"I'm The King of the World!"

What a tremendous week if you're a soccer fan! Tons of drama in multiple leagues in multiple countries. It was tough to keep up with everything! Let's get started with:

1. USL2 Championship - Congratulations to the Richmond Kickers (seen above, photo credit to Pattie Anderson) who came back from an early deficit to win the Title 3-1 over Charlotte! The game was tape-delayed on Fox Soccer Channel but definitely worth staying up late to watch. Some great and exciting soccer between two of the classier and best organizations in soccer, regardless of professional level. The Eagles got a wonderful early strike from Diego Martins to go up on the road, and nearly doubled the lead a bit later had his shot not skimmed off the crossbar. Ronnie Pascale's brilliant save near the end of the 1st half also kept Charlotte's lead at 1 going into the break. After Pascale again thwarted Martins early in the 2nd half, Richmond began firing on all cylinders. Edson Elcock tied it in the 63rd minute, and after some intense pressure, the Kickers broke through again. John DiRaimondo's (on loan from DC United) free kick in the 83rd minute was the game-winner, and David Bulow sealed the win with a penalty kick just a few minutes later to give Richmond their 2nd USL title in 4 years. If that team stays intact (and I'm hearing the veterans have 1 more year in them), you gotta make them the favorites for next year, right? Would love to see them move up to USL1, as I think they'd pose a real challenge to those guys...FYI.

One last thing about this game; it marked to retirement of Charlotte's Dustin Swineheart from professional soccer. "Whitey" (because of his snow white hair) has been without a doubt the most professional and kindest person I've been able to chat with while covering this sport over the past 10 years. A deeply religious guy, he always had a kind word for somebody, gave autographs and high-fives to any person who wanted them (even in opposing stadiums), and though he always played incredibly hard on the field, was never dirty, and always helped up the other guy even during what at times could be really rough play. Swineheart is the guy you can, and should, build a team around. I don't know what he's doing after this, but if he continues to have any association with Charlotte, they're all the better for it.

2. Manchester United/Arsenal - Seriously, is there a better rivalry in sports right now? I'm putting this thing over Barca/Real or Red Sox/Yankees. Saturday's game was ridiculously fun, from Arshavin's golazzo (scoring just 25 seconds after he was wiped out and should have been awarded a penalty), to Rooney's penalty kick tying strike, and then Diaby's terribly unfortunate own goal (did he forget the direction he was supposed to head the ball?), this game had it all. The pace resembled a track meet, and the intensity of every challenge/tackle/shot/pass made you wonder "what are we going to see next?" What about Arsene Wnger's dismissal at the end? Yes, I agree that the 4th official was being harsh,but Wenger's antics (and he'll probably be fined for them) had even the United faithful laughing and applauding at the absurdity of it all. However, Ryan Giggs looked really old and slow for United. You have to wonder how much he has left in the tank.

A final comment on that; I love and support the league, as you all know, but after watching what's going on in the EPL so early in the season, it's kinda tough to watch an MLS match. The quality is okay, but the pace of the game, the tactical awareness, etc., it's just tough to get excited about, with the exception of:

3. The L.A. Derby - So, Beckham finally gets his goal, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The 3-points puts the Galaxy in firm command of 2nd place in the West and just 2 points behind Houston, and I don't think anyone is playing better than Bruce Arena's boys. By the way, I know Sigi Schmidt has done great in expansion Seattle, but can we just give Coach of the Year to Arena now? The rebuilding he's done, bringing in supposedly washed up veterans like Berhalter and Lewis, drafting well, getting Becks and Donovan back on the same page, has been nothing short of genius. Whether you like it or want to admit it, for the league, it's important that the Galaxy does well. A long run into the playoffs will get MLS some much-deserved attention from the mainstream media, even if the main storyline will be about the relationship between Landon and Goldenballs.

4. DC United - The red and black kept their season alive with a tough 1-0 road win over Chicago Saturday night. Bryan Namoff's goal in the 1st half gave them the margin of victory, although there are still some serious issues that need to be addressed. Coach Soehn and company might want to start with Marc Burch. Rumor has it that he and Danny Szetela got into a bust-up either in training or in the locker room a few weeks back, he and teammate/ goalkeeper Josh Wicks had to be separated DURING THE GAME Saturday evening, and he also was made to look like a practice dummy when he was beaten for the game-winner last week against Toluca. Still, if the team doesn't qualify for the playoffs, are Soehn and Kevin Payne filing for unemployment? Does a win Wednesday evening for the U.S. Open Cup title save them from another disappointing international tournament and sub-par MLS season? What say you, Magic 8-ball?

5. CONCACAF Qualifying - I won't have time to post later in the week, so let's make some predictions for this weekend.

A. The U.S. MUST get 3 points Saturday at home against El Salvador. It would also help to win by a few goals as goal differential might be the tiebreaker when all is said and done. If Bradley starts Ching and Cherundolo over Altidore and Spector Saturday, well, I don't know what I'll do. I'll be unhappy, so there! U.S. wins 2-0

B. The best game looks to be Mexico at Costa Rica - Is Mexico back, or were they just doing well within the confines at home? Is Costa Rica the real deal, or were they exposed in that 4-0 drubbing on the road against Honduras? I think it's a little of both for these teams, and a draw would really help the U.S. They draw at 1-1

C. On paper, with David Suazo, back, Honduras seems to have the best overall team. Their midfield and forward depth is solid and they can score lots of goals to take some of the pressure off their suspect defense. This is a team I really wouldn't want to play right now, so it's vital the U.S. gets a full 6 points over these next 2 games before heading down south to take on El Catrachos... T&T is just trying to play the role of spoiler. It won't work, and could get ugly.

Honduras wins 3-0.

Walsh will be back later in the week for his take on things. As always, thanks for reading!