Here's a photo Chivas USA forward Ante Razov with former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey. In the future, when biographers look back on her life, this photo of her with Ante's despicably luxurious mane will mark the exact moment that she went from being "former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey" to "disgraced former beauty queen Shandi Finnessey".

Spent the day columnizing for Tuesday's newspaper about the most popular national team in Southern California - Mexico - which plays an 8 p.m. Wednesday exhibition at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum against Chile.

Fans who want to get an autograph or two from Mexican National Team stars should show up at the adidas Sports Performance store Tuesday on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

NPR is in the building this evening preparing a story on Jorge Flores and tabbed your truly for a quick interview, so I'm a little late with the lineups.

The night's important numbers: the Wizards have won just once on the road this season and and Colorado's 5-4 win over the Red Bulls earlier today means Chivas USA is third in the table and seven points behind Western Conference leaders Houston, which drew 1-1 with Toronto.

The Galaxy has always had a history of former players doing damage in the league. Before, I couldn't figure out if it was bad scouting that led to the release of so many players that did well elsewhere or perhaps just the natural consequence of trades, or maybe just roster limitations that did not allow the Galaxy to keep all of their players.

How is it that taking off your shirt is an automatic yellow card, yet Khano Smith aimed a fire-arm (it was a musket loaded with blanks, but still) at the crowd after scoring against Chivas USA and got nothing? I'm not mad at him at all for it, I just don't get how that is not excessive celebration.

Chivas USA will host a critical match against Tauro FC tonight. Chivas USA needs to win by two goals in order to have any hopes of advancing to the CONCACAF Champions League.
Here is audio of my post-game chat with Jonathan Bornstein about the game.
Acutally, it's a bit more complicated than just winning by two.

Chivas USA did exactly what they needed to do Saturday, beating Real Salt Lake 1-0 on a 72nd minute Alecko Eskandarian goal and moving above their opponents to take second place in the Western Conference.

Somewhat of a comedy routine gave the former Real Salt Lake striker the winner over his old team: Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando and defender Nat Borchers collided and the ball bounced past them to Eskandarian, who gratefully accepted the gift that was his third goal of the season.

Well, not quite, but with 4 players on Chivas, and their coach being former Kansas City Wizards, it certainly seems like it. There will be plenty of old faces on the opposite side of the ball tomorrow, as Chivas has former Wizards Carey Talley, Shavar Thomas, Alex Zotinca, and recently acquired Sasha Victorine, along with the greatest Wizard of all time, Preki on the Chivas USA bench.

cue Queen and David Bowie, with Vanilla Ice somewhere in the background still trying to prove Ice Ice Baby had a different bass line...
New England and Chivas USA are down to the wire tonight to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League group stage. They were unable to get results on the road, and are now left to prove their strength at home.

This is more dinner party than soccer game. There's so few people here, you get the feeling people should introduce themselves to each other.

Attendance tonight has been capped at all of 2,000 - not that there are dozens, yet alone hundreds clamoring to get in, you understand. (The reason: something about lots of parking complaints at the sold-out Galaxy-Pachuca SuperLiga final).

It's the Sasha and Sacha show at Home Depot Center where Chivas USA is leading the Wizards 2-0.

Sacha Kljestan has an assist, while Sasha Victorine has an assist and added the soaring second goal on his first start for Chivas USA that comes against his old club.

Ante Razov created the first in the 26th minutes, sending a telling pass that pierced a flat Wizards defense allowing Victorine to get behind it on the left wing and cutting a ball back that was met by Alecko Eskandarian from about seven yards out.

First a little history, 23 weeks ago, I was still waiting on my son to arrive, Barrack Obama and Hilary Clinton were still fighting for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillcrest Road was still scheduled to begin building in the summer, and the Wizards won their last road game. Who would have thought that with only 1 road game left this season, that the Wizards only road win would come in Chicago, a place they've notoriously had trouble winning at.

Needing a win to keep pace with their closest Western Conference rivals, Chivas USA got strikes from a player returning from injury and a new acquisition in the first half and then held on for a 2-1 victory on Saturday night. The win keeps Chivas in second place in the Western Conference, closing their gap with the Houston Dynamo to four points.