First impressions of Wilmer Cabrera's American U-17 team that opened the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Monday are positive.
       You might say this is strange: The team had a 1-0 lead in five minutes, played 88 minutes against ten men and still couldn't beat Spain. The Europeans won 2-1 thanks a very good strike rate and with perhaps just a tiny bit of help from a linesman who appeared to miss an offside decision on one of the two tallies.
        But this isn't about the result as much as it is about how the Americans played. This one was not the usual kick-and-hope approach that dominates our youth game too often. This performance was measured, well-thought and it lasted for 90 minutes, something pretty rare for a USA team at any level.
        We have seen plenty of this age-group soccer in the past 20 years, including FIFA World Cups and the qualifying rounds which lead up to it, so we are hardly going to get carried away by one game. If anything is true about U-17 players it is that they are notoriously unpredicatble and offer performances which can vary radically from game to game. Few of the individuals ever reach the top level, although the real standouts in this event usually do go on to be special: think Cesc Fabregas when he stole the Finland-hosted event from then-touted Freddy Adu.
        Indeed, results really don't matter at this point; indeed Americans often are too interested in how a team did in terms of W's and L's and overlook how those numbers were achieved.
        It will be good enough for us if Cabrera's team can merely replicate its approach and organization in its remaining games in Nigeria. Even after an opening loss, this team looked good enough to impress against Malawi and the United Arab Emirates.
        I'm not even going to mention any players this morning. That will come later if deserved. Right now my focus is strictly on wanting to see a US team play with its mind as much as with its body. We saw next to nothing in terms of intelligent play development from the U-20 bunch in Egypt -- heart and effort and physicality, yes.
         Even our senior national team regularly fails in the thinking department -- we get players sent off and carded far too often and too many times the team cannot put two consistent halves together. Nobody ever questions the effort, but it's time we demanded far more than hard work.
        If there is to be any real change in our players it has to begin at the U17 level. We can choose to play more slowly, smarter and with a creative touch, but first we have stop running at full speed and flying into tackles. Coaching can influence players to make that choice and change their game. The appointment of Cabrera, a Colombian international, may turn out to have been a significant first step in getting something like that happening at last.
    --
        All of the U17 event from Nigeria is airing on ESPN360.com for those of you lucky enough to have access to those high-quality productions.
        ESPN360.com is also where you will be able to see the Arsenal-Liverpool Carling Cup game this afternoon (3:45 p.m., Eastern). Of interest there will be how the sides line up. Arsene Wenger has used this Cup to blood youngsters; Liverpool, too, has not been full strength early-on, but drawn against Arsenal and in the middle of a well-publicized crisis can Rafa Benitez afford to trust his kids with this trip to the Emirates?
    And for any of you who are wondering, the "later" kickoff times for this week's games from Europe are down to the fact that they ended Summer Time last weekend. We change our clocks this weekend so things will be back to "normal" on Sunday.

DAILY READS

Real Madrid walloped by nobodies

Man United fans kick off trouble in Carling Cup tie at Barnsley

Portsmouth hit with transfer ban over debts

USA to play Slovakia

Oct 27

    Took a day off yesterday after another long weekend of following football and letting all of you Twitter users know about it in real-time. (As always, each weekend and Champs League day, you can get real-time updates via @championsonfox)
    But, today’s story is already up on the front page, so go check it out. Tomorrow is a travel day for me, but we’ll return to regularly scheduled service on Thursday, with a look ahead at the MLS playoffs and matchups.

DAILY READS
Scotland’s SPL  is more like the MLS than we care to admit…

AND: Read this one closely: Knight Commission recommendations would badly hurt college soccer

Payback time? Ferguson under fire from the refs

Altidore heavily fined for tweeting an apology

Riots in France go on “as scheduled” despite postponement of PSG-OM game due to swine flu

Speaking of: Blackburn says it has swine flu, and has given it to Chelsea.

Swine flu extra: Feel better, Trevor!

Milan says Beckham deal is done


TV TODAY
U17WC:
Argentina v Germany and Switzerland v Spain at 1100 (ESPN360)
Nigeria v Honduras and Brazil v Mexico at 1400 (ESPN360)

CARLING CUP:
Barnsley v Man United    1545    Setanta

TV:
Friday October 23
2:25pm ET - Bundesliga - Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Dortmund - GolTV
2:40pm ET - English Football League "Championship" - Watford vs Sheffield Wednesday - ESPN360.com
8pm ET - Men's College - Evansville vs Drake - FOX Soccer Channel
9pm ET - Liga Mexicana - Estudiantes Tecos vs Toluca - Galavision

Saturday October 24
7:30am ET - EPL - Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Aston Villa - ESPN2 (HD)
9:25am ET - Bundesliga - Bayern Munich vs Eintracht Frankfurt - ESPN Deportes & ESPN360.com
9:30am ET - EPL - Tottenham vs Stoke City - Setanta Sports USA
9:55am ET - EPL - Hull City vs Portsmouth - Setanta Xtra (5pm ET SDD on Setanta Sports USA)
9:55am ET - EPL - Birmingham City vs Sunderland - FOX Soccer Channel & FOX Sports en Espanol
10:48am ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - Honduras vs. Argentina - ESPN360.com
10:48am ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - Mexico vs. Switzerland - ESPN360.com and Galavision
11:55am ET - La Liga - Atletico de Madrid vs Mallorca - ESPN Deportes & ESPN360.com
11:55am ET - Serie A - Sampdoria vs Bologna - RAI International
12:25pm ET - English Football League "Championship" - Derby County vs Queen's Park Rangers - Setanta Sports USA
12:25pm ET - EPL - Chelsea vs Blackburn Rovers - FOX Soccer Channel & FOX Sports en Espanol
12:55pm ET - Ligue 1 - Bordeaux vs Le Mans - TV5Monde USA
1:48pm ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - Brazil vs. Japan - ESPN360.com
1:48pm ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - Nigeria vs Germany - ESPN360.com
1:55pm ET - La Liga - Sporting de Gijon vs Real Madrid - GolTV
2:30pm ET - Serie A - Inter Milan vs Catania - FOX Soccer Channel, FOX Sports en Espanol & RAI International
2:55pm ET - Ligue 1 - Rennes vs Montpelier - Setanta Sports USA
3:55pm ET - La Liga - Sevilla vs Espanyol - GolTV
5pm ET (SDD) - EPL - Burnley vs Wigan Athletic - FOX Soccer Channel
5pm ET (SDD) - Serie A - Sampdoria vs Bologna - FOX Sports en Espanol
5:55pm ET - Brasileirao - Atletico Mineiro vs Vitoria - GolTV
5:55pm ET - Liga Mexicana - Jaguares vs Santos - Azteca America & ESPN Deportes
6pm ET - Liga Mexicana - Queretaro vs Cruz Azul - TeleFutura
7:55pm ET - Colombia - Millonarios vs Medellin - GolTV
7:55pm ET - Liga Mexicana - Tigres vs San Luis - Telemundo
8pm ET - Liga Mexicana - Pachuca vs Indios - TeleFutura
9pm ET - MLS - Real Salt Lake v Colorado Rapids - FOX Soccer Channel
9:55pm ET (SDD) - Liga Mexicana - Atlante vs Atlas - Telemundo

Sunday October 25
2am ET - A-League - Sydney vs Brisbane - FOX Soccer Channel
6:55am ET - Russian Premier League - CSKA Moscow vs FC Moscow - Setanta Sports USA
9:25am ET - EPL - Bolton Wanderers vs Everton  - Setanta Sports USA
9:25am ET - Dutch Eredivisie - AZ vs Ajax - ESPN Deportes & ESPN360.com
9:55am ET - Serie A - Siena vs Juventus - ESPN360.com
9:55am ET - Serie A - Roma vs Livorno - ESPN360.com
9:55am ET - Serie A - Fiorentina vs Napoli - RAI International
10am ET - EPL - Liverpool vs Manchester United - FOX Soccer Channel & FOX Sports en Espanol
10:48am ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - Turkey vs Burkina Faso - ESPN360.com
10:48am ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - Iran vs Gambia - ESPN360.com
10:55am ET - EPL - Manchester City vs Fulham - Setanta Xtra (12noon ET SDD on Setanta Sports USA)
11:25am ET - Dutch Eredivisie - NEC vs PSV - ESPN Deportes & ESPN360.com
11:55am ET - La Liga - Valladolid vs Deportivo La Coruña - GolTV
11:55am ET - La Liga - Racing de Santander vs Osasuna - DirecTV Ch 456
11:55am ET - La Liga - Getafe vs Athletic Club Bilbao - DirecTV Ch 457
11:55am ET - La Liga - Villarreal vs Malaga - DirecTV Ch 458
12noon ET - EPL - West Ham United vs Arsenal - FOX Soccer Channel & FOX Sports en Espanol
12:25pm ET - Bundesliga - Bochum vs Werder Bremen - ESPN360.com
1:48pm ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - Costa Rica vs New Zealand - ESPN360.com
1:48pm ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - Colombia vs Netherlands - ESPN360.com and Galavision
1:55pm ET - Brasileirao - Internacional vs Gremio - GolTV
1:55pm ET - Liga Mexicana - Pumas vs Monterrey - Telemundo
1:55pm ET - La Liga - Almeria vs Valencia - ESPN Deportes & ESPN360.com
2pm ET (SDD) - Ligue 1 - Lens vs Toulouse - Setanta Sports USA
3pm ET - Argentina - River Plate vs Boca Juniors - FOX Sports en Espanol (6pm ET SDD on FOX Soccer Channel)
3pm ET - MLS - Chivas USA vs Houston Dynamo - TeleFutura
3pm ET - Women's College - LSU vs South Carolina - ESPNU
3:30pm ET - Serie A - Chievo vs AC Milan - FOX Soccer Channel & RAI International
3:55pm ET - La Liga - Barcelona vs Zaragoza - ESPN2 (HD), ESPN Deportes & ESPN360.com
3:55pm ET - Ligue 1 - Marseille vs Paris St. Germain - Setanta Sports USA
4pm ET (SDD) - Bundesliga - Schalke 04 vs Hamburg - GolTV
5:55pm ET - Liga Mexicana - Puebla vs Monarcas - Azteca America
6pm ET - MLS - Columbus vs New England - ESPN2 (HD), ESPN Deportes & ESPN360.com
6:30pm ET - Liga Mexicana - Club America vs Chivas Guadalajara - Univision

Monday October 26
5am ET (2-day delay) - Ligue 1 - Bordeaux vs Le Mans - Setanta Sports USA
10:48am ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - Uruguay vs. Korea Rep. - ESPN360.com
10:48am ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - United Arab Emirates vs. Malawi - ESPN360.com
1:48pm ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - Spain vs. USA - ESPNU & ESPN360.com
1:48pm ET - FIFA U-17 World Cup - Algeria vs. Italy - ESPN360.com
4pm ET - English Football League "Championship" - Reading vs Leicester City - Setanta Sports USA
4:10pm ET - Portugal - Benfica vs Nacional - ESPN360.com

(TV listings provided by soccer-on-tv authority Oliver Tse)

DAILY READS:
See www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTOURaRXgYE ">the trailer for Farenheit 2010, a look inside the South African World Cup

Kroenke says nothing at Arsenal AGM, as expected

Chicago Fire punch their ticket

I don’t think you can ask for much more excitement. The past two days of Champs League play have seen stunning upsets, wild comebacks, and goals galore. Yesterday, we recapped the Wednesday games; today we’ll do the same for yesterday’s fiesta.

But first: Speaking broadly, this was a good Matchday for the Italian and French sides; a poor one for the Germans, and a bit mixed for the English and Spanish teams.

Let’s start with the easy ones: Chelsea simply slaughtered Atletico, racking up a 4-0 win with ease. This shouldn’t be a shock considering that Atletico is miserable this season, having won only one game so far in their own league and none so far in the European Cup. Chelsea has likely locked up a slot in the knockout stage with 3 wins in three games, and they sit comfortably atop Group D after what amounted to little more than a training exercise. They are joined by Porto, who beat the surprising Cypriot side APOEL in a much more dogged affair. Porto finished the match with ten men after Gonzalez was ejected, but the blocky striker Hulk saved the day for the home team. They now sit on six points and would need to collapse not to progress.

Manchester United slogged through the Moscow gloom to pip CSKA 1-0 thanks to a late goal by Valencia, but the real takeaway is how awful the match was on that plastic pitch. No matter how advanced that stuff gets, the ball still dips, slips and bounces unnaturally. CSKA is still in it because Wolfsburg played to a scoreless draw against Turks Besiktas in the day’s snoozer. The lone bit of excitement came when the German’s top scorer, Grafite, was bounced for elbowing Ibrahim in the area.

The weird games were in Group A. How many times do you see a team miss two penalty kicks? That’s just what happened to Bordeaux, who squeezed out a 2-1 win over Bayern Munich despite the fact that the Germans had two men ejected in the game. Bayern will miss Muller and van Buyten, but they have to be thanking their lucky stars they only lost by a goal on the road. Likewise, Juventus made heavy work in heavy weather of what should have been a straightforward outing against Maccabi Haifa. Nope. Despite finishing the game against ten men when Dutra was tossed for a bad foul on David Trezeguet, Juventus could only manage one goal, and Haifa tested Gigi Buffon repeatedly in the net. Diego was the man of the match for the Old Lady, consistently dangerous on the night.

The big game of the day was in Group C, and no it was not in Switzerland. The Marseille win over FC Zurich game was what you would expect: Leaden and foul-ridden. Marseille got the win thanks to Gabriel Heinze, but the standout was Zurich keeper Johnny Leoni, who kept the Swiss in the game.

The barnburner was Real Madrid hosting AC Milan. After a slow first half, the game sparked to life when Milan keeper Dida failed to hold a save, allowing Raul to punch the ball past him into the net. Andrea Pirlo and Pato scored midway through the second half, only to see Drenthe level it up for Madrid, but it was The Duck, with a great first-time shot off as cross from Clarence Seedorf that decided it.

But the denoument might well be an examination of ref Frank de Bleeckere, who had a nightmarish game. He incorrectly disallowed a Milan goal late in the second half; incorrectly failed to award a penalty after Zambrotta hacked Karim Benzema down in the area; and made a serious of curious decisions throughout the game. (De Bleeckere, mind you, was the gent who sent off the Ghana player in the U-20 final this year… for a clumsy challenge at the halfway line. That could have been a caution instead, and his decision raised a lot of eyebrows.) Had AC Milan lost, they would have been rightly furious.


DAILY READS
Rangers hunt Edu abuser in racial incident

Champs League failure would wreck Liverpool’s finances

Silent Stan (Kroenke) will attend AGM for Arsenal; Still shy of takeover threshold

Ribery out for France

Dynamo out of CCL

TV
UEFA Europa League (Times EDT)

9 televised matches at 1255
Benfica vs Everton – GolTV and DTV 470
Lazio vs Villarreal - DirecTV 462 (SDD 2000 GolTV)
Athletic Bilbao vs Nacional - DirecTV 463
Austria Vienna vs Werder Bremen - DirecTV 464
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Toulouse - DirecTV 465
Steaua Bucharest vs Fenerbahce - DirecTV 466
PSV vs Copenhagen - DirecTV 467
BATE Borisov vs AEK Athens - DirecTV 468
FC Salzburg vs Levski Sofia  - DirecTV 469

9 televised matches at 1500
Fulham vs Roma - GolTV and DTV 470
Valencia vs Slavia Praha - DirecTV 462
Celtic vs Hamburg - DirecTV 463
Lille vs Genoa  - DirecTV 464
Galatasaray vs Dinamo Bucharest  - DirecTV 465
AFC Ajax vs Dinamo Zagreb  - DirecTV 466
Ventspils vs Sporting  - DirecTV 467
Panathinaikos vs Sturm Graz   - DirecTV 468
Hertha Berlin vs Heerenveen   - DirecTV 469
(TV listings courtesy of Oliver Tse)

Game day six and it's head-to-head in Group A with potentially interesting matchup in Moscow. Meanwhile, for Milan, the soap opera continues. You can, as always, follow along on our Twitter feed, @championsonfox, which will have all the goal flashes and other major news. If you cannot be near a TV today and want to watch on your laptop, visit www.championsonfox, where you can stream the games legally, for a small fee.

Yesterday’s games: What can you say about a day in which: Only one home team wins; you see two legit upsets and two unexpected stalemates; and you see a storied team collapse in nearly unutterable fashion? (OK, you can say a lot.)

Let’s start with the collapse: Rangers have now lost two games in a row by scores of 1-4 at home. Yesterday, it was the Romanians Unirea that picked the Glaswegians apart, but on the evidence, anyone could currently repeat the feat. Did we mention that the day saw a stunning flurry of goals?

Rangers looked horrid all over the pitch: Their set pieces were hopeful belters; their midfield interchange was non-existent, and their defending was ghastly. As is the case with the woeful Cubs of Chicago, Scottish fans still will pack Ibrox (and Parkhead, mind you) weekly in a world-famous show of support. There are signs this is starting to end and to be honest it must if this team’s going to improve.

Last night we were all treated to the grim sight of Ibrox emptying with 25 left to play, and the fans raining abuse down on their team. (Some of that abuse came toward our own Maurice Edu, who wrote on Twitter (a post he later removed) that said “It's sad n embarrassing that people follow me so they can write racist comments. It's '09, people, let's grow up n mature a lil bit."

Now the upsets: Who would have thunk that Rubin Kazan, a Russian debutante, would waltz into Camp Nou, overpower Bracelona, and walk away with a 2-1 win? Not I. And while that’s not exactly what happened, Rubinwas full value for their win.  This was one of the great upsets in European Cup history, and it was well-deserved. Rubin’s Aleksandr Ryazantsev gave the Russians a shock lead after two minutes and when Barcelona’s midfield coughed the ball up late in the second, Gokdeniz Karadeniz brought the hammer down. The real story of the game, though, was Rubin’s stout defense. Barcelona came out roaring to start the second half, but could not do anymore than get level. And when they did that, the expected Barca assault never materialized.

Then there’s Liverpool, who are enduring their worst start in 23 seasons. They followed up a freak loss to Sunderland with a game in which they were comprehensively outworked by Lyon. Now, you can say a lot of things about Liverpool, but “outworked?” Rarely. Yet, last night, that was the case.

Manager Rafa Benitez, who would surely be on the job line this morning if the club could afford to sack him (they cannot) gambled and failed with the introduction of Steven Gerrard. That backfired when the injured captain re-did his groin and had to come off after 25 ineffective minutes. That injury now means Gerrard is likely to miss Liverpool’s vital game against Manchester United on the weekend, to boot. It was a gamble Benitez obviously felt he had to take; when Gerrard walked off, Liverpool seemed to sink without a captain to guide the ship.

With the loss, Liverpool is staring at the abyss: They could effectively be out of the running for the Premiership title by Monday, and they sit in third place with just three points in Group E with one home game remaining.

Then there’s the underachievers: Did anyone think Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan would be  dead last in Group F? No. But this one is proving to be the group of death as, like Rubin Kazan did to Barcelona, Dinamo Kyiv showed up last night and stonewalled the homers 2-2 at the San Siro. Kyiv was consistently the better team on the night, and were it not for a bit of great play from Walter Samuel, Inter would have been stuck with the loss.

Arsenal have to be hopping mad after conceding a stoppage-time goal to AZ Alkmaar, but the Gunners have no one to blame but themselves. They dominated the game effortlessly…and that lulled them into a false sense of security. Time after time, Arsenal had chances to end the match. They didn’t, and now see their lead atop Group H reduced to a single point. Note to Arsene Wenger: The Mannone experiment? Let’s end it.

Last but not least, the Hungarian goal-fest. Fiorentina scored four goal in the first half alone in a match that ended up 3-4 for the Italians over Debrecen. Talk about wild: Three goals in the first ten minutes as Debrecen and La Viola traded blows, then a late strike from Coulibaly that seemed tnearly tipped the game the homer’s way. This is one to re-watch.

The other games were easy: Squillaci and Jesus Navas made short work of Stuttgart as Sevilla cruised to a 3-1 win; Olympiakos got a late winner to down Standard 2-1 at home.

TODAY:
Maccabi Haifa is already bringing up the rear in Group A but the Israeli side may yet play a part in which two of three heavyweights advances from perhaps to toughest qualifying group. Bordeaux hosts Bayern tonight, the teams level on four points atop the section. Obviously, these are three points the French champions need badly if they are to maintain a challenge for a top two finish. Juventus, two points behind after draws in their first two games, needs to find its true Euro form against Maccabi in Torino to make sure they take three points and gain on someone -- maybe both -- from the other match. Which brings us back to the Israelis: any point they get from any game could be the one that alters the final balance.

Manchester United is already cruising ... they have taken over the top spot in their EPL title defense and have full points from their Group B start. Everything is lined up for Sir Alex Ferguson to have a nice cuppa Sunday night as long as his lads don't get jet-lagged or upset this week. The journey to Moscow is never easy and CSKA will be looking to tie for the group lead. But United has fared very well in such circumstances in the past. Then comes a little weekend trip to Anfield Road where the Red Devils could pretty much bury one of their big EPL rivals. United has not always looked pretty this season but SAF's bunch continues to get results.

Real Madrid is already in charge in Group C but things have not gone as expected elsewhere. Marseille is pointless, Milan lost at home last time out to FC Zurich and suddenly it is the Swiss who stand to profit tonight if they can beat the French side. You know about the hang-wringing in Milan; the questions are already there over the future of Leonardo as team boss and although it was totally to be expected that the Serie A club would seek compensation for the loss of Oguchi Oneywu the plain fact is that they probably could have used the big American somewhere in this CL group stage. The Galacticos will manage without Cristiano Ronaldo you imagine -- more openings for Kaka perhaps.

Group D already looks over. Chelsea can go to nine points by taking care of business against Atletico Madrid tonight while Porto would keep APOEL pinned to the bottom alongside the Spanish club if they win in Portugal. It's going to take something very strange to keep Chelsea and Porto from a smooth stride into the knockout stage.

TV
Today's pairings with Directv channels. All kickoffs are 14:45 Eastern except for the game in Moscow, which kicks at 12:30.
Group A
Bordeaux vs. Bayern Munich (DTV 462); Juventus vs. Maccabi Haifa (DTV 463)
Group B
CSKA Moscow vs. Manchester United (FSC/FSE, Setanta, DTV 469, 12:30 kickoff); Wolfsburg vs. Besiktas (DTV 465)
Group C
Real Madrid vs. AC Milan (Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports Espanol and DTV 467); FC Zurich vs. Olympique Marseille (DTV 464)
Group D
Chelsea vs. Atletico Madrid (Setanta, DTV 468); FC Porto vs. APOEL Nicosia (DTV 466)

DAILY READS:
Guardian banned from Leed United’s grounds

“Silly question, I’m not answering that”

Awful show in Glasgow sees crowd stream out

And: Edu abused by own fans

John Barnes bankrupt

Egypt and Algeria may play-off

Sixth Honda trophy for Donovan