Dominic Kinnear the Houston Dynamo manager made a point that it has taken a huge effort to get to the top of the Western Conference and that it will take an even bigger effort to remain there.
Hear his full interview at 790thesportsanimal.com, click podcast, click Glenn Davis.

The Dynamo now take on the Austin Aztex tomorrow night in Austin in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and then Kansas City on Saturday which is a game that can be seen on KHOU 11.2 and FOX SPORTS HOUSTON. KC will be without Davey Arnaud and Jimmy Conway who are two cornerstones of their squad.
The Dynamo will get back midfielder Ricardo Clark from U.S. duty!!!

So without Stuart Holden, Brian Ching and Andrew Hainault how do you want to see the Dynamo come out?

FIESTA TICKETMASTER is the place for Concacaf Gold Cup and World Football Challenge tickets featuring CHELSEA and CLUB AMERICA.
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Interesting interview with former Tampa Bay Rowdie and Manchester City player Rodney Marsh plus Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear on the 1-0 loss at LA. Lots of great calls as well.
What did you think of this version of Dynamo All Access with Glenn Davis.

The U.S. National team may not have won the Confederations Cup against Brazil but they made it interesting.
A first half of intelligent play, great goalkeeping from Tim Howard and a stunning counter-attack goal from Landon Donovan had the U.S. positioned at half time for what could have been another historic win……In the second half Brazil morphed into the giant soccer playing nation they are and after relentless attack eventually wore down the United States producing three goals to win 3-2.
Brazilian defender Lucio headed in a corner kick that would be decisive.

So how do you feel about the U.S. National team after this match?

LA 1 Dynamo 0

Meanwhile in Carson , CA the Dynamo undefeated run came to end against the LA Galaxy.
Not one of the better games aesthetically LA edge out the Dynamo on a 24th minute goal after the Dynamo defended an LA corner poorly.
Donovan Ricketts denied Cam Weaver late of an equalizer while Brian Ching seemed to be pulled down in the penalty area.
Kei Kamara and Ching were in on a 2 on 1 that looked promising but Kamara’s final ball was never completed.
The game was more about grit and determination and the Dynamo never seemed cohesive in this one.
What did you think about the LA/Dynamo match on Espn 2/

The challenge for U.S. manager Bob Bradley will be how to replace his own son who is not eligible today against Brazil in the Confederations Cup final.
That vital area of the middle of the field, that vital area in front of the U.S back four always has to be controlled and managed.
Yes, the U.S. will need to keep these lines tight against the likes of Kaka but who will partner Ricardo Clark?
Benny Feilhaber seems to be the player that U.S. manager Bob Bradley has hinted towards but will Feilhaber be able to provide the ethic to go along with his intelligent moments on the ball? Sacha Klejstan could be the other option and the two could share in this role over the course of 90 minutes. This is a big question today on a big day for the sport in the United States.
By the way did you see the additional support on Espn sports center?
It will be a rare moment when the United States takes on Brazil tomorrow in South Africa for the Confederations Cup title.
So will you watch it? Where will you be ?
This is another one of those indelible moments where soccer leaders can encourage their youth clubs, teams and son’s and daughters to be a part of what will be an exciting opportunity.
After watching South Africa compete against Brazil, who is to say a confident U.S. team can compete with mighty Brazil?

I have also heard of alot of watch parties being organized and adults taking the lead for a great soccer moment.
Tomorrow at 1 cst is a great opportunity to recognize the big picture.
I have heard the Mezzanine Lounge a radio sponsor is having a watch party as well as others.

The Dynamo will provide the nightcap in Carson, CA tomorrow night when they take on the Galaxy in espn 2 and I am looking forward to doing the call of this game with Kyle Martino. Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear has selection challenges at outside back with both Wade Barrett and Craig Waibel not available. Who would you play there and do the Dynamo continue their run of unbeaten play.
Dynamo look to extend unbeaten string to 12 games…

The Argentine Football Association has signed manager Diego Maradona to a contract extension.
According to reports from the press his extension will pay him 1.2 million dollars and run through the end of World Cup qualifying.
The Argentina FA highlighted the fact that large crowds have come out to support the squad which has in turn satisfied sponsors.
Makes you wonder the criteria for signing a manager these days.
Argentina has struggled in World Cup qualifying losing in Bolivia 6-1 at altitude while the Juan Roman Riquelme episode has also created turmoil.
I wonder how the sponsors will like it if for some crazy occurrence they were not able to make it to South Africa?
Yes, I know it is Argentina……..

ANDREW HAINAULT has been called up by Canada to play in the Gold Cup and is with them in Los Angeles. Hainault joins U.S. choices Brian Ching and Stuart Holden for the United States.
The Dynamo said to be the best in MLS by many will be tested during the Gold Cup period.
Mexico will play Panama here in July and Monday on Dynamo All Access with Glenn Davis I will be giving a number of pairs of tickets away.
They can also be purchased along with CHELSEA vs. CLUB AMERICA tickets at FIESTA TICKETMASTER locations.

SUNDAY

U.S. vs Brazil Confederations Cup Final at 1pm CST on ESPN
Dynamo at LA at 9:30 PM on Espn 2

As a manager you are the leader of a squad and are responsible ultimately for performances.
It may have been fair to criticism the U.S. prior to recent results but manager Bob Bradley deserves credit for some of the moves he made against both Egypt and Spain.

*Against Egypt his move to push Clint Dempsey forward produced the key third goal that helped advance the U.S.

*In the Spain game Bradley pulled off a master move by not changing or disrupting his center back pairing of Jay Demerit and Oguchi Onyewu. Instead he brought back into the fold Carlos Bocanegra and played him at left back where he plays in France in place of Jonathan Bornstein. Bocanegra stayed close to the center-backs and conceded space wide but in the end DeMerit and Onyewu dealt well with crosses from wide areas.

Defending deep was out of necessity and at times it was amazingly thick with white U.S. shirts who really never conceded many clear chances. It was also amazing how deep the U.S. was at times without giving up a goal.

Does Bradley deserve more credit as a manager?

BRAZIL 1 SOUTH AFRICA 0

Brazil advanced to the Confederations Cup final this Sunday with a 1-0 win over South Africa. An amazing Danny Alves free kick was the difference after he came on as a second half sub and scored late. The U.S. will take alot of confidence out of the effort also that South Africa produced against Brazil.
The game will air this Sunday on Espn at 1pm CST ……..

Thank you to sponsors: Zukowski, Bresenhan and Sinex
Fiesta
Sterling Bank
Texas AM womens soccer
San Jacinto College Coyote Soccer
Mark West Pinot Noir
Mezzanine Lounge
Houston Football Association
Turquoise Grill

What a day it is to wake up a U.S. Soccer fan.
A 2-0 win over Spain that resonated around the world has done alot for the psyche of the sport for the moment in this country.
This was a result that even the mainstream media in some cases had to pick up but more importantly it is a win that draws a direct line to the grass roots level and has brought optimism ahead of the World Cup next summer in South Africa.

One moment to focus on out of many:

JOZY ALTIDORE TURNING SPANISH DEFENDER JOAN CAPDEVILA:
This was defending at it’s worst when Capdevila made the poor judgement to try and come around Altidore to win a tackle.
The 19 year old then used his body to roll Capdevila away and then scored the game’s first goal.
It was less than honest defending against arguably the strongest man (or teenager) on the field. Capdevila also should have known better as the two played together at Villareal in Spain.

SOUTH AFRICA VS. BRAZIL
Airs today on Espn at 1:30 cst. Opportunity to see who the U.S. will play in the Confederations Cup Final.
Can the “Bafana Bafana” take a page out of the U.S. book and get motivation from the home fans?

RIQUELME SAYS NO GO
Juan Roman Riquelme of Boca Jrs. has no intention of returning to the Argentine national team or playing under Diego Maradona.
Despite the pleas from Julio Grondona who is hoping Riquelme will reach out to Maradona.
Maradona was never the right man for this job……What do you say?

MEXICO 4 VENEZUELA 0
While the U.S. stunned Spain, silently in Georgia at the Georgia Dome , Mexico defeated Venezuela 4-0 in a friendly getting two goals from Giovanny Dos Santos.
Next up is Guatemala for Mexico and new coach Javier Aguirre.

SOUTH TEXAS YOUTH SHUT OUT OF NATIONALS
The region 3 tournament is complete and despite advancement to that stage by teams in South Texas none have advanced to the national championships which take place in Lancaster, Mass.
North Carolina led the way with 4 teams at both the boys and girls levels followed by South Carolina with 2 teams and Georgia with two teams.
Still it is an achievment to get to the regional championships so congratulations to all the teams in the area that did!

CHING/HOLDEN GOLD CUP BOUND
Brian Ching and Stuart Holden have been called up to the U.S. National team to play in the Gold Cup in July.
Ching was penciled in to go with the U.S. to the Confederations Cup but pulled out with a hamstring problem and made his return in MLS last weekend.
Both he and Holden will be on display on national tv this Sunday night when the Dynamo play in LA after the Confederations Cup final.
Tickets for the GOLD CUP and CHELSEA VS. CLUB AMERICA in Arlington, TX at the new Cowboys stadium can be purchased at a discount at FIESTA TICKETMASTER outlets!
Get them now…

What is your favorite moment from yesterdays U.S. win over Spain?

I asked the question in the prior blog and we got the response!
The United States lived up to the moment defeating Spain against all odds 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Confederation’s Cup.
The normal collective spirit and competitive attitude has returned to the U.S. under manager Bob Bradley and buoyed by goals from 19 year old Jozy Altidore and Texan native Clint Dempsey the United States produced a stunning win against a team that had not lost in 35 games and had won 15 straight.
So as Fernando Torres, Carlos Puyol, and David Villa are knocked out of the Confederations Cup, the United States who were on the brink of elimination and had been beaten by both Brazil and Italy have reminded us that with an overall plan and players working for each other that they can compete with the best in the world on any given day.
Stunning, beautiful, passionate, gut wrenching and bone chilling all at the same time!
What a prideful moment for U.S. Soccer !

Give me your thoughts on the day and who was your star man!

IF YOU MISSED THE GAME IT WILL AIR ON ESPN TONITE AS AN INSTANT CLASSIC at 10:00 pm central time!

You beat Egypt 3-0, Brazil gives you a gift by knocking off Italy of all people 3-0 and what is your reward?
An OPPORTUNITY to play the world’s number one team who have one 15 consecutive games and are unbeaten in 35.
Yes, this is a major opportunity and like many I want to see the U.S. national team compete against these giants.
Spain has not lost since 2006 to Romania of all teams.

The last time these two teams met I was sitting at a bar watching the U.S. lose 1-0 on a Xavi Hernandez goal in Spain back on June 4, 2008 six days before Spain began their European Championship quest.
One would have to think after the amazing and exhilirating advancement in this Confederations Cup the U.S. will live up to the moment and have a good showing against the Spaniards.
Could Spain underestimate the U.S.? This is why we play the game and like you I am looking forward to seeing it play out.

Don’t forget, Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark is expected to get another run in midfield today and build on what has been a solid performance in the Confederations Cup.
How do you see this playing out?

SOUTH AFRICA WOES

It is not all roses and wine in South Africa. Reports out of the country have large concerns over crime and security.
Apparently both Egypt and Brazil have suffered incidents with money stolen from rooms, corrupt police officers asking for bribes and four British tourists were car jacked by robbers who took off with their car.
South Africa apparently has one of the highest murder rates in the world with close to 50 people a day losing their lives according to a report on Yahoo.
The security minister of South Africa is downplaying concerns.
On another note FIFA gave away 70,000, yes 70,000 free tickets so South Africans could attend the Confederations Cup.
You may have noticed that early matches in the tournament showed lots of empty seats so FIFA decided to “paper” the tournament.

DYNAMO PREPARE
The Dynamo continue training today for their nationally televised broadcast this Sunday night on Espn2 from the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA against the LA Galaxy.
I am not sure how LA will match up against the Dynamo in midfield and if they have the quality and physical level to handle the likes of Brian Mullan, Stuart Holden.
Against San Jose they went with a five man midfield with Mike Magee generally being the quickest to help join in with lone striker Edson Buddle.
LA has lost two in a row and with the playoff system in MLS one does not want to lose touch.
Don’t miss this Dynamo match Sunday night!

Tickets:
The Dynamo won’t be home for awhile until New England heads in to Robertson Stadium at the end of July.
In the meantime get prepped for the Gold Cup and a visit by Mexico plus the World Football Challenge in Arlington, TX featuring Chelsea vs. Club America.
Get your discounted tickets now at FIESTA TICKETMASTER outlets!!!

With Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka now moving to Real Madrid in Spain does this make La Liga the most interesting league in the world? Do you rate it above the EPL? And what about the Serie A in Italy?
It is fair to say that in Spain players get an additional yard or two on the ball and a bit more time to get their head up which may lead to more attractive football and now with the addition of two of the world’s best players things could get even more interesting……….

PODCAST IS UP
Check out the podcast of last night’s Dynamo All Access with Glenn Davis which includes great calls from you the fan plus interesting interviews with Brian Ching (who said he jumped off his couch while watching the Confederations Cup when the U.S. scored against Egypt), Alexi Lalas from Espn and Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear.
Go to 790thesportsanimal.com, click podcasts, click Glenn Davis and listen to your heart’s desire.
And on Brian Ching, don’t be surprised if he is called up to the U.S. National team for the Gold Cup.

DYNAMO STADIUM NEWS
One thing we must commend President Oliver Luck and the Houston Dynamo for is the steadfast belief in that the stadium needs to be in downtown Houston. Still some minor hurdles exist to finish off the deal according to the Houston Business Journal.
It is the only place it belongs in this town and it seems the long, ardous process continues to play out and get closer to glory.
The stadium cost is pegged at $80 million with $60 million of that debt and equity financing covered by the Dynamo ownership group AEG.
With the construction industry hurting the Dynamo now will get much lower estimated costs for the construction of the facility which is expected to hold 21 or 22 thousand fans.
The downtown rail system will be able to drop fans off near the stadium.
Oliver Luck continues to remind Houston that the new stadium is far different than what we have seen in the past with Reliant Stadium, Toyota Center which were 90 percent publicly funded.
New York firm Populous who created the design for the new Yankees and Mets Stadiums have been hired.
Check out the Houston Business Journal for the entire article.

MICHAEL BRADLEY QUOTE
I love the fire in the belly of this kid. Here is what U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley had to say after the U.S. win over Egypt and advancement in the Confederations Cup.
” All the (expletive) experts in America, everybody who thinks they know everything about soccer, they they can all look at the score tonite,” said the coach’s son.
“Lets see what they say now, all right? Nobody has any respect for what we do, for what goes on inside. Let them all talk now.”
I think maybe some natural reaction from a son who was seeing his father Bob Bradley the manager of the squad getting criticized and it is good to see him defending his father.
Not the easiest situation for Michael Bradley to be in but there is no question he has earned his role on the U.S. national team in my humble opinion.
Flip side to criticism is that it happens all over the world on a daily basis to the top teams . Italy’s reception was not a good one after being scorched by Brazil 3-0 and kicked out of the Confederations Cup. Criticism of tactics occurs on a daily basis in Brazil, Argentina, Germany etc.
From a media standpoint it shows that fans in the United States cares…………Looking forward to seeing another solid effort out of the U.S. Wednesday against the number one team in the world SPAIN.

Here is what Landon Donovan had to say after game after being asked if the win over Egypt was vindication.
“I don’t know if vindication is the word. I think we’re just really proud on what we did. I’m a very proud American. This is one of the things that Americans are capable of.
We have a spirit that a lot of people don’t have and we showed it tonite.”

Get your tickets to the GOLD CUP and the WORLD FOOTBALL CHALLENGE between CHELSEA and CLUB AMERICA at FIESTA TICKETMASTER outlets.

Houston Soccer Unsung Hero Award brought to you by FIESTA this week goes to JOE B. NAPIER OF CY FAIR who has selflessly committed to youth soccer.
Congratulations Joe B who receives two tickets to the Gold Cup.
If you have someone who has committed to soccer and fits the unsung hero award bill send your nominations to Rodrigo Deluna of Fiesta at delunar@fiestamart.com or gdavis98@swbell.net
Winners receive tickets to the Gold Cup!