Hurricane Season so far

This season has opened up in a stormy matter for the Irish men and women. The women kicked off the season by dominating Wisconsin. This all however was lost in a whirlwind of defeats in North Carolina. On Friday, the Irish dominated The Evil Baby Blue Empire in the terms of play. The Irish battled back from an early deficit and seemed en route to find another. Sadly, The Evil Empire got a golden goal to escape the Irish. Sunday was a different story. The Irish were removed from the game in a windstorm of goals by Duke. The women do have two weeks to prepare for redemption for this past weekend. They will be taking on likely #1 or #2 Stanford in Palo Alto. In between they will have Tulsa and Indiana at home for the ND Adidas Invitational.

The men, meanwhile, was a tempest on the Indiana defense. The men blasted the misconception that college soccer is "kick and chase" and "punt and pray." One of the historic teams in College Soccer was, to quote someone watching the game, turned into a team of scrubs. As the game progressed, Indiana abandoned their style for the kick and chase. Sadly, with all the beautiful play, the Irish could not find the back of the net. As the Vuvuzellas thundered their cacophony of monotonic sound throughout the stadium, the Irish made the Indiana half their home. Now certain articles report how Indiana matched the Irish in shots on goal. This stat deceives the reader of how one sided the match was. There were several Irish shots that went wide by inches, or hit the woodwork. The Irish have a chance to recover against historical power St. Louis and Dayton over the weekend. These matches will occur in Bloomington as a part of the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic.

Better know a MLS Club

New feature coming soon where the Voice looks into MLS clubs and their stadiums, stay tuned

No More Tea Time in Tottenham

As a proud supporter of Tottenham Hotspur, I have enjoyed the massive improvement in performance over the past 2 years. Harry Redknapp took these boys from North London out of  the relegation zone and into the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. That's a remarkable accomplishment for a football club that hasn't found much more than mediocrity since the formation of the Premier League in 1992.

However, this week's abhorrent display against Real Madrid suggests that Spurs may have reached their pinnacle, and a slow descent back to being the New York Mets of the EPL looks increasingly probable. Tottenham's league form hasn't been stellar recently (0-0s against West Ham and Wigan. Yikes!), and an alarming portion of the squad remains mired with injury. Additionally, many of these new superstars, like Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, look likely to seek transfers if Spurs fail to qualify for the Champions League next year. With Manchester City's deep squad and solid form, that grim reality draws ever nearer.

Some might wonder what Spurs can do. How could they sell Bale? Why don't they buy a star striker like Drogba? Well, in reality, while Spurs' revenues are high (6th highest in the EPL and 12th in the world LINK), the club is not swimming in pools of profit. The development of a deep squad has led the club to post a net loss over the year, and like any good owner, chairman Daniel Levy needs to ensure the financial security of the club. If selling a highly valued player like Bale brings the club

£40 million (or £80 million as old 'Arry thinks), then by all means the club should sell. It's simply common sense.

In any case, I don't really see Spurs' ship sinking to the depths of the sea. The club will be fine in spite of this Champions League disappointment. The future remains bright for Tottenham as long as wise decisions are made both on and off the pitch. This means keeping Mr. Redknapp at a far distance from the checkbook.

The Voice is Back

After a very, very, very long hiatus, the Voice of the Supporters has returned with gusto. We will be bringing you news, opinions, and everything else that relates with Notre Dame Soccer. That being said, let's look ahead.

Spring Schedules
There seems to have been a delay in spring schedules for some unknown reason and everyday waiting on the und.com newsfeed to show "Irish Roll Out Spring Schedule" feels like forever. That being said, we at the voice have done our best Google search/investigative reporting to uncover bits and pieces of the spring schedule.

The women's schedule remains practically under lock and key. The only known game we have found is from a mention on Twitter or the fan chat and that is the Mexican National Team. For those who don't know, the Mexican National Team are the Champions of Concacaf, this means they beat the US National Team. We live in an age where we expect the US National Team to roll over the regional competition and battle it out with giants like China, Germany, Sweden, and Brazil. So expect a good match.

One can only assume that the CONCAChampions will play the Irish the Friday of the Blue and Gold game. This will be a high stakes game, even for an exhibition, considering the future USWNT players that suit up in the Irish kit.

The men's schedule is much easier to piece together. In the fan chat, Bobby Clark said who the opponents are, but never the when or where. As time went on, some of those teams released their spring games and allowed us to piece together a puzzle.

The first match is against Western Michigan on March 15. The next match is on St. Paddy's day with the Mexican U-17 side. This match is for the coaching clinic that will be occurring on campus.

The next match that appears is the Buck College Cup on March 26. This is a one day affair where 4 teams play two matches. The teams going are Oakland, Michigan, Akron, and the Irish. Now according to Oakland's and Michigan's respective schedules, we will be playing them and not the defending national champions. The Michigan game is at 5:30, leading us to assume that the ND-Oakland game is probably at 11 am. There is a potential for a road trip in this game.

The next set on April 10. This event is known is the Athletes in Action showcase in Xenia, Ohio. This event pits the Irish in 45 minute games against Akron and two other teams.

It is assumed that April 15 will have a match considering its the Friday before the Blue and Gold game.

Lastly, on April 20, Notre Dame will travel to Ft. Wayne to take on rivals Indiana.

Moving on, there is an all important meeting on Thursday regarding the club it is highly recommended that you attend if you're a member. Additionally, the FIFA Tournament is on schedule and the advertising campaign will be in full swing by the end of break. Also TIFO creation will be one of our several goals before the all important Mexico match, so keep your eyes peeled for the TIFO e-mail.

Peace,
The Voice

The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

Can anyone name me the only American sports tournament that, in its entire history gone without stopping? That means no strike, no war stoppage, no nothing, just a champion proclaimed every year.
The World Series? nope
US Open? nope
Stanley Cup? American sports tournament
Super Bowl? Surely you can't be serious

I am of course talking about the US Open Cup. Tonight at 10pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel the 96th edition of the Cup will put the Columbus Crew against the holders, the Seattle Sounders. While this tournament doesn't have much glitz, it is the one true piece of history American soccer possesses.

The USOC was stared in 1914 at the National Championship to American club soccer. The tournament covered all the soccer hotbeds of the country, from New York to Chicago to St. Louis. It never really had any participants come from south of Baltimore or beyond Kansas City until the past 50 years. Its winners include some of the greatest clubs in the world at the time including Bethlehem Steel FC and the Fall River Marksmen. Now you may tell me that there was no way these were the best clubs in the world, I say learn more about these clubs. Both toured Europe multiple times in their existence and only lost a combined three times, but I digress. This trophy embodies more of the Cup spirit than most domestic trophies. If you look at the winners engraved on the massive base, you see team names and places that don't exist anymore. It reminds you that nothing you see today will be permanent, but there will always be a memory somewhere that shows you it happened.

So if you aren't busy tonight, take the time to watch the US Open Cup; watch 30,000+ fans filter into Qwest Field and two teams take on each other. Watch a piece of history when you have a chance and enjoy it, you never know how many chances you get.

Your Soccer TV Weekend

9/17
Eintracht Frankfurt vs SC Freiburg 2:30 pm GolTV
9/18
Stoke City vs West Ham Utd 7:45 am ESPN2
Bayern Muchen vs. 1. FC Koln 9:30 am GolTV
Everton vs Newcastle Utd. 10 am FS+
Tottenham vs Wolverhampton 10 am FSC
Fiorentina vs Lazio 12 pm ESPN3.com
Sunderland vs Arsenal 12:30 pm FSC
Sporting Gijón vs Athletic Bilbao 2 pm GolTV
AC Milan vs Catania 2:45 pm ESPN3.com
Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid 4 pm GolTV
LA Galaxy vs DC United 10:30 pm FSC
9/19
Feyenoord vs Ajax 6:30 am ESPN3.com
Manchester United vs Liverpool 8:30 am FS+
Udinese vs Juventus 9 am ESPN3.com
Palermo vs Inter Milan 9 am ESPN3.com
FC Sankt Pauli vs Hamburger SV 9:30 am GolTV
Chelsea vs Blackpool 11 am FSC
Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona 1 pm ESPN2

The group stage of the UEFA Champions League always offers the opportunity to see Europe's elite match-up against lesser-known clubs. Now in my opinion there's nothing better after a long day of arduous classes than turning on the television for an exciting conclusion to the day's football and seeing Chelsea take on the Slovakian Corgoň League champions MŠK Žilina. It was truly a neck-and-neck affair. Chelsea only won by 3 goals.

In actuality a few compelling results took hold this week, the most significant of which involved Manchester United only taking a point at home against Rangers. Now, at one point in history, Rangers, along with their much more Irish-friendly Glasgow counterparts Celtic, were a powerful team, capable of winning European competition. In fact, only 3 years ago they were in the UEFA Cup Final. Sadly, Scottish soccer is nothing like it was in yesteryear. Rangers are in such financial turmoil that they have instituted a freeze on player transfers.  But even manager Walter Smith, with all these hindrances, has the sense to start Maurice Edu in an important game. Take that Bob Bradley.

Manchester United, for their part, aren't exactly in great financial shape either, but they have far more resources and compete in a much superior league than Rangers. In theory, the Red Devils should securely win this fixture when played at their breathtaking home ground Old Trafford. In fact, they shouldn't have trouble when they travel to the Ibrox in 2 months. Wayne Rooney should score a hat trick, and everything should be hunky dory in the merry old suburbs of Manchester.

Instead, Tuesday offered a frustrating encounter for Manchester United. Rooney, Chicharito, and the rest of whomever Sir Alex prodded onto the field failed to scare Rangers in a serious manner. Winger Antonio Valencia tore ligaments in his ankle and will miss most of the season. Rangers, for their part, rightfully earned the draw they sought and breathed new life into the England-Scotland rivalry. Manchester United, however, simply disappointed.

Man U's league play has been exciting but not dominant, as they have drawn their away matches against Fulham and Everton. Compared to Chelsea and Arsenal, who have seemed nearly unstoppable so far, Manchester United lacks their normal cohesively consistent domination. They appear unable to take hold of a match for the full 90, an issue that will punish any club.

This Sunday in the Premier League against equally unimpressive Liverpool, Manchester United can either join Chelsea and Arsenal as dominant English clubs or fall down the ladder among the mass of good-but-not-great teams in the EPL, like Manchester City, Tottenham, and Everton. This will be a huge match for Sir Alex's men. A win restores their confidence after a few disappointing results. A loss severely crushes their title hopes. Whatever happens, we're in for a thrill of a season as Manchester Untied, with impending retirements and transfers, begins a major transformation as a team.








 

Your soccer TV Schedule for 9/15

UEFA Champions League:
2:45pm Žilina vs Chelsea (Channel 401)
2:45pm Real Madrid vs Ajax (Chanel 200/37)

Concacaf Champions League:
10:00 pm Real Salt Lake vs Toronto FC (401)

Champions League returns today

Today Champions League returns.


No, not that Champions League


That Champions League. The Concacaf Champions League returns tonight featuring two American clubs. The Columbus Crew kick-off hosting one of Trinidad and Tobago's best clubs in Joe Public. This match kicks off at 8 pm tonight. The Crew are favorites, but the question is will they field a full side tonight. The Crew are competing on multiple fields. They are going for the Eastern Conference lead, and home advantage throughout the play-offs, the Supporters Shield, the US Open Cup, and of course the eventual goal of getting the MLS Cup. The Crew have always been prudent in international play though, so one should expect some youth players mixed into the lineup tonight.

Then there is the nightcap (10pm FSC) as Seattle Sounders FC travel down to take on Costa Rica giant Saprissa. This match is huge for the Sounders as since the miraculous group qualification, they have dropped two matched and need to take points in a place where not even the USA national team has ever gotten a point in. Expect Sigi to go for the full 3 points as Seattle looks to remove their quest for the Club World Cup from life support.

Irish finish weekend 3-1

It was a nearly perfect weekend for the soccer teams of Notre Dame. Both going up against nationally ranked teams in their respective tournaments. The men's team got the weekend going with a 2-0 victory against nationally ranked Drake. The Irish battered the Drake defense with large chunks of possession and over 30 shots. This constant battering came through as Steven Perry came through with a brace scoring the Irish's first goal of the season. This dominating performance by the Irish was a nice follow up to Cal Poly's upset of our rival Indiana just hours before at Alumni Stadium.

Meanwhile, the women were just short of a another victory against a top ranked opponent. While playing against #13 UCLA, the Irish seemed to struggle mightily throughout the first half, but ended it with a goal by Erica Iantorno. Inspired by the goals, the Irish came out with fire in the second to outplay the Bruins, but it was all for nothing sadly. The Bruins, like their male counterparts had done just a week before managed to parry an attacking Irish team. The Irish were then sent into overtime where UCLA got the Golden Goal.

Saturday came, and something happened, but in the end no one really remembers what. Something about one eyed quarterbacks, one man teams, and misery.

Returning to the pitch on Sunday, both the men's and women's teams, though 3 time zones apart, would play at the same time. The women played Loyola Marymount. Melissa Henderson scored in the second minute of the match. The team went on to dominate the lions and in the end wound up winning the match by Henderson's tally.

At Alumni Stadium, the men took advantage of a Cal Poly team that was a bit proud of their performance against the 6 time national championship on Friday. The first half went scoreless as both teams had their chances, but neither could convert in what seemed like a potential battle. As the Voice had previously pointed out, the Irish seemed to just be missing that extra inch to put the ball in net. And there was a worry among some fans that if Perry was the lone source of goals, what would happen if he went down with an injury. All these worries were flushed away when the flood gate opened in the 50th minute. The Irish continued to pass the ball around the box and the Mustangs packed it in making crosses extremely difficult to put in; but Cal Poly was not closing down that quickly on players at the top of the box. Defender Aaron Maund was the first to take advantage of this as he sent in an absolute scorcher from 20 yards out. This strike, if you ever get a chance to see it, watch. USA U-20 captain and Milk Cup MVP Dillon Powers decided to open his scoring account as well. As the pass from Jeb Brovsky settled at his feet, Power let a shot go. From behind the net one could see the Jubulani ball dance as it hit the ground and went in another direction to give the Irish a 2-0 lead. Then it was followed up by King's wicked strike from 35 yards out and Klazura's shot from 17 yards out and finally a goal by VanDeCasteele from a corner. Bringing the tally to 5-0. Coach Clark then made some changes to give individuals experience and the match settled down. Cal Poly did manage to draw one back in the 90th minute, but it could not help scale a now Everest of a lead.

Overall the Voice would say it was a good weekend for the Irish. The Women went 1-1 on their west coast tour. The loss was difficult, but it's not like it was against a truly weaker team. UCLA was #3 before losing last week, so they are expected to be very good. The Irish showed gusto getting back on the saddle and beating LMU. The Irish men, meanwhile, had pushed back after a shaky opening weekend to get their first win and goal on the season, all while winning the Berticelli Memorial Tournament.

Both Irish teams are due to play local rivals this weekend. We'll give our preview sometime later this week.

No Hex Means No Fun Before 2014

Allow me to introduce myself as Cameron Goodman, a mentally feeble freshman who still has hope that the San Jose Earthquakes can win MLS Cup 2010. That's right with Geovanni, Wondolowski, and Joe Cannon's broken foot, the Quakes are unstoppable, unless of course the other team uses this exotic tactic called defense. Well, that's enough about how I spend my Saturday nights.

Recently, news has surfaced that our ethical friends at CONCACAF are determined to eliminate the Hex from the the final round of World Cup Qualifying and replace it with two groups of four teams each. The winner of each group would qualify for Brazil 2014, while the runners-up would face each other in a playoff to the determine the third North American representative.

While I sympathize with the desire to give smaller teams like Jamaica, Canada, and Guatemala a greater chance to compete, I decry this proposal because it essentially guarantees that Mexico and the USA will be placed in separate groups and won't battle each other in the final round of World Cup Qualifying.

Honestly, what has been better over the past decade than chants of "dos a cero" echoing throughout the chilled confines of Columbus Crew Stadium or 110,000 fanatic Mexican fans causing Landon Donovan to go even balder. This is the rivalry of North America, and it has become one of the most impressive in the world. In an era where most players take the field for money and ego, the USA-Mexico rivalry involves pure national pride on the grandest scale.

Yes, I'm glad that the USA and Mexico are essentially guaranteed a spot in 2014, but without the thrill and challenge of playing each other, will they be adequately prepared to compete in Brazil?

Mostly a good weekend for Irish Football

The weekend began with the women taking on #8 Santa Clara. The Irish took it to the visitors from California. They seemed to dominate possession and chances in the first half, and created a goal for the Irish. The second half had Santa Clara try to storm back to no avail as the weather took a turn and it began to pour. In Bloomington, from what reports say, the Irish outplayed #5 UCLA only to be beaten on a 1-0 scoreline. Their keeper stepped up and carried the Bruins to victory. Then Saturday came, Kelly coached and the Irish beat the Boilermakers. Then on Sunday, the women cruised to a 2-0 victory over Texas Tech in what seemed like a dominating performance. The team displayed excellent use of the wings as the fullbacks constantly overlapped with the wingers and forced Texas Tech into a defense mode. The victory sent the Irish to a 4-0-0 record. The men, however, weren't as lucky. Again the opposing keeper decided the match. This time it was #11 Cal's keeper stepping up and preventing chance after chance. The Irish seemed to play well defensively, but could not get that finish that they needed. They finished the match 0-0 2OT, and sent the men's record to 0-1-1.

The women's team has come out with strides and faced their what looks to be their toughest home match all year. As this blogger will be saying from here until they stop playing soccer this year, this team returns too much to not chase a title. The men's team faced the two favorites to the Pac-10 title and could not score, but then again neither could their opponents. The men play well on defense and play well going forward, there is just a lack in that little bit of magic it takes to beat a keeper. Remember, this team remains very dangerous even without taking a win on the weekend.

The Man, the Myth, the Legend: a Tribute to Brian McBride

Today it was announced that USA, Fulham, Columbus, and Chicago legend, Brian McBride was set to retire at the end of this season. The man who had seen his fair share of World Cups, English Premier League, Bundesliga 2 and MLS matches, will be finally hanging up his boots after what seemed like an eternity. His career kicked off in 1996 when he was the first overall pick of the MLS Draft. During his time at Columbus he became one of the greatest American players ever. While not winning any silverware, he preceded to score and assist, until he got noticed by David Moyes. He entered the Premier League in 2000 on loan to Preston North End. He then preceded to go out on loan to Everton as well. In both situations he played brilliant, but Everton and Preston North End couldn’t match MLS’s asking price for its star striker.

At the age of 31, Fulham took McBride from America for 1.5 million as he appeared to be entering the twilight of his career. Instead, McBride excelled to a Fulham legend, including teaming up with fellow American Clint Dempsey to help keep Fulham up. There is now a Pub in the cottage appropriately named McBride’s. He then returned to the USA to end his career.

He was picked up by his hometown club, Chicago and has played there with the aging Blanco leading the Fire to play-off appearances, but sadly McBride has tasted limited silverware, which is a pity for such an amazing player. So when you go to your next soccer match, whether it’s ND, MLS, or your kids match, remember the man who avoided the spotlight and drama, and just kept playing the game how it’s supposed to be played. Brian McBride taught us that in a world filled with divers, cheaters, and thugs, one can have finesse, a physical presence, and be a personable human being even with fame. So if you ever raise a kid to play soccer, teach them how McBride played, because the world of soccer could always use more players like McBride

Hello World

Hey all,

My name is Eric Owens, I'm a junior at ND and Tim has allowed me to contribute to this blog. I thank him for the opportunity to share some of my soccer thoughts with you, the reader. Though I do love Notre Dame and soccer, truthfully I have not been very involved in combining these two loves and attending ND soccer games, men's or women's. I have been to a few, but I look forward to attending many more in the coming season. That said, I am an avid soccer follower, most notably of the EPL. My favorite team is from the blue half of Merseyside- Everton. I try my best to watch the MLS but I am just not closely connected to any one team to follow the MLS like I do the EPL. Without further adieu, here is my take on the first three match weeks in the EPL.

You can't talk about the start of the EPL without mentioning the champions. Chelsea have looked absolutely stellar to begin this season. 3 games, 14 goals, 0 goals against. The mercurial Nicolas Anelka has been in fine form and has been irresistible partnering with Drogba. Flourent Malouda has been great for the Blues too, and it really is difficult to see any team challenging the aging Londoners this season if they can continue this form.

Going down the table, I have been impressed thus far with Arsenal new boy Maroune Chamakh. His movement has been very intelligent, but I would say I don't think he is quite clinical enough in front of goal. Of course Theo Walcott has been brilliant for the Gunners thus far, but Wegner is going to have some serious decisions to make about where to deploy the talented Englishman if Chamakh cannot convert enough chances up top.

Man U is a tough team to read right now. Roo Roo is in terrible form, his terrible World Cup still haunting him every time he takes the pitch. The former Everton star is an integral part of Man U's success as witnessed last season. Dimitar Berbatov, however, has been very impressive for the Red Devils so far. Could this be the season that he finally breaks out and scores 20+ goals? No one questions his talent level, but his partnership with Rooney has never quite seemed to pan out quite like Sir Alex would like. Scholes has been phenomenal for them. It's been great to see him boss the midfield like he used to all the time in the late 90s. If he can continue the rich vein of form he is in, Sir Alex will certainly have some personnel headaches.

On the other side of Manchester, the Citizens have been a bit hit or miss. A 1-0 loss to Sunderland following a very convincing win over Liverpool has seen Mancini catch a lot of grief for his starting 11. Carlos Tevez did miss an open goal against Sunderland, and Micah Richards clumsy foul in the 87th minute more or less gifted Sunderland 3 points they most certainly did not deserve. If this loss is but a minor blip, then City can very well challenge the top four and are my favorites to secure a Champions League spot. Two players that NEED to stay in the side despite heavy competition are Joe Hart and Adam Johnson. Hart, finally given his chance at City after a very impressive loan spell at Birmingham last season, fully deserves to be the England No 1. Quite a talented young goal keeper (and good looking if I do say so myself). Adam Johnson's left foot and style of play is very similar to Lionel Messi. He loves playing from the flanks, cutting inside and challenging defenders, meanwhile opening up space on the outside for fullbacks to make forward supporting runs. Quality quality player.

Sorry reader, I am writing way too much right now. And if I were to continue down the table and reach Everton, which would take another 13 painful overviews as it pains me how poor Everton are playing. Not to mention I could right an essay about how much Everton suck right now. We will save that for a later day. Hope you enjoyed it, and I certainly do not blame you if you are not reading this right now. Too long I know. Thank you again Tim for the opportunity. See you all again soon.

Big weekend for Irish Football (the one you play with your feet)

This weekend feature several important matches for the men's and women's teams in the quest for the College Cup. The #3 women begin their journey against #8 Santa Clara on Friday at 7:30 pm. This match will kick off with a March to the Match led by bagpipers from the Dillon Hall Pep Rally. Upon arrival to the match, the first however many fans in the stadium will get free scarves. This is ND's biggest home game based on the current rankings, and will be a test for a loaded Irish team.

Meanwhile, in Bloomington, the men's team will clash against the #4 team in the country, UCLA. This match will say a lot about the team, as most polls have placed them to the lower echelons of the Top 25, if not out of it. Hopefully the Irish will spring a surprise on the Bruins and the pollsters.

After a game of American football on Saturday feature Notre Dame and Purdue, football returns to Alumni Stadium for 2 more matches. At 1:30, the women will take on unbeaten Texas Tech in what is set to be an important match.

Then at 7 pm, the men's team is set to take on the Pac-10 dark horse, Cal. This match is going to be huge because it will be a battle for the Irish with another dark horse, and we are going to attempt to break the all-time attendance record for men's soccer at Notre Dame. The first however many fans will pick up a free 16 oz glass (Google if you don't know what that is equivalent to) and the Rakes of Mallow will have their first test to see if we can not only pack the house but "bring the ruckus."

The other football

Today starts the Women's season with a match against Minnesota at 5:30 pm and we are two weeks away from the start of another season of men's soccer at the University of Notre Dame. With it will come 9 months of work by the players and coaches to bring what should be a great year. Both teams are set to have huge challenges ahead.

The Men's team will have quite the grueling schedule. They are set to face #5 UCLA ( 9/3 in Bloomington), #14 Drake (9/10), @ Michigan for the grand opening of their new soccer specific stadium, #24 Michigan State (9/19), #17 St. John's (9/25), #9 Northwestern at Toyota Park (9/29), @ #20 and long time rival Indiana (10/6), @ #20 Louisville (10/16), @ #22 and division favorite UConn.

In addition to the tough matches, the Big East semifinal and final will be held in the new Red Bull Arena.

Sweet isn't it? This tough schedule will tell us just where the Irish stand and will hopefully have the battle ready for the NCAA tournament. Perhaps the best part of this team is that it seems they are good, but no one knows about them. They should be ready for a few surprises.

Meanwhile the Women's team is playing right as I type this and are due to play some tough foes including #9 Santa Clara (9/3), @ #3 UCLA (9/10), and #18 Rutgerts (10/10). The Irish are expected to finish top of the Big East, but are not being given the recognition for the amount of returning firepower they have. It seems many expect the Evil Powder Blue Empire to march to another trophy without much ado.

It's good there isn't much talk about the two Irish teams who have great talents and coaching; so come November, the Blue and Gold will be hopefully shocking the nation on marches to Santa Barbara and North Carolina.

Lady Irish begin training/MLS survives in Champions League

First note I'd like to make is that the women's soccer team is on campus and begins training at 6 am (per @NDSoccer) The team is loaded to the gills, retaining 88% of goals scored and 80% of starts made from last season's semi-final run. Not to mention 3 U-23 USA players. Be prepared for some fireworks as this team marches on to victory.

Meanwhile in Major League Soccer, Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC nearly blow their 1-0 aggregate leads, only to storm back. Toronto FC went down 1-0 real fast. So fast that I was just loading up the stream after getting back from Chipotle and I heard "ITS IN THE NET." The first half was pretty dull, but the second half made it worth the while. Toronto decided to attack and it opened the match up. DDR scored on some quick passing early in the second half and it looked as if Toronto was through, but then the Honduran club struck back with former TFC midfielder Amado Guevara scoring his second goal on the night in the 64'. This sent TFC reeling as chance after chance was loaded into the box and it seemed like a matter of time before TFC's luck would run out. TFC instead got even more lucky. In 79' striker Chad Barrett of TFC got the ball a good 30 yards and ran at the back line. Now this seemed a routine defensive play, the problem became poor communication and a bad touch by a defender gave Barrett the ball with 20 yards to goal and only a keeper to beat and beat the keeper he did. His goal sent Toronto FC into the group stages for the first time with a 2-2 draw, 3-2 on aggregate.

Seattle, meanwhile didn't seem too inept. On a pitch that looked like the La Brea Tar Pits, Seattle played on the worst pitch ever. It had rained nonstop since 3 pm local time to 8 pm match time. Metapan looked to have a simple strategy, score on the long ball, play lots of defense, and pray for a shootout. Metapan's lone goal came on goal kick which the Sounders' defense looked lost on. They basically surrounded the player receiving the ball in the box and did nothing to prevent him from heading it in on the cross. At best the Sounders seemed lazy and relaxed and it took them a good half to figure out that Metapan wanted the 1-1 draw. Then the World Cup Semifinalist Alvaro Fernandez came off the bench. Him, Montero, Alonso, and Jaqua opened the match up for the Sounders. A cross into the box found Fernandez and he headed it home to give them the lead on aggregate and a two goal mountain for Metapan to climb. As the game went on the fresh legs of Fernandez and Jaqua began to run and pass around Metapan's defense. From what I saw of Fernandez, I don't know why he didn't play more at a club level, he was dominating. In the end Seattle won 2-1 on aggregate and advanced to the group stages.

College Soccer

While we are a college soccer group, if you ever want a topic that draws out the fire from Americans who love soccer, talk about college soccer and development. Aside from promotion /relegation and single entity in MLS and the recent failings of whoever happened to be the US coach at the time, college soccer has carved a nice niche as something that can result in war of words because to be honest, its a system that works for some but not others. Rather than talk about my opinion I will send you along to our experts

• Tom Dunmore on Pitch Invasion
• U.S. soccer could use a new system for college-age players (Washington Post)-This includes interviews with George Gelnovatc, Coach of the College Cup holders Virgina Cavaliers; Maryland Coach Sasho Cirovski, and Akron Coach Caleb Porter
• Legendary Soccer Writer Beau Dure's take on the matter
• ESPN story on how one can now play in both academies and college

So when your not busy check them out.

Still suffering from World Cup withdrawl? We've got a continental competition for you. At 8pm on Fox Soccer Channel there is Toronto FC trying to get into the CONCACAF for the first time, leading 1-0 on aggregate they venture down to Honduras to take on CD Montagua. Meanwhile, the love'em or hate'em Seattle Sounders FC go to El Salvador to finish what they started last week. Up 1-0 on Metapan after an overpowering performance last week, let's see if the Sounders' dream to get to the Club World Cup becomes slightly more real. They play at 10 pm on Fox Soccer Channel.

Also follow one of the best coaches in college soccer on his twitter and help him get to 300 followers by September 3 (First game of the season) Coach Randy Waldrum

And while your at it, you can follow us and a couple others on twitter and facebook

Rakes of Mallow: Twitter, Facebook

Notre Dame Men's Team: Twitter, Facebook

Notre Dame Women's Team: Twitter, Facebook

These will keep you updated on the goings ons of Notre Dame soccer as it looks to have a great year.

Return of the Cosmos

Yes you read that right, the New York Cosmos are back. Or so the legendary Brazilian Pele says. After Copa NYC on Sunday, Pele announced that the Cosmos were returning to New York. The brand was merging its name with a local Queens academy at first and then on to MLS. Now I was shocked at first but then when one reads into it, this is as likely to happen as USC going to a Bowl game on New Years. The president is a former chairman at Tottenham. What you may not know is that he is currently bankrupt and everything he now touches turns to fire. The Vice President is David Beckham's best buddy. He was the one attempting to pull the strings in the Galaxy front office which led to two abysmal seasons and his keister getting flown out of Carson. Last but not least is Pele. Now Pele was a brilliant footballer and is a perfect spokesman, but sometimes he doesn't have the right ideas in mind and flounders big time. There's a reason he's never managed a club. I could talk about the disaster of getting a stadium, finding an owner who cares about the team, and how there exists a salary cap, so you won't see the "Cosmos" of old, but that's been rehashed prior to this announcement.

So the question remains will the Cosmos upset the Red Bull applecart or is it just going to be FC New York with a well known name?