I flipped on Fox Soccer Channel this evening to get another footie fix, after being orgasmic over Chelsea's title-clinching performance this morning. I was greeted with the second half of the MLS contest between locals the San Jose Earthquakes and ... what the f@#$!!! ... Real Salt Lake?!?! I raised an eyebrow or two when the MLS was first created and one of the teams was named DC United, obviously in deference to English clubs like Manchester United and Newcastle United. Now they're paying homage to Spanish clubs? What's next, AC Albuquerque? PSV Syracuse? Olympique New Orleans? As if in answer to my question, the commentators began discussing FC Dallas's performance in an earlier match. Jesus freakin' christ. When the MLS first began, of course US soccer had to do something different and made the idiotic decision that no game should end in a draw, meaning any match could go to extra time and possibly penalties. But did they stop there? Of course not ... instead of a conventional penalty shootout they instituted this ridiculous hockey-esque penalty showdown where a player gets a one-on-one with the keeper with five seconds to score. Thankfully widespread disgust quickly did that in. I have no idea why the US sees the need to try to improve upon a game that is played all over the world with near universal rules.

The quality of the league is slowly improving. I remember watching an MLS cup final around 2001 and thinking "these are the two best teams in US soccer?!". Neither team could hold possession for longer than five seconds. No skill on the ball, horrible player spacing, no imagination whatsoever. The match today wasn't much better, certainly on the losing end when compared with the skill and pace on display in the Chelsea/Bolton match. However the league is inching towards credibility, attracting higher profile players (although usually ones past their prime looking for one last payday) and honing players for the US national team. This progress was apparent in the last World Cup, where the US team was denied a spot in the semifinals only by a goalline Oliver Kahn save.

My gripes aside, i'm contemplating buying a team-specific ticket for the US for Veronica and i for the next World Cup. It would give us a decent chance of getting tickets, and hey ... despite my anglophilic leanings i AM a yank.

Said goodbye to V and Jenz at 8am this morning as they headed down to Coachella, then set myself up in my Chelsea kit in bed with the dogs to be ready for the 9:15am kickoff of the Blues at Bolton. Three points would guarantee no one could catch Chelsea in the race for the Premiership crown, but away at Bolton is no easy task. José Mourinho fielded a squad of fringe players, giving starts to Jiri Jarosik, Gérémi, and Tiago while resting Arjen Robben and Damien Duff ahead of Tuesday's Champions League second leg against Liverpool. As is Chelsea's way, this taped-together team had a tough time imposing their will early on. In fact, Bolton dominated the first half and should've had a goal or two if not for the efforts of England's best goalkeeper Petr Cech. Bolton played with their characteristic aggressiveness and physicality, giving Premiership player of the year John Terry a black eye before the half. The commentators were curious about an injury that hobbled Frank Lampard in the first few minutes then mysteriously went away ... don't know if it was embarassment or an unwillingness to correct themselves, but it was quite clear to me based on his symptoms, recovery, and subsequent laughing with Didier Drogba that Frankie had taken a ball in the nuts. All in all i was none too impressed with our performance in the opening period ... too many errant passes, not making any use of our possession.

We began to exploit holes in the Bolton defense in the second half, as the game got even testier. Bolton were livid over a few referee calls, but in all fairness they were lucky not to see even more cards. After one such perceived injustice in the 60th minute, Petr Cech sent the free kick down to Eidur Gudjohnsen on the edge of the Bolton box, who headed in to Didier Drogba, in turn heading to the left side where Lampard charged down Candela, rounded him, and sent a fierce drive past Jaaskelainen into the goal. Celebrations ensued ... we could feel the title in our grasp. I was literally screaming in joy at the tv, feeling every bit of the ecstasy that was obviously running through Frank Lampard as he revelled in front of the travelling blues fans. Bolton began throwing even more players forward, inevitably leaving themselves exposed at the back. In the 76th minute a failed Bolton attack was sent out to Claude Makelele, who spotted Frank Lampard and Ricardo Carvalho racing down the center of the pitch with no defenders within 15 yards. Lampard collected Makelele's pass, rounded Jaaskelainen with a shot feint, and bagged the empty netter. The goal broke Bolton's resistance, and 20 minutes later our championship season came to fruition. The dogs must've thought i was insane. With the confidence of this away win at tough Bolton, we head to Liverpool on Tuesday needing a win or a scoring draw to secure a place in the Champions League final. Hopefully we can field Duff, Robben, and Joe Cole at peak fitness, and get yet more stellar performances from Lampard, Terry, and Cech.

I've waited for eight years to enjoy a Chelsea championship, while some of my brethren have been waiting since 1955. It was worth it.

blue is the colour football is the game we are the champions and Chelsea is our name!