Not Real Down With It News

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! From the Puget Sound Business Journal: A group of Los Angeles-based investors that includes a French soccer star, a real estate developer and a business appraiser wants to bring a Major League Soccer team to Seattle to start play in 2010. The group -- Atletico Seattle Management Co. LLC -- also wants to build a 25,000-seat soccer stadium somewhere in a suburban city near Seattle. The stadium, which Atletico Seattle estimates would cost about $135 million, would be privately financed.

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Celtic defender Mark Wilson talks about the teams recent preseason training in America: "Going to America definitely helped us because, against Parma on Sunday, I felt I could have run all day. When we were in Denver and Chicago, I couldn't run the length of the pitch. I was thinking at the time, it's crazy playing in these conditions. But now you can certainly see the benefits of working in that heat and at altitude. Training the night before the first game (at high altitude) against the MLS All-Stars left us all saying, 'Oh my God' . Then, when we played in Chicago on the Sunday, it was difficult because I hate playing in the heat. But, now we are back home, I feel great for it."

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I have a new YouTube hero - Shogun! Here is his take on "Beckman's" debut from a couple weeks ago. Paparazzi FC indeed!


SuperLiga - MLS v FMF - Round 3 begins tonight.
-See all the matches En Vivo on TeleFutura.
You can also see all the matches live online at the website linked above. (thanks to everyone who gave me the heads up on that one)
-Round 1 matches & scores:
FC Dallas 1-1 Chivas Guadalajara - Dal goal by Arturo Alvarez. Guad goal by Antonio Olvera.
Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 Pachuca - LA goals by Alan Gordon & Landon Donovan. Pach goal by Rafael Marquez.
DC United 1-1 Morelia Monarchas - DC goal by Christian Gomez. Mor goal by Diego Martinez.
Houston 1-0 Club America - Hou goal by Nate Jaqua.
-Round 2 matches:
FC Dallas 1-1 Pachuca - Dal goal by Carlos Ruiz. Pach goal by Christian Gimenez(PK).
Los Angeles Galaxy 1-2 Chivas Guadalajara - LA goal by Landon Donovan. Guad goals by Francisco Rodriguez & Omar Bravo.
DC United 1-0 Club America - Goal by Rod Dyachenko.
Houston Dynamo 1-1 Monarcas Morelia - Hou goal by Joseph Ngwenya. Mor goal by Marcio Batista.
-Round 3 matches
Tue Jul 31
FC Dallas v Los Angeles Galaxy - Pizza Hut Park - Frisco TX - 7:00 central
Match preview from Gabrial Cabarrouy of the Dallas Morning News. Beckman is not coming to this game, and some people are not happy.
Match preview & Beckman no-show notice by Tobias Xavier Lopez of the Fort Worth Star Telegram.
Chivas Guadalajara v Pachuca - Dick's Sporting Goods Park - Commerce City CO - 9:00 central
Match preview of Pachuca by Brian Forbes of the Denver Post.
Wed Aug 1
DC United v Houston Dynamo - Robertson Stadium - Houston TX - 7:00 central
Club America v Monarcas Morelia - Toyota Park - Bridgeview IL - 9:00 central
-Semifinals Tue Aug 14 & Wed Aug 15.
-Final Wed Aug 29.
Standings:
Group A
4-Chivas Guadalajara
3-Los Angeles Galaxy
2-FC Dallas
1-Pachuca
Group B
4-Houston Dynamo
4-DC United
2-Morelia Monarcas
0-Club America
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Paul Gardner of the New York Sun writes about SuperLiga, and by George I think he likes it.
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The Colorado Rapids will soon announce an official business partnership with Mexican clug Pachuca. This could lead to an exchange of marketing ideas, players and matches. Great move.
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MLS
Matches & scores this week:
-Thu Aug 3
New England v Kansas City - 6pm central on ESPN2
Sat Aug 4
Chicago v Columbus - 7:30pm central on HDNet
Dallas v Colorado - 7:30pm central on FSC & FSE
Salt Lake v Houston - 8pm central on Direct Kick
Sun Aug 5
New England v DC - 3pm central on Direct Kick
Toronto v LA - 6:30pm central on ESPN2 & CBC - Note: The Sunday night Toronto v LA game has been moved from Direct Kick to ESPN2. How funny would it be if Beckman can't play?
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Dean McNulty of the Toronto Sun is reporting that TFC may have found a new keeper. He is 25 year old Canadian Josh Wagenaar who is currently with ADO Den Haag in Holland.
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Nick Green at the Daily Breeze feels that the Beckman hype could come back to bite MLS in the keister. I agree. I think the Freddy Adu hype cost them credibility. What if Beckman's ankle doesn't get better over the next couple of week? What if he needs surgery and misses most of the rest of the season?
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Ante Razov of Chivas USA was named MLS Player Of The Week.
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MLS last night announced a 2 game suspension for Colorado midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy (video included) He was punished for a wicked elbow he threw at KC's Sasha Victorine. It was pretty nasty, and I think Ballouchy was lucky not to get a longer suspension. He probably deserved more. KC manager Curt Onalfo & defender Nick Garcia were both given fines for their critical post game remarks about the referee in that game.
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Soccer New England has 5 reasons why Beckham is bad for MLS.
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Steve Davis at Soccernet looks back at what I would say was an excellent July for MLS.
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Allen Hopkins also at Soccernet with his latest MLS rumors and oddities.
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Today's rumored Euro to MLS import player is Dutchman Patrick Kluivert.
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Goal.com with more on the Boca Juniors-MLS team proposal. With quotes from executives and former Boca & current Columbus player Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
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An interesting story that I have taken from a poster named eRulz2 on BigSoccer - Colorado have given midfielder Daniel Wasson his release and Wasson is now in Germany lining up try outs. But after initially saying they would release him, MLS has now turned around and says he can't go. I would assume they want money to buy out his contract.
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The Mayor of a Philadelphia suburb writes about his approval of building a home for an MLS team in his town.
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Another Philadelphia vicinity newspaper gets on the MLS bandwagon too. Chant it with me: "MLS! MLS! MLS! MLS!"
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USL First Division
Matches & scores this week:
Tue Jul 31
Charleston v Miami
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Roberto Brown who was recently cut loose by the Colorado Rapids has been signed by the Montreal Impact of the First Division.
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Freddy Adu got mobbed at the airport in Lisbon! (video stolen directly from Steven Goff's Soccer Insider)
-Adu's first game with Benfica will be Aug 14 in the 3rd Qualifying Round of the Champions League.
-And the teams first league match is at Leixoes on Aug 18.
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American midfielder DaMarcus Beasley is back in the Champions League tonight, as his new team Rangers takes on Zeta from Montenegro at home.
-The Rangers website has a good article on DMB as he talks about that CL qualifier tonight. (thanks to Scott for sending this my way)
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Greg Seltzer at American Soccer Daily has a conversation with USA & new Hansa Rostock left back Heath Pearce.
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FIFA.com talks to USA U17 coach John Hackworth about the upcoming U17 World Cup, where his team is one of the favorites. Really?
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UEFA Champions League - The 2nd Qualifying Round
-First leg Jul 31 & the return on Aug 8
-Here are those match ups:
Pyunick v Shakhtar Donetsk
Crvena Zvezda v Levadia Tallinn
Rangers v Zeta
Debrecini v Elfsborg
Zaglebie Lubin v Steau Bucuresti
Genk v Sarajevo
Ventspils v Salzburg
Astana v Rosenborg
Hafnarfjordur v BATE Borisov
Kobenhavn v Beitar Jerusalem
Zilina v Slavia Praha
Tampere United v Levski Sofia
Domzale v Dinamo Zagreb
Besiktas v Sheriff
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American traitor Giuseppe Rossi has been sold to Villareal by Manchester United.
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Arsenal midfielder Antonio Reyes who played on loan to Real Madrid last season has now signed to play for Atletico Madrid.
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FIFA.com has a Q & A with Brazilian legend Romario.
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Here are the official start dates of the 5 big leagues in Europe:
Ligue 1 - Aug 4
Bundesliga - Aug 10
Premiership - Aug 11
Eredivisie - Aug 17
La Liga - Aug 26
Serie A - Aug 26