Clearly a better performance by the guys last night, though if Venezuela had any attack at all, the score would have been very different. The American defense continues to have holes and communication problems, and while you don't want to read too much into these games, the fundamental problems - an inability to score and a failure to work in tandem in the back - still bedevil the American side. And by the way, in the game of soccer, "scoring chances" are not rewarded - I have yet to hear of a match in which the "six scoring chances" created by, say, Scotland, negated the three goals scored by Brazil. The point is, creating chances - something which the team's coach likes to trumpet - means little. Scoring goals, however, wins games. This team needs to focus less on creating and more on finishing.

An informal poll shows that Eddie Pope is leading the dead pool to go down next at 5-2. John O'Brien is 3-1; Brian McBride is 6-1 and Tim Howard is 11-1.

Over by the Chelsea Piers here in NYC, there's a new machine that sells soccer balls, fully inflated for $20. It's pretty hot and tagged with Nike's "Joga Bonito" campaign logo. If anyone out there has used it, let me know.

Soccer may be returning to the Bay Area earlier tan fans thought. MLS announced this morning that the long-rumored interest of Oakland A's owners Lew Wolff and John Fisher had come to fruition, with the baseball magnates picking up a three-year option to open an MLS team in the area contingent on the building of a stadium. "We're tremendously excited to reach an agreement with Lew Wolff and John Fisher and to bring a Major League Soccer team back to the Bay Area," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a prepared statement. "We know the Bay Area is passionate about soccer and we believe that combining Lew and John's sports business expertise with a plan to develop a new soccer-specific stadium will provide a strong opportunity for a successful, long-term return to the market." The Anschutz Entertainment Group-owned San Jose Earthquakes relocated from the Bay Area to Houston earlier this year after failing to secure a stadium deal that would relieve them of playing at Spartan Stadium. The Quakes had spent 10 fitful seasons in San Jose, struggling to survive in a cramped college-owned complex that saw the team draw under the league average of 16,000 fans a game. AEG had attempted to sell the team to local interests, but adequate ownership and funding never materialized. At the time, AEG CEO Tim Lieweke was quoted as saying that the team lost $5m waiting an extra year to relocate while trying to secure local owners. "I am very excited to start working with MLS on bringing a professional soccer team back to the Bay Area," said Wolff in a prepared statement. "We fully understand our success in this endeavor is contingent on our ability to secure a new stadium for the team. We have already assembled our initial operational team, our venue design team and we will establish our "Earthquakes" office in downtown San Jose. My partner, John Fisher and I recognize that the future of the MLS is proven and we are honored to be given the opportunity to reestablish a franchise in the Bay Area." It is unclear where a stadium could be built; earlier this year a proposed, publicly funded $90-million deal collapsed in the wake of the Quakes' departure.

Sorry we haven't had time to post stuff for the past few days -- we've been busy. Real busy. (See the "32 teams in 32 Days" up front for more on that.) We promise you'll hear lots more next week before the Cup kicks off. We swear. But right now we need sleep, and it's so restful here in Bavone (outside of Milan) that we're having trouble staying awake. Not that you care. The point is: Tune in Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for some special stuff. Ciao.