Climbing Grimmin Mountain News

Frank Dell'apa of the Boston Globe is reporting the English Championship Division team >Preston North End is making a serious bid for New England goal scoring machine Taylor Twellman. Yes! Twellman deserves a chance like this, and it would also force New England to get off their ass and start looking for some impact players to change their luck in the big big games. There is also some good stuff here on Twellman and Rev's teammates Michael Parkhurst & Pat Noonan from the USA training camp in Carson CA.

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Mike Woitalla of Soccer America does a Q & A with USA coach Bob Bradley. See section on Team USA below for link.

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Canada's largest soccer supporters group The Voyageurs have named Julian de Guzman as the 2007 Canadian International Player of the Year. Congrats to the midfielder from Deportivo La Coruna in Spain.

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Newcastle has given coach Sam Alardyce the old heave ho. Adios big Sam. We hardly knew ye.


Luis Arroyave of the Chicago Tribune says Fire team President John Guppy wants Houston assistant coach John Spencer to be the teams next head coach, but the decision is not ultimately up to him to make. The teams owner will make that call.
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Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle says on his Soccer y Futbol blog that the race for the job is between Chicago assistant Denis Hamlett & Spencer.
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Looks like Chicago goalkeeper Matt Pickens has more than one suitor in Europe beyond Norwich in England. My guess is that he will use these other teams to get a better deal out of MLS for now. Although someone could offer his a deal he can't refuse.
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And Sky Sports adds 3 more teams to list of those chasing after Chivas USA keeper Brad Guzan - Auxerre, Liverpool & Olympiakos. (Arsenal & Celtic were the first 2 names we knew of.) That is impressive.
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Speaking of goalkeepers - Colorado keeper Bouna Coundoul has been named to the Senegal team for this months African Cup of Nations!!!! It's Bouna Times! Congrats to him.
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The Zimbabwe Herald with a story on another MLS player trying to make an impact on his national team in Africa - Joseph Ngwenya of Houston. The country has just hired a new national team coach to hopefully get them into the 2010 World Cup - he is Brazilian Valinhos, known to his mother as Jose Claudinei Georgini. Unfortunately his resume reads more like a travelogue than a success story.
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New England will have their 2008 shirts ready for sale starting tomorrow. And the new look with have a collar on the shirt. I hope it look nice.
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Finally some "arrivals" news .... Steven Goff of the Washington Post says Argentinos Juniors forward Franco Niell looks to be the first off season signing for DC United.
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Goff also reports that Real Salt Lake will have a 4th Argentine on their squad this season, the other forward from Argentinos Junior, Matías Cordova, will join them. So let's see who did the better scouting job and got the right guy. Last season RSL signed defender Matias Mantilla from Arg Juniors.
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Finally Goff on his Soccer Insider blog gives us new info on Columbus midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto and how the news of his departure from MLS may be premature.
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Michael C Lewis of the Salt Lake Tribune reports that RSL are very close to selling forward Alecko Eskandarian to Chivas USA. He also reports that now retired defender Eddie Pope has been hired by the Players Union as their new Director of player relations.
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Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle says the Dynamo want Ramiro Corrales, the American who currently plays for Brann in Norway but wants to come home.
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Glenn Davis also from the Chron tells us about the packed 08 calendar! A fans dream.
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Davis's radio show is also back this week after a holiday break. As always he has top notch guests. See link in right hand column.
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Houston Dynamo forward Paul Dalglish has seen his contract expire, and he is currently at Ipswich Town in England trying out for them.
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Pat Walsh at Goal.com says that the top teams in MLS are playing to many games for their current roster size and strength. I completely agree.
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Toronto midfielder Carl Robinson is back in England during the offseason, and he is training with his old team Wolverhampton.
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Jack Bell of the New York Times Goal blog and Frank Giase of the Newark Star Ledger talk to New York Red Bulls new Sporting Director Jeff Agoos.
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Chris Armas told Michael Lewis of Big Apple Soccer that he is NOT interested in being an assistant coach for the New York Red Bulls.
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The KC Star is reporting that the Wizards have picked up the option on the contract of midfielder Carlos Marinelli. But assistant coach (and long time MLS player) Chris Henderson has left the team. So where is he headed?
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Our main man DJ Walker at the 3rd Degree gives us his personal 2008 New Years Resolutions. I somehow missed this one last week.
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Jeff Bradley at MLSnet with his First XI, lets us know what to follow between now the time the next season starts.
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MLSnet with an article on Dallas defensive midfielder Pablo Richetti, who had an impressive debut season in the league, is all healed from injury and ready to be even better in 08.
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MLSnet reviews the Columbus Crew 2007 season. And asks 5 Big Questions for 2008.
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Goalkeeper Josh Lambo, from the US Soccer Residency program in Bradenton FL has signed a contract with MLS and will be available for the draft.
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The player combine for the MLS Superdraft begins on Friday in Fort Lauderdale FL. The draft itself is Jan 18 in Baltimore.
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The stories on a demotion for FC Dallas President Michael Hitchcock got the facts wrong. Yes some of his duties were being shifted away, but he will actually be more closely involved with the team now (completely contrary to rumors), and less involved with the day to day running of the Pizza Hut Park complex. Here is the official press release.
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FC Dallas Updates give us the low down on the newest addition to the teams coaching staff. He is Jorge Alvial, the chief scout for Chelsea in this hemisphere. He sounds like quite a catch to me.
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The Charleston Battery's 5th annual pre-season (mid-March) Carolina Challenge Cup will see the First Division team take on 3 MLS teams - this year its going to be New York, San Jose & Toronto.
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The Maryland Gazette reports that El Salvadoran Dennis Alas has by-passed both MLS & the First Division to sign with USL Second Division team Real Maryland. This is very bizarre to me seeing as the 2D is nearly all amateur still and that Alas is a starter in his native country for San Salvador and has many national team caps at only age 22. His connection to the team is their other big signing - Ronald Cerritos. Wow!
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Interliga
Matches & Scores:
-Wed Jan 2
Monterrey 0-1 UNAM Pumas - goal by Pablo Bonells
Cruz Azul 0-1 San Luis - goal by Alfredo Moreno(PK)
-Thu Jan 3
Toluca 0-0 Atlas - no goals
Morelia 0-1 America - goal by Alejandro Arguello
-Sat Jan 5
Cruz Azul 1-0 Monterrey - goal by Edgar Andrade.
San Luis 2-0 UNAM Pumas - goals by Tressor Moreno & Alfredo Moreno.
-Sun Jan 6
America 2-1 Toluca - CA goals by Alejandro Arguello & Richard Nunez. Toluca goal by Vicente Sanchez.
Atlas 2-0 Morelia - goals both by Bruno Marioni.
-Tue Jan 8
Monterrey 1-0 San Luis - goal by Humberto Suazo.
UNAM Pumas 0-1 Cruz Azul - goal by Nicolas Vigneri.
-Wed Jan 9
Toluca v Morelia
Atlas v America
-Sat Jan 12
Semifinals
-All matches are played here in the USA, cuz they make loads of money!
-The top two teams will get spots in la Copa Libertadores.
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Club America & Cruz Azul have both advanced to the big games this weekend that will determine who goes to Copa Libertadores.
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Team USA January Camp
-Official Blog.
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Mike Woitalla of Soccer America has a Q & A with USA boss Bob Bradley. Via Sports Illustrated.
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Steven Goff on his Soccer Insider blog says the USA opponent on March 26 in Europe could very well be Poland.
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And the USA U23 team arrived in Florida today to begin their training camp as well.
-Their official team blog.
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The Times of London with an article on the multiple players that could be joining Americans Eddie Lewis & Benny Feilhaber at Derby Country in the Premiership during this transfer window. There are several big names on the way, potentially including fellow American Eddie Johnson. I guess your name has to end in "ie" or "y" to sign with Derby.
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The Times also has a story on new Fulham coach Roy Hodgson, who has 4 Americans on his roster - Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey & Kasey Keller. And let's not forget former Columbus Crew midfielder Simon Elliot of New Zealand.
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Soccer America directs us to a story last month from the Nation News of Barbados where the country's technical director of football says that they can beat the USA in World Cup qualifying. I guess he has to say that, but good luck to you buddy. If I remember correctly the last time around the aggregate score was 11-0.
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English League/Carling Cup
Semifinal 1st leg Matches & Scores
-Tue Jan 8
Chelsea 2-1 Everton 2-1 - return match is Wed Jan 23
-Wed Jan 9
Arsenal v Tottenham - 2nd leg on Tue Jan 22
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Copa Del Rey
Round of 16 first leg Matches & Scores:
-Wed Jan 9
Sevilla v Barcelona
Getafe v Levante
Athletic Bilbao v Espanyol
Real Betis v Valencia
Recreativo Huela v Villareal
Zaragoza v Racing Santander
-Thu Jan 10
Mallorca v Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid v Valladolid
-2nd leg matches are Jan 16
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Real Madrid's Argentine left fullback Gabriel Heinze has torn a thigh muscle and will be out at least a month.
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Milan forward Superpippo Inzaghi will be out for a while with kidney stone trouble and a foot injury.
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Jack Bell of the New York Times Goal blog has a full transcript of his Q & A with injured Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre.
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The Zimbabwe Herald with a story on the nation of Ghana who are hosting this years African Cup of Nations and hoping to end decades of football futility.
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The Guardian with a story on all the African players (40) who have left English clubs this month to participate with their national teams in the African Cup of Nations. Can the clubs blame anyone else but themselves if they are short on players? The answer is simply - NO! They need to stop complaining immediately.
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Ravi Ubha at the Seattle Post Intelligencer with a good weekly roundup of some (mostly) under the radar stories from around world football.
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The Times of London with a story on refereeing legend Pierluigi Collina, the freaky looking hairless dude who scared everyone when he took to the field in charge of a game. Excellent story.
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A little out of the ordinary for du Nord, but just too damn good to pass up - The Guardian with an article on the rise of Women's football in Palestine.
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Finally today, an article from the Chicago Sports Weekly but a writer who finds himself in England looking for something out of the ordinary. He ends up in Sussex at Lewes, checking out a very lower division team. Goof story.