Zzzzzzzzz

Mercy.  I've just watched the first half of the US v Malawi U17 World Cup game, and the announcer correctly called it "tepid."  I know from the report that the US wins courtesy of a complete mental moment by the Malawi GK, so I'll watch enough to see that, then it's bed time.

The most interesting part of the first half was watching the players try to deal with the center referee, the Swiss veteran Massimo Busacca.  They're flop and dive and rant and rave, and he just couldn't care less about their amateur theatrics.

Fire finally corner a win

Pardon the pun, but tonight's game goes to show that if you give a team 14 corner kicks, as Chivas gave the Fire, then you will be punished eventually.  The Fire played an uptempo game, especially considering the sloppy wet and windy conditions, and kept the pressure on Chivas most of the match.  They deserved the win and got the home-win monkey off their backs heading into the playoffs.  Now they wait for the weekend's results to see who they face next.

My man of the match is Patrick Nyarko.  He was a constant threat down the right side and forced more than a few of those corner kicks.

"Just win, baby."

Back before Al Davis became a sad old man and the Oakland/LA/Oakland Raiders became a laughingstock, Al's catch phrase was, "Just win, baby."  And win they did, and I grew up hating them for it.  But it's a pearl of wisdom in sports, really.  Something that maybe Denis Hamlett out to try out on the Fire before tomorrow's BIG GAME against Chivas USA.  Because the Fire seem to have forgotten how to win, going 0-2-4 since their last win on August 23.

It's hard to believe, but the Fire are in second place in the Eastern Conference going into the last week of the season, and they still haven't qualified for the playoffs.  There are more permutations and combinations than any one person can consider at once, but the Fire's reality is simple: win and in.  Actually, tie and in, too.  But if the Fire lose, then the field is wide open.

Just win, baby.

Northwestern keeps on rolling

Northwestern started the day at #17 in the latest NSCAA/adidas Division I Rankings and then closed it out with a 1-0 win over their neighbors to the south, Loyola.  Next up they host Indiana at 3 p.m. on Sunday.  Indiana dropped out of the latest poll, but will be looking to get back in with a win.  The Big Ten Network will show the game.

In the new NSCAA/Adidas Division III Rankings Dominican moved up four spots to #15.

This week in Chicago soccer

For most local teams this is the last full week of regular-season games, and there are some great contests on the calendar. 

The derby of the week is Concordia at Dominican on Wednesday afternoon.  These two universities, Northern Athletics Conference rivals, are both in River Forest less than a mile apart on Division Street.  Expect a good turnout for what is not much of a road trip for the Cougars.

But the marquee matchup will be on Sunday afternoon when #21 Indiana visits #16 Northwesten in Evanston.  I might have to make the trek for that one.  The forecast says it will be cold but clear.  Northwestern has a beautiful new field, aptly called Lakeside Field, right on the shore.  This is a big week for Northwestern, because Tuesday night they host neighboring Loyola.

Monday
Dominican at Edgewood

Tuesday
Argos at OPRF HS (regional tournament)
Western Illinois at UIC
Loyola at Northwestern
St. Xavier at Trinity Christian

Wednesday
Aurora at Wisconsin Lutheran
Anderson at U Chicago
Concordia at Dominican (derby of the week)
DePaul at Butler
Elmhurst at Lake Forest
Millikin at North Park
Wheaton at Illinois Wesleyan

Thursday
Chivas USA at Chicago Fire

Friday
Maranatha Baptist at Concordia
Wheaton at Elmhurst

Saturday
Aurora at Lakeland
Charlton at Gillingham
Syracuse at DePaul
MSOE at Dominican
UIC at Loyola
Rockford at North Park
Olivet Nazarene at St. Xavier

Sunday
UW Whitewater at U Chicago
North Central at Concordia
Dominican at Wartburg
Indiana at Northwestern

Jay DeMerit to have eye surgery on Monday

US and Watford defender Jay DeMerit finally is going under the knife in London on Monday to fix his left cornea.  Originally a cheesehead, DeMerit played at UIC and with the Chicago Fire Premier developmental team before seeking his fortune in England.  The US team is a bit short on defenders at the moment, so let's wish Jay a speedy recovery.

Understanding RPI

I've been pondering the past few days how DePaul could open so high in the RPI yet not get any votes in the poll.  I finally found an explanation of how RPI is calculated (at least for basketball) on the NCAA Web site.  Assuming the same RPI calculation, more or less, is used for soccer, it appears DePaul has been rewarded for playing a very tough schedule, even though it hurt their overall record (and their visibility among pollsters).  On the face of it, for example, DePaul only has played one opponent that was ranked at the time, and they lost 6-0 to #17 Louisville two weeks ago.  But early in the season they beat unranked Northwestern on the road (granted, not much of a road trip), and Northwestern now is ranked #16 and, probably more importantly, #1 in the RPI.  It will be interesting to see how DePaul moves in the RPI as Northwestern itself moves.

High school tournaments are underway

The Illinois Class 1A boys soccer tournament started earlier this week, and Class 2A and 3A start Friday.  We'll be watching most closely OPRF high school, which opens at home on Tuesday, and a few other Chicago-area schools.  We'll also be reporting odds and ends along the way.  You can follow all the action as it happens on the IHSA Web site.

This week in Chicago soccer

In the derby of the week, DePaul's Alex Mangan scored in the 89th minute to tie Loyola.  The teams went on to draw tonight at 2-2 in double overtime.

Tuesday
Aurora 5-1 Rockford
Concordia 1-0 Benedictine
Dominican 6-0 Wisconsin Lutheran

Wednesday
US 2-2 Costa Rica
Loyola 2-2 DePaul (2OT) (derby of the week)
Elmhurst 0-0 North Park (2OT)
UIC 1-0 Ohio State
Northwestern 3-2 Western Illinois

Thursday
OPRF at New Trier
St. Xavier at Northwood (Florida Soccer Classic)

Friday
Marian at Aurora
Rochester at U Chicago

Saturday
Huddlesfield Town at Charlton
Chicago Fire at New England
Concordia at Milwaukee School of Engineering
DePaul at Villanova
Milwaukee at UIC
Wright State at Loyola
Wisconsin at Northwestern
Wheaton at UW Oshkosh
St. Xavier at Flagler (Florida Soccer Classic)

Sunday
Case at U Chicago
Elmhurst at Carthage
UW Whitewater at North Park

College rankings

Northwestern came in at 16 (up from 21) in the latest NSCAA/adidas DI rankings, but has the top spot in the RPI. Congratulations to the Wildcats. If you want to see one of the top teams in the nation by either measure, then head to Lakeside Field this month; the Wildcats open a four-game home stand on Wednesday against Western Illinois.

Kudos to DePaul for coming in 18 in the RPI. The Blue Demons are unranked in DI, not having received a single vote this week. Go figure.

In DIII, Dominican moved into the 19 slot in the NSCAA/adidas poll, while Wheaton dropped out from its spot at 17.

The USA books a spot in South Africa, finally

That's local boy Jonathan Spector in a group hug after the USA beat Honduras 3-2 in San Pedro Sula on Saturday.  Those who actually saw the match described it as "thrilling" and the USA's play as "impressive."  From Arlington Heights, Spector played the full 90 minutes at right back.

I'm hoping the match finds its way to television before the glow wears off.