OF This World News

The volume on the speculation of David Beckham staying at AC Milan has reached supersonic levels. It's like a parana feeding frenzy. One headline caught my attention as the most clever: "Defaulting on a loan" from the Philadelphia Daily News. Bravo!


MLS Team News

CD CHIVAS USA

Mark Zeigler of the San Diego Union Tribune with an article on midfielder and SoCal native Sacha Kljestan.
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The team has re-signed newly acquired left fullback Ante Jazic. I assume this move will push Jonathan Bornstein up into the left midfield spot left vacant when Pancho Mendoza left the Amerigoats for the Mexigoats.
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The team has also hired their former defender, and former USA International, Carlos Llamosa as a new assistant coach! Cool.
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SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

Ann Killion of the Mercury News feels that the Quakes landing a major sponsor in this economic climate is very big news.
-Here are several pictures of the new shirts and a giant blow up version.
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SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Don Ruiz of the Tacoma News Tribune and Gary Washburn of the Post Intelligencer both with a articles on newly signed midfielder Osvaldo Alonso.
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TORONTO FC

Gareth Wheeler of The Sun knows that TFC still has a long way to go to be a true contender. And I completely agree with his assessment of the teams lack of improvement on defense. They have done almost nothing since day 1 to improve their biggest weakness.
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MLS Rumor City - Don't Tease Me Bro!

The Orlando Sentinel says that RSL is looking at Liga de Quito striker Luis Miguel Escalada. He is a very talented player, but has a highly questionable personality (6 teams in 5 years speaks volumes). The good news is that he is young.
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MLS Stadium Talk

Jay Hipps of Center Line Soccer has a Q & A with San Jose Earthquakes owner Lew Wolff on team and stadium progress.
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The Harrisburg Patriot News with the latest on the stadium financing arrangements for Philadelphia.
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MLS Expansion News

Slams Sports describes the MLS Honcho's meeting with potential new franchise owners in Ottawa.
-Slam also looks at what it would take to build a stadium in Ottawa.
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Team USA

Coach Bob Bradley plans to continue training sessions with players who were on the team for the Sweden friendly, with some of them ending up on the roster for the World Cup qualifier against Mexico on Feb 11. The list of those players for the extended January camp is expected to be announced shortly.
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Americans In Europe

Landon Donovan at Bayern Munich

Here is what is on the docket for Landon Donovan and Bayern Munich over the next 2 weeks:
-Friendlies:
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bamberg -Sat Jan 17 - the game was played on a snow covered pitch with an orange ball. LD came on at half time already up 2-0 and did not figure in the last goal.
Kaiserslautern 0-2 Bayern Munich - Mon Jan 19 - LD came on as a sub in the 62nd minute and scored on a great glancing header to seal the win.
Bayern Munich 5-0 Mainz - Thu Jan 22 - Came on in the 60th minute and this time Landon bags 2!
-DFB Pokal Round of 16:
Stuttgart 1-5 Bayern Munich - Tue Jan 27 - LD came on as a sub in the 67th minute with the score already 0-5.
-Bundesliga:
Hamburger v Bayern Munich - Fri Jan 30 - live at 1:30pm Central on GolTV.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Most Recent Matches
(only players who saw the field are listed)
All games on Wed Jan 28:

England Premiership
-Tim Howard - Everton - v Arsenal
-Jonathan Spector - West Ham - v Hull
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

England Championship
-Eddie Johnson - Cardiff - at Coventry
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

German DFB Pokal
-Heath Pearce - Hansa Rostock - at Wolfsburg
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Americans In Mexico

Luis Bueno of the Touchline has a recap of how our players did last weekend.
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UNCAF Championship

Central American Championship website
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This 7 team tournament, being hosted by Honduras, will qualify 5 teams for next summers CONCACAF Gold Cup. The top 5 are the ones who will advance.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Group A
*9 Honduras +6
*4 El Salvador +3
2 Nicaragua -3
1 Belize -4
Group B
*6 Costa Rica +5
*3 Panama -3
0 Guatemala -3
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama & El Salvador advance to the Gold Cup, with the 5th place game winner joining them.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Group Stage Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 27
Panama 1-0 Guatemala - Pana goal by Alberto Zapata.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

5th Place Match & Score:
-Thu Jan 29
Nicaragua v Guatemala
Semifinal Matches & Scores:
-Fri Jan 30
Costa Rica v El Salvador
Honduras v Panama
3rd Place Match & Score:
-Sun Feb 1
Loser SF1 v Loser SF2
Final Match & Score:
-Sun Feb 1
Winner SF1 v Winner SF2
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mexico & FMF News

National Team Match & Score:
-Wed Jan 28
Mexico v Sweden - in Oakland CA at McAfee Stadium
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Copa Libertadores

The final play-in round of the Libertadores starts on Tuesday. 6 teams will advance to the group stage which begins on Tue Feb 10.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pre-Round 1st leg Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 27
El Nacional (Ecuador) 0-5 Nacional (Paraguay)
-Wed Jan 28
Independiente Medellin (Colombia) v Penarol (Uruguay)
Universidad de Chile (Chile) v Pachuca (Mexico)
-Thu Jan 29
Sporting Cristal (Peru) v Estudiantes (Argentina)
Deportivo Anzoategui (Venezuela) v Deportivo Cuenca (Ecuador)
Palmeiras (Brazil) v Real Potosi (Bolivia)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

European News

FRANCE

Coupe de France
15 teams have advanced to the Round of 16, with one game yet to be played in this round. Here are the teams who advanced: En Avant Guingamp, AC Ajaccio, Lille, Toulouse, Dijon FCO, Lorient, US Boulogne, Rodez AF, AS Vitre, CS Sedan Ardennes, Stade Rennes, Le Mans, Grenoble, Paris St Germain & Monaco.
Round of 32 Match & Score:
-Wed Jan 28
Lyon v Marseille
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

GERMANY

DFB Pokal
Round of 16 Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 27
Freiburg 1-3 Mainz
Stuttgart 1-5 Bayern Munich
Hamburg 3-1 1860 Munich
Carl Zeiss Jena 1-4 Schalke
-Wed Feb 28
Bayer Leverkusen v Energie Cottbus
Karlsruher v Wehen Wiesbaden
Wolfsburg v Hansa Rostock
Borussia Dortmund v Werder Bremen
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SPAIN

Copa Del Rey
Quarterfinal 2nd leg Matches & Scores (with 1st leg scores included):
-Wed Jan 28
Sporting Gijon v Athletic Bilbao (0-0)
Barcelona v Espanyol (0-0)
Real Betis v Mallorca (0-1)
Sevilla v Valencia (2-3)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Important Podcast

Glenn Davis on his radio show Houston Dynamo All Access had interesting interviews with Marcelo Claure (teaming with Barcelona to bring MLS back to South Florida), Brian Ching (Houston and USA forward) and Dwayne DeRosario (new in Toronto) on Tuesday night. Download or listen here. (NOTE: podcast in .wav format, not .mp3)

The 2009 MLS Schedule Has Been Released

Here it is, the official 2009 MLS match schedule.

No More Talking Without Payment News

A 0-1 win at Portsmouth today moved Brad Friedel and Aston Villa up to a tie for 2nd place in the EPL, but they have played one more game than Liverpool. None the less - amazing!


MLS Team News

CD CHIVAS USA

They re-signed Swiss midfielder Raphael Wicky. Let's hope he plays more than the 10 or so seconds he played last season.

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

The Quakes have a sponsor for the front of their shirts -it's Amway Global. Here is the logo.

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

The team has signed Cuban midfielder Osvaldo Alonso from First Division team Charleston.

The team's Domestic Preseason Matches:
-Feb 9 at LA Galaxy (training game)
-Feb 10 v Shandong Luneng (China) in Oxnard CA (training game)
-Feb 11 at Ventura County Fusion (PDL) (open to the public)
-Feb 13 v San Jose Earthquakes in San Luis Obispo CA (open to the public)
-Feb 20 at U Portland (NCAA) (open to the public)
-Feb 22 v Vancouver Whitecaps (USL-1) at Qwest Field (closed)
-Mar 12 v Colorado Rapids at Qwest Field (closed)

MLS Expansion News

The Ottawa Citizens reports that the MLS Expansion scouting circus rolled into town today.

Soccer In America

Billy Witz of the New York Times tells us that your best bet to becoming a long time member of the US national team is to become a left fullback.

Americans In Europe

Landon Donovan at Bayern Munich

Here is what is on the docket for Landon Donovan and Bayern Munich over the next 2 weeks:
-Friendlies:
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bamberg -Sat Jan 17 - the game was played on a snow covered pitch with an orange ball. LD came on at half time already up 2-0 and did not figure in the last goal.
Kaiserslautern 0-2 Bayern Munich - Mon Jan 19 - LD came on as a sub in the 62nd minute and scored on a great glancing header to seal the win.
Bayern Munich 5-0 Mainz - Thu Jan 22 - Came on in the 60th minute and this time Landon bags 2!
-DFB Pokal Round of 16:
Stuttgart 1-5 Bayern Munich - Tue Jan 27 - LD came on as a sub in the 67th minute with the score already 0-5.
Match report from Bayern's website.
-Bundesliga:
Hamburger v Bayern Munich - Fri Jan 30 - live at 1:30pm Central on GolTV.

Upcoming Matches

All games on Wed Jan 28:

England Premiership
-Tim Howard - Everton - v Arsenal
-Jonathan Spector - West Ham - v Hull

England Championship
-Eddie Johnson - Cardiff - at Coventry

German DFB Pokal
-Heath Pearce - Hansa Rostock - at Wolfsburg

Most Recent Matches
(only players who saw the field are listed)

All games from Tue Jan 27:

England Premiership
-Clint Dempsey - Fulham - played the entire match but they lost 1-0 at Sunderland.
-Brad Friedel - Aston Villa - went the distance as they beat Portsmouth 0-1 on the road.

England League One
-Jemal Johnson - Milton Keynes - played all 90 but lost at home 1-2 to Leyton Orient.

Italy Serie B
-Danny Szetela - Brescia - came on as a sub in the 83rd minute as they drew at Sassuolo 0-0.

German DFB Pokal
-Landon Donovan - Bayern Munich - came on as a sub in the 67th minute and they won big 1-5 away to Stuttgart. They move on to the quarterfinals now.
-Gregg Berhalter - 1860 Munich - played the full match but lost at Hamburg 3-1.

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying News

Where will the USA play their other 4 [CORRECTED] home qualifiers in the Hexagon (game 1 is in Columbus)? They have already said that they will not play any games on grass or a field that has grass laid over fake turf. That eliminates places like Boston, Portland & Seattle right off the top. Dallas, Salt Lake, Los Angeles and Chicago all have nice MLS stadiums with real grass to they are in. I can't imagine this round going by without a game at RFK in Washington DC either. So where else could the games be held? In the past Cleveland, Hartford and Birmingham have all played host to the USA. What about Houston or Phoenix. The Bay Area. The Carolinas. Anyone with other ideas?

UNCAF Championship

Central American Championship website

This 7 team tournament, being hosted by Honduras, will qualify 5 teams for next summers CONCACAF Gold Cup. The 4 semifinalists and the 5th place game winner will advance. [CORRECTED]

Group A
*9 Honduras +6
*4 El Salvador +3
2 Nicaragua -3
1 Belize -4
Group B
*6 Costa Rica +5
0 Guatemala -2
0 Panama -3
* have qualified for the semifinals.

Tuesday's final group stage game between Panama and Guatemala will determine the 4th team to advance. The losers goes into the 5th place game.

Group Stage Matches & Scores:
-Thu Jan 22
El Salvador 1-1 Nicaragua - El S goal by Carlos Ayala. Nica goal by Marlon Medina.
Honduras 2-1 Belize - Hond goals by Walter Martinez & Amando Guevara(PK). Beli goal by Lisbey Castillo.
-Fri Jan 23
Costa Rica 3-0 Panama - CR goals by Andy Furtado & Alvaro Sanchez.
-Sat Jan 24
Belize 1-4 El Salvador - Beli goal by Jeremy James. El S goals by Alfredo Pacheco (3, one via PK) & Ramon Sanchez.
Honduras 4-1 Nicaragua - Hond goals by Mario Cesar, Danilo Turcios, Saul Martinez & Walter Martinez. Nica goal by Armando Ismael Reyes.
-Sun Jan 25
Guatemala 1-3 Costa Rica - Guat goal by Marco Papa. CR goals by Alvaro Sanchez, Pablo Herrera & Roberto Segura.
-Mon Jan 26
Nicaragua 1-1 Belize - Nica goal by Juan Berrera. Beli goal by Byron Usher.
Honduras 2-0 El Salvador - Hond goals by Carlos Pavon(PK) & Marvin Chavez.
-Tue Jan 27
Panama v Guatemala -

Mexico & FMF News

National Team Match & Score:
-Wed Jan 28
Mexico v Sweden - in Oakland CA at McAfee Stadium

Copa Libertadores

The final play-in round of the Libertadores starts on Tuesday. 6 teams will advance to the group stage which begins on Tue Feb 10.

Pre-Round 1st leg Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 27
El Nacional (Ecuador) v Nacional (Paraguay)
-Wed Jan 28
Independiente Medellin (Colombia) v Penarol (Uruguay)
Universidad de Chile (Chile) v Pachuca (Mexico)
-Thu Jan 29
Sporting Cristal (Peru) v Estudiantes (Argentina)
Deportivo Anzoategui (Venezuela) v Deportivo Cuenca (Ecuador)
Palmeiras (Brazil) v Real Potosi (Bolivia)

European News

FRANCE

Coupe de France
15 teams have advanced to the Round of 16, with one game yet to be played in this round. Here are the teams who advanced: En Avant Guingamp, AC Ajaccio, Lille, Toulouse, Dijon FCO, Lorient, US Boulogne, Rodez AF, AS Vitre, CS Sedan Ardennes, Stade Rennes, Le Mans, Grenoble, Paris St Germain & Monaco.
Round of 32 Match & Score:
-Wed Jan 28
Lyon v Marseille

GERMANY

DFB Pokal
Round of 16 Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 27
Freiburg 1-3 Mainz
Stuttgart 1-5 Bayern Munich
Hamburg 3-1 1860 Munich
Carl Zeiss Jena 1-4 Schalke
-Wed Feb 28
Bayer Leverkusen v Energie Cottbus
Karlsruher v Wehen Wiesbaden
Wolfsburg v Hansa Rostock
Borussia Dortmund v Werder Bremen

SPAIN

Copa Del Rey
Quarterfinal 2nd leg Matches & Scores (with 1st leg scores included):
-Wed Jan 28
Sporting Gijon v Athletic Bilbao (0-0)
Barcelona v Espanyol (0-0)
Real Betis v Mallorca (0-1)
Sevilla v Valencia (2-3)

Citizens Of The Twin Cities: Participate In A Focus Group About Soccer

I was asked to pass this along to you the faithful reader, if you are living in the Twin Cities area:

We are reaching out to you about a research study we are conducting among Twin Cities’ soccer enthusiasts to learn more about how local fans are following the sport and what they would like to see in live game opportunities. If you have attended a Thunder game in the past that’s great, but it’s not required. We are recruiting people to participate in a focus group at the Insight Café in downtown Minneapolis that will last an hour. In return for your time, we will be giving you season tickets to Minnesota Thunder 2009 games. The focus group will be held on Wednesday, February 4 at 6:00 PM. Would you be available to participate? If so, please take this brief survey (won’t take more than 5 minutes) to see if you qualify. If you qualify, you will be promptly contacted by Minnesota Thunder to confirm your participation. Please fill out this survey no later than Thursday, January 29. Click HERE to take a brief survey.

Leave The Funky Stuff To James Brown News

MLS Team News

CHICAGO FIRE

Luis Arroyave at The Red Card has a Q & A with John Thorrington. (this ran before the USA v Sweden game on Saturday.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Orrin Schwarz of the Daily Herald talks to Fire players who are ready for preseason training to begin.
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The team has hired USA U18 coach Mike Matkovich as their new assistant coach, replacing Chris Armas.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

FC DALLAS

Buzz Carrick of 3rd Degree has a Q & A with coach Schellas Hyndmann as the preseason begins.
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DC UNITED

The Honduran forward that DCU has been chasing, Walter Martinez, has been described as "diminutive".
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

HOUSTON DYNAMO

The team has re-signed centerback Bobby Boswell.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They also sent centerback Patrick Ianni to Seattle for a future draft pick.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In a third roster move, the team signed American goalkeeper Tally Hall from Esbjerg in Denmark.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

Beckman scored for Milan, winning 1-4 at Bologna, and for the first time he himself has said that he may not return to LA. "I can't say what will happen. Even if my contract says that I'll be here until March. We'll have to see. At the moment I'm enjoying this experience. I'm at one of the biggest clubs in the world. And having won gives us confidence to continue."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

RED BULL NEW YORK

Big Apple Soccer hears from Juan Pablo Angel who is negotiating a new contract with the team. Give that man a raise.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brian Lewis of the NY Post writes that Jorge Rojas will not be going on loan in his native Venezuela.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

REAL SALT LAKE

Kyle McCarthy of Goal.com writes about the cancer battle that the wife of midfielder Andy Williams is fighting. They are desperately looking for a bone marrow donor. To help check here.
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SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

Jeff Carlisle of Center Line Soccer talks to recently released midfielder Ronnie O'Brien who says he will not play for San Jose again.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

They have acquired centerback Patrick Ianni from Houston for future considerations.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

TORONTO FC

John Molinaro of the CBC poses a very important question - Where will Dwayne De Rosario fit into the offensive structure of the team. Amado Guevara plays the same position as DDR, so what gives?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

MLS Rumor City - Don't Tease Me Bro!

Steven Goff at Soccer Insider reports that DC will give a try out to Brazilian centerback Roger, from Fluminense.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Soccer 365 with some choice rumors today: Ghanaian Sammy Kufour to Chicago, and Trinidad & Tobago forwards Keon Daniel and Gregory Richardson getting try outs with Toronto.
-du Nord reported last September 9th that Kuffour had retired after last playing for Ajax.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Team USA

Match & Score:
-Sat Jan 24
USA 3-2 Sweden - USA goals all 3 by Sacha Klestan (1 via PK). Swed goals by Daniel Nannskog & Mikael Dahlberg.
Match report from US Soccer.
Match report by Phil Collin at the Daily Breeze.
Match report by Jeff Carlisle at ESPN Soccernet.
Post game notes by Nick Green at 100 Percent Soccer.
Post game coach & player quotes by Green.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Official team blog
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

US Soccer gives us video of game highlights.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

US Soccer gives us video of the post game press conference with Coach Bob Bradley and Sacha Kljestan.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stuart Holden was not in the USA line up because he suffered a hip flexor strain.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Andy Firchau of ESPN Soccernet on the historic nature of Sacha Kljestan's hat trick.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

du Nord 3 Stars Of The Game

3 Alexander Farnerud - Two pinpoint crosses lead to two nice goals. USA outside players take notice: That's how you put a ball into the box.
2 Brian Ching - Strong work from a center forward who got pretty poor service. He drew some key free kicks, then had the magical touch to bring the ball down and set up Kljestan for the third goal.
1 Sacha Kljestan - 3 goals, his first USA goals too. Ttotally commanded the entire game. With out him where would our scoring come from?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other Americans of note: Ricardo Clark, Marvell Wynne and Dan Califf.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Soccer In America

Jen Chang of ESPN Soccernet reviews the past weekend and then takes a few looks ahead for the USA and some MLS players.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Richard Snowden at Soccer 365 tries to figure out why so many young players are going to Europe instead of MLS.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Americans In Europe

Greg Seltzer at Soccer 365 reports that defender Erik Hort has signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He previously was signed to Sparta Praha, and played in their reserves.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Landon Donovan at Bayern Munich
Here is what is on the docket for Landon Donovan and Bayern Munich over the next 2 weeks:
-Friendlies:
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bamberg -Sat Jan 17 - the game was played on a snow covered pitch with an orange ball. LD came on at half time already up 2-0 and did not figure in the last goal.
Kaiserslautern 0-2 Bayern Munich - Mon Jan 19 - LD came on as a sub in the 62nd minute and scored on a great glancing header to seal the win.
Bayern Munich 5-0 Mainz - Thu Jan 22 - Came on in the 60th minute and this time Landon bags 2!
-DFB Pokal Round of 16:
Stuttgart v Bayern Munich - Tue Jan 27
-Bundesliga:
Hamburger v Bayern Munich - Fri Jan 30 - live at 1:30pm Central on GolTV.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Transfer Rumors

The Glasgow Evening Times says that Sacha Kljestan's performance of the USA on Saturday night may have raised the asking price to Celtic considerably! Check out the image showing the size of the headline he got on today's sports page! Wow.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Most Recent Matches
(only players who saw the field are listed)

French Ligue 1
-Carlos Bocanegra - Rennes - played all 90 as they won at home 2-0 over St Etienne in Coupe de France.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

French Ligue 2
-Quentin Westberg - Troyes - played the full match, a rare start, but lost at home 1-2 to Rodez Aveyron in Coupe de France.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dutch Erstedivisie
-Charles Kazlauskas - TOP Oss - played all 90 but got destroyed at RKC Waalwijk 5-0. Oof!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Belgian Jupiler League
-Oguchi Onyewu - Standard - went the distance as always and they won again, 0-1 at KVC Westerlo.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

English Premier League
-Clint Dempsey - Fulham - played all 90 and they advance 2-4 at Kettering Town in the FA Cup.
-Brad Friedel - Aston Villa - went the full match but drew at Doncaster Rovers 0-0 in the FA Cup.
-Tim Howard - Everton - in goal the whole 90 and drew at Liverpool 1-1 in the FA Cup.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

English Championship Division
-Jay DeMerit - Watford - played all 90 and scored the teams first goal as they won 4-3 at home over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.
-Eddie Johnson - Cardiff - came on as a sub in 90th minute as they drew at home 0-0 with Arsenal in the FA Cup.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying News

Where will the USA play their other 5 home qualifiers in the Hexagon (game one is in Columbus)? They have already said that they will not play any games on grass or a field that has grass laid over fake turf. That eliminates places like Boston, Portland & Seattle right off the top. Dallas, Salt Lake, Los Angeles and Chicago all have nice MLS stadiums with real grass to they are in. I can't imagine this round going by without a game at RFK in Washington DC either. So where else could the games be held? In the past Cleveland, Hartford and Birmingham have all played host to the USA. What about Houston or Pheonix. The Bay Area. The Carolinas. Anyone with other ideas?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

UNCAF Championship

Central American Championship website
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This 7 team tournament, being hosted by Honduras, will qualify 4 teams for next summers CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Semifinalists are the ones who will advance.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Group A
6 Honduras +4
4 El Salvador +3
1 Nicaragua -3
0 Belize -4
Group B
6 Costa Rica +5
0 Guatemala -2
0 Panama -3
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Group Stage Matches & Scores:
-Thu Jan 22
El Salvador 1-1 Nicaragua - El S goal by Carlos Ayala. Nica goal by Marlon Medina.
Honduras 2-1 Belize - Hond goals by Walter Martinez & Amando Guevara(PK). Beli goal by Lisbey Castillo.
-Fri Jan 23
Costa Rica 3-0 Panama - CR goals by Andy Furtado & Alvaro Sanchez.
-Sat Jan 24
Belize 1-4 El Salvador - Beli goal by Jeremy James. El S goals by Alfredo Pacheco (3, one via PK) & Ramon Sanchez.
Honduras 4-1 Nicaragua - Hond goals by Mario Cesar, Danilo Turcios, Saul Martinez & Walter Martinez. Nica goal by Armando Ismael Reyes.
-Sun Jan 25
Guatemala 1-3 Costa Rica - Guat goal by Marco Papa. CR goals by Alvaro Sanchez, Pablo Herrera & Roberto Segura.
-Mon Jan 26
Nicaragua v Belize -
Honduras v El Salvador -
-Tue Jan 27
Panama v Guatemala -
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Honduras and Costa Rica are the first 2 of 4 teams to qualify for the Gold Cup. The 3rd team will qualify Monday and the last team on Tuesday.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mexico & FMF News

The Mexican national team plays Sweden on Tuesday night in the DF at Azteca Stadium.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Round 2
Cruz Azul 4-0 Atlas
San Luis 1-2 Pachuca
Guadalajara 1-0 UAdG
UANL 0-3 Chiapas
Atlante 2-0 Morelia
Juarez 1-1 Monterrey
Puebla 1-0 Necaxa
UNAM 1-0 Santos Laguna
America 2-2 Toluca
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Standings - after 2 played
6 Pachuca +4
6 Chiapas +4
6 UNAM +2
4 Monterrey +4
4 Cruz Azul +4
4 Atlante +2
4 Juarez +1
4 America +1
4 Guadalajara +1
3 Puebla -3
2 Toluca 0
1 San Luis -1
1 Morelia -2
0 UAdG -2
0 Santos Laguna -2
0 Necaxa -2
0 Atlas -5
0 UANL -6
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

South America News

ARGENTINA

The Argentina 2009 Clausura kicks off on Sun Feb 8.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Copa Libertadores

The final play in round of the Libertadores starts on Tuesday. 6 teams will advance to the group stage which begins on Tue Feb 10.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pre-Round 1st leg Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 27
El Nacional (Ecuador) v Nacional (Paraguay)
-Wed Jan 28
Independiente Medellin (Colombia) v Penarol (Uruguay)
Universidad de Chile (Chile) v Pachuca (Mexico)
-Thu Jan 29
Sporting Cristal (Peru) v Estudiantes (Argentina)
Deportivo Anzoategui (Venezuela) v Deportivo Cuenca (Ecuador)
Palmeiras (Brazil) v Real Potosi (Bolivia)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Many games from this tournament can be seen on Fox Sports Espanyol.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

England News

Chelsea's young Nigerian midfielder John Mikel Obi was arrested on the charge of drunk driving. He was picked up at 5:30am BEFORE the team played Ipswich in the FA Cup. Oh my.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A full round of Premiership games will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The best looking match of the bunch has #6 Everton hosting #5 Arsenal. Everton is 5 points back though.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

European News

FRANCE

Bordeaux, who are only 1 point behind league leaders Lyon, has given coach Laurent Blanc a two year contract extension.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Coupe de France
15 teams have advanced to the Round of 16, with one game yet to be played in this round. Here are the teams who advanced: En Avant Guingamp, AC Ajaccio, Lille, Toulouse, Dijon FCO, Lorient, US Boulogne, Rodez AF, AS Vitre, CS Sedan Ardennes, Stade Rennes, Le Mans, Grenoble, Paris St Germain & Monaco.
Round of 32 Match & Score:
-Wed Jan 28
Lyon v Marseille
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

GERMANY

DFB Pokal
Round of 16 Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 27
Freiburg v Mainz
Stuttgart v Bayern Munich
Hamburg v 1860 Munich
Carl Zeiss Jena v Schalke
-Wed Feb 28
Bayer Leverkusen v Energie Cottbus
Karlsruher v Wehen Wiesbaden
Wolfsburg v Hansa Rostock
Borussia Dortmund v Werder Bremen
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

ITALY

Coach Jose Mourinho of Inter was sent off in the first half - 39th minute
-Later in the game Adriano threw a punch at a Sampdoria player. The incident was not seen by the refereeing crew and not penalized at the time. But in a postgame review of the match the TV replayed showed the offense and he has been given a 3 game suspension for his actions.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Copa Italia
Quarterfinal Matches & Scores:
-Wed Feb 4
Napoli v Juventus
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Inter Milan, Sampdoria & Lazio have already advanced to the Semifinals.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SPAIN

Copa Del Rey
Quarterfinal 2nd leg Matches & Scores (with 1st leg scores included):
-Wed Jan 28
Sporting Gijon v Athletic Bilbao (0-0)
Barcelona v Espanyol (0-0)
Real Betis v Mallorca (0-1)
Sevilla v Valencia (2-3)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Weekends Biggest Club Matches From Around The World

English FA Cup
-Sat Jan 24
Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham - Man U is through to Round 5, while the Totts fall again in a miserable season.
-Sun Jan 25
Liverpool 1-1 Everton - another Liverpool derby, this one in Cup play, ends in a draw, so that means they will have to play it all over again, but this time at Everton.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Italy Serie A
-Sat Jan 24
Juventus 1-0 Fiorentina - Juve stay 3 back from Inter, but Fiore all the way to 7th and even out of the UEFA Cup spots.
-Sun Jan 25
Napoli 0-3 Roma - a comprehensive beat down from the Capital team who are making their way up the table toward the Champions League spots.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Top Of The European Club Standings

Scotland Premier League - 23 played
54 Celtic
50 Rangers
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

England Premier League - 22 played
47 Manchester United (only 21 played)
47 Liverpool
45 Chelsea
44 Aston Villa
41 Arsenal
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

France Ligue 1 - 21 played
42 Lyon
41 Bordeaux
38 Marseille
37 Rennes
37 Toulouse
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Germany Bundesliga - 17 played
35 Hoffenheim
35 Bayern Munich
33 Hertha Berlin
33 Hamburg
32 Bayer Leverkusen
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Netherlands Eredivisie - 19 played
47 AZ Alkmaar
41 Ajax Amsterdam
40 Twente Enschede
35 Heerenveen
32 PSV Eindhoven
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Italy Serie A - 20 played
46 Inter Milan
43 Juventus
40 AC Milan
36 Genoa
33 Roma
33 Napoli
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Spain La Liga - 20 played
53 Barcelona
41 Real Madrid
38 Sevilla
34 Valencia
34 Villarreal
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Portugal Liga - 15 played
31 Porto
30 Benfica
30 Sporting
27 Leixoes
25 Nacional de Medeira
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

African News

Vanguard of Nigeria reports that FIFA are very disappointed in many of the preparations for the U17 World Cup they are hosting at the end of this summer.
-Vanguard reports that the stadium in Lagos is one of the bright spots.
-Vanguard also reports that the man doing the inspections is our good buddy Jack Warner. I wonder what an inspection trip like this costs?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Middle Eastern News

Dave Zirin of Edge Of Sports writes about soccer and the Israel-Gaza turmoil.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Road To World Cup 2010 - South Africa News

South African newspaper Mmegi with an editorial saying the crime rate in their country is still way too high with the World Cup coming up so soon.

Andy Williams' Wife Needs Our Help

OK Everyone, this one's really important.

Marica Williams, the wife of Real Salt Lake and Jamaica midfielder Andy Williams is suffering from Leukemia and is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. But after many months of searching they still have not found a matching donor. Please help in any way you can.

Time For Snacking News

Landon Donovan snags 2 more goals for Bayern Munich in their last midseason break friendly. They beat Mainz 5-0. See Americans In Europe section for details.

~and~

The LOWEST paid player in Spain's La Liga was paid approx $140,000 Euros last season. That is why it is very hard to get any decent foreign players to come to MLS

~and~

Ronnie O'Brien has been cut lose by San Jose because the two sides could not agree on a new contract. Really?

~and~

The 2009 USL First Division Schedule has been released, and there is a fantastic tweak to the League Championship game too. The season kicks off in style with my team The Minnesota Thunder visiting the Cqarolina RailHawks at Sat Apr 11. Hooray Beer!


MLS Team News

CD CHIVAS USA

The Evening Times of Glasgow says that Celtic should have a decision on whether or not they will buy Sacha Kljestan within 24 hours. The price appears to be just under $3 Million US.

COLORADO RAPIDS

Forward Tam McManus appears to be done with the Rapids and is working on a deal to sign with Kilmarnock in Scotland.

COLUMBUS CREW

The team has now official hired former player Ricardo Iribarren as a new assistant coach.

FC DALLAS

Buzz Carrick of 3rd Degree gets out to see a FCD practice session and gives us his report in 2 segments - Part 1 - and - Part 2.

FCD has signed for RSL & Columbus centerback Danny Torres of Costa Rica.

DC UNITED

Steven Goff of the Washington Post talks to Ben Olsen about his damaged ankle, and his attempt to play through the pain.

John Haydon of the Washington Times on the teams first day back training.

The team has sent centerback Gonzalo Peralta to Union Sante Fe of Argentina on a loan deal. Good move.

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS

Wiz midfielder Roger Espinoza got his first cap for Honduras last night in the Central American Championship tournament. They beat Belize 2-1.

RED BULL NEW YORK

Here we go again: Ives Galarcep at ESPN Soccernet reports that the opening of Red Bull Arena will not happen this year! 2010 now. What a disaster this whole thing has been.

Michael Lewis of Big Apple Soccer talks to centerback Mike Petke about his return to New York.

Brian Lewis of the New York Post blog Extra Time has several possible roster rumors to spread.

B Lewis also reports on the team bringing back centerback Eric Brunner who they released last season, and then played at Miami in the First Division.

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

Elliot Almond of the Mercury News reports that the team has released midfielder Ronnie O'Brien because they could not reach agreement with him on a new contract. Wow. Supposedly no other MLS team was interested in a trade. How much you want to bet his is back by midseason.

Almond also has some words on the team re-signing centerback Nick Garcia.

Good to see those two article in the Mercuy News cuz I was starting to think that maybe the paper had folded, seeing as their Earthquakes page had nothing new on it for over month. I guess they took a little winter vacation. Good for them. Recharge the old batteries.

Preseason training schedule:
-Mon Jan 26 - Wed Feb 11: training at Buck Shaw Stadium
-Thu Feb 12 - Sun Feb 15: MLS Central Showcase in San Luis Obispo CA at Alex G. Spanos Stadium
-Feb 13: Match v Seattle Sounders at 7pm Pacific
-Feb 15: Match v Houston Dynamo at 1pm Pacific
-Mon Feb 16 - Fri Feb 27: training at Buck Shaw Stadium
-Feb 20: Match v Fresno Fuego - 7pm Pacific at Chukchansi Park in Fresno CA
-Feb 25: Match v ??? at Cal-Berkeley at 2:30pm Pacific
-Sun Mar 1 - Sat Mar 7: training at HDC in Carson CA
-Mar 2: Match v Colorado Rapids at Home Depot Center
-Mon Mar 9 - Fri Mar 20: training at Buck Shaw Stadium
-Mar 11: Match v ??? Cal-Berkeley, time TBD

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

They have acquired young Colombian forward/attacking midfielder Fredy Montero on loan Deporivo Cali.
-Gary Washburn of the Post Intelligencer on the signing of Montero.

Jose Romero of the Times does a Q & A with Montero. Ahhh, the beauty of being a Spanish speaker means Romero gets the interview! Coach Sigi Schmid comments on Montero too.

Washburn also writes about the leadership of Kasey Keller from the back.

Steven Goff of the Soccer Insider reports that young midfielder Quavas Kirk will get a try out with the Sounders. He was released from DC United at the end of last season.

USA Today has an AP article that shows off all the Sounders organizations bells and whistles. Coach Sigi Schmid calls it "It's definitely the best situation I have been in." I am still fired up about the half empty stadium and fake turf though. They will never be first rate until that crap is gone.

TORONTO FC

CNW Group with a report that Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment who own TFC has purchased GolTV Canada. Does this mean TOR will have a permanent home on television all across their country?

DDR - Dwayne De Rosario - was rolled out for the Toronto press yesterday, a month after they acquired him. He also has a new 4 year contract in his pocket. All the local writers were there:
-Globe & Mail
-The Star
-National Post
-Sportsnet

GENERAL

Kyle McCarthy of Goal.com gives us 5 players getting tryouts right now with MLS teams to watch out for. #1 on his list has already been signed. Good call Kyle!

MLS Rumor City - Don't Tease Me Bro!

The South American striker that TFC is chasing is striker Pablo Vitti a young Argentine who last played for Odessa in Ukraine, and appears to be owned by Independiente.

MLS Expansion News

Ives Galarcep at ESPN Soccernet gives us an update on the 5 candidates for the next 2 MLS teams.

The Oregonian says political scandal in Portland may effect that cities bid for a team.

USL First Division News

Here is the 2009 schedule. The first games of the new season are on April 11.

The big news is that the league final will be played as a two leg total goal series just like the other rounds of the playoffs! This is absolutely fantastic news.

And here is the TV schedule for the whole season.

Portugeuse powerhouse team Sporting were supposedly in attendance at the USL General Assembly last month in Tampa. Interesting. I am going to have to check around on this one.

Minnesota Thunder

My team, the Minnesota Thunder kicks off the leauge this year on Sat Apr 11 at Carolina.

We also kick off the whole league schedule at Carolina on Apr 11! Then we have to play 3 more read games before heading home to start that portion of the season.

Our first home game is Sat May 2 v Vancouver, the defending league champs.

Here is the teams full schedule.

The Thunder will also be on Fox Soccer Channel four times this season:
-Fri Jun 19 at Portland
-Fri Jul 24 v Miami
-Fri Aug 14 at Miami
-Fri Sep 4 v Vancouver

Team USA

So the team has been training in Los Angeles for nearly 3 weeks now, and what have we heard about the team in this important year of World Cup qualifying from the esteemed senior writer and soccer authority of the Los Angeles Times, Grahame L Jones? Not a god damn thing. The papers coverage of the team is a joke. They barely cover the Galaxy, let alone Chivas USA either. I know I am supposed to respect Mr Jones' experience, but all he ever writes anymore is three days old and totally cliched. Come on man!

Match & Score:
-Sat Jan 24
USA v Sweden - Live at 7:30pm Central on Fox Soccer Channel.

Official team blog
-Defenders in this training camp are obviously cursed - add Jonathan Bornstein to the injured list, "suffering a bruised foot Tuesday afternoon. He will undergo an MRI evaluation later today to determine the extent of the injury."
-Video interview with both Kenny Cooper and Jonathan Bornstein talking about scoring a goal for the USA.

US Soccer with a page full of notes leading up to Saturday's game.

Andrea Canales of Goal.com says the USA is ready for Sweden.

Here is the current US roster after injuries, departures and additions:
G:
Jon Busch
William Hesmer
Troy Perkins
Matt Pickens
D:
Jonathan Bornstein - questionable
Dan Califf
Ugo Ihemelu
Michael Parkhurst
Chris Wingert
Marvell Wynne
M:
Brian Carroll
Ricardo Clark
Eddie Gaven
Stuart Holden
Jack Jewsbury
Sacha Kljestan - back from his try out at Celtic, and is ready for the game
Robbie Rogers
John Thorrington
F:
Brian Ching
Kenny Cooper
Charlie Davies
Chris Rolfe

Soccer In America

Look out America - Luis Bueno has become a referee. God help us! Hahahahahahaha!

Mark Stokes of the Boston Globe, on their soccer blog, has an a piece called Can pro soccer ever work in the United States? I have no idea what the analogy he uses is getting at. I don't disagree with the general premise, but it's kind of baffling.

Americans In Europe

Troy Perkins tells us more about his Team Building Experience with his club in Norway - Valernga. It sounds insane - if they ever did this to me at my job I would be out of there in a minute. (see earlier this week for the first part.)

Attention Clint Dempsey & Fulham fans - your team has lost their most exciting player Jimmy Bullard who was sold to Hull. Not good.

Allen Ramsey at Goal.com have a short list of American players who he thinks should leave Europe and come play in MLS. But we all know the money is not even close to the same.

Landon Donovan at Bayern Munich

Here is what is on the docket for Landon Donovan and Bayern Munich over the next 2 weeks:
-Friendlies:
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bamberg -Sat Jan 17 - the game was played on a snow covered pitch with an orange ball. LD came on at half time already up 2-0 and did not figure in the last goal.
Kaiserslautern 0-2 Bayern Munich - Mon Jan 19 - LD came on as a sub in the 62nd minute and scored on a great glancing header to seal the win.
Bayern Munich 5-0 Mainz - Thu Jan 22 - Came on in the 60th minute and this time Landon bags 2!
Video of all 5 Bayern goals - the clip is a little hokey, but its the best I could find.
-DFB Pokal Round of 16:
Stuttgart v Bayern Munich - Tue Jan 27
-Bundesliga:
Hamburger v Bayern Munich - Fri Jan 30

ESPN Soccernet quotes Donovan from an article in German tabloid Bild talking about his relationship with David Beckham, which has given him confidence.

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying News

As the big date of Feb 11 gets closer and closer....
Luis Bueno at Sports Illustrated compares where the USA & Mexico sit right now.

UNCAF Championship

Central American Championship website

This 7 team tournament, being hosted by Honduras, will qualify 4 teams for next summers CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Semifinalists are the ones who will advance.

Group A
3 Honduras +1
1 Nicaragua 0
1 El Salvador 0
0 Belize -1
Group B
Costa Rica
Guatemala
Panama

Group Stage Matches & Scores:
-Thu Jan 22
El Salvador 1-1 Nicaragua
Honduras 2-1 Belize
-Fri Jan 23
Costa Rica v Panama
-Sat Jan 24
Belize v El Salvador
Honduras v Nicaragua
-Sun Jan 25
Guatemala v Costa Rica
-Mon Jan 26
Nicaragua v Belize
Honduras v El Salvador
-Tue Jan 27
Panama v Guatemala

Mexico & FMF News

Reuters has an article on national team coach Sven Goren Erickson responding to some players complaints about fielding naturalized citizens into the national team instead of natural born Mexicans. He doesn't understand the hub-bub. If they lost to the USA is Sven done?

England News

Rumors swirl about Chelsea and Liverpool being sold again. Chelsea to an Arab-German group, and the Liverpeople to a Kuwaiti family.

James Montague of the Guardian has an article on the possible Liverpool sale.

Aston Villa has signed English forward Emile Heskey from Wigan.

Liverpeople Captain Steven Gerrard has pleaded NOT guilty to assault charges, stemming from an alleged bar fight a few weeks ago.

European News

ITALY

Copa Italia
Quarterfinal Matches & Scores:
-Wed Jan 21
Inter 2-1 Roma - Inter adv to Semi
Sampdoria 1-1 Udinese - Samp adv to Semi 4-1 on Penalties after the extra times ended tied.
-Thu Jan 22
Lazio 3-1 Torino - Laz adv to Semi.
-Wed Feb 4
Napoli v Juventus

NETHERLANDS

KNVB Beker
Round of 16 Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 20
Dordrecht 0-1 De Graafschap
Feyenoord Rotterdam 0-3 Heerenveen
-Wed Jan 21
AZ Alkmaar 3-0 Achilles 29
NEC Nijmegen 2-1 Sparta Rotterdam
Roda JC Kerkrade 2-0 Lienden
Volendam 3-0 SBV Excelsior
NAC Breda 2-2 Groningen - NAC adv 7-6 on Penalty Kicks after Extra Time ended tied.
-Thu Jan 22
ADO Den Haag v Twente Enschede - postponed

SCOTLAND

Ewan Murray of the Guardian says he has had enough of this mid-winter football in Scotland. Something has to change.

Copa Del Rey
Quarterfinal 1st leg Matches & Scores:
-Wed Jan 21
Valencia 3-2 Sevilla
Espanyol 0-0 Barcelona - the Barcelona derby in a cup match-up!
-Thu Jan 22
Mallorca 1-0 Real Betis
Athletic Bilbao 0-0 Sporting Gijon
Quarterfinal 2nd leg Matches & Scores (with 1st leg scores included):
-Wed Jan 28
Sporting Gijon v Athletic Bilbao (0-0)
Barcelona v Espanyol (0-0)
Real Betis v Mallorca (0-1)
Sevilla v Valencia (2-3)

The Weekends Biggest Club Matches From Around The World

English FA Cup
-Sat Jan 24
Manchester United v Tottenham - its not often too big teams play each other in the 4th Round, one will be out
-Sun Jan 25
Liverpool v Everton - another Liverpool derby, and in cup play no less

Italy Serie A
-Sat Jan 24
Juventus v Fiorentina - an old and bitter rivalry, and Fiore are desperate to turn it around
-Sun Jan 25
Napoli v Roma - imagine the hatred between these fans!

World News

Jonah Freedman of Sports Illustrated with the World Soccer Club Power Rankings.

FIFA News

Russia has announced that they will bid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Blindsided By The Power Of Physics News

SPECIAL NOTICE:
Sat Jan 24
USA v Sweden
7:30pm Central
-Join fellow Twin Cities soccer fans to watch the game:
The Sweetwater
At the Kelly Inn
I-94 & Marion
St Paul
651-224-6373
Map


Real Madrid has set their sights on luring coach Arsene Wenger away from Arsenal for next season!


MLS Team News

COLORADO RAPIDS

Luis Arroyave of the Chicago Tribune on the return to MLS of former Fire goalkeeper Matt Pickens, now with Colorado.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

FC DALLAS

Tribal Football has quotes from Victor Sikora saying he does not want to return to FCD, he wants to stay in Perth Australia where he is currently playing on loan.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

DC UNITED

Steven Goff at the Soccer Insider talked to Ben Olsen who trained with the team today. How is the ankle my man? Expect a full article on Friday.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I see that Francis "Grandpa" Doe has re-signed with DCU (its acutally just another season on loa. Thanks to Joe for that info. I wish more people would jump on the bandwagon and use his proper nickname Grandpa. That is really his nickname. So please use it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Former Galaxy centerback Kyle Veris is in preseason training with DCU.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One time Generation Adidas hopeful Quavas Kirk was not given a new deal this year or even invited to training camp.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

HOUSTON DYNAMO

The Daily Record of Scotland reports that HD asst coach John Spencer got some very harsh news yesterday - He has lost a law suit filed against him by a former team, Motherwell. They claim to have given him a 100,000 Pound ($140,000 US) loan while he was a player there, and did not pay it back. The judge sided with the team. Ouch.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

Grahame Jones of the Times has a few words from Bruce Arena after the teams first practice of the new year.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

What has LA done to improve one of the worst defenses in the history of MLS. Let Ty Harden go. Trade Ante Jazic. Draft Omar Gonzalez. Bring in Tony Sanneh.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Centerback Sean Franklin had his hernia surgery in Germany today. He will be out about a month if not less.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

Keith Costigan of Fox Soccer does a Q & A with goalkeeper Matt Reis.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

The Quakes have re-signed centerback Nick Garcia. He was the team captain last year. And he remains one of the leagues great villains.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

SSFC is said to have lined up a friendly against Chelsea for mid-July.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jose Romero of the Times does a Q & A with backup keeper Chris Eylander.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Arizona Republic talks to their native son Brad Evans about winning it all with Columbus last year and now moving to a brand new team. (thanks to Bart for this one)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

GENERAL

Andrew Hush of ESPN Soccernet gives us a full page of notes from around the country.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Our pal Andrew Wiebe a the Daily Kansan professes his undying love for MLS!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

MLS Exhibition Matches

Sat Mar 14
LA v Chicago in Tempe AZ at Sun Devil Stadium
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Team USA

Official team blog
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jeff Carlisle of ESPN Soccernet with an article on Charlie Davies.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Americans In Europe

Ravi Ubha of ESPN Soccernet with an article on Eddie Johnson.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Landon Donovan at Bayern Munich

Here is what is on the docket for Landon Donovan and Bayern Munich over the next 2 weeks:
-Friendlies:
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bamberg -Sat Jan 17 - the game was played on a snow covered pitch with an orange ball. LD came on at half time already up 2-0 and did not figure in the last goal.
Kaiserslautern 0-2 Bayern Munich - Mon Jan 19 - LD came on as a sub in the 62nd minute and scored on a great glancing header to seal the win.
Bayern Munich v Mainz - Thu Jan 22
-DFB Pokal Round of 16:
Stuttgart v Bayern Munich - Tue Jan 27
-Bundesliga:
Hamburger v Bayern Munich - Fri Jan 30
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

UNCAF Championship

Central American Championship Website
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This 7 team tournament, being hosted by Honduras, will qualify 4 teams for next summers CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Semifinalists are the ones who will advance.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Group A
Belize
Honduras
Nicaragua
El Salvador
Group B
Costa Rica
Guatemala
Panama
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Group Stage Matches & Scores:
-Thu Jan 22
El Salvador v Nicaragua
Honduras v Belize
-Fri Jan 23
Costa Rica v Panama
-Sat Jan 24
Belize v El Salvador
Honduras v Nicaragua
-Sun Jan 25
Guatemala v Costa Rica
-Mon Jan 26
Nicaragua v Belize
Honduras v El Salvador
-Tue Jan 27
Panama v Guatemala
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

England News

Cristiano Ronaldo is named after Ronald Reagan.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

European News

ITALY

Copa Italia
Quarterfinal Matches & Scores:
-Wed Jan 21
Inter 2-1 Roma - Inter adv to Semi
Sampdoria 1-1 Udinese - Amp adv to SEmi 4-1 on Penalties after the extra times ended tied.
-Thu Jan 22
Lazio 3-1 Torino - Lazio adv to Semi
-Wed Feb 4
Napoli v Juventus
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

NETHERLANDS

KNVB Beker
Round of 16 Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 20
Dordrecht 0-1 De Graafschap
Feyenoord Rotterdam 0-3 Heerenveen
-Wed Jan 21
AZ Alkmaar 3-0 Achilles 29
NEC Nijmegen 2-1 Sparta Rotterdam
Roda JC Kerkrade 2-0 Lienden
Volendam 3-0 SBV Excelsior
NAC Breda 2-2 Groningen - NAC adv 7-6 on Penalty Kicks after Extra Time ended tied.
-Thu Jan 22
ADO Den Haag v Twente Enschede - postponed
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SPAIN

Copa Del Rey
Quarterfinal 1st leg Matches & Scores:
-Wed Jan 21
Valencia 3-2 Sevilla
Espanyol 0-0 Barcelona - the Barcelona derby in a cup match-up!
-Thu Jan 22
Mallorca 1-0 Real Betis
Athletic Bilbao 0-0 Sporting Gijon
Quarterfinal 2nd leg Matches & Scores (with 1st leg scores included):
-Wed Jan 28
Sporting Gijon v Athletic Bilbao (0-0)
Barcelona v Espanyol (0-0)
Real Betis v Mallorca (0-1)
Sevilla v Valencia (2-3)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Important Podcast

The great EPL Talk website has an audio interview with the one and only English football TV commentator Martin Tyler. He is basically the man who all other English speaking commentators are rated against, and he always wins by a mile. Classic. (Don't mind the helium voiced creaking-shreeking interviewer - he's harmless)

Plan For Pantsless Partying News

Heads Up: I will be on Denver radio Thursday morning with Marcelo Balboa and Brian Forbes and their show From the Pitch. 10am-Noon Mountain Time. I was on once before with just Brian and we had a great conversation. I hope to repeat that performance. Tune in online at Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510. I'm excited.

~and~

The Central American Championship kicks off on Thursday. See the UNCAF section for details.


MLS Team News

CHICAGO FIRE

Here is the teams tentative pre-season schedule:
-Jan 24 & 25: arrival and preseason physicals at Toyota Park
-Jan 26 - Feb 11: training at IMG Academy in Bradenton FL
-Feb 1: match v University of Central Florida
-Feb 4: match v Kansas City Wizards
-Feb 7: match v Puerto Rico Islanders
-Feb 10: match v Toronto FC
More TBA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COLORADO RAPIDS

I linked to this the other day in the Team USA section, but I realized that Colorado fans may have missed it - US Soccer has an audio interview with new goalkeeper Matt Pickens. It's quite an interesting conversation.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COLUMBUS CREW

Shawn Mitchell on his blog Covering the Crew gives us an update on Chad Marshall's knee injury.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

FC DALLAS

The team blog has a little insight into the teams first training session of the new year, this morning.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS

The team has signed contract extentions with midfielders Davy Arnaud & Jack Jewsbury.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The KC Star with an article on the team as they open preseason training.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Here is their general preseason schedule:
-Jan 20 - Jan 27: training in KC at Swope Park Training Center or KC Sports Lodge
-Jan 29 – Feb 11: training Camp in Bradenton FL
-Feb 13 – Feb 17: training in Kansas City
-Feb 19 – Mar 4: training Camp in Guadalajara Mexico
More TBA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

Last years Rookie Of The Year, defender Sean Franklin, has gone to Germany to have surgery for bilateral sports hernia. He will be ready for action in about a month.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Neither Joe Franchino or Alvaro Pires were on the teams training camp roster. But Tony Sanneh was. Yes, that Tony Sanneh.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

RED BULL NEW YORK

NYRB announced that centerback Mike Petke has signed a new contract.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The official team blog has word on how the first day of training went, and asks a couple of questions from a new rookie Nick Zimmerman.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Metrofanatic has a Q & A with draft pick Jack Traynor.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Midfielder Dane Richards will be a part of the Jamaican national team that takes on Nigeria next month.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

REAL SALT LAKE

Michael C Lewis of the Tribune and James Edward of the Deseret News both with articles on the teams 1st round draft pick Jean Alexandre of Haiti via Florida.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Jose Romero of the Seattle Times has the SSFC training camp roster.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

TORONTO FC

Greg Seltzer of No Short Corners tells us that Johann Smith actually TURNED DOWN an offer for a try out with HNK Rijeka in Croatia.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

GENERAL

Jeff Bradley at MLSnet gives us his First XI. Things to look forward to in 09.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The first episode of 2009 for MLS's online show Extra Time, starring my pal's Shep Messing and Greg Lalas, is ready for viewing. (By the way, people all over the web are raving about the "great" speech that they run on this show from a guy who gets drafted near the very end of the rounds. Everyone is gettin' a big kick out of it. Except me I guess. I thought it was lame and rambling. Who cares dude. Say something clever or get off the mic. The most profound thing he says is "Uhhh".)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Press & Journal from Aberdeen Scotland has an article on the state and future of MLS and they declare it "bright." (thanks to Bart for this one)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kyle McCarthy at Goal.com comments on the decision by ESPN to eliminate their Thursday night games this season, and go to a schedule that can change depending on which games land on which nights.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

MLS Rumor City - Don't Tease Me Bro!

Hey Houston - I'm telling you, Fred is your answer. Go get him. The real Fred, not Fred2 from DC. The striker from Lyon. He is in talks to return to Brazil to play for Palmeiras or Fluminense. You can pay him as much as they can. Come on. Pick up the phone!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

MLS Stadium Talk

Hey Hey! They began demolition on the area where the Wizards new stadium will be built. Progress.
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US Soccer News

I heard from Glenn Davis down in Houston that San Jose midfielder Arturo Alvarez is appealing to FIFA to have his alliance to US Soccer wiped out, so he can join El Salvador. The rule is that if you play for a country on a senior team you cannot change. And if you play on a junior team you must apply to change before you turn 21. Alvarez is 23, and played for the USA U20 team. He has not played for the full team. We shall see. Either way, his offensive skills are good enough that he should get his chance with someone.
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THE MINNESOTA CONNECTION

St Paul's Tony Sanneh is in training camp with the LA Galaxy.
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Team USA

Official team blog
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Martin Rogers of Yahoo Sports writes about coach Bob Bradley's straight ahead no-nonsense approach to the game. Boring or successful?
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Here was your USA line up a year ago when they played Sweden at HDC and beat them 2-0:
G:
Brad Guzan
D:
Drew Moor
Eddie Robinson (Michael Parkhurst, 46)
Jimmy Conrad (Clarence Goodson, 46)
Ramiro Corrales
M:
Landon Donovan (Jeremiah White, 81)
Ricardo Clark
Maurice Edu
Brad Davis (Sacha Kljestan, 72)
F:
Taylor Twellman (Josmer Altidore, 46)
Pat Noonan (Chris Rolfe, 63)
Sub not used: G-Steve Cronin
Goals:
Eddie Robinson, 15'
Landon Donovan(PK) - 48' (Jozy Altidore drew the Penalty being taken down in the box)
Note: Donovan's goal set the new high water mark for all time USA goal scorers with 35.
-You can see video of the game highlights from last year right here.
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Here is the current US roster after injuries, departures and additions:
G:
Jon Busch
William Hesmer
Troy Perkins
Matt Pickens
D:
Jonathan Bornstein
Danny Califf
Ugo Ihemelu
Michael Parkhurst
Chris Wingert
Marvell Wynne
M:
Brian Carroll
Ricardo Clark
Eddie Gaven
Stuart Holden
Jack Jewsbury
Sacha Kljestan - at Celtic right now, but expected back for the game
Robbie Rogers
John Thorrington
F:
Brian Ching
Kenny Cooper
Charlie Davies
Chris Rolfe
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Noah Davis at Goal.com tells us who he would like to see in the starting 11.
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Americans In Europe

The Glasgow Herald talks to Maurice Edu about having to wait his turn at Rangers. Patience! They talk about DaMarcus Beasley too. Nothing new, but good stuff. Oh, and a little Obama talk too.
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Forward Mike Grella from Duke is getting a try out at Leeds in England. And the reports have been strong.
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Greg Seltzer of No Shorts Corners gives us a reason why Lee Nguyen signed with a team in Vietnam, rather stay in Europe of come back to the USA: "...the promise of a training stint with partnership giants Arsenal at the end of the season." I see.
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Landon Donovan at Bayern Munich

Here is what is on the docket for Landon Donovan and Bayern Munich over the next 2 weeks:
-Friendlies:
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bamberg -Sat Jan 17 - the game was played on a snow covered pitch with an orange ball. LD came on at half time already up 2-0 and did not figure in the last goal.
Bayern Munich 2-0 Kaiserslautern - Mon Jan 19 - LD came on as a sub in the 62nd minute and scored on a great glancing header to seal the win.
Bayern Munich v Mainz - Thu Jan 22
-DFB Pokal Round of 16:
Stuttgart v Bayern Munich - Tue Jan 27
-Bundesliga:
Hamburger v Bayern Munich - Fri Jan 30
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Transfer Rumors

Soccer 365 reports that RSL forward Robbie Findley is in Denmark getting a try out with Brondby.
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Americans In Mexico

Honduran midfielder Wilson Palacios was bought by Tottenham from Wigan.
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CONCACAF News

The Trinidad & Tobago Express reports on the training the team has begun in preparation for upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
-The biggest problem the coaching staff is facing is the rustiness of Dwight Yorke, and the overall lack of fitness around the team.
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The Tobago News has advice for Russell Latapy and Dwight Yorke - be careful how close you get to Slappy Jack.
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UNCAF Championship

The Central American Championship website.
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This 7 team tournament, being hosted by Honduras, will qualify 4 teams for next summers CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Semifinalists are the ones who will advance.
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Group A
Belize
Honduras
Nicaragua
El Salvador
Group B
Costa Rica
Guatemala
Panama
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Group Stage Matches & Scores:
-Thu Jan 22
El Salvador v Nicaragua
Honduras v Belize
-Fri Jan 23
Costa Rica v Panama
-Sat Jan 24
Belize v El Salvador
Honduras v Nicaragua
-Sun Jan 25
Guatemala v Costa Rica
-Mon Jan 26
Nicaragua v Belize
Honduras v El Salvador
-Tue Jan 27
Panama v Guatemala
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England News

The Guardian reports on Robinho's walking out on Manchester City. The player got a private jet and flew home to Brazil to take care of "family matters", which in reality was some woman's birthday party! Really! The player says he had the teams permission, while the team says he did not, and will be fined. Is this about Kaka not taking the huge pay day? Initial English bullshit tabloid headlines said he "stormed out of training", when in reality he slunk off like a rat.
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James Lawton of the Independent says that Manchester City have already become delusional because of the vast amount of money they have to spend.
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League Cup

Semifinals 2nd leg Matches & scores (with 1st leg scores included):
-Tue Jan 20
Manchester United 4-2 Derby - Man U adv 4-3 on agg.
-Wed Jan 21
Burnley 3-2 Tottenham - Tott adv 6-4 on agg.
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The Final at Wembley Stadium
-Sun Mar 1
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspurs
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European News

ITALY

Gazzetta has a few words with new Milan signing, centerback Thiago Silva, who was bought from Fluminense, but will not join them until the end of the Brazilian spring season.
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Inter Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been named 2008 Player of the Year in Italy.
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Copa Italia

Quarterfinal Matches & Scores:
-Wed Jan 21
Inter 2-1 Roma - Inter advances
Sampdoria 1-1 Udinese - Amp adv 4-1 on Penalties after the extra times ended tied.
-Thu Jan 22
Lazio v Torino
Napoli v Juventus
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NETHERLANDS

KNVB Beker
Round of 16 Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 20
Dordrecht 0-1 De Graafschap
Feyenoord Rotterdam 0-3 Heerenveen
-Wed Jan 21
AZ Alkmaar 3-0 Achilles 29
NEC Nijmegen 2-1 Sparta Rotterdam
Roda JC Kerkrade 2-0 Lienden
Volendam 3-0 SBV Excelsior
NAC Breda 2-2 Groningen - NAC win 7-6 on PK's after extra time ended in a draw
-Thu Jan 22
ADO Den Haag v Twente Enschede
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SPAIN

You have got to me kidding me - Reuters reports that the Spanish FA has fined Real Madrid 3000 Euros for their fans chanting racist slurs. What a joke.
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Sid Lowe of the Guardian writes about the mind games going on at Real Madird between the outgoing team president, and the returning new one (the man who created the failed Galacticos).
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Copa Del Rey
Quarterfinal 1st leg Matches & Scores:
-Wed Jan 21
Valencia 3-2 Sevilla
Espanyol 0-0 Barcelona
-Thu Jan 22
Mallorca v Real Betis
Athletic Bilbao v Sporting Gijon
Quarterfinal 2nd leg Matches & Scores (with 1st leg scores included):
-Wed Jan 28
Sporting Gijon v Athletic Bilbao
Barcelona v Espanyol (0-0)
Real Betis v Mallorca
Sevilla v Valencia (2-3)
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Jack Warner/Sepp Blatter/FIFA Idiocy & Scandal News

Andrew Jennings of Transparency in Sport tells us the story of Seppy & Slappy's buddy, the former Nigerian FIFA representative, who has been fired by his own country, and is suing a reporter for libel, yet still remains a voting member of the FIFA World Cup committee. With links to a couple other great articles on this subject.