Author Archives: Mike Woitalla

[TV WATCH] How does ESPN color commentator and former U.S. international John Harkes feel about play-acting? Apparently it depends on who’s doing the faking.

[MLS WINNERS & LOSERS] The Red Bulls finally got a point and FC Dallas notched a rare home win. The Los Angeles Galaxy lost a second straight as it was once again let down by its backline leader.

[MLS WINNERS & LOSERS] D.C. United downed Chicago thanks to a fine free kick by Christian Gomez and moved into first place in the East while Houston climb atop the other conference as Chivas USA faltered again. The Red Bulls set a record for futility but Columbus, which beat the Bulls in last year’s MLS Cup, is riding high thanks to its Argentine veteran.

[MLS WINNERS & LOSERS] After being sidelined for all but 65 minutes of the 2009 season, Taylor Twellman hit the field on Sunday and made some history. Last year’s MVP indicated he’s even hotter this year. It was a bad week for the coach most likely to get the sack. And the red cards flew again around the league, including an ejection for a knee to the groin.

[TV WATCH] If you believe ESPN2’s commentators, Costa Rica didn’t beat the USA by playing good soccer. The Ticos were simply fortunate that the Americans made a lot of mistakes. If you thought for a second that Costa Rica scored some brilliant goals, the ESPN2 experts quickly set you straight.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Jose Francisco Torres fell short of becoming the second American to lift the Mexican league title within two years after Pachuca tied UNAM Pumas, 2-2, in overtime of the second leg of the final and fell, 3-2, on aggregate.

[MLS WINNERS & LOSERS] San Jose, New England and FC Dallas broke their various streaks of futility while the Chicago Fire lost its first game of the season. The Galaxy came up with its usual result and saw another ejection of its veteran defender. Colorado kept up its strong form thanks to its red-hot striker.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] U.S. national team midfielder Jose Francisco Torres scored the second goal in Pachuca’s 3-1 win at Jaguares in the first leg of their quarterfinal clash on Thursday. Another young Texan, Marco Vidal, helped Indios upset Toluca, 1-0. And Ramon Nunez, a Honduras native who was raised in Dallas, notched an assist in Puebla’s win over Monterrey.

[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS] The defending champion Columbus Crew finally got its first win of the season, joining three other teams that have mustered only one victory. Chivas USA continues to rule at the Depot, while Chicago remains undefeated. New York had its most productive outing of the year. …

[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS] Los Angeles is no longer winless, but the defending champ Columbus failed once again to get its first victory of the year. Jamie Moreno added to his all-time league scoring record in a D.C. United win. New England keeper Matt Reis committed the biggest keeper blunder of the season so far. Chicago remained the league’s only undefeated team, but couldn’t notch its third win …

[GERMANY] European club coaches get fired all the time, but Bayern Munich’s sacking of Juergen Klinsmann is of particular interest this side of the Atlantic because of his American connections. A California resident since his playing days ended in 1998 until he took the Bayern job last summer, Klinsmann brought two American assistant coaches to Munich, tried unsuccessfully to incorporate Landon Donovan into the Bayern squad, and was, in 2006, courted to coach the U.S. national team.

[SPAIN] Angel Torres, president of Spanish club Getafe, says Real Madrid’s defender Pepe should be suspended for at least 10 games for violently kicking Javier Casquero twice while the Getafe player was face down on the ground. In fact, 10 games would be lenient.

[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS] Houston, FC Dallas and New York finally won, leaving defending champ Columbus, which had a bye, and Los Angeles, the league’s only winless teams. The Chicago Fire is undefeated after five games for the first time in club history. Jaime Moreno hit another milestone. Chivas USA remained undefeated by handing Seattle its second straight loss.

[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS] A flurry of red cards included ejections of two U.S. veterans. The 2008 MLS Cup finalists remained winless. FC Dallas got its first point thanks to a spectacular goal.

[MEXICO] Mexico hiring the Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson, who had only modest success during a six-year stint as England coach, never made a lot of sense. But just how disastrous an appointment it was went beyond predictions. After Wednesday’s 3-1 loss at Honduras, which marked El Tri’s sixth loss under Eriksson in 13 games, he was finally fired.

[YOUTH] The coach of Scituate, Mass., U-8 girls team resigned after parents complained about his introductory e-mail, which encouraged players to eat “undercooked red meat” and play like a “Michael Vick pit bull.” The coach wrote that his players should be ready for “bumps, bruises and even bleed a little …. (but I do hope the other team is the one bleeding).”

[HEXAGONAL] Costa Rica remains the only team to beat Mexico on Mexican soil in World Cup qualifying, and the Ticos aim to repeat the feat on Saturday (TV: Telemundo, 6 pm ET) in the teams’ second game of final round World Cup qualifying. The Mexicans are nervous, for sure, having gone four games without a win in Concacaf qualifying while its Federation chief lamented on Wednesday that the nation’s soccer is in crisis.