Knock Knock It's FIFA: Week in Review May 23-27, 2011

It was an incredibly busy week in American soccer.  Between the US national team, MLS midweek matches, and all sorts of FIFA controversies, there was a wealth of story lines for fans of the beautiful game.  Below are some of the ones we were following this week that we did not have time to post on the site:

• In midweek MLS action, New York and Colorado played to a 2-2 draw, Dallas got three points on the road with a 1-0 win over Seattle, and the Galaxy grabbed an early goal to edge Houston 1-0.
• The Canadian Championship was rescheduled for July 2 after it was abandoned in the 63rd minute due to horrendous rainstorms.
• The FIFA mess is an important thing to know for American soccer fans.  FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hamman and CONCACAF rep Jack Warner were summoned before an investigatory committee this week on charges of bribery during a Caribbean campaign visit.  The charges were made by the U.S. rep Chuck Blazer.  Now Sepp Blatter, the current FIFA president and candidate for reelection, has had an ethics charge filed against him by bin Hamman for not reporting possible corruption violations.  The election between these two, in polite terms, undesirable candidates was supposed to be Wednesday but now with ethics charges hanging over both of them, that timeline is in doubt.  What does this mean for U.S. soccer?  Stay tuned.
• MLS commissioner Don Garber did an interview with the Sports Business Journal where he discussed Sporting Kansas City’s stadium, the Cosmos’ price tag, and MLS ratings, among other things.
• Real Salt Lake’s depth is hurting with injuries and Gold Cup call-ups, but Randy Davis sees an opportunity for one player.
• Congratulations to American Clint Dempsey, whose Fulham team won England’s “Fair Play” spot in the Europa League.  Like Maurice Edu this season, Dempsey will again have a chance to show off his skills on the European stage.
• Finally, the UEFA Champions League Final is Saturday and will be shown on Fox.  Last year’s final between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich had a 1.1 share; with two more “popular” teams playing keep an eye out for the rating.  It will be a good indicator or support for the sport of soccer in the U.S.

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