The MLS just beat Chelsea 1-0. Wow.

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GOALLLLLLLLLLLLL! MLS!

Which I missed. My wife asks me to feed her ungrateful cats, which I do, and during that five minute span, De Rosario scores to put the MLS on top 1-0. Not only do I miss the goal, but De Rosario (who I'd earlier criticized) is the one who does it.

The second half pace is much faster, and MLS is clearly more fit than Chelsea. Never to disappoint, at halftime Mourinho described his players as "tired" from all their preseason training. Will that be Mourinho's only excuse if MLS holds on?

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Robben is also in. Cole just went to the locker room after a midfield collision. That's bad luck. Cole is entertaining, particularly in this sort of game.

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Cole and Adu are in. The pace of the second half is much faster already.

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Halftime: MLS 0, Chelsea 0.

Not a terribly speedy or impressive game from either side. Chelsea looks like a team in preseason. Essien's been their best player in the first half, overwhelming several developing MLS attacks, and Terry's also looked good. MLS' De Rosario, being touted by the announce team, has a ways to go before I'd consider him a top-flight midfielder. But the MLS has done a decent job possessing the ball. I'd say they've held ball more than Chelsea.

Most exciting moment of the half was Albright's near miss in front of the goal. You've gotta put that in the back of the onion bag if you want to play European soccer, Chris.

I presume we'll see Chelsea's Cole and Robben start the second half, and Adu for the MLS Maybe they can add some pace to the game.

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In advance of Saturday's MLS v. Chelsea match-up, Jose Mourinho:

''What I really enjoy when I come here and play,'' he said via a conference call this week, ''is that [American teams] always play with a very good tactical approach. They play like they're the same level you are. Of course, they aren't.''

A textbook back-handed compliment from the never dull Jose. He's right, of course...but he'll have sounded pretty silly if the MLSers prevail on Saturday. In that case, I guarantee Mourinho will offer multiple excuses. Bets on whether "we didn't really try to win" or "the refs wanted to the crowd to go home happy" will be the first excuse offered?

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The Fox Soccer Channel announcers for EPL need to do a better play-by-play job. Often a ball will be touched by several players without an identifying word from the announcers. That's annoying, not announcing.

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I'm watching an 05 match between Tottenham and Liverpool on FSC. Both teams have lineups of jugadors I enjoy watching, but the 1st half has been disappointing. Gerrard's been quiet and Davids fairly subdued. There's been a fair amount of midfield and forward bumbling, with errant passes and possession forfeits more likely than not. Sven's in the stands, so perhaps his presence alone is enough to reduce the level of play.

He was wise to choose Lennon, though. Lennon's a player with a brilliant future.

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WHO TO BACK?

My euroclub fanship sweepstakes, current favorites:

EPL: Liverpool

The truth is, I love watching Chelsea play (and I think both Joe Cole and the incoming Michael Ballack are elite, entertaining players who are overly criticized), but I cannot bring myself to root for the billionaire two-time champions, particularly when I think the best overall player in the league is on another team: Steven Gerrard. And although I'm troubled by Stevie G's middling Cup performance, his club games shine, and I'm picking a club team, after all, not a World Cup side. Plus, I think Gerrard would have played better if Lampard were on the bench.

Arsenal's still a dark horse, though, because any objective futbol fan would happily pay good money to see Henry, Van Persie, Fabregas, and Rosicky.

Serie A: AC Milan

I admit I'm biased here: Fox Soccer Channel offers a program entitled "Milan Classics," which I watch as much as possible, but no "Juventus Classics" or "Inter Milan Classics." I dig Kaka, Pirlo, Gattuso, and Nesta, and am excited about Yoann Gourcuff. Moreover, the crappy match-fixing scandal means the next two years, at least, will be miserable for Juve fans. I don't think I'd like to begin my fanship on a two year downer.

La Liga: No one, b/c I can't figure out how to watch the games.

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I got my hands on Brazil-France 98 and watched the first half last night. It's the first time I've seen more than brief highlights since 1998 itself, when I watched in a bar in, of all places, 46th street (Little Brazil) in Manhattan.

Zidane was the best player on the pitch, although faster and less refined than he would later become. Everyone remembers the decisive headers, but here are two other beautiful Zidanisms: around 4 min in, Zidane receives a throw from Barthez, evades two Brazilians in a twenty-five yard run, executes a perfect give and go to Deschamps, receiving it back a few yards outside Brazil's box, and then megs Brazil's central defender to put the pelota on the foot of French forward Guivarc'h (alone inside the box), who promptly muffs it. Around 20 min in, another French player escapes Brazilian pressure by passing it to the nearby Zidane, who executes an across the body ball fake that puts the pressuring Brazilian on the ground, while Zidane otherwise stayed in place. Perfect.

Defensively, Thuram really impressed. Steady, speedy, and leggy, he swallowed several Brazilian attacks. A significant reason for Les Bleus' success.

Brazil looked staggered and disorganized, doing little by way of coherent attack. Denilson, who came on as a sub, was a remarkable ball handler and a thrill to watch, but Brazil could not build on his flair.

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