FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

The oldest football competition in the world is holding its final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. I'm hard-pressed to find anyone who cares.

The whole of England is focused on the Champions League Final on Wednesday. And why not? It's the first all-English final in history, and it features the two clubs who finished 1st and 2nd in the Premier League. All the press is focused on who might play, who might not play, who's jealous of whom, who might be changing clubs in the summer, whether Moscow can pull it off and if the late local start time will impact players. Even ESPN is advertising this Manchester United v. Chelsea match during NBA Playoff games.

Last year, Manchester United and Chelsea were in the FA Cup Final, and everyone was buzzing about it. This year, we get two cinderella stories -- Portsmouth and Cardiff City -- and the buzz is non-existent. It's all about the Champions League Final. Why is that?

What do you get when you combine Rangers soccer fans, a large amount of alcohol and a large TV screen in a public area that goes dead right in the middle of an international final? Unfortunately, as the above CCTV video shows, you get a riot.

Glasgow Rangers fans clashed with police in Manchester last night after a screen in Piccadilly Gardens went black during the UEFA Cup final between Rangers and Zenit St. Petersburg at City of Manchester Stadium. One Russian fan was stabbed in the melee, which has led many to worry if there will be more trouble next Wednesday in Moscow when fans of Manchester United and Chelsea descend on the city for the UEFA Champions League final.

Zenit beat Rangers 2-0 to win the UEFA Cup. Zenit supporters skipped their usual practice of hurling bananas and racial epithets at opponents' black players.

(H/T: With Leather)

Would Sven-Goran Eriksson trade a run at the UEFA Cup for a run at the Gold Cup?

Apparently, that's what the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación is hoping. According to The Guardian, Mexico has approached Eriksson about managing its national team.

Mexico fired Hugo Sanchez last March after he failed to lead the Mexican U-23 team to the Olympics and is reportedly chasing after a high-profile European manager to replace Sanchez. Eriksson tops Mexico's wish list in part because he brought Mexican national Nery Castillo to Man City last January.

I have my doubts that the successful Swede, who has won league titles in Italy and Portugal, would leave Europe to manage a national team in CONCACAF. Yes, he would have an easy road to the World Cup in 2010, but that might not be enough of a challenge for him. Plus, we don't know if the secretarial pool in Mexico would be to his liking.

Eriksson is also linked to Chelsea and might be waiting to see what happens to Avram Grant before making his final decision. Man City fans, meanwhile, are continuing to campaign to save Sven from getting sacked. They even have an online petition. Good luck getting Thaksin Shinawatra to notice that, guys.

A few months ago, I made the argument in this space that the winner of the U.S. Open Cup, the American equivalent to England's FA Cup, deserved a spot in the new CONCACAF Champions League. Someone out there must have been listening.

CONCACAF announced the qualification format for its new Champions League last night, and starting this year, the 2008 U.S. Open Cup champion will earn a bid to the 2009-10 Champions League. This will allow clubs playing in United Soccer Leagues, the divisions below Major League Soccer, an opportunity to qualify for the Champions League. Last year, six MLS clubs were knocked out of the Open Cup by USL clubs, and both the Seattle Sounders and Carolina Railhawks of USL-1 reached the semifinals and took their MLS opponents to extra time before bowing out.

In addition, the 2008 Supporters' Shield winner and both MLS Cup finalists will earn Champions League bids. Because the New England Revolution was both Open Cup winner and MLS Cup runner-up last season, that club will take the Open Cup spot, and Chivas USA will take the vacant spot because they had the second-best regular season record.

Our predecessor here at Fanhouse used to incorporate some kind of "Cavernous Gaping Hole" (tm) into each week's "Powah" rankings, and we're finally starting to understand what was going through their minds. This year in MLS, said hole is located somewhere out West, possibly the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, or some similar actual natural wonder. The metaphorical chasm between East and West grows by the day, and while we've said it a few times before, please note once more that the top teams in the WC would be tied for 7th (!) in the East. Both Kansas City and Toronto had a Bye this week, and they still remained ahead of the pace. By our unofficial count, the West can only claim 2 victories over the East, Dallas over New York and Colorado over New England. We can't figure the disparity out ourselves, its not like the East is using a DH rule or something, so we'll just have to see how the rest of the season sorts out. However, it's already looking like a number of Eastern teams could get frozen out of the playoffs by mere geography.

Full table after the jump. Please add in your own trademarked gaping metaphors.

Image courtesy of AP and MLSnet.com

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is one week away from the biggest match of his club career -- the UEFA Champions League final against Premier League champs Manchester United. So of course, this is the perfect time for Drogba to inform the world that he dreams of playing for some other club.

"All footballers dream of signing for AC Milan," he wrote, before revealing that in 2006, he secretly traveled by private jet to meet with Milan royalty Paolo Maldini and Adrian Galliani. "I explained to Paolo Maldini that Milan is a club I would love to join."

Galliani then allegedly asked him pointblank when he would like to play for Milan, to which he responded: "Whenever you want, it's all up to you. Get the money ready and go see Chelsea."

We've known for a while that Drogba wanted out of Chelsea the moment Jose Mourinho was sacked. Watching him sulk on the sidelines while listening to his iPod should have been enough of a hint.

Bristol City supporters celebrated a 2-1 victory in extra time over Crystal Palace in the Coca-Cola Championship playoffs the only way they knew how -- with a big fat pitch invasion. We could consult with Adam Rank about whether it was proper or not, but considering that Bristol City was playing Leyton Orient and Huddersfield in League One last season and now finds itself one win away from the Premier League this season, we should just let them enjoy the moment.

Bristol City beat Crystal Palace 4-2 on aggregate and will face the winner of the Hull City v. Watford series in Wembley Stadium on May 24. Hull has a 2-0 lead over Watford after the first leg.

The West hosted all of this weekend's MLS action, but the home field advantage wasn't enough to give them the edge over the East. Going 3 for 5 on the weekend, the East asserted its authority over MLS, and if the standings were combined, the top teams in the West would be tied for 7th at best. Not exactly parity, if you ask us, but its still early enough in the season for things to pan out.

Meanwhile, some familiar faces return to New England, Houston's familiar face finally show up, and we see if LA's popular pair have enough to get past Red Bull New York. Results of all 5 matches after the jump.

Image courtesy of AP and MLSnet.com

All it took was one goal. It didn't matter that Reading was carving through Derby County like an electric knife through a cooked ham, or that Birmingham City had taken the lead at home against Blackburn. All Fulham needed was one goal to ensure their Premier League survival.

After 76 minutes, they got it on a Jimmy Bullard free kick that found Danny Murphy in the box. Murphy's header found the back of the net, giving Fulham a 1-0 lead. A furious attack by Portsmouth was stymied for 90 minutes by Kasey Keller, and the Cottagers got the win they needed to avoid the relegation that looked dead certain a month ago.

We no longer have to ask what will happen to American soccer stars Brian McBride and Clint Dempsey. They'll be back at Craven Cottage next season. Perhaps if McBride and Bullard avoid injuries and play full seasons, Fulham can avoid the relegation battle all together in 2009.

As for Reading, their six-game goal drought doomed them to the fizzy drink mixer, and manager Steve Coppell will face a huge struggle to bring his club back up. Same goes for Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish, who discovered the hard way that Scottish football doesn't always prepare you for English football.

38 games. Each club plays the other 19 clubs home and away. Victories are three points, and draws are one. That's it. No playoffs. No extra time. Whoever finishes with the most points wins.

And when the 38 games were over, Manchester United didn't even need their massive goal differential to take their second consecutive Premier League crown.

The Red Devils clinched the title with a 2-0 victory at Wigan. Wayne Rooney was tripped by Emmerson Boyce in the box in the 32nd minute, resulting in a penalty that Cristiano Ronaldo converted. Then late substitute Ryan Giggs, who broke Sir Bobby Charlton's record for most appearances in a Red Devil kit, took an accurate through ball from Rooney and scored in the 80th minute to seal the deal.

Chelsea, meanwhile, held off a physical Bolton Wanderers side for 92 minutes and looked primed to end the season with a win after a 61st-minute goal by, of all people, Andriy Shevchenko. Bolton twisted the knife even further, though, with a Kevin Davies goal at the death, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. To add insult to injury, John Terry left the game early with a separated shoulder.

Regardless, Chelsea's fate was out of their hands, as they got no help from Wigan on the day. Manchester United are the Champions of England, and the Blues will have to settle for getting their revenge in the Champions League Final in Moscow on May 21.