Wet Teeth & Dry Whiskers News

There is a rumor floating around saying Jeff Cunningham is on his way out of Real Salt Lake. So where is he headed?

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The Team USA Gold Cup roster will be announced on Thursday.


du Nord Player Of The Week - Ronnie O'Brien - Toronto FC
-All of us long time MLS fans have known the talents that RO'B brings to the team he plays for. He has great shots, great passes, great crosses, great free kicks, and a fierce determination. He also can be a crybaby and a locker room downer as witnessed by his exit from Dallas. But with this new team Ronnie gets to wipe the slate clean and start over. It had been a slow start for him due to a knee injury suffered in preseason training. Without him the team lost their first 4 games and did not score a goal. But since he stepped onto the field it's been a whole new world for TFC. Two wins in a row, where RO'B provided all his skills to his teammates cause. He even cleared a shot off the goal line v Chicago. About the only thing he didn't do was score a goal himself. But that is not the point. He made a massive difference just being on the pitch. Even in the losing effort this past week he was a handful for DC. Plus he looks kinda cyborg-y with the big leg brace on. Congrats to Ronnie O'Brien and Toronto.
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My MLS game notes - Tor v DC:
-Jaime Moreno joins the yellow shoe club.
-The announcers were making reference to "The Commissioner" being at the game. I assumed they meant Don Garber, but then they made a baseball reference and it got me wondering whether or not Bug Selig was at the game.
-DCU defender Facundo Erpen committed multiple fouls on TFC's Danny Dichio and was eventually booked for it. Erpen just could not handle DD, then got subbed out in the second half.
-DCU midfielder Fred was completely ineffective in the first half playing on the right side. He barely touched the ball except for a few nice defensive plays he made. In the second half he and Ben Olsen switched sides of the field and it opened up for both of them. Very good move by coach Soehn.
-I gotta say, Fred's speed of thought and reactions seem slow to me. Again though, he played some good defense
-You just knew Eskie was gonna score on his old team! Good for him!
-The free kick that DCU scored on was a classic Christian Gomez strike. Perfect speed and curl that caused major havoc for the defenders. Hence the own goal.
-Jaime Moreno is now tied with Jason Kreis for the all time MLS goal scoring lead at 108!
-The CBC production crew who did this game missed 2 or 3 very important moments by showing inconsequential TFC replays or lingering on players after plays. They blew it. Stop swooning over TFC players and show the damn game.
-I can't say enough what a great crowd they have in Toronto. I hope it stays that way.
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For being the "third place team" in this seasons CONCACAF Champions Cup, DC United have been given a slot in the Copa Sudamericana next fall. DCU had the better goal differential over Houston, and got the nod. When was that rule made up?
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James Edwards of the Deseret Morning News says Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis is out searching for players to fill 3 open senior roster slots.
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Kristian Dyer at Soccernet talks to RSL starlet Freddy Adu about today, tomorrow, and even a little yesterday.
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The Salt Lake Tribune looks at Freddy's growing attacking prowess.
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Ives Galarcep at the North Jersey Herald talks to another teenager who has not quite made the media splash in MLS that Freddy did, nor seen much time on the field, Danny Szetela of Columbus.
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DJ Walker at 3rd Degree with his view of the match - Stream of Consciousness: RSL vs FCD
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Juan Pablo Angel of New York was named MLS Player Of The Week.
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Michael Lewis at Big Apple Soccer talks to Red Bulls managing director Marc de Grandpre about the teams miserable attendance so far this season.
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Andrea Canales at Soccer365 has an interview with New York midfielder Clint Mathis about his seeming new lease on football life.
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Canales also writing for Soccernet wonders what kind of impact defender Abel Xavier can have on the LA Galaxy.
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The LA Daily News with a look at the many difference's (despite the similarities) between their cities two clubs, the Galaxy and the Goats. (thanks to the multiple readers who all sent me this link - I really appreciate it)
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Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle writes about the really poor results recently for the Dynamo, and wonders if that will harm any players chances of making the USA Gold Cup roster. I say no, cuz they haven't been terrible. Just a little outta sink and outta luck.
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Luis Arroyave on his Red Card blog asks MLS players who the WORST singers on their team are. Fantastic answers.
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The folks who brought us EPL Talk have launched Major League Soccer Talk.
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US Open Cup - MLS qualifier matches and scores:
Wed May 23
-Colorado v Salt Lake
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The Oregonian with the story on new ownership for the Portland Timbers. (thanks to Brian for this one)
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Steven Goff of the Washington Post with a story on Crystal Palace's Maryland based PDL team & youth academy. The story has a mini CP history too.
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NYRB midfielder Claudio Reyna, a former star player at Rangers, talks to the teams official website about Rangers friendly v LA on Wednesday night at the HDC.
-LA coach Frank Yallop also talks to the Rangers site.
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Adam Spangler of This Is American Soccer calls inner-city New York a soccer "artesian aquifer waiting to be tapped". Wow, I love the sound of that.
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Andrew Rogers at Soccer 365 rates the Americans who spent the past season in the English Premiership.
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Yanks Abroad has a Q & A with USA & 1860 forward Josh Wolff where he answers questions from readers of YA.
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Marc Connolly & Ian Plenderleith at the US Players Association sit down to discuss the upcoming Gold Cup.
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It looks, thankfully, like Grant Wahl is back on the soccer beat at Sports Illustrated. A week in soccer without the Wahl insight is like a month.
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Luis Bueno at the Press Enterprise previews the coaching future of Bob Bradley & Team USA, and makes his own Top 10 list of Bradley's games.
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Panama has named their Gold Cup roster:
G:
Jose Calderon - Chepo
Oscar McFarlane - Tauro
Jaime Penedo - Osasuna
D:
Reynaldo Anderson - Arabe Unido
Felipe Baloy - America
Luis Moreno - Tauro
Carlos Rivera - Tauro
Joel Solanilla - Plaza Amador
Roman Torres - La Equidad
M:
Alberto Blanco - Plaza Amador
Rolando Escobar - Tauro
Gabriel Gomez - Santa Fe
Luis Henriquez - Tauro
Amilcar Henriquez - Arabe Unido
Engin Mitre - Plaza Amador
Juan Perez - Tauro
Ricardo Phillips - San Francisco
Victor Piggot - Islanders
Juan Ramon Solis - Aguila
F:
Roberto Brown - Colorado
Jose Luis Garces - Belenenses
Nicolas Munoz - Aguila
Blas Perez - Cucuta
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Copa Libertadores - Quarterfinals scores and matches - Second leg matches:
Tue May 22
-Nacional v Cucuta Deportivo (0-2)
-Wed May 23
Gremio v Defensor Sporting (0-2)
-Santos v America (0-0)
Thur May 24
-Libertad v Boca Juniors (1-1)
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Top 3 goal scorers from the just ended Bundesliga season (stolen from Soccer America):
20 Theofanis Gekas - Bochum
16 Roy Makaay - Bayern
16 Alexander Frei - Dortmund
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Wednesday's Champions League Final from Athens:
AC Milan v Liverpool FC
-See it live in America at 1:30pm central time on ESPN2. Coverage begins at 1pm central with host JP Dellacamera, and commentators Shamus Malin, Eric Wynalda & New England coach Steve Nicol. Derek Rae & Tommy Smyth are in Athens for the call of the game. Post game show too. The whole deal.
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Frank Dell'apa of the Boston Globe talks to former Liverpool defender and current New England coach Steve Nicol about the final. Gee, I wonder who Nicol thinks will win?
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The Guardian talks to former Dutch & Milan great Ruud Gullit about the big match ahead. He picks Milan, duh!
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FIFA.com has a Q & A with Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano, who 5 months ago wasn't anywhere near being on a team playing for the Champions League crown.
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The Times of London talks to Milan defender Cafu who gives a player by player run down on his teammates.
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Rob Hughes of the International Herald Tribune previews the match: Milan gets its wish, but will it get revenge?
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Chuck Culpepper of the LA Times on the Liverpool fans who have headed to Athens, tickets or not, for the game.