Soccer Watch

The UT Lady Longhorns open the NCAA tournament at home this weekend, riding a late-season surge and a strong showing in last weekend's Big 12 tourney to a No. 12 seeding in the nation. The 'Horns will try to extend a 10-game home winning streak against North Texas, Friday at 7pm (following a 4:30 game between SMU and West Virginia); the winners of those games meet Sunday at noon for a spot in the Sweet 16. This'll be your last chance to pay respects to an outstanding senior class, led by two-time All-American Kelly Wilson, UT's career leader in a ton of offensive categories, and goalkeeper Alex Gagarin, who's come back from several injuries to anchor the 'Horns' defense down the stretch. Kudos also to Kelly McDonald, Laura Kram, Kristen Teter, Lauren Field, and Nicole Breger for a great four years. All games are at UT's Mike Myers Stadium.

The MLS Cup is also on Sunday, pitting two teams with very different styles against each other: the Kansas City Wizards, who shut down the L.A. Galaxy last weekend for their second straight shutout, against D.C. United, who outlasted the N.E. Revolution in a 3-3 cliff–hanger decided on penalty kicks. The game is being televised live on ABC at 2:30pm.

This Wednesday, Nov. 17, is the last day of World Cup Qualifying this year. The U.S. men have already clinched their spot in the next round, so they'll be trying out a new lineup and younger players against Jamaica (live on ESPN2, 6:30pm). The other games around the world are available only on pay-per-view; see "Soccer Watch Online" for a complete schedule.