T-180: For the record Claude Anelka can't coach.

With that said, here's a little info on the Galaxy's next opponent tonight, courtesy of Wikipedia:

"Athletic Club of St. Louis, commonly referred to as AC St. Louis, is an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 2009, the team plays in the NASL Conference of the USSF D2 Pro League, the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.

T-170: "The USSF-D2 is a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in 2010 to last just one season, as a compromise between the feuding United Soccer Leagues (USL) and the North American Soccer League (NASL).

T-160: "St. Louis plays its home games at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in nearby Fenton, Missouri. The team's colors are green, white, and yellow.

T-150: The men's club is one half of the St. Louis based ownership group, chaired by team owner Jeff Cooper, with a large youth soccer league covering the entire St. Louis area as the other half. A third part was Saint Louis Athletica of Women's Professional Soccer, but the club folded in 2010.

T-140: Some supporters' groups:

"Eads Brigade (EB) was formed in 2007, when Cooper initially began working to get an MLS team and a stadium in the city of Collinsville, Illinois, as a fan group to support the MLS bid, similar to the Sons of Ben for the Philadelphia Union. EB has made several appearances at different functions, including a vote in Collinsville to approve the stadium plan, the 2009 NSCAA convention, and the ACSTL announcement ceremony.

"River City Saints (RCS) was established in the summer of 2007 as a small collection of supporters for the St. Louis Lions organization. In 2008, during the building of the Women's Professional Soccer league, the RCS moved its efforts to a united supporter's front for all-area soccer in and around St. Louis.

"In March of 2009 The RCS attended St. Louis Athletica's Missouri Kick-Off Meet and Greet at the Scott Gallagher Soccer Training Complex in Maryland Heights, MO. The RCS continued their penchant for 'D.I.Y.' marketing and promoted the club wherever and whenever possible with fliers, word of mouth, and online advertising. The RCS co-exists as an all-area supporter's group with the Eads Brigade (AC St. Louis supporters).

"The Blue Street Elite (BSE) was formed in 2009 following the induction of AC St. Louis into the NASL. The firm is based out of South City, St. Louis, Missouri, and has a goal in mind of bringing the passion of English football firms to the NASL.

"United Knights (UKSTL) is a Bosnian-influenced group that was founded to promote soccer in the St. Louis area. United Knights' goal is to become the biggest and best A.C. St. Louis fan group. United Knights also organize the Premier Soccer League for 7v7 teams that will be hosted by ACSTL at Soccer Park.

Formed in 2005, the DayPints Club (DPC) is dedicated to enjoying all things soccer. With its strong local presence, DayPints brings together members of the St. Louis soccer community to watch the world's best football at the best neighborhood pubs. Now, DayPinters lend their fervor and their voice as a leading supporter's group of AC St. Louis. Clad in their signature green and gold, you can be sure the DPC is always ready to get stuck in come the next ACSTL match."

T-130: A little info on the shield.

"The inverted shield features a fleur-de-lis with a golden flame beneath a catenary arch. The fleur-de-lis, a long-time symbol of the city featured heavily in the region's iconography, was a symbol of French monarchs including Louis IX of France, for whom the city is named. The flame harkens back to the 1904 Summer Olympics, which were held in St. Louis as part of the St. Louis World's Fair, and is seen by many St. Louisans to be one of the formative events in the city's history.

"The arch represents the Gateway Arch, which was built in 1965 as a memorial to the city's placement in American history as the 'Gateway to the West.' A.C. is a homage to the Missouri Athletic Club, which has promoted soccer in the region for more than 100 years. The nickname 'Saints' reflects the vestiges of French and Spanish colonization to the area, which made St. Louis one of the largest centers of Roman Catholicism in the United States."

T-120: And so we are two hours away from this 2010 U.S. Open Cup third round match between the Los Angeles Galaxy and A.C. St. Louis.

Lineups:

T-110: The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is American soccer's oldest cup competition. First contested in 1914, the U.S. Open Cup attracts 40 teams hailing from Major League Soccer, the USL First and Second Divisions, the revived North American Soccer League, the USL Premier Development League, the U.S. Adult Soccer Association, and just recently, U.S. Club Soccer. I personally hope to see more of them in the future; after, this IS the Lamar Hunt U.S. OPEN Cup. Emphasis on Open.

T-100: Mr. Landon Donovan will be unavailable because he is making media runarounds today and tomorrow. Well, at least Edson Buddle will be available.

T-90: Some players to keep an eye on...

#1 Alec Dufty—Goalkeeper
AC St. Louis’ No. 1 goalkeeper, Dufty has started all 11 of the club’s league games as well as both Open Cup games. He enters Tuesday’s game with a 1.55 goals against average in league play but has not allowed a goal in his last four appearances dating back to May 29.

A member of the New York Red Bulls last season, he made his MLS debut in a 0-0 draw at Houston, replacing the injured Danny Cepero after just eight minutes. He did not allow a goal in 82 minutes on the field, making two saves to earn the draw. However, he was released a few days later as Jon Conway returned from a suspension.

#5 Jack Traynor—Defender
The AC St. Louis captain, Traynor has made 11 appearances for the club this season. A left back during his four years at Notre Dame, Traynor has been used primarily in central defense during his time with St. Louis.

Drafted by the New York Red Bulls in the second round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, Traynor did not sign with the club and spent the 2009 season with Miami FC before signing with St. Louis prior to the start of this season. A Missouri native, Traynor appeared in 86 games during his college career, helping Notre Dame reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons with the club.

#15 Mike Ambersley—Forward
The club’s leading scorer with two goals and an assist in the regular season, Ambersley has scored in each of his club’s previous Open Cup games against Des Moines and Minnesota. Often utilized as the lone striker, Ambersley won the College Cup at Indiana in 2004, scoring the Cup-winning penalty against UC Santa Barbara in the College Cup Final.

He was drafted by FC Dallas in the fourth round of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft but never played a game for the club. He spent three years with Rochester of the USL First Division before joining AC St. Louis prior to the start of this season.

T-80: Bethlehem Steel and Maccabi Los Angeles lead the way in most U.S. Open Cups won with five. Won't be long before a team in Major League Soccer eclipses that mark. The Fire have come close, with four.

T-70: The Galaxy have won this competition twice: 2001 over the New England Revolution and 2005 over FC Dallas as part of the US Open Cup-MLS Cup Double.

Sprinklers shining the pitch.

T-60: Other third round matches going on include the New York Red Bulls on the road taking on the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL Second Division, the Columbus Crew hosting the Rochester Rhinos of USSF D-2, the Charleston Battery of the USL Second Division facing the Chicago Fire in Bridgeview, the Houston Dynamo hosting Miami FC of USSF D-2, Chivas USA facing the USSF D-2's Austin Aztex at Fullerton's Titan Stadium, D.C. United facing the USL Second Division's Richmond Kickers at RFK Stadium, and the Seattle Sounders hitting the road to face the Portland Timbers at PGE Park.

Portland will be joining MLS next season along with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

T-55: New York and Harrisburg are scoreless deep into stoppage time. Columbus defeated Rochester 2-1 on a late goal by Steven Lenhart.

Chicago and Charleston are locked in a scoreless draw heading into the break. Miami FC and Houston Dynamo are also scoreless at halftime.

Recent poll on TheCup.us has LA with a 0% chance of being upset.

T-50: This game will not be televised, but I will be covering this baby nonetheless. We have a shock upset. New York has lost to Harrisburg 1-0 off a goal by Dominic Oppong.

T-45: So Columbus and Harrisburg are through to the next round. Four other teams are slated to join them—who will they be?

T-40: Players are now warming up.

My strategy for Los Angeles is to attack early and often. School this side at will. The longer the match goes scoreless, the stronger St. Louis's confidence will be.

T-30: Gregg Berhalter, Landon Donovan, and Edson Buddle are taking the night off.

T-25: Typical.

T-20: It's a good thing there is a room over this press box. Late June gloom overhead. I like the cool weather, but the wetness caught me off guard.

T-15: Fifteen to kickoff. Houston leads Miami 1-0 late in the second half off a goal by Lovel Palmer.

In other World Cup action...Paraguay defeats Japan on penalty kicks 5-3 after a 0-0 draw, the Netherlands defeated Slovakia 2-1, Brazil shut out Chile 3-0, and Spain edged Portugal 1-0.

T-10: Late in the second half, and still Chicago and Charleston are scoreless. Also in the nightcap is the Austin Aztex vs. Chivas USA.

T-5: We have another final: 1-0, Houston over Miami FC. Our match official today is Alejandro Mariscal. Linesmen are Magic Berenji and Ryan Van Duyne, and our fourth official is Gegham Vardenyan.

T-0: FIFA Theme for this match, since this isn't an MLS contest. Time for the National Anthem.

FIRST HALF START: 7:35 P.M. PT

1'—We are underway. Are you sure we are facing A.C. St. Louis and not the Socceroos? Nonetheless, I think the Galaxy FO owes the fans double the fireworks and some on the fourth.

Angel City Brigade and the LA Riot Squad cranks it up. Kirovski sets things up. Here's St. Louis.

2'—Josh Saunders has proven to be a clutch keeper in relief of Donovan Ricketts, the Big Cat from Montego Bay.

Long pass wide for Bowen. No foul on Leonardo? Hmmm. Here's Tim Velten. Eddie Lewis tackled, and that will be a free kick.

3'—Corner for the Gs. Cleared out, take two, take it short. First warning shot, save Alec Dufty.

4'—Here comes A.C. St. Louis, and that was dangerous from Gauchinho. First major warning shot of the half from the upstarts of the Gateway City.

5'—This is Brad Stisser. Jeff Cosgriff with the chance, and that was a good series there for ACSTL.

6'—Tristan Bowen resets the distribution. This is some nice passing from A.C. St. Louis.

7'—Lewis again, and they will be content to spread it around a little.

8'—That was trouble. Mike Ambersley nearly made them pay right there. Good stop by Chris Klein. But that chance by Ambersley should have been in.

10'—Here is a corner for St. Louis. Offsides, Cosgriff.

11'—This is impressive stuff from A.C. St. Louis early on. They are playing with nothing to lose.

12'—Really, too much mustard on that hot dog for Clint Mathis.

13'—Back come Los G's. Horrid pass for Lewis. Communication here is still lacking early this half. Throw-in ACSTL.

14'—That was excellent defense by Dillon Barna. Snuffed out that cross to perfection. ACB sets the tempo.

15'—Throw-in ACSTL. They sure aren't playing like a 2—7—1 side. Too ambitious a pass down the middle.

16'—Goal kick, Josh Saunders. Good marking by Alex Cazumba.

17'—ACB leading the "LA Galaxy" chorus. Foul on ACSTL. Some divets on the field. Lewis with the free kick, and that was horrid....

18'—Stisser dropped a sitter.

19'—And Tristan Bowen was off on that header. Should have done better.

20'—Sooner or later, the Galaxy need to break on the transition. Saunders with the grab. Here's Cazumba.

21'—A.C. St. Louis is getting too many opportunities off the transition, and it's sickening if you root for the home side.

22'—Tim Velten sets it up for St. Louis. The Galaxy counter. Good passing here, but wasteful possessions in the attacking third.

23'—This is a spirited performance for A.C. St. Louis. They have been a passing landmine for Los Angeles.

24'—Good footwork from Bryan Jordan. He was highlighted recently in my "This is the Los Angeles Galaxy" series.

25'—Chris Klein will rue that passing stanza. They are killing themselves with the poor finishing.

26'—Curse all those media appearances the starters have to deal with...

27'—Still scoreless between the Fire and Battery in extra time. Shootout on the way?

Meanwhile, A.C. St. Louis parks the bus as if they worked bus drivers on the side. Some discord among the home supporters.

28'—Alan Gordon butchered that header. So what else is new? That's been the story of the game so far. Butchered opportunities on both sides. You could have sworn this was a meat market without the meat on the pitch.

29'—Here's Leonardo. Getting some time on the field for the Galaxy.

30'—Back come the green and gold of St. Louis. Yes, there are some supporters who made the trip from the Gateway City.

31'—A.C. St. Louis's spirited performance continues.

32'—Cazumba, and here is Lewis. The passing here has been nothing short of crisp, but the finishes took the night off, for some unknown reason.

33'—Corner for the Gs. Lewis is taking the corners tonight as the captain. Deflected out.

34'—Again, the long passes have been nothing but head shakers for LA. Time for another penalty shootout anyone? And where was Klein sending that one to?

35'—We are heading to penalties down in Bridgeview. Over in Fullerton, Chivas USA is leading the Austin Aztex 1-0 off a goal by Jesus Padilla in the 15th minute.

36'—The shaking and baking didn't pay off there.

37'—Did Cazumba trim his hair? Good save for Dufty. That ball sailed lazily into his hands.

38'—Thirty-eight minutes in, we are still scoreless. Cosgriff, Gauchinho, Troy Cole, and Kreamalmeyer are making things quite difficult.

39'—Barna and Bloom have done their part as well in their defensive third.

40'—Free kick for A.C. St. Louis. Jack Traynor to take. Deflected.

41'—And that whistle by Mariscal was late.

42'—Upset special number two...Charleston shuts out Chicago in the penalty shootout, 3-0. No cup for the Windy City but a bag of foul wind.

44'—Velten again, and that shot by Cole missed. Side netting for Clint Mathis.

45'—So, how many minutes of stoppage time will the official give, if any?

None. And so we head to the break.

The Galaxy have outshot St. Louis 7-4, but their finishing has doomed them this half. Can that change in the second?

Also halftime down at Titan Stadium in Fullerton: Chivas USA 1, Austin Aztex 0.

Halftime Stats:

Shots
A.C. St. Louis 4
Los Angeles Galaxy 7

Shots on Goal
A.C. St. Louis 1
Los Angeles Galaxy 1

Saves
A.C. St. Louis 1
Los Angeles Galaxy 1

Fouls
A.C. St. Louis 4
Los Angeles Galaxy 2

Corner Kicks
A.C. St. Louis 2
Los Angeles Galaxy 3

Offsides
A.C. St. Louis 4
Los Angeles Galaxy 1

46'—The second half begins. Will we see goals, or extra time, or—soccer gods forbid—a penalty shootout?

To A.C. St. Louis's credit, Los Angeles didn't storm the gates early, and that may have something to do with the watered-down lineup Bruce Arena chose to go with.

47'—The skies have now cleared. A beautiful nighttime setting.

Some dispossession battles on the way. One guy is chanting "DEFENSE! *clapclap* DEFENSE! *clapclap*" This is not American football, you broad.

48'—Here is Bryan Jordan. Now it's Chris Klein. I have to question No. 7's choice of distribution there. Why not take a shot?

49'—Gordon stumbles but gets back up. Easy pickings for Dufty on the speculative cross from Klein.

50'—Saunders tipped that away, it's a corner. St. Louis takes it short.

51'—Bad throw-in by Jordan, offsides on Ambersley.

52'—Mariscal's letting that go. Cazumba appeals to the heavens as if the soccer gods betrayed him there.

53'—Too long for Gordon. He is itching to get on the score sheet, the man from the Beach. Long Beach, California, that is.

54'—Here's Klein, and that was wasted. Too much passing. Nothing wrong with going direct at this juncture.

55'—Back comes St. Louis on the transition. And there's a rough challenge by Jovan Kirovski. The crowd is not amused.

Yellow Card No. 9 Jovan Kirovski
Los Angeles Galaxy

56'—Close. Nearly hit the Gatorade cooler of St. Louis. Would have been proper, too.

57'—A.J. De La Garza with a howler. The connections have been nothing but abysmal for the Gs. More of the same from the first half. Jack Traynor is walking on a thin line.

58'—Here comes Alex Cazumba. Good anticipation by Mark Bloom. Where was Klein passing that to? Good Lord! Corner, Klein.

59'—And that was the easiest chance that missed for Clint Mathis.

60'—Dufty with the save on Cazumba. He is facing the firing squad today.

61'—Interesting choice of clearance by Mathis. Not a smart one. Corner, ACSTL, Luke Kreamalmeyer to take. That's cleared.

62'—Bowen has not been much of a factor this contest. He's not getting a lot of touches this half. This first-year NASL side has schooled this second-year MLS player to pieces.

Offsides, Dillon Barna and Jeff Cosgriff.

63'—Back come the green and gold, and there's an apparent handball.

64'—Now it's the Galaxy on the prowl. This will be a battle of wits here. The communication has been abhorrent for Arena's side. Some subs may need to be in order.

65'—Again, another lazy ball finds the hands of Alec Dufty.

66'—Here's De La Garza. Leonardo with the distribution reset.

67'—So we are 67 minutes into the contest, it's still scoreless. The Galaxy have not been very creative with their shot selections. That was easy as pie for Dufty against Bowen.

68'—Barna with a good clearance. Corner Los Angeles.

69'—Alex Cazumba will want that one back. I'm sorry. That was Keystone Kops material right there, guys. Such humiliation.

GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy: No. 7 Chris Klein, Assist: No. 84 Clint Mathis, No. 17 Tristan Bowen
Now things are opening up. That's a little bit better for the Gs.

Substitution A.C. St. Louis
IN 11 Chris Salvaggione
OUT 17 Brad Stisser

71'—That's Klein's first of the tourney. After many close calls, he finally gets one past Dufty.

72'—Consolidation's the word of the day for this Galaxy side. Gauchinho with an ambitious volley.

Yellow Card 11 Chris Salvaggione
A.C. St. Louis

73'—Offsides, Stisser.

Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy
IN 19 Juninho
OUT 17 Tristan Bowen

74'—Can A.C. St. Louis get the equalizer? Troy Cole slips, loses his footing, gets back up, and shoots a terrible looper.

75'—We are 75 in, and it's now 1-0 Los Angeles. A brave display by A.C. St. Louis to hold the Galaxy scoreless deep into the second half.

76'—Substitution A.C. St. Louis
IN 9 Elvir Kafedzic
OUT 3 Troy Cole

77'—It would be unwise for the Galaxy to sit on a 1-0 lead. Building on it would be a good choice.

78'—And there are some St. Louis supporters here in attendance. Welcome.

79'—The winner of this match takes on either Portland or Seattle. Heh. The Sounders twice? Uh oh.

Out for a corner. Mathis was wise to stay out of the way.

Gauchinho came off his line for that one. That's what happens when you get playing experience in Denmark.

80'—GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy: No. 19 Juninho
And he breaks through for his first of the tournament. Great shot from the Sao Paulo FC import. What a touch of Brazilliance.

81'—Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy
IN 11 Chris Birchall
OUT 84 Clint Mathis

And here comes the white Soca Warrior from Stratford.

82'—It's now 2-0 Galaxy. Took Los Angeles a while to wake up, but the fans will want to see a third before this night's over. Still 1-0 Chivas USA over Austin Aztex.

83'—Time right now is not on A.C. St. Louis's side.

84'—Here's Chris Birchall. Dubious decision making.

85'—Substitution A.C. St. Louis
IN 23 Ryan Moore
OUT 20 Jeff Cosgriff

That was a horrid set piece right there. Still anyone's game, even though it's looking better for the home side.

86'—Well, the Galaxy have fared nicely without Buddle and Donovan, as Kafedzic is called for offsides.

87'—Nice bump from Juninho. Love it.

88'—The Galaxy can just sit on this one. That's a good tackle from Jordan. Now the dispossessing is clicking. One-timer from Jovan Kirovski, batted away by Dufty.

89'—Short corner. This A.C. St. Louis outfit has done nothing but come up short all year, so what else is new?

90'—All right Gegham, how many more minutes of stoppage time?

90' + 1'—Two minutes. This should go quickly.

90' + 2'—And A.C. St. Louis bow out of the tournament. The Galaxy will face either the Portland Timbers or the Seattle Sounders in the quarterfinals.

Also a final from Fullerton: Austin falls to Chivas, 1-0. Attendance for this match: 2,179.

Stay tuned for my take on this match on Bleacher Report and the View from Victoria Street.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here