Runnin' Through The Lawn Sprinkler With The Devil News

After scoring 3 goals v New York, DCU midfielder Ben Olsen said: "There's an old saying that kinda goes... the sun shines on a dog's ass every now and then."


Gold Cup Action:
Sat Jun 9 scores-
-USA 2-0 Trinidad & Tobago - USA goals by Brian Ching & Eddie Johnson.
Match report from US Soccer.
Match report from CONCACAF.
Match report from the AP.
Match report by Luis Bueno of the Press Enterprise.
Match report by Grahame Jones of the LA Times.
Match report by Jonah Freedman of Sports Illustrated.
Match report by Bob Holtzman of LA's Daily Breeze.
Match report & player ratings from the New York Times.
Post-game analysis & player-by-player analysis from Andrea Canales at Soccernet.
Post-game analysis & player ratings from Robert Wagman of the Soccer Times.
Post-game notes & player ratings from Steven Goff of the Washington Post.
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My notes from the game:
-Unfortunately my DVR did not capture this game, so I still have not seen it. I was out with the family enjoying regular life for once, please forgive me.
-Bob Bradley sent out 10 different starters from the Guate game (it would have been all 11 if not for Pablo Mastroeni serving the last of a 3 game suspension stemming from the Italy game at last summers World Cup.) Benny Feilhaber was the only hold over.
-Defender Michael Parkhurst got his first USA cap. He teamed with Jay DeMerit in the center of defense. The backline also featured Frank Simek at right back, and Jonathan Spector at left back.
-Justin Mapp, Rico Clark & Steve Ralston rounded out the midfield.
-With Brian Ching & Eddie Johnson up top.
-Kasey Keller in goal. This is his 99th cap for Team USA.
-Eddie Johnson left the game with a "mild knee sprain". It is said that he "continues to improve, and remains listed as day-to-day."
-From everything I have read it sounds like another imperfect victory, which can be disheartening. But no goals allowed, and 3 more points is a good thing.
-Ching & Johnson getting the goals is something this team needed from them. More goal scorers means more confidence for the entire squad. And more for other teams to think about too.
-Ching was named the Man of the Match.
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Post-game audio from the US Soccer press conference featuring coach Bob Bradley & forward Brian Ching. Listen or Download here.
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Many new official team videos to watch. Plus official game photos. Read the official USA team blog too.
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And a new episode of the excellent US Soccer-made show Studio 90. Quiz time with the fans at the Guate game, and they don't know many of the answers!
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The Sideline Views blog by Luis Bueno & Andrea Canales is packed full of USA & Gold Cup tidbits.
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With the win on Saturday at the Gold Cup, Team USA advances to the next round. The game on Tues v El Sal will determine what place they finish in their group.
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The Boston Herald with a big story on New England forward Taylor Twellman and his Team USA trials, tribulations & successes.
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Mike Biglin of the MetroWest Daily News with a story on Michael Parkhurst after his debut for Team USA.
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Yanks Abroad says Benny Feilhaber MAY be looking at new clubs.
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Disaster for both Mexico and Canada this weekend as they both lost:
-Mexico had Cuauhtemoc Blanco score on a first half PK, then get sent off for throwing an elbow to the guts of Hondu defender Samuel Caballero. Leading up to the red card Caballero was bodying up to Blanco on every set piece and blowing kisses in his ear, literally. The first time Blanco spit on him, and the next time threw the elbow. Caballero went down like he had been shot. Also in the first half of that game Amado Guevara put a PK attempt off the post. The winner came right as regulation ended and the game went into stoppage time. Both Hondu goals were scored by a player with the excellent last name of Costly!
-Canada had a million chances, but it was not their day, and they lost to a team that is not even a recognized country. Ouch. So much for the good first game v Costa Rica.
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Reporter Ives Galarcep was dissed by Honduras captain and former New York player Amado Guevara after the Mexico v Honduras game.
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Guevara does talk to Frank Giase of the Newark Star Ledger though. AG rips Chivas & coach Preki. And says he would love to play in New York again.
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Sportsnet Canada reports that Houston keeper Pat Onstad is back on a plane to Miami today and will suit up again for Canada again as starting keeper Greg Sutton is having problems after a concussion recurrence.
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All Gold Cup Matches & Scores:
(all times central)
-Wed Jun 6 scores-
Costa Rica 1-2 Canada
Guadaloupe 1-1 Haiti
-Thur Jun 7 scores-
USA 1-0 Guatemala
El Salvador 2-1 Trinidad & Tobago
-Fri Jun 8 scores-
Panama 3-2 Honduras
Mexico 2-1 Cuba
-Sat Jun 9 scores-
Guatemala 1-0 El Salvador
Trinidad & Tobago 0-2 USA
Canada 2-1 Guadeloupe
Haiti 1-1 Costa Rica
-Sun Jun 10 scores-
Hondura 2-1 Mexico
Panama 2-2 Cuba
-Mon Jun 11 matches-
Costa Rica v Guadeloupe - 6pm on Galavision
Haiti v Canada - 8pm on Galavision
-Tue Jun 12 matches-
USA v El Salvador - 6pm on FSC
Trinidad & Tobago v Guatemala - 8pm on Telefutura
-Wed Jun 13 matches-
Cuba v Honduras - 7pm on Telefutura
Mexico v Panama - 9pm on Univision
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Here are the standings after 2 rounds.
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Here are the Gold Cup group stage tiebreakers:
1 Head-to-head
2 Goal differential
3 Goals for
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The quarterfinals are next Saturday & Sunday in Foxborough & Houston.
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Andrea Canales with some overall Gold Cup analysis so far. For Soccer 365.
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Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald says the Gold Cup no longer needs "guest" teams to make it legit.
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MLS scores from this past weekend:
-Chicago 0-1 Chivas - Chiv goal by Paulo Nagamura.
Match report by Luis Arroyave of the Chicago Tribune.
Match report by Len Ziehm of the Chicago Sun Times.
Match report by Nick Firchau of Chicago's Daily Southtown.
Match report by Kathryn Knapp for LA Soccer News.
-Dallas 3-1 Los Angeles - Dal goals by Juan Toja, Abe Thompson (PK) & Drew Moor. LA goal by Robbie Findley.
Match report by Gabriel Cabarrouy of the Dallas Morning News.
Match report by Tobias Xavier Lopez of the Fort Worth Star Telegram.
-DC 4-2 New York - DC goals by Ben Olsen (3 of em) & Luciano Emilio. NY goals by Dema Kovalenko & Juan Pablo Angel.
Match report by Steven Goff of the Washington Post.
Match report by Ives Galarcep of the North Jersey Herald.
Match report from Big Apple Soccer.
Post-game notes & player ratings from Steven Goff on his Soccer Insider blog.
Post-game quotes from Big Apple Soccer by NY players Juan Pablo Angel & Claudio Reyna.
More post-game quotes from Big Apple Soccer by NY coach Bruce Arena, who second guesses some of his own decisions. Wow. Never thought I would see that in print.
-Columbus 1-2 Houston - Colu goal by Alejandro Moreno. Hou goals by Joseph Ngwenya & Chad Marshall (Own Goal).
Match report by Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch.
Match report from the Houston Chronicle.
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Red Cards this week:
LA - Tyrone Marshall - straight red
DC - Bobby Boswell - 2 yellows
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Kenny Cooper suffered a broken leg on the tackle by Tyrone Marshall. Could we see a multi-game suspension for Tyrone? Cooper is expected to miss as much as 8 weeks.
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Cooper wasn't the only one with a broken bone this weekend. New York captain Claudio Reyna went up for a header and smacked his face on the back of Brian Carroll's head. Reyna suffered a broken nose, but played the rest of the game with cotton stuffed up his nose, and a bad headache to boot. Do you think he will miss the next game because of this? Sadly, those odds are good.
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Joseph Ngwenya has scored in 3 straight games for Houston.
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While Juan Pablo Angel has scored in 5 straight for New York.
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Ian Plenderleith of the US Soccer Players Assoc reviews the MLS weekend of games.
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Paul Oberjuerge of the LA Daily News says Landon Donovan must skip Copa America if the LA Galaxy has any chance of salvaging this season.
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The Chicago Sun Times with an article raving about Chivas keeper Brad Guzan.
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One of the more informed pieces of English journalism concerning MLS that I have ever read. From Nick Harris at The Independent.
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Andrew Rogers at Soccer 365 talks to the Kansas City Wizards director of youth development, Englishman Paul Rideout.
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Mark Purdy of San Jose Mercury News with his thoughts on a potential new home for a returning Earthquakes MLS team.
-Barry Witt of the same newspaper with some details on the progress.
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The Las Vegas Sun talks to MLS exec's about the gambling issues that always arise when leagues talk about putting a team in Atomic City.
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Colorado played China on Sunday but lost 1-2 after leading 1-0 at half time. Jovan Kirovski scored for Colo. Dong Fangzhou & Wang Dong for China.
-Match report from the Denver Post.
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The potential owners of the next San Jose Earthquakes are bringing another exhibition game to San Jose this month. Guadalajara Chivas v South Korean club Busan I'Park. June 30.
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The LA Times with a story on the growth of ESPN Deportes in America. And also the big advances being made by Fox Sports en Espanyol & all of Univision's networks.
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The Deseret Morning News with more on the brouhaha in Salt Lake City over Taiwan & Tibet flags being flown at the RSL v China game. Fans waving the flags were kicked out of the stadium.
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US Open Cup matches galore on Tuesday night! The Minnesota Thunder face off against amateur team El Paso Indios USA. Here is a profile of Los Indios.
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USL First Division scores from last week(end):
Tue June 5
-Montreal 1-1 Minnesota
Thur June 7
-Charleston 1-2 Seattle
-Miami 2-2 Puerto Rico
-California 1-0 Vancouver
Fri June 8
-Carolina 2-2 Rochester
-Montreal 0-1 Portland
Sat June 9
-Rochester 2-1 Portland
-Atlanta 0-0 Seattle
-Miami 1-4 Puerto Rico
-California 0-0 Minnesota
Sun June 10
-Vancouver 1-0 Minnesota
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USL 1D Standings:
21 Vancouver
20 Rochester
16 Montreal
16 Seattle
14 Portland
14 Carolina
14 Puerto Rico
13 Miami
12 Charleston
12 Atlanta
7 Minnesota
6 California
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The US soccer Players Assoc has a lightweight Q & A with Nordsjaelland & USA left back Heath Pearce.
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Copa Libertadores - Finals:
Wed Jun 13 - first leg
-Boca Juniors v Gremio
Wed Jun 20 - second leg
-Gremio v Boca Juniors
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-Spanish La Liga- The only Euro league race left to settle.
(1 left to play)
-Scores & Matches:
Real Madrid - 2-2 at Zaragoza, Jun 17 v Mallorca
Barcelona - 2-2 Espanyol, Jun 17 at Gimnastic
Sevilla - 0-0 at Mallorca, Jun 17 v Villareal
-Standings:
73 Real Madrid - lead on head to head record v Barca
73 Barcelona
71 Sevilla
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-Argentine Clausura- It's all over! San Lorenzo are the Champs! There is still 1 match left, but it does not matter at the top.
-Scores:
San Lorenzo 4-2 Arsenal de Sarandi
Boca Juniors 1-0 Belgrano de Cordoba
Estudiantes 2-0 Argentinos Juniors
-Standings:
42 San Lorenzo
38 Boca Juniors
36 Estudiantes
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Phil Ball of Soccernet has his heart tested by La Liga: 18 Seconds
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Argentine Leo Messi of Barcelona has been compared a lot to Diego Maradonna and two months ago he perfected a long weaving run and goal to make the comparisons louder. Well this weekend he one upped the imitation by using his hand to punch home another goal replicating the "hand of God" goal from fat little Diego.
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Genoa & Naopli join Juventus in promotion to the Italian Serie A for next season. That is some old school promotion. Lots of league titles between those three, at least historically.
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The USA will kick off their Copa America run with a match against Argentina. Here are 10 players who have already been announced as part of that Argentine team:
Nicolas Burdisso - Inter Milan
Hernan Crespo - Inter Milan
Esteban Cambiasso - Inter Milan
Javier Zanetti - Inter Milan
Gabriel Heinze - Manchester United
Javier Pinola - Nuremberg
Luis Gonzalez - Porto
Javier Mascherano - Liverpool
Carlos Tevez - West Ham
Juan Sebastian Veron - Estudiantes
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The Observer takes a look at Africa's feeder systems for European football. Good or bad?
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Paul Gardner of the New York Sun on the rise of Israeli football, and the bumbling of English football.
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FIFA.com has a Q & A with Iranian legend Al Daei who has decided to retire at age 38.
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The former Thailand Prime Minister who was going to bid to buy for Manchester City has had his finances frozen by the new Thai government in a corruption scandal. Not good City fans.