the other players have not done that before."

Ante Jazic on the D.C. defense: "They reminded me of our defense early on in the season."

On the difference Arena has made:

"If anyone knows soccer, they can see we're more organized, more compact, especially the back line. ... Before we were a little bit of a make-shift team. But now we're playing as a unit."

Landon Donovan on the season so far:

"Before the season started my goals were to lead the league in scoring and be the league MVP and I got a lot closer to both those tonight, which is good."

Chivas USA did exactly what they needed to do Saturday, beating Real Salt Lake 1-0 on a 72nd minute Alecko Eskandarian goal and moving above their opponents to take second place in the Western Conference.

Somewhat of a comedy routine gave the former Real Salt Lake striker the winner over his old team: Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando and defender Nat Borchers collided and the ball bounced past them to Eskandarian, who gratefully accepted the gift that was his third goal of the season.

Quotable:

"We got a fortunate goal," said Chivas USA Coach Preki. "This year luck hasn't been on our side too often, so tonight we'll take it. It's that time of year that we'll take the points, it doesn't matter how they come."

Notable:
*The win means Chivas USA holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over RSL in the event the teams finish level on points.
*Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein suffered a concussion in the first half and was replaced by former Galaxy midfielder Sasha Victorine, who made his debut for the club.
*Enforcer Jesse Marsch made his first appearance for Chivas USA since sustaining a fractured jaw Aug. 14 against the Galaxy when he entered the game as a 66th minute sub for Ante Razov.
*The third largest crowd in RSL history - 26,391 - took in the final game at Rice-Eccles Stadium before the team moves next month into its new home in Sandy.
*Next for Chivas USA Saturday: the Kansas City Wizards when at Manhattan Beach Night "city leaders will be greeted by Manhattan Beach resident Jesse Marsch and a special 'Parade of Champions' will give soccer-loving kids from Manhattan Beach the opportunity to walk around the field before the game."

Game story.

Highlights:

The Galaxy snapped their 12-game winless streak in some style, dissecting a defense that had more holes than their own for a 5-2 win capped by a Pete Vagenas (!) volley in the 81st minute.

Donovan scored his third and the Galaxy's fifth in second half stoppage time although he appeared more than a tad offside.

D.C. played with 10 men for the final half hour, after Marc Burch stupidly received a straight red for hacking David Beckham's ankle with the ball already out of play It wasn't a particularly nasty challenge and it appeared even Beckham thought a straight red was overly harsh and he appeared to have more than few words with the assistant referee.

Before Vegenas' late goal - created by Donovan who held the play up while awaiting Vagenas' arrival - the Galaxy had led by just one goal after South African striker Thabiso Boyzzz scored his first MLS goal three minutes after the break.

It was the third time the Galaxy had scored five goals all season.

The first win for Bruce Arena hauled the Galaxy off the Western Conference basement and into a tie with San Jose for fifth place.

Back with more from the locker rooms later.

.

After giving up a goal just 71 seconds into the match - and earning deafening boos from the almost capacity crowd - the Galaxy came back to score three straight, the first three goal outburst in a half since May for L.A.

It should have been four - Edson Buddle couldn't beat D.C. goalkeeper Louis Crayton (a Liberian who played most of his career in Switzerland and was picked up by D.C. in August) when he was in alone on stoppage time and then hit the bar when the ball came back out to him.

Landon Donovan got two of them, extending his MLS best goalscoring streak to 18 in 20 games, already the fourth most goals in a season for the Galaxy.

Devon McTavish got the first for D.C. from an Ivan Guerrero corner kick, deftly trapping, turning and firing home while his marker - Buddle - had completely lost him. It was the fourth fastest goal the Galaxy had ever given up.

Donovan equalized in the 23rd minute, when a Chris Klein through ball from his own half beat three square D.C. defenders and LD coolly shot over a sprawling Crayton.

A Donovan scorcher from 25 yards out in the 35th minute made it 2-1 and three minutes later Alan Gordon made it three. A hard Lewis shot was only parried by Crayton and the ball fell to Gordon who snuck home a shot just inside the near post, two D.C. players on the goal line failing to stop the ball. It was Gordon's fifth goal of the season.

In between, a Lewis header hit the post and Beckham received a yellow card for dissent after screaming at the referee. One more booking in the next three games and he'll be suspended for a game.

The Galaxy ended the half with 11 shots on goal to United's four.

First off, my thoughts are with Palos Verdes Peninsula resident Bill Mason this evening, a long-time AYSO referee and a score board operator for the Galaxy, who I discovered tonight had a stroke last Sunday and is in intensive care at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. Bill has struggled with ill health for some time and certainly didn't need this, so let's hope he's back in the press box soon.

Back to business: the mediocre meets the truly awful tonight in a game that could realistically spell the end of the Galaxy's season without three points.

D.C. United come into the game occupying the eighth and final MLS playoff spot, although they are winless in their last five games and have just one win in their last five games.

The antidote may be the Galaxy, without a win in a dozen games now and counting, although they began the day just four points out of the third and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference.

David Beckham and Landon Donovan are playing together at Home Depot Center for the first time since July 10.

The Galaxy lineup: Wicks, Klein, Franklin, Roberts, Jazic, Beckham, Donovan, Vanney, Lewis, Buddle, Gordon.

Bryan Jordan drops to the bench after last week's depressing loss to the Wizards.

United starts former Galaxy midfielder Santino Quaranta, while Luciano Emilio - fourth on the MLS goal-scoring charts with 11 goals - is up front.

The game is on Fox Soccer Channel.

More than you ever wanted to know about your blogger: Why am I posting this alleged "preview" when it's almost noon? For the first time in years I stayed up until the wee hours in a (ultimately futile) attempt to finish this (highly recommended) novel.

So I'll keep this brief.

Galaxy game preview.

If you're going to the game tonight (an unusual 8 p.m. kick off, BTW, live on Fox Soccer Channel), there's a pre-game concert by A Cursive Memory.

Check them out:

Chivas USA is in Salt Lake City.
Game story.

Both ex-Galaxy midfielder Sasha Victorine and Brazilian Dejair, who has received his work permit, could make their debuts for Chivas USA.

Incidentally, Chivas USA supporters group the Union Ultras will host a viewing party at the Black Watch English Pub in Upland at 5:30 p.m. The pub is at 497 N. Central Avenue.

Friday college scores:
No. 2 UCLA women 3 Miami 0
No. 13 Oklahoma State 4 (7-0) Loyola Marymount women 0 (3-2-2).
No. 9 Northwestern 1 (6-0-1) Loyola Marymount men 0 (1-2-2).
Arizona State 2 Cal State Northridge women 1 (5-2).
Utah 1 (3-5-1) Long Beach State 0 (4-2-2).

Gotta finish this book.......

Sgt. Chris Cognac, who works for a South Bay Police Department, is also a food, wine and travel writer for the Daily Breeze and hosted "The Hungry Detective" on the Food Network. Cognac is a season ticket holder for the L.A. Avengers Arena Football team and will soon become a Chivas USA season ticket holder. In this guest post, he explains how he discovered his love of soccer and why he spurned the Galaxy for Chivas USA.

I was raised in Torrance and like a typical teenager in the 1980s I loved football and wrestling.

I didn't really care much for soccer. I wouldn't take time out of my busy teenage schedule to watch a game (besides, there weren't many girls there).

I remember my disdain for the fact Cal State Dominguez Hills was going to allow a soccer stadium to built on campus for a sport that like 50 people watched. I mean, where was I going to see Lollapalooza now!

While I had an outward disdain for soccer, I was secretly impressed by the likes of Cobi Jones and Alexi Lalas, who ran so fast his wild red hair would streak back like his head was on fire.

Still, while soccer was cool for all those English dudes, this was California.

Then 2008 came along, I was fat from filming for the Food Network and needed to do something else besides eating in restaurants, so I became addicted to Arena Football and the Los Angeles Avengers. Well, that season ended (not well I might add) and I needed a "fix." I had to find a sport to love, to scream at the top of my lungs in support of, to obsess over the players, to bond with the fans and become "part of".

And, oh yeah, it had to be affordable for my family of four, just like Arena Football.

Beckham, Beckham, Beckham - all I heard about was David Beckham. Maybe I should just go check out this soccer thing at Home Depot Center.

Well, I clicked on the Galaxy Web site and saw that a family four-pack was $100 bucks for four tickets and four hats. I wasn't into soccer that much to spend a "Hundy" for a game.

Then I discovered Chivas USA also played at Home Depot Center and for $58 I could get four tickets, four hats - and four hot dogs. I couldn't click fast enough to order - but I couldn't figure out the stupid online ordering thing.

Enter the most important guy in my Chivas USA world - ticket rep John Santos.

John set me up with tickets and answered my important questions:
*Is the game announced in Spanish or English? (Both, it turned out).
*Are there fights in the stands? - I had seen English soccer riots on TV. (He assured me that Chivas USA games are family friendly and I would have a good time).

I bought the "coolest looking" jerseys in MLS and went with my wife, Martha, and the boys. Game time came and before I knew it, I was cheering along with the Union Ultras yelling "Chivas USA, Chivas USA" at the top of my lungs. My adrenaline was kicking in, my wife and boys were screaming and I realized - what was this? - I was screaming for soccer. And loving it!

Like a giant tuna, I was hooked. And when they scored and the announcer yelled GOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLL!!!, I began making plans for a return to Home Depot Center to cheer on Chivas USA again!!

I managed to get to a Galaxy game a short time after and while it was OK (Landon Donovan is amazing), it just didn't "do it" for me.

I mean, it's so "West side." The crowd just does not seem to get into the game like a Chivas USA crowd does.

You get lots of "snooty" looks from the "don't you know who I am" type crowd (no, I don't know who you are and you don't know who I am, so we are even). We all felt the "vibe" and felt like outsiders.

When we are at a Chivas USA game my family feels like we are truly part of the "international" crowd of soccer with drums, chants and horns. It's very worldly. I feel part of something bigger - and not that I just came to see Beckham.

I have been to CONCACAF Champions League and SuperLiga games with my boys rooting hard for Chivas USA.

Seeing my favorite players like Ante Razov, Sacha Klejstan, Paulo Nagamura and Jim Curtin (that dude works hard!) became so exciting. I am a soccer "junkie."

Then today I went to the HDC box office to get some Galaxy tickets, since I needed something to do on Saturday.

I was told by the box office that the least expensive ticket available was $42! Wow - I wasn't about to pay almost $200 bucks for four tickets to watch the LAST PLACE team lose yet again.

I looked behind me and saw the Chivas USA players walking out the door and down the sidewalk to practice. I asked one of them, "are your practices open, can I watch?"

"Sure," they replied, so I followed them down to the field and from about 10 feet away, observed these athletes practicing. For them, it seemed to be about "love and passion" for the game. They all had smiles on and great attitudes about practicing. Impressed and tired from just watching them, I took that as a sign from the gods that I was destined to be a Chivas USA fan!

I wish them luck for the rest of the season and hope that I can take my family to watch them in the playoffs and MLS Cup (hear that Galaxy?). Destiny and good value brought us together.

If you have not gone to an MLS game, check out Chivas USA.

Oh, and did I mention that the Chivas USA mascot "Chiva Fighter" is about the coolest mascot ever - plus he gave my seven-year-old the scarf he was wearing. (How great is that!)

Now where do I get red and white paint to make stripes on my face for the next game?

See you in the end zone section!

Apparently this parody was first done earlier this year just before the Super Bowl.

But this version will resonate more with long-suffering Galaxy fans.

Check it out before the video Gods take it away. (Caution: lots of naughty words).

Here's your live soccer and television viewing guide for the weekend.

The Galaxy (6-10-8) look for their first victory in 12 games at 8 p.m. Saturday at Home Depot Center (live on Fox Soccer Channel) against D.C. United (10-11-3), while Chivas USA (8-10-6) are on the road in Salt Lake (live at 6 p.m. on KAZA or delayed until 8 p.m. on FSN) and will look to leapfrog their opponents in the standings and haul themselves back into an automatic playoff spot.

Incidentally, veteran defensive leader Jesse Marsch has had his jaw unwired and could play for the first time since breaking it Sept. 14 against the Galaxy.

Other televised games include:
*Manchester United-Chelsea at 6 a.m. Sunday (Fox Soccer Channel) in the undoubted game of the weekend. Incidentally, this is so big so early in the season, the BBC unearthed former Galaxy and Chelsea Coach Ruud Gullit to offer his wisdom on the game. Among Gullit's insights regarding Luiz Felipe Scolari taking over at Chelsea:

"A coach must adjust to the players he has and, at a club like Chelsea, get results," he says.

*7 a.m. Saturday FSC - Managerless Newcastle United face West Ham.
*9:30 a.m. Saturday FSC - Arsenal-Bolton Wanderers.
*5 p.m. KVEA - Jaguares-CD Guadalajara.

College soccer offerings locally this weekend include:
*The UCLA Women's Cup begins today with No. 2 UCLA (5-0-1) taking on Miami (7-0) at 5:00 p.m at Drake Stadium, followed at 7:30 p.m. by No. 24 USD (5-2) against New Mexico (3-1-3). On Sunday it's USD versus Miami at 11:00 a.m., and UCLA against New Mexico at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 adults, $5 youths/UCLA students. The Bruins slipped to No. 2 in the rankings after their scoreless draw with Brown last weekend.
*The UCLA men (1-3-1) hosts Santa Clara (1-3-1) 7 p.m. Saturday at Drake Stadium in a rematch of last season's NCAA second round playoff match, which Santa Clara won 3-1.
*The No. 4 Trojans (6-1-0) begin a six-game home stand at McCalister Field 1 p.m. Sunday hosting SMU (1-4-1).

Assuming the role admirably usually performed by hamstring-challenged Argentine playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto, this year's likely MLS MVP, South Bay Boy Robbie Rogers curled home the audacious winning goal for the Columbus Crew in a 3-1 win Thursday over New York.

In a man of the match performance, Rogers could have had a second and drew a red card from frustrated Red Bulls defender Kevin Goldthwaite at game's end.

Game story.

Highlights:

Updated:
Want more? Rogers' contributions were broken down nicely at this blog.

Given a choice between watching soccer and blogging about it, I'd much rather do the former, but the scant rewards Wednesday for doing so included a tepid Manchester United 0-0 draw with Spain's Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League and a surprising 2-0 win by Marathon of Honduras over Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF version

I will likely impose radio silence again today with two UEFA Cup games on Fox Soccer Channel (Spurs-Wisla Krakow at noon followed by Tim Howard's Everton against Oguchi Onyewu's Standard Liege) and New York meeting Sigi Schmid's Columbus Crew over on ESPN2 at 4 p.m.

The Red Bulls' Juan Osorio is calling this New York's most important game of the season. Local soccer fans know this is Rolling Hills Estates' Robbie Rogers chance to shine in prime time with likely MLS MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto expected to continue resting his aging hamstrings before the playoffs.

Catching up briefly:
USA Today brings people up to speed with a feature on the global ambitions of Chivas USA co-owner Jorge Vegara

*The U.S. Women's National Team beat Ireland 1-0 in New York Wednesday with Natasha Kai getting the goal before a little over 4,000 (an Olympic gold medal apparently not going as far as it used to in terms of crowd appeal).

U.S. lineup: 1-Hope Solo (22-Briana Scurry, 46); 17-Lori Chalupny (21-Kacey White, 70), 3-Christie Rampone - Capt, 15-Kate Markgraf (4-Rachel Buehler, 46), 2-Heather Mitts; 7-Shannon Boxx, 10-Aly Wagner, 11-Carli Lloyd, 9-Heather O'Reilly (14-Stephanie Cox, 46), 6-Natasha Kai, 16-Angela Hucles.

Finally Wednesday, the No. 7-ranked Cal State Dominguez men drew 0-0 with UC San Diego; the women lost 3-2 to UCSD.

It says a lot about the UEFA Champions League and a lot more about the global stature of Manchester United that for many in Los Angeles the most important game of the week does not involve the Galaxy or Chivas USA, but today's 11:30 a.m. game on ESPN2 that has the Red Devils facing Jozy Altidore's Spanish team Villareal.

(Alas Altidore, who just made his debut for Villareal over the weekend, is not on the Champions League roster, according to The New York Times' soccer blog Goal).

Other televised UEFA and CONCACAF Champions League games worth checking out today:
*2 p.m. ESPN Classic - Real Madrid-FC Bate Borisov (of Belarus in case you were wondering and I know you were).
*5 p.m. Fox Soccer Channel - Montreal Impact-Joe Public.
*10 p.m. Marathon-Cruz Azul.

A couple of other CONCACAF related notes:
*Panama's FC Tauro, vanquishers of Chivas USA in the preliminary round of the Champions League, lost to the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL 2-1 Tuesday night.
*Hey, mon - Barnsey's back! Former England and Liverpool wing wizard John Barnes has resurfaced as coach of Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz face a crunch World Cup qualifying clash Oct. 11 against Mexico.

While we were distracted by the start of the Champions Leagues and the return of Sacha Victorine to Southern California, Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena quietly picked up former FC Dallas developmental player Jeremy Barlow before the close of the MLS transfer window Monday.

Finally:
*The U.S. Women's National Team plays the second game of its post-Olympics tour tonight against Ireland in New York.
*The Cal State Dominguez Hills men (7-0) jumped to No. 4 in the latest NSCAA poll.

A type of soccer goal blamed for the death of a 21-month-old toddler last year has been recalled by the federal government.

No, I don't know what took them so long. And yes, the goals were made in China. About 190,000 of the goals were sold from May 2002 until May 2008.

More details on the circumstances surrounding the recall is here.

More details from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission here.

Former South (Torrance) High star Shannon Boxx, Olympian Stephanie Cox and midfielder Aly Wagner were allocated to Los Angeles' Women's Professional Soccer franchise today.

"This is a big day for Women's Professional Soccer, as teams now have Olympic gold medalists from Beijing allocated to their home cities along with other talented national team players," said WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. "These are the first building blocks for the teams as the league begins the countdown to the inaugural 2009 WPS Season."

Here's the full list of allocations to all seven franchises.

Next for WPS - a draft of four top international players to each team the week of Sept. 22:

That will be followed by a draft of remaining players in early October and again in January. The order of the international draft will depend on the weighted rankings voted on by teams following the U.S. Women's National Team allocation with the weakest-rated team selecting first and the strongest-weighted team selecting last

In a nation of immigrants, the UEFA Champions League has carved a loyal niche among soccer fans and now the CONCACAF version joins the party. Set that TiVo.

Meanwhile, barely in time for today's Women's Professional Soccer U.S. National Team draft, the still as yet unnamed L.A. entry has hired a coach after all.

I wasn't kidding about the witchcraft.

Depressing way to start the week (sorry about that), but somehow in tune with the catastrophes, accidents and Wall Street mayhem afflicting us of late.

As expected, not a great deal happened on MLS trade deadline day, but don't tell that to former Galaxy midfielder Sacha Victorine; the now former Kansas City Wizards player and Southern California native is back in L.A. - with Chivas USA - which also signed largely unknown Brazilian attacking midfielder Dejair (pronounced 'dey-zha-IR'), as an international player.

"As we enter the last six weeks of the season, we are pleased to be adding some additional depth to our midfield in the face of injury and international call-ups," said Chivas USA Head Coach Preki Radosavljevic. "We hope both Sasha and Dejair will make important contributions to Chivas USA as we continue our push toward the playoffs."

Translation: We are desperate.

Victorine will be in L.A. Tuesday and be available for Saturday's game in Salt Lake City; Dejair awaits his visa.

In related transactions today, Chivas USA placed midfielder Raphaël Wicky and defenders Lawson Vaughn and Eric Ebert on the season-ending injury list.

Swiss international defender Wicky, 31, was a major disappointment after signing in the off-season from FC Sion. He started just one game before undergoing reconstructive ankle surgery in July.

Vaughn, 25, managed seven games. He's slated for left ankle surgery.

Ebert, 24, also started two games this season before suffering a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee during Chivas USA 's Sept. 6 game in Toronto.

From the (edited) Chivas USA press release on the trade:

Former Bruin Sacha Victorine, a nine-year MLS veteran, Victorine was drafted in 2000 by the Galaxy as a first-round pick. Victorine has played in 227 MLS regular-season games (starting 205). He has four U.S. caps

A product of the Botafogo youth system, attacking midfielder Dejair joins Chivas USA from Brazilian club ABC FC of Natal, which won the 2008 Rio Grande do Norte state championship. The 12-year veteran has played in Brazilian Serie B and C football with Criciúma and won state championships with club sides Moto Clube and ABC FC.

Meanwhile, the as yet unnamed L.A. entry in Women's Professional Soccer will participate in Tuesday's draft of national team players - without a coach being officially named. L.A. will receive three players.

The U.S. women beat Ireland Sunday, BTW, 2-0 in the first of three post-Olympic victories games against the nation.

Sunday college scores:
No. 3 USC 6 Clemson 2 (USC 16 goals in last three games).
UCLA women 0 (5-0-1) Brown 0
Cal State Northridge women 2 Saint Mary's 1 (CSUN moves to 5-1)
UW-Milwaukee 2 Cal State Northridge men 1
Loyola Marymount women 0 (3-2-2) Utah 0
Pepperdine 1 (3-3-1) Washington State 0
Long Beach State 3 (4-1-2) Oregon 3 (double overtime)
No. 7 Cal State Dominguez Hills men (7-0) 4 San Francisco State 1

Lastly, the group stage of the UEFA and CONCACAF Champions League starts Tuesday. More on that in Tuesday's column.

In just under 24 hours as I write this, at 5 p.m. Monday, MLS rosters will be set in stone for the rest of the season, until the day after MLS Cup.

Which means, incidentally, the Galaxy will be stuck with $130,000 a year defender Eduardo Dominguez ("he was all we could afford," one team official allegedly told a colleague of mine).

In any event, unlike in England, where the closure of the transfer window includes dramatic deadline day deals and live countdown coverage, things are likely to be significantly less tense here (the Galaxy swooped for USL goalkeeper Josh Saunders Friday - who hoo - and other names that were exchanged include the likes of Hunter Freeman).

Still, MLS trumpeted the improvement in talent in the league recently, issuing a list of the top in-coming players (50 from 21 countries) and 17 MLS players heading overseas.

Interesting reading:
Incoming Player Current Team Last Club Country of Birth
Tomasz Frankowski Chicago Fire CD Tenerife (Spain) Poland
Lider Marmol Chicago Fire Hercules CF (Spain) Paraguay
Brian McBride Chicago Fire Fulham FC (England) USA
Marco Pappa Chicago Fire CSD Municipal (Guatemala) Guatemala
Roberto Nurse Chivas USA Queretaro (Mexico) Mexico
Raphael Wicky Chivas USA FC Sion (Switzerland) Switzerland
Greg Dalby Colorado Rapids Charleroi SC (Belgium) USA
Cory Gibbs Colorado Rapids Charlton Athletic (England) USA
Tom McManus Colorado Rapids Dunfermine Ath. (Scotland) Scotland
Emmanuel Ekpo Columbus Crew Enyimba International (Nigeria) Nigeria
Pat Noonan Columbus Crew Aalesunds FK (Norway) USA
Gino Padula Columbus Crew Montpellier HSC (France) Argentina
Louis Crayton D.C. United FC Basel (Switzerland) Liberia
Marcelo Gallardo D.C. United Paris-Saint Germain (France) Argentina
Gonzalo Martinez D.C. United Millonarios (Colombia) Colombia
Gonzalo Peralta D.C. United Almirante Brown (Argentina) Argentina
Duilio Davino FC Dallas Club America (Mexico) Mexico
Andre Rocha FC Dallas Atletico Paranaense (Brazil) Brazil
Victor Sikora FC Dallas NAC Breda (Netherlands) Netherlands
Tony Caig Houston Gretna (Scotland) England
Nate Jaqua Houston SC Rheindorf Altach (Austria) USA
Claudio Lopez Kansas City Club America (Mexico) Argentina
Ivan Trujillo Kansas City La Equidad (Colombia) Colombia
Josh Wolff Kansas City 1860 Munich (Germany) USA
Eduardo Dominguez Galaxy Huracan (Argentina) Argentina
Eddie Lewis Galaxy Derby County (England) USA
Alvaro Pires Galaxy Spartak Nalchik (Russia) Brazil
Gabriel Badilla Revolution Saprissa (Costa Rica) Costa Rica
Mauricio Castro Revolution Olimpia (Honduras) Honduras
Oscar Echeverry Red Bulls Atletico Nacional (Colombia) Colombia
Gabriel Cichero Red Bulls Deportivo Italia (Venezuela) Venezuela
Diego Jimenez Red Bulls UAG Tecos (Mexico) Mexico
Juan Pietravallo Red Bulls A.S. Veria (Greece) Argentina
Jorge Rojas Red Bulls UA Maracaibo (Venezuela) Venezuela
Nat Borchers Real Salt Lake Odd Grenland (Norway) USA
Kenny Deuchar Real Salt Lake Gretna (Scotland) Scotland
Ian Joy Real Salt Lake St. Pauli FC (Germany) USA
Clint Mathis Real Salt Lake Ergotelis FC (Greece) USA
Jamison Olave Real Salt Lake Deportivo Cali (Colombia) Colombia
Robbie Russell Real Salt Lake Viborg FF (Norway) USA
Mikel Arce San Jose CD Lourdes (Spain) Spain
Ramiro Corrales San Jose S.K. Brann (Norway) USA
Darren Huckerby San Jose Norwich City (England) England
Francisco Lima San Jose Brescia Calcio (Italy) Brazil
Kasey Keller Seattle Fulham FC (England) USA
Amado Guevara Toronto CD Motagua (Honduras) Honduras
Rohan Ricketts Toronto Barnsley (England) England
Tyler Rosenlund Toronto Atvidaberg (Sweden) Canada
Johann Smith Toronto Bolton Wanderers (England) USA
Jarrod Smith Toronto Hawke's Bay Utd (New Zealand)New Zealand
Marco Velez Toronto Puerto Rico Islanders (USL) Puerto Rico

Outgoing Player Original Team New Club Country of Birth
Matt Pickens Chicago Fire QPR (England) USA
Brad Guzan Chivas USA Aston Villa (England) USA
Marcos Gonzalez Columbus Crew Universidad Catolica (Chile) Brazil
Bryan Arguez D.C. United Hertha Berlin (Germany) USA
Troy Perkins D.C. United Valerenga (Norway) USA
Chris Gbandi FC Dallas FK Haugesand (Norway) Liberia
Clarence Goodson FC Dallas IK Start (Norway) USA
Juan Carlos Toja FC Dallas Steaua Bucuresti (Romania) Colombia
Nate Jaqua Houston SC Rheindorf Altach (Austria) USA
Joseph Ngwenya Houston SK Austria Karnten (Austria) Zimbabwe
Will John Wizards Randers FC (Denmark) USA
Eddie Johnson Wizards Fulham (England) USA
Clint Mathis Galaxy Egotelis FC (Greece) USA
Andy Dorman Revolution St. Mirren FC (Scotland) Scotland
Pat Noonan Revolution Aalesunds FK (Norway) USA
Jozy Altidore Red Bulls Villarreal CF (Spain) USA
Maurice Edu Toronto FC Rangers FC (Scotland) USA

Wizards 2 Galaxy 0.

This was a game that looked like it involved the two last-place teams in the league, at least until the Wizards scored two goals in two minutes to dispose of the Galaxy.

The largest Wizards crowd of the season - 26,113 - watched as the Galaxy winless streak reached 12 games, a stretch that has seen L.A. go 0-6-6 while getting outscored 28-16.

How bad is this?
*The winless streak is longer than any Chivas USA endured during its horrific inaugural season.
*New York hasn't been this bad in almost a decade, back when they were called the MetroStars.
*The Galaxy are within striking distance of tying the all-time MLS winless streak set by Real Salt Lake, something they will do if they fail to win any of the rest of their games.

Here are the all-time MLS winless streak "leaders:"
Team Number When set
Real Salt Lake 18 8/10/2005-5/6/2006
Real Salt Lake 15 9/23/2006-6/17/2007
Columbus Crew 13 6/10/2006-8/16/2006
New York 12 7/14/1999-9/5/1999
Galaxy 12 6/21/2008-?
Chivas USA 11 5/14/2005-7/2/2005

Incidentally, defender Eduardo Dominguez may have made the best move of the night and he wasn't even on the field. The Argentine flew home to be with his wife who was due to give birth to the couple's first child.

Game story.

And David Beckham is clearly not with us.

Watch and weep:

Perhaps this video makes the point even better. The Galaxy have just six MLS games left in the season.

The remnants of Hurricane Ike are expected to miss Kansas City today meaning reporters there can focus on another overblown phenomena - David Beckham - during today's 2 p.m. game (live on Prime) between the Wizards and Galaxy.

A big crowd is expected despite the iffy weather to see Becks; Galaxy fans just hope it's a case of 12th time lucky.

Friday's men's college results:
No. 24 UCLA 0 (1-3-1) No. 19 Indiana 3 (The three goals came within eight minutes).
Wisconsin 2 Cal State Northridge 0 (3-2-0).
No. 7 Cal State Dominguez Hills 1 (6-0) Cal State Monterey Bay 0

Women's scores:
Loyola Marymount 3 (3-2-1) Cal State Bakersfield 0
No. 3 USC 3 (5-1-0) Georgia 2 (Trojans came back from two-goal deficit to win in double overtime).
Pepperdine 2 No. 23 Tennessee 0
No. 20 Cal 1 Cal State Northridge 0 (4-1-0)
Cal State Dominguez Hills 3 (3-3) Cal State Monterey Bay 0

The second season of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy has begun and comes to Home Depot Center this weekend.

The program for players in the Under-15/16 and Under-17/18 age groups has 74 clubs (up from 62 last year) competing in four conferences with nine divisions.

More than 2,000 games over 10 months will culminate with a 32-team playoff in June.

As part of a related exhibition game series, Chivas USA will take on the U.S. Under-17 National Team Saturday at 4 p.m. for the U-15/16s and 6 p.m. for the U-17/18s under the lights at Home Depot Center's Mooch Myernick Field.

Meanwhile, Chivas USA has named its U-18 and U-16 rosters for the season.

The U-18 team:
Defender Cesar Arenas, Fontana.
Forward Alex Barahona, Los Angeles.
Forward Orr Baroush, Reseda.
Defender Omar Becerra, San Diego.
Defender Jose Diaz, Fontana.
Midfielder Clayton Eaton, Norco.
Forward Andy Lopez, Los Angeles.
goalkeeper Jordan Maman, Manhattan Beach.
Midfielder Hector Molina, Van Nuys.
Midfielder Jose Monteroza, Los Angeles.
Forward Leopoldo Morales, Bellflower.
Midfielder Jesse Paredes, Los Angeles.
Midfielder Anders Perez, La Habra.
Goalkeeper Juan Quiroz, Inglewood.
Forward Roberto Romo, Paramount.
Forward Victor Sanchez, Huntington Park.
Defender Carlos Torres, Jr., Compton.
Defender Steve Torres, Pomona.
Defender Edwin Velásquez, Bell Gardens.
Midfielder Cesar Zamora, Sylmar.

The U-16 team:
Midfielder Jaime Cano, Inglewood.
Goalkeeper Cesar Castillo, Bell Gardens.
Midfielder Daniel Castro, Los Angeles, CA
Midfielder Manuel Cazares, Panorama City.
Midfielder Carlo Chueca, Palm Springs.
Forward Bryan De La Fuente, Bell Gardens.
Defender Jaime Frias, Moreno Valley.
Forward Roberto Garcia, Sylmar.
Goalkeeper Jose Godoy, Los Angeles.
Defender Jordan Gutierrez, West Covina.
Forward Jonathan Hernandez, North Hollywood.
Defender Jose Maldonado, La Verne.
Forward Yohel Martinez, Corona.
Defender Edder Navarro, Los Angeles.
Midfielder Angel Rodriguez, Moreno Valley.
Defender Carlos Torres Jr., Compton.
Midfielder Allan Valencia, South Gate.
Forward Jose Velasquez, Mission Hills.
Forward Jorge Virgen, Ontario.

Josh Saunders, a goalkeeper the Galaxy signed to a developmental contract in 2005, but never played a game for the club, has signed on loan with the team for the remainder of the season from Miami FC of the USL.

The Grants Pass, Ore., native hooked up with the team today in Kansas City ahead of the Galaxy's game Saturday against the Wizards.

The Galaxy needed to sign a back-up for goalkeeper Josh Wicks after regular starter Steve Cronin broke a hand.

Saunders, 27, who played at Cal State Fullerton before transferring to Cal, was originally drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes in 2003, but never played a game for the club.

Chivas USA went down to a heavy defeat Thursday night in a Boston stadium decorated with few fans and ghastly pointy-ball football lines, while the Galaxy is in Kansas City (can someone explain to me how both pro teams can be out of town on the same weekend?) on Saturday.

Most local college teams, it seems, are also on the road so here's a quick run-down on some of the best local soccer options this weekend:
*3 p.m. today George Allen Field (Long Beach) UC Riverside Vs. Oregon.
*7 tonight Drake Stadium No. 24 UCLA men (1-2-1) Vs. No. 19 Indiana (1-1-2).
*Noon Sunday George Allen Field Long Beach State (3-1-1) Vs. Oregon (3-2-0).
*1 p.m. Sunday Sullivan Field LMU women (2-2-1) Vs. Utah (1-5).

On Thursday night, Long Beach State beat Brigham Young University, 3-0.

Plenty of TV options though including on Saturday:
*7 a.m. Fox Soccer Channel Hull City-Newcastle United.
*9:30 a.m. FSC Chelsea-Manchester City.
*2 p.m. Prime Galaxy-Wizards.
*3 p.m. KFTR Club America-San Luis.
*5 p.m. KAZA CD Guadalajara-Pachuca.

The Major League Soccer Disciplinary Committee suspended Toronto FC defender Marco Velez one game and fined him $250 for smacking Chivas USA forward Alecko Eskandarian in the face during last Saturday's game. Both received red cards after the encounter.

The fine and suspension for "endangering another player" are in addition to the automatic one game suspension and $250 fine players get for a red card.

Enjoy your weekend.

Conceding three goals inside the last nine minutes of the game condemned Chivas USA to a 4-0 defeat against the New England Revolution Thursday and put their place in the third and final playoff spot in the Western Conference in jeopardy.

The result tied Chivas USA for their second highest margin of defeat of the season.

Chivas USA were without nine starters through international call-ups, injury and suspensions; the Revs were playing their 11th game in 38 days.

Box score.

Game story from Boston.

Highlights:

Two tired and/or banged up teams desperately needing points to stay in the playoff hunt stagger into Gillette Stadium at 4 p.m. today live on ESPN2 as Chivas USA visits the New England Revolution.

Chivas USA forward Alecko Eskandarian is suspended for the game.

Brief game preview here.

Preview from a Revolution perspective here.

Belatedly noted: The seventh-ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills men (5-0) won 2-1 win over NAIA second-ranked Concordia University Tuesday.

The U.S. beat a clearly out of their depth Trinidad & Tobago Wednesday night, taking advantage of their opponents' obvious inexperience (and lack of leadership as ESPN commentator and former T&T goalkeeper Shaka Hislop pointed out numerous times) to comfortably win 3-0 in Chicago.

Some observations:
*Neither Brian Ching nor Eddie Johnson were particularly convincing (again) at forward. How long can the U.S. afford this luxury as they progress to the next round against better sides? How about pairing the ever more impressive Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey up top?
*Landon Donovan remains the linchpin of the U.S. attack and too often the sole and dominant creative midfield force.
*Organization rather than flair remains the strong U.S. suit, a fine way to dispatch teams you're supposed to beat, not so those who themselves possess that quality in abundance.
*Oguchi Onyewu is evolving into the dominant central defender equally comfortable in defense and on set pieces going forward we always thought Eddie Pope could become, but never quite did.

That said, although the U.S. was expected to easily reach the second round of qualifying, you do sense the U.S. is quietly building under the ultra-calm Bradley, gathering strength and accumulating experience for the campaign ahead.

Further south, on a night Cuauhtemoc Blanco announced his retirement from international football Mexico largely killed off Canada's World Cup hopes.

Here's the complete run-down of all the CONCACAF qualifying games and results from around the world.

Did David Beckham just see his England career come to an end?

Arsenal's highly-regarded 19-year-old Theo Wolcott got the nod over the Galaxy midfielder today and scored three goals in an impressive 4-1 England win over Croatia in World Cup qualifying.

The win avenges England's loss to Croatia in Euro 2008 qualifying that saw them fail to make the finals in Austria and Switzerland.

But Beckham was restricted to just six minutes of action and came on as a substitute for the second consecutive England game.

Game report here.

A full slate of World Cup qualifying games around the world is scheduled today.

Right now, for instance, Carl Robinson of Toronto FC is leading Wales against Russia and the sensation of Euro 2008, Andrei Arshavin, on Fox Soccer Channel.

Televised games later today include the Netherlands against Macedonia at 11:30 a.m. on FSC, U.S.-Trinidad & Tobago live from Chicago at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 and Canada facing an uphill battle to remain alive in qualifying on the road against Mexico at 8 p.m. live on Telemundo.

For others, check your local listings or click the Live Soccer TV link to the right.

More info than you could ever want to know about the U.S.-T&T game is here, but the crucial piece of info is that the U.S. hasn't lost to the Caribbean nation in 10 World Cup qualifying games.

T&T are no push-over, of course - they played in the 2006 World Cup - but the country will be without probably their best player tonight, former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke.

Meanwhile, the large population of Croats in San Pedro will undoubtedly be keeping their eye on England's game against Croatia, the nation that knocked the Brits out of Euro 2008 qualifying. Galaxy midfielder David Beckham, who played a minor role in England's 2-0 win over mighty Andorra last weekend, is set to play a larger part in today's game.

I'm not sure about these lists of virtually everything these days that passes for journalism, but for what it's worth Forbes has now issued its inaugural list of the most valuable teams in MLS with the Galaxy sitting atop the rankings.

The financial magazine estimates the Galaxy are worth a cool $100 million (have they seen them play lately?) with revenues of $36 million that are double that of any other MLS team.

By comparison, Chivas USA are No. 10 among MLS teams, valued at a mere $24 million with revenue of $10 million.

The complete story and rankings are here.

Goalkeeper Jake Wright, of Rancho Palos Verdes, will blog for 100 Percent Soccer this season, providing an inside look at the Cal State Northridge men's soccer program. Wright was a two-year starter at Peninsula High and is entering his sophomore year at Cal State Northridge. This summer Wright played for Orange County Blue Star of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League.