With J Hutcherson -- And some eyes turn to Seattle. More than you would think if the Western
Conference Final rating is an indication. That game was scheduled at an inconvenient time for the
East Coast, so maybe prime time on Sunday works out. The major competition is NBC's Football Night
In America.
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With J Hutcherson -- So about that game in Denmark yesterday.... Look, I'm hardly the type to try
to turn a disappointment into a suggestion of something better. The version of the United States on
display against Denmark, and to a lesser extend Slovakia, ended up representative of the same old
problems.
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With J Hutcherson -- Game day Aarhus, with the United States looking to add weight to two points:
one, that they can consistently get results in Europe, and two, that they can integrate players
into the squad quickly and effectively. That second one is under the most pressure later this
afternoon. The United States enters its second game far from first choice.
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With J Hutcherson -- Let's set aside the grandstanding that goes along with anything advertised as
a "State of...." Nobody in that position is going to start riffing on trends and topics. It's a no
risk, some reward scenario even when questions are taken. So what did we learn from Major League
Soccer commissioner Don Garber's State of the League?
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With J Hutcherson -- What was the takeaway from Major League Soccer's Conference finals? Short of
expecting no goals in regulation or propping up parity, it's that it takes more than ninety minutes
for two teams to figure each other out. It's hard to avoid questioning the decision to make the
finals one game when the opening round plays out over two legs.
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With J Hutcherson -- Late show for those of us on the East Coast tonight, with LA hosting Houston
(11pm - ESPN2) in the latest edition of best in the West. Surprising no one, the Western conference
ended up taking three of the four slots in the Conference finals. That's courtesy of Real Salt
Lake's wild card slot in the Eastern bracket, and all the indication you need for which Conference
is stronger in '09.
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With J Hutcherson -- For the United States National Team, proving it in Europe no longer has the
same impact it did in the Arena era. Results will do that, and the United States has shown they can
get them against mid-tier European teams. Even against the elite, the US hasn't simply rolled over.
Sure, there was a lot of criticism a year ago when the US lost to England at Wembley and Spain at.
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With J Hutcherson -- For those of you who believe in the direct connect between Major League Soccer
performance and National Team opportunity, the Jeff Cunningham call-up isn't even a conversation.
17 goals in 28 games, one of the finalists for Most Valuable Player, and he belongs back in the
picture.
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With J Hutcherson -- Yesterday's announcement that John Hackworth is moving from National Team
assistant to Philadelphia Union assistant creates an interesting situation for the Major League
Soccer expansion club. Both head coach Peter Nowak and his chief assistant will be attempting to
reverse a trend.
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With J Hutcherson -- One of the great things about this edition of playoff soccer is we have four
ousted teams that all genuinely believe they were hard done by. Over the weekend, New England,
Seattle, and Chivas USA joined Columbus in the over and out club. Three of those quarterfinal
series were decided by a single goal.
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With J Hutcherson -- That crack media contingent that put Columbus Crew coach Robert Warzycha in
the final three for MLS Coach of the Year? Well, the biggest playoff breakdown in recent memory
wasn't an overwhelming display on the part of Real Salt Lake. It was Columbus playing for the draw
in the first game and not getting it.
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With J Hutcherson -- Later today, Tim Howard and Everton get the opportunity to marginalize an
earlier result. That would be the 5-0 collapse at Benfica on October 22nd. A home win at Goodison
Park takes the gloss off what happened at Estadio da Luz. In the short-term, it even takes out
Benfica's goal differential since an Everton win puts them ahead on points in Group I.
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With J Hutcherson -- Hey look, it's another MLS coaching vacancy. This time, it was Tom Soehn
opting himself out of the running for a new contract with DC United. That might end up being a
unique exit, but DC ends up in a situation familiar to too many clubs in Major League Soccer. A
quick turnaround with the identity of the club at stake.
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With J Hutcherson -- The one sentence summary of the Scottish Premier League so far would go
something like this: Rangers have money trouble, the Old Firm wants out, and Hibs are pretty good.
You could shuffle those three items around, but I went with order of immediate importance. Rangers
are currently trying to work through a situation that could see them forced into selling players.
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With J Hutcherson -- Courtesy of Major League Soccer, we now have a price point for confirming the
obvious. DC president Kevin Payne's $5,000 dollar fine should have been enough, but it had to be
chased with an apology. Given that the fine was higher than the ones normally handed out for red
cards or mouthing of at the ref, maybe it would've been fairer to have it either/or.
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With J Hutcherson -- For those of you that spent last night in the company of the World Series,
that was a pretty good lesson on the why for the best out of seven games. Aside from the extra
revenue courtesy of extended playoffs, baseball, hockey, and basketball set it up so it takes more
than just one dominant night or a fluke win.
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With J Hutcherson -- I started covering soccer in the late 90's, when the offshoot of the '98 World
Cup seemed to be how many end game scenarios could be thrown in the direction of European club
soccer. At the time, everything was supposedly heading for crisis. Money, expanding markets, and
the continued interest of the fans, and basically in that order.
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With J Hutcherson -- Yesterday, the United States opened group play in the Under-17 World Cup. They
also opened themselves up to the expected criticism that comes with giving up two short-handed
goals and losing the game. It's hard to come around on a 2-1 loss. At the same time, you don't have
to be an apologist to opt against putting this squarely on the team.
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With J Hutcherson -- All in all, not the best weekend to be a fan of half the teams in Major League
Soccer. Whatever route was taken to disappointment in the final weekend of play, it's the same
basic point. In 2009, this is a circuit that can't put anybody over. Toronto can't play in the
rain. Dallas can't score enough.
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With J Hutcherson -- Two wildcard slots left for the 2009 Major League Soccer playoffs, with
Colorado becoming the next team to face the win and in scenario. Let's assume Real Salt Lake
doesn't pull a Chivas USA and gifting them an own-goal for the three points (Sat, 9pm - FSC). The
Rapids are in a situation where they need to remind the rest of the League why they're a point
better than the pack.
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With J Hutcherson -- As we eagerly await tonight's ESPN MLS Game of the Week (8pm - ESPN2), it's
worth remembering that Chicago hasn't actually qualified for the playoffs. The Fire occupy the
automatic slot reserved for second-place in the Eastern Conference, but they're still in danger of
falling victim to Major League Soccer's tiebreaker scenario.
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With J Hutcherson -- For those of you that have ever wondered who is on the list for Major League
Soccer's Most Valuable Player, it's the rosters from every team in the League. Seriously, the drop
down list on the voting page includes pretty much everybody. Fair enough, all things considered,
even if slightly inaccurate clicking could have someone voting for Stewart Ceus instead of Conor
Casey or Marvin Chavez instead of Jeff Cunningham.
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With J Hutcherson -- Credit DC United with the smart move. Facing an unlikely road to a win in the
CONCACAF Champions League, they opted against taking a full-strength team to play Toluca. For those
of you pointing at the Group B standings where DC is currently second on goal differential over
third-place Marathon, is this even a question of priorities?
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With J Hutcherson -- I really wish I could start this one off with the firm belief that Seattle,
Dallas, or one of those teams currently on 39 points can actually make some noise in the
postseason. Instead, I've got the feeling we're seeing the good clubs marking time. For those of
you that sat through Chicago - New England, Columbus - DC, or LA - Houston, it's tough to come up
with a better.
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With J Hutcherson -- With 14 of 15 teams on the schedule in Major League Soccer this weekend, once
again it becomes about the favorites getting the job done. If things run to form, the playoff
picture could be all but settled with a week left in the regular season. Chances of that happening?
Slim. As this season goes, we might as well go ahead and pencil in a fading club making a contender
look.
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With J Hutcherson -- Shocked looks all around, but United States National Team coach Bob Bradley is
of the opinion that pundits should be the ones figuring out the game on the field. At least that
was the response to a question last night following the 2-2 draw with Costa Rica. That he has a
point was obvious to everybody in the room.
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With J Hutcherson -- It's tough to write about someone who survived a terrible accident when
another person didn't. That loss overshadows everything else. If that's not the start of the story,
something's wrong. Here's the thing about Charlie Davies. The enthusiasm he shows on the field...
that's him.
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With J Hutcherson -- Tomorrow night, New York gets yet another opportunity to mess with the chances
of an outsider playoff contender. Yes, we're talking about Major League Soccer the day before the
final CONCACAF matchday, but we'll get to that. And yes, MLS is not only playing on yet another
FIFA date, they've got the ESPN2 time-slot right after Costa Rica - USA.
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With J Hutcherson -- The big number coming out of Saturday's round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying
is something that a lot of people have been pointing to for months. Two. This time around, to get
out of the region a game early meant the United States had to sweep their home schedule and win two
on the road.
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With J Hutcherson -- A little over a day left, and is there really much of anything else that can
be added to the build for USA - Honduras? Crucial for both teams. Broader political implications
for the host country. US fans made to work to even see the game. Last chance for the home fans to
put the Estadio Olimpico in the same sentence as Saprissa and Azteca.
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With J Hutcherson -- Does anybody wan to have a go at expressing the importance of Saturday night
in San Pedro Sula? Some new Romanticism meets military wordplay on 'big game,' 'must win,' etc? Or
are we all clear that the US needs a result just as much as the other teams trying to avoid
finishing fourth in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying.
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With J Hutcherson -- Tonight's national cable Major League Soccer game gives us a working example
for flexible scheduling, even if it is the only game on the calendar. San Jose and Dallas would
like it very much if we nod along to their late season surge, especially if we take it as an open
indication of what to expect in 2010.
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With J Hutcherson -- There's something oddly comforting that all these years later those at the
highest levels of Major League Soccer still seem to believe that people will turn out in support of
a business plan. How else to get around MLS commissioner Don Garber's interview with the Associated
Press and the idea that the bright lights of Europe could learn from the MLS business model.
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With J Hutcherson -- Eight games in for the bulk of the teams, and it's arguably too early to even
mention the English Premier League table. Then again, the gap between fourth and first is already
six points. Chelsea leads with 21 from eight games played, with three teams sitting at 15 points.
Fourth-place Arsenal have played seven games, fifth-place Liverpool eight, and this afternoon
sixth-place Manchester City plays their seventh.
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With J Hutcherson -- Maybe this weekend Major League Soccer finally gets some finality for the
surprising number of clubs that believe they're still in contention in the first week of October.
Yes, that includes you red hot Dallas, suddenly surprising San Jose, and all of those clubs that
simply can't be bothered to take the points on offer.
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