- By Ethan Gomberg

Sandy, Utah - It was a windy night in the Wasatch Mountains when two of the best clubs in the league met up to do battle. Although the momentum was with Dallas coming in tonight, self-searching Real Salt Lake made a statement win by controlling the game tonight and defeating FC Dallas 2-0. Both goals were in the 2nd half by midfielder Andy Williams and striker Fabian Espindola. Dallas came to Utah on a fantastic run hoping to make Real Salt Lake the next victim. After dispatching Columbus last week in Frisco, FC Dallas was looking very good coming into this match. Salt Lake also had a decent run of late, however several draws against weaker opponents and a recent run of bad form against officials, cannot be a good comparison.\

- Ethan Gomberg

SANDY, UT - Both Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders needed desperately to get 3 points on the night. But it was Seattle who did something that hasn’t happened in league play since the Kansas City Wizards came to Utah over two years ago, win at Rio Tinto Stadium. Coach Sigi Schmid, whose team ran out 2-1 victors, said “It is something we're proud of and something we talked about before the game. We wanted to try and be the team that ended the streak, and it was something that was a goal for us as we went into the game."

- Ethan Gomberg

SANDY, UTAH – Over 16,000 came out to Rio Tinto tonight to watch the Houston Dynamo get a point in a very difficult away match against a RSL team in flux. Real Salt Lake, after losing its midfield star, Javier Morales, also walked away with a point despite questions over the starting lineup.

Houston Dynamo needed a result this evening to keep pace with other surging Eastern Conference rivals. Houston has lost their last 2 matches in terrible fashion. Losing to defending MLS Cup champions Colorado Rapids is one thing, but losing to a struggling Toronto FC was not what Houston skipper Dominic Kinnear had in mind.

- John Carlton

For the uninitiated, Dallas Cup is the premier showcase for the best youth soccer talent on the planet. The Dallas Cup tournament is now in its 32nd year. A brief checklist of players who have participated in Dallas Cup: Raul, Robinho, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Landon Donovan, Giuseppe Rossi, Rafael Garcia, Giovanni Dos Santos, Rafa Marquez, Michael Carrick, Chicharito, Claudio Reyna, Jonathan Woodgate, Peter Crouch, and the list goes on. And, of course, Dallas itself is a hotbed of youth soccer. Dallas Texans, Andromeda SC., and FC Dallas Juniors are now well known. Meanwhile, new youth clubs are continually popping up in the area to meet the demand for top level youth soccer.

Borrowed from WeAreRealLake.com

- Robert Jonas Center Line Soccer


The enemy of my enemy is my friend — more than a tongue-twister, this proverb spells out clearly why I’m suddenly a big fan of Real Salt Lake. Don’t worry my friends and family in the Bay Area, I haven’t suddenly packed the U-haul and moved to the Beehive state. The reason, quite obviously, comes as a result of RSL’s sometimes dominating destruction of fellow Major League Soccer cohort Columbus Crew in the quarterfinals of the 2010/2011 CONCACAF Champions League, and from my pledge to support any and all MLS teams for as long as they survive in the tournament.

Here's a not-so-bold prediction: MLS will have a team in the 2010-2011 CONCACAF Champions League semifinals. 


The prediction isn't so bold because it's now guaranteed by the draw; MLS sides Real Salt Lake and Columbus Crew will play in the quarterfinals.  And, without a Mexican club on their side of the bracket, there's a reasonable chance we'll have an American CCL finalist come April.

The result may have been typical, Real Salt Lake becoming the latest MLS team to fall in Mexico, but the way it came about was anything but.


It's difficult to properly frame the collapse that saw the defending MLS champs lose 5-4. RSL conceded four times in the final twenty minutes of the match. There's simply no way to sugarcoat that, even if the MLS side had a legitimate complaint about a disallowed goal in the first three minutes (Will Johnson incorrectly ruled offside when he put in a rebound) and a Cruz Azul goal earned from an illegally taken restart (the ball still rolling when the Mexicans played it).


The conditions at Estadio Azul were horrific after a monsoon nearly made the pitch unplayable; passes died, clearances fell short, and neither team was able to play the type of game to which they're accustomed. That said, Real Salt Lake responded well to Cruz Azul's opener and controlled the game for most of the first 75 minutes.


Then disaster struck. The type of disaster that is such an integral part of MLS failures south of the border. Javier Orozco scored three times in a twenty minute span and a 3-1 RSL lead turned into a 4-3 deficit. A Will Johnson goal gave RSL real hope of salvaging a draw, but Chaco Gimenez found himself alone at the top of the box on the other end and didn't miss. Cruz Azul 5, RSL 4, final whistle.


So how do we process this? Part of an MLS curse, RSL simply giving up in the final minutes, or an indication of some deeper problems that will always have MLS sides crumbling in the face of adversity? Is there a wider conclusion to be drawn or is this just another in a long line of coincidental occurrences going against the American sides?


Hell if I know. Really, it's nearly impossible to explain how a good team, which RSL clearly is, can fold so dramatically with the game in their grasp. Being better for 75 minutes doesn't matter if you can't close, and this MLS team couldn't close. Does that mean the next MLS to take a lead into the final fifteen minutes in Mexico will suffer the same fate? No, not necessarily, but it will certainly have us wary when they are. MLS fans who root for the league in general terms in this competition have been bitten too many times. I'd imagine that if you support one of the teams involved, foregoing watching your team play in Mexico might be a boon to your health.


The task doesn't change for RSL, and there was never any assured belief that they'd get points in Mexico when the group stages started. But the psychological blow for both them and MLS fans is devastating; as I wrote earlier today, RSL was carrying the MLS banner with them to Mexico, and short of being blown out, there's really no way they could have failed to do it proud any more. I'm tempted to call this a fluke and try to move on; but this is FMF v. MLS, and while I have no delusions about the latter approaching the former in overall quality, I do think MLS is good enough threaten Mexican dominance in the near future. That's difficult to say tonight, and I'll admit it seems farcical at the moment, but I'm hanging on to my belief nevertheless.


For all those reveling in the RSL collapse, either because it validates their dismissive attitude about the league or because they simply find join in the distress of others, tonight was a "Nelson moment." For the rest of us, those that feel connected to MLS as a league in addition to any team-specific allegiance and are therefore affected by its failings against Mexican teams in a somewhat irrational way, embarrassment and shame are part of the package.


Which is unfair and unfortunate, really. We shouldn't have to hang on every international match like it will make our "little league" legitimate, because there's no reason to believe it's not. The measuring stick of the Champions League uses a flawed system; when that's pointed out, it sounds like an excuse. If an MLS side beats, or were to beat, someone of consequence, too much is put into the result. We're damned either way, both in terms of the league's reputation and in our own self-worth, simply anxious to have some tangible evidence to point to when questions of the league's value come up.


So it sucks that RSL drowned in failure on a waterlogged field in Mexico City. Not just because they lost, but because they lost so disastrously.


Meanwhile, that MLS banner is a mud-covered rag laying in a puddle in Estadio Azul. For now, anyway.

With Columbus coming up short (or getting robbed, depending on your perspective), Real Salt Lake is the next MLS club with a shot at breaking the Mexican O-fer when they face Cruz Azul in Mexico City tonight (8PM ET, FSC). After being burned so many times, it would be foolish to feel confident about their chances; nevertheless, RSL is carrying the MLS banner into Estadio Azul, and it's important that they put in a strong showing.


A point would be a bonus. Three might signal the end of the world and set off an explosion of articles declaring that balance of league power in CONCACAF is shifting (not that it would be true, necessarily). Simply taking the Los Cementaros down to the wire and giving them an epic fight, as Columbus did in their loss last night, would be a step in the right direction. If if it's not RSL that stops the streak, playing Cruz Azul evenly for ninety minutes would be more evidence that the breakthrough is coming. The better the MLS reputation in Mexico, the more evenly the league can compete in the region for talent.


RSL are the defending league champions. No offense to Columbus, last year's Supporters Shield winners and more rightly the league's best representative, but what the champions do matters most; when MLS and Primera fans who didn't watch the game see the score tomorrow morning, their perception will be influenced by RSL's title. If RSL lays down and is run over in the difficult environment of Mexico City, it will only reinforce the belief that MLS is a weak league that won't be challenging Mexican club dominance in the region anytime soon. But if RSL manages a draw, a win, or goes down at the death on a fortuitous break for Cruz Azul (which we can only hope won't be referee-aided), the reputation of MLS will suffer much less.


So no pressure on Kreis and company. I know that the traveling squad was essentially a full-strength one, but I have no inkling of what team he will send out. Will he go the route of Warzycha and rely on a B-side to fight for a point with the league schedule headed for crunch time? Or will he go all out and flex the Lakers considerable muscle despite the uphill battle ahead?


Because it will be uphill. Even if RSL is lucky enough to avoid the type of questionable officiating that infected the Crew and TFC matches, they'll be facing a Cruz Azul team looking to make amends for their loss to TFC last week in a difficult environment (though I'm guessing their won't be a large hostile crowd).


I'm sure I'll feel like a masochist when I sit down in front of the television tonight to watch RSL, a team I'm rather fond of, take the field in Mexico. Last night's events will be fresh in my mind as I hope against hope that the MLS champions make some headway in the battle for respect.

Until Real Salt Lake was awarded a late penalty in the dying minutes of their Group A match with Arabe Unido last night, I had that feeling. You know the one: an MLS team was going to to drop points at home in the CONCACAF Champions League despite having every opportunity to grab the game. Make no mistake; RSL was the deserved winner, even forgetting the time-wasting efforts of the Panamanians, but it didn't come as easily as it should have.


Meanwhile, Columbus made due with a single goal (and a very nice goal at that) in beating Municipal, meaning that through 3 of the 4 MLS teams in the tournament have taken 3 points at home. As they should. Anything else would be asking for trouble.


I'm happy enough to see the effort and execution (such as it was) that I'm not even going to bother grousing about attendance in Columbus and Sandy; MLS fans have proven time and time again that they're resistant to non-league games in mid-week, so pointing out the small crowds it hardly worth the effort. Perhaps when an MLS club finally wins this competition, the fans will come out in numbers to support the effort.


It doesn't get any easier for the three teams sitting on their three points; all three go on the road next week. Toronto takes the longer trip to Panama, while RSL gets the daunting task of Mexico City and Cruz Azul. Columbus goes Mexico as well, to take on Santos Laguna. A Toronto win is the most likely of the three, of course, but if the MLS sides can get anything out of those matches, they'll have done themselves and the league proud.


The last MLS team to kick off their CCL campaign is Seattle; the Sounders are in Honduras to take on Marathon. The Sounder recent form (unbeaten in 9) gives hope that they can get MLS to 4-4 and a possible 12 of 12 points by the end of today. For a league with the track record of MLS in this competition, we couldn't ask for a better start.


Let's not get ahead of ourselves, and we have to keep in mind that all four teams are juggling their league stretch runs at the same time as the Champions League, but there's reason for some quiet optimism.

Maryland fans at their finest (photo credit Gazette.net)

Guest Post by Tim Staub


Last week Real Salt Lake (per BYU Student Paper and Footiebusiness.com) launched a student punch card program. This program allows the students of BYU, Utah and Utah Valley to buy a punch card that will let them in for all 15 games for around $75 ($5/game). Multiple students can also use the punch card as long as they have an ID and the card. As Daniel Ng of the Universe put it, it’s a money saving deal of a lifetime. Aside from the financial aspect, the students will be placed with Barra Real, a supporters section on the south end of the field. While not offering playoff tickets (assuming Real continues their title defense), this idea is a great marketing tactic.


Now one should ask, why take a financial hit to get college students? It’s a good question; college students usually live the definition of frugality. College students are also at their last impressionable stages of their lives. It's at this point where most Americans develop their tendencies, relationships, etc. It is this idea that reminds me of my first run in with Major League Soccer, when I attended the first ever NY/NJ MetroStars game. At the time I was seven years old and playing recreational soccer. My father, who loves sports as much, if not more than, I do, decided to take me to the game in the hopes of teaching me about soccer on a higher level. I don’t remember a thing, as I assume many kids of a similar age that attend sporting events don't. Unless there is a reinforced connection with a team, those kids the soccer moms are ushering to the stadiums probably won’t remember they went.


Going after the college student has a potential to be explosive future investment. Campuses already are filled with soccer fans. Pay a visit to a campus on a Champions League day and you will see shirts emblazoned with AIG, Emirates, and Unicef among the crowds. In addition to this, there is always a strong international student presence. This does have a drawback of potential Eurosnobbery; but I have seen first hand, if given a team and put in a supporters section, Eurosnobbery goes by the wayside in support for the MLS side. Once the MLS club has a collegiate fan coming to multiple games and giving their passion to the club, the fan is more likely to return in the future. That future might include children of their own who are reinforced with following their parent's club, and thus a new generation of fanaticism is born. While I'll leave it up to MLS on how and where to market itself, the teams (especially ones like the Crew who are right in a college town) should not miss out what could be a long lasting gold mine that in the impressionable college student.



Tim Staub (tstaub on twitter and blogs, njndirish on BigSoccer) is a Marketing Major at the University of Notre Dame. He is currently working on developing a club for viewing soccer and to support the University’s squads. His website can be found here.

You can contact him at tstaub@nd.edu.

Congratulations Real Salt Lake on winning the MLS Cup and on ushering in a new era of MLS.

Perhaps, that is an overambitious statement, but I think it can be justified. Actually, the era was begun in 2005, but it is 2009 that has become the pivotal year in the expansion era. With its win, RSL becomes to first expansion franchise since Chicago in 1998 to win the MLS Cup.* Combined with the first year success of Seattle and the fourth straight playoff berth for Chivas USA, there are plenty of MLS expansion success stories from 2009.

I consider RSL’s accomplishment the most important. Attendance records are great for building the game and building a consistently good soccer team should be a franchise’s goal, but RSL’s winning the Cup is a statement.

RSL’s victory is a coming of age story. After a 1-0 victory that they scrapped out in Salt Lake against the Crew, they went to Columbus to face the Support Shield winner that had a 9-4-2 home record while RSL had a 2-2-11 record and a minus 15 goal differential in road games. RSL went down two early, but fought back for a 4-2 aggregate victory. In Chicago, after another tenacious game, it took clutch penalty kicks and three penalty saves from Nick Rimando to extend their season. In a final that was nothing if not competitive, RSL once again proved its determination. Perhaps there was little difference between last year’s RSL team that lost to New York and this year’s that won it all, but there seemed a maturity in this year’s team that was evident throughout the playoffs.

The balance of power in the league will not tip based solely on a four game run by RSL, but the writing is on the wall for the expansion teams of the last five years to begin making some noise. The expansion teams seem to be rising. Chivas or TFC both have the pieces to be next year’s coming of age story. Seattle has laid out a blueprint for how to make a first year team successful. Can it be followed as successfully by the Union? Meanwhile, DC looks to rebuild, LA, Houston, Chicago, and Columbus may all lose stars this off season.

But this moment belongs to RSL. While fans may look back on this win as a paradigm shift in MLS, the players, coaches, and management should all be congratulated for not only surviving but also succeeding in an extremely tough stretch of matches.


* The Dynamo’s wins in 2006 and 2007 were the first for an expansion team, but it was the same franchise as the original San Jose Earthquakes. If you don’t think that matters just look at the success of the Ravens versus the new Browns.

Guest Post by Matt - US Soccer Daily

To be completely honest, I was pulling for the Galaxy last night, even though I have no connection to the team or the city of Los Angeles. I wanted to see Landon Donovan win a title in what might be his last game in MLS, and I figured a championship for David Beckham would lead to plenty of media exposure for the league both domestically and internationally, which is always a positive. Despite that, it was hard not to root for Andy Williams as he walked up to the spot last night trying to seal victory.


Williams is one of the league’s truly crafty veterans, periodically injecting a piece of skill that even opposing fans can’t help but appreciate. And as he roamed the midfield last night and helped push an increasingly confident RSL attack forward, there was little evidence of what has surely been an extremely draining and difficult year for the Jamaican international. With his wife Marcia now improving after an innovative treatment for her rare form of leukemia, it would have been a storybook ending if Williams could have earned his team the title to complete the happy ending to a trying time.


Unfortunately, things didn't work out perfectly, as Josh Saunders made a huge save to keep the Galaxy alive and put RSL's championship dreams on ice for the time being. However, once Robbie Russell found the back of the net to give Jason Kreis’ squad the title, you could see just how much it meant to Williams, who broke down in tears. As he hugged teammates and wiped his eyes with a scarf, I couldn't help but feel so happy for him. Soccer is just a game (as Williams of all people has surely realized through these difficult months), but it can bring so much joy, particularly to those who need a ray of sunshine in their lives. So though I'm not particularly thrilled about RSL winning the title after being fairly underwhelming for an overwhelming majority of the season, I couldn't be happier that it was Andy Williams hoisting the trophy above his head last night at Qwest Field.

The days leading up to the MLS Cup Final over the last week included more than a few opportunities for Commissioner Don Garber to speak on a variety of topics related to the way the league is run. Among those many topics was single table, and from the way Garber addressed the issue, he's both clearly tired of talking about it and solidly against it.


Last night in Seattle was a perfect example of why The Don sees American soccer as needing playoffs, and defends to the death his position.


When the Real Salt Lake's captain Kyle Beckerman took the trophy from Garber and joined his teammates on stage for the triumphant release, a moment which was immediately preceded by the team chanting "WE WANT THE CUP!", it was hard not to get chills. Without the playoffs, and without a knockout tournament that ends in a final game packed to the breaking point with tension, that moment just cannot happen.


The game itself added to the glory of the moment, of course, though I'm sure the Utahans wouldn't have been any less ecstatic to win had they dominated. 120 minutes of soccer, ugly at some times, well-played at others, but always highly competitive, came down to spot kicks, ratcheting up the drama to the highest level possible. Both keepers, Josh Saunders despite having to come in off the bench, acquitted themselves well. Players on both sides took the moment by the throat and banged in their penalties with authority. Others, as always happens in those situations, failed at the biggest moment, inevitably putting the focus on those that missed. Stars who miss get the lion's share of that focus, and that is what Landon Donovan will deal with, at least for a few days.


But the game wasn't just about Donovan, or Edson Buddle (who also didn't score on his penalty, which was poor), or Beckham; the game was about the crowing of a champion in that way that Americans are so accustomed. It was also about the stage on which the drama unfolded, and it would be wrong not to point out what wonderful stage it was; Seattle and its fans put on a proper Cup Final, showed up in large numbers to support the league despite their team's playoff dismissal, and capped off one of the most extraordinary expansion stories one will ever see. 2009 may just be another year in the developing history of Major League Soccer or it could go down as one of the more memorable ever; the latter seems more likely, with so much to point to in the maturation of professional soccer in the United States. Love them or hate them, much of that is thanks to the record-breaking success of the Seattle Sounders.


David Beckham and the Galaxy didn't get their championship moment. The last chapter (or most recent; we'll see what happens next July) of The Beckham Experiment ends with disappointment. Landon Donovan may have closed out his MLS career on a low, leaving behind the memory of failure in the biggest moment. The Galaxy, a worst to first story thanks to the coaching of Bruce Arena and the reconciliation of their two brightest stars, head back to LA as runners-up. The game doesn't always cooperate when it comes to fairy tale endings.


Unless you're the winner, of course. "Fairy tale" is exactly how one might describe the ending for Real Salt Lake. The last team in the playoffs, lucky to even make the post-season, Jason Kreis and Co. took advantage of their lifeline and turned it into a championship. The RSL story is a good one, whether the playoff system is the best system or not; they stepped up when it counted most, and there's a certain fairness in that. Columbus was the best team over the course of the season, but failed against RSL when given the opportunity to prove their predominance; rail against the "hottest team wins" circumstance if you like, but there's nothing "undeserving" about Salt Lake.


Great drama, great crowd, great game, and a new champion. Congratulations to Seattle, congratulations to MLS, and most importantly, congratulations to Real Salt Lake, your 2009 MLS Champions.

Real Salt Lake are your 2009 MLS Champions. Wow, what a game.


It's late on the evening (morning?) after the MLS Cup Final, and I'm only moments away from dragging myself off to bed; but before I go, I wanted to outline what you can expect from MFUSA in light of the events in Seattle.


I should have a post on the spectacle that is the MLS Cup Final up sometime Monday morning; the game itself and the drama it carried were fantastic showcases for the league, and rightly deserve a look. I also plan to follow up with a piece on the field surface at Qwest, and how it turned a potentially well-played game into a series of poor touches, bad passes, and ugly tackles. Injuries were too big a part of tonight's match, and while Qwest served as a nice backdrop for the game, too much was lost by playing it on artificial grass.*


I'm also hoping to cajole our other MFUSA writers into giving their thoughts on what took place tonight, be it on the game as a whole, the Final-as-showpiece, or the ugly PK miss by Landon Donovan in what might be his last MLS match.


Check back regularly as we attempt to look at the MLS Cup Final from every angle possible.

*All of that is dependent on if I can get my brain to work tomorrow. Here's to hoping.

I can't remember a longer weekend, and I don't mean that in a good way. From Friday's late, late night with the Galaxy-Houston power outage-filled Western Conference Final to Sunday and a terrible trip to the local NFL stadium, I think I could use seventy-two hours of recuperation.


Instead, I'm fighting through a foggy Monday morning. Despite the fog, I wanted to share a few thoughts:


The phrase "hard done by" seems about right for the Dynamo.

If it wasn't for momentum-stealing power outages and a disallowed goal, the Houston Dynamo would be your 2009 Western Conference Champion. The foul called on Landin on Andrew Hainault's goal-that-wasn't didn't appear too egregious when I saw it live on Friday night; the problem is that I haven't seen a replay since, so I can't definitely state that it was or wasn't the right call. Still, Dynamo fans weren't too happy, and I can't really blame them. It's the type of controversial call made all the time (maybe not the specific instance, but judgement calls like that change matches regularly; it's a part of the game), but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow. I'm just happy to see that the conspiracy crowd isn't as vociferous today.


The US isn't as good without Donovan.

Duh. As much as I would love for the Americans to have another player of Donovan's creative quality, it just isn't the case right now. It's why I don't put much stock in the shutout loss to Slovakia on Saturday, even as I recognize that it was far from a good performance. The US controlled much of the match, and while the ability to create goal scoring opportunities was almost non-existent, I find it difficult to be overly upset. Without Donovan, and with Casey paired with Altidore, the US had little to no speed on Saturday; with the system built to take advantage of speed that is normally there, the team just couldn't adjust. Again, while it would be nice to have players capable of playing more slow buildup in light of those missing elements, I'm not upset that it didn't happen with that team that was out there. Besides, the defense played fairly well, and Spector's play in the middle of defense was a highlight.


Taking your penalty kick low and to Rimando's left is probably a bad idea.

On three different occasions when Fire players took their spot kicks in that general directions, Nick Rimando made the save. After the first (or second), wouldn't it dawn on the Fire to go somewhere else? Speaking of bad penalties, what was Espindola doing? I suppose I'll never in my life feel the amount of relief that the Argentine did after Ned Grabavoy put in the RSL winner.


Back later. I hope.

Not exactly deep, but certainly worth noting (and I'm not sure I have time to write up a full post); US Soccer has confirmed the rumored friendly with Slovakia on November 14th. The first-ever visit to Bratislava comes four days before the Americans take on Denmark in Aarhus. The two game trip represents a nice little European tour for a team in desperate need of action, as Bob Bradley has to start the search for front and back line replacements immediately.

• Real Salt Lake made the MLS playoffs in a bit of a surprise, and one Deseret News writer hopes it can steer more young people towards the game. Amy Donaldson muses over all of the same issues that are discussed among the faithful on a regular basis, including the most common refrain; why do Americans who play the sport as youths move away from it in adulthood? There aren't any answers here (I'm not sure there is an easy answer, though I attempted to reason one out way back in January) just a general hope that RSL's playoff run captures the imagination of the community. Unlikely as that may be, it's a nice thought.

• Soccer Fan Pro has some questions about that lack of news surrounding the accident that seriously injured Charlie Davies. Taking Davies specific situation out of it, the post has a good point; there are not enough interested parties doing the digging when it comes to soccer in the United States. It's a function of the level of interest, of course, not to mention the fact that jobs reporting on soccer are few and far between. The legitimate reporters covering the game here will generally follow the lead of the organizations in control because everything is tightly managed. Whether or not you believe US Soccer, MLS, and other soccer bodies should be more transparent, the lack of committed effort to get to the bottom of things is the more glaring issue. I suppose it all comes down to how much you believe we should know, and whether it's our right to know it.

It's Wednesday, and while I normally despise Wednesday, at least I have something to look forward to tonight. There's soccer flying all over the place, and it's got me a little giddy.

It actually starts during the workday, when Chelsea and Barcelona finish their UEFA Champions League semi-final across the pond. I'll be doing my best to slyly watch/listen to that match (I'm trying to train my brain to filter out Tommy Smyth), and I'm praying for something that will help my get through the tail end of what's sure to be another hellish workday.

It's not until this evening that the good stuff, and the stuff that I can give my full attention too, happens, and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to having something to watch in the middle of a dreary week.

Watching more than one game at a time is a supremely difficult task, but one I wholeheartedly enjoy taking on. Tonight is one of those nights that makes me glad I live in the digital age. A brief break down of tonight's action and my plan of attack:

Wizards v. United

This one gets the star treatment, the number one spot on the HDTV. Not only because it's the game I have the most interest in (top of the East on the line and all that), but because it's the only one of tonight's matches that is available to me on television. I haven't checked yet, but I'm hoping this one will be in HD. Since I've writing about the game, I might as well make a pick; I'll be interested to see how Tom Soehn and Curt Onalfo juggle their lineups as each club has a quick turnaround to a Saturday match.

Wizards 1 DC United 2

Real Salt Lake v. LA Galaxy

I may just check in on this match occasionally; I'm not sure it's going to warrant more of my attention than an occasional peek. Besides, my laptop is only so big, and I'd rather not have to switch back and forth. Galaxy got their first win on Saturday, but they still mostly stink in my estimation. RSL is coming of a huge league win and a poor USCO qualifying loss, though we all know the Cup result means naught. Conventional wisdom would have RSL winning at home, but I have a weird feeling that this one is going to go all nutso on us. Just for the hell of it:

RSL 3 LA Galaxy 3

Toronto FC v. Vancouver Whitecaps

It's not league match, it's not American, and it's part of a domestic cup competition that includes only three teams; yet, for some reason, this match might intrigue me more than either of the others. Although I expect it would be hotly contested anyway, the Voyageur's Cup has now taken on a new level of intensity because the winner now gets a CONCACAF Champions League spot. While Vancouver may not have their strongest side in recent times due to building towards 2011, this should still be a cracking match with the usual BMO Field atmosphere. I have absolutely no idea where, but I'm assuming I'll be able to find a internet feed of the game somewhere.

I've only seen Vancouver play once this year, but I'll go ahead and hazard a guess at the result anyway.

TFC 2 Vancouver 1

So there you have it. A fantastic Wednesday night on tap at MFUSA House, the promise of which I hope will get me through the work day.

Which game are you most looking forward to? Predictions are always encouraged, especially by biased Whitecaps fans, since riled-up TFC fans are always entertaining.

AP/George Frey
Real Salt Lake put four goals past Will Hesmer and the Columbus Crew last night, thumping the defending Cup champions at a rainy Rio Tinto Stadium. Robbie Findley scored three of those goals, marking the second time in two days that a striker scored a hat trick on ESPN2.

And I'm not quite sure what to think.

Almost forgot about the whole "jump" thing. Comments and highlights to follow.

Columbus was a mess for the most part, and thought they attacked fairly well, RSL consistently took the game to them. Movsisyan, Findley, and the rest of the Salt Lake attackers abused Columbus' back line (save for Chad Marshall, maybe). The scoreline, though flattering to RSL thanks to a major gaff on the part of the usually steady Hesmer, nevertheless reflected the general flow of the match.

I'm not writing off Columbus, of course, as they are the defending champs. Besides, there are a litany of extenuating circustances that may have contributed to the poor performance.

Columbus was obviously missing stalwarts Hejduk and Moreno, and it appeared to be completely different team without them.

Schelotto got mugged all over the pitch; I thought stars and MVPs were supposed to get a few of those calls?

Hesmer played like doggie-doo-doo.

The weather was miserable, and it definitely effected the Crew more than it did RSL.

Still, I was impressed with RSL, and think that my prediction of a Cup run for them is looking like a reasonable one.