Recently in United Soccer Leagues Category

Indulge me.

It has been a traumatic weekend for those of us who are fans of Norwich City, perhaps the worst in club history.

This weekend City suffered its worst home defeat of all time, occurring on the opening weekend of play in inaccurately-named League One, the lowest level of English football Norwich have seen in 50 years.

For some it was too much.

As my mother said:"Colchester? I didn't know they had a team." Thanks, mum.

It's no consolation to know there have been worse moments in club history - barely (this is from 1972):

Fortunately, the Ventura County Fusion - a team I had never seen live until Saturday - provided a partial antidote with a heart-stopping 2-1 triumph over the Chicago Fire in the PDL final with the winner coming two minutes into second half stoppage time. The gutsy Fusion were down to 10 men at the time after a (very) harsh first half straight red and also had two coaches sent off.

What they were playing for

Game story.

It was a memorable night on a cool evening with a waning amber moon and cars carving through the darkness just over the high school fence on Highway 126. After the game, the Ventura County Fair provided literal fireworks.

Also:
* Chivas USA lost their fifth straight. It was a nightmare MLS debut by Chivas USA goalkeeper Lance Parker that began after just 25 seconds; Chivas USA were down by two within four minutes.

*A cracker from Landon Donovan paved the way to the Galaxy's fifth win in six games.

Highlights:

* The Sol won. Next: WPS title game 1 p.m. Aug. 22 Home Depot Center, opponent TBD.

*Finally, with a goal and an assist, Rolling Hills Estates' Robbie Rogers led the Columbus Crew past the inept Earthquakes:

MLS Standings

I'm heading out to the PDL title game in Ventura tonight, so I'll keep this brief:

* Here's a game preview.

*Congrats to Coach Charlie Naimo and his Pali Blues on their W-League title victory Friday.

*MLS announced today that New England Revolution Coach Steve Nichol was fined $1,000 and will miss today's 3 p.m. clash (Fox Soccer Channel) against the Galaxy after he was red-carded Aug. 1 against Toronto. That's in addition to the automatic $500 fine and one-game suspension previously announced bringing the total to two games and $1,500. Nicol will also miss the Revs' Aug. 20 game against the Seattle Sounders.

The Galaxy haven't lost in five games, the Revs haven't tasted defeat in four games.

The New England perspective.

Becks is still babbling about owning an MLS team.

*With Zach Thornton out injured, backup goalkeeper Lance Parker will make his first career MLS start against the Rapids in Colorado (6:30 p.m. FSN).

Another busy weekend of soccer begins this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. when Real Madrid plays Toronto (live on ESPN) and at the same time the Pali Blues take on the Washington Freedom (live on Fox Soccer Channel).

Both the Galaxy and Chivas USA are out of town this weekend, but does that mean no live soccer locally?

Not at all.

The Ventura County Fusion and Chicago Fire Premier play for the PDL title at 7 p.m. Saturday at Ventura High.

If you haven't been to Ventura in a while, I recommend you make a day of it. There's tons to do in the area, downtown Ventura is a great place to shop or grab a bite and as an added bonus the Ventura County Fair is going on very near Ventura High.

I'm taking my own advice and I'll be sitting in the stands with friends and family for the Fusion game, so give a shout-out if you see me.

Clarification: The game is at Buena High School (5670 Telegraph Rd., Ventura) not the high school on Main in midtown.

Click on the link to the right for a full slate of games, but here's the ones I recommend in addition to those already mentioned:

*3 p.m. Saturday FSC Galaxy at New England
*6:30 p.m. Saturday Fox Sports Net Chivas USA at Colorado Rapids
*8 p.m. Saturday FSC CD Guadalajara-Barcelona

*7 a.m. Sunday FSC Chelsea-Manchester United in the Community Shield
*Noon Sunday FSC Real Madrid at DC United
*3 p.m. Sunday FSC Sol at Boston Breakers

Have a great weekend.

Midweek seems an apt time to touch on a few things I've overlooked:

*The Sounders play Barcelona at 7:30 tonight in Seattle on ESPN2. It will be interesting to see who that usually delirious crowd will predominantly be rooting for - the home team or the European champions. More here.

Here's Barcelona's Lionel Messi doing a little ball juggling atop the 605-foot-high Space Needle ahead of the game.Photo courtesy FC Barcelona/Sounders FC/SUM

*Earlier this evening the Chicago Fire meets Tigres in the SuperLiga final that begins at 5 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel.

*Speaking of the Fire, their PDL team will contest the title at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Ventura County Fusion at Ventura High on Main Street. With the Galaxy and Chivas USA out of town this weekend I plan to attend the game (as a fan). More details and a special ticket deal here.

*Meanwhile, a night earlier the Pali Blues plays in the W-League championship against the Freedom in Washington. That game can be seen live at 4:30 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel.

*Belated condolences BTW to Coach Brian Boswell and his Rolling Hills Estates-based Ajax America who fell 1-0 to the Long Island Fury last weekend in New York in the Women's Premier Soccer League final after posting an excellent 15-2-1 record on the season.

*In other women's soccer news, Long Beach State, winners of the last three Big West title have been picked to finish second this year in a preseason coache's poll. Cal State Northridge were picked to finish fifth.

*Former UCLA and Galaxy player Zak Ibsen (who played 50 games for the Galaxy over two seasons ending in 2000) detailed his descent into crystal meth addiction for the New York Times' Goal blog.

*Finally, fellow blogger Steve Davis explains why he doesn't hate Crew midfielder Robbie Rogers of Rolling Hills Estates.

Bowling for Becks in KC (AP Photo)

The Galaxy failed to win a fifth consecutive game Saturday, drawing with the Wizards 1-1 in Kansas City. Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman (Peninsula High) kept his former team at bay with a superb performance. But a stunning goal of the season contending strike by the Wizards Claudio Lopez that left Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts injured was the high point of the game.

Quotable:

"I thought (Hartman) was outstanding," said Wizards Coach Curt Onalfo. "He did what he's done most of the year, which is make saves when he's called upon. We had some missed clearances in the first half that led to chances for them and he made some real good saves."

Game story.

The Kansas City perspective.

MLS standings.

Highlights:

Also:
*Despite taking the lead on a goal from San Pedro's Peter Hazdovac, the Hollywood United Hitmen fell to the Ventura County Fusion in the PDL playoffs.

*The Pali Blues came from behind to win in the W-League playoffs.

* And don't forget this game that kicks off at noon today on Fox Soccer Channel.

First off, if you only click one link in this blog post make it this one, a 16-picture gallery by readers of English newspaper The Guardian illustrating the Landon Donovan-David Beckham soap opera. Some hilarious stuff in there.

Donovan was still addressing the issue Friday in Kansas City before today's nationally televised game (live at 6 p.m. on ESPN2).

Three points separate the Galaxy and the chasing Kansas City Wizards in the Western Conference standings.

Here's more on the game from a local perspective and here's even more from Donovan including the apparently increasing likelihood he will head to Europe to play. (BTW, shouldn't he be updating that pic on his Web site?)

Those who like their soccer live should know that Premier Development League teams the Hollywood United Hitmen and Ventura County Fusion clash at 3 p.m. today at Pacific Palisades High School's Stadium by the Sea in the Southwest Divisional Final.

Here's a game preview.

Time constraints prevented much blogging this year about the PDL. but the Hitmen are in their first season in the league, having replaced the San Fernando Valley Quakes just weeks before the season started.

Their roster includes San Pedro's Peter Hazdovac (last seen playing professional football in the lower divisions in Croatia) and the San Fernando Valley's Willie Simms. The Fusion have former Chivas USA forward Anthony Hamilton on their squad.

As one would expect in a game between a newly-promoted EPL team and the Ventura County Fusion, which play in the fourth tier of American soccer.

Quite a different atmosphere than the one 90 minutes or so away in Pasadena, but no doubt considerably cooler at Buena High in Ventura.

Thanks to loyal 100 Percent Soccer reader Evan Z from Camarillo for sharing some of the pics he shot during the game.

Game story.

The view from England.

The current and former teams of midfielder Anton Peterlin - the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustangs, the Ventura County Fusion of the Premier Development League - and now England's Everton.

"I'm not sure how often such miracles happen, but I will not squander this opportunity," he told the Liverpool Echo.

He's 22-years-old.

It helps to have Danish-Slovenian parents and hold an EU passport, but still.

Official club site.

What they're saying in Liverpool.

What they're saying in San Luis Obispo.

What they're saying at Cal Poly.

Barcelona. Chelsea. AC Milan. And Burnley.

Add the humble Lancashire team to this summer's packed international soccer calendar

Newly-promoted EPL team Burnley, a founding member of the English Football League in 1888, will play in Ventura as part of a two-game U.S. tour July 21 against PDL team the Ventura County Fusion.

Tickets are a modest $10 for adults in advance.

Details here.

The games that matter:

1:30 p.m. Saturday ESPN2 Galaxy at San Jose Earthquakes
5 p.m. Saturday KFTR San Luis at Chicago Fire
7 p.m. Saturday Tigres at Chivas USA
11 a.m. Sunday ESPN Brazil-Italy
11:25 a.m. Sunday ESPN2 Egypt-U.S.
3 p.m. Sunday Fox Soccer Channel FC Gold Pride at Sol

Meanwhile, the Galaxy tradition of shipping out apparently subpar players only to see them become reborn elsewhere continues in Portland with former goalkeeper Steve Cronin and in the nation's capital where Josh Wicks is supplanting Louis Crayton.

But former Chivas USA midfielder Panchito Mendoza has seen his time at the mothership come to an end.

Hollywood Hitmen. Coldplay. Ballack. SuperLiga. Fireworks. Canada. Messi. NBA.

A FourFourTwo magazine spineline stumper? No, today's column.

BTW, more info on the July 4 game at the Coliseum is here.

And here's the official SuperLiga Web site.

Here's your chance. USL expansion team Austin Aztex, which is under the same ownership as newly-promoted EPL team Stoke City, will hold open tryouts in Oxnard in January. Be quick, because registration closes Friday.

Aztex Coach Adrian Heath, a former player with Everton and Stoke City, is the coach of the Aztex and explained why the team is coming to Southern California to scout for players:

"From our point of view it's simpler us going there than trying to get 20-30 players over to Austin. We know it's a hotbed of talent over there in California, it's one of the hotbeds of talent in terms of football. We think we can look around and get some good players.

"The owner and myself are both Stoke people and we're both born there ... obviously we've got a very, very close relationship with them - and they'll be coming over to see us in the preseason to play an exhibition game. So if we see a player that's got the talent and has the mindset of going over to Europe, this would be a real advantage.

If we were to get two or three (players) from the tryouts over there and a similar number from the tryouts in Austin in February, that's six players for your roster and we'd be very very pleased with it. You don't really know beforehand so it would be a pleasant surprise to get that sort of number.

We've (also) got a relationship now with (Mexican club) Monterrey. If that's the road (a player) would like to go it would be a good opportunity for them. We've got very, very close links with Monterrey. Maybe for Hispanic players if they want to start their career in soccer this would be a perfect opportunity for them and if we felt they were good enough we could let them go down to Monterrey and let them have a look as well."

Register here.