D.C. gifts game to Chivas

PSV Eindhoven put on a display of remarkable incompetence in yesterday's Champions League match with Liverpool. The Dutch side was simply attrocious from first whistle. The only player on the field who seemed to have any clue as to what might constitute successful play was Philip Cocu. Granted PSV was missing three vital players (midfielder Ibrahim Afellay, striker Arouna Kone, and centerback Alex), but that's still no excuse for such ineptitude. It was painful to watch.

Of course the game I didn't manage to see turned out to be a crackerjack affair. Belgian defender Daniel van Buyten scored on (literally) the last kick of the match to earn Bayern Munich a 2-2 tie on the road against AC Milan. Extended highlights here.

The most agonizing viewing of the day was D.C. United-Chivas. The Americans went ahead early on the road courtesy of some goofy goalkeeping and a smart Jaime Moreno bicycle kick. But then they gave the game away with two bad errors. Facundo Erpen (of course) was the goat on the first goal, getting torched down the left side of the field by Alberto Medina. Then Troy Perkins committed a rare howler, failing to handle Gonzalo Pineda's long-distance shot. It would've been a milestone victory for MLS, beating the Goats on the storied, high altitude grounds of Estadio Jalisco. But it was not to be.

The Houston Dynamo will have to represent for the league on Thursday. They take a 2-0 lead on the road to Mexican club Pachuca.