UEFA Cup: First Qualifying Round Concludes

36 matches were played Thursday throughout the Southern-Mediterranean, East-Central, and Northern Regions as the first round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup came to a close.

It's An All-American SuperLiga Final As Revs Shut Out Iron Colts

At Foxboro, Massachusetts:

Shalrie Joseph scored the only goal of the match (30'), lifting the New England Revolution to a 1-0 win at home Wednesday night over Mexican club Atlante to reach the final of the 2008 North American SuperLiga. The Revs will take on fellow MLSers Houston Dynamo next Tuesday night at home for the SuperLiga crown.

UEFA Champions League: Wednesday Action In 2nd Qualifying Round

Wednesday saw the opening matches of 11 two-match series in the second round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League:

At Tampere, Finland:

Artmedia Petrzalka got their two-match set with Tampere United as the Slovakian club took game one on the road 2-1. Zbynek Pospech and Branislav Obzera each scored once for the visitors.

At Gothenburg, Sweden:

Swiss club FC Basel 1893 gained a 1-1 road draw in game one with IFK Gothenburg. Benjamin Huggel (26') put the visitors ahead. Thomas Olsson's equalizer six minutes later permitted the Blue-Whites to salvage the home draw.

At Tiraspol, Moldova:

Sparta Prague will return to the Czech Republic with the advantage in their two-match set with Sheriff Tiraspol after their 1-0 road win in game one. Jiri Kladrubsky scored the game's only goal of the match for Sparta.

At Jerusalem, Israel:

Beitar Jerusalem opened their two-match set with a 2-1 home win over Poland's Wisla Krakow. Aviram Baruchyan scored two second-half goals for The Lions From The Capital.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Fenerbahce blanked visiting MTK of Hungary 2-0 in game one of their two-match series. Veteran Roberto Carlos scored what turned out to be the game winner at 15 minutes.

At Aalborg, Denmark:

Game one was no contest as Aalborg BK clobbered visiting FK Modrica of Bosnia-Herzegovina 5-0. Andreas Johansson (15'), Michael Jakobsen (41'), Simon Braemer (44'), Anders Due (52'), and Caca (89') each tallied once for AaB.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Lithuanian club FBK Kaunas held Rangers to a 0-0 draw on the road in game one.

At Larnaca, Cyprus:

Anorthosis Famagusta delivered a 3-0 home beatdown on SK Rapid Vienna in the series opener. Lukasz Sosin scored twice and Ioannis Skopelitis once for the hosts.

At Domzale, Slovenia:

Dinamo Zagreb dominated the opening contest of their two-game set with a 3-0 road win over NK Domzale. The Blues got first-half goals from Ivica Vrdoljak, Sammir, and Josip Tadic.

At Athens, Greece:

Panathinaikos got their two-game set on the right foot with a 3-0 game one home win over Georgia's Dinamo Tbilisi. Dimitris Salpingidis scored twice and assisted on Andreas Ivanschitz's tally (23') for The Greens.

At Brussels, Belgium:

BATE Borisov of Belarus got the ball rolling in their two-game series with a 2-1 road win at RSC Anderlecht's expense. Pavel Nekhaychik scored the winning goal four minutes from the end.

Dynamo Dethrone Gophers To Reach SuperLiga Final

At Houston:

Goals from Bobby Boswell (77') and Corey Ashe (87') propelled the Houston Dynamo to a 2-0 home win over defending champions Pachuca to reach the final of the 2008 North American SuperLiga. The Dyanmo will play the championship match next Tuesday against the winner of Wednesday's Atlante-New England Revolution match, which will be held at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

UEFA Cup First Qualifying Round: FC Nordsjaelland Completes Anihilation Of TVMK

At Farum, Denmark:

Martin Fernburg's double helped FC Nordsjaelland roll to a 5-0 fistbeating of Estonian club FC TVMK Tallinn in game two of their two-match UEFA Cup first qualifying round set, enabling the Danish club to finish off the visiting club from the Estonian capital 8-0 on aggregate. The Wild Tigers now move on to the second qualifying round.

UEFA Champions League 2nd Qualifying Round: Patrizan Gain Draw In Azerbaijan: SK Brann (At Home) and Dynamo Kiev (On The Road) Win Openers

The second qualifying round for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League commence Tuesday with three games:

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

Serbian club Partizan Belgrade gained a 1-1 road draw in game one of their two-match set with Inter Baku. Milas Bogunovic (3') put Partizan in front, before Inter Baku's Petar Zlatinov equalized late in the second half.

At Bergen, Norway:

SK Brann took the opening match of their two-game set, 1-0 at home against FK Ventspils of Latvia. Njogu Demba-Nyren scored the game's lone goal at 87 minutes.

At Dublin, Ireland:

Dynamo Kiev took game one of their two-game series with Drogheda United FC, 2-1 on the road. Taras Mikhalik and Olexandr Aliyev provided the goals for the guests.

Curtain Falls On Final Intertoto Cup: Rosenborg, Elfsborg Advance To UEFA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round; Stuttgart Advances After Overtime Win

Sunday marked the end of an era as the final edition of the UEFA Intertoto Cup came to a conclusion with all three series winners reaching the second qualifying round for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup:

CENTRAL-EAST REGION:

At Stuttgart, Germany:

VfB Stuttgart won game two of their series at home with Saturn Moscow 1-0 to deadlock the series 1-1 on aggregate. Stuttgart scored twice in overtime to take the series 3-1 on aggregate.

NORTHERN REGION:

At Trondheim, Norway:

Thanks to goals courtesy of Fredrik Stoor and Steffen Iversen, Rosenborg overturned their 1-0 road defeat of last week by defeating Dutch club NAC Breda 2-0 at home and taking their two-match set on aggregate 2-1.

At Liepaja, Latvia:

A 0-0 draw in match two of their series with hosts FK Riga was good enough for Swedish club IF Elfsborg to win their series on aggregate 1-0.

UEFA Intertoto Cup: Villans, Grasshoppers Among Winners; Rennes Take Marathon Shootout

Eight clubs saw their European campaigns continue as third-round play continued Saturday in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. All winners have now reached the second round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup,

SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION:

At Sofia, Bulgaria:

Raul Bobadilla scored the only goal of the match to power Grasshoppers to a 1-0 road win in game two over Chernomorets Burgas. The Swiss club took their two-match set 4-0 on aggregate.

At Naples, Italy:

SSC Napoli picked up a second 1-0 win in their two-match set, this time at home against Greek club Panionios. For the Blues, Marek Harnsik score the game's only goal, in the second half, on the eve of his 21st birthday. Napoli won their series 2-0 on aggregate.

At Braga, Portugal:

Goals from Matheus, Roland Linz, and Luis Aguiar lifted Sporting Braga to an easy 3-0 home beatdown of Turkish club Sivasspor in game two. The Arsenalists took their two-match set rather easily, 5-0 on aggregate.

At La Coruna, Spain:

Juan Carlos Valeron scored the only goal of the match as Deportivo La Coruna defeated visiting Israeli club Bnei Sakhnin 1-0 and won their two-match set on aggregate, 3-1.

CENTRAL-EAST REGION:

At Vaslui, Romania:

FC Vaslui overturned their road defeat of last week with a 2-0 home win over Azerbaijani club PFC Neftchi Baku, enabling them to win their two-game series 3-2 on aggregate. Lucian Burdujan and Mike Temwanjera provided the scoring punch for the Golben-Verzii.

At Budapest, Hungary:

All the goals in this two-game set were scored in game two. In this one, second-half goals within a six-minute period from Daniel Beichler and Mario Haas enabled SK Sturm Graz to come from behind to defeat hosts Budapest Honved both in the match and in the series on aggregate 2-1.

At Simferopol, Ukraine:

After homestanding Tavriya Simferopol took game two at home 1-0 with Rennes to deadlock the two-game set 1-1 on aggregate to force what would be a scoreless additional 30 minutes, the two clubs engaged in a long penalty kick shootout, in which the French club won 10-9, enabling them to move on to the second round of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

NORTHERN REGION:
Ashley Young scored the only goal (5') of game two, which lifted Aston Villa to a 1-0 road win over Odense Boldklub, enabling the Premiership Villans to win their two-game set 3-2 on aggregate.

MLS All-Stars Top Hammers 3-2

At Toronto:

Houston's Dewayne De Rosario scored what proved to be the game winner with his successful penalty kick (70') as the Major League Soccer All-Stars held off English Premiership club West Ham United 3-2 in the 2008 MLS All-Star Game. Colorado's Christian Gomez (27') and Chicago's Cuauhtemoc Blanco (43') also scored for the All-Stars. Dean Ashton scored both of West Ham's goals.

2008-09 UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying Round

Here are the matchups for the second qualifying round for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League:

Anorthosis Famugusta (Cyprus) v Rapid Vienna (Austria)
Drogheda United (Ireland) v Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)
IFK Gothenburg (Sweden) v Basel (Switzerland)
Tampere United (Finland) v Artmedia Bratislava (Slovakia)
AaB Aalborg (Denmark) v Modrica (Bosnia)
Domzale (Slovenia) v Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
Anderlecht (Belgium) v BATE Borisov (Belarus)
Fenerbahce (Turkey) v MTK Hungaria (Hungary)
Beitar Jerusalem (Israel) v Wisla Krakow (Poland)
FC Baku (Azerbaijan) v Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)
Brann Bergen (Norway) v Ventspils (Latvia)
Rangers (Scotland) v Kaunas (Lithuania)
Panathinaikos (Greece) v Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia)
Sheriff (Moldova) v Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)

First Qualifying Round Concludes

Nine clubs were eliminated from UEFA Champions League contention as the first round of qualifying concluded Wednesday:

At Podgorica, Montenegro:

A 1-1 road draw in game two was good enough for Tampere United of Finland to win their two-match set with Buducnost Podgorica on aggregate, 3-2.

At Senec, Slovakia:

FC Artmedia Petralka followed up their 2-0 road shutout win of last week with a 1-0 home win in game two against Maltese club Valletta FC.

Tampere United will face Artmedia in the second qualifying round with the first match to be played next Wednesday at Tampere, Finland.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Though they were held at home in game two 1-1 by Linfield FC, Dinamo Zagreb still took their two-match set with their Northern Irish opponents 3-1 on aggregate.

At Domzale, Slovenia:

Chalk up another shutout win for NK Domzale as they blanked Luxembourg's F91 Dudelange 2-0 in game two, thus winning their two-game series 3-0 on aggregate.

In a matchup of clubs from former Yugoslav republics, Domzale will host Dinamo Zagreb in game one of their two-match series in the second qualifying round next week.

At Reykjavik, Iceland:

FC BATE followed their game one 2-0 win in Belarus with a 1-0 game two road win over Valur.

Next for BATE: A two-match set in the second round of qualifying against RSC Anderlecht with the first contest next week in Brussels, Belgium.

At Abovyan, Armenia:

Anorthosis Famagusta FC made it a clean sweep of their two-match series with FC Pyunik Yerevan, shutting out the Armenian club on the road 2-0 to take their two-game series 3-0 on aggregate.

The Cypriot club will host SK Rapid Vienna in the opening game of their two-game second qualifying round series next week.

At Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina:

FK Modrica doubled up on visiting Dinamo Tirana 2-1 in game two of their series to take their two-match set 4-1 on aggregate.

Next for Modrica, an encounter in the second qualifying round with Aalborg BK, with game one to be played next week in Denmark.

At Gothenburg, Sweden:

Just like game one in San Marino, the second match was no contest as IFK Gothenburg blasted SS Murata 4-0 to capture their two-game set 9-0 on aggregate.

Next up for the Blue-Whites: Swiss champions FC Basel 1893 in the second qualifying round, with the Swedish club hosting game one next week.

At Tallinn, Estonia:

In a follow-up to their game one home win, Drogheda United FC defeated FC Levadia Tallinn 1-0 on the road to take their two-game set 3-1 on aggregate.

Next up for the Drogs, game one back home in Dublin, Ireland next Tuesday in their upcoming two-match series in the second qualifying round against long-time Ukrainian powerhouse Dynamo Kiev.

Impact Gain Draw With TFC----And Canadian Championship And Champions League Berth To Boot

At Toronto:

Roberto Brown's goal at 26 minutes enabled the Montreal Impact to gain a 1-1 road draw with Toronto FC. The draw clinches the Nutrilite Canadian championship for the Impact and placed Montreal in the CONCACAF Champions League. The United Soccer Leagues First Division club will play a two-match home-and-away set against Nicaraguan champion Real Esteli beginning in late August. The winner of this series would advance to the group stage.

FINAL STANDINGS

1. Montreal (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. Toronto (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 5)
3. Vancouver (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 4)

Road To Rome Ends For Five

Five series in the first round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League concluded Tuesday:

At Skopje, Macedonia:

After last week's scoreless deadlock in Azerbaijan, Inter Baku gained a 1-1 road draw with FK Rabotnicki in game two and won on aggregate by that score because they scored the only road goal in the series.

Next up for the Bonkeers, a second qualifying round two-match set with Partizan Belgrade. That series begins next Tuesday in Baku.

At Ventspils, Latvia:

Homestanding FK Ventspils overturned their 1-0 road defeat of last week with a 4-0 home rear-end-whumpin' of Welsh club Llanelli AFC, thus winning their two-match set 4-1 on aggregate.

SK Brann of Norway is next on the Champions League agenda for the yellow-blue, with their two-match series to begin next week in Norway.

At Kaunas, Lithuania:

FBK Kaunas followed up their 4-1 win on the road with a 3-1 home triumph over Andorran club Santa Coloma.

Next up for the Lithuanian club is Rangers, with their two-match set in the second qualifying round scheduled for next week in Glasgow.

At Torshavn, Faroe Islands:

Despite dropping a 1-0 road contest with NSI, Dinamo Tbilisi still advanced to the second qualifying round by winning their two-match set on aggregate 3-1.

Next up for the club from the Georgian capital, a trip to Athens for next week's opening match of their two-game series against Panathinaikos.

At Tiraspol, Moldova:

FC Sheriff Tiraspol bounced back from their 1-0 road loss and arrested visiting FC Aktobe 4-0, enabling them to win their two-match series 4-1 on aggregate.

The Moldovan club will open their second-qualifying-round series with Sparta Prague next week at home.

English Soccer Hooliganism----------In America! I'm Shocked! SHOCKED!

There may be evidence that English soccer hooliganism may be alive and well in the USA. Columbus, Ohio may be turning into this country soccer hooligan capital.

SuperLiga Group Stage Action Concludes: Revs and Gophers Advance

Action in Group B in the 2008 North American SuperLiga concluded Sunday.

At Fullerton, California:

The New England Revolution locked up a berth in the semifinal round with a 1-1 deadlock versus Chivas USA. The Revs' Shalrie Joseph notched the equalizer at 78 minutes, canceling out Ante Razov's tally for Chivas USA at 59 minutes.

At Frisco, Texas:

Defending champions Pachuca advanced to the semifinals following their 1-1 draw with Santos Laguna. Damian Ariel Alvarez got the Gophers on the scoreboard in the 4th minute. However, Santos Laguna's Cristian Benitez equalized at 72 minutes.

FINAL GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. New England Revolution (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. Pachuca (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Chivas USA (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
4. Santos Laguna (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

New England and Pachuca (thanks to their game one win over Chivas USA) advanced to the semifinal round.

SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS:

Tuesday, July 29:

Pachuca at Houston Dynamo

Wednesday, July 30:

Atlante at New England Revolution

CAF Champions League: Group A Play Begins

Group A play in the 2008 CAF Champions League commenced Sunday:

At Harare, Zimbabwe:

Edward Sadomba's double (4', 73') lifted Dynamos Harare to a 2-1 home win over ASEC Mimosas from the Ivory Coast.

At Cairo, Egypt:

In a battle of five-time Champions League titlists, as well as Cairo archrivals, Flavio Amado (28') and Ahmed Hassan (67') provided the scoring that powered Al Ahly to a 2-1 home win versus Zamalek.

GROUP A STANDINGS:
1. Al Ahly (Egypt) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
Dynamos Harare (Zimbabwe) (GP 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
Zamalek (Egypt) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)

Napoli and Sporting Braga Capture Series Openers On Road

The first weekend of third-round play in the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup concluded Sunday with both matches coming out of the Southern-Mediterranean Region:

At Athens, Greece:

Napoli got their European campaign off on the right foot with their 1-0 road win over Panionios. Mariano Adrian Bogliacino scored the game's only goal a half-hour into the match.

At Sivas, Turkey:

Portuguese club Sporting Braga racked up a 2-0 road win over Sivasspor in game one of their two-match set. Roland Linz scored that would be the game-winning goal shortly before halftime.

Dynamo, Iron Colts Advance To SuperLiga Semis

Group A play in the 2008 North American SuperLiga concluded Saturday:

At Washington:

Ricardo Clark (12'), Bobby Boswell (29'), and Stuart Holden (84') each scored a goal as the Houston Dynamo locked up a semifinal round berth with a 3-1 road win over DC United.

At Santa Clara, California:

Atlante knocked off Chivas of Guadalajara 2-0 to advance to the semifinals. Giancarlo Maldonaldo (42') and Gerardo Jose Torres Espinoza (80') scored for the Iron Colts.


FINAL GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Houston Dynamo (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
2. Atlante (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 6)
3. Chivas of Guadalajara (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
4. DC United (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

Houston and Atlante advanced to the semifinal round.

Atlante advance by virtue of winning their match with Chivas of Guadalajara.

Saturday Action In Africa's Champions League

Group A action in the 2008 CAF Champions League continued on Saturday:

At Garoua, Cameroon:

Cotonsport Garoua got their group stage campaign off to a winning start with a 1-0 home win over TP Mazembe (DR Congo). Daouda Kamilou scored the only goal of the match in the 90th minute.

GROUP A STANDINGS:
1. Al Hilal (Sudan) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Cotonsport Garoua (Cameroon) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. TP Mazembe (DRC) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Enyimba (Nigeria) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)

UEFA Intertoto Cup: Nine Games Saturday

Nine of the eleven two-match series in the third and final round of the final edition of the UEFA Intertoto Cup began Saturday:

SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION:

At Haifa, Israel:

Deportivo La Coruna of Spain racked up a 2-1 road win over Bnei Sakhnin in game one of their two-match series. Angel Lefita (54') and Riki (57') provided Depor with their second-half goals.

At Zurich, Switzerland:

Grasshoppers, powered by goals from Veroljub Salatic, Gonzalo Zarate, and Samel Sabanovic, throttled visiting Bulgarian club Chernomorets Burgas 3-0 in game one.

CENTRAL-EAST REGION:

At Ramenskoye, Russia:

Dmitri Kirichenko's thrid-minute tally stood up as Saturn Moscow blanked visiting VfB Stuttgart 1-0 in game one of their two-match series.

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

PFC Neftchi Baku took game one at home 2-1 over Romanian club FC Vaslui, though the visitors did pick up what may be a critical goal on the road. Neftchi's Rashad Sadygov scored the game winner at 84 minutes.

At Rennes, France:

Rod Fanni provided the only goal of the match in second-half stoppage time to lift Rennes to a 1-0 game-one home win over Ukrainian club Tavriya Simferopol.

At Graz, Austria:

Budapest Honved held hosts SK Sturm Graz to a 0-0 opening-match stalemate.

NORTHERN REGION:

At Breda, Netherlands:

NAC Breda took the opening match in their two-game set with Rosenborg, defeating the visiting Norwegian club 1-0. Matthew Amoah provided the game's only score at 19 minutes.

At Odense, Denmark:

English Premiership club Aston Villa held Obense Boldklub on the road to a 2-2 deadlock in their series opener. John Carew and Martin Laursen scored for the Villans. The OB tallies were registered by Villa's Steve Sidwell (OG) and Anders Christensen

At Boras, Sweden:
IF Elfsborg took the opening match of their two-game series with a 1-0 home win over Latvia's FK Riga. Denny Advic's goal (18') was the only one of the match.

2008 CAF Champions League: Group Stage Play Begins

At Omdurman, Sudan:

Sudanese club Al-Hilal, thanks to goals from Haitham Mustafa (41'), Yusuf Mohamed (47'), and--with the game winner--Eviani (90'), opened Group B play in the 2008 CAF Champions League with a 3-2 home win over Enyimba FC from Nigeria. This winning goal came two minutes after Enyimba's Stephen Worgu equalized at 88 minutes.

OUCH! Abby's Injury Keeps Her Out Of Olympics And Mars Team USA Win Over Brazil

At San Diego Wednesday night in the United States' 1-0 exhibition win over Brazil, Abby Wambach broke her leg and will miss next month's Summer Olympic games in Peking.

2008-09 UEFA Cup Qualifying Begins

The first round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup started on Thursday with the opening matches of 37 two-game sets.

MLS Clubs Sweep Wednesday SuperLiga Contests

Group B action in the North American SuperLiga resumed on Wednesday:

At Foxboro, Massachusetts:

A successful penalty kick by Khano Smith (90'+8) lifted the New England Revolution to a 1-0 win over Mexican club Pachuca.

At Carson, California:

Ante Razov scored the only goal of the match (73') as Chivas USA defeated Santos Laguna 1-0.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. New England Revolution (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS 6)
2. Pachuca (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. Chivas USA (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. Santos Laguna (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

First Round Of Champions League Qualifying Continues

The remaining four two-game series in the first round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League began Wednesday:

At Tbilisi, Georgia:

Dinamo Tbilisi got their two-match set against NSI Runavik started on the right foot with a 3-0 home win over the Faroese club.

At Aktobe, Kazakhstan:

Hosts FC Aktoke blanked Moldovan club FC Sheriff Tiraspol in game one of their two-match set 1-0.

At Dublin, Ireland:

Drogheda United FC took the opening match of their series at home 2-1 over FC Lavadia Tallinn.

At Belfast, Northern Ireland:

NK Dinamo Zagreb got a big road win in their series opener, 2-0 over Linfield FC

Claudio To Call It A Career

Longtime US National Team veteran (and former team captain) Claudio Reyna, most recently of the New York Red Bulls, is expected to announce his retirement on Wednesday.

Reyna is scheduled to hold a press conference on Wednesday at St. Benedict's Prep, the New Jersey high school where his storied soccer career began two decades ago.

During his brief time in MLS, Reyna showed glimpses of the ability that made him successful in Europe and with the U.S. national team, but the rigors of playing on artificial turf at Giants Stadium and in the physical MLS at the age of 34 took their toll. He missed matches with a variety of injuries, and after considerable deliberation, Reyna made the final decision to stop playing.

Reyna spent a dozen seasons in Europe, playing for Wolfsburg in Germany, Sunderland and Manchester City in England, and Glasgow Rangers in Scotland. He was regarded as one of the best players ever produced by the United States for his composure and skill in central midfield.

For helping the United States advance to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, Claudio became the first American ever named to the All-Tournament team.

Mexican Clubs Sweep SuperLiga Tuesday

Group A play continued Tuesday in the North American SuperLiga:

At Washington:

Luis Gabriel Rey's double (15', 44') helped Mexican club Atlante keep DC United winless with a 3-2 road win.


At Houston:

Omar Arellano scored the only goal (71') of Chivas of Guadalajara's 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Chivas de Guadalajara (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
2. Houston Dynamo (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
3. Atlante (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 6)
4. DC United (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Dragons Stay In Champions League

At Berne, Switzerland:

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday rejected an attempt by Portuguese clubs Vitoria Guimares and SL Benfica to have BWINliga rival FC Porto thrown out of the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League over bribery allegations.

Ronaldinho To Join Rossoneri

AC Milan has announced that Ronaldinho is leaving Barcelona to join the Rossoneri.

The Road To Rome Begins

The opening round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League commenced on Tuesday:

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

The opening match of this two-game set saw Inter Baku held to a 0-0 home draw by Macedonian club FK Rabotnicki.

At Llanelli, Wales:

Homestanding Llanelli AFC got their two-game set on the right foot with a series-opening 1-0 home win over Latvian club FK Ventspils.

At Andorra La Vella, Andorra:

FBK Kaunas made the trek from Lithuania and registered a 4-1 road beatdown against FC Santa Coloma in their series opener.

At Tampere, Finland:

Tampere United took the opening match with FK Buducnost Podgorica 2-1, though the Montenegrin club did score what could be a critical away goal.

At Borisov, Belarus:

FC BATE blanked visiting Icelandic club Valur Reykjavik 2-0 in game one.

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Anorthosis Famagusta FC took the opening match of their set with FC Pyunik Yerevan, blanking the visitors from the Armenian capital 1-0.

At Dudelange, Luxembourg:

Slovenia's NK Domzale took game one of their series on the road, defeating F91 Dudelange 1-0.

At Tirana, Albania:

FK Modrica will be heading back to Bosnia-Herzegovina with the advantage following their 2-0 road win over Dinamo Tirana.

At Ta'Qali, Malta:

Slovakia's FC Artmedia Petrzalka got their two-match set with Valletta FC on the right foot, beating the Maltese side on the road 2-0.

At Serravalle, San Marino:

IFK Gothenburg had no problems in game one of their two-match set with SS Murata as the visiting Swedish club brass-knuckled their hosts 5-0.

The remaining four series start on Wednesday.

SuperLiga Standings

Here are the current North American SuperLiga standings:

GROUP A

1. Houston Dynamo (MLS) (GP: 1; GD: +4; PTS: 3)
2. Guadalajara (Mex) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. DC United (MLS) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Atlante (Mex) (GP: 1; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

GROUP B:
1. Pachuca (Mex) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. New England Revolution (MLS) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Santos Laguna (Mex) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Chivas USA (MLS) (GP: 1; GD: -1: PTS: 0)

Note: Pachuca has scored two goals to New England's 1.

Revs and Pachuca Win SuperLiga Openers

Two games were played Sunday in the North American SuperLiga:

At Foxboro, Massachusetts:

Kheli Dube scored the only goal of the match (70') to propel the New England Revolution to a 1-0 win over Santos Laguna of Mexico 1-0.

At Carson, California:

Bruno Marioni (23') and Gabriel Caballero (42') provided the scoring that enabled Mexican club Pachuca to come from behind to defeat Chivas USA 2-1.

UEFA Intertoto Cup: Seven More Teams Advance To Third Rounf

The second round of the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup concluded on Sunday:

SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION:

At Sivas, Turkey:

Sivasspor blanked visiting Grbalj of Montenegro 1-0 to win their two-game series 3-2 on aggregate.

Next up for the Yigidos, a third-round two-match set against Sporting Braga of Portugal.

At Athens, Greece:

Panionios overturned their 1-0 road defeat of last week with a 3-1 win over OFK Belgrade, enabling the Greek club to win their two-game set 3-2 on aggregate.

Next up for The Historic, a third-round matchup against Italian club Napoli.

CENTRAL-EAST REGION:

At Luxembourg City:

Despite being held to a 1-1 game-two home draw by Etzella Ettelbruck, Saturn Moscow still easily advanced by winning their two-game set 8-1 on aggregate.

A third-round encounter with VfB Stuttgart is next on the Aliens' Intertoto Cup agenda.

At Simferopol, Ukraine:

After last week's scoreless encounter in Moldova, Tavriya Simferopol notched a 3-1 home win over Tiraspol to win the two-game set on aggregate by that same score.

French club Rennes is up next for the Crimeans.

At Soligorsk, Belarus:

A 0-0 deadlock in game two aginst Shakhtyor Soligorsk was good enough for visiting FK Sturm Graz to advance to the third round, in which they will battle against Bucharest Honved for the right to move on to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.

NORTHERN REGION:

At Odense, Denmark:

Odense Boldklub (OB) followed up their 2-1 road win with a 2-0 home shutout against Finland's TPS Turku to win their two-game series 4-1 on aggregate.

Next up for the Striped: English Premiership club Aston Villa.

At Trondheim, Norway:

Yssouf Kone's double (52', 90'+2) helped Rosenborg wallop visiting Lithuanian club Ekranas 4-0 to take their two game set 7-1 on aggregate.

Dutch club NAC Breda is next on The Troll Kids' European agenda.

It Appears That Japan's Soccer Players Have Gone Soft....

At least, according to the new head of Japan's soccer federation.

SuperLiga Openers: Goats Top DCU; Dynamo Blast Atlante

The 2008 edition of the SuperLiga opened Saturday night:

At Washington:

Goals from Omar Arellano (24') and Gonzalo Reyes Pineda (72') lifted Mexican club Chivas de Guadalajara to a 2-1 SuperLiga opening win over DC United. Luciano Emilio provided DCU's lone goal at 76 minutes. Goats' goalkeeper Luis Michel stopped Jamie Moreno's penalty kick at 77 minutes.

At Houston:

Stuart Holden's double (21', 29') was part of a big first-half barrage that powered the Houston Dynamo to a 4-0 frontier-styled fistbeating of Mexican club Atlante. Dwayne De Rosario (20') and Brian Mullan (54') also contributed to the Dynamo scoring coffers.

UEFA Intertoto Cup: Seven Teams Advance To Third Rounf

Seven second-round series in the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup concluded Saturday:

SOUTHERN-MEDITERRANEAN REGION:

At Durres, Albania:

Samel Sabonovic's double (54', 68') propelled Grasshoppers to a 3-0 road win in game two against Besa Kavaje, enabling the Swiss club to win their two-match set 5-1.

At Nova Gorica, Slovenia:

Chernomorets Burgas, thanks to a 2-0 game two road win, took their series with ND Gorica, 3-1 on aggregate.

The Bulgarian club will next take on Grasshoppers in the third round, with a trip to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup going to the winner.

At Haifa, Israel:

Bnei Sakhnin locked up their two-match set with Renova, winning game two on Israeli soil 1-0 to finish off the Macedonian side 3-1 on aggregate.
Next up for Bnei Sakhnin: A third-round series with Spanish club Deportivo La Coruna

CENTRAL-EAST REGION:

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

Thanks to their 1-0 home win in game two, Neftchi Baku won their two-game set with Belgian club Germinal Beerschot 2-1 on aggregate. Romanian club Vaslui awaits Neftchi for their third-round two-match set.

At Budapest, Hungary:

With a 2-0 home win over Czech club FK Teplice, Budapest Honved, even though they were deadlocked 3-3 on aggregate after two games, advanced because of the away goals rule, having scored one goal last week in the Czech Republic.

Up next for Honved: The winner of the FK Sturm Graz-Shakhtyor Soligorsk series, which concludes Sunday (the Austrian club currently leading 2-0 on aggregate).

NORTHERN REGION:

The winners of these two series will play each other in round three beginning next weekend.

At Boras, Sweden:

Elfsborg racked up a second straight 2-0 win over Hibernian to win their sereis with the Scottish club 4-0 on aggregate.

At Dublin, Ireland:

Despite losing 2-1 on the road to Bohemian FC, FK Riga still claimed their two-game set with the Irish club 2-2 due to their away goal scored on Saturday.

See Ya In The Conference Next Year, Hatters!

The new owners of English League Two members Luton Town aren't too happy with the latest point reduction handed down by the Football League:

The club will now start the new Coca-Cola League Two season on -30 points, having already been deducted 10 points last month by the FA for breaching rules over payments to players' agents. But Stephen Browne, a director of the club's new owners LTFC2020, believes the Hatters are again being punished for the previous mismanagement of the club. In a statement released via the club's official website he said: 'It's quite clear that we have made a mistake. We placed our faith in the footballing authorities. We have tried to do everything openly and honestly. 'Obviously the very clear message from both the FA and Football League is that doing such a thing is a total waste of time. 'Once again, the club suffers from the mismanagement of the past. Once again the faithful supporters are left high and dry. Once again a policy of honesty is not at all recognised by the football authorities who claim they want to clean up the game. 'Once again the Football League fail as who was it that cleared the previous owners as 'fit and proper' owners in the first place?'




Unless these points reductions are reduced or overturned we will likely see the Hatters (who were playing in the League Championship just two seasons ago) out of the Football League and in what is now called the Blue Square Premier---the old National Conference in the 2009-10 season

CONCACAF Champions League: Caps Put TFC In Must-Win Situation

At Burnaby, British Columbia:

Eduardo Sebrango scored his second goal of the match in the 87th minute, lifting the Vancouver Whitecaps (USL-1) to a 2-2 draw with Toronto FC (MLS) in play in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.

The draw puts TFC in a must-win situation. The must defeat the Montreal Impact (USL-1) in the tournament finale at home on July 22 to advance to the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions League, where the Canadian entry would play a two-game home-and-away set against Nicaraguan club Real Esteli for the right to advance to the group stage.

Standings:

1. Montreal (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Toronto (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Vancouver (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 4)

Vancouver eliminated

US Open Cup: Charleston and Seattle Knock Off MLS Competition; Revs Survive Battle With CP-Baltimore; DCU Douse Fire In OT

The quarterfinal round of the 2008 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament took place on Tuesday:

At New Britain, Connecticut:

The New England Revolution converted all five kicks during the penalty-kick shootout, winning it 5-3 over USL-2 club Crystal Palace Baltimore after the match was deadlocked 1-1 after 120 minutes.

At Boyds, Maryland:

In the only all-MLS match of the quarterfinals, Bryan Namoff's overtime goal at 99 minutes lifted DC United to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over the Chicago Fire.

At Frisco, Texas:

Goals from Lazo Alvanja (28'), Ian Fuller (43'), and Randi Patterson (90'+1) enabled USL-1 club Charleston Battery to knock off DC Dallas 3-1.

At Seattle:

After 120 scoreless minutes, the Seattle Sounders from USL-1 won an extended penalty kick shootout, outgunning the Kansas City Wizards 6-5 in seven rounds.


The semifinal round will take place on August 12 with:

New England Revolution (MLS) vs. DC United (MLS)
at Washington

Seattle Sounders (USL-1) vs. Charleston Battery (USL-1)
at Charleston, South Carolina

For the final on August 24, it will be a team from Major League Soccer taking on a team from the first division of the United Soccer Leagues.

New Name For UEFA Cup?

Well, the folks at UEFA are considering a new name for the UEFA Cup, to go along with format changes that are scheduled to take place beginning with the 2009-10 campaign. I have a suggestion---how 'bout bringing back the name of the now-defunct Cup-Winners Cup?

If not, why not UEFA Champions League, Jr.?

2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup: More Second Round Action

The six remaining second round series in the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup tournament began Sunday (in all cases the home team is listed first):

SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION:

At Skopje, Macedonia:

Renova (Macedonia)1-2 Bnei Sakhnin (Israel)

At Belgrade, Serbia:

OFK Belgrade (Serbia) 1-0 Panionios (Greece)

NORTHERN REGION:

At Turku, Finland:
TPS Turku (Finland) 1-2 Odensk BK (Denmark)

At Edinburgh, Scotland:

Hibernian (Scotland) 0-2 Elfsborg (Sweden)

At Panevezys, Lithuania:

Ekranas (Lithuania) 1-3 Rosenborg (Norway)

At Riga, Latvia:

Riga (Latvia) 1-0 Bohemian FC (Republic of Ireland)

2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup: Second Round Begins

Eight of the fourteen second-round two-game series in the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup tournament started on Saturday:

The home club is listed first in all cases here:

SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION:

At Sofia, Bulgaria:

Chernomorets Burgas (Bulgaria) 1-1 ND Gorica (Slovenia)

At Niksic, Montenegro:

Grbalj Radanovici (Montenegro) 2-2 Sivasspor (Turkey)

At Wohlen, Switzerland:

Grasshoppers (Switzerland) 2-1 Besa Kavaje (Albania)

CENTRAL-EAST REGION:

At Antwerp, Belgium:

Germinal Beerschot (Belgium) 1-1 Neftchi Baku (Azerbaijan)

At Ramenskoe, Russia:

Saturn Moscow Oblast (Russia) 7-0 Etzella Ettelbruck (Luxembourg)

At Tiraspol, Moldova:

Tiraspol (Moldova) 0-0 Tavriya Simferopol (Ukraine)

At Graz, Austria:

FK Sturm Graz (Austria) 2-0 Shakhtyor Soligorsk (Belarus)

At Teplice, Czech Republic:

FK Teplice (Czech Republic) 1-3 Budapest Honved (Hungary)

LDU QUITO WINS COPA LIBERTADORES CROWN

At Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

Despite losing the road match of their two-game Copa Libertadores final series with Fluminense 3-1 (deadlocking the series 5-5 on aggregate in the process) on Wedenesday, LDU Quito won the Copa crown by winning the penalty kick shootout 3-1 to become the first Ecuadorian club to win the championship of South America's most prestigious club tournament.

Round Of 16 Action In US Open Cup

Eight games were played Tuesday as the 2008 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament continued:

At New Britain, Connecticut:

Second-half goals from Sam Brill (46'), Joe Germanese (63'), and Taylor Twellman (67') broke open what was a scoreless deadlock and propelled the New England Revolution to a 3-0 win over USL-2 club Richmond Kickers.

At Charleston, South Carolina:

Successful kicks from Osvaldo Alonso, Stephen Armstrong, Darren Spicer, and Timothy Velten enabled the USL-1 Charleston Battery to knock off the Houston Dynamo 4-3 in the penalty kick shootout after the contest was deadlocked at 1-1 after 120 minutes.

At Annapolis, Maryland:

Tallies courtesy of Andrew Marshall (18') and Gary Brooks (75') enabled USL-2 club Crystal Palace Baltimore (despite ending the game with 10 men) to shock the New York Red Bulls 2-0

At Boyds, Maryland:

Marc Burch scored both goals (78', 85') to lead DC United to a 2-0 win over the Rochester Rhinos of USL-1.

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Mike Banner scored twice (13', 75') and Calen Carr (23') and Chad Barrett (26') each tallied once as the Chicago Fire downed the Cleveland City Stars of USL-2 4-1.

At Frisco, Texas:

Abe Thompson's stoppage-time-for-each-half double (45'+3, 90'+2) allowed FC Dallas to come from behind to defeat USL-1 Miami FC Blues 2-1.

At Cary, North Carolina:
The Kansas City Wizards defeated the Carolina Railhawks (USL-1) 4-2 in overtime. Ivan Trujillo scored twice (68', 94') while Claudio Lopez (PK-82') and Ryan Pore (119') each tallied once for the Wizards.

At Tukwila, Washington:

The Seattle Sounders (USL-1) knocked off Chivas USA 2-0. Taylor Graham (43') and Sebastien Le Toux (80') each scored once for the Sounders.

Here are the matchups for next Tuesday quarterfinal matches:

Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2) vs. New England Revolution (MLS)
at New Britain, Connecticut

Two MLS clubs Chicago Fire vs. DC United at Boyds, Maryland

Charleston Battery (USL-1) vs. FC Dallas (MLS) at Frisco, Texas

Kansas City Wizards (MLS) vs. Seattle Sounders (USL-1) at Seattle

CONCACAF Champions League Qualification: Martin Nash PK Keeps Caps Hopes Alive

At Toronto:

Martin Nash's successful penalty kick at 37 minutes enabled the Vancouver Whitecaps from USL-1 a 1-0 Canada Day (Tuesday) victory over Toronto FC, handing the Major League Soccer club their first home defeat of the entire season. The win kept Vancouver's slim hopes of advancing from the Nutrilite Canadian Championship tournament into the qualifying round for the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League.

STANDINGS

1. Montreal (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Toronto (GP: 2; GC: 0; PTS: 3)
3. Vancouver (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)

Draw For First Qualifying Round For UEFA Cup Conducted

Also on Tuesday at Nyon, Switzerland, the draw for the first qualifying round for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup was conducted.

2008/09 UEFA Cup First qualifying round draw First leg: 17 July Second leg: 31 July
PFC Cherno More Varna (BUL)	v	UE Sant Julià (AND)
FK Pelister (MKD)	v	APOEL FC (CYP)
FC Vaduz (LIE)	v	NK Zrinjski (BIH)
NK Široki Brijeg (BIH)	v	FK Partizani (ALB)
Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona FC (ISR)	v	FK Mogren (MNE)
FC Koper (SVN)	v	KS Vllaznia (ALB)
NK IB Ljubljana (SVN)	v	FK Zeta (MNE)
AC Juvenes-Dogana (SMR)	v	Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
HNK Hajduk Split (CRO)	v	Birkirkara FC (MLT)
FK Milano (MKD)	v	AC Omonia (CYP)
Marsaxlokk FC (MLT)	v	NK Slaven Koprivnica (CRO)
FC Salzburg (AUT)	v	FC Banants (ARM)
Győri ETO FC (HUN)	v	FC Zestaponi (GEO)
FC Ararat Yerevan (ARM)	v	AC Bellinzona (SUI)
FC Dacia Chisinau (MDA)	v	FK Borac (SRB)
FC Tobol Kostanay (KAZ)	v	FK Austria Wien (AUT)
Hertha BSC Berlin (GER)	v	FC Nistru Otaci (MDA)
FK Khazar Lenkoran (AZE)	v	KKS Lech Poznań (POL)
Legia Warszawa (POL)	v	FC Gomel (BLR)
FC Spartak Trvana (SVK)	v	FC WIT Georgia (GEO)
FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk (BLR)	v	MŠK Žilina (SVK)
FC Shakhtyor Karagandy (KAZ)	v	Debreceni VSC (HUN)
FK Olimpik Baku (AZE)	v	FK Vojvodina (SRB)
FH Hafnarfjördur (ISL)	v	CS Grevenmacher (LUX)
FK Vėtra (LTU)	v	Viking FK (NOR)
FC Racing Union Luxembourg (LUX)	v	Kalmar FF (SWE)
FC Honka Espoo (FIN)	v	ÍA Akranes (ISL)
Glentoran FC (NIR)	v	SK Liepájas Metalurgs (LVA)
Brøndby IF (DEN)	v	B36 Tórshavn (FRO)
FC Nordsjælland (DEN)	v	FC TVMK Tallinn (EST)
EB/Streymur (FRO)	v	Manchester City FC (ENG)
JFK Olimps (LVA)	v	Saint Patrick's Athletic FC (IRL)
Djurgårdens IF FF (SWE)	v	FC Flora (EST)
FK Sūduva (LTU)	v	The New Saints FC (WAL)
Cliftonville FC (NIR)	v	FC København (DEN)
Cork City FC (IRL)	v	FC Haka (FIN)
FC Midtjylland (DEN)	v	Bangor City FC (WAL)

Draw For First Two Qualifying Rounds For UEFA Champions League Conducted

At Nyon, Switzerland:

The draw for the first two rounds of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League was conducted Tuesday.

2008/09 UEFA Champions League First qualifying round draw First leg: 15/16 July Second leg: 22/23 July
Match	Fixture
1	Linfield FC (NIR)	v	NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
2	Valetta FC (MLT)	v	FC Artmedia Petržalka (SVK)
3	FC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)	v	NSÍ Runavík (FRO)
4	FC Santa Coloma (AND)	v	FBK Kaunus (LTU)
5	S.S. Murata (SMR)	v	IFK Göteborg (SWE)
6	Llanelli AFC (WAL)	v	FK Ventspils (LVA)
7	Anorthosis Famugusta (CYP)	v	FC Pyunik (ARM)
8	FK İnter Bakı (AZE)	v	FK Rabotnicki (MKD)
9	Tampere United (FIN)	v	FK Budućnost Podgorica (MNE)
10	F91 Dudelange (LUX)	v	NK Domžale (SVN)
11	KS Dinamo Tirana (ALB)	v	FK Modriča (BIH)
12	FK Aktobe (KAZ)	v	FC Sheriff (MDA)
13	Drogheda United FC (IRL)	v	FC Levadia Tallinn (EST)
14	FC BATE Borisov (BLR)	v	Valur Reykjavík (ISL)

2008/09 UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round draw First leg: 29/30 July Second leg: 5/6 August
Rangers FC (SCO)	v	Winners Match 4
SK Brann (NOR)	v	Winners Match 6
Winners Match 8	v	FK Partizan (SRB)
Winners Match 9	v	Winners Match 2
Winners Match 7	v	SK Rapid Wien (AUT)
Winners Match 10	v	Winners Match 1
Panathinaikos FC (GRE)	v	Winners Match 3
Winners Match 5	v	FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
Winners Match 12	v	AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
Winners Match 13	v	FC Dinamo Kyiv (UKR)
RSC Anderlecht (BEL)	v	Winners Match 14
Beitar Jerusalem FC (ISR)	v	Wisla Kraków (POL)
Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)	v	MTK Budapest (HUN)
Aalborg BK (DEN)	v	Winners Match 11