In the biggest international sporting event in the state of Utah since the 2002 Winter Olympics, Real Salt Lake matched up with Monterrey in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League finals Wednesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. 

Despite all of the hype and potential for Real Salt Lake to make soccer history, it just was not meant to be as the visiting team from Mexico left with a 1-0 victory.

In the aggregate scoring, Monterrey finished the series and became the champions with a 3-2 advantage. Both teams scored two goals in the first leg in Mexico.

After the match, head coach Jason Kreis pointed to a 15 minute stretch just before halftime where a defensive lapse proved to be the difference in this match.

Just seconds before the first half whistle blew, Chilean forward Humberto Suazo knocked in the only goal of the match. The goal was scored as his teammate got free in the box and Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando just missed the ball on his dive as the ball was left for Suazo instead of shot.

Real Salt Lake did have plenty of moments to pull even in the match in the second half, but just missed several opportunities to score. The best chance came in the 88th minute when the Monterrey goalkeeper swiped away a ball that appeared to be on the goal line, but not completely over.

After scoring their goal, Monterrey seemed content to settle in, play defense, and waste time by faking injuries and taking too long on throw ins. 

Perhaps the worst sight of the night for Real Salt Lake fans was to see the players of their team dejected and stunned just after the game. Several players sat on the field in disbelief that they had lost.

They did show a touch of class, however, when they stayed out on the field during the medal presentation to show proper sportsmanship for their opponents.

For soccer fans in Utah and in all of the United States, this was a tough loss to take, and one that is best forgotten.

Notes: With the loss, Real Salt Lake also saw their 37 match home winning streak snapped. They had not lost at home in nearly 2 years. Credit should be given to Monterrey, who was the best team that Real Salt Lake had played in that stretch.

With the win, Monterrey now will compete in the FIFA Club World Cup that will be held in December. They will represent the CONCACAF region.

Real Salt Lake must shake off the disappointment of this loss quickly, as they travel to Portland for a Saturday match with the expansion Timbers. Due to the playing time for the starters in this one, look for coach Kreis to juggle his lineup and use some of his reserve players.

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Jason Kreis's Real Salt Lake will look to be the first Major League Soccer club to win the CONCACAF Champions League and punch their ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup when they take on Victor Vucetich's CF Monterrey in the second leg of the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League Final.

Join Bleacher Report's Jo-Ryan Salazar as he provides you with a rundown on tonight's action in the deciding match of this prestigious continental tournament live from Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.

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New York, NY - During last Saturday's NYFEST, New York Red Bulls forward Luke Rodgers and defender Tim Ream made an appearance at Pier 40 as guests. In a partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival, Umbro and The New York Cosmos, NYFest is New York City's first Film & Entertainment Soccer Tournament.

With the Red Bulls dominating their last two opponents, San Jose Earthquakes and D.C. United by a score of 7-0 both players were in high spirits. Their presence alone symbolized the potential of philanthropic goodwill if both the the New York Red Bulls and the New York Cosmos both competed in Major League Soccer.

With the weather mostly horrific for the day, soccer fans as well as the competing teams unitedly endured and braved through the weather for charity. Due to their participation, the event raised $25,000 for underprivileged children who are affiliated with nonprofit organizations that provide soccer-based programs.

One fantastic moment of the NY Fest was how both Red Bulls players took a photo with a team participating in the celebrity match. This gesture alone really represented while a potential Red Bull-Cosmos maybe explosive, there's always going to be the "Children over Club" mentality.

Luke Rodgers posed with the "Home Team" consisting of Ritchie Williams, Anderson Silva, John O'Brien, Steve Nash, Tab Ramos, Ethan Zahn, John McEnroe, Andrew Shue and Claudio Reyna.

Tim Ream posed with the "Away Team" consisting of Jeff Agoos, Giovanni Savarese, Gale Harold, Gilad Bloom, Ian McKee, Frank Whaley, Eli Freeze, Russell Pain, Eddie Louis, Ethan Hawke and Tony Sanneh.

While neither player participated in the "Celebrity Match" both took a moment to address the children who participated in the soccer clinic. Both players represented the Red Bulls well as they eloquently answered any questions the children had.

While the Red Bulls-Cosmos debry maybe a few years away from now, there's plenty of evidence why the Red Bulls and the Cosmos could co-exist and be respectful towards each others causes. In the end, it's the children of the New York/New Jesey who win.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He's also a Columnist for USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

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Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy hit the road on May 1 to take on Schellas Hyndman's FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.

One player that the Galaxy will not have to worry about is 2010 MLS MVP David Ferreira, who suffered a broken right ankle in the Hoops' 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps.

“He’s a special player in this league,” Arena told LAGalaxy.com's Larry Morgan, “as evidenced by the MVP award last year and Dallas’ progression to the Cup final."

“He’s a terrific player and we want all good players on the field as much as possible.”

Of course, the G's will be without the services of Leonardo, who suffered torn knee ligaments and will be out for the remainder of the season.

“It just sucks for their team,” central defender Omar Gonzalez said. “He was the MVP last year and he carried them a long way. For them to lose a high-caliber player just sucks, like it did for us when we lost Leo. There have been a lot of injuries around the league, and it’s sad to see it happen."

“If he was on the field then we would have to keep an eye on him the whole game. But I’m sure they’ll put someone else in there who will have an effect like he did, or at least try to. Either way Bruce is going to show us film and we’re just going to focus on our game.”

“Last year, we might have put a little bit of emphasis on him alone,” said defender A.J. DeLaGarza. “We know he’s a different player. Now, we can just do what we have to do and not have to worry about him."

“Obviously, I’d much rather play against him than have him out. It’s just unfortunate. He was MVP for a reason.”

Eric Avila was instrumental in FC Dallas's victory over Vancouver. Avila currently has a goal and an assist to his credit but is expected to play a bigger role on Sunday.

Other capable scorers include Brek Shea, George John and Milton Rodriguez, all who have a goal each. Marvin Chavez is the team's best provider, with two assists to his credit.

Defensively, the combination of of Jair Benitez, Jackson, captain Daniel Hernandez, John, Zach Loyd and Ugo Ihemelu will need to replicate their Western Conference Final efforts against David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Chad Barrett and the Galaxy attack without Ferreira.

Currently, FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman has a 2-3-1 record and a 1.50 goals against average. His counterpart, Donovan Ricketts, owns a 3-0-2 record, a 0.40 GAA and a 87.5 percent save percentage.

David Beckham leads the Galaxy in assists with four and should get his share of free kicks to work with on Sunday. However, the Galaxy will win this game with solid ball distribution. Los Angeles defeated Portland with free-flowing sequences dictated by precision passing.

If the Hoops are unable to break up the possession game Los Angeles needs in order to win, Dallas will see payback coming their way.

Prediction:

This should be a Galaxy win. I like the Galaxy building on their win streak and creating chances based on sequences from short and intermediate passing. The absence of David Ferreira also plays into Los Angeles's hands.

Los Angeles Galaxy 3, FC Dallas 1

Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PT/7:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Sports West and Galavision. 


INS & OUTS

Dreadful start for reserves

The LA Galaxy reserves were unable to replicate the efforts of the first team, falling to the Portland Timbers 3-1.

They will look to rebound on May 3, when they take on the Chivas USA reserves. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. PT/2:00 p.m. ET with the location to be determined.


Youth Academy Update

After taking the week off, the LA Galaxy Youth Academy will resume action on Saturday, April 30, when they take on Chivas USA. The Under-18s will kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. ET while the Under-16s will clash at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET.

THe Under-16s are 14-2-1 (43 points) and are 5-2-0 in the Southern California Division of the US Soccer Development Academy. As for the Under-16s, they are 10-5-2 (32 points) and are 3-2-2 in the SoCal Division.

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New York, NY - Phoenix Suns' two-time NBA Most Valuable Player took part of this past Saturday's "Celebrity Match" hosted by NYFEST. In a partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival, Umbro and The New York Cosmos, NYFest is New York City's first Film & Entertainment Soccer Tournament.

With the weather mostly horrific for the day, soccer fans as well as the competing teams unitedly endured and braved through the weather for charity. Due to their participation, the event raised $25,000 for underprivileged children who are affiliated with nonprofit organizations that provide soccer-based programs.

Representing the "Home Team," Nash was paired with Ritchie Williams, Anderson Silva, John O'Brien, Tab Ramos, Ethan Zahn, John McEnroe, Andrew Shue and Claudio Reyna. Watching Nash play offered a viewers a glimpse of the potential he would have had as a professional soccer player.

Coming from a family line of soccer players, soccer was Nash's first sports passion. With his father John, who played professional soccer in South Africa and England, Nash grew up playing soccer alongside his brother, Martin, a former midfielder for the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Canadian national team.

Along with his responsibilities as the Phoenix Suns point guard, the two-time NBA MVP continues to assist towards North American Soccer in astronomical proportions which would make Major League Soccer’s Holy Trinity of Lamar Hunt, Robert Kraft and Phil Anschutz proud.

Not only is Steve Nash a model Ambassador for the NBA, but he’s also part of the ownership team of Major League Soccer's Vancouver Whitecaps FC. When it comes to promoting the North American Soccer, there is none better than Nash. Unlike celebrity MLS owners like Oscar De La Hoya and Drew Carey, Steve Nash can actually play soccer.

If you're a soccer fan who lives in New York City, you wouldn't be surprised that the Phoenix Suns point guard was in the city playing in charity game. It’s well documented that he resides in New York during the summer. During that time, he has been known to practice with the New York Red Bulls.

It's also known that Steve Nash co-hosts an annual charity soccer match with soccer legend Claudio Reyna. Since it's inception in 2008, the soccer charity match is recognized as "Showdown in Chinatown."

Open to the public free of charge, this annual event takes place at the Sara D. Roosevelt Park on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, and have featured two teams made up of National Basketball Association and international soccer players.

Monies raised in that tournament goes towards the Claudio Reyna Foundation and the Steve Nash Foundation, a foundation which provides services in three continents.

As stated in the Steve Nash Foundation website: "Dedicated to assisting underserved children in their health, personal development, education, and enjoyment of life, the Steve Nash Foundation operates globally to increase access to critical needs resources for children affected by poverty, illness, abuse or neglect."

Not only is Nash a passionate soccer fan, but he’s also a humanitarian and a father. Being a father of twin daughters, Steve has invested his money towards the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) League because he wants his daughters to grow up with female role models.

At the pace that Nash has as been assisting soccer in his unofficial role as "Ambassador for North American Soccer," it’s a possibility that he’ll be inducted into the NBA and Soccer Hall of Fame. Not bad for someone who many considered wasn’t good enough for the NBA.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He's also a Columnist for USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

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"Why are you the way that you are? Honestly, every time I try to do something fun or exciting, you make it not... that way." - Michael Scott (The Office)

If television has taught me anything it's that two individuals of different personalities will reluctantly get along for the greater good. In Boxing, there was Howard Cossell and Muhammad Ali. In professional wrestling, there was Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon. If you're old enough to remember the "A-Team", there was the relationship between B.A. Baracus and H.M. "Howling" Murdock.

In the case of Chief Marketing Officer Dan Cherry, I maybe his opposite. Other than the fact that both of us yearn for the New York Cosmos to become the 20th MLS Franchise, we have nothing in common.

What do I know about Dan Cherry? Not much—the only thing I know about Dan is that he considers Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn his home. While he's from the area where the catch-phrase is "do or die", I'm from the Bronx where catchphrases aren't necessary.

So why am I acknowledging Dan Cherry? During Saturday's NYFEST at Pier 40, Dan Cherry proclaimed that everything I say is true. While I've been accused of exaggerating the truth, Dan was the first to see that I'm only illuminating it.

Living in a society where an honest man like myself is constantly exposed to lying, hypocritical, parasitic tapeworms with unfulfilled goals whenever I leave my apartment, it's good to be recognized as an earnest individual. As a way of showing my appreciation, I will acknowledge Dan Cherry of the New York Cosmos.

I'm sure you've figured out by now that the first half of this article is a satire.

Like any profession, you tend to interact with people from different organizations. Over time, an unspoken trust and respect is usually established. Or at a minimum, a tolerance of patience...

Depending on the individuals, there may be moments of playful banter as both parties are handling their obligations for their respected companies. 

In the case of Dan and myself, we come from different boroughs. If you remove the geographical differences, we're basically two individuals aspiring to be phenomenal in our chosen professions.

Moments after I humorously told Dan that I was going to write an article about his proclamation of yours truly, I seriously asked myself why not? It pertains to soccer and I know how dedicated Dan and his fellow colleagues are in their efforts to bring back the New York Cosmos.

While Paul Kemsley, Terry Byrne, Pelé, Eric Cantona, and Cobi Jones are rightfully mentioned in the news as they go through the proper channels in order to convince MLS of rewarding the New York Cosmos the 20th MLS Franchise, you as Cosmos fans mustn't forget the rest of the staff. If you've been to any of the New York Cosmos events, you know how professional and approachable they are towards the fans.

Cosmos fans should be grateful that Dan Cherry and his colleagues have been brought together to ensure the return of their beloved team. When it's said and done, they've built the foundation for the organization. Not only do they understand the importance of the New York Cosmos, they also recognize and embrace New York City's diversity.

With nothing else to really add—keep up the excellent work and thank you all for your efforts in bringing back the Cosmos.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He's also a Columnist for USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.



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After barely missing the playoffs last year, Sporting Kansas City was expected to come out with fire in their eyes and was expected to be at least decent. The season was supposed to be magical for the re-branded Wizards (see what I did there?)

However, they are falling very short of their expectations so far this season. After a close 3-2 win in the opener to Chivas USA, Sporting has lost thrice and tied once in season play.

They sit dead last in the standings with a 1-3-1 record, and a measly four points.

It seems that since the Kansas City Royals are finally playing well, Sporting has taken the reins as Kansas City’s resident last place team. They are not horrible by any means, but they deserve to be in last in the entire league.

Sporting should have two wins, but their inability to close out games let Vancouver tie the game in the final seconds, and Sporting barely got away with a tie as Vancouver narrowly missed the game-winner in the last minute.

Now skip ahead to Saturday. Sporting traveled to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution. They were so close to at least pulling away with a tie. Sporting even had the lead at one point, but gave up the equalizer less than two minutes later. New England was then able to score again later in the match off of a fantastic header from Rajko Leki.

Once again, it was the inability to play defense at the end of the game. Hopefully Peter Vermes will realize this and find a way to fix it.

If the matches were only 80 minutes, Sporting would be 2-2-2 and not dead last in MLS. It’s the last ten minutes that are killing Sporting’s season. They will need to play the full 90 if they want to beat, or at least tie the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

It’s very difficult for a team to start the season on a ten game road trip, but with the way they’re playing right now, not even a huge stretch with home games may be able to save Sporting.

If they get on a roll in the final five games before the new stadium opening, then Sporting may just be able to climb back up in the standings to return to the playoffs.

I mean, it is soccer. Deeper than that, it is Sporting Kansas City. The season is still very young, and anything can happen.

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Real Salt Lake gets ready to take on Monterrey for the second time in a week in the final leg of the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday night.

Real Salt Lake comes into the match having already made United States soccer history by becoming the first Major League Soccer team to play in the finals, rank in the top 25 of the World Club Rankings, and be one of a few teams to earn a draw in a match played in Mexico.

This all important second leg will be a home match played at Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah.

The first leg of this series ended in a 2-2 draw, which gives Real Salt Lake the first tiebreaker advantage with 2 goals on the road. At the end of the second leg, all goals scored are added together and the Champion is determined by the total number of goals.

For Real Salt Lake to become the Champions and advance to the FIFA World Club Championship in Japan, they must:

Real Salt Lake will not become the Champions or advance if they:

In the event of a draw with the score of 2-2, the two teams will begin the overtime process to determine the winner.

The following slides will outline reasons why Real Salt Lake will be victorious and win the CONCACAF Champions League crown.

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New York, NY - Saturday's NYFEST, New York City's first Film & Entertainment Soccer Tournament, was an event full of wonderful and uncanny surprises. A day which commenced with rain concluded with a beautiful and refreshing sunlight hovering over Pier 40.

In a partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival, Umbro and The New York Cosmos, Saturday's NYFest graciously provided soccer fans a day of soccer.

Whether you were at Pier 40 to watch NYFest's 44-team "Industry Soccer Tournament," have your child participate in the youth soccer clinic, or simply watch the "Celebrity Match" where soccer stars, and celebrities from the film, music, sports and entertainment worlds competed for bragging rights, you were entertained.

While the day was long and mostly wet, I was glad to have been there since 8:45 in the morning until it's conclusion way past 6 p.m. I have to commend the staff and volunteers who made this event possible, because I can honestly attest that they were working hard in training to run things smoothly.

Without a shadow of the doubt, I have to commend the New York Cosmos staff because not only did they compete in the tournament, they were handling their other responsibilities.

One thing many Cosmos fans don't get to see is the work they put into these events. I've covered many of their events to know that they're a "hands on" organization.

Whether the New York Cosmos organization is awarded the 20th MLS franchise remains to be seen but for now, they're doing everything in their power to demonstrate their commitment to return as a team.

What was special about Saturday's NYFEST was attendance of the soccer entities that's spread throughout out New York City. For someone who's encountered these organizations in the past, it was awe-inspiring to see them in the same space.

It's really a beautiful demonstration of how soccer can truly unite New York City for a great cause.

Personally it was a reflective moment chatting with Rachel Markus and Greg Lalas from the Kicking & Screening Soccer Film Festival, Josh Morgan from the Claudio Reyna Foundation, Martin Moreland from Asphalt Green, and Luke Rodgers from the New York Red Bulls, and Majid Wasi from the Doha Film Institute because their presence truly reminded me how I've evolved as a writer. 

While I didn't know the representative from both Downtown United Soccer Club (DUSC) & Gotham Girls FC, I was ecstatic when he informed me that Gustavo Palominio was still DUSC's Director of Coaching.

The highlight of my day was running into Fernando and his three sons. I met Fernando last November when his wife competed for the opportunity to meet Pelé at Flushing Meadows Corona Park (Queens, N.Y.) Field #3 during the 2010 Global Peace Games for Children and Youth.

Initially, I didn't recognize him until I remembered that his youngest son was in stroller the day we met.

As we reminisced about last November, his sons ran around without a care in the world about the weather. After our brief but pleasant exchange of words, I returned to my role as an observer and continued to watch the tournament matches.

Despite certain areas of the pitch covered with puddles of water, the games were extremely competitive and well-played. In the end, Grassroots Soccer was declared the champions of the NYFEST tournament.

One cool moment of the day was seeing Tim Ream and Luke Rodgers of the New York Red Bulls interacting with the New York Cosmos staff. While the rivalry is hopefully inevitable, it's great to see two different soccer traditions support the NYFEST.

With the weather mostly horrific for the day, soccer fans as well as the competing teams unitedly endured and braved through the weather for charity.

Due to their participation, the event raised $25,000 for underprivileged children who are affiliated with non-profit organizations who provide soccer-based programs.

Concluding the day was "Celebrity Match" between the Home Team and the Away Team. Representing the Home Team was Ritchie Williams, Steve Nash, John O'Brien, Tab Ramos, Ethan Zahn, Anderson "The Spider" Silva, John McEnroe, Andrew Shue and Claudio Reyna.

For the Away Team was Jeff Agoos, Giovanni Savarese, Gale Harold, Gilad Bloom, Ian McKee, Frank Whaley, Eli Freeze, Russell Pain, Eddie Louis, Ethan Hawke and Tony Sanneh.

In a game where John McEnroe kicked off the scoring register with a beautiful header for his team, both squads gave everyone in attendance an enjoyable match.

To be honest, I didn't follow the match in its entirety because once the the clouds made way for the sunlight, I went to the top of Pier 40 to take city view pictures of the match.

In the end, Home Team was the winning team and it was a beautiful way to conclude the day.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He's also a Columnist for USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer. 

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In this Easter Sunday edition of the MLS power rankings, Real Salt Lake are back on top for another week after holding Monterrey to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Final.

Meanwhile, in MLS action, the New York Red Bulls make their move, while league-leaders Los Angeles Galaxy continue to chase Real in the power rankings.

Let's take a look at some of the movers and shakers this week.

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