Fanaticos, soccer fans

Set the DVR or catch Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis on Fox Sports Houston presented by Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute at 5pm on Thursday!!!!!!
This weeks show focuses on the Dynamo and LA Galaxy match with thoughts from various Dynamo players and head coach Dominic Kinnear.
Lots of World Cup qualifying talk and highlights ………U.S./ Honduras break-down as well.
Top ten goals bring us some amazing moments from around the world plus viewer mail calls out the youth soccer community, USSF and more.
A can’t miss this week includes comments from Luis Landin on adapting to MLS, how to engage Mexican fans and more……….

So a new Mayor will soon be selected for our fair city.
Bill White will be off to move along his political career while three candidates are hoping to secure the post of Mayor.
According to information that I have gathered and heard two of the three candidates are for the new soccer stadium.
Both Gene Locke and Peter Brown are considered to be in favor of the stadium while Annise Parker seems not to be in favor.

Have your say?

Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis presented by MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE this Thursday on Fox Sports Houston at 5pm

THANKS TO: FIESTA for their support of soccer, DANISH INSPIRATIONS FURNITURE fro their support of soccer, MARK WEST PINOT NOIR for their support of soccer, SOCCERTOTS for their support of soccer………..

Twitter: Soccermattersgd

How things can change in a flash. Charlie Davies scoring goals in the confederations cup, new deal in with a team in French Ligue 1, helps the U.S. qualify for the World Cup finals and in the blink of an eye life has changed after a car accident in the suburbs of Washington D.C..
Davies underwent surgery for several hours and he was listed in serious but stable condition. Tibia and femur in right were broken and he also sustained facial and a fracture in his left elbow.
The accident took place at 3:15 am and according to U.S. Soccer spokesperson Neil Buethe the players were subject to a team curfew on Monday night and Davies apparently was in violation.
Soccer takes a back seat in all of this as a young lady Ashley Roberta 22 years old lost her life. The driver was not identified in the article I read from the AP and heartfelt thoughts go out to the families of all involved.

ARGENTINA vs. URUGUAY today
The River Plate separates these two countries and one wonders what will separate them at the end of 90 minutes. Clearly this may be the most enthralling game on the planet today.
A win for either team and they are in the World Cup with direct passage. Argentina can also advance with a draw if Ecuador do not beat Chile by five goals or more in Santiago.
By the way missing for Monterrey in their exhibition against the Dynamo this past Sunday was the leading scorer in South American World Cup qualifying Humberto Suazo of Chile. He is tied with Brazil’s Luis Fabiano………U.S. take on Costa Rica today from RFK Stadium and it is only available on closed circuit television……gotcha!

KC vs U17 Mens national team

This one makes no sense for me. KC talking recently about winning last two games to have a shot at getting into the playoffs and then schedule a game against the U17 national team which they won 3-0. Nothing like preparing for games playing against 16 year olds. Who makes these decisions?
Not good for KC but good for the U17’s who are preparing for the u17 World Cup under coach Wilmer Cabrera.

BUILD UP TO LA visit vs. the DYNAMO…………The Dynamo/Galaxy game on Sunday at 2pm is taking on huge proportions when it comes to the playoffs and the Western Conference.
Not to mention the star quality that is coming to town in David Beckham and Landon Donovan. The game becomes and opportunity to grow the sport further because of all these other elements that might appeal to the casual sports fan and others.
This is the biggest game since last year’s playoffs against the New York Red Bulls who stunned the Dynamo in front of a sell-out crowd. Cory Ashe’s injury has not be evaluated from a long term perspective but it is clear he will not be available this Sunday which is a huge blow.
Ashe has been a valuable sub off the bench and was hurt by a tackle from Aldo di Nigris of Monterrey. Incidentally it was interesting to watch Duilio Davino’s effort against the Dynamo and then compare it to what he did at FC Dallas. I am convinced he just did not take MLS serious when in Dallas and played with little care or effort. If your remember Davino was consistenly caught positionally with the Hoops while there.

Has anyone heard if local youth soccer associations will be re-scheduling games? This is a no brainer……..Twitter.com: Soccermattersgd

MEMORIAL HERMANN HOSPITAL, FIESTA, MARK WEST PINOT NOIR, DANISH INSPIRATIONS CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE and SOCCER TOTS…all sponsors of Dynamo All Access with Glenn Davis…support these businesses………..

Twitter.com: Soccermattersgd

Will local media will fall asleep at the wheel probably not even recognizing that David Beckham is coming to town with huge playoff implications for the Dynamo against the LA Galaxy. In fact they all missed the U.S. Honduras match and the qualification to the World Cup. Of course we missed it also on “real” television.
So lets see if our local media even pay attention to the Beckham visit because even they know who David Beckham is……of course they will not know who Landon Donovan is?
Just the leader of the U.S. national soccer team and the greatest attacking talent ever produced in this country and the real LA Galaxy attraction. And that is with all due respect because David Beckham has been producing in MLS this year.
Get that gig at AC Milan David but before you go put it out this weekend in Houston because this is a huge playoff match for both teams.
The Dynamo need wins against both LA (who hold tie-breaker) and Chivas USA to finish out the year.

Guests Tuesday night are Dominic Kinnear Dynamo head coach, Eddie Lewis LA Galaxy plus thoughts from Dynamo players on the big match.

Bring it fanaticos at 713-212-5790, streaming at MLSnet.com

Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis on Fox Sports Houston presented by Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute

FIESTA….Danish Inspirations Contemporary Furniture………MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE….Mark West Pinot Noir

twitter.com: Soccermattersgd

Pity the poor souls of the soccer fans that did not make it to Robertson last night missing out on a “great” international feel.
A large contingent of Monterrey Rayado fans made up the majority of the 10,456 fans and they were passionate and vocal not to mention colorful.
El Battalon and the Texian Army also put in great efforts in response to the larger Monterrey contingent.
They were also sent home losers as the Dynamo defeated Monterrey 2-1 in a heated match that had an edge but was a great watch in the first ever Dynamo Charities Cup event.
The Dynamo got goals from Geoff Cameron and Dominic Oduro while Monterrey got a goal from Jesus Zavala.

OVER HIS HEAD
The first thing that was event very quickly was that referee Anthony Russo was way in over his head in this one and I was not surprised that he had trouble with the edge between these two teams. In fact his definition of what was and what was not a foul made it confusing for players. He seemed nervous with all due respect. An incident in front of the Dynamo bench with known “hitter” Felipe Baloy and Cory Ashe got things going while Eddie Robinson and Luis Perez were given red cards after Robinson’s incident with Di Nigris. Baloy and Omar Ortiz were also tossed as both benches emptied .

The Dynamo midfield at one point included John Michael Hayden (assist on Cameron goal) , Mike Chabala, Brad Davis and Eric Ustruck. Cam Weaver and Luis Landin started up front and made way late in the second half for Abe Thompson and Oduro who received a great ball from Craig Waibel on his goal.
Tally Hall produced some key saves and the competitive match could be just the right recipe for the Dynamo before heading into the biggest game of the year against the LA Galaxy with the Western Conference on the line. With 6 points available for the Dynamo in their final two games against the Galaxy and Chivas USA alot of possibilities exist in the west.

With this great turn out of Monterrey fans the win for the Dynamo was important especially after giving up a tying goal. Now we need to invite all those Monterrey fans to be Dynamo fans and join the celebration at Robertson.

SOMETHING MISSED……Most reports on the Argentina 2-1 win vs. Peru game ends with the game winning goal from Martin Palermo in stoppage time. What was missed and I have yet to see a highlight anywhere on tv is that Peru on the ensuing kick-off had a player try to score from the halfway line and he hit the cross-bar. Imagine if that had gone in?
Argentina’s World Cup future is still up in the air as they take on Uruguay on Wednesday in Montevideo.

Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis on Fox Sports Houston is presented by MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE Thursdays at 5pm

FIESTA………DANISH INSPIRATIONS………….MARK WEST PINOT NOIR……….Supports these brands and companies who support your game!!!!
Twitter.com: Soccermattersgd

U.S. IS IN!!!!

Ok before you start saying it’s because of Honduras’s missed chances (cue Carlos Pavon who better get out of Honduras) or the U.S. struggled in midfield just take a deep breath.
It doesn’t matter right now. The U.S. became the only team to beat Honduras in Honduras in this phase and have qualified for a World Cup.
So congratulations to Bob Bradley and his squad and lets celebrate and enjoy the moment. Loosen up a bit. By the way, did you see the U.S. Soccer guru Sunil Gulati celebrating on the sideline……?
Ok on to the game which I caught via the beauty of pirate satellite or whatever you want to call it.

Five second half goals rained down in Honduras and fortunately for the U.S. they had three of them.
Chances abounded for both sides and with Rambo De Leon scoring first for Honduras early in the second half before the U.S. scored three straight goals getting two from Conor Casey and one from Landon Donovan. Donovan set Casey up beautifully on his second goal and then hit a free kick.
DeLeon would get another for Honduras to make it 3-2 and it got a bit dicey at the end for the U.S.
A handball on Jonathan Spector brought Carlos Pavon to the penalty spot with minutes left but Pavon blew his penalty over the top . Moments later he would miss a clear header from five yards out.
Donovan again remains on another level for the U.S….rarely giving the ball away, always making the right decisions and making the right plays. Again he is involved in almost every U.S. goal!!! A relief and off to the World Cup for the U.S.
Thank you Landon and thank you Carlos!

Mexico got it’s ticket punched as well winning over El Salvador 4-1 at Azteca Stadium in front of 100,00 . An own goal forced by Cuauhtemoc Blanco started things off.
Then Blanco scored followed by Paco Palencia and Carlos Vela as El Tri got revenge on El Salvador whom had beaten them in San Salvador earlier.
Mexico was dominant in this one and became the first team to punch a ticket to South Africa followed a few hours by the U.S.

Argentina had the gods of soccer shining on them in Buenos Aires. After taking a 1-0 lead(after Peru hit the crossbar) through Gonzalo Higuain early in the second half they were tied amazingly in stoppage time during a heavy downpour by last place Peru and Hernan Regifo. Boca Jrs. legend Martin Palermo (out of national team for 10 years) then found himself at the back post to tap in the game winner only a minute or so later to continue his lore.
This goal elicited a running belly slide by coach Diego Maradona of Argentina on the rain soaked field …..off the kick-off Peru from half field fired a long range shot that hit the crossbar without Argentina’s goalkeeper Sergio Romero (shaky) getting a hand on it. Now lots of reports missed this and stopped at Palermo but it was an amazing moment…Argentina wins 2-1 by the skin of their teeth but so did Uruguay whom they play next in Montevideo on Wednesday.
Chile qualified for their first World Cup since 1998 with former Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa in charge.

Others like Denmark, Germany booked their places as well today. So what stood out to you on a World Cup qualifying Saturday?

Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis on FOX SPORTS HOUSTON presented by MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE!!!! Every Thursday at 5pm!!
twitter.com: Soccermattersgd

Support our great sponsors: FIESTA who brings us Houston’s Unsung Soccer Hero……..MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE …….DANISH INSPIRATIONS………MARK WEST PINOT NOIR……………Thank you!!

CURRENT TEMPERATURE IN SAN PEDRO SULA, HONDURAS : 91 degrees……..

I have had the good fortune of calling soccer matches in both Mexico and Central America. They have all been astounding experiences in their own way. Different cultures, different soccer and always monster pressure with a chance to beat the United States or a team from the United States.
In the earlier rounds of World Cup qualifying along with John Harkes we called the U.S. vs. Guatemala game in Guatemala City which ended up a 1-0 win for the U.S. on a Carlos Bocanegra header.
I described the match as a “street fight’ because that is exactly what it was and Guatemala spurred on by their fans morphed into a different team.

One thing that I am hoping for from the U.S. is an agressive, alive and confident start. I am hoping the brains are switched on right from the start.
Go back to El Salvador and Costa Rica and these were less than impressive starts. When the U.S. played in Chicago against Honduras it also was a slow start.
Honduras has a number of players that have European pedigree and the support of an entire nation who needs something to be happy about after a June military coup.
Is this game politically charged and could a win over the U.S. unite a nation? Absolutely. It is a rare for a U.S. team in any sport to land in Honduras a fact that is lost on so many of our short-sighted sports media. Think it is pressure at a Rockets, Astros or Texans game. Walk in the park compared to a situation that you feel your safety as a player can be endangered.
So 1350 police and military will be on hand and when I was in Guatemala you go through the process of security and you don’t ask questions. By the way, the Guatemalan people were muy simpatico.
Ok back to tonite, Honduras has EPL players in Maynor Figueroa and Hendry Thomas of Wigan, Wilson Palacios of Spurs not to mention others with a name like David Suazo and the ageless Carlos Pavon at 36 who couldn’t score a goal to save his life in MLS but is a different player in WCup qualifying.

The U.S. will need to rely on the experience of those that have played in these matches and I believe Stuart Holden could get a start in this one as well as Rico Clark.
The teams sound as though they will collide like runaway trains and football might be limited. Landon Donovan has been a god-send for this team and has re-affirmed himself to the U.S. public as the maker of plays on this squad.
What are your thoughts/

twitter.com: Soccermattersgd

Thanks to MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE……DANISH INSPIRATIONS CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE……..FIESTA……MARK WEST PINOT NOIR….

All kinds of interesting matches abound today in World Cup qualifying and I am wondering what games you will be watching. Of course many of you will be watching MLS tonite and or the Mexican national team as the U.S./ Honduras match can only be seen on cctv at places like the RICHMOND ARMS.
I will have an eye on Argentina and Peru, Chile with a shot at qualifying and will watch Sweden and Denmark this afternoon.
What games are you focused on today and what will you be watching?

SOCCER MATTERS with Glenn Davis on Fox Sports Houston today at 3pm presented by Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute (Comcast and ATT Uverse cable systems)

This blog brought to you by…..MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE………FIESTA…………..MARK WEST PINOT NOIR………..DANISH INSPIRATIONS CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE…………………….

twitter.com: SOCCERMATTERSGD

Now I didn’t want to even think about this. Yes I am postive we are going to qualify but what if the U.S. doesn’t? What type of blow for the game would this be in our country?
I really want to think this through yet know it would be a devasting blow.

Before I go further he are the standings in Concacaf:

U.S.A. 16 pts Away to Honduras and home to Costa Rica
Mexico 15 pts Home to El Salvador and away to T&T
Honduras 13 pts Home to U.S.A. and away to El Salvador
Costa Rica 12 pts Home to T&T away to U.S.A.

Say Costa Rica, Mexico and Honduras wins on Saturday……well then it can get scary. Even U.S. national team midfielder Landon Donovan mentioned that he doesn’t want it to go down to the game against Costa Rica in DC next Wednesday. And by the way where would we be without Landon Donovan on the U.S. National team? For that matter where would the LA Galaxy be?
One thing is for sure, you do not want to be fourth in Concacaf and have to face off against number 5 in Conmebol which could possibly be Argentina…….what a weekend it is going to be!
Now soccer fans I do know that the Richmond Arms will be showing the U.S./ Honduras game for $10 bucks cover. So where are you going to watch it?
I also believe there is a strong possibility Stuart Holden will start in midfield for the U.S. with Clint Dempsey out. Holden’s ability to calm a game down ala Claudio Reyna could be a positive. Will Bob Bradley start Brian Ching purely for his ability to hold the ball like he did in Guatemala? Keep an eye on this one……………..

*From a fan’s perspective I am not a big fan of “friendly” matches…the market has been saturated but I am still very interested to see the Dynamo vs. Monterrey even though some will be missing for World Cup qualifying not to mention Sunday is for charity! It was less than friendly between Chivas and RSL last night in Salt Lake City…..

*One has to be impressed with this amazing late run from FC Dallas and the hottest striker in MLS in Jeff Cunningham who hit a late game winner at San Jose for a 2-1 win. I love it and hope they get into the playoffs. Go hoops! Go Shellas! And go Cunningham and Ferriera!!! I personally don’t want Conor Casey to win the goal scoring title because he has hit from the penalty spot a number of times………..give it to the guy who scores the most goals from the run of play.

Don’t just read this blog…..bring a take!

By the way, what is Michael Jordan doing being a special assistant to the U.S. President’s Cup team? Please explain to me?

MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE presents SOCCER MATTERS with GLENN DAVIS on FOX SPORTS HOUSTON TOMORROW At 3pm!!!!! Watch it!!!!

twitter.com: Soccermattersgd

In the above photo Glenn Davis flanked by Dynamo CEO Chris Canetti and Lonestar Sports and Entertainments Chris Keeney.

The magazine style soccer show “Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis” on Fox Sports Houston presented by Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute taped at Reliant Stadium on Tuesday. The show will air TODAY at 5pm and FRIDAY at 3pm.
Featured is an interview with LLSE executive Chris Keeney and Dynamo Ceo Chris Canetti who speak about Reliant Stadium hosting next year’s MLS All Star game and who might just be the opponent.
Stuart Holden is also interviewed while highlights include the Dynamo/KC and coaching points with Manchester United and Sunderland.
Top ten goals , rumors, rants and raves plus viewer mail where some Dallas fans have a problem with Glenn.
MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE’s Dan Riley speaks on safety in the weight room after the devasting injury to a USC football player that was recently in the news.

Catch Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis presented by MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE Thursday at 5pm!!!!!

*Fifa U20 World Cup in Egypt quarterfinals…….Friday: Korea Republic vs. Ghana
Italy vs. Hungary

Saturday: Brazil vs. Germany
UAE vs. Costa Rica

HUMBERTO SUAZO who is the second leading goals-scorer in South American World Cup qualifying will obviously be absent from the Monterrey lineup on Sunday along with Dynamo trio of Brian Ching, Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark for the Dynamo Charities Match between the Orange and Monterrey. It will be interesting to see what sort of fan turnout occurs for a friendly match. The game is a great opportunity for Dominic Kinnear the Dynamo manager to get playing time for those like Eddie Robinson, Cam Weaver and Luis Landin. Expect Clark and Holden both possibly to get a start in Honduras as Clint Dempsey being out has opened the door.

RICHMOND ARMS will be showing the U.S. vs. Honduras match with a $10 cover charge.

Thanks also to FIESTA, MARK WEST PINOT NOIR and DANISH INSPIRATIONS CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE !!!!!!!