Soccer By Ives

Houston Dynamo vs. UNAM Pumas: Your Running Commentary

The Houston Dynamo faces Mexican side UNAM Pumas in Mexico tonight in CONCACAF Champions League action (10pm, Fox Soccer Channel). Houston will look to deliver the first win of the tournament for Major League Soccer, which is 0-5-2 in the tournament so far.

Houston is playing just its second match of the tournament, tying Panamanian side San Francisco FC in its opening match last week. Pumas comes into the match in first place in the group, with a win and tie from its first two matches.

If you will be watching tonight's match, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Enjoy the match.

Kandji, Gaudette headline USL All-League team

The United Soccer League named it's All-League Teams on Tuesday. I know I don't report nearly as much about the USL as I should, especially given the league's recent success in the U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League, but here is a chance to get a look at the best the USL has to offer.

You will surely recognize some of the names, but some may be new to you. Led by recent Red Bulls signing Macoumba Kandji and former Columbus Crew goalkeeper Bill Gaudette, here are the USL All-League first and second teams (player capsules provided by the United Soccer Leagues):

UEFA Champions League: Your Running Commentary

The UEFA Champions League is back in action today, with eight matches featuring some of the world's top teams.

Here is today's broadcast schedule for those of you who missed Monday's preview:

• 12:30pm- ESPN Deportes and ESPN360.com- Real Madrid at Zenit St. Petersburg (Live)
• 2:45pm- ESPN2- Manchester United at Aalborg BK (Live)
• 2:45pm- Setanta USA- FC Porto at Arsenal (Live)
• 2:45pm- ESPN360.com- Celtic at Villarreal (Live)
• 5pm- ESPN Classic- Real Madrid at Zenit St. Petersburg
• 5:40pm- Setanta USA- Dynamo Kiev at Fenerbahce
• 7:30pm- Setanta USA- Lyon at Bayern Munich
• 7:3pm- ESPN Deportes- Manchester United at Aalborg BK

If you will be watching today's matches, please feel free to check in here throughout the day with your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Gallardo is back in D.C. (is it too little, too late?)

D.C. United playmaker Marcelo Gallardo has returned to the United States after a two-week stay in Argentina to rehab a groin injury that has sidelined him for an extended period of time. He is not expected to play in D.C. United's CONCACAF Champions League match against Cruz Azul on Wednesday, but might see minutes in the team's match against Chivas USA this weekend.

Here is the question I have for D.C. fans (and MLS fans in general): Will Gallardo's return be enough to help D.C. turn around the tailspin it is currently in? With the upcoming schedule loaded with tough MLS matches and Champions League matches, D.C. United's season looks to be in real trouble.

EPL Week Six: A Look Back

Being a referee is a thankless job.

If you do your job very well as a referee you go unnoticed, but if you make a mess of your job, chances are you will make headlines and draw death threats from irate fans.

As tough a job as being a referee is, there aren't many people feeling sorry for referees like Rob Styles, who admittedly awarded a penalty to Manchester United that never should have been called. The penalty helped Manchester United break a scoreless tie against Bolton on its way to a 2-0 win.

One person who isn't feeling sorry for referees is SBI EPL correspondent James Tyler of The Unprofessional Foul, who focuses this week's look at the EPL on referees and their poor decisions (and if you haven't figured it out by now, Tyler is a Liverpool fan. Try not to hold that against him).

Your Questions Answered (Part 4 of 4)

Here it is, the final portion of the most recent Q&A session. Admit it, you probably thought you wouldn't see it for another month, but here it is.

There are a variety of subjects covered, both MLS related and European soccer related. Among the questions are one about Eddie Johnson and whether he'll ever have a reason to smile in a national team uniform again, as well as one about the future of the right wing position for the national team.

Here they are, the rest of your most recent questions answered (Keep an eye out for the next Q&A, which will be this week):

With Howard the clear MVP in 2008, who has been the best USMNT field player?

Good morning all. While I work on some stories for a morning ticker, I wanted to direct you to my story on ESPN.com on Tim Howard and the Honda Player of the Year award, which goes to the MVP of the U.S. national team. Most people will agree that Howard is the runaway choice for the award, and while voters have gotten this award wrong in the past, I don't think there will be a problem this year.

Since Howard is the clear favorite to win the award (voting closed for the award last week), my question to you this morning is the following: Who gets your second-place vote for 2008 Honda Player of the Year? Another way to put it is who do you think has been the most valuable field player for the U.S. national team this year? (The award is for play with the U.S. national team ONLY).

poll by twiigs.com

I know there are still three World Cup qualifiers to be played, but with the U.S. all but assured qualification with a win vs. Cuba, all of the really important national team games have already been played this year.

So who gets your vote? Why? Share your thoughts below.

UEFA Champions League Matchday Two Preview

The UEFA Champions League is back in action on Tuesday, with eight intriguing match-ups and some high-profile showdowns.

Lyon and Bayern Munich is arguably the marquee match-up, although the way the German champions have been playing lately has caused the game to lose some of its luster. Some might prefer the Arsenal-FC Porto tilt, or even the Celtic-Villarreal battle.

One of the more interesting match-ups is Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Real Madrid. The reigning UEFA Cup champions haven't exactly been tearing up the Russian League, but still boast Andrei Arshavin and Pavel Pogrebniak.

For those of you who plan on watching Tuesday's games either live or Tivo'd, here is the schedule of games on TV (and the web):

• 12:30pm- ESPN Deportes and ESPN360.com- Real Madrid at Zenit St. Petersburg (Live)
• 2:45pm- ESPN2- Manchester United at Aalborg BK (Live)
• 2:45pm- Setanta USA- FC Porto at Arsenal (Live)
• 2:45pm- ESPN360.com- Celtic at Villarreal (Live)
• 5pm- ESPN Classic- Real Madrid at Zenit St. Petersburg
• 5:40pm- Setanta USA- Dynamo Kiev at Fenerbahce
• 7:30pm- Setanta USA- Lyon at Bayern Munich
• 7:3pm- ESPN Deportes- Manchester United at Aalborg BK

Here is a closer look at all eight match-ups:

Vegas investment group eyeing piece of Columbus Crew

Las Vegas and Columbus. You're probably thinking there couldn't be two more different American cities. They actually have a few things in common. While they both have plenty of party-happy college students and both love college football (though in Vegas, the folks love betting on it more than actually watching it), Vegas and Columbus could soon have their own soccer tie.

The investment group that has expressed interest in buying an expansion MLS franchise and placing it in Las Vegas is in talks with the Columbus Crew about buying a piece of the Crew, Tripp Mickle at the Sports Business Journal reported on Monday.

“It’s pretty close to being in the final stages,” said Paul Caligiuri (yes, that Paul Caligiuri), the group's spokesman.

While Caligiuri wouldn't say what percentage of the Crew the investment group was buying, the news of a sale of a piece of the Crew still has to raise worried eyebrows among Columbus fans.

SBI European Club Top 25

September is about to draw to a close and it is difficult to deny that one club, Chelsea, has looked like the class of Europe so far this season.

This is the first official installment of SBI's European Club Top 25. I know I did an initial one a while back, but with the season now in full swing, and some games to get a sense of where teams stand, this Top 25 will serve as the real starting point for the season.

While some accuse SBI of being an EPL-loving site, the Top 10 is actually dominated by La Liga, which boasts four Top 10 squads. The EPL has three, due in part to Hull's shock upset of Arsenal.

Some things to keep in mind before viewing the Top 25. The rankings are not based solely on domestic record, but a combination of domestic and European cup performances. There are some surprise teams leading their respective European leagues that you may not see here, but I took into account opponents played so far when ranking teams. This is why Lazio is first in Serie A but third among Serie A teams here, and why Valencia is only 11th here (and fifth among La Liga teams) despite being in first place in La Liga.

Now, onto this week's edition of the SBI European Club Top 25:

Who is your MLS Player of the Month?

                                                            Photo by ISIphotos.com

With the MLS schedule for September now over, it is time for members of the media to submit their votes for MLS player of the month.

The only problem is that this month, perhaps more than any other month this season, picking the best player for the month is very difficult because there isn't an obvious choice. Do you go with FC Dallas' Jeff Cunningham (three goals, two assists), Landon Donovan (three goals, two assists), Darren Huckerby (three goals, one assist) or Juan Pablo Angel (three goals). Or do you go with a defensive player who has helped anchor a back-line while also contributing on the score sheet, like Colorado's Mike Petke (two goals in September)?

I voted for the Columbus Crew's Chad Marshall.

Morning Morning Center Back: Here comes the West

                                                                          Photo by ISIphotos.com

Yes, I will admit it. I thought the MLS Western Conference was toast, a collection of speed bumps, a series of rest stops on the way to legitimate soccer in the stronger Eastern Conference. There was a clear gap between the East and West not too long ago, as evidenced by a lop-sided record in favor of the East. That record make it a foregone conclusion that the East would snatch five of the eight playoff spots, with the West settling for three.

Now, don't be so sure about that.

The West posted an impressive 8-4-4 record against the East in September, including a dominant 5-1-1 mark in the past two weeks. That collective success has helped Western teams close in on their Eastern Conference counterparts for the league's final playoff spots.

Now, not only has Real Salt Lake moved past D.C. United in the playoff race, giving the West back a fourth playoff spot, but now FC Dallas has pulled to within two points of the New York Red Bulls, the fourth-place team in the East.

Yes, that's right, the West could wind up with five teams in the playoffs.

Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Big, bad Brad Friedel posted another victory last weekend as he and Aston Villa kept on rolling.

Friedel was one of few bright spots for Americans Abroad last weekend. How bad were things? Consider this linep of Americans:

------------------------------Jozy Altidore-----------------------------

DaMarcus Beasley-----------Freddy Adu-------------Clint Dempsey

---------------------Michael Bradley---Maurice Edu------------------

Heath Pearce------Jay DeMerit----Jonathan Spector---Frank Simek

-------------------------------Brad Guzan------------------------------

Like that team? Well, not a single player in that lineup saw a start for their European club this weekend and only two (Pearce and Adu) actually saw minutes. Yes, Spector and Simek have been out for a while (and DeMerit was injured) but that front six sure has several key U.S. national team players and prospects and all were healthy and available for selection. For none of them to play (save for Adu's 11 minutes) is a pretty sad development.

There are some bright spots. Carlos Bocanegra continues to establish himself as an anchor for Rennes while Michael Orozco has regained his hold on a starting spot for San Luis, making his second straight start.

Here is how all the Americans Abroad did this past weekend (And notice the latest change to Americans Abroad):

D.C. United at FC Dallas: Your Running Commentary

D.C. United is in Texas today to take on FC Dallas in a battle of teams on the fring of the playoff race (3pm, Telefutura).

D.C. has lost its grip on a playoff spot, at least temporarily, and can regain that hold with a win today against the Hoops, who can pull within a point of the playoffs with a victory today. A tie would push D.C. into a three-way tie with Colorado and Real Salt Lake for the final two playoff spots (all three teams have spilt victories against each other, making tie-breakers very interesting if these teams do wind up tied).

Can D.C. stop its recent slide? Can Jeff Cunningham stay hot for the Hoops? If you are watching today's match, please feel free to share your thoughts on the match in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Red Bulls Rewind: Rapids expose Red Bulls defense

                                           Photo by ISIphotos.com

Five goals allowed in one game.

Not three. Not four.

Five.

The New York Red Bulls defense hadn't given up more than one goal in a game at home since the May 25th loss to Chicago (5-1). The Red Bulls had played seven home games since that debacle. You know how many combined goals they had given up in those seven home games?

Four.

Yes, Saturday night's loss and defensive meltdown was the kind of event few could have imagined, which is why Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio (and the die-hard fans who braved the elements to watch the disaster) walked away from Giants Stadium on Saturday night disgusted and at a loss for what went wrong.

So what happened? Here are a few things to consider:

Soccer Sunday: Your Running Commentary

Hello everybody. Today's soccer action is already well under way but there are still plenty of matches taking place, including the highly-anticipated Milan Derby. Here is today's remaining TV schedule:

11am- FSC- Manchester City at Wigan

11am- GolTV- Schalke 04 at Cologne

1pm- GolTV- Deportivo La Coruna at Valencia

2:30pm- FSC- Inter Milan at AC Milan

3pm- GolTV- Sevilla at Atletico Madrid

3pm- Telefutura- D.C. United at FC Dallas

5pm- FSC- Racing at River Plate

6:30pm- GolTV- Millonarios at America

7pm- FSC- Rochester Rhinos at Charleston

If you are watching today's matches, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.