The Best Of News

The US Open Cup resumes tonight with Quarterfinal matches:
DC v New York
Chicago v New England
LA v Colorado
Houston v Dallas
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The Kansas City Star is reporting that it looks like a choice has been made for a potential stadium site in Kansas City. They still have an awful lot of hurdles to overcome to make this thing reality. The biggest obstacle I have read about, and I think could end the whole deal, is that part of the funding will be put to a public vote on the November ballot. These projects rarely win voter sympathy. Worse yet is the prospect of where the team will actually play next year when their current stadium, Arrowhead, undergoes massive renovation for the American football and main resident Kansas City Chiefs.
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ADDITION: Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated gives a big heaping helping of appreciation for the DC United fans. The best in the business, both of them.
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ADDITION: And a more detailed article from Frank Dell'apa at Soccernet on the Clint-Dempsey-wants-to-go-to-Europe-NOW situation, that is not going well. (Dell'apa wrote about this yesterday in the Boston Globe.) (Thanks Evan.)
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Michael Lewis of Big Apple Soccer talks to DC United president Kevin Payne about what he thinks it will take to turn around the New York Red Bulls.
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The Washington Post examines the Austrian beverage company that now owns the New York soccer team - Red Bull.
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Jack Bell's column for the New York Times focuses on Salt Lake striker Jeff Cunningham.
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This weeks edition of the First XI by Jeff Bradley from MLSnet.
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US Soccer has a podcast of an interview with West Ham defender Jonathan Spector about his upcoming season and injury rehab.
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ADDITION: Another Jeff Bradley article today, this one from the US Players Assoc., on how they should go about hiring the new Team USA coach.
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DaMarcus Beasley played all 90 minutes of a reserve league match last night for PSV. He is back to full training, and I'm sure he wants to see the field this weekend for the full team.
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American defender Jay DeMerit and his Watford team picked up their first EPL point yesterday with a 1-1 against West Ham.
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USL Second Division Finals Saturday, Aug 26:
Richmond v Charlotte - live on TV at 6pm on FSC
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UEFA Champions League - Third Qualifying Round second leg scores from yesterday & matches today (first leg scores included):
Yesterday:
Benfica 3-0 Austria Wien - Benfica advance with 4-1 aggregate victory
Crvena Zvezda 1-2 Milan - Milan win 3-1 on agg
Valencia 3-0 Salzburg - Valencia win 3-1 on agg
Osasuna 1-1 Hamburg - Hamburg win on away goal rule after 1-1 agg draw
Maccabi Haifa 1-1 Liverpool - Liverpool with 3-2 on agg
Today:
Steaua Bucuresti v Standard Liege (2-2) - American defender Oguchi Onyewu is back and fully healthy for this match.
Arsenal v Dinamo Zagreb (3-0)
Spartak Moskva v Slovan Liberec (0-0)
Legia Warszawa v Shakhtar Donetsk (0-1)
Chievo Verona v Levski Sofia (0-2)
AEK Athens v Hearts (2-1)
Ruzomberok v CSKA Moskva (0-3)
Mlada Boleslav v Galatasaray (2-5)
Ajax v Kobenhavn (2-1)
Fenerbahce v Dynamo Kyiv (1-3)
Rabotnicki v Lille Metropole (0-3)
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The Italian Football Federation has told Juventus that they will impose new stronger punishments on the club if they insist on pursuing an appeal to the match fixing scandal conviction in civil court.
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In response to Juve's actions, FIFA has now warned all Italian clubs that they will be banned from European competitions if they insist on taking their Federation rulings to civil courts.
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Mexico national team coach Ricardo "Smoke em if you got em" La Volpe has been chosen as new man in charge of Boca Juniors.
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Spain's La Liga kicks off their 06/07 season this Sunday
Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad
Celta Vigo v Barcelona
Deportivo La Coruna v Real Zaragoza
Espanyol v Gimnastic de Tarragona
FC Sevilla v Levante
Osasuna v Getafe
Racing Santander v Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid v Villarreal
Recreativo Huelva v Mallorca
Valencia v Real Betis