Congratulations, Sunil Gulati. You deserve a pat on the back...and a sharp kick up your backside.
No, make that a few lashes on your backside from a Singapore-sized rattan cane.

You have officially destroyed any chance for the United States of America to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

How could you do this to a country that is improving in leaps and bounds in the world game, doing so by winning their group in spite of losing a winnable match against Ghana?

How could you give what would be the best hope for the USA to do well in storied coach Jurgen Klinsmann the middle finger after talking with him about the position?

How could you put your legacy in complete jeopardy by not doing the right thing and fire Bob Bradley instead of giving this coach an extension?
What were you thinking? Were you even, Sunil?

Is that a no?
I figured you were incompetent.
The polls are proving my point here. 57 percent (at least the last time I checked) have said that you, Mr. Gulati, have officially screwed the country over.

Heck, while I want to just touch up on the political comparisons for one moment in my temporary break with tradition, you're making Barack Obama look like he's running Congress just fine! (As a matter of fact, he is.) End the touch up.

But seriously, Sunil, naive is as naive does.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is a perfect chance for the USA to improve on their finish at the top of their group. It was a chance for the Stars and Stripes to take it one step higher under Klinsmann. This gentleman, now a Southern California resident, has led Germany to a third-place finish in 2006. The last time the States finished third was in 1930.

So I don't understand why you, Mr. Gulati, decided to screw the country's chances over by giving Bradley an extension.

This has been, in some ways, a year with much to be desired for U.S. soccer. You had a chance to save your skins and your legacy. And you failed.

Have fun watching our boys stumble in the last 16, Sunil. You did this to them, their fans, this country, AND yourself.

In the continuous quest to track down their lost wheels, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy wander into Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois like a pack of Angelenos on a road to nowhere. On September 4, they face the Chicago Fire in their penultimate road trip.

It's a Major League Soccer contest that will have significant implications in the dynamics of the MLS Western Conference Standings, as well as the wide-open supporters Shield race.

“Obviously the results the last two weeks are not good,” Arena said after the match against Kansas City. “You can term it however you wish. I won’t dispute history.

“It’s disturbing. It was not a good performance on our part. I think those things never surprise you in MLS. I think we’re getting the best shot of every team we play, and that requires that we be, game in and game out, ready to compete. And if we’re not, we’re going to have problems.”

“It’s a wake-up call for us,” said defender Todd Dunivant when reflecting on Saturday's game. “We have to pick it back up. It’s been a good couple of months now where it’s really been a slump. The fact that we are still in first place is a testament of how good our start was.

"We have to get it right at the right time and the only silver lining is that the slump is happening now and not at the end of the year.”

Even Landon Donovan admitted that the G's were still looking for their wheels.

“We’re struggling,” Donovan said. “We’ve gotten away from what we’re good at. Part of it has to do with being at the top of the table and relaxing a little bit. We put a lot into the first half of the season to get where we we’re at.”

“I wish we didn’t lose in that fashion,” Edson Buddle said on the defeat, “but we just have to forget about it.”

Out for the match against the Chicago Fire due to suspension is midfielder Chris Birchall.

“Being outcompeted, where you’re not winning your individual battles, (is a serious problem)” Birchall said. “You can’t always say the effort is there when you’re getting outcompeted. I think it was more alarming than the other (losses), and we just have to put it behind us.

“We need a performance where we play hard, grind out a one-nil win and put points on the table. We need something.”

Chicago is also coming into this week's match at Toyota Park off a defeat, a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders. Carlos De Los Cobos's club will look to build on their recent success against the Galaxy through Marco Pappa, who leads the club with seven goals.

Other key scorers for the Fire include Baggio Husidic and Brian McBride with four goals, and Calen Carr and Collins John, both with two goals each.

Patrick Nyarko leads the club in assists with seven and is the team's main playmaker. Husidic and Pappa have also proved valuable in setting up the finish with four assists. The addition of Freddie Ljungberg has injected new life to this club, with three assists to show for his young career with the Fire.

Watch for the trio of C.J. Brown, Krzysztof Krol and Wilman Conde to neutralize the slumping Galaxy forwards. Goalkeeper Sean Johnson has done his part relieving season starter Andrew Drykstra, with a 1.80 goals against average and a 67.9 percent save percentage.

As for the Galaxy, Edson Buddle's 13 goals and Landon Donovan's 11 assists are still the best in the league, but both need to amp up their production on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts's GAA and save percentage dropped to 0.76 and 77.8 percent, respectively.

Juninho was unavailable for last week's match against the Kansas City Wizards due to personal issues but should be back in time to make the trip to Bridgeview.

No explanation is needed regarding the Galaxy's inept form the past two months: a decrepit back line susceptible to lose the intensity to neutralizing attacks from its opposition, and an attack delivering looks as bland as traditional English cuisine.

The time is now for this team to spice things up. And it has to start now.

Take a back seat, boys. This prognosticator is throwing caution to the wind in the Windy City and is calling for...a draw.


Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT and will be televised by Telefutura and Fox Sports Prime Ticket.


In search of Miss LA Galaxy


The Miss Universe Pageant may have ended a week or so ago in Las Vegas, but another pageant is on the books. It's the 2011 Miss LA Galaxy contest, presented by COVERGIRL.

This pageant dates back to 2002. During the next two months, ten of Southern California's best women who span professions ranging from coaching soccer to neuroscience to the pursuit of a graduate degree will be vying for the honor of Miss LA Galaxy. One of those contestants is Valencia, California's Megan Lacina.

"Today was wonderful, it's been a great bonding experience between all the girls," Lacina said after the contestants took the time to soak in the sights and sounds of Newport Beach. “We are capable of doing so much. I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to be part of something that is helping so many people in the community.

"If I were to win it would be a huge honor, but I think any of these girls would deserve to win equally and I would be just as happy for any of them.”

The ideal candidate is someone who takes pride in making a difference in their community, enjoys doing volunteer work, demonstrates extraordinary academic and personal achievement and, of course, supports the LA Galaxy and its commitment to making the sport of soccer grow in this country.

The final day of this contest is scheduled for October 24, on the final home game of the season against FC Dallas.

Terry Brown's AFC Wimbledon were licking their wounds from their 1-0 setback away to Rushden & Diamonds but remained second on the Football Conference National table. The grueling pace of four matches in eleven days say injuries to Ricky Wellard and Sam Hatton.

"Having had the chance to look at the DVD of last night's game we looked leggy and a little weak. The margins between playing your football and not playing your football are very small and they can be little things like the full backs working on getting their angles right and the midfield rotating a little more. We will be looking to tweak those areas during training this week.

"The players' schedule over the first week has been a very high workload with four games in eleven days, which certainly took its toll last night. Injuries to Ricky Wellard from Saturday and Sam Hatton early in the game gave an opportunity for both Rashid Yussuf and Ryan Jackson to have longer game time."

"At no time in the match did we get our passing game going and chances were few and far between at both ends," Brown added. "From [Rushden's] point of view their goal was a cracker but from our point of view I felt we stood off the striker and allowed him too much room to get a shot away. However, an overall reflection of the start of the season sees us with nine points out of a possible twelve, one goal conceded and six goals scored.

"Last night's game highlighted the fact that there is still a great deal of work to be done on the training ground with what is a very young group of players who are still getting to know each other."

The passing and team chemistry will be needed more than ever as they made their trip to Priory Lane in Eastbourne, East Sussex to take on Garry Wilson's Eastbourne Borough F.C.

"Eastbourne have started the season with goals galore having scored twelve in four games and our defence will have to be at their best to cope with a rampant Paquette and Taylor strike force," Brown said on the Sports. "We played them at a similar time last season and, as Wrexham will testify, this year it is a very difficult place to go if you are looking to come away with all three points.

"It is important as a group that we bounce back from Tuesday's defeat. It is easy to have good team spirit and a positive dressing room when you are winning, and looking at the boys' attitude in training today I fully believe we will bounce back on Saturday."

A brace from Danny Kedwell, with goals in the 31st and 90th minutes (of which the latter was the game winner), to go with Lee Minshull's first of the season in the 55th minute against Eastbourne goals from Simon Weatherstone in the 659th and Andy Atkin in the 78th gave Wimbledon a hard-earned 3-2 victory at Priory Lane. Combined with Luton Town's 3-1 defeat to Tamworth, it saw the Dons rise to first on the table.

“We have now only conceded three goals in five games, and this is one of the reasons we have started to well," Brown said on the victory. "We are celebrating being top of the league for what I believe is the first time since 1977. I know it is only August but I would rather have the 12 points and our present position than being anywhere else.

“I hope our players learned something today, particularly that they shouldn’t take anything for granted. When we went two goals ahead people thought we would get three or four, but credit to Eastbourne, who never gave up, and at 2 – 2 looked as though they would go on and win the game. Once again the strength of the squad with Rashid Yussuff and Ryan Jackson coming on for the last 15 minutes gave us new energy and legs, and helped take us to what I thought was a deserved victory."

The Wombles went through a short turnaround to host Newport County A.F.C. on Monday night.

"Looking at [Newport] they have a great deal of experience and a winning mentality from last year's successful campaign," Brown said before the match. "As we are at home we are obviously expected to win although as Tottenham proved yesterday there is no such thing as a home banker in any league.

"As far as we are concerned I will be freshening up the side with one or two changes after what has been a very busy fixture list over the 14 days since the start of the season. The thinking behind this is quite simple. We have a talented squad that need games and when you play two games in 48 hours it would be foolish not to take advantage of fresh legs when possible.

"Our previous two home games have been similar in as much as the players and the fans have had to be patient before we succeeded in scoring late goals in both games. Dean will be no different from every other manager who comes here and will no doubt hope to keep the crowd quiet by not conceding early.

"Judging by Luton manager Richard Money's comments about Newport's performance at Kenilworth Road, where he praised their attacking intentions, we should be in for a fantastic and open game of football. I expect that Kingsmeadow will be a great sight and full of noise tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it."

A 16th minute penalty by Kedwell and a 56th minute goal by Christian Jolley weren't enough to secure three points, however, as a brace from Newport's Craig Reed consigned the Dons to split the points in a 1-1 draw.

The draw puts the Dons in second behind new league leaders Mansfield Town at 13 points.

Up next for AFC Wimbledon is a trip to Rockingham ROad in Kettering, Northamptonsire to take on the Poppies of Kettering Town F.C. Kickoff is scheduled for September 4, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. ET.