A Slovakian team that was (apparently)� good in European qualifying, but not well ranked by FIFA, � played a defensive, counter-attacking game against the USA in a partially filled stadium, on a pretty ugly field and won 1-0 on a weak penalty call. � � Not what you call must-see-TV, so it is probably good that not many people saw it.

The US Under-17s are out of the Fifa U-17 World Cup after a tough loss to Italy.� � I saw less of their World Cup play than I wanted, but a few� thoughts remain hard to shake.

Maturity is over-rated at least in soccer.� � The game against the UAE reminded me most why watching the occasional youth game is so refreshing: even in a pressure situation the 'kids' tend to play with an offense-first mindset and a penchant for flair that will very likely (and sadly) be taught out of them in the pro ranks.

Kudos are clearly warranted for Clint Dempsey as he hits his second goal in as many weeks for Fulham FC.� � � � � While his first professional coach and likely mentor, ex-Liverpool great Steve Nicol, might not immediately love that Clint helped Fulham take down Liverpool, it was clearly a significant achievement following a goal the prior week against wanna-be powerhouse Manchester City.

The bad thing about having a "real job" is that I don't blog about the beautiful game as much as I'd like. There is a silver lining though, I get to ignore lots of� topics that are only marginally interesting to me and rather focus on some more interesting theories.

I decided to sit down for a few minutes and think about an article that for blogger standards is ancient (August 26) but that struck a chord for me.

It's hard to feel bad about winning three points on the road in CONCACAF, since that seems to be a rarity nowadays.� � Yet, it's hard to feel totally good about this result either.� �

It is another perfect example of the half-full, half-empty conundrum.� �

I said after the El Salvador game that this match would tell us a lot about the team� .

Since thinking through results of soccer matches require a fair bit of perspective, and I'm often in need of some emotional detachment . . . I'm going to� try offering a view� double-sided view� of the US� v. El Salvador game� (and maybe others)� � via a glass half-empty vs. glass� half-full analogy.

World Cup qualifying is getting real and some serious games are at the ready for this weekend.

Grant Wahl has writtenabout how Argentina and Portugal are both on the precipice of World Cup qualifying failure, which could deny fans of two of the best players in the world, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

I've read through a number of articles, blogs and responses to them (both the inane and quite good) about the looming sale of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) and what impact that would have on MLS.� � Most sources claimed that MLS has also put a bid in for USL, though one generally agreed to be much lower than what is required.

Vacation is upon me and the urge to write (and think) any more than is required has fallen by the wayside.� � However, I have stumbled upon a few must-read articles that are worth sharing.� � Whether you are a die-hard soccer fan� or are perplexed how anyone could be, the first two� are worth a look.

I found this Los Angeles Times article about Chivas USA's fight for relevance (and a personality) to be thought provoking.� � � This isn't just a challenge for Chivas USA, as most MLS teams fight for relevance in their home market, just as MLS does within the greater sports market.� � � But since the LA Times went there, let's talk Chivas USA.

I am a US Soccer fan.� � I can be both biased and irrational and at game time I am often both.� � Today, "my" US team lost to Mexico in the fabled Azteca stadium, again.� � And that makes me pretty angry.� � Now, a few hours later, as I step away from my biases and irrationality I can admit that this result is no surprise.

Who is Alejandro Taraciuk?� � I� didn't have a� clue either a couple days ago.� But now I think he should be the most popular guy around MLS.� � He specializes in helping bring Argentine (and other South American) players into MLS after having been an intern with the league while going through law school.

I've captured a few random thoughts that have been bouncing around my head during one of my� multi-hour soccer watching blocks in the last couple days.

Perhaps I need to write a letter to Fox Soccer Channel.� � Those unnaturally frequent Enzyte "natural male enhancement" ads I've been subject to� on FSC that� feature a newly happy (and apparently newly� 'impressive') guy named Bob have me on edge.