Monday, September 26, 2011

Some Soccer News for Mon Sep 26, 2011

TEAM USA - EL EQUIPO DE TODOS

In case you missed it last week, Jose Torres has suffered a broken bone in his left foot and after surgery he will be on the shelf until some time in January or the beginning of February.

STORY OF THE DAY

This story has popped up in every city where a club team from the US Soccer development academy has told their players to make a choice between the club that plays in a national league or their high school team. The High School who complain are extremely short sighted.

The Oregonian talks to high schools who are upset that the Portland Timbers will soon tell their academy players to choose between the club or school for playing soccer. (Thanks to Adam for the link.)

2011-12 CONCACACHAMPIONS

Matchday 5

A big week for all the MLS team hoping to advance. Most went from the catbird seat after 2 rounds to struggling after 4.

dN

Group Stage - Round robin, home & away - matches played Aug 16 to Oct 20

Matches & Scores:
-Tue Sep 27
Toronto v Pumas UNAM - live at 7pm CT on Fox Soccer
Comunicaciones v Seattle Sounders - live at 9pm CT on Fox Soccer
Monterrey v Herediano
-Wed Sep 28
Real Espana v Santos Laguna
Tauro v Dallas - live at 7pm CT on Fox Soccer
LA Galaxy v Morelia - live at 9pm CT on Fox Soccer
Isidro Metapan v Colorado Rapids - delayed at 11:30pm CT on Fox Soccer
-Thu Sep 29
Alajuelense v Motagua

dN

Standings:

GROUP A
9 Monarchas Morelia (Mexico) (+6)
9 Alajuelense (Costa Rica) (+2)
6 LA Galaxy (USA) (+2)
0 Motagua (Honduras) (-10)
GROUP B
9 Santos Laguna (Mexico) (+8)
6 Isidro Metapan (El Salvador) (-4)
4 Real Espana (Honduras) (-1)
4 Colorado Rapids (USA) (-3)
GROUP C
7 UNAM Pumas (Mexico) (+5)
7 Dallas (USA) (0)
6 Toronto (Canada) (-3)
2 Tauro (Panama) (-2)
GROUP D
9 Seattle Sounders (USA) (+4)
6 Monterrey (Mexico) (+5)
6 Comunicaciones (Guatemala) (-2)
3 Herediano (Costa Rica) (-7)

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Matchday 2 is this week.

Recap du Nord:

Matches & Scores:
-Tue Sep 27
CSKA Moskva v Inter Milan
Man United v Basel - live at 1:30pm CT on Fox Soccer
Otelul Galati v Benfica
Lyon v Dinamo Zagreb
Real Madrid v Ajax - delayed at 4:00pm CT on Fox Soccer
Bayern v Man City
Napoli v Villarreal
Trabzonspor v Lille
-Wed Sep 28
Zenit v Porto
Shakhtar Donetsk v APOEL
BATE v Barcelona - delayed at 4:00pm CT on Fox Soccer
Milan v Plzen
Valencia v Chelsea - live at 1:30pm CT on Fox Soccer
Leverkusen v Genk
Arsenal v Olympiacos
Marseille v Dortmund

Group Standings

FIFA SCANDALIZATIONINGS

Tales Azzoni of the Associated Press reports that a decade after the allegations came to light Brazilian police are finally going to investigate kickback charges against Brazil & FIFA exec Ricardo Teixeira. From Yahoo.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

The Daily Mail of England asks, Is the next Freddy Adu, well, Freddy Adu?

HOLY CRAP

These daft punks at the Freeport News see the Bahamas as the natural spot for the next MLS team.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Have you ever scored on a header from 65 yards out? This dude from Odd Grenland has! Check the incredible footage right here. (thanks to Nick for the link)

MLS MATCHES, SCORES & STANDINGS

WEEK 28

Matches & Scores:
-Wed Sep 21
DC United 2-2 CD Chivas USA - DCU goals by Dwayne DeRosario & Ethan White. CUSA goals by Juan Pablo Angel(2).
Venue: RFK Stadium
Atten: 14,849
New York Red Bulls 1-3 Real Salt Lake - NYRB goal by Joel Lindpere. RSL goals by Alvaro Saborio & Fabian Espindola(2).
Venue: Red Bull Arena
Atten: 14,266
Portland Timbers 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes - PT goal by Kenny Cooper. SJE goal by Khari Stephenson.
Venue: JELD-WEN Field
Atten: 18,627
-Fri Sep 23
Sporting Kansas City 1-1 Philadelphia Union - SKC goal by Omar Bravo. PU goal by Sebastien Le Toux.
Venue: LIVESTRONG Sporting Park
Atten: 18,778
-Sat Sep 24
FC Dallas 0-1 Houston Dynamo - HD goal by Geoff Cameron.
Venue: Pizza Hut Park
Atten: 10,849
DC United 4-1 Real Salt Lake - DCU goals by Andy Najar & Dwayne De Rosario(3). RSL goal by Alvaro Saborio.
Venue: RFK Stadium
Atten: 16,367
Columbus Crew 0-1 LA Galaxy - LAG goal by Chad Barrett.
Venue: Crew Stadium
Atten: 21,203
New York Red Bulls 2-0 Portland Timbers - NYRB goals by Dane Richards & Luke Rodgers(PK).
Venue: Red Bull Arena
Atten: 25,008
Colorado Rapids 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes - CR goal by Drew Moor. SJE goal by Chris Wondolowski.
Venue: Dick's Sporting Goods Park
Atten: 17,877
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1-3 Seattle Sounders FC - VW goal by Camilo. SS goals by Brad Evans(PK) & Fredy Montero(2).
Venue: Empire Field
Atten: 21,000
CD Chivas USA 3-0 Toronto FC - CUSA goals by Juan Pablo Angel(2) & Justin Braun.
Venue: The Home Depot Center
Atten: 14,357
-Sun Sep 25
Chicago Fire SC 3-2 New England Revolution - CF goals by Sebastian Grazzini(PK), Dominic Oduro & Patrick Nyarko. NER goals both by Ryan Guy.
Venue: Toyota Park
Atten: 14,567

WEEK 29

-Wed Sep 28
Sporting Kansas City v Columbus Crew - 7:30PM CT on Direct Kick
Venue: LIVESTRONG Sporting Park
Real Salt Lake v Chicago Fire SC - 8:00PM CT on Direct Kick
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium
-Thu Sep 29
Philadelphia Union v DC United - 7:00PM CT on ESPN2
Venue: PPL Park

dN

EJECTIONS:
Kalif Alhassan - Portland - red card

dN

Standings:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
42 Houston Dynamo (31 GP) (0 GD)
41 Sporting Kansas City (30 GP) (+6 GD)
41 Columbus Crew (30 GP) (-3 GD)
40 Philadelphia Union (29 GP) (+6 GD)
39 New York Red Bulls (30 GP) (+5 GD)
38 DC United (28 GP) (+2 GD)
33 Chicago Fire SC (29 GP) (-3 GD)
30 Toronto FC (31 GP) (-23 GD)
27 New England Revolution (30 GP) (-15 GD)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
*61 LA Galaxy (30 GP) (+22 GD)
*54 Seattle Sounders FC (30 GP) (+17 GD)
51 Real Salt Lake (29 GP) (+15 GD)
46 FC Dallas (30 GP) (+3 GD)
42 Colorado Rapids (31 GP) (+1 GD)
37 Portland Timbers (30 GP) (-7 GD)
35 CD Chivas USA (31 GP) (+1 GD)
31 San Jose Earthquakes (30 GP) (-7 GD)
22 Vancouver Whitecaps FC (29 GP) (-20 GD)

*Playoff berth

MLS SUPPORTERS SHIELD STANDINGS

There are only 3 teams left with a shot at the regular reason title.

61 LA Galaxy (30 GP) (+22 GD)
54 Seattle Sounders FC (30 GP) (+17 GD)
51 Real Salt Lake (29 GP) (+15 GD)
OUT-46 FC Dallas (30 GP) (+3 GD)
OUT-42 Colorado Rapids (31 GP) (+1 GD)
OUT-42 Houston Dynamo (31 GP) (0 GD)
OUT-41 Sporting Kansas City (30 GP) (+6 GD)
OUT-41 Columbus Crew (30 GP) (-3 GD)
OUT-40 Philadelphia Union (29 GP) (+6 GD)
OUT-39 New York Red Bulls (30 GP) (+5 GD)
OUT-38 DC United (28 GP) (+2 GD)
OUT-37 Portland Timbers (30 GP) (-7 GD)
OUT-35 CD Chivas USA (31 GP) (+1 GD)
OUT-33 Chicago Fire SC (29 GP) (-3 GD)
OUT-31 San Jose Earthquakes (30 GP) (-7 GD)
OUT-30 Toronto FC (31 GP) (-23 GD)
OUT-27 New England Revolution (30 GP) (-15 GD)
OUT-22 Vancouver Whitecaps FC (29 GP) (-20 GD)

IF THE MLS PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY

The 10 teams:

WEST
1 LA Galaxy
2 Seattle Sounders
3 Real Salt Lake

EAST
1 Houston Dynamo
2 Sporting Kansas City
3 Columbus Crew

WILD CARD
1 FC Dallas
2 Colorado Rapids
3 Philadelphia Union
4 New York Red Bulls

No new teams in the mix this week, just a slight reshuffling amongst the Eastern teams.

MLS TEAM & PLAYER NEWS

General News

Houston has surprisingly moved into 1st place in the East.

Seattle has become the 2nd team to qualify for the playoffs.

LA is the first team this season to cross the 60 point barrier.

Dwayne DeRosario of DC United was named MLS Player Of The Week.
-This is the 3rd time DDR has been given the award since arriving from New York in late June.

Steve Davis of Sports Illustrated with five things we learned from Week 28.

LA GALAXY

LA is so dominant right now that they left David Beckham and Robbie Keane off the field completely, and didn't start Landon Donovan, yet they still won on the road at Columbus.

NEW YORK RED BULLS

With Rafa Marquez suspended after his comments about his teammates, the Bulls played with toughness, heart and soul to get a much needed convincing win over Portland. So what happens with Marquez now.

Kristian Dyer of Metro New York does the math on Marquez in the lineup, and it comes up snake eyes.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

Luke Wileman of TSN feels the Whitecaps could learn a lot from the way the Sounders have operated for their first 3 years of MLS existence.

MLS RESERVE LEAGUE

Matches & Scores:
-Sun Sep 25
FC Dallas 2-0 Houston Dynamo - FCD goals by Ruben Luna & Will Bruin(OG).
-Tue Sep 27
Portland Timbers v CD Chivas USA

dN

Standings Etc.

MLS EXPANSION

Randy Philips of the Montreal Gazette tell us about the Impact moving directly into MLS mode after being eliminated from a potential playoff berth in the NASL.

MLS STADIUMS

Joshua Mayers of the Seattle Times got a tour of Vancouver's new BC Place stadium that will open this weekend.

Nigel Reed of the CBC on the Whitecaps final days at Empire Field.

NASL NEWS

Minnesota claimed the final playoff spot on Saturday night sending the MLS bound Montreal Impact packing.

I am in heaven over this one. I love the playoffs. Now the Stars need to win down in Tampa, where they are due, to get a home a game against Carolina who we all know the Stars can beat! Finals here we come! Then the championship will return to its rightful place. Minnesota!

NASL SCOREBOARD

Matches & Scores:
-Sat Sep 24
FC Tampa Bay 2-0 Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Carolina RailHawks 1-2 NSC Minnesota Stars
Atlanta Silverbacks 0-4 Montreal Impact

END OF REGULAR SEASON.

dN

Playoffs - Quarterfinals
Matches & Scores:
-Sat Oct 1
FC Tampa Bay v NSC Minnesota Stars - 6:30 CT
Ft Lauderdale Strikers v FC EDmonton - 6:30 CT

dN

Final Regular Season Standings (as of Sat Sep 24):
*#54 Carolina RailHawks (+24 GD)
*#52 Puerto Rico Islanders (+9 GD)
*41 FC Tampa Bay (+5 GD)
*38 Fort Lauderdale Strikers (-1 GD)
*36 FC Edmonton (-5 GD)
*36 NSC Minnesota Stars (-2 GD)
%35 Montreal Impact (+8 GD)
%16 Atlanta Silverbacks (-38 GD)

* Secured playoff berth
# First playoff round bye
% Eliminated from playoff berths

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Marcus Tracy will not have his contract extended at AaB in Denmark and it will expire on Dec 31. He has barely played in 3 years due to injuries so whoever signs him will most likely sign him as a reclamation project. (thanks to Henrik for the info.)

Carlos Bocanegra & Mo Edu started for Rangers and Alejandro Bedoya came on as a sub and all played at once for Rangers on Saturday. Pretty frickin cool.

Not forgetting that Boca & Edu scored the first two goals in an impressive 0-4 win at Dunfermline.
-Match report by Gary Ralston who heaps praise on the two.
-Edu talks about his goal.

Scott McDermott of the Sunday Mail talks to Ale Bedoya about life at his new team Rangers.

Euan McLean of the Daily Record in Scotland says Mo Edu has been the fans whipping boy lately. This is the first I have heard of this.

The Guardian has high praise for Michael Bradley's game for Chievo this weekend. (Scan way down the page to the bullet point.)

Get this: Charles Kazlauskas has scored 3 goals for Helmond Sport this season including one this past weekend. Amazing.

dN

Game Action:

BELGIUM - Pro League
Sacha Kljestan - Anderlecht - went the full 90 as they won 3-2 v Beerschot.

CZECH REPUBLIC - CZECH LIGA
Stefan Jerome - Sigma Olomouc - on the bench as they won 1-0 v Telice.

DENMARK - Superliga
Clarence Goodson - Brondy - went the full 90 but lost 1-2 v Kobenhavn.
Conor O'Brien - SonderjyskE - started and went 78 min of a 0-0 tie v Koge.
Michael Parkhurst - Nordsjaelland - played the whole game but lost 1-0 at AGF
Chris Rolfe - AaB - came on as a sub in the 68th in but lost 1-2 v Lyngby.

ENGLAND - Premier League
Clint Dempsey - Fulham - played the whole game as they drew 0-0 at West Brom.
Brad Friedel - Tottenham - in goal as usual as they won 1-2 at Wigan.
Brad Guzan - Aston Villa - on the bench as they drew 1-1 at QPR.
Tim Howard - Everton - played the entire match but lost 2-0 at Man City.

ENGLAND - Championship League
Conor Doyle - Derby County - on the bench as they won 3-0 v Millwall.
Robbie Findley - Nottingham Forest - started and played 74 min as they won 0-1 at Watford.
Jonathan Spector - Birmingham - started and went 56 min as they drew 1-1 v Barnsley.

ENGLAND - League One
Anton Peterlin - Wallsall - on the bench as they lost 1-0 at Colchester.

FINLAND - Veikkausliiga
Etchu Tabe - RoPS - went the distance as they won 2-1 v MYPA.
Mason Trafford - Mariehamn - played the whole game as they lost 0-3 v TPS.
Josh Wicks - Mariehamn - played the full match getting a yellow card as they lost 0-3 v TPS.

FINLAND - Ykkonen
Kyle Luetkehans - PS Kemi Kings - came on as a sub in the 83rd min as they won 3-0 v PK-35.
Dan Stevens - PS Kemi Kings - started and went 73 min as they won 3-0 v PK-35
Kellan Wilson - HIFK - went the full 90 but lost 0-2 v Lahti.

GERMANY - Bundesliga
Timmy Chandler - Nurnberg - went the distance but lost 1-0 at Gladbach.
Steve Cherundolo - Hannover - on the bench as they drew 0-0 at Augsburg.
Daniel Williams - Hoffenheim - on the bench as they lost 2-0 at Koln.
David Yelldell - Bayer Leverkusen - on the bench as they lost 3-0 at Bayern.

GERMANY - 2 Bundesliga
Edson Buddle - Ingolstadt - came on at half time but lost 4-1 at Paderborn.
Luis Robles - Karlsruher - on the bench as they drew 1-1 at Hansa Rostock.
Matt Taylor - Paderborn - on the bench as they won 4-1 v Ingolstadt.

ISRAEL - Ligat Al
Ryan Adeleye - Hapoel Be'er Sheva - went the distance but lost 1-4 v Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Bryan Gerzicich - Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona - played the full match getting a yellow card as they tied 0-0 v Bnei Sakhnin.
Leo Krupnik - Maccabi Netanya - played the whole game as they won 1-2 at Hapoel Acre.

ITALY - Serie A
Michael Bradley - Chievo Verona - went the full 90 setting up the first goal as they won 2-1 v Genoa.

NETHERLANDS - Eredivisie
Jozy Altidore - AZ Alkmaar - started and went 69 min as they won 2-1 v Feyenoord.

NETHERLANDS - Eerste Divisie
Charles Kazlauskas - Helmond Sport - played the entire game scoring a goal and getting a yellow card as they drew 2-2 at Cambuur.

NORWAY - Eliteserien
Joe Bendik - Sogndal - on the bench as they won 1-0 v Brann.
Erik Benjaminsen - Stabaek - on the bench as they lost 1-0 at Stromsgodset.
Mikkel Diskerud - Stabaek - played the whole game but lost 1-0 at Stromsgodset.
Josh Gatt - Molde - played the whole match as they drew 0-0 v Viking.

NORWAY - 1 Divisjon
Jonathan Borrajo - Hamarkameratene - played the whole game as they won 2-1 v Asker.
Colin Burns - Sandefjord - on the bench as they lost2-1 at Bryne.
Steve Clark - Honefoss - went the full 90 as they drew 2-2 at Kongsvinger.
Kyle Helton - Mjondalen - started and went 80 min getting a yellow card as they lost 4-1 at Sandnes Ulf.
Kenneth Di Vita Jensen - Honefoss - played the entire game as they tied 2-2 at Kongsvinger.

PORTUGAL - Primeira Liga
Oguchi Onyewu - Sporting - played the entire game and won 3-0 v Vitoria Setubal.

PORTUGAL - Liga de Honra
Caleb Patterson-Sewell - Atletico CP - went the distance but lost 2-0 at Arouca.
Tony Taylor - Atletico CP - played the whole game losing 2-0 at Arouca.

SCOTLAND - Premier League
Alejandro Bedoya - Rangers - came on as a sub in the 74th min as they won 0-4 at Dunfermline.
Carlos Bocanegra - Ragners - played the whole game scoring the first goal as they won 0-4 at Dunfermline.
Mo Edu - Rangers - went the distance scoring the second goal as they won 0-4 at Dunfermline.

SWEDEN - Allsvenskan Liga
Ryan Miller - Halmstad - played the entire match but lost 0-1 v Syrianska.
Samuel Petrone - Mjallby - on the bench as they won 2-1 v Elfsborg.

SWEDEN - Superettan
Brian Edwards - Degerfors - went the full 90 as they tied 0-0 at Landskrona.
Nick Noble - Ljungskile - played the whole match winning 1-0 v Assyriska.
Matt Pyzdrowski - Angelholms - played the entire game but lost 3-0 at Jonkopings Sodra.
Michael Thomas - Ljungskile - went the distance as they won 1-0 v Assyriska.

dN

Coming Up:

ENGLAND - Championship League
Conor Doyle - Derby County - Tue Sep 27 v Barnsley
Robbie Findley - Nottingham Forest - Tue Sep 27 at Burnley

NORWAY - 1 Divisjon
Jonathan Borrajo - Hamarkameratene - Wed Sep 28 v Alta

SCOTLAND - Premier League
Alejandro Bedoya - Rangers - Tue Sep 27 v Kilmarnock
Carlos Bocanegra - Ragners - Tue Sep 27 v Kilmarnock
Mo Edu - Rangers - Tue Sep 27 v Kilmarnock

AMERICANS IN MEXICO

Herculez got another goal, but in a losing effort.

dN

Game Action:

PRIMERA DIVISION
DaMarcus Beasley - Puebla - went the distance picking up a yellow card but lost 1-2 v Santos Laguna.
Joe Benny Corona - Tijuana - came on as a sub in the 68th min as they drew 1-1 at America.
Herculez Gomez - Estudiantes Tecos - started and played 64 min scoring a goal but losing 1-2 v UNAM Pumas.
Sonny Guadarrama - Atlante - on the bench as they won 2-3 at Atlas.
Michael Orozco Fiscal - San Luis - played the whole game as they drew 1-1 at Pachuca.

LIGA DE ASCENSO (2nd division)
Marco Vidal - Leon - on the bench as they drew 1-1 v Irapuato.

MEXICO

Recap du Nord: The weekend when many of the top teams faced off gave us no revelations and only made the race tighter. The top 4 played each other and all tied, then #5 Pumas got a win to move them tied on points with 4th and only 1 point from the top. Amazing. 7 games to go.

Mexico - Primera Top 5 Standings (10 of 17 games played):
18 Jaguares (+3) (19 GF) - LAST: Sat Sep 24 D 1-1 at Tigres - NEXT: Sat Oct 1 v Atlas
18 Cruz Azul (+3) (13 GF) - LAST: Sat Sep 24 D 1-1 v Guadalajara - NEXT: Sat Oct 1 at Santos Laguna
18 Guadalajara (+1) - LAST: Sat Sep 24 D 1-1 at Cruz Azul - NEXT: Sat Oct 1 v Queretaro
17 Tigres (+7) - LAST: Sat Sep 24 D 1-1 v Jaguares - NEXT: Sun Oct 2 at Tijuana
17 Pumas (+2) - LAST: Sat Sep 24 W 1-2 at Tecos - NEXT: Sun Oct 2 v America

ENGLAND

Alan Gardner & Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian with five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend.

Paul Hayward of the Guardian does an interview with the still considerably young Michael Owen.

SPAIN

Sid Lowe of the Guardian describes the specialness of Real Betis fans, and the rest of the weekend in La Liga.

GERMANY

Raphael Honigstein of the Guardian watches Bayern Munich demolish another opponent and gear up for Man City in the Champions League, plus the rest of the weekend in the Bundesliga.

The AP reports that Bayern Munich player Breno has been arrested and charged with arson for setting his own house on fire. Via the Guardian.

ITALY

Paolo Bandini of the Guardian tells us about the fine start for Atalanta despite their 10 point penalty, and the rest of the round in Serie A.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

Matchday 2 coming up on thu Sep 29.

SOUTH AMERICA

FIFA.com does a Q & A with Paolo Guerrero about the re-birth of Peru as a South American soccer power.

CONMEBOL

Copa Roca - Special Home & Home Friendly Series: (only players from the domestic leagues are used)

Matches & Scores:
2nd Leg
-Wed Sep 28
Brazil v Argentina (0-0) - 8pm CT on ESPN3.com

BRAZIL

Brazil - Serie A Top 5 Standings (26 of 38 games played):
49 Vasco - NEXT: Sun Oct 2 v Corinthians
47 Corinthians - NEXT: Sun Oct 2 at Vasco da Gama
46 Sao Paulo - NEXT: Sun Oct 2 v Flamengo
45 Botafogo (25 GP) - NEXT: Sun Oct 2 at Atletico GO
41 Fluminense - NEXT: Sat Oct 1 v Santos

2 big games coming next weekend as Vasco and Corinthians face off, and then Sao Paulo hosts 6th place Flamengo.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Doug said...

Brucio - Are you going to share your impressions of Red Bull Arena and tell us about your trip to New York?

9:57 PM  
Blogger brucio said...

Yes.

8:16 AM  

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