Group Hotline News

An even louder whisper in my other ear today says that St Louis will NOT be announced this weekend as the next MLS team. We might actually have something in print this time too. Again, let's see how this one pans out. (Maybe I am just starting to hear voices in my head?)

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Landon Donovan will NOT be in South Africa this weekend with Team USA after suffering a calf muscle strain.

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The next USA v Mexico match was officially announced today - Feb 6 in Houston at Reliant Stadium. Tickets go on sale next week.

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BobbyBoswell.com with breaking news - DC United has "re-acquired" forward Alecko Eskandarian.


MLS Finals
-Sunday November 18 at High Noon in Washington DC's RFK Stadium
New England v Houston
-A rematch of last years final which ended 1-1 after extra time and Houston won on PK's.
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Frank Dell'apa of the Boston Globe with a story on New England keeper Matt Reis.
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Lars Lifrak of Soccer365 does a Q & A with New Eng defender & MLS Defender Of The Year Michael Parkhurst.
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Who's image is this on the front of this New England Rev's shirt? Is it Freddie Mercury?
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Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle on the quality and success of Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear.
-A Kinnear professional timeline.
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Fallas of the Chron with this weeks vital Dynamo notes and updates.
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Pat Walsh of Goal.com on the 2 non-Designated Players MLS Cup teams.
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Paul Gardner of the New York Sun says the last thing MLS needs right now is a Houston v New England final, cuz it will be plodding anti-soccer. He is not wrong. The league needs some of those high flyers to fly higher and make to the finals soon. On the other hand it's not nearly as grim as old Paul says it is. He just seems to enjoy complaining (as do I).
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Emlyn Lewis at Soccer New England calls the Rev's and Taylor Twellman's chileno goal both a thing of beauty. The goal yes, but the team and their style, aaaaahhh for the most part no, but on occasion......
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Jeff Bradley at MLSnet uses his First XI column to give us his all time best players from past MLS Cups.
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We should see a very large turnout of New England fans at MLS Cup. Let's hope they rock the place. And don't surprised if you see a lot of Orange too.
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Andrew Dixon at the US National Soccer Players Assoc has no problem with the current MLS playoff format, and explains why it works.
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The word from Chicago today is that the Fire's long time midfielder Chris Armas is officially retiring.
-Lacy Banks of the Chicago Sun Times with quotes from Armas.
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Frank Giase of the Newark Star Ledger says that new ownership/management/coaches have never made a difference to the miserable track record of New York New Jersey Metrostars Red Bulls. It's a revolving door.
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Giase also has a story on former USA & MLS goalkeeper Tony Meola, now playing that bastardized indoor game.
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Ives Galarcep of the North Jersey Herald News says the NYRB curse extends far beyond the field, with news that the stadium being built (is there any proof of that happening yet?) has been delayed yet again and maybe be pushed all the way out to the 2010 season. Are you kidding me?
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Tim Vickery at Sports Illustrated wonders why Colombia does not call Juan Pablo Angel into their national team anymore.
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Stephen Fontenot of the San Antonio Express with his ever-increasing-in-quality weekly MLS, USA & World soccer news roundup.
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In a hilarious turn of the screw, some American football fan blogs are seething this morning after the Monday Night Football crew let Drew Carey onto their airwaves to talk about his part ownership in the new Seattle MLS team. (The MNF game was in Seattle.) I mean, some of them are really pissed off!
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The Seattle Post Intelligencer with an article on Carey's involvement with MLS Seattle. Including his unique ideas on club management.
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Drew Carey supposedly wants the Seattle team to have a marching band. I love it. For some bizarre reason I like marching bands. Maybe its a fetish.
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Philadelphia's The Bulletin with some news on stadium building in that city.
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The San Jose Mercury News with some tidbits of new info on Earthquakes stadium planning for next year and beyond.
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The Arizona Republic with a little bit o' news on the interest in snagging a MLS team down Phoenix way.
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North American Club Friendlies
-Tue Nov 13
Columbus v UAdG Tecos - at Crew Stadium.
-Sat Nov 17
Guadalajara Chivas v Chivas USA - Benefit match for the victims of the Tabasco flood.
-Fri Nov 30
TT Pro League Foreign All-Stars v FC Dallas - the Shaka Hislop Tribute Cup in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.
-Sun Dec 2
TT Pro League Local All-Stars v FC Dallas - the Shaka Hislop Tribute Cup in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.
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Rob Hughes of the International Herald Tribune on the rise of Freddy Adu & Jozy Altidore to the USA senior team.
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Ives Galarcep of the North Jersey Herald News says Jozy Altidore deserves his shot with the USA.
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A story from South Africa on the make-up (they emphasize the youth) of the USA squad.
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Luis Bueno of the Press Enterprise calls USA coach Bob Bradley's first season a success.
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The official USA team blog has a note about coach Bob Bradley sitting next to Blackburn & South Africa striker Benni McCarthy on the flight to Johannesburg. I like that.
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Nick De Benedetto at the AP writes about the ongoing search for a new USA Women's coach.
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There is a press conference scheduled for today to announce Swede Pia Sundhage as the new coach.
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Americans in Europe
How'd their Monday matches go:
-Gregg Berhalter - 1860 Munich - did not dress for the scoreless tie at home with Monchengladbach.
-Bobby Convey - Reading - started (for the first time in forever) and went 70minutes but lost 1-3 at home to Arsenal.
-Marcus Hahnemann - Reading - in the nets for his team as usual, but lost 1-3 at home to Arsenal.
-Steve Purdy - 1860 Munich - did not dress for the scoreless tie at home with Monchengladbach.
-Josh Wolff - 1860 Munich - started and played all 90 minutes of a 0-0 home draw against Monchengladbach.
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Jack Bell of the New York Times on Juventus of Turin and the opera that their story is. Plus other MLS & World soccer notes.
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The New York Times with the latest on actions being taken to end violence among "fans" in Italy.
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Jonathan Wilson of the Guardian with the story on Zenit's new Russian championship.
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The Guardian also has a story on the football academy system in England. The system should be blamed for England's international failures, not foreign players in the Premier League.
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Gregory Sica of Sports Illustrated wonders if Chile will be the surprise team of CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying.
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Reuters blog with a story on the football playing sons of Liberian great George Weah.