ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN STANDARD TIME

Check ESPN3.com for more footy matches online!

SATURDAY, September 4

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
Major League Soccer: D.C. UNITED vs COLUMBUS (live) 7 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Major League Soccer: D.C. UNITED vs COLUMBUS (live) 7 pm.

TELEFUTURA
Major League Soccer: CHICAGO vs LOS ANGELES (live) 4 pm.

UNIVISION
International Friendly: MEXICO vs ECUADOR (live) 8:30 pm.

GOLTV
Primera División de Uruguay: EL TANQUE SISELY vs NACIONAL (live) 2:30 pm.
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: CORINTHIANS vs GOIAS (live) 5:30 pm.
Fútbol Profesional Colombiano: TOLIMA vs SANTA FE (live) 7:30 pm.
Fútbol Profesional Colombiano: NACIONAL vs CHICO (live) 9:30 pm.

MLS DIRECT KICK
Major League Soccer: PHILADELPHIA vs KANSAS CITY (live) 3:30 pm.
Major League Soccer: NEW ENGLAND vs SEATTLE (live) 7:30 pm.
Major League Soccer: DALLAS vs TORONTO (live) 8:30 pm.
Major League Soccer: COLORADO vs CHIVAS (live) 9 pm.
Major League Soccer: SALT LAKE vs NEW YORK (live) 9 pm.

SUNDAY, September 5

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
Hyundai A-League: NEWCASTLE vs BRISBANE (live) 1 am.

Womens Professional Soccer: CHICAGO vs WASHINGTON (live) 6 pm.

TELEMUNDO
FMF: GUADALAJARA vs ESTUDIANTES TECOS (live) 7 pm.

GOLTV
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: ATLETICO MINEIRO vs SAO PAOLO (live) 3 pm.
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: FLAMENGO vs SANTOS (live) 5:30 pm.

MLS DIRECT KICK
Major League Soccer: HOUSTON vs SAN JOSE (live) 8:30 pm.

FoxSoccer.TV
Hyundai A-League: NEWCASTLE vs BRISBANE (On Demand) 1 am.

Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images Europe

So, Riise has dreams of playing in the States and hinted that he’d like to play for LA.  I don’t know how much gas he’ll have left in the tank, but I do know that the interest speaks volumes in the direction Major League Soccer is headed.   Do you think LA could use his services? or could you see New York moving in for the swipe?  I know NY has 3 designated players, but with JPA’s career coming towards the tail end, I can see NY making some moves to fit Riise in.

ESPN Soccernet.com:

John Arne Riise has revealed his desire to end his career in MLS, once he has left Roma. The former Liverpool full back remains under contract at the Stadio Olimpico until 2012 and is keen to negotiate an extension to that deal later this month.

But the 29-year-old has revealed that it will be his last contract in Europe, as he has his sights set on MLS.

“We will talk about my contract with Roma again at some point in September,” the Norwegian told Vg Nett. “I think the monetary issue and the length of the deal will be a formality.

“In my future I see myself playing for Roma for a few more years and then heading to the United States. I really want to play in the USA, it is a dream I have had for a long time.

“I have not thought about a club yet, but where David Beckham is playing [Los Angeles Galaxy] seems like a nice place to live.”

Wa’sup footy freaks?!? It’s been a long time, I shouldn’t a left you… DJ Salvo here and I’m back to bring you Freestyle Fridays and other dope beats that make you move your feet. Today’s Freestyle Friday is a two parter. First up is a new keepy uppy move called the Svomb and then I’m taking you to a crazy mashup featuring Rootbeer and Super Mario Brothers. If you’re feeling Rootbeer, then you can download their Remixes EP for free right here.  Have a great Labor Day weekend!

The Vancouver Whitecaps announced Teitur Thordarson will be the team's head coach when they join Major League Soccer in 2011. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)

The Vancouver Whitecaps announced their head coach for MLS play starting next year. It wasn’t much of a surprise but the club named their current USL coach, Teitur Thordarson as the man to lead them into the next phase of Whitecaps football.

Message to Teitur from Arsene Wenger

After my tirade earlier in the week about adidas and MLS, I should mention that I do like the jerseys for the Whitecaps. Clean and simple and I dig the sublimated print of the badge on the blue jersey.

Photo by Jane Gershovich / JaneG Photography

The Sounders hosted Chivas USA on Wednesday night at Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, WA for the second US Open Cup semi-final of the evening. The Sounders were looking to defend their 2009 US Open Cup championship while Chivas USA were looking to get their first trophy and salvage an MLS campaign that has them last in the Western Conference.

Things started out well for the defending champions. In only the 10th minute, Steve Zakuani got free down the left hand side and played a ball across the goal that only needed to be tapped in by Nate Jaqua. In the 2nd half, he Sounders again scored early as Zakuani provided another assist in the 58th minute as he beat two defenders outside the left hand side of the box and played in a great ball for Fredy Montero to finish. Down by two goals and facing elimination, the Goats pressed to get back in the game and finally broke through ten minutes later in the 68th minute. Jesus Padilla scored on a Justin Braun assist and it looked like Chivas had the momentum. As the 2nd half ticked away, the Sounders re-established their hold on the game and in extra time, substitute Roger Levesque played in a cross from the right hand side that Jaqua was able to head past Thornton and seal the victory for the home side.

The Sounders now face the Columbus Crew in the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final on Tuesday, October 5th at Qwest Field. Tickets for the Cup Final will go on sale on Tuesday, September 7, at 10 a.m. and the game should be televised on Fox Soccer Channel.

Highlights of the Match

Entire 1st Half Replay

Entire 2nd Half Replay

Sterlinho’s thoughts on the game:

I was impressed with the small section of Union Ultras there to support Chivas USA. Despite going down in the 10th minute, they never stopped cheering until after the final whistle.

Justin Braun got into the box early and passed it across the box instead of shooting the ball. It was a sign of things to come as he repeatedly got into fairly dangerous areas but never pulled the trigger.

Jonathan Bornstein again played left mid and was able to find a lot of space on the wing. Unfortunately for him, the rest of his team didn’t get the ball to him fast enough in the open space. Bornstein took a knock in the first half and subbed out at halftime. This move didn’t make a ton of sense to me since he is leaving the team after the season and their MLS season is essentially shot.

Before the game I thought that Seattle might struggle in the middle of defense with the pairing of Taylor Graham and Tyrone Marshall. Graham has been sidelined with injuries for so long that I wasn’t sure if he’d make it all the way through the game, while Marshall lost his starting spot so you never know how that might mentally affect a player. I was pleasantly surprised by how the two played together.

While Jaqua did score 2 goals he had a fairly quiet night. I do think it was the best I’ve seen him play as I noticed he was doing a good job of posting up and playing simple one touch balls to his teammates making runs.

Zakuani definitely deserved the Man of the Match that he was awarded. He created both of the first two goals for the Sounders with his pace and dribbling skills.  I’ve heard a lot of fans knock him for not chasing balls all the way out of bounds, but last night he ran down a few balls and outrun a few defenders that I didn’t think he would get to. It was nice to see him back on the pitch after the pelvic injury.

Photo by Jane Gershovich / JaneG Photography

Photo by Jane Gershovich / JaneG Photography

Chivas USA vs. Seattle Sounders FC
September 01, 2010 — Starfire Sports Complex

Scoring Summary:
SEA — Nate Jaqua (Steve Zakuani) 10
SEA — Fredy Montero (Steve Zakuani) 58
CHV — Jesus Padilla (Justin Braun) 68
SEA — Nate Jaqua (Roger Levesque) 92+
Chivas USA — Zach Thornton, Michael Umana, Mariano Trujillo, Ante Jazic, Dario Delgado, Marcelo Saragosa (Jesus Padilla 54), Paulo Nagamura, Rodolfo Espinoza, Jonathan Bornstein (Michael Lahoud 46), Justin Braun, Giancarlo Maldonado (Sal Zizzo 63).

Substitutes Not Used: Carlos Borja, Yamith Cuesta, Ben Zemanski, Kevin Guppy.

TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Jesus Padilla 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Jesus Padilla 2); FOULS: 13 (Paulo Nagamura 3); OFFSIDES: 3 (Justin Braun 2); CORNER KICKS: 7 (Rodolfo Espinoza 7); SAVES: 6 (Zach Thornton 6)

Seattle Sounders FC — Kasey Keller, James Riley, Tyrone Marshall, Taylor Graham, Leo Gonzalez, Alvaro Fernandez (Roger Levesque 83), Osvaldo Alonso, Nathan Sturgis (Mike Seamon 66), Steve Zakuani (Jeff Parke 90), Fredy Montero, Nate Jaqua.

Substitutes Not Used: David Estrada, Michael Fucito, Zach Scott, Terry Boss.

TOTAL SHOTS: 19 (Steve Zakuani 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 9 (Steve Zakuani 3); FOULS: 9 (3 tied with 2); OFFSIDES: 1 (Fredy Montero 1); CORNER KICKS: 10 (Osvaldo Alonso 7); SAVES: 5 (Kasey Keller 5)
Misconduct Summary:
CHV — Paulo Nagamura (caution; Reckless Tackle) 51
SEA — Osvaldo Alonso (caution; Reckless Tackle) 79
Referee: Ricardo Salazar
Referee’s Assistants: -Colin Arblaster; Mike Kampmeinert
4th Official: Josh Wilkens
Attendance: 4,547
Time of Game: 1:51
Weather: Partly Cloudy-and-67-degrees

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Chivas USA – Postgame Quotes

Sigi Schmid – Sounders FC Head Coach
(On the match . . .) “Obviously we weren’t happy with the goal we gave up because we always try and be perfectionists and so forth. I thought our ball movement at times was good. [Steve] Zakuani was sharp today. He had the better of [Mariano] Trujillo on the outside. That was important for us. It’s a field that lends itself to speed of play, getting faster and I think we took advantage of that.”

(On Steve Zakuani . . .) “I think he got a lot of respect early on, once he took them early and set up that first goal. After that, I think [Mariano] Trujillo packed up and for sure in the second half they got people over there to double him. [Rodolfo] Espinoza came back a lot in the first half to help on him and in the second half they tried to double and triple him. If you can make magical moments like that or moments that impact games, that’s what makes the difference in games.”

(On playing for the U.S. Open Cup championship . . .) “It’s sort of ironic that it’s the team I’m coaching now against the team I used to coach and so obviously I know their whole coaching staff. I know a lot of their players there. So it’s going to be emotional that way. But we are very happy that we are hosting the game. And we are very excited. We want to sellout Qwest and we want to be able to hoist a trophy in front of all those people.”

(On Nate Jaqua . . .) “Well they all count whether they are six yards away or twenty-five yards away. He has made a couple of good runs. He made some good runs today. We talked about it before the game. I said, ‘Hey, you’re the leading scorer in the Open Cup. You want to stay there.’ Obviously he tried to stay there, or is there with the two goals tonight. A lot of the work for his goals, great service by Roger [Levesque], great service by Steve [Zakauni]. We were unlucky a couple of times, Steve’s header at the back post was one that we could have had as well. I am very happy for Nate and he got a couple of goals again today.”

(On the quick turnaround . . .) “That’s just the way it is for us right now. Again, like I said, we try not to dwell on it. We tried not to make a big thing of it but I think the most important thing is that it is what it is and you move forward and you tackle it and we make sure we get the right regeneration when we get in there to Boston tomorrow. Everybody takes care of their bodies and we get them to recover and we get them to play again.”

(On reaching the Open Cup Final . . .) “I think it’s tremendous. Obviously playing at Starfire is a unique situation because the fans are so close to the field and we pack the place. It just lends itself to a completely different atmosphere. I think every club wants to win trophies. To be able in our first two years of existence to be able to get to two finals in the Open Cup, to win the first win and now the possibility to win the second one becoming the first team to win two in a row since MLS has joined the Open Cup is obviously something we would like to do because it hasn’t been done and it’s something unique and special for us to achieve.”

Steve Zakuani – Sounders FC Midfielder
(On the win . . .) “I’m looking forward to the final at Qwest Field. [. . .] We went out there, got the early goal, got the second one, they came back but we managed to close it off. Now is a good time to win, keep our momentum going. I think it’s like eight games against MLS teams unbeaten. We just got to keep going.”

(On the physicality . . .) “People react like that, get frustrated and kick you. I’ve fought that for a long time, my whole career. It’s something you get used to. It means I’m doing my job. If I get that every game I would be happy.”

(On the first goal . . .) “Ozzie [Osvaldo Alonso] has got good understanding. He always looks for me. He found me and then I think I actually took a heavy touch and went wide. I managed to turn the defender and Nate [Jaqua] was in the right spot. I found him and he finished it off. It’s just one of those that we probably do a lot on the training ground and it’s good to see it come off in a game.”

(On his move on the left flank . . .) “Ever since I was seven. It’s just something you improvise on the field. I think my game is to try and be creative. Sometimes it doesn’t work. When it works like tonight, then it looks good. So I’ll take that.”

(On Nate Jaqua . . .) “I said from the beginning, I enjoyed playing with Nate a lot last year. He is one of those guys who is always going to be in the box. I think you saw today he scored two goals by being in the box. I think that’s five goals in the Open Cup. It’s no surprise. It’s good to see him come back.”

(On the final being played at Qwest Field . . .) “I think playing the final at Qwest, I fully expect it to be a full house. It’s going to be incredible. And of course, it’s Sigi old team and that stuff is going to come back into it. For us, it’s just one more game. We are unbeaten in Open Cup as an MLS team. So it’s just something where to go back-to-back in your second year would be unheard of. We are really going to fight for it.”

Nate Jaqua – Sounders FC Forward
(On the win . . .) “Great win for us tonight and the chance to play a Final at Qwest Field in front of our fans is an unbelievable opportunity. It was a great hard fought win by our guys and it was fun.”

(On the first goal . . .) “The first goal was Zakuani’s. He made a great run and he had one right before that and I tried to cut back and cut one back to me and he played it across. I was like alright I’ll cut back in that way the next one, and he was able to find me, a great ball and a great run by him.

(On playing the entire game . . .) “I feel alright. A bit knocked up. I’m going to get in the cold tub. But I feel good. It’s nice to be on the field, get the start and play the whole game. Injury wise I’m good.”

(On playing in a second Open Cup Final . . .) “It’s great. It’s even better. It’s going to be unbelievable playing at Qwest, and a chance to hold up the trophy there. It’s good.”

Martin Vasquez – Chivas USA Head Coach
(On his impressions of the match…) “Disappointed because we really wanted to go to our first final. I thought we had a good start, but you can’t give a player like Zakuani, you have to respect and not let him get behind you. Overall the effort was good. I was pleased with there response after the first goal. We talked at halftime, we still had 45 minutes, and we tried to chase the game for most of the match. Disappointed because we had a couple of chances were we could have done better and it would have been a different game.”

(On the turning point in the match…) “In a game like today, a semifinal, knockout competition you need to take your chances. You have to give credit they have players that make a difference and they took their chances. Again, disappointed but the way our guys played, with urgency, hard work, effort, all that was their.”

(On the belief they can still make the playoffs…) “Yes, that is the approach we have to take.”

Jonathan Bornstein – Chivas USA Midfielder
(On his feelings towards the match…) “It is very disappointing; we had a very good opportunity in front off us to make our first U.S. Open Cup Final. Giving up three goals and losing the game is more disappointing than anything. Now we have to look forward to Saturday and another big game.”

(On his view of the match…) “The first goal came off a counter attack on the left side. I gave a cross and it gets headed out where [Steve] Zakuani goes down the line. He was able to pass to Nate Jaqua, a pretty easy goal for him. I think it was hard fought from there on out. I was just coming out from halftime and I heard the second goal was very similar to the first. I thought our guys showed a lot of heart in the second half to get the goal and fight. In the end it wasn’t there for us.”

(On coming off the pitch at half…) “I just took a little bit of a knock; with a couple of games coming we thought it would be smart to get ready for Saturday. We didn’t want to make it worse than it already was.”

(On not getting a chance to win a U.S. Open Cup…) “Very disappointing, for me personally it was a big game. I was disappointed to come out at half and it is probably the last Open Cup I will play in at least a while.”

DC United went into Wednesday night’s semi-final looking to make the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final for the third straight year. Despite playing down a man due to a Pablo Hernandez red card, United looked to be on their way until the 89th minute when defender, Marc Burch scored and own (although some feel it should be credited to Andy Iro) goal to push the game into  overtime. The difference maker was a Guillermo Barros Schelotto penalty kick to send the visitors through to the 2010 final. Columbus are still alive in their quest to capture the US Open Cup, Supporter’s Shield, MLS Cup and CONCACAF Champions League trophies. Check out TheCup.us for a full match report.

Scoring:
DCU – Pablo Hernandez (PK) – 13th minute
CLB – Own goal (Marc Burch) – 89th minute
CLB – Guillermo Barros Schelotto (PK) – 98th minute

Misconduct Summary:
DCU – Devon McTavish (Yellow) – 26th minute
DCU – Dejan Jakovic (Yellow) – 34th minute
DCU – Pablo Hernandez (Red) – 59th minute
CLB – Danny O’Rourke (Yellow) – 59th minute
CLB – Steven Lenhart (Yellow) – 96th minute
DCU – Carey Talley (Yellow) – 97th minute

Lineups:

DCU: Bill Hamid (GK), Stephen King, Devon McTavish (Jamie Moreno 99th), Julius James (Carey Talley 90th), Clyde Simms, Santino Quaranta, Danny Allsopp (Jordan Graye 72nd), Pablo Hernandez, Andy Najar, Marc Burch, Dejan Jakovic

CLB: Andy Gruenebaum (GK), Frankie Hejduk, Andy Iro, Chad Marshall, Danny O’Rourke (Dilly Duka 68th), Gino Padula (Jason Garey 68th), Adam Moffat (Kevin Burns 78th), Eddie Gaven, Brian Carroll, Steven Lenhart, Guillermo Barros Schelotto

Stats:

Shots – Columbus 11:12 DC United
Shots on goal – Columbus 6:4 DC United
Saves – Columbus 3:5 DC United
Fouls – Columbus 13:12 DC United
Corner Kicks – Columbus 1:4 DC United
Offsides – Columbus 7:1 DC United

Referee: Chris Penso
Referee’s Assistants: Sean Hurd, Cyril Madukanya
4th Official: Jeff Gontarek
Weather: Clear, 91 degrees
Attendance: 3,411

D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN

On having the lead with minutes left

I mean, yeah, we had it. What do you want me to say? We had it. You know. In the end you got to finish it up. The guys, I’m very proud of them. We just, can’t reward ourselves. It’s very frustrating.

On the way they handled playing with 10 men

They were a gutsy group. I just wish they would, we would reward ourselves for some of the good work we did. It’s just pretty cruel sometimes, we do, the guys, for the most part do it all, and they go out and they fight and they do create chances, and we just don’t reward ourselves.

On the red card

I can’t comment obviously, but I don’t know. That obstacle, it’s a big one to overcome obviously for that long, and we did pretty good. It’s amazing, the little bounce of the ball here and there and uh a different situation and we’re good. It’s a reoccurring theme, and we’ll keep pushing, somehow regroup tomorrow, then start again on the weekend.

D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER SANTINO QUARANTA

On the Open Cup as motivation

It was everything, obviously. This was the only trophy we could win this year, and at the end of the day we wanted to give something back to the fans because this season has been abysmal and [the Open Cup] was the only thing we had going for us.

On getting out of last place in the League

As players we are playing for our jobs, we are playing for our families, and it’s embarrassing sometimes to have to go home and say you lost again. So we’ll pick the guys up, we’ll move on and for our fans we want to win some games. I take pride personally in this and so does everyone else on the team as well.

On Hernandez’s red card

I didn’t see it. I didn’t see. The referee told me that the fourth official and the sideline referee said that [Pablo Hernandez] deserved a red card. At the end of the day if he deserved a red card that’s their decision. [Hernandez] is my teammate and I back him, but that’s that.

D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER CLYDE SIMMS

On the loss

Yeah, it was definitely a frustrating game. We played well enough to win, even a man down, and [Columbus] got one late, and that’s kind of how our season has been unfortunately. But even after they scored we had a couple of chances to go ahead 2-1, but we have been bad at finishing our chances all season as well, so it’s definitely frustrating.

On Hernandez’s red card

We knew that they were going to push numbers [following the red card], and we were confident as a team, and I saw that confidence in other guys’ eyes, and I thought we were ready for it. We kept the ball some and even created a chance or two, but unfortunately we gave up that late goal.

On Columbus winning a penalty

I don’t have anything to say about it. It was a good call – the right call, that’s all I can say.

D.C. UNITED DEFENDER DEJAN JAKOVIC

On the result

I’m heartbroken. I felt we fought really hard the whole game, we scored first, and we did sit back a little bit after we got the red card, but we were so close. In the 89th minute, to have the ball bouncing in the six [yard box], it was awful to see the ball hit, deflect, and go in [the goal]. We continued to fight, we had chances, we were just unlucky, kind of like our season has been going.

On Columbus’ penalty

The tackle came from behind – there’s no question. It was unfortunate.

On his scoring opportunity in extra time

I felt good, I made a few runs on the counter, and at the end I was pushed into the midfield. But yeah, I made a few runs and finally the ball came to me and my eyes lit up. But the ball sat up on me a little bit and I wish it had landed on my right foot, but it hit my left [foot] and I popped it over [the crossbar]. I should have done better, you don’t get chances like that very often.

COLUMBUS CREW HEAD COACH ROBERT WARZYCHA

On the game

I thought we played very well, especially in the first half. Overall, I’m very proud of the team. We came here to win.

On going 120 minutes with a packed schedule

Absolutely. Absolutely. We would rather have to go only 90 minutes. The temperature was very hot today and we [had some] players injured. On Saturday it’s not going to be any different, so hopefully nobody gets injured.

On the lineup for Saturday

We’ll see how they are tomorrow after we get some sleep. We have some cramps and other stuff. The field was very hard today, to be honest with you, so that didn’t help.

COLUMBUS CREW DEFENDER FRANKIE HEJDUK

On having to play United again Saturday

You always look forward to a game. It’s another game, you know, a game’s a game. We take one game at a time. That’s what tournaments are all about, especially semifinals of tournaments. They become scrappy games because both teams are fighting and want to win the game. Tonight was a great battle by both teams. I think it changed a little bit once they got the red card and we got some momentum, so we were able to keep the ball better and make them run. We tired them out a bit. A little lucky by getting the late goal, but I thought in overtime that we dominated and did what we needed to do.

On the Crew’s performance tonight

I thought the first 45 minutes they kind of brought it to us, took it to us. They didn’t have too many chances but they had more of the possession and were a little more lively. The second half we woke up a little bit and started to possess the ball, and all year we’ve been a second half team. That’s no secret. For whatever reason, that’s what’s going on with us right now. I think we played better in the second half, and once they got their red card, like I said, the game completely changed and, you know, I think we had the momentum and, you know, we were making them chase after the ball and I think they tired out near the end and we do what we need to do. Scrappy game, it was a great performance by both teams… Coming to D.C. is never easy for us and, you know, it was one of those games when we all came together and battled and some guys stepped up and had some big games, and we fought hard and fought through and now we’re in a final.

Monarcas Morelia celebrates a 2-1 win over the New England Revolution for the SuperLiga championship in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

The New England Revolution looked to extend their unbeaten streak against Mexican sides in the SuperLiga to 9 games on Wednesday night in Foxborough, MA. Instead they fell to Morelia 2-1 behind a brace from Miguel Sabah.

Post game reaction from the Revolution

SuperLiga 2010 Final
New England Revolution vs. Monarcas Morelia
September 1, 2010 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Scoring Summary:
MOR – Miguel Sabah (Penalty Kick) 65
MOR – Miguel Sabah (Unassisted) 75
NE – Kevin Alston (Zack Schilawski) 79

New England Revolution: Matt Reis (GK), Cory Gibbs, Darrius Barnes, Emmanuel Osei (Zack Schilawski 71), Kevin Alston Chris Tierney (Khano Smith 70), Pat Phelan, Shalrie Joseph ©, Kheli Dube (Roberto Linck 70), Marko Perovic, Ilija Stolica

Substitutes Not Used: Bobby Shuttleworth, Tim Murray, Nico Colaluca, Seth Sinovic

STATS: Shots: 9; Shots on Goal: 4; Saves: 6; Corner Kicks: 2; Offside: 6; Fouls Committed: 9

Monarcas Morelia: Federico Vilar (GK), Enrique Perez, Fernando Salazar, Francisco Dorame, Mauricio Romero ©, Ismael Pineda (Luis Noriega 76), Hugo Droguet, Jaime Lozano, Miguel Sabah, Luis Gabriel Rey (Rafael Marquez Logo 88), Elias Hernandez (Luis Silva 94+)

Substitutes Not Used: Jesus Urbina, Miguel Sansores, Angel Sepulveda, Jose Cruzalta

STATS: Shots: 17; Shots on Goal: 8; Saves: 3; Corner Kicks: 3; Offside: 4; Fouls Committed: 18

Misconduct Summary:
MOR – Miguel Sabah (caution) 39
NE – Darrius Barnes (caution) 65
MOR – Jaime Lozano (caution) 85
NE – Pat Phelan (caution) 86
MOR – Jaime Lozano (caution) 88
MOR – Miguel Sabah (second caution/ejection) 91+

Referee: Carlos Batres
Referee’s Assistants: Hermenerito Leal, Gerson Lopez
Fourth Official: Elmar Rodhas
Weather: Clear and 87 degrees
Attendance: 10,414

Notes:

•The loss dropped the Revolution’s all-time SuperLiga record to 8-2-4 in three years of SuperLiga competition …additionally, New England lost its first SuperLiga match to a Mexican club, moving its record to 7-1-1.
•Kheli Dube made his first appearance since the SuperLiga group stage on July 20 against Morelia … Dube has missed the last seven matches with a right MCL sprain.
•Dube made his first professional start at right midfield in his 13th-career SuperLiga appearance … that ties Dube for the most appearances all time with teammate Kenny Mansally and Morelia’s Luis Gabriel Rey.
•Midfielder Sainey Nyassi and forward/midfielder Kenny Mansally missed the game because they were called up to the Gambia National Team … Mansally misses the opportunity to take the all-time lead in SuperLiga appearances, as he remains tied with Houston’s Bobby Boswell with 13 SuperLiga appearances … Nyassi is tied for fifth with 12 appearances.
•The referees’ alignment was changed for the second half … fourth official Elmar Rodhas replaced Carlos Batres at center referee, and Batres moved to the fourth official.
•Morelia’s 65th-minute goal was scored via a penalty kick, the first in a Revolution game this season in all competitions.
•New England made three substitutions in minutes 70 and 71, and switched into a 3-5-2 alignment … Cory Gibbs, Darrius Barnes and Kevin Alston stayed along the back line, Khano Smith, Pat Phelan, Shalrie Joseph, Roberto Linck and Marko Perovic in the midfield (Perovic playing withdrawn forward), and Zack Schilawski and Ilija Stolica up front.
•The Revs goal scored in the 79th minute was tallied by Kevin Alston – his first goal in a Revolution uniform … rookie Zack Schilawski assisted on the goal – his first assist on the professional level.
•The Revolution kept its consecutive games scoring streak alive on Wednesday … New England has now not been shut out in 11 straight matches in all competitions.
•The Revs wore all white at home this season … the club did wear white shirts and blue shorts for a friendly match against Cruzeiro on June 13.

Monarcas Morelia's Miguel Sabah, and New England Revolution's Darrius Barnes battle for the ball during the first half of the SuperLiga soccer final at Gillette Stadium. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Monarcas Morelia's Mauricio Romero raises the SuperLiga trophy. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Monarcas Morelia's Mauricio Romero kisses the trophy after Morelia defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 for the 2010 SuperLiga championship. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

New England Revolution's Kevin Alston (30) and Roberto Linck (22) stand on the sideline after the Revolution lost 2-1 to Monarcas Morelia in the SuperLiga soccer final in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Javier Morales of Real Salt Lake (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

MLS and Real Salt Lake have been dropping some pretty cool videos of the defending champions’ time on the road. Check out the cameo of our friends from Bumpy Pitch!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

DC United host the Columbus Crew and the Sounders host Chivas USA as the 2010 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup resumes on Wednesday night. The host of the final will depend on who wins tonight. If Seattle wins, they’ll host the final at Qwest Field. If DC United wins and Seattle looses, then United will host the final at RFK. If Chivas USA wins, then they’ll need Columbus to beat DC in order to host the final. The Crew will be on the road if they win tonight.

Live streaming of the games will be on DCUnited.com and SoundersFC.com

For an in depth preview of all of tonight’s action, then I recommend following this link and reading the coverage on TheCup.us. If you’re lazy and would rather watch videos, then scroll down and watch away.

DC United Preview

Columbus Crew Preview

Chivas USA Preview

Sounders FC

Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid:

(On previous results against Chivas USA . . .) “It’s a different Chivas under Preki versus a Chivas under Martin Vasquez. We have played against Martin Vasquez’s team once and that’s the team we are preparing for. I thought we possessed the ball alright in the game down in L.A. We didn’t get a goal and neither did they. So it was just one of those things. Against Preki’s team, just like Preki’s teams in Toronto, they end up getting a little piece of you, they foul you, they break up the rhythm of the game to make it difficult to play. We have got to do better against that type of team. Chivas under Martin doesn’t play like that.”

(On the lineup for tomorrow . . .) “If we think a guy is ready, we are going to play him. We are looking at situations, ‘Oh, OK. This guy has done well at training. It’s pretty close between these two guys. So maybe this guy has got a knock or is a little bit fatigued so we are going to make a change there.’ But in general, we are going to try and play the guys who are ready and able and healthy and well and it’s going to be our best team that we put out there.”

(On the lineup for Chivas USA . . .) “Yeah, I think they will do the same thing. [. . .] This for them is big. It’s an opportunity for them to get a trophy. A trophy, they don’t have one. So this is a game that I think is very important. I think you can expect them pretty much bringing their starting lineup. I heard that [Osael] Romero, who got called into El Salvador, is not going in until after our game. So obviously they want to have all hands on deck. [. . .] Certainly a team like them who, in their history, hasn’t won a trophy at this stage to be in the semifinal they are going to be a hungry team. It’s going to come from the front office on down, ‘This is a chance. We are in the semifinal. We are one game away from getting to the final. We are two games away from having the trophy.’ So they are going to be a hungry team.”

The SuperLiga 2010 final will be played tonight at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. The New England Revolution beat Monarcas Morelia 1-0 in group play, but they now have to beat them one more time to bring home the SuperLiga trophy in front of The Razor faithful. New England won all three of their group stage games by a 1-0 scoreline and went on to defeat Puebla in penalties in the semi-final. The Revolution are 7-0-1 against Mexican competition in SuperLiga and are looking to be the tournaments first ever two time champion after defeating the Houston Dynamo in 2008. You can watch the match on TeleFutura.

Links if you want to know more:

Official match preview

Revolution Match Preview

New England Revolution Profile

Monarcas Morelia Profile