The injury list and what to do about it.

We'll also have an update later on today after the U20WC wraps up. That game is live on ESPN at 2pm EDT.

TODAY (All times EDT, our picks in bold)
U20WC: Ghana v Brazil      1400 ESPN

SATURDAY
Aston Villa v Chelsea        0730    ESPN2
Stuttgart vs Schalke        0925    ESPN Deportes  
Freibrug v Bayern Munich    0930    GolTV
Sunderland v Liverpool    1000    FSC
Man U v Bolton        1000    Setanta
Arsenal v B’ham        1000    Setanta X (SDD Setanta 2030)
Portsmouth v Spurs        1000    FSE
Blackpool v Plymouth    1000    ESPN360
Stoke v West Ham        1000    stream only
Everton v Wolves        1000    stream only (SDD Setanta 2215)
Deportivo La Coruna vs Sevilla 1155, ESPN Deportes  
Forest v Newcastle        1200    Setanta
Juventus v Fiorentina        1200    FSC/RAI
Hamburg v Leverkusen    1230    GolTV
Twente vs AZ             1340 ESPN360
Real Madrid v Valladolid    1400    ESPN360/ESPND
Impact v Whitecaps        1430    FSC
Genoa v Inter            1440    FSE/RAI
PSV v Heerenveen        1445    ESPN360
Lille v Rennes            1500    Setanta
Valencia v Barcelona        1600    GolTV
TFC v RSL            1600    CBC/DK
Monterrey v Jaguares        1755    Telemundo
Revs v Fire            1800    FSC
Cruz Azul v Tecos        1800    Azteca   
Toluca v Tigres        1955    Telemundo   
DC v Crew            2000    DK
Indios v Atlante        2000    Azteca/ESPND
KCW v Seattle        2030    DK
FCD v Colorado        2030    DK
Atlas v Queretaro        2145    Telemundo
San Luis v Pumas        2200    Telefutura
Monarcas vs Pachuca        2300  (SDD Azteca America)

SUNDAY
Lokomotiv v Spartak        0600    Setanta
Blackburn v Burnley        0800    Setanta
Lazio v Samp            0900    FSC/FSE
Wolfsburg vs Moenchengladbach, 0925, ESPN360 (SDD ESPND 1300)
Malaga vs Almeria, 1055, ESPN Deportes
Mallorca vs Getafe, 1055, DirecTV
Real Zaragoza vs Racing de Santander, 1055, DirecTV
Wigan v City            1100    FSC/FSE
Bilbao v Sporting        1300    GolTV
Morelia v Pachuca        1300    FSE
AC Milan v Roma        1445    FSE/RAI
Toulouse v PSG        1445    Setanta
Osasuna v Atletico        1500    GolTV
Dynamo v LAG        1500    Telefutura
America v Puebla        1730    Univision

MONDAY
Fulham vs Hull City, 1455, ESPN2
Santos vs Chivas, 2000, TeleFutura (moved from Sunday)

(Tip o' the hat to the Soccer TV Man, Oliver Tse.)

  Yes, Honduras, Americans play the full 90 minutes ... sometimes 95 or 96.
  We had noted earlier in the week that even though the USA had qualified for the finals that the players and coaching staff would take everything seriously in Washington.
   After the tragic automobile accident involving striker Charlie Davies and the in-game injury to Oguchi Oneywu which cast a pall over last night's game , it would have been understandable if that early Costa Rica burst of power had taken the oomph out of the American game.
   You know that didn't happen and it is Honduras, not Costa Rica, which is packing for South Africa today.
   The Ticos, so close to the finals, must now figure out how to defeat Uruguay in a playoff that matches contrasting styles.
   Costa Rica has always impressed with its attack, while questions hover over its defensive fiber. Uruguay is often so defensive that you wonder if their players need maps when they cross the halfway line. They had a place in South Africa on their plates last night in Montevideo but never looked like closing the deal against an unimpressive Argentina.
--
   After all is said and done, South Africa 2010 looks like just about every other World Cup field.
   Yes, France, Portugal and Russia still must survive playoffs to ensure that much of the UEFA power arrives safely and there is the question of whether two-time African champion Egypt can figure out how to reach the finals in their remaining match against Algeria, but the field already contains all of the expected favorites.
   Without knowing the draw -- to be made this December -- it is pretty hard to project what the tournament will look like. Nevertheless, it's safe to say that Brazil will be rated as the favorite with the Ivory Coast considered the most dangerous of the home continent's entries.
   From Europe we can expect very strong challenges from England [they will have plenty of support in South Africa even without their huge traveling contingent of fans], Germany, Italy and Spain.
   Chile has been the surprise throughout qualifying from South America and will doubtless have plenty of support as a potentially dangerous opponent next summer.
Asia offers Australia's strength and both Koreas ... at least one of them is going to surprise someone in the first round.
   The USA is due for a strong showing -- they perform well every other Cup it seems -- although the loss of Davies and the fact that Onyewu now faces a virtual lost season vastly complicates preparations. After an up-and-down summer, when the team's lack of real depth was exposed, there will be time to prepare quietly. The biggest hurdle that America faces is that draw -- don't expect any favors from FIFA in that department.

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    There are enough big World Cup qualifiers today to satisfy even though many of the issues are decided.
    Surely the greatest attention will be placed on the Uruguay-Argentina showdown in Montevideo where it remains possible that Argentina will be eliminated. That would happen if Uruguay and Ecuador (at Chile) both win, results that would send Uruguay directly to South Africa and Ecuador into the playoff against either Costa Rica or Honduras.
    Can't happen, you say? Argentina is simply too good, you argue. Well, it took a last minute goal from veteran Martin Palermo to beat Peru at the weekend. Argentina, frankly, hasn't been very good lately and it will require something better than what has been on offer recently if they want to escape from their qualifying mess.
    The other big points of interest involve European powers Croatia and Portugal.
    Just two years ago Croatia knocked England out of Euro 2008 and looked set to move into the top ranks of UEFA nations. Today they will need something of a miracle to even reach the playoffs because Ukraine starts the final day a point ahead and plays at tiny Andorra. Three points for Ukraine and Croatia will be out, no matter how they fare in Kazakhstan.
    Portugal has -- like Spain until that Euro 2008 triumph -- always promised more than it has been able to deliver. Today they need a win at home against Malta -- and they should get it -- to get into the playoffs and keep their South Africa hopes alive. Sweden is out unless the Maltese can pull a major upset.
    Here in CONCACAF you know the issue: Costa Rica starts the final day ahead of Honduras but must beat the USA in Washington, D.C. to be sure of direct qualification. The Hondurans will be hoping for an American victory to couple with a win of their own in El Salvador. That sequence  would allow them to finish third and send the Ticos into the playoff.
    For all the permutations go to FIFA's World Cup website for a thorough look at what can happen today.


DAILY READS:

LIVE COVERAGE OF TONIGHT”S GAME

Davies seriously injured (we will update this story this afternoon)

Atlantic League back in play?

Eriksson turns down North Korea

Argentina “greeted” in Montevideo (video)

They will have to go something today in Egypt to match the drama of last week's quarterfinals in the FIFA World Youth Cup.
    Ghana faces Hungary in one semifinal (10:30 am Eastern) while it's Brazil against Costa Rica (2 p.m.) in the other. Only Ghana arrived at this point without playing extra time.
    On paper it should be a Ghana-Brazil final, but this is an Under-20 event where one night's form has had little to do with the next day's performance.
    Brazil, for example, could have been done and dusted in its quarterfinal, trailing Germany into the closing minutes before substitute Maicon scored to make it 1-1 and force extra time. The same player scored immediately after the extra time began so Brazil lives to chase its fifth U-20 title.
    The Brazilians last won in 2003 when the UAE was host, but South American teams have had a virtual stranglehold on this event. Argentina won in 2001, 2005 and 2007 so CONMEBOL owns every title in this century to date and has won 10 of the previous 16 championships.
    No African nation has ever won but Ghana is a previous finalist, losing to then-host Argentina in 2001. This is a strong Ghanaian side but it had to work hard to edge South Korea 3-2.
    Of course both favorites have to navigate today's semifinals.
    Two of the events top strikers, Ghana's Dominic Adiyiah and Brazil's Alex Texeira should be the focus of attention today. Addiyiah scored twice in the win over South Korea and while Texeira was kept off the sheet by the Germans his presence up front creates room for others to operate.
    Hungary has done well to get this far but even with a first minute lead from a penalty and eventually playing against nine men the Magyars were somewhat fortunate to eliminate Italy, 3-2 in their last start. There are some weaknesses in their defense that you would expect Ghana to exploit.
    Costa Rica should know plenty about Brazil since Texeira scored once and Alan Kardec, his partner in the attack tandem, had two back in the opening round when Brazil crushed the Ticos 5-0. Since then Costa Rica has showed plenty of resilience, advancing to the second round by scoring more goals than the United States, then stunning host Egypt and eliminating the UAE. In each case, the Ticos simply did a bit more than a rival which had plenty of backing from the home crowd in Cairo.
    Brazil, though stifled by Germany much of that match, has been the most attractive, impressive side in this event. It will take something special to derail them at this stage.
    The final and third place games will be played Friday.

The USA is in South Africa.
No real surprise, of course, even if the uneven nature of the American performance is a real cause for concern.
You can say exactly the same thing about Mexico, whose rebound from a poor start may be as much of a mirage as the perceived worries about U.S. prospects next summer.
Truth is that qualifying is long, long slog, especially for the favorites. There's no point in being the best team in 2009 when the actual prime time is 2010.
Remember back when it all started and Brazil limped out of the gate. There were calls for Dunga's job. This morning, I'd bet most folks rank Brazil as the 2010 favorite with -- surprise! -- England, Germany, Italy and either Ivory Coast or Ghana considered the best bets for next summer. The Africans deserve the high respect both because of their quality and the home advantage they will possess.
In fact, if you look across the entire spectrum of FIFA World Cup qualifying it's hard to find many real shockers. Perhaps the arrival of North Korea, back in the finals for the first time since that remarkable 1966 team which stunned everybody with its performance, is the best story of the past two years, but for the most part the old boys are where they were expected to be.
The result in Honduras means that the United States has nothing at stake Wednesday night but that doesn't make it a dead game. Costa Rica and Honduras are still fighting for third place and automatic qualification. That means the Ticos must get something out of Washington, D.C. to be sure that they avoid two more games against a South American team, perhaps Argentina.
You cannot expect the U.S. to take any risks with injured or tired players at RFK Stadium, but I'd also be very surprised if the Americans don't come out with a solid effort. Not everything is admirable about America's romance with sports, but one thing we can take pride in is always competing seriously and playing to win.
Honduran fans can have some hopes as long as their bunch takes care of biz in El Salvador.

None of them may be your idea of a potential playoff juggernaut, but with two games left in the regular season there are four MLS wannabees with everything to play for.
Houston, Chivas, Los Angeles and defending champ Columbus are already safely in the post-season while it would appear that Chicago, Seattle and Colorado will join them.
That leaves one spot which could go to FC Dallas, DC United, New England, or Toronto. TFC may have tossed its post-season away when allowing a last-minute equalizer Saturday but there has been nothing especially predictable about the four teams over the past month.
New England is best-placed simply because they are two points ahead of the other three. They finish against Chicago (home) and Columbus (away). That's a tough assignment, especially since the Fire has not actually clinched its spot.
DC United has reeled down the stretch: they host the Crew Saturday, then go to Kansas City,
FC Dallas is home to Colorado, another team that has not actually clinched, then plays at Seattle.
Toronto is home against RSL and away to the Red Bulls, two teams going nowhere. They need wins and help after this weekend’s miserable draw.

DAILY READS

Cannavaro cleared of doping

Backham's likely return to Milan

Pavon apologises for missed PK