The Sounders will face its Coach Sigi Schmid’s last team, Columbus Crew, in the Open Cup final October 5th on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.  Columbus outlasted D.C. United 2-1 in extra time Wednesday night in the other semifinal match.

Nate Jaqua scored two goals as Seattle Sounders FC forged its way to the finals of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup competition with a 3-1 victory over Chivas USA in the very friendly confines of Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Washington before a capacity throng of 4.547.

The victory enabled the Sounders to shut the door on an unenviable statistic they sought to eliminate.  Since the franchise’s inception last season Seattle had been unable to penetrate the Chivas USA goal in four matches.

Sounders FC is bidding to become the first repeat U.S. Open winner since 1982-83.

It is unbeaten at Starfire, which also houses the team’s training facility, in six matches.

Eager to erase the scoreless string against the visitors, the team of forward Jaqua and Steve Zakuani went to work early to produce the first goal of the evening in the 11th minute.  A Fredy Montero pass enabled Zakuani to break free behind the Chivas USA defense on the left flank.

Zakuani responded to the opportunity, cutting to the end line. Zakuani's cross met Jaqua in front of the goal for a one-touch shot that beat keeper Zach Thornton and put the home team on the scoreboard.

Colombia Comet Montero has been red hot recently so it was no surprise when he added another tally to his output, a score in the 58th minute that would turn out to be the decider in the contest.  The second goal was also created by the busy Zakuani, who juked his defender and drove the ball low across the middle. Montero tapped it past Thornton from six yards out.

The ambitious Colombian set his sights early in the season as he predicted 20 goals and 10 assists.  He stands exactly at the 10 pinnacle for assists while this was his 12th goal in all competitions.  After being named MLS Player of the Month for July Montero was named the league’s most recent Player of the Week.

Nate Jaqua has long been a favorite with Sounder fans.  Announcement of his name in the starting lineup at forward evoked a loud cheer from the Seattle faithful.  Jaqua is roughly what Pete Rose was to baseball.  

Rose was nicknamed Charlie Hustle for his determined and aggressive play on the baseball diamond.  The 6-3 Eugene, Oregon native Jaqua could be called the Charlie Hustle of soccer with his free flowing style, which was in evidence Wednesday night when his team needed him.

In stoppage time Jaqua scored his second goal of the night and sealed the victory with the aid of another Sounder who, like the Oregonian, is a veteran and a crowd pleaser.  Roger Levesque entered the match as a substitute in the 82nd minute.  He made his presence immediately felt by delivering a cross from the right flank that Jaqua headed home past helpless Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton.

Chivas USA pulled even temporarily in the 68th minute, giving Sigi Schmid’s squad its only scare of the night.  Jesus Padilla converted on an assist from Justin Braun.  Padilla had come on as a substitute 14 minutes earlier.

Kasey Keller, Seattle’s veteran goalkeeper and captain, felt that the team had relaxed its defenses temporarily and generated a hole on which Padilla capitalized to knot the contest.  After grabbing the ball to put it back into play Keller shouted out his displeasure to his mates.

On the entire evening, however, it was an occasion to relish for the home team.  It was Seattle that constantly pressed the attack, creating numerous opportunities, along with some near misses, without which the already decisive 3-1 result could have been larger.

The Sounders held a commanding 19-10 advantage in shots with a 9-6 edge on goal.  Seattle was on top 10-7 in the corner department.  Keller recorded five saves on the night while his counterpart Thornton stopped six shots.

After the match Sigi Schmid assumed the frequent posture of a winning coach, that of being pleased but not satisfied, seeking additional improvement from his club.  Schmid would have liked a clean sheet on the night for a team that has one of the proudest defenses in the MLS.  At the same time he recognized the evening’s effort for what it was, an occasion of solid achievement.

"Obviously we weren't happy with the goal we gave up because we always try and be perfectionists and so forth,” Schmid said.  “I thought our ball movement at times was good. [Steve] Zakuani was sharp today. He had the better of [Mariano] Trujillo on the outside. That was important for us. It's a field that lends itself to speed of play, getting faster and I think we took advantage of that."

Congolese and London bred speedster Zakuani had recently returned from a pelvic injury.  His return was swift to the delight of Sounder patrons as he enjoyed one of his greatest games in a Seattle uniform with his hard charging dynamics and brilliant feeds that produced assists accounting for the scoring difference on the night.  

"I think he got a lot of respect early on, once he took them early and set up that first goal," Schmid explained.  “After that, I think [Mariano] Trujillo packed up and for sure in the second half they got people over there to double him. [Rodolfo] Espinoza came back a lot in the first half to help on him and in the second half they tried to double and triple him. If you can make magical moments like that or moments that impact games, that's what makes the difference in games."

Schmid also paid deserved tribute to Jaqua on his inspiring play.

"Well, they all count whether they are six yards away or twenty-five yards away,” Schmid said.  “He has made a couple of good runs. He made some good runs today. We talked about it before the game. I said, 'Hey, you're the leading scorer in the Open Cup. You want to stay there.'  Obviously he tried to stay there, or is there with the two goals tonight. A lot of the work for his goals, great service by Roger [Levesque], great service by Steve [Zakauni]. We were unlucky a couple of times, Steve's header at the back post was one that we could have had as well. I am very happy for Nate and he got a couple of goals again today."

Jaqua has scored five times in U.S. Open Cup competition.

Since Schmid will be facing the Columbus Crew, the team he coached before moving to Seattle, it was only natural for him to comment on the upcoming match for the U.S. Open Cup title from that standpoint.

"It's sort of ironic that it's the team I'm coaching now against the team I used to coach and so obviously I know their whole coaching staff,” Schmid revealed.  “I know a lot of their players there. So it's going to be emotional that way. But we are very happy that we are hosting the game. And we are very excited. We want to sell out Qwest and we want to be able to hoist a trophy in front of all those people."

The next order for business for the Sounders is a trip to Foxborough, Massachusetts.   Saturday they face the New England Revolution in an MLS match at 4:30 p.m. PT. After that the team hosts reigning MLS Cup titlist Real Salt Lake September 9th in a nationally televised contest on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

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Why waste your time and money building a soccer specific stadium near Philadelphia? Professional soccer never has and never will survive in an area where the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Phillies are king.

No, but it can certainly co-exist.

For as long as I have lived here in the Delaware Valley, that has always been the mantra: soccer sucks and no one cares.

News Flash! People do care and there is evidence that professional soccer can not only survive in Philadelphia, but also thrive, thanks in part to the sixteenth member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the friendly confines of PPL Park.

Last night, the Philadelphia Union not only hosted, but beat one of the top club teams in the world, thanks to a 1-0 result over visiting Chivas de Guadalajara.

The Mexican side not only brought their attacking style of play, but also several hundred of their spirited fans, which only added to the electrifying atmosphere on this balmy summer night.

“Two things I hear when people walk in here [PPL Park],” said Union President Tom Veit. “Oh, what a great building and then oh, what a great atmosphere. You can’t build that, you can’t create that, it’s gotta be organic, its gotta happen when its right, especially in soccer, which is a sport where the passion of the fans help create the atmosphere.”

In addition to last night’s game against Chivas de Guadalajara, the Union has played seven MLS Games at PPL Park so far this season, and emerged a 1-0 winner over Scottish club side Celtic.

Before the MLS announcement that the Union would join the league, there had been one U.S. Men’s National Team game played here in Philadelphia in 30 years.

Since the announcement, the city has hosted several Gold Cup games and the U.S. National team in their last match before departing to South Africa for World Cup 2010.

Oh, did I also fail to mention that the Union, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Eagles, helped put 54,000 fans in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field this summer for a 1-0 loss to English Premier League power house Manchester United?

“I don’t think any other MLS team has done this,” expressed Veit. “Within the first 120 days of the building being open we will have hosted two national team games, two friendlies with two of the top club teams in the world, we will have the league leading LA Galaxy coming in, theoretically we could have [David] Beckham, NY Redbull with Thierry Henry and we also have Villanova playing South Florida here.”

So, I guess it’s safe to say that PPL Park has exceeded Veit's expectations?

“If you had asked me what your dream was, this probably would have been it. You go in and hope for the best, plan for the worst and yet it has been all that we could have expected, especially from our fans but we still get up every day saying we still have a lot to do.”

Well, in addition to creating a slice of heaven for soccer fans here in the Delaware Valley, this 18,500 seat venue along the Delaware River has also created about 600 jobs for residents of Chester, Pa. and surrounding areas.

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After a long offseason of changes and the recent Designated Players added during the summer transfer window, the New York Red Bulls have quickly developed into one of Major League Soccer’s elite teams.

They are a strong contender for the MLS Cup and their resurgence makes Saturday’s first-matchup with defending champion Real Salt Lake huge.

However, the game will become an even tougher task for a club trying to prove that they are legitimate contenders—not just headline heroes—as the Red Bulls will be without four starters, making them a very different team.

Midfielders Rafael Marquez and Dane Richards, defender Roy Miller, and goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul will all miss the match because they were called-up to the national teams for the next set of FIFA International dates.

Marquez, Mexico’s captain for the past three World Cups and has earned 95 caps, was selected to play in the September 4th friendly against Ecuador and the September 7th match versus Colombia.

The team’s third designated player, Marquez has been a calming force in the Red Bull’s midfield, and he will be missed. He has provided good possession, good passing and vision, and great service from free kicks, not to mention his crackling goal against Toronto FC in a 4-1 Red Bulls victory.

Richards is a player who has benefited greatly from the acquisitions of Marquez and Thierry Henry. The two attract a lot of attention on the ball and have great field vision, which leads to a lot of open space for the speedy Richards to run into and receiver brilliant passes, which he has capitalized on.

The Jamaican International was at the beginning of the season a target of criticism from fans, but he has turned it on as of late with his latest heroics coming in the form of a goal and assist in New York’s 2-0 victory of San Jose.

The Red Bulls and its team’s fans aren’t the only ones who have noticed his impressive play as of late. Jamaica called him in for the team’s game August 11th when he scored his first international goal, and has recalled him for the matches on September 5th against Costa Rica and September 7th versus Peru.

Miller was signed in the offseason and has been a good contributor to a much-improved defense. He has played in 19 games, mostly at left-back, and his pace out wide and his ability to overlap and get involved in the attack while still being organized enough to get back and defend have been a welcome addition to the squad.

He will play for Costa Rica September 3rd against Panama and September 5th versus Jamaica.

Coundoul, with his agility and acrobatics, has seven shutouts this season and leads MLS in saves with 76. He has his moments of less-than-stellar play but overall he has played very well for the Red Bulls. Senegal will rely on him for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier September 5th against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

These players are key contributors for New York and they will be sorely missed. However, championship-caliber teams can rely on their depth for instances like this and the Red Bulls bench has been productive this season.

There are a variety of possibilities for how the Red Bulls can respond; they have a versatile group of players who have been featured at multiple positions on the field.

The most obvious replacement will be Greg Sutton for Coundoul. Sutton is the only other keeper on the roster and played in his place August 11th against Toronto when Coundoul had been selected to play for Senegal.

In that game, his only regular season appearance, Sutton shutout Toronto and helped the Red Bulls earn three points.

In place of Marquez, look for Backe to go with Seth Stammler.

One of the longest tenured Red Bulls on the squad, Stammler had started the game before Marquez arrived and in his place August 11th when he was called in for another Mexico exhibition match.

A defensive-minded player, the team might play a little conservative in an effort to gain points on the road with a depleted lineup. Stammler would provide good coverage in the back while still allowing promising rookie Tony Tchani to spring forward and connect with Henry and Juan Pablo Angel.

While Richards was missing, Macoumba Kandji was playing on the wing.

The young and raw, yet inconsistent Kandji lost his starting spot when Henry arrived on the scene.

He has been watching and learning from Henry and Angel, two highly skilled forwards. Kandji is admittedly unfamiliar with the midfield position, but is eager to get on the pitch and the Red Bulls could use his speed and his appearance as another offensive weapon.

Miller’s absence is the one that leaves the most possibilities for someone else to step in. Many fans may be calling for the return of favorite Mike Petke to the starting eleven. However, Petke would only be available to play center back and the defense would have to be further broken apart.

In a lineup that will see a lot of shake-ups, finding some consistency—something that was never present in previous head coach Juan Carlos Osorio’s regime—is important.

The central tandem of Carlos Mendes and Tim Ream has been exceptional. They have anchored a defense that has allowed only two goals in five August matches. Those two will stay in the lineup, leaving Petke on the bench again.

Coming in should be midfielder/defender Danleigh Borman. He has appeared in 16 matches, started 11, and is seventh on the team in minutes played.

While there is a lot of movement going on for such a big match, there are two things that should keep the organization and its fans happy.

One is that workhorse midfielder Joel Lindpere has declined any Estonia National Team call-ups for the remainder of the season, stressing the importance of being with the Red Bulls on their quest for the team’s first championship.

The other thing is that Thierry Henry and Juan Pablo Angel are healthy and will both be starting against Real Salt Lake. The best forward tandem in MLS will put the pressure on Salt Lake’s defense, possibly even hiding some of the vulnerabilities of the rest of the makeshift squad.

The Red Bulls would have loved to trot out their complete lineup to strut their stuff against the reigning champions, but that is not the case. It still is an important fixture, and the team is still talented enough however, to compete and earn at least a point.

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As Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy prepare for Saturday's match with the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, the mindset has been one of the straightforward variety: Score First.

“We’ve given up way too many early goals this year,” Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein said after Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Kansas City Wizards. “What that does to us is it ends up making us chase the game and allowing teams to sit in and counter against us.”

Los Angeles is 0-5-1 when they allow the first goal this season. All of the six first-half goals allowed this season came in the first 20 minutes of each game.

Galaxy defender Todd Dunivant gave a concise explanation regarding the goals given up early.

“A lot of it’s coming from the midfield, we’re up and they’re breaking on us and it’s some freak play in behind,” Dunivant said. “It’s not like [opponents] are getting in behind and breaking us down so we need to adjust to that. It is the common theme.”

For Klein, Los Angeles's nasty habit of chasing the game is simply unacceptable.

“It’s more indicative of our style of play and when we go down early and we have to chase the game and chase the game and chase the game, it allows teams to sit in and be tight against us,” Klein said on Saturday. “Usually teams have to come out and spread themselves out and that’s when we can catch them.

"When you give up that early goal you’re not able to do that.”

Midfielder Landon Donovan was quick to note that the difficulty for teams to come from behind after getting scored on early was a common theme in Major League Soccer.

“In this league, it’s hard to chase any game because we don’t have enough talented players,” Donovan said. “There aren’t enough talented players around the league to do the things to make plays when the other team has 10 guys behind the ball.

"When you see Chelsea or Man U or Arsenal or Barcelona play, they have enough quality players where they can play against 10 guys behind the ball and still create really good chances. That’s always going to be hard for us. We need to get back to the things we’re good at and if we do that, we’ll win.”

Los Angeles is 13-0-0 when they score first. They will look to make it 14-0-0 when they take on the Fire.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT and will be televised by Fox Sports Prime Ticket and TeleFutura.

INS & OUTS

Solving the complacency dilemma:

“I wish there was a simple answer,” Donovan said during training this week regarding Los Angeles's complacency issues. “If there was, we’d have figured it out. We’re doing our best to get back to basic things again.”

After a 11-1-3 start, LA's skid has hit a decrepit 2-4-1, with consecutive defeats for the first time in what has been a forgettable couple of months.

“We have to figure out who we are and what we’re all about and if we can do that we’ll have a chance,” Dunivant said. “If not, and we continue getting through these games like this, we’re not going to win the championship—and that’s obviously our goal this year.

“We haven’t responded well enough," he said. "I think that’s something we did very well last year, coming back. Especially in a lot of the early results, we were coming back and getting draws, fighting and scrapping. Our mentality has to change a little bit. We have to be more of a scrappy team. We have to be more of blue-collar team.

“Maybe we’ve listened to too much of the hype about being in first place and gotten a little complacent and thought maybe we could change our style of play or whatever. All that feeds into your mentality and you’re seeing the results and it’s not good.”

Donovan knows this all too well.

“There’s a natural tendency in sports when you get a big lead to take your foot off the gas a bit,” Donovan added. “We’re certainly at fault for that. But now, we’re right in the thick of it.

"Now, that doesn’t mean we’re not going to be in the playoffs, it doesn’t mean that we’re still not going to have a good year, but if we’re going to be as good as we can be, we need to be a lot better.”

And if it starts with the first match in September, more power to both Donovan and Dunivant. So the story goes.

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So the challenge was simple enough: Pick an MLS starting eleven that which has a total 2010 Guaranteed Compensation under $1,000,000.

The results were simple enough too. A pretty good team, I’d say. (Review it here.)

But as it turns out, the process of choosing the team and some insights about the league that came from it are probably what was the most interesting.

So, let’s look at how the team was picked.

Really—and this is no surprise—a challenge of this nature is mostly an exercise in finding the MLS players you think are the biggest discounts and picking a group of them that fit together to play a certain style, or at least effective, soccer.

Staying my course of hoping and dreaming for attractive, inventive soccer, I aimed for players I hoped could deliver that. I also wanted to focus on balancing the strength of the team across the field, for instance, avoiding deep sacrifices in midfield to pay for a top forward (who would then probably never get good service anyway.)

But, with such a limited budget, goals for attractive soccer and team balance are not easy to achieve.

Goalkeeper

Frankly, this was probably my easiest choice. Being the beautiful-soccer dreamer that I am, I tend to devalue goalies. I know it’s unfair to them, but so be it.

More than that, Kevin Hartman’s relatively low $80K salary (due to his recent status of being in club limbo?) made this a no-brainer. He is proven, experienced and inexpensive.   If I wasn’t going to get him, I would have gone with a cut-rate discount like Brad Knighton, for $40K.

Defenders

I’ll admit, I struggled here. Players who made my immediate short-list included: Omar Gonzalez, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Jonathan Bornstein, Sean Franklin, Gonzalo Segares, Darrius Barnes, AJ DeLaGarza, Tim Ream and Geoff Cameron.

The Gonzalez choice in particular was troubling, since a young player as the anchor in the back-line with a six digit salary is tough to swallow; however,  his future looks bright.   Jhon Kennedy Hurtado would have been a slightly less expensive, but also solid choice for that same role.

I have a much better opinion of Bornstein than many USA fans do, and for $100K figured him a sure thing for my back line. In the end though, I couldn’t pass up the savings that the recently returning Gonzalo Segares offered.

Reliable Geoff Cameron and the speedy Sean Franklin rounded out the back line.

Midfielders

At first, I worried that I’d not find a suitable midfield. It’s clear that the better midfielders are commanding a reasonably high premium in MLS. From a pure value standpoint, the players that jumped out at me were: Brad Evans, Joel Lindpere, Marco Pappa, Osvaldo Alonso, Andy Najar and maybe Andy Williams or Dax McCarty.

Alonso seemed like such a value that in nearly every iteration I tried, he ended up being my holding midfielder. I was very hopeful to add a crafty, creative central midfielder in front of him—with Arturo Alvarez and Javier Morales being high on the list relative to their costs—but I could not justify the sacrifices I’d need to make elsewhere on the field to accommodate them.

Instead, I went with creativity on the wings (Pappa, Najar) and a box-to-box player in Evans to partner in the center of midfield.

Forwards

I really wanted Fredy Montero.  I think for $180K his creativity would have been a terrific value.

(Yes, for many, another few thousand would get Edson Buddle, who most MLS watchers would then consider a shoo-in when looking at price to production. But despite all the obvious reasons I should be swooning for Edson, I don’t.)

One option would have been to pair Montero with a cheaper, but hopefully effective, role-player forward. While it might work as an OK complement, I think that a very solid front line combination that forces defenses to focus on two danger-men is more likely to illicit mistakes from over-matched MLS defenders is than a mismatched superstar/bit-player combination.

There are some good, inexpensive choices out there who could fill the second-fiddle role, with players like Dominic Odouro, Adam Cristman, Justin Braun and Joseph Ngwenya as examples.

Speed demons Maykel Galindo and (the much maligned) Robbie Findley were compelling values as well.

But in the end, I went instead with the strong and skillful Alvaro Saborio and the fast, powerful and crafty Omar Cummings.

So, that’s my lineup and my rationale. The low salary cap in this challenge, and for MLS generally, typically means taking some risks on younger, less expensive talent. It also means that if you are going “big” on one player, that player had better produce in a very significant way, because you quickly risk balance in other areas of the field to compensate for one large salary.

My risks included a near-rookie back line and a hope that Andy Najar has the kind of future that seems so close to his grasp.

In Part Three, I’ll look at what this value-based selection exercise taught me about MLS, and in particular my hometown New England Revolution.

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Philadelphia Union today announced the signing of defender/midfielder Sheanon Williams, thus completing the 24-man roster permitted by Major League Soccer regulations.

The Union could expand their roster up to 26 men with the signing of two home grown players. The 20-year-old joins the Union from the Harrisburg City Islanders, Philadelphia’s USL-2 affiliate.

Per Major League Soccer and team policies, the details of the signing will not be disclosed.

A product of the U-17 Residency Program, Williams represented the United States in two youth World Cups, the U-17 World Cup in Korea (2007), where he played for former head coach and current Philadelphia Union Coach John Hackworth, and the U-20 World Cup in Egypt (2009).

Raised in Boston, Mass., Williams is the second player to join the Union from the Harrisburg City Islanders.  J.T. Noone was signed by the expansion side on July 30, thanks to a partnership signed by these two organizations last February.

Philadelphia Union Communications

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On a day when most in the nation’s capital are celebrating a decrease in American firepower in Iraq, those of a soccer-minded persuasion are simply left wondering, “Where will the firepower come from?”

D.C. United have played 26 competitive matches this year, and managed a meager 25 goals from them.

The figure becomes even worse reading when U.S. Open Cup matches are taken out of consideration: 15 goals in 21 matches reads United’s utterly laughable league scoresheet so far this campaign.

The record for ineptitude in the final third is 25 goals in Toronto’s inaugural 2007 season, and while I’m all for one-upping those Canadians whenever possible, this is one record no one in D.C. wants to claim.

In order to avoid that ignominy, United will need to tally 11 goals in its remaining 8 league games.

To offer some perspective on just how it long it might take United to score 11 goals, Danny Allsopp is currently the club’s top scorer, registering a lofty four goals—for the entire season.

The fact that new coach Ben Olsen has apparently dumped any hope of saving face in the league for a Portsmouth-esque assault on the Cup certainly doesn’t bode well for avoiding the infamous record either.

So who is to blame for this Biblical goal drought?

Chris Pontius and Santino Quaranta, stalwarts of United’s attacking midfield, have been largely anonymous this season.

Pontius showed flashes of brilliance in Seattle and a handful of friendlies, but nothing of note in the league.

Some expected Adam Cristman to pick up the goal slack following an unfortunate metatarsal injury last season, but that has not come to fruition either (putting faith in a Kansas City import was always a dubious prospect anyway).

Seventeen-year old Academy product Andy Najar has been one of the lone bright spots this season, netting three goals in 19 appearances and showing real signs of promise for the future.

What can be done to end this dearth of goals you ask?

The obvious answer is a Capitol Hill favorite: throw some money at the problem.

One need only look toward New York (with envious eyes) to see the fruits of splashing a little cash on a goal-poacher in this league of heavy parity.

The D.C. backroom staff must have considered this option, but decided rather than actually spending money on a quality player who can score goals (heck maybe even win some games), they should instead squander their Designated Player spot on a midfielder who hasn’t had a nose for goal since almost a decade ago in the Serbo-Montenegrin Football League, and no reputation whatsoever outside of Central Europe.

In his defense, Branko Boskovic can hardly be expected to have the impact of an Henry, Castillo, Marquez, or even Guzman, because he is quite simply not an out-and-out striker. Boskovic is merely an innocent pawn in a very, very poorly played game.

The midfielder impressed mightily as recently as 2008 in the heart of a Rapid Vienna side that won the Austrian Bundesliga, and indeed had he been placed at the interior of a quality MLS side he may have found real success as a ball winner and distributor.

But if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, D.C. would have more than four wins.

D.C. took a swing with finally signing another D.P. (only the third in club history).

It was far from a threatening hack, but fans in Philadelphia, Columbus, and New England must certainly be feeling the breeze from the almighty miss.

The D.P. in MLS is a tricky entity, he must be measured not only by impact on the team in terms of wins and losses but also (perhaps more importantly in a perverse sense) in terms of fannies in the seats.

Boskovic has delivered on neither.

How the United staff could so quickly set aside the memory of a successful goal-scoring crowd favorite D.P. like Emilio and opt for an over-the-hill central mid from football's Hinterlands is beyond my obviously limited soccer understanding, yet perhaps given time Olsen will be able to remedy the mistake.

D.C. supporters are passionate to a fault, yet some of the most understanding and intelligent fans of the game in general I’ve ever had the pleasure of coming across.

They understand that sports are cyclical, and United is not subjected to the cruel fate of a relegation system that most other leagues in the world use.

It is certainly not a far stretch to imagine how the past few seasons of soccer in D.C. could have United ending up as America’s first Leeds United or Nottingham Forest: a grand old club languishing several rungs down the ladder and with no escape plan to speak of.

This season may be tanked, but we can all at least look forward with hope to the Olsen era, and perhaps even a D.P. signing that can pay dividends in goals scored.

Maybe not, probably not, but at this point hope (and the Cup) is all that’s left for this proud franchise.

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The Sounders are pitted against Chivas USA in a sold-out U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Starfire Sports Stadium with first kick at 7:30 p.m.

Last year Seattle Sounders FC garnered the U.S. Open Cup.  When the Rave Green takes the pitch Wednesday night in Tukwila, Washington it will be with an eye toward repeating last year’s feat.

The scene then shifts 2,500 miles to the east and Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday when Seattle faces the New England Revolution at 4:30 p.m. PT.

Over the past two months since beginning Open Cup play, Sounders FC (9-8-5, 32 points in league; 11-10-7 overall) has been on domestic tear, losing only once in 10 games.

If it can advance past Chivas USA (6-11-4, 22 points), Seattle will host the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on October 5 on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. The Columbus Crew and D.C. United meet in Wednesday's other semifinal.

The Rave Green are cup holders but have yet to score a goal in four MLS meetings with Chivas USA, which defeated D.C. United 1-0 at home on Sunday to snap a three game losing string. Seattle will face Chivas USA again in its final regular season home game  October 15.

After coming from behind to beat the Chicago Fire 2-1 at home last week, the Sounders ride a franchise best seven-game unbeaten (5-0-2) streak into New England. The 3-0 win over the Revolution June 5 matched the biggest victory margin for the club. The Revs (6-12-3, 21 points) have lost three in a row but are 5-4-2 at home. They host Monarcas Morelia in the SuperLiga final on Wednesday.

Seattle's surge to begin the second half of the season has propelled it into the second of four wild card slots. Eight teams qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.  The survivors include the first two teams in each division and those with the next four best point totals.

The Sounders announced Monday that the Gambia National Team has called in midfielder Sanna Nyassi for Saturday's African Cup of Nations qualifier with Namibia in Banjul, Gambia.

Nyassi will miss the matches against Chivas USA and the New England Revolution.  He will return to Seattle September 6.

It was also announced Monday that Sounders forward Fredy Montero was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 22 of the 2010 MLS season. Montero scored the first goal against the Chicago Fire to tie the game at 1-1 in the 36th minute. His second strike came in second half stoppage time to give the Sounders a 2-1 victory.

This marks Montero’s second Player of the Week award. Montero also captured the Player of the Month award for July and has led Sounders FC to an unbeaten 5-0-2 record in league play. He has five goals and three assists in that stretch.

Following Tuesday’s workout in Tukwila Coach Sigi Schmid talked about the upcoming match with Chivas USA as well as other subjects.

“It’s a different Chivas under Preki versus a Chivas under Martin Vasquez,” Schmid said. “We have played against Martin Vasquez’s team once and that’s the team we are preparing for. I thought we possessed the ball alright in the game down in L.A.

“We didn’t get a goal and neither did they. So it was just one of those things. Against Preki’s team, just like Preki’s teams in Toronto, they end up getting a little piece of you, they foul you, they break up the rhythm of the game to make it difficult to play. We have got to do better against that type of team. Chivas under Martin doesn’t play like that.”

On the subject of selecting a lineup for Wednesday‘s match, Schmid related, “If we think a guy is ready, we are going to play him. We are looking at situations, ‘Oh, OK. This guy has done well at training. It’s pretty close between these two guys. So maybe this guy has got a knock or is a little bit fatigued so we are going to make a change there.’ But in general, we are going to try and play the guys who are ready and able and healthy and well and it’s going to be our best team that we put out there.”

Schmid went on from there to discuss what Chivas USA is likely to do regarding lineup selections as well as motivation:

“Yeah, I think they will do the same thing. . . .  This for them is big. It’s an opportunity for them to get a trophy … So this is a game that I think is very important. I think you can expect them pretty much bringing their starting lineup.

“I heard that [Osael] Romero, who got called into El Salvador, is not going in until after our game. So obviously they want to have all hands on deck. . . . Certainly a team like them who, in their history, hasn’t won a trophy at this stage to be in the semifinal they are going to be a hungry team. It’s going to come from the front office on down, ‘This is a chance. We are in the semifinal. We are one game away from getting to the final. We are two games away from having the trophy.’ So they are going to be a hungry team.”

Coach Schmid also commented on Nyassi’s opportunity with the Gambian National Team:

“It’s great for him. It’s a good reward. And certainly how he has played late he deserves it. He’s got an opportunity to play in qualifying games for the Africa Nations Cup and those are important games for their countries.

“We are happy for him. We are missing him. We could use him here. He always plays well on this particular field, playing here at Starfire. For him, I think it’s a great reward and for him to put himself back into the picture there is good.”

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In the continuous quest to track down their lost wheels, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy wander into Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, like a pack of Angelenos on a road to nowhere. On September 4, they face the Chicago Fire in their penultimate road trip.

It's a Major League Soccer contest that will have significant implications in the dynamics of the MLS Western Conference Standings, as well as the wide-open supporters Shield race.

“Obviously the results the last two weeks are not good,” Arena said after the match against Kansas City. “You can term it however you wish. I won’t dispute history.

“It’s disturbing. It was not a good performance on our part. I think those things never surprise you in MLS. I think we’re getting the best shot of every team we play, and that requires that we be, game in and game out, ready to compete. And if we’re not, we’re going to have problems.”

“It’s a wake-up call for us,” said defender Todd Dunivant when reflecting on Saturday's game. “We have to pick it back up. It’s been a good couple of months now where it’s really been a slump. The fact that we are still in first place is a testament of how good our start was.

"We have to get it right at the right time and the only silver lining is that the slump is happening now and not at the end of the year.”

Even Landon Donovan admitted that the G's were still looking for their wheels.

“We’re struggling,” Donovan said. “We’ve gotten away from what we’re good at. Part of it has to do with being at the top of the table and relaxing a little bit. We put a lot into the first half of the season to get where we we’re at.”

“I wish we didn’t lose in that fashion,” Edson Buddle said on the defeat, “but we just have to forget about it.”

Out for the match against the Chicago Fire due to suspension is midfielder Chris Birchall.

“Being outcompeted, where you’re not winning your individual battles, (is a serious problem)” Birchall said. “You can’t always say the effort is there when you’re getting outcompeted. I think it was more alarming than the other (losses), and we just have to put it behind us.

“We need a performance where we play hard, grind out a one-nil win and put points on the table. We need something.”

Chicago comes into this week's match at Toyota Park also off a defeat, a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders. Carlos De Los Cobos's club will look to build on their recent success against the Galaxy through Marco Pappa, who leads the club with seven goals.

Other key scorers for the Fire include Baggio Husidic and Brian McBride with four goals, and Calen Carr and Collins John, both with two goals each.

Patrick Nyarko leads the club in assists with seven and is the team's main playmaker. Husidic and Pappa have also proved valuable in setting up the finish with four assists. The addition of Freddie Ljungberg has injected new life to this club, with three assists to show for his young career with the Fire.

Watch for the trio of C.J. Brown, Krzysztof Krol and Wilman Conde to neutralize the slumping Galaxy forwards. Goalkeeper Sean Johnson has done his part relieving season starter Andrew Drykstra, with a 1.80 goals against average and a 67.9 percent save percentage.

As for the Galaxy, Edson Buddle's 13 goals and Landon Donovan's 11 assists are still the best in the league, but both need to amp up their production on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts's GAA and save percentage dropped to 0.76 and 77.8 percent, respectively.

Juninho was unavailable for last week's match against the Kansas City Wizards due to personal issues but should be back in time to make the trip to Bridgeview.

No explanation is needed regarding the Galaxy's inept form the past two months: a decrepit back line susceptible to lose the intensity to neutralizing attacks from its opposition, and an attack delivering looks as bland as traditional English cuisine.

The time is now for this team to spice things up. And it has to start now.

Take a back seat, boys. This prognosticator is throwing caution to the wind in the Windy City and is calling for...a draw.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT and will be televised by Telefutura and Fox Sports Prime Ticket.

In search of Miss LA Galaxy


The Miss Universe Pageant may have ended a week or so ago in Las Vegas, but another pageant is on the books. It's the 2011 Miss LA Galaxy contest, presented by COVERGIRL.

This pageant dates back to 2002. During the next two months, ten of Southern California's best women who span professions ranging from coaching soccer to neuroscience to the pursuit of a graduate degree will be vying for the honor of Miss LA Galaxy. One of those contestants is Valencia, California's Megan Lacina.

"Today was wonderful, it's been a great bonding experience between all the girls," Lacina said after the contestants took the time to soak in the sights and sounds of Newport Beach. “We are capable of doing so much. I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to be part of something that is helping so many people in the community.

"If I were to win it would be a huge honor, but I think any of these girls would deserve to win equally and I would be just as happy for any of them.”

The ideal candidate is someone who takes pride in making a difference in their community, enjoys doing volunteer work, demonstrates extraordinary academic and personal achievement and, of course, supports the LA Galaxy and its commitment to making the sport of soccer grow in this country.

The final day of this contest is scheduled for October 24, on the final home game of the season against FC Dallas.

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As the MLS playoffs loom increasingly closer it was imperative to establish momentum during this crucial stage.

Saturday night two teams hovering at the five hundred mark sought to move a leg up toward playoff competition as the Chicago Fire with recent acquisition Freddie Ljungberg visited Seattle to face the Sounders before an Xbox pitch Qwest Field throng of 36,386.

It was only befitting that Colombia Comet Fredy Montero, the team leader in goals and assists, surge forward to take control when the game was on the line and make the difference.  Montero scored his second of two goals on the night during stoppage time to break a 1-1 regulation time deadlock and commandeer a nail-biting 2-1 triumph that set off an instant celebration on the Sounders bench as well as throughout the stadium.

Earlier in the season Montero set a high bench mark for himself for 2010 after an impressive All-Star beginning last year.  “Since the MLS season is longer than that in Colombia where I set my goal of 15 goals,” he explained, “I set a goal of 20 goals here.”

Montero was asked if he had a goal for number of assists this season.  “Yes, I have a goal of 10 assists,” he replied.

The irony is the current equal distribution of Montero’s work product.  With his two scores Saturday night Montero’s production is identical with 10 goals and the same number of assists.  

When asked to comment on this result of identical goals and assists from Seattle’s star striker, Coach Sigi Schmid had an answer:

 "He's a player that drops off the front line a little bit, that's where he feels most comfortable. So he's a player who also is a good passer of the ball. An old coach told me a long time ago that dribblers don't make it in this game and what he meant to say by that is when you look at the great dribblers in the game whether it's a George Best or a (Diego) Maradona or a (Lionel) Messi, they are also very good passers of the ball. I think Fredy Montero has that ability and so if you are a good passer of the ball and then you can dribble as well and have something extra that is spicing on the cake kind of thing, or the icing, something like that. I get all those things confused - the icing, something like that."

Schmid’s conclusion drew laughter from the media corps.  The humor added extra spice but the point was clear.  Montero is the kind of polished player who passing skills rival those of his kicking prowess.  As a result he establishes high numbers in both scoring and assists.

The evening got off to a frustrating beginning for the home squad.  In the 28th minute a John Thorrington penalty kick put the Windy City club on top.  With Ljungberg, recently traded from Seattle to Chicago and making his first appearance to his former home city since then, available the question was whether he should take the penalty kick.  He had been the team designate for corner kicks for the entire evening.

Ljungberg commented after the match that his teammates implored, “Freddie, you should take the kick” but felt that after all the hype that had been generated over the match that “other players” should constitute the factor and hence his refusal and Thorrington instead delivering the score.

The penalty resulted from defender Jeff Parke being whistled for a handball in the box when Patrick Nyarko's pass struck his arm.

Montero delivered an equalizer in the 36th minute.  Tyson Wahl, making his first appearance since April 25, took a pass from Patrick Ianni and served a long ball to the box.  The timing was superb as the speedy Montero chased down the ball and blasted a shot inside the near post.

The assist marked Wahl’s first MLS point since entering the league in 2006.  For Ianni his effort marked his initial assist of the season.

The climactic final Montero goal came in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.  James Riley took a quick throw-in to Nathan Sturgis.  He then delivered a left-footed cross to Montero at the far post.

The Colombian delivered a picture perfect header.  Montero headed the ball down and past Fire goal keeper Sean Johnson for his 10th goal. This marked Sturgis' first assist this season and Riley's third.

Seattle finished with a 12-9 edge in shots.  The teams stood even at 4-4 on goal while the Sounders held a 6-4 on corner kick advantage.  

"It is pretty exciting,” Coach Schmid said regarding the late game-winning dynamics.   “You do all the hard work and when you win one like that and you score late like you do, it's such an outstanding feeling. That's something that sometimes becomes defining moments for teams in a season. Hopefully this will help us in becoming a defining moment for us."

Many had predicted that this crucial test for both teams would generate high scoring as well as a lot of tough physical play.  While a high scoring element never resulted, the play was at a high physical level.  The match had an intensity that kept both teams on their physical edge.  No red cards resulted but five yellows were handed out.

Steve Kinney and Freddie Ljungberg each secured yellow cards for the visitors for a reckless tackle and reckless foul respectively.  Montero and Nate Jaqua were cited for reckless fouls while Blaise Nkufo secured a yellow card for unsporting behavior.

"They are a pretty physical team,” Schmid said regarding Chicago.  “C.J. Brown is a pretty physical player. There were a lot of knocks, bumps and bruises. There's a lot of guys that are pretty bruised in there, but that's just part of the game when you play them."

Speaking of bruises, Ljungberg limped noticeably walking into the post-game news conference.  We waived it off in the manner of a determined veteran as nothing more than part of the game.  “It will be gone in the next day or two,” he said.

As for the yellow card he secured and that which Montero picked up against him,  Ljungberg denied that there was any “message” being communicated.  The results just constituted tough and determined soccer.   

On the subject of returning to Seattle to face his former teammates, Ljungberg delivered an emotional message:

"Of course it's special to come back, you know. I have a special relationship with people in this city and I thought the fans were just amazing. Of course I was booed in the game, and before and after the game they were cheering so I can understand that totally, and it was a nice reception.

“About the game, of course we're devastated, we lost the game due to marking. There were misses , and they scored two goals, which we're extremely upset about in the locker room. But that can't happen, especially when we play so well for 90 minutes and concede in the last second, the 90th and some extra minutes.

“We felt we played well. We kept the ball more than Seattle. They're kind of a more straight forward, long ball system and hoping for the second ball so we kind of felt we could control it if we kept the ball which we did some moments in the second half which we were happy with. That's why it's hard, it's devastating to concede on a long ball and marking we were missing in the box."

As a determined veteran Ljungberg remains focused on finding a way to help his new team make the playoffs.  This was evident in his remarks about adjusting to a new playing environment and what the future holds.

"Normally it takes a while but my new team has been absolutely great and they want to play in a certain way and Carlos (de los Cobos, Fire coach) is very adamant about the way he wants to play, and keep the ball on the floor,” Ljungberg explained.  “And that's an easy system for me to play, that's how I want to play so I've gotten into it quite well. I've had a great record and played some great football … “(T)oday we conceded three crosses or long balls and so at the moment we need to go back and concentrate on marking and I think we'll get even more wins."

Chicago coach Carlos de los Cobos summarized his overall impression of the match afterward.

"I think our team played good,” the coach concluded.  “It was a very good game, Both teams played really good football. It was a shame, with what is happening with the last couple of matches, us losing in the final few minutes. Part of the time of maturing of some players, the young players they are learning. This situation is normal."

Sounders FC  now stands at 9-8-5 with 32 points and is fourth in the MLS Western Conference.  It has won its last four home matches.  The Chicago Fire in losing drop to 6-7-6.  It has 24 points.  This is its second straight loss.  Chicago is fourth in the East.

The Sounders conclude their current home stand on Wednesday with a U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Washington against Chivas USA. First kick is 7:30 p.m. PT.

After that it is back to MLS play as Seattle travels to New England to play the Revolution on September 4 at 4:30 p.m. PT.

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