If the Cup were to be played today,

it would be between New England and San Jose. My pick would be New England. (Take my opinion for what it's worth; my pick earlier in the season was Dallas, and I'm a die-hard, long-time fan of the much under-achieving Crew.)

Standings

1. New England
2. San Jose
3. Chicago
3. KC
4. DC
5. Dallas
6. LA
7. Metrostars
8. Colorado
9. Columbus
10. Salt Lake
11. Chivas USA

News and Views

If you're a soccer fan who happens to have some extra money on hand and a desire to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, you can bid on jerseys worn by your favorite players on the US national team, the Mexican national team, and MLS teams. All proceeds are going to the Katrina relief efforts.

U.S. win over Mexico a big hit

Crew creeping back into playoff race What else needs said? Go Crew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FC Dallas’ free-fall continues Columbus is climbing (slowly but surely); Dallas is falling. Who'd have thought it would happen? I love parity in MLS!

Home debuts not what Chivas expected Personally, I have been pretty surprised at Chivas USA's performance this year. 3 wins out of a total of 26 games played? Yikes!

Metros disappointed with lack of points

Rapids' season revving up

Wizards rookie Sealy named MLS Player of the Month

It pays to double-check your posts after you post them

Somehow, a bad link escaped my notice in my previous post. I have edited the post to show the correct link.

This isn't MLS News, but...

it's important enough to post, anyways. I think the headline speaks for itself: U.S. team punches ticket to Germany!!!!!! Whoo whoo! Let's see if the USA's upward climb over the past decade will continue in Germany next year. If my memory serves me correctly, they placed 32nd (eek!) in France and 8th (yea!) in Korea/Japan. According to the August world rankings, the USA is at number 6, ahead of traditional powerhouses like England, Germany, and Italy! It is now their job to win the Cup, or at the very least, make it to the the final or third place match.

If you're interested, you can view the official list of qualified teams here.

If the Cup were to be played today,

it would be between New England and San Jose. My pick is New England, due mainly to their solid season so far. However, my stubborn streak won't let me give up Dallas as a candidate for the Cup, and I am still bemoaning the Crew's performance this season. Oh, how i miss parity! (Yes, I understand that MLS does have parity from season to season, which adds excitement to the league; however, there is very little parity among the teams this season. Parity is a good thing.)

Standings

1. New England
2. San Jose
3. KC
4. Chicago
5. DC
6. Dallas
7. LA
8. Metrostars
9. Colorado
10. Columbus
11. Salt Lake
12. Chivas USA

This is one of the first times all season that there has not been a tie somewhere in the rankings!

My views of the news

MLS has a point to prove in Madrid "This is a great opportunity to show the true level of soccer in the U.S.," said Youri Djorkaeff of the MetroStars, who won the World Cup with France in 1998. What this article doesn't say is what that level will be. It also doesn't say whether Real will put out their top or reserve players. On a total sidenote, I found this statement amusing: This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs. I think that statement was put in there for people like me!
MLS All-Stars keen to impress

Clubs should make use of transfer window

RSL use ceremony to honor Kreis

FYI

1) I organize the standings based upon total points on a given day. I typically do this on Monday or Tuesday, after I am certain that the previous weekend's results have been added in. Whenever there is a tie betweeen two or more teams, I list them in alphabetical order.

2) When writing my views of the news (hmm, maybe I should consider renaming that section of my blog!), I try to stick with articles that are up to a day old. That said, I have been know to make execptions to that rule.

If the Cup were to be played today,

it would be between New England and San Jose. Thanks to my stubborn streak, I'm still holding out for FC Dallas and routing for Columbus. However, New England does appear to be a very serious contender for the Cup at this point in the season. Looking back at this season's standings, they have consistently remained at the top.

Standings

1. New England
2. KC
2. San Jose
3. Chicago
4. DC
5. Dallas
5. LA
6. Metrostars
7. Colorado
8. Columbus
9. Salt Lake
10. Chivas USA

Excuse of the day

I swear that this has been one of my busiest summers yet. I'm going to try to get back into the practice of regularly blogging again (yeah, yeah, famous last words!). Here goes.

If the Cup were to be played today,

it would be between New England and San Jose. Dallas is still my pick, although New England appears to have a good shot at the Cup.

Standings

1. New England
2. San Jose
3. Chicago
4. Dallas
4. DC
4. KC
5. LA
6. Metrostars
7. Colorado
8. Columbus
9. Salt Lake
10. Chivas USA

News and Views

MetroStars reach final agreement on soccer specific stadium And to think that Columbus started it all! (Crew Fan smiles with pride.)

The Clean Sheet: Pizza Hut delivers Big news in the world of MLS:

Somehow slipping under the soccer radar screen in a summer filled with high-profile matchups and new ownership is another landmark in the long-term growth of Major League Soccer: the opening of Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. This is simply the most important match of the year in MLS.

Now for the next "important" thing:

I mentioned last week that I wasn't sure what we are going to nickname Pizza Hut Park, and I still am not convinced. I received quite the flood of e-mails with suggestions, but nothing has grabbed me. I know many will be calling it "The Oven" or even "The Big Slice," but I'm just not there yet.

Personally, I like "The Oven." Don't ask why; I just like it.

That a squad of national team-caliber players can beat a Premier League bottom-dweller in its preseason proves nothing about MLS as a league, so let's give those thoughts a rest. Much like the afore-mentioned friendlies, these games are just great entertainment. MLS has some big-time players and a selection of its best should spank a team like Fulham in its sleep.

Now if the All-Stars had been playing Manchester United, that might be a different story. Even then, it's still different than a "regular" MLS team playing a "regular" Premiership team. Just my two cents.

News and Views

A place to kick it: FC Dallas to open state-of-the-art soccer venue next Saturday Now I really think that Dallas is going to win the Cup. Talk about a way to boost the team's morale! (OK, so that hardly explains Columbus' performance this season, but they have performed well in previous years.)

Best dressed stars capture the moment Somebody please tell me that this is a four-month-late April Fool's joke.

The Cheap Seats: A proving point OK, so this article is several days old, but it is still a good read. Its premise is that MLS players are no longer awed by European clubs.

MLS All-Stars 4 : Fulham 1 Not bad at all.

Soccer-filled month in U.S. a success

The Clean Sheet: I don't know much

K.C.'s Garcia shocked by suspension

If the Cup were to be played today...

it would be between Chicago (or New England) and San Jose (or Dallas). I put New England and Dallas in paranthesis because they have more losses than Chicago and San Jose respectively. Still, Dallas is still my pick to win the Cup.

Standings

1. Chicago
1. New England
2. Dallas
2. San Jose
3. DC
3. KC
3. LA
4. Metrostars
5. Colorado
5. Columbus
6. Salt Lake
7. Chivas USA

On the national front: Gold Cup winners!

The US has won the Gold Cup! For more information on World Cup qualifying, see FIFA's list of qualified teams. Better yet, check out the current FIFA world rankings. Specifically, check out the number 6 spot. For more info on the Gold Cup final, see the following articles:

USA wins continental championship Brad Davis ended a long day and a long tournament, regaining the CONCACAF Gold Cup for a depleted U.S. soccer team that will limp into its next World Cup qualifier.

Third Gold Cup for the U.S. Leaves Legs Tired and Achy

Gold Cup: USA Win Title After Penalties

News and Views

As Columbus has discovered, MLS has parity When I first saw the title, my first thought was that MLS does not have parity this season. However, this article is more about parity on a season-to-season basis, and it makes some interesting points. For example, “By design, our league has parity built in,” said Wizards midfielder Chris Klein. “The single-entity structure and having relatively few teams creates that. The article goes on to expound on that, but you will just go have to read it for yourself. This article is well worth the read.

MetroStars' GM fined for criticizing MLS
Lalas - Zip It..
Drama, drama, drama. There is never a dull moment in MLS.

K.C. hopes to hit break on high note