Dynamo fans you can access the live radio show from last night at www.790thesportsanimal.com, click podcasts, click Glenn Davis. Hear interviews from Craig Waibel, Dominic Kinnear and Colorado coach Fernando Clavijo.

*My thanks to all the great DYNAMO FANS who made it out to STAGS HEAD PUB last night for the live radio show.
It is great to see support for establishments that are actually putting money behind the game through advertising. This enables the sport to stay on the air .

*ITALY and FRANCE is must see tv today on ESPN 2 at 1:30 cst. STAGS HEAD PUB will have it on today near Sheperd and 59.

* Just can’t see BRIAN CHING not returning for this Saturday’s match at Colorado (HDNET). With an 8-0 cushion without knowing for sure I believe BOB BRADLEY the U.S. manager will let him come back to the Orange this weekend.

* HEALTHY MEDIA PRESSURE IS A MUST.
Caller on the show last night made a great point about the media and it’s growth. But remember players are putting it out there each and every game and are open to criticism. That is a fact and a reality and we must remember the times when the sport was thirsting for any coverage.
You can be critical in my opinion as long as you back it up with information. It is important for the fan to talk about the game of soccer and debate.
Yes Patrick Ianni made a poor decision leading to the first goal because he had no need to go in on Kheli Dube over in the corner. As a defender he should have just held him up and sealed off the end line. Yes he was over-agressive as a defender and made a poor choice. Naive defending….you bet in my opinion.
Tony Caig clearly did not get his hands up on the second goal. Poor goalkeeping victimizing the Dynamo, you bet.
It seemed as though he was surprised? It was strange and a hard one to explain.
Should Stuart Holden have stutter stepped taking his penalty against the leagues hottest goalkeeper in Matt Reis? In my opinion a clear no. Reis is the last goalkeeper in the league that you should experiment with. To beat him it has to be hit with power. Individual mistakes are costly and stick out to the fan yet how different could this game have been if Brian Mullan finished a clear 1v1 in the first 26 seconds? Was Mullan criticized in a healthy manner?
This is why sports are played and there is competition , don’t forget human error is a part of it.
Just ask Peter Cech of the Czech Republic.
You must have sound reasoning to back up your criticisms in my opinion.

The media and healthy pressure in the future is going to be very important to the growth of MLS. Consider the markets in the league that have poor media coverage and you can see the link it has to making soccer grow. Without media coverage you do not have a buzz, it’s harder to sell sponsors and make people believers in the game. Not sure I would want to be in ticket sales in certain MLS markets with the lack of buzz in the media. Makes the job of the front office staff more difficult.

BARCELONA FIRE SALE
SAMUEL ETO’O, RONALDINHO AND DECO are rumored to all be on the move from Barcelona during this summer’s transfer period.

Dynamo fans you can access the live radio show from last night at www.790thesportsanimal.com, click podcasts, click Glenn Davis. Hear interviews from Craig Waibel, Dominic Kinnear and Colorado coach Fernando Clavijo.

*My thanks to all the great DYNAMO FANS who made it out to STAGS HEAD PUB last night for the live radio show.
It is great to see support for establishments that are actually putting money behind the game through advertising. This enables the sport to stay on the air .

*ITALY and FRANCE is must see tv today on ESPN 2 at 1:30 cst. STAGS HEAD PUB will have it on today near Sheperd and 59.

* Just can’t see BRIAN CHING not returning for this Saturday’s match at Colorado (HDNET). With an 8-0 cushion without knowing for sure I believe BOB BRADLEY the U.S. manager will let him come back to the Orange this weekend.

* HEALTHY MEDIA PRESSURE IS A MUST.
Caller on the show last night made a great point about the media and it’s growth. But remember players are putting it out there each and every game and are open to criticism. That is a fact and a reality and we must remember the times when the sport was thirsting for any coverage.
You can be critical in my opinion as long as you back it up with information. It is important for the fan to talk about the game of soccer and debate.
Yes Patrick Ianni made a poor decision leading to the first goal because he had no need to go in on Kheli Dube over in the corner. As a defender he should have just held him up and sealed off the end line. Yes he was over-agressive as a defender and made a poor choice. Naive defending….you bet in my opinion.
Tony Caig clearly did not get his hands up on the second goal. Poor goalkeeping victimizing the Dynamo, you bet.
It seemed as though he was surprised? It was strange and a hard one to explain.
Should Stuart Holden have stutter stepped taking his penalty against the leagues hottest goalkeeper in Matt Reis? In my opinion a clear no. Reis is the last goalkeeper in the league that you should experiment with. To beat him it has to be hit with power. Individual mistakes are costly and stick out to the fan yet how different could this game have been if Brian Mullan finished a clear 1v1 in the first 26 seconds? Was Mullan criticized in a healthy manner?
This is why sports are played and there is competition , don’t forget human error is a part of it.
Just ask Peter Cech of the Czech Republic.
You must have sound reasoning to back up your criticisms in my opinion.

The media and healthy pressure in the future is going to be very important to the growth of MLS. Consider the markets in the league that have poor media coverage and you can see the link it has to making soccer grow. Without media coverage you do not have a buzz, it’s harder to sell sponsors and make people believers in the game. Not sure I would want to be in ticket sales in certain MLS markets with the lack of buzz in the media. Makes the job of the front office staff more difficult.

BARCELONA FIRE SALE
SAMUEL ETO’O, RONALDINHO AND DECO are rumored to all be on the move from Barcelona during this summer’s transfer period.

Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear and defender Craig Waibel will be live at Stags Head Pub tonite near Sheperd and 59 for live radio on 790TheSportsAnimal.
The pair will discuss the upcoming Dynamo game against Colorado plus take phone calls from fans throughout the evening with host Glenn Davis.
Call in number is 713-212-5790 and the show streams live on the internet at 790thesportsanimal.com

Topics of discussion: Lionel Messi to Houston July 5th
Dynamo loss to NE, Dynamo at Colorado
European Championships
Shellas Hyndmann to coach FC Dallas to be joined by former RSL coach John Ellinger
Brazil bested by Paraguay

This large world of soccer just continues to produce amazing drama, shocking results and eye catching performances.
Here are a few from this weekend:

PARAGUAY upsets BRAZIL: Predictably fan of Brazil are calling for head coach DUNGA’s head after a 2-0 loss.
Maybe the real story here is PARAGUAY? After all they won on goals from ROQUE
SANTA CRUZ and SALVADOR CABANAS. DYNAMO fans know CABANAS as a part of
the CLUB AMERICA squad that the Dynamo defeated last year in the SUPERLIGA.
PARAGUAY are top of SOUTH AMERICAN WORLD CUP qualifying.

TURKISH COMEBACK OVER CZECH REPUBLIC: CHELSEA goalkeeper PETER CECH’s nightmare handling of a cross aiding
abetting in this disastrous loss. TURKEY produce amazing theatre with striker
NIHAT scoring twice and getting the game winner. Three goals in around 15
minutes and TURKEY go from the brink of elimination to the final 8 teams.
BREATHTAKING win and I know my friends in the TURKISH community could still
celebrating.

MEXICO 2 BELIZE:0 THE real story here is that an amazing 50,000 fans come out to RELIANT STADIUM to see MEXICO play an
amateur team. Do they even have a soccer field in BELIZE? CARLOS VELA gets the game winner and
JARED BORGETTI scores a stoppage time penalty kick.

U.S. 8 BARBADOS 0 DYNAMO BRIAN CHiNG hits for a hat-trick while Texas native CLINT DEMPSEY hits inside the first
minute to set the tone at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. Definetly not going to watch the
replay of this game. Not much to be learned from this except that the U.S. got the needed result.

HOY TV! GERMANY VS. AUSTRIA ESPN CHANNELS
Germany must win today to advance in EURO 2008 and come back after being dismantled by the CROATIANS.
POLAND and CROATIA wrap up the group play that presents possibilities.
Come on, you know the Germans will advance.

DYNAMO ALL ACCESS returns to STAGS HEAD PUB tonite near SHEPERD and 59 for live soccer talk on the radio.
Dynamo players will be in attendance so come out and join me tonite from 7-9 pm as we break down the Dynamo, Euro2008 and qualifiers from around the world. DYNAMO and FREE KICK MASTER ticket giveaways plus we hear from you at 713-212-5790. Call in and talk your game!!!

STREAMING LIVE ON THE INTERNET AT 790THESPORTSANIMAL.COM

Servus aus Wien! Greetings from Vienna! Euro 2008 Blog

The flags were out for the 2002 World Cup final. The country was swept up after the 1-0 group stage win vs. Poland in 2006 that continued weeks after the World Cup despite the semi-final loss vs Italy. Three weeks BEFORE Euro 2008, cars and windows in Germany had flags out all over. With all the expectations going into this tournament, the Germans are devastated after the loss to Croatia on Thursday. The entire country felt a place in the next round should already be booked, similar to Portugal, Holland and Spain – so far the class of Euro 2008. But now, the pre-tournament favorites have to win vs. surprisingly solid Austria. Before the match Thursday night, both Austria and Poland knew the German result, so points would help their campaigns. And both teams came out playing their hearts out. The Austrians were definitely better, missing the goal by inches several times and not getting the lucky bounce. With a loud crowd behind them, the Poles took the lead that seemed to deflate the other side. However, the Austrians kept fighting and when the penalty went in, the home crowd woke up and drowned the visitors’ sorrows. And after the match, all the Austrian fans could talk about was the next match and facing their giant neighbor for a chance to kick the Germans out of the tournament. A tournament in which they were not given much of a chance, in fact considered the weakest of both host nations. But they have played worthy of a chance to play on, and now play a German side that is wobbling on defense, health, and confidence.

And what about the rest of the tournament?? Only the Swiss and defending champs Greece are out. Portugal, Holland and Spain have secured top spots in their respective groups. Sunday’s winner takes-it-all match between the Czech Republic and Turkey kicks off a week of exciting matches. Back in 2004, I thought since I was new to European football that was why I was swept up into the color, pageantry and excitement. However, after witnessing the match in Vienna Thursday night near the Polish corner and surrounded by vocal Austrians, I realized why this is such an awesome tournament. The fans remind me of college sports fans – everyone, I mean EVERYONE, are wearing the colors (Vienna was draped in red the whole day), singing the songs, cheering at every play and cursing every foul. And, the quality of play is top notch. That’s what makes this tournament a little more exciting than the World Cup where weak teams from questionable confederations qualify. Despite a long league season and injured star players, all the teams are deep in talent and determined to be the best in the continent. I hope all this translates over the tube for all watching. If not, a trip in four years time to Poland and the Ukraine is necessary for soccer fans. I’ll be back with reaction from after the Group B decider between German and Austria. Bis dann, until next time, Salman.

DC United absolutely blew out the New York Red Bulls at RFK Stadium tonite 4-1
A Luciano Emilio hat trick led the way on a night DC controlled every facet of the game.
Jaime Moreno, Fred and Santino Quaranta all produced excellent perfomances on a night New York without Juan Pablo Angel and Claudio Reyna.
DC United fans provided the perfect back-drop for a one-sided affair that produced scintillating goals on a rainy DC night.
Quaranta’s face was emblazoned on the front page of the Washington Post sports pages this morning when I woke up. I don’t recall many photos of MLS players of this size other than maybe David Beckham ever showing up in the sports pages.
The article was all about Quaranta’s personal life and drug addiction .
According to my sources Quaranta did not go to the newspaper but was questioned about his drug use and addiction which led to the article.
All I can say is thankfully Santino Quaranta is in recovery.

This is a pretty remarkable story.
Check out Steven Goff’s article about DC United midfielder and his drug addiction problems at Washingtonpost.com.
Significant because MLS has had few incidents to our knowledge about players and addiction problems and even in the case of Quaranta it was not made public.
This piece comes out around the time that Quaranta seems to be turning his game around and reminding us of the talent he brought to the league when he was 16. For his sake I am glad that he has a shot at turning his life around. Not his career, but his life.
They always say that addicts are the best liars and apparently Quaranta pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes.
I guess the easy thing to say is where was the adult support system in his life during these time periods?
DC United takes on New York tonite at 6:30 PM cst on HDNET.

The DYNAMO were punished after making self inflicted mistakes at home and were never able to recover against the NE REVOLUTION who are unbeaten in their last six games. Concede New England two goals these days with the way goalkeeper MATT REIS is performing and you will be beaten. He along with JON BUSCH and PAT ONSTAD are the tops in the league.

The game last night serves as a look into the future for the DYNAMO and many teams around MLS. International and Olympic call ups are going to stretch rosters and pose huge consistency challenges for teams like the DYNAMO.

But before you give me the arguement that the Dynamo were missing BRIAN CHING, DWAYNE DEROSARIO AND PAT ONSTAD please be fair and understand that NE was missing TAYLOR TWELLMAN, SHALRIE JOSEOPH, KHANO SMITH AND KENNY MANSALLY.

Here are my thoughts on last night and I start with the GOOD:

*ATTENDANCE: 14,655 on a Thursday night is fantastic. Lets face it. MLS PRIME TIME ON ESPN has unfortunately been played in environments that have been less than passionate. Last night’s atmosphere was a winner as were the fans. I sat in the crowd in two different areas on the evening and it is awesome to hear the fan support ! I had a great chance to talk with alot of fans!!!

*EL BATTALON AND TEXIAN ARMY- What can you say! These groups are amazing for the atmosphere althought I still miss them meshed together but I do get having them at both ends where the magnet for energy is amazing. I find myself gazing up at the flags and passion on many occasions and wonder what it would be like to be inside that mosh pit!!! I am sure other fans think the same thing. Awesome!

*STUART HOLDEN- he is growing in this central midfeld role and for me was the Dynamo’s best attacking player. Really was the one guy that provided ideas on the ball in the abscence of DeRosario. Solid work ethic as well. Seems to get better in the middle as gets more games in this position. Young players take note of the respect his skill set gets from opponents. Must play quicker out of the middle and get ball going forward quicker in the future.

*CORY ASHE-the young midfielder has also grown and is not as predictable as he was last year as a rookie. Upside is here.

*FRANCO CARACCIO- received huge applause when he came on and drew a penalty. Not a bad effort after not seeing the field for awhile.

THE NOT SO GOOD:

26 SECONDS IN BRIAN MULLAN HAS A 1 ON 1 with REIS and is denied. Score this goal and the night could have been much different.

MISTAKES AND YOU ARE CHASING THE GAME: PATRICK IANNI got caught overcomitting out wide on the first goal as Kheli Dube avoided him. Ianni just needed to hold him in the corner. Ultimately STEVE RALSTON got the easiest goal of his MLS career as he was completely unmarked.

TONY CAIG didn’t seem to get his hands up on the second goal from Dube and looked as though it went in off his chest. To be fair I was at the other end of the stadium but even from their it looked bizzare.

MOVEMENT UP FRONT: Didn’t look very good. Geoff Cameron as a forward struggled in this postion promoted Dominic Kinnear to move him out wide in the second half. Brian Mullan impression was limited .

CHASING THE GAME: That is what is was but to be fair the DYNAMO made a push and created some chances through CHRIS WONDOLOSKI and others in the second half as NE protected their lead with little want to go forward. That is what you can do on the road with REIS in goal.

RICARDO CLARK: Balanced the team well but wanted to see more of a contribution on the attack on occasion.

HOLDEN penalty miss: Well Holden stepped up and cracked his penalty two years ago to help the Dynamo win an MLS Cup. This time his hesitation was read like a book by Reis. To beat Reis your penalty has to be hit with significant power.

I have seen reports that the Dynamo played a 4-3-3 ? Or a 4-5-1? Sure looked like a 4-4-2 to me throughout the evening. In the end it was not about a system it was about player performance.

DYNAMO SOCCER REPORT WITH GLENN DAVIS TONITE AT 9:30 PM ON CHANNEL 55
*Interview with head coach Dominic Kinnear and NE goalkeeper Matt Reis.
*Highlights from Dynamo, U.S. and Euro 2008 action
*Rumors, rants and raves plus your viewer email.

FREEKICKMASTERS.COM
Check out this Free Kick Competition at Reliant Stadium July 5th with world stars like Ronaldinho, Alessandro Del Piero, Luis Fabiano, Deco, Rafa Marquez and Jared Borgetti. Dynamo players Dwayne DeRosario and Brad Davis will also compete for 1 million dollars.
Players take Free Kicks from three distances against world class goalkeepers like Oliver Kahn and Kasey Keller.
This should be an amazing assembling of star quality……..

DYNAMO midfielder BRAD DAVIS looks like he may be set to start tonite against the NE Revolution (ESPN2 6:30 cst).
The talented Davis who has had an injury plagued season so far hopes to be a piece of the puzzle that ingnites the Dynamo who will be missing players.
Brian Ching (USA), Dwayne DeRosario (Canada) and Pat Onstad (Canada) will be missed due to World Cup qualifying.
The NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION also will be missing Kenny Mansally (Gambia), Shalrie Joseoph (Grenada) and Khano Smith (Bermuda).
Both coaches Dominic Kinnear of Houston and Steve Nicol of NE will have the challenge of mixing and matching in their line-up tonite.
The Revolution opened the year up with a 3-0 win over the Dynamo at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.
Does the Dynamo youth with Cory Ashe and Stuart Holden continue their strong play in midfield? And who starts up front? Franco Caraccio? Kyle Brown? Chris Wondoloski?

FREE KICK MASTERS TRYOUT

Yes you can be on the field at Reliant Stadium taking Free Kicks against the likes of Ronaldinho, Deco, Juninho and Alessandro Del Piero. Not to mention for you Mexico fans Rafa Marquez and Jared Borgetti. Sunday June 22nd head over to Kicks Indoor Soccer on Sheperd for the tryout and the chance of a lifetime to be on the field with world stars. The first 500 competitors will recieve a free ticket to the FREE KICK MASTERS event July 5th at Reliant Stadium.

FREEKICKMASTERSUSA.COM

The replacement for Avram Grant apparently was the favorite.
According to ESPN Scolari currently coaching Portugal in Euro 2008 will take over Chelsea beginning July 1.
Scolari was the odds on favorite and now the question is what will defender Ricardo Carvalho do? Will he leave Chelsea?
A good move for Chelsea? You tell me………