Posts from the Soccer Category at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Olympic athletes often don't get paid to do anything other than look good. In that vein, Attractive Olympians handicaps which athletes may rake in endorsement deals after the Olympics.

Natasha Kai -- known as "Tasha" or "TK" to her teammates -- is the most immediately noticeable player on the U.S. Women's National Team; her ever-growing canvas of tattoos (she's presently up to 19, according to D.C. Sports Bog's brief but splendidly detailed profile) and full sleeve make sure of that.

In addition to the ink, Kai's flashy on-field style and flat-out skill garner her even more looks. After three consecutive WAC Player of the Year awards at Hawaii, she became the fourth American woman to score in her first two international appearances. Through seven caps she had scored four goals. Now at 35 caps, she's a fixture on the national team and looking to improve upon her last trip to China, where the Americans finished a disappointing third in the Women's World Cup.

But enough about her athletic capabilities; let's tackle what really matters to the underworld inhabited by sports bloggers: is Natasha Kai a hottie? After the jump, examine more visual evidence (including video of her dancing) and rock the vote in our Internet poll.

Chicago Fire 2 - DC United 0
We're sure the whole untied/United headline business has been used before, but we're equally fed up with the various ways the Fire can burn, torch, or scorch opposing teams in the headlines. Regardless, the Chicago Fire ran circles around the United defense, putting on an offensive display that gave them several lethal chances. Justin Mapp and Cuahtemoc Blanco scored for Chicago, with Blanco's curling strike sure to set the bar for the Goal of the Week. A physical match that saw plenty of rough challenges on both side of the ball overshadowed DC's struggling offense. United only managed 2 shots on goal but drew 3 yellow cards for reckless play.

Chicago hosts Houston Dynamo at home next Saturday while DC United travels out west for a match with CD Chivas USA.

Photo courtesy of AP and MLSnet.com

Somehow, it all comes back to Wigan Athletic.

Wigan is a small club that's been in the top flight of English football for only the last three years, and it's spent most of that time fighting for its spot in the Premier League. Last season, Wigan only avoided relegation on the last day of season with a win at Sheffield United. This season, they didn't stave off relegation until last week, when they upset Aston Villa, 2-0.

What's more, Wigan plays on the worst pitch in the Premier League. They share JJB Stadium with a rugby league club, which results in a torn up pitch that often still has yard-line markers on it during soccer games. It's the Premier League equivalent to playing in Salt Lake City.

Yet here is little Wigan having a huge say in the Premier League title race. Emile Heskey's last-minute goal against Chelsea cost the Blues two points in the standings -- two points which could have put Team Turmoil in the driver's seat for the league title. Now Wigan plays Manchester United -- who might be missing the injured Wayne Rooney -- at the JJB on Sunday, and Wigan manager Steve Bruce, a former United captain, is promising that his team will leave it all on the pitch on Sunday.

Wigan Athletic. Who would have thought they'd be in the middle of all this?

Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan would like you to know something very important about the Premier League. It's getting a little stale.

"Maybe (Newcastle) owner (Mike Ashey) thinks we can bridge that gap - but we can't. This league is in danger of becoming one of the most boring but great leagues in the world.

"The top four next year will be the same top four as this year. What I can say to the Newcastle fans is that we will be trying to get fifth and we will be trying to win the other league that's going on within the Premier League."

Keegan makes a legitimate point. A vicious cycle exists in the Premier League right now, where the Big Four -- Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United -- finish in the top four every year, go to the UEFA Champions League, earn as much as £30 million more than all the other clubs, use that money to buy top players to strengthen their roster, finish in the top four again the next year, and so on and so on, until only four clubs have a real shot at the League title and the rest are left to fend for UEFA Cup scraps.

I believe, however, that there's a way to break this cycle.

The table has certainly begun to settle coming out of Week 6. The Eastern teams continue their rise to the top while the West watches its side sink to the bottom. Meanwhile, the contenders and pretenders begin to surface. While its definitely too early for this kind of talk, teams like Columbus and Chicago are certainly helping out their cases for the playoffs considering their late season battling in 2007. Teams like DC and Houston, on the other hand, are digging themselves some mighty holes. In between, teams like KC, Colorado, and New York are still trying to find some consistency.

Full rankings and Chivas bashing after the jump.

I'm sure the marketing department at ESPN only saw cross-promotional gold here when they struck a deal with Coldplay to use music from their new album during the network's EURO 2008 coverage. Big European band. Biggest European sporting event of the year. Biggest sports network in America showing the games in HD. I'm sure they all thought it fit together nicely.

But we all know what's coming -- an endless stream of "You know how I know soccer's gay?" jokes. Let's not kid ourselves into thinking all the soccer-bashing lunkheads in this country will miss that movie reference so easily.

Nice going, ESPN. You're going to have to give Heather Mitts a ton of airtime next month to make up for this.

(H/T: We Are The Postmen)

A few weeks ago, when it seemed certain that Fulham was doomed to relegation, we speculated on where Clint Dempsey might end up next season. Yesterday, with Fulham one victory away from safety, the American forward/midfielder made clear his future was at Fulham. He signed a two-year contract extension to stay with the London club.

Dempsey is one of five Americans at Fulham, along with forwards Brian McBride and Eddie Johnson, center-back Carlos Bocanegra and goalkeeper Kasey Keller. However, Dempsey is the first of the Americans to commit to Fulham beyond this season. McBride and Johnson are expected to stay, though Bocanegra has been dropped from the starting lineup and will likely move during the offseason.

Keep in mind that Fulham still needs a win on Sunday to guarantee its Premier League status next season. Dempsey's new contract isn't necessarily a guarantee that he will play at Craven Cottage next season. If it does end up being relegated, Fulham could still sell Dempsey's contract to another club for the right price, so this extension could be just a way for Fulham to make a few bucks if they lose out on the Premier League's riches. For now, though, it seems Deuce is staying put.

(H/T: Soccer By Ives)

Previously at FanHouse:
What's Next for Clint Dempsey?

Yesterday, D.C. United announced a new five-year sponsorship deal with Volkswagen, which involves slapping a big VW logo on the Major League Soccer club's jerseys and trying to sell the Screaming Eagles on the joys of Touareg ownership. In turn, D.C. United will receive $14 million over the next five years.

That's $2.8 million a year. The MLS salary is currently $2.3 million a year. So for all intents and purposes, Volkswagen is covering D.C. United's player salaries for at least the next two years. There's probably enough left over to pay most of the coaching staff, too.

MLS has its share of problems, but it seems the league's biggest problem is the lack of money available to players not named Beckham or Blanco. The MLS Players Union desperately needs to address that issue in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, which would take effect in 2010. The salary cap should be at least double what it is now. The minimum salary for senior team players needs to be raised. Roster sizes should be increased. Most importantly, developmental players should be making a living wage. That would allow a youth program prospect like Matt Kassel to stay with his club rather than leave for college.

Those are just small steps the League and the Players Union could take to make MLS more appealing to both players and fans. Without that, MLS might not be quite as appealing to other advertisers in the future. But hey, kudos to D.C. United for getting someone else to pay their most important employees, right?

Better late than never with the West Coast recap. Even with the technical difficulties slowing us down here at FanHouse HQ, it was an easy weekend to forget in the Western Conference, with a number of lackluster results for a number of teams. This isn't to say however, that all was quiet out West. LA had its usual dose of fireworks and Colorado certainly had some surprises in store for DC United.

Results after the jump and unofficial "Write the Caption" contest after the jump.

Photo courtesy of AP and MLSnet.com

Admist all the hype and bluster and jersey lawsuits, we tend to forget sometimes why David Beckham actually came to America -- to play soccer. He reminded everyone on Saturday that he's still got game with a pair of brilliant bending goals that salvaged a 2-2 draw for the L.A. Galaxy against Real Salt Lake.

By the way, that turf they're using in Utah looks like it was purchased on a Blue Light Special at K-Mart. Real Salt Lake Stadium can't open soon enough.

(H/T: With Leather)