Scotch Egg Are Special News

Ricardo Clark of the Houston Dynamo was hammered by MLS Head Office for his vicious kick on Carlos Ruiz of Dallas last Sunday. Clark got a league record 9 game suspension, and another league record $10,000 fine. Wow. I guess they are sending a message. I wonder if the players union has an appeals process, and if they will exercise it. I would think they will.

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The Honda US Soccer Player of the Year Award will be handed out today. The nominees are Carlos Bocanegra, Landon Donovan & Tim Howard. Stay tuned for more details.
-The ceremony will be shown on FSC, check listings for time.

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The buzz round Seattle today is that the Sounders may be pushing to enter MLS in 2008 instead of 2009!

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The Boston Celtics are training in Italy prior to their season, and were visited by Juventus star Alessandro Del Piero! Here are two articles - ESPN and Boston Herald. Pictures too. One from a Juve message board, and a series from the Boston Herald (just hit "next") (thanks to Ethan for this one)
-On a side note, it almost makes me sick to my stomach to see KG in that Boston green. He is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Why in the world would they let him go?


MLS
Matches & scores:
-Thu Oct 4
Toronto 2-1 New York - Tor goals by Maurice Edu & Chris Leitch(Own Goal). NY goal by Dane Richards.
Match report by Dean McNulty of the Toronto Sun.
Match report by Larry Millson of the Toronto Globe & Mail.
Match report by Morgan Campbell of the Toronto Star.
Match report by Ives Galarcep of the North Jersey Herald News.
-Fri Oct 5
Kansas City v DC - 7pm central on Direct Kick
Match preview by Bob Luder of the KC Star.
Match preview by Dan Steinberg.
Match preview by John Haydon of the Washington Times.
-Sat Oct 6
Columbus v Dallas - 6:30pm central on FSC & FSE
Chicago v New England - 7:30pm central on Direct Kick
Salt Lake v Chivas USA - 8pm central on Direct Kick & HDNet
-Sun Oct 7
Houston v Los Angeles - 2pm central on TeleFutura
Colorado v Toronto - 7pm central on Direct Kick
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Both Davy Arnaud & Jimmy Conrad of Kansas City will be out tonight due to Red Card suspensions.
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Chicago Fire coach Juan Carlos Osorio was Red Carded last game and will not be allowed on his teams bench this weekend. In addition Carlos Ruiz of FC Dallas, Ricardo Clark of Houston Dynamo, and Tyrone Marshall & Andrew Boyens of Toronto FC are all out due to Red Cards. While Maykel Galindo of Chivas USA is suspended due to Yellow Card accumulation.
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Fred2 will be out of action tonight for DC due to a groin muscle injury, and team captain Jaime Moreno is questionable with a bum ankle.
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Scott Sealy is expected back for KC.
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Toronto won for the first time in 13 games. Good for them. They earned it. And deserved it. They haven't been as bad as their record.
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Grahame Jones of the LA Times does a 2 part Q & A with LA Galaxy midfielder David B******. Part 1 - and - Part 2.
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Martin Rogers of Yahoo Sports wonders if there is a "Hollywood Ending" in store for B****** this season.
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John Meyer of the Denver Post with an article on the one Colorado player that people have been saying really positive things about - left midfielder Colin Clark.
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James Edward of the Deseret Morning News with notes from Real Salt Lake including midfielder Javier Morales's season ending shoulder surgery.
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Jon Gilbert at the Daily Utah Chronicle says that since they are virtually eliminated from MLS playoff contention, Real Salt Lake has been using their games as a training ground for the future.
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Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch with an article about local boy made good - Dallas backup keeper, and potential star of the future Ray Burse, who attended Ohio State University.
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Chris DeVille of Columbus Alive wonders what happens to Crew coach Sigi Schmid if the team does not make the playoffs AGAIN.
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Nick Firchau of Chicago's Daily Southtown previews the Chicago Fire's home match against New England this weekend.
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LA Galaxy Pres Alexi Lalas told the Honda Soccer Symposium in Los Angeles yesterday that the team has already made their money back on the David B****** deal, and continues to take more money in from it.
-Luis Bueno writing for MLSnet has more from the Symposium.
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DJ Walker at 3rd Degree was at the US Open Cup final cheering for his Dallas team, and here is his usual great Stream of Consciousness.
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Frank Dell'apa of the Boston Globe says the New England Rev's are basking in their Open Cup winning glory, but know they have a game this weekend.
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The New York Times Goal blog has been giving space to New York Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore. Here is the latest: Watching as a Fan vs. Watching as a Player.
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Luis Arroyave of the Chicago Tribune looks at why some soccer match promoters are choosing to host games at Soldier Field instead of Toyota Park. ie. A recent Mexican women's game that drew less than 5000 was played SF. Why?
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A website called TV Sports Daily has a scathing critique of the MLS playoff format. Can't say I disagree, but I don't have better idea either.
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Here is a story on USA coach Bob Bradley's speech yesterday at the Honda Soccer Symposium in Los Angeles. (scroll down past the Alexi Lalas blabfest)
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US Soccer has named one of the fields at their National Training Center (at the Home Depot Center) in Carson CA after the former USA goalkeeper David Vanole who passed away in January.
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There is a new hockey arena being built in Newark for the New Jersey Devils, and many Jersey star athletes will be honored in the building with a giant mural. Former USA & MLS goalkeeper Tony Meola is one of them.
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Soccernet with a story on Seattle's league MVP forward Sebastian Le Toux, and the other recent successful forwards that club has produced - can you say Maykel Galindo.
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Occasional du Nord commenter Kenny Arena, son of the beloved coach, has joined former Columbus coach Greg Andrulis on the coaching staff at George Mason University. Good luck Kenny, and pay us a visit again soon.
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Copa Sudamericana
Second Leg Matches & Scores (with first leg scores included):
-Tue Oct 2
Guadalajara Chivas 1-0 DC United -series tied 2-2, but Chivas advances on the away goals rule.
-Wed Oct 3
America 0-2 Pachuca - America advance 4-3 on aggregate.
-Thu Oct 4
El Nacional 2-0 Defensor Sporting - Defensor adv 3-2 on agg.
Colo Colo 1-1 Millonarios - tied on agg at 2-2, Millonarios win 7-6 on Penalty Kicks.
-The following teams have advanced to the semifinals: Vasco de Gama, Sao Paulo, Arsenal, River Plate, Guadalajara, America, Defensor & Millonarios.
-Quarterfinals-
First Leg Matches & Scores:
-Wed Oct 10
America v Vasco da Gama
Sao Paulo v Millonarios
Arsenal v Chivas Guadalajara
-Thu Oct 25
Defensor Sporting v River Plate
Second Leg Matches & Scores:
-Wed Oct 24
Vasco da Gama v America
Millonarios v Sao Paulo
-Thu Oct 25
Chivas Guadalajara v Arsenal
-Tue Oct 30
River Plate v Defensor Sporting
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UEFA Cup
Matches & Scores - second legs.
-Several Americans were in action, but the results weren't as good as they could have been:
OUT - Michael Bradley - Heerenveen - started but came out after only 58 minutes and the team down 4-0, with the final score ending 5-1 sadly after a 5-3 first leg win, giving Helsingborg a 8-6 aggregate win.
IN - Danny Califf - Aalborg - played the full 90 as they drew 0-0 with Sampdoria, leaving the agg at 2-2, and AaB advancing with the 2 away goals.
OUT - Charlie Davies - Hammarby - came on in the 79th minute of a 4-0 loss at Braga who advance 5-2 on agg.
OUT - Brad Friedel - Blackburn - went the distance in a 2-1 home win, but lost to Larissa 3-2 on agg.
IN - Tim Howard - Everton - started and dragged his team to a 2-3 win at Metalist (YES!) and adv 4-3 on agg.
OUT - Oguchi Onyewu - Standard Liege - as always he started, sending a first half shot on goal that was deflected in and called an own goal, but right after that he was Red Carded for his second Yellow Card, and the team drew 1-1 at home v St Petersburg Zenit and lose 4-1 to the Russians on agg.
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The UEFA Cup now moves into a group stage. The draw is next Tuesday, and here is how it works: The 40 participants will be drawn into eight groups of five, with each side playing two home and two away matches.
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Big Eurocentric matches this weekend:
-Sat Oct 6
Schalke v Karlsruhe - #2 v #3, and only a few points back of first place Bayern. 10:30am central on GolTV.
-Sun Oct 7
Barcelona v Atletico Madrid - Messi v Aguero, the battle of the amazing Argentine youngsters. 10am central on GolTV.
Fiorentina v Juventus - old old old rivals clash, and currently #3 v #2. - Shown delayed at midnight central Sunday (Monday morning) on FSC.
Bordeaux v Lyon - #3 (coached by Laurent Blanc) v #1 with only a point separating them. 11am central on Setanta.
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Whatever you do on Sunday, do not miss the huge Argentine classico River Plate v Boca Juniors. These games are always fantastic viewing!
-See it live at high noon central on Fox Soccer Channel.
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To no ones surprise, Brazil & Milan midfielder Ricardo "Rikki" Kaka has been named the World Player Of The Year by his fellow players.
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Simon Kuper of the Financial Times writes about the stuff he is best at: the intermingling of Football, Ethnicity, Nationality & Culture.