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.
It was a night of knockout soccer that saw three games go to extra time, two games go to penalty kicks, and one famous Mexican lose his temper and get sent off. By the time the smoke cleared, the glass slipper still fit for two USL First Division clubs, who had advanced to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.
Why isn't this competition on TV again?
The Charleston Battery obliterated FC Dallas, 3-1, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX, scoring before an after an hour-long lightning delay in the first half and shutting down all but one meaningless strike in the 93rd minute. Meanwhile, the Seattle Sounders fought the Kansas City Wizards to a 0-0 draw and advanced 6-5 on penalties, thanks in part to a 12-save performance by Sounders goalkeeper Chris Eylander, who also saved two PKs to help Seattle advance.
Meanwhile, USL Second Division club Crystal Palace Baltimore pushed the defending Open Cup champion New England Revolution to penalties, but lost the shootout, 5-3. In Boyds, MD, Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Mark Burch were shown red cards in extra time, while Bryan Namoff scored the winner in the 99th minute to push D.C. United past the Chicago Fire, 2-1.
D.C. United and the Chicago Fire meet tonight in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, one month after their testy match in Toyota Park in which three red cards were given and Luciano Emilio got a surprise goal in stoppage time to lift 9-man D.C. to a 2-1 win.
If you want to watch this rematch, though, you'll have to go to the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds and buy a ticket. By all accounts, this match will not air on TV or online. Neither will tonight's New England Revolution v. Crystal Palace Baltimore match, providing further proof that the U.S. Open Cup -- a competition in which the winner receives a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League, no less -- is truly the most disrespected competition in American soccer.
The other two quarterfinal matches at least have online video feeds. FC Dallas v. Charleston Battery will be shown on MLSLive at 8:30 PM ET, while Seattle fans log on to USLLive get a free glimpse of their future MLS club's home when the USL-1 Seattle Sounders face the Kansas City Wizards at Qwest Field at 10:00 PM ET. Let's hope the groundskeepers actually try to cover up the gridiron lines this year.
Crystal Palace supporters still suffering from the loss of that Premier League promotion playoff last May might be taking a little solace in their American counterparts today.
Indeed, the club was founded in 2006, 101 years after Crystal Palace FC was founded in London, and it serves as a player development wing for the Coca-Cola Championship club. Clearly, player development is going pretty well there, though as Ives Galarcep notes, too many Red Bulls just didn't come to play last night.
Two other USL clubs pulled off upsets, as USL-1 leaders the Charleston Battery defeated MLS Cup holders the Houston Dynamo on penalty kicks, while the Seattle Sounders topped Chivas USA, 2-0. Other USL clubs didn't get away so easily. The Kansas City Wizards came back from a 2-0 deficit to topple the Carolina Railhawks, 4-2, in extra time, and FC Dallas scored a 2-1 comeback win against Miami FC. D.C. United, the Chicago Fire and the New England Revolution also cruised to victory over USL clubs.
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.
The 3rd round of the U.S. Open Cup kicks off tomorrow, and if you're looking for the MLS clubs that are taking this tournament seriously this year, just look for which clubs are playing at home.
Unlike England's FA Cup, where the home team is determined by random draw, MLS and USL clubs place bids with the U.S. Soccer Federation to host games, and the highest bidder plays at home. If you look at the schedule for tomorrow's games, you'll notice that the New England Revolution, the Chicago Fire, D.C. United and FC Dallas are all playing at home.
By contrast, the Houston Dynamo travel to South Carolina to face USL-1 leaders the Charleston Battery, and the New York Red Bulls head to Maryland to face USL-2 side Crystal Palace Baltimore. Perhaps Houston and New York aren't quite as interested in the CONCACAF Champions League bid that comes with winning the Open Cup.
D.C. United, however, suddenly seems much more interested in the Open Cup than they were last year.
Chicago Fire 2 - DC United 0 We're sure the whole untied/United headline business has been used before, but we're equally fed up with the various ways the Fire can burn, torch, or scorch opposing teams in the headlines. Regardless, the Chicago Fire ran circles around the United defense, putting on an offensive display that gave them several lethal chances. Justin Mapp and Cuahtemoc Blanco scored for Chicago, with Blanco's curling strike sure to set the bar for the Goal of the Week. A physical match that saw plenty of rough challenges on both side of the ball overshadowed DC's struggling offense. United only managed 2 shots on goal but drew 3 yellow cards for reckless play.
Chicago hosts Houston Dynamo at home next Saturday while DC United travels out west for a match with CD Chivas USA.
Yesterday, D.C. United announced a new five-year sponsorship deal with Volkswagen, which involves slapping a big VW logo on the Major League Soccer club's jerseys and trying to sell the Screaming Eagles on the joys of Touareg ownership. In turn, D.C. United will receive $14 million over the next five years.
That's $2.8 million a year. The MLS salary is currently $2.3 million a year. So for all intents and purposes, Volkswagen is covering D.C. United's player salaries for at least the next two years. There's probably enough left over to pay most of the coaching staff, too.
MLS has its share of problems, but it seems the league's biggest problem is the lack of money available to players not named Beckham or Blanco. The MLS Players Union desperately needs to address that issue in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, which would take effect in 2010. The salary cap should be at least double what it is now. The minimum salary for senior team players needs to be raised. Roster sizes should be increased. Most importantly, developmental players should be making a living wage. That would allow a youth program prospect like Matt Kassel to stay with his club rather than leave for college.
Those are just small steps the League and the Players Union could take to make MLS more appealing to both players and fans. Without that, MLS might not be quite as appealing to other advertisers in the future. But hey, kudos to D.C. United for getting someone else to pay their most important employees, right?
Last night, during the first half of the second leg of a CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal against Pachuca, the D.C. United striker got the ball four, maybe five feet in front of goal. He aimed for the opposite corner, and the ball went all the way across the face of goal without going in. It was one of many missed opportunities that caused D.C. to lose 3-2 on aggregate and be ousted from the Champions Cup.
It was a better performance than the Houston Dynamo put on in Costa Rica, though. With La Ultra Morada in full voice behind them, Deportivo Saprissa outran and outhustled the Dynamo and eventually leveled them, 3-0, to advance to the Champions Cup final.
This was the second year in a row that D.C. and Houston bombed out of this competition in the semifinals. Get used to it, Major League Soccer fans. When the new CONCACAF Champions League begins, your clubs will be doomed in the knockout stages, and it's all because of the MLS schedule.
If either D.C. United or the Houston Dynamo want to be the first MLS club to be crowned champions of CONCACAF since 2000, they need to serve up their best performances yet tonight in the 2nd leg of the Champions Cup semifinals.
D.C. United left Mexico last week with a two-goal deficit against defending Champions Cup winners Pachuca, and they have to make up that deficit tonight at RFK Stadium. Home field advantage has been kind to D.C. as of late. The club won its last two matches at RFK by a combined score of 9-1. However, those wins came against Harbour View and Toronto FC. Pachuca should be more formidable opposition.
Meanwhile, the Dynamo must do something all MLS clubs have struggled to do in recent years -- win outside of American soil. They travel to San Jose, Costa Rica, to face Deportivo Saprissa. The Purple Dragons left Houston with a 0-0 draw, which was exactly the result they wanted. A simple home win tonight will put them in the final.
Both CONCACAF Champions Cup matches will air tonight on Fox Soccer Channel, starting at 7:30 PM.
It was a night of knockout soccer that saw three games go to extra time, two games go to penalty kicks, and one famous Mexican lose his temper and get sent off. By the time the smoke cleared, the glass slipper still fit for two USL First Division clubs, who had advanced to the 
D.C. United and the Chicago Fire meet tonight in the 
Crystal Palace supporters still suffering from the loss of that Premier League promotion playoff last May might be taking a little solace in their American counterparts today.
In 
The 3rd round of the 
Chicago Fire 2 - DC United 0
Yesterday, D.C. United 
Luciano Emilio shouldn't miss from that close.
If either D.C. United or the Houston Dynamo want to be the first MLS club to be crowned champions of CONCACAF since 2000, they need to serve up their best performances yet tonight in the 2nd leg of the 
