Horns' Season Finale, St. Ed's Update, WC Futures

The UT Longhorns play their final regular season game this Friday, hosting Colorado, 7pm, Nov. 2, Mike Myers Stadium, Red River at Manor ($3 web coupon here). It'll be the last home game for seniors Kelsey Carpenter, Caitlin Kennedy, Greta Carter, Leslie Imber, and Stephanie Connors. But it's also an important game in positioning the Horns for the postseason.

Going into this final game, the Horns could still finish anywhere from second to fifth in the Big 12. (Texas A&M has already clinched first, and the top seed in the eight-team conference tournament.) And with a No. 8 national ranking, the Horns would love to host an NCAA round or two; they can help their case Friday night, and in the Big 12 conference tournament, starting Wednesday, Nov. 7, in San Antonio. The Horns could face any of six teams in the first round, and could play at 1:30, 5:30, or 7:30pm.
The conference semifinals are Friday, Nov. 9 at 5:30 and 7:30pm, and the championship game is 1pm Sunday, Nov. 11.
Blossom Soccer Stadium, 12002 Jones Maltsberger Rd., near the airport in northern San Antonio.

St. Edward's men and women both finish their seasons this weekend on the road – the men at St.Mary's, the women at Incarnate Word and Texas A&M International. Both are sure to finish no lower than second place in the Heartland Conference; each could still take the conference title. The women, at 14-3, are ranked 20th in the country in Div.II.

In the first round of the Major League Soccer playoffs, three of the four home teams held serve in the first leg. Under the MLS system, where the lower-seeded team hosts the first game, that means three upsets, as Chivas USA, DC United, and the Houston Dynamo each fell 1-0. The Dynamo host FC Dallas in the return leg this Friday at 7:30pm at Robertson Stadium. houstondynamo.com.

European Champions League play continues Nov. 6-7. ESPN2 will show Liverpool-Besiktas on Tuesday, and Manchester Utd.-Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday, both live at 1:30pm.

In quick order early this week, FIFA announced that Brazil will indeed host the 2014 World Cup, but after that, the WC will no longer rotate between continents on a regular basis. With North America next in line, the U.S. had been the front-runner for 2018; within hours of FIFA's announcement, England and Australia had thrown their hats into the ring as well, and more will follow soon. Also announced: two-time defending champ Germany will host the 2011 Women's WC.