Better Than Nothing News

Tomorrow is the big day: MLS season 11 kicks off! I will be in Kansas City to see them take on Columbus. I wanted to see Edson Buddle play, but alas.... I will have to settle for Eddie Johnson. I will have Viva Bruce! shirts with me to sell too.
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ADDITION: That whole thing from last week about Romario playing for Miami this season....It's True! Which means that all us First Division fans get to heckle the little Brazilian shorty. Awesome.
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A follow up story from the Santa Cruz Sentinel about the young boy, Jose Gonzalez, who was waiting for his father, Francisco, to pass a US Citizenship test before he could suit up for the USA U17s. His dad passed and the boy is all ready to roll!
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According to multiple English tabloids: Everton manager David Moyes will make a summer bid for the £2m-rated Manchester United goalkeeper Tim Howard. That sounds good to me.
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Pictures from the construction of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium
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So New York got their wish and striker Edson Buddle is now theirs. So why did Columbus just let him go like that? I worry for the man named after Pele. Eddie Gaven will do good going to Columbus and playing for Sigi Schmid though.
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My Minnesota Thunder are playing in Hudson Wisconsin on Saturday, and the then the following Sunday in La Crosse Wisconsin. After that they head for Cincinnati & Indianapolis to enjoy some warmer weather for preseason training.
-April 1: 1pm & 3pm v Univ Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Hudson Soccer Complex in Hudson, WI - TWO GAMES SCHEDULED, PITCH PERMITTING (clink link for map to field)
-April 8: 4pm v Univ Wisconsin-Madison, @ Fields for Kids, Lacrosse, WI
-April 14: 7pm v Cincinnati @ Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH
-April 15: 10am v Butler Univ @ Warren Central HS, Indianapolis, IN
-April 15: 2pm v Univ Michigan @ Warren Central HS, Indianapolis, IN
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There are a million rumors floating the soccer world right now. One of the bigger ones has Bruce Arena asking Marco Etcheverry to be part of his World Cup coaching staff.
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Supposedly Pele and Franz Beckenbauer will be guests of honor at Red Bull New York's home opener on April 8 v New England.
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Chris Courtney at Soccer Times has a nice article on the European media's knowledge of our USA team. They are catching on.
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The LA v New England MLS Cup rematch on Saturday night at Home Depot Center is SOLD OUT!!!!! How cool is that! Correction - as of 4:42pm central time Friday there are still LA v NE tix available in reserved corner sections and general admission sections. And our main Oklahoma man DJ Walker said the Dallas v Chicago game was sold out too, but as of 4:50pm central time on Friday there were still some excellent seats right at midfield for sale as well as cheaper seats all over the stadium. Sorry DW.
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Last night on Maximum Soccer Max Bretos said that John O'Brien is going to play for LA Galaxy. No other details though.
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Have you seen the new Houston kit yet? Here ya go.
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There are tons of MLS season opener related articles linked from Big Soccer for 3-30 and 3-31

Out To Lunch

And breakfast and dinner too.

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Baby Freepy News

The USA will take on Angola in a closed door match on June 5 in Hamburg.
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Clint Dempsey rejoined New England yesterday after his two weeks suspension for fighting and pummeling teammate Joe Franchino.
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Phil Ball at Soccernet tries to unravel the 3 year Real Madrid flop, while hangin with Drew Carey who was in Spain to film some thing for the Real v Barca classico: Blame the benches
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A huge MLS & Colorado fan fave John Spencer is BACK! Sadly not on the field though. He joined the Houston coaching staff on Monday. I loved that guy, and hope he does great things. We need more fiery people in the league.
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After all this time, it seems as though the massive damage reportedly done to Roma & Italian star striker Francesco Totti's ankle may have been overstated. It was said that he has a bad break AND ligament damage. This injury would take 6 to 8 months to heal. But he is already back training with no cast on, which clearly says, either he is lying to the press about his progress, or he had no ligament damage in the first place. I have to admit that I was hoping we wouldn't see this diving, hacking, cry baby at the World Cup this summer.
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Reading captain Graeme Murty writes for the Guardian of his experience after clinching promotion to the Premiership last Friday! He says that our guy Marcus Hahnemann did not celebrate cuz his wife wouldn't let him! Hahahahahahaha. That is truly hilarious, and I bet it's a lie meant to poke some fun at Hahnemann! Thanks to John W for the tip on this one. Check out his web log So Many Balls while yer at it too.
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Some International youth soccer news from US Soccer: With the 2007 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Korea Republic expanding to 24 teams from the 16 who participated in 2005, FIFA announced that CONCACAF will receive two additional berths to the 2007 international tournament, giving CONCACAF 5 berths in total.
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Houston Dynamo will unveil their uniforms Thursday.
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This coming Saturday it's one of my favorite matches twice a year, Barcelona v Real Madrid. And while they do sit #1 & #2 in La Liga, Barca still holds an 11 point lead with 8 games left in the season. So even if Real were to avenge the brutal 0-4 loss they suffered at home late last year, they would still be 8 points back.
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Here is what I would call a disturbing trend in European club soccer: In Spain, England, France, Germany, Holland, & Italy (the big 6) last years champion is set to repeat, and by a large margin as well. There are really NO close races this season. Barca, Chelsea, Lyon, Bayern, PSV & Juve will all win. I don't see where this is good for the future of the game. The following is a break down of each team, country, how big their lead is, and how many games left to go:
Barcelona - Spain - 11 points - 8 games
Chelsea - England - 12 points - 7 games
Olympique Lyonnais - France - 9 points - 7 games
Bayern Munich - Germany - 9 points - 7 games
PSV Eindhoven - Holland - 9 points - 4 games
Juventus - Italy - 8 points - 7 games
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USA & Nordsjaelland defender Heath Pearce writes about the humbling loss to Germany for the US Players Assoc site. How often do you see an active player, besides the amazing Jimmy Conrad, write about the game?
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Michael Lewis of Big Apple Soccer talks to Claudio Reyna and asks if there is any chance that Reyna would ever come home and play for the Red Bulls.
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There is word circulating that Barcelona will play some matches on US soil in August as they prepare for next season. Here are the dates and opponents that are supposedly being prepared:
v LA Galaxy August 6, 7 or 8
v DC United August 9 or 10
v New York August 11 or 12
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Ives Galarcep starts off his column today with a sentence that will make New York fans go nuts, and New York haters laugh their asses off: Consider the panic button at New York Red Bulls' headquarters officially pushed.
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Some more post-game analysis from the Germany v USA match by Scott French of the LA Daily News.
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Rob Hughes of the International Herald Tribune on the glory days of the beautiful game: A life spent with O Jogo Bonito
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One of my favorite MLS defenders, Eddie Robinson of Houston, messed up his knee during the Carolina Challenge Cup last weekend. He has a partial tear of a ligament, but will not require surgery. How much you wanna bet that it bothers him all year, and he ends up having surgery anyway? This is not good news for Houston's back line, seeing as they lost their other top quality center back Danny Califf to Aalborg in Denmark during the January transfer window.
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Oh Yeah! Today & tomorrow are 1st legs of the Quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, with the 2nd legs played on the 4th & 5th of April.
Tuesday:
Arsenal v Juventus - on tv at 12:30pm central via Setanta
Benfica v Barcelona - on tv at 2pm central via ESPN2
Wednesday:
Lyon v Milan - on tv at 12:30pm central via Setanta & delayed to 4pm central on Thursday via Fox Soccer Channel.
Internazionale v Villarreal - on tv at 2pm central via ESPN2
Champions League player news:
-Milan center back Jaap Stam is out with a calf injury.
-Juve captain Alessandro Del Piero will miss the first leg with a thigh strain, and Pavel Nedved will not play because of excessive yellow cards.
-For Villareal, Midfielders Josico and Alessio Tacchinardi, & defender Rodolfo Arruabarrena are all out due to yellow card accumulation.
-Lyon will be without star Juninho due to yellow card accumulation as well.
-Barca capt & defender Carles Puyol is suspended after collecting the yellows, and bitch-ass Rafa Marquez is out with a torn hamstring.
-Benfica are without the suspended striker Nuno Gomes.
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CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinals 2nd legs Wednesday night, featuring Costa Ricans v Mexicans (first leg score included):
Saprissa v Toluca (0-2)
America v Alajuelense (2-1)
Note: They do NOT use the "away goals count double to break ties" rule. All ties will be settled with PK's after extra periods are played.
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Copa Libertadores Group stage!! This week’s matches and scores:
Mar 28
Caracas FC - Cienciano - Grupo 1
Bolívar - Independiente Santa Fe - Grupo 2
Mar 29
The Strongest - Unión Española - Grupo 3
Mar 30
Deportivo Cali - Universidad Católica - Grupo 4
UA Maracaibo - Pumas UNAM - Grupo 6
El Nacional - Libertad - Grupo 8
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Tales from the Ballack Watch: Tom McG writes in with a hot tip: Michael Ballack may be following his spiritual side as his representatives were seen back in discussions with Welsh side NEWI Cefn Druids, assuming they don't get relegated from the Vauxhall Masterfit Welsh Premier Division.

Mr. T News

So after 135 years Reading is finally going to get their first licks at the English Premiership lollipop next season. They have run away with the Championship division and now clinched their promotion with 6 games still to play.
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DaMarcus Beasley was happily back in the starting lineup for PSV this past weekend. He also perfectly set up the final goal in a 0-3 win.
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Rumors are running high that our Steve Cherundolo could leave Hannover this summer and head to Bolton in England.
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Cory Gibbs made his debut for ADO Den Haag against the team that cut him loose, Feyenoord. And of course he got revenge with the 0-2 upset victory! Gibbs played a very good game.
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Andrea Canales ponders Bruce Arena's future for Soccernet.
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I see where Angola are going for a sort of Charlie Brown influenced shirt for the World Cup.
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But that is still better than the Italian shirt with a dickie.
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And Ze French appear to be going psychedelic.
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Milan owner and Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi caught on video. This could be bad news for him if it wasn't in Italy. The pig.
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A very special Soccer Hour with Glenn Davis tonight: Houston Dynamo Power Hour at 7:00 PM central! With guests head coach Dom Kinnear, and star midfielder DDR - Dwayne DeRosario. Tune in on the radio in Houston at 790 AM or via the web at ESPN790.com. They will be taking calls at 713-212-5790
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After nearly 8 months out with a knee injury, and making this third late game substitution in a row, Conor Casey nailed one to get his team Mainz a draw. Could he be on the mend enough to make this USA World Cup team that is desperate for strikers. I really hope so. I have added him to my list of WC hopefulls.
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A few more whispers on the John O'Brien to MLS front via Yanks Abroad.
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YA also chats with young American defender Frank Simek who plays right back for Sheffield Wednesday.
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Real Salt Lake owner Dave Cheketts has his own Opinion piece in the Salt Lake Tribune.
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It's official: Claudio The Emperor Suarez is now signed, sealed and delivered to Chivas USA. The defender has 173 international caps for Mexico. He has also been included in Mexico's squad for a friendly on Wednesday v Paraguay in Chicago. Pray for snow, or at least a nasty ice-cold wind.
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New York just signed Canadian defensive midfielder Adrian Serioux, and now turned around and sent him packing to Houston for second year question mark Danny O’Rourke. Hmmmmmm. Can't say I understand this one. I would say Houston scores, cuz O'Rourke wasn't gonna play anyway. But then, where does Serioux play for Houston when they already have some pretty high quality at that position in Ricardo Clark. However, a new (revised) rumor is circulating that New York will now send O'Rourke with Eddie Gaven to Columbus for Edson Buddle. I will believe that one when I see it. And I would never do that trade if I was running Columbus.
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MLS is expected to formally announce that Chelsea will be the victim of this years All Star game beat down taking place in Chicago at Bridgeview.
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Kansas City's final preseason preparations have been taking place out of sight in Germany. The KC star writes about how it has gone.
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I need to give a tip of the hat toward Rob Miech from the Las Vegas Sun for his ever-increasing high-quality soccer column. Hope we get to see a lot more muchacho.
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Glenn Davis starts the ball rolling on previews for Houston's first game ever in the Chronicle.
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The Columbus Dispatch does the same for their hometown team.
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Isaiah Guzman has a great story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel about a young Mexican boy who really wants to become a US citizen and play in the Red White and Blue shirt. He is 16 years old and people are already predicting greatness for him! Now he just needs his dad to pass the citizenship test. I wonder if I could pass it?
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My team, Minnesota Thunder, have resigned one of their most valuable & fan favorite players from the past two seasons, defensive midfielder Freddy Juarez!
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How did the big matches go this weekend?:
Liverpool 3-1 Everton - the identical score to the reverse match late last year. Liverpool played most of the game a man down after overrated Stevie G got the boot for an ugly tackle and dissent.
Milan 3-1 Fiorentina - a gain in the standing for Milan with this win as Juve drew, leaving them just 8 points behind with 7 games to play, but its probably waaaaaaaay too late
Juventus 1-1 Roma - no gain for Roma, but Juve lost ground as Milan won
Boca Juniors 1-1 River Plate - the last several have ended 0-0, so this one was at least a relief from that dreck.
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Rob Hughes of the International Herald Tribune: Chelsea rolls on, the end justifying the means
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Oh Yeah! This week it’s the Quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, with 1st legs on the 28th/29th of March & the 2nd legs on the 4th/5th of April:
Tuesday
Arsenal v Juventus - 12:30pm central via Setanta
Benfica v Barcelona - 2pm central via ESPN2
Wednesday
Lyon v Milan - 12:30pm central via Setanta & delayed to 4pm central on Thursday via Fox Soccer Channel.
Internazionale v Villarreal - 2pm central via ESPN2
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In Champions League player news:
-Juve captain Alessandro Del Piero will miss the first leg with a thigh strain, and Pavel Nedved will not play because of excessive yellow cards.
-For Villareal, Midfielders Josico and Alessio Tacchinardi, & defender Rodolfo Arruabarrena are all out due to yellow card accumulation.
-Lyon will be without star Juninho due to yellow card accumulation as well.
-Barca capt & defender Carles Puyol is suspended after collecting the yellows, and bitch-ass Rafa Marquez is out with a torn hamstring.
-Benfica are without the suspended striker Nuno Gomes.
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The Carolina Challenge Cup came to a close on Saturday with this years cup going to Houston! This preseason tournament is held annually in Charleston, South Carolina, home of the Charleston Battery & features them and 3 other teams in a round robin style. 3 points for a win and 1 for a draw.
Sunday
Houston Dynamo 1-0 Charleston - goal by Ronald Cerritos
DC United 1-0 Red Bull New York - goal by Jaime Moreno & the Bulls finished with 9 players after Youri Djorkaeff and Taylor Graham were both red carded after a second yellow
Wednesday
Charleston 1-0 New York - Ben Hollingsworth ran thru the NY defense to slot home the winner
DC 1-1 Houston - Alejandro Moreno scored on a corner kick for Houston, while Jaime Moreno scored on a PK for United.
Saturday
Charleston 1-1 DC - Jaime Moreno with a PK for DC, and Ben Hollingsworth with the equalizer for Char.
Houston 3-0 New York - Brian Ching, Ryan Cochrane and Brian Mullan were your goal scorers. Also take note that the "Superclub" did not score in any of the three games in which they played!!!
Final Standings:
7 Houston
5 DC United
4 Charleston
0 New York
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Copa Libertadores Group stage!! This week’s matches and scores:
Mar 28
Caracas FC - Cienciano - Grupo 1
Bolívar - Independiente Santa Fe - Grupo 2
Mar 29
The Strongest - Unión Española - Grupo 3
Mar 30
Deportivo Cali - Universidad Católica - Grupo 4
UA Maracaibo - Pumas UNAM - Grupo 6
El Nacional - Libertad - Grupo 8
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Today's Ballack Watch: He got his clothes cleaned at a Chinese Laundry in Munich, does this mean he is definitely heading to Changchun Yatai.

Absolute Required Listening

I cannot stress enough how much I think that every fan of soccer in America should listen to this Q & A with new United States Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati. He is a fairly incredible human being in the brains department, and I think, the perfect person for the job.

Good/Bad Credit News

Guus Hiddink has made it official. He will leave the PSV coaching job at the end of this season. No word on what his next job is. I hope he is holding out for Team USA. I wonder where this will leave our two boys - DaMarcus Beasley & Lee Nguyen?
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Reading can clinch their promotion to the English Premier League with a win over Leicester on Saturday!
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Former US International Joe-Max Moore talks to the US Players Assoc. It's a good one.
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Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts is now back on track with the purchase of NHL team St Louis Blues.
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The guy who has kept us here at du Nord up to date with all the goings on in Philadelphia, Ethan Gomberg, does a Q & A with Kristian Dyer at the excellent NyNjSoccer.
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NyNj is also reporting that a former suitor of Kansas City has jumped into the potential mix of owners for Philly.
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Colorado looks all set to try and win the Rocky Mountain Cup on their new field.
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Tino Palace's The Clean Sheet for March 23rd.
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Big matches this weekend:
All on Saturday
Liverpool v Everton - aaaaaaah, the Liverpool derby
Milan v Fiorentina - jockeying for Champions League spots next year
Juventus v Roma - Juve trying to further close the Scudetto door and Roma scrambling for Champions League next season too
Sunday
Boca Juniors v River Plate - the classic Argentina derby
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The Athletico Madrid v Sevilla game was stopped last night after Sevilla keeper Andres Palop got hit by a whiskey bottle!! Not cool. I remember the time when I was young, and our Minnesota Vikings where in a heated playoff game with their arch-nemesis Dallas Cowboys. Dallas scored on a controversial play and the crowd at our old Met Stadium went insane. One referee got hit in the head with a whiskey bottle thrown by a fan. What an aim that drunken idiot had!
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Houston's best young prospect, Patrick Ianni, gets love from his home town newspaper, the Stockton (CA) Record.
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CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinals return this week featuring Costa Ricans v Mexicans:
Toluca 2-0 Saprissa -Carlos Esquivel Silva got both goals (return match is March 29)
Alajuelense 1-2 America - 2 Brazilians, Irenio Soares & Kleber Boas scored for America, with Erik Scott scoring for Liga (return match is on March 29)
Note: They do NOT use the "away goals count double to break ties" rule. All ties will be settled with PK's after extra periods are played.
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The Carolina Challenge Cup - A preseason tournament annually held in Charleston, South Carolina, home of the Charleston Battery featuring 4 teams in a round robin style. 3 points for a win and 1 for a draw.
Sunday
Houston Dynamo 1-0 Charleston - goal by Ronald Cerritos
DC United 1-0 Red Bull New York - goal by Jaime Moreno & the Bulls finished with 9 players after Youri Djorkaeff and Taylor Graham were both red carded after a second yellow
Wednesday
Charleston 1-0 New York - Ben Hollingsworth ran thru the NY defense to slot home the winner
DC 1-1 Houston - Alejandro Moreno scored on a corner kick for Houston, while Jaime Moreno scored on a PK for United.
Saturday
Charleston v DC
Houston v New York
Standings:
4 Houston
4 DC United
3 Charleston
0 New York
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Here are the 6th Round/Quarterfinal matches slated for this week:
FA Cup Quarterfinals
Mon Mar 20
Manchester City 1-2 West Ham - Dean Ashton got both for West Ham, Musampa got a very late one back for Man City who had defender Sun Jihai red carded in the 56th min. Claudio Reyna did not play due to the injury.
Tue Mar 21
Birmingham 0-7 Liverpool - Holy Smokes! Did you see this one coming? At Birmingham? Wow. One of the most thorough ass kickings in years. Hyypia scored first, then 2 by Crouch, Morientes next, Riise after that, a B-ham own goal, and finally Cisse. Ooooooof. Does B-ham coach Steve Bruce get to keep his job? I remember when Dallas got snuffed 4 or 5-0 by Willmington in the US Open Cup and even they fired Mike Jefferies after that. Hell, LA got rid of Sigi Schmid after my Thunder beat them 1-0 in the Open Cup, and that game was played here.
Wed Mar 22
Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle - John Terry scored the games only goal on a corner kick. Sean Wright Phillips did some excellent diving for Chelsea.
Thu Mar 23
Charlton 0-0 Middlesbrough - the only game of the round not to get settled the first time around. The replay will be April 12.
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The draw for the FA Cup Semifinals was this morning and here are the match ups to be played at neutral sites:
Sat April 22
Chelsea v Liverpool
Sun April 23
Charlton or Middlesbrough v West Ham
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Copa Libertadores Group stage!! This week’s matches and scores:
Mar 21
Chivas Guadalajara 2-1 São Paulo FC - Grupo 1
Estudiantes LP 1-0 Independiente Santa Fe - Grupo 2
Universidad Católica 2-1 Deportivo Cali - Grupo 4
Mar 22
Newell's Old Boys 0-0 Goiás EC - Grupo 3
Corinthians 1-0 Tigres UANL - Grupo 4
Internacional 3-2 Pumas UNAM - Grupo 6
Mar 23
Libertad 4-1 El Nacional - Grupo 8
Rosario Central 2-2 Palmeiras - Grupo 7
Atlético Nacional 2-2 Cerro Porteño - Grupo 7
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All of the teams have played 3 group matches (out of 6), and several have played 4. Velez Sarsfield is the only team that has qualified for the next round already in Group 5.
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Thursday's Libertadores match wrap from Soccernet.
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Today's Ballack Watch: Michael has another day off. To revitalize his soul he visited a spa in Thessaloniki, Greece; complete with a foot fluff, a nose powder, a back wax, a leafy thrashing, and a happy ending. Lance says: Next stop Maidenhead United!!

Manana Banana News

Germany 4 - 1 USA (o-o at the half)
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The du Nord 3 USA stars of the game:
3. Cory Gibbs – he got no help from the winger in front of him, and was playing out of position at left back, yet he saved the USA bacon about 6 times with speed and timing on his fierce tackles.
2. Steve Cherundolo – passes are dead on, speed is all there and a fluke goal looks good on a resume.
1. Pablo Mastroeni – it was like the dreadlocks were back for Pablo. He was lean and mean. When they pulled him out of the match, the defense fell apart. Seriously. Check the times of when things melted down. They coincide exactly with him coming out of the game! We need him badly!
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Ha. Well I guess we just throw that one in the nearest jumbo dumpster and move on. Germany got goals by Schwienstieger, Nueville, Ballack & Klose. USA got theirs from Cherundolo when he tried to go long for Johnson who got run over by Oli Kahn and the 60 yard pass trickled past everyone and into the net. You had to figure we were due for one of those stink bombs. The wins have been too easy, and the hype growing a little too big. Not to mention the idiotic #5 ranking. I have said it many times, and will say it again right now: USA is a top 15 team in the world, where they fit in that top 15 is debatable. The game meant little or nothing to me, as it was meaningless to the USA and everyone knew it. I am sure Arena & Keller are mad cuz they got embarrassed. Yes, Greg Berhalter stunk. HE STUNK! But he always has and always will. He was always a step below Agoos on my chart. So this performance should come as no surprise. I thought Cory Gibbs did everything he could out there. He is not a left back though. He is a central defender. It would have been nice to see him get a chance to play in the center of the defense. As for Convey - he is an attacker who has never played much defense. We know Ching is useless, so is Klein and Zavagnin. It won't take more than 5 years and guys like this will not be able to make MLS teams cuz they are too slow and unskilled. Big deal. The USA didn't bring an attacking midfielder for this match after Donovan dropped out, so I expected a big hole in the middle of the pitch, and there it was. Mastroeni did very good out there too, but Arena subbed him out. Twellman needs service and got none. Johnson needs service and got little.
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Only one injury to report from the match: Josh Wolff suffered a concussion and required five stitches in his lip in the middle of the first half.
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Audio & Video from Team USA post match via US Soccer.
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Post game reports from around the country:
Big Apple Soccer - match report by Michael Lewis
Houston Chronicle - analysis by Glenn Davis
New York Times - match report by Jere Longman
North Jersey Herald - match report by Ives Galarcep
USA Today - match report by Kelly Whiteside
Los Angeles Times - match report by Grahame Jones
Soccer Times - analysis & player ratings by Robert Wagman
Soccer America - player ratings by Paul Kennedy
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Did you see all the diving that German midfielder Sebastian Schweinsteiger was doing. Cheeeee-rist. He must have gotten his hands on an advance DVD copy of Jamie Watson Teaches The World To Dive.
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An amusing thread on Big Soccer - In Pictures: Berhalter's Day.
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After the match BQ sent me this story from the Fox Sports web site that savages the USA. But it was written by Jamie Trecker who hates USA soccer and takes every cheap shot he can get his hands on. So I discount it immediately when his name is attached.
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But more importantly, here is a calm, smart, totally accurate Big Soccer post that breaks down yesterday's game in a frame of mind more akin to REALITY! Fantastic to read.
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There is a podcast from new US Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati that all fans should listen to.
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All the Manchester City website says is that Claudio Reyna "could face between three and four weeks on the sidelines with an injured left shoulder." No word on what the injury actually is.
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According to London trash tabloid: "Bolton boss Sam Allardyce has joined Everton in the chase for USA striker Josh Wolff." How many times have Everton said they are not interested before these writers get it?
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Scott Soshnick at Bloomberg rips the vast majority of American sports fans!!!! He nails 'em to the frickin wall!
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Adidas is going to build a mini-replica of Berlin's World Cup stadium in the center of the city in front of the Reichstag parliament building to show games all 64 games to the public. It will seat about 10,000. It will cost you 3 Euro to get in.
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Do you like statistics - check this out: Football Database
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More rumors swirling that Chelsea will take on an MLS All-star team at Bridgeview this summer.
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Kansas City says they are not going after John O'Brien. With LA saying the same thing (see yesterday), that takes us down to 10 teams left to duke it out.
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The Jackson Clarion-Ledger in Mississippi does the "small town boy makes good" routine for their home-slice Floyd Franks Jr, a first year pro who is suiting up for Chicago.
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Jonah (not Johan) Freedman's all knowing, all seeing World Power Rankings at Sports Illustrated!
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Miguel Melendez of the Orange County Register has words with MLS head men Don Garber and Ivan Gazidis. These are almost exactly the same things I reported on from my trip to MLS Cup last fall, but it's nice to see all of this in print.
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Others have pointed out that Spanish language newspaper La Opinion is reporting a midsummer tournament between 4 teams from MLS and 4 from Mexico in 2007. Now we're talking!!
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CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinals return this week featuring Costa Ricans v Mexicans:
Toluca 2-0 Saprissa -Carlos Esquivel Silva got both goals (return match is March 29)
Alajuelense v America on March 23 & 29 - see the match tonight on a slight delay at 10pm central time on Fox Soccer Channel.
Note: They do NOT use the "away goals count double to break ties" rule. All ties will be settled with PK's after extra periods are played.
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The Carolina Challenge Cup - A preseason tournament annually held in Charleston, South Carolina, home of the Charleston Battery featuring 4 teams in a round robin style. 3 points for a win and 1 for a draw.
Sunday
Houston Dynamo 1-0 Charleston - goal by Ronald Cerritos
DC United 1-0 Red Bull New York - goal by Jaime Moreno & the Bulls finished with 9 players after Youri Djorkaeff and Taylor Graham were both red carded after a second yellow
Wednesday
Charleston 1-0 New York - Ben Hollingsworth ran thru the NY defense to slot home the winner
DC 1-1 Houston - Alejandro Moreno scored on a corner kick for Houston, while Jaime Moreno scored on a PK for United.
Saturday
Charleston v DC
Houston v New York
Standings:
4 Houston
4 DC United
3 Charleston
0 New York
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Dutch Cup semi finals last night:
PSV Eindhoven 2-0 AZ Alkmaar
Ajax Amsterdam 4-1 Roda JC Kerkrade
The final is May 7 in Rotterdam
~ ~ ~ ~
First of two semi finals in the Portuguese Cup:
Porto 1-1 Sporting - Porto win 5-4 on penalties.
Vitoria Setubal v Vitoria Guimaraes
The final is on May 14 in Lisbon
~ ~ ~ ~
Copa Italia - semi finals first leg:
Palermo 2-1 Roma - Massimo Mutarelli scored both for Parma, with Simone Perrotta bagging one for Roma in the first minute of the game.
Inter 1-0 Udinese - the only goal was scored by Santiago Solari
~ ~ ~ ~
Here are the 6th Round/Quarterfinal matches slated for this week:
FA Cup Quarterfinals
Mon Mar 20
Manchester City 1-2 West Ham - Dean Ashton got both for West Ham, Musampa got a very late one back for Man City who had defender Sun Jihai red carded in the 56th min. Claudio Reyna did not play due to the injury.
Tue Mar 21
Birmingham 0-7 Liverpool - Holy Smokes! Did you see this one coming? At Birmingham? Wow. One of the most thorough ass kickings in years. Hyypia scored first, then 2 by Crouch, Morientes next, Riise after that, a B-ham own goal, and finally Cisse. Ooooooof. Does B-ham coach Steve Bruce get to keep his job? I remember when Dallas got snuffed 4 or 5-0 by Willmington in the US Open Cup and even they fired Mike Jefferies after that. Hell, LA got rid of Sigi Schmid after my Thunder beat them 1-0 in the Open Cup, and that game was played here.
Wed Mar 22
Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle - John Terry scored the games only goal on a corner kick. Sean Wright Phillips did some excellent diving for Chelsea.
Thu Mar 23
Charlton v Middlesbrough
~ ~ ~ ~
Copa Libertadores Group stage!! This week’s matches and scores:
Mar 21
Chivas Guadalajara 2-1 São Paulo FC - Grupo 1
Estudiantes LP 1-0 Independiente Santa Fe - Grupo 2
Universidad Católica 2-1 Deportivo Cali - Grupo 4
Mar 22
Newell's Old Boys 0-0 Goiás EC - Grupo 3
Corinthians 1-0 Tigres UANL - Grupo 4
Internacional 3-2 Pumas UNAM - Grupo 6
Mar 23
Libertad - El Nacional - Grupo 8
Rosario Central - Palmeiras - Grupo 7
Atlético Nacional - Cerro Porteño - Grupo 7
~ ~ ~ ~
Wednesday's Libertadores match wrap from Soccernet - Corinthians had their hero Carlos Tevez miss a pk, but get the game winner later.
~ ~ ~ ~
Today's Ballack Watch: He is taking a well deserved rest today after the beating he laid on Greg Berhalter yesterday.

Announcements

I have two announcements to make:

1. Minnesota soccer supporters are holding a summit on Tuesday April 11 in St Paul at the Sweetwater Grille & Bar. Kick off is 7pm. Come on out and meet like minded fans of the beautiful game. This is geared toward fans of the Minnesota Thunder, but all are welcome. I would love to meet more of the readers. Plus if you are like me you will want to watch USA v Jamaica that night, so show up at 6pm to see it.

2. Me and 3 others will be making our 4th annual trip to KC for the MLS season opener on April 1 to see Kansas City v Columbus. There is nothing like getting outside and seeing two teams get it on, after another long cold winter. It should be a big day of soccer, with Dallas v Chicago at 3pm central on ABC & later that night is the Cup rematch LA v New England at 10pm on ESPN2. Plus somewhere in the middle of all there will KC BBQ needing to be eaten! Drop me a line if you are going to be at that game, cuz I wanna meet as many people as possible
.

This Had Better Be News

Will I be seeing you? Today at 1:25pm central time - Germany v USA in Dortmund. Live on ESPN2. I will be hanging out at The Local - 10th St & Nicollet in downtown Minneapolis!
~ ~ ~ ~
Michael Lewis at Soccernet on Bruce Arena.
~ ~ ~ ~
Michael Lewis also writes for his own site, Big Apple Soccer, that there are players who are nearing that make or break point for the WC squad. This could be their match.
~ ~ ~ ~
Soccer America's MLS Confidential is whispering, "John O'Brien to Chivas USA".
~ ~ ~ ~
Larry Morgan of the Press-Telegram mimic's that rumor. Plus he has word from Steve Sampson that O'Brien is NOT headed to the Galaxy. And he talks to Sampson about the loss of Doug Hamilton. Very sad to read.
~ ~ ~ ~
Der Spiegel in Germany has an interview with outgoing US Soccer chief, Dr Bob.
~ ~ ~ ~
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette runs a story from the Wall Street Journal that talks about the building momentum of soccer in America. Yes, The Wall Street Journal ladies & gentlemen, taking note of our version of the beautiful game. This is big.
~ ~ ~ ~
More on the Romario situation: He missed his fourth day in a row with the club, so it looks pretty certain that he is done at Vasco. But where he goes is all speculation. There is also a rumor spreading around that Romario's agent said something like "He loves Miami, but the money is not good enough." Stay tuned though. I am gonna guess that this one is not over yet. (Thanks Jonah.)
~ ~ ~ ~
This is a true story: A few weeks ago I noticed that the Chicago Tribune had not run anything at all on the Chicago Fire preseason activities, but the Trib did have a full time soccer writer in Luis Arroyave. I dropped him a note asking what was up. His reply: "With the Champions League and attending the U.S. friendly in Germany, I guess I have been distracted from the local team. The good news is I'm in the process of putting together a little MLS preview for the start of the season. Thanks for the wake up call though!" And this morning I got this email: "Check the paper today". And there was a Q & A with Fire coach Dave Sarachan! To me this says two things - First of all, we fans can have a direct impact. But number two, did I really have to tell this guy to do what I figure is his job??? What the hell is that?
~ ~ ~ ~
The New York Times Business section examines the Red Bull New York deal.
~ ~ ~ ~
And the Times Jack Bell has more on the New York name from the Jersey side of the view.
~ ~ ~ ~
What is this about? World Soccer magazine quotes Juve's Alex Del Piero as saying he could see himself in a Galaxy uniform.
~ ~ ~ ~
Tobias Xavier Lopez of the Fort Worth Telegram talks to newish FC Dallas keeper Dario Sala.
~ ~ ~ ~
Dave Checketts, the owner of Real Salt Lake, went before the Salt Lake County Council to discuss his stadium plan. The Salt Lake Tribune says that the council unleashed the hounds on him. That would have been fun to watch. And I am glad that I am not him.
~ ~ ~ ~
NYRB Pres Alexi Lalas answers fan questions at NYNJ Soccer.
~ ~ ~ ~
Luis Bueno talks to Chivas USA defender Carlos Llamosa for MLSnet.
~ ~ ~ ~
The Carolina Challenge Cup - A preseason tournament annually held in Charleston, South Carolina, home of the Charleston Battery featuring 4 teams in a round robin style. 3 points for a win and 1 for a draw.
Sunday
Houston Dynamo 1-0 Charleston - goal by Ronald Cerritos
DC United 1-0 Red Bull New York - goal by Jaime Moreno & the Bulls finished with 9 players after Youri Djorkaeff and Taylor Graham were both red carded after a second yellow
Wednesday
Charleston v New York
DC v Houston
Saturday
Charleston v DC
Houston v New York
~ ~ ~ ~
CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinals return this week featuring Costa Ricans v Mexicans:
Toluca v Saprissa on March 22 & 29
Alajuelense v America on March 23 & 29
Note: They do NOT use the "away goals count double to break ties" rule. So all ties are settled with PK's after extra periods are played.
~ ~ ~ ~
Here are the 6th Round/Quarterfinal matches slated for this week:
FA Cup Quarterfinals
Mon Mar 20
Manchester City 1-2 West Ham - Dean Ashton got both for West Ham, Musampa got a very late one back for Man City who had defender Sun Jihai red carded in the 56th min. Claudio Reyna did not play due to the injury.
Tue Mar 21
Birmingham 0-7 Liverpool - Holy Smokes! Did you see this one coming? At Birmingham? Wow. One of the most thorough ass kickings in years. Hyypia scored first, then 2 by Crouch, Morientes next, Riise after that, a B-ham own goal, and finally Cisse. Ooooooof. Does B-ham coach Steve Bruce get to keep his job? I remember when Dallas got snuffed 4 or 5-0 by Willmington in the US Open Cup and even they fired Mike Jefferies after that. Hell, LA got rid of Sigi Schmid after my Thunder beat them 1-0 in the Open Cup, and that game was played here.
Wed Mar 22
Chelsea v Newcastle
Thu Mar 23
Charlton v Middlesbrough
~ ~ ~ ~
Copa Libertadores Group stage!! This week’s matches and scores:
Mar 21
Chivas Guadalajara 2-1 São Paulo FC - Grupo 1
Estudiantes LP 1-0 Independiente Santa Fe - Grupo 2
Universidad Católica 2-1 Deportivo Cali - Grupo 4
Mar 22
Newell's Old Boys - Goiás EC - Grupo 3
Corinthians - Tigres UANL - Grupo 4
Internacional - Pumas UNAM - Grupo 6
Mar 23
Libertad - El Nacional - Grupo 8
Rosario Central - Palmeiras - Grupo 7
Atlético Nacional - Cerro Porteño - Grupo 7
~ ~ ~ ~
Tuesday's Libertadores match wrap from Soccernet - Chivas with a huge win at home over defending champs Sao Paulo. Fantastic!
~ ~ ~ ~
Today's Ballack Watch: See him on TV and make up your own dumb story.

Snake Skin News

Don't miss it. Wednesday (tomorrow) at 1:25pm central time - Germany v USA in Dortmund. Live on ESPN2
~ ~ ~ ~
Just Brutal News: Claudio Reyna left Saturday's Man City match with a shoulder injury. No word on severity yet. Unbelievable, but totally believable at the same time.
~ ~ ~ ~
ADDITION: This just in, Ricardo Setyon of Sports Illustrated is reporting that First Division club Miami is very close to signing Brazilian legend Romario! Can you believe that? I will believe it when I see it. Romario is currently in a dispute with his current club Vasco de Gama and may be using Miami as leverage. Let's see! I would love to heckle that dude at the Jimmy this summer.
~ ~ ~ ~
Here is a detailed website for the stadium concept by Rowan University & MLS in South New Jersey. Very well done.
More from our guy on the scene Ethan: Well first, Rowan Unv in Glassboro, NJ has to get a solid plan together to find a developer for the stadium. If they can prove they have a solid plan and that they have all the other ducks in a row (state help, land development approved etc) by July 1, 2006; MLS will help them find the investor/operator. Until July 1 though MLS promises not to negotiate with other Philly area towns and work exclusively with Glassboro, NJ for the Philly market. However, if Rowan Unv cannot show progress by July 1, MLS walks.
Philly MLS has this very interesting graphic on where Rowan sits distance wise from Philadelphia proper in comparison to stadiums in other MLS cities:
Frisco to Dallas = 26.5 miles
Glassboro to Philadelphia = 23.4 miles
Carson to Los Angeles = 17.9 miles
Sandy to Salt Lake City = 17.0 miles
Bridgeview to Chicago = 13.9 miles
Harrison to New York = 9.5 miles
Commerce City to Denver = 6.8 miles
The Philadelphia Inquirer calls the plan "Audacious".
But probably the best REPORTING on the story was done by Matthew Ralph at the Bridgeton News. He got a lot of quotes, and pointed out another great benefit to this stadium in South Jersey: Rowan beat out a developer for the land who wanted to build a Wal-Mart. Hooray Rowan! Hooray Beer!
~ ~ ~ ~
From an unnamed inside dude: John O'Brien to the Galaxy! The Dunivant rumors may be tied to this... Those greedy bitches. Can't they leave some scraps for the rest of the teams?!?!
~ ~ ~ ~
Yanks Abroad with a USA-Germany preview
~ ~ ~ ~
And the same site talks to the American boys from Reading, Hahnemann & Convey, about their Team USA chances.
~ ~ ~ ~
The BBC Talks to Convey about Reading's Royals Ascent
~ ~ ~ ~
AP has a feature story on USA & KC defender Jimmy Conrad. He is a most excellent dude. Go James Go!
~ ~ ~ ~
A few words of importance emerge from the Conrad article: Eddie Pope is hampered by a bad back. Oh come on!
~ ~ ~ ~
The always on top of it Ives Galarcep from the North Jersey Herald says in a new article that Red Bull is.... (among many other things) considering footing the bill for the Red Bulls to play most, if not all, of their home games on grass.
~ ~ ~ ~
Revs Net talk to New England assistant Paul Mariner.
~ ~ ~ ~
The Boston Globe's Frank Dell'apa looks at the new money coming into MLS.
~ ~ ~ ~
Yesterday Real Madrid was running down the street in Milan chasing Carlo Ancelloti and begging him to be their next coach. Today Ancelloti signed a 2 year contract extension to stay in Milan. End of story.
~ ~ ~ ~
Steve Goff of the Washington Post & Grahame Jones of the Los Angeles Times have jumped on the "let's all write about the tough time Jurgen Klinsmann is having as German coach" bandwagon. (I am not going to bother linking to these stories anymore, cuz we have read plenty.) Enough! Sure it's not going well for him, and we have made him an honorary American, but he is the GERMAN coach, not our coach. Don't get me wrong, I like Klinsmann. And I also love that the Germans are having a melt down over their teams lack of success. But please, American journalists, let the Kraut tabloids do it on their own. We need more coverage of OUR team. We have a great coach. Write about him! We have over 20 players training in Germany for the game right now. Talk to them. Write about them! Make them famous! Now get to work!
~ ~ ~ ~
Belfast City Airport will be renamed George Best Airport at a ceremony on May 22.
~ ~ ~ ~
Looks like Guus Hiddink will most likely leave PSV at the end of this season. Fans even disrupted training sessions this morning and held out a banner asking Hiddink not to leave. PSV management have confirmed that the coach is talking to others and that they will probably have to replace him.
~ ~ ~ ~
DaMarcus Beasley is not likely to play for PSV on Wednesday night in the semifinal match of the Gatorade Cup v AZ Alkmaar due to a Achilles tendon injury.
~ ~ ~ ~
Rob Hughes got a tour of Wembley Stadium: Old memories in a new arena
~ ~ ~ ~
NYNJ Soccer has a Q & A with New York defender Steve Jolley.
~ ~ ~ ~
Nick Green of the Carson Daily Breeze with his weekly column usually focusing on LA: Donovan is feeling happy, motivated
~ ~ ~ ~
Do you love USA big boss man Bruce Arena as much as I do? Then check this out! Viva Bruce shirts for sale!
~ ~ ~ ~
So Cal Soccer News talk to Galaxy striker Joseph Ngwenya.
~ ~ ~ ~
The Carolina Challenge Cup - A preseason tournament annually held in Charleston, South Carolina, home of the Charleston Battery, featuring 4 teams in a round robin style. Here is the match schedule:
Sunday
Houston Dynamo 1-0 Charleston - goal by Ronald Cerritos
DC United 1-0 Red Bull New York - goal by Jaime Moreno & the Bulls finished with 9 players after Youri Djorkaeff and Taylor Graham were both red carded after a second yellow
Wednesday
Charleston v New York
DC v Houston
Saturday
Charleston v DC
Houston v New York
~ ~ ~ ~
CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinals return this week featuring Costa Ricans v Mexicans:
Toluca v Saprissa on March 22 & 29
Alajuelense v America on March 23 & 29
Note: They do NOT use the "away goals count double to break ties" rule. So all ties are settled with PK's after extra periods are played.
~ ~ ~ ~
Here are the 6th Round/Quarterfinal matches slated for this week:
FA Cup Quarterfinals
Mon Mar 20
Manchester City 1-2 West Ham - Dean Ashton got both for West Ham, Musampa got a very late one back for Man City who had defender Sun Jihai red carded in the 56th min. Claudio Reyna did not play due to the injury.
Tue Mar 21
Birmingham v Liverpool
Wed Mar 22
Chelsea v Newcastle
Thu Mar 23
Charlton v Middlesbrough
~ ~ ~ ~
Copa Libertadores Group stage!! This week’s matches and scores:
Tue Mar 21
Chivas Guadalajara - São Paulo FC - Grupo 1
Estudiantes LP - Independiente Santa Fe - Grupo 2
Universidad Católica - Deportivo Cali - Grupo 4
Wed Mar 22
Newell's Old Boys - Goiás EC - Grupo 3
Corinthians - Tigres UANL - Grupo 4
Internacional - Pumas UNAM - Grupo 6
Thur Mar 23
Libertad - El Nacional - Grupo 8
Rosario Central - Palmeiras - Grupo 7
Atlético Nacional - Cerro Porteño - Grupo 7
~ ~ ~ ~
Today's Watch: Ballack and his bollocks have two new bidders for his precious services. There is a rumor that he's been seen in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, trialing with Eagle Cement. He's also been rumored to be linked to the Obeya Babes. (Thanks to Detective Demko for the gumshoe work.)

Sportivo De La Groupo News

My beloved Minnesota Thunder kick off the 2006 season in just over 30 days (April 23 to be exact). And they have made a brilliant move to help get the season started right! Traditionally they have played the first game of the season indoor at the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis. The top reason for doing this is that late April in our city can still be pretty wintery. Not to me. But the team have heard the call of the fans who love seeing their team outside at the little pitch known as the Jimmy. James Griffin Stadium. Only holds 6000. This year the team intends to pack the place. Admission to the match v wretched Seattle will be FREE! A donation will then be taken up to give to the United Way.
~ ~ ~ ~
Yanks Abroad is reporting that not only is John O'Brien fit and ready for action, he has left his Dutch club ADO Den Haag and is in negotiation to join an unnamed team in MLS!! Can you believe that?!?!
~ ~ ~ ~
FIFA will take no action and drop the charges against VP Jack Warner after he took all of Trinidad & Tobagos WC tickets for himself and sold them thru his families travel agency. FIFA says that Warner is no longer an owner of the travel agency so the matter is dropped. Hahahaha. What a massive joke. But isn't that exactly what we all figured would go down?
~ ~ ~ ~
Here is the official press release from Major League Soccer and potential stadium partner Rowan University on bringing top flight football to South Jersey/Suburban Philadelphia.
MLSnet has a story on the subject.
Ok, this is all very cool. But is there anyone on the docket to actually OWN the team?
~ ~ ~ ~
Do you love USA big boss man Bruce Arena as much as I do? Then check this out! Viva Bruce shirts for sale! Kenny Arena just bought his!
~ ~ ~ ~
Frankie Hejduk joins the list of USAers dropping out of the match v Germany on Wednesday due to a strained hamstring. He is being replaced on the squad by young Hamburg midfielder Benny Feilhaber.
~ ~ ~ ~
Monchengladbach's Oliver Neuville will replace Wolfsburg's injured Mike Hanke on the German roster. Robert Huth will stay at Chelsea for their FA Cup match that same day, and handball expert Torsten Frings will miss the match due to a calf injury.
~ ~ ~ ~
And Bayern Munich & German midfielder Sebastian Deisler will not only miss this match, but he will miss the entire World Cup due to torn ligaments in his right knee. I feel very bad for him. He has had a tough time with multiple injuries over the last 4 years, so tough in fact that he has been suffering from depression on top of everything else.
~ ~ ~ ~
Frank Dell'apa has a look at Germany prior to the big match, for Soccernet.
~ ~ ~ ~
Glenn Davis of the Houston Chronicle does the same.
~ ~ ~ ~
US Soccer also has 2 new podcasts available. The first is coach Bruce Arena and various players talking about the Germany match, and the second is Cory Gibbs talking about his health and return to the squad for the first time in over 9 months.
~ ~ ~ ~
And US Soccer has video footage from training in Dortmand too.
~ ~ ~ ~
Rob Hughes of the International Herald Tribune looks at all the insanity racing through Germany right now - from the national team to the match fixing: Bayern not alone in feeling the heat
~ ~ ~ ~
Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger has immediately fired back at the German newspaper that claimed he was part of a new match fixing scandal. His lawyer filed a lawsuit against TZ for defamation! He has also gotten a lot of verbal support from the coaches and management at Bayern as well as from German coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
~ ~ ~ ~
New York Times writer Jere Longman has a feature on Germany's Klinsmann, and the battle he has faced within his own country and federation.
~ ~ ~ ~
The excellent Simon Kuper of the Financial Times writes about Klinsmann as well.
~ ~ ~ ~
Every time I type Klinsmann, I think of Klansman.
~ ~ ~ ~
The mighty Lothar Matthaus resigned his job as coach of Brazilian club Paranaense after about a month in charge. He had recently been suspended for 3 months due to his insane attitude toward the league and the referee's. Lothar said he was homesick. Fair enough.
~ ~ ~ ~
Yowser! Carlos Llamosa has signed with Chivas USA! Is Bob Bradley really that desperate??? The guy turns 51 next week. (Via Big Apple Soccer)
~ ~ ~ ~
I missed this one last week, but Hans Westerhof who coached Chivas USA in the second half of last season, was fired after just 10 games as coach of Guadalajara Chivas last week. The team were 3-4-3 for 13 points.
~ ~ ~ ~
Celtic beat Dunfermline 3-0 in the final to win the Scottish League Cup.
~ ~ ~ ~
A frankly astonishing piece of news from Lance: Glasgow Ranger's fans called off a protest against Hearts for the small ticket allocation they received to the match because they thought it was inappropriate to cause a ruckus so close to Celtic legend Jimmie Johnstone's death. Rangers fans honoring a Celtic player! That's greatness.
~ ~ ~ ~
The second part (of two) of Andrew Hush's interview with the real Red Bull Alexi Lalas. Lalas talks about US Soccer and the World Cup.
~ ~ ~ ~
Day 1 (of 3) of the Carolina Challenge Cup
Held in Charleston, South Carolina, home of the Charleston Battery
Houston Dynamo 1-0 Charleston - goal by Ronald Cerritos
DC United 1-0 Red Bull New York - goal by Jaime Moreno & the Bulls finished with 9 players after Youri Djorkaeff and Taylor Graham were both red carded after a second yellow.
The Cup continues Wednesday evening with Charleston v New York & DC v Houston
Third & final matches are next Saturday: Charleston v DC & Houston v New York
~ ~ ~ ~
Brian McBride did his usual ass-busting work and this time it really paid off! His Fulham team knocked off Chelsea 1-0 at home! The home fans then stormed the field to celebrate! Awesome!
~ ~ ~ ~
Even though he is still playing for Fulham, it looks like McBride is going to have to stop playing soon and have hernia surgery. The injury has been bothering him for several weeks now. Its not serious, but will take him off the field for about 10 days. The sooner he gets it done the better he will be come World Cup time.
~ ~ ~ ~
And the London Sunday Times with a big feature story on our Brian McBride!!
~ ~ ~ ~
From BQ: Arsenal have tied up a deal to sign the world's tallest footballer, 6ft 10 Nikola Zigic, from Red Star Belgrade. In his first two seasons at Red Star, he scored 55 goals in 77 games.
~ ~ ~ ~
Czech & Juve midfielder Pavel Nedved Q & A today at UEFA.com - I wonder if it discusses his amazing flopping skills?
~ ~ ~ ~
USA U20 striker Sammy Ochoa scored his first ever (& game winning) goal for UAdG on Saturday in his teams 0-1 in Mexico City v Pumas!
~ ~ ~ ~
Barcelona & Mexico tough guy Rafa Mexico will be out of action for up to six weeks with a torn thigh muscle. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww.
~ ~ ~ ~
More from BQ: I heard this story today from Diana the producer at World Soccer Daily. She is a big Serie A fan. the story behind this is that a player DeRossi for Roma scored a goal yesterday for Roma. The Ref. called it a goal but he went over the ref. and told him that it hit his hand. the ref. reversed the call and gave them a free kick going the other way. I guess players from both teams were congratulating him. What Diana was saying was why is there not more stories on this. the press always wants the ugly stuff but when someone truly plays within the rules of the game nothing is celebrated. Really too bad. This was a great moment in the game. Truly Joga Bonita. Not karate kick bad actor Cantana talking about it. A real player doing it.
~ ~ ~ ~
Actually, I get a lot of my Italian news from Channel 4 (I know, far from the mainstream), and they had the story on Sunday: Roma hail De Rosi Gesture
~ ~ ~ ~
Real Madrid are courting Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti to be their next savior. How many chances at a holy leader do they get?
~ ~ ~ ~
CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinals return this week featuring Costa Ricans v Mexicans:
Toluca v Saprissa on March 22 & 29
Alajuelense v America on March 23 & 29
Note: They do NOT use the "away goals count double to break ties" rule. So all ties are settled with PK's after extra periods are played.
~ ~ ~ ~
Here are the 6th Round/Quarterfinal matches slated for this week:
FA Cup Quarterfinals
Mon Mar 20
Manchester City v West Ham
Tue Mar 21
Birmingham v Liverpool
Wed Mar 22
Chelsea v Newcastle
Thu Mar 23
Charlton v Middlesbrough
~ ~ ~ ~
Copa Libertadores Group stage!! This week’s matches and scores:
Mar 21
Chivas Guadalajara - São Paulo FC - Grupo 1
Estudiantes LP - Independiente Santa Fe - Grupo 2
Universidad Católica - Deportivo Cali - Grupo 4
Mar 22
Newell's Old Boys - Goiás EC - Grupo 3
Corinthians - Tigres UANL - Grupo 4
Internacional - Pumas UNAM - Grupo 6
Mar 23
Libertad - El Nacional - Grupo 8
Rosario Central - Palmeiras - Grupo 7
Atlético Nacional - Cerro Porteño - Grupo 7
~ ~ ~ ~
Mike Ballack was seen in a Yonkers Bloomingdales snapping up all the discounted Metrostars gear he could get his hands on. Maybe he is starting his own squad using that now abandon name.
~ ~ ~ ~
Nine cities in South Africa have been approved to host the match of the 2010 World Cup: Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Pretoria, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, and Rustenburg.

MLS Coming To Philadelphia?

Press conference today at 11am eastern time from Rowan University. Hear it here.

Common Roots Kanye Mos Def Erykah Badu Jay Z News

Sorry for being out of commission yesterday. Everything just got crazy and I lost the day to a long long party with only a hint of debauchary (not enough), finished off with a high quality steak at a legendary St Paul joint - Mancini's. Our waitress was a classic old crab. After dinner I asked her if she wanted one of my famous St Patrick's Day whisker rubs. She hesitated for a moment, obviously processing this information, then bruskly said, "NO!" At least she didn't call the cops.
~ ~ ~ ~
So I got a few important nuggets for you today to help you with your habit, and will be back with full copious intravenous injections on Monday!
~ ~ ~ ~
If the USA had big London style tabloid papers that cared about soccer, the headline would read: Landycakes Taken Off Griddle! Why? Cuz Lando is out of the Germany match with a calf strain. Shit. He will not be replaced on the roster.
~ ~ ~ ~
Yesterdays story about Red Bull ponying up all the cash to send their fans to DC for the season opener is TRUE. Bus to and from game, game ticket, and pregame tailgate party - ALL ON THE HOUSE! This is pretty huge if you ask me. And wait until we see the response from DC United fans! Think they won't come out in hordes to get the pot really stirring. Fantastic.
~ ~ ~ ~
Evan of Soccer Thoughts put together a whole bunch of links to great soccer vid clips he found at You Tube! Rock on Evan!
~ ~ ~ ~
UEFA.com on the young defenders of The Arse. (That kinda sounds like they are guarding their anal virginity doesn't it?) (Was that last sentence a bit too much for you?) (Yeah, well, what can you do, besides lighten up?)
~ ~ ~ ~
A whole new round of gambling/match-fixing allegations is sweeping Germany as you read this. Apparently Bayern & German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has been called in for questioning. This is not good.
~ ~ ~ ~
I was very excited to find out that someone besides myself and Demko thinks that the crap I have been writing everyday about Michael Ballack is funny. Greetings to Afshin at the Iran World Cup Blog, and good luck to your team this summer my man!
~ ~ ~ ~
And on that note the grape vine was on fire last night as gossipy types spotted Ballack on the town in London with Ashley Cole, and other pro footballers in some sort of post-orgy-bliss-state. They were all wearing MK Don's scarves, drinking Dom, smoking Cohiba's, and were heard to be saying that they had already signed secret deals to play with that fine squad in the fall! Zidane & Roberto Carlos are said to be lined up to sign on the dotted line as well. Stay tuned!
~ ~ ~ ~
You should also pay close attention to this World Cup Blog, cuz it's really really good. Stuff on every single team. Great work guys! Hooray Beer.
~ ~ ~ ~
Glenn Davis in the Houston Chronicle looks at USA assistant coach Mooch Myernicks massive pile of frequent flyer miles.
~ ~ ~ ~
There was a meeting in a Cleveland suburb to discuss a potential stadium for a new MLS team, but no one from this mythical team was there to talk about their plans. So what kind of meeting was it? Poor?
~ ~ ~ ~
And these folks are jumping on the bandwagon too..... MLS in Philly - the Inquirer thinks so - but I find the story a little odd. Officials from Rowan University say MLS is going to build a stadium to share with them, but that "an owner has not yet been identified". So isn't that just more of the old "putting the cart before the horse" again? The idea is brilliant. We have seen how incredible this format worked with LA & UC Domingez Hills. So if someone with actual $$$$$ steps up then I will take this seriuosly. Until then.....
~ ~ ~ ~
By the way, yes Rowan University is in Jersey, but it's basically a Philly suburb. (Philadelphia is in Pennsylvania.)
~ ~ ~ ~
Regular reader Ethan G is a big Philly supporter and sent me several more links on the topic! Thanks man!
MLS is planning a Press Conference about a team and stadium on Monday.
Philly MLS may happen in Glassboro, NJ. Where is that you say? Map here.
With 3 more newspaper articles:
1. South Jersey to get 1st pro franchise - Rowan University says MLS is planning to put team in Glassboro
2. Rowan hosting franchise in MLS
3. Pro soccer team, stadium coming to Glassboro
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Houston's Brad Davis is now in Germany having the same hernia operation that Red Bulls Marvell Wynne just had. I still think Davis can be a really good, but not great player.
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One of the all time great MLS defenders, Robin Fraser, who retired last year, has taken over as director of coaching for AZFC - the Arizona Football Club - with hopes of growing the club into a national power some day in the near future. Go Dude Go.
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Q & A with USA & Gladbach keeper Kasey Keller at FIFA.com

No No, This Really Is A Call

Hey readers,
I am being a bit direct here, but SERIOUSLY folks, I know there are a few of you regulars that are employed by the Best Buy company. If that is the case with you, could I request that you drop me an email (address at the top of right hand column over there), PLEEEEEEASE, cuz I am on a mission, and have a question for you.
Thanks,
Bruce

ps. Come on!

Sugary Cabbage Treats News

US Soccer has confirmed that Clint Dempsey was left off the team roster for next weeks match in Germany because he had been suspended by his club, New England, for his brawl with teammate Joe Franchino.
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There is a rumor floating around that the USA will play Tunisia in Tunis on June 2.
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Yes! At 4:22:50pm central time yesterday, someone from the Pentagon visited du Nord! Which was about two hours after someone from the US House of Representative, and someone from the US Senate visited within minutes of each other. I wonder if the Pentagon visit had something to do with my comments last week about Alexi Lalas and his jihadist quality video tape.
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Preposterous! So FIFA sends out their stupid little ratings for March and the USA goes to #5 on the countdown. Insanity. Asinine. Wholly False. And to make it worse, now all the non-soccer people in America (most Americans) will get their expectations cranked up very high for the World Cup and when their idea of success doesn't happen they will call the team a failure. There is no way the USA is #5! I would say more like #15. And how does Italy destroy Germany and not leap up the charts while Germany plummets.
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Larry Morgan of the LA Daily News on the memorial service held yesterday for LA's Doug Hamilton.
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So Cal Soccer News was there too. This page also has a link to an online guest book with comments from many amazing people in the soccer world.
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And Luis Bueno rembembers Hamilton at MLSnet.
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Andrew Hush of Soccer New England has Part 1 of 2 of an interview with Red Bull Pres Alexi Lalas who apparently can't shut up these days.
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Empire Supporters Club, the Metrostars biggest fan group, have issued a press release regarding their feelings toward the Red Bull purchase of their team. (Hilariously this press release is nowhere to be found on the ESC website, so I got it from NYNJ Soccer.)
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NYNJ Soccer is also reporting that Red Bull is putting together a package for their fans to attend the season opener in DC for FREE! Yes FREE! No other details yet, but this is huge.
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The team at Big Apple Soccer has two stories on the quick changes going on in New York: New owner, new name, new locker room - and - Why Red Bull bought the Metros
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BAS also has a story on top league & NY draft pick Marvell Wynne who is just returning from surgery but has charged straight into the team. Said Wynne: "I haven’t felt as good as I do right now in two years."
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One last thing on New York today - Pres Alexi Lalas has been quoted several times lately as saying how much he loves "the circus" atmosphere. That is fine, but its still soccer, and if he loves the circus so much then he can join one, cuz they are everywhere.
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Andrea Canales previews the Chicago Fire for Soccernet.
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Frank Dell'apa steps back to ponder how MLS teams can capitalize on the CONCACAF Champions Cup in future years, for Soccernet.
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Steven Goff reports on the findings from the investigation regarding supposed racial comments made by DC coach Peter Nowak.
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I would have to say that this comes as a bit of surprise to me: Umbro now owns 94% of the USL.
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The crazed race for the cash is on! How can Man U & The Arse keep pace with Chelsea in England. They are gonna try. The Financial Times looks at the situation - and - so does the Guardian.
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Soccer America has 3 Questions for Chivas USA boss Bob Bradley.
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US Soccer asks retarded questions of KC defender Jimmy Conrad and he gives them equally retarded answers (along with some genius answers too).
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AFP talks to USA & Charlton (on loan from Man U) defender Jonathan Spector about his chances of making the USA World Cup team.
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From our man Lance - some very good video of the recently passed Celtic great Jimmy Johnstone (aka Wee Jinky) via the BBC site. It's got some vintage footage of Johnstone doing some mad dribbling and the Lisbon Lions celebrating. Rest In Peace Jimmy! Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Oi Oi Oi!
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There were 2 FA Cup Fifth Round replays of matches that ended in draws.
Tuesday: Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester City - red hot Georgios Samara scored again for City in the 16th minute, with Darius Vassell scoring in the 48th for the win. Steve Davis got a late one for Villa to make it interesting. Claudio Reyna did not play, but was on the bench.
Yesterday: West Ham 2-1 Bolton - Marlon Harewood nails the winner in the 96th minute (extra time)
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And here are the 6th Round/Quarterfinal matches slated for next week:
FA Cup Quarterfinals
Mon Mar 20
Manchester City v West Ham
Tue Mar 21
Birmingham v Liverpool
Wed Mar 22
Chelsea v Newcastle
Thu Mar 23
Charlton v Middlesbrough
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Copa Libertadores Group stage!! This week’s matches and scores:
Mar 14
Cienciano 2-1 Caracas FC - Grupo 1
Vélez Sarsfield 4-3 Universitario - Grupo 5
Cerro Porteño 1-5 Atlético Nacional - Grupo 7
Mar 15
Bolívar 1-2 Sporting Cristal - Grupo 2
Goiás EC 3-0 Newell's Old Boys - Grupo 3
Palmeiras 0-0 Rosario Central - Grupo 7
Mar 16
Liga Dep. Universitaria - Rocha FC - Grupo 5
UA Maracaibo - Nacional - Grupo 6
River Plate - Paulista FC - Grupo 8
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Wednesday's Libertadores recap from Sports Illustrated. I forgot to mention yesterday that with Velez Sarsfields win they became the first team to qualify for the next round. The top two teams from each group advance.
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Deportivo La Coruna 0-0 Espanyol in the 2nd leg of the 2nd semifinal for the Spanish King's Cup aka Copa Del Rey. Esp wins 2-1 on aggregate by means of goals from the first leg. Esp now faces Zaragoza for the title on April 12.
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UEFA Cup Round of 16, 2nd leg knockout matches last night & tonight (with previous leg scores listed):
Wed:
Roma 2-1 Middlesbrough - 2-2 on aggregate, but Middlesbrough win with the away goal
Hamburg 3-1 Rapid Bucuresti - 3-3 on agg, but Rapid win with the away goal
Sevilla 2-0 Lille - Sevilla win it 2-1 on agg
Thur:
Schalke v Palermo (0-1)
Betis v Steaua (0-0)
Levski v Udinese (0-0)
Zenit v Marseille (1-0)
Strasbourg v Basel (0-2)
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Today's Michael Ballack watch: He was seen in the States last night dining at an undisclosed location with the entrepreneurs behind new sensation Bunky County.
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After a rare round of midweek games last night, here is how things are stacked down in Mexico:
21 Pachuca
21 Chiapas
18 Cruz Azul
15 Toluca
14 America
14 Atlante
14 Necaxa
14 UNAM Pumas
13 San Luis
13 Atlas
13 Guadalajara
13 Monterrey
12 UANL Tigres
12 Sinaloa Dorados
12 UAdG Tecos
9 Veracruz
9 Morelia
5 Santos