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.
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.
FC Dallas hired longtime SMU soccer coach Schellas Hyndman to be their new head coach. One reason why? Club owner Clark Hunt played for Hyndman at SMU during the 80s, and 21 of Hyndman's players have been drafted by MLS. Another reason? As this video shows, Hyndman knows Combat Ki, which allows a man to absorb violent blows to various body parts -- including the crotch. FC Dallas needs someone to teach that to his players, because Ricardo Clark could strike again at any time.
Not getting ahead of ourselves too much, but we're going to use this match as the first evidence of The Curse of Juan Toja's mullet. The previously glorious locks were cut during the week, and FC Dallas' unbeaten streak fell at home to the Revolution for all of ESPN to see. Khano Smith scored the lone goal of the game, making Dallas keeper Dario Sala look absolutely flat footed in the 72nd minute. Smith goal just slipped under the defense and into the far post, leaving Sala only able to attempt the feeblest of saves. Ricardhinho had a chance to tie things up in the dying minutes, but New England's Matt Reis snuffed out the chance with his fourth save of the night for his fourth shutout of the season.
Next week, New England (3-2-1) hosts Chicago while Dallas (2-2-1) heads west to San Jose.
"Not only am I not going to sell, my partner cannot sell without my approval. So I kind of have the ability to determine the outcome of what is going to happen, and I am right in the middle of that."
The font of insider knowledge, Soccer By Ives, continues to let us lesser ranks of MLS insiders in on the comings and goings of current American stars. As opening day approaches, many teams are adjusting to the increasing demand for US talent. Here's the latest on four domestic players:
Brad Guzan-The next big thing in American goalkeepers is on his way to a trial at Celtic. The rumors swirling say that transfer negotiations are the only remaining hurdle, and work permits are not an issue. Chivas USA will be pressed to find a replacement as good as the reigning keeper of the year.
Chris Gbandi- The former 1 overall at FC Dallas (2002) is linked to Norwegian club FK Haugesund, and the club is expected to accept an offer for the 28 year old defender. The move would further deplete Dallas' struggling back line that has already lost Clarence Goodson this off season.
Danny Cepero- The young goalkeeper at Red Bull New York is set for a trial at PSV Eindhoven. A recent trade for Zach Thornton continues to keep Cepero buried on the RBNY depth chart.
Pablo Mastroeni- While not headed overseas, the midfielder is very much "in play" among MLS circles. Many teams seem to be after his services with a number of potential trades being mulled by the press. The rumor mills have been placing the 31-year-old veteran to San Jose, New England, and DC United. (HT: MLS Rumors)
Another major deal of the 2008 MLS off season has finally gone from rumor to breaking news. Soccer By Ives reports that FC Dallas has traded top striker Carlos Ruiz to the LA Galaxy for salary cap allocation and a 2009 2nd round pick. Ruiz joins Landon Donovan and David Beckham in what is now officially the most top heavy team in Major League Soccer.
While MLS roster and salary rules are complicated, the situation breaks down like this: Donovan, Ruiz, and Beckham all count as 1.2M against the 2.3M cap (400k per player). Although Beckham is the Deisngated Player, the first 400k of his contract counts against the cap. Donovan and Ruiz are grandfathered by the league, LA to book them as max salary players. The deal leaves the team with 1.1M dollars to spend on 15 players, roughly 73k per remaining player without going into the complications of developmental salaries etc. Quite the disparity considering cap limitations and the rising cost of quality talent. Combine this with the always present speculation that LA would like a second DP, with another 400k against the cap, and your "average" player would take home even less.
LA is taking a serious gamble on its marketing abilities as well as the future of the league. Credit is deserved for working within the current system to get around the current salary cap, but it is still a large wager on the talent (and health) of their top players. Winning remains the best promotion, and LA must be able to produce on the field to keep their momentum. The Ruiz trade is another push to get the most talent around Beckham as possible, a lucrative, but fragile, strategy. The Galaxy still have a number of draft picks and may look to trade them for allocation (heads up, San Jose), or they may try to get some talented youngsters on the cheap. Beckham and the backups has a nice ring to it.
I know Ricardo Clark of the Houston Dynamo was upset over FC Dallas' Carlos Ruiz going over top of him to prevent a goal, but players have to remember that it's always the retaliation that gets caught -- especially when this is the retaliation:
As you might expect, Clark was suspended by MLS for nine games and issued a $10,000 fine. That's reportedly about 5% of his salary, so imagine Terrell Owens getting fined $400,000. On the other hand, I'm not sure even T.O. would go quite as ballistic on a guy as Clark did here.
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. 
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.
The 3rd round of the 
Not getting ahead of ourselves too much, but we're going to use this match as the first evidence of The Curse of Juan Toja's mullet. The previously glorious locks were cut during the week, and FC Dallas' unbeaten streak fell at home to the Revolution for all of ESPN to see. Khano Smith scored the lone goal of the game, making Dallas keeper Dario Sala look absolutely flat footed in the 72nd minute. Smith goal just slipped under the defense and into the far post, leaving Sala only able to attempt the feeblest of saves. Ricardhinho had a chance to tie things up in the dying minutes, but New England's Matt Reis snuffed out the chance with his fourth save of the night for his fourth shutout of the season. 
Just when you think the drama surrounding Liverpool FC is close to subsiding, it builds right back up again. Steven Gerrard says 
The font of insider knowledge, 
Another major deal of the 2008 MLS off season has finally gone from rumor to breaking news. 
