Recently in Pacific Development League Category

Briefly:

* The San Fernando Valley Quakes of the Premier Development League announced today that they are the latest casualty of the economy. The team lasted three years. The 2009 season was scheduled to begin May 1.

* MLS gets its Becks bucks.

* Manhattan Beach resident Amy Massey, a defender with the USC soccer team, will attend Oxford on a NCAA scholarship. Massey played her final season for USC last year.

*The U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team, which includes Carlos Martinez of San Pedro, has qualified for the World Cup this fall. The team beat Canada 4-2 Thursday to clinch qualification.

*Sol striker Camille Abily scored in France's 2-0 win over Switzerland Wednesday in Dijon; the teams meet again Saturday.

*First-place Chivas USA (4-1-1) hosts FC Dallas (1-3-1) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Home Depot Center in a game that's live on KAZA and tape-delayed at 9 p.m. on Prime. Kids 16 and under get in free with every adult ticket purchased. The Galaxy are on the road in Colorado Saturday, (the game will be shown on tape-delay at 10 p.m. on Fox Sports West) as are the Sol who face Saint Louis Athletica.

One last chance for the players on trial at Chivas USA to impress today against the Ventura County Fusion in Santa Clarita with roster and salary cap compliance day looming Monday. Details here.

David Beckham was a non-entity as AC Milan slumped to another defeat today. He came off with about 20 minutes left; Ronaldinho didn't even make the bench. AC Milan also had a late equalizer disallowed for offside.

The Galaxy's Landon Donovan was a late, ineffective sub today for Bayern Munich in their 0-0 tie with Werder Bremen.

Also in Europe, Rolling Hills Estates' Robbie Rogers bagged a brace today as the Columbus Crew downed Everton Reserves 5-1 in Liverpool. He was actually outscored by Riverside's Chad Marshall though who put the ball in the net three times; trouble is one of those went in his own net. Box score.

Chivas USA faces the Premier Development League's Ventura County Fusion at 5 p.m. Sunday at Cougar Stadium at the College of the Canyons in Valencia, in what is becoming an annual benefit for the non-profit Michael Hoefflin Foundation, which provides financial and emotional support to children with cancer and their families. (Tickets are $20 or $40 for a family pack of two adult tickets and two for kids - call 661-250-4100 for info).

But some key players will be absent this weekend as the column points out. Chivas USA is continuing to struggle with injuries that severely hampered its season last year. And the opening game of the MLS season is less than a month away. (Atiba Harris is also out injured, it should be noted).

Read the column here.

I always collect more material than can fit in a column; below are some leftovers.

Here's Preki on why Ante Razov is back with the team after saying in no uncertain terms at the end of last year he didn't expect to return:

"He was out of contract. When you're out of contract you always want to keep your options open."

Here's co-owner, President and Chief Executive Officer Shawn Hunter on the team's financial status in the contracting economy. The club is still losing money, but the gap between revenues and expenses is narrowing, a trend expected to continue this year:

"Last year we went up 10 percent in revenues and this year we're expecting to do the same," he said, adding the franchise is focused on retaining its season ticket base rather than expanding it.

"We should hold steady at around 2,000 (season ticket holders)," he said. "We made a jump from about 800 in 2007 to about 2,000 last year. The first three years (of the club's existence) Chivas never renewed more than 50 percent of its season ticket base. ... "We're doing a better job of not only getting fans, but keeping them. We're projecting about a 75 percent to 80 percent retention (rate) and that will get us back to the 2,000. We could be a little bit higher or a little bit lower, but we feel like were holding ground.

"Over the last few years we've been the stabilizing brand for soccer in this marketplace and where this brand got off to a very rough start on the pitch and off we repaired that."

The L.A. Women's Professional Soccer entrant describes Aya Miyama "as the cornerstone of the Japanese Women's National Team and observes she is "touted as one of the best young players in the world."

She'll be introduced at a 10 a.m. press conference at Home Depot Center. This is a big deal in the Japanese-language press with more than a half dozen outlets attending the event.

The English remember her - and gave her the nickname - after she scored two goals from direct free kicks against them at the 2007 Women's World Cup.

And any player who has a rocking out video like this is going to be worth watching:

Miyama joins several other high-profile foreign players WPS signed this week including: Australian Heather Garriock (95 caps and 14 goals) and Swedes Caroline Jönsson and Frida Östberg (all Chicago Red Stars), Brazilian midfielder Formiga, 30, (FC Gold Pride) and England's Alex Scott (Boston Breakers).

WPS announces its complete schedule Thursday.

In other local soccer news:
*Chivas USA announced today they have resigned midfielder Sasha Victorine to a new contract; Victorine is out with a long-term injury and isn't expected back until mid-May at the earliest. The ex-Galaxy midfielder scored two goals and notched one assist in four starts with Chivas USA last year after signing from the Kansas City Wizards.

*Three excellent games on tap in Ventura beginning Sunday when the Pacific Development League Ventura County Fusion play at 5 p.m. against Real Salt Lake, followed by a 7 p.m. Feb. 11 game against Sigi Schmid's expansion (ahem) Seattle Sounders and a 7 p.m. Feb. 16 encounter with Swedish Premier Division Team GAIS. All games are at Buena High.

Tickets are $25 for all three games or $10 apiece. More info at www.vcfusion.com.

I must admit to being distracted today.

Along with my wife, I would like to announce the arrival of - a bouncing big screen HDTV from Amazon.com. It's our first, so we're justifiably proud.

The wife was driven to tears by a National Geographic DVD. I may never leave the house again. And I may become one of those annoying people who never stop talking about their offspring.

So, because I frankly have have better things to do, I'll keep this brief:
* Landon Donovan scored his first goal for Bayern Munich today.

*They've installed a revolving door at the U.S. Men's National Team training camp in Carson: the official U.S. blog reported Sunday that goalkeeper Troy Perkins took a five-day hiatus from camp to return to Norway for a three-day team bonding trip with his club Valerenga that apparently involves training sessions with the Norwegian Special Forces.

That means Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy was drafted in as a replacement. The Galaxy's Sean Franklin missed training Monday with a groin strain. And Riverside's Chad Marshall withdrew from camp with an injured right knee.

Is it any wonder they canceled training on Tuesday?

*Meanwhile, U.S. Soccer sat down to chat with Chivas USA's Jonathan Bornstein. The Los Alamitos resident reflects on his national team career so far and fills us in on whether he finished his deck on his house (I kid you not). Read it here

*ESPN2 will air the U.S.-Mexico World Cup qualifier at 4 p.m. Feb. 11. In High Def, too!

*Former Galaxy defender Ezra Hendrickson, just retired from the Columbus Crew, has a new job - and an old boss.

*Fellow blogger Steven Goff provides the transfer gossip of the day. Chivas USA could also bring into preseason camp "Reinier Alcantara, the Cuban forward who sought asylum during his national team's stay in Washington in October for a World Cup qualifier," according to Goff.

*The latest player to want David Beckham to stay longer at AC Milan than two months- Kaka. And David Beckham's commitment to the Galaxy has supposedly been downgraded you'll notice.

*Ventura County PDL team the Fusion is the latest local pro club to hold open tryouts. Details here.

Cal State Dominguez Hills junior defender Kevin Gallaugher was today named the Division II National Player of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

He led the Toro defense to 14 shutouts on the year, including three in five games in the NCAA postseason. The defense gave up just 19 goals on the season.

It's the first such honor for the program in eight years, when Juan Carlos "JC" Bolanos led CSUDH to its 2000 NCAA Title.

"Throughout the year in our 27 games, I don't think Kevin had one bad game," reflects head coach Joe Flanagan, who also coached Bolanos during the 2000 run. "This award shows how complete and prepared of a player he is in every game, and the level he played at. As a great defender, he truly deserves the opportunity to be player of the year."

In other news that filtered out over the holidays:
*Two Galaxy players - David Beckham and Landon Donovan - are in Dubai training with two different European teams.

*HDC press box colleague Luis Bueno brings us up to date on Chivas USA midfielder Panchito Mendoza, who played over the weekend in CD Guadalajara's 2-1 win over Necaxa. Bueno translates what Mendoza had to say about the Mexican league in comparison to MLS.

*The New York Times Goal blog follows the lead of England's FourFourTwo magazine and asks famous players to name their best all-time team. Chivas USA's Claudio Suarez names his here.

*The U.S. men's Under-18 National Team on Sunday began a week-long 72-player camp at Home Depot Center. Among the locals being evaluated by former Chivas USA assistant coach and newly-appointed U-18 Coach Mike Matkovich are: defender Jesus Gonzales (Chino Hills, Calif.; FC Barcelona); midfielders Eder Arreola (Chino Hills; UCLA), Antonio Benitez (Azusa; LAFC Chelsea), Miles Byass (San Bernardino; Arsenal FC), Alejandro Cobarubias (Cudahy; Galaxy), Pablo Cruz (Azusa; LAFC Chelsea), Chris Ortega (Chula Vista; Arsenal FC), Patrick Otte (Thousand Oaks; Middlesborough Academy); Giovanni Rollie (Los Angeles; LAFC Chelsea), Michael Roman (Oxnard; Real So Cal); forwards Orr Baroush (Reseda; Chivas USA Academy), Marquis Brooks (Chula Vista; Galaxy),

*Celebrities confirmed for the second annual Mia Hamm & Nomar Garciaparra Celebrity Soccer Challenge, a Jan. 17 charity soccer match benefiting Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the Mia Hamm Foundation at Home Depot Center include: skateboarding pros Tony Hawk and Ryan Sheckler, U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Kerri Walsh, former NFL running back Marcus Allen, Zachary Levi of Chuck, Jimmy Jean Louis of Heroes and Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. Tickets are $20 through the HDC box office or via TicketMaster.

Finally, a reminder that $50 gets you a tryout Jan. 17-18 with PDL team Ventura County Fusion. Details here.

Sporadic posting will continue through the new year. But check back tomorrow for my regular weekly column and a poll.

Women's Professional Soccer 's L.A. Sol opens the league's inaugural season Sunday, March 29 in a nationally televised 3 p.m. game against the Washington Freedom at Home Depot Center, the team will announce Tuesday.

The league's other five teams will begin play the following weekend.

"We are certainly honored that WPS has chosen us to host the league's inaugural game; it will be a great reward for all of the women's soccer fans in the Southland who have been anxiously awaiting our arrival," said Los Angeles Sol General Manager Charlie Naimo.

The remainder of the season's schedule will be announced at a later date. Sol season tickets are now on sale beginning at $125. Call 1-877-4-SOL-TIX or click the link to the right.

Also, the 10-round WPS draft is set for Jan. 16. The draft order:
1. Boston Breakers
2. Chicago Red Stars
3. FC Gold Pride (Bay Area)
4. Sky Blue FC (New Jersey/New York)
5. Los Angeles Sol
6. Saint Louis Athletica
7. Washington Freedom

Which means Boston gets Amy Rodriguez of USC.

Rumor of the moment: Supposedly Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan has captured the interest of a dozen teams including Celtic.

Jorge Flores of Chivas USA, Brian Perk of UCLA, Marcus Watson of the Galaxy Academy and Pat Sigler of Cal Poly were among the 26-player squad named to the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team roster by Coach Thomas Rongen for an eight-day camp in Florida that began today. The camp includes a pair of scrimmages against CONCACAF foes Haiti Dec. 20 and Canada Dec. 22.

And for all you L.A. Rampage, Pali Blues, San Fernando Quakes, etc fans out there:

United Soccer Leagues announced the 68 PDL teams will play a 16-game season beginning May 1 and concluding July 19. Playoffs will begin July 24-26 and the championship will be held Saturday, Aug. 8, on Fox Soccer Channel. The W-League will kick off the season with 37 teams beginning May 8. The season concludes July 19, with playoffs beginning July 24-26. The W-League champion will be determined Aug. 7-8 on Fox Soccer Channel.

U.S. Soccer has announced its first batch of yearly awards with Soccer By Ives winning blog of the year. The Washington Post's excellent Soccer Insider finished second (weren't those two reversed last year?). And as much as I enjoy the wit of press officer Aaron Heifetz (and I do, really) the WNT Blog is not the third best soccer blog out there.

Finally, the answer to the question how fit is Chivas USA's Jonathan Bornstein? Pretty damn fit.

Briefly:
*Loyola Marymount sophomore Rafael Baca of Lawndale was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Far West Region Third Team, the first Lion to receive the honor since Bobby Burling and Diego Barrera in 2006. He has led LMU in scoring the last two years.

*Long Beach State sophomore midfielder Lindsay Bullock of Manhattan Beach and senior midfielder Hayley Bolt of Lakewood were named to the NSCAA/adidas All-West Region second-team and third-team respectively. Bullock led the team with 10 goals, while Bolt had nine.

*There's still time to register for the Ventura County Fusion tryouts on Saturday and Sunday.

*Finally, (and trivially) check out how hung David Beckham is here.

*The alleged MLS All-Star game is 4 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2. I'll have more on that in Tuesday's column.

*The Galaxy play at 4 p.m. Sunday in Dallas (live on Prime).

*Chivas USA plays next Aug. 2 in Chicago.

*From the Women's Premier Soccer League:

Saturday at Esperanza High (Anaheim):
5:30 p.m. - South champion West Coast F.C. (7-2-1) plays Sonoma County F.C. Sol (6-3-1).
7:30 p.m. - North Division winner California (10-0-0) plays second-place south side, 2007 U.S. Open Cup champion Ajax America (6-3-1).

The winners of the Pacific Semifinals face off the next day in the conference final at 6:30 p.m. for the final berth in the WPSL Championship.

*From the USL:

United Soccer Leagues announced Monday the Premier Development League and W-League playoff schedules set to begin midweek with the Divisional Rounds and continue with the Conference Championship tournaments on the weekend. The 19-team PDL playoff field begins play today with the W-League's 13-team postseason field starting Wednesday.

PDL:
Conference Semifinal Saturday - Vancouver vs San Fernando Valley Quakes - 4:30 p.m. Fresno.

The Pali Blues won the W-League regular season title and a berth in the league semifinals in Virginia Beach.

*Noted: The U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team beat Germany 3-0 today to win the Nordic Cup. Bruins Valerie Henderson and Tina DiMartino played the entire game.

*Also, from the Galaxy press release:

The Galaxy Rios U-20's clinched the USL Super-20 League Pacific Southern California League title Saturday with a 6-0 win over Riverside MGFM. The Rios finished the season with a league best 22 points from a 7-2-1 record, while outscoring opponents 41-7 en route to the title.

Another soccer-filled weekend is on tap, so let's get to it.

*The Galaxy are out of town in New York where Claudio Reyna retired this week and the Red Bulls signed two South American midfielders who could make their debuts Saturday.

The game airs live at 3:30 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel and a crowd of more than 45,000 is expected to turn out largely to see David Beckham who continues to prove why he's nicknamed Golden Balls.

Need a reminder why so many people want to see the game? Check out the highlights from last year.

*Meanwhile, they're expecting a similarly large boost in attendance in Kansas City on Sept. 13 when Becks and the Galaxy visit so the Wizards announced Thursday they are moving the game from the 10,000-capacity CommunityAmerica Ballpark to vast Arrowhead Stadium.

*Chivas USA are at home at 5 p.m. Sunday playing at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium in the third and final SuperLiga game (live on Telefutura) where three teams in Group B could finish tied with six points by the end of the weekend.

How complicated is the picture for qualification for the next round? Here it is broken down from a New England perspective courtesy of the Revolution, but it also tells you what Chivas USA need to do:

A win or a draw on Sunday would assure the Revolution first place in the group, while a Pachuca loss to Santos Laguna in the group's other game would also secure New England's passage to the next round. Even if the Revs lose to Chivas USA and Pachuca defeats Santos, the possibility still exists that the Revolution could advance to the competition's final four, because in that case, New England, Chivas USA and Pachuca would all be tied atop the group with six points. If that happens, the group would be decided on goal difference, and the Revs (+2) currently have a better goal difference than both Chivas USA (0) and Pachuca (0).

*Meanwhile, Chivas USA defender/midfielder/forward Jonathan Bornstein of Los Alamitos was named as a replacement for Olympics-bound players in the MLS All-Star Game even though he's missed plenty of games this season and has not quite found the form he did last year (yet).

Plenty of other players are more deserving of course, such as D.C. United's Luciano Emilio (third in the league in scoring) or the Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto (the MLS assist-leader who had another two plus a goal Thursday in Columbus' 3-3 draw with Kansas City). Yet another reason to question the game's credibility.

*Also, Chivas USA has had Amber Hernandez, a 15-year-old member of the South Valley Chivas Academy in Porterville called up to the Mexican Under-17 National Team for the CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championship that began Thursday in Trinidad & Tobago.

*In other youth soccer news, the Los Angeles FC Under-18 boys team (led by U-17/18 Coach of the Year Rafa Moran) plays for the U.S. Development Academy championship at Home Depot Center live at 8 on ESPN2 tonight. Full details here.

*Over in the PDL, the San Fernando Valley Earthquakes are still in with a chance of making the playoffs after defeating the Ventura County Fusion Thursday.

The Quakes need a win Sunday against the Fresno Fuego in a 7:05 p.m. game at Calabasas High to make the playoffs.

Here's why from the Quakes Web site:

The Fuego overwhelmed the Southern California Seahorses 5-2 Thursday to move into first place on 29 points; the San Francisco Seals, in second place, take on Bakersfield Brigade today, and will move to the top of the league on 30 points if they win. The Quakes now lie third, on 27 points, with Fusion in fourth, their playoff hopes virtually over.

*In the W-League tonight it's Pali Blues at Los Angeles Legends in a 6 p.m. game at Esperanza High.

*U.S. striker Abby Wambach had surgery Thursday on
her broken leg.

*Finally, at least one Mexican club apparently does not know what the new national team coach looks like (exactly).

And if you liked that, then return later today for some Friday Football Funnies, true and strange soccer stories from around the world in the last week or so.

Enjoy your weekend.

Ante Razov's deciding goal.

Photo by Scott Varley

Before we get started, take a deep breathe and read this fine piece of journalism on Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan and his father.

I'll wait.

But then we figured Kljestan would be going to the Olympics, didn't we? The squad will officially be announced at 10 a.m. today (Thursday).

Other nuggets:
*Midfielder Paulo Nagamura, who suffered a mild concussion during the match, and defender Jonathan Bornstein will be suspended for Sunday's game against New England because of yellow-card accumulation (2 apiece).

*We were discussing in the press box about the tie-breakers in SuperLiga given the possibility Chivas USA, the Revolution and Pachuca could end up tied on six points at the end of the games Sunday.

Colleague Phil Collin kindly researched the issue (based on last year's rules):
1. points
2. head-head
3. point differential
4. goals scored
5. drawing of lots

Now here's the catch: if after the first four criteria, a team qualifies, that team advances. Then the process is repeated. For instance, if Pachuca wins 2-0 and Chivas USA wins 1-0, Pachuca advances on goal differential. Then you go back to the top and play the string out with the two remaining teams.

Got that?

Curiously though, Sunday's pair of games aren't played at the same time: the Revs and Chivas USA game is later than Pachuca-Santos Laguna. Not that I'm suggesting anything.

The game story is here.

And (for those of you who read until the end of the game story) it looks like yet another foreign veteran (Wicky) is a total bust in MLS, doesn't it?

On to the quotes:

*Preki on the economy of shots for Chivas USA:

"We got one shot on goal tonight - we scored. We're going to take that. We're not going to complain about that. Sometimes things don't go your way, you lose. Tonight, I thought the ball bounced our way. Sometimes in this game you have to be lucky. You've got to get a bounce."

*Ante Razov on the ball Kljestan served him that led to the goal:

"It was good work out on the wing with Sacha and we've developed pretty good chemistry as of late, especially. I just wanted to try to set my guy up and get to the near post, and fortunately I was able to get a piece of it, I also think the defender got a piece of it too. Great ball."

*Did Santos Laguna Coach Daniel Guzman think the 90th minute goal his team scored was offside?

"It was a goal. There was no-one offside on that play. That's when we started the whole debate with the referee, but it's over now."

On the loss:

"They had a goal-scoring opportunity. They put it in. Sometimes soccer is that way. You play well. You don't win. You play badly, you win."

*Preki on how the team came out:

"I didn't feel like we got a grip of the game in the first 10-15 minutes. I thought they were the better team, I thought they were moving the ball a bit better than us, I thought we were nervous, but I was expecting that given the fact that we've changed quite a few players from the other night to tonight."

Finally, here's the first half sitter Christian Benitez of Santos Laguna missed in the first half with Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy and the net at his mercy.

Photo by Scott Varley

Chivas USA moves into a new era this evening without star goalkeeper Brad Guzan in their SuperLiga opener at 7 against Pachuca (live on TeleFutura).

Said Coach Preki of the culmination (hopefully) of the drawn out trade:

"I won't say it's a relief because now we've got to see what we have with the other young goalkeepers we have. It's going to be a challenge."

I'll blog from the game as usual.

Of course, Guzan still has to get a work permit and if you believe The People, an English tabloid, there could be other complications, as well. By the way, the copy editor who came up with that headline has way too much time on his hands.

Speaking of American goalkeepers in England, Guzan said he has employed the consulting services of Everton's Tim Howard:

"Timmy's been awesome about the entire process going back to January when things didn't work out. We've had some little discussions here and there, nothing too serious, but he's helped me in maturing into a good professional and hopefully I'll be able to continue the success of American goalkeepers."

Santos Laguna and the New England Revolution kick off their SuperLiga encounter at 5 p.m. on TeleFutura today, while CD Guadalajara turned out the D.C. United lights ( and Jaime Moreno actually missed a penalty kick) Saturday. The Houston Dynamo pounded Atlante, 4-0, in the other game.

In MLS games Saturday, Palos Verdes' John Thorrington scored a late winner for the Fire to break Chicago's five-game losing streak and Real Salt Lake answered the question: How bad is the Western Conference? Salt Lake sits in first place after beating Sigi Schmid's Columbus Crew, 2-0.

The U.S. women will seek revenge against Brazil today for their World Cup loss in the first of two games between the nations before the Olympics. Kick off is at 1 p.m. on ESPN.

Hermosa Beach resident Abby Wambach is one goal shy of her 100th international strike going into the game.

How significant is that?

As U.S. Soccer points out:

At 99 career goals in 125 games, Wambach's prolific scoring rate - the best goals-to-game ratio in U.S. history in fact - puts her just one away from joining four other U.S. players in the 100 Goal Club. Mia Hamm (158), Kristine Lilly (129), Michelle Akers (105) and Tiffeny Milbrett (100) are four of eight players in the history of women's soccer to score 100 or more international goals. Wambach scored her first-ever goal in 2002 against Finland and since then has averaged a goal every 90 minutes she has played for the WNT.

Wambach sounds, well, amazed by the feat, too:

"I've been thinking about it, because I knew everyone would be asking me about it. I think it's amazing the impact that it's had on myself and maybe my team. I've seen a lot of countries and met a lot of people and I think about the amount of joy every single goal has brought not only to my life but also my teammates lives. I also just think about the company I'm in. I'm getting compared to Michelle Akers. I sort of don't want to even be compared to her because it's a bit surreal. She's just up there in my book in terms of how dominant she was."

In the PDL Saturday it was:
Los Angeles Legends 0 San Francisco Seals 2
San Fernando Valley Quakes 4 Fresno Fuego 1
Bakersfield Brigade 1 Orange County Blue Star 3
San Jose Frogs 1 Southern California Seahorses 3

Today there's a doubleheader at Buena High in Ventura for the last home game of the Fusion season, with the W-League Ventura County Fusion kicking off at 4 p.m against the Real Colorado Cougars, while their male counterparts in the PDL play at 6 p.m. against Orange County Blue Star.

In WPSL games today:
Claremont Stars v Ajax America Women at 5:30 p.m. at Claremont High
SD United v Los Angeles Rampage at 4 p.m. at Valhalla High

In the WPSL Saturday:
San Diego WFC SeaLions 1 Claremont Stars 0
West Coast FC 2 SD United 1

The second edition of SuperLiga begins today with a 5 p.m. game on TeleFutura between CD Guadalajara and D.C. United.

The Houston Dynamo-Atlante game follows at 7 p.m. on the same channel.

The MLS Players Union is apparently not pleased with that alleged $1 million in SuperLiga prize money figure the league throws around.

Which might explain statements like this from New England's Matt Reis: "We're somewhat looking forward to the upcoming games."

Still, Pachuca midfielder Gabriel Caballero (left) and Chivas USA midfielder Paulo Nagamura look pretty happy with the cash though.

Pachuca and Chivas USA - likely without goalkeeper Brad Guzan - play Sunday at Home Depot Center.

In USL games locally, the W-League Pali Blues, having already clinched the Western Conference, pounded Real Colorado 6-0 Thursday.

The Los Angeles Legends play Real Colorado today at 5 p.m. in Chino Hills. Admission is free.

In the PDL Friday, the San Fernando Valley Quakes beat the Legends' male counterparts
3-1.

In other PDL games Friday it was:
San Jose Frogs 0 Orange County Blue Star 1
Ventura County Fusion 4 Lancaster Rattlers 0

Today's local games:
Bakersfield Brigade at Orange County Blue Star 5 p.m. Concordia University.
San Jose Frogs at Southern California Seahorses 7 p.m. La Mirada High.

Lastly, the U.S. Soccer Development Academy finals began today at Home Depot Center. Details and a game schedule is here.

Tied for first place in the Western Conference, the Galaxy and Chivas USA resume hostilities 8 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2 before the Red & White play Sunday in their opening SuperLiga game against last year's winner Pachuca. (That game is live at 7 p.m. on TeleFutura). I'll have a preview of the tournament in Tuesday's column.

Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan talks about the derby at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN.com.

On Friday the two teams' reserve squads face off at 10 a.m. on University Field #1. The Galaxy reserves are currently winless so far this season.

On Saturday at Home Depot Center, 16 elite teams aged 15-18 will begin competing in the 2008 Development Academy Finals. The final eight round-robin games will be aired on ESPNU and ESPN2 July 18-19.

LAFC is the local representative in the Under 15/16 and Under-17/18 divisions.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Under-20 Galaxy Rios host Lancaster and Riverside respectively, the bottom two teams in the league, at Home Depot Center (both games kick-off at 5 p.m. on Field #5). With two wins the Rios (which currently sit third in the standings) could win the league, depending on the results of other games.

The Rios beat the Bakersfield Brigade over the weekend to move to 4-2-1.

And catching up on the rest of the weekend:
*The Galaxy made the New England Revolution's Adam Cristman look good: he was named MLS Player of the Week Monday by the North American Soccer Reporters after his two-goal effort led his team to a 2-1 victory over the Galaxy.

*In the W-League Sunday, the Seattle Sounders beat the Los Angeles Legends 4-2, although the first-year Pali Blues wrapped up the Western Conference title earlier in the weekend.

*In the PDL Sunday, it was the Southern California Seahorses 2 Los Angeles Legends 2 and Lancaster Rattlers 1 San Jose Frogs 4.

Standings.

*Scores in the WPSL Saturday:
Ajax America Women 4 Sonoma County FC Sol 0
Los Angeles Rampage 0 California Storm 0
West Coast FC 5 FC Sacramento Pride 0
Claremont Stars 3 Walnut Creek Power 3

*And Sunday:
Ajax America Women 3 California Storm 2
Los Angeles Rampage 10 FC Sacramento Pride 0
West Coast FC 8 Walnut Creek Power 0
Claremont Stars 1 Sonoma County FC Sol 2

Standings.

The U.S. Women's National Team beat Sweden 1-0 Saturday with Torrance's Shannon Boxx going the full 90 and USC striker Amy Rodriguez getting a few minutes late. The U.S. now returns home for its final two Olympic warm-up games.

If you want to get caught up on the Chivas USA win Saturday read the previous post; for game reaction and video highlights of the Galaxy's 2-1 loss to New England Friday go here.

In the PDL Saturday it was: Ventura County Fusion 2 Southern California Seahorses 0.

In the W-League Saturday, the expansion Pali Blues clinched the league title with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders.

Standings.