Recently in CONCACAF Champions League Category
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Azteca Stadium in Mexico City sat eerily empty Sunday during the game between Club America and Tecos because of the swine flu outbreak.
CONCACAF today canceled the remainder of the Under-17 championships in Tijuana and postponed the second leg of the Champions League final because of escalating fears of a swine flu pandemic.
The U.S. Under-17 team, which includes midfielder Carlos Martinez of San Pedro, is returning to its home base in Florida.
The U.S. is advising residents not to travel south of the border.
Professional games in Mexico City were played behind closed doors over the weekend.
Here's the (edited) CONCACAF press release:
Due to the growing concerns about the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico, CONCACAF General Secretary Chuck Blazer announced Monday that the remainder of the confederation's Under-17 Championship in Tijuana has been canceled and the second-leg of the CONCACAF Champions League finals has been postponed.Mexican authorities previously had closed schools in Mexico City and on Monday extended that decision nationwide. Based on the actions of the Mexican government, CONCACAF responded to safeguard the health of players, officials and fans.
Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and the USA all had clinched berths the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2009, and were to play the semifinals on Wednesday with the championship and third-place match scheduled for Saturday. The four semifinalists will advance to the U-17 World Cup in Nigeria from 24 October - 15 November.
The second-leg of the CONCACAF Champions League™ finals between CD SC Cruz Azul (MEX) and Atlante FC (MEX) was to be played Wednesday in Cancun, but that game now will be delayed until Tuesday, 12 May at 9 p.m. local (10 p.m. EDT). Atlante leads the two-game title series 2-0 from its opening win in Mexico City last Wednesday.
The CONCACAF Beach Championship in Puerto Vallarta, scheduled to begin Wednesday and continue through Sunday, is under review with a final decision expected Tuesday.
Before you head to Gramma's house for the holiday, know that:
*Those English newspaper reports were true for once and MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis is off to England's Arsenal as chief executive officer in the new year. Is this Stan Kroenke at work?
Arsenal Chairman Peter Hill-Wood said: "Ivan's credentials are first class. It is evident that he has a wealth of business acumen together with a broad knowledge of football that will not only help to maintain Arsenal's pre-eminent standing but enhance our reputation within the football community and international commercial markets."
The South African was one of the founding executives of MLS and was responsible for all player contracts.
*The Sigi Schmid family's run of cup success continues. UC Irvine, (15-1-6) where the MLS Cup-winning Schmid has a son who plays and another who is an assistant coach beat Cal Poly 3-0 Tuesday to advance to a NCAA Tournament semifinal Saturday against St John's. The game was played before the first-ever sellout (and drenched) crowd of 2,500 in the OC.
Soccer on TV today:
*At 11 a.m. on ESPNU the U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team plays China in its third and final group game of the U-20 World Cup; the U.S. is through to the final round already, while China must win.
*At 11:30 a.m. on ESPN Bordeaux plays Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League.
*At 2 p.m. on ESPN Classic it's Sporting Lisbon-Barcelona.
* At 5 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel it's the Houston Dynamo and El Salvador's CD Luis Angel Firpo in the CONCACAF Champions League. The Dynamo must win to advance.
Back later with word on the MLS Expansion Draft.
Just a couple of quick items of local interest to pass along:
*Chivas USA striker Ante Razov is out two weeks with a mild right calf strain. The club's all-time leading scorer hobbled out of Saturday's game against the Wizards in the first half.
*Chivas USA defender Eric Ebert, already on the season-ending injury list, underwent right knee surgery Tuesday afternoon in Santa Monica.
*Cal State Dominguez Hills' goalkeeper Alyssa Congdon has been named the Brine California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Soccer Player of the Week. The former South Torrance High star has two shutouts in her last two games.
*Mexico will play Ecuador Nov. 12 in Phoenix in its fifth and final game of the year in the U.S.
*Lawndale's Kei Kamara is carving out a niche for himself in Houston and had a two goal outburst in a CONCACAF Champions League shootout Tuesday night between the Dynamo and Pumas. Check out the goalfest:
*Televised footie today includes-
11:30 a.m. ESPN2 Liverpool-PSV Eindhoven
2:00 p.m. ESPN Classic (delayed) Shakhtar Donetsk-Barcelona
5 p.m. Fox Soccer Channel D.C. United-Cruz Azul
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.
The excuses:
Preki:
"Very difficult to lose like this. The game should have been over in the first half, we had so many opportunities, penalty kick. Don't understand why the goalkeeper wasn't sent off after pulling Roberto (Nurse) down (on the penalty kick decision). As far as I know the rule says last guy - red card. Instead of that in the beginning of the second half we get a soft goal and then (Jonathan) Bornstein a red card against us. ... Very, very, very disappointing and we had difficulties dealing with the referees and I don't want to complain about the referees, it's difficult when we go outside our country, but you would think when we play here we would at least get an even call. Right now we can't catch a break."
On Chivas USA's inability to score:
"Right now we have an incredibly tough time finding the net. Finally we squeezed one in tonight. We've got to find a way to score goals."
On where the game was lost:
"I think the game was lost first of all, we lost down in Panama. ... We should have won this game by four or five goals. I wish them good luck in the next round, but even with the lineup and the injuries that we have we should have scored four or five goals tonight and the game is over. At the moment we're just having a tough time scoring goals and in the last I would say seven games we've scored four or five goals and that's not good enough, I'm sorry. ... we're creating chances, it doesn't really matter unless you put them in the goal."
On Subbing Sacha Klejstan:
"I don't think he was good. I thought he was already with the national team or wherever he was because tomorrow he's leaving. I don't think he was playing good so nobody is untouchable.
Sacha Klejstan on his poor game:
"I didn't do my best in order to help the team win tonight and so it's very disappointing and I feel very bad for the rest of the guys who fought their asses off tonight."
Goalscorer Roberto Nurse on the result:
"We are really disappointed with this result. We should have won this game. We couldn't do it. I'm a little bit happy because finally I could score, but it wasn't enough."
Roberto Nurse celebrates his goal - but it was't enough.
Photo by Bruce Hazleton
The end of Chivas USA's participation in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League effectively came in the 62nd minute when Luis Moreno equalized to tie this game 1-1.
But that put the score 3-1 on aggregate, meaning Chivas USA needed not two goals (because away goals count double in the event of a tie), but three more goals within a half hour to move on.
And they would have had to do it with 10 men because Jonathan Bornstein foolishly got himself a second yellow card in the 52nd minute for unnecessarily holding an opponent in the middle of the field when the Chivas USA goal was under no danger.
Preki perhaps was suggesting there was plenty of stupidity on display this evening by subbing penalty misser Sacha Kljestan after 65 minutes.
Moreno's goal was excellent, BTW, with the defender beating several Chivas USA defenders (including Jim Curtin twice), before seeing his shot hit the inside of the near post and just bounce across the goal line.
It could have been more - Jim Curtin saved the ball from going over the goal line after an 83rd minute shot beat goalkeeper Dan Kennedy.
Just to rub things in, Panchito Mendoza missed with the goalkeeper down and the net yawning in the 85th minute, his shot just hitting a defender's legs to go wide.
In the end, Chivas USA only had themselves to blame for the early cup exit, despite a Tauro FC goalkeeper who seemed incapable of holding onto the ball, especially in the first half.
Back with the excuses later.
Chivas USA ended the half one up courtesy of a Roberto Nurse goal to put the series 2-1 on aggregate, but if they go out of the CONCACAF Champions League they'll be ruing three easy missed chances in the opening 45 minutes.
Sacha Kljestan missed a penalty with a weak shot he sent almost straight at the goalkeeper in the 23rd minute after Nurse ran onto a Panchito Mendoza ball and was brought down by goalkeeper Willington Dominguez.
Justin Braun's short-range header in the 12th minute from a corner kick beat the goalkeeper, but was headed off the line by Tauro defender Leonel Parris.
And Atiba Harris headed off the bar from inside the six-yard box in the 36th minute.
Nurse, who turned and fired home from about 10 yards despite the close attention of a Tauro FC defender, collected his first goal for Chivas USA.
Chivas USA lead the game - but they should be leading the series.
Still, Tauro FC hung back in the first half often playing with nine men behind the ball and with only one goal now separating the two teams can't afford to play so defensively in the second half.
This is more dinner party than soccer game. There's so few people here, you get the feeling people should introduce themselves to each other.
Attendance tonight has been capped at all of 2,000 - not that there are dozens, yet alone hundreds clamoring to get in, you understand. (The reason: something about lots of parking complaints at the sold-out Galaxy-Pachuca SuperLiga final).
Seating will be limited to five sections open to the general public on the west side of the stadium (beneath the press box) and the TV cameras will shoot from the north to give the illusion there's more than a few hundred people or so here as I write this about 15 minutes before kickoff.
Perhaps few believe Chivas USA can come back after losing by two goals in the first leg; perhaps even fewer care.
Which reminds me, the New England Revolution lost 4-0 (6-1 on aggregate) to Joe Public of Trinidad & Tobago in the early game.
Chivas USA will start Dan Kennedy in goal in place of Zach Thornton, with Eric Ebert at right back, Jim Curtin and Bobby Burling in central defense and Jonathan Bornstein out left.
Midfielders: Paulo Nagamura, Panchito Mendoza, Sacha Kljestan and Jorge Flores.
Strikers: Roberto Nurse and Justin Braun.
Ante Razov and Alecko Eskandarian are on the bench.
The game is on Fox Soccer Channel.
The excuses:
Preki:
"Very difficult to lose like this. The game should have been over in the first half, we had so many opportunities, penalty kick. Don't understand why the goalkeeper wasn't sent off after pulling Roberto (Nurse) down (on the penalty kick decision). As far as I know the rule says last guy - red card. Instead of that in the beginning of the second half we get a soft goal and then (Jonathan) Bornstein a red card against us. ... Very, very, very disappointing and we had difficulties dealing with the referees and I don't want to complain about the referees, it's difficult when we go outside our country, but you would think when we play here we would at least get an even call. Right now we can't catch a break."
On Chivas USA's inability to score:
"Right now we have an incredibly tough time finding the net. Finally we squeezed one in tonight. We've got to find a way to score goals."On where the game was lost:
"I think the game was lost first of all, we lost down in Panama. ... We should have won this game by four or five goals. I wish them good luck in the next round, but even with the lineup and the injuries that we have we should have scored four or five goals tonight and the game is over. At the moment we're just having a tough time scoring goals and in the last I would say seven games we've scored four or five goals and that's not good enough, I'm sorry. ... we're creating chances, it doesn't really matter unless you put them in the goal."On Subbing Sacha Klejstan:
"I don't think he was good. I thought he was already with the national team or wherever he was because tomorrow he's leaving. I don't think he was playing good so nobody is untouchable.Sacha Klejstan on his poor game:
"I didn't do my best in order to help the team win tonight and so it's very disappointing and I feel very bad for the rest of the guys who fought their asses off tonight."Goalscorer Roberto Nurse on the result:
"We are really disappointed with this result. We should have won this game. We couldn't do it. I'm a little bit happy because finally I could score, but it wasn't enough."
No column today in observance of Labor Day, but I headed out to Chivas USA training Monday anyway for a few brief words and a riddle:
Q: What's worse than losing in the preliminary round of a supposedly prestigious new competition few people yet care about?
A: Losing in the preliminary round of said competition to a team few have heard of from a small country undistinguished in soccer terms.
That's the challenge facing Chivas USA Tuesday night in the return leg of their preliminary round CONCACAF Champions League match against Panamanian team Tauro FC.
Chivas USA lost 2-0 in the first leg so must win by three clear goals, although two goals would be enough to send the game to overtime and perhaps penalties. But as defender Bobby Burling pointed out, Tauro are likely to play with just one player up front and pack the defense so breaking them down could be difficult.
Here's what Chivas USA are playing for: entry to the group stage of the tournament proper.
A small crowd of a few thousand is expected (parking is actually free, surely a first for a game involving an MLS team at the HDC) and tickets start at just $15. That crowd should actually be better than at the game in Panama where a few hundred attended at most, Burling observed:
"There wasn't that many people there. The country didn't seem to excited or to into the game itself."
Here are the game essentials from the official Chivas USA blog and below are the quotes from the interviews conducted Monday as the pictures on Dentro del Rebano were taken.
Inspirational midfielder Sacha Klejstan, who received permission from former Chivas USA Coach Bob Bradley (it's all about who you know, isn't it?), to play tonight and become the last man to link up with the U.S. squad Wednesday before the Cuba World Cup qualifier, believes Chivas USA can come back:
"I think so. We created some chances early in the game against Tauro. No, we didn't put them away. In this game we're playing at home, we'll feel confident that we'll create enough chances to score at least two goals."
On the key to the game:
"We're not going to stress if we don't get an early goal, but if we do get an early goal it's really going to help us out a lot. As the game wears on we hope to wear them down a little bit. They didn't seem to be the most fit when we played them the last time."
The problem is Chivas USA still aren't exactly healthy, once again giving Coach Preki major selection problems:
"I don't know how long (striker) Ante (Razov) can go. I don't know how long Esky can go. ... Obviously, Claudio (Suarez) is out, (defender) Shavar (Thomas) is out with Jamaica (at World Cup qualifying).
On what he learned about their opponents:
"They play long ball, they try to counter-attack, they're not much of a passing team. My concern is not them. My concern is us. Who can play, who cannot play, that's the biggest concern I have."
On how his team deals with the psychological hill of knowing it will take three unanswered goals to win the game:
"One goal at a time. We're not going to win in the first five minutes. The thing is we've got to be patient. We've got a nice field, big field. We've got to move the ball fast. ... They'll have a tough time figuring us out.
Was he surprised by their speed on the counter attack?
"I was surprised how lethargic we were. If you give me too much time, I'll look fast, too - and I'm not. We gave them too much time and space. That hurt us."
Here's Burling on how Chivas USA need to approach the game:
"We need to be smart. We don't need to be forcing things, but at the same time playing with a little bit of urgency."
Technically, I'm on staycation this week, but can I pass up going to the history-making first CONCACAF Champions League (qualifier) in L.A.? Nah. So I'll blog, too.
Well, that was awful.
Chivas USA looked like a team that had studied their CONCACAF Champions League opponents Tauro FC of Panama on the airplane ride down (ahem) going down 2-0 tonight in their preliminary stage two-game series.
Chivas USA did everything wrong.
They gave away a soft early goal, applied pressure, but failed to capitalize, and then swooned on the second (where exactly was Panchito Mendoza?).
Good thing no one cares about the tournament because at this rate Chivas USA won't make the first round proper. Will even free parking attract fans for Tuesday's return leg? Chivas USA need to win by three clear goals (3-0, 4-1, etc.) to reach the next round.
The Chivas USA lineup: Zach Thornton, Jonathan Bornstein, Claudio Suárez (Jim Curtin, 45'), Shavar Thomas, Francisco Mendoza, Kraig Chiles (Lawson Vaugh, 62'), Paulo Nagamura, Daniel Paladini (Alecko Eskandarian, 45'), Jorge Flores, Sacha Kljestan, Atiba Harris.
New England also lost, BTW, 2-1 to Trinidad & Tobago team Joe Public.
For those who can't get enough Fox Soccer Channel has Montreal Impact-Real Esteli (Nicaragua) at 5 p.m. Wednesday followed by Costa Rica's Alajuelense against the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL.
In college soccer action Tuesday, the No. 3-ranked UCLA women beat UC Santa Barbara 2-1 in their season opener.
Olympic stars Lauren Cheney and Kara Lang sat out the match.
Over at USC, Olympian Amy Rodriguez, fellow senior Ashley Nick and junior Kristin Olsen have been added to the Hermann Trophy Watch List for 2008. The trophy is awarded to the nation's top female college player annually.
USC beat San Diego 1-0 over the weekend in their season opener with a goal four minutes into stoppage time.
Finally, Fontana's Maurice Edu could make his Glasgow Rangers debut - Sunday in the Old Firm derby against Celtic. Yikes!
Chivas USA kicks off its CONCACAF Champions League campaign tonight in Panama against Tauro F.C.
Kickoff is at 5 p.m. live on Galavision or delayed at 7 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel after the Champions League New England Revolution-Joe Public (Trinidad & Tobago) game at 5 p.m.
Here's what the winners of the preliminary stage are striving for.
Notable:
*The match is Chivas USA's first-ever official game outside the U.S.
Quotable:
"Hopefully we'll have a little bit more luck in this tournament because we've had no luck in this league" - Preki on his team's chances after this weekend's MLS game.
Too much soccer? Find it difficult to keep track? Me too.
Here's a cheat sheet:
Tuesday - The preliminary rounds of the CONCACAF Champions League, including Chivas USA playing in Panama, get under way in earnest. I'll have more in the morning both in my column and here. Four hours of live TV beckon for the hard-core.
Thursday - Cal State Dominguez Hills opens its season with a doubleheader, the women playing Grand Canyon at 4:30 p.m. and the men following at 7 p.m. at the Track & Field Stadium at Home Depot Center.
Friday - The women's college season got under way last weekend and now the men crank up again as well highlighted by a nationally televised (Fox Soccer Channel) No. 14 UCLA verses No. 8 Maryland encounter from Home Depot Center. (General admission tickets are $10 adults, $5 youth, while parking is free, BTW).
Palos Verdes Estates resident and Bruin playmaker Kyle Nakazawa has agreed to blog for 100 Percent Soccer again this year so hopefully we can coax a column out of him before the game. I plan to blog from the game.
Saturday - New Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena takes a second stab at moving the Galaxy toward the playoffs in a 4:30 p.m. game (live on Prime) in New England. Meanwhile, Toronto visits Chivas USA at 7:30 p.m. in Carson. I'll blog.
Chivas USA learned its group opponents in the CONCACAF Champions League today (providing it gets by Panama's Tauro FC first).
From the (edited) Chivas USA press release:
The winner of the Chivas USA vs. Tauro F.C. pairing will play Santos Laguna of Mexico, either Municipal or Deportivo Jalapa of Guatemala, and the winner of the preliminary round matchup between LD Alajuelense of Costa Rica and the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL First Division in Group D.Chivas USA also learned today it will travel to Panama City for the first leg of the home-and-home series against FC Tauro Aug. 26 and then will host Tauro one week later, on Sept. 2, at a Los Angeles location to be determined.
Full details here.
Over in Galaxyland, backup goalkeeper Josh Wicks, who has yet to start an MLS game, went under the knife today in Santa Monica for left knee surgery. The San Bernadino native is out 4-6 weeks. Vito Higgens will deputize.
Edson Buddle was named MLS Player of the Week today for his three goals Saturday against San Jose.
Meanwhile, David Beckham was in Long Beach Sunday for a special event.
The U.S. women face Brazil in the second game of the Peace Cup in Korea tonight, which kicks off at 10 o'clock our time.
The U.S. beat Australia 2-1 in the first game, which began at 10 p.m. Saturday our time.
Three teams from Southern California are participating in the U.S. Youth Soccer 2008 Region IV Championships, which started today in Hawaii.
Local teams playing are the Real So Cal (Calabasas) Under-14 and Under-17 girls, Under-16 L.A. Rampage Blue Premier (Granada Hills) and the DMS11 (pasadena) Under-18 Boys.
From the U.S. Youth Soccer Press Release:
The teams will be among the more than 248 top boys and girls U.S. Youth Soccer teams from 14 (Western) state associations competing for the regional title.
A little weekend catch-up with results from the PDL Saturday:
San Fernando Valley Quakes 2 San Francisco Seals 1
Fresno Fuego 3 Orange County Blue Star 0
Ventura County Fusion 0 Bakersfield Brigade 2
On Sunday:
San Fernando Valley Quakes 2 San Jose Frogs 0
Southern California Seahorses 0 San Francisco Seals 0
In the W-League Sunday:
Vancouver Whitecaps 0 Pali Blues 4
In the WPSL Saturday:
Ajax America Women 3 San Diego WFC SeaLions 1
Los Angeles Rampage 0 West Coast FC 2
On Sunday:
Ajax America Women 3 Claremont Stars 0
Los Angeles Rampage 1 SD United 2
Finally, trivia time: U.S. Soccer unveiled a memorial this weekend at Home Depot Center to which former U.S. Soccer president?
Answer Tuesday morning.
About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. 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 and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
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