44 min: GOAL!!!! The MLS squad goes up 2-1 on a great goal by Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Juan Toja feeds him in the box, Blanco sidesteps a man, and rockets a shot into the upper corner.
45+1 min: Beckham lines up a free kick, and is ordered to retake it because of some encroachment. Nothing comes of the kick or any of the resulting crosses.
Halftime news and musings: Freddy Adu will be playing in Ligue 1 (pronounced "Unhhh") next season after Benfica complete a loan deal with AS Monaco. Here's the article on ESPN Soccernet.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco could easily be mistaken for a construction worker by somebody who doesn't follow soccer.
If ESPN cuts away to Sportscenter one more time, I'll freak out. I don't think they have any idea of how to broadcast a sport as fluid as soccer.
46 min: Landon Donovan and Juan Pablo Angel come on to replace Kenny Cooper and Cuauhtemoc Blanco. I was hoping to see Donovan, Blanco and Beckham on the field at the same time. Luis Boa Morte replaces Matthew Etherington for the Hammers.
49 min: Every time Beckham sends in a cross, he wins a corner or a throw. Those that say he is washed up or ineffective have obviously not seen him play at all this season.
52 min: A small section of the crowd is cheering "We want Brennan!" It's got the same ring as Donovan's cheer, but not the same meaning. Brennan is solid, but he's never been the USSF Player of the Year.
55 min: Another Sportscenter interruption. I'd tell you what is happening on the field, but the game is only occuping two square inches of my TV during these updates.
58 min: Julian Faubert, whose name is not feminine by any stretch of the imagination, unleashes a powerful shot and wins a corner.
59 min: Dwayne De Rosario and Jim Brennan enter the game to a loud cheer from the Canadian fans. Toja and somebody else make way.
63 min: Beckham steps up to another free kick. Curls over the wall, but just wide of the post. Scrapes the side netting.
67 min: West Ham is living dangerously. The MLS XI are serving balls into the area at will, and West Ham is struggling a little bit to clear them.
67 min: GOAL!!!! Dean Ashton puts in his second goal on a fluky deflection by Jimmy Conrad. Matt Reis was completely caught out by the deflection and had no chance. West Ham is putting up a great fight here tonight.
69 min: Penalty kick! Juan Pablo Angel slides a great pass along the turf to Dwayne De Rosario. Lucas Neill takes him down from behind in the box. De Rosario would have been unobstructed to the goal.
70 min: GOAL!!!! De Rosario hits the underside of the crossbar with his penalty kick and it bounces in. It bounced up into the bar twice more before hitting the net, and the MLS squad is up 3-2. Also, Pat Onstad replaces Matt Reis.
71 min:
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