Rikki Don't Lose That Number

Or rather that's what Chicago fans are telling the Fire since they seem to have DC's. USOC action last night and the favorites fell flat.

DC goes another year without some USOC hardware in their trophy case to sit next to the only other one they won back in 1996. Houston nose dives against the upstart cellar dwellers that are Landon Donovan & Co. (aka the LA Galaxy).

This will be the second final in a row for LA who seem to perennially start off like crap and then turn it on in the end. This year their success as of late if more courtesy Frank Yallop then the Gals trying to follow an M.O.

The Fire gets to host the shindig.

The hard cores will always want to try and bleed importance all over this tournament but the fact is MLS coaches are concerned with winning the league than with anything else. DC beat up on NY to get to the semis by playing what could generously be described and a little more than a reserve squad.

This same lack of focus extends to the CCC. We'll see what happens next year with the MLS/MFL mixer.