Photo by ISIphotos.com
By AVI CREDITOR
The Houston Dynamo's thorough beating of the Kansas City Wizards this weekend was a sign of good things to come for Dom Kinnear's squad. Now, there's even better news on the horizon.
Brian Ching is set to return to action this week, most likely in Saturday's match against Chivas USA, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Ching, who injured his left hamstring in the Dynamo's 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake back on April 1, is reportedly resuming training Monday and Tuesday with the possibility of being available for Wednesday's Texas derby against FC Dallas.
A healthy, if not strong, showing from Ching this week could also be enough to re-insert himself in the national team discussion with Bob Bradley's roster selection just days away.
Here are a few more soccer stories from around the world:
HULL TIES WIGAN, OFFICIALLY RELEGATED
After a two-year stay in England's top league, Hull City has officially been relegated.
Steve Gohouri's goal in stoppage time brought Wigan Athletic level with the Tigers, and the two played to a 2-2 draw at DW Stadium, mathematically eliminating Hull from remaining in the Premier League.
Playing without Jozy Altidore, whose red card last week effectively suspended him for the rest of the season, Hull managed to battle back from a 1-0 deficit on goals from Will Atkinson and Mark Cullen.
Gohouri's equalizer was merely sealed the formality in Hull's relegation. Even if the Tigers had come away with three points, they'd still be trailing 17th-place West Ham by three points, and the Hammers would have had a better goal differential by 21. Hull will accompany drop-zone mates Burnley and Portsmouth in the League Championship next season.
ARSENAL FALLS TO BLACKBURN
Blackburn defended its home turf Monday by defeating Arsenal, 2-1, with Christopher Samba's 68th-minute goal providing the difference.
Robin van Persie opened the scoring in the 13th minute, but David Dunn equalized two minutes before halftime and Samba scored the winner, sending the Gunners to their third loss in four matches.
KURANYI WON'T MAKE GERMAN SQUAD
Despite scoring 18 goals in the Bundesliga this season, Schalke's Kevin Kuranyi will not be included on the German national team roster for this summer's World Cup.
Kuranyi, who was kicked off the national team in October, 2008, after leaving a qualifying game for which he wasn't selected at halftime, has not fallen back into the good graces of manager Joachim Loew enough to warrant a selection on the roster.
BORDEAUX COACH OFFERED FRANCE GIG
Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc has reportedly been offered the French national team coaching job, a position that will become vacant after the World Cup.
Raymond Domenech is on the outs regardless of how the French finish this summer, and French publication L'Equipe reported that the French Football Federation president has already made an offer to Blanc.
Blanc guided Bordeaux to the quarterfinals of the Champions League before falling to Ligue 1 rival Olympique Lyon.
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Excited to see Ching return? Does he deserve a spot on the USMNT roster this summer? What do you think Altidore's next move should be? Do you think Germany has enough firepower to leave Kuranyi at home? Who is best-suited to guide the French?
Share your thoughts below.