What happens when the punishment someone gets is pretty much what they wanted in the first place? We can ask Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco -- or, as MLS commissioner Don Garber called him, the "Mexican David Beckham" (Stay classy, Don!) -- about that, now that he's been banned from the U.S. Open Cup for a minimum of two years and six matches for punching Clyde Simms in the gut during Chicago's quarterfinal loss to D.C. United. The incident is shown toward the end of that video.
I suspect MLS is pleased as, uh, punch that Blanco has gotten out of Open Cup duty, thus allowing the league to save one of its biggest assets for league matches only. Besides, it's not like MLS wants anyone to watch the Open Cup, right?
How long has it been since the city of Boston got to celebrate a championship? A couple weeks, maybe?
Boston is going through quite the purple patch right now. The Red Sox won the last World Series, the Celtics are the reigning NBA champs, and the New England Patriots, who have won three Super Bowls this decade, might have been one amazing catch away from a fourth. (I attribute that to karma, but that's just me.)
Well, don't look now, but the New England Revolution, who won the U.S. Open Cup last year, are ready to outdo every other team in Boston. This club is up for not one, not two, but four trophies this season.
The Revs are currently five points clear in first place for the MLS Supporters Shield, which goes to the top club in the regular season. In addition, they're in the semifinals of both the Open Cup and Superliga, and they look poised to make another run in the MLS Cup Playoffs. They've reached the Final the last two seasons, only to lose both times the Houston Dynamo -- which, by the way, is the other MLS club in the Superliga semifinals.
It was a night of knockout soccer that saw three games go to extra time, two games go to penalty kicks, and one famous Mexican lose his temper and get sent off. By the time the smoke cleared, the glass slipper still fit for two USL First Division clubs, who had advanced to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.
Why isn't this competition on TV again?
The Charleston Battery obliterated FC Dallas, 3-1, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX, scoring before an after an hour-long lightning delay in the first half and shutting down all but one meaningless strike in the 93rd minute. Meanwhile, the Seattle Sounders fought the Kansas City Wizards to a 0-0 draw and advanced 6-5 on penalties, thanks in part to a 12-save performance by Sounders goalkeeper Chris Eylander, who also saved two PKs to help Seattle advance.
Meanwhile, USL Second Division club Crystal Palace Baltimore pushed the defending Open Cup champion New England Revolution to penalties, but lost the shootout, 5-3. In Boyds, MD, Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Mark Burch were shown red cards in extra time, while Bryan Namoff scored the winner in the 99th minute to push D.C. United past the Chicago Fire, 2-1.
D.C. United and the Chicago Fire meet tonight in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, one month after their testy match in Toyota Park in which three red cards were given and Luciano Emilio got a surprise goal in stoppage time to lift 9-man D.C. to a 2-1 win.
If you want to watch this rematch, though, you'll have to go to the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds and buy a ticket. By all accounts, this match will not air on TV or online. Neither will tonight's New England Revolution v. Crystal Palace Baltimore match, providing further proof that the U.S. Open Cup -- a competition in which the winner receives a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League, no less -- is truly the most disrespected competition in American soccer.
The other two quarterfinal matches at least have online video feeds. FC Dallas v. Charleston Battery will be shown on MLSLive at 8:30 PM ET, while Seattle fans log on to USLLive get a free glimpse of their future MLS club's home when the USL-1 Seattle Sounders face the Kansas City Wizards at Qwest Field at 10:00 PM ET. Let's hope the groundskeepers actually try to cover up the gridiron lines this year.
Crystal Palace supporters still suffering from the loss of that Premier League promotion playoff last May might be taking a little solace in their American counterparts today.
Indeed, the club was founded in 2006, 101 years after Crystal Palace FC was founded in London, and it serves as a player development wing for the Coca-Cola Championship club. Clearly, player development is going pretty well there, though as Ives Galarcep notes, too many Red Bulls just didn't come to play last night.
Two other USL clubs pulled off upsets, as USL-1 leaders the Charleston Battery defeated MLS Cup holders the Houston Dynamo on penalty kicks, while the Seattle Sounders topped Chivas USA, 2-0. Other USL clubs didn't get away so easily. The Kansas City Wizards came back from a 2-0 deficit to topple the Carolina Railhawks, 4-2, in extra time, and FC Dallas scored a 2-1 comeback win against Miami FC. D.C. United, the Chicago Fire and the New England Revolution also cruised to victory over USL clubs.
The 3rd round of the U.S. Open Cup kicks off tomorrow, and if you're looking for the MLS clubs that are taking this tournament seriously this year, just look for which clubs are playing at home.
Unlike England's FA Cup, where the home team is determined by random draw, MLS and USL clubs place bids with the U.S. Soccer Federation to host games, and the highest bidder plays at home. If you look at the schedule for tomorrow's games, you'll notice that the New England Revolution, the Chicago Fire, D.C. United and FC Dallas are all playing at home.
By contrast, the Houston Dynamo travel to South Carolina to face USL-1 leaders the Charleston Battery, and the New York Red Bulls head to Maryland to face USL-2 side Crystal Palace Baltimore. Perhaps Houston and New York aren't quite as interested in the CONCACAF Champions League bid that comes with winning the Open Cup.
D.C. United, however, suddenly seems much more interested in the Open Cup than they were last year.
Second-round action in the U.S. Open Cup takes place tonight, and while USL clubs dominate the schedule, the one remaining amateur club has enough star power to steal the spotlight from all of them.
Hollywood United, who upset the Portland Timbers two weeks ago, was founded in the late 1980s by none other than Anthony LaPaglia, star of the long-running CBS TV series Without A Trace and a co-owner of Australian A-League club Sydney FC. As it turns out, LaPaglia was a former professional goalkeeper in Australia before he began his acting career, and he built Hollywood United with several other celebrities and former players. In addition to the star-studded Over-30 and Over-40 teams, LaPaglia's club has a younger "Open Cup" team that plays in (and won) the Coast Soccer League. That team has its eye on becoming the American version of Havant & Waterlooville, the little Conference South club that took on Liverpool in the FA Cup.
The boys at USOpenCup.com have a more in-depth profile of Hollywood United here. Hollywood faces the MLS-bound Seattle Sounders tonight in Tukwila, WA. The winner of that match gets Chivas USA in the 3rd round. The rest of the U.S. Open Cup schedule is after the jump.
A former Portland Timbers player, who was released from the club before he had a chance to shine, teamed up with a rowdy rabble of washed-up rock stars and actors, waltzed into PGE Park in Portland showed one of the top teams in USL how to play soccer.
Okay, not quite, but it makes for a great elevator pitch, doesn't it?
Matt Taylor and Hollywood United became the feel-good story of the U.S. Open Cup with their 3-2 win over the Portland Timbers on Tuesday night. Taylor was signed by the Timbers last year after an injury-plagued three seasons in MLS, but the club let him go after a slew of poor performances. Taylor scored two goals, including a penalty kick which leveled the score at 2-2, and Earl Alexander silenced the PGE Park crowd with a winner in stoppage time. It was truly a Hollywood ending, complete with team president Anthony LaPaglia racing down to the locker room and shouting, "You guys are unbelievable."
The First Round of the Open Cup begins tonight with 16 matches, featuring clubs from USL's First Division, Second Division and Premier Development Leagues, plus eight amateur clubs that made it through regional qualifying. One of those amateur clubs is Hollywood United, which was originally formed by members of the Sex Pistols, The Cult and Def Leppard and is most famous for bringing in celebrities like Anthony LaPaglia and Ziggy Marley to play with old pros like Vinnie Jones and Eric Wynalda. Sadly, none of those celebs will be on the pitch tonight when Hollywood United faces the Portland Timbers. More's the pity.
You can see the full first-round schedule here, and My Soccer Blog has a breakdown of all the games here. There's also an MLS qualifying match in Chicago tonight between the Fire and the Columbus Crew. MLS clubs officially enter the tournament in the third round, which kicks off the first week of July.
We have to follow FIFA guidance, and in the past when countries wanted to play official games in the U.S. we have declined. We have hosted the Italian equivalent of the Community Shield in 1993 and that would be very different to holding a Premier League game. We would consider it.
The FA Community Shield is a preseason match between the Premier League champion and the FA Cup winner from the previous season. It usually signifies the start of the English season and helps raise money for various charities in England.
So here's my question for Mr. Gulati: Why is the U.S. Soccer Federation so keen on promoting a virtual friendly between Manchester United and Portsmouth, yet it won't put any money into the oldest club competition in America?
How long has it been since the city of Boston got to celebrate a championship? A couple weeks, maybe?
It was a night of knockout soccer that saw three games go to extra time, two games go to penalty kicks, and one famous Mexican lose his temper and get sent off. By the time the smoke cleared, the glass slipper still fit for two USL First Division clubs, who had advanced to the 
D.C. United and the Chicago Fire meet tonight in the 
Crystal Palace supporters still suffering from the loss of that Premier League promotion playoff last May might be taking a little solace in their American counterparts today.
The 3rd round of the 
Second-round action in the U.S. Open Cup takes place tonight, and while USL clubs dominate the schedule, the one remaining amateur club has enough star power to steal the spotlight from all of them.
A former Portland Timbers player, who was released from the club before he had a chance to shine, teamed up with a rowdy rabble of washed-up rock stars and actors, waltzed into PGE Park in Portland showed one of the top teams in USL how to play soccer.
It might be the most disrespected cup competition on the planet, but the 
Earlier this week, U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati told reporters in England that 
