Dos a Cero, Cruuuuz, Mexican woes, UCL, stadia, DDR and more

Some quickie blog thoughts this fine, rainy morning:

<> Dynamo third round draft pick Danny Cruz of course is on the U-20 national team mentioned above, who now move on. It leads to a certain question: With Geoff Cameron and now Cruz coming in the third round, why would Dynamo ever pick in the first two rounds? And if we keep growing our won in the Dynamo Academy ala Tyler Deric, it just continues to underline what a joke the SuperDraft has become. College soccer, with its unlimited substitutions, in the US? The heck with that.

<> Today's Champions League schedule:
3:30pm- ESPN2/ESPN360- Inter Milan at Manchester United (first leg finished tied, 0-0)

3:30pm- ESPN DeportesESPN360- Lyon at Barcelona (first leg finished tied, 1-1)

3:45pm- Setanta USA/ESPN360- Arsenal at AS Roma (Arsenal won first leg, 1-0)

3:45pm- ESPN360- Atletico Madrid at FC Porto (first leg finished tied, 2-2)

6pm- ESPN Classic- Lyon at Barcelona

6:30pm- Setanta USA- Lyon at Barcelona

8:15pm- Setanta USA- Arsenal at Roma

10pm- Setanta USA- Atletico Madrid at FC Porto

Why can't I get Setanta at home with Comcast? Anyone out there know?

<> Just as the US is qualifying, the Mexico U-20 lose to Canada 2-0 and won't even qualify. Ives hosted a discussion about this here. Dos a cero, or, if you look at Mexico's record in this qualifying round, Cero a dos. What is going on with Mexico and the national teams. As Ives wrote, the big squad has gone winless in four straight World Cup qualifiers. Now this. What kind of howls of pain are we going to hear emanating from just south of us if Mexico does not qualify for South Africa and the US does? What about is El Tri does not qualify for the Gold Cup final? It is very possible -- and I'm not saying it's going to happen -- that this could be a watershed year for Mexico, and not in the way they want.

<> So just why didn't Omar Bravo sign with Dynamo? From what we've heard from Chris Canetti on Glenn Davis' show earlier this week and on MyDynamo.net, the deal was all but done and then before anyone knew anything, the guy has signed with Tigres. You know, I'm just a little bit tired of high profile Mexican players flirting with MLS and then suddenly turning their back. So from now on, anytime there's a rumor about a Mexican player coming to MLS, I will adopt the attitude of "Yeah, right." Why doesn't Dynamo have more hispanic players? Point the finger to the south because it's not for lack of trying.

<> I'm loving the UEFA Champions League. That Chelsea/Juve game yesterday was one for the ages. Too bad the one I was watching live, Liverpool/Real Madrid was such a dud. Oh well.

<>Dynamo Park. Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick...... Patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue. And while I'm repeating that mantra, I'm all over these wonderful videos and photos of the in progress Red Bull Arena in New York. Check out these links from The Offside Rules here, here and here. SF calls it rat own: Stadium Porn.

<> Who dat, eh?