Foudy and Chastain

MLS drops the hammer on Clark

The AP is reporting that MLS has given Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark a nine-game ban and was fined $10,000 for kicking FC Dallas forward Carlos Ruiz.Click here for the article.

This is the longest suspension MLS has handed to a player and means that the Dynamo will be without Clark's services in the post-season. The previous record was six games handed out to Dario Sala, Thomas Ravelli, and Andy Herron in separate incidents. And lest you think that $10,000 is a drop in the bucket for a pro athlete, according to MLS salary statistics for 2006, Ricardo Clark makes about $173,000 a year.

TYH's Mock Promotion/Relegation Battle

Congratulations to the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers, who became the first two teams to win mock-promotion from the USL-1 to MLS in TYH's Mock Promotion/Relegation Battle! Portland secured passage by virtue of a second-place regular season finish, after the Seattle Sounders* tore through the postseason and succeeded in capturing the USL-1 double, as regular and post-season champs.

Meanwhile, the drama over mock relegation heats up in MLS. Toronto managed a 2-1 win over New York to overtake Real Salt Lake in the standings, but both clubs remains in the drop zone, three points behind Los Angeles. RSL face Chivas USA and Los Angeles take on Houston. Although both the Chivas and the Dynamo have clinched playoff berths, they are fighting for a second seed and an outside shot at the Supporters' Shield, so neither club will be taking their foot of the pedal. It's enough to make an owner mock nervous. The Galaxy will host Toronto on October 13 in a match that may likely decide the mock fate of both clubs. Stay mock tuned.

USL.1 Promoted Clubs:

TEAM	GP	W	L	D	Pts.	Diff
Seattle	28	16	6	6	54	14
Portland	28	14	5	9	51	14

MLS Relegation Candidates (Week 26):

TEAM	GP	W	L	D	Pts.	Diff
COL	27	7	12	8	29	-6
LA	26	7	13	6	27	-11
TOR	27	6	15	6	24	-22
RSL	27	5	14	8	24	-13

*Seattle may indeed be promoted in non-mock reality. Rumors are flying around the web that Seattle will be the next expansion team announced for either 2008 or 2009.

Open Cup: Noo-bies win

Not since the 1980 release of Caddyshack has a Noonan figured so prominently in a championship, as New England Revolution knocked off FC Dallas 3-2 in the 2007 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Pat Noonan scored the opener in the 21st minute and then set up two more, leading the Revolution to their first ever US Open Cup title.

The opening goal came when Dallas defender Adrian Serioux mis-hit a Steve Ralston cross and it fell to Noonan at the dar post. But FC Dallas fought back nine minutes later with a long distance cracker from Arturo Alvarez, which bent just inside the post.

The Revs went ahead again right before halftime, as Noonan flicked on a Ralston corner kick to Taylor Twellman at the far post, and then Wells Thompson made it 3-1 in the 58th minute. A endline cross from Twellman was back-heeled by Noonan to Thompson who beat Serioux and then goalkeeper Dario Sala with the shot.

But the Hoops didn't go down without a fight, as substitute Abe Thompson one-timed a header flick from Clarence Goodson in the 64th minute. Even with five forwards in the closing minutes, including a recently recovered Kenny Cooper, Dallas was unable to find the equalizer.

Scoring Summary
NE – Pat Noonan (unassisted) 21
FCD – Arturo Alvarez (David Wagenfuhr) 30
NE – Taylor Twellman (Pat Noonan) 41
NE – Wells Thompson (Pat Noonan) 58
FCD – Abe Thompson (Clarence Goodson) 64

New England: Matt Reis, James Riley, Michael Parkhurst, Jay Heaps, Andy Dorman, Jeff Larentowicz, Khano Smith, Wells Thompson (Adam Cristman 78), Steve Ralston ©, Taylor Twellman, Pat Noonan

FC Dallas: Dario Sala, David Wagenfuhr (Kenny Cooper 76), Clarence Goodson, Adrian Serioux, Drew Moor, Dax McCarty, Pablo Ricchetti (Alex Yi 46, Abe Thompson 64), Juan Toja, Dominic Oduro, Carlos Ruiz ©, Arturo Alvarez

Misconduct Summary
NE – Jeff Larentowicz (caution) 74
NE – James Riley (caution) 86

Copa Suda: Why can't we win in Mexico?

DC United lost the away leg 1-0 in their Copa Sudamerica matchup against CD Guadajalara on October 2nd and were bounced from the tournament, thanks to the away goal scored in DC's 2-1 victory last week. Ramón Morales scored for Chivas in the 63rd minute.

If the MLS execs want to convince the soccer viewing public in this country that MLS is a competitive league and has raised its level of play on par with the rest of the leagues in this region, we have to start winning games in hostile climes. Sure there's the batteries and bags of urine to contend with during the game and the chanting fans outside the hotel room the night before, but American clubs need to find a way to be more successful South of the Border or they will never be taken serious among the casual fans (or among the largely untapped Latino and Hispanic market.

Official Match Report

Ricardo Clark loses his shit

Maybe it was the elbow FC Dallas forward Carlos Ruiz delivered early in the game to the back of Eddie Robinson's head or maybe it was all the diving or maybe El Pescadito said something about his mama, but Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark lost his freakin' mind, and for all the world to see (well those watching MLS on Spanish-language TV anyway) unleashed a wicked right-foot on Carlos Ruiz that would have made Quinton Jackson cringe. So much for the ol' adage, never kick a man when he's down.

Here's the video (courtesy of YouTuber tbone420.

TYH'S MLS BEST 11 (Week 26)

GOALKEEPER

N. Rimando (RSL)

DEFENDERS

M. Burch (DC), M. Parkhurst (NE), T. Harden (LA)

MIDFIELDERS

K. Martino (LA), S. Holden (HOU), Fred (DC),
C. Blanco (CHI), S. Joseph (NE)

FORWARD

D. DeRosario (HOU), L. Emilio (DC)

MLS Week 26: Who wants to go?

Chicago could only manage a draw, but Colorado couldn't gain any ground as the race for the final playoff spot heats up. Meanwhile, DC United cruised on the back of four second-half goals (including Luciano Emilio's 20th), to keep four points separating them and New England in the race for the real MLS championship, the Supporters' Shield. Columbus missed a chance to leapfrog Chicago and move into the eighth playoff spot, while Houston won the Texas showdown with Houston.

SEPT. 30
Houston 3-0 FC Dallas

Los Angeles 2-1 Columbus

SEPT. 29
Toronto 1-4 DC United
Toronto got on the board early, with a Carl Robinson free kick in the 14th minute, but then DC brought the pain, with four unanswered goals in the second half. DC defender Marc Burch continues to have a stellar year with a goal in the 52nd minute, a cracker from 18-yards. Target practice continued four minutes later when Fred hit a long-distance effort from near the same spot as Burch, finding the upper, right corner. Jaime Moreno added to his record-setting goal talley with an easy finish from the six, after a nice through ball delivery from Copa Sudamerica hero Clyde Simms. And Luciano Emilio scored his 20th goal of the season, connecting after Christian Gomez's freekick his the crossbar. It's the first time that an MLS player has scored 20 goals in a season, since 2002 when Carlos Ruiz scored 24. The all-time record is 27 goals by Roy Lassiter in the inaugural year (1996).
Full Match Recap

Colorado 0-1 New England
It took 88 minutes, but New England got the result against Colorado, as Khano Smith beat the Rapids defense and then Colorado keeper Bouna Coundoul with a low shot. Poor finishing kept this close, as the Revs put eight shots on goal, but only managed a single goal, against a desperate Rapids team, who are four points behind the final playoff spot with just three games to play. The Revs, meanwhile, kept pace with DC who lead the Supporters' Shield race by four points over their Eastern conference rivals.
Full Match Recap

Real Salt Lake 2-2 New York
New York's shoddy defense continued as they surrendered a rather weak opening goal to RSL's Chris Brown, after he nodded in a Chris Wingert cross at the far post in the 22nd minute. New York's newboy Francis Doe scored his second of the year, equalizing in the 49th minute. But RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman, unmarked, easily redirected a Fabian Espindola pass past the spraawling Ronald Waterreus in the 75th. Juan Pablo Angel, who had been stymied all match despite some excellent chances, made sure from the spot in the 80th minute, after Red Bulls defender Seth Stammler was upended in the box, converting his 17th goal of the season.
Full Match Recap

Chicago 1-1 Chivas USA
Yet another superb free kick by Cuauhtemoc Blanco put Chicago in the driver's seat at the 24th minute, but as has been the case this season, the Fire's late-game defending let them down, as Claudio Suarez equalized from the spot, eight minutes from time. After hitting the post ten minutes prior, Maykel Galindo was brought down in the area and Suarez calmly tucked it in the top-right corner. A bit of extra time drama, as Blanco appeared to be taken down by Alex Zotinca in the other end, but referee Tim Weyland awarded only a corner kick to the Fire. Following the play, Fire coach Juan Carlos Osorio was ejected and will not be on the sideline for the next match.
Full Match Recap

SEPT. 27
Los Angeles 1-0 Kansas City
KC's downward spiral continued at home on Wednesday, as even the bottom-of-the-barrel Galaxy managed a result against the lackluster Wizards. Substitute Gavin Glinton headed home Mike Randolph's cross in the 80th minute to give the Galaxy only their sixth win in 24 played. Not helping matters was the ejections of both Jimmy Conrad and Davy Arnaud in the 57th and 82nd minutes, respectively. Maybe he insulted their sisters? In separate incidents, Conrad and Arnaud were sent off for a blantant studs-up tackle on the same player, Galaxy midfielder Peter Vagenas.
Full Match Recap.