David Beckham may be front and center in this picture, but it was Landon Donovan, behind him, who stole the show tonight (AP Photo).

Game story.

MLS standings.

Galaxy fans will have the unusual experience of cheering on Chivas USA against the Kansas City Wizards Sunday at Home Depot Center.

We are nearing the end of the season and Rochester still maintains it's tenuous grip on first place, with a two point lead over Austin, but the Aztex still have three games on hand, and have a good chance to regain the top spot. Once again, Montreal has made a late season push (and the bad teams are doing what they do best, losing) and moved up into seventh place.

The new USL PRO league. (Image borrowed from uslsoccer.com)

File this in the "it didn't shock me" category. The United Soccer League announced today that they would be merging their first and second divisions next year to become the new USL PRO division, a second division under Major League Soccer in the American soccer pyramid.

Match Recaps
Dropping Timber - Walking on Sunshine and Sunflowers
Timber Mill - Timbers end an era with sunflowers and a 1-0 win
Offsides - Game 26: Timbers 1 – Puerto Rico 0
Timbers - Timbers down Puerto Rico on late goal by Pore
Oregon Live - Timbers V Puerto Rico – the end of the USL era at PGE Park
Oregon Live - Portland Timbers top Puerto Rico 1-0, leave PGE Park with a bang
KGW - Timbers win final game of season
More Timber News
Oregon Live - Timbers secure kit sponsor, learn playoff format
Oregon Live - Timbers Kids Club Bash a great success
Oregon Live - Timbers and Timbers Army – Reaching out to the community to lend a hand
DJC News - Short clock for PGE Park's soccer remodel
USSF Division-2 Standings
NASL Conference NASL Conference GP W L T GF GA GD Pts 01.

Match Previews
Dropping timber -Final Four on the Road
Offsides - Game 27: Carolina RailHawks v. Portland Timbers
95.5 the Game - The Strong Blog
Timber Mill - Game Preview
Oregon Live - Portland Timbers start long road trip with eye on playoffs
Timber News
Oregon Live - Timbers Updates – Postseason ticket is punched before team heads out on the road
Timbers Army - Donates $1000 to Jefferson High School Soccer, because that is what great supporters do.

Matches galore, as every team in the league will be playing on Saturday . A quick run down of all the matches in store for Saturday, September 11, 2010.
2:00 pm Vancouver Whitecaps FC @ Crystal Palace Baltimore
Vancouver sits on top of the NASL conference and that is unlikely to change as they face a pitiful Baltimore team that is on a four game losing streak.

Tintin goes for goal
I recently had the opportunity to sit down and have a chat with a former U-17 international and former member of Real Salt Lake, Jamie Watson. Jamie is currently with Austin in USSF D-2. Here is the transcript of our conversation:
Keith Hickey, Match Fit USA: I was covering the press conference following the Philadelphia/Salt Lake game, and one question kept coming back to me: Is there any soccer coach with better hair than Jason Kreis?

BY ADAM SERRANO

For many teams, the U.S. Open Cup is a tournament that can be glossed over as a distraction to the already jammed pack calendar. For the Seattle Sounders and Chivas USA, each club will have a chance to do something historic.

With a victory, the Sounders will have a chance to return to the Open Cup final for the second year in a row and appear in a major final in front of their own crowd.

In Austin? Like soccer? Like winning soccer? Like beer? Like free beer?
"What's with all these freakin' questions, man!??!?!"
Whoa, whoa... the Free Beer Movement just wanted to hook you up with some free beer this weekend. Chill out.
"OK, I'm cool. What's up?"
This Saturday, September 4th from 4:30pm to game time the FBM, in cooperation with local real estate firm CW Clay, is hosting a FREE BEER tailgate before the Austin Aztex host NSC Minnesota Stars at 7:30pm.

AustinAztex.com - Austin Adds Midfielder to Playoff-Bound Club

For the second time in the last month, the Austin Aztex and Crystal Palace have reached an agreement to send a player from Baltimore to Austin. Midfielder Tsuyoshi Yoshitake will be joining the club on loan for the remainder of the season, beginning on September 8, to shore up the Aztex depth in the midfield, where the club has been ravaged by injuries all year long.

AustinChronicle.com - Best of Austin 2010

Best 2010 Aztex Comeback Player: Jamie Watson - Watson's become a big fan favorite, and his penetrating pace on the left flank is one of the big reasons for the team's surprising success this season.

Best 2010 Aztex Newcomer: Maxwell Griffin - the Aztex's youngest starter burst out of UCLA to become the league's third-leading scorer at press time (and second on the team, after last year's player of the year Eddie Johnson).

By TRAVIS CLARK

Only one month of the USSF D-2 regular season remains, and it's last call for the bottom feeders to pull off a last-minute miracle.

Crystal Palace Baltimore is one of those teams. Four points outside the last playoff spot, a trip to Carolina awaits this weekend, and a win for Baltimore is paramount (7:30p.

By TRAVIS CLARK

Only one month of the USSF D-2 regular season remains, and it's last call for the bottom feeders to pull off a last-minute miracle.

Crystal Palace Baltimore is one of those teams. Four points outside the last playoff spot, a trip to Carolina awaits this weekend, and a win for Baltimore is paramount (7:30p.

Pro soccer returns to House Park on Saturday evening at 7:30, reclaiming AISD's high school football venue for a few hours. Our Aztex will be hosting the NSC Minnesota Stars for their second and final matchup of the season (the first was a 2-1 Aztex win in Minnesota on May 1).

The Stars are coming off a bye week, not having played since Aug.

photo: my iPhone (see the white streak of the
ball right above the 45 yard line? Action shot!)

Another beautiful night at House Park, another Aztex win. Yawn.

All right, all right: just kidding! Of course it was exciting, and fantastic, and Eddie Johnson's two goals were just as thrilling as the 11 others he'd scored so far this year.

Austin Aztex scoring leader Eddie Johnson bagged two more goals on Satrday night to lead his team to a 2-0 win over the NSC Minnesota Stars. The two goals bring his season tally to 13, two behind league leader Ryan Pore of the Portland Timbers. It also brought his points total to 30, four behind Pore who has played in 2 more games than Johnson.

By TRAVIS CLARK

The USSF Second Division entered its final full month of play with the two-way race for the top as tight as ever.

Top spot in the second division will likely go to either Rochester Rhinos or Austin Aztex, with the Texan club holding an advantage of having two games in hand.

By TRAVIS CLARK

While second division soccer appears to be headed towards another tumultuous offseason, a few more weeks remain of regular season action in 2010.

The race for eight playoff spots is heating up, and even the bottom clubs like Miami and Baltimore maintain ever so small hopes to qualify for postseason play.

By TRAVIS CLARK

The race for postseason play in the USSF Second Division is winding down, with the last spot likely coming down to one of three expansion teams.

Eight of the 12 teams will qualify for the playoffs in a particular fashion -- the top team in each conference (USL/NASL) will be seeded first and second respectively, and from there, the next six highest point totals will qualify and be seeded three through eight, regardless of conference.

By TRAVIS CLARK

The race for postseason play in the USSF Second Division is winding down, with the last spot likely coming down to one of three expansion teams.

Eight of the 12 teams will qualify for the playoffs in a particular fashion -- the top team in each conference (USL/NASL) will be seeded first and second respectively, and from there, the next six highest point totals will qualify and be seeded three through eight, regardless of conference.

By TRAVIS CLARK

For the first time in a long time, all 12 USSF D-2 will be in action this weekend.

With the playoff race creating pressure in almost every match, eyes will be on Rochester as the Rhinos play host to the FC Tampa Bay Rowdies (7:00 p.m., Saturday).

The Aztex have a busy week on the road in front of them: 3 games in 8 days, and it starts Saturday night in Bayamón, facing the Puerto Rico Islanders.

Despite some success in the CONCACAF Champions League, where they've earned 4 points from 2 games so far in the group stage, the Islanders continue to struggle in regular season play.

Islanders 3-1 Austin Aztex

Final

details to come...

The Islanders overcame a 0-1 halftime lead by the Austin Aztex with three goals on the 2nd half to defeat the Austin Aztex, the USSF Div2 leaders (14W-7T-4L, 49 points), 3-1

It was the Islanders 2nd straight win over the Aztex at home this year. The Islanders defeated Austin 2-0 on their last visit August 14.

Puerto Rico's Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium must be shaping up as on of the Aztex's least favorite places to play: they lost there again Saturday night. The Islanders boosted their playoff chances by taking all three points with a 3-1 win.

And with the Rochester Rhinos getting a decisive 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies last night, the Aztex fall back to 2nd place in the conference.

By TRAVIS CLARK

There's a possibility the NSC Minnesota Stars might not get to play next season. This past weekend, they set out to make sure this year lasts as long as it possibly can.

A vital 3-0 road win against AC St. Louis drew the Stars one step closer to a playoff berth, and combined with a Tampa Bay loss at Rochester, handed Minnesota the advantage in the race for the final spot in the D-2 postseason.

CONCACAF

The marquee matchup of Group D will be at Estadio Nemesio Diez Wednesday night when co-leaders Toluca and the Puerto Rico Islanders square off.

Both teams have four points from their first two games Toluca played FAS to a 0-0 tie and defeated Olimpia 4-0, while Puerto Rico drew 1-1 with Olimpia and downed FAS 4-1.

The Aztex continue their barnstorming tour Thursday night with a stop in Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Austin has tied twice and won once against the Rowdies, so this year's series bragging rights are still up for grabs.

Three points are also up for grabs, of course, as nobody is likely to forget at this point in the season.

By TRAVIS CLARK

The NSC Minnesota Stars really want that last playoff spot.

Playing at home against playoff-bound Carolina, the Stars took advantage of an early Railhawks red card to come away with a 1-0 win. Carolina's Devon McKinney was sent off for a foul in his own penalty area, but Minnesota's Simone Bracalello missed the ensuing penalty kick.

By TRAVIS CLARK

Three full weekends of USSF D-2 action remain, and for NSC Minnesota, the stakes are higher than ever.

A battle for that last playoff spot is still up for grabs, and this weekend gives the Stars a chance to take another step closer to that goal.

By TRAVIS CLARK

Three full weekends of USSF D-2 action remain, and for NSC Minnesota, the stakes are higher than ever.

A battle for that last playoff spot is still up for grabs, and this weekend gives the Stars a chance to take another step closer to that goal.

The Aztex have a very short turnaround from Thursday evening's last-minute 1-1 draw at Tampa Bay; they're playing again Saturday night in St. Louis. Kickoff will be at 7:10 PM CT.

AC St. Louis and Austin both have four regular season games remaining, and they'll face each other twice in that time.

The Islanders lost 0-1 Saturday night against the Portland Timbers, on what was the last home regular season game for the Islanders this year in Bayamón.

Portland scored a goal in stoppage on the 90′+2 minute to seal the win and give Puerto Rican fans a very sour home closer experience.

The Islanders lost the opportunity to win and earn a spot in the 2010 USSF Div 2 Playoffs.

The Islanders lost 0-1 Saturday night against the Portland Timbers, on what was the last home regular season game for the Islanders this year in Bayamón.

Portland scored a goal in stoppage on the 90′+2 minute to seal the win and give Puerto Rican fans a very sour home closer experience.

The Islanders lost the opportunity to win and earn a spot in the 2010 USSF Div 2 Playoffs.

By TRAVIS CLARK

The regular season of the USSF Division 2 League is nearing an end, and the battle for postseason positioning will come down to the final day.

A tussle at the top of the table continued over last weekend, as both Austin and Rochester lost, leaving the Rhinos with a slim one point lead for the No.

Major League Soccer - Long road leads back to bigs for LA's Marshall

On Sept. 11, Yohance Marshall was trying to help the Austin Aztex claim victory in their second-division match against Puerto Rico Islanders.

One week later, Marshall played a key role in the Los Angeles Galaxy's MLS victory over D.

By TRAVIS CLARK

With a 4-2 loss Wednesday night to Miami FC, the dim USSF D-2 playoff aspirations of first-year club A.C. St. Louis were finally extinguished.

Abe Thompson proved to be too much for the St. Louis defense to handle in Miami, netting a hat trick and seeing Miami to their third straight win of the season, eliminating any remaining hope of postseason action for the visitors.

United Soccer Leagues - A Fine Footballing Life

After Everton, Heath would be on the move for the rest of his playing career, joining up with Kendall again when he made his move into coaching as an assistant and player for Sheffield United. Short spells in charge of another former club Burnley and the Blades didn't offer much chance for him to show what he could be capable of.

The Reds are back in town! This is it (kind of)! This is the final home game (sort of)! This is the big finale (in a way)!

Saturday night the Aztex will finish out their regular season home schedule, hosting AC St. Louis at House Park at 7:30. As we've known for some time, of course, it won't be the last game we see them play here there will be at least one playoff game here, on Sat.

Another great night at House Park! A huge reported crowd of 5,800 was on hand (thanks in part to bunches of free tickets) for a beautiful evening, an exciting game and plenty of goals.

AC St. Louis didn't play like they had already been eliminated from the playoffs. Though getting the worst in the end, they did put up a fight, including coming back from a two-goal deficit before halftime.