Overall, a really good article:

Lambert said she was shaken and appalled by some of the responses she received in e-mail messages, telephone messages and on blogs, which included the publishing of her parents' home phone number in Southern California and one suggestion that "I should be taken to a state prison, raped and left for dead in a ditch.

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Southern California fans, Barcaloco is proud to announce the first FC Barcelona match viewing party will be held at Busby's East in Los Angeles on November 29th for FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid aka. El Clásico.

Busby's is located at 5364 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036. Busby's will be the official Sports Bar for the soon to be announced Barcaloco Fan Club and will be hosting all televised FC Barcelona matches.

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Working on the MLS Anti-Awards for 2009. Last chance for suggestions, but I'll give you a hint - couple of local Southern California players figure big.
But speaking of worst, I wanted to point out that the Daily Telegraph is an idiot.
The topic is worst sports uniforms. Coincidentally, one of my favorite sites, UniWatchBlog, is running a contest for worst American sports uniform of all time. Click to continue reading...

It is a big day for Barcaloco.com as we announce the formation of the Barcaloco Fan Club and our partnership with FC Barcelona Penya Los Angeles ("Penya-LA")!

The announcement will not affect the team information or other content that fans of Barcaloco have enjoyed since the site launched in early January of this year.

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There's a promotion on the MLSnet front page that is tough for me to resist - you see, I love "Spot the difference" games.
Unfortunately, actually playing the game probably puts you on the AXE BODY SPRAY!!! mailing list, and I think I'd rather be on the list they were using in "Munich."
Fortunately, we can play Spot the Difference here on BigSoccer! Click to continue reading...

At least I'm guessing that's the case given the two communities are the epicenters of the English and Croatian ex-pat communities respectively in Southern California after England 's 5-1 win over Croatia today that earned them a World Cup berth.

All is not lost for the Croats, however, and England can help by beating Ukraine next month.

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Los Angeles illustrator and artist Noe Valladolid begins his illustrated soccer biography

The TIAS Diary Project returns with the first part of a series put together by a young man in Southern California. This is his life's story, his soccer story in words and pictures. Consider it a stab at a TIAS comic book.

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OK, all the hardwork has been completed and the players are rested, refreshed and raring to go.

Tonight we entertain a fellow NCAA Division III team from Rhode Island.

We have completed our final preparations albeit hampered a little bit with the fires here in Southern California.

The players got to sleep in a bit this morning and then we had a team meeting at 9.

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What was he thinking?

Last night's U.S. Open Cup final had plenty of Southern California interest what with the likes of former Galaxy team members Sigi Schmid, Pete Vagenas and Ezra Hendrickson (as an assistant coach) involved for Seattle and Josh Wicks starting for D.C. United.

Wicks, who seems to have learned from his traumatic experience last year in L.

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The (Torrance) Daily Breeze, LA Daily News and other sisters newspapers in Southern California have a nice-looking graphic preview of today's game in the print editions; sadly that does not translate to the Web.

So here's what you need to know:

*I set the stage earlier in the week with this column.

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The Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA head into Saturday's LA Derby as the second and third place teams respectively in the West. (Left, scenes from one of the derby's first renditions this season). Even more important, Chivas is only two points behind the Galaxy, making Saturday's third and final installment of the 2009 SuperClasico perhaps the biggest it has ever been in the four-year history of the in-stadium rivalry. Click to continue reading...

Photo by Brad Graverson

This blog began two years ago, almost to the day David Beckham came to Southern California and the Galaxy.

So it was appropriate I should mark the anniversary Saturday standing on a sweltering El Segundo field dripping sweat awaiting the arrival of his Beckhamness (and, more significantly, the incomparable Zinedine Zidane).

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David Beckham returns to LA Galaxy training for the first time this Monday. This will be Galaxy's only training session in Southern California before traveling to New York for their clash with the Red Bulls on July 16. The Galaxy's Designated Player, Beckham spent the first half of the year on loan with AC Milan of Italy's Serie A.

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Ok, so maybe this is one of those true rare Cinderalla stories. Anton Peterlin spent his last season playing in the top flight of – brace for it – US Amateur football!
Yes, I said amateur. Peterlin spent his pitch time for the Ventura County Fusion in southern California. Fusion play in the PDL's Southwest division and for those still learning about the layers of football in America, the Premier Development League is the nation's 4th tier of soccer, behind MLS, USL Div 1, and USL Div 2. Click to continue reading...

Apparently South African-born Canadian Kevin Harmse was homesick - for Southern California.

Chivas USA acquired the 24-year-old defensive midfielder from Toronto today for allocation money.

"Kevin is a strong, technical player who can play in both midfield and defense," said Chivas USA Coach Preki.

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As an English-born, naturalized Canadian citizen who lives in the U.S., nations don't mean that much to me.

Except when it comes to soccer.

Because in soccer different nationalities, cultures and races serve to remind me not how different people are, but how much many share an obsessive interest regardless of where they are from in a ball rolling around a pitch chased by 22 sweaty people.

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MUNICH (AP) -- Louis van Gaal has been hired by Bayern Munich as the permanent replacement for fired coach Juergen Klinsmann.
The 57-year-old led AZ Alkmaar to the Dutch league championship this season and was given a two-year contract by Bayern to start July 1.
Klinsmann, the former coach of Germany's national team, left his home in Southern California to take over Bayern last summer but was fired April 27. Click to continue reading...

After a hectic travel day, the team and staff finally arrived safely in Southern California early this morning. The team's original Thursday afternoon flight from Dulles was cancelled, forcing the travel delegation to depart late last night divide in two seperate groups. In addition, weather delays out of Dulles complicated matters.

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It was bound to happen eventually, but Chivas USA fans can be forgiven for thinking it should not have taken place this soon. The top-of-the-table side from Southern California lost their first game of the 2009 campaign last night, succumbing to Toronto FC on a first-half goal by Amado Guevara.

ASN unfortunately did not have a reporter at the game (if you're in Toronto and interested in reporting for us please let our editors know).

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Regular readers of MLS Daily will likely notice a slowdown in the number of new posts through the rest of this week. I have set off on my first vacation in over two years and will be driving from southern California to Seattle, Washington, between now and Friday. I'm currently in the Bay Area, taking a few days to visit old friends, and will be back on the road tomorrow night. Click to continue reading...

Rave Green In The City of Angels - New Sounders FC Supporters Group Takes Hold
The Sounder's support continues to impress. It has all the makings of that dreaded word "superclub" as supporters groups in cities not named Seattle spring up. Yes, the bandwagon is big enough for them all.
As if Los Angeles didn't have enough choice in a team to support with both LA Galaxy and CD Chivas USA they now have a new one to rally behind: Seattle Sounders FC
We received this from our good friends at excellent Seattle soccer blog Prost Amerika Soccer:

Rave Green Turn out Twice as Big as Expected
April 21
Sounders FC may have suffered a 2-0 reverse on the pitch at the Home Depot on Saturday, but off the pitch there was a success story for the Seattle franchise.

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Amidst the American soccer landscape, the USL is not often seen or heard compared to MLS... which is not often seen or heard compared to mainstream sports... but nevermind that.
Anyway, the USL did make some noise internationally, however, as Montreal and Puerto Rico did well in their respective CONCACAF Champions League efforts and made MLS look bad in the process. Click to continue reading...

It could happen.

Notwithstanding the fact U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati held a teleconference this morning to discuss potential venues should the U.S. win another World Cup bid and "declared Los Angeles is a very important market for us."

Notwithstanding the fact Los Angeles hosted more games - including the final - than any other U.

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But first, a poem - because any collection of words that includes the phrase "the high arc of midsummer" deserves to be repeated today.  (As pretty much always, this is from The Writers Almanac): First Cutting by Susie Patlove (from Quickening) What is the hayfield in late afternoon that it can fly in the face of time, and light [. Click to continue reading...