Some News for Fri Jan 29, 2010

ME ME ME

Looks like I am making a run to Milwaukee this weekend. I have a new niece to welcome into the family. Hi Delaney! You never know where I might turn up, so if you see me please say hi. That big game on Sunday could be calling me to the Highbury!

STARTERS

It's official, Kenny Cooper is leaving 1860 Munich on loan to Plymouth Argyle and manager Paul Mariner.
-On a personal note, I have always had a slight affinity for this team connected to the name Argyle because I have a huuuuuuge love of argyle socks, which I wear almost every day! Hahaha.

dN

Sport has quotes from L'Equipe by Thierry Henry saying he is not coming to MLS this summer, and wants to stay at Barcelona through the 2010/11 season.

MLS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

INTERESTING UPDATE: Even though the current deal expires on Jan 31 the Players Union and the League Owners have agreed to extend the current deal to Feb 12 to they can continue down the road to agreement. All indications lately would lead us to believe that they are close on a deal, but not quite there yet. This is a good sign.

dN

Steve Davis at ESPN Soccernet writes that the players deserve more than they are currently getting.

DERBY DU NORD

Time to Celebrate! It's the Derby du Nord!

Match & Score:
-Sat Jan 30
Lille v Lens

BIG EUROPEAN CLUB MATCHES THIS WEEKEND

There are some really good matches on the schedule to end the month!

-Fri Jan 29
Braga v Sporting - the surprise #1 against the perennial powerhouse and current #4
-Sat Jan 30
Napoli v Genoa - here's an odd one for ya, the anti-derby. These two teams and their fans actually like each other!
Montpellier v Marseille - the shocking #2 hosts the always contending #4
-Sun Jan 31
Arsenal v Manchester United - will one of these two take command of the league, or will it stay in scrum formation
Sevilla v Valencia - the two teams everyone figures will battle it out for the 3rd Champions League spot
Feyenoord v Ajax - Hollands biggest rivals face off. It's not what it used to be, but they still have history.
Panathinaikos v AEK Athens - two of the big 3 go at each other.

MLS NEWS

The man with greatest name on the American soccer landscape, Two-Boys Gumede, is getting a tryout with DC United. Hooray Two-Boys! Hooray Beer! Boo Creepy guys who use their power and influence to scuttle the plans of others.

dN

Sam Stejskal of Chicago Now writes about possible Fire forward Collins John who played at Fulham with Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra.

dN

Stejskal also gets the full update from Fire technical director Frank Klopas.

MLS STADIUM BUILDING

Yesterday I described Houston's newest stadium plan as "suburban." As usual I had no idea what I was talking about, and several great commentors & readers set me straight. One, Jason, sent a very good explanation of what we are looking at here:

I feel compelled to correct your impression of the Dynamo's plan B. The location in question is right at the busiest freeway intersection in town, US59 and Loop 610. This site has a lot of positives:
1. It is just south of the Uptown/Galleria area, a major shopping destination that is extremely well known in Latin America, especially Mexico. Whenever Mexico plays in Houston, players and their WAGs are always seen here.
2. It is also just east of a major Hispanic area in Southwest Houston, and as you know Houston has had more success in attracting Hispanic fans than any other team, with the possible exception of DC United (I refuse to consider Chivas USA), but I have to give Houston the edge as they've done this almost entirely without any Hispanic players of note.
3. The site will be bordered by a light rail station serving two lines: The Uptown line will have its southern terminus here, While the University line will connect the Hispanic neighborhoods to the west and also reach into other working-class Hispanic neighborhoods to the southeast.

This site is most definitely not suburban, but well within the urban core of Houston. Despite the fact that I live a short bikeride from this location, I still prefer a downtown site. But if this cannot be achieved (and it's looking bad), this location will serve well. It is important to note that THIS IS NO FRISCO, NO BRIDGEVIEW, NO COMMERCE CITY. This will be an urban stadium, just not a downtown one.

I just don't want people getting the incorrect impression that this would be another disappointing stadium.

USSF DIVISION 2

Brian Quarstad of Inside Minnesota Soccer does a Q & A with Tampa Bay owner Andrew Nestor.

dN

The sad news for Tampa is that the team is going to play in a baseball stadium, and the layout makes the Kansas City stadium situation look downright homey:















AMERICANS IN EUROPE

The BBC talks to Landon Donovan. Good stuff.

CONCACAF

Friendly Match & Score:
-Sun Jan 31
Jamaica v Canada

ENGLAND

Top Premier League Team Standings (23 games played)
51 Chelsea (22 games played) - Next: Sat Jan 30 at Burnley
50 Manchester United - Next: Sun Jan 31 at Arsenal
49 Arsenal - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Manchester United
41 Tottenham - Next: Sat Jan 30 at Birmingham City
38 Liverpool - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Bolton
38 Manchester City (21 games played) - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Portsmouth

SPAIN

Top La Liga Team Standings (19 games played)
49 Barcelona - Next: Sat Jan 30 at Sporting Gijon
44 Real Madrid - Next: Sat Jan 30 at Deportivo La Coruna
39 Valencia - Next: Sun Jan 31 at Sevilla
34 Mallorca - Next: Sun Jan 31 at Xerez
34 Deportivo La Coruna - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Real Madrid
33 Sevilla - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Valencia

FRANCE

Top Ligue 1 Team Standings (21 games played)
47 Bordeaux - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Boulogne
39 Montpellier - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Marseille
37 Lille - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Lens
36 Marseille (20 games played) - Next: Sat Jan 30 at Montpellier
36 Lyon - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Paris St Germain
36 Monaco - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Nice
36 Auxerre - Next: Sun Jan 31 v St Etienne

dN

COUPE DE LA LIGUE
Round of 16
-Mon Feb 1
Bordeaux v Sedan

GERMANY

Top Bundesliga Team Standings (18 games played)
41 Bayer Leverkusen - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Freiburg
39 Bayern Munich - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Mainz
38 Schalke - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Hoffenheim
36 Dortmund - Next: Sun Jan 31 at Stuttgart
34 Hamburg - Next: Fri Jan 29 v Wolfsburg

ITALY

No one will ever know why Juventus waited until they had fallen so far this season to make a coaching change, but today they fired Ciro Ferrara and hired Alberto Zaccheroni to take over the rudder.

dN

Top Serie A Team Standings (21 games played)
49 Inter - Next: Sun Jan 31 at Parma
40 Milan (20 games played) - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Livorno
38 Roma - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Siena
37 Napoli - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Genoa
34 Palermo - Next: Sat Jan 30 at Bari
33 Juventus - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Lazio

COPA LIBERTADORES

The Preliminary (Llave) Round is underway with 12 teams play home and away for the final 6 spots (Ganador) in the 8 groups.

dN

Llave Matches & Scores:
1st Leg
-Tue Jan 26
Depotivo Tachira (Venezuela) 1-0 Libertad (Paraguay) - Ganador 1 - DT goal by Armando Maita.
Colon (Argentina) 3-2 Universidad Catolica (Chile) - Ganador 3 - Col goals by Federico Nieto, Esteban Fuertes & Facundo Bertoglio. UC goals both by Juan Morales.
-Wed Jan 27
Juan Aurich (Peru) 2-0 Estudiantes Tecos (Mexico) - Ganador 2 - JA goals both by Luis Tejada.
Real Potosi (Bolivia) 1-1 Cruzeiro (Brazil) - Ganador 4 - RP goal by Roberta Correa. Cru goal by Wellington Paulista.
Newell's Old Boys (Argentina) 0-0 Emelec (Ecudador) - Ganador 5
-Thu Jan 28
Junior (Colombia) 2-2 Racing Club (Uruguay) - Ganador 6 - Jun goals by Emerson Acuna & Martin Arzuaga. RC goals by Mathias Mirabaje & Jose Pallas.
2nd Leg
-Tue Feb 2
Libertad v Tachira (0-1) - Ganador 1
-Wed Feb 3
Estudiantes Tecos v Juan Aurich (0-2) - Ganador 2
Cruzeiro v Real Potosi (1-1) - Ganador 4
-Thu Feb 4
Racing Club v Junior (2-2) - Ganador 6
-Tue Feb 09
Universidad Catolica v Colon (2-3) - Ganador 3
-Wed Feb 10
Emelec v Newell's Old Boys (0-0) - Ganador 5

dN

The Group Stage begins on Tue Feb 9.

ALL AROUND THE WORLD

Simon Kuper of the Financial Times sees the good in football's globalisation, and uses Seattle as a prime example of that.

Some News for Thu Jan 28, 2010

STARTERS

Kenny Cooper is possibly being loaned out by 1860 to English team Plymouth Argyle. PA, who play in the Championship League, are coached by none other than former New England Revolution assistant Paul Mariner. I really don't understand this at all.

dN

Adrian Mutu got busted again. The Fiorentina striker was caught using cocaine in 2004 while with Chelsea, and now has again tested positive for stimulants. Cocaine was not named as the drug this time. His punishment could be severe.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

With the current deal set to expire at the end of the day on Sun Jan 31, both sides (League owners and Players union) have been around the conference table non-stop and a deal is fully expected to be reached without a grenade going off. Let's hope there are no snakes thrown in to the room at the last minute.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

It's being reported today that between now the time of the World Cup the Mexican national team will play 6 friendlies in the USA against the following opponents: Bolivia, New Zealand, Iceland, Ecuador, & Senegal.

Now, while it bothers me that Mexico's team is more popular in my country than the USA's team, I am hoping that our team plays some tougher opponents than this.

In the past few years we have seen the USA take a step up in quality for friendlies.

And I think we will see our team play at least 2 friendlies in the weeks leading up to the World Cup. Let's hope the competition is quality.

What our team really could use though is a company like SUM to market the shit out of them. Oh, wait, they already work with them. Never mind.

I guess Mexico really are the most popular soccer team in the United States.

MLS NEWS

Jack Bell of the New York Times with an article on Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe.

dN

Jose Romero of the Seattle Times on the idea of Sounders long range planning.

dN

Phil Collin of the LA Daily News on the start of Galaxy spring training. The team needs to start better than last season.

dN

The San Jose Earthquakes signed forward Chris Wondolowski to a contract extension.

dN

The Philadelphia local ABC affiliate has announced a deal to broadcast Union home games. Wow. This is no hard to find cable outlet were are talking about here. This is over the air network stuff. Again, Wow.

MLS STADIUM & FACILITY BUILDING

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that with negotiations on a downtown stadium seemingly stalled, the Dynamo are rolling out Plan B - a suburban stadium.

dN

Elliot Almond of the San Jose Mercury News reports on a new training facility for the Earthquakes. Ground will be broken today for construction.

dN

The South Delta Leader reports that the suburb of Delta has pulled out of a deal to host the Vancouver Whitecaps training center.

USA U20 TEAM AT COPA CHIVAS

The USA is out of the tournament after coming in last place in their Group.

dN

This was pretty bad for the USA U20 team, finishing with 0 wins, 3 losses and 2 ties, from 3 goals scored and 7 allowed.

dN

Group Stage
Matches & Scores:
USA 1-3 Pachuca
USA 1-1 Brazil
USA 0-1 UANL Tigres
USA 1-1 Atlas
USA 0-1 Saprissa

dN

Group B (All 5 games played)
13 Atlas (+8 GD)
10 Saprissa (+2 GD)
7 UANL Tigres (-1 GD)
4 Brazil (-1 GD)
4 Pachuca (-4 GD)
2 USA (-3 GD)

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

The Bolton News on the arrival of Stuart Holden.

dN

Landon Donovan scored his first goal in England yesterday as Everton beat Sunderland 2-0. He also had a near goal cleared off the goal line by a defender.

The Liverpool Daily Post talks to Everton coach David Moyes about his teams heavy February schedule, and the impact of Landon Donovan.
-The Everton website has words from:
-David Moyes
-Tim Howard
-Landon Donovan

ENGLAND

The most expensive purchase in EPL history is now officially gone, and can be considered a huge flop - Robinho has been sent on loan to Santos, his old club in Brazil.

SPAIN

COPA DEL REY - Quarterfinals
2nd Leg
-Wed Jan 27
Sevilla 0-1 Deportivo La Coruna - Sev advance 3-1 on aggregate.
Osasuna 0-3 Racing Santander -RS advance 5-1 on aggregate.
-Thu Jan 28
Getafe 0-1 Mallorca - series ends tied 2-2, so Getafe advance on the away goal tie breaker 2-1.
Celta Vigo 0-1 Atletico Madrid - AM advance 2-1 on aggregate.

And the Semifinalists are: Sevilla, Racing Santander, Getafe & Atletico Madrid.

GERMANY

The New York Times tells us about the exciting young German star-in-the-making Mesut Ozil.

dN

Eintracht Frankfurt has bought Turkish international midfielder Halil Altintop from Schalke.

ITALY

The Coppa Italia Semifinals are now all set.

COPPA ITALIA
Quarterfinals - Matches & Scores:
-Thu Jan 28
Inter 2-1 Juvenus
Semifinals:
1st Leg
-Tue Feb 2
Fiorentina v Inter
Roma v Udinese
-Tue Feb 9
Inter v Fiorentina
Udinese v Roma

COPA LIBERTADORES

The Preliminary (Llave) Round is underway with 12 teams play home and away for the final 6 spots (Ganador) in the 8 groups.

dN

Llave Matches & Scores:
1st Leg
-Tue Jan 26
Depotivo Tachira (Venezuela) 1-0 Libertad (Paraguay) - Ganador 1 - DT goal by Armando Maita.
Colon (Argentina) 3-2 Universidad Catolica (Chile) - Ganador 3 - Col goals by Federico Nieto, Esteban Fuertes & Facundo Bertoglio. UC goals both by Juan Morales.
-Wed Jan 27
Juan Aurich (Peru) 2-0 Estudiantes Tecos (Mexico) - Ganador 2 - JA goals both by Luis Tejada.
Real Potosi (Bolivia) 1-1 Cruzeiro (Brazil) - Ganador 4 - RP goal by Roberta Correa. Cru goal by Wellington Paulista.
Newell's Old Boys (Argentina) 0-0 Emelec (Ecudador) - Ganador 5
-Thu Jan 28
Junior (Colombia) v Racing Club (Uruguay) - Ganador 6
2nd Leg
-Tue Feb 2
Libertad v Tachira (0-1) - Ganador 1
-Wed Feb 3
Estudiantes Tecos v Juan Aurich (0-2) - Ganador 2
Cruzeiro v Real Potosi (1-1) - Ganador 4
-Thu Feb 4
Racing Club v Junior (-) - Ganador 6
-Tue Feb 09
Universidad Catolica v Colon (2-3) - Ganador 3
-Wed Feb 10
Emelec v Newell's Old Boys (0-0) - Ganador 5

dN

The Group Stage begins on Tue Feb 9.

Some News for Wed Jan 27, 2010

STARTERS

El D! LD! Lando! Landycakes! Landon Frickin Donovan! Call him what you want, he scored his first Everton goal today as they beat Sunderland 2-0!! Nicely done! See it here (scroll down.)

dN

We read today that over 30% of all World Cup tickets are still unsold. I can only hope that this means that all those ticket scalpers that bought boat loads of them hoping to make big bucks off Americans will have their greed rammed right back down their throats. And shame on FIFA for opening the door to these criminals in the first place.

dN

Baseball writer, former MLS press guy, and all around sports junkie Jeff Bradley is chronicling his trip througth Angola for the Africa Cup of Nations. Some extraordinary stuff here. I am really jealous. Thanks to Beau Dure of USA Today for the heads up.

dN

Estudiantes Tecos (formerly UAdG) of Mexico begins their Copa Libertadores hopes tonight in their 1st Leg game of the Play-In round. They travel to Chiclayo, Peru to face Club Juan Aurich, then host Leg 2 next Wed.

FACT OF THE DAY

It's official, Setanta USA will not last 3 seasons as Feb 28 has been announced as their shutdown date. Fox Soccer Channel has acquired most of the assets and will launch their new subscription channel presumably on Mar 1.

TWITTERVERSE

John Molinaro of the CBC: "@JohnMolinaro Onstad on labour talks: we only have 2 or 3 major stumbling blocks, which is a lot better where we were 2 weeks ago when we had 15 or 16"

dN

Inside Minnesota Soccer: "@MinnesotaSoccer - Anybody notice that Tampa Bay Rowdies don't seem to be called the Rowdies anymore? Website changed from tbrowdies.com site to fctampabay.com"

WHY?

So I was reading today that Colorado is going to host Seattle in a preseason game on March 19 as a charity fundraiser, and they are going to call it the Charity Shield. Why? That is the name of an English preseason game that pits the previous seasons Premier League champions against the FA Cup winners. We know that Seattle won the equivalent Open Cup last year, but what has Colorado won? Ever? Their lack of originality is killing me.

MLS NEWS

The Philadelphia Inquirer - and - the Delaware County Times - and - the Philadelphia Daily News all on day 1 in Union-land.

dN

The Seattle Post Intelligencer looks at Sounders season ticket sales - passed 30,000 already and will be capped at 32,000. Wow. Plus other teams notes.

dN

Chicago has made the loan signing of Polish left fullback Kryzsztof Krol official.

MLS RUMORS

Is New York serious about signing semi-ancient Eintracht Frankfurt keeper Oka Nikolov, who has been there for 18 years?

MLS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America gives us some update on the negotiations. Not much, but something. And better than nothing.

dN

The current deal expires on Jan 31, 2010. If no deal is in place by then the players could strike or the owners could lock them out.

USSF DIVISION 2

John Molinaro of the CBC talks to former DC United head coach Tom Soehn who is the new technical director of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

USA U20 TEAM

Copa Chivas
Jan 22 - 30 in Guadalajara Mexico
Official website

Group Stage Matches & Scores:
USA 1-3 Pachuca
USA 1-1 Brazil
USA 0-1 UANL Tigres
USA 1-1 Atlas
USA v Saprissa

Group B (4 of 5 games played)
10 Atlas (+7 GD)
7 Saprissa (+1 GD)
7 UANL Tigres (0 GD)
3 Brazil (-1 GD)
3 Pachuca (-4 GD)
2 USA (-3 GD)

There are 3 groups and the 1st & 2nd place team from each group, and the two best 3rd place teams will advance to the Quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals
A1 v 3-1
B1 v 3-2
C1 v A-2
C2 v B-2

NOTE: There are 3 teams from the United States in this tournament, and all are doing quite poorly: Houston Dynamo U18s are in last place of Group c with 0 points from 4 games and a -13 goal differential. Chivas USA U18 is in 5th place (out of 6 teams) in Group A with 3 points from 4 games and a -1 goal differential. And as noted above the USA U20s are in last place in Group B with 2 points from 4 games and a -3 goal differential.

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Game Action: (only those that played are listed)

ENGLAND - Premiership
Landon Donovan - Everton - started, played 76 minutes, scored the second goal, his debut, and won 2-0 at home over Sunderland.
Brad Friedel - Aston Villa - goes the full 90 as always, grabs another clean sheet as usual and draws 0-0 at home against Arsenal.
Tim Howard - Everton - went the full 90 and won 2-0 at home against Sunderland.

ENGLAND

LEAGUE CUP - Semifinals
2nd Leg - Matches & Scores:
-Wed Jan 27
Manchester United 3-1 Manchester City - Man U advance 4-3 on aggregate.
FINAL - Match & Score:
Aston Villa v Manchester United

dN

Top Premier League Team Standings (22 games played)
51 Chelsea - Last: Wed Jan 27 W 3-0 v Birmingham City
50 Manchester United (23 games played) - Next: Sun Jan 31 at Arsenal
49 Arsenal (23 games played) - Last: Wed Jan 27 D 0-0 at Aston Villa
41 Tottenham (23 games played) - Next: Sat Jan 30 at Birmingham City
38 Manchester City (21 games played) - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Portsmouth
38 Liverpool (23 games played) - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Bolton

SPAIN

COPA DEL REY - Quarterfinals
2nd Leg
-Wed Jan 27
Sevilla 0-1 Deportivo La Coruna - Sev advance 3-1 on aggregate.
Osasuna 0-3 Racing Santander - RC advance 5-1 on aggregate.
-Thu Jan 28
Getafe v Mallorca (2-1)
Celta Vigo v Atletico Madrid (1-1)

FRANCE

COUPE DE FRANCE Round of 32
-Wed Jan 27
Colmar 1-2 Boulogne
Nancy 0-2 Plabennec
-Tue Feb 2
Toulouse v Brest
-Wed Feb 3
Villefranche v Saint Etienne

dN

COUPE DE LA LIGUE
Round of 16
-Tue Jan 26
Le Mans 2-3 Bordeaux
Quarterfinals
-Wed Jan 27
Lorient 1-0 Lyon
Guingamp 0-1 Toulouse
Marseille 2-1 Lille
-Mon Feb 1
Bordeaux v Sedan

ITALY

COPPA ITALIA
Quarterfinals - Matches & Scores:
-Wed Jan 27
Milan 0-1 Udinese
-Thu Jan 28
Inter v Juvenus
Semifinalists:
Fiorentina, Roma, Udinese & ?

COPA LIBERTADORES

The Preliminary (Llave) Round kicks off today with 12 teams play home and away for the final 6 spots (Ganador) in the 8 groups.

Llave Matches & Scores:
1st Leg
-Tue Jan 26
Depotivo Tachira (Venezuela) 1-0 Libertad (Paraguay) - Ganador 1 - DT goal by Armando Maita.
Colon (Argentina) 3-2 Universidad Catolica (Chile) - Ganador 3 - Col goals by Federico Nieto, Esteban Fuertes & Facundo Bertoglio. UC goals both by Juan Morales.
-Wed Jan 27
Juan Aurich (Peru) v Estudiantes Tecos (Mexico) - Ganador 2
Real Potosi (Bolivia) v Cruzeiro (Brazil) - Ganador 4
Newell's Old Boys (Argentina) v Emelec (Ecudador) - Ganador 5
-Thu Jan 28
Junior (Colombia) v Racing Club (Uruguay) - Ganador 6

WORLD CUP 2010 - SOUTH AFRICA

Ronald Blum of the Associated Press talks to management at ESPN about their broadcast plans for the tournament.

A First Hand Report Of Fan Reaction To The Shooting Of Salvador Cabanas (And the cutlure of corruption & violence engulfing the country)

By Andrew McDonald, reporting from Mexico City


Today I went down to Estadio Azteca to check out the get-well ofrenda ("tribute") that was set-up to honor Salvador "Chava" Cabañas on the lower concourse of the stadium. As I approached, chanting was the first thing that caught my attention before I even saw the crowd.

As I rounded the corner, I saw this massive crowd of América fans bouncing up and down, with a huge Paraguayan flag represented as well. Perhaps some 500 people, most sporting the “azulcrema” Club América jersey, were unwavering in their expressed emotion for Chava. Singing and chanting, this almost-celebratory convergence lasted at least an hour.

However, there was also a more somber side to the day. Fans were adding lit candles, religious icons, photos, and other Cabañas regalia to the tribute wall. There were lots of tearful children, even some teenagers openly weeping. At one point, a group of about 25 people (mostly strangers) circled around, holding hands in the air, reciting rosary prayers. It's very clear that Club América, and Cabañas in particular, mean so much to many of the overwhelmingly working-class fans that follow the Club. In fact, there's even a barrio named "Cabañas" not far from the stadium with a gigantic mural in his honor.

One truth that has gained much traction since this high-profile shooting happened two days ago, is that much of Mexico is gripped by constant violence and impunity. In 2010, Mexico has the largest civilian casualty rates in the world of any nation not technically in a civil war. People are dying all the time, and it’s business as usual. If you’ve got money, no matter how heinous the crime, you can pay somebody to look the other way. Considering this, it’s not surprising that when there’s no sense of justice, people tend to take matters into their own hands.

Unfortunately and perhaps erroneously, a rumor (among many) that won’t seem to go away, has it that Cabañas accidentally ran somebody over a couple of weeks ago in his automobile and was let go by the police because of his clout as a footballer. Thus, motive for the supposed revenge shooting. Whether truth or fiction, it could never justify what happened to Cabañas.

But perhaps more telling than this persistent rumor, and at the root of its creation, is that such scenarios are all-too-real in Mexico. They just don’t typically involve the best footballer in the country getting shot. The 25 million or so who reside in this city are desperate for answers as to why violence and corruption seem to have a permanent choke hold on their country. Most I’ve spoken to seem resigned in the belief that the truth may never reach the light of day about what really happened to Salvador Cabañas. Such is the nature of their lived experience.

Hopefully, this high-profile incident will be the necessary catalyst for systemic change. I doubt most are holding their breath.


-Andrew MacDonald is a Minnesota native and Dunord reader living in Mexico City. He can be reached at... amacdonaldphotography@yahoo.com

Some News for Tue Jan 26, 2010

STARTERS

Stuart Holden is now a member of Bolton Wanderers. He talks to the team's official website here.

dN

The headline contained in this next link is pure Pro-Ruud Gullit Propaganda: Gullit blames self for Galaxy flop
Ronald Blum of the Associated Press talks to Ruud Gullit about his time as a coach in MLS at the LA Galaxy, and Ruudy is pretty good at pointing the finger at everyone else.
-Don't get me wrong, almost everything Gullit says here is completely true, and its not really his fault that he was a joke as a manager. We all know that he never should have had the job in the first place, that blame all goes to David Beckham's management and AEG. But Gullit takes no responsibility for anything in this article despite what the headline says.

dN

USA Today soccer writer Beau Dure will have his new book published in late May - Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer (thanks to Tom G for the link)




















dN

The Copa Libertadores preliminary rounds begin tonight for the South American club championship. See dedicated section below.

SALVADOR CABANAS

In case you missed it, Club America striker Salvador Cabanas of Paraguay was shot in the head during a night club altercation on Sunday. He is in stable condition, but the extent of his injury is not fully known yet. And yes, our best thoughts are with him.

There is a massive manhunt going on in Mexico for a suspect called El JJ. Police think he is the one who shot Cabanas in the head.
















THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT

Quite the interesting post here from Robb Heineman, President of the Kansas City Wizards, on the teams official blog Hillcrest Road. He seems to be saying, this is your team and our money, now lets make it something really cool happen. Again, interesting approach.

MLS NEWS

Don Ruiz of the Tacoma New Tribune talks to Seattle keeper Kasey Keller about Freddie Ljungberg's training camp day 1 no-show. Didn't go over real well with the fellas.

dN

Alright! Like I boldly predicted yesterday, it turns out Freddie Ljungburg was busy blogging instead of reporting to Seattle preseason training. It's a nice mixed bag of lame excuses, "my dog ate it" etc. The good part is, if he plays another top notch season no one will remember.

dN

John Molinaro of the CBC on Kansas City draft pick Teal Bunbury, and his father.

dN

Brian Lewis of the New York Post looks at the new duo in charge of Red Bull New York - Stoler & Backe.
-It looks like NYRB are hiring another Swede as an assistant coach - Goran Aral from Djurgardens.

dN

Hey, look, Freddie Ljungburg gives the new Red Bulls coach the double thumbs up.

dN

Noah Davis of Goal.com talks to Chivas midfielder Sacha Klestan about what went wrong last season, and what he needs to do to reclaim his spot as a top talent in MLS.

dN

Houston has signed veterans Richard Mulrooney and Eddie Robinson to contract extensions.

dN

The LA Galaxy blog gives a us detail on the teams roster and who was present for the first day of training yesterday. 20 of last years 25 are back. Veteran Tony Sanneh is not one of them.
-Photos.

dN

Jay Hipps of Center Line Soccer gives us a little taste of the 1st day of San Jose preseason action.

dN

ESPN with some Don Garber fluff - think People Magazine type crap - so why am I linking to it - I have no idea - and why am I conversing with myself like this - I have no idea - Tatoos, wine and cigars with Don Garber.

MLS PRESEASON MATCHES

Metrofanatic reports on the Red Bulls first match in Spain, as they tie CSKA Moscow 1-1.

MLS RUMORS

Metrofanatic also reports that the Red Bulls may have signed an Estonian international midfielder Joel Lindpere from Norwegian club Tromso.
-Looks like its an Erik Soler - Norway connection.

USSF DIVISION 2

London club Crystal Palace has filed for Bankruptcy, but the affiliated Baltimore club says this has no effect on their business: (Via Twitter) "This will not effect Crystal Palace Baltimore as we prepare for the upcoming USSF D2 season"

USL/NASL NEWS

Ryan Harbaugh of the blog Perfectly Weighted Through Ball from Huntsville Alabama tells us the story of the North Alabama Soccer League selling the NASL.com domain name to the reborn North American Soccer League.

NEW DIVISION 2 SOCCER TEAM IN MINNESOTA

Tim Hayes at Inside Minnesota Soccer updates us Minnesota Thunder fans on the status of players from the team's 2009 roster.

SOCCER IN AMERICA

One of our Friends In Football is Salt Lake City councilman Luke Garrott, and he gives us an update on a $40 Million project in his city that will bring tons more soccer fields for their youth. Good job man. We need more of this in every city!
-Article from the Salt Lake Tribune.
-Real Salt Lake will contribute $7.5 Million to this deal as a part of their arrangement to get public money for their stadium in Sandy.

TEAM USA

ESPN sits down with a video camera focused on coach Bob Bradley and grills him about the ugly game last Saturday v Honduras, players getting healthy, his son, Animal House, the World Cup etc etc. Animal House? (Via US Soccer on You Tube.)

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Friendly Match & Score
-Wed Feb 24
USA v El Salvador
Raymond James Stadium - Tampa FL

USA U20 TEAM

Copa Chivas
Jan 22 - 30 in Guadalajara Mexico
Official website

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Group Stage Matches & Scores:
USA 1-3 Pachuca
USA 1-1 Brazil
USA 0-1 UANL Tigres
USA 1-1 Atlas
USA v Saprissa

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Group B (4 of 5 games played)
10 Atlas (+7 GD)
7 Saprissa (+1 GD)
6 UANL Tigres (0 GD) (3 games played)
3 Pachuca (-4 GD)
2 Brazil (-1 GD) (3 games played)
2 USA (-3 GD)

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Ives Galarcep at Soccer by Ives talks to Oguchi Onyewu ab0out his rehab.
-Onyewu and Charlie Davies have spent the past 2 months side by side working on their injuries with former USA trainer Jim Hashimoto in Wilmington Delaware.

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The German papers are all reporting today that Kenny Cooper is back in Munich after rehabbing his knee here in the USA. But when will he play?

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Marcus Hahnemann with another good game for Wolverhampton as they stuffs Liverpool!

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Greg Seltzer of Soccer 365 tells us about a groin injury for Jon Paul Pittman.

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Seltzer also talks to Benny Feilhaber about his return to Aarhus from winter break and the USA training camp.

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Game Action: (only those that played are listed)

ENGLAND - Premiership
Marcus Hahnemann - Wolverhampton - played the full game and got a 0-0 tie v Liverpool.
Jonathan Spector - West Ham - went the full 90 as they drew 1-1 at Portsmouth.

ENGLAND - League One
Jemal Johnson - Stockport County - started and lasted 79 mintues, getting a Yellow Card, as they drew 1-1 at home with Brighton.

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Coming Up: (all possible players are listed)

ENGLAND - Premiership
Landon Donovan - Everton - Wed Jan 27 v Sunderland
Brad Friedel - Aston Villa - Wed Jan 27 v Arsenal
Brad Guzan - Aston Villa - Wed Jan 27 v Arsenal
Tim Howard - Everton - Wed Jan 27 v Sunderland

MEXICO

Giovanna Dos Santos has been loaned out by Tottenham to Galatasaray.

ENGLAND

LEAGUE CUP - Semifinals
2nd Leg - Matches & Scores:
-Wed Jan 27
Manchester United v Manchester City (1-2)

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Top Premier League Team Standings (22 games played)
50 Manchester United (23 games played) - Next: Sun Jan 31 at Arsenal
48 Chelsea (21 games played) - Next: Wed Jan 27 v Birmingham City
48 Arsenal - Next: Wed Jan 27 at Aston Villa
41 Tottenham (23 games played) - Last: Tue Jan 26 W 2-0 v Fulham - Next: Sat Jan 30 at Birmingham City
38 Manchester City (21 games played) - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Portsmouth
38 Liverpool (23 games played) - Last: Tue Jan 26 D 0-0 at Wolverhampton - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Bolton

FRANCE

COUPE DE FRANCE - Round of 32
Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 26
Auxerre 1-1 Sedan - Aux win 3-0 in Penalty Kick Shootout
Vannes 4-3 Grenoble
POSTPONED - Lens v Marseille
POSTPONED - Sochaux v Le Mans
-Wed Jan 27
Colmar v Boulogne
Nancy v Plabennec
-Tue Feb 2
Toulouse v Brest
-Wed Feb 3
Villefranche v Saint Etienne

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COUPE DE LA LIGUE - Round of 16
Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 26
Le Mans 2-3 Bordeaux
Quarterfinals
-Wed Jan 27
Lorient v Lyon
Guingamp v Toulouse
Marseille v Lille
-Mon Feb 1
Bordeaux v Sedan

ITALY

COPPA ITALIA - Quarterfinals
Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 26
Roma 1-0 Catania
-Wed Jan 27
Milan v Udineses
-Thu Jan 28
Inter v Juvenus
Semifinalists:
Fiorentina, Roma, ? & ?

COPA LIBERTADORES

The Prelimary (Llave) Round kicks off today with 12 teams play home and away for the final 6 spots (Ganador) in the 8 groups.

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Llave Matches & Scores:
1st Leg
-Tue Jan 26
Depotivo Tachira (Venezuela) v Libertad (Paraguay) - Ganador 1
Colon (Argentina) v Universidad Catolica (Chile) - Ganador 3
-Wed Jan 27
Juan Aurich (Peru) v Estudiantes Tecos (Mexico) - Ganador 2
Real Potosi (Bolivia) v Cruzeiro (Brazil) - Ganador 4
Newell's Old Boys (Argentina) v Emelec (Ecudador) - Ganador 5
-Thu Jan 28
Junior (Colombia) v Racing Club (Uruguay) - Ganador 6

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2nd leg matches are next week.

dN

The Group Stage begins on Tue Feb 9.

Some News for Mon Jan 25, 2010

TEAM USA JANUARY TRAINING CAMP

Friendly Match & Score:
-Sat Jan 23
USA 1-3 Honduras - USA goal by Clarence Goodson. Hon goals by Carlos Pavon(PK), Jerry Palacios & Roger Espinoza.
Venue: Home Depot Center - Carson CA
Attendance: 18,626
Match report from US Soccer.
Post game quotes by USA coach and players from US Soccer.
Match report by Paul Kennedy of Soccer America.
Player ratings by Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America.
Post game analysis by Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America.
Player ratings by Greg Seltzer at Soccer 365.
Post game analysis by Nick Green of the Daily Breeze on his blog 100 Percent Soccer.
Match report by Phil Collin of the LA Daily News.
Match report by Luis Bueno of the Press Enterprise.
Match report by Grahame Jones of the LA Times.
Match report & player ratings from ESPN Soccernet.
Post game analysis by Martin Rogers of Yahoo Sports.
Player ratings by Jack Bell of the New York Times.

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Billy Witz of the New York Times on Jonathan Bornstein, the USA and Honduras hero.

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Official Blog

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du Nord 3 Stars of the Game
3 Jonathan Bornstein - the only USA player to look like he actually belonged on the field. He was far from perfect, but his teammates put in so many bad spots that he found himself in over and over again, not to mention that fact that he became one of three backs after Conrad's stupid Red Card, and moved to centerback when Bradley FINALLY brought on another defender after the break (but the damage had already been done.)
2 Walter Martinez - a true terror on the right wing. Kept Bornstein & Rogers occupied so much that they had trouble contributing to the USA attack. And he made a lot of defenders look silly. Why isn't he in MLS?
1 Jerry Palacios - drew a penalty for the first goal, set up the third goal, and scored the second which was the game winner on a great diving header. A complete menace to the USA centerbacks all game long. It could have been worse too as he mercifully headed to the bench in the 61st minute.
Others of Note: Clarence Goodson, Brad Davis and Alejandro Bedoya also game a good showing for themselves with quality, efficiency and tenacity (qualities that were lacking in many other USA players on the night.)

STARTERS

Oh this is awful ..... The Associated Press reports that Salvador Cabanas, one of the best forwards in the Mexican Primera and on the Paraguay national team for the past decade was shot in the head during an altercation with 2 men. Via Yahoo Sports. We are having good thoughts for him and his loved ones.
-And here are some official words from his team Club America (in Spanish.)

dN

Is Stuart Holden official at Bolton? We have at least second hand confirmation via Houston developmental player Erik Eustruck who Twittered: "Congrats @stuholden22 on signing w the Bolton Wanderers!"

CHARLIE DAVIES INJURY UPATE

Ives Galarcep writing for ESPN Soccernet tells us the latest news on the Charlie Davies rehab project. With real quotes from CD9.
-Galarcep gives us more notes on Davies from his own site Soccer by Ives.

FACT OF THE DAY

Jose Mourinho has not lost a home game in 8 years, in all competitions, no matter who he is managing! Simply astonishing!

BIG EUROPEAN CLUB MATCHES THIS WEEKEND

-Sat Jan 23
Juventus 1-2 Roma - #2 in the standings just a month ago, Juve are in freefall dropping now to 6th place, while Roma charge the opposite direction only 2 points out of #2.
-Sun Jan 24
Inter 2-0 Milan - #1 finishes the game with just 9 men on the field but still dominates their rivals to take a 9 point lead in the league.
Getafe 1-0 Atletico Madrid - the home side wins the lesser Madrid derby.

HAITIAN RELIEF EFFORTS

USA & Chivas USA player Jonathan Bornstein is holding an EBay auction to raise money for Haiti. He is selling the shoes he wore when he scored his now famous goal against Costa Rica.

TWITTERVERSE

Kei Kamara of the Kansas City Wizards comments on the state of soccer in his homeland: "uuuhhhh Nigeria won...Sierra Leone we need to do something...players deserve to be up there but Federation is Shit"

MLS NEWS

Jose Romero of the Seattle Times looks at season 2 for the Sounders. How will they match or exceed season 1?

dN

Romero gives us day 1 of Seattle preseason. No Ljungberg! Maybe he is blogging? Plus CBA and Fredy Montero talk.

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Chivas USA has announced that head coach Martin Vasquez will be assisted this season by Carlos Llamosa along with newcomers Carlos Juarez, Nick Theslof & Daniel Gonzalez.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer runs an article on the Union entitled: Team official foresees success for pro soccer in Phila.
-Gee Whiz Mr Wizard! Did ya come up with that headline all on your own, or was it a full editorial staff effort? We all know a team exec is not going to say: "I don't see us doing all that well." I hope the Philly papers have some better soccer coverage than this on a regular basis or we are all doomed.

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(This is more like it:) The Philly Inquirer with an article on the great American legend Walter Bahr who talks past, present and future.

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Gareth Wheeler of the Toronto Sun looks at the Preki factor. What will the new head coach bring to TFC?

MLS RUMORS

Is former Toronto goalkeeper Greg Sutton going to sign with the New York Red Bulls? Is he in Spain with them right now? What about the German keeper they were lining up?

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The two most recent rumor reports from Soccer 365 on Fredy Montero, Eduardo (not the uhmm Croatian), DaMarcus Beasley, Stuart Holden, Amaechi Igwe, Vincenzo Bernardo, Steve Clark and Andrew Quinn.

MLS STADIUM BUILDING

Greg Seltzer at Soccer 365 interviews KC Wiz team pres Robb Heinemann about his vision for the new facilities.

NEW DIVISION 2 SOCCER TEAM IN MINNESOTA

The Coon Rapids Herald with a nice recap of the meeting of the minds last week up in Blaine.

USA U20 TEAM

Copa Chivas
Jan 22 - 30 in Guadalajara Mexico
Official website

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Group Stage Matches & Scores:
USA 1-3 Pachuca
USA 1-1 Brazil
USA 0-1 UANL Tigres
USA v Atlas
USA v Saprissa

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GROUP B STANDINGS (3 of 5 games played)
9 Atlas (+7 GD)
6 UANL Tigres (0 GD)
4 Saprissa (-1 GD)
3 Pachuca (-2 GD)
2 Brazil (-1 GD)
1 USA (-3 GD)

dN

There are 3 groups and the 1st & 2nd place team from each group, and the two best 3rd place teams will advance to the Quarterfinals.

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Zak Whitbread made his debut for Norwich after missing the whole first half of the season at Millwall with an injury. Not a bad move for him moving from the 8th place team to the #1 squad in League One.

dN

Greg Seltzer of Soccer 365 talks to Hunter Freeman about his return from ankle surgery.

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Yanks Abroad is reporting that Kamani Hill may be loaned out by Guimares.

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Game Action: (only those that played are listed)

ENGLAND - FA Cup - 4th Round
Landon Donovan - Everton - started and went 76 minutes but they lost at home 1-2 to Birmingham.
Brad Guzan - Aston Villa - went the full 90 as they beat Brighton 3-2 at home.
Tim Howard - Everton - went the distance but lost 1-2 at home to Birmingham.

ENGLAND - Championship
Jay DeMerit - Watford - went the full 90 but lost 3-2 at Blackpool.

ENGLAND - League One
Jemal Johnson - Stockport County - got the start on his debut and went the full 90 as they drew 0-0 at Carlisle United.
Zak Whitbread - Norwich - came on at half time in his debut and they beat Brentford 1-0 at home. Good start.

FRANCE - Coupe de France
Carlos Bocanegra - Rennes - went the full 90 as they won 0-4 at at Sumar in the Round of 32.

GERMANY - Bundesliga
Michael Bradley - Monchengladbach - went the full game and drew 0-0 at Hertha.
Steve Cherundolo - Hannover - played the entire match but they lost 1-0 at Mainz.

GERMANY - 2 Bundesliga
Matt Taylor - Frankfurt - started and played 63 minutes in a brutal loss at home 0-5 to Greuther Furth.

Greece -
Eddie Johnson - Aris Thessalonika - came on as a sub in the 68th minute as they went to Panathinaikos and drew 0-0.

NETHERLANDS - Eerste Divisie
Charles Kazlauskas - Helmond Sport - played the entire match but got crush at De Graafschap 4-0.

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Coming Up: (all possible players are listed)

ENGLAND - Premiership
Landon Donovan - Everton - Wed Jan 27 v Sunderland
Brad Friedel - Aston Villa - Wed Jan 27 v Arsenal
Brad Guzan - Aston Villa - Wed Jan 27 v Arsenal
Marcus Hahnemann - Wolverhampton - Tue Jan 26 v Liverpool
Tim Howard - Everton - Wed Jan 27 v Sunderland
Jonathan Spector - West Ham - Tue Jan 26 at Portsmouth

AMERICANS IN EUROPE - RUMORS

Is today the day that Bolton signs Stuart Holden to a 6 month contract?? Looks like it is.

AMERICANS IN MEXICO

PRIMERA DIVISION
Edgar Castillo - UANL Tigres - went the distance but lost 1-3 at Guadalajara.
Herculez Gomez - Pueblo - came on in the 51st minute as they won on the road 2-3 at Tecos.
Jose Francisco Torres - Pachuca - started and played 70 minutes but they lost 1-0 at Queretaro.
Marco Vidal - Indios Juarez - went the full 90 as they drew 0-0 at home against Santos Laguna.

ENGLAND

32 teams faced off in the 4th Round of the FA Cup this past weekend. Here are those results.
-As far as big upsets go Arsenal was knocked out by Stoke City and Reading beat Burnley.
-The 5th Round will be played Sat Feb 13, with the big matchup being the Southcoast derby - Southampton v Portsmouth!

SPAIN

At the official half way point of the season Barca not only lead the league by 5 points, but they still have not lost a game this season, and have never even trailed in a game!! Wow!

dN

Phil Ball of ESPN Soccernet gives us the mid-season report from Spain's top flight.

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Sid Lowe of the Guardian tells us about Getafe, they of the hilarious Burger King shirts that can be flipped inside out to present the King-face, are #2 in Madrid these days, and a round up of the rest of La Liga.

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Top La Liga Team Standings (19 games played)
49 Barcelona - Last: Sat Jan 23 W 0-3 at Valladolid - Next: Sat Jan 30 at Sporting Gijon
44 Real Madrid - Last: Sun Jan 24 W 2-0 v Mallorca - Next: Sat Jan 30 at Deportivo La Coruna
39 Valencia - Last: Sun Jan 24 D 0-0 at Tenerife - Next: Sun Jan 31 at Sevilla
34 Mallorca - Last: Sat Jan 23 L 2-0 at Real Madrid - Next: Sun Jan 31 at Xerez
34 Deportivo La Coruna - Last: Sat Jan 23 W 3-1 v Bilbao - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Real Madrid
33 Sevilla - Last: Sat Jan 23 W 1-0 v Almeria - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Valencia

FRANCE

COUPE DE FRANCE Round of 32
-Fri Jan 22
Saumur 0-4 Stade Rennes
-Sat Jan 23
Beauvais 3-0 Agen
Quevilly 1-0 Angers
Bordeaux 5-1 Ajaccio
Raon-l'Etape 0-1 Vesoul
Mulhouse 0-1 Guingamp
-Sun Jan 24
Paris St Germain 3-1 Evian Thonon Gaillard
Monaco 2-1 Lyon
-Tue Jan 26
Auxerre v Sedan
Vannes v Grenoble
Lens v Marseille
Sochaux v Le Mans
-Wed Jan 27
Colmar v Boulogne
Nancy v Plabennec
-Tue Feb 2
Toulouse v Brest
-Wed Feb 3
Villefranche v Saint Etienne

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COUPE DE LA LIGUE
Round of 16
-Tue Jan 26
Le Mans v Bordeaux
Quarterfinals
-Wed Jan 27
Lorient v Lyon
Guingamp v Toulouse
Marseille v Lille
-Mon Feb 1
Le Mans/Bordeaux winner v Sedan

GERMANY

Ruud-Booy Van Nistelrooy has taken his dog and pony show to Hamburg!

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Wolfsburg, last seasons surprise champions, have fired manager Armin Veh.

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Raphael Honigstien of the Guardian looks at Wolfsburg's hideous season and the rest of the weekend in die Bundesliga.

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Top Bundesliga Team Standings (18 games played)
41 Bayer Leverkusen- Last: Sun Jan 24 W 0-3 at Hoffenheim - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Freiburg
39 Bayern Munich - Last: Sat Jan 23 W 2-3 at Werder Bremen - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Mainz
38 Schalke - Last: Sat Jan 23 D 2-2 at Bochum - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Hoffenheim
36 Dortmund - Last: Sat Jan 23 W 1-0 v Hamburg - Next: Sun Jan 31 at Stuttgart
34 Hamburg - Last: Sat Jan 23 L 1-0 at Dortmund - Next: Fri Jan 29 v Wolfsburg

ITALY

Paolo Bandini of the Guardian looks at Inter's latest theories of plots against them, and then tells us about the last weekend of matches in Serie A.

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COPPA ITALIA
Quarterfinals - Matches & Scores:
-Tue Jan 26
Roma v Catania
Milan v Udineses
Inter v Juvenus
Semifinals - Matches & Scores:
Fiorentina v ??
?? v ??

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Top Serie A Team Standings (21 games played)
49 Inter - Last: Sun Jan 24 W 2-0 v Milan - Next: Sun Jan 31 at Parma
40 Milan (20 games played) - Last: Sun Jan 24 L 2-0 at Inter - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Livorno
38 Roma - Last: Sat Jan 23 W 1-2 at Juventus - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Siena
37 Napoli - Last: Sun Jan 24 W 0-2 at Livorno - Next: Sat Jan 30 v Genoa
34 Palermo - Last: Sun Jan 24 W 3-0 v Fiorentina - Next: Sat Jan 30 at Bari
33 Juventus - Last: Sat Jan 23 L 1-2 v Roma - Next: Sun Jan 31 v Lazio

ALL AROUND THE WORLD

Barney Ronay of the Guardian gives us Five Things We Learned This Weekend .... in football.

Some News for Fri Jan 22, 2010

TEAM USA JANUARY TRAINING CAMP

Friendly Match & Score:
-Sat Jan 23
USA v Honduras - 8pm Central - Fox Soccer Channel
Venue: Home Depot Center - Carson CA

I will be at the Sweetwater in St Paul taking in all the action. Hope to see you there!

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US Soccer gives us the facts and figures in preview.

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Official Blog

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Noah Davis of Goal.com talks to Robbie Rogers about USA, Columbus Crew, the future etc.

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Luke Cyphers of ESPN Soccernet writes about Jonathan Bornstein, or as they call him in Honduras St Jonny.

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John Molinaro of the CBC talks to Bob Bradley about prep for the World Cup, and what role friendly matches play in that.

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ESPN Soccernet says the extended camp has turned into a soggy one, but the guys there for the first time don't mind at all.

NEW DIVISION 2 SOCCER TEAM IN MINNESOTA

Last night several dozen people with a connection to the world of soccer in Minnesota sat down with the management team behind the new Minnesota club. Many questions were asked back and forth and some info was disseminated. The most exciting news was word that the team is in negotiations was a European team and a MLS team to share players, mostly taking them in on loan for a season from the senior team, and then giving the best Minnesota players a chance to train with those bigger clubs. Any announcement of details a month or more away, but its a step in the right direction for the long haul.

The process for hiring a coach, signing players naming the team, selecting the colors etc is all in motion.

How they field a team in approximating 10 weeks time from now is beyond me, and I certainly wouldn't put any of my hard earned money on them to win that game, even though I think they should!

I was also shocked that virtually no one from the Twin Cities soccer community of a non-Caucasian persuasion was in attendance. Shocked! How short sighted was that?

STARTERS

The USA U20 team got bounced 3-1 by Pachuca today at the Copa Chivas down in Guadalajara. This was the first of 5 group stage games. This is not the way to kick it off. See more info on team and tourney in USA U20 section below.

dN

Rumors were running rampant last night that an agreement in principal was in place between MLS and their Players Union on a new collective bargaining agreement. I think that was totally premature, and the real story was that the Union told their players to report to their club's training camps as usual.

BIG EUROPEAN CLUB MATCHES THIS WEEKEND

-Sat Jan 23
Juventus v Roma - two long time stalwarts who do not like each other battle just to stay in the chase.
-Sun Jan 24
Inter v Milan - it's not just the Derby della Madonnina, it's #1 v #2 in Serie A too.
Getafe v Atletico Madrid - the much lesser Madrid derby.

HAITIAN RELIEF EFFORTS

Real Madrid is going to rebuild a school that was destroyed in the quake.

THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT

Got a cool note from my friend in football Ben at The Original Winger about a pretty cool idea: "...the guys from the new MTV show called The Buried Life ... are involved in a charity that builds soccer fields for kids in war torn countries. MTV has told them that if they get 75k fans on the Facebook fan page that MTV will pay for a soccer field to be built in Uganda."

So here is Ben's full story, and their Facebook link (Let's make MTV put their money on the table - it only takes about 1.4 seconds to join.)

MLS NEWS

Reuters is reporting that New York will open their brand new Red Bull Arena in an exhibition against Santos of Brazil, the team of Pele. The game will be played on Mar 20.

dN

The folks in Kansas City tell me that their new signing Stephane Auvray is "he's a central, holding-type midfielder." Good to know.
-Last night I realized that KC's other new player Pablo Andres Escobar was not only the name sake of the notorious drug overlord (Pablo), but also of the Colombia centerback who scored the Own Goal for the USA at the 94 World Cup (Andres). That is one hell of a burdened name.

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The Wizards will also begin their preseason training next Tuesday.

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Swap Time: New England sends defensive midfielder Jeff Larentowicz & winger Wells Thompson to Colorado for centerback Cory Gibbs, goalkeeper & World's Ugliest Man contestant Preston Burpo, money and a future draft pick.
-On the surface that is a steal for Colorado, but in reality Larentowicz is in line for a big bump in pay, and has indicated he may leave MLS for Europe.

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The Washington Post reports on DC United's new signing Floribet N'Galula. He can play defensive midfield or centerback. He is from the DR Congo.

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San Jose has signed Montreal midfielder Joey Gjertsen. Last year they got Samurai Ribeiro from Montreal too.

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Greg Seltzer of Soccer 365 breaks down the roster that Philadelphia has built so far. What do they need?

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The Philadelphia Daily News with an article on the Union's returning-to-MLS international player Dan Califf.

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Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle tell of the Dynamo's frustration with the ongoing Stuart Holden potential European transfer saga.

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Houston has acquired defensive midfielder Kevin Harmse from Chivas USA in exchange for a future draft pick. He will be more cover for the departure of Rambo Clark.

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James Edward of the Deseret News looks at Salt Lake's preseason plans which begin on Feb 10.

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A weekly round-up of former players from MLS.

MLS STADIUM BUILDING

The Oregonian reports that the financial plan to upgrade Portland's PGE Park is in the home stretch, and appears free of all hurdles. The last stamp is expected within the next week.
-Blue Oregon has an open letter from city mayor Sam Adams about the final deal.

TEAM USA

Martin Rogers of Yahoo looks at the positives for Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey with the big dance ahead.

USA U20 TEAM @ COPA CHIVAS

Copa Chivas
Jan 22 - 30 in Guadalajara Mexico
Official website

Here is the team roster:
G:
Earl Edwards - UCLA
Zac MacMath - Maryland
D:
Michael Ambrose - FC Dallas
Bryan Gallego - NY Red Bulls
Moises Hernandez - FC Dallas
Zach Herold - Toronto FC
Perry Kitchen - Akron
Emilio Orozco - Rampage FC
Eriq Zavaleta - FC Pride
M:
Marlon Duran - Latino Americano
Luis Gil - Pateadores
Fuad Ibrahim - Toronto FC
Carlos Martinez - Wilmington Jr.
Amobi Okugo - Philadelphia Union
Nick Palodichuk - Washington Premier
F:
Juan Agudelo - NY Red Bulls
Victor Chavez - Real So Cal
Andrew Craven - First Coast Kickers
Stefan Jerome - West Pines United FC
Jack McInerney - Philadelphia Union

Matches & Scores
USA 1-3 Pachuca
USA v Brazil
USA v UANL Tigres
USA v Atlas
USA v Saprissa

The 3 Groups:

Group A
3 Mexico (+1)
0 Chivas USA (-1)
1 Catolica (0)
1 Tecos (0)
0 Tokyo (-1)
3 Santos Laguna (+1)
Group B
0 Brazil (-1)
3 Atlas (+1)
0 USA (-2)
3 Pachuca (+2)
3 Saprissa (+2)
0 UANL Tigres (-2)
Group C
1 Japan (0)
1 Monterrey (0)
0 Houston Dynamo (-2)
3 America (+2)
? Morelia (-)
? Guadalajara (-)

The 1st & 2nd place team from each group, and the two best 3rd place teams will advance to the Quarterfinals.

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Adam Spangler of This Is American Soccer talks to Lee Nguyen about his failed attempt to play in MLS this season, and his return to Vietnam where he is a superstar.

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Chicago Now lays down the readers questions and Chris Rolfe provides the tough answers.

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Coming Up: (all possible players are listed)

FRANCE - Coupe de France
Carlos Bocanegra - Rennes - Fri Jan 22 at Sumar (Round of 32)

GERMANY - 2 Bundesliga
Kenny Cooper - 1860 Munich - Fri Jan 22 v Hansa Rostock
Matt Taylor - Frankfurt - Fri Jan 22 v Greuther Furth

NETHERLANDS - Eerste Divisie
Charles Kazlauskas - Helmond Sport - Fri Jan 22 at De Graafschap

CANADA

John Molinaro of the CBC feels the USA has been building the national team program the right way, and Canada could take some lessons.

ENGLAND

32 teams face off in the 4th Round of the FA Cup with weekend. Here are those matches.

dN

Chelsea's star midfielder Michael Essien could be out up to 2 months with a torn meniscus in his right knee.

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Top Premier League Team Standings (after 22 games)
48 Arsenal - Next: Wed Jan 27 at Aston Villa
48 Chelsea (after 21 games) - Next: Wed Jan 27 v Birmingham
47 Manchester United - Next: Sat Jan 23 v Hull
38 Tottenham - Next: Tue Jan 26 v Fulham
38 Manchester City (after 21 games) - week off
37 Liverpool - Next: Tue Jan 26 at Wolverhampton

SPAIN

COPA DEL REY - Quarterfinals
1st Leg
-Thu Jan 21
Atletico Madrid 1-1 Celta Vigo
Racing Santander 2-1 Osasuna
2nd Leg
-Wed Jan 27
Sevilla v Deportivo La Coruna (3-0)
Osasuna v Racing Santander (1-2)
-Thu Jan 28
Getafe v Mallorca (2-1)
Celta Vigo v Atletico Madrid (1-1)

dN

Top La Liga Team Standings (after 18 games)
46 Barcelona - Next: Sat Jan 23 Valladolid
41 Real Madrid - Next: Sun Jan 24 v Malaga
38 Valencia - Next: Sun Jan 24 at Tenerife
33 Mallorca - Next: Sun Jan 24 at Espanyol
31 Deportivo La Coruna - Next: Sat Jan 23 v Athletic Bilbao
30 Sevilla - Next: Sat Jan 23 v Almeria
30 Athletic Bilbao - Next: Sat Jan 23 at Deportivo La Coruna

FRANCE

COUPE DE FRANCE
-Fri Jan 22
Saumur v Stade Rennes
-Sat Jan 23
Beauvais v Agen
Quevilly v Angers
Bordeaux v Ajaccio
Raon-l'Etape v Vesoul
Mulhouse v Guingamp
-Sun Jan 24
Paris St Germain v Evian Thonon Gaillard
Monaco v Lyon

GERMANY

Top Bundesliga Team Standings (after 18 games)
38 Bayer Leverkusen - Next: Sun Jan 24 at Hoffenheim
37 Schalke - Next: Sat Jan 23 at Bochum
36 Bayern Munich - Next: Sat Jan 23 at Werder Bremen
34 Hamburg - Next: Sat Jan 23 at Dortmund
33 Dortmund - Next: Sat Jan 23 v Hamburg

ITALY

Top Serie A Team Standings (after 20 games)
46 Inter - Next: Sun Jan 24 v Milan
40 Milan (after 19 games) - Next: Sun Jan 24 at Inter
35 Roma - Next: Sat Jan 23 at Juventus
34 Napoli - Next: Sun Jan 24 at Livorno
33 Juventus - Next: Sat Jan 23 v Roma
31 Palermo - Next: Sun Jan 24 v Fiorentina

ARGENTINA

Boca Juniors coach Alfio Basile has walked out after a terrible fall season in which the finished 11th, and an equally bad preseason for this spring.

Some News for Thu Jan 21, 2010

STARTERS

Freddy Adu was officially introduced by Aris today! And he was given the number 11 shirt. They are not messing around with expectations.













TWITTERVERSE

Where is Vincenzo Bernardo? "Solid training. Very pleased, if you guys didn't find out already I am in Kansas city."

MLS NEWS

DC United has named their former assistant coach Chad Ashton as their new technical director.

dN

Kansas City has added 2 new internationals to their roster:
-Midfielder (trying to find out which spot) - Stephane Auvray - 28 - Guadeloupe - Nimes Olimpique (Ligue 2)
-Centerback - Pablo Andres Escobar (Pablo Escobar?? You gotta be kidding me!) - 22 - Colombia - Deportivo Cali

dN

Philadelphia made it official on signing centerback Dan Califf.

dN

Chicago made the loan deal official to get Salvadoran midfielder Julio Martinez from Leon.

dN

Toronto has bought wide midfielder/forward Jacob Peterson from Colorado.

dN

Clemente Lisi of the US National Soccer Players Assoc does a Q & A with New York defensive midfielder Seth Stammler.

MLS PRESEASON MATCHES

4 teams will play in the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic.
-Thu Feb 25
Houston Dynamo v New York Red Bulls
FC Dallas v Toronto FC
-Sat Feb 27
Championship Game
Third Place Game

MLS RUMORS

The latest talk from Soccer 365. Includes mentions of Raul, Eric Lichaj, Collins John & Oka Nikolov.

TEAM USA JANUARY TRAINING CAMP

Official Blog

dN

Brain Strauss of Fanhouse writes about Robbie Findley. Will he emerge as an elite striker ala Charlie Davies?
-Doubtful.

dN

Yanks Abroad looks at the real value this yearly January camp has.

dN

Friendly Match & Score:
-Sat Jan 23
USA v Honduras - 8pm Central - Fox Soccer Channel
Venue: Home Depot Center - Carson CA

dN

Who will be the new voice of the USA on FSC now that Max Bretos has moved on to ESPN?

dN

Below is the Honduras roster. The team is made up of all domestic based players except for one from MLS, meaning a half dozen or so regulars will not be on this team, which is a quite a few less than the USA that will be almost all non-regulars.

G:
Ricardo Canales - Motagua
Donis Escober - Olimpia
Noel Valladares - Olimpia
D:
Mariano Acevedo - Marathon
Osman Chavez - Platense
Oscar Boniek Garcia - Olimpia
Emilio Izaguirre - Motagua
Erick Norales - Marathon
Carlos Palacios - Real Espana
Johnny Palacios - Olimpia
Mauricio Sabillon - Marathon
M:
Roger Espinoza - Kansas City Wizards
Amado Guevara - Motagua
Danilo Turcios - Olimpia
Melvin Valladares - Real Espana
F:
Walter Martinez - Marathon
Jerry Palacios - Marathon
Carlos Pavon - Real Espana
Georgie Welcome - Motagua

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Yanks Abroad reports that Braga is NOT interested in Stuart Holden. Honestly, I am still not 100% sold on this.

dN

The Washington Times gets us some updates on the trial and tribulations of Freddy Adu. Contains actual words from Freddy.

dN

Soccer 365 has words from Bob Bradley on Landon Donovan being at Everton.

dN

Coming Up: (all possible players are listed)

FRANCE - Coupe de France
Carlos Bocanegra - Rennes - Fri Jan 22 at Sumar (Round of 32)

GERMANY - 2 Bundesliga
Kenny Cooper - 1860 Munich - Fri Jan 22 v Hansa Rostock
Matt Taylor - Frankfurt - Fri Jan 22 v Greuther Furth

NETHERLANDS - Eerste Divisie
Charles Kazlauskas - Helmond Sport - Fri Jan 22 at De Graafschap

AMERICANS IN EUROPE - RUMORS

Yanks Abroad talks to Benny Feilhaber about talk of interest in him from a team(s) in Spain.

dN

Greg Seltzer of Soccer 365 gives us the latest word from Steaua Buchuresti's interest in Josh Tudela.

dN

Man U defender Gary Neville has long been known as one of the least gracious players in all of soccer, and he added another entry to his resume (oh sorry, CV) this week. Man City's Carlos Tevez scored 2 goals against his old team Man U and taunted the team and fans by cupping his ears in the manner of "I can't hear you!!" To which big Gary felt disrespected and responded by flipping the bird to Tevez, then went off oh him to the press after the game. Yup, shit for brains verified.

SPAIN

COPA DEL REY - Quarterfinals
1st Leg
-Wed Jan 20
Deportivo La Coruna 0-3 Sevilla
Mallorca 1-2 Getafe
-Thu Jan 21
Atletico Madrid v Celta Vigo
Racing Santander 2-1 Osasuna
2nd Leg
-Wed Jan 27
Sevilla v Deportivo La Coruna (3-0)
Getafe v Mallorca (2-1)
Celta Vigo v Atletico Madrid
Osasuna v Racing Santander (1-2)

FRANCE

COUPE DE FRANCE
-Fri Jan 22
Saumur v Stade Rennes
-Sat Jan 23
Beauvais v Agen
Quevilly v Angers
Bordeaux v Ajaccio
Raon-l'Etape v Vesoul
Mulhouse v Guingamp
-Sun Jan 24
Paris St Germain v Evian Thonon Gaillard
Monaco v Lyon

PODCASTS/VIDEOCASTS

EPL Talk with another great podcast interview with Guardian soccer business writer David Conn. EPL Talk is the best in the biz for excellent interviews.