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Despite playing without Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Eddie Lewis, all of whom were serving international duty, Los Angeles was able to give Real Salt Lake fits on the field and in the process come from behind to salvage a 2-2 tie. Edson Buddle scored his 13th goal of the season in the 69th minute to tie the game.

Real Salt Lake grabbed another victory on Wednesday in a 1-0 win over visiting Mexican side Tigres. Yura Movsisyan scored the only goal for Salt Lake, who rested a number of their starters. Now it’s on to L.A. and the resurgent Galaxy for Jason Kreis’ men.

As the San Jose Earthquakes suit up for their game this Saturday against D.C. United, the players and coaches will be dealing with a kind of pressure they have not had to face yet this season: a serious expectation to win. Since the franchise’s revival earlier this year, the Earthquakes organization and their faithful fans have relished the “baby steps,” as captain and center back Nick Garcia put it in a February interview, that have snowballed into the team’s current seat at fourth place in the Western Division.

Columbus Crew head coach Sigi Schmid and his first-placed team can cast a leery look in the rearview mirror at the New England Revolution, who pay a visit to Crew Stadium Saturday. Steve Nicol’s team has dropped points recently, most notably at home against the L.A. Galaxy, and trail Columbus by two points with seven games remaining. But expect the Revs to be ready–and not just because Nicol essentially forfeited a shot at the CONCACAF Champions League group stage by resting eight starters against Joe Public at midweek.

National Teams

U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has recalled Ricardo Clark, Michael Orozco and Marvell Wynne in favor of Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore in his 20 man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago. Orozco, who plies his trade for San Luis in the Mexican league, is probably best known for being sent off in third minute of the U.S.’ final game at the Beijing Olympics, when the Yanks succumbed to Nigeria 2-1.

The U.S. Women’s Olympic Soccer Team successfully defended its Olympic Gold Medal with a 1-0 overtime win over Brazil at Workers Stadium in Beijing. Carli Lloyd’s 96th minute goal was all the U.S. would need as goalkeeper Hope Solo and the U.S. defense did the rest to earn the shutout win.

A 69th minute goal by Carlos Bocanegra and some heroic goalkeeping by Tim Howard earned the U.S. Men’s National Team its first win at Guatemala in 20 years and first ever in World Cup qualifying. The match was a high-spirited, rough affair, with both players from both teams earning red cards, the second of which left Eddie Lewis bloodied on the pitch.

Angela Hucles scored twice and Lori Chalupny and Heather O’Reilly each scored once as the U.S. advanced to the gold medal match with a 4-2 victory against Japan at Beijing’s Workers’ Stadium on Monday. It is the USWNT’s fourth straight appearance in an Olympic gold medal game.

Op-Ed

The triumph of the U.S. Women’s National Team at the Beijing Olympics, which culminated with a gold medal yesterday morning, was the result of a magnificent team defensive effort. Ironically, this style of play is exactly what former head coach Greg Ryan was all about, while Pia Sundhage was brought on in part to restore the U.S. offensive machine. So what does the future hold for U.S. women’s soccer? ASN’s Merrill takes a look.

The sophistication of play worldwide, and especially in the U.S., has advanced at a tremendous pace. The level of high speed play has advanced more rapidly than the learning curve of the referees. They need a bit of help.

It may be hard to pinpoint Toronto’s fan appeal, but seamlessly incorporating the city’s different cultural elements without an overtly desperate marketing campaign (or at least a subtle one) may be what American MLS sides with floundering attendance have been lacking.

Soccer as ‘un-American’ arguments are nothing new and rely on the same myths. Here they are, de-bunked hopefully once and for all (though likely not).

The Business of Soccer

Red Bull New York announced Wednesday, July 2, that it has entered into a partnership with Formation Sports & Media Marketing (FSMM), a U.S.-based sports marketing firm, to handle commercial partnership sales for Red Bull Park. The Harrison, N.J., stadium is expected to open next fall. The company was retained specifically to secure four corporate […]

The Houston Dynamo have signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Norwegian oil company StatoilHydro that will pinpoint player development and youth programs, according to the Houston Business Journal.

D.C. United owner Victor MacFarlane has been laying off employees across the country, according to the Washington Business Journal. It is not known how many were involved in the day-to-day operations of the club, but the moves could further complicate efforts to build the team’s soccer stadium at Poplar Point.

Microsoft Corp. will sponsor the Seattle Sounders when the team joins MLS next season, with the software company paying the club $4 million per season for five season to place the words “Xbox 360 LIVE” on the front of the team’s jersey.

'Over There' Feed

Auburn, Wash., native Preston Zimmerman has been transferred from German Bundesliga side Hamburg SV to SV Superfund Kapfenberg of the Austrian top flight, according to a (German language) statement by HSV. The news came one day after reports Zimmerman was seeking to leave the German club on loan.

Michael Bradley’s new club is finally official. As first reported on Yanks Abroad, the 21-year old son of U.S. men’s national team coach Bob Bradley will move from Dutch Eredivisie club Heerenveen to Borussia Moenchengladbach of the German Bundesliga.

Dutch club FC Twente, which is led by former England national team coach Steve McClaren, is strongly considering a bid for U.S. national team and Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan., according to Soccer by Ives.

U.S. striker Eddie Johnston is close to a move to Cardiff City, according to Goal.com. The move will be a loan deal for one year, according to Wales Online.