New Enlgand Advance in Win Over Atlante: But Seriously WTF

New England earned a shot at the 2008 SuperLiga million dollar prize Wednesday night with a victory over Atlante.

A Shalrie Joseph header was the only difference in the win over the Mexican league side, setting up an all American final against MLS rivals Houston Dynamo, but the result took a back seat to the final minutes and subsequent post game melee.

In spite of a solid performance by New England and relatively fair officiating tonight - the final five minutes of the match degenerated in to a showcase of cheap shots by the Atlante side who otherwise played a respectable match.

The ref let the game go about four minutes too long as the Atlante players felt compelled to let out their frustrations on the New England players and in spite of a flurry of yellows and reds, the game ticked on painfully.

Fortunately no one was seriously injured, but the final whistle actually made matters worse as Atlante players and coaching staff took swings at New England players - one connecting with Chris Albright - and I'm sure CONCACAF will delve further in to the fracas.

I get the Mexican American rivalry, but the whole thing has left me wondering if Mexican and American clubs have matured enough to play against each other in international competition.