Tonight's game represents the beginning of the final ten MLS Regular Season games for the Chicago Fire. The opponents in this stretch range from the bottom to the top so it will be a good test and preview for a what looks to be a core coming together. Cory Gibbs is off Friday's MLS Injury Report so Klopas has to decide between starting Jalil Anibaba and Yamith Cuesta again or benching one of them in favor of Gibbs.

I'm ready to make a Real Betis knock-off but it cannot be anywhere as entertaining as this one...
Hey kids, you realize that our beloved Robins are in the midst of a 4 game unbeaten streak? Sure, two of those matches were against the sub-NASL calibre Real Esteli and won both, but in a season polluted with bad news (DeRo leaving) and worse news (I thought YOU were supposed to be centre back tonight?

Kyle Beckerman: "Is it Reds boy day?"TORONTO FC (16th) VS. REAL SALT LAKE (5th)
　
BMO FIELD - SATURDAY 7PM ET
TV: GOLTV RADIO: FAN 590
　
THE KICKABOUT:
- Can TFC continue its unbeaten streak against an opponent far superior than the last four clubs they faced?

Pity the fool that doesn't own this on VHSD.C. UNITED (12th) VS. TORONTO FC (17th)
　
RFK STADIUM - SATURDAY 7:30PM ET
TV: TSN
　
THE KICKABOUT:
- Will TFC's Pan-Continental travel finally take its toll on the squad?

Nine banded Armadillo - habitat - the long grasses found within soccer stadia
Late, late last night I watched TFC handle a tame Real Esteli. It was one of those weird media nights. I watched the first half on television and then went onto the TFC chat to see what Asif was saying. Soon discovered that what I had been watching on tv was not live and that I was able to move through time rapidly.

Ryan Johnson scored twice in a 10-minute span, and Toronto FC topped Real Esteli, 2-1 (4-2 on aggregate) in Nicaragua Tuesday night to win its CONCACAF Champions League preliminary tie and book a place in the tournament's Group C.

Johnson seized momentum for TFC with a great left-footed volley from just outside the area in the 37th minute to negate Real Esteli's away goal and give Toronto a two-goal aggregate edge.

TFC's ankles - Lest We ForgetIN THE TUNNEL:
With Real Esteli nabbing that crucial away goal at BMO Field, "The Train of The North" have everything to play for tonight in rural Nicaragua. A reportedly horrendous pitch, a zoo-like atmosphere in the stands and ziplock bags full of humanity's worst await our boys in red as they aim for the CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage.

TFC's ankles - Lest We ForgetIN THE TUNNEL:
With Real Esteli nabbing that crucial away goal at BMO Field, "The Train of The North" have everything to play for tonight in rural Nicaragua. A reportedly horrendous pitch, a zoo-like atmosphere in the stands and ziplock bags full of humanity's worst await our boys in red as they aim for the CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage.

Toronto FC has made headlines for its troubling season and numerous player moves, but the club can earn some acclaim by booking a place in the CONCACAF Champions League group stage with a favorable result in Nicaragua against Real Esteli FC in the second leg of their preliminary round tie (10 p.

Toronto FC's 2011 campaign has left plenty to be desired, but with a favorable result in Nicaragua Tuesday night (10 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel), the Reds can seal their place in the CONCACAF Champions League group stage.

On the strength of two Joao Plata goals, TFC took the home leg of its preliminary tie with Real Esteli, 2-1, but a late away goal by Alesandro Calero could be a huge factor in determining which team moves forward.

CONCACAF give Estadio Independencia's pitch the thumbs upREAL ESTELI VS. TORONTO
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - PRELIMINARY - 2ND LEG
AGGREGATE 1-2
　
ESTADIO INDEPENDENCIA - TUESDAY 10PM ET
TV: SPORTSNET ONE
　
THE KICKABOUT:
- Will The Reds bunker down and protect their 1 goal advantage or do they try to exert their 1st Leg dominance and go for the away goal?

CONCACAF give Estadio Independencia's pitch the thumbs upREAL ESTELI VS. TORONTO
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - PRELIMINARY - 2ND LEG
AGGREGATE 1-2
　
ESTADIO INDEPENDENCIA - TUESDAY 10PM ET
TV: SPORTSNET ONE
　
THE KICKABOUT:
- Will The Reds bunker down and protect their 1 goal advantage or do they try to exert their 1st Leg dominance and go for the away goal?

ESPN Deportes has the Olympique Marseille - Manchester United friendly at 2:40pm. CONCACAF Champions League on Fox Soccer: Real Esteli - Toronto at 10pm. All Times Eastern

Wait, even the Nicaraguans have a roof?One of the great joys of CONCACAF Champions League is the opportunity to tour some of the stadiums of Central America. If the "always fair and balanced" officiating wasn't enough to contend with, clubs of TFC's ilk have to be introduced to "exuberant" fans, pitches that resemble the surface of the moon and projectiles filled with all types of joyful human gifts.

Wait, even the Nicaraguans have a roof?One of the great joys of CONCACAF Champions League is the opportunity to tour some of the stadiums of Central America. If the "always fair and balanced" officiating wasn't enough to contend with, clubs of TFC's ilk have to be introduced to "exuberant" fans, pitches that resemble the surface of the moon and projectiles filled with all types of joyful human gifts.

Video thoughts on the TFC v Real Esteli match Wednesday past, and the crucial week ahead for the Reds.
Rating: 3.0/5 (2 votes cast)

FC Dallas fought off the elements and an unfamiliar environment to take a big step closer to reaching the CONCACAF Champions League group stage.

Jackson's 70th-minute goal gave FCD a 1-0 victory over Alianza FC in El Salvador on a rainy Thursday night. The MLS side takes that advantage and the away goal into next Wednesday's return leg with hopes of qualifying for the group stage, where it would compete with Pumas UNAM, Tauro FC and either Toronto FC or Real Esteli.

Toronto FC got the win in the first-leg of their CONCACAF Champions League preliminary series on Wednesday. Joao Plata scored for Toronto in the 56th and 72nd minutes, grabbing his first goal just seven minutes after subbing in for Gianluca Zavarise. Real Esteli's Alesandro Calero spoiling Milos Kocic's shutout attempt with an 80th minute goal.

Toronto has had this unlikeable habit of playing for a few minutes, digging a giant hole then trying to claw out of said hole. While Sporting KC Lisbon Wizard Comets was an amusing exercise in drama, it's preferred to just play the whole game properly.
Real Estelí has nothing to lose here.

STARTERS
The Serie A season will kick off the weekend of Aug 27, and here are the first round matches (exact dates/times still TBA):
Atalanta v Cesena
Bologna v Roma
Cagliari v Milan
Inter v Lecce
Lazio v Chievo
Napoli v Genoa
Novara v Palermo
Parma v Catania
Siena v Fiorentina
Udinese v Juventus
dN
Will Greece be the next country to have club doors kicked in by police from a major match fixing investigation?

STARTERS
As predicted by many, the Chicago Fire has signed 35 year old Mexican central midfielder Pavel Pardo from America.
dN
Argentina has fired head coach Sergio Batista after their disastrous Copa America.
THE FIFA SCANDAL STORY NEVER ENDS
FIFA has begun an investigation into the 15 Caribbean federations that did not report bribes from Mohamed Bin Hammam.

Club friendlies on Fox Soccer: Aston Villa - Blackburn at 6am, Chelsea - Kitchee at 8:30am, and the 3rd-place and finals of the Audi Cup beginning at noon. Fox Soccer Plus has Marseille - Lille in the French SuperCup at 2:45pm. Major League Soccer's All-Star Game is on ESPN2 and TeleFutura at 8:30pm.

Aye! Aye! Aye! El Tren del Norte!
TORONTO FC VS. REAL ESTELI FC
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - PRELIMINARY - 1ST LEG
　
BMO FIELD - WEDNESDAY 8PM ET
TV: SETANTA
　
THE KICKABOUT:
- Will we see TFC pour all of 2011's remaining energy into the only competition they have a realistic shot at success in?

Aye! Aye! Aye! El Tren del Norte!
TORONTO FC VS. REAL ESTELI FC
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - PRELIMINARY - 1ST LEG
　
BMO FIELD - WEDNESDAY 8PM ET
TV: SETANTA
　
THE KICKABOUT:
- Will we see TFC pour all of 2011's remaining energy into the only competition they have a realistic shot at success in?

First of all, I was one of those hundreds of people who had to line up and wait to hand in tickets to exchange for new tickets because my printed tickets were destroyed on that stormy night in May. Perhaps I was foolish to think that if I arrived with my original tickets that all would be ok. I missed 40 minutes of the first half because I had to stand in line and prove to TFC/BMO gate staff that I was legit.

By JOSE M. ROMERO

The Vancouver Whitecaps are 30 minutes away from their first piece of hardware since becoming an MLS franchise.

They'll have to wait until Thursday morning at 11 a.m., EST, to play those 30 minutes, however, according to a bulletin from Rogers Sportsnet, which aired the match in Canada.

Just a month after the 2010-2011 CONCACAF Champions League final was held we can already look forward to the 2011-2012 campaign. The CONCACAF Champions League draw was held on Wednesday as the four MLS teams that have qualified learned their fate. For Major League Soccer, and for soccer in the United States in general, the draw begins a quest for history.

The Colorado Rapids learned on Wednesday that the team will face a Honduran squad and two teams to be determined in the opening round of the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League.

The Rapids learned their group stage opponents following a draw held at the confederation's headquarters in New York City.

Concacaf Liga Campeones Ronda Preliminar
Partido de Ida: 26-28 de julio
Partido de Vuelta: 2-4 de agosto
(Los equipos a la izquierda son anfitriones de la primera jornada)
Motagua (HON) vs. Municipal (GUA)
Sub-campeón de Clausura de México (Morelia o Pumas) vs. sub-campeón de campeonato de clubes caribeño
Isidro Metapán (SLV) vs.

A number of places are still to be determined in next season's CONCACAF Champions League, but when those moving parts all get settled, they'll know exactly where they're going.

Despite three Caribbean spots, one Canadian spot and one Nicaraguan spot still up for grabs, CONCACAF conducted the draw for the 2011-2012 tournament on Wednesday.

On Wednesday the Seattle Sounders FC will get a decent idea of who they are to face in the next version of the CONCANCAF Champions League. The draw on Wednesday the 18th will how Seattle fans what will be their most exotic ensured away trip of the year. Three of four Caribbean teams would in some ways be ideal.