We looked good for long stretches but couldn't get that final goal (though the foul call certainly didn't help) to pull back level with Chivas USA. After big wins for Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids, the East isn't assured of five playoff teams anymore. Read the last sentence from the press release to see how things stack up now. Click to continue reading...

Image via Wikipediawhat started off with a bit of promise in columbus ended with the wheels seemingly coming off the new york red bulls on thursday night.

the 3-1 loss against the league-leading crew stopped our potential roll up the eastern standings. the only saving grace of the week was that dc united got trounced by the galaxy and we retained our two-point lead for fourth place. Click to continue reading...

I've been debating getting a new phone for months now. It's been a toss-up between an iPhone or just going all-out and copping the outlandish Nokia n93i. While the Nokia would be insane for the Carl Zeiss optics I think the iPhone might be the move.

Especially now that Real Soccer 2009 is now available for purchase in the iTunes App Store today. Click to continue reading...

Okay, Saturday night is behind me. Time to regroup and prepare for Wednesday. For inspiration, I went back to something I wrote shortly after the Brazil tilt in Seattle. But the most important take away from this game for me was that we came back. Not once, but  twice. Besides showing some real flair on the [. Click to continue reading...

Do as the captain says, or everybody gets it. The silly season is over for now, and it's time to put focus back on the game. Expect to see "A few things... " completely bereft of transfer talk later in the day. In fact, I'm sure you'll see NSC's voice tilt back away from news chases and back towards gonzo fun without losing sight of the bouncing ball. Click to continue reading...

Back on the road here in Minnesota for tonight's tilt against the Thunder. As expected, no Shaun Higgins, Justin Thompson or Chris Brown in tow this trip as each serves a league-imposed suspension.

I'll have the lineups shortly. Click to continue reading...

Hey all, I know there has been some confusion about tonight's game. It will be on ESPN proper, one of only two games (next week's All-Star game being the other) on the channel this year. Two will be on ABC (well, one was...the LA/DC tilt prior to the Euro Final and MLS Cup in November) and the rest are on ESPN 2. Click to continue reading...

I've been thinking back again to the Development Academy conflicting with high school soccer instead of the entrenched youth club system. The sad part about that is - school soccer is where the sport is truly egalitarian. Unlike club soccer, there are no expensive fees that mean a player's parents are either shelling out the dough, or a player is a scholarship ringer on the team. Click to continue reading...

Watch out, Cristoph Metzelder just hoofed another clearance in your direction. Pregame odds were split relatively evenly between Spain and Germany. What I'd like to have seen where the odds that that ABC's pre-Euro 2008 final MLS tilt between DC United and the Los Angeles Galaxy would have been the more exciting affair. Click to continue reading...

Saturday night, the Cougars will visit the suddenly hot Cascade Surge. BYU has been playing well too, chalking up road wins at Ogden and Spokane. Zack De Francis is continuing to score with a goal in each of the last two games bringing him to a season total of 7 (check out my interview with Zack if you're a De Francis fan).

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Well, again, Shaka is playing a little catch-up, because the latest reports from Villarreal are that they don't intend to loan Jozy out at all, but the rest of what Hislop says in his latest blog is interesting.
And he agrees with me about the drama of the DC/Chicago tilt, so he's definitely watching the games now. Click to continue reading...

Release of the draw this week, and other announcements concerning season four. The most significant of which was the resigning of Hyundai for another four year years as the naming rights sponsor for the A-League (apparently on much improved terms). This will take the partnership between the FFA and Hyundai to the end of the 2011-2012 season and it is no coincidence that this will coincide with the new TV rights deal at around that time as well. Click to continue reading...

Only a few weeks left in the regular season and everything is really starting to take shape here in the MLS. Three clubs have qualified for the playoffs with a couple very close to joining them. 1. (1) DC United (49 pts.) - Another week, another win. The Supporter's Shield is a dead heat of a [...] Click to continue reading...