Soccer Watch

Does the college season zip by, or what? It hasn't been two months since the UT Longhorns were playing a preseason exhibition; conference play started three weeks ago, and we're already down to the last three games of the season. The Horns – coming off a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over No. 16 Missouri, followed by a lackluster scoreless draw against Kansas – are on the road this week, at Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, before ending the regular season at home, hosting Colorado on Friday, Nov. 2.

The St. Edward's women play their final home game this Friday, Oct. 26, 4pm, against Newman, before closing with three grueling Heart­land Conference road games in five days – at St. Mary's, first-place Incarnate Word (currently on a 14-game winning streak), and Texas A&M International. The St. Edward's men face a tough trip of their own: at Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-International. Wednesday night and Friday, before coming home for their last home game of the season, hosting St. Thomas, 4pm, Sunday, Oct. 28.

It's a Texas derby in the MLS playoffs, as the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas face off after finishing second and third in the West. The first game is at Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 27, 7pm; return game at the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium, Friday, Nov. 2, at 7:30pm. Elsewhere, the MLS regular season went down almost to the last touch, as the Chicago Fire won deep in injury time and took the last playoff spot from the L.A. Galaxy. So it's: Fire-D.C. United; New England-New York; Chivas USA-Kansas City.

In Euro Champions League action, Arsenal and Manchester United had convincing wins to stay perfect through three games, as the minileagues hit the halfway point this week; full results online.

Greg Ryan is out as coach of the U.S. Women's National Team; he was 45-1-9, but that one loss was a doozy – the 4-0 drubbing by Brazil in the World Cup semifinal, that will forever be known as the game Hope Solo didn't play in. Will it be a new era of Hope for the U.S. under whoever comes next? Wait and see; the team's done until 2008, and U.S. Soccer will take their time on this hire.