News for your Friday (2-26-10)

GUEST BLOGGER: Graham Fox, a friend in futbol of du Nord from the greater Kanasas City area pitches in with the second of his two posts this week.

dN

Well it’s been a week of essays and just a little news. So for your Friday I’m going to hold back on my self-righteous rants and just give you a little straight up news. A lot has happened this week that du Nord hasn’t covered yet so let’s end the week with a few of the highlights.

US National Team
As I’m pretty damn sure you know by now, the US pulled out a decent win over El Salvador thanks to a strong header by Ching and some nifty interplay between Ching and Kljestian. The El Salvador goal keeper did some big sucking on both goals to help the US out.

There were a lot of chances in both directions of which the US had the majority of.


dN

Box Scores

dN

Schaerlaeckens over at SoccerNet with synopsis and player ratings.

dN

USSoccer.com’s wrap up.

dN

Jones from the LA Times tells the game's story.

dN

The US announced their new set of jerseys as well. I’m a fan, but I know some people aren’t digging the “beauty contest sash” look.


dN

The roster for the Netherlands game on the 3rd of March has been announced. No huge surprises, but most of the MLS players are out of this one. It’s all international experience baby!

dN

Bornstein, Pearce, and Findley are the MLSers who’ve battled their way into a game overseas.


MLS Labor Messacure

Well the CBA deadline is now passed but the Player’s Union has, for the time, told the players to keep working.

dN

I hear there has to be a vote by all the players before they can call a strike. I hope it doesn’t come to that and someone budges.

dN

It’s really annoying to hear about offers and concessions and lots of talk without being able to view any primary sources. Maybe we should just blindly trust all the press releases!

dN

The MLS Player’s Union issued a press statement.

dN

As did the League on MLSNet.com.

dN

Jimmy Conrad stepped out a couple of days ago with some bad news.

dN

Canales wonders, “Who are the biggest losers in all this?”

Random MLS Team News

So just where in the world are all the MLS teams at right now? Let’s check it out!

dN

Chicago – Mexico
Chivas – LA
Colorado – Phoenix (Travel Schedule)
Columbus – Phoenix
DC United – Florida
FC Dallas – Florida (Disney tourney)
Houston – Florida (Disney tourney)
Kansas City – Phoenix (Preseason schedule)
LA Galaxy – Phoenix
New England – Florida (beating up on college teams)
Red Bulls – Florida (Disney tourney)
Philly – Mexico
RSL – Arizona (Losing to USL sides)
San Jose – Bay Area
Seattle – Spain
Toronto – Florida (Disney tourney)

dN

Most of the clubs in Florida are participating in the Disney tournament. It’s sponsored by ESPN but its not on TV. Hmmmm.

dN

Look they are building a stadium in KC!. I hope some of you come out on opening day vs DC United and say hi. I think Bruce will be there, and I know I will!

dN

May 22nd brings a Czech vs Turkey friendly to the new Red Bulls Stadium.

Music for Your Workday







Till next time – Graham Fox (grahamfox@gmail.com)

Some news for Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010

GUEST BLOGGER: Joe The Nebraskan, a old workmate of Bruce who knows as much about everything as anyone you could ever meet

dN

Hi kids, uncle Joe the Curmudgeon here filling in for Bruce, who is busy making a move on the Queen... now get off my pitch! I've spent days making it nice and you whippersnappers come in with your boxing rings, your x-games ramps, your concert seating and absolutely destroy my pitch! Sod off!

Wait, I am not the groundskeeper at the Home Depot Center. But anyone who watches L.A.'s only professional football teams surely knows that the HDC has the most abused pitch of any club. Thanks, AEG, for putting profits before the quality of playing surface.

Which brings us to the MLS Collective Bargaining Agreement. Gentlemen, get it done. A strike would be a very bad thing right now for everyone. But player movement issues (Free Agency) and low wages for developmental and mid-level players has to be addressed. This league should pay if it wants to grow. The league needs to invest in players and bring up the quality of the game, which will put more butts in seats, imho. The bargaining extension is due to end at midnight Thursday the 25th, so we are in the final 48 hours until who-knows-what. I still find it incredulous that a player who make a wage of $300/wk can start alongside one who makes $17,000 a week or more. MLS isn't exactly swimming in profits, but they need to invest and bring up the level of play and pay.

Will MLS really lockout the players? What's your take on MLS and collective bargaining? Leave some comments below.

Now, on to the important stuff...heh

---US Men's National Team---

Here's the United States Roster for tonight's MNT friendly versus El Salvador in Tampa:

1 Perkins, Troy GK D.C. United 7/0

3 Gaven, Eddie M Columbus Crew 6/0

4 Marshall, Chad D Columbus Crew 11/1

5 Cameron, Geoff M Houston Dynamo 0/0

6 Pearce, Heath D FC Dallas 29/0

7 Beckerman, Kyle M Real Salt Lake 11/1

8 Davis, Brad M Houston Dynamo 4/0

9 Casey, Conor F Colorado Rapids 18/2

10 Findley, Robbie F Real Salt Lake 2/0

11 Ching, Brian F Houston Dynamo 43/10

12 Wynne, Marvell D Toronto FC 4/0

13 Bornstein, Jonathan D Chivas USA 26/2

14 Rogers, Robbie M Columbus Crew 10/1

15 Goodson, Clarence D IK Start (Norway) 8/2

16 Kljestan, Sacha M Chivas USA 22/3

17 McCarty, Dax M FC Dallas 3/0

18 Rimando, Nick GK Real Salt Lake 3/0

19 Cunningham, Jeff F FC Dallas 13/1

20 Pontius, Chris M D.C. United 0/0

21 Evans, Brad M Seattle Sounders 3/0

Just one player does not have MLS connections, Clarence Goodson.

The El Salvador Roster:

1 Miguel Angel Montes GK CD EAGLE

2 Deris Umanzor Guevara D CD EAGLE

3 Rudis Alberto Corrales F CD EAGLE

4 Martin Shaw M CD AGUILA

5 Dagoberto Portillo Gomero GK CD FAS

6 Marvin Rene Gonzalez D CD FAS Central

7 Mordecai José Henríquez D CD FAS Central

8 Alfredo Alberto Pacheco D CD FAS

9. Ramón Ulises Flores M CD FAS

10 Juan Carlos Moscoso M CD FAS

11 Manuel Alejandro Salazar D CD FIRPO

12 Dennis Jonathan Alas M CD FIRPO

13 Andres Flores M METAPAN

14 Alex Escobar Rosales D METAP

15 Odir Joshua Flores M METAP

16 Arturo Alvarez M San Jose Earthquakes

17 Ramon Sanchez M San Jose Earthquakes

18 Osael Volante Romero M Chivas USA

Unless I have the positions wrong, it appears that El Sal has one main forward, Corrales.

Start Time From Raymond James Stadium in Tampa is 7 ET - 6 CT - 5 MT - 4 PT.

Live coverage is available on ESPN Classic or Galavision

Surface: Grass

After tonight's game, the USMNT will head to Amsterdam, and a March 3 matchup against the Orange of Netherlands. Set your DVR's now as game time for the mid-week match is 2:30pm ET - 1:30 CT - 12:30 MT - 11:30am PT. The game will be on ESPN2 and Galavision

**CONCACAF**

International Friendly Match:

-Wed Feb 24

Mexico : Bolivia

Live from Candlestick Park, San Francisco on Telemundo.

Time: 11pm ET - 10 CT - 9 MT - 8 PT

---ENGLAND---

**FA CUP**

Replays of tied Round of 16 games:

-Wed Feb 24

Aston Villa : Crystal Palace

Stoke City : Manchester City

West Brom : Reading

Tottenham : Bolton

---UEFA---

**CHAMPIONS LEAGUE**

ROUND of 16 - First leg:

Results from Feb 23

Olympiacos 0:1 Bordeaux

Stuttgart 1:1 Barcelona

-Feb 24

CSKA Moskva : Sevilla

Inter Milan : Chelsea

Have a nice day.

No mascots in football! A myth of cryptozoological proportions.

GUEST BLOGGER: The Super Rookie, a fiend of the highest order, with an unrivaled passion for all things bike racing and futbol fanaticism, pitches in for today while Brucio travels the world for a week.

dN

All of you loyal readers of this wonderful website have heard the fantastic news of professional soccer being saved in the Twin Cities with the creation of NSC Minnesota in the newly-formed USSF Division 2 soccer league. With a new team comes an ever expanding list of necessities in order to field a team come opening day. At the top of the list of needs are players, coaches, money and all the other good stuff that we expect from a top-notch professional sports organization. Near the bottom of the list, where it rightfully belongs, is the creation of a team mascot.

All too often, being an American soccer fan comes with many disparaging comments from other "football" fans who know the "real" way the sport is played in Europe, specifically, in Europe. Yet, in England almost all of the teams have a visible mascot that masquerades around the stadium and city to spread the word of their professional sports team. How often does your favorite Manchester United fan speak of Fred the Red? Hell, he would probably get destroyed in a fight with his eastend lunar equivalent Moonbeam (seen here with his girlfriend Moonchester).

Why is it that we in America are held up to a standard of sport that doesn't even exist in other parts of the world? Recently, a posting on the NSC Minnesota facebook page suggesting ideas for a mascot were met with responses like, "I'm not sure why a mascot is needed for a soccer team...you don't need a mascot. You need more passionate fans." Really? I think the Thunder had some pretty passionate fans, as will this new team. Plus, the Minnesota Thunder had a kick ass mascot named, Thor. Why can't a mascot go hand-in-hand with the passionate soccer fans and continue to meet the expectations of professional sports fans the world over?

The next time someone tells me about how "real" football teams don't have mascots I will point them over to Football Mascots. They will get to see some amazing mascots that have infected the sport with their collective awkwardness. For instance, if I lived in West Ham the first phone call I would make for my child's birthday party would be to secure an appearance by Herbie the Hammer. If I was trying to impress the ladies with my swagger I would have Mr. Posh from Peterborough United show up to chauffeur me around the city (chicks dig dudes with monocles).

Having a mascot that forces people to ask questions is a good problem to have. A few of us here in Minnesota have gotten behind the idea of having the new mascot of NSC Minnesota be Nessy the Loch Ness Monster. Sure, it may be confusing on how we came to this rationalization (NSC spells out Nessy, think text speak and not phonetics), but that is a the beauty of it. Who cares if it doesn't makes sense to the average person. It is about building awareness. Asking questions raises awareness!

Fans of the Minnesota Wild are still confused on what exactly Nordy is, and T.C. is much too simple for the Minnesota Twins. Why not mix it up a little bit and make people scratch their heads like Sammy the Shrimp of Southend United?

Sometimes communities adopt mascots, once created for individual teams, as a symbol for their entire community. The most prominent example of this is of Youppi, the former mascot of the now defunct Montreal Expos. Upon losing a place in the world of baseball it was quickly announced, to much fanfare, that the Montreal Canadians had signed Youppi as a free agent! This example is the beauty of the entire thing! Mascots are meant to be stupid, they are meant to be out there and idiotic (who remembers the creation of the San Diego Chicken), but if we have learned anything it is that they actually work, as proven by the mass adoption of mascots by almost the entire Football Association in England.

So, if you want to see NSC Minnesota follow the lead of Inverness Caledonian Thistle of the Scottish league and adopt Nessy's cousin, NSC. Feel free to join The Believers and spread the word about the movement to create the greatest mascot in all of USSF Division II soccer.

For the record, my third favorite mascot in professional soccer (after Thor and Nessy) has to be the cleverly named Chester Field Mouse of Chesterfield FC in League Two.

It's All About the Money

GUEST BLOGGER: Graham Fox, a friend in futbol of du Nord from the greater Kanasas City area pitches in with the first of his two posts this week.

dN



As the season rapidly approaches, so our expectations and excitement grows as a whole slew of new coaches and players are entering and exiting the league. Many teams look completely different as new coaches start to really change and shake things up. From Kansas City to New York, Chicago to Chivas, and Toronto to Philly, new coaches and players are all lining up for a season that, sadly, might not happen on schedule.

It’s hard to tell from the media what exactly is happening. The league says they have put forth proposals on everything the players have asked for. The players say they are being denied basic human rights. They are tired of being stuck in limbo. The one item they really want, free agency (guaranteed contracts), is the one item the league does not want to bend on. The secrecy surrounding the negotiations makes it hard for any of us to know exactly what is going on.

If you’ve ever been involved in negotiations around a product, service, or disagreement you know the posturing that happens as both parties try to come to an agreement. How much is empty gesturing and chest thumping and how much is real? When the Player's Union or MLS officials talk to the press, how much can we really trust? At this point everything that is said is a chip being played.

The league says free agency is detrimental and could ruin MLS. They’ve done case studies and those case studies sure prove how bad that would be. What? You want to destroy everything we hold dear? Remember the NASL? No the old NASL, not the new one. Remember how that went down in flames? Free agents will bring that upon us. The seven horsemen of the apocalypse will ride down upon us when Kevin Hartman makes a move on his own. When Lee Nguyen goes to Dallas, the seventh seal will be broken and some babies will die and shit.

Meanwhile the players claim that every league in the world, even the very smallest ones take better care of their players than MLS does. In bondage to a cruel league. The players state that there will be no more deadline extensions. And in truth, the player’s side of the story is much closer to the truth than MLS’ side.

What’s going to happen if nothing gets resolved? Well we are in for a storm that no fan wants to see. Which side will you stand on?

I know I’m always going to side with the players, especially as they fight for rights and freedom rather than simply a higher salary.

This battle between players and management is not new to US Soccer history. The US National team had to a fight a similar battle when they were being overused and underpaid. Executives at the top rarely have the player’s best interests in mind. If a union, organization, or player shows that he can be walked over, almost every executive will do so.

There’s a reason MLS has a player’s union. And it’s not because everyone wants to get together and party. It’s because all this glitter and hype of soccer in the USA isn’t about the beautiful game. It’s not about who wins the MLS cup. It’s not about entertaining us with soccer. It’s defiantly not about giving guaranteed contracts and allowing free agents.

It’s all about the money. And if having free agents and guaranteed contracts threatens control and revenue stream, the league will fight it tooth and nail.

Regular News Below
Bruce did a small regular Monday news update just below. Keep scrolling, you're almost there.

See you Friday - Graham Fox (grahamfox@gmail.com)

Some Early News for Mon Feb 22, 2010

REMINDER: BRUCE IN ENGLAND

Any chance that anyone out there reading this will be at the Southampton v Walsall game on Sat Feb 27? I will be, and would love to meet any readers also in attendance! Just drop me an email.

I will also be spending the majority of next week in London on business. And who knows, we may run into each other. I always love my trips to the Old Smoke, hopefully this one will be no different.

In my little bit of free time I hope to hit some record stores (Peckings, Dub Vendor, Honest Jon's etc.) and see some modern art (Tate Modern of course). Those are two of my fave things about that great city. Oh, and I can't forget about the La Hore Kebab House just off Commercial Road in the Whitechapel area of East London.

And yes, that means guest hosts all week long. Enjoy them. I am sure you will.

Graham Fox will be back later today with a very exciting update for you!

STARTERS

Herculez! Herculez! Herculez Gomez! He has scored his 3rd goal for Puebla since his move to Mexico in January. Fantastic for him! Sadly they lost 3-2 at home to Guadalajara. The other interesting thing for Gomez is that he has taken Carlos Ruiz's spot in the first 11.

dN

Another huge weekend at Everton for Landon Donovan and Time Howard as they knocked off #2 Manchester United only a few days after knocking off #1 Chelsea. 3-1 was the final score for the red hot blue team from Liverpool.

MLS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

The current deal expired on Jan 31, 2010, but the two sides agreed to originally extend it until Feb 12, and now a further 13 days to Feb 25. Negotiations are said to be going well.

dN

Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America talks to a MLS Players rep, midfielder Chris Klein of the Los Angeles Galaxy, who is NOT saying good things about the negotiations on the new agreement with MLS.

MLS NEWS

Potential future USA star midfielder Luis Gil has signed with MLS will find his new team out on Monday via a lottery.

SOCCER IN AMERICA

Much like Mexico has done, Argentina will try to take advantage of the huge commercial prospects in America. The national team has done a deal with Cardenas Marketing to begin promoting friendly matches in our country. They will play their first match under this agreement sometime later in 2010, after the World Cup. Interesting.

TEAM USA

Official Team Blog
-Interview with Robbie Rogers
-Q & A with Chris Pontius

The USA team is now in Tampa preparing for Wednesday's game.

dN

Friendly Match & Score:
USA v El Salvador - 6pm Central on ESPN Classic
Venue: Raymond James Stadium - Tampa FL
NOTE: The USA U17 team will play the El Salvador U17 game that same day prior to the senior squads meeting.

dN

Here is the USA roster for that game.
G:
Troy Perkins - DC United
Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake
D:
Jonathan Bornstein - Chivas USA
Clarence Goodson - Start
Chad Marshall - Columbus Crew
Heath Pearce - FC Dallas
Marvell Wynne - Toronto FC
M:
Kyle Beckerman - Real Salt Lake
Geoff Cameron - Houston Dynamo
Brad Davis - Houston Dynamo
Brad Evans - Seattle Sounders
Eddie Gaven - Columbus Crew
Sacha Kljestan - Chivas USA
Dax McCarty - FC Dallas
Chris Pontius - DC United
Robbie Rogers - Columbus Crew
F:
Conor Casey - Colorado Rapids
Brian Ching - Houston Dynamo
Jeff Cunningham - FC Dallas
Robbie Findley - Real Salt Lake

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Game Action: (only those that played are listed)

ENGLAND - Premier League
Jozy Altidore - Hull City - came on as a sub in the 65th minute but they lost 3-0 at West Ham.
Landon Donovan - Everton - played the entire match as they beat Manchester United 3-1 at home.
Brad Friedel - Aston Villa - played full 90 as they won 5-2 at home over Burnley.
Marcus Hahnemann - Wolverhampton - played the whole match but lost 0-2 at home to Chelsea.
Tim Howard - Everton - played the whole match as usual and they beat Manchester United 3-1 at home.
Jonathan Spector - West Ham - went the distance as they won 3-0 at home over Hull.

ENGLAND - Championship League
Kenny Cooper - Plymouth Argyle - came on as a sub in the 76th minute as they tied Leicester City 1-1 at home.
Jay DeMerit - Watford - went the full 90 getting a Yellow Card as they drew 2-2 at Scunthorpe United.
Frank Simek - Sheffield Wednesday - played the whole game but lost 0-1 at Ipswich Town.

ENGLAND - League One
Jemal Johnson - Stockport County - started and went 87 minutes, scoring a huge goal as the last place team won 0-1 at Exeter. But they are 13 points from safety.
Jon-Paul Pittman - Wycombe - came on as a sub in the 88th minute as they drew 1-1 at home against Millwall.

FRANCE - Ligue 1
Carlos Bocanegra - Rennes - started but was pulled at half time as they lost 1-2 at home to Lille.

GERMANY - Bundesliga
Michael Bradley - Monchengladbach - went the distance as they traveled to Hoffenheim and came away with a 2-2 draw.

Greece - Super League
Eddie Johnson - Aris Thessalonika - played the entire match but they lost 1-0 at AEK Athens.
Freddy Adu - Aris Thessalonika - started but was subbed out at half time as they lost at AEK Athens 1-0.

NETHERLANDS - Eerste Divisie
Charles Kazlauskas - Helmond Sport - played the whole match, scored the first goal and they won 3-0 at home over RBC Roosendaal.

AMERICANS IN MEXICO

PRIMERA DIVISION
Edgar Castillo - UANL Tigres - went the distance as they traveled to America and got a 2-2 tie.
Herculez Gomez - Pueblo - started and played 73 minutes, scored another goal but lost 3-2 at Guadalajara.
Jose Francisco Torres - Pachuca - went the full 90 as they drew 2-2 at Chiapas.
Marco Vidal - Indios Juarez - went the distance as they drew 0-0 at home with Cruz Azul.

CONCACAF

International Friendly Match & Score:
-Wed Feb 24
Mexico v Bolivia - in San Francisco CA

ENGLAND

FA CUP
Replays of tied Round of 16 games:
-Wed Feb 24
Aston Villa v Crystal Palace
Stoke City v Manchester City
West Brom v Reading
Tottenham v Bolton

Advanced: Chelsea, Portsmouth, Birmingham and Fulham.

Some News for Thu Feb 18, 2010

STARTERS

Everton fans have named Landon Donovan as their Player of the Month for January.

dN

American Herculez Gomez (LA, Colorado, KC) scored his second goal of the new season for Puebla, and it was the late game winner!

CHARLIE DAVIES

He has arrived back in France at his club Sochaux, and their website has a great video interview with him.
-A short but very touching moment occurs when some older fans greet Charlie outside the teams headquarters. (I have been a real softy this week.)












UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The 1st Leg of the Round of 16!

dN

The three biggest talking points of Wednesday's games were:
-The Arsenal goalkeeper and his 2 giant blunders that cost them both goals
-Bayern Munich were clearly offside on their game winning goal
-Fiorentina got a Red Card on a play that should have only been a mild Yellow.

dN

Rob Hughes of the International Herald Tribune reviews both of Wednesday's matches.

dN

Matches & Scores - Round of 16 - 1st Leg:
-Tue Feb 16
Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 Real Madrid Club de Futbol - OL goal by Jean Makoun.
Associazione Calcio Milan 2-3 Manchester United Football Club - ACM goals by Ronaldinho & Clarence Seedorf. MUFC goals by Paul Scholes & Wayne Rooney(2).
-Wed Feb 17
Futebol Clube do Porto 2-1 Arsenal Football Club - Por goals by Silvestre Varela & Radamel Falcao. Ars goal by Sol Campbell.
Fussball-Club Bayern Munchen 2-1 Associazione Calcio Fiorentina e Florentia Viola - BM goals by Arjen Robben(PK) & Miroslav Klose. Fior goal by Per Kroldrup.

-Tue Feb 23
Verein fur Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V v Futbol Club Barcelona
Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus v Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux
-Wed Feb 24
Football Club Internazionale Milano Societa per Azioni v Chelsea Football Club
Central Sports Army Club Moscow v Sevilla Futbol Club Sociedad Anonima Deportiva

dN

A variation to the format this year sees the matches spread out over 4 days instead of 2, giving more TV space for the teams.

SALVADOR CABANAS

He has been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit, or whatever its called in Mexican hospitals. Great to hear.

STORY OF THE DAY

Hey lookee here - some pinhead from the Telegraph in England pulls his head out of John Terry's ass long enough to realize that maybe MLS isn't so bad after all.
-Now I can finally get some sleep at night.

THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT

Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated gets to see the movie I told you about last week - Pelada. It sounds great!

MLS NEWS

The Dallas Morning News with an article on FC Dallas's Brek Shea. Will he have a breakout year?
-"...there is a chance van den Bergh could come back, if he is willing to sign for less money. FCD still owns his MLS rights, and Hyndman said Wednesday that van den Bergh is "still in our minds."

dN

The Toronto Sun looks at the role of players getting try-outs in MLS preseason camps.

dN

One of Kansas City's newest signings Stephane Auvray (pronounced Ahh-vray) is a central holding type midfielder, who I am told has sweet hair. I didn't know much about the guy, so I asked the right people, and they were kind enough to fill us all in.

dN

Charlie Coor of ESPN Chicago looks at Fire midfielder Justin Mapp and says the player is getting a fresh start this spring.
-How many fresh starts is he going to get before they dump his underwhelmingness.

dN

Joshua Mayers of the Seattle Times catches up with the Sounders yesterday in Spain for an update.

dN

Mayers writes today about the teams 3-0 loss to Rosenborg at La Manga.
-And post game quotes from coach Sigmund Schmid.

dN

The Seattle Post Intelligencer on a couple of Sounders trialists, and training in Spain.

MLS RUMORS

The Jamaica Gleaner reports on youngster Devon Hodges who they say is on the verge of signing with Colorado and teaming up with his countryman Omar Cummings.
-If he has the same spirit as Cummings then they would be getting a good one.

MLS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

The current deal expired on Jan 31, 2010, but the two sides agreed to originally extend it until Feb 12, and now a further 13 days to Feb 25.

The Miami Herald tries to decipher what the MLS players are angling for in a new CBA.

USL NEWS

The USL is slowly posting their countdown of the Top 25 USL First Division players of the past Decade:
25-21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14

13 - David Hayes

US SOCCER NEWS

Paul Gardner of Soccer America talks to newly reelected US Soccer President Sunil Gulati. Here is Part 2 of 2.
-And Part 1 from Wednesday in case you missed it.

USA WORLD CUP 2010 SOUTH AFRICA

Brent Latham at Yanks Abroad plays a game of "What if..." with the USA World Cup roster.
-Some great scenarios played out here!

dN

Soccer 365 with some of that Guus Hiddink speculation/theory/conjecture talk.
-The less lively version of the "What if..." article.

TEAM USA

Ives Galarcep at Fox Soccer looks at the reasons behind this next USA game.

dN

Clemete Lisi of the US Soccer Players Assoc does a Q & A with Brian Ching.

dN

Official Team Blog

dN

Friendly Match & Score:
USA v El Salvador - 6pm Central on ESPN Classic
Venue: Raymond James Stadium - Tampa FL
NOTE: The USA U17 team will play the El Salvador U17 game that same day prior to the senior squads meeting.

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Maurice Edu went the full 90 for Rangers on Wednesday as they beat St Mirren in the Scottish Cup Round of 16, 1-0.
-DaMarcus Beasley did not dress for this game.
-Their Quarterfinal match will be on Sat Mar 13 at Kilmarnock.

dN

Stuart Holden did not start or make the bench for Bolton on Wednesday in their scoreless draw at Wigan.

dN

Yanks Abroad talks to a 16 year old, Will Packwood, at Birmingham City's academy in England.

AMERICANS IN MEXICO

Herculez pulls off a big one, but everyone else struggles.

Game Action: - Mid-week matches

PRIMERA DIVISION
Edgar Castillo - UANL Tigres - Thu Feb 18 v Santos Laguna
Herculez Gomez - Pueblo - came on as a sub in the 63rd minute, and scored the games only goal in the 87th as they won 1-0 at home over San Luis.
Sammy Ochoa - Estudiantes Tecos - came on as a sub in the 74th minute but they lost at home 3-4 to Monterrey.
Jose Francisco Torres - Pachuca - started and 74 minutes but they lost at home 0-1 to Guadalajara.
Marco Vidal - Indios Juarez - started, got a Yellow Card, and then got absolutely drilled 7-1 at Atlas. Oof.

dN

Coming Up: - Mid-week matches

PRIMERA DIVISION
Edgar Castillo - UANL Tigres - Thu Feb 18 v Santos Laguna

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

Round of 32, 1st Leg happens this week. Here are the results.

dN

2nd Leg matches will be played next week.

ENGLAND

The Norwich Evening News reports on an American who is trotting around the USA looking for investors for Norwich City.
-He is the same guy who set up the deal for Hicks & Gillette to buy Liverpool. Now there is a ringing endorsement.

dN

The Daily Mail reports on Portsmouth's on going massive money problems. They have asked for permission to sell players outside the transfer window to raise cash.

FRANCE

COUPE DE FRANCE - Quarterfinals
-Tue Mar 23
Lens v St Etienne
Monaco v Sochaux
Quevilly v Boulogne
Auxerre v Paris St Germain

dN

COUPE DE LA LIGUE - Final
-Sat Mar 27
Bordeaux v Olympique Marseille

COPA LIBERTADORES

The Group Stage, which runs through to Apr 22.

dN

GROUP STAGE - February Matches & Scores:
-Tue Feb 16
Libertad 2-0 Blooming - Lib goals by Victor Caceres & Rodolfo Gamarra.
Colo Colo 1-0 Italia - CC goal by Esteban Paredes.
-Wed Feb 17
Universitario 2-0 Lanus - Uni goals by Piero Alva & Gianfranco Labarthe.
Cuenca 1-4 Banfield - Cue goal by Gabriel Mendez(PK). Ban goals by Walter Erviti, Sebastian Fernandez(2) & James Rodriguez.
-Thu Feb 18
Alianza v Estudiantes
Universidad v Caracas

dN

Standings (6 Rounds):

Grupo 1
1 Cerro Porteno (Paraguay)
1 Independiente Medellin (Colombia)
Corinthians (Brazil)
Racing Club (Uruguay)

Grupo 2
3 Once Caldas (Colombia)
3 Sao Paulo (Brazil)
0 Nacional (Paraguay)
0 Monterrey (Mexico)

Grupo 3
3 Alianza Lima (Peru)
3 Estudiantes de la Plata (Argentina)
0 Bolivar (Bolivia)
0 Juan Aurich (Peru)

Grupo 4
6 Libertad (Paraguay) (2pd)
6 Universitario (Peru) (2pd)
0 Lanus (Argentina) (2pd)
0 Blooming (Bolivia) (2pd)

Grupo 5
3 Cerro (Uruguay)
0 Deportivo Quito (Ecudador)
Internacional (Brazil)
Emelec (Ecuador)

Grupo 6
6 Banfield (Argentina) (2pd)
3 Club Nacional (Uruguay)
0 Morelia (Mexico)
0 Deportivo Cuenca (Ecudador) (2pd)

Grupo 7
3 Velez Sarsfield (Argentina)
3 Colo Colo (Chile)
0 Cruzeiro (Brazil)
0 Deportivo Italia (Venezuela)

Grupo 8
Universidad de Chile (Chile)
Caracas FC (Venezuela)
Flamengo (Brazil)
Universidad Catolica (Chile)

WORLD CUP 2010 - SOUTH AFRICA

The Associated Press with an article on the huge lack of VIP tickets being sold to this World Cup. Via Sports Illustrated.
-What a bummer. Think of how great this could have been if everyone went el cheapo instead of Price Gouge City.

PODCASTS

EPL Talks as audio of interviews with one time Manchester United goalscoring duo Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke. Aaahh, the good old days.

Some News for Wed Feb 17, 2010

STARTERS

The USA will play 2 games in the run up to the World Cup, starting with the Czech Republic on Tue May 25 (location TBA), and Turkey on Sat May 29 in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field.
-Turkey has hired Guus Hiddink as they new head coach. He will take over the team after the World Cup as they head into Euro 2012 qualifying.
-My buddy Sasha says he heard the Czech game will be in Hartford CT.

dN

Freddy Adu has bagged another goal. Second game in a row for him. Aris won 3-0 in the Greek Cup. No Short Corners has the video.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The competition has resumed with the 1st Leg of the Round of 16!
-A variation to the format this year sees the matches spread out over 4 days instead of 2, giving more TV space for the teams.

dN

Matches & Scores - Round of 16 - 1st Leg:
-Tue Feb 16
Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 Real Madrid Club de Futbol - OL goal by Jean Makoun.
Associazione Calcio Milan 2-3 Manchester United Football Club - ACM goals by Ronaldinho & Clarence Seedorf. MUFC goals by Paul Scholes & Wayne Rooney(2).
-Wed Feb 17
Futebol Clube do Porto v Arsenal Football Club - Live at 1:30pm Central on FSC
Fussball-Club Bayern Munchen v Associazione Calcio Fiorentina e Florentia Viola - Delayed at 4:00pm Central on FSC
-Tue Feb 23
Verein fur Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V v Futbol Club Barcelona
Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus v Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux
-Wed Feb 24
Football Club Internazionale Milano Societa per Azioni v Chelsea Football Club
Central Sports Army Club Moscow v Sevilla Futbol Club Sociedad Anonima Deportiva

dN

Rob Hughes of the International Herald Tribune on the Man U win.

QUOTE/FACT/STORY OF THE DAY

Houston Dynamo forward Luis Landin to Jeff Carlisle of ESPN Soccernet: "The level of soccer in this country has impressed me, from my first day in the league up until today. In Mexico we're all under the wrong impression that the level of soccer in the U.S. is low. However, that is definitely not the case. When you get here, you find out quickly that the level of play is very high. Does it need to improve still? Definitely, but the level of soccer is currently very good. When you come to MLS, you have to come ready to play." See full article below in MLS News section.

WHY?

The USL reports today that one of my favorite little known players could be in serious health problems. Marco Terminesi who currently is playing indoor with the Milwaukee Wave is thought to have a brain tumor, but ongoing tests will hopefully reveal the answer. He played last season for my Minnesota Thunder and was an instant fan favorite with his explosive speed, goal bound instincts and infectious attitude. I am sending out all the best for Marco, and ask you to do the same.

MLS NEWS

Center Line Soccer gives us an update from the San Jose Earthquakes preseason camp.

dN

The Chicago Tribune looks at how preseason is going for the Fire and their new head coach Carlos The Conch.
-Brian McBride: "The training as been organized for a whole different type of play — making sure we are moving the ball and keeping possession."

dN

Sam Stejskal of Chicago Now digs further into this idea of the Fire playing a new style and formation.

dN

Buzz Carrick of 3rd Degree gets Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman why they went to all the trouble of scouting and signing Ghanaian full back Aziz Ansah in December, only to cut him loose 2 months later.

dN

Jeff Carlisle of ESPN Soccernet asks the question that is on the mind of many a Houston Dynamo fan: What is the future of high priced Luis Landin?

MLS/SUM BUSINESS

MLS has hired Greg Lalas (of Goal.com and Sports Illustrated) as Editor-In-Chief and Jonah Freedman (of Sports Illustrated) as Managing Editor of the official league website - MLSnet.com.

MLS RUMORS

Is Kansas City about to sign outside midfielder Igor Krostov? He is 22 and from Moldova. Any other info has been basically impossible to find. But we can learn all about him when the club makes it official.

MLS STADIUM BUILDING

Down The Byline, a KC Wiz fan blog, has unearthed some nice new stadium documents and details for their new digs.
-A little more update.

Lookin' good:












US SOCCER NEWS

Paul Gardner of Soccer America talks to newly reelected US Soccer President Sunil Gulati. This is Part 1.

TEAM USA

Yanks Abroad brings us up to speed on the ankle injury suffered by Benny Feilhaber.
-It looks like he will not play against the Netherlands on Mar 3.

dN

Centerback Clarence Goodson of Start in Norway has rejoined the team training in California for next weeks game. He is now the only non-MLS player on the roster. What does this mean for his World Cup chances. I would say they just went up.

dN

Official Team Blog
-Video interview with Brad Davis and Jeff Cunningham.

dN

Friendly Match & Score:
USA v El Salvador - 6pm Central on ESPN Classic
Venue: Raymond James Stadium - Tampa FL
NOTE: The USA U17 team will play the El Salvador U17 game that same day prior to the senior squads meeting.

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Game Action: (only those that played are listed)

ENGLAND - Championship League
Kenny cooper - Plymouth Argyle - came on as a sub in the 61st minute as they drew 1-1 at home against Swansea City.
Jay DeMerit - Watford - Tue Feb 16 at Queens Park Rangers was postponed due to a "waterlogged pitch".
Frank Simek - Sheffield Wednesday - went the full 90 but lost at home 0-2 to Doncaster Rovers.

ENGLAND - League One
Mike Grella - Leeds - came on as a sub in the 60th minute but they lost 1-2 at home to Walsall.

GREECE - League Cup - Quarterfinal - Replay
Freddy Adu - Aris - got the start, went 66 minute minutes and scoring another goal as they beat Xanthi at home 3-0.
Eddie Johnson - Aris - came on as a sub in the 76th minute as they won 3-0 at home over Xanthi.

SCOTLAND - League Cup
Maurice Edu - Rangers - went the full 90 as they won 1-0 at home over St Mirren.

UEFA - Europa League - Round of 32 - 1st Leg
Landon Donovan - Everton - went the distance as they beat Sporting at home 2-1. They second leg is in Lisbon.
Tim Howard - Everton - played the entire match as usual and beat Sporting at home 2-1.

AMERICANS IN MEXICO

Coming Up: - Mid-week matches

PRIMERA DIVISION
Edgar Castillo - UANL Tigres - Thu Feb 18 v Santos Laguna
Herculez Gomez - Pueblo - Wed Feb 17 v San Luis
Jose Francisco Torres - Pachuca - Wed Feb 17 v Guadalajara
Marco Vidal - Indios Juarez - Wed Feb 17 at Atlas

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

Round of 32, 1st Leg happens this week with one game on Tue Feb 16 and the rest on Thu Feb 18. Here are the match-ups.

FRANCE

COUPE DE FRANCE - Round of 16
-Wed Feb 17
Lens 2-1 Brest
-Already advanced: PSG, Quevilly, Boulogne, Sochaux, Auxerre, Monaco & St Etienne.

dN

COUPE DE LA LIGUE - Semifinals
-Wed Feb 17
Lorient 1-4 Bordeaux
-Marseille has already advanced to the Final.

EUROPE

Jonathan Wilson of the Guardian reviews Guus Hiddink's term in charge of Russia.

COPA LIBERTADORES

The Group Stage, which runs through to Apr 22.

dN

GROUP STAGE - February Matches & Scores:
-Tue Feb 16
Libertad 2-0 Blooming - Lib goals by Victor Caceres & Rodolfo Gamarra.
Colo Colo 1-0 Italia - CC goal by Esteban Paredes.
-Wed Feb 17
Universitario v Lanus
Cuenca v Banfield
-Thu Feb 18
Alianza v Estudiantes
Universidad v Caracas

dN

Standings:

Grupo 1
1 Cerro Porteno (Paraguay)
1 Independiente Medellin (Colombia)
Corinthians (Brazil)
Racing Club (Uruguay)

Grupo 2
3 Once Caldas (Colombia)
3 Sao Paulo (Brazil)
0 Nacional (Paraguay)
0 Monterrey (Mexico)

Grupo 3
3 Alianza Lima (Peru)
3 Estudiantes de la Plata (Argentina)
0 Bolivar (Bolivia)
0 Juan Aurich (Peru)

Grupo 4
6 Libertad (Paraguay) (2pd)
3 Universitario (Peru)
0 Lanus (Argentina)
0 Blooming (Bolivia) (2pd)

Grupo 5
3 Cerro (Uruguay)
0 Deportivo Quito (Ecudador)
Internacional (Brazil)
Emelec (Ecuador)

Grupo 6
3 Banfield (Argentina)
3 Club Nacional (Uruguay)
0 Morelia (Mexico)
0 Deportivo Cuenca (Ecudador)

Grupo 7
3 Velez Sarsfield (Argentina)
3 Colo Colo (Chile)
0 Cruzeiro (Brazil)
0 Deportivo Italia (Venezuela)

Grupo 8
Universidad de Chile (Chile)
Caracas FC (Venezuela)
Flamengo (Brazil)
Universidad Catolica (Chile)

Some News for Tue Feb 16, 2010

STARTERS

Landon Donovan & Tim Howard got a shot at some UEFA Europa League action today as they hosted Sporting of Portugal in a Round of 32 First Leg match. Everton won the game 2-1, but the away goal could cost them dearly. They held the lead until very late when a defender was called for a Penalty and given a Red Card. Howard could not stop the PK. Donovan was voted by Everton fans as the Man of the Match.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The competition has resumed with the 1st Leg of the Round of 16!

A variation to the format this year sees the matches spread out over 4 days instead of 2, giving more TV space for the teams.

dN

Matches & Scores - Round of 16 - 1st Leg:
-Tue Feb 16
Olympique Lyonnais v Real Madrid Club de Futbol - Live at 1:30pm Central on FSC
Associazione Calcio Milan v Manchester United Football Club - Delayed at 4:00pm Central on FSC
-Wed Feb 17
Futebol Clube do Porto v Arsenal Football Club - Live at 1:30pm Central on FSC
Fussball-Club Bayern Munchen v Associazione Calcio Fiorentina e Florentia Viola - Delayed at 4:00pm Central on FSC
-Tue Feb 23
Verein fur Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V v Futbol Club Barcelona
Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus v Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux
-Wed Feb 24
Football Club Internazionale Milano Societa per Azioni v Chelsea Football Club
Central Sports Army Club Moscow v Sevilla Futbol Club Sociedad Anonima Deportiva

dN

Noah Davis of Goal.com wonders whether or not a David can slay the Goliaths is this years tournament.

TRAGEDY IN HAITI

CNN gives us a Q & A with Ynes Jean-Bart, the head of the Haitian Football Federation.
-He was one of the lucky few to get out of the headquarters building alive. 30 other members died in the earthquake.

CNN also has an article on rebuilding the countries football infrastructure.

Thanks to Steph for sending this our way.

TWITTERVERSE

CharlieDavies9: "Last Night in the US for a while. Enjoying some good home cooking. Then rehabbing like a beast in France and back on the field soon. Bless"

Wow, just wow.

Thanks to BQ for the heads up on this very exciting post.

THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT

Greg Seltzer writing for Soccer 365 clears his mind of all current things football.

MLS NEWS

Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America looks at the situation of former KC Wiz goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. Where does he go next?

dN

Seattle has done new deals with 3 of their players - the team has bought outright the contract of centerback Jonh Kennedy Hurtado (he had been on loan from Deportivo Cali), given midfielder Brad Evans a contract extension, and resigned centerback Tyson Wahl.

dN

The Delaware County Daily Times talks to Union head coach Peter Nowak about his team's start to preseason.

dN

Rumor has it that the Union will play friendlies in Mexico in the next two weeks against the 3 Guadalajara teams Chivas, Atlas and Estudiantes Tecos (formerly UAdG). Thanks to Ronny for the news. [And thanks to Andrew for the correction on where Los Tecos are stationed.]

dN

New Kansas City signing Stephane Auvray from Guadeloupe writes a "welcome" article for the KC Star.
-He played last year at Nimes Olympique in France Ligue 2

dN

David Falk of the Examiner reports that former New York centerback and Jungle Warfare user Jeff Parke is getting another try out with Seattle.

dN

The Seattle Times with an article on the Sounders talented Latino contingent.

dN

Nat Borchers of Real Salt Lake jumps on the Salt Lake Tribune soccer blog to tell us about his team in early preseason.

MLS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

The current deal expired on Jan 31, 2010, but the two sides agreed to originally extend it until Feb 12, and now a further 13 days to Feb 25. Negotiations are said to be going well.

dN

Nick Green of the Daily Breeze says that MLS needs to "loosen its purse strings."
-He has a few more things to say on his blog, 100 Percent Soccer.

dN

John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News looks at what happens when you go the other way and just spend spend spend.

USL NEWS

The USL has begun posting their countdown of the Top 25 USL First Division players of the past Decade:
25-21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14

Will any of my beloved Thunder make this list??

SOCCER IN AMERICA

Coming May 20 & 21 to the Silverdome in Detroit: the Green Soccer Bowl - Ghana v Puerto Rico and Kenya v Malaysia.
-More from the Detroit Free Press.
-I don't want to be Mr. Negative here, but what do you think the odds are of this event actually taking place? I give it 6-1 against.

TEAM USA

JERMAINE JONES UPATE! JERMAINE JONES UPATE! JERMAINE JONES UPATE!
Ives Galarcep of Soccer By Ives gives a link to the first Jermaine Jones update we have had all year long. (Here is the original article from Der Westen in German.)
-He is making slow progress, but the injury appears healed and he is working with a ball at his feet.

dN

Official Team Blog

dN

The Original Winger has a video interview with Jonathan Bornstein.

dN

Friendly Match & Score:
USA v El Salvador - 6pm Central on ESPN Classic
Venue: Raymond James Stadium - Tampa FL

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

The Liverpool Daily Echo talks to Everton captain Phil Neville who very much wants the team to buy Landon Donovan.
-They know their best bet to get Donovan is again next January in a similar move as this year. That's not much.

dN

Yanks Abroad talks to former USA great and current Technical Director at NAC Breda in the Netherlands, Earnie Stewart.

dN

Game Action: (only those that played are listed)

ENGLAND - Championship League
Kenny cooper - Plymouth Argyle - Tue Feb 16 v Swansea City
Jay DeMerit - Watford - Tue Feb 16 at Queens Park Rangers
Frank Simek - Sheffield Wednesday - Tue Feb 16 v Doncaster Rovers

ENGLAND - League One
Mike Grella - Leeds - Tue Feb 16 v Walsall

UEFA - Europa League - Round of 32 - 1st Leg
Landon Donovan - Everton - went the distance as they beat Sporting at home 2-1. They second leg is in Lisbon.
Tim Howard - Everton - played the entire match as usual and beat Sporting at home 2-1.

dN

Coming Up: (all possible players are listed)

ENGLAND - Premier League
Stuart Holden - Bolton - Wed Feb 17 at Wigan

ENGLAND - Championship League
Frank Simek - Sheffield Wednesday - Tue Feb 16 v Doncaster Rovers

GREECE - League Cup - Quarterfinal - Replay
Freddy Adu - Aris - Wed Feb 17 v Xanthi
Eddie Johnson - Aris - Wed Feb 17 v Xanthi

AMERICANS IN MEXICO

Coming Up - Mid-week matches:

PRIMERA DIVISION
Edgar Castillo - UANL Tigres - Wed Feb 17 v Santos Laguna
Herculez Gomez - Pueblo - Wed Feb 17 v San Luis
Jose Francisco Torres - Pachuca - Wed Feb 17 v Guadalajara
Marco Vidal - Indios Juarez - Wed Feb 17 at Atlas

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

Round of 32, 1st Leg happens this week with one game on Tue Feb 16 and the rest on Thu Feb 18. Here are the match-ups.

ENGLAND

Everton's giant mop-head Marouane Fellaini will be out 6 months after surgery to repair ruptured ankle ligaments.

FRANCE

COUPE DE FRANCE - Round of 16
-Wed Feb 17
Brest v Lens
-Already advanced: PSG, Quevilly, Boulogne, Sochaux, Auxerre, Monaco & St Etienne.

dN

COUPE DE LA LIGUE - Semifinals
-Wed Feb 17
Lorient v Bordeaux
-Marseille has already advanced to the Final.

ITALY

Rob Hughes looks at the still influential dirtiest man in Italian footbal, Lucky Luciano Moggi. He of the Juventus referee fixing scandal of '06.

COPA LIBERTADORES

The Group Stage, which runs through to Apr 22.

dN

Tim Vickery of the BBC looks at the role the Mexican teams play in this tournament.
-That TV money is an important factor.

dN

GROUP STAGE - February Matches & Scores:
-Tue Feb 16
Libertad v Blooming
Colo Colo v Italia
-Wed Feb 17
Universitario v Lanus
Cuenca v Banfield
-Thu Feb 18
Alianza v Estudiantes
Universidad v Caracas

Some News for Mon Feb 15, 2010

STARTERS

Freddy Adu started and scored the game winning goal for Aris!!! I bet that was a big one for him. And as a wrote last night on Twitter: My eyes welled up with tears as I watched Freddy Adu score a goal for Aris tonight. I had no idea I cared about the boy! Watch it here.

dN

Landon Donovan & Tim Howard get a shot in the UEFA Europa League tomorrow, Tue Feb 16, as Everton host Sporting of Portugal in a Round of 32 First Leg match.

dN

Add Benny Feilhaber to the Team USA injury list! WTF? See details in Americans In Europe section.

dN

Barcelona has lost for the first time in the 09/10 season. It took 22 games, but their nemesis Atletico Madrid did the job.
-Barca's lead at the top is now just 2 points over Real Madrid, with both teams having won 17 games. They meet again on Sun Apr 11.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The competition resumes!

The 1st Leg of the knock out rounds!

dN

A variation to the format this year sees the matches spread out over 4 days instead of 2, giving more TV space for the teams.

dN

Simon Kuper of the Financial Times looks at the two big tabloid matches in this round - Ferguson v Beckham and Mourinho v Chelsea.

dN

Kevin McCarra of the Guardian on the possibilities of upsets in this round.

dN

David Conn of the Guardian reports on what UEFA pres Michel Platini has done with the Champions League since he took over leadership.

dN

The Observer with an interview with Milan's most un-sung star player Clarence Seedorf.

dN


1st Leg Matches & Scores
-Tue Feb 16
Olympique Lyonnais v Real Madrid Club de Futbol - Live at 1:30pm Central on FSC
Associazione Calcio Milan v Manchester United Football Club - Delayed at 4:00pm Central on FSC
-Wed Feb 17
Futebol Clube do Porto v Arsenal Football Club - Live at 1:30pm Central on FSC
Fussball-Club Bayern Munchen v Associazione Calcio Fiorentina e Florentia Viola - Delayed at 4:00pm Central on FSC
-Tue Feb 23
Verein fur Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V v Futbol Club Barcelona
Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus v Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux
-Wed Feb 24
Football Club Internazionale Milano Societa per Azioni v Chelsea Football Club
Central Sports Army Club Moscow v Sevilla Futbol Club Sociedad Anonima Deportiva

BIG CLUB MATCHES THIS WEEKEND

-Sat Feb 13
Benfica 1-0 Belenenses - the smaller Lisbon derby ends with the winner going to #1 and the loser to dead last.
-Sun Feb 14
America 2-0 Cruz Azul - a lesser DF derby see Club America starting to gain momentum.

TWITTERVERSE/FACEBOOKING

FreddyAdu11: sushi at times restaurant with princess Eddie Johnson. Guy takes an hour just to get dressed

THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT

The Jed Zayner blog is tearing it up! Zayner plays fullback for the Columbus Crew and has been blogging during spring training, and featuring a different teammate everyday. This entry on Guillermo Barros Schelotto is worth it just for the pictures alone.
-Who would have dreamed the Schelotto would become best buds with Steven Leanhart and Robbie Rogers. What a trio!

Another entry on the blog features forward Jason Garey taking a quality cheap shot at Toronto FC: It was awesome because we were watching TFC play in a scrimmage against UCF (college team) and they were losing to them until the final minute. They scored and you would have thought they won the MLS Cup Championship. Steve and I looked at each other and were wondering why they were freaking out about scoring against a college team that they just tied.

WHY?

We have lost another one! The Houston Chronicle will no longer run articles by Glenn Davis. He talks about it on his blog.

And here is Davis's last column for the Chron.

MLS NEWS

Marc Narducci of the Phil Inquirer reports on the Union's first ever preseason game, and gives us some post game analysis too.

dN

Kerith Gabriel of the Philadelphia Daily News with an article on the Union's young first year striker Jack McInerney.

dN

Jose Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports that Dynamo forward Luis Landin suffered an ankle sprain over the weekend in a match against Southern Methodist. No word on how bad it is yet.

dN

Ortiz also tells us about 3 foreign midfielders in preseason training with the Dynamo.

dN

FC Denver visits the Colorado Rapids training session and gives us a glimpse of what is going on.
-They also have an interview with new Rapids midfielder Wells Thompson.

dN

Soccer 365 interviews Colorado head coach Gary Smith.

dN

The Deseret News does a Q & A with RSL midfielder Will Johnson.

dN

James Edward of the Deseret News looks at RSL's goalkeeper situation.

dN

Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch writes about midfielder Adam Moffat, who has skill the team would love to use, but he has been injured most of the last 2 seasons.

dN

The Hollister Free Lance in California reports on the San Jose Earthquakes efforts to build fan base.

dN

Well, that didn't last long - Dallas had earlier signed and has now released Ghanaian centerback Aziz Ansah. Hmmm. How did that go so wrong??

dN

Gareth Wheeler of the Toronto Sun reports that TFC is giving Scottish soccer veteran (meaning old) Paul Dickov a look-see.
-He had been on loan at Derby County until Feb 1, where he bagged 2 goals in 16 games.

dN

KC has officially signed goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen of Denmark.

MLS RUMORS

Soccer 365 gives us their latest on Blaise N'Kufo, and more.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer with more on N'Kufo.

NSC MINNESOTA STARS

Brian Quarstad of Inside Minnesota Soccer has a Q & A with Stars GM Kris Bjerkness.

dN

The team has not shown us a jersey yet, but they did announce that their shirts will be Cobalt Blue, and a second shirt will be Sunshine Yellow.
-I would hope so seeing as those are the main colors of their logo.

USA WORLD CUP 2010 SOUTH AFRICA

The Glasgow Daily Record talks to DaMarcus Beasley about what it's going to take for him to be on the USA roster.
-I say that if he is healthy he has to go, his skills are just too good to leave out.

dN

Jeff Carlisle of ESPN Soccernet looks at the few remaining chances players will have to get on the USA squad.

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Yanks Abroads tells us to add Benny Feilhaber to the Team USA injury list. It's his right ankle. The team hopes its a sprain, but wait further diagnosis.

dN

Steve Davis of ESPN Soccernet figures Landon Donovan is headed back to Los Angeles in a few short weeks.

dN

Carlos Bocanegra found himself back on the bench, unused, for Rennes.

dN

Stuart Holden was on the bench for the first time at Bolton, but did not play in FA Cup game. They drew 1-1 at home against Tottenham.

dN

Maurice Edu was back on the bench for Rangers after his latest injury but he did not play. DaMarcus Beasley did play though, starting and going until half time. They won 3-0 over Hibs.

dN

Game Action: (only those that played are listed)

ENGLAND - FA Cup
Brad Friedel - Aston Villa - went the distance as they drew 2-2 at Crystal Palace.

ENGLAND - League One
Mike Grella - Leeds - came on as a sub in the 75th minute as they drew 1-1 at Leyton Orient.
Jemal Johnson - Stockport County - started and went 75 minutes as they drew 2-2 at home against Colchester United.
Jon-Paul Pittman - Wycombe - came on as a sub in the 81st minute as they drew on the road 1-1 at Brentford.

GERMANY - Bundesliga
Michael Bradley - Monchengladbach - went the distance as they beat Nurnberg 2-1 at home.

Greece - Super League
Eddie Johnson - Aris Thessalonika - started and went 61 minutes as they won 2-1 at home over Ergotelis.
Freddy Adu - Aris Thessalonika - started and played 62 minutes scoring the winning goal as they got a 2-1 victory at home over Ergotelis.

SCOTLAND - Premier League
DaMarcus Beasley - Rangers - started and played the first half as they beat #3 Hibernian 3-0 at home.

dN

Coming Up: (all possible players are listed)

ENGLAND - Premier League
Stuart Holden - Bolton - Wed Feb 17 at Wigan

ENGLAND - Championship League
Jay DeMerit - Watford - Tue Feb 16 at Queens Park Rangers
Frank Simek - Sheffield Wednesday - Tue Feb 16 v Doncaster Rovers

UEFA - Europa League - Round of 32 - 1st Leg
Landon Donovan - Everton - Tue Feb 16 v Sporting
Tim Howard - Everton - Tue Feb 16 v Sporting

AMERICANS IN MEXICO

Juan Jose Francisco Torres scored a big goal for Pachuca converting a smashing free kick in the 84th minute to win it on the road! [Thanks to Jay for catching my naming blip]

dN

PRIMERA DIVISION
Edgar Castillo - UANL Tigres - came on as a sub in the 64th minute but lost 2-1 on the road to Monterrey.
Herculez Gomez - Pueblo - came on as a sub in the 57th minute but they lost at home 3-5 to Pachuca.
Jose Francisco Torres - Pachuca - came on as a sub at half time and scored the game winner as they went to Puebla and came away with a 3-5 victory.
Marco Vidal - Indios Juarez - played the full 90 and drew 1-1 at San Luis.

CANADA

Canada is set to play Argentina in the warm ups to the World Cup. Date is May 24. Location is unknown.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

Round of 32, 1st Leg happens this week on Thu Feb 18.

ENGLAND

Patrick Barclay of The Times feels that if Portsmouth file for bankruptcy and don't pay their taxes, then the Football League should pay the tab, not stiff fellow taxpayers.

dN

The Times also has an article on the unorthodox management & life style of Gordon Strachan.
-FYI: I have a framed picture of Gordon on the wall of my house. Which doesn't come close to Strachan admiting: "I’ve got a seven-foot John Wayne statue at my house." Yeeesssss!

dN

The Premier League is considering a post-season playoff tournament for the final Champions League spot. Teams finishing 4-7 would fight it out.

dN

FA CUP

The Round of 16
Matches & Scores:
-Sat Feb 13
Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff City
Southampton 1-4 Portsmouth
Derby County 1-2 Birmingham City
Reading 2-2 West Bromwich Albion
Manchester City 1-1 Stoke City
-Sun Feb 14
Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Fulham 4-0 Notts County
Crystal Palace 2-2 Aston Villa

Replays of tied Round of 16 games:
-Wed Feb 24
Aston Villa v Crystal Palace
Stoke City v Manchester City
West Brom v Reading
Tottenham v Bolton

Quarterfinals
-Mar 6 & 7
Chelsea v Manchester City or Stoke City
Fulham v Bolton Wanderers or Tottenham
Reading or West Brom v Crystal Palace or Aston Villa
Portsmouth v Birmingham

Already advanced: Chelsea, Portsmouth, Birmingham and Fulham.

SPAIN

Barcelona's 21 game unbeaten streak was brought to an end by rivals Atletico Madrid!

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Phil Ball of ESPN Soccernet begins his column with a remembrance, then sees the joy of Real Madrid and the dread of Barcelona, plus the rest of the league.

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Sid Lowe of the Guardian finds Atletico to be Barca's kryptonite, and the rest of the weekend in La Liga.

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Top La Liga Team Standings (22 games played)
55 Barcelona - Last: Sun Feb 14 L 2-1 at Atletico Madrid.
53 Real Madrid - Last: Sat Feb 13 W 0-3 at Xerez.
43 Valencia - Last: Sat Feb 13 D 1-1 at Sporting Gijon.
39 Sevilla - Last: Sun Feb 14 W 1-0 v Osasuna.
- - - - -
37 Mallorca (21 played) - Next: Mon Feb 15 at Tenerife
35 Deportivo La Coruna - Last: Sun Feb 14 L 2-0 at Espanyol.

FRANCE

Top Ligue 1 Team Standings (24 games played)
51 Bordeaux - Last: Sun Feb 14 W 3-1 v St Etienne.
48 Montpellier - Last: Sat Feb 13 W 1-0 v Grenoble.
44 Lille - Last: Sat Feb 13 W 3-1 v Bolougne.
- - - - -
43 Lyon - Last: Sat Feb 13 W 1-0 v Lens.
- - - - -
42 Marseille (23 games played) - Last: Sat Feb 13 W 1-2 at Monaco.
42 Auxerre - Last: Sun Feb 14 W 1-0 v Rennes.

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COUPE DE FRANCE - Round of 16
-Wed Feb 17
Brest v Lens
-Already advanced: PSG, Quevilly, Boulogne, Sochaux, Auxerre, Monaco & St Etienne.

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COUPE DE LA LIGUE - Semifinals
-Wed Feb 17
Lorient v Bordeaux
-Marseille has already advanced to the Final.

GERMANY

Raphael Honigstein of the Guardian on the return to glory for Ruud VanNistelrooy at Hamburg, and the rest of the weekend in the Bundesliga.

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Top Bundesliga Team Standings (22 games played)
48 Bayer Leverkusen - Last: Sat Feb 13 W 2-1 v Wolfsburg.
48 Bayern Munich - Last: Sat Feb 13 W 3-1 v Dortmund.
45 Schalke - Last: Sun Feb 14 W 2-0 v Koln.
- - - - -
39 Hamburg - Last: Sat Feb 13 W 1-3 at Stuttgart.
36 Dortmund - Last: Sat Feb 13 L 3-1 at Bayern Munich.

ITALY

Paolo Bandini of the Guardian on the dissenters of Fiorentina, and the rest of the weekend in Serie A.

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Top Serie A Team Standings (24 games played)
54 Inter - Last: Sun Feb 14 D 0-0 at Napoli.
47 Roma - Last: Sat Feb 13 W 4-1 v Palermo.
45 Milan (23 played) - Last: Fri Feb 12 w 3-2 Udinese.
39 Napoli - Last: Sun Feb 14 D 0-0 v Inter.
- - - - -
39 Sampdoria - Last: Sat Feb 13 W 2-0 v Fiorentina.
38 Juventus - Last: Sun Feb 14 W 3-2 v Genoa.

ARGENTINA

Argentina will play Canada as 1 of their World Cup warm up games. Date is May 24, but no location announced.

PODCASTS/VIDEOCASTS

723 Football Films, the people who gave us the Landon Donovan international goal collection video, now bring us the same for Mr Clint Dempsey.
-And I have to admit, that was the first time I have seen that World Cup goal against Ghana on video. I was at the game, but have still never been able to rewatch any of thoese 3 games from '06. That goal was one hell of a pass from DaMarcus Beasley, and fantastic finish from Deuce.