If you wonder if there's a case for a relegation system in the MLS, a convincing argument may have presented itself yesterday in Toronto. The Vancouver Whitecaps, a USL division 1 team, beat Toronto FC one to nil on a penalty kick.

Now, penalty kicks being what they are, and I understand the awarding of this one was controversial, some will say that the game doesn't indicate much. I'd have to disagree. While Toronto is not one of the stronger teams in the MLS, the simple fact that they operate in a superior league should give them the edge to knock off a USL team.

"Ah," you may say, "but in various domestic European competitions we often see lower-tier clubs knock off competition from higher leagues." That is true, but this is not Europe, and those European giant-killers are often facing 'watered-down' squads, as managers of top clubs are loath to risk their primary assets on tournaments that are, comparatively speaking, of lesser consequence.

Now, it seems that the Toronto manager didn't field his most powerful possible squad in the first half, but regardless of that fact, the Whitecaps were able to hold onto their lead in the second when Toronto reportedly made substitutions and poured on the pressure.

So it's possible for a top USL squad to beat a bottom MLS team. "So what?" you ask. Well, that screams for a relegation system. It's good for competition, which is good for quality, which is good for selling the league. It makes sense all around.

Imagine your team is in the bottom three on the league table. The end of the season draws near. In a system without relegation you're left with little to do except lament with fellow fans and hope for better things next season. In a system with relegation, you're most likely fighting tooth and nail with at least one other club in a bid to stay up. It's the excitement of the bottom of the table. It's something to cheer for, something tangible and attainable. And even if you do get the drop, you can always leave with a defiant sneer, vowing a swift return.

The only question I have is if North American audience would accept a relegation system. Previously I've speculated they wouldn't take to it. The traditional sports we grow up with here don't have them, so it may be a little foreign. However, if you live in the US or Canada and you're a soccer fan now, you're probably going to be aware of relegation, because you likely follow the sport around the world to some extent. And if you actually like a team enough to go to their games, or watch them on TV, you're probably still going to, regardless of what league they're in.

Presuming it wouldn't have a negative impact on the current fanbase, why not try it? It would also have the effect of expanding the league without expansion teams as we traditionally think about them. Montreal wants an MLS team? Ok, fine, let the Impact work their way up and earn promotion.

Also, I think it would be very beneficial to the national teams, probably more so Canada. With teams moving up and down, more individuals get their chance to shine at a higher level, and learn more and improve. That's my take, anyway. I think that if you play with better people, you're own abilities, one way or another, are more likely to improve than stagnate or deteriorate. And thus, the more experience Canadian and Americans get playing at higher levels, the more qualified they'll be if they earn a call-up to their national sides.

So, that's my thoughts for now. In summary:

The MLS and USL adopting a relegation system would be beneficial in the following ways:

• Keeps competition consistent in the various levels
• Improved quality leads to more entertaining product
• Even fans of bottom-of-the-table teams have something to cheer for
• Potentially expands the MLS without the need for actual expansion teams
• Possibly exposes new options for national teams

The GolTV website is carrying a story that says Chelsea's Arjen Robben is leaving the club for Real Madrid. There's been talk of a Robben exit for some time, although his preference was allegedly Barcelona. Perhaps he's going to Real in hopes of a swap later. In any case, I think Chelsea is stupid for letting him go. The games I've seen him play, he was one of the hardest working guys on the field, looking more threatening than most everyone else.

Speaking of Lampard, apparently he and John Terry are holding out for more cash. While I'm always quick to say something nasty about fat Frank, I think, their greed aside, the pricinpal is warranted. They are certainly far more valuable than Shevchenko, who's season was a complete disaster. Michael Ballack hasn't been the force that he was expected to be, either. Now, whether or not Lampard and Terry deserve more money is another matter.

Lampard's current salary of 70,000 quid a week is still an obscene amount of money, but this is football, and he deserves more than Sheva. If pay were based on performance, Shevchenko wouldn't deserve £121,000 for the whole year. About the only thing he was good for, if memory serves, was a couple of goals against Football League clubs in the Carling and FA Cup. Mostly he just wandered around the pitch, looking lost and frustrated. You could swear you could see the wheels turning in his mind: "This was so easy in Italy!" Welcome to England, mate. If I were Chelsea, I'd be unloading Sheva to the first reasonable bidder, and throwing a few more bucks Drogba's way to secure his future with the club. Because if they continue as they did last year, they don't have a prayer without him.

On another note, I watched the Houston v. Dallas MLS match this past Saturday, and it was a disaster. Most USL Division 1 games I've seen are better, both in how the game is played and entertainment quality. The whole game, it looked like everyone, save the goalkeepers, were moving in one big, disorganized mass in the midfield. I think I saw three or four plays down the wing the whole game, which were pretty much wide open the rest of the time.

It's sad to watch, because I wonder what this poor quality is doing to players that might be World class if given a good environment to flourish in. Dwayne DeRosario, for example. He's good enough to play in Europe, in my opinion. If nothing else, then in a strong second division like the League Championship. Maybe it was an isolated incident, I certainly hope so.

think the MLS needs to grow up if it's ever going to be taken seriously. Which means no more silly American-style drafts, no more teams with dumb names. Real Salt Lake? Does Utah have a monarchy I'm not aware of? Houston Dynamo? is Texas a Russian territory now? Wizards? No comment needed. Come on, people. You've got to be serious to be taken seriously. They need to make a relegation system a goal for the long term, too.

I'll give the MLS a few more chances but so far, when it comes to domestic football, I'm much more impressed by the USL.

How happy must Hugo Sanchez be?

A week after they lost the Gold Cup final to the United States, his side have beaten Brazil 2-0.

No doubt some will belittle the win citing the absense of Ronaldinho and Kaka in the Brazillian lineup. Everyone seems to like making excuses for Brazil. If they don't win there always seems to be some reason for it, and, clearly, if things had been as they should be, Brazil would have been victorious.

That's absolute garbage. If you're really a football powerhouse you're dangerous regardless of who is playing. So what if fat diva Ronaldinho wants a break? Or that Kaka feels too tired after his club efforts?

I think players should always make themselves available to their country. It's an honour to represent your nation, and asking to be excused from serving demonstrates a certain disrespect.

But that's kind of what I expect from Brazillian superstars. They seem to buy into their own hype and sense of importance. Frankly, I've seldom been impressed by any of them.

Even Pele seems to expect everyone to bow down to him, years after the fact. A wonderful documentary film about the NY Cosmos was recently made. Obviously, Pele was central to the story, but he refused to be involved unless he was compensated $100,000. The film is fantastic, but it's a documentary. It consists of interviews and old archive footage. It's not some multi-million dollar Hollywood movie that had potential to make everyone involved boatloads of cash. Franz Beckenbauer didn't have any problem being involved, and he seems to have fun reminiscing about his time with the Cosmos.

So I'm quite happy that Mexico put Brazil in their place. I'm bored with the years of the presumed footballing superiority of Brazil. It's time for them to earn those bragging rights, and if this start to their Copa America campaign is any indication, it's not going to happen. Argentina has to be the favourite to win the tournament now. We'll see how the US does against them today.

I've just read several news pieces about the death of Canadian born wrestler Chris Benoit and his family.

Or rather, Benoit's apparent murder of his wife, seven-year-old son, and subsequent suicide.

I'm absolutely disgusted by this. I used to watch wrestling. I liked the old guys, like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Sting, and my favourite, Bret Hart. By the late 90's wrestling began to shed it's cartoonish image in order to market the product to a society that was more cynical than that which absorbed the old style of wrestling.

What has followed onscreen is frequently objectionable, and worse behind the scenes. For all the popularity and successful marketing, it would appear to be a lonely world replete with violence, sex, and drugs.

I'm kind of ashamed I ever watched it, even if it was at a time before the business took this amazing turn for the worse.

Those who survive seem to be the ones that got out. Bret Hart, who quit after a concussion, specifically, but I think due to general disillusionment after losing his brother Owen and other relatives to the business.

While I haven't watched it in years, I will continue not to. I may yet get the Bret Hart DVD box set that came out a while ago, but as far as watching any of the current product the answer is no. I don't want to associate myself with a thing that has and continues to destroys so many lives without remorse.

Benoit got the typical send off: Apparently Monday night's broadcast was a tribute to Chris Benoit. Imagine that, a tribute to a man who murdered his family. Next week things will no doubt be back to normal.

Obviously, something is very wrong with the business

Bayern Munich have secured Miroslav Klose now, as opposed to next season as seemed to be the original plan.

Klose is the latest superstar to join the team in a Bayern's massive effort to overhaul the team after a poor season last year. One so poor that the German team won't see Champions League play, rather having to settle for a spot in the UEFA Cup.

It's curious that they've been able to attract the big name players without a Champions League spot, but they've managed to do it. French wizard Franck Ribery not only softens the loss of Owen Hargreaves to Manchester United, it makes it completely irrelevant. If Ribery plays at the top of his ability, I expect huge things from him in Germany.

That signing alone would have been amazing, but the team also acquired Italian World Cup striker Luca Toni and now Miroslav Klose. Should all these men be able to work together, there would seem to be no stopping Bayern. They should win the Bundesliga and UEFA Cup, and be a serious contender for winning the Champions League by next season. Granted, they'll be up against other good teams but, again, if this tuned-up Bayern side can work together well the possibilities are remarkable.

The only reservation I have is Oliver Kahn. The man's a legend, no doubt, but I think it may be time for him to go. I thought that the club should have attempted to lure Edwin van der Sar from Manchester United. He's also older, but I find him more reliable than Kahn.

All that said, Oli may well prove me wrong. Time will tell, but one thing that's not in question is that Bayern Munich should be one of the most exciting teams to watch next season.

I have to give credit where it's due. Not only did the Americans deserve to win the Gold Cup today, they also won me over.

Truth be told, I've enjoyed watching them in the past. A year ago I watched the Americans take on Italy at the World Cup, and by the end of that game they'd won me over as well, battling the Italians (and all their dirty, underhanded moves) to a hard-earned draw.

But I wasn't sure what to do with them after they beat Canada. I guess I shouldn't have felt guilty rooting for the squad that beat my nation's team. The US has had the advantage of much more experience and success on the international stage, but we still gave them a good fight.

Therefore, I initially began to watch the game this afternoon more or less neutral, but if anything leaning towards supporting Mexico. The US has had Mexico's number as of late, and it seemed like change was due. And it looked like it was going to happen, too, with Mexico taking the lead at the end of the first half. They were looking aggressive, as though Hugo Sanchez prepared them in order to answer his critics with a trophy.

But then the second half came around.

I've never been sure what to make of Landon Donovan. I've found him vaguely annoying at times, and thought of him as a big fish in a small pond. But this game exposed his true character, I think. When Ching drew a penalty, Donovan calmly scored, apparently taking a moment to clear his thoughts before he took the kick, as I saw him do in the game against Canada.

It's worth noting that, yes, while more often than not PK's result in goals, consider the factors: 1) The 60,000 person crowd is overwhelmingly Mexican. 2) To this point the Mexican keeper had been a veritable wall. 3) A goal would result in Donovan tying the US goal record. 4) With 30 minutes left to play, the PK was likely going to be the pivotal moment in the match, regardless of the outcome.

The second US goal is one of the most beautiful stikes you'll see any time soon. Benny Feilhaber's uncanny volley crushed the Mexicans. Oswaldo Sanchez began yelling at his defenders after the goal was scored, as though they could have done anything to stop Feilhaber's rocket from achiving it's destination. After that they were broken, and could be seen to be bickering with each other on more than one occasion.

In an effort to get the goal back they sent everyone forward, which only resulted in a turnaround breakaway by Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasely. Already a goal ahead, Donovan could have taken the shot himself, in an attempt to tie and break the US scoring record in the same game. Instead he unselfishly passed to Beasley who had the open net, but in a poor bit of luck hit the crossbar. That's the character of a leader and team player, and I don't expect you'd have seen the same from any of the Mexicans in the same situation.

It seems as though most of what I've heard about the Mexican team lately is bad news, all internal tension and such. It's showing on the field, and one has to wonder how much longer Hugo Sanchez is going to have a job. On the other hand we have Bob Bradley, who's getting the job done for the Americans, and with no small amount of class. All the interviews I've seen with him indicate that he's a passionate professional. While I still don't expect the US will do too well at the Copa America, it looks as though Bob Bradley is using the opportunity to give some of his younger players experience at the highest level. It's a smart move, and he's clearly looking to the future.

If Mexico's troubles continue Canada could, temporarily at least, be second best in CONCACAF. I would love nothing more than for Canada to be represented at the 2010 World Cup, even if we exited the tournament at the group stage. Some fellow users on this website have suggested that the taunts I witnessed from the American fans at the US vs. Canada match ("Go play hockey") are quite harmless compared to the abuse that fans of other CONCACAF nations will lob at visiting teams.

So I suppose I have no reason not to admire the US. Mexican reaction was typical: "They played well, but we had a number of chances. We just didn't take advantage of our opportunities," said Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Manager Hugo Sanchez is quoted as having said "sometimes the team that plays better doesn't always win."

I've heard those before, and I'm going to hear them this week from my Mexican co-workers. But opportunity doesn't count for anything if you can't finish. And that's why the US has won the Gold Cup.

Well done, USA. And while I'll never cheer for the Americans when they play Canada or England, they've earned my support against just about everyone else.

What is it with Frank Lampard? Going on a full year after last summer's World Cup in Germany, he's still nothing but dead weight on the England national squad.

The fans have been vocal with their displeasure. Which has lead to equally incompetent manager Steve McClaren to come to Frank's defense:

"Unfortunately, one point I should raise is that we were all disappointed to hear Frank Lampard being booed at Wembley against Brazil. Frank is a tremendous player and he didn't deserve that reaction."

Now, this is rife with opportunity for criticism. First, when McClaren took over and dropped Beckham he claimed that everyone was going to have to fight for their spot on the team. This was not true, the only person who had to fight for their spot was David Beckham.

Evidence of this is seen when Owen and Hargreaves were out injured. They were kept in the circle of the team, making it clear that they'd be back. Even though there was no indication that their form would return upon their injuries healing. Frank Lampard's performances have been terrible, and he's still around. Tremendous player? Yes, so tremendous he couldn't even score on a penalty kick at the World Cup vs. Portugal.

His attitude doesn't seem much better. He clearly wasn't happy about Joey Barton being called up to the England squad in February of '07, and was even less happy when he was brought off for Barton in the 78th minute. All because Barton -rightfully so- was critical of the players who put out books after the World Cup, most of which tried to assign blame somewhere other than on the players. "I played like ####," Barton mocked, "here's my book."

England needs more players like Joey Barton. He's got a reputation for being a hothead, but you can't say he's complacent, and he believes that the team on the pitch is ultimately responsible for the outcome of the match.

McClaren is a coward. Dropping Becks was the easy call, the one everyone was talking about. Never mind that he actually scored at the World Cup, the fans wanted the appearance of a regime change, so the poster boy was the one who got the axe. In the end it did help Becks, as he worked hard to get back to the team. But It's clear now that Lampard should have been dropped along with Beckham.

With Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup ahead, it's time to stop messing about and clean house. Beckham may have got the team back on track for now, but it's not a perminant solution. McClaren and the rest of the staff need to go. It's looking as though Real Madrid probably won't be asking Fabio Capello for his services next season, and he's said in the past that the England national squad has interested him. If I were The FA, I'd be putting in some calls.

It was a great game at Soldier Field, some obnoxious American fans and the overall loss not withstanding.

There was an enclave of US supporters seated behind the net that the US started in the first half. They chanted "go play hockey" when the Canadian team came out, and then periodically throughout the rest of the game. This was the first international football game I've been to, so I don't know what the standard is, but it seemed rather disrespectful.

If I were the US team, or an American in general, I'd be weary of having such ill mannered fans as the ambassadors for my country and team. Later in the game they quieted down, as Canada started playing well and the Mexican fans turned on the US team and started to cheer for Canada.

Let's just get it out of the way now: the offsides call wasn't, and that's all there is to it. The goal should have stood, giving Canada a chance to fight for a win. But, as someone else commented on this website, that's football.

I think Canada and Guadeloupe, in spite of losing, come out of the tournament looking the best, because they were the underdogs and were only just barely beaten. Conversely, the US and Mexico, the "big guns" of CONCACAF, have been winning in an unconvincing manner. Whatever happens in the Gold Cup final, if they continue to play in this fashion both teams will be humiliated in the Copa America.

Perhaps more so Mexico, as the US, much like England, seems to play at the level of their opponent on any given day, usually managing to squeak out a win. But that kind of by-the-seat-of-your-pants football isn't going to last very long in South America.

I couldn't stay for the Mexico vs. Guadeloupe game last night, and as I was leaving the stadium, Canadian flag draped over my shoulders, an incoming Mexican fan said to me "don't worry, we'll get them for you on Sunday."

Viva Mexico.

In a little more than ten hours, Canada and the US will kick off their Gold Cup semifinals match, followed by Mexico vs. Guadeloupe.

Will Canada be able to beat the Americans, who have largely dominated recent competition in the CONCACAF region? And will a struggling Mexican side find the form to conquer Guadeloupe?

Recall that Canada didn't play the US when they won the Gold Cup in 2000, although they did beat Mexico 2-0. The Americans have a 3-1-0 (3 wins, 1 loss) record against Canada since the year 2000. [Source]

Also to consider will be the Copa América in Venezuela, which takes place immediatley after the Gold Cup, which both the US and Mexico are competing in. The impact of the impending Copa América will be largely psychological, I'd imagine, but whether that impact is positive or negative is impossible to say.

Both nations are only invites to the competition, as they are members of CONCACAF (the governing body of football in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean), rather than CONMEBOL (governing body of South America). As such, the Gold cup in more important, as the winner represents CONCACAF in the Confederations Cup. A Copa América win for either nation, in the absence o####old Cup win, while exceedingly impressive, would not earn their squad the Confederations Cup spot.

Whatever happens, I'm hoping for some good matches. Expect a report of the happenings at Soldier Field to follow sometime this weekend.

Go Canada!