The Ryan Martin Show: 3/25/13

Yesterday's show is now up. Did the US v. Costa Rica game take the spotlight? Maybe.

US 1, Costa Rica 0: A night we won't soon forget

It would have taken but a quick glance to the skies over the US National Team this week for one to see a flock of vultures circling overhead, patiently waiting to swoop down and confirm the seemingly imminent demise of the USA's World Cup qualification hopes and, perhaps, the beginning of the end of Jürgen Klinsmann's American dream before it ever reached any sort of fruition. Brian Straus' article, released earlier in the week, provided a rather damning look at life behind the scenes of Klinsmann's reign, and even independent of that, last month's performance against Honduras, steeped in doldrums and malaise, failed to give even the most patriotic of fans much hope going into two very vital games against Costa Rica and Mexico.

Yes, the reasons for encouragement going into last night's tilt with Costa Rica were scant, but as we know, soccer can be a funny old game, full of twists, turns, and the unexpected happening so often that it should just about be expected. Yet, even in the spirit of the unexpected that so often greets us during the span of ninety minutes, last night's scenes were nothing short of surreal, bizarre, and downright legendary.

Two weeks gone: what do we know in MLS?

Though the offseason was relatively short, it seemed like an eternity for those of us who were so eagerly awaiting the 2013 season to start. With high-profile departures of the likes of David Beckham, Freddy Montero, Kei Kamara, Roger Espinoza and Brek Shea, along with big moves made by New York and Real Salt Lake, there were new faces in new places and plenty of questions about which teams would be primed for a run at the championship.

While the early returns of this MLS campaign will likely be far removed from what the final results will look like, there's no harm in investigating what the first two weeks of the season have shown and in turn speculating about what's to come.

Reading sack Brian McDermott: Lunacy

As much confidence as newly promoted teams from the Championship have upon reaching the bright lights of the Premier League, there is but one goal that is of the greatest importance: staying up. Yes, we've seen the likes of Norwich and Swansea make huge splashes in the last year or so in the top flight, whether through becoming solid mid-table clubs or, in Swansea's case, winning the Capital One Cup, but we should not forget that such accomplishments are hardly the rule for Premier League newcomers. The drop is far more likely, regardless of the lofty heights Norwich and Swansea have reached.

For owners new to the gauntlet that is the Premier League, perhaps this harsh reality facing their clubs is a tough pill to swallow. For owners who are new to owning a club at all, the task of merely staying up is one that perhaps seems almost demeaning in nature and lacking in ambition. Such owners as those of the latter mentality can hardly be viewed as being in touch with reality.