Vampyric Lust For Blood News

Gold Cup Matches & Scores:
-Semifinals:
Thu Jun 21 - Soldier Field in Chicago-
USA v Canada - 6pm central on FSC & TeleFutura
Mexico v Guadeloupe - 9pm central on TeleFutura
-Final:
Sun Jun 24 - Soldier Field in Chicago-
2pm central on FSC & Univision
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Official Team USA blog.
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US Soccer with more training photos from Tuesday.
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All new video from US Soccer at Studio 90. (click on June 20,2007)
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John Powers at the Boston Globe with a look at Tim Howard and the overall USA goalkeeper situation.
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FIFA.com talks to Landon Donovan.
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Luis Arroyave of the Chicago Tribune with the 8,451st telling of the Jay DeMerit success story.
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Arroyave also has some inside scoop on USA & Mexico on his Red Card blog.
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Andrea Canales of LA Soccer News with a story on Michael Bradley.
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Jeff Carlisle at Soccernet previews the two Gold Cup semifinals.
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Mark Zeigler of the San Diego Union Tribune previews the GC semi's too. Also, a team-by-team breakdown.
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Slate has a story with pictures on the continued inconsistency in the official look of Team USA. The shirts, the kits, the jerseys. Whatever you wanna call em. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The author finally mentions Sams Army at the end, but forgets to mention the S-A mantra - "Always Wear Red".
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Lacy Banks of the Chicago Sun Times with words from Mexicoach Hugo Sanchez.
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With Barcelona's season now over, Mexican defender Rafa Marquez has joined up with the team in Chicago. But Marquez has been out of action for 2 months now with a hamstring injury so don't expect to see him in the first 11 on Thursday.
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MLS matches & scores this week:
Wed Jun 20
-Columbus v Kansas City - 6:30pm central on Direct Kick
Thu Jun 21
-Houston v Chivas USA - 8pm central on ESPN2
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Chicago give coach Dave Sarachan the boot today. Assistant coach Denis Hamlett has been given the interim helmet.
-Steven Goff of the Washington Post with a quote from Sarachan. From his Soccer Insider blog.
-Luis Arroyave on his Red Card blog has comments from a clearly pissed off team captain Chris Armas.
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The Peter Nowak to coach Chicago rumors have already started.
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Arroyave has a totally different subject in the Chicago Tribune when he asks a handful of Mexican national teamers about playing in MLS.
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Ian Plenderleith of the US Soccer Players Assoc has a Q & A with Chicago goalkeeper Matt Pickens.
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Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch is one of the first English speaking journalists in America to talk with the Crew's Argentine star GuillSche - Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
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The Trenton New Jersey Times with a story on hometown boy, Columbus midfielder Eddie Gaven, who has not been the success in MLS many had hoped for, but is still young and talented.
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A commentary from the Houston Chronicle on what makes MLS players special in the American professional sporting landscape.
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The Toronto Globe & Mail talks to TFC coach Mo Johnston who defends Alexi Lalas's comments about the English media's portrayal of MLS.
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The rumor mill is churning round & round in KC - former Mexican international forward Daniel Osorno is being linked to the Wizards. He played this Spring for Atlas. There is also a lot of talk from people inside the KC organization about a young Argentine coming in for a serious look. I am not sure how to read these clues posted by a team exec on Big Soccer.
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Another rumor from Argentina connects 37 year old striker Jose Luis Calderon from Estudiantes with the Colorado Rapids.
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Honduran forward Carlos Pavon is expected in LA tomorrow to sign with the Galaxy.
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Jeff Carlisle at Soccernet previews Thursdays Houston v Chivas game.
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Jen Chang at Soccernet blogs on the quality of MLS.
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Frank Dell'apa of the Boston Globe reports on 2 big rosters moves from the New England Revs. Daniel Hernandez has been released, and Joe Franchino put on the season-ending-injury list. So, the team now has 2 open rosters spots and a fair amount of money to spend. Let the search begin.
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Bob Luder of the KC Star with an article on Kansas City's 2nd year striker Yura Movsisyan, who scored 2 goals last weekend v New York. For some unknown reason I have been pulling for this kid to succeed from day 1. I just have a feeling about him.
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Buzz Carrick at 3rd Degree reports on his weekly visit to FC Dallas training. New forward Ricardinho of Brazil was in attendance (awaiting work visa so me can play).
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Michael Lewis at Big Apple Soccer talks to Red Bulls defender Carlos Mendes about the teams defensive woes of late.
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Beau Dure at USA Today looks at how Chivas USA has changed their team philosophy over 3 years in existence.
-Dure has more quotes that were left out of the story on his blog.
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Jack Bell at the New York Times talks jersey numbers with Freddy Adu.
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James Edwards of the Deseret Morning News talks to new Salt Lake assistant coach Jeff Cassar.
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Soccer New England looks ahead to this weekends Scottish Head Coaches match up between Steve Nicol of New England and Mo Johnston of Toronto.
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Ryan Hunt of Sports Illustrated with his regular MLS round up - Free Kicks
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Seeing as the teams in MLS have not all played the same number of games (some as few as 9, others are many as 14) the only way to truly gage where they stand against each other is to measure "points per game":
2.00 Kansas City
1.75 New York
1.73 New England
1.70 Chivas
1.70 DC
1.57 Dallas
1.45 Houston
1.25 Colorado
1.18 Toronto
1.17 Chicago
1.00 Los Angeles
0.82 Columbus
0.55 Salt Lake
-And if the playoffs started today, using this chart it would look like this:
-Two East Leaders
2.00 Kansas City
1.75 New York
-Two West Leaders
1.70 Chivas
1.57 Dallas
-Next Four In
1.73 New England
1.70 DC
1.45 Houston
1.25 Colorado
-Last Five Out
1.18 Toronto
1.17 Chicago
1.00 Los Angeles
0.82 Columbus
0.55 Salt Lake
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Someone at the Las Vegas Sun newspaper discovered Big Soccer.
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Bill Urban at the US Soccer Players Assoc says that while business may be booming at MLS HQ, the talent pool of players is just not there to support an expansion of 3 more teams in the next 3 to 4 years.
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Celtic Football Club of Glasgow Scotland is coming for our children. That's right, they are pedophiles of the highest order. No, no, no. Actually they have announced a plan to sent up 30(!), yes 30 soccer academies across the USA & Canada. The weirdest part is that McDonald's heir Joan Kroc is helping them fund it. From the Scotland Daily Record.
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The USA U20 team is in New Jersey getting ready for the World Cup. US Soccer has an update today, and a link to a diary from defender Julian Valentin (who has done this kinda thing several times before).
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The official USA U20 team blog.
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Robert Zeigler at Top Drawer Soccer talks to USA U20 coach Thomas Rongen about getting ready for the WC.
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The Lancaster PA Intelligencer Journal talks to local boy, USA U20-er Valentin.
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The USA U17 team have dropped their first 2 games at the Eight Nations Tournament in South Korea. They lost on Sunday 1-0 to Japan, and yesterday 2-1 to Nigeria. They play their final group stage game on Thursday v New Zealand, who have also lost their first 2 matches. Alex Nimo got the USA goal v Nigeria.
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The Miami Herald is reporting that Cuban soccer player Osvaldo Alonso has defected to America while his team was here for the Gold Cup last week. His teammate Lester More did the same thing several days earlier.
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Copa Libertadores - Finals (first leg score included):
Wed Jun 20 - second leg
Gremio v Boca Juniors (0-3)
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Marcela Mora y Araujo of the Guardian with a preview of tonight's Libertadores finale.
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The BBC with a story saying masked gunmen apparently tried to kill Newcastle & Nigeria striker Obefemi Martins outside Lagos on Monday night. One person with him was injured. Martins has left Nigeria and says he may not be able to return.
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International referee Dave Roberts at Soccernet writes about referees having a bad day and a really bad day.
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Rob Hughes of the International Herald Tribune is still in South Africa, and he writes about the real cost of the World Cup to this country.
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Grahame Jones makes mention of the ugly mess at the Trinidad & Tobago football Federation between players and executives and swirling around Jack Warner's head, in his column today. Nothing new here, but good none the less. We need as much gasoline poured on this as possible.
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Lastly, my hero Steven Wells of the Guardian, on the power of pink.