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It seems like its been all season that rumors have been flying about where Columbus Crew midfielder, Danny Szetela, would end up. He passed up offers from Roma and Newcastle, and has finally agreed to a three-year deal with Racing de Santander, a Spanish First Division team. With this team, he has a better chance of playing for the first team.

Apparently they are teaching the right type of soccer in Clifton, NJ, as Szetela becomes the second player out of that area to sign for a Spanish First Division team. Giuseppe Rossi, who signed with Villareal this summer is the other American (although he wants to play for the Italian National team) over there.

Danny during the U-20s tournament.

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Today's UEFA Super Cup between AC Milan (Champions League Winners) and Sevilla (UEFA Cup Winners) ended 3-1 in favor of Milan. Not only was this game about the meeting of two big European clubs, but more a celebration of the life of 22-year-old Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta who died after collapsing on the field last week.

Sevilla to win: 20%

The Champions of Europe could be serious contenders to repeat

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It seems like Alexi Lalas bashing has come full circle as non-soccer analysts wish to show 'P.T. Barnam' the AEG exit door as the HDC Circus has lost it's appeal.

Click here to watch the video form ESPN.

Is Lalas and his circus tricks better suited for the broadcast booth?

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Not here for an acting career, huh? Then why did Posh Spice land herself a role on ABC's Ugly Betty during the second season of the show. She will play a celebrity bridesmaid in an upcoming episode.

Posh is already angling herself to take over Hollywood - The Spice Girls are reuniting for a two-month tour, and U.S. publishers will be releasing Posh's best-selling style guide "That Extra Half an Inch," and not to mention, her clothing line dVb.


Emotionless Posh at the HDC

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As the rumor mill is in high gear at the Home Depot Center these days, even random ones get spit out and thrown about the MLS front offices. Apparently, Carlos Pavon has a bad case of asthma. Who knows, could be true? But then again, asthma doesn't make you lose all the balls played into your feet. No doctors were consulted in the writing of this blog, but asthma can't be a problem if the guy has been playing for probably ten years now, at least.

In the nose, out the mouth

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Russian Alisher Usmanov, owner of Oskol Steel Mill, the Ural Steel industrial complex, and the Lebedinsky Iron Ore Mining and Processing Facility has said his first love was his stock, or shares, in his metals plants. Now he desires a different endeavour: owning a soccer team.

Like other billionaire businessman in Moscow, nervous of a sudden turn against them by the Kremlin, he may also have concluded from Roman Abramovich’s ownership of Chelsea that a stake in a high-profile foreign club helps to protect other assets at home from official prying.

The human Jabba the hut?

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While Beckham struggles with his injury problems, his wife Victoria - fresh from her less-than-successful attempts to revive her singing career - is having to come to terms with the fact that her attempts to launch a US television career have not gone entirely to plan.

The critics gave the show a severe drubbing. The New York Post called the fly-on-the-wall documentary - designed to show that Victoria has a sense of humor about herself - "an orgy of self-indulgence".

She should take a lesson from the movie
and lose some of her money, so people can see
her real side

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Whether or not Frank Yallop is the coach of the Galaxy for much longer, he finally got some stuff off his chest during the SuperLiga press conference. Dropping a few F-bombs, Yallop said, "I could go over why we come out flat, why we look like we're not interested," Yallop said, "but guys are f---in' knackered, to be honest. That's the truth. But I'll tell you what: They kept going. They're f---ed ... All the crap that we've been f---in' through, I'm telling you, it's been difficult to f---in' deal with -- sorry to swear -- but it's been hard. But they kept going, and that makes me proud."

Yallop yelling directions to the team.

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Here is what was learned after watching the SuperLiga final at the Home Depot Center last night:
The Galaxy are bad. There is just no way else to put it, but finally, during the SuperLiga Final, they played with some heart thanks to Cobi. What is amazing is that Joe Cannon hasn't walked off the field and thrown his gloves at back-up keeper Steve Cronin and yelled, "Your turn," in frustration with the team's "defense." Galaxy Player of the Match: Joe Cannon. The only other real highlight for the team was Chris Klein’s last second bicycle kick – who probably had his best moment with the Galaxy in the 93rd minute.

Some other things were apparent last night too—Pete Vagenas could be the worse player to ever don a Galaxy jersey. There has been talk about the Galaxy making room under the salary cap, well there’s $131,250 that can be freed up right away. Please note though: he did score last night...it was just for Pachuca. It was also proved that LD is human when it come to taking PKs. For a player who has scored most of his goals this year (this is including the National team) from the penalty spot, to miss like that, well there is just no excuse.


Pachuca celebrate their win

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It seems that the head honchos of MLS were at it again. By now everyone knows that the winner of the SuperLiga tournament would get $1 million prize, but it seems that MLS decreed in MLS fashion that if the Galaxy had won the players would only be allowed the receive $150,000 (Pachuca players said they would have gotten $350,000, but have decided to donate their portion to the victims of Hurricane Dean). The reason on the street for the difference - MLS didn't want SuperLiga's prize pool to be more than the MLS Cup winners get. That's $165,000 just in case you are wondering.

This begs to the question - what's it to MLS? The Galaxy organization and the players should have decided how much the team gets. But, don't feel bad for the Galaxy for losing yet - the players still get $100,000. That's almost 8 times what Lance Friesz (the Galaxy's third string keeper) makes in a year.

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There was no doubt that going into the game, Pachuca was the better team of the two. However, this game was the Galaxy's last chance to salvage something positive from this season since theirs will most likely end at the close of the regular season. And even though it came down to PKs (and LD had the chance to win it for his club), Pachuca peppered the goal all game forcing Cannon to make incredible (and lucky) saves. Congrats to Pachuca, but they should have put the game away on numerous occasions.

38% voted that Pachuca would win

The manner in which the Galaxy lost last night
was a microcosm of their season this year

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The SuperLiga final was full of disappointment for the Galaxy, but nothing could be worse than the fact that Beckham went out in 33rd minute of the game with a sprained knee. And, this injury could keep him out for six weeks, which in MLS time is almost the rest of the season. But, it was bound to happen...Beckham's been playing injured for weeks now, and it was just a matter of time before he hurt himself worse. But, Galaxy fans, there is a silver-lining to this cloud: an injured Beckham means no English National Team call-up.

The tackle that will probably keep Becks sidelined for 6 weeks.

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Real Salt Lake beat Kansas City 3-1. Yes, that's right the worse team in the league two years running is no longer at the bottom of the table. Not only did RSL win, but also their team record for fastest goal was broken. One of the three Argentine's, Matias Mantilla, scored the team's first goal just 40 seconds into the game, and three of the Argentine's that recently signed with the team helped with the goals one way or another. But the best part for RSL - as of right now they are no longer the worse team in MLS. At this precise moment, they have one point over the Galaxy, the team they play on Saturday. More bad news for the Galaxy - if RSL scored three goals on one of the best defenses in the League, the Galaxy is in for a rocky night come Saturday.

Fabian Espindola celebrates his first goal in Jason Kreis style

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Today, Chivas USA defender, Alex Zotinca, is $1,250 poorer...the League fined him and suspended him for three gams for his head butt during the Galaxy/Chivas game last week for violent conduct. Oddely enough, Kevin Harmse, who seemed to be the victim in the incident, was fined $250 for "lack of respect for the game."

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These days DC United defender is spending the games on the bench. He insists its not because of his blog (www.bobbyboswell.com) or the after-parties he hosts after DC home games, but something is causing his performance to suffer. After the Aug. 9 game against the Galaxy, he threw a party downtown after the game, and another one the week after in LA. Maybe the third year defender should worry less about partying and a little more about getting playing time.

I like the night life, I like to boogie...

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They might be getting a team, but they still aren’t getting any respect. It seems that the Earthquakes will be splitting their home games among Santa Clara University, Oakland and Sacramento, while they are waiting for their own stadium. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Just wait till the game that one player forgets what stadium the team is playing in and ends up at a completely different one.

Lets hope they can revive the soccer market in Northern California

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MLS should be embarassed. They market themselves as the premier soccer league in the U.S., but this year during the U.S. Open Cup - MLS teams have lost to second USL teams.

Hunt's Hundred Grand Cup

The Semi-Finals, which take place on Sept. 4th, will include FC Dallas playing against the Seattle Sounders, and the Revs battling the Carolina RailHawks. With only $100,000 at stake, it seems that MLS just doesn't care about the oldest tournament in the country.

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In the World of Soccer, how much is One Million Dollars? The Galaxy and Pachuca will battle it out for the SuperLiga prize and we'll continue to dig for it's relevance in the modern game.

David Beckham's five year $250 million deal equates to roughly one SuperLiga prize a week. That's got to but a smile on Posh's face.

"One million dollars."

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Is tonight's SuperLiga Final Yallop's last game? There's a lot of speculation as to when he will pack his bags. I believe that if the Galaxy lose tonight, Yallop will be given the choice to resign or be fired by Friday. The reason I suspect this is because Beckham is suiting up after he said he was going to sit this one out. I think Becks feels bad for Frank and is trying to help Frank and the team get a win. But, no matter what I think, I am sure we will know who the coach will be by the beginning of next week, or maybe earlier.

On thin ice!

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The Galaxy has announced the 2007 SuperLiga Final between the Galaxy and Pachuca as sold-out for the Wednesday night match. Cal State Dominguez Hills starts classes this week, so the Galaxy was forced to cap ticket sales to only 12,500.

There will be no tickets for fans walking up on the day of game, so if you want to watch the $1 million match - find your favorite soccer bar. For South Bay residents, visit the Underground down by the Pier for the match.

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St. Louis Soccer United wants to bring Major League Soccer to St. Louis. Apparently, St. Louis Soccer United and Jeff Cooper feel like their $402 million soccer stadium and development project is enough to catch Don Gaber and MLS' eye. Cooper wants the city to partner up with him and pay for the project...his selling point - that the city would make it's money back from purchases and tickets for events. So, St. Louis if this deals go through - you can expect to see your $402 million back...oh sometime in 2050.

St. Louis' proposed stadium.

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We at Objectivo send our prayers to the family of Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta, and also to his club of 14 years. Puerta was with the club since he was 8 years old, and I'm sure will be deeply missed by everyone in the organization.

Rest in Peace

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With the crazy MLS rules, as of right now the struggling Galaxy will be one star less come the 2008 season. With Becks and Landon both Designated Players (DP), and the Galaxy only having one DP spot for next year - the team will have to say goodbye to one of them. Maybe San Jose will not only get Yallop back next year, but also LD who led them to an MLS Cup Championship so many years ago.

Could he be lifting the trophy for the Quakes once again?

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Like Toronto doesn't have enough problems trying to make it into the playoffs, now they are losing two key players to injuries - Ronnie O'Brien and Jeff Cunningham. Keeper Greg Sutton is already out for the rest of the season, with a handful of other players questionable for Toronto's next game against on Saturday. The playoff race just got a little easier for those teams on the brink.

Ronnie O'Brien will likely undergo surgery in the next 10 days or so on his right knee to repair a torn menisicus after suffering the injury in the game versus Aston Villa on July 25th.

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Although the U.S. beat Finland 4-0 at the Home Depot Center this past Saturday. Forward and team star, Abby Wambach, left the field with an injury in the 27th minute. This might spell trouble for the team if the injury turns out to be serious. But, this women's team is just like every other U.S. team - strong. There are several players ready to come off the bench, but when losing a player like Abby, the team will not only lose a goalscorer, but a leader.

Abby celebrating one of her many goals

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In some sort of miracle, the U.S. U-17s advance to the second round of the U-17s World Cup. A win against over Belgium and Tunisia beating Tajikistan helped the U.S. leapfrog from last to second place in group play. The U.S. will play Germany on Thursday, August 3 at 7am ET.

This U-17 team has been called the best team out of Bradenton...ever. That's some big steps to follow with graduating classes including Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Freddy Adu and Danny Szetela.

The U-17s celebrating their first win during the U-17s World Cup

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Although they were handed a loss by New England, the Red Bulls have to be happy about the dream team of Jozy Altidore and Juan Pablo Angel. They combined for yet another goal this year... between the two of them, they've scored 21 times and assisted in eight goals.

Angel and Jozy celebrating yet another goal.

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Defender Nick Garcia and his family were on their way back from a Kansas City Royals game when they saw a car with it's flashlights on. They pulled over to help the driver, a senior citizen woman. Later, Nick Garcia found himself in the Kansas City Star in a letter on Sunday, August 19th:

Kansas City Kindness
I love Kansas City. At 10 o'clock Monday night, my car was stopped at Volker and Oak Streets. A man called the police at my request, and several men pushed my car out of traffic.

A group of people returning from a Royals Game waited with me until a tow truck arrived. Among them were Kansas City Wizards defender Nick Garcia and a Montessori teacher (Garcia's mother-in-law).

I love Kansas City and its big-hearted, helpful people.

Too bad Nick can't be that friendly on the field.

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The end of the season must be near as teams are finalizing their rosters for the playoffs. With Red Bulls midfielder, Santino Quaranta, placed on the season-ending injury list, the team quickly announced that they have added Francis Doe to as their third youth international. The other two youth international spots belong to Dane Richards (Jamaica) and Elie Ikangu (France).

Doe made his first MLS start in the 2-1 loss to New England. The 21-year old has played for Greek side Atromitos FC, as well as Sevilla, the Minnesota Thunder, and Ghanaian club, Buduburam FC. Doe has represent Liberia in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers as well as in the 2008 African Cup qualifying stages.

Red Bulls midfielder, Santino Quaranta, is out for the rest of the season

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If you've ever been to a Chivas game, you know that ChivasGirls seem to have more fans than the players. Before the 1-0 win yesterday against RSL, Chivas unveiled the new ChivasGirls 2008 calendar. An 14-month calendar featuring a different ChivasGirl each month. To get your calendar... visit MLS Gear

Last year's 2007 ChivasGirls Calendar

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What a spicy topic? So much controversy to talk about. Well, not too much because GM's and coaches all over are always on the hot seat. That is the nature of professional sports. However, because of a few key elements (Galaxy not making it to the playoffs last year, and David Beckham), this Galaxy front office situation is a very big deal.

LA is a major soccer market, and there needs to be a league-dominant team here...always. Secondly, there is so much on the line with Beckham and his salary, and the media, bla bla bla. I don't think I need to go into possible ramifications of the Galaxy not making it to the playoffs. However, something must be done in the front office because somebody's head needs to roll. That rule will never change in any organization.

Poll Results: 212 voters

Fire Alexi, seek new GM: 21%

Fire Yallop, hire new coach: 40%

Fire both GM and coach, and clean house: 39%

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This should be a great match-up. The Galaxy needs a win very badly. This could somehow justify their losing ways, but only because of the $1 million dollar purse. Whatever may save them face, they’ll need it.

Both Galaxy stars Donovan and Beckham should be rested for the match after sitting out of yesterday's game against Colorado. Hopefully, Xavier and Harden will be back in the center of defense.

The game will be played at 8 PM this Wednesday at the Home Depot Center.

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Another strong performance by the young superstar. He better be in the next USMNT camp. With his composure to finish chances, he plays like he is a veteran...but I could be one of his biggest fans. He is very lucky to play with such veterans as Angel, Reyna and Mathis. It seems apparent that he is really using these guys to help him grow as a player, on and off the field. I have nothing but good things to say about this kid.

Young, very talented, and will probably be flooded with offers at season's end

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