Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Crisply Pressed Pants Preview News

New LA forward Carlos Ruiz on being kicked by Houston midfielder Ricardo Clark last season, for which Clark is still serving a 9 game suspension: “That’s competitive play. It’s not personal.” Andrea Canales with a great interview with Ruiz in the MLS News section.

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One of our faithful readers is looking for a pub in the St. Louis area that might be showing the Arsenal-Chelsea game this weekend. Can anyone help a fella out?

~and~

Meet your new MLS goal scoring magician, from DC United - Devon McTavish!! He now has 3 goals in 2 games of the Champions Cup, after never having scored a real pro goal before!


MLS News

Bob Luder of the KC Star checks out Kansas City now that all their new signings are in training, and sees a team that feels they can do some serious damage this season.
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Luis Arroyave of the Chicago Tribune on his Red Card blog gets some feedback from Fire training in Mississippi ahead of their friendly on Saturday v Colorado.
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Morgan Campbell of the Toronto Star says TFC is beginning to fine tune toward opening day after a long hard training camp.
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Campbell also reports that TFC's signing of Amado Guevara is still a ways from being a done deal.
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Andrea Canales at Soccer365 with an article on the return of Pescado - Carlos Ruiz to LA.
-And on the Sideline Views blog Canales has a transcript of more answers from the interview. Thank you Andrea.
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Frank Dell'apa at Soccernet with another season preview - Columbus.
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MLSnet gives us a look at a new Dallas assistant coach who has a pretty good background.
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Jeff Bradley at MLSnet gives us his MLS All-time First XI who wore shirts #1-11. I know, I know.....
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Goal.com has a good lighthearted Q & A with Columbus winger Robbie Rogers.
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KC Wizards homepage has a short and also fairly light Q & A with their midfielder Kerry Zavagnin.
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The official LA Galaxy blog has a video interview with goalkeeper Steve Cronin.
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MLS Preseason Friendlies

Matches & Scores:
-Wed Mar 19
Chivas USA v Cal State Fullerton at HDC
Chicago v U Mobile at Millsaps College in Jackson MS
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Carolina Challenge Cup

-Preseason Tournament March 15-22 in Charleston South Carolina
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Teams: Charleston Battery, New York Red Bulls, San Jose Earthquakes & Toronto FC
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Here's the website.
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Matches & Scores:
-Sat Mar 15
San Jose 1-0 Toronto - lightning shortened the game to 77 minutes.
New York 1-1 Charleston - weather caused them to move the game to Sunday.
-Wed Mar 19
New York v Toronto
San Jose v Charleston
-Sat Mar 22
Toronto v Charleston
San Jose v New York
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MLS Rumors - Don't Tease Me Bro

Did Colorado use a 2nd International roster spot on another goalkeeper? Word going around is that Chris Sharpe from Denmark 2nd Division team Koge has joined the team. He had a try out earlier this winter with LA. He has an American wife, so that would speed up the chance of him getting USA citizenship and coming off the teams International list.
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The New York Times Goal blog is reporting that Barcelona may be lining up a West coast match immediately following this regular season. A game in Mexico would be a part of that plan. Their European nationality players would be missing due to Euro 2008. They also will be in the USA for preseason matches in early August.
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USL First Division & PDL News

Jen Chang, soccer editor for ESPN Soccernet is in Charleston training with the Battery as if he were a players trying to make the team and give us the story as he goes along. Here is Day One, and now Day Two. He has some really good anecdotes in these reports.
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USA Olympic Team

Official team blog.
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CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying

The 2 semifinal winners will qualify for the Olympics in Beijing in late summer.
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Semifinal Matches & Scores (both games at LP Field in Nashville TN):
-Thu Mar 20
Guatemala v Honduras
USA v Canada
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Final Matches & Scores (all games at LP Field in Nashville TN):
-Sun Mar 23
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Yanks Abroad with a USA match preview.
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The Tennessean of Nashville gives us the other obligatory Team USA story (yesterday was Freddy Adu) - the Jozy Altidore story.
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The CBC with a Canada preview.
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Soccer In America

The New York Times with an article on the Harlem Youth Soccer program who have officially hit the big time. And I don't just mean the soccer big time, I mean the world wide big time.
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Americans In Europe

Mike Woitalla of Soccer America with a long story on Heerenveen midfielder Michael Bradley. Via Sports Illustrated.
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The Bleacher Report also has a story on the rise of Michael Bradley.
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Matt Pickens played his first game for the Queens Park Rangers reserves last night and received high praise after a 1-1 draw with Southampton. Here is a match report from QPR's site. (thanks to Tom L. for this)
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Yanks Abroad talks to Quentin Westburg who week after week sits on the bench as the backup keeper for Troyes in France.
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Midweek Games-
Tue Mar 18:
-Oguchi Onyewu - Standard Liege - played all 90 of a 2-2 draw with Gent at home in the 1st leg of the Belgian cup semifinals.
-Danny Szetela - Brescia - 0-0 draw at home v Lecce.
Wed Mar 19:
-Dan Califf - Aalborg - suspended for the game at Horsens due to Yellow Card accumulation.
-Tally Hall - Esbjerg - v Copenhagen
-Andrew Jacobsen - Lorient - French Cup match v Metz
-Nate Jaqua - Altach - v Sturm Graz
-Gabe Ferrari - Sampdoria - at Milan
Thu Mar 20:
-Jeremiah White - Aarhus - v Randers
-Will John - Randers - at Aarhus
-Lee Nguyen - Randers - at Aarhus
-Robbie Russell - Viborg - v Nordsjaelland
-Luis Robles - Kaiserslautern - v Kickers Offenbach
-Joe Enochs - Osnabruck - at St Pauli
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CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying

FIFA.com with a profile of the national team from the US Virgin Islands.
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CONCACAF Champions Cup

Quarterfinals - 2nd Leg Matches & Scores (with 1st leg scores included):
-Tue Mar 18
DC 5-0 Harbour View - DC advance 6-1 on aggregate. - DC goals by Devon McTavish(2), Luciano Emilio(2) & Fred.
Match report by Steven Goff of the Washington Post.
Match report by John Haydon of the Washington Times.
Player Ratings for DC from Goff.
-Wed Mar 19
Pachuca v Motagua (0-0)
Houston v Municipal (0-0)
-Thu Mar 20
Saprissa v Atlante (1-2)
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NOTE: There is no away-goals tie breaker used in this tournament.
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FSC's commentary duo of Mark Rogondino & Brian Dunseth were a massive upgrade over the buffoonish Christian Miles & Paul Caligiuri last week. Thank you FSC. Rogondino is very solid at what he does, and Dunseth is decent but needs more confidence on the mic.
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Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle looks at the first Dynamo home game of the season - the Champions Cup 2nd leg.
-More from Fallas on the match up.
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Goal.com previews Houston v Municipal.
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CONCACAF News

Andrew Dixon at the US National Soccer Players Assoc examines the quality of your average CONCACAF team.
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Friendly Matches & Scores:
-Wed Mar 19
Trinidad & Tobago v El Salvador
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Mexico & FMF News

Andrea Canales at the US National Soccer Players Assoc gives us a more thorough look at Mexico's Hugo Sanchez than most of us have ever seen before.
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Ivan Orozco at the San Diego Union Tribune writes about Mexico's early exit from Olympic qualifying.
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Copa Libertadores

Group Stage Matches & Scores:
-Tue Mar 18
Audax Italiano 1-0 Atletico Nacional - Aud goal by Fabian Orellana.
Estudiantes 2-0 Danubio - Estu goals by Juan Sebastian Veron(PK) & Leandro Desabato.
Caracas 1-1 Cruzeiro - Cara goal by Juan David Valencia. Cruz goal by Marcelo Moreno(PK).
-Wed Mar 19
San Jose v Santos
Flamengo v Nacional
Libertad v Fluminense
-Thu Mar 20
Deportivo Cuenca - Lanus
Sportivo Luqueno v Sao Paulo
Colo Colo v Boca Juniors
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Group Stage Standings
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European News

Real Betis will have to play 2 upcoming league matches behind closed doors after a supporter threw a bottle and hit Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper in the face. Betis is upset and plan to appeal the verdict. But this is the second time in 2 years someone has been hit by a bottle at their stadium - last year former Sevilla coach Juande Ramos got it. If they go through on the appeal I think the board should up the punishment to 3 games for idiocy.
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After missing the past month with an ankle injury Ruud Van Nistelrooy is now going to have surgery. No word on what the problem is, or how long he might be out.
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Juventus has gotten all the finances & approvals in place to build a new stadium.
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Birmingham City's front office was raided by cops this morning looking for evidence into "football corruption". There were no other details as to what this was all about.
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The Guardian looks at the top Premiership promotion candidates for next season, and wonders if they have what it takes, or if they are Derby County.
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The Guardian also tries to figure out where the lethal Didier Drogba has gone to.
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The Reuters Soccer Blog facetiously asks what’s next after FIFA has banned games at high altitudes, limits on high and low temperatures?
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The Times of London with a story on 2 amazing young Spaniards, Fernando Torres & Cesc Fabregas.
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The Telegraph really likes the "new" Roy Keane.
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Euro League Cup Competitions

-Coupe de France-
Round of 16 - Matches & Scores:
-Tue Mar 18
Paris Saint Germain 2-1 Bastia
Dijon Football 3-1 Tours
Sedan Ardennes 2-0 Angers
Lyon 2-1 Sochaux
-Wed Mar 19
Bordeaux v Lille
Amiens v Arles
Lorient v Metz
Carquefou v Marseille
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-DFB Pokal-
Semifinals - Matches & Scores:
-Tue Mar 18
Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Carl Zeiss Jena
-Wed Mar 19
Bayern Munchen v Wolfsburg
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-KNVB Beker-
Semifinal Matches & Scores:
-Tue Mar 18
Feyennord 2-0 NAC Breda
-Wed Mar 19
Heracles Almelo v Roda JC Kerkrade
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-Copa Del Rey-
Semifinal - 2nd leg Matches & Scores (with first leg scores included):
-Wed Mar 19
Racing Santander v Getafe (1-3)
-Thu Mar 20
Valencia v Barcelona (1-1)
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Big Euro Club Matches This Week

-Wed Mar 19
Lazio v Roma - the Capital derby in Italy.
PSV v Ajax - #1 v #2 in Holland, with PSV leading by 6 points.
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World News

Ravi Ubha of the Seattle Post Intelligencer gives us a good soccer news round up.
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World Cup 2010 - South Africa News

ESPN Magazine with a great article on Cape Town South Africa and their preparations for the World Cup.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Scottish Arms on Sarah St. in STL is a football pub.

So is the Dubliner on Washington Ave.

9:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In addition to the Scottish Arms and the Dubliner, the game will also be found near those spots at: Barrister's (in Clayton), OB Clark's (in Brentwood), and Tigin (downtown).

12:18 PM  
Blogger digchros said...

Thanks to Du Nord and anonymous x2!

I just called the Dubliner and Scottish Arms and they will both have the game with no cover. O.B. Clarks, some lady who didn't sound too convincing said they wouldn't show the game.

I'm guessing I will be at one of those two, anybody have a preference for what the best one is?

Thanks again!

4:16 PM  
Blogger Murfmensch said...

The Tigin on Washington Avenue downtown in Saint Louis always has volume on games, as does Barrister's in Clayton.

The Tigin opens for early morning while the other venues mentioned so far open at 10 or so.

The Scottish Arms is very nice (great beer and food) but often prefers to have music.

The Arms and Barrister's have easier parking.

The Tigin also displays a Spurs scarf because their first two customers were there to see Spurs. (I was one of them.) They also display a scarf for Rangers-- not seen in many Irish pubs-- because one manager is from the stranger part of Glasgow.

4:56 PM  
Blogger brucio said...

thanks for the excellent st louis pub updates

by the way, do any of these places ever show mls or usa games?

6:56 PM  

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