Husky-voiced Josh Wicks, the self-described Barry White of goalkeepers, who played just two halves in Hawaii, and another half in Shanghai in preseason before coming on after 45 minutes last weekend for injured starting goalkeeper Steve Cronin, talked to the assembled media today (well, OK, all two of us) about his expected start Saturday:

Q: How did coming in at half time in the New England team help before your first MLS start Saturday against Real Salt Lake?

U.S. Women's National Team Coach Pia Sundhage has signed a new four-year contract with U.S. Soccer that will be announced Monday, 100 Percent Soccer has learned.

The new deal will take the Swedish coach through the 2011 World Cup in Germany and was widely expected. Sundhage was given a short-term contract after the firing of Greg Ryan with the mission of winning an Olympic gold medal.

You never know where Yanks abroad are going to show up.

San Pedro native Peter Hazdovac, 22, a graduate of San Pedro High who played club soccer with Fram on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and 66 games in four years at Cal Poly (10 goals and eight assists) is playing professional soccer in the regional third division.

Photo by Juan Miranda/Chivas USA

On the year's scariest night it's perhaps apropos to chat with veteran Chivas USA striker Ante Razov, known as one of the moodiest players in MLS and one you always want to make sure is in a reasonably good one before approaching his locker after a game. So perhaps it's for the best this interview was conducted via e-mail.

Jonathan Bornstein is a local lad who was born in Torrance, raised in Los Alamitos and played his entire collegiate and professional career in Los Angeles.

And last weekend in the MLS playoff opener against Real Salt Lake he played an unusual role for Chivas USA in central defense, dislodging experienced Mexican icon Claudio Suarez from the lineup in the process.

Cal State Dominguez Hills Coach Joe Flanagan, in his 15th year with the program, has his squad in the Division II Final Four for the first time since 2001. The all-time winningest coach in Toros history (as well as their all-time leading goalscorer), the former L.A. Salsa player took time out to answer questions via e-mail from Tampa, Fla.

Sasha strikes

Photo by Steve McCrank

Had a longish conversation with once and former Galaxy midfielder and now and current Chivas USA player Sasha Victorine after he scored the winner in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Kansas City Wizards.

Local journalists are happy to see Victorine back for more reasons than just his play - he is thoughtful, usually more than happy to chat and generally a good quote (I feel an MLS all-quote team list coming on):

On whether he had a point to prove after the Wizards let him go reportedly in part because of "declining production:

"Obviously you go in there and say I feel like I can still get goals and get assists and help teams win games.

Yorba Linda's Dan Kennedy made what I believe was his sixth consecutive start in goal for Chivas USA Sunday and it was an eventful one - he faced two penalty kicks, saving the first, but not the second, which proved the game winner.

Soccer beat writer Phil Collin caught up with Kennedy after the game at Carson's Home Depot Center for a brief chat:

Q: You played for UC Santa Barbara at the 2004 College Cup final in this stadium and you were subbed out for penalty kicks.

Photo by Juan Miranda/Chivas USA

Chivas USA striker Justin Braun has had an amazing rise within a year from rec league player in Utah to MLS pro. He could play a major role in Saturday's 7:30 p.m. must-win Chivas USA-Real Salt Lake playoff decider (for tickets call 1-877-CHIVAS-1) that follows last weekend's 1-0 loss in Utah.

Playoff-bearded Robbie Rogers leaves Columbus Wednesday;

Robbie Rogers is not happy with the team's mandatory playoff beard - it feels weird, he said Friday at Home Depot Center.

And the demand for tickets for an MLS Cup played in the South Bay where he grew up is intense: "I'm not answering phone numbers I don't have in my phone," he said, observing players get four tickets apiece and that he can't shake down teammates for any spares.

New York's consistently improving Jamaican midfielder Dane Richards, a speedy, but increasingly versatile and perceptive attacker, has been one of the most eye catching players in MLS this season.

Here's Red Bull Coach Juan Carlos Osorio on Richards:

"Objectively, I think last season he has scored one goal; this season he has scored four, (he's had) more assists and I think now he's a player capable of coming inside.

When Cal State Dominguez Hills goalkeeper Derby Carillo left for Division 1 St. John's the job was up for grabs this year.

Daily Breeze 2004 Player of the Year Miguel Benitez of Gardena transferred over from Loyola Marymount where the former Bishop Montgomery High star played five games in three seasons and CSUDH never missed a beat.