Another lower league team has dumped another MLS team out of the US Open Cup. This time it is DC United that fell to the Harrisburg City Islanders 1-0.
This leaves 3 USL-1 teams alive in the tournament and 2 USL-2 teams. Already qualified for the quarter-finals are 3 MLS teams, 2 USL-2 teams and one USL-1 team.
Still to play in the round of 16 is Seattle Sounders (USL-1) vs Chiavs USA, and the Carolina RailHawks (USL-1) vs. Chicago Fire.
The US Open Cup is in full swing tonite.
DC United vs Harrisburg City Islanders
Rochester Raging Rhinos vs New England Revolution
Richmond Kickers vs LA Galaxy
Carolina RailHawks vs Chicago Fire
Atlanta Silverbacks (lost yesterday to) FC Dallas
Charleston Battery vs Houston Dynamo
California Victory vs Colorado Rapids
Seattle Sounders vs Chivas USA
The Fire fired long time head coach Dave Sarachan today and put his assistant in charge temporarily.
What is next for the Fire?
Maybe they’ll try to get Matthaus to come coach them unsuccessfully and then just leave Hamlet in charge.
You understand that you should not expect great things from your team if I predict a victory for them here. I’ve only got one thursday prediction correct all year so far, so just assume the opposite.
My pick is going to go with the home team tonite, the New York Red Bulls. Sorry Red Bull fans.
Here is a commercial for the Red Bulls that I found on google video.
It is kinda a cool video but I don’t see that this would make anyone thing they gotta get out and go to a Red Bulls game. Wouldn’t some actual footage of some exciting moments from a game, or shots of an excited crowd be better? Maybe they would steal some video of a Toronto crowd. They guys juggling in the dark garage is neat, but not going to spark ticket sales I wouldn’t think.
Tonite ESPN2 brings us the Brimstone Cup, which I hear is the oldest MLS rivalry or at least oldest one with a trophy. I didn’t even know they had a trophy for this one before today. I suppose this goes back to the days of Dallas Burn. What would be a better title for that cup when it is the Fire versus the Burn?
Well anyway on to the prediction. I suppose the Fire are real pissed off from being the first team to ever lose** to our newest expansion team. I think they’ll probably end up taking it out on FC Dallas at home this evening and score themselves a 3-1 victory.
** I know it sucks to be the first team to let a new team win. In high school my junior year we were pretty weak. It was also the first year that our cross town private school had a varsity soccer team. Their first win ever came at our expense. I still think about that game today…
Toronto FC finally scored on Saturday and the crowd loved it. Then they gave up a goal which the crowd didn’t like so much. Then both Toronto FC and Chicago Fire had a man sent off with red cards. Toronto FC had lost Danny Dichio (their goal scorer) for aparently trying to bite Matt Pickens. Diego Gutierrez got involved and also got a red card. I don’t know how Matt Pickens came out of it un-booked, but he did and the game went on. Toronto FC went on to score 2 more goals to complete the 3-1 victory and the crowd love it. It was exciting to see part of Major League Soccer history on Saturday. It would have been better to be a TFC fan and be at the game. Here is a fan video I found of the first TFC goal. It isn’t the best shot of the goal, but it captures the crowd reaction pretty well.
I read this weekend that Blanco was supposed to be signing a deal with the Chicago Fire on Tuesday. He would not be joining the Fire until the end of the current Mexican season which ends at the end of April, but his team could be involved in post-season play.
I guess I’m not real up on my Mexican league soccer, but I know Blanco is good. Is he a DP-spot good though? I was a little bit surprised to see that he was going to be the leagues 3rd designated player brought into the league after David Beckham and Caludio Reyna.
What do you Fire fans out there think about Blanco in Chicago?
Zach Thornton was traded by his Chicago Fire to the Colorado Rapids for future draft picks. Thornton has been a big part of Chicago Fire history, helping them to win the MLS Cup in their first season in 1998. Thornton is at or near the top of several goalkeeping categories in MLS history.
What will the Rapids do with Kevin Hartman and Zach Thornton together? Do they each get some games, or is one of them the backup to the other?
Since the Beckam deal at LA was announced there have been a lot of crazy rumors about other big stars coming to the MLS, most of which are just crazy, but this one might be the craziest. Could Frank Lampard be coming to play for the Chicago Fire? I don’t know where a rumor like this gets started or if anyone is supposed to really beleive it, but this is part of the article from vitalfootball.co.uk:
The latest (preposterous) suggestion is that Lampard could well be joining David Beckham in America. According to a leading tabloid, a likely destination could be Chicago with Frank playing for Chicago Fire. Previous rules that prevented exorbitant wages being paid are slowly being eased aside as the Major League Soccer seeks to establish itself as a leading sport in America.
Earlier I watched as the Chicago Fire looked like they would cruise into the Eastern Conference semi-finals when they went up 2-0 on aggregate vs the New England Revolution. The Revolution fought back and scored 2 goals to force overtime and eventually a shoot out. Thiago and Guerrero both missed PK’s for the Fire before Taylor Twellman stepped up and scored the game winner. Revolution advance to the semi-finals.
I have not been able to watch the FC Dallas/Colorado Rapids 2nd leg in Dallas tonite, but I’ve been following online. Seems Clint Mathis scored a late goal in extra time to force a shootout, then took and made the first PK. Finally on the 6th shot, Pablo Mastroeni hit the game winning goal to send the Rapids into the Western Conference semi-finals.
I like Major League Soccer, you should too!
