With David Beckham already going on loan to AC Milan, and Landon Donovan's loan to Bayern Munich being finalized, you can apparently add Cuauhtemoc Blanco to the list of MLS stars making short-term moves this winter.

According to multiple reports surfacing on Thursday, the Chicago Fire will loan out Blanco to Mexican side Santos Laguna.

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Good evening all. Apologies for the lack of posts this afternoon (and the failure to deliver on Red Bulls/RSL preview and the Weekend soccer TV schedule). I am on the way to JFK for my flight to Salt Lake City and today and will look to crank out some posts in these hours before my flight.

An ugly first half had the Columbus Crew looking like another Supporters Shield winner that would fall short of an MLS Cup title. An inspired second half reminded us how the Crew finished the regular season with the best record in the league.

Second-half goals from Chad Marshall and Eddie Gaven helped Columbus erase a 1-0 halftime deficit and give the Crew a 2-1 victory in the Eastern Conference final at Crew Stadium on Thursday night.

The MLS Eastern Conference final kicks off tonight with the Supporters Shield-winning Columbus Crew taking on the Chicago Fire (7:30pm, ESPN2).

The teams tied their two regular season meetings and both squads are loaded with award winners and all-stars.

Will the Crew maintain their impressive home form, or will the Fire show why they had the best road record in MLS this year?

The first ticket to the 2008 MLS Cup final will be punched tonight when the Chicago Fire face the Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference final.

Two of the best teams in MLS all season, the Crew and Fire both bring in loaded lineups in a match-up that is difficult to predict the outcome of.

And then there were four.

After a weekend of clutch performances, and one historic upset, the final four teams are set for the MLS Conference finals. The Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire, the two best teams in the East this year, meet in the East final, while the underdog New York Red Bulls have crashed the Western Conference final, where they will meet fellow West final debutante Real Salt Lake.

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Three years of playoff disappointments were healed on Thursday with three goals as the Chicago Fire toppled the short-handed New England Revolution, 3-0, at Toyota Park.

Displaying the dangerous offense and stingy defense that has the Fire a game away from the MLS Cup final, Chicago overwhelmed the Revs after the sides played an even first half until Chris Rolfe's goal just before halftime set the tone for the rout.

The Chicago Fire will play host to the New England Revolution tonight in the second leg of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. The winner of tonight's match will book a place in the Eastern Conference final after the teams tied, 0-0, in the first leg at Gillette Stadium.

The first ticket to the MLS conference finals will be issued on Thursday night, with the Chicago Fire and New England Revolution facing off in a winner-take-all playoff series game two. Their first-leg match ended scoreless, leaving the Revs to have to travel to Toyota Park to beat a Chicago team they failed to defeat in four attempts.

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Chicago Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch has been named MLS goalkeeper of the year, beating out Columbus Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer and New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis, Major League Soccer announced on Tuesday.

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Following up on Monday's story revealing that Bakary Soumare had decided to play for Mali, here are some other details that didn't make it into the story:

Soumare spoke to FC Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita about playing for Mali during the summer, when Barcelona was in Chicago to play a friendly against Chivas de Guadalajara.

Bakary Soumare thought he was close to realizing a dream, but had little idea just how far away he was.

A native of Mali, Soumare spent his formative years as a soccer player in the United States, where his game was honed and reputation made. He owed much of his success as a player to his adopted home country and planned on repaying America by wearing its uniform.

The 2008 MLS playoffs are about to kick off tonight with the most familiar of playoff match-ups as the New England Revolution play host to the Chicago Fire at RFK Stadium (8pm, ESPN2).

The Revs have beaten the Fire in the past three playoffs, but the task will be extremely difficult this time around without Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston, who are both out due to injuries.

The 2008 MLS playoffs kick off tonight with the Chicago Fire traveling to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution tonight (7:30pm, ESPN2).

The task is a difficult one for the Revs, who must try to beat Chicago without Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston, the team's two best attacking players.

Good evening folks. The Red Bulls are set to take on the Chicago Fire tonight in a match that will determine their playoff future. A win puts the Red Bulls into the playoffs, while a tie will leave them waiting until the weekend to see if they qualify.

I will be providing a running commentary throughout the match.

Good evening folks. The Red Bulls are set to take on the Chicago Fire tonight in a match that will determine their playoff future. A win puts the Red Bulls into the playoffs, while a tie will leave them waiting until the weekend to see if they qualify.

I will be providing a running commentary throughout the match.

The New York Red Bulls have played 29 games this season, but their season will boil down to the 30th and final match as they face the Chicago Fire needing a win to secure a playoff berth for the sixth straight season.

The Chicago Fire come into the match looking to lock up the No.

The New York Red Bulls have played 29 games this season, but their season will boil down to the 30th and final match as they face the Chicago Fire needing a win to secure a playoff berth for the sixth straight season.

The Chicago Fire come into the match looking to lock up the No.

Good morning all. I'm coming to you from Chicago, where the New York Red Bulls are preparing for tonight's crucial regular season finale against the Chicago Fire (9:30pm, ESPN2).

Tonight's match is shaping up to be a good one and the sense I'm getting is that the Fire won't be resting many, if any, key starters.

Good morning all. I'm coming to you from Chicago, where the New York Red Bulls are preparing for tonight's crucial regular season finale against the Chicago Fire (9:30pm, ESPN2).

Tonight's match is shaping up to be a good one and the sense I'm getting is that the Fire won't be resting many, if any, key starters.

The task for Toronto FC is simple, though difficult. TFC must win today to avoid becoming the first Eastern Conference officially eliminated from the playoffs. Win its last two games and hope that other things fall into place and Toronto could overcome an awful second half of the season to reach the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Galaxy just flat-lined. Coded. Went into cardiac arrest.

You don't need to watch Grey's Anatomy or ER, or be a doctor, to know the medical terms for what happened to the Galaxy's playoff hopes last night. An embarrassing 3-1 loss to Chicago all but squashed LA's faint playoff hopes less than a week after a promising win against D.

The Los Angeles Galaxy visit Toyota Park tonight to take on the Chicago Fire in what amounts to a must-win match if LA hopes to resurrect its faint playoff hopes. The Fire will be looking to avoid a three-match losing streak, and a three-match skid against Western Conference opponents at that.

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Good afternoon folks and welcome to the first installment of Emptying the Notebook. I plan on making this a weekly segment where I touch on all the topics and stories I wasn't able to get to during the week.

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When the U.S. national team takes on Trinidad & Tobago at Toyota Park tonight, there will be at least one Chicago-based USA fan with a little more interest in the match than most.

There is plenty to discuss regarding this weekend's match-up between the Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls, from the intense battle that wound up being decided by one mistake to the return of Juan Carlos Osorio to Toyota Park (there is also my 48 hours in Chicago, which I will get into later).

The Chicago Fire and D.C. United rekindle one of the most heated rivalries in MLS tonight as D.C. travels to Toyota Park to face Cuauhtemoc Blanco for the first time since his U.S. Open Cup dust-up against D.C. last month.

The match marks the debut of newly-acquired Fire forward Brian McBride, who will make his first appearance since leaving Fulham and signing with MLS.

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Good morning all. Last night was a good night to be an MLS fan. New England toppled Mexican champions Atlante in SuperLiga while the Chicago Fire defeated Everton in a friendly. Couple those results with the latest in the European soccer world and we've got a lot to get to this morning.

Ninety minutes, Triple-digit temperatures and no goals.

A scoreless draw had to be expected when the Wizards and Fire took the field on Sunday. Aside from the sweltering heat, neither team was going to be taking many chances in this key Eastern Conference clash. The tie leaves Chicago chasing New England and Columbus atop the East and leaves KC trailing the playoff pack.

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Those of you wondering just when the Chicago Fire-Toronto FC deal is going to be completed may not be waiting much longer.

Sources have told SBI that Chad Barrett is in Salt Lake City today with Toronto FC, which faces Real Salt Lake tonight (9pm).

It as ugly, but you can call the scoreless tie between the Chicago Fire and Real Salt Lake a fair result. It figured that no goals would be scored when the league's two toughest defense squared off, but seeing so many missed chances was still a bit puzzling.

With every league game ending in a tie, the Fire-RSL result kept RSL in first place in the West and kept Chicago in playoff position.

John Thorrington has become Mr. Clutch for the Chicago Fire.

We all remember his goal in last year's regular season finale against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Well, he delivered again, scoring a stoppage time game-winner to give the Fire a crucial 2-1 home victory against East Rival (and Brian McBride allocation foe) Toronto FC.

The Chicago Fire still hasn't won an MLS match in a month, so you would think a road point against the Columbus Crew would be a moral victory of sorts.

Well, it wasn't. Not when Chicago held a two-goal lead early on and looked like it might find that long-awaited victory.

No offense to the San Jose Earthquakes but when you are outplayed at home by San Jose, your team is in serious trouble.

The Fire squandered another match at Toyota Park, another chance at precious points in the stacked Eastern Conference, but instead of take the three points from the expansion strugglers, Chicago finished a terrible June with another poor effort.

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With MLS All-Star Game balloting set to close on Wednesday, one player has made a stronger late push than any other to be included in the Starting XI that will face West Ham United next month.