Crew looking for consistency in back

COLUMBUS -- While the Columbus Crew have found stability in the midfield and forward positions the past three matches with the same starting six, the backline continues to be a source of adjustment.

However, coach Sigi Schmid said the constant changes are a matter of tactical moves and not unhappiness with the players, trying to fill the left back spot and one of the center back positions alongside Chad Marshall. For instance, rookie Ryan Junge started on the left side Saturday at Real Salt Lake in part because Schmid thought his long throw-in capability might be useful on the hard artificial turf. In the previous two games Danny O'Rourke was on the left side.

"We felt that in the case of Colorado (June 28), O'Rourke was the better person at left back," Schmid. "We felt that at Salt Lake with the narrowness of the field and the ball going out of bounds we could use his throw-ins."

Since Frankie Hejduk returned from the U.S. national team four matches ago and occupied his usual right back position, he and Marshall have been the only constants on the backline. Rookie Andy Iro has made two starts in the middle as has O'Rourke, a converted midfielder who also made two starts on the left. Junge has been in the opening lineup twice.

The shuffle was caused by injuries to left back Gino Padula then his replacement, Ezra Hendrickson. Padula has not played since April 26.

"Padula was the guy we expected to play at left back but he's missed so much that we've had throw different people out there. Ezra was there for awhile, now Danny," Schmid said. "It's really been a reflection of Iro's development in the middle and wanting to keep Danny on the field that pushed him to the outside."

Hendrickson has missed the last five matches due to a left groin strain but said Tuesday he is fit.

"To be honest, my best position is center back," he said. "I prefer playing in the middle. I bring a lot of experience and organization to the middle of the pitch. If I had choice, that's where I'd play but I'm ready for wherever they need. I know I'm not going to straight into a starting role."

The emergence of Iro, the 2008 first-round pick from California-Santa Barbara via Liverpool, England, gives Schmid options in the middle. When he wants quickness he goes with the 6-foot O'Rourke.

"Danny has great speed," goalkeeper Will Hesmer said. "Danny's still learning the job but overall is doing a good job. He still has his moments when you think, 'Yeah, we understand you're not a center back.'"

Iro (6-5) and Marshall (6-4) are the masts on the Crew's ship.

"When we're next to each other opposing players see two big guys," Iro said. "At least that's one element to the game that maybe they think, 'We can't go long here. There's really no point in crossing the ball because there's two big bodies in there.' Although Danny is very good in there I think people look at a big guy and a small guy and think they can attack that way."

Added Hesmer, "Andy and Chad gives us a great aerial presence."

Marshall said he is comfortable with either partner.

"Everyone has different tendencies but I've with both of them enough to know what they're doing," he said. "With Danny, I know if the ball goes over the top he's a little faster and has the speed to get there where with Andy I have to cover more."

As the Crew prepared Tuesday for Thursday's home match vs. Kansas City, the first 11 had two personnel changes from the starters in the 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake. Stefani Miglioranzi replaced Brad Evans as the center midfielder and Iro was at center back instead of O'Rourke, who went to the left in place of Junge.

Iro could make his fourth start.

"There's a lot of ups and downs to being a rookie. I've learned not to take criticism personally. I was letting it get to me. It was affecting my performance in terms of mistakes on the field," he said. "When I first got here I was thinking every bad pass meant I was a really bad player. I've learned to roll with the punches. Ultimately I'll keep doing that until the end of the season.

"Every time I step on the field I still feel like the new guy. For sure, it's going to take awhile to wear off. You notice the difference between the older guys and how confident they are and how they interact. They're more mature with their decisions than me as a rookie."

Schmid said Iro's transformation from a nervous newbie to a reliable defender is noticeable.

"From the beginning of the season until now he's really improved in a lot of areas -- his approach to training has taken a tremendous leap forward and he's a much more confident player than he was at the beginning of the year," he said.

Iro credits being paired with Marshall.

"I learn from him. He's a really, really good player," Iro said. "He has a lot of things I don't have that I would like to have. He's so clean on the ball. I'm not sure if he's had that his whole life or if he's learned it in his four years in the league."

Someday a rookie defensive partner might be asking the same question of Iro.

Stars gush over All-Star experience

TORONTO -- The best players in MLS descended on Toronto for the MLS All-Star Game. And after it was over, they gushed about the experience as if they were a developmental player on the very tail end of the roster.

For some, like Jim Brennan and Dwayne De Rosario, it was a chance to play in Canada and play in front of fans who wanted to see them do well.

"It's definitely a dream come true, scoring in a game of this magnitude," De Rosario said. "This game is huge. People don't realize how big this is because this is an opportunity to showcase our talent throughout the world and show them how good this league is."

The crowd chanted Brennan's name until he arrived on the field. He said it was just an expression of how much Toronto wanted to host this game and wanted the league to do well.

"I think for this game with all the buildup there was a buzz around the city," Brennan said. "Everyone wanted to come out and watch this game because we have the best players in the league playing against a Premiership side."

NEWS • Blanco plays the hero for MLS
• All-Stars demonstrate strength of MLS
• Stars gush over All-Star experience
• All-Star nod No. 9 fine for Mastroeni
• All-Star notebook: Long day's end
• Hammers pleased with performance
• Blanco leads MLS past West Ham
• Garber's State of the League address
• All-Stars aim to defeat West Ham
• All-Star first for MLS luminaries
• De Rosario shines in spotlight
• West Ham visits land of opportunity
• MLS announces All-Star First XI
• MLS All-Stars to face West Ham
ANALYSIS • Davis: All-Star Game earns high marks
• Davis: All-Star matchups
• A look at West Ham United roster
PRESS RELEASES
• MLS All-Stars defeat West Ham United
• MLS seeks two expansion teams by 2011
• MLS finalizes '08 All-Star roster
• West Ham to face MLS All-Stars
• Toronto to host 2008 All-Star Game
SIGHTS & SOUNDS

Highlights: MLS 3, WHU 2: 350K

Postgame press conference: 350K

Awards presentation: 350K

David Beckham postgame: 350K

Dwayne De Rosario's penalty kick: 350K

Dean Ashton's double: 350K

Cuauhtemoc Blanco's bender: 350K

Christian Gomez's goal: 350K

MLS-West Ham Preview: 350K

All-Star Highlights, part 1: Photos

All-Star Highlights, part 2: Photos

2008 All-Star First XI: Photos

For a few younger players, the game was a chance to meet up with some of the best players in the league and test themselves by trying to fit in with other talented players with considerably more experience.

"It was awesome," Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein said.

FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper said it was probably the highlight of his career to take the field in the game.

"It's just incredible," Cooper said. "There are so many amazing players. It's been a great experience for me."

The tricks and treats on display were just one manifestation of how the players tried to put a show on for the fans. Dummies, backheels and audacious attempts kept the fans entertained and showed how comfortable the players were with getting into the flow of the game and playing with each other once they settled down.

"With all of these guys, you know whomever you are passing to, they're going to be great," New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis said. "They're great on the ball. You can really play off them. You know what you're going to get every time. It's a lot of fun playing with them."

And these are the sorts of nights, with the collection of talent on display and the spectacle of the occasion, that at least one player says that he'll remember for the rest of his life and share with his loved ones.

"It's awesome," Revs midfielder Shalrie Joseph said. "To get a chance to play with a guy like Beckham and a guy like Blanco is a pleasure for me. It's one of those things where I can look back later in my career and see that I played with these guys. Then I can tell my kids about it. I love playing with these guys. These guys are the best players in the league."

Win worth wait for victorious Orange

WASHINGTON -- The game took seven weeks to the day and a few extra hours to complete, but the Houston Dynamo finally secured the three points against D.C. United with a 2-0 win at RFK Stadium. Officially, the game took 4 hours and 44 minutes to complete and ended at 12:20 a.m. ET.

"I don't think I have ever been playing at midnight," said Brian Ching, who scored the Dynamo's second goal in the 79th minute. "Crazy, crazy game. I'm glad it's over and I'm glad we got the three points -- we really needed it."

This match was originally scheduled for June 4 but was postponed after 16 minutes due to a rainstorm that left the field unplayable. The match was then rescheduled for Tuesday but was again postponed after another driving storm left RFK Stadium and the surrounding areas without any power for most of the night.

The rain started again as the second half commenced and as it got progressively heavier, the lights went out again in the old ground at 8:47 p.m., 54 minutes into the match. The lights returned and went out again, then lightning joined the party, and finally after multiple inspections by the officiating crew, the match finally restarted at 11:41 p.m.

"The field in some areas was not playable," said Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear, who was playing with Tampa Bay when their match with D.C. United was delayed more than an hour on July 4, 2000. "I understand the reason for wanting to play this game and I understand the reason for us probably not wanting to play the game."

The brand new turf at the old stadium took a beating as the rain continued. The Dynamo got a dry goal from Brian Mullan in the first half and the soggy one from Ching in the second to easily defeat United for the second time in four days. Houston defeated United in similar fashion 3-1 on Saturday to advance to the semifinals of SuperLiga.

Neither has a date on their respective calendars where they could legitimately slip in another game with both teams participating in the CONCACAF Champions League and United still alive in the U.S. Open Cup.

"This game had to get in for both sides," said Kinnear. "The field crew did a great job trying to get as much water off the field as possible. The rain kept on coming. Everyone was trying their hardest to get the game in. ... I'm glad this game is behind us."

The combination of the treacherous field conditions and the nearly 3-hour delay created less than ideal circumstances for a any player to perform effectively.

"I don't think a 2-hour delay for a professional athlete is necessarily the best way for our bodies to be treated ... it's definitely going to affect my body more than these young bucks," said defender Craig Waibel. "There may not be better ways but I don't know if tonight was the right way as far the veteran guys -- and especially the two guys that are expected to represent our league tomorrow at their best have very little opportunity to do that."

Dwayne De Rosario and goalkeeper Pat Onstad are heading to their homeland to play in the MLS All-Star game Thursday night in Toronto against West Ham United.

"I don't think these guys bodies are meant to go and then stop for a couple of hours and then go again. It's almost like youth soccer when you play two games in a day," said Kinnear.

The field conditions, relatively dry in some places while still extraordinarily wet in others, afforded neither team the ability to play clean, fluid soccer after the restart.

"There were a couple of instances where the ball stops dead and the guys are running for it, or guys slip and that normally doesn't happen," said Kinnear. "Especially when the ball stops dead in a big puddle of water and funny enough most of the puddles of water were down in our end so the margin for error was a little higher."

"It's probably the easiest thing," said Ching about his goal, which came from a header. "You don't have to dribble or work with the ball on the ground."

Stuart Holden had seen conditions like these playing in his native Scotland before coming to the U.S. more than a decade ago.

"I played in probably worse but it's never good to play soccer (in conditions like this), you can't play soccer," he said. "A couple of times you could pass it around but other times it's getting caught and tackles are flying in -- it becomes dangerous."

Frustrated Fire hungry for success

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Soccer is unique to most sports because outcome does not always match performance. In other words, the better team doesn't always win. Or tie.

There doesn't appear to be any other explanation for the way the first half of the Major League Soccer season went for the Chicago Fire, who start the second half Saturday at home against Real Salt Lake.

The Fire was 5-1-1 through their first seven games, hot as a pistol thanks to a 5-1 win against New York at Giants Stadium on May 25. In the second seven games, the Fire went 1-4-2 (they ended the first half with a 2-1 win against Toronto FC last Saturday).

There was no traumatic event that changed the Fire from a team with a winning record to a team with a losing record. It's hard to know whether the Fire are the team from the first seven games, or the team from the second seven games.

"That's one of the frustrating things about soccer," Fire midfielder Chris Rolfe said. "You can dominate a team in possession and opportunities for goals and you could come away losing. That is just the way soccer is. It can be extremely frustrating."

The difference between the first seven games and the second seven games "was probably a combination of quite a few things," Rolfe said. "Early on the bounces were going our way, the next seven, we could say they weren't at times."

There are reasons to think the Fire is a solid defensive team. They still lead the league with only 14 goals against in 15 games, and have the only double-digit goal differential (10).

But the Fire are way behind the opposition in shots (189-164) and shots on goal (89-81) which makes it appear the offense still needs work.

The second half begins with a home game, which is not necessarily a good thing. The stoppage-time goal scored by John Thorrington last Saturday still raised the Fire's home record to a middling, at best, 3-3-1.

For the second half, the Fire can concentrate fully on their MLS games. Unlike some teams playing in the SuperLiga or still alive in the U.S. Open Cup, the Fire are out of non-MLS competition for the time being.

The loss to D.C. United in the Open Cup quarterfinal was difficult for the Fire, who have won the Cup four times in their first 10 years. But it does allow the team to focus on one goal.

"It helps us to be mentally focused on one thing right now," Fire coach Denis Hamlett said.

"It allows us to work on more things in practice, and we have more time on the practice field," Rolfe said. "We can do more on the practice field because we have a longer time to recover. That could help us as we go to the second half of the season."

The Fire have roster issues for this game. Forward Calen Carr is out for the season with an ACL tear, and forward Andy Herron remains unavailable following a concussion suffered two weeks ago. Defender Dasan Robinson is out with an ankle sprain and defender Gonzalo Segares is listed as doubtful with a sprained foot.

Segares is actually out of the game anyway with a yellow card accumulation as is Thorrington, the hero of Saturday's game.

The Fire were about two minutes away from a tie in that home game Saturday, so although Thorrington's goal did give them a win, it wasn't a win of overwhelming domination.

"It helps a lot," Rolfe said. "But because we got a late goal to win, that doesn't solve everything. It definitely helps the confidence and gives us something to build off of."

Red Bulls rue missed opportunity

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The chances were there for the New York Red Bulls. One more goal from a bevy of scoring opportunities, two more minutes of solid defending and the Red Bulls would snap a three-game winless streak and beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 for the second time this season.

But the Red Bulls, which came into the match having scored one goal or less in the last 10 league games, couldn't score a third goal and they let a Landon Donovan cross to the far post sneak past Jon Conway and it's more squandered points, more disappointment.

"Either you bury the game early where you score the third one and we had plenty of opportunities to do so or you kill the game defensively," Dave van den Bergh said. "We failed to do either. A lot of positives, but still you've got to be critical of your own performance and we didn't get a win."

There were positives, of course. Jorge Rojas, who was signed to be the playmaking midfielder the Red Bulls lacked this year, showed his class, setting up both Red Bulls goals and Juan Pablo Angel is getting back to form, putting his stamp on the game with what should have been his third consecutive game-winning goal against the Galaxy.

And defensively, the Red Bulls did a solid job on Los Angeles' big three of David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle for most of the match. Beckham had limited touches because of Dave van den Bergh's defending and Donovan was quiet until second-half stoppage time.

But all the Red Bulls could think about in the locker room after the entertaining draw played in front of 46,754 fans, the largest single-game attendance in Major League Soccer this year, was that they threw away two points and blew an opportunity to move out of the Eastern Conference basement.

"We're scoring goals again, getting organized again and we're actually starting to play some football for long periods of time," Andrew Boyens said. "Now the mentality really has to be that we need to die on the defensive end, give everything you've got and make sure if we score two goals we're winning games."

Aided by Ante Jazic, whose overlapping run gave him time to deliver a cross, Donovan sent the ball from the left flank. Jon Conway stayed on his line, appearing distracted by Edson Buddle, who was crashing the far post.

"It was a good ball, one of those balls, as a goalie, you can't come out and get it," Jeff Parke said. "Edson made a good run across and threw Johnny off his spot because he thinks if he gets his head on it, he's putting it far post. It's a tough decision for him."

The Red Bulls 'keeper would pay for that hesitation, as the ball landed into the side netting and Donovan celebrated his league-leading 12th goal of the year.

"You put those balls in to ask the goalkeeper a question and Jon was asked a question and I think at the end nobody touched the ball and that ended up in the goal," Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said.

But the Red Bulls contend it shouldn't have even come to that, that the game should have been over long before Donovan's late equalizer. Sure, New York scored two goals for the first time since it beat the Galaxy at The Home Depot Center on May 10, but there were opportunities to get a third and perhaps a fourth.

"When we create that many opportunities we need to bury one more and kill the game early," van den Bergh said. "If you score the third one, you break them and you might bury one more and kill the game early. If you score the third one, you break them and you might even walk away four or 5-1."

The best chance came to Rojas in the 58th minute when a cross by van den Bergh left him alone in front of the net with the ball on his foot. But he said the ball took a bad bounce off the turf and it went off his ankle and over the net from the top of the six-yard box.

"Jorge had a lot of quality balls tonight and he was able to break the team down," Osorio said. "Unfortunately, and Jorge will be the first to agree with this, he had the chances come to him too and couldn't finish them."

Hoops, Rapids settle on tie

FRISCO, Texas -- FC Dallas came back from a goal down and took the lead in the second half, but the Colorado Rapids immediately pulled level once again as the two teams played to a seesaw 2-2 tie Saturday night at Pizza Hut Park.

The Rapids took an early lead in the fifth minute thanks to Herculez Gomez before FCD answered in the 49th off a Kenny Cooper corner kick. The Hoops drew ahead in the 64th when Juan Toja scored but that edge lasted just three minutes before Conor Casey made it 2-2 in the 67th minute with his third goal of the year.

FC Dallas was returning to action after two weeks away from a league match, but Gomez put the Rapids into an early lead with his second goal of the season. Near the top of the arc, FCD left back Adrian Serioux misplayed a long ball from Mehdi Ballouchy. Gomez was able to capitalize on the miscue and beat Hoops goalkeeper Dario Sala far post from about 16 yards out on the right.

His score was the earliest that the Rapids have found the back of the net all year. It was also the first time this season that Colorado has scored in the first half on the road.

Despite the early goal, FCD was the more active side for much of the first half. In the seventh, Cooper hit a bomb from long range that was saved by Colorado 'keeper Bouna Coundoul. The rebound squirted free, but Toja was a step slow in getting to the ball and his shot landed harmlessly in Coundoul's hands.

Toward the end of the opening half, the Hoops had several more chances to draw the match level. The first came in the 39th when Coundoul saved a shot from Cooper. One minute later, he stopped another effort by Cooper from about 25 yards out. The rebound did pop free but the Rapids 'keeper scurried over to retrieve the ball at the right post just before it went over the endline.

And just seconds before the half, FCD's Andre Rocha made a great move to get around Colin Clark just inside the 18-yard box and hit a shot that nailed Coundoul in the breadbasket. The rebound landed right in front of the Colorado goal but Dominic Oduro's rebound shot went high.

FCD had nine shots in the opening half, including five by Cooper and two by Toja. Colorado had seven, including four from Herculez Gomez. Of FCD's nine shots, five were on frame compared to just two by the visitors.

After the halftime break, the equalizer by FCD was set up after Coundoul came outside the box to make a play on a ball contested by Cooper. The FCD forward was first to it and lobbed the ball into the heart of the Rapids' box, where Oduro was elbowed and sent flying by Colorado defender Facundo Erpen.

Referee Terry Vaughn wasted no time in pointing to the spot. Cooper then stepped up and after a quick stutter step, punched the ball into the right side of the net to tie the score at 1-1. It was FCD's first goal off a penalty kick of the year.

Another Coundoul miscue was a key factor in FCD's second goal. After a long cross from Marcelo Saragosa came in from the right flank, Coundoul came off his line to contest the ball against Cooper. But the Hoops striker headed the ball back into the goalmouth, landing at Toja's feet.

With an empty net, Toja, named an MLS all-star earlier in the week, then booted a shot into the back of the net. It was his second goal of the year and first tally in league play since FCD's season opener against Chivas USA on March 30.

However, FCD's edge proved to be a fleeting one. Just three minutes after Toja's score ignited the partisan crowd, the Rapids quickly silenced them. Terry Cooke started the sequence with a nice ball to Christian Gomez, who was dashing up the right side. Gomez then spotted Casey open at the far post and found him with a well-placed cross that he headed into the net to make it 2-2. It was the visitors' first shot of the second half.

In the 71st, Saragosa was shown yellow for FCD, giving him five on the season. That means that the Hoops midfielder will miss the Hoops' next game, which will be on Sunday, July 27 against the L.A. Galaxy.

The Hoops had two great chances over the final minutes to give Schellas Hyndman his first league win as head coach. In the 86th minute, Rocha took a corner from the flag on the near side of the field. The ball eventually landed at Toja's feet and he launched a rocket toward Coundoul, who had to make a great, diving play on the ball to deflect it over the crossbar.

One minute later, Toja hit another great effort toward the Colorado goal, but once again, Coundoul was up to the challenge. The ball did pop free and Oduro apparently punched it in for the go-ahead goal, but he was whistled offside as the linesman's flag went up.

West Ham visits land of opportunity

COLUMBUS -- When West Ham United officials were offered a chance to play the MLS All-Stars, the match itself was just one of the reasons the club accepted.

Among others was an opportunity for the club to continue its preseason conditioning, starting with a friendly Sunday in Columbus that reaped a 3-1 win for the Hammers.

"It was fun, a lot of hard work and a really good test. Columbus is in midseason so we knew it was going to be a tough game," Hammers captain Lucas Neill said. "I was a bit surprised how fit and strong we looked."

NEWS • De Rosario shines in spotlight
• Fun secondary for MLS All-Stars
• West Ham visits land of opportunity
• Healthy Angel primed for All-Star Game
• MLS announces All-Star First XI
• MLS All-Stars to face West Ham
ANALYSIS • A look at West Ham United roster
PRESS RELEASES
• MLS finalizes '08 All-Star roster
• West Ham to face MLS All-Stars
• Toronto to host 2008 All-Star Game
SIGHTS & SOUNDS

MLS-West Ham Preview: 350K

2008 All-Star First XI: Photos

That bodes well for an extremely competitive and entertaining match when the English Premier League club faces the best Major League Soccer has to offer on Thursday at Toronto's BMO Field.

"Obviously, we know it's a big game," manager Alan Curbishley said. "We know it's sold out. We've got a lot of fans going there who have booked up holidays around the game. We're going to make sure we're OK for the game, probably ease up training for the game a little bit. We understand it's going to be an electric atmosphere, so, game on. We're looking forward to it."

In addition to the match, the Hammers were motivated to leave East London to see for themselves the emergence of soccer in the States. And, if, the club can develop a stronger fan base here and sell a few more pieces of merchandise, then all the better.

"We wanted to come to America. We wanted to promote ourselves. We want to help America promote soccer and do our part," Curbishley said. "Not only the first team squad came out but a lot of the academy coaches came out to do soccer camps, soccer schools as we go along.

"We're here for a whole bundle of reasons. One of them is to get fit. The other is to show everybody what we're about at West Ham."

The Hammers are a mid-level club in the Premiership and not as well-known or marketed as widely as powerhouses Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and, of course, Manchester United.

"West Ham is a unique club. We've got fantastic support -- very, very aggressive when you play at Upton Park. They're like another player for us," Curbishley said. "Over the years West Ham has been known for the way they like to play soccer, for a lot of players. A lot of people will look in the history book and Bobby Moore first comes to mind, playing in the World Cup in '66, but there's been a tradition after that of bringing players along and playing a certain way.

"We feel we can become even bigger. We've got lots of fans in America, we know that, and the interest in these two games is fantastic from Americans who support West Ham and not just ex-pats. We know when we get to Toronto we'll have good support there and, of course, David Beckham is from West Ham so it could be interesting."

Striker Luis Boa Morte, who along with midfielder Matthew Etherington sat out the Crew match but should be fit for Thursday, played for Fulham when the EPL took on the MLS All-Stars in Columbus in 2005 and lost 4-1.

"It was not good memories after five, 10 minutes. No, it was good to be part of this game against MLS. We enjoyed the experience," he said. "It's more about conditioning. Of course, we'd like to come here and get two wins because at the end of the day, who doesn't like to win? I like to win but most important is to get football games without injuries and enjoy it as much as we can."

Curbishley came away from the match in Columbus excited about the progress of soccer in the United States. He watched from afar as the North American Soccer League tried to gain a foothold on the American sports scene in the 1970's and mid-80s.

"I remember the American soccer FA attempting to get soccer off the ground in perhaps the wrong way. I don't mean to be unkind in saying it, but they brought aging stars to try and promote the game when they should have brought coaches out and go into the schools and go into the grassroots and get people interested, generating the interest and let the grassroots set in," Curbishley noted. "That's what happened. Over the last 10, 15 years it's changed dramatically with the coaching the schoolboys and schoolgirls are receiving.

"The fact is there are American players in the Premiership. We've got one, Jonathan Spector, and there will be more in the coming years. I know Americans can take in the Premier League (on TV), albeit at strange times some times. I was in Tampa, Fla., in the summer and managed to catch the European Cup finals and saw the excitement."

He had watched several MLS games on the tube but Sunday was his first chance to see a league club live. The match on a sweltering afternoon drew 9,117 fans, including more than 500 West Ham followers.

"I'm impressed with, I must admit, my first MLS game and stadium I've been to," he said. "We're really pleased. I've been really impressed with the stadium; really impressed with the fan support. Crew fans are very good and obviously our American contingent was as well."

Neill said the players have only regret so far about their journey abroad.

"The whole trip is shorter than we wanted because we wanted to stay longer and probably make base here a bit but the dowry doesn't allow that," he said. "We're really excited to be here and the exposure we're getting is great. We didn't realize how many American West Ham fans there are. It's amazing. Major League (Soccer) is trying to take off soccer-wise and you can see by the crowd coming out on a Sunday afternoon it's really good. They've got a lot of work to do but the more publicity and high profile teams from England and all over the world that come to play, the better it will be."

The West Ham contingent arrived in Toronto on Monday and planned training sessions the next two days.

"There are one or two things we want to do this week. We want to get fit but we want to give MLS an uplift," Curbishley said. "It's going back live to England as well (midnight London time). It's not just being shown here. We're going to take it seriously."

That's the theme ingrained into the players as the Hammers prepare for their Premiership opener Aug. 16 vs. Wigan.

"We've got to look at the bigger picture and the picture is we've got a season to be training for so we'll work Tuesday and Wednesday a little harder than we would a normal game but certainly come Thursday we'll be really excited," Neill said. "Obviously, it's the best players in America and we're getting to take it on in what seems to be a really promoted event and we're privileged to be a part of it."

Young Hoops champing at bit

FRISCO, Texas -- FC Dallas has the youngest roster in Major League Soccer and it might not be long before some of that young talent has pushed its way into the starting 11. Schellas Hyndman has been the Hoops' coach now for one month and several FCD rookies have already caught his eye.

Midfielder Eric Avila, whom FCD took in the second round of the 2008 SuperDraft (19th overall) is the first to impress his new coach. Avila has played in two league matches and has one assist after delivering a ball to Abe Thompson that allowed the Hoops to salvage a point in a 1-1 tie with Kansas City on July 4. He has also played in two U.S. Open Cup matches, where he has one assist.

"He's very technical, has got good vision, makes good decisions, has got good athletic ability and is quick," Hyndman said about Avila. "I think he's a better central player than he is a wide player, and we need to concentrate and getting him to play more in those positions. He can improve on his defense by putting a little more pressure on opponents. But he's come a long way. I think he's proven that every time we put him on the field, there's a little bit of electricity."

The other rookie Hyndman has taken notice of is forward Brek Shea. The 6-foot-3 Texan was the second-overall pick in this year's draft and has already played for the U.S. under-20 and under-23 national teams this year. In league play, he has appeared in two matches and seen a total of 17 minutes.

Earlier in the year, Shea, who is only 18, was playing in the midfield and even in the back, but Hyndman now sees the big youngster as more of a frontline player for FCD.

"(There are) a lot of positive things with Brek (Shea) up there because he reads the game and tries to do a little bit more than just run away," Hyndman said. "He tries to be more of a combination player. I can also see the youth up there with a lot of silly giveaways on non-pressure balls and lackadaisical passing. He's got to improve on that and he and I talked about that."

But that hasn't precluded him from showing Shea some tough love like he did during training earlier this week.

"On his last one (mistake), I stopped the exercise to give him a chance to not just forget about it," Hyndman said. "I know all the players are trying to support him but at some point in time, you have to step up from a boy to a man, and if we're asking you to play as a man, then you need to play like a man."

Both players are pleased that Hyndman has taken notice of their development but still seek to keep improving.

"It's awesome and is something that I have to keep going with and showing him that I can," Avila said. "With a new coach, it's a whole new start. I've been doing well in practice, so I hope to get rewarded for that."

Added Shea: "It's always good when a new coach comes in and says that you're doing a good job. I hope that I keep improving and that he keeps noticing."

Each rookie has noticed a big difference between the sessions under Hyndman compared to those under previous FCD head coach Steve Morrow and interim boss Marco Ferruzzi.

"It's a lot more intense," Avila said. "He's teaching us what our problems are and what we need to fix, especially when it comes to fitness. These sessions are hard but that's good for us. To tell the truth, it's what we need. He's always on us and I think we needed a nice little wake-up call. That's what he's doing."

Said Shea: "The sessions are longer and more intense but I think it's good. I've also noticed that he expects more. If you can show him that you can play, then he will play you."

For Avila, the biggest change that he can see in himself since arriving in Frisco back in February for preseason is a higher comfort level all-around.

"It's a lot of different things but I'm more comfortable and that's what I like," he said. "If I'm too nervous or intense, my game is a little off. Now, I feel comfortable with the guys and playing with them is fun. Since he has been here, I have improved on holding the ball and keeping possession. He wants me to go forward and allows me to do that. That gives me the confidence to go and play the way that I like."

Shea acknowledges that he still has plenty to work on but has benefited greatly from spending extra time on the practice field doing finishing drills with FCD leading scorer Kenny Cooper, a member of the league's All-Star First XI.

"I just need to keep the ball and not give it away with silly mistakes," he said. "He (Cooper) has taught me how to be composed in the box on finishes. He has taught me to focus on where I want to put it. He's scored a lot of goals, so it's good for me to listen to him."

The lanky Texan likes the possibilities that could come from playing up top with Cooper, who is also 6-foot-3. "We're pretty tall and should be able to win a lot of aerial battles on corners and flick-ons," Shea said. "Hopefully, we can use that to our advantage."

Fun secondary to winning for All-Stars

Landon Donovan has a message to any first-time MLS All-Stars who are thinking of having an extended vacation in Toronto this week.

"If they do come in and don't understand (the importance), a lot of us will tell them right away," Donovan said in a conference call Monday morning. "They'll see it in training and the way we approach it."

If there's anyone who really appreciates the MLS All-Star Game it's Donovan, who will be playing in his eighth when the best of MLS takes on English Premier League side West Ham United Thursday night at BMO Field in Toronto.

"Obviously we're not going to get any points and no one is going to move up in the standings," Donovan said. "But being a part of the All-Star Game the last few years, in the locker room and the hotel, the guys understand this is a big opportunity to prove we're good enough."

NEWS • De Rosario shines in spotlight
• Fun secondary for MLS All-Stars
• West Ham visits land of opportunity
• Healthy Angel primed for All-Star Game
• MLS announces All-Star First XI
• MLS All-Stars to face West Ham
ANALYSIS • A look at West Ham United roster
PRESS RELEASES
• MLS finalizes '08 All-Star roster
• West Ham to face MLS All-Stars
• Toronto to host 2008 All-Star Game
SIGHTS & SOUNDS

MLS-West Ham Preview: 350K

2008 All-Star First XI: Photos

The Los Angeles Galaxy star, who leads the league with 12 goals, has seen every All-Star Game format the league tried, from East vs. West to the league's international all-stars against the U.S.-eligible all-stars to the current format, which has the top MLS players facing a club from abroad. He doesn't need to think twice when asked which format he prefers.

"For me, this is a slam dunk," Donovan said. "In one sense (the other formats) are more fun, especially for us attacking players ... but it doesn't have the competitive fire you want and you need to play with. When you play against big quality teams, the competitiveness comes out."

And while Donovan and the other MLS All-Stars will take the game seriously, so too will West Ham, Donovan said, especially considering the league is undefeated in these competitions with wins against Chelsea and Celtic on its impressive resume.

"This (format) is much better and more exciting for people to watch," he said. "Now you see when teams come in, whether they're in preseason or not, they take this game seriously because they don't want to get embarrassed."

If Sunday's 3-1 victory against the Columbus Crew is any indication, the Hammers are certainly all business on their preseason North American tour.

"What I do know about West Ham is that they're a damn good team," Donovan said. "I didn't see (the game against Columbus), but I saw the result and they played a lot of their big boys. Dean Ashton scored. They're a very good team and they're going to be tough to play against."

Donovan is also looking forward to some intriguing combinations on his team, especially in the midfield.

"For me, that's the exciting part," Donovan said. "I watch Shalrie (Joseph) play all the time and I'm excited to be on the same field as him. Playing with (Cuauhtémoc) Blanco will be both interesting and fun at the same time. It's fun to play with Kenny (Cooper) up front and it's good to reunite with Dwayne (De Rosario) when he gets on the field. We all feel the same way. It's a mutual respect."

New England Revolution coach Steve Nicol, who will once again coach the MLS All-Stars, is also anxious to see the league's stars on the same field together Thursday.

"On the attacking side you have (Juan Pablo) Angel, Cooper and Blanco," he said. "(All the combinations) are pretty tasty, to be honest. Whichever player we put on the field it doesn't matter because they're going to be quality. It's nice to be in charge of a lot of guys who have quality."

Nicol said he didn't struggle with some of his selections, including picking Angel despite the Colombian missing much of the first half of the season to injury while leaving D.C. United's Luciano Emilio off the squad.

"I didn't think it was difficult at all," Nicol said. "There were a lot of good players to choose from."

In fact, Nicol said he only has one worry Thursday night.

"My biggest concern is getting everyone on the field and at the same time winning the game," Nicol said. "You only enjoy it when you win and do well."

Davis: Big strikes from young and old

The age difference for two featured goal scorers from Round 16 spans about 17 long years.

And at either side of the bookends, the stories behind the weekend strikes were significant.

On the young side, Abdus Ibrahim became the fifth youngest scorer to record a goal in an MLS match. His well-taken tally for Toronto (in the Canadians' 2-1 loss to the Fire) happened a few weeks shy of Ibrahim's 17th birthday.

The only younger guys to score in MLS represent a pretty fearsome foursome: Freddy Adu, Santino Quaranta, Eddie Gaven and Jozy Altidore.

Surely you recognize Adu, who was sold last year to Portugal's Benfica. And Altidore was recently sold to Spain's Villarreal. Quaranta is enjoying a career resurrection at D.C. United. And Gaven, though currently dinged by injury, remains a valuable young starter at Columbus.

None of that is to say that Ibrahim is the next big target for the international market or automatically glory-bound. It's just to say that scoring young has been a harbinger of good things to come, at least.

Ibrahim's goal, scored to the delight of hundreds of TFC faithful, who had made the long cross-border trip to Chicago, appeared for some time to have earned John Carver's team a point on the road. That's significant, since TFC had managed just three of a possible 18 points on the road before the visit to Bridgeview.

Unfortunately for TFC and the faithful Red Patch Boys -- TFC's super supporters' group -- John Thorrington rescued the night for the home team. His late strike grabbed the result for Chicago. Still, it couldn't completely undo an exciting night for Ibrahim, who only recently moved north in a trade from Dallas.

FC Dallas made the Ethiopian-born teenager a second round selection in last winter's SuperDraft. In fact, Ibrahim was the second youngest player ever to be selected in the draft. Only 14-year-old Freddy Adu (in 2004) was younger when chosen.

At the other end of the age continuum, Ante Razov is delivering regularly again for Chivas USA -- and that's not great news for the field.

Preki's men have soldiered on fiercely this year despite rampant injury. The HDC outfit remains right in the middle of the Western Conference pack despite physical setbacks to defenders and forwards, a buildup of medical issues that might have splintered less tough-minded sides.

A patchwork of defensive lineups, backed by Brad Guzan, was able to hold down its end. But scoring was sometimes problematic through the first half of the season as Razov struggled to get healthy and two other potential starting strikers dealt with ailments of the own.

But Razov began getting more fit a month or so back. Then, last week, the surest sign yet that maybe he had regained his balance: a spectacular free kick that became a highlight-reel game-winner against San Jose.

Razov followed that with an absolute beauty last week against Los Angeles. Delivered with sublime touch and clinical accuracy from 25 yards, it was an opportunity that few players would see, much less attempt.

He punctuated the week's work with Chivas USA's only goal in the SuperLiga setback against Pachuca on Sunday night. And a pretty fair week's work it was for a 34-year-old (who happens to be the league's second all-time leading scorer).

So, Chivas USA is attacking the summer with a healthier defense. It still has that well-balanced midfield -- which has mostly remained healthy all year. Now, Preki's side also has a hot striker.

(Of course, Chivas USA just lost a central figure on the other end, where goalkeeper Brad Guzan once stood. He's bound for a Premiership high adventure. But that's another story.)

TACTICAL CORNER

Plenty of managers had lots of tactical choices to make last week, considering a tightly packed schedule. The calendar for MLS teams included 14 matches last week in four competitions (SuperLiga, U.S. Open Cup, Canadian Championship and MLS regular season.)

New York Red Bulls manager Juan Carlos Osorio, for instance, opted to rest Dane Richards for more than an hour of his team's road match at Kansas City. (And the feisty little guy improved his team's attack immediately upon his second-half introduction.)

At Chivas, Preki stated outright that he had to pick one of the week's two matches to rest veteran defender Claudio Suarez. So, The Emperor had to miss Thursday's SuperClasico draw with the Galaxy.

It will be more of the same for Chivas, New England, Houston and D.C. United this week as the foursome plays out first-round SuperLiga competition with two matches each.

Interesting that Claudio Lopez is playing wide now for Kansas City -- and that it seemed to stir a bit more life into the Kansas City attack. Lopez seemed quite comfortable attacking the Red Bulls last week from those wide spots.

It will also be interesting to see how Curt Onalfo uses Josh Wolff once the U.S. international becomes eligible on July 15. Wolff has always been a striker. But considering Onalfo's impulse to use every attacking weapon available, and considering that Wolff often lined up as an outsider midfielder at his former German club, would anybody really be surprised to see him line up there at CommunityAmerica Ballpark?

Juan Carlos Osorio gets credit sometimes for being the league's standard bearer in terms of tactical tinkering. But Colorado's Fernando Clavijo sure likes to throw out different looks. Many of his formations are hybrids and patchworks, in fact.

Or, sometimes, the looks are familiar formations -- even if they aren't so familiar to his own team. For instance, just last week Clavijo shifted away from the four-man back line the Rapids have used all year. Instead, he lined up Pablo Mastroeni behind two markers (Facundo Erpen and Ugo Ihemelu) in a 3-5-2 for an afternoon meeting with San Jose.

The Rapids have used nine different lineups in 16 games this year.

Osorio, of course, was still doing his formation- and personnel-juggling. In the club's contest against Kansas City, he deployed two wide players who are very comfortable defending, hoping to neutralize the Wizards' top attackers, who were out wide.

Seth Stammler, usually seen in the middle of the park, and Luke Sassano, better on defense than on the attack, were lined up wide. Meanwhile, Carlos Mendes, most often seen along the back line, played as a holding midfielder.

San Jose's Ronnie O'Brien lined up on the right, as usual, as the Rapids visited Buck Shaw. But by the second half, manager Frank Yallop was apparently weary of watching an attack that still lacks for creativity. O'Brien moved to the inside, where the ball did move a bit faster due to his presence.

Comeback Crew rally, relent

COLUMBUS -- For the second consecutive home match, the Columbus Crew fell behind by a pair of goals in the opening 25 minutes before rallying.

But unlike the July 5 match at Crew Stadium against Chicago, this time it was the visiting team that scored the late equalizer.

Josh Wolff netted a goal in the 75th minute in his season debut for Kansas City and the Wizards and Crew played to a wild 3-3 draw after the teams combined for five goals in a 16-minute stretch of the first half.

The Crew got a goal and two assists from Guillermo Barros Schelotto and scores from Chad Marshall and Alejandro Moreno but couldn't hold the lead, the first time in seven games this season they have not won when ahead at the half.

"It's good we came back, bad we're giving up the goals," Moreno said. "We've been an explosive team the whole year and we're going to score goals but what has made us successful is when we're united, we're making key tackles for each other at key moments and making good decisions at key moments in the game. Today it didn't seem like we did that. Obviously, we got punished. We're satisfied with what we do offensively but we know we can do better defensively. That comes from all of us, not just a few of us."

After falling behind on an own goal by Crew defender Frankie Hejduk when he headed the ball into his own net and a Roger Espinoza tally, Schelotto took over.

"When we were down 2-0 he played with a lot of energy," Crew coach Sigi Schmid.

After being fouled by Morsink, Schelotto lined up for the restart from 25 yards on the left side as the Wizards' wall tried to get settled. The referee's whistle blew and several K.C. players were caught still looking at goalkeeper Kevin Hartman for instructions when Schelotto laced the ball over the top and into the goal in the 26th minute.

"The referee said play, I play," was Schelotto's simple explanation.

It was his fourth goal but first that was not from the penalty spot.

In the 33rd minute, Schelotto took a ball in full stride from Robbie Rogers and dribbled into the left side of the area. He found Moreno on a near-post run. Moreno was tackled as he got a foot on the ball but still managed to get off a shot. Hartman dove and got to the ball but it looked to have already crossed the line; Moreno was still there to knock the rebound back into the goal.

"I was determined to run into space and (Schelotto) played a great ball," Moreno said.

Marshall gave the Crew a 3-2 lead in the 38th minute when he ran through the box and got his head on the end of the Schelotto service from the right corner. Schelotto said it was a play designed earlier in the week at practice.

Marshall has two goals this season and the other came during a 3-0 win at Kansas City on June 14.

"It's coincidence. Do we play them again this year?" he asked.

No. The Crew won the season series 2-0-1 but rued missing out on winning the third match.

"We felt like they stole points from us," Marshall said.

When Marshall was asked if he had ever been a part of such a wild first half he responded, "No, and I don't want to be again unless it's us going up 5-0. We showed a lot of character coming back. Last year, it would have been 'Here we go again.' We've got character players and we feel we're never out of a match, no matter the scoreline."

Two key plays turned a possible three points into a tie. The first was in the 55th minute when Hejduk made an overlapping run and took a ball from Emmanuel Ekpo on the right side for a clear breakaway, only to see Hartman make a save.

"If Frankie puts the breakaway away we put the game away at 4-2," Schmid said.

The other was when Danny O'Rourke tried to intercept a pass from Kurt Morsink but missed, setting up the opportunity for Jack Jewsbury on the right side to find Wolff for the tying marker.

"If he (O'Rourke) steps up he's got to make the play," Schmid said.

Still, Schmid found positives in the match.

"It was an entertaining game for the fans. We shouldn't have been down in the first half based on the way we played. It's disappointing we were down. If you score three goals you should win the game," he said. "The first 15-20 minutes we carried the game. We did a great job fighting back. We didn't need to give up that third goal in the second half. It was a missed opportunity to get three points tonight but at the same token, our play, I think there are more good things than bad things."

Healthy Beckham leads Galaxy to NY

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- A year ago David Beckham the player, the brand, the idol invaded the United States amid tabloid headlines and paparazzi flash bulbs. And by all indications it was a very good year for Beckham the brand and idol.

There were massive crowds everywhere he appeared and his Galaxy No. 23 jersey was the most popular in the world.

But Beckham the player suffered. An ankle injury sustained before he arrived in MLS limited his playing time to only a few games. His team didn't make the playoffs and there were rumblings that Beckham might head back to Europe.

One of the few highlights on the field for Beckham in 2007 was playing in front of 66,000 fans at Giants Stadium against the New York Red Bulls. While many of the fans, some who had never been to a soccer game before, came just to catch a glimpse of one of the world's most famous people, what they witnessed was an extraordinary display of attacking soccer, a combined nine goals and a 5-4 victory by the Red Bulls.

As Beckham makes his return to New York and prepares to again face the Red Bulls at Giants Stadium Saturday, he does so injury-free in his first full season in MLS.

"This season, I've been able to play in every game, take part in 99 percent of the training sessions," Beckham said. "I've enjoyed it. Soccer is definitely changing in this country. It's getting bigger and it's growing. But it takes time. I've said that at the start."

There might not have been the media crush when Beckham held a press conference Friday that there was last year, but 45,000 tickets have already been sold for the highly anticipated match. His influence on Major League Soccer is undeniable.

"As long as they're here and as long as they're watching the game, whether it's because of celebrity or whether it's because they want to watch the Galaxy play or whether it's just because they want to watch a soccer game, it's so important that people turn out and enjoy the game most of all," Beckham said. "We had a great crowd last year and hopefully we'll have a good crowd this year. But we need to win the game and that's the biggest thing for us. Hopefully they'll come and enjoy themselves and see a Galaxy win."

Beckham has also been a major influence on his teammates, especially Edson Buddle, who is tied with teammate Landon Donovan for the league lead with 11 goals.

"I think David uses his experiences, he has been at the highest level," Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit said. "When Edson needs information he can go to David who will explain to him what it is to be on the highest level. I think that Edson at the moment is doing extremely well."

There's another part of the Beckham experience, as MLS Commissioner Don Garber calls it. That's Beckham the ambassador, who travels North America spreading the soccer gospel and, as was the case on this trip to New York, who at times denies interview requests so he could attend a team meeting, and who will fly to Toronto a day early to visit sick children in area hospitals before appearing in his first MLS All-Star Game.

"He's a tremendous ambassador for the league and obviously he's been performing very well for the club, his celebrity continue to grow in this country and the respect for the league and the awareness of the league is growing abroad," Garber said. "The Beckham experience has been a good one and we hope to continue to see it grow and grow through the end of his agreement."

And Beckham said he's committed to helping MLS grow in the coming years, as well.

"It's a long-term plan to raise the profile of this game in this country," Beckham said. "I think it's going well so far."

That has happened already -- and not only off the field. The level of competition in the league, he said, is a bit underrated.

"I've always said the level is a lot higher here than people actually think it is," Beckham said. "Being here you see some of the talented players that are in this league and some of the talented teams. Every game is a tough game and of course we do want to get to the level of other leagues in the world. It will take time, but we're not that far away."

Quakes earn moral victory in draw

TORONTO -- All that matters for the San Jose Earthquakes is that they left BMO Field, where Toronto FC is unbeaten this season, with a crucial point after playing to a scoreless draw Saturday. It was a huge moral victory for a team that was breaking in three new players with little training, and didn't even have their regular coach on the sidelines.

"We got a point on the road, we were under pressure and kind of held our own," said assistant head coach Ian Russell. "[We] got a point and that's good."

Russell was in charge for the match as head coach Frank Yallop was suspended after being ejected from last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Colorado. Russell said the players felt no extra pressure going into a tough road environment without their usual coach.

"We had a game plan," Russell said. "Obviously for us, me and [goalkeeper coach Jason Batty], it was a little more pressure because we were running it, but we were comfortable."

By the second half, the game plan clearly became "defense first," as the Earthquakes struggled to mount a counterattack against a Reds squad that outshot them 11-4 in the match. But while the offensive struggles continued for San Jose, the backline held strong, and goalkeeper Joe Cannon came up with three key saves to preserve the clean sheet. It was the sixth shutout of the year for Cannon, tying him for Kansas City's Kevin Hartman and Real Salt Lake's Nick Rimando for the league lead.

Cannon's biggest save came in the 68th minute. After defender James Riley was called for a controversial foul in the penalty area against TFC striker Abdus Ibrahim, the Reds were awarded a penalty kick. Former MLS MVP Amado Guevara lined up for the shot, but Cannon kept his composure and blocked Guevara's attempt at the left side of the goal.

The 'keeper said that his past experience with Guevara helped him make the save.

"I think Amado has taken a couple of penalty kicks against me and he's gone both ways," Cannon said. "But judging by his penalty kicks in the past I feel like [left is] his stronger side. To be honest, I think if he puts it where he wants it, I don't think the goalie has too much of a chance. I think he kind of got under it a little bit and I was fortunate enough to wait until he struck it.

"You take what you know from a player and playing with them for so long. You go with your gut, since if you don't go with your gut, when I sit at the hotel tonight I'll be second-guessing myself."

It was the fourth scoreless draw of the year for San Jose, whose 11 goals scored in 17 games are by far the lowest total in Major League Soccer. The Quakes acquired midfielder Fernando Lima and strikers Darren Huckerby and Scott Sealy earlier in the week in an attempt to shake up the moribund attack, and the trio were all in the lineup against Toronto.

Lima and Huckerby came off for substitutions in the 63rd and 64th minute, respectively, due to the fact that both players aren't fully fit since their former club's seasons ended in May. Saturday's match, according to Huckerby, was the first time that all three new players really had a chance to spend an extended amount of time playing with each other.

"Scott only met the lads yesterday and me and Lima only met at the beginning of the week," Huckerby said. "It was tough. Three days training in two months. You know it's very hard to get into the game but like I say the first one's out of the way now and I'm looking forward to getting back and start playing a few home games and we'll see how it goes."

There is really nowhere to go but up for the Quakes as they head into the All-Star break last in MLS with 14 points. San Jose begins a three-game homestand on July 27 against the New York Red Bulls.

Nowak makes final roster selections

You can't always get what you want.

And no one has to remind U.S. men's Olympic coach Peter Nowak of that when it came to selecting his three overage players for the U.S. men's Olympic team.

On paper, the three over-23 players would have been the best fit for the team was goalkeeper Tim Howard, defender Carlos Bocanegra and forward Landon Donovan.

But with all due respect to the Olympics, the World Cup team still gets preference over what is an under-23 tournament (plus three overage players a side).

So, that trio is expected to perform for the U.S. national team in a World Cup qualifier in Guatemala Aug. 20. If the USA advanced to the medal round in Beijing, those three would have been lost for the qualifier. While the U.S. isn't a favorite to get that far, you have to remember that the 2000 team played for a bronze medal (and lost) in Sydney.

Instead, when Nowak unveiled his 18-man roster Thursday, he named former Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan, New England Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst and former Columbus Crew and U.S. national team striker Brian McBride, who wants to play for the Chicago Fire, as the three overage players.

"We have three really great overage players who can contribute to this team," said Nowak, who is an assistant for the full national side under head coach Bob Bradley.

They're solid players, but except for a 36-year-old McBride (who could very well be the oldest U.S. male soccer player to perform in the Olympics), they don't have much international experience.

Nowak said that Donovan, a forward with the Los Angeles Galaxy, was considered for the Olympic team, but there were other priorities.

"We still feel very strongly about Landon's contributions to the senior team," he said. "As much as I would love to have him, needs are needs. World Cup qualifiers are not simple games. We still have both teams, very competitive teams, and we feel good about both teams' chances."

Nowak wouldn't blame CONCACAF for scheduling World Cup qualifying dates right smack in the middle of the Olympics.

"This is the best team that we could have selected and I feel very good about this group," he said. "This is our team for the games that we will play. Let's focus and concentrate on the games. Let's do the best we possibly can in order to accomplish the goals we want to accomplish. Let's not play the blame game right now. We just want to make sure that the teams that compete in the Olympic Games and the World Cup qualifiers are competitive teams."

Perhaps the biggest was the naming of Crew forward Robbie Rogers, who has scored five goals in 16 games.

"It's no secret that Robbie has [had] a great season ... and the whole team is playing very well," Nowak said. "In the last couple of months, Robbie started to play the game everybody loved to see him play. He's had a lot of very significant progress in the last six, seven months and this is good to see. He's healthy, he's fit, he's scoring goals and he's helping his team win. ... He fits the picture very well."

And so does Guzan, who will miss preseason training with his new English Premiership club (Aston Villa, who is seeking a work permit for him). Nowak said he felt Guzan was the best option.

"Brad knows the players very well," he said. "With the whole team spirit and team unity situation, Brad shows he has similar qualities to our younger players. He has played very good in competitive games vs. England and Spain. He is a good goalkeeper but also is someone who can be around those players and can feel like he has something to prove.

"As much as we love Aston Villa, there was a clear message from Brad that he wanted to play in this tournament. There will be enough time for Brad to establish himself as the first-string 'keeper with Aston Villa."

Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake), who helped backstop the U.S. in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, will back up Guzan.

Parkhurst, who is 24, is the oldest player of a backline that includes Michael Orozco (San Luis, Mexico), Nate Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC) and Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo).

Parkhurst, the 2007 MLS Defender of the Year, is the lynchpin of the New England backline, but has made only three international appearances.

"It is not necessarily about how many caps he has, but the experience he has," Nowak said. "From a personality standpoint, Michael is a good selection. He's an underrated defender. I think he does a great job with the Revolution. They've played big games in the past. My experience with him last year at the Gold Cup was very good, and that's why I took this route."

The midfield is easily the strongest and deepest platoon.

Freddy Adu (Benfica, Portugal), the team's qualifying MVP, is the attacking force and an extremely dangerous option on free kicks.

"Freddy is maturing in a very good way right now," Nowak said. "He did most of the work himself, and he started to see things during camps and progressed with his mentality and overall game. You can see his progress with the senior team games. I ... am pleased to see the progress."

Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA) and ex-Crew player Danny Szetela (Brescia, Italy) are other offensive options while Holland-based Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen, formerly with the MetroStars) and Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), who can play the backline as well, are the leading candidates in the defensive or holding roles. Stuart Holden (Houston) and Benny Feilhaber (Derby County, England) will be pushing the others for starting spots.

Up front, McBride probably will be joined by former Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore (Villarreal, Spain) in the other starting spot, while Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF, Sweden) and Rogers are expected to come off the bench.

McBride, who had retired from international competition two years ago, played in three World Cups and is the only U.S. player to have scored in two. He is out of contract after helping Fulham avoid relegation from the English Premiership. "He's a great professional, a great guy to be around, brings in a lot of experience," Nowak said. "He's going to be very vital to our team. I'm really pleased and very thankful that he has considered to play with this team. I think for his career, these Olympic games would be the cherry on the cake."

McBride hasn't played a competitive match in two months, but Nowak said the team has a program for him and other European players to get back into the swing of things.

"We're going to have more personalized workouts," he said. "We have to make sure that the groups will work together at some point and will match fitness at some point -- to have both groups on the same page. ... We've already done our homework with that and know how to accommodate our players needs to get them ready for the Japan game."

The team will train in San Jose, Calif. prior to departing for Hong Kong July 25 and play in the ING Cup, facing Olympic participants Ivory Coast July 30 and Cameroon Aug. 2.

In Group B play, the U.S. will play Japan in Tianjin Aug. 7 against Japan, the Netherlands in Tianjin Aug. 10 and Nigeria in Beijing Aug. 13.

"It's no secret that the group we are playing is very difficult, probably one of the toughest groups in the whole tournament," Nowak said. "But if you all play the tournament like that, when it's the 16 best teams in the world, you never have an easy group."

"We are looking forward to this challenge and I feel very good about the group of players. During our qualifiers, they showed a lot of team unity and spirit, and that was a very important factor in qualifying for the Olympic Games."

Chivas' Nurse thrown into the fire

CARSON, Calif. -- For the last year, Roberto Nurse made the best of a bad situation.

After Nurse and his club Queretaro were relegated from the Mexican Primera Division, the Mexico City native turned up his goal-scoring fury. He torched Mexico's Primera A (second division) by scoring a league-high 17 goals between the Apertura '07 and Clausura '08 campaigns.

Still, Nurse had all the goals but none of the glory. When his time with Queretaro was over, Nurse wanted nothing to do with Mexico's second level.

"I decided to leave Mexico because I felt that I was stuck in a league that nobody cares about," Nurse said. "What interests me most is to succeed, to accomplish significant achievements and I think this is a good option. I just have to work hard to score goals."

With Chivas USA, Nurse quickly learned how much he was valued. Just one day after he signed with the Red-and-White, and hours after he received the necessary paperwork to play, Nurse started Chivas USA's SuperLiga tilt against Santos Laguna.

On a squad that has been depleted by injuries since the start of the season, Nurse is a welcomed addition. There will be an adjustment period, however, as Wednesday's match was the start of the process.

"He did OK. Obviously (it was) the first time on the field with this group of players," Chivas USA coach Preki said after Wednesday's match. "The game was fast and he had a little bit difficulty adjusting himself to this type of game. To be fair to him, he played 45 minutes and gave us some minutes so we can rest some of the guys."

Without Nurse, Preki likely would have had to have either started Ante Razov or Anthony Hamilton or adjusted the lineup in some manner. Maykel Galindo and Alecko Eskandarian have battled injury for most of the season while Justin Braun is out for as much as two weeks with a knee injury.

If and when the forwards begin to regain their health, the competition for minutes will likely be intense, but it's one Nurse said he's up for.

"It's going to be interesting. Possibly the ones who are in better form will get the starting spot," Nurse said. "But it's all up to me and how hard I work. That's how you achieve success. Nothing is impossible. I know I can accomplish it. I'm here for a reason and I believe I've got a good opportunity here."

Working hard is what Nurse does best, he said, and that's the only way he will be able to reach his goals.

"I expect the best from myself," Nurse said. "I want to score as many goals as possible as that's always what I try to achieve as a forward. I've got to work and follow the coaches' orders and when called upon I need to be ready."

Having spent his entire career in Mexico, Nurse said he knew little of Major League Soccer. In time, though, both his knowledge of the league and the United States will increase. It helps that Nurse speaks English.

"I know very little of the league. I've just been learning about it since I got here," he said. "In reality, this league is not thought of or followed very much in Mexico. It's an important league but in Mexico it's not given the necessary respect. I think that showed (on Wednesday) because I believe Santos was overconfident against us and they were pretty surprised."

One of the major perks for Nurse is the opportunity to play with Claudio Suarez. Nurse said having the opportunity to play with Mexico's all-time national team appearance leader humbled him.

"It's an honor. The man is an institution in Mexico and here as well," Nurse said. "It's fantastic to have the chance to play with him and train with him. Aside from being a great player, he's a great person and it's really a pleasure to be with him."