1. Chicago. Came back three times on the road, escaped with draw.
2. Chivas USA. Have most points in the league; scary thing is, there's a lot of room for improvement.
3. New England. Busiest week in league history? Not for Revs, who had bye week.
4. Seattle Sounders FC. Coming off first loss, Seattle now has some adversity to deal with.

This weekend offered us three vibrant examples of what happens when teams fall apart. One of the games had well more at stake than the other two, but while the trio were three of the more talked about games on the weekend, I think it's interesting to look at what happened in a larger sense.
The three games, of course, are Saturday's Manchester United-Tottenham match, which had Premier League title implications; as well as the Real Salt Lake-New England match that night; and then the DC United-New York match on Sunday afternoon.

PR isn't supposed to matter this much.
Yet, here I sit, utterly mortified by the United States' utter capitulation to Mexico in the Gold Cup final. No matter how much I keep telling myself it doesn't matter or it hardly counted, I just cannot get over the fact those guys embarrassed themselves and the US program as a whole out there.

D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn is very happy with his team's fighting spirit, but still not happy with officials. Speaking after his team's 2-2 away draw with Chivas USA Sohen said: "Once again, we showed the character that we've shown all year. No matter what happens, we're going to fight through adversity.

Gerrard out. Johnson out. Aurelio out. Torres half-fit. Several other players doubtful. Two defeats in three CL games. Third in the CL group table. eight defeats since the start of the season. Liverpool have no chance of beating Lyon on their own ground, right? WRONG.
Liverpool thrive on being underdogs and if history has proven one thing about the club it's this: in times of adversity, and when everything looks hopeless, Liverpool can and will triumph.

And lots of it.

One of the several benefits of popping fish oil pills is that it improves concentration. I could also suggest this and this but the legitimacy of using these could be questioned. Moreover, the side effects can be particularly unpleasant. Taking fish oil supplements is not as dangerous and certainly not illegal.

C.D. Chivas USA 2 : 2 D.C. United
Six Word Novel Recap

"Way to avoid losing!" Now win.

Media, Traditional and OtherwiseThe Washington Post, Steve Goff: "United staged another stirring comeback Saturday night, scoring twice in the final 13 minutes to earn a 2-2 tie with Chivas USA and extend its unbeaten streak in league play to six.

Jorge Rojas, the Venezuelan National team captain, and Red Bull midfielder, has played against some of the finest competition there is during his soccer career. Nurturing his craft in the CONMEBOL region for years, his Vinotinto routinely faced some of the worlds greatest teams, including Argentina and Brazil.

I sure can pick them. Since I am originally from Omaha, NE, and I recently graduated college from Wesleyan University in central Connecticut, I haven't had too many opportunities to watch the USA play in person over the years. In fact, I've had only two. The first was in 2005, when a half-strength USA lost 1-2 to a less-than-full-strength England side (it was a Kieran Richardson brace that did it, if that tells you anything).

I was sitting around feeling sorry for myself, I think mostly because I have been drinking light beer, when I realized that the dreary summer is over. Life without football has come to an end. Sure we have a few injuries and we're kicking off the start of the league with a tough club, but it beats the hell out of the position we were in last season.

Young or old, lad or lass, living just round the corner or at the other end of the world, if you're a Newcastle fan then you're in all the way. Over-the-moon one minute and kicked in the teeth the next, you learn to deal with adversity early on or you sink with the tide of [...]

The facts are pretty plain — the USA is currently an average national team. They routinely lose to quality sides and have now begun to regress at home. They lack significant depth at too many positions, and seem unable to overcome adversity. This is a program which, according to U.S. Soccer's most recently available financial reports, has had some $27 million lavished upon it and has a coach who is receiving half a mil a year to lose five of six to quality teams.

Last fall, Inside Minnesota Soccer brought you news of two Ugandan brothers who were playing soccer at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, MN. One of those brothers was Geofrey Kalanzi, a very talented soccer player for DCTC. Not only was Kalanzi talented at soccer but had proven to be successful in life as he persevered through many a hardship in order to start a new life here in the US.

Who:
Barcelona vs. Manchester United
Where:
Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy
When: 27 May, 2009
Kick-off: 2:45 EDT
U.S. TV: ESPN, ESPN360
Preview
Team News
Key Battles
How Manchester United Mastered Europe
Oliver Kay: Rooney and Park hold key for United
Iniesta and Xavi: The Men Who Make Barca Beautiful
Phil McNulty: Ferguson cool as history calls
Amy Lawrence: Henry looks to banish ghosts of '06
Kevin McCarra: United think they're superior, now prove it
Tim Vickery: How Messi went from prodigy to superstar
Richard Williams: The Guile of Pep vs.

Nick LaBrocca celebrates scoring in the second half of the Rapids' 4-0 victory over New York on Saturday night in Commerce City. (photo by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Four players scored as the Colorado Rapids poured water on a drowning team, dousing the New York Red Bulls 4-0 on Saturday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

CONCACAF Champions League" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" height="200" width="187">Image via Wikipedia

As most long time readers of this site know, we are huge fans of the CONCACAF Champions League and we are advocates of MLS allowing individual clubs participating in it to open up the wallet a bit more to become more competitive.

Until the most anticipated soccer game in, well, a couple months.
Fortunately USMNT fans have had a couple big games already this year. But Wednesday afternoon World Cup qualifier against the hated El Tri in Azteca Stadium is gonna be pretty big.
With the 'A' team in tow, coach Bob Bradley said the boys have what it takes to handle all the adversity that awaits in Mexico City.

Loyal club servant, frequent conqueror of adversity and a gentleman of the game, Gary Mabbutt is, naturally, one of the players featuring in Spurs' Cult Heroes, a forthcoming book looking at players who achieved legendary status amongst us fans for what they did at the club. AANP wants to hear your memories of the man – favourite moments from his career, or personal meetings off the pitch.

Ah yes, it's the day we've all been waiting for - the return of the Benny Awards!
If you're new to this blog, then you will learn that the Bennies consist of a series of categories, each with four United players nominated. You the fans get to vote on the winner for each category, and the winners are revealed at the end of the season.

Rafa Benitez has urged his hurting squad to show strength in adversity and turn their season around in the "perfect game".
Liverpool are currently embroiled in their worst run of form for 22 years but Benitez has remained in a bullish mood ahead of tomorrow's Anfield test against Manchester United.

Group C: England, USA, Algeria, and Slovenia

If the USA does not get out of this group, we can forget progressing any other World Cup. This is their weakest opposition in the last 20 years.

England, Slovenia, and Algeria are all eminently beatable. One team making their second World Cup appearance, the other coming back after 24 years, and England a country scouring high and low for a 1966 repeat after spending a considerable time in the international wilderness.

A late equalizer from Andres Iniesta in stoppage-time saw Barcelona squeak out a dramatic 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the second leg of their semifinal of the UEFA Champions League.
THe victory booked a date with Manchester United in Rome on May 27th for the UEFA Champions League title match.

What's next for the boy wonder?

I've had a running bet with a friend of mine that Michael Owen will go on and break Bobby Charlton's goal-scoring record for England. For as I can remember I have backed up my opinion and defended Owen, despite what ever adversity has faces him. But after Sunday, even I, an ardent Owen fan feel like it could really be the end for England's fourth top scorer.

Another weekend of games gone by, another group of mixed results for most Major League Soccer teams. This weekend (8th – 10th) saw three ties that held leaders and the teams chasing the leaders in place.
DC 3 Toronto 3
Highlights
New England 1 Chicago 1
LA Galaxy 1 Seatle 1
A round of Wednesday games saw two more ties.

In the wake of United's eighteenth title, when it's common for most managers to offer the title-winning manager their congratulations, Rafa Benitez has refused to do so, stating "there were a lot of things" Sir Alex Ferguson said this season that he didn't like.

The two men don't get on, so it's obvious that there are some things that Sir Alex said this year that Benitez didn't quite like, perhaps it was when Sir Alex called him a "disturbed man" after he released his dossier of "facts"?

Last fall, Inside Minnesota Soccer brought you news of two Ugandan brothers who were playing soccer at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, MN. One of those brothers was Geofrey Kalanzi, a very talented soccer player for DCTC. Not only was Kalanzi talented at soccer but had proven to be successful in life as he persevered through many a hardship in order to start a new life here in the US.

Much of Robbie Fowler's autobiography is boring. The story of this talented mischief-maker (most famous for "snorting" the touchline) doesn't grab me. I normally love reading anything football-related - tell-alls, player biographies, histories, theories, economic manifestos, coaching manuals – whatever.

Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that having months to reflect on the painful defeat in Rome against Barcelona will make United come back stronger this season.

"Adversity is always an important factor in developing and improving," said Ferguson. "I have always reacted well to adversity over the years and whenever we lose a match I tell my players that the next game is the important one – the match we have to focus on.

Hitting a losing skid has the potential to send bad habits in motion, and break team spirit. The important thing is to be able to use foresight to be able to use losses as building blocks to grow from, both individually and as a group.
Seattle Sounders FC recently used a players meeting to try to shake them out of a late season slump, and as Andrew Winner from mlsnet.

MARKHAM - What makes a Most Valuable Player?
Is it the stats they put up? Is it their never ending drive? Is it their will to succeed? Or their ability to lead?
Some say its all these things.
On this team, there are plenty of team players and leaders who have led on and off the field.

Has any week in the modern history of American soccer contained the kinds of highs and lows that we witnessed last week? It's taken me all the way until now to be able to sit and really think about what happened starting with the win over Honduras and ending Wednesday night at RFK.
Let's start with the win over Honduras.

Bethke-to-Kallman Beats Northwestern in OT

Courtesy: University of Minnesota 10/30/2009

St. Paul, Minn. It took an extra session, but the University of Minnesota soccer team worked their way back into the win column this evening (Oct. 30) with a 1-0 win in overtime over Northwestern.

Bethke-to-Kallman Beats Northwestern in OT

Courtesy: University of Minnesota 10/30/2009

St. Paul, Minn. It took an extra session, but the University of Minnesota soccer team worked their way back into the win column this evening (Oct. 30) with a 1-0 win in overtime over Northwestern.

THE hardest thing to do in testing times, when adversity and animosity is mounting in equal measure, is stick to your guns.
It's all too easy to fly off the handle the moment something is not going how you want it and it is a sad indictment of the way football is in this day and age that everything must either be black or white – grey areas no longer exist.

The 2009 Major League Soccer Cup featured the Los Angeles Galaxy v Real Salt Lake at Qwest Field in Seattle. The match took place on Sunday, November 22, 2009. Who won the MLS Cup and what happened in the match? Here's a recap and video highlights of the match.

Real Salt Lake beat Los Angeles Galaxy 1-1 (5-4 on penalties) Video Highlights (to be added soon)

1st Half

The match started out lots of energy as there were over 40,000 in attendance to create a terrific atmosphere.

DC United earned their first win of the 2009 MLS season at home against Houston on Saturday night, 1-0, on a Luciano Emilio second half goal. The Four Fs take a closer look.

Forward
Despite adversity, that this team was able to cobble together a three point-winning effort was a pleasant surprise.

Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun have been subjected to seemingly endless criticism over the last year and a half, but now both players are proving their worth. And then some.
During a soul-destroying 1-1 home draw with Wigan last January, the rather large man who used to sit next to me in the Lower Centenary Stand opened his huge mouth and vented his spleen in the direction of Yossi Benayoun.

Arsenal visit OT after a run of brutally demoralising results against us and a Chelsea side that was gutted only three days prior.

United play Arsenal with the knowledge that they don't need to win, but this current side, with the awareness of making things easier, by winning it today and cooling their heels against Hull, drilled into them by the manager would know better than to relax today.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has acknowledged that his team must show more fighting spirit next season if they are to end the club's long wait for a league title, and has asserted that it his aim to inculcate that mentality as soon as possible.
The coach also drew parallels between the club's situation and the way in which the city of Liverpool has always been known as a place where people do not take a backward step, where they face adversity together and beat it.

New England represents so many of the problems with MLS 1.0. They are treated like step-brother by their NFL partners, a minor tenant in a stadium that should be beautiful. This game though will feature a team that on the pitch has scraped together through adversity and managed to teeter on the edge [.