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?
~ ~ ~ ~
Reading can clinch their promotion to the English Premier League with a win over Leicester on Saturday!
~ ~ ~ ~
Former US International Joe-Max Moore talks to the US Players Assoc. It's a good one.
~ ~ ~ ~
Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts is now back on track with the purchase of NHL team St Louis Blues.
~ ~ ~ ~
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.
~ ~ ~ ~
NyNj is also reporting that a former suitor of Kansas City has jumped into the potential mix of owners for Philly.
~ ~ ~ ~
Colorado looks all set to try and win the Rocky Mountain Cup on their new field.
~ ~ ~ ~
Tino Palace's The Clean Sheet for March 23rd.
~ ~ ~ ~
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
~ ~ ~ ~
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!
~ ~ ~ ~
Houston's best young prospect, Patrick Ianni, gets love from his home town newspaper, the Stockton (CA) Record.
~ ~ ~ ~
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.
~ ~ ~ ~
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
~ ~ ~ ~
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.
~ ~ ~ ~
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
~ ~ ~ ~
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
~ ~ ~ ~
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.
~ ~ ~ ~
Thursday's Libertadores match wrap from Soccernet.
~ ~ ~ ~
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!!