Kudos are clearly warranted for Clint Dempsey as he hits his second goal in as many weeks for Fulham FC.� � � � � While his first professional coach and likely mentor, ex-Liverpool great Steve Nicol, might not immediately love that Clint helped Fulham take down Liverpool, it was clearly a significant achievement following a goal the prior week against wanna-be powerhouse Manchester City.

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So once again, right here on the cusp of the playoffs, when we should all be feeling good about MLS and the competition and the soon-to-be champion, we get reality smacking us in the face that this is a league that is run by a bunch of marketing executives who think that selling toothpaste is the same as running a sports league. Click to continue reading...

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber has fined D.C. United President Kevin Payne $5,000 for public comments about the Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake and the New England Revolution, which Garber deemed detrimental to the public image of the League.

Payne's comments appeared in the Soccer Insider blog by The Washington Post's Steven Goff:

"We don't want to play like Colorado or New England, which most of the season sat with eight or nine guys behind the ball.

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DC United president Kevin Payne was fined $5,000 dollars for telling the Washington Post's Steven Goff: "We don't want to play like Colorado or New England, which most of the season sat with eight or nine guys behind the ball. How many people go to watch Colorado or New England play? That's a problem for our league. Click to continue reading...

Not seen out of frame, the past laurels Kevin Payne is resting on.
Kevin Payne decided to blow off some steam in an interview with the Washington Post's Steven Goff last night. Payne sounds a little bit flustered and more than a little bit defensive.
Quote: "We don't want to play like Colorado or New England, which most of the season sat with eight or nine guys behind the ball. Click to continue reading...

The playoff scenarios are mind-boggling.

It is actually possible for United to find its way into the MLS Cup playoffs regardless of win, loss or draw tonight, but the likelihood is very slim if the Black-and-Red come away with anything but a victory in Kansas City. The Wizards cannot make it to the post-season, but will certainly come out hoping to put on a show for their fans in the last home game of the year.

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After not winning any Champions League games last year, United has won three in a row to give itself a chance to advance to the quarterfinal round of the tournament. It will be a difficult task though - United must try to get a win in Mexico, a feat never accomplished by an MLS team.

And Toluca will not make it easy.

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AC Milan are one of the most storied sides in Europe, but they could take a lesson in class from mid-table French side Sochaux. The tragic car accident involving rising US star Charlie Davies and the awful injury to defender Oguchi Onyewu during last week's World Cup qualifier revealed the true colors of the two players' domestic sides. Click to continue reading...

By now, everyone knows what need to happen tonight - D.C. United needs to win to keep its playoff hopes alive.

The team will have to do it without several key players, as Bryan Namoff (concussion), Josh Wicks (dislocated shoulder, MCL sprain), Santino Quaranta (ruptured plantar plate), Ben Olsen (red card suspension) and Chris Pontius (yellow card accumulation) will all be watching from the sidelines.

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Wow what a game!� The Dodgers set a record for hits ... but left 10 runners on.� Ruiz and Ibanez each had a 3-run homer.� Lidge and Madson scared us but got it done.� Ryan Howard hit another clutch double.

I love it AND I'd love to see a much bigger lead in Game 2, guys, okay?� Today it'll be Pedro for the Phillies after lots of rest.

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By now just about anyone who reads this blog knows that 22 year old Ashley J. Roberta died at the scene of a horrible car accident early Tuesday morning. Roberta was a Maryland resident and was apparently known in soccer circles. She was riding in the same car as US Men's National Team striker Charlie Davies, who sustained serious injuries. Click to continue reading...

As of this writing, Charlie Davies is currently undergoing an unspecified surgery after being a passenger in a one-car accident (that's the car pictured above) on the George Washington Parkway in Virginia that tragically resulted in a second passenger losing her life, while the condition of the driver is unknown.

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U.S. Men's National Team forward Charlie Davies is in serious but stable condition at Washington Hospital Center MedStar Unit after a car accident early Tuesday morning.

A 22-year old woman, identified as Ashley J. Roberta of Phoenix, Md., was fatally injured in the crash and died on the scene.

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America! F$#& yeah!

With all the scoring coming in the second half, we have clinched World Cup Qualifying with a decisive 3-2 victory over Honduras.

See the highlights on ussoccer.com.

Guess who played one of the best games of his life? Ohhhhhhhh Landon Donovan!

I was up late last night (Virginia time) following the match on Twitter, I've only had one ounce of my 30 ounces a day coffee habit, and I'm watching my girls float Pop Tart and Band Aid wrappers over the banister as "parachutes," but I couldn't wait to come here and share my excitement.

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Honduras 2 U.S. 3

Game story.

Former Galaxy striker Carlos Pavon proved once again why he failed so abysmally in MLS, missing a crucial penalty in the 87th minute for Honduras that sealed the U.S. win. And then he missed another sitter two minutes later.

Still, it looked to me a legitimate Honduras goal was called offside.

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Jeff Cunningham did it again! Scoring his 16th goal in 13 games to lead Dallas to yet another win, and definitely into the MLS playoff picture. Amazing. When the team sold Kenny Cooper in August most people left this team for dead. They are now the Ultimate MLS Zombie - not only weirdly alive, but hungry for your brains. Click to continue reading...

A crowd approaching 25,000 is expected tonight for D.C. United's must-win battle versus visiting Chivas USA. With only three games remaining in the regular season, and United on the outside of playoffs (standings) looking in, the team is looking to go on a run beginning tonight. Chivas USA currently sits in the second (of four) wild card spots, but with every team within a few points, they're in need of a win, too.

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After dropping a 2-1 decision to the San Jose Earthquakes, United will be looking to get back to the win column with a Champions League match against San Juan Jabloteh. The Trinidad & Tobago side finds itself at the bottom of Group B without any points. A win over Jabloteh and a Marathon loss to Toluca tomorrow would give United a berth in the quarterfinal stage of the tournament.

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After a 15-day break from League play - a time during which two Champions League games were played - United returns to domestic action this afternoon with its 27th MLS match versus the visiting San Jose Earthquakes. Though results from six League games last night largely went United's way, the team finds itself a single point out of playoffs heading into today's a game.

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Ok. So I know at first this title makes no sense at first. Think of it this way...United needed to score 2 more goals than Marathon to jump into second place. They did this...and they scored another to solidify it. Emilio, who has been in a real scoring drought this season, put in the first and the last goals.

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United faces a near must-win tonight at RFK Stadium when it faces Honduran side CD Marathon in its fourth CONCACAF Champions League match. After last week's win in Trinidad & Tobago over Jabloteh, D.C. finds itself in third place in Group B, three points behind tonight's visitors. A win for the Black-and-Red would draw the team even in the standings and put it in a position to advance into the knockout stage of the tournament heading into the final two games of group play.

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D.C. United faces San Juan Jabloteh in Trinidad & Tobago tonight in the third matchday of the Champions League group stage. United and San Juan are both winless in Group B so the match will be an important one as at least one team will earn points.

After a month of playing two matches each week, United left behind some of the veteran players and took a younger squad to T & T:

• Goalkeepers: Milos Kocic, Bill Hamid
• Defenders: Avery John, Julius James, Devon McTavish, Lawson Vaughn
• Midfielders: John DiRaimondo, Danny Szetela, Ely Allen, Tiyi Shipalane, Christian Gomez, Andrew Jacobson, Clyde Simms, Rodney Wallace
• Forwards: Luciano Emilio, Chris Pontius

Tonight's game can be seen on Fox Soccer Channel or Telefutura at 8 p.

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The story was written by Steven Goff from the Washington Post and I have to say that once again supporters of the US Men's National team are going to get screwed. If you thought that you couldn't find the Mun2 channel for USA Vs Mexico in English then you will be completely out of luck on a possible clinch to South Africa when the live event won't be on Pay Per View.

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ESPN is reporting its package of MLS matches on Spanish language ESPN Deportes has experienced "significant growth" for 2009. The package which features a Spanish language telecast of the MLS primetime match shown on ESPN2 in English has seen a huge growth to about 45,000 household viewers and 69,000 total viewers, up approximately 70% from last year.

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� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Photo by ISIphotos.com

If you were planning to have a nice Saturday night home viewing party for the upcoming World Cup qualifier between the USA and Honduras on Oct.

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� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Photo by ISIphotos.com

If you were planning to have a nice Saturday night home viewing party for the upcoming World Cup qualifier between the USA and Honduras on Oct.

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We all know the stakes for this one. Just ten days after Seattle came to RFK and won the U.S. Open cup in United's home, the expansion side returns to DC for a hugely important League match. Both teams are in the midst of a fight to make the playoffs, with every point gained important.

Seattle will be without Freddie Ljungberg who is serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation, while DC will again be without Marc Burch (ankle surgery) and Dejan Jakovic (bi-lateral hernia repair).

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Our postgame podcast will be taped in a few hours. Guests will be Richard Farley of Inside the Six and World Soccer Reader, along with Jamie Trecker of FOX Sports.

What I plan to address on the pod.

• Officiating at Azteca. Honduras lost on a pk.
• Bob Bradley's job performance: I rate him highly given the USSF's constraints, but I am certain my guests will differ.

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United kicks off its five game homestand tonight by taking on the Kansas City Wizards (7:30 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet HD). The playoff picture right now is a little messy, but a few wins over the five games at RFK Stadium will go a long way towards securing a spot in the post-season.

As you likely know, the team will be without Marc Burch (ankle surgery on Sunday) and Dejan Jakovic (bi-lateral hernia repair) for the next 2-3 weeks.

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Brazil & Ghana are the next two teams to have qualified for the World Cup.
dN
Edgar Castillo of UANL Tigres got his clearance from FIFA on Friday to swap from the Mexican national team to the USA.
TEAM USA
Official Team Blog
dN
World Cup Qualifying Match & Score:
-Sat Sep 5
USA 2-1 El Salvador - USA goals by Clint Dempsey & Jozy Altidore. Click to continue reading...

D.C. United and FC Dallas meet tonight in a crucial match as both teams try to keep their MLS Cup Playoff hopes alive at Pizza Hut Park. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET and you can follow the action live on Comcast SporstNet.

United will look to build upon last week's impressive road performance in Chicago, where the Black-and-Red snapped a four-game winless run with a 1-0 victory over the Fire at Toyota Park. Click to continue reading...

I was curious what the repercussions of the stomp by D.C. United goalkeeper Josh Wicks on Seattle's Fredy Montero would be.
Who better to provide the info than the Washington Post, and here's what Paul Tenorio had on Goff's blog.
Here's a team statement followed by some inside stuff:

Here is the statement:
"D.

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Seattle went on the road to DC and captured the US Open Cup! Congratulations to the Sounders! (Even though as a Minnesota Thunder fan it burns my fingers just to type those words.)
LAMAR HUNT US OPEN CUP
The game for the Cup!
FINAL
Match & Score:
-Wed Sep 2
DC United 1-2 Seattle Sounders FC - DCU goal by Clyde Simms. Click to continue reading...

STARTERS
Huge shout out to Brian & Stephanie Pederson on their wedding! Brian is a member of the PDL team Rochester Thunder, and a very cool guy! Congrats!
-We nicknamed Brian "The Farmer" years ago, but its all been in good fun, and he embraced us as fans!
LAMAR HUNT US OPEN CUP
Final Match:
-Wed Sep 2
DC United v Seattle Sounders FC
Venue: RFK Stadium - Washington DC
dN
Jose Romero of the Seattle Times on the feud between the teams on who should host the final. Click to continue reading...

D.C. United Academy goalkeeper Bill Hamid signs with first team

Annandale product is first player to come up through club's youth system

Washington, D.C. (September 2, 2009) - D.C. United announced today the club has signed Academy goalkeeper Abdul "Bill" Hamid to a Generation adidas contract with the first team.

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