Briefly:

*Don't forget, the second MLS playoff game between the Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake is scheduled for 5 o'clock today on ESPN2.

*The Cal State Northridge men closed in on a post-season berth Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton with the goal coming in the sixth minute of OT and now hold the tiebreaker over the Titans going into the final game of the regular season Saturday against UC Irvine.

Ooh la la!

Leave it to those Italians.

Juventus' Paolo De Ceglie, left, and Giorgio Chiellini, right, not only gave their shirts to fans in the wake of the Italian club's 1-0 victory over Maccabi Haifa in Israel Tuesday, but their shorts, too. (AP Photo).

I offer this picture not so much so we can ogle Italian bums (although my wife, ahem, begs to differ), but as a vivid reminder that the UEFA Champions League is on again today.

Happy Halloween!:

Otherwise, Chivas USA or the Galaxy could hook up with this guy who e-mailed me last month in the wake of a recent column about the two teams' lack of scoring prowess:

Hi Nick, I read the article today. If Chivas USA or even the Galaxy need an effective playmaker to win the league, you should hook me up.

Unbelievably embarrassing black eye (literally by the sound of it) for both programs.

I say send 'em all back down to AYSO for remedial training in sportswomanship.

"I've never seen anything like this in my life," Harbor coach Jim Lillie said.

They called campus police out to the field.

My wife brought this to my attention.

Memo to self: buy her chocolates.

Couldn't resist passing along this item the Associated Press just put out on the wire (it's an attempted correction of an incorrect photo caption, BTW):

** CORRECTS DATE ** United States' Kyle Beckarman, left, takes part in
drills as Jonathan Bornstein looks on during a practice for a World
Cup qualifying soccer match in Sandy, Utah, Friday, Sept.

First off, if you only click one link in this blog post make it this one, a 16-picture gallery by readers of English newspaper The Guardian illustrating the Landon Donovan-David Beckham soap opera. Some hilarious stuff in there.

Donovan was still addressing the issue Friday in Kansas City before today's nationally televised game (live at 6 p.

Ooops, the Commish sticks his foot in his mouth:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mention those empty seats at Yankee Stadium at your own risk.

Don Garber did.

A day after the Major League Soccer commissioner raised the subject, New York Yankees president Randy Levine blasted back.

"Don Garber discussing Yankee attendance must be a joke," Levine said Friday.

Defending W-League champion Pali Blues, now a feeder team for the WPS L.A. Sol, will attempt to set a new world record for most people juggling a soccer ball at one time at its May 9 season opener.

The current record, according to the club, was set by 627 people in 2007 in Vienna, Austria.

AP Photo

Becks salutes fans in a final farewell after today's England victory over the Ukraine in World Cup qualifying.

President Barack Obama today announced MLS will qualify for millions in federal economic aid in an effort to retain Galaxy midfielder David Beckham and stop him from joining Italian giants AC Milan later this year, 100 Percent Soccer has exclusively learned. Click to continue reading...

The week is young, but this is one of the funnier soccer-related press releases I've seen lately (and one of the briefest) from the PR staff of WPS team L.A. Sol in the wake of its inaugural game Sunday in Carson -

Attention media:

Please note that the team name Los Angeles Sol should be pronounced like "Soul" or "Sole" not "Saul. Click to continue reading...

Brevity

Does this guy live in the South Bay? Is he an MLS fan? Brevity is known for "obscure cultural references," according to Wikipedia, but still.

Also, after LA soccer blogger Jennifer Doyle wrote this scathing critique of the new WPS uniforms the following video was posted to my Facebook page; so things could be much worse:

Midfielder-defender Mike Randolph virtually invisible for the Galaxy in preseason, is apparently gone from the team if you believe this posting on Big Soccer from someone who is friends with him on Facebook.

I'm awaiting confirmation from Galaxy officials, but I have no reason to believe it's not true (and it's fascinating how social networking sites and message boards can play a role in breaking news).

Apparently.

I kid you not.

How do you spell D-E-S-P-E-R-A-T-E in Spanish?

Read on:
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican soccer fans are turning to voodoo to beat the United States, with help from an American electronics company.

The teams meet Feb. 11 in Columbus, Ohio, in the first game of the final round of
regional qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

I'll post an interview with new Galaxy signing Dema Kovalenko Saturday morning.

But first:
*Mexico Coach Sven-Göran Eriksson today announced his squad to face Sweden Wednesday in Oakland:

goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (América), Oswaldo Sánchez (Santos Laguna), José de Jesús Corona (Tecos UAG)

defenders: Juan Carlos Valenzuela (América), Julio César Domínguez (Cruz Azul), Edgar Dueñas (Toluca), Leobardo López (Pachuca), Fausto Pinto (Cruz Azul), Diego Martínez (Monterrey), Israel Castro (UNAM), Edgar Castillo (América)

midfielders: Pável Pardo (América), Leandro Augusto (UNAM), Luis Pérez (Monterrey), Israel Martínez (San Luis), Lucas Ayala (Atlas), Antonio Naelson (Toluca), Marco Fabián (CD Guadalajara)

forwards: Alberto Medina (CD Guadalajara), Vicente Matias Vuoso (Santos Laguna), Carlos Ochoa (CD Guadalajara), Nestor Calderón (Toluca), César Villaluz (Cruz Azul)

*Galaxy goalkeeper Charles Alamo has retired before his professional career really began after suffering two serious MCL injuries within a year.

That's the sound of the Galaxy's season imploding.

Needing to win to stay alive this season, the Galaxy naturally went down by three goals within the first 25 minutes Saturday to the Houston Dynamo.

Ah well, at least Houston look like they will clinch the Western Conference over Chivas USA.

Things I should have noted earlier, but didn't:
* It's so hard to find good help these days - even if you're David Beckham.

*Landon Donovan has 19 goals and nine assists on the season with two games to go; no MLS player has ever recorded 20 goals and 10 assists in a single season.

*Further explanation on why Rolling Hills Estates' Robbie Rogers is not with the U.

Was this.

Make sure you read the comments on the story.

I'm told one of the criminals was a retired Daily Breeze copy editor (who I used to play pick-up soccer with). Nail him I say.

Manhattan Beach motto: "We're only slightly less uptight than Palos Verdes Estates."

GOLTV will air this (apparently) updated comedy "documentary" stariing former Python John Cleese at 5 p.m. Wednesday that's a couple of years old, but now includes references to Euro 2008.

From the GOLTV press release:

The documentary begins with a look at the frenzy behind the 2008 UEFA Euro in Austria and Switzerland, offering an unconventional, amusing take on the game of soccer, which attracts more viewers than the Olympics and more money than Hollywood.

After the realities of the last week - politicians seeking to bail out their banking buddies or (even worse) the Galaxy doing an excellent impression of a PDL team (no disrespect intended to that league) - I figured those of us with brains shaped like this (thanks to reader KLF for the link) could do with a laugh.

Apparently this parody was first done earlier this year just before the Super Bowl.

But this version will resonate more with long-suffering Galaxy fans.

Check it out before the video Gods take it away. (Caution: lots of naughty words).

I wasn't kidding about the witchcraft.

Depressing way to start the week (sorry about that), but somehow in tune with the catastrophes, accidents and Wall Street mayhem afflicting us of late.

As expected, not a great deal happened on MLS trade deadline day, but don't tell that to former Galaxy midfielder Sacha Victorine; the now former Kansas City Wizards player and Southern California native is back in L.

My vacation is ending. I'm not laughing

Maybe these will help.

This one is weird, - but true.

The main character of the Get Fuzzy comic strip is a rugby fan - it shows.

And the following were e-mailed to me a couple of months back and I've been looking for an excuse to blog them ever since:

After a visit to the doctor, the local team's striker dropped in to his local pub for a quick one.

I couldn't resist these items collected in the last week or so. All strange. All true.

For instance, you'll be relieved to know South Africa's tourism authorities are looking out for the fans when they indicated earlier this week they wanted to legalize prostitution during the 2010 World Cup.

Sounds like the New England Revolution had a strange flight to Southern California today for Sunday's SuperLiga game against Chivas USA:

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An American Airlines flight from Boston to Los Angeles was diverted to Oklahoma City on Friday after a passenger stripped, put his clothes back on and then tried to open an emergency exit door before being subdued by members of a pro soccer team andothers, the FBI said.

Another soccer-filled weekend is on tap, so let's get to it.

*The Galaxy are out of town in New York where Claudio Reyna retired this week and the Red Bulls signed two South American midfielders who could make their debuts Saturday.

The game airs live at 3:30 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel and a crowd of more than 45,000 is expected to turn out largely to see David Beckham who continues to prove why he's nicknamed Golden Balls.

Here are the essentials for tonight's Chivas USA-New York Red Bulls game at Home Depot Center:

*NYRB are without Claudio Reyna, Juan Pablo Angel (both injured) and, of course, one Senor Altidore (sunning himself in Spain).

*Fear not. Chivas USA has Justin Braun.

*The Red Bulls are playing their fifth game in 15 days tonight, which could help Chivas USA avoid losing twice to New York in one season.

More on the unusual classified ad at the bottom of the post.

But first, a couple of other odds and ends.

Columbus Crew Coach Sigi Schmid, one of the South Bay's favorite soccer sons, talks about the long-distance relationship he has with his wife while he labors in Ohio.

The influence of Cal State Long Beach women's soccer Coach Mauricio Ingrassia, a native of Argentina, on the program is recounted here.

Thought that headline would get your attention.

But before we get to that revelation, a second female U.S. soccer player has gone down with a serious injury and will miss the Olympics. Find out who here.

OK, onwards with the trivial journalism of the day including this "report" from Forbes Magazine, (whose major contributions to journalism these days seems to consist of pumping out lists) which names David Beckham as the world's fifth most powerful celebrity.

*The U.S. Under-23 National Team plays the Ivory Coast at 9 a.m. today on Fox Soccer Channel from France.

*Fontana's Maurice Edu of Toronto FC has been called into the senior national team for next week's game against England, presumably as a replacement for the injured Benny Feilhaber.

*The Galaxy's Ante Jazic has only just returned from injury, but the defender has been recalled by Canada's National Team for its May 31 game against Brazil in Seattle.

Virtually no local reporters bothered to show up for Thursday's presser advancing Saturday's Chivas USA-Galaxy derby, so we leave it to this scribe to do the job for us.

Meanwhile, the legacy of David Beckham's visit to Hawaii continues with this pathetic little tale.

On a happier note, former Galaxy coach and longtime South bay resident Sigi Schmid, currently in exile in Ohio, is nearing a milestone.

Virtually no local reporters bothered to show up for Thursday's presser advancing Saturday's Chivas USA-Galaxy derby, so we leave it to this scribe to do the job for us.

Meanwhile, the legacy of David Beckham's visit to Hawaii continues with this pathetic little tale.

On a happier note, former Galaxy coach and longtime South bay resident Sigi Schmid, currently in exile in Ohio, is nearing a milestone.

Good morning class.

Today's topic: geography.

Being married to map geek (known professionally as a geographic information systems analyst) means acquiring an appreciation for the world of cartography.

MLS recently issued an interesting map showing the cosmopolitan origins of its players, which makes even more interesting reading when compared to last year's version.