New England Revolution Win 2008 SuperLiga

The New England Revolution could have had an extra One Million clams in the bank after downing the Houston Dynamo in a nail biter of a final.

The two MLS teams bested their Mexican league competition as well as MLS compatriots DC United and Chivas USA over the last month for the right to battle for the second SuperLiga trophy and the one million dollar purse.

Interestinly enough, the money was removed from the equation by the players themselves the day before the match. Read more about that here.

Tonight's match was true back and forth action between these two sides as both teams refused to relinquish control, from extra time to penalty shootouts which went to sudden death penalties, it was anyone's game and at the end, fortune shined on the Revs.

2008 SuperLiga Discussion Thread Anyone?

If there is any interest, I'm happy to set up this post as a live match discussion thread...so I'll start with - why is the feed from MLS not working??!! Is anyone else having a problem with the connection.

2008 SuperLiga Final: New England Revolution vs Houston Dynamo

The All American 2008 Super Liga final kicks off tonight at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The New England Revolution will face the Houston Dynamo for the one million dollar prize as we reach the crescendo of the month long eight team tournament.

According to the pre match press release, "Houston beat New England in the previous two MLS Cup Finals, but the Revs, who have never lost to the Orange during the regular season, are perfect in the SuperLiga tournament and have been the best overall team in North America since the beginning of the MLS regular season.

They have outscored the Dynamo 5-0 in the regular season this year and have methodically dismantled the two-time defending champions at Gillette Stadium and at Robertson Stadium in Houston.

Tuesday, they will play for the SuperLiga title at home and the Dynamo will probably have to play their best soccer of the summer if they want to take a third championship from the Revs."

Kick off is at 8:00PM eastern and you can watch the match live online here or on Telefutura in Spanish if you got it.

Video of the Houston vs. Pachuca CF Post Match Fracas and the Controversial Offside

Judge for yourself:

"I went to a fight, and a soccer match broke out"

Did you ever think that old hockey joke would make its way to the soccer fields of America?

If the two SuperLiga semi final matches are any indication of the current emotional state between Mexican and American club football, then I'm afraid unless something is done, the SuperLiga tournament will continue to have this major black eye (and bloody nose, and busted mouth, etc.)

While Pachuca had a case to feel hard done after losing to Houston, certainly they had no excuse to rush the referees and last night's eruption by Atlante after losing to New England was just plain bizarre.

I'm of two minds about it. I love a heated rivalry, which is what we have now between Mexican and American teams, but the sport is football, not MMA. I'm a huge fan of both, but I don't expect my MMA fighters to start heading a soccer ball anymore than I want to see footballers throwing punches.

Perhaps it's the fact that American soccer has reached parity with Mexican soccer (in terms of skill if not popularity). Perhaps it's the complex national political and social relationship between the two countries. Perhaps it's the centuries old history of a shared border or a combination of all three, but maybe it is time to institute some kind of détente policy between MLS and Primera División? What that policy would be I have no idea.

I guess the question is, can the rivalry exist without the animosity? Maybe, Maybe not.

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.

New England To Try for an All-American SuperLiga Final

Tonight the New England Revolution will attempt to continue their winning ways against a game opponent in Mexican side Atlante as the 2008 SuperLiga Semis close out. The winner of this match will determine who meets Houston in the final.

Gillette Stadium has been kind to the Revs in this tournament as they arrive as the only undefeated side still standing, but Atlante will be riding high after their 2-0 defeat against CD Guadalajara in SuperLiga action as well as their 2-1 defeat of Toluca in Mexican league action a few days ago.

Kick off is at 8:00PM eastern – you can watch the match live via streaming video from SuperLiga2008.com.

SuperLiga 2008 Semi Final - Houston Dynamo vs. Pachuca CF: Updated

This one turned in to an ugly affair folks and at the end of the match, it was Pachuca CF who came away with some legitimate grievances.

The first half was certainly all Houston Dynamo but, as I stated last night, while their penetrating runs were effective, particularly the work of Dwayne DeRosario, their final passing was never really on target. Both teams went in to the break tied 0-0.

The second half showcased a Pachuca side that was lit on fire! I'm not sure what Enrique Enríquez said to the Tuzos, but they were hammering in chance after chance while Pat Onstad struggled to stay afloat in the net.

Finally, the Pachuca effort paid off about twenty minutes in - or so they thought - with a brilliant run and finish by Gabriel Caballero that was disallowed. However, the linesman may need to get his prescription checked because to all even casual onlookers, there was nothing offside about that play.

Pachuca seemed to have lost the wind in their sails after this piece of bad officiating and Houston capitalized on their lackluster defending, with Corey Ash nodding and Bobby Boswell flicking their two game winning goals in within easy range.

The result stood at Houston 2 - the defending champions Pachuca 0 and the final whistle resulted in a release of frustration by the Mexican side. Security personnel were needed to escort the refereeing team safely off the pitch. Let's hope for some good football and fair officiating in tonight's other semifinal match.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea: SuperLiga2008.com

SuperLiga 2008 Semi Final - Houston Dynamo vs. Pachuca CF

Houston Dynamo takes on Pachuca CF for the first semi-final of SuperLiga 2008 - I have no idea how I let this slip up on me. I'll follow this up with a quick summary.

Half time report: 0-0 so far and both sides have had some chances early on. I've got to give the edge to Houston for the first 45 minutes. A couple of errant final passes are all the separate the Dynamo from going ahead in the match.

(the announcer just said "the ball took a gratuitous bounce" he he. I think he meant fortuitous, but here I am blogging while he's at Robertson Stadium checking the action live)

SuperLiga Impressions and Predictions

After watching a fair amount of the SuperLiga games from the group stage I think its safe to say that the tournament's sophomore year has been a pretty big success. Many, if not all of the games have been very exciting and high scoring. As a DC United fan it has been hard at times, but I think the games have been enjoyable overall. I even got to see United play Chivas Guadalajara and Houston Dynamo live.

I have to say I was fairly surprised when Chivas Guadalajara didn't advance and Atlante surged back from their opening game 4-0 loss to secure the runner up position. The best part was that none of the final spots had been secured by the last round of games. Every single team on Group A had a shot of advancing and all but Santos had a shot at advancing in Group B. The teams really made it exciting until stoppage time ran out in the final half of all the last games.

Now that we look towards the knockout round it is going to be really hard to try and pick the winners. However, I think if you have been paying attention to all four teams it will make sense as to who the winners are going to beat. The first match will be Group B winners New England Revolution against Group A runners up Atlante. The Revs will be hurting with having a decent amount of players still injured and many of their top players not getting a rest because of the All Star game. Also you have to take into account Atlante's resurgence and how well they played against Chivas last weekend. With all that said, the Revs have continually brought their best and haven't lost a game in a very long time. They even beat last year's winners (although only because of a very shady PK call). I would have to say this game will be very close, but the Revs will take it by a goal.

The other game is going to more difficult to predict. I think that Houston definitely has the size advantage, but Pachuca has the skills to pull out the victory. Pachuca's goalie will be the determining factor of the game I think as his age limits his ability to have a perfectly dominating performance. However, after watching him stop almost everything New England threw at him I don't think Houston will have the ability to to overcome the obvious skill difference. Houston is just lacking the ability to compete at the top level of CONCACAF where Pachuca has been for the past several years and will lose this one by a goal or more.

The final will be a rematch of the previous New England and Pachuca game and it will be one for the ages. More on the final after the other two games have been played.

SemiFinal SuperLiga Matches are Set

The New England Revolution and Pachuca CF both advanced last nigh in the final Group B matches of SuperLiga 2008. Everyone scored a goal as both games ended in 1-1 draws, but single points were not enough for some so going home are Chivas USA and Santos Laguna.

The Semi finals are set with two MLS teams and two Primera División teams facing off:

Tuesday, July 29 Houston Dynamo vs. Pachuca CF at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Wednesday, July 30 NE Revolution vs. Atlante at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

SuperLiga Group B Action Concludes Tonight

Last night's Group A matches concluded with one MLS team, the Houston Dynamo and one Primera División team, Atlante, earning semifinal spots in 2008 SuperLiga. Tonight, Group B action concludes as the second set of all MLS / all Primera División SuperLiga derbies gets underway.

Chivas USA will take on the high flying New England Revolution in Titan Stadium at Cal-State Fullerton. You may recall that the Revs made international news on their cross country commute to this match by subduing a fellow on their flight who was playing with a few cards shy of a full deck. Kick off is at 8:00PM Eastern.

The Lone Star State will play host to the last two Mexican league sides as Santos Laguna take on Pachuca CF at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. Kick off is at 10:00PM Eastern.

The link to the live online stream is here.

Get tickets for tonight’s matches here ->

And all of the Group B Scenario’s are listed below courtesy of 2008 SuperLiga:

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (6 points, +2 goal differential)

• Revolution clinches 1st place with a win or tie.
• Revolution clinches 2nd place with a loss AND a Pachuca loss or tie.
• Revolution clinches 2nd place with a loss AND a Pachuca win IF Chivas USA wins the group in a three-way tiebreaker.
• Revolution is eliminated with a loss AND a Pachuca win IF Pachuca wins the group in a three-way tiebreaker.

Note: If New England wins or draws its last group game, it would host every match it plays moving forward as neither Houston nor D.C. United could obtain 7 or 9 points. See note below on Semifinals.

PACHUCA (3 points, even goal differential)

• Pachuca clinches 1st place with a win AND a Chivas USA win IF Pachuca wins the group in a three-way tiebreaker.
• Pachuca clinches 2nd place with a win or tie AND a Chivas USA loss or tie.
• Pachuca clinches 2nd place with a loss AND a Chivas USA loss IF both teams lose by one-goal margin and identical score lines.
• Pachuca clinches 2nd place with a loss AND a Chivas USA loss IF both teams lose by a one-goal margin with Pachuca scoring more goals than Chivas USA.
• Pachuca is eliminated with a loss AND a Chivas USA win or tie.
• Pachuca is eliminated with a loss AND a Chivas USA loss IF Pachuca loses by two goals or more.
• Pachuca is eliminated with a loss AND a Chivas USA loss IF Chivas USA loses by more goals than Pachuca.
• Pachuca is eliminated with a tie AND a Chivas USA win.
• Pachuca is eliminated with a win AND a Chivas USA win IF Chivas USA wins the group in a three-way tiebreaker.

CHIVAS USA (3 points, even goal differential)

• Chivas USA clinches 1st place with a win AND a Pachuca loss or tie.
• Chivas USA clinches 1st place with a win AND a Pachuca win IF Chivas USA wins the group in a three-way tiebreaker.
• Chivas USA clinches 2nd place with a win AND a Pachuca win IF Pachuca wins the group in a three-way tiebreaker.
• Chivas USA clinches 2nd place with a tie AND a Pachuca loss.
• Chivas USA is eliminated with a loss AND a Pachuca win or tie.
• Chivas USA is eliminated with a tie AND a Pachuca win or tie.
• Chivas USA is eliminated with a loss AND a Santos win IF Santos wins by two or more goals.
• Chivas USA is eliminated with a loss AND a Pachuca loss IF both results are identical and by a one-goal margin.
• Chivas USA is eliminated with a loss AND a Pachuca loss IF both teams lose are by a one-goal margin with Pachuca scoring more goals than Chivas USA.
• Chivas USA is eliminated with a loss AND a Pachuca loss IF Chivas USA loses by more goals than Pachuca.

SANTOS (0 points, -2 goal differential)

• Santos clinches 2nd place with a win AND a Chivas USA loss IF Santos wins by two or more goals.
• Santos clinch 2nd place with a win AND a Chivas USA loss IF Chivas USA finishes with the worst goal differential in three-way tie.
• Santos is eliminated with a loss or tie.
• Santos is eliminated with a win AND a Chivas USA tie or win.
• Santos is eliminated with a win AND a Chivas USA loss IF both results are by one-goal margins.

Stick a Fork in 2008 SuperLiga Group A, She's Done

And with that, the Houston Dynamo sit on top of 2008 SuperLiga's Group A standings and will be followed in to the semi finals by second place finisher and Mexican league stand outs, Atlante.

The Dynamo ensured DC United's exit tonight with a 3-1 victory while Atlante dispatched fellow Primera División side CD Guadalajara 2-0 to secure the second place spot.

Group B resumes tomorrow night as Pachuca, Santos, New England, and Chivas USA battle it out for the remaining two spots in the semis.

Mexico vs. Mexico and USA vs. USA: SuperLiga Group A Closes Out Tonight

In the all MLS / all Primera División SuperLiga derbies tonight, the Houston Dynamo will take on the all but eliminated DC United at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C at 8:00PM Eastern.

On the other side of the country Atlante will play CD Guadalajara at Buck Shaw in Santa Clara (beware of all the damned vampires) at 10:00PM Eastern, with all four teams in the group looking at chances to advance.

Get tickets for tonight’s matches here ->

Here are all of the Group A Scenario’s courtesy of 2008 SuperLiga:

CD GUADALAJARA (6 points, +2 goal differential)

• Guadalajara clinches 1st place with a win or tie.
• Guadalajara clinches 2nd place with a loss AND a Houston tie or loss.
• Guadalajara clinches 2nd place with a loss AND a Houston win IF Atlante wins group on goal differential.
• Guadalajara is eliminated with a loss AND a Houston win IF Houston wins group on goal differential.

HOUSTON DYNAMO (3 points, +3 goal differential)

• Houston clinches 1st place with a win AND a Guadalajara loss IF Houston wins group on goal differential.
• Houston clinches 2nd place with a win or tie AND an Atlante tie or loss.
• Houston clinches 2nd place with a loss AND an Atlante loss IF Houston loses by two goals or fewer.
• Houston is eliminated with a loss AND an Atlante win or tie.
• Houston is eliminated with a loss AND an Atlante loss IF Houston loses by three goals or more.
• Houston is eliminated with a tie AND an Atlante win.
• Houston is eliminated with a win AND an Atlante win IF Atlante wins group on goal differential.

ATLANTE (3 points, -3 goal differential)

• Atlante clinches 1st place with a win AND a Houston tie or loss.
• Atlante clinches 1st place with a win AND a Houston win IF Atlante wins group on goal differential.
• Atlante clinches 2nd place with a win AND a Houston win IF Houston wins group on goal differential.
• Atlante clinches 2nd place with a tie AND a Houston loss.
• Atlante is eliminated with a tie AND a Houston win or tie.
• Atlante is eliminated with a loss.

D.C. UNITED (0 points, -2 goal differential)

• D.C. United clinches 2nd place with a win AND Atlante loss IF D.C. United win by three or more goals.
• D.C. United is eliminated with a loss or tie.
• D.C. United is eliminated with a win AND an Atlante win or tie.
• D.C. United is eliminated with a win AND an Atlante loss IF D.C. United wins by two or fewer goals.

New England Revolution Subdue Crazy Dude on a Plane

According to an FBI statement, an American Airlines flight from Boston to Los Angeles was diverted to Oklahoma City on Friday after a passenger got naked and tried to open an emergency exit door.

None other than Major League Soccer's New England Revolution were on board traveling to LA to face Chivas USA in their final group match.

According to the FBI, "members of the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer were among those who grabbed the passenger near an exit door."

Read the full article at Yahoo.

New England Revolution vs. Pachcua CF: Penalty or No, You Be the Judge

Here is a video of the key highlights of the SuperLiga Group B match. The controversial handball is at minute 3:35.

BONUS: Cool 70's porn music for the introduction

Pat Phelan Update

According to a New England Revolution press release, Pat Phelan suffered a concussion and nothing more last night in 2008 SuperLiga action.

According to the press release, "he was momentarily unconscious, but regained consciousness before being stretchered off the field. He was taken by ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital where he was further evaluated. Phelan is expected to be out of action for at least one week."

While a concussion is no small event, it's great news for those of us who witnessed the brutal contact and thought the worst.

Chivas USA Defeat Santos Laguna 1 - 0

A wonderfully executed Sacha Kljestan cross found an onrushing Ante Razov in the box in the 73rd minute of play. Razov made no mistake as he flicked a great header in to the corner of Santos' net to give Chivas USA the 1-0 lead.

In spite of missed chances and arguably missed calls by the referee, the Guerreros from Torreón could not equalize.

Read the full match report at SuperLiga2008.com.

Questionable Refereeing Benefit American Sides in 2008 SuperLiga Action

I hate it when a match is decided by a stoppage time penalty kick. Sure it's going to happen, especially at the late stages of the match; players are tired after 90 plus minutes, they make stupid mistakes, etc. So I understand it, but I don’t like it.

What’s worse? When the stoppage time penalty is awarded because of a bad call.

That’s what viewers saw last night as the New England Revolution defeated Pachuca CF on an injury time penalty kick.

Sainey Nyassi drove a cross in to the Pachuca defender, Julio Manzur, with such force that it was always going to hit him. It just so happened to hit him in the arm. So was the ball on target for a goal? No way. Did Manzur reach for the ball, nope. Yet the Costa Rican referee, Walter Quesada, pointed to the spot.

I didn't catch all of the Santos v. Chivas match but apparently Santo’s equalizing goal was disallowed because of an offside call that never happened.

Before last night, I was fairly impressed with the refereeing in the 2008 SuperLiga, considering the bad blood that exists between Mexico and the USA, but bad calls that affect the score line are a quick way to lose fans on both sides of the Rio Grande.

New England Revolution 1 Pachuca CF 0 - 2008 SuperLiga Update

The New England Revolution remain undefeated on their way to the semi finals of the 2008 SuperLiga.

The first half saw a lot of good, attacking end to end football from both the New England Revolution and Pachuca CF.

The first 20 minutes of the second half were all New England as they put on a passing clinic for the fans at Foxborough Stadium. Not bad for a side missing five of their key starters.

Pachuca looked dangerous on the counter attack, particularly the boot of Damian Alvarez, who found woodwork but could never find net.

In the 84th minute, a clash of heads sent Pat Phelan to the ground with no movement whatsoever. Medical teams for both Pachuca and the Revolution sprinted to the field to tend to Pat.

Match play resumed 10 minutes later but with only 6 minutes of added time.

A hand ball in the penalty box was awarded in the 6th minute of stoppage time.

Kahno Smith stepped up to the ball – and hammered it home to send the Revolution through to the 2008 SuperLiga Semi Finals!