STARTERS
US Soccer has named Clint Dempsey as the 2011 Male Athlete of the Year. And Brek Shea was named the Young Male Athlete of the Year.
dN
Richie Williams, the original Ankle Biter, has been named the new head coach of the USA U17 team. He had been serving as coach of the U18s, so I guess they are looking for a new boss now.

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"Making the Arsenal" – is available on Amazon, Arsenal on line, the Woolwich Arsenal site and in the Arsenal store.

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By Billy The Dog McGraw.

Phil's off to a job interview, so I've got the job of doing the game preview.

That's Jamie Smith dressed up as the Mad Hatter for Halloween yesterday.
Another quick turnaround as the Rapids face the end of their season tomorrow in Kansas City. Down 2 goals Colorado mus win by 2 to force overtime and PKs or 3 to win and move on. On top of the other problems a storm is rolling into KC tomorrow night (probably the front edge of what's rolling into Denver tonight) which could make the game sloppy.

A quick turnaround for the Rapids as they are back in action tomorrow. The first leg of the conference semi-finals sees the SporKC's coming back to town. It will be the final home game of the season, no matter what happens, so let's go out with a bang. The tailgate starts at 2:30 with kickoff at 5:30.

The Rapids start the playoffs tomorrow night at the Dick against the Columbus Crew. 4 games in the next 11 days separate them from another trip to MLS Cup. Tomorrow night its simple, win or go home. There will be 30 minutes and, if necessary, PK's to decide a winner. Of course last year when Colorado started their run to MLS Cup they did it by beating the Crew in the first round.

The wettest fixture in the league happens tomorrow as the Whitecaps and Rapids face off in the rainy Pacific Northwest. Its also the final game in what has been a somewhat soggy season for the Rapids. Colorado has clinched a playoff spot though, and with a win they will clinch home field for the wild-card round.

Tomorrow night the Rapids play their final group stage game of the Champions League in Torreon, Mexico against Santos Laguna. With a win Colorado will clinch 2nd place in the group and a spot in the quarterfinals. With an extremely unlikely 4 goal win they will win the group. A draw or loss does not eliminate them, but it leaves their fate in the hands of Real Espana and Isidro Metapan who play on Thursday.

Seattle bids an MLS regular season adieu to Kasey Keller tonight in front of 60,000 plus at Century Link Field while the Quakes and Chris Wondolowski hope to spoil Keller's regular season swan song tonight. Seattle has locked up a playoff spot in the Western Conference and San Jose has locked up a showing in MLS 2012, since there's no relegation you see.

Tomorrow its on. Rapids - FSL with the Rocky Mountain Cup on the line! Need I say more?
OK, I will, but only because the tailgate is almost as impressive as the game. About 5 hours from now the crack Class VI/Pid Army chefs will be arriving at the Dick to start the grill on the biggest tailgate they've ever done, a full pig roast!

For a neutral, the last two Manchester United matches have likely made for great viewing. For the United faithful, however, the entertainment value can't be disputed, but there is a lot to be displeased about, most notably the end results. At Stoke and at home against Basel, United went into the dressing room with a [.

"No disrespect to the Eastern Conference, but tonight was the championship" -- Dallas defensive midfielder Daniel Hernandez after winning the Western Conference Championship in 2010
I just wanted to throw that in as a "friendly" reminder about our guests tomorrow. I expect him to get the official Class VI welcome for 90 minutes!

It's been a while since I've posted and I'm sorry for that. I've started a new school year and it's pretty demanding so most nights I've been studying with little time to sit down and write up a post. Up next for the Quakes is a home game against Sporting KC. Sporting is on top of the Eastern Conference at this point in the season while the Quakes are still fighting for the 10th and last playoff spot.

Colorado faces Isidro Metapan tonight in El Salavador at 8pm MDT. The game is delayed until 10:30pm on FOX Soccer Channel but can be watched live on the CONCACAF Champions League site. The supporters groups are gathering at the British Bulldog for this one, presumably to watch the live stream on big screens.

It wasn't exactly a job well done, but it was mission at least somewhat accomplished two weeks ago in Lisbon, as Manchester United opened their Champions League campaign with a 1-1 draw at Benfica. Tonight, United will look to record their first group win and claim pole position in Group C as they welcome Swiss [.

Despite their struggles away from home, there were few teams last season who had a realistic chance to pick up a result both home and away against Manchester United. One of those teams was Stoke, who hung with United in both meetings last season and were unlucky to not come away with at least a [...]

The last time the Earthquakes were in town the Rapids sent them packing after a crazy goal by Koz and the trophy celebration to the left sent Colorado to MLS Cup. The stakes aren't quite so high tomorrow night but if the Rapids have any hopes of repeating they need to repeat the result from that night to solidify their playoff position.

Tomorrow night Real Espana becomes the final CCL team to make the trip to Denver for the group stage. In August we faced them in Honduras using mostly a team of reserves and drew 1-1. The only members of our best XI that started that game were Kimura, Larentowicz, and Cummings with Moor getting 20 and Nyassi getting 10 minutes late.

As dangerous as archrivals City have looked in the early part of the Premier League season, it could be easy to dismiss Chelsea as the main challenger to the Manchester United throne. United and Chelsea have combined to win the last seven Premier League titles, with the two sides claiming the top two spots in [.

The last time Colorado was in Toronto they left with their first ever win at BMO Field, and more importantly, the MLS Cup! Tomorrow they try to make it two in a row North of the border. The Rapids probably need 1 more win to really assure themselves of a playoff spot and their best chances are tomorrow and next week when they host San Jose.

First home game in just over three weeks! Can you feel the excitement. The city is positively buzzing with anticipation for tonight's big game against... the New England Revolution... Seriously! It's actually a really big game tonight. Regardless of who the actual opponent is there's a lot to be excited about for tonight's game.

Cue the Heineken commercials, the unmistakable anthem, and the goosebumps the Champions League is here again. To be Manchester United is to be a perennial favorite in the competition, and that's no different this season, as United eye a fourth final in five seasons. And the first stop on the journey to next May's [.

Colorado hosts Santos Laguna of the Mexican League tomorrow. This is the biggest CCL match the Rapids will play, as Santos is by far the best team in the group but a win tomorrow would put Colorado in the driver's seat for advancing into the knockout rounds. Game time tomorrow at the Dick is 8pm and the game will be on FOX Soccer Channel.

Well hello again. Over the last two weeks, we've had the end of the summer transfer window and plenty of international football to be distracted by, but it just doesn't quite fill the void, does it? As nice as it is to see the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young succeeding on international level, [.

The Rapids come off their two week break with a trip to LA to face the Galaxy. It wasn't all rest though as Ceus, Cummings, Larentowicz, and Nyassi played for their National Teams. Ceus and Cummings got 2 full games, while Nyassi only had one and Larentowicz was on the bench for one and got 15 minutes in the second.

*The U.S.-Costa Rica game kicks off at 8 p.m. at Home Depot Center (live ESPN2). Plenty of tickets are available. The 24,500-seat stadium may be around half full for the game.

Staff writer Phil Collin has the game preview.

Here's more on the philosophy of Jurgen Klinsmann and what we learned from his first game in charge of the U.

Manchester United v. Arsenal. Does it need an introduction? Not really (unless you're a novice football fan), but here comes one nonetheless. Since Arsene Wenger took the reins at Arsenal in 1996, the two sides have fought head-to-head for honors on a regular basis. Along the way, there've been classic matches, unforgettable moments (the good, [.

San Jose are in a "win or go home" mentality at this point in the season in regards to the playoffs. As most people know the Quakes are on a 12 game winless streak, a new club record. Toronto FC are facing their own troubles. Head coach Aron Winter has gutted his roster this season in an attempt to get an effective offensive system running.

Short and early preview this week as I'll be watching the USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage finish in Steamboat Springs tomorrow. I encourage anyone in Colorado to get out and watch this race. I love following cycling and I can't wait to see them live. The best way to follow the race on-line is the Pedal Dancer blog, which is to Colorado cycling what I hope this blog is to the Colorado Rapids.

The Rapids have taken 19 players on the long trip to Honduras, their first trip outside the U.S. & Canada for a meaningful game in 13 years. Tomorrow they face Real Espana in San Pedro Sula in their second Champions League match. While Pablo, Pickens, Wynne, and Smith stayed in Colorado the rest of the starters traveled with the team and will be available for selection.

So, one down, 37 to go. United's Premier League season opener at West Brom was supposed to be, relatively speaking, one of the 'easier' games on the early-season schedule. However, following the pattern that seems to have carried over from last season, United took a lead only to surrender it, and we needed a late [.

Galaxy guy: Robbie Keane joins the Galaxy (AP Photo).

*Staff Writer Phil Collin has the game preview.

*Here's the San Jose perspective from our sister paper the San Jose Mercury News.

*Earlier this year it was 0-0 in San Jose between the two sides with unlikely goalkeeper Mike Magee getting the shutout.

After a successful Champions League match in mid-week the Rapids are once again back in MLS play which the Under-a-Chivas coming to town. Along with the game Class VI and the Pid Army are holding their second annual home brew contest! Tailgate starts at 4pm and all are welcome to sample the entries and vote for your favorite.

The Rapids are on the road this week, some of them on a very long road trip, in San Jose. Last time these two teams met a great Kosuke Kimura goal gave the Rapids the win and, more importantly, the Eastern Conference Championship en rout to their MLS Cup victory. I think we can expect the Earthquakes to be looking for some revenge after that loss.

Call them the bananas, call them the Village People, call them traffic cones, or call them the Crew. Whatever you call them, they're in town to play the Rapids tomorrow night. Columbus is the top team in the East but are level on points with the Rapids. The last two times Colorado has played a team from the East they were on top of the table and the Rapids beat them.

The Quakes host DC United at Buck Shaw stadium tomorrow night at 7:30 pm. The Quakes are on a 7 game winless streak and are coming off a disappointing thumping against Real Salt Lake. They currently sit 12th in the league table, two spots out of playoff contention. DC United are trying to make the playoffs as well, but are much closer to making it into the top 3 of the East than the Quakes are in the West.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

Union

Have you already read the PSP preview? More match previews for tonight's encounter between the Philadelphia Union and Colorado Rapids at MLSsoccer.com, the Brotherly Game, Unholy Union, Goal.com, phillyBurbs.com, DelawareOnline.com, FoxNewsLatino, the Denver Post, the LA Times and Bookmaker.

Well they also have to play the Union, but I'm guessing that at least a couple of the guys will take the opportunity to try a cheesesteak. Its somewhat of a homecoming for the Ginger Ninja as he went to high school and college in the Philly area. The Rapids get the honor of being FOX Soccer Channel's Game of the Week tomorrow night, kickoff is at 5:30.

Manchester City players staked out their place in the sun Friday in Long Beach playing beach soccer games and other activities with kids from East LA (Photo courtesy MUFC).

*Before Manchester City plays the Galaxy Sunday at Home Depot Center (tickets, starting at $30, are still available for the 1 p.

The Quakes ended their 4 game streak of being shutout by the opposing team by scoring two goals against Vancouver. Both goals were scored by Chris Wondolowski, bringing his season total up to 8, which is good enough to be tied for 4th in the Golden Boot race. Unfortunately the defense fell asleep a bit Wednesday night by allowing two relatively easy goals for Vancouver, both of those goals being scoring by Eric Hassli, who is also tied for 4th in the Golden Boot race with 8 goals on the season.

The New England Revolution are in town tomorrow and long-time Rapids fans know what that means, Jamesons Night! (Go here for the history of this fan tradition) Both teams are coming off of mid-week wins, so they have momentum but may be tired. Game time tomorrow at the Dick is 7pm, so the kegs will be tapped at the tailgate at 4pm and the grills fired up at 5pm.