Another weekend and another controversy in Toronto.
The good will that Preki and Toronto FC built after two home wins has seemingly dried up after the weekend loss at Rio Tinto Stadium, where the head coach decided to start without Dwayne De Rosario and Julian de Guzman.
As they look forward to facing MLS Cup champions Real Salt Lake next weekend, the Philadelphia Union, who saw another player sent off in LA, at least have Jack McInerney’s goal to hang their hats on.
The Columbus Crew may not be playing their best soccer, according to head coach Robert Warzycha, but right back Frankie Hejduk still believes that he is in the mix for a potential call-up to the 2010 World Cup.
The Crew’s Steven Lenhart found the back of the net again in Seattle but that is not the topic of discussion with this reporter.
The Chicago Fire will hope that injuries to two of their most important players are not serious.
While former MLS player Joe Vide is battling Hodgkin’s disease, the wife of RSL midfielder Andy Williamswas recently hospitalized.
The highlight of Americans playing abroad this weekend came from Clint Dempsey, who scored the opener in Fulham’s 3-2 win over West Ham. Frank Simek did not play as Sheffield Wednesday were relegated to League One in England. Hunter Freeman and Clarence Goodson will feature for IK Start in Norway on Monday.
Dempsey is hitting form just in time for the 2010 World Cup, an event which one New York Times columnist says may help increase African-American participation in the sport.
Houston’s Brian Ching will look to make a late push for the World Cup roster. He says he could be available to play this Wednesday. In Ghana they are hailing the debut goal of another Dynamo forward, Samuel Appiah.
It was status quo in the chase for league titles in England, Italy and Spain with the top two teams capturing victories in each country. The most dramatic finish came from Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo, who needed an 89th-minute goal from the Portuguese star to stay within a point of FC Barcelona with three matches remaining.
In Ronaldo’s home country, Benfica’s loss to Porto shrunk their league atop the Portuguese Liga Sagres to just three points over Sporting Braga. Seattle Sounders summer acquisition Blaise Nkufo captured the Eredivise title in the Netherlands with Twente, while in Germany, UEFA Champions League finalists Bayern Munich virtually laid claim to the Bundesliga crown after Schalke 04 slipped up.
Lastly, this weekend Miami FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies renewed an old MLS rivalry from a few years back when they met at Lockhart Stadium.
Dowie - Jozy needs focusColumbus prepare for another Sigi showdown
