By Ridge Mahoney
Senior Editor, Soccer America Magazine
TV NUMBERS: The Chivas USA-D.C. United opener, switched from ABC to ESPN when the network went to live coverage of Pope John Paul IIÆs final hours, drew a 0.4 rating, which represents 349,500 households.
The league averaged a 0.2 rating (183,573 households) on ESPN2 last year.
Telecasts of the last two U.S. qualifiers against Mexico and Guatemala drew much better ratings than the 0.2 (142,200 households) produced Feb. 9 when the Americans beat Trinidad & Tobago, 2-1, in Port of Spain.
On Easter Sunday, the Mexico-U.S. game generated a 0.7 rating (630,200 households). Three days later, U.S.-Guatemala drew a 0.8 (679,400). All of the qualifiers were televised on ESPN2, and the Mexico-U.S. game was preceded by a special edition of ôOutside the Linesö on ESPN.
Real Salt Lake officials were pleased with local ratings generated by their opening game at the Meadowlands against the MetroStars. The 3.0 rating and 6 share represents about 75,000 viewers.
REF WATCH: Canadian referee Mauricio Navarro took some blistering criticism from D.C. United coach Peter Nowak and his players for calling a penalty kick Wednesday in UnitedÆs 1-1 tie with UNAM in the CONCACAF ChampionsÆ Cup.
Jaime Moreno clattered into Israel Castro in the penalty area shortly after halftime, and Navarro pointed to the spot. Ailton da Silva put away the penalty to tie the game.
Moreno didnÆt touch the ball while jarring Castro, who went down after cleverly shielding the ball from Moreno with the outside of his right foot. Castro embellished the contact, yet MorenoÆs hit was harder than a mere nudge, and his zeal to win the ball should have been tempered by the knowledge that Castro was not a threat to score and isnÆt the first forward to readily hit the ground upon feeling contact in the box.
John Wolyniec was correctly adjudged offside when he raced through to smack Amado GuevaraÆs pass past keeper D.J. Countess in the MetrosÆ 0-0 tie with Real Salt Lake.
Kelly Gray scored for Chicago on the rebound of a shot by Jesse Marsch; he was well beyond the last defender when he headed the ball into the net, but appeared to be in line with a defender on the ground when Marsch took the shot.
Columbus scored its second goal in a 3-0 win over the Galaxy on a free kick that drifted to an unmarked Edson Buddle, who tapped it past Kevin Hartman from point-blank range. Buddle escaped a tangle of players that included Galaxy defenders Michael Umana and Todd Dunivan and was slightly offside when Ante Razov served the ball.
SITTERS: U.S. womenÆs international Heather Mitts makes her debut as a sideline reporter on MLS telecasts Saturday on the Quakes-Chivas USA game. Mitts will fill in for Brandi Chastain several times this season. à. U.S. under-20 coach Sigi Schmid has called up only two MLS players for a three-match tour of Holland next week. Tim Ward (MetroStars) and Arturo Alvarez (FC Dallas) are in the squad that will play games against the reserve teams of Feyenoord, FC Twente, and German club Borussia Moenchengladbach.