No, Ray Hudson was not talking about the U.S. women's team, which was thoroughly eviscerated 4-0 by Brazil this morning in the semifinals of the World Cup. Coach Greg Ryan will be dogged for his inexplicable decision to switch goalkeepers, but he should be more broadly derided for fielding a dull, predictable squad that did little more than pound the ball down the field and try to take advantage of their superior size. The U.S. team was a snooze to watch from the first whistle of this tournament.

Nor was Hudson talking about his former squad D.C. United, which overcame a dodgy red-card decision to take a 2-1 win over Chivas Guadalajara in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana clash. The home side played some nifty soccer in the opening 45 minutes, but had to survive a Chivas onslaught over the last half hour playing a man down. Can the MLS club make the lead hold up next Tuesday at Estadio Jalisco? Sadly I seriously doubt it.

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Normally I wouldn't waste my time reading about the putrid Gopher football team. They've gone from being a boring, marginally competent Big Ten also-ran to a squad that deserves to be relegated to the Pop Warner league. That game against Miami (Ohio) University a couple of weeks ago has to rank among the most incompetent displays in the history of organized sports. Listening to it on the radio I thought Dave Lee was going to hang himself before the final whistle.

But I noticed this headline the other day in the Pi Press--"Criticism Comes Early for Brewster"--and couldn't help myself. Who would have the temerity to criticize the great leader of "Gopher Nation"? The man who will lead the Gophers back to Rose Bowl glory? Unfortunately, the answer is no one. The piece does not quote a single source saying a single critical word about the first year coach.

So let me be the first: The only team that Tim Brewster is qualified to lead is the cheerleading squad.

The yanks are through to the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup. They knocked off Nigeria 1-0 to win Group B. They'll face England on Saturday. The squad didn't look particularly impressive, but got the job done.

UEFA Champions League begins today! Can Milan repeat? Liverpool at Porto will air on ESPN2 today. Tomorrow it's Sporting Lisbon at Manchester United (1:30 p.m. CST, ESPN2) and Lyon at Barcelona (4 p.m., ESPN Classic).

The MLS season is coming to a close. With just five weeks left, D.C., Houston and New England have officially secured playoff spots. It looks like Chivas and Dallas are safely in as well, with New York and Kansas City practically a lock. Chicago, Columbus, and Colorado will likely battle it out for the final spot. A few thoughts on the season so far:

1. D.C. is the team to beat: Last year's squad romped through the first half of the season, then limped through the second half. They held on to claim the Supporters' Shield, but then promptly flamed out in the playoffs. Rookie coach Tom Soehn seems to have learned from that last campaign. His team has played their best ball in recent weeks, putting up a sterling 8-0-1 ledger since the start of August, while outscoring opponents by a formidable 23-6 margin. During that span they put up two impressive drubbings of their chief rivals in the east, New England. Ben Olsen is having the best season of his career and deserves serious MVP consideration. Fred keeps getting better as the season progresses, while fellow Brazilian Luciano Emilio simply scores and scores and scores.

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The Strib is reporting that Terry Ryan will resign today as the Twins' GM.

The U.S. squad's apparent best shot at victory in the ongoing Rugby World Cup fizzled out this morning against the mighty Tongans. The Americans were a slight favorite going into the contest owing to their surprisingly strong showing against England in their opening match, but were put down 25-15 by the tiny south Pacific country. I'm pretty much clueless about rugby, but have nothing but respect for a sport that features players such as Tonga's Finau Maka, who apparently prepares for matches by banging his head against a wall. The U.S. will have two weeks off before taking on Samoa.

Fantastic, unexpected news surfaced at yesterday's tailgate prior to the Minnesota Thunder's final game of the season. The team's director of soccer operations, Manny Lagos, dropped by with a couple of mysterious gentleman in sportcoats who were introduced as the club's new ownership group. I arrived immediately after their talk, and failed to chase them down after the game, but here's what was gleaned:

1. They are based in Belgium.

2. One of the gentleman is originally from St. Paul; the other is originally from the Netherlands

3. They intend to invest serious money in the franchise with the hope of one day joining Major League Soccer

4. They promise to build a soccer specific stadium for the club within two years

Expect some kind of official announcement about this phenomenal news, including where the club will play next season, around the end of the month.

And oh yeah: the Thunder lost, again, 1-0. Final record: 5-12-11, one point worse than last year's campaign.

(Photo courtesy of Brian Quarstad.)

In a survey of seemingly somewhat dubious scientific validity released today, Minneapolis has been ranked the 25th best professional football tailgating city in the country. The Vikings somehow ranked just behind Los Angeles, which last I checked does not have an NFL franchise. On the upside we beat out Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Detroit, St. Louis, and Seattle. Who's number one? Baltimore. (Cribbed from the redoubtable D.C. Sports Bog.)

The Minnesota Thunder have once again proven not so mighty this season. They currently own a 4-11-11 record and have been eliminated from playoff contention in a league where almost every god forsaken team makes the playoffs. But from a more Pangloss-ian perspective, the squad has made some strides. Last year they finished tied for last. With last weekend's surprise victory over top-of-the-table Seattle Sounders, the Thunder are all but assured of finishing ahead of the California Victory. We're comin!

What's more the squad has only been outscored by a margin of 34-27. In other words, they were competitive in pretty much every game they played. They just couldn't figure out how to win. Every time the Thunder managed to take a lead this season, they almost immediately let their guard down and surrendered an equalizer. It's a particularly agonizing trait for a team to possess.

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Things didn't go so well this afternoon. Before an announced crowd of almost 14,000 (though any observer could see that there were fewer cranks than that), the Twins were swept by the Cleveland Indians, losing 6-2. The Tribe has won 16 of their last 20, boasts a lineup that is dangerous from top to bottom, and have sent a message to the Central in the clearest possible terms: this year's division title goes through them. To the rest of the league: see you in October.

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