They might be giants

It's not unusual for Costa Rica to ascend to the top of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying final group as they've done in 2009. Los Ticos won the group for Korea/Japan 2002 and a similar forerunner for Italia '90 (though Mexico were banned from competing that year). On their day Costa Rica is one of CONCACAF's three giants, but on their off days they appear a team that would have a hard time scoring against Montserrat. This week the Ticos proved that once again when they were humiliated 4-0 in San Pedro Sula. Now Honduras isn't a bad team, not at all, with David Suazo set to return there's a legitimate possibility that Honduras could win the group. But Costa Rica can't lose this way if they're to be included in the same conversation as Mexico and the United States. This is the only team to go to the Azteca against Mexico and win. Yes, Mexico hosted two World Cups, but their one loss came in 1970 in Toluca (in '86 they were eliminated on penalties in Monterrey, officially a draw).

I'll openly admit that I defend Costa Rica in debates with Mexicans and other Americans who pass them off as a joke, but the best way for Costa Rica to stop these remarks is to find some stability.

Leasing out soccer-specific stadiums

A big reason behind the push for soccer-specific stadiums in MLS and the USL is the idea that they can help teams become solvent, something they have a problem doing when they lease stadiums from NFL teams. Another reason was that fans were sick of seeing American football lines on the field, and you have to admit, it's very annoying. But those lines could be coming to soccer-specific stadiums as four (well, five) new American football leagues are set to kick-off in the very near future. The United Football League has announced that it's Las Vegas franchise, the Locomotives, will play a "home" game at the Home Depot Center in November. This is after the season ends for the three soccer teams that call the HDC home, and while that particular venue has no problem creating revenue, it's good to see any money coming into the game.

While the UFL is a fall-winter league, the opposite of MLS and the USL, the other three leagues (the AAFL, the UNGL, and the USFL) are planning to play a spring-summer calender which would put them in line with the soccer season, potentially creating turf problems if the stadiums are leased out. Only one of them, the UNGL has a proposed Dallas team, has plans to put a team in an area with a soccer-specific stadium. I guess the MLS teams could put down piss-yellow lines for them.

The fifth league is a bit, well, different. That'd be the Lingerie Football League, and call me "cosmopolitan" for saying it, but this has "novelty" written all over it. This is relevant to the blog post because one team, the Denver Dream, will be playing at Dick's Sporting Goods Park [insert your favorite sexual joke here]. Money is money, I guess.

I know there are arguments that the LFL is indeed a "serious sporting endeavor", but if women really want to American football, they already have a league. I mean, sure, the players aren't in bras, but it's an actual sporting competition. It just strikes me as odd, and THIS strikes me as creepy.

It seems that the LFL will have a Charlotte team in 2010, well, I guess the Grady Cole Center needs a tenant. You can rest assured the local USL team isn't going to ground-share with them.

Donovan has H1N1

Grant Wahl broke the story on SI, although the AP gave credit the LA times for doing so. It seems have contracted it before he arrived in Mexico City and felt tired during the game. That certainly explains why he wasn't up to his usual standard. It has to be said that he did manage to get an assist on Charlie Davies goal though. Landon is the best player this country has ever produced, regardless of his critics, and I wish him well.

American head coach Bob Bradley found out right away that his Beasley at left back experiment is not working out well as the Rangers' man made a mistake which lead to Costa Rica's opening goal just after the first minute in San Jose at Estadio Saprissa. Beasley gave up the ball cheaply and it eventually found it's way to Saborio who with the help of some keystone kops-esque defending placed the ball wonderfully into the top corner of Tim Howard's goal.

Beasley, again playing out of position as a left back, was also responsable for El Salvador's second goal last time the US played a match on the road.

Costa Rica continued to give the Americans a lesson by stringing several passes together and stomping out any US passes near the box save for a few that went on to become wasted corner.

Soon the Ticos would make it two, a well worked move up the left wing lead to a short cross in the box which midfielder Borges had no trouble finishing.

At halftime Bradley brought on Sacha Kljestan for Jose Torres in hopes of creating more (read: any) chances against a solid, yet little worked Costa Rica defense. The switch didn't go as planned and Costa Rica opened with a flurry and didn't relent until they found a third goal to kill the match.

That goal came in the 69th minute up the right hand side as Herrera sliced open the majority of the US defense to slide the ball slowly into Howard's goal. It was a classic.

The third goal put the game beyond doubt for the Ticos who were content to defend for the remaining 20 minutes. In stoppage time Costa Rica committed an infraction in the box which lead to a Landon Donovan penalty, little more than consolation on a bad night for the US, and an excellent one for Costa Rica.

Bob Bradley should expect to have his team selection heavily questioned over the next few days, particularly as he left Jonathan Bornstein on the bench in favor of makeshift defender Beasley, and utility defender Jonathan Spector out of the squad all together.

Saprissa 3-0 Houston Dynamo (aggregate 3-0)

Saprissa took their home field advantage and used it to advance to their fifth CONCACAF Champions Cup final. The Purple Monster, champions of North America in 2005, took the lead in the 33rd minute when Houston defender Patrick Ianni put through his own goal after deflecting Saprissa midfielder Armando Alonso's shot under reserve goalkeeper Tony Caig. It was just one moment in a long, shaky night for the 33-year-old English goalkeeper.

Houston would have their chances to test Saprissa keeper Keilor Navas, but the man dubbed Costa Rica's goalkeeper of the future was solid and overall Houston were outshot 15-5.

In truth Houston were always going to be up against it after losing Craig Waibel to injury in the 6th minute, many will question Dominic Kinnear's logic in replacing Waibel with the right-sided midfielder Brian Mullan, who himself was carrying an injury, rather than a defender given Saprissa's attacking options.

After the second half kickoff it only took the Costa Ricans 3 minutes to put the Texans to the sword. Great interplay together with shoddy Houston defending eventually lead to Celso Borges firing in beautifully from the edge of the area. Celso Borges is only 19-years-old and is surely a player to keep an eye on in the future.

Late in the second half Houston would start to find it's legs and manage to put pressure on Saprissa, the best chance came when Brian Ching managed to shake his defender and get a shot on goal with Navas seemed to be out of position, miraculously the 21-year-old managed to make a wonderful save at full stretch to preserve the home advantage.

With 15 minutes to play Tony Caig's brain seemingly shut off as he inexplicably rushed out to meet Saprissa striker Jairo Arrieta who subsequently rounded him and tucked away his team's 3rd and final goal.

It was not all roses for Saprissa however as they lost Walter Centeno late in the second half through a freak leg injury. The extent as not yet known but the Costa Rican international was in agony as he was carried off.

While Costa Rica has recently endured a bad spell it's obvious that the future is bright for the Ticos. For all the focus on the Mexican Premera and MLS, it's worth noting that Costa Rican teams have won 2 of the last 4 Champions' Cups and could well win a fifth as Saprissa will prove a tough test for Pachuca in the final.

The first of the two ties takes place at 7:30PM EDT in Washington, DC's Robert F. Kennedy Stadium between DC United (USA) and Pachuca (Mexico). Luis Montes struck twice in the 2nd half of the 1st leg to give Pachuca a 2-0 lead.

The other tie is tightly balanced at 0-0 and will be played at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa at 10:10pm EDT, located in San Jose, Costa Rica's San Juan de Tibás neighborhood between Deportivo Sapissa (CRC) and the Houston Dynamo (USA). As I previously wrote, Houston had chance to win the 1st leg but failed to score and made it hard on themselves. Houston is a very talented team, talented enough to win in Costa Rica, but it's a very tall task. Saprissa, three times winners of the Champions Cup, are well seasoned in continental play and their fans make the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa a hard place to play. This should be a fabulous match.

Houston Dynamo 0 - 0 Deportivo Saprissa

Houston could have won, should have won, and blew it. Despite having one of North America's biggest teams on the ropes for large periods of the second half Houston simply couldn't find a way to put the ball in the net. Houston dominated the possession after El Monstruo Morado began to develop heavy legs. On at least two occasions US international Brian Ching was the guilty party, missing a sitter in the first half and sending his free header high in the dying minutes.

Saprissa owe their lifeline to Costa Rican international goalkeeper Navas who produced some good saves when called upon, particularly in the first half from Dwayne de Rosario's header.

Houston will have their work cut out for them next week as they travel to the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in San Jose. This is not the Meadowlands. The 25,000-seat stadium is famous for it's hostile atmosphere and will be unlike anything Houston has seen in the United States or even during last year's trip to Estadio Hidalgo to take on Pachuca.