After all of the controversey and posturing US Soccer has decided to go with what has been proven to work: Columbus Crew Stadium as site of the US vs Mexico World Cup Qualifier.

The border war between the two nations actually has a fair amount of history at Columbus Crew Stadium. In what some called the "Guerra Fria (Cold War)" because of a 29-degree game-time temperature, the United States defeated Mexico 2-0 on Feb. 28, 2001, on goals by Josh Wolff and Earnie Stewart.

With the weather far warmer, the Americans beat El Tri 2-0 at Columbus on Sept. 3, 2005, as Steve Ralston and DaMarcus Beasley scored, clinching the fifth consecutive World Cup berth for the United States.  

All in all, the USSF got it right.  A USA-Mexico World Cup qualifier isn't about marketing or ticket sales- it's about a crucial home result and a win for the Americans is nothing but expected on friendly turf anymore.  The Red, White and Blue is 8-0-2 at home against Mexico since 2000 outscoring El Tri 17-3.  

ESTADOS UNIDOS! (clap clap clap) ESTADOS UNIDOS! (clap clap clap!)  

I hope head coach Bob Bradley calls up Jose Torres just to make a statment!

Sweden plays the U.S. in Los Angeles on Jan. 24 and will meet Mexico in Oakland on Jan. 28.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: John Alvbage (Orebro), Eddie Gustafsson (Lyn).

Defenders: Patrik Anttonen (Orebro), Rasmus Bengtsson (Trelleborg), Mattias Bjarsmyr (IFK Goteborg), Adam Johansson (IFK Goteborg), Markus Jonsson (AIK), Marcus Lindberg (Kalmar), Max von Schlebrugge (Brondby).

Midfielders: Daniel Andersson (Malmo), Martin Ericsson (Elfsborg), Rasmus Elm (Kalmar), Samuel Holmen (Brondby), Andreas Johansson (Halmstad), Andreas Dahl (Nordsjaelland), Andreas Landgren (Helsingborg).

Forwards: Patrik Ingelsten (Kalmar), Gustav Svensson (IFK Goteborg), Ola Toivonen (Malmo), Pontus Wernbloom (IFK Goteborg), Henrik Larsson (Helsingborg), Mikael Dahlberg (Djurgarden).

I realize that MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis taking over Arsenal FC as the club's new CEO is yesterday's new, but foxsoccer.com's Jaime Trecker wrote an awesome story about the matter.

"Wednesday night, MLS commissioner Don Garber was honored at the annual March of Dimes luncheon.
In introducing him, Robert Kraft, owner of the NFL Patriots and MLS Revolution said that hiring Garber in 1999 was "the best business decision I have ever been involved with."

Gazidis (R) has been Commissioner Don Garber's right-hand man since 1999, including the 2001 All-Star game. (Brian Bahr / Getty Images)
What Kraft didn't mention - and only a handful of folks outside MLS' inner circle know - is how much of Garber and MLS' success is due to the contributions of another man.

"I got a lot of advice when I started this job, and I remember not knowing a lot about the politics behind the scene," said Garber yesterday afternoon by phone from New York. "In fact, I remember being grilled by a reporter at a table outside after the announcement was made and thinking: 'What the heck have I got myself into here?"

To read the rest of the article go here:

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/8895382/Gazidis'-Arsenal-appointment-speaks-volumes-for-MLS

So it Gazidis MLS's biggest pond skipper to date??? 

Then there were four. 

The Final Four as they say in college basketball.  The college soccer equivalent to the Big Dance has been narrowed down to four remaining programs after four rounds of single elmination format.  Four programs that all have College Cup experience before. 

Wake Forest, North Carolina, Maryland and St. John's will duke it out to be college soccer's best next weekend at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX- home to MLS side FC Dallas. 

Lets take a look how they got there. 

After a first round bye, Wake Forest squeaked by The Tribe of William & Mary 1-0. However, Dartmouth posed no threat whatsoever as the Demon Deacon's assaulted the Ivy League club 7-0.  Wake Florida handled South Florida in similar fashion routing the Bulls 5-0 making it the Deason's fifth straight trip to the semifinals. 

North Carolina also had a first round bye, but also barely escaped in the opening round with a 1-0 result against Jacksonville.  University of Illinois-Chicago took the Tar Heels to overtime, but ultimately lost 3-2.  In the quarterfinal another 1-0 win for North Carolina over Northwestern sent the Chapel Hill side to its third final four. 

After another first round bye, St. John's University of New York City squeaked by its opening round opponent Boston University 1-0 followed by another narrow 3-2 win margin over UC-Irvine in the next round.  The Indiana Hoosier had a 2-1 score with two minutes remaining in regulation before the Red Storm scored the equalizer sending the game into extra time before scoring the golden goal.  

Maryland also watched first round action with a bye and easily downed George Mason 2-0 in the second round.  Terrapins beat the Golden Bears of California 2-1 beore a 1-0 over the Creighton Jays in the quarterfinal.  

In a battle for Tar Heel state bragging right, Wake Forest (23-1-1) will play North Carolina (14-7-1) in the semifinal on Friday December 12 at 5:30 ET followed by the other semifinal between St. John's (19-2-3) and Maryland (21-3-0).

The national championship will be on Sunday December 14 at 1pm ET.

All matches will be hosted at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX- home of MLS side FC Dallas. 

Who you got winning???

I'm picking Wake Forest to go for a repeat!

A couple of weeks ago while watching the Fox Football Fone-in show on Fox Soccer Channel I learned of a fairly new but totally awesome company called Bumpy Pitch. Nick and Steven hosted the owners and founders on the show and rocked some of their duds on the air. 

An excerpt from their website www.bumpypitch.com is below:

"Bumpy Pitch is a two pronged project encompassing a clothing company and an online magazine (theoriginalwinger.com). Our singular focus is to showcase the culture and lifestyle that soccer inspires. Our roots in Los Angeles, mixed with our collective experiences within the sport creates a unique platform for the only soccer inspired lifestyle company.

Bumpy Pitch apparel is inspired by the history and global influence of soccer as well as our roots and experiences growing up in Los Angeles. The combination inspires a clothing line that pays respect to the sport, while presenting soccer as more than a sport, but as a lifestyle. The line consists of 100% cut and sew pieces ensuring that each item is fabricated specifically for Bumpy Pitch. With each item that we create and design, we are not only presenting a product but telling a story and building a lifestyle. All of our clothes are designed and manufactured in Los Angeles, California.

Theoriginalwinger.com is an extension of the product line and serves as a platform for which we can connect, inform and engage with our culture on a daily basis. In less than a year The Original Winger has become the leading online voice in building and supporting the lifestyle of the world's most popular sport.

There is no bigger subculture consisting of passionate, informed and involved participants. Up to this point our culture has been underserved from a lifestyle perspective. The focus of the sport has always been limited to what takes place on the pitch, and has largely ignored how it influences and inspires people in every facet of their lives. Bumpy Pitch is changing that daily and helping the sport grow and evolve in a way that is much more representative of who we are in the 21st century." 

I went to the website, browsed around and really liked what I saw.  As soon I get some extra cash, that Fall River Marksmen shirt is mine- all mine!  

Cheers!

NCAA Division I men's soccer field has been narrowed down to eight teams.  In the 50th Anniversary of the College Cup, the remaining field contains some of the tournament's most familiar faces.

Dec. 6 will be the date when some of college soccer's most storied programs go head to head to see who move on to the 2009 College Cup at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX.

Last year's champions Wake Forest (22-1-1) will host Elite 8 newcomer South Florida (15-4-3). 

North Carolina (13-7-1) takes on the Big 10's Northwestern (15-4-3) who find themselves in uncharted territory this late in the tournament.

St. John's (18-2-3) will play the 7-time champions Indiana (14-6-3) who advanced rather dominantly despite a rather weak regular season record.

Lastly but certainly not least features a matchup between the heartland and the metro.  Maryland(20-3-0) will play Creighton (16-1-2) in College Park, MD.

The winners of these matchups will head to Frisco, TX for the "Final Four" of men's division I college soccer- the College Cup.  

A history of the competition can be found below: 

Year     Champion    Record
1959    St. Louis    (11-1)
1960    St. Louis    (14-1)
1961    West Chester    (12-0)
1962    St. Louis    (12-0-1)
1963    St. Louis    (13-1)
1964    Navy    (15-0)
1965    St. Louis    (14-0)
1966    San Francisco    (11-0-1)
1967    Michigan St.    (12-0-2)
           St. Louis    (8-3-2)
1968    Maryland    (14-0-1)
           Michigan St.    (11-1-3)
1969    St. Louis    (13-0)
1970    St. Louis    (14-0-1)
1971    Howard#    (15-0)
1972    St. Louis    (15-2-3)
1973    St. Louis    (15-2-3)
1974    Howard    (19-0)
1975    San Francisco    (21-1-2)
1976    San Francisco    (20-2-3)
1977    Hartwick    (16-0-2)
1978    San Francisco#    (28-1)
1979    SIU Edwardsville    (19-2-3)
1980    San Francisco    (24-0-2)
1981    Connecticut    (20-3-2)
1982    Indiana    (21-3-1)
1983    Indiana    (21-1-4)
1984    Clemson    (22-4)
1985    UCLA    (20-1-4)
1986    Duke    (18-5-1)
1987    Clemson    (18-5-1)
1988    Indiana    (19-3-3)
1989    Santa Clara    (20-0-3)
            Virginia    (21-2-2)
1990    UCLA    (19-1-4)
1991    Virginia*    (19-1-2)
1992    Virginia    (21-2-1)
1993    Virginia    (22-3)
1994    Virginia    (22-3-1)
1995    Wisconsin    (20-4-1)
1996    St. John's (N.Y.)    (22-2-2)
1997    UCLA    (22-2)
1998    Indiana    (23-2)
1999    Indiana    (21-3)
2000    Connecticut    (20-3-2)
2001    North Carolina    (21-4)
2002    UCLA    (18-3-3)
2003    Indiana    (17-3-5)
2004    Indiana*    (18-4-1)
2005    Maryland    (19-4-2)
2006    UC Santa Barb.    (17-7-1)
2007    Wake Forest    (22-2-2)
*Penalty kicks
#Later vacated 

This Thanksgiving I would like to point out the things American soccer fans should be thankful for.  So here we go:

1. I'm thankful that America is the land of opportunity that caused so many people to immigrate to the United States and bring the beautiful game with them.

2. I'm thankful for the St. Louis Amatuer Football Association which was the first organized league in the country and laid the grass roots foundation for the sport in the U.S.

3. I'm thankful for FIFA granting the U.S. Football Association full membership on August 15, 1913

4. I'm thankful for the U.S. Open Cup which kept the competitive game alive when no professional leagues existed. 

5. I'm thankful for FIFA organizing the first World Cup in 1930 hosted in Uruguay creating what would become the most popular sporting event in the world.

6. I'm thankful for the 1950 U.S. World Cup team which upset England 1-0.

7. I'm thankful for NCAA soccer and the pioneering coaches who increased the sports popularity in the 1970's and 08's which played a direct role in increasing the talent pool for the U.S national team.

8. I'm thankful for the North American Soccer League which first exposed the U.S. to soccer greats like Pele, Cruyff, and Beckenbauer. 

9. I'm thankful for Paul Caliguri scoring the "goal heard round the world" in a 1-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago clinching the USA's first appearance in the World Cup since 1950. 

10. I'm thankful for the men and women who brough the 1994 World Cup to the United States.

11. I'm thankful for the visions of men like Lamar Hunt and Phil Anschutz who invested heavily in Major League Soccer bringing back the professional game in this country.

12. I'm thankful for Major League Soccer- the simply fact the U.S. even has its own professional league even if it's not the English Premier League, La Liga or Serie A.

13. I'm thankful for the American players who currently practice their trade abroad living what I am sure is a difficult lifestyle to become better players.

14. I'm thankful that ESPN has seen the value of soccer to their programming and their broadcasts of U.S. national team, MLS, UEFA Champions League, World Cup and Euro 2008 matches. 

15. I'm thankful for Fox Soccer Channel and the Fox Football Fone-In show allowing fans to have their voice. 

16. I'm thankful for the new CONCACAF Champions League. 

17. I'm thankful for all the volunteer coaches out there who take the time to coach and develop young players. 

18. I'm thankful for all the referees out there, because without them, the organized game could not exist. 

So that's what THIS American soccer fan is thankful for.

What are YOU thankful for?

MLS commissioner Don Garber gave his annual "state of the league" address this past weekend as part of the Supporters Summit and MLS Cup festivities.

Major points from the speech are as follows:

1. No more reserve division

2. No SuperLiga-CONCACAF Champions League cross-over

3. Same playoff format and conference league structure

4. Seattle Sounders FC already have 18,000 season ticket deposits. 

Questions remaining:

1. With no reserve division how will the league's club develope their younger talent?  Will the youth player development rules change or could the USL become the proving grounds for aspiring professional players?

2. Champions League get's the turkey dinner, while SuperLiga gets MLS's scraps. Which should be more important to the league's long-term goals: a marketing initiative or a tournament where the winner represents the region at the FIFA World Club Cup?

3. Garber made his arguement for the playoffs?  Fine.  But the structure still allows clubs with mediocre win/loss records to get into the big dance.  How is this good for the league?

4. Will the expansion Sounders become the new business model for MLS clubs?

Final thoughts on MLS Cup weekend:

Former player/former LA Galaxy GM turned ESPN soccer broadcaster shot-gunned a Red Bull on live television.

During the MLS Cup presentation ceremony, Don Garber presented the new Philip Anschutz Trophy to Columbus captain Guillermo Barros Schelotto ... but the player was Frankie Hejduk. 

Play-by-play man JP Dellacamera said that MLS Cup was broadcasted in over 140 countries many of them in soccer-hotbeds. 

I wonder what their thoughts are on American soccer after watching MLS Cup 2008???

New York Red Bulls (2-1-1) vs. Columbus Crew (3-0-1)

November 23, 2008 -- The Home Depot Center

Scoring Summary:
CLB -- Alejandro Moreno 1 (Guillermo Barros Schelotto 4) 31
NY -- John Wolyniec 2 (Dane Richards 2) 51
CLB -- Chad Marshall 2 (Guillermo Barros Schelotto 5) 53
CLB -- Frankie Hejduk 1 (Guillermo Barros Schelotto 6, Eddie Gaven 1) 82
New York Red Bulls -- Danny Cepero, Chris Leitch, Diego Jimenez, Carlos Mendes, Kevin Goldthwaite, Dane Richards, Luke Sassano (Jorge Rojas 78), Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Dave van den Bergh, Juan Pablo Angel, John Wolyniec (Macoumba Kandji 82).

Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Boyens, Gabriel Cichero, Mike Magee, Caleb Patterson-Sewell, Juan Pietravallo

Columbus Crew -- William Hesmer, Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Danny O'Rourke, Gino Padula, Eddie Gaven (Steven Lenhart 93+), Brian Carroll, Brad Evans, Robbie Rogers, Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Andy Iro 91+), Alejandro Moreno.

Substitutes Not Used: Emmanuel Ekpo, Andy Gruenebaum, Ezra Hendrickson, Stefani Miglioranzi, Pat Noonan

Columbus Crew    New York Red Bulls

Total Shots:    11     (Alejandro Moreno 3,
 Robbie Rogers 3)    8     (Juan Pablo Angel 2,
 John Wolyniec 2)
Shots On Goal:    6     (Alejandro Moreno 2)    1     (John Wolyniec 1)
Fouls:    13     (Guillermo Barros Schelotto 3)    11     (Chris Leitch 3)
Offsides:    4     (4 tied with 1)    1     (Juan Pablo Angel 1)
Corner Kicks:    6     (Guillermo Barros Schelotto 6)    4     (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 2,
 Dave van den Bergh 2)
Saves:    0        3     (Danny Cepero 3)

Misconduct Summary:
NY -- Chris Leitch (caution; Reckless Tackle) 4
CLB -- Gino Padula (caution; Reckless Tackle) 68

Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Referee's Assistants: Greg Barkey; Kermit Quisenberry
4th Official: Mark Geiger

Time Of Game: 1:52

Attendance: 27,000

Weather: Cloudy -and- 68 degrees

All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial

-- U.S. Men's National Team Game Report --

Match: USA vs. Guatemala
Date: November 19, 2008
Competition: 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Semifinal Round
Venue: Dick's Sporting Goods Park - Commerce City, Colo.
Kickoff: 6 p.m. MT
Attendance: 9,303
Weather: 52 degrees, clear

Scoring Summary:     1    2    F
USA                                0    2    2
Guatemala                    0    0    0

Scoring:
USA - Kenny Cooper (Jozy Altidore)         54th minute.
USA - Freddy Adu                                        69.

Lineups:
USA: 18-Brad Guzan; 5-John Thorrington, 3-Clarence Goodson, 15-Michael Parkhurst, 2-Jonathan Bornstein; 10-Freddy Adu (7-Davy Arnaud, 83), 4-Pablo Mastroeni (capt.), 13-Ricardo Clark, 16-Sacha Kljestan; 9-Kenny Cooper (8-Conor Casey, 76), 14-Jozy Altidore (11-Brian Ching, 76)
Subs Not Used: 1-Troy Perkins, 6-Drew Moor, 12-Cory Gibbs, 17-Chris Rolfe
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

GUA: 18-Ricardo Jerez, 2- Carlos Castrillo, 3-Cristian Noriega , 4-Yony Flores, 7-Claudio Albizuris, 9-Mario
Acevedo (17-Minor Lopez, 74), 10-Guillermo Ramirez, 12-Carlos Figueroa (8-Marco Pappa, 57), 13-Carlos Castillo, 16-Jean Marquez, 11-Marvin Avila
Subs Not Used: 1-Luis Molina, 5-Jaime Vides, 6-Wilson Lalin, 14-Carlos Vasquez, 15-Fredy
Thompson
Head Coach: Benjamin Monterroso

Stats Summary: USA / GUA
Shots 16 / 6
Shots on Goal 11 / 3
Saves 3 / 9
Corner Kicks 6 / 4
Fouls 13 / 17
Offside 3 / 4

Misconduct Summary:
USA - Ricardo Clark (caution)               55th minute.
GUA - Yony Flores (caution)                  68.
USA - Pablo Mastroeni (caution)          78.

Officials:
Referee: Benito Archundia (MEX)
AR1: Hector Delgadillo (MEX)
AR2: Marvin Rivera (MEX)
4th: Paul Enrique Delgadillo Haro (MEX)

Sierra Mist Man of the Match:
Pablo Mastroeni