The second edition of the North American SuperLiga, which pits four top MLS clubs against four top Mexican clubs, kicks off on Saturday, and we are reminded once again that this made-for-TV event is made for Spanish-language TV only. Telefutura is once again the only American TV network carrying SuperLiga matches nationally. This is in spite of the fact that three MLS clubs made it through to the knockout stage last season, even though Pachuca won the million-dollar prize.
You would think Fox Soccer Channel might want to jump in on SuperLiga to get people psyched up for the CONCACAF Champions League, which the fledgling network will air starting in August, but it seems they would rather show more Barca TV this summer. We might get English announcers on MLSLive.tv, but possibly not until the knockout stages, as was the case last year.
Ouch. I feel Martinez's pain, man. When I was 13, I ran up to block a corner kick and took a shot right to the crotch, which left me incapacitated for the next half-hour or so. But did anyone think to squirt water down my shorts? No. We didn't have any magic spray back then, either. Horrible.
Honestly, is there anything quite as symbolic of this man's career as the fact that he's having trouble in his groin area prior to a big match in Europe? Would we be hearing about this injury if Wednesday's match were being played in California instead of England? It's as if you just say the word "Europe" around ol' Landycakes, and he tightens right up.
Yes, England v. USA might be just a friendly, but it's the first in a three-game set that will measure just how good this U.S. men's national team is prior to the start of World Cup Qualifying. Plus, the English squad is still struggling with its inability to qualify for EURO 2008, so they might be ripe for the picking here.
What chance does this U.S. side have, though, if its all-time leading scorer and supposed best player suddenly feels a twinge in his crotch the day before the game?
Perhaps Bob Bradley should blood the youngsters a bit more in these upcoming friendlies. They're more likely to carry this team into the next two World Cups than Landycakes is.
Admist all the hype and bluster and jersey lawsuits, we tend to forget sometimes why David Beckham actually came to America -- to play soccer. He reminded everyone on Saturday that he's still got game with a pair of brilliant bending goals that salvaged a 2-2 draw for the L.A. Galaxy against Real Salt Lake.
By the way, that turf they're using in Utah looks like it was purchased on a Blue Light Special at K-Mart. Real Salt Lake Stadium can't open soon enough.
We've known for a while that Alexi Lalas is the Matt Millen of Major League Soccer. Various pundits in the soccer media have been blasting him for building a team with three millionaire stars and a bunch of guys making less than the dude who shines Lalas' shoes at the airport. Now it's the mainstream sports media's turn to rip into Lalas.
The center of the latest controversy is a lawsuit over a David Beckham jersey. The L.A. Galaxy star gave the jersey to two kids in Honolulu who were holding up a "Go Beckham" sign during the Pan-Pacific Championship last February. Neither family can agree on which kid actually took the handoff from Becks, and now they're going to court over it.
Alexi Lalas, of course, took it all in stride.
"This is a great opportunity to teach and learn a lesson about sharing. My suggestion is that the judge get a pair of scissors, cut the thing in half and give half to each. It's certainly not anything that we would ever want to have happen and certainly not anything that David or any of our players who hand out jerseys would have intended.
"This was a huge thing in any child's life and it's a pity that it has gotten to this point."
Today on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, Michael Wilbon was having none of that.
The popular injury in the opening minutes of this 2008 MLS season appears to be franchise players getting shut down for meniscus tears. Both New England's Taylor Twellman and LA's Carlos Ruiz are out for 4 to 6 weeks according to Soccer by Ives' resident footy doctor, himself.
The injury didn't seem to bother the Revolution in their 3-0 rout of the defending champion Dynamo on Saturday, but they also lost midfielder Steve Ralston for some time, another big hit to the roster. Next thing we need is Matt Reis to go down with some kind of skull fracture and New England can dig themselves a pretty impressive hole in the standings.
Over in Los Angeles, the loss of Ruiz in the face of their 4-0 drubbing at Colorado leaves them, for back of a better term, completely [expletive deleted]. A good 20% of the payroll is now on the shelf, and a team that is basically built around its high profile offense just lost a third of its three-headed DP monster. The pressure to pick up the slack falls back on megastar Becks and his sidekick Landon, Boy Wonder. GM Alexi Lalas can't be sleeping well these days as his risky gamble has already taken a turn for the worse.
While all of England and half the soccer fans in America are all a-twitter over whether David Beckham will earn his 100th cap with the England national team -- and I think I speak for much of that crowd when I say just get it over with because we're sick of hearing about it -- a new report has surfaced suggesting that Beckham could have his heart set on a new goal: becoming an MLS owner.
Beckham reportedly has the option to buy an MLS franchise after his playing contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy is up in 2011. This juicy tidbit is expected to be part of a 60 Minutes profile of Ol' Goldenballs by Anderson Cooper that will air this Sunday.
Given the value of his contract (5 years, $25 million) and endorsements, Beckham could certainly afford it. The Paul Allen-led Seattle group paid a $30 million fee for the expansion franchise. An existing MLS franchise probably won't be worth more than $45 million by 2011. Becks should have that much stashed in his wife's underwear drawer.
In other news, I suddenly feel dirty for letting CBS manipulate me into giving 60 Minutes a free plug.
With expectations continuing to place pressure on the LA Galaxy, it is no wonder that David Beckham wants to get off to a good start this season. Playing for their postseason lives for most of the second-half of 2007, you can understand why the former English captain wants to come out winning this spring.
"We can't afford to be in the position we were in, where we ended up chasing it," Beckham said. "That's not good for the players or for a team. We've got to get it right from the first game and carry on right through the season."
Of course, the obligatory "MLS loves LA" comment should come in here. While last year's "Beckham Circus" scheduling placed LA on the road for most of stretch run, they were rewarded with international exposure at SuperLiga and this year's Pan Pacific Championship. As long as "the people" want to see the stars, the Galaxy will have plenty of chances to win some kind of hardware. The added games will surely add to their veterans' wear and tear issues.
The joys of the public domain and Windows Movie Maker know no bounds here at Das FanHaus. In the first of what we hope will be a number entertaining and informative looks at this year's MLS season, we began our series of previews with the easiest target we could find. Fish meet barrel, here's YOUR LA Galaxy.
Just a heads up to some overly sensitive types that may be viewing the following clip. First of all, the Alexi Lalas impersonator 20 seconds in is telling us who's number 1. Secondly, and most importantly, if you are unfamiliar with the internet's Godwin's Law, you would be best served by clicking that link beforehand. Disclaimers aside, enjoy.
We give Landon Donovan a hard time around these parts. He has more than enough talent to play in Europe, but he'd rather hobnob with the celeb set in Los Angeles, and for all his skills, he tends to score a lot more from the penalty spot than from open play. Plus, that pre-penalty routine of his is just flat-out annoying.
Tonight, however, was Donovan's night. Sure, his goal against Sweden was a penalty that Pat Noonan and Jozy Altidore earned in open play, but it still made him the U.S. men's national team's all-time leading scorer with 35 goals. Plus, his world-class pace and passing skills helped the USA to a 2-0 victory over a physical Swedish team that got hit with five yellow cards.
It wasn't just Donovan that performed well tonight, though. U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan had to impress the European scouts looking in on him tonight. He turned back the Swedish attack with one impressive save after another, and once again, he made sure his defenders were well-organized. Guzan won't be at Chivas USA for too much longer.
Houston Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson also scored his first goal for the national team in his very first cap. He wasn't too bad in defense, either.
In 
Landon Donovan is 
We've known for a while that Alexi Lalas is the Matt Millen of Major League Soccer. Various pundits in the soccer media have been blasting him for building a team with three millionaire stars and a bunch of guys making less than the dude who shines Lalas' shoes at the airport. Now it's the mainstream sports media's turn to rip into Lalas.
The popular injury in the opening minutes of this 2008 MLS season appears to be franchise players getting shut down for meniscus tears. Both New England's Taylor Twellman and LA's Carlos Ruiz are out for 4 to 6 weeks according to Soccer by Ives' resident footy doctor, himself. 
While all of England and half the soccer fans in America are all a-twitter over 
With expectations continuing to place pressure on the LA Galaxy, it is no wonder that David Beckham wants to get off to a good start this season. Playing for their postseason lives for most of the second-half of 2007, you can understand why the former English captain wants to come out winning this spring.
