Vive le Frenchie!

Watching Youri Djorkaeff snap the ball past Nick Rimando Saturday night convinced me that he's the Metros MVP. Five of the Fabulous Frenchie's ten goals have been game-winners, and on numerous occasions this season Djorkaeff put the team on his back and carried them to victory. Next up for the squad is watching the Wiz at the Deep Dish this Saturday. A win or a draw by the Super Hoops makes things reasonably easy for Metro. A win by the Wiz and Metro needs to play Australia to Chivas' American Samoa on Sunday. There’s scuttlebutt today about Yallop & Lalas talking turkey (it was Canadian Thanksgiving, after all) about the coaching job. Lalas isn’t counting out Mo Johnston, and he shouldn’t. Johnston will be coaching somewhere in MLS next season.

All Wet
Even favored teams have an off night once in a while, but I don’t think the US was favored in its match at Costa Rica on Saturday. In one corner was a team playing as if its life depended on it, trying to clinch a World Cup bid in front of its home fans. In the other, a team with nothing to play for other than to impress the head coach. And, it’s pouring. And it’s on artificial turf. No one ever likes to lose 3-0, but folks, let’s keep it in perspective. Costa Rica needed it more than we did. Better to move on. Not sure what kind of crowd is expected in Foxboro tomorrow night for Panama, in the rain, on Yom Kippur, in a meaningless match for both sides, but I hope it’s a good show, and that Mr. Twellman finally finds the back of the net.

*Sigh*
Not sure how many of you heard this exchange between ESPN2’s Sean McDonough and his SoCo-sippin' color man on the miserable LSU-Vandy football game that delayed the US-Costa Rica telecast by forty minutes. I replayed it three times to make sure I got it right:

McDonough: “… and, unless you have a short memory, you know that soccer will be coming up after the game...and I think my partner is having a change of heart.”
Color Man: “I’m pulling for the US now... Are we favored?”
McDonough: “I have no idea.”

Our Home and Native Land?
Don Garberleone will be holding forth at 4pm today to possibly introduce the Toronto expansion team for 2007. Along with the RSL Stadium announcement, this could be quite a week in MLS history.

MLS Conference Semifinals Schedule:
Eastern Conference
#1 NE vs. #4 KC or MET
Game 1: NE at KC or MET, Sat Oct 22nd @ 7:30pm (FSC?)
Game 2: KC or MET at NE, Sat Oct 29th @ 8pm

#2 DC vs. #3 CHI
Game 1: DC at CHI, Fri Oct 21st @ 8:30pm
Game 2: CHI at DC, Sun Oct 30th @ 4:30pm on ESPN2

Western Conference
#1 SJ vs. #4 COL or LA
Game 1: SJ at COL or LA, Sat Oct. 22nd
Game 2: COL or LA at SJ, Sat Oct. 29th @ 10pm

#2 FCD or LA vs. #3 LA, COL, or FCD
Teams, Dates, Times TBD