As the preseason gets into full swing and rosters begin to stabilize, it’s time to take a look at the men who pull the strings and have the greatest impact on the team itself.  The modern manager is part tactician, part showman, and part PR man.  The best are the ones who can bring a diverse team together and make it into a trophy-winning side.  Rarely can a side win an MLS Cup, Open Cup, or Supporters Shield with a mediocre or poor manager.  However, at times its the team that makes the man and only the perfect marriage of players and manager that can make a championship.  A manager is especially important in MLS, with the salary cap and built-in rules designed to promote parity.

These men are masters of the realm, the best managers in MLS today.  The following ranking is my own top five managers in MLS going into the 2012 season.  Keep in mind this is not an all time list but simply looking ahead to the 2012 season.  Agree or disagree?  Make your opinions known in the comments section.

5.  Piotr Nowak:  Maybe the restructuring going on in Philadelphia is Nowak’s way to challenge himself.  The veteran coach has taken a new franchise and by year two had made the Union into a Eastern Conference championship contender.  Building the team around a stout defense and the timely scoring of his offense, Nowak has made the club in his image and, even with the departures, Philadelphia is now a team to watch every year.  His work with DC United, leading them to their fourth MLS title in 2004, only adds to his coaching resume.  Although he does not have the large number of trophies some of the others on this list have, he is undoubtedly established himself as one of the best head coaches in the league.

4.  Schellas Hyndman:  Although at times his decisions are questionable (Brek Shea as a full back?), Hyndman is a long-time collegiate coach who finally got the right opportunity to prove his worth with FC Dallas in 2008.  His defining win was a 3-0 defeat of Los Angeles in the 2010 Western Conference finals over a team that looked like the best in the league with a healthy David Beckham.  Although Dallas lost the 2010 MLS Cup in overtime, the former SMU head coach has done a good job balancing his roster and replacing departed players, especially in the midfield.  Under his watch David Ferreira blossomed into one of the most dangerous midfielders in the league and with some promising youth coming up through the system this year, Hyndman may soon be able to chase down that elusive MLS Cup.

3.  Sigi Schmid:  For a guy who never played professional soccer, Schmid gets this league.  His uncanny ability to identify talent and his in-game ability to identify mismatches has made the former UCLA Bruin the brain behind the constantly-successful Seattle Sounders.  A team with a rich history and demanding fan base, Schmid gave the league a blueprint for how to compete in MLS from year one, a blueprint that teams as recently as Montreal are looking to emulate.  He is the most successful U.S. Open Cup head coach in the modern era and has guided the careers of many of MLS’s greatest stars.  His LA Galaxy team was also one of two MLS clubs to ever win an intercontinental cup.  He is the winningest head coach in MLS history and has the Sounders poised to challenge for the 2012 MLS Cup.

2.  Dominic Kinnear:  The coach of this year’s Eastern Conference champions narrowly edges Sigi Schmid in my rankings because since 2006, Houston has been one of the league’s most successful teams.  Besides winning back-to-back MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007, this year may have been his best coaching job, leading an arguably less talented team to the MLS Cup.  All of this is even more impressive considering the fact that the team has worked within a tight budget and a changing ownership situation.

1.  Bruce Arena:  The National Soccer Hall of Famer continues to prove that he is arguable the greatest American soccer coach of all time.  Even though he had three famous designated players, it was his work with the Galaxy’s defense that was most impressive about the 2011 Galaxy.  The keys to the defense were that the two major contributors, A.J. De La Garza and Omar Gonzalez, were Arena draftees.  Arena guided a dominant team through a dominant season, essentially staking claim to the MLS Cup early in the season and never relinquishing it.  His history is unparalleled in the U.S., but even going into the new season he is still in a class by himself and recognized by many as the best head coach out there.

“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king” said a famous philosopher centuries ago, but he may as well have been writing for MLS Talk about the 2011 Eastern Conference champions.  The Houston Dynamo took advantage of a weak conference and a hot streak to face the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup last season.  This is not to take anything away from the Dynamo: they are a very talented team centered around 2011 revelations Tally Hall, Geoff Cameron, and Brad Davis.  To dismiss this team as a one-year wonder could be a mistake, as they return most of their conference championship line-up in 2012 as well as their most critical component: Dominic Kinnear.

However, the team does face some critical questions in the new year, questions that require some attention in the few months remaining before First Kick 2012.  As such, here are “Three Questions” about the Houston Dynamo:

1. Who will play up front?

The big offseason story for the Dynamo (more than the stadium naming or the rumor that AEG might sell their stake in the club) is that legend Brian Ching has accepted his role as a member of the Montreal Impact (for background see the article I wrote late last year).  While it allows the club to move forward without sacrificing a good player to Montreal and with a little more cap space, the impact (no pun intended) of Ching being left unprotected will resonate with the fans and their view of management.  Setting that aside, the loss also leaves the team with a bit of a gap at the forward position, especially considering that Carlo Costly has moved on to Atlas.

Currently, the club has three forwards under contract: Calen Carr, Will Bruin, and Cam Weaver.  All three are good players, none of them are currently consistent top-level goal scorers the team needs to take advantage of Brad Davis’s assists.  While the team has limited cap space (more on this below) they need to find that Blas Perez-type consistent, veteran presence who they know will finish the chances the midfield will create.

2. Is the defense the best in MLS, or as good as it looks?

Don’t look know, but Houston may be challenging Los Angeles and Real Salt Lake for the best defense in the league.  It may not be this year, but probably soon.  Start with keeper Tally Hall, who made a huge step forward last season to enter into top-flight MLS keeper status with an excellent year.  In his late twenties, he is approaching the prime years for a keeper and looks to add some polish to his already impressive game.

In front of Hall is a back line that is coming together nicely.  Bobby Boswell and Geoff Cameron form a good center back pairing that lacks the pizazz of some other partnerships, but is effective for the team.  The two starting full backs (Andre Hainault and Corey Ashe) look to have established themselves as ideal for the positions.  Right now Houston does not have the best defense in MLS, but with an offseason of growth we may soon be speaking of them with the likes of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Real Salt Lake.

3. What’s the money situation?

Ownership has already made a few moves to bolster the team, specifically making a trade to acquire Nathan Sturgis from wheeling-dealing Toronto FC.  However, ownership has stressed that they will be making do with little cap space.  These pronouncements come at an odd time: the new stadium has a naming-rights deal and the team even has a small local TV deal.  However, the biggest financial question mark is the announcement by AEG that they want to sell their 50% stake in the team.  This is a positive development for the league (anyone who says last year’s MLS Cup was not a conflict of interest is crazy) but how the salaries will be managed until the deal is complete may limit the team’s financial flexibility.  Keep an eye on this situation.

It’s always a drag when work gets in the way of your retirement dreams.  On Wednesday as millions of us were travelling to Thanksgiving dinner, the Montreal Impact selected ten players left unprotected by their fellow MLS clubs and, for the most part, their picks were quality and unremarkable.  However, their first pick has sparked a little of an MLS firestorm.

The Impact used their first pick of the expansion draft on Dynamo captain Brian Ching, a former U.S. national team player who had expressed a desire to retire in the burnt orange.  Despite the fact they left him unprotected, Houston reacted with offense and shock at one of their big-name players being selected and began a media campaign aimed at getting him back.  Ching, for his part, has expressed his unhappiness with the situation and his disdain at playing for Montreal.  All of this soap opera-esque drama needs a quick Q&A to walk MLS fans through the situation, which has yet to be resolved.  Here is a rundown of the situation (Chinggate 2011?) as it stands:

Why did the Impact use its first pick on Ching?

On the surface, this was a very strange pick by Montreal.  Brian Ching still has a few more miles left in his tank, and is one of the more well-known players in MLS, but he has not been a truly impact player for a few years plus is now injury-prone.  In the MLS Cup he was a nonfactor.  So why choose him?  Simple: Montreal and Jesse Marsch knew that Ching did not want to play for them and could extract some value from the pick.  According to The Sporting News, that value would have to be a player or draft picks (since Houston allegedly does not have allocation money) and Montreal is shooting for the stars: Andre Hainault for Brian Ching straight up.  While that is not the deal that will ultimately be done, I suspect Montreal may end up with some good value here.

But there may be a larger, more nefarious strategy in play here.  Jeremiah Oshan notes that the Montreal picks in the expansion draft seem rather vindictive (my phrase).  The Ching selection is one of a couple that seem aimed at tweaking other clubs and taking valuable either home-town or much loved players.  Interesting hypothesis, and one that would really help the Impact begin with a “bad boy” reputation.

Why doesn’t Brian Ching want to play for Montreal?

Ching has seemingly settled on finishing his career in Houston, although the unprotected status and selection by Montreal may complicate that.  You can’t blame a player for wanting to finish his career with a franchise where he’s found success and a bit of fame.  But as Ben Chew notes, the reason may be deeper than that.  Impact manager Jesse Marsch was an assistant coach to Bob Bradley during the 2010 World Cup cycle when Ching was one of the last cuts made before South Africa.  So there may be some personal animosity there that when Ching made it clear that he would not play for Montreal if selected, Marsch may have added to that bad history by selecting him.

Who is at fault here and how will it end?

As I mentioned above, Montreal will ultimately be the winner here as they will extract from Houston a quality player and draft pick in all likelihood for Ching and possibly allocation.  That said, the “blame” for this controversy can be spread far and wide.  Houston took a gamble on leaving Ching unprotected and should not be surprised that Montreal took him in the draft, as they have a right to do.  Ching is slightly to blame, as he should have been less emphatic that he would never play for Montreal, making his selection a good target for a larger trade.  And if Marsch is playing the “evil genius” game, while he technically did nothing wrong, he certainly is at fault for trying to push a bad-boy image.  Overall, though, Houston certainly has to look in the mirror and accept that they gambled and lost with this situation.

With their 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo yesterday, the Galaxy reached their season-long goal of winning an MLS Cup and certain high-profile players notched their first North American championship.  Anytime a team wins a championship, writers and bloggers take to the keyboard to assess where that team or franchise fits in the pantheon of previous winners.

This writer is no different, and for the first time in a few years we have to seriously consider how the 2011 Galaxy stack up against the best of the best in MLS (albeit short) history.  The last two MLS Cup winners (RSL and Colorado) arguably slid into the championship game due to playoff format rather than on-field success, so it has been a while since we’ve had a top regular season club win the Cup.

Ultimately it is impossible to compare this era of MLS to the first few years.  With fewer teams and different rules, can the 2011 Galaxy be compared to the early DC United teams that fielded so many USMNT players, or even the 1998 Galaxy or similar successful teams?  Even Bruce Arena didn’t tip his hand, telling reporters prior to last night’s game: “Couldn’t even compare it [his DC and LA teams].  I don’t even know how you do that.”

But the impressive run for the Galaxy demands we place them in a historical context.  So are the 2011 Galaxy the best team in MLS history?  A few points to consider:

• Their 67 regular season points is the most ever in a post-shoot out season and they finished 5-0 in the playoffs.  They allowed fewer goals than games played (28 total)
• Arguably the Galaxy have the best MLS player ever on its roster, as well as the best international (I’ll define that as non-North American) ever to play in MLS.  With his fourth MLS Cup, Landon Donovan joins an elite group of players with four rings and if he continues to play in MLS and score the way he has, he will eclipse Jeff Cunningham as the league’s all-time leading scorer.  And while Beckham has been rightfully criticized for his lack of commitment to the league based on his salary and expectations, when healthy and committed he has been an unstoppable force for LA.
• While the three designated players get the press, it’s the role players that really propelled this team.  The stout back line led by future USMNT call-up (right?) Omar Gonzalez was a key to the Galaxy being able to play their cobra-like quick strike and down offense.  Juninho was a quality acquisition who gave them some game-winners during the season.  And forwards like Mike Magee and Chad Barrett while not world beaters were the roll players that any successful team needs to be, well, successful.
• The travel.  With 18 teams in the league and a balanced schedule, the Galaxy faced more travel than any previous MLS winner within the league.  Outside of the league, the Galaxy faced even more mileage with the competitive CONCACAF Champions group stage, meaning this veteran team spent a lot of time in the air traveling.  This certainly makes it harder to play at a high level on the road and while other MLS champions have also booked lots of mileage, few I wager would have put in the travel of LA.
• Statistically, the Galaxy’s season makes a strong case.  According to Grant Wahl’s stat work, LA had the third best points-per-game season ever in MLS, behind two teams that did not win an MLS Cup (LA ’98 and San Jose ’05).  The metric is the number of points for the season divided by number of games played, with Wahl adjusting for shoot-outs in the early years.  So according to this metric, a regular season that ended with the Supporters Shield looks even better.

Join MLS Talk this Sunday night beginning at 9 PM ET as we provide live analysis and insight into the match between the Houston Dynamo and the LA Galaxy.  Join us for a discussion on the teams and tactics, as well as the occasional opportunity to sound off on ESPN’s coverage and the atmosphere at the Home Depot Center.  We look forward to your thoughts and insights as well.  Make plans to join us now, beginning with the pre-game at 9 PM!

The 2011 MLS Cup will truly be a David v. Goliath affair.  In this corner, you have the regular season’s best team with the most star power and biggest names who, by the way, will be playing at home.  In this corner, you have a team that fought all season for a playoff spot then beat some quality Eastern Conference sides while losing their MVP candidate to injury.  Such will be the storyline as the Los Angeles Galaxy face the Houston Dynamo on November 20 at 9 PM ET at the Home Depot Center.

With an international break providing a Super Bowl-esque week off for both teams, MLS Talk will have plenty of content breaking down the match and its players, as well as the implications for both sides.  All of this will culminate in the annual MLS Cup Live Chat on the site; hang with us as we break down the play, strategy, and peripherals for MLS’s biggest game.

As for the teams themselves, yesterday was fairly anticlimactic as both teams won their matches with fairly comfortable scorelines.  The Western Conference champion Galaxy were even with Real Salt Lake 1-1 at the half, but Mike Magee scored the go-ahead goal early in the second half before Robbie Keane put it away in the 68th minute.  For the Eastern Conference champs, the game was a bit more intense as they had to play in the cauldron that is Livestrong Park against the favored Sporting KC.  Even with Brad Davis going out with a right quad injury in the first half, Houston still kept up the pressure with Andre Hainault breaking through in the 53rd minute.

This will be the third MLS Cup played at one of the participants’ home field: DC United won the 1997 Cup at RFK while in 2002 New England watched Los Angeles celebrate at Gillette Field after their 1-0 victory.  Another statistic of note: Los Angeles are undefeated at Home Dept Center this year.

What did you think of yesterday’s games and the upcoming MLS Cup match-up?  Any early favorites or predictions?

Houston Dynamo 1 – Chicago Fire 1

(Clark 33′, Oduro 43′)

With the way the results in the Eastern Conference shook out this weekend, not getting the full three points was a major blow for Chicago, who see their playoff hopes still alive but a bit more on life support.  Neither team looked like they wanted to push for the full three points from the get-go anyway.  Chicago, keeping an eye on Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup final, held out at least three healthy starters but did start on-fire (no pun intended) Dominic Oduro.  The speedy striker notched his twelfth goal of the season by beating Bobby Boswell in a foot race (insert joke here) and equalizing after Colin Clark had put the Dynamo ahead ten minutes earlier.  When Oduro was pulled early in the second half, the Fire essentially conceded the draw.  For Houston, their inability to not get three points in this match is disconcerting, as they sit in a wild card spot for now but only have a lead of three points ahead of 11th place Portland.

Toronto FC 1 – New York Red Bulls 1

(Koevermans 50′, Henry 88′)

I said earlier this week that this match, more so than the Dallas and Portland games, would be the true test of whether New York was a contender in the East.  So what can we gleam from this match?  Thierry Henry can carry this team to a certain point, but that point may not be enough.  The Red Bulls looked lackluster in this match for the entire first half until the Koevermans goal snapped them out of their funk.  At that point, Henry became a real threat to Toronto although it took quite a nice goal from him to actually tie the game.  Their next match (Tuesday against Los Angeles) will not be any easier, as LA is looking to clinch the Supporters’ Shield, so NY may rue the missed opportunity.

Seattle Sounders 2 – New England Revolution 1

(Fagundez 35′, Montero 36′/48′)

The story of this match for New England was the first start and the second goal for 16 year-old Diego Fagundez.  The youngster scored off a corner kick and honestly provided the only spark on offense for the Revolution in this match.  The Sounders quickly equalized and Montero added the game-winner twelve minutes after, but honestly Seattle could have won by more.  A Milton Caraglio chance was ruled offside early in the match, and Montero’s quest for a hat trick was thwarted by Matt Reis in the 58th minute with a goal line save.  In a bad sign for Chicago, Seattle also rested a number of its starters for Tuesday’s final but still was able to get all three points (albeit against a weaker opponent).

Colorado Rapids 1 – FC Dallas 0

(Moor 25′)

Was this match more about Colorado or FC Dallas?  The visitors have now not won a game in any competition since August 27 and despite outshooting the Rapids 11-8, they could not find that elusive equalizer.  Brek Shea again had his moments of playing well, but did not score like he did earlier in the season.  Despite have 46 points and sitting firmly in the playoffs now, the possibility exists of Dallas falling out of the playoffs.  Colorado, who is also in playoff position but could slip out if their play continues to slip, got a very valuable win.  Drew Moor scored in the second time in as many games.  I’d be curious to hear from fans of either team: did Colorado win this game or did Dallas lose it?

Los Angeles Galaxy 2 – Real Salt Lake 1

(Espindola 45′, Barrett 59′, Borchers [OG] 72′)

First the good news for RSL: Javier Morales returned and played eighty minutes, which is incredibly important for a playoff run.  The goal also came off a free kick earned late in a first half where the Galaxy looked to have more chances.  However, it was the Galaxy who came away with the win after some excellent second half play.  The first goal came off some confused play between Jamison Olave and Nick Rimando, which allowed Barrett to grab a too-easy goal.  The second was just a the result of too much Galaxy pressure and a bad attempt at a block by Borchers.  Incredibly, this match was the first time the Galaxy had trailed at halftime this season, and with a win over the Red Bulls on Tuesday they can clinch the Supporters’ Shield.

San Jose Earthquakes 1 – Sporting Kansas City 1

(Wondolowski 85′, Bunbury 86′)

What was for the most part a slow game turned very interesting late in the second half with two capped U.S. internationals providing goals within seconds of each other.  Wondo found the back of the net seemingly against the run of play as KC had become more aggressive in the second half, and looked to the home crowd to be the winner.  However, on the subsequent kickoff, C.J. Sapong found Teal Bunbury with an excellent pass which he converted for an equalizer.  For a team that looked to have dropped their late game heroics habit, it was nice to equalize but a win would have helped them more strongly secure the first seed in the East.

Columbus Crew 2 – DC United 1

(Woolard 37′/OG 48′, Gaven 60′)

Columbus snaps its six match winless streak with some help from DC and a returning friend with a 2-1 victory.  Despite the Crew dominating possession DCU struck first on a nifty Daniel Woolard flick on goal off a free kick.  But Woolard would even the game early in the second half when, trying to clear the DC zone, he redirected a loose ball into the net.  Twelve minutes later, Eddie Gaven, who had been out for the past two months, headed a cross past Bill Hamid for the game winning goal.  Dwayne De Rosario looked slow and tired in this match, likely from his knee contusion suffered Thursday and the number of minutes he’s played.  When he’s having an off game, Charlie Davies and (when he plays) Joseph Ngwenya need to step up for DC; neither did on Sunday.

Portland Timber 1 – Vancouver Whitecaps 0

(Cooper 25′)

Kenny Cooper spoiled the opening of BC Place and kept Portland in the thick of the playoff race with a nice goal midway through the first half.  Vancouver had plenty of chances in this match, but a combination of missed opportunities and Portland hunkering down prevented them from winning their new-home opener.  As it stands, the ‘Caps are on pace for the fewest wins in an MLS season.  Portland, meanwhile, moves into a tie on points with New York but fall behind on a tiebreaker.  Actually winning on the road bodes well for Portland, which has some critical away matches to close out the season.

Chivas USA 1 – Philadelphia Union 1

(Mapp 59′, Angel 90′)

Similar to Chicago/Houston, this match helped one team’s playoff position while keeping another one on life support.  Juan Pablo Angel rescued the Goats with a very late header off an assist by Michael Lahoud.  Chivas now sits four points out of a playoff spot while Philadelphia is tied for second in the East.  As much attention as Dwayne De Rosario has received for his improved play on a new team, if he is an MVP candidate does that also make Angel one?  The statistics aren’t as good but if you judge it strictly on value to a team, it’s hard to argue against him, as he has provided the offense for their late push.

The question I wrestled with in my head last night was this: if there were no playoffs or a playoffs with just four teams instead of 10, would this weekend be as exciting?  Regardless of how you feel about the playoff format or the playoffs in general, the answer I came up with was YES.  Looking at the fixture list, there are some damn good matches this weekend.  Would, for example, the New York and Portland match be as exciting if they were not in a playoff race?  My answer is most definitely, for reasons listed below.

The fact is this weekend’s action is a mixture of generally good matches, critical playoff-push games, and injury drama all around.  Here is part one of a guide to this weekend’s matches (all times ET), with a key to each game and a prediction that undoubtedly will be horribly wrong.  Share your own predictions and keys to the games below.  Part 2 will come out tonight or tomorrow morning.

Sporting Kansas City v. Philadelphia Union (Friday, 8:30 PM, Fox Soccer)

The odd thing about this game is that after this weekend the winner could be in first place in the East while the loser could conceivably be outside the tenth playoff spot.  Philadelphia is one of a couple of MLS teams that broke a long winless streak last weekend, but as NY showed getting that second win in a row can be tough especially against a good opponent.  The Union are thin right now and missing Sheanon Williams is a HUGE loss for a defense that had been struggling recently.  The bench is thin, so the visitors need their offense to be ready to score, while Kansas City as usual needs to hold off late comebacks and play some defense.

Prediction: Sporting KC 3, Philadelphia Union 2.  I like there to be some goals in this game, with the magic of LIVESTRONG winning out

FC Dallas v. Houston Dynamo (Saturday, 4:00 PM, Telefutura)

Is Brek Shea tiring at the wrong time after a much increased work load?  This is the type of game where Dallas will need their A-game from their stars.  A key to this game is who wants it more, and the answer may be the visitors.  Fourth in the West may be an ideal playoff position, while Houston is in a battle just to qualify.  With a Champions League trip to Tauro FC on Wednesday, maybe Dallas pumps the breaks just a little.

Prediction: FC Dallas 1, Houston Dynamo 1.  A spirited game that drags at the end.

DC United v. Real Salt Lake (Saturday, 7:30 PM)

The Chivas draw on Wednesday makes this an almost must-win for DC, and they face the hottest team in MLS right now who will be getting local boy Kyle Beckerman back.  Ben Olsen called out his team in public on Wednesday, so who knows what was said in the locker room or the effect it will have.  The key to this match will be if RSL can shut down Andy Najar and Santino Quaranta on the wings; DC’s offense stagnates without being able to spread the field.

Prediction: DC United 1, Real Salt Lake 1.  DC takes an early lead and loses it in the second half.  I’ve seen this movie before

Columbus Crew v. Los Angeles Galaxy (Saturday, 7:30 PM)

This game seems like the lock of the weekend – the Galaxy can basically seal the Supporters Shield against an injured and struggling Columbus Crew squad.  But here are a few reasons Columbus could pull the surprise: Chad Marshall and Emilio Renteria could both be starting for this game, although Renteria is more likely to come off the bench.  The Galaxy, while not taking this game lightly, have a must-win CCL match on Wednesday.  And with their depth not being superb and some starters having nagging injuries, the starting XI for the Galaxy might not be their ideal XI.

Prediction: LA Galaxy 3, Columbus Crew 1.  Remember what happened last time the Galaxy lost a midweek CCL game?

New York Red Bulls v. Portland Timbers (Saturday, 7:30 PM)

Wouldn’t it be great if MLS could flex schedule games? Who wouldn’t want to watch this soap opera?  Let’s go out on a limb and assume Rafa Marquez doesn’t play.  Does that mean a return to the solid defense NY showed against FC Dallas last week?  Normally you would assume a team besieged by controversy and full of talent would rally at home against a team with a miserable away record.  But nothing has been normal about this season for New York.

Prediction: New York 2, Portland 1.  For one day, NY settles some controversy and slides into a wild card slot.

Photo by FIFA Habbo

It was an incredibly busy week in American soccer.  Between the US national team, MLS midweek matches, and all sorts of FIFA controversies, there was a wealth of story lines for fans of the beautiful game.  Below are some of the ones we were following this week that we did not have time to post on the site:

• In midweek MLS action, New York and Colorado played to a 2-2 draw, Dallas got three points on the road with a 1-0 win over Seattle, and the Galaxy grabbed an early goal to edge Houston 1-0.
• The Canadian Championship was rescheduled for July 2 after it was abandoned in the 63rd minute due to horrendous rainstorms.
• The FIFA mess is an important thing to know for American soccer fans.  FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hamman and CONCACAF rep Jack Warner were summoned before an investigatory committee this week on charges of bribery during a Caribbean campaign visit.  The charges were made by the U.S. rep Chuck Blazer.  Now Sepp Blatter, the current FIFA president and candidate for reelection, has had an ethics charge filed against him by bin Hamman for not reporting possible corruption violations.  The election between these two, in polite terms, undesirable candidates was supposed to be Wednesday but now with ethics charges hanging over both of them, that timeline is in doubt.  What does this mean for U.S. soccer?  Stay tuned.
• MLS commissioner Don Garber did an interview with the Sports Business Journal where he discussed Sporting Kansas City’s stadium, the Cosmos’ price tag, and MLS ratings, among other things.
• Real Salt Lake’s depth is hurting with injuries and Gold Cup call-ups, but Randy Davis sees an opportunity for one player.
• Congratulations to American Clint Dempsey, whose Fulham team won England’s “Fair Play” spot in the Europa League.  Like Maurice Edu this season, Dempsey will again have a chance to show off his skills on the European stage.
• Finally, the UEFA Champions League Final is Saturday and will be shown on Fox.  Last year’s final between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich had a 1.1 share; with two more “popular” teams playing keep an eye out for the rating.  It will be a good indicator or support for the sport of soccer in the U.S.

After a midweek tease, the MLS slate is full this weekend with all but two teams playing on Saturday.  For those looking forward to a little Friday night soccer, there will be none so you’ll just have to wait for Saturday night’s glamorous TV lineup, which includes the renewal of the U.S. leg of the Cascadia Cup rivalry.

Now for the other stories catching our attention this week:

• Marcos Mondaini received a four game suspension and a $1,500 fine for his aggressive tackle on Real Salt Lake’s Javier Morales.  The suspension is much less than Brian Mullan’s, but the league deemed the tackle as one to prevent a scoring chance, while Mullan’s “showed utter disregard for his opponent’s safety.”
• The Washington Post ran a front page story this morning on DC United’s situation at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium.  There were no great surprises to MLS or DCU fans, but the prominent placement may help the team in its efforts to build a new home.
• Speaking of DCU, Steven Goff of the Post broke the news that Bob Bradley will be in attendance at the DC-Colorado match tomorrow night.  While there are other American nationals like Dax McCarty and Anthony Wallace there, this is likely Charlie Davies casting call for a Gold Cup spot.
• Speaking of Bob Bradley, over 50,000 tickets have already been sold for the USA v. Spain friendly at Gillette Stadium on June 4, and organizers expect a record crowd for the region.
• Our parent site announced the news a few days ago that possible FA Cup champion Manchester  City will extend their U.S. tour to play the LA Galaxy July 24 at Home Depot Center.
• The Colorado Rapids injury list grows, as the team announced that Omar Cummings will be out 2-4 weeks with “an ankle”.  Caleb Folan is also out this weekend, but Conor Casey is expected to return.
• MLS in Minnesota?  Don Garber’s considering it (sorry Miami/Cosmos/Las Vegas/San Antonio fans).
• If you like fan bases tweaking each other and stirring up regional rivalries like I do, this billboard in Dallas will make you laugh.