Category: Story

[MLS] The soccer catchphrase — three and out — is routinely attached to teams that crash out of a competition after the first round, which often consists of a triad of games. For many well-known MLS coaches, it’s also been three and out — three seasons and they’re gone. The latest to fall at that hurdle is Curt Onalfo, whose tenure as Kansas City head coach blew up 18 games into his third season Saturday when FC Dallas pummeled the Wizards, 6-0, at Pizza Hut Park.

[MLS] Curt Onalfo was one of five coaches who were in their third MLS seasons as head coaches. The Kansas City coach was the first to be fired, but two of the other coaches could find themselves on the way out if the downturns of their teams continue.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Toronto FC and D.C. United need better performances and results than they attained in the first legs when they square off against Puerto Rico Islanders and Luis Angel Firpo, respectively, in the away matches of their Concacaf Champions League series Tuesday.

[TELEVISION WATCH] The USA-Mexico Gold Cup was a ratings bonanza for Fox Soccer Channel and Univision. It was the most-watched telecast on FSC since becoming a Nielsen-rated network in October 2008 but its audience was less than one-tenth of the 5.4 million viewers on Univision. Indicative of the huge clout of the Hispanic soccer market, KMEX Univision 34 in Los Angeles drew 1.1 million watchers — 47 percent greater than the same evening’s combined primetime viewership of ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and three other network stations in that market.

[OFF THE POST] Hundreds of Russian fans are expected to travel to Cardiff for next month’s World Cup qualifier between Wales and Russia despite travel warnings advising Russians not to travel to Britain because of the swine full outbreak. The fans are being urged to take precautions by drinking Welsh whiskey.

Columbus and Chicago stayed 1-2, separated by one point in the Eastern Conference, with wins over the weekend. Houston opened up a six-point lead in the Western Conference thanks to its 4-3 win over D.C. United and Seattle’s 4-0 loss at San Jose on Sunday. For all the game summaries, conference standings and leading scorers …

[BARCELONA TOUR] Major League Soccer had a lot to be excited about Saturday’s Los Angeles Galaxy-Barcelona friendly at the Rose Bowl won by the Spanish champions, 2-1. The game drew a crowd of 93,137 — the largest ever for a game involving an MLS team and the largest U.S. crowd since the 1994 World Cup — and it featured a superb goal by David Beckham on a patented free kick — No. 1 on ESPN Sports Center’s top 10 plays of the day. Despite boos from the crowd throughout much of the game, Beckham said afterwards he intended to return next season for a fourth season with the Galaxy.

[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS] A day after losing star Kenny Cooper, who signed with German second division club 1860 Munich, FC Dallas exploded for a 6-0 rout of the Kansas City Wizards that featured four goals by Jeff Cunningham and two by Brazilian David Ferreira. After the best of his four goals, Cunningham, who has scored seven goals in his last four games, ran to the stands to beat on a fan’s drum.

[WPS] With one week remaining in the regular season, Saint Louis Athletica clinched second place in Women’s Professional Soccer and the home-field advantage in the Super Semifinal thanks to its 1-0 victory over the Boston Breakers and the Washington Freedom’s 3-2 loss to FC Gold Pride.

The 2009-10 season began in Belgium and the Netherlands. Having lost American star Oguchi Onyewu to AC Milan, two-time Belgian champion Standard Liege had to settle for a 2-2 tie at home with St. Truiden. Dutch champion AZ lost at Heracles, 3-2. For all the results and goal scorers …

[WPS] Thomas Anderson, a volunteer as a locker-room attendant at FC Gold Pride games, was charged with eight felony counts of a lewd or lascivious act on a child younger than 14 after two witnesses reported seeing him acting inappropriately with a child at a July 19 WPS game at Buck Shaw Stadium.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Goalie Brad Guzan stopped two shots to help Aston Villa win the Peace Cup with a shootout victory over Italian giant Juventus in the final in Seville, Spain. The final marked the third straight game 20-year-old defender Eric Lichaj started at right back for Villa.

[WPSL] The Long Island Fury won the 2009 Women’s Premier Soccer League with a 1-0 win over California’s Ajax America on a goal by 18-year-old Molly Bruh at Adelphi University’s Competition Field.

[W-LEAGUE] The Pali Blues and Washington Freedom, winners of the last two W-League championships, will meet Friday in the 2009 final after earning victories in the semifinals. The Pali Blues crushed the Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues, 4-0, while the Freedom ended the Ottawa Fury’s bid to return to the finals for a third straight year with a 3-1 win on penalty kicks after their game ended in a scoreless tie.

[PDL] The Chicago Fire will play in the Premier Development League final for the first time since finishing as runner-up in 2003 when it travels to face the Ventura County Fusion in Saturday’s final.