The FIFA World Cup will be at UH’s Intramural fields this Sunday from 2-8pm. Get a special edition Coke can at FIESTA for free admittance. Visit the cup and get your photo with it before it heads to South Africa!!

DYNAMO vs. KC and the return of Kei Kamara

Many Dynamo fans were disappointed when Kei Kamara was traded to KC. As a matter a fact so was Kamara but he clearly did not fit in with the plan of Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear. This becomes another game of interest with a former Dynamo coming to town and the Dynamo trying to re-adjust after the loss of Geoff Cameron.
One would expect Brad Davis coming into the middle, Cory Ashe going wide left and Brian Mullan returning to his right sided midfield spot? Give me your thoughts on the Dynamo?

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL SET

Who would have thought it would be Inter Milan and Bayern Munich for the Champions League final? Not many called this one but it is intriguing because both teams are insatiable for this trophy.

Twitter: Soccermattersgd

Sunday May 2nd the FIFA WORLD CUP is at UH’s intramural fields from 2-8 pm and fans can have their photo taken with the World’s most famous trophy.
Get a special edition COKE can at FIESTA and get in for free. I plan on checking it out later that evening because it’s next stop is South Africa!
How cool is it that the trophy is here in Houston for it’s final stop before hitting South Africa?

The Dynamo take on Kansas City this Saturday night at 7:30 pm as former Dynamo Kei Kamara returns as well as Nederland’s Davey Arnaud.
The first 5000 fans get a soccer ball and the game airs on FSC……………HoustonDynamo.com for tickets or head over to any FIESTA TICKETMASTER, you can also get $5 dollars off Mexico vs. Angola tickets at FIESTA TICKETMASTER.

WIN MEXICO TICKETS!!!
Here is how: In 3-4 paragraphs tell me why you love soccer, the winner gets a pair of tickets to the upcoming Mexico vs. Angola game courtesy of FIESTA at Reliant Stadium May 13th. Email me with your entry at gdavis98@swbell.net or glenn@sports790.com

BAYERN blow out Lyon…..Ivica Olic scored three times yesterday as Bayern Munich defeated Lyon 3-0 and advanced 4-0 on aggregate to the Champions League final. Today, Inter Milan who hold a 3-1 lead over Barcelona head to the Nou Camp in hopes of getting their ticket to Madrid for the May 21st final. Will Barcelona respond? Does Inter get a road goal.
The first goal in this game is vital for either side.
Inter manager has stated that Barcelona are obsessed with being in Madrid for the final and that that obsession could be their downfall.
Give me your thought’s on the Champions league, your running commentary as well today! Are you watching at home? In the office? On computer? Or did you suddenly get a case of the Bangkok flu? The RICHMOND ARMS would be a good choice today and you won’t have to worry about Manchester United fans or Chelsea fans…..just kidding.

Twitter: Soccermattersgd

SOCCER MATTER WITH GLENN DAVIS TODAY ON FOX SPORTS HOUSTON PRESENTED BY MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE AT 4PM TODAY !!!!

Lets face it, it may just be a thing called “karma”. We all know that France probably should not be in the World Cup based on the controversial hand-ball from Thierry Henry against Ireland that then led to a goal that qualified them.
So when the story broke that the French national team is dealing with a sex scandal some in Ireland might just be thinking that “karma” is biting them in the butt.

Three players, Sidney Govou, Franck Ribery, and Karim Benzema are accused, I said accused of soliciting sex from under-age prostitutes. NONE HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH A CRIME. The three players were questioned during a police investigation involving a high end prostitution ring.
Testimony from Zahia Dehar 18, is where it gets dicey for the players as she said she had a relationship with two of the players Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery .
It has been a long fall from grace since the 98 World Cup squad and the damage is done. How will this effect this squad heading into the World Cup? Will these players be chosen to represent France who are under pressure from their countrymen? Will it end up being a source of motivation?
Meanwhile there is England dealing with their John Terry/Wayne Bridge sex scandal, none can really gauge how this will effect the “Three Lions” but if anyone can galvanize them it would be manager Fabio Capello. We have seen Terry looking like a lost soul on many occasions since this all broke in the press. Can this effect England?
Soccer around the world is no different than the problems that occur in the NFL, NBA and MLB. Maybe a few less guns being carried but there are good and bad characters. Sometimes we know and sometimes we don’t.
One thing is for sure, the actions of some can effect the efforts of all.
Lets see how these incidents effect France and England.

ON ONYEWU AND DAVIES

Listen, I am a U.S. soccer fan through and through and I know that with Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu in the national squad it is a better team.
I also know it is a great comeback story for both of them if they can make it in time to be a part of the World Cup squad but even if they are picked can they really help the squad at this stage of fitness and with lack of real games?
These two have not played a competitive game since October. It is one thing to be structurally cleared by medical personel from injuries to play, but to expect these two players to be productive in the World Cup is a large stretch. I don’t want to rain on the parade and I hope the miracle of both playing happens but personally I think these are stories even more -so being driven by the media. It is a miracle Davies is alive, lets not forget.

MATT THOMAS OPEN TO YOUR CALLS ABOUT SOCCER DURING THE DAY

My friend Matt Thomas was on Sports Talk 790 last night and made it clear if he got more calls from soccer fans he would take their calls and discuss your game.
Now most daytime sports hosts would not say that so here is your chance. Give Matt a call during the Matt Thomas Show on Sports Talk 790 AM at 713-212-5790.
Here is your chance!

May 2 FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY at UH courtesy of Coca Cola, get special edition can at FIESTA and get in for free. Ticketmaster locations at Fiesta have World Cup tickets at a $5 discount…follow me at Twitter: Soccermatters gd

Just to lighten things up make sure you check out the prior blog here at glenndavissoccer.com that features what I think could be the worst miss in the history of soccer from former Dynamo Kei Kamara now at Kansas City. Kamara does have two goals on this season for the Wizards.

MEXICO/ANGOLA TICKET CONTEST
I have a pair of Mexico/Angola tickets courtesy of FIESTA for the best three to four paragraph email that I get. The subject you have to write about is:
Why you love soccer? I will post the winners email on glenndavissoccer.com I will accept entries until Monday May 3rd. Get writing soccer fans!!!!

Dynamo All Access with Glenn Davis tonight on Sports Talk 790 at 7:00 pm

Terrible news for the Dynamo as Geoff Cameron has been ruled out for the season. I saw Cameron leave Toyota Park on crutches and at that time it did not look good.
The All Star ruptured his right PCL against the Fire this past Saturday in the 2-0 loss.
The season has just gotten more challenging for the Dynamo and it is clear they will need to seek out more options within MLS or abroad.

May 2 FIFA WORLD CUP Trophy in Houston at UH intramural fields from 2-8pm, come get your photo with the World Cup trophy before it heads to South Africa.
Houston was only one of two U.S. cities to get this event. Get a special edition COKE can at FIESTA and get in for free!!!

The first 5000 fans into this Saturday’s Dynamo vs. KC game will get a free soccer ball, then on Wednesday the Dynamo take on rivals FC Dallas with a Cinco De Mayo event where the world’s largest tailgate party will start according to the Dynamo at 4pm, $25 gets you unlimited food and beverage..

TWITTER: Soccermattersgd, email me at glenn@sports790.com or post right here!

Join me tonight on Sports Talk 790 to break down the Dynamo vs. Chicago match, Barcelona vs. Inter Milan Champions league second leg at Barcelona, French national team sex scandal and will this effect their World Cup hopes?

Also a look ahead at KC and FC Dallas as the Dynamo head into a critical stretch. Chelsea/Liverpool this weekend….will Liverpool play the spoiler plus we are getting closer to the World Cup.

Guests: Davey Arnaud KC Wizards
Dominic Kinnear Houston Dynamo

Check back as more guests to come……Call in tonight at 713-212-5790 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              713-212-5790      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, I will be giving away Dynamo and Mexico tickets tonight!!

DYNAMO ALL ACCESS with GLENN DAVIS tomorrow night on Sports Talk 790 Am from 7-9pm. Call in number is 713-212-5790, streaming live on the internet at sports790.com or accessed at Houstondynamo.com

Twitter: Soccermattersgd
Chicago Fire 2 Houston Dynamo 0

Scoring summary: Baggio Husidic 48+
Peter Lowry 67th

It was a tough night at Toyota Park where the Dynamo were defeated 2-0 by the Fire.
The Dynamo nearly got themselves to half-time at 0-0 but a stoppage time goal from Baggio Husidic (first of year) gave the Fire momentum going into the locker room.
The Dynamo played with a swirling , strong wind in their faces in the first half and it clearly complicated things on a night where players were constantly slipping (Were they wearing studs? Could the field take a stud).
The first half included a Mike Chabala clear off the line and missed chances from Brian McBride. Geoff Cameron went off with a right knee injury and Dynamo fans need to pray that this is not serious.
They were outplayed clearly in the first half but came out of the locker room with energy in the second half giving you the feeling that they could tie this game up.
A 67th minute goal from Peter Lowry made it 2-0 after Patrick Nyarko drove to the endline for the second consecutive week to turn back a cross that was finished.
Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear went to a 3-5-2 taking off Andrew Hainault and brought on Danny Cruz and Luis Landin also as attacking options. Cruz would later get ejected for picking up a second yellow as would Kristof Krol of the Fire.
The Dynamo could not get Brad Davis into this game in his 200th appearance even though his delicate chip to Brian Mullan led to the best Dynamo chance which would have tied things up at the beginning of the 2nd half. He drifted deeper and deeper to get the ball against the two tight lines of the Fire but one has to wonder if the Dynamo players realize he is their most creative player? Brian Ching holding the ball up front on a night like this was missed as Wilman Conde and CJ Brown were too strong in most cases for the Dynamo.
Chicago on this night undoubtably the better team.
One of the main attacking options for Chicago was someone you might not have suspected in Tim Ward who replaced the injured Dasan Robinson in the Chicago lineup.
He had lots of room down the right side as Patrick Nyarko was coming inside alot in the first half creating space for him.
Holding midfielders Baggio Husidic and Peter Lowry also had solid nights for the Fire and outshined some of the bigger names in midfield like Justin Mapp and to an extent Nyarko. W Conde was the prescence in this game for both teams and remains in my opinion the top central defender in MLS. And to think he wanted to follow Juan Carlos Osorio to New York last year.
Chicago coach Carlos de los Cobos said he would welcome Cuauhtemoc Blanco back to the team after the World Cup. Interesting.
It was the first ever loss against the Fire in the windy city for the traveling Dynamo who play Kansas City next weekend.

Thoughts on the Dynamo and anything soccer?

RICO DEBUTS
The timing might just be right for Ricardo Clark to get some games in Germany with the U.S. World Cup camp of 30 players looming in May.
Clark when the full 90 minutes in Germany for Eintracht Frankfurt in a 1-1 draw with Mainz.

CHELSEA remain at the top of the table in England after crushing Stoke 7-0 on a Salomon Kalou hat trick.

Twitter: Soccermattersgd

Stay close to glenndavissoccer.com as I have MEXICO vs. Angola tickets to give away courtesy of FIESTA

May 2 do not miss the FIFA WORLD CUP trophy at UH, get special edition Coke can at FIESTA to get in for free….

Twitter: Soccermattersgd

Both the Dynamo and Fire go in to tonight’s game at Toyota Park (7:30 KHOU 11.2, Tv Informa) coming off confidence building wins. There is a bit of mystery around the Fire as a few of their players picked up niggling injuries against DC in their 2-0 win.
Expect to see them with similar personel but will things change at home after playing with a lone striker in DC ? Coach Carlos de los Cobos could play with two strikers at home in a 4-4-2.
I don’t expect Dominic Kinnear to make changes to his lineup after the dominating win over Chivas USA last weekend.
Toyota Park has been a good place for the Dynamo in the past, last year a 4th minute goal from Stuart Holden provided a 1-0 win.
The Dynamo have a five game winning streak over the Fire dating back to 2007 and have never lost at Toyota Park. It will be interesting to see if the Dynamo can continue the great energy and midfield play after the Chivas USA win.
Where will Luis Landin fit into this game? The mobility and movement of Dominic Oduro and Brian Mullan could be problematic for center-backs CJ Brown and one of MLS’s best in Wilman Conde. Oduro and Mullan will need to hold the ball up front on this day which might promise a slick surface.
How do the Dynamo deal with Chicago if they play with a three set in midfield against Lovel Palmer and Geoff Cameron?
Patrick Nyarko is one to keep an eye on and tormented DC United last weekend, Justin Mapp had his moments and of course Marco Pappa adds to the riches in midfield.

Your thoughts on the Dynamo and Fire?

MANCHESTER UNITED WINS
United got a vital three points over Tottenham Hotspur to keep the pressure on Chelsea who play Stoke this weekend. Ryan Giggs scored twice ……What a race!!

A BAD NIGHT

I consider myself a positive person and am the first defend players having been one myself, but lets hope few tuned in to the FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders match. This was a bad advertisment for MLS.
Predictably few fans in Frisco, empty seats and a poor performance from both teams left me looking for excuses. Yet there are none. This is was just a bad game, yes I know, bad games are a part of a long season and this just might have been one of them, then on the other hand, we are only four games into the season? Players places in teams have still not be cemented in many cases, valuable points are at stake and yes, just to remind gently, you are on national tv. NATIONAL TV, you know, a chance to shine in the spotlight. If we ever thought we would earn some new MLS fans from the FC Dallas vs. Seattle game think again.
Any EPL, Mexican league or Euro- elite fan that was channel surfing just got their anti- MLS feelings about the league re-confirmed by watching this one.
To make matters worse, referee Terry Vaughan gives out a “soft” penalty in the final moments and FC Dallas earn a draw 2-2 and then we see Vaughan smiling like a Chesire cat?
And if you don’t believe me, you just had to look at the be-wilderment on the faces of head coach Sigi Schmid of Seattle and Shellas Hyndmann of FC Dallas who both were an internal ball of frustration or the bored faces of many of the players. It just didn’t look like anyone wanted to be in Frisco last night.
If it weren’t for a great piece of salmon with a dijon, dill and honey sauce I whipped up, I might just have considered this one of the poorest MLS games I have ever seen.
And no winning alone is not enough to put people in the seats. FC Dallas went on a great run at the end of last year playing entertaining soccer (I was hoping they would make the playoffs) yet it did little to effect attendance.
The good news, this will be quickly erased from my memory and many others this weekend with a full slate of MLS games and drama in Europe. I am heading out to call the Dynamo /Fire game at Toyota Park and this one should be a good one based on past Dynamo and Fire encounters at Toyota Park.

Last night was another strong reminder that once you put a stadium somewhere it is a long-term decision. It reminds us that if the Dynamo and Oliver Luck did not stay steadfast on having a stadium downtown, the whole perception of the Dynamo and soccer would have changed if a stadium was placed in the suburbs.

SOCCER MATTERS WITH GLENN DAVIS brought to you by Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute airs Friday at 2:30 pm. My thanks also to DANISH INSPIRATIONS CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE.
Top ten goals from around the world features goals from Herculez Gomez of Puebla, Maicon of Inter, and a Dynamo reggae boy. We hear from you in viewer mail plus re-cap and breakdown the Dynamo in their win over Chivas USA.
Coach Dominic Kinnear talks the Chicago Fire and Lovel Palmer while State 5A Champions Woodlands High School coach Dina Graves shows of their state championship trophy.

Twitter: Soccermattersgd

FIFA WORLD CUP trophy at UH on May 2nd brought to you by Coca Cola. Get special World Cup can at FIESTA and get in for free and see and have your picture taken with the most famous trophy on the planet.

For more head over to foxsportshouston and my thoughts on Lovel Palmer.

FIFA COCA COLA WORLD CUP TOUR May 2nd at University of Houston intramural fields 2-8pm…The last stop for the most famous trophy on the planet before it heads to South Africa after visiting 83 countries……Get a special edition Coke can in FIESTA and you get in free!!!

Bayern Munich may be happy getting out of the sold out Allianz Arena with a 1-0 victory of Lyon. This two legged affair took on whole new dimensions when Bayern’s Franck Ribery went over the top on a Lyon player in a tackle. You know, the oldest trick in the book, tackle someone over the ball and target his shins or legs. I even knew some guys who would push the ball out front a little too far on purpose and then go over the top……you can break people’s legs.
So with Ribery off we were left to the magic of Arjen Robben whose amazing ability to stop, change direction rivals that of Lionel Messi. Finally Ribery produced the lone goal in the 69th minute, well kind off. He was credited with the goal but it actually went in off the head of Thomas Mueller. Clear as a bell on tv. While pushing for the second goal, Robben who was cleary energized by the crowd was taken off by Louis van Gaal in the 85th minute.
Robben was so ticked off about being taken out and both he and Van Gaal had very visible words.

Scoring Summary: Robben Bayern Munich 69th (this needs to be officially changed to Thomas Mueller)
Ejections: Franck Ribery 37th Bayern Munich
Jeremy Toulalan 54 (two yellows in the span of three minutes)

Give me your thoughts on this match and yesterday’s Inter Milan win over Barcelona……Was it really all about Jose Mourinho’s tactics? Was Barcelona frail defensively?