by Sean Heffernan

Its certainly very exciting times in the world of soccer as qualification for World Cup 2010 concluded with high drama. David Beckham and Landon Donovan look to capture their first MLS Cup and the US Men's National Team suffered two disappointing defeats in Europe. There's certainly plenty to think about in this edition of Five Thoughts on the Beautiful Game.

1. Ireland Cheated Out of World Cup 

Ireland’s National Football team was within grasp of what would have been one of the biggest athletic victories in the country’s history until Thierry Henry’s handball in extra time gave France a much undeserved goal crushing the Irish’s dreams of South Africa.

It was a disgrace to see Ireland get their hearts ripped out by an appalling decision on the referee’s part. Ireland captain Robbie Keane and his comrades in green left every ounce of sweat in their bodies on the pitch on Wednesday night against a French team that was obviously more talented.

When FIFA announced that they would not order a replay of the Ireland-France match citing all referees decisions are final according to their rule back no one surprised as the world wide football organization rarely gets things right ever. It would be a toss up between the United Nations and FIFA for Earth’s most incompetent global organizational body.

Even Thierry Henry admitted he used his hand to knock down the ball and that the fairest thing to do in this situation is to play another game. The honorable thing for France to do is to offer to play a replay on their own accord, but the Irish shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for that to happen. Would the Irish do the same for the French if they advanced on an obvious hand ball? I seriously doubt it.

Nonetheless this will go down as one of the biggest stories of the year in world football as the controversy is even garnering attention in America. The Prime Ministers of Ireland and France have even engaged in talks over the tensions between their countries over the controversy.  

This travesty proves that something as big as a possible World Cup berth should never be decided by something as unjust as human error. FIFA needs to write new rules for the future that enforces video technology into World Cup matches to prevent anything like what took place in the Stade de France last Wednesday from ever happening again.

2.  USMNT Riddled with Question Marks

The US Men’s National Team suffered two defeats on their trip to Europe against Slovakia and Denmark. For both friendlies the squad sorely missed important starters in Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Jose Francisco Torres, and Oguchi Onyweu who could not participate for various reasons. In Bratislava the US played a sloppy game with Slovakia which was ultimately decided when left Jonathan Borenstein committed foul in the US’s penalty boxing setting a penalty kick. The Slovaks converted the penalty winning the game 1-0.

The US had very little creativity in attack and had few real chances in the loss. Against Denmark the US jumped out to 1-0 lead in the first half on an impressive left footed goal from 33 year old MLS journeyman Jeff Cunningham. In the second half however, the US did not come out of the locker room mentally prepared for the Danish attack as the Danes scored 3 goals in eight minutes embarrassing Coach Bob Bradley’s side.

The most troubling aspect of the two losses was how the real problems on team were not addressed in these games. Bradley's experiement of playing Jonathan Spector at center back went haywire as the 24 year old (who traditionally plays at right back) looked completely out of sync with Carlos Bocanegra in during the Danes' three goal scoring spree.

When Bradley put in Clarence Goodson and Jimmy Conrad the US defense steadied making me wonder why the coach put Spector in that situation instead of giving experience to two players who play that position exclusivly with their club teams.

At left back Borenstien played all of both games when that position is in desperate need of improvement as was evident by the Borenstein penalty. Left back Edgar Castillo got his first US cap against Denmark coming on as subsitute, but for some reason Bradley played the speedy Mexican American as a left sided midfielder when every US fan watching wanted to see what the kid could do at left back.

I like what Bob Bradley has done with US team creating a unified group that believes in their head coach's system, but I was truly disappointed and frustrated over the defeats in Slovakia and Denmark. The US now must answer glaring questions both up front and in the back with the World Cup only six months away.

3. The Search for a Striker Continues

 The injury of Chalrie Davies in a tragic car crash in October will likely rule out the burgeoning star leaving the USMNT without a imposing threat at forward. Prior to the accident Davies was scoring goals for both club and country and giving defenders headaches with his blistering speed and quickness. Now the US must find a replacement for Davies if they want to improve upon their 2006 World Cup appearancewhere they only scored two goals.

Jozy Altidore has looked anything like the prodigy striker he looked like at this past summer’s Confederations Cup where he scored a crucial goal over number one ranked Spain in the US's historic upset. Altidore is a forward in desperate need of a goal as his confidence looks to be hurting.

The best thing the kid has going for him is his natural god given physical ability and it’s disheartening to see him trotting all over the field looking like he’s just out there for a jog. Until the 19 year old regains his confidence Bradley should leave Altidore out of the starting 11.

Jeff Cunningham, the lone goal scorer for the Americans on their trip to Europe, looked the only real threat up top for the US creating number of goal scoring opportunities in his 60 plus minutes against Denmark. Cunningham led MLS in goals this season including one four goal game against the Kansas City Wizards that grabbed national headlines. The 33 year old striker for FC Dallas is in form and could be the goal machine the US so desperatly need.

Outside of Connor Casey’s two huge goals against Honduras that qualified the US for the World Cup in October, the Colorado Rapids man hasn’t done much in a national team kit to ensure him a reoccurring role in the starting 11. Casey scored 16 goals this season in MLS to finish second in the race for the golden boot behind Cunningham. Like his fellow MLSer Cunningham, if Casey continues to score goals he’ll continue to be considered for the US, but he needs to do better job taking advantage of the opportunities he’s given with the national team.

Out of form Eddie Johnson looked like a man who hadn’t seen the pitch in ages which made sense as he has barely played at all for Fulham in the EPL this season. The inclusion of Johnson left many a US Soccer fan scratching their head why Bradley would bring in a player as cold as Johnson into the national team.

I’m still puzzled why Bradley didn’t call in Kenny Cooper who plays for 1860 Munich in Germany even though he has been getting more playing time than Altidore or Johnson has in Europe. Cooper’s critics have often pointed to fact that he doesn’t play as stereotypical holding forward despite being 6 ft 3. The former FC Dallas goal scorer has netted twice already in German League matches while Altidore has only scored one goal in England in a FA Cup match.

 In the Gold Cup this summer Bradley used Cooper mostly in a substitute role where he made the most of his time on the field scoring two goals in the tournament. To add further insult to injury, Cooper himself was injured a few days ago training with 1860 Munich and will be out for three weeks.

 Brian Ching and Robbie Findley also will have their chances to fight for the two starting forward spots as the position battle is far from over.

4. MLS Cup: Can David Beckham Finally Conquer America?

After two miserable seasons in Los Angeles, Becks and the LA Galaxywill be playing for the MLS Cup on Sunday (8:30 ET, ESPN) at Qwest Field in Seattle, WA. The Galaxy will face off against under dogs Real Salt Lake who upset Columbus and Chicago to make it to the Emerald City. Beckham has been a sensation for the Galaxy in the midfield since returning from his loan deal from AC Milan last summer.

In the opening round of the playoffs against Chivas USA Beckham catapulted a bending pass from the halfway line that faked out the camera man as well as a streaking Landon Donovan. Even though Donovan was unable to score on the goal, Beckham's pass was world class proving the former England captain still has some magic left.

I attended Real Salt Lake's penalty shoot out win over the Chicago Fire at Toyota Parklast Saturday night and one thing I noticed about RSL was how defenders Jamison Olave, Nat Bochers, and Robbie Russell were dominating the Chicago Fire's attack. You just got the sense that there was no way the Fire were going to score. The speed of 2009 MLS MVP Landon Donovan could open more space for the Galaxy against RSL then there was for the Fire, but expect Sunday's game to be low scoring.

5. The World Cup Finals is Set

Here is the list of the 32 countries that will compete in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Africa - Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa

Asia - Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea

Europe - Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland

North America - Honduras, Mexico, United States

Oceania - New Zealand

South America - Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay

My early favorite to win the World Cup is Brazil. The Samba Kings are the most talented, deepest team in international football hands down. When you have players like Ronaldhino and Diego unable to even make the roster you really should be the best in the world.

What are your thoughts on the beautiful game? Leave comments below.

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Who Will Make it to South Africa?

by Sean Heffernan

This week we saw all over the world a number of countries beginning to make their way toward South Africa, where in 272 days, World Cup 2010 will begin. The United States took two steps closer to qualifying with two hard fought victories against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago. Many complained about the Americans difficulty defeating two teams who on paper were significantly inferior, but in World Cup Qualifying a win is a win. It was a great week in the Beautiful Game. So without further adieu here are my thoughts...

 1. Will the World's Two Best Players Miss Out on the World Cup?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are widely regarded as the two best footballers in the world, but it is very possible that they won't take part in the upcoming World Cup. Messi's Argetina lost twice last week at home to Brazil and then again days later away to Paraguay. As for Ronaldo, his beloved Portugal won a crucial game against Hungary 1-0, but will have a tough fight in the coming months to earn a playoff spot in their group if they want any chance of making it to South Africa. Argentina is currently in fifth place in South America and would have to face the fourth place team from the US's group in a playoff if they held their current position.

Who doesn’t want to see the best players on Earth play on the biggest stage there is in sports? Each player led their clubs to the last two Champions League Championships. Ronaldo is the most complete attacker in the world. He can score in any way imaginable on the pitch:  the run of play, free kicks, long range bombs, headers, etc. The 24-year-old just left Manchester United for Real Madrid on $132 million deal making him one the richest athletes on the planet. Messi won the Champions League with FC Barcelona over Manchester Untied this past season displaying his world class playmaking abilities. Messi can change direction with the ball like Barry Sanders and create scoring opportunities out of nothing. Despite both players brilliance, their countries are in real danger of not qualifying. It would be a shame if these two athletes, in their primes, on top of the world with their clubs, don't even make it to South Africa.

2. Remaining Questions for the USMNT

The United States should always beat El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago, but US fans can't expect them to blow them out every time they play. The US on Wednesday won a crucial match against T&T in the Port of Spain 1-0, putting themselves on top of their group. The top three teams make the World Cup automatically in the region and with Costa Rica looking terrible the US are pretty much are a shoe in for 2010.

At left back the US continues to struggle and former Mexican international Edgar Castillo, who was recently cleared to play for the United States, should get a real shot at the position. The only viable option head coach Bob Bradley has is moving over Carlos Bocanegra over to left back and playing Jay DeMerit in the center with Oguchi Onyweu. Jonathan Borenstien's ill fated clearance gave El Salvador an early lead last Saturday. The US cannot afford mistakes like that in the future. To Borenstien's credit he did have a better game against T&T, but not good enough to inspire any kind of confidence in US Soccer fans. Bradley could consider some new faces from MLS like Tim Ward of the Chicago Fire or Todd Dunivant of the LA Galaxy, but the coach doesn’t have a whole lot of time to make up his mind before next summer.

The US needs to improve on how they start games. They have given up to many early goals in qualifying and against better teams they won't have a chance at coming back. The second half of the T&T game was the first time in as long as I can remember that the US really possessed the ball for long periods of time. Once the Americans started sitting on the ball they took control of the game which resulted in the lone goal from Ricardo Clark. After a frustrating first half, Michael Bradley stepped up his game, distributing the ball out of the midfield with accuracy and grit. If the US can possess the ball consistently good things will happen.

3. The Battle for the Midfield

The other position battle is in the middle of the field, where US coach Bob Bradley's son Michael Bradley has been a constant in qualifying. Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Maurice Edu, and Jose Francisco Torres have also been in the mix for the position in the past year. Clark scored the crucial goal against T&T on a wicked bending ball from outside the penalty box and is rumored to be moving abroad after this season with Houston. Feilhaber could be the best passer the US has outside of Landon Donovan, but looked better on the wing as a substitute against T&T as he did when he started against El Salvador in the middle.

There is a growing movement within US fans who want to see Jose Francisco Torres play more. The Mexican-American has been a solid contributor down in Mexico for his club Pachuca and showed promise when he's donned the Red, White, and Blue.  Torres really can play anywhere in the midfield for Bob Bradley which helps his chances of making the team in 2010.

Former Toronto FC man Maurice Edu was making his case earlier this year for as he worked his way into the starting lineup at Rangers. Edu was part of the Rangers squad that won the league title and the domestic cup in Scotland this past season. However, Edu had surgery on his knee in the off season and is slowly making his way back to the field. If Edu wants to be considered for the US team he will have to get healthy as soon as he can and get back into the Rangers roster.

The wild card in the battle for central midfield is German born Jermaine Jones, who is on the verge of becoming eligible to play for the United States. The 28-year-old is one of the best defensive midfielders in Germany with a knack for shutting down the center of the field and just being a bad ass. He's also known for speaking his mind freely and we shall see if his personality fits into Bob Bradley "group" mentality. To get an idea of both the good and the bad that comes with the Schalke midfielder check out this video.

In 2007 Jones helped Schalke advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. From the video you can tell he has a temper as in one clip he freaks out after being given an unjust yellow card for a superb tackle he made and earns himself a red card for dissent. Jones is coming off a hair-line fracture in his leg and has recently returned to training with Schalke and could be available for the US's trip to Honduras on October 10th.

We obviously have a real depth in the central defender role and we don't have anyone in our player pool who can be a Xavi or Steven Gerrad so why shouldn't Bob Bradley play two central defenders in the midfield. I almost wish Bradley would play a 4-3-3 with Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies, and Clint Dempsey up top and Donovan in the midfield with two central defenders ( i.e. Bradley, Jones, Edu, or Clark). I'd rather have Dempsey up top where he's more comfortable than have him doing tricks with the ball in the midfield. I doubt that Bradley would veer from the 4-4-2 with less than a year to go to the World Cup, but it’s just a thought. The left back spot no matter what will be a question mark going into South Africa, but the race for the central midfield will be the most interesting by far on the US national team.

4. England Continues to Dominate

With England's thrashing of Croatia 5-1, the Three Lions are through to the World Cup with Wednesday's victory. One thing England really has going for them is that they have two of the best midfielders in the world in Steven Gerrad and Frank Lampard. You know Lampard and Gerrad are going come through for their squad whether it’s for club or country. They both just have a hero quality to them that few players truly have. The duo had two goals each in the drubbing of Croatia (whom happens to be ranked 9th in the world by FIFA). England was expected to win at home in Wembley, but not by that margin.

One question mark is finding a striking partner for Wayne Rooney. Manager Fabio Capello has been starting Emile Heskey who has only scored 7 times in 56 appearances for England. One would think Jermaine Defoe would be considered in that role as the Tottenham man has been red hot of late for both England and Spurs. Defoe has scored 11 goals in just 36 appearances. He's smaller than the physical Heskey or 6 ft 7 Peter Crouch, but if he keeps scoring goals the way he has than I don't know how Capello can keep him off the pitch.

Now that the English are qualified for the World Cup, it will be interesting to see how Capello experiments with his team for the rest of their games. There’s still a lot of time from now until next summer, but presently England looks like a force to be reckoned with.

5. Knock, Knock. Who's There? (Slap) KGB! We Shall Ask the Questions!

The Russians are coming! Andrei Arshavin and company defeated Wales and Lichtenstein over the weekend putting them second in the group behind Germany. If Russia can win at home against the Germans they’ll have a very good chance of winning the group. In what could prove to be a crucial blunder Germany tied Finland 3-3 last October currently leaving Russia just one point behind the Die Mannschaft. Russia’s captain, Arshavin is playing brilliantly for Arsenal and looks to be worth every penny the club spent on him. Striker Roman Pavlyuchenko has been on form for his country scoring 5 goals in World Cup qualifying wile Zenit St. Petersburg's Konstantin Zyryanov has been a creative force in the midfield for the Russians. Look for Russia to surprise a lot of people next year in South Africa as they did at Euro 2008.

Do you have any thoughts on the Beautiful Game? Please share them below.

Will You Join the American Soccer Revolution?

  by Sean Heffernan

 This week's look at the happening and going ons taking place in "The Beautiful Game" touches on the kick off the English Premier League, MLS taking on a Latino flair, and just some cool stuff. Withthe EPL back and the Champions League beginning we have plenty of soccer to enjoy as August is drawing closer to its end. So let's get started. ...

1. Manchester United's Downfall
This week saw the Red Devils fall to newly promoted to the English Premier League Burnley 1-0 in a shocker. It took a wonder goal from Burnley midfielder Robbie Blake and a superhuman day from keeper Brian Jensen to pull off the historic win, but in my opinion Manchester United hasn't done enough in the transfer market to win the EPL again. Landon Donovan is better than most of the Red Devil's lineup: Michael Owen, Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick, Park Ji-Sung.
 
United can't expect Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov to carry them all season. They're missing a world class player who can create chances for United to score. Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo who both left Old Trafford this past season filled that description and manager Sir Alex Ferguson didn't do anything to replace that creative element in the transfer market.
 
2. London Burning:  Arsenal and Tottenham
The two teams off to the best start in the twilight of the 2009 EPL campaign have to be the duo of London based clubs Arsenal and Tottenham.
 
The Gunners of Arsenal scorched contenders Everton6-1 in their season opener and then went on to defeat Scottish power Celtic 2-0 at Celtic Park in Champions League Qualifying earlier this week. With the likes of Robin van Persie, Cesc Fàbregas, and Andrei Arshavin running the show the Gunners' attack is pretty deadly.
 
At White Hart Lane the Spurs of Tottenhamhave looked as good as ever with a surprise victory over Liverpool in their opener followed by a drubbing of Hull City 5-1 a few days later. The North London club has a stable of capable strikers in Jermaine Defoe (scored a hat trick against Hull), Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch, and Roman Pavlyuchenko. Tottenham have historically been a mid table club, but Harry Redkanpp's squad might be one of the most talented in the club's history. Spurs finished 8th last season, but don't be suprized if the Lilywhites put some heat on the Big Four this year.
 
3. Americans in the UK
 
 Clint Dempsey scored on a long range strike against Russian side Amkar Perm to help Fulhamto a 3-1 victory. Dempsey who scored three goals earlier this summer for the U.S. in the ConfederationsCup recently signed a new deal with the Cottagers. The other American at Fulham, Eddie Johnson, might see more action withstarting striker Andy Johnson out for 8 weeks with an injury.
 
Jozy Altidore looks to finally make his debut at Hull City this Saturday as the 19-year-old U.S. international has returned to England after a lengthy work permit delay because of his U.S. teammate Landon Donovan contracting swine flu. Altidore landed in England last night and will likely be used in some capacity tomorrow against Bolton. 

4. What's crackin in MLS 
 I was able to cover the Columbus Crew CONCAF Champions League game against the Puerto Rico Islanders at Crew Stadium last Tuesday for Soccer365. Guillermo Barros Schelotto returned to the starting lineup for the Crew and was a delight to watch as he carved up Puerto Rico's midfield. The 2008 MLS MVP really has a knack for always making the right pass whenever he touches the ball. The Crew won 2-0 in front of a small, but devoted crowd of fans.
 
Two Mexican players joined MLS this week with Mexican-American Jesus Padilla agreeing to a deal with Chivas USA ands Luis Angel Landin signing with first place Houston Dynamo on a loan deal from Mexico City club Cruz Azul. MLS has long been supported by the futbol-loving Latino communities in the United States and bringing in promising young Mexican players could be a very good thing for the league.
 
The L.A. Galaxy soundly defeated the Chicago Fire 2-0 on Wednesday night on ESPN2 from Toyota Park. The Fire played a poor game in front of a sell out crowd that were expecting to see David Beckham, but the superstar was out because of a red card he received in the previous game. On Thursday night the Seattle Sounders fell to the New England Revolution 1-0 in front of 32,705 fans as the Sounders continually to be the hottest ticket in the Emerald City.  

*Hot off the Press: Rumor has it that Landon Donovan may be headed to French club Paris St. Germain (PSG) on a loan deal after the MLS season is finished. Americans have recently found success playing in Ligue 1 as U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes) and young striker Charlie Davies (Sochaux) have displayed. PSG is historically one of the best clubs in France and one would think the versatile Donovan would see a lot of the field for the club.

5. Cool Stuff
If you haven't seen this yet check it out: "The Sports Guy" Bill Simmons wrote a great piece on the U.S./Mexico game that he attended. The story is indicative of the soccer movement taking place presently in American sports.

If you want to find the pulse of American soccer look no further than Soccer365 cohort Greg Seltzer's blog www.NoShortCorners.com . His blog is quickly becoming my favorite to place check legitimate soccer news pertaining to U.S. players in America or in Europe. Check it out.
 
Until next week. Feel free to comment below on "The Beautiful Game".

 The weekly column touches on the failure in Mexico City for the US Men's National Team as well as the English Premier League kicking off. Enjoy! ...

1. US Fall Again in Azteca
After taking the lead early in the 1st half on a killer goal by striker Charlie Davies, Mexico came back scoring twice to send the Americans away from Mexico City disappointed. On the winning goal, Landon Donovan was uncharacteristically beat down the wing. Turns out Donovan swine flu. How ironic that the US's best player would contract the pandemic that originated in Mexico just before their crucial World Cup qualifier. Donovan should be fine and might even play this weekend for his club the L.A. Galaxy.
 
2. Bob Bradley's Roster Choice Troubles
There was a lot of uproar over the starting 11 that head coach Bob Bradley put out there against Mexico. The lineup included Brian Ching and Ricardo Clark who play for MLS club the Houston Dyanmo. Ching and Clark had played two games in 3 days the weekend prior to Wednesday and both players looked tired in Azteca. Many thought Jozy Altidore would start the game being one of the Americans' leading scorers in qualifying, but the 19-year-old didn't get on the field until late in the game.
 
The left back position continues to be a problem for the US as captain Carlos Bocanegra looked exposed outside of his preferred position in the center. The real question is will Bob Bradley learn from this defeat and find the best 11 for next summer's World Cup in South Africa? 
 
3. Things Begin in Jolly Ole England
The English Premier League kicks off this weekend with a number of Americans involved this year. Yank keepers Brad Freidel (Aston Villa) and Tim Howard (Everton) will hope to crack the top four this year. Altidore (Hull City) may see his debut this weekend against super club Chelsea. Clint Dempsey and Fulham had a break out last year and will hope to continue that success. American fullbacks Jonathan Spector (West Ham) and Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa) will look to crack their respected starting lineups. My only hope outside of our boys doing well in the EPL is that someone finished in the top four other than Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool. Don't those redcoats get sick of the same thing every year?

4. MLS Going Ons

The weekends games will see if the Columbus Crew and L.A. Galaxy can keep their win streaks going. The Galaxy and David Beckham welcome Freddy Ljungberg and the Seattle Sounders to the Home Depot Center while the Crew welcome red hot FC Dallas to central Ohio.

Rumors of Pavel Nedved coming to the MLS have been swirling around after the Czech star hinted at the possibility to the media. Some pundits are placing him in Chicago which has a strong Czech demographic and Cuontomec Blanco is thought to be leaving the Fire after this season. I'm not sure Nedved would want to wait until next season to start playing as he's trying to get back into form for a possible national team return.

The MLS has agreed to terms with Seattle Sounders star Freddy Montero's club Deportivo Cali which is good news for the league as well as the Seattle Sounders. MLS should be able to sell the exciting, young player eventually for a nice price.

5. Super Cooper in Germany

Look for U.S. striker Kenny Cooper to score a lot of goals this year for German second division club 1860 Munich this season. Cooper started with a bang scoring in his debut with The Lions. The former FC Dallas man can score with his size as well his with his nifty feet, but never had the same quality of talent surrounding him when he played in MLS. Cooper's next chance to find the back of the net will be on Saturday vs. Hansa Rostock.

Check out my Soccer365 article about young American Fabrice-Jean Picault who is playing for Caliagri's second team in Italy

Why you Should Care About US vs. Mexico

What did you think of this week in the Beautiful Game? Share your thoughts below!

The daunting Estadio Azteca awaits the United States

by Sean Heffernan 

BTeamBombers writer Sean Heffernan touches on five topics heating up in the soccer world from David Beckham to the upcoming World Cup Qualifer between US/Mexico to the MLS salary cap to Real Madrid. Enjoy! ...

1. Next week: US Goes to Azteca to Face Mexico in World Cup Qualifier

The United States has never beaten Mexico inside the massive 105,000 seat Estadio Azteca. A upset over El Tri this coming Wednesday would be the perfect ending to a history making summer of soccer for the U.S. National Team. That feat is easier said than done. Just imagine a 100,000 plus screaming Mexicans in a mist of colored smoke bombs, flying beers, and waving Mexico flags. Not to mention the August late afternoon  humidity beating down on the field at 7200 feet above sea level.  Azteca is undoubtidly one of the hardest places to play in the world. Although, the U.S. has already done the impossible this summer. The upset over #1 ranked Spain in the Confederations Cup has made the U.S. team relevant in the American sports landscape to a degree even David Beckham has yet to truly achieve. ESPN was unable to aquire the game's rights (NBC will show the game on Mun2 in English as well as telemundo...check your local listings), but is still putting on a full out pre-game and post-game shows  even though the game will not be aired on their network.

Expect US coach Bob Bradley to stick to the lineup he used in South Africa during the Confederations Cup with U.S . all time leading goal scorer,  Landon Donovan leading the attack. Donovan will be the most hated man in Mexico City when the two countries hit the field as he long has been a pest to the Green, Red, and White. The US/Mexico game  (4 P.M. EST, set your DVRs if you can't get out of work) will likely be one of the most watched soccer games in United States' history. Any world football expert would be hard pressed to find a more heated rivalry between two countries than the "Border War" between the US and Mexico. If you love rivalries you will love US and Mexico in Azteca.

2. Fox Soccer Channel Needs HD ASAP

Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) should be commended for all the significant number of games it televises as well as their  nightly soccer reports and terrific soccer talk show, Fox Football Fone In, but the channel is falling behind in one area specifically: High Definition. FSC has set a target date of January 2010 to begin airing some matches in HD. The fact that FSC is not being concrete about an exact date when they will be HD operational makes me worry if they'll actually be able to meet their tentative goal. Today,  a televised athletic event that isn't in HD looks 10 years old compared to a game in HD. Not having HD makes it harder for FSC to compete with ESPN who has HD and bigger budgets for their broadcasts. ESPN already has won the rights to some EPL coverage as well the World Cup next summer. Fox onthe rights to this year's Champions League and hopefully will air some games on other Fox channels other than FSC that actually have HD until the channel is available in HD. C'mon Rupert Murdock! Get her done!

3. FC Dallas on the Rise?

After selling their leading goal scorer American Kenny Cooper to 1860 Munich earlier this month, FC Dallas has won two straight slowly creeping back into the playoff picture. Long time MLS pro Jeff Cunningham has scored 5 goals in two games (4 goals in last Saturday night's game). Check out my interview with FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty. I'm excited to see what FC Dallas young group of American players can do the second half of the season with the likes of Brek Shea, Kyle Davies, Anthony Wallace, and McCarty leading the way. Now if they could only figure out a way to get more fans at their games. Maybe owner Clark Hunt should give Jerry Jones a call. Winning for a change should help though.

4. MLS Players Union After Free Agency

Unlike other major sports in this country MLS players do not have the luxury of free agency where they have multiple teams bid for their services which drives up salaries. Instead the league handles all the players contracts  as one single entity. It seems unlikey that the owners will give in to the players's demands especially in this economic climate, but any type of lock out would be devastating for the 16-year-old league. The MLS's salary cap desperatly needs to be raised with  too many players getting paid less a year than they would  make if they were out digging ditches on the side of the road. Some players even have to coach youth soccer teams or work a side job just make ends meet. You have to respect these guys playing for the love of the game, but the league is big enough to point where teams should be able to pay their players enough to live on. If teams are allowed to spend more, teams can bring higher quality talent to the league improving the product on the field: the most vital component to MLS growing as a league. Hopefully this matter between the players and the league will be resolved shortly.  

5.  What to Watch This Weekend

Mega rich Spanish club Real Madrid and their duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka are rumored to be making their debut together tonight as the Galacticos face MLS side Toronto FC in a pre-season friendly (ESPN 7:30 EST). Madrid signed the Brazilian, Kaka ($92 million), former Manchester United star and Portugese international  Ronaldo  ($131 million), and French goal scorer Karim Benzema ($48 million) this offseason.

On Saturday, David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy will see if they can continue their recent success as they travel to New England to face the Revolution (6 PM EST, FSC). Beckham was booed last week in the Galaxy's friendly with FC Barcelona until he scored a bending free kick for L.A. to tie the game up with the Champions of Europe. The Galaxy eventually lost the game 2-1 to Barcelona, but one would think if Beckham continues to play as well as he has been playing Galaxy fans will quickly forgive him for his loan departure last winter to AC Milan. I don't know how well the Revolution fans will treat the Englishmen on Saturday, but hopefully they get a nice crowd for the game. The Galaxy/Revolution game will be followed on FSC by another MLS contest between the San Jose Earthquakes and 2008 MLS Cup Champs the Columbus Crew which in addittion will be followed by Barcelona facing Mexican club Chivas Guadalajara live from San Francisco in another friendly match.

If that's not enough soccer for you on Sunday the Houston Dynamo host the Chicago Fire in a battle of two of the leagues best teams (Go Fire! Sorry, Chicago bias). The English Premier League kicks off as the world's most popular club Manchester United and the Blues of Chelsea square off in the Community Shield (10 AM EST, FSC). Then to cap off your soccer weekend you can catch DC United have their stab at Real Madrid (3 PM ET, FSC). Here's to sitting on our arses all weekend!

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In a new segment, soccer writer Sean Heffernan takes the pulse of the American soccer landscape. Today's installment touches on the MLS All Star Game, the U.S.'s failure in the Gold Cup Final against heated rival Mexico, Manchester United's hopes for another EPL title, Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu's loan possibilites, and the upcoming L.A. Galaxy/Barcelona friendly. Enjoy! ...

1.       MLS All-Star Game: The Most Entertaining All Star Game in Sports

Last night the best players in Major League Soccer squared off against English Premier League club Everton in Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. Instead of the typical interleague East vs. West format other American sports use, MLS chooses one squad of All Stars and plays a club from overseas. American soccer fans get to see the best players in their domestic league (MLS) as well as stars they normally would never see play.

In terms of quality of the actual game the MLS is ahead of the rest of the country’s professional sports leagues. The MLB All Star game is bound in controversy over the World Series home field advantage rule and more people seem to enjoy the Home Run Derby than the actual game. The NHL All Star game is a watered down version of hockey with very little checking.  Five minutes into the NBA All Star Game you realize that every play ends in a dunk. No one watches the Pro Bowl. I don’t know what it is about soccer, but last night you could tell that both squads were going full speed. Seeing stars like Landon Donovan, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, and Freddy Ljungberg putting in a whole hearted performance is much more entertaining to me then watching Kobe, Lebron,and Shaq playing at 70%. Inside Rio Tinto Stadium (brand new soccer specific home of MLS side Real Salt Lake) the crowd of over 20,000 got their money’s worth on the field.  

After 90 plus minutes the game was tied thanks to a clinic put on in both nets by current and former U.S. National Team goalies Tim Howard (Everton) and Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC). In the penalty shootout, both goalies continued to display their brilliance in net blocking numerous free kicks (most goalies can only muster a save or two in penalty kicks if their lucky) In the end Tim Howard made one more save then fellow countrymen Kasey giving the victory to Everton.

2.       The Golden Disappointment: Mexico’s Thrashing of US in Gold Cup

I was at Soldier Field for the Gold Cup semifinal doubleheader between U.S. vs. Honduras and Mexico vs. Costa Rica. Towards the end of the U.S. game it was really noticeable how tired the U.S. squad was. A late game injection of Kenny Cooper galvanized the American squad for a second goal, but I felt Bob Bradley would have to mix up the lineup for the final as to put the freshest team on the pitch in New York against Mexico. Instead U.S. coach Bradley put the same starting 11 out against Mexico leaving hungry players like Kenny Cooper, Sam Cronin, and Santino Quaranta on the bench. The US played Mexico to tie at half, but Mexico made early subs whereas Bradley held off aiding his tired squad until it was too late and the Mexican onslaught ended in a embarrassing score line of 5-0. Bradley simply mismanaged the U.S. squad’s fitness going into the final. Our boys simply ran out of legs. Hopefully, we’ll get some revenge in the massive World Cup Qualifier against Mexico in Azteca coming up in a few weeks.

3.       Man United Looks Pedestrian Without Ronaldo and Tevez

Despite selling Cristiano Ronaldo for a fortune, Manchester United has yet to buy a big name this offseason as they prepare to defend their English Premier League title for the second year in a row. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson signed Englishmen Michael Owen even though the former Newcastle striker hasn’t been in form for a few years. However, I did watch a classic match on FSC when Owen played for Liverpool and in the early part of this decade he was one of the best forwards in the world. Still, without the creative spark of a Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tevez I would not be surprised to see the Red Devils fall behind the likes of Chelsea or Liverpool this year in the EPL.

4.       Americans Abroad Transfer Talk: Altidore and Adu Up in the Air

Last season was a lesson for both U.S. youngsters Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu. Altidore and Adu spent last season on unsuccessful loan deals from their respective clubs. Altidore looked promising earlier in the year earning a few appearances for Villarreal in Spain, but was loaned to Segundo club Xerez where he never saw the field. Former child prodigy Freddy Adu was loaned from his Portugese club Benfica to Ligue One side Monaco, but the 20-year old never really figured into the team’s plans while in the south of France. Now back with their original clubs both Americans are looking for more playing time. Rumors had been swirling around Altidore going to Greece and playing for Olympiakos, but no deal ever materialized. The latest news on Altidore is that Spanish club Malaga CF is back in the hunt for the striker according to goal.com and radio reports out of Spain. As for Freddy Adu there was reported interest from an unnamed Dutch club a few days ago, but he is now currently training with Benfica.

5.       David Beckham and the Galaxy Face Barcelona in the Rose Bowl  

This month European clubs such as Chelsea, AC Milan, and Inter Milan have drawn huge crowds across America hinting at a growing fan base for “The Beautiful Game” stateside. This coming Saturday’s match between David Beckham’s L.A. Galaxy and Champions League winners, Barcelona, should  add to what has been a great summer for soccer in this country. There should be a great atmosphere inside Pasadena’s massive Rose Bowl. Barcelona has two of the biggest names in world football on roster in Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi along with a slew of other world class stars. Messi has to have the inside track for FIFA’s Player of the Year award after leading Barcelona past Manchester United in the Champions League Final earlier this year in Rome. Saturday’s game should be competitive as the Galaxy are currently playing wonderfully in MLS while Barcelona’s squad is out of form with the La Liga season kicking off at the end of August. Regardless, this David vs. Goliath match should make for good television (Saturday, 8 P.M. EST, Fox Soccer Channel).

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