Friday, February 17, 2006

Wiener News

-Michael Lewis at Big Apple Soccer Rumor Alert: Eddie Gaven from Metro to LA for Todd Dunivant. This makes no frickin sense to me at all. First off, why would LA give up a proven starter for a guy with tons of potential but who stalled out last year. And secondly, I thought Metro needed forwards?
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-FIFA has actually done something right!!!! They issued a statement that Vice President Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago is in violation of their code of ethics over his scam to corner all of his countries World Cup tickets and sell them only thru his own travel agency. They called his actions a "conflict of interest." Let's hope they do more than send out a press release. They claim that they will decide what to do next at their March 16 meeting.
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-In case you didn't notice, in the left hand column under my list of "Fellow Freaks" is my line up for team USA at the World Cup. This is a list of who I would bring to Germany if it was a perfect world and I ran the show.
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-Not too surprisingly, Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon & Barcelona was named African Footballer of the Year. This is the third year in a row he has won the award.
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-Last week before and after the USA 3-2 win over Japan, the Japanese coach, Brazilian Zico, showed little or no respect to the US team or it's players. He seemed mostly disinterested. But this week as they are back in Japan and preparing to play Finland on Saturday he said this to say about the US team: "That was the most sustained pressure we have been under since I became coach (in 2002)." That's a little better buddy, cuz I watched that game and yer boyz got their asses handed to 'em.
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-Don't forget to watch: USA v Guatemala - Sun Feb 19 at 1pm central on ESPN2, live from Pizza Hut Park in Dallas.
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-Soccernet has a preview of the match.
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-Ridge Mahoney of USA Today also previews the match.
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-The Rotterdam derby is on Sunday with Feyenoord taking on Sparta.
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-USA right back (corrected) Steve Cherundolo and his club team Hannover sit in 6th place in Germany and have a huge home game on Saturday v 1st place Bayern Munchen.
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-Ives Galarcep says the real reason Dallas shipped Eddie Johnson to KC is that no one at FC Dallas liked him & they wanted him gone. Ouch.
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-There is an American playing in the English Championship Division that I have rarely, if ever, mentioned. That is Mr Jay DeMerit, a defender at Watford (who currently sit in 4th place). Soccer America had a nice juicy bit of info on him this week: Jay DeMerit, the unheralded Wisconsin product who became a regular defender for Watford after joining the English second-tier club in 2004, is ready to play for the U.S. national team, according to his coach, Adrian Boothroyd. "Jay has shown that he has the ability to be a top-class player and I have contacted Bruce Arena and recommended that he takes a close look at him. Jay has shown that he is capable of playing at a higher level, I really think he could make a meaningful contribution to the American squad this summer in Germany." The 26-year-old central defender has made 21 appearances this season for the club that is poised to qualify for the Premier League promotion playoffs. Maybe he will get the call from Coach Arena in the next few weeks as the USA plays two games on German soil in March: the 1st v Poland at Kaiserslautern, and the 22nd v Germany in Dortmund.
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-Robert Wagman of Soccer Times on the USA Big Bossman: Arena still doesn't get the respect he deserves
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The US National Players Assoc has three features: 1) DaMarcus Beasley of PSV, 2) Landon Donovan of Los Angeles Galaxy, & 3) Diego Gutierrez of Chicago Fire.
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-Gregory Sica from Sports Illustrated writes about the overwhelming depth of striker that Argentina has: Pick your poison
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-Salt Lake's Desert News' James Edwards has a feature on striker Jeff Cunningham.
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-Captain America, Claudio Reyna, has started some fitness training at Man City after the broken foot kept him out for almost 2 months.
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-Fifth Round of the English FA Cup is this weekend. Here are the matches:
Saturday:
Liverpool v Manchester United
Bolton v West Ham
Charlton v Brentford
Newcastle v Southampton
Sunday:
Preston v Middlesbrough
Stoke v Birmingham
Chelsea v Colchester
Aston Villa v Manchester City
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-UEFA Cup resumed with 2 legged knockout matches starting Wednesday & last night with return legs played next week. Here are the scores:
Last night:
Stuttgart 1-2 Middlesbrough
Slavia 2-1 Palermo
Thun 1-0 Hamburg
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-Copa Libertadores!! There was even a big upset last night as River Plate went down! The matches:
Last night:
Libertad 2-0 River Plate - Grupo 8
Universitario 1-2 Liga Dep. Universitaria - Grupo 5
UA Maracaibo 1-1 Internacional - Grupo 6

3 Comments:

Blogger hartley said...

Well, it seems the Metrostars [read Alexi] really want to get rid of young Mr. Gavin. I wonder why.

Sorry, couldn't help but notice. Cherundolo is a right back.

And looking at your WC list. My prediction is that O'Brien and Gibbs will be injured and/or unfit and therefore unable to go. I see Jimmy Conrad and yes, Kerry Zavagnin, making the squad.

2:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Apparently there is no substance abuse policy as soccernet.

While it maybe possible that Eddie Johnson has gotten the big head, Ives Galarcep is clearly on crack if he thinks leaving Eddie Johnson home this summer will be good for him and US Soccer in general.

Ives, "Have another tote of the pipe in the corner with Michael Ray..."

6:40 PM  
Blogger brucio said...

golnoir - ouch, that is tough talk, i love it, and totally agree that the USA would be insane to leave EJ home, which you and i know they wont do, cuz arena is a smart dude
thanks for the comment

1:07 PM  

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