Monthly Archives: May 2008

[AMERICANS ABROAD] New Mexican Edgar Castillo started at left back for Santos in its 1-1 tie at Monterrey in the first leg of their semifinal series in Mexico’s Torneo Clausura. U.S. U-23 defender Michael Orozco did not play in San Luis’ 1-0 loss at home to Cruz Azul on Wednesday. In the first leg of the Primera A finals to determine promotion to the First Division, Texan Marco Vidal started for Indios in the Ciudad Juarez team’s 1-0 win over Leon.

[LIBERTADORES CUP] Club America was last in the Mexican First Division this spring, but it’s through to the semifinals of South America’s Libertadores Cup thanks to its 2-1 aggregate victory over famed Santos of Brazil.

Columbus looks to hold on to its lead in the Eastern Conference when it hosts defending conference champion New England on Saturday. FC Dallas plays its first game under interim coach Marco Ferruzzi when it welcomes Real Salt Lake. D.C. United hosts FC Toronto three days after the Canadian team handed it its fourth straight defeat. For all of this week’s MLS action on television …

[OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN] The Olympic finals in China with Argentina or Champions League qualifying with Barcelona? Lionel Messi said he plans on playing for Argentina at the Olympic Games in August instead of Barcelona’s Champions League third qualifying round series.

[OFF THE POST] Viennese residents aren’t exactly waiting in anticipation for the start of Euro ’08 — Austria is considered the weakest host team in the history of major international competition — but locals are up in arms after learning that beer at the official fan zone in the historic center of Vienna will cost the equivalent of $7, or $2 more than a beer with cost at the same venues in co-host Switzerland.

[SCOTLAND] Like the English Premier League race, the Scottish Premier League race went down to the final day of the season with two teams tied for the first place, and the team with the edge in the tiebreaker prevailed without needing to win on a count of goal difference.

[TELEVISION] Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea on ESPN2 was the highest-rated and most-watched UEFA telecast in the network’s history. In addition, the game drew the highest rating ever or ESPN Deportes, which has received Hispanic sample ratings since April 28.

What had been billed as a reunion — a meeting of old and new — transformed into a rivalry when the San Jose Earthquakes hosted the defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo Thursday night on national television. The Quakes are still last in the Western Conference, but after upending Houston, 2-1, at Buck Shaw Stadium they are no longer winless at home, and more importantly, they are generating some real, genuine attitude.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] The Scottish Premier League will be decided Thursday when Celtic plays at Dundee United and Rangers is at Aberdeen (TV: Setanta pay-per-view, live, 2:45 pm ET). It comes three days after Rangers pulled even with Celtic thanks to a 3-0 win over St. Mirren that saw American DaMarcus Beasley return to action for the first time in nearly six months.

[MLS] Two new names will appear on the San Jose roster for Thursday’s reunion match against Houston (ESPN2, 10:30 p.m. ET), but neither is the big name its fans are hoping for. Yet both have won league titles.

[MAN. UTD.-CHELSEA HIGHLIGHT REEL] For a 1-1 game, decided in a shootout, Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League final was jammed pack with excitement. Manchester United looked to run away with the game in the first half, but Chelsea came back and had the momentum in the second half. The overtime produced chances for both teams, leading up to the dramatic turn of events in the shootout that made a hero out of long-serving United winger Ryan Giggs and a goat out of Chelsea captain John Terry and earned Manchester United its second Champions League trophy under Sir Alex Ferguson.

San Jose looks for its first win at home when the first-year Earthquakes host the two-time defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo on Thursday. A win for Houston will jump the Dynamo into first place in the Western Conference. For all of this week’s MLS action on television …

[MLS] Toronto reversed its second loss of the season and plunged D.C. deeper into the depths by beating United, 1-0, at BMO Field Wednesday night on a rain-slickened surface perfect for slide tackles but not so conducive to sharp soccer.

[OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN] In the last major test for U.S. Olympic men’s hopefuls, the U-23s fell to Turkey, 3-2, Wednesday in the opening game of the Festival Espoirs International in Toulon, France.