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.
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.
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 took the Houston Dynamo about 135 minutes to break through against Guatemalan champs Municipal, but by the time the smoke -- and the streamers from the Texian Army -- had cleared, Dwayne DeRosario had a brace, and the Dynamo had a 3-1 victory and a spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals.
Much of the credit for this win, though, goes to Corey Ashe, the former Tar Heel whose pure speed down the left flank gave Municipal fits all night. Ashe set up scoring opportunities for his teammates most of the evening and drew the penalty that led to DeRosario's second goal. It was a crap call, that penalty, and Municipal players hemmed and hawed about it (and everything else) most of the night, but the Dynamo weren't about to turn it down.
The defending MLS Cup champions join D.C. United in the Champions Cup semifinals. They will face the winner of tomorrow night's Deportivo Saprissa v. Atlante match in Costa Rica. Atlante has a 2-1 lead after the first leg in Mexico last week.
Shadowy sports conglomerate, AEG, is reported to be selling its interest in the Houston Dynamo to famous boxer and failed reality host Oscar De La Hoya. The Dynamo are winners of back to back MLS Championships and 4 out of the last 7 for those still counting in San Jose. Details of the plan have not been fully disclosed, but early estimates have De La Hoya and Golden Boy's Gabriel Brener each taking a 25% stake in the team with AEG controlling the remaining 50%. It is still unclear how the team would operate under the new ownership structure.
If we had to wager a guess, AEG would still have a say in many of the front office decisions, but not necessarily the final word. Instead, they will focus their energies on constructing, owning, and operating a new soccer stadium in Houston. Meanwhile, the move places them one step closer to being able to divert all of their soccer affections on their crown jewel Super Team, the LA Galaxy. This line of thinking, and the jealous disgust that accompanies it, should come as no surprise to the dozen of you reading this site regularly.
We like to joke about how any soccer match between the U.S. and Mexican national teams could hardly qualify as a "friendly." Still, you never like to see any part of the game turn quite this ugly.
Houston police are investigating the shootings of two people outside Reliant Stadium.
More than 70,000 fans were on hand Wednesday to watch the U.S. and Mexico spar in a soccer match that ended with a 2-2 tie. The shootings happened after the game. One witness reported seeing emgergency medical personnel and police gathered on near the west entrance of the stadium.
Details are still scant at this point, but let's hope that the victims are okay and that this didn't have anything to do with the game itself. The last thing we need is to foster the notion that it's not safe to go to a soccer match in America. Just because Italy won the World Cup doesn't mean we should start emulating their fans -- especially since they only have knives and we have guns.
UPDATE (2:10 PM): The Houston Chronicle has more info here.
In an altogether unsurprising turn of events, Luis Figo, familiar to Portuguese fans the world around in religious idol form, will not be signing a contract with any MLS team. The midfielder had been linked earlier in the week to a 2-year contract with AEG, owners of LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo, but the player has personally debunked those rumors according to today's Setanta Sports. In fact, he has never even HEARD of AEG. While they aren't exactly well known to even most American fans, still, Ouch, Luis, that hurts just a little. Those quotes about "heading to the states for retirement" also sting, but it comes with the territory.
Figo, currently recovering from a broken leg, is restating his commitment to his current team, Inter Milan. Inter is in the pole position to win the Scudetto, leading Serie A 7 points clear of second-place AS Roma. Inter has drawn Liverpool for the Champions League Round of 16 in February, and is linked to adding fellow Portuguese midfielder Maniche from Atletico Madrid. Figo thinks he's in a good place with Inter Milan, and we'd have to agree. However, we will continue to fan the flames of wild speculation every chance we get.
While most fans of the American game insist that their Major League Soccer is better than a "retirement league" for aging international stars, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) would like to fight that notion with every headline than can buy. The owners of both the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo franchises, AEG has now been reported to be adding Inter Milan midfielder and Portuguese folk hero Luis Figo to one of their rosters. Goal.com links the 35-year-old to a two-year deal with AEG worth roughly 3.5M a year.
If we can call a spade a spade here, if Figo joins the Dynamo we will eat our hat. The odds of Beckham getting his former Real Madrid teammate to join him in LA are ridiculously high, and its pretty fair to speculate that MLS will find some way to let LA keep Figo without arranging for another Designated Player slot. Then again, Houston could always trade their unused roster spot to LA , ie themselves, for a 3rd round pick and a cooler of Gatorade. Dynamo fans would be encouraged to light more than smoke bombs if they get the lemon-lime flavored end of that deal.
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 
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 
It took the Houston Dynamo about 135 minutes to break through against Guatemalan champs Municipal, but by the time the smoke -- and the streamers from the Texian Army -- had cleared, Dwayne DeRosario had a brace, and the Dynamo had a 3-1 victory and a spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals.
Shadowy sports conglomerate, AEG, is reported to be selling its interest in the Houston Dynamo to famous boxer and failed reality host Oscar De La Hoya. The Dynamo are winners of back to back MLS Championships and 4 out of the last 7 for those still counting in San Jose. Details of the plan have not been fully disclosed, but early estimates have De La Hoya and Golden Boy's Gabriel Brener each taking a 25% stake in the team with AEG controlling the remaining 50%. It is still unclear how the team would operate under the new ownership structure.
We like to joke about how any soccer match between the U.S. and Mexican national teams could hardly qualify as a "friendly." Still, you never like to see any part of the game turn 
In an altogether unsurprising turn of events, Luis Figo, familiar to Portuguese fans the world around in religious idol form, will not be signing a contract with any MLS team. The midfielder 
While most fans of the American game insist that their Major League Soccer is better than a "retirement league" for aging international stars, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) would like to fight that notion with every headline than can buy. The owners of both the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo franchises, AEG has now been reported to be adding Inter Milan midfielder and Portuguese folk hero Luis Figo to one of their rosters. 
