Golden Rules News

Beau Dure of USA Today wrote: "Du Nord .... as enlightening as the Renaissance". Bless your heart sir. I am humbled, and will use this compliment to boost my already ridiculously juvenile ego! Now go read his new blog.


US Soccer prepares for friendly's v Ecuador & Guatemala:
-Official interview with the awesome Kasey Keller! Listen via podcast.
-This picture proves Jay DeMerit is training! Fantastic news.
-The team blog.
-The Bradenton Herald with a story on Landon Donvan's star power.
-It looks like the St Petersburg Times does not care at all about Sundays USA v Ecuador game. They have no coverage whatsoever. Lame, lame, lame, lame, lame!
-Tim Howard from the team blog: "It's been a little odd after the World Cup because we had so many really experienced, well-respected players who have retired. Now it's a very new team. There's still some household names on the team, but back then they didn't have to lead. When I'm sitting in the background and I'm looking at Claudio or Brian or Eddie Pope, it's easy for me because they lead; I just jump on their coat tails. I just had to play my part on the team. But with those guys gone, the likes of myself and others have to take on that role. There's going to be times when these younger, inexperienced players are going to look up to somebody. They're not going to have to lead; they are just going to have to follow ... When we get to tournaments like the Gold Cup and Copa America, the true leaders are going to have to stand up and be accounted for."
-Kristian Dyer at Soccernet with a look at Bob Bradley's coaching style as compared to Il Bruce`.
-Jeff Carlisle at Soccernet previews USA v Ecuador.
-The word from Team USA is that the new shirt will be worn with similar color shorts and socks. We shall see.
-Looks like Nike has a new ball.
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Andrew Hush at Soccer New England talks to both Revs player Shalrie Joseph and coach Steve Nicol about how the "I want to be traded" situation will affect the team as long as Shalrie is still on the team. The both claim it will have no effect. As a student of human behavior, I declare that to be impossible.
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Hush also profiles Rev's rookie striker Adam Cristman. For some reason I have a hunch this kid might have the goods.
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Steven Goff at Soccer Insider talks to DC United goalkeeper coach Mark Simpson about starter Troy Perkins (how's he healing?) and developmental player Shawn Crowe. Then he talks to midfielder Ben Olsen about the arrival of Fred2.
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A reader named DJL made a great comment yesterday about Jon Busch. After Busch was cut from the Columbus Crew last month he made quite a spectacle in the press about how harsh his treatment was in by the club. Wednesday Busch was cut again, this time from Toronto FC, and the reader asked: "So did Busch complain about getting cut this time too?" Excellent point amigo. Thanks for asking.
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The San Jose Mercury News with an update on the re-animation of the San Jose Earthquakes and stadium building. It also says that the San Jose Sharks hockey ownership may become investors in the Nextquakes. Weren't they investors at one time before and bailed?
-The Merc News also has a short & more personal look at how potential owner Lew Wolff conducts himself. I really like the feeling I get from this guy.
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Grahame Jones of the LA Times reports that the LA Galaxy have sold the front of their shirts to Herbalife (the pyramid supplement seller) for $3.5 - 5 million per season for 5 seasons. That is a big gap in dollar amounts (17.5 to 25).
-Business Wire has a more corporate take on the story, and without any $ speculation.
-If the money is really as much as $5 million per season for 5 seasons, then they will have paid most of Beckham's salary ($5.5 million per) right there. I know the insider story is that Beckham gets a nice cut of these new deals, but.... you know what I am getting at.
-Included with the announcement was a little photo of the new shirt worn by striker Alan Gordon. So I think we can safely say that rumors of him leaving the team are probably dead wrong. Here is the tiny picture (the best I could find).
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And here's the first look at the official Toronto FC shirt, and it's crowned by their new shirt sponsor as well. BMO, the bank who are got their name on the new TFC stadium bought the shirt rights too. No word at all on what they paid.
-Is this blue bear thing an official mascot for the team?
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Ben at Even Is On with the long Q & A with LA Galaxy goomba Alexi Lalas.
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Jane Havsy profiles New York youngster Jozy Altidore for USA Today.
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Houston has a Baptist church for a new corporate sponsor!
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Luis Bueno, writing for MLSnet, on Chivas USA newbie John Cunliffe. And he's English. How 'bout that. An Englishman on a Mexican team in an America league. Not as good as the long list of Andy Welsh's links, but good enough for second place this week.
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Bueno also talks to Sacha Kljestan from that same Chivas USA club.
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Dave Lifton at MLSnet writes about DCU veteran defender, and 2 time du Nord Best XI, Brian Namoff!
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Luis Arroyave at the Chicago Tribune writes about Fire second year defender Dasan Robinson.
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It's official - defender Hunter Freeman was shipped from Colorado to New York for a coupla draft picks and a case of the new Red-Hot Kit Kat's.
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CSTV with a story on the three former Indiana Hoosiers on the Columbus Crew roster: Danny O'Rourke, Jed Zayner & Ned Grabavoy.
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Glenn Davis has a short Q & A with Kansas City midfielder Davy Arnaud, on his Soccer Hour blog.
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Carl Robinson has been a hot PR commodity in Britain this week. The Welshman from Toronto FC is in Wales for Euro 08 qualifying and does yet another interview about his new team. This time with The Guardian. This article calls him a pioneer, but haven't their been other Welshians in MLS before Robinson?
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The London Daily Star says Manchester City midfielder Trevor Sinclair will be playing in MLS if Man City does not give him a new deal. Does he know how little he will be paid in MLS? I suspect not.
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Hey, let me throw out a name of an aging, yet high quality team player, who MLS teams need to sign. He will be out of a contract at the end of this EPL season - Norberto Solano, the Peruvian from Newcastle.
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Results from yesterdays first of two rounds at the Puerto Rico USL-MLS Challenge:
Los Angeles 3-2 Rochester
Puerto Rico 1-0 Dallas
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Fulham have announced USA Day! Monday April 9th v Manchester City.
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The Times of London says Newcastle is going to clean house this summer and big American defender Oguchi Onyewu is NOT in their future plans.
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CONCACAF friendly matches and scores this week and next:
Thur Mar 22
Jamaica 0-2 Switzerland - Marco Streller & Goekhan Inler with the Swiss goals.
Sat Mar 24
Costa Rica v New Zealand
Panama v Haiti
Guadeloupe v Trinidad & Tobago
Honduras v El Salvador
Sun Mar 25
Bermuda v Canada
Mexico v Paraguay
Barbados v Guatemala
USA v Ecuador
Mon Mar 26
Jamaica v Panama
Tue Mar 27
El Salvador v Honduras
Wed Mar 28
Chile v Costa Rica
Mexico v Ecuador
USA v Guatemala
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Joel Aceves of LA Soccer News previews the two upcoming Mexico friendly's.
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Copa Libertadores - here are the week's matches:
Mar 20
Cerro Porteno 2-1 Cucuta Deportivo
Real Potosi 2-2 Maracaibo
Caracas 0-4 Colo Colo
Mar 21
Flamengo 1-0 Parana
Banfield 3-1 America
Necaxa 1-1 Sao Paulo
Mar 22
Libertad 1-1 El Nacional
Boca Juniors 3-0 Toluca
Gimnasia 1-2 Santos
Emelec 1-0 Nacional
-Match reports via Sports Illustrated.
-With 2 rounds of the group stage still to be played, both Santos & Flamengo have already qualified for the knock out stages.
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Microsoft founder Bill Gates was in Mexico this week pimping his new operating software Vista, and as part of the marketing rollout he challenged Mexico captain Rafa Marquez to a little video soccer. Of course Rafa won. He did so with a swift kick to the hip, a punch to the neck, and a crisp head butt to the skull. Gates went down. Marquez feigned innocence. But unlike Cobi Jones, Gates did not get back up.
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I missed this one earlier in the week. Moritz Volz, defender from Fulham (and the Jimmy Conrad of the EPL), has his latest column up at the Times of London: Don't change things just for change's sake. (thanks to BQ for finding this one for us)
-Everyone in England is going Volyz-wild. The Guardian with a Q & A.
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The prolific Andrea Canales has a new "serious" soccer news blog via Top Drawer Soccer, called National Scenes.
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And here are three more new fan blogs to be added to the list of fellow freaks:
-Vasco USA
-Nine Guys Short
-An American Red
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You gotta admit that the new Wembley stadium is quite an impressive structure.
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Reuters with a story on the next batch of talented Africans.
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Do you know about the French superstar from Marseille with Algerian heritage? Zidane? No, sir. Try Samir Nasri. The Guardian raves.