Some Soccer News for Fri Mar 2, 2012

QUICK QUESTION

Would there be enough people interested to set up a du Nord league in the new MLS Fantasy Manager?

COUNTDOWN TO MLS 2012 - SEASON 17









STARTERS

CONCACAF will elect a new president on May 23.

dN

Stuart Holden will be an in-studio guest at Fox Soccer on Saturday morning.

And UFC fighter Kenny Florian will be an in-studio guest for Fox Soccer's Goals on Sunday.

dN

In a surprising move Vancouver cut former prodigy Lee Nguyen who they acquired in a league lottery just a few weeks ago. What went wrong?
-Today he was snapped up by New England.

dN

Mexico will "host" Brazil on Jun 3 in Dallas at Cowboy Stadium.

TEAM USA

A historic win for the USA beating Italy for the first time, and doing it on Italian soil no less.

US Soccer with video interview with Jurgen Klinsmann reflecting on the win in Italy.

Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America gives the game some context.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The 2nd Leg of the Round of 16 continues on Tuesday March 6.

STORY OF THE DAY

SUM Launches Kick Channel On YouTube

Starring: Jimmy Conrad, Steve Nicol, Stuart Holden and Jo Ankier.

Channel Will Connect Fans to the Ultimate Soccer Content From Around The World

The future of online soccer channels begins today, and it will be streamed exclusively on YouTube. Soccer United Marketing, Major League Soccer’s commercial arm, Bedrocket Media Ventures and Google announce the launch of KickTV, a brand new online network featuring an unprecedented collection of new and original shows centered around the world’s most popular sport.
KickTV provides soccer fans with unique analysis, insight, news, commentary and exclusive access to the world’s game. In addition, KickTV will stream memorable games from the past, instructional content, as well as experts who curate YouTube’s vast soccer library. This venture is part of YouTube’s new original channels programming initiative.
The on-air team includes FIFA World Cup veteran and MLS great Jimmy Conrad; Liverpool legend and longtime New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol; Former Houston Dynamo and current English Premier League Midfielder Stuart Holden; and English Olympian Jo Ankier.
Behind the scenes, KickTV content is led by Bedrocket VP of Programming Stefan Van Engen and MLSsoccer.com editor-in-chief Greg Lalas.
“This channel will be a one-stop shop for everything involving soccer from around the globe,” said Chris Schlosser, General Manager of MLS Digital. “We see a great opportunity on the YouTube platform. This is an opportunity to think about content differently. We will be assembling a team of content experts and we are thrilled about the possibilities that lie ahead. The focus of KickTV will be global in scale.”
KickTV will feature many original and exclusive shows:
The Mixer – A daily entertaining look at the biggest stories in global football
The Whip – A weekly review of the top stories from the English Premier League
Champions League Whip – A weekly review of the top stories from the UEFA Champions League
No Holden Back – New original content featuring U.S. National Team and former Houston Dynamo midfielder Stuart Holden
Kick Academy – Professional coaches and players sharing drills, exercises and tips that will make you a better player
Kick Classic – "Pop Up Video" style treatment of great games from the Kick Archive
Kick Profiles – A new look at the world's best players
Kick is where soccer fanatics can get their regular dose of “the beautiful game.” Every day, Kick’s roster of international stars and pundits debate the hot-button topics on The Mixer. On The Whip, Kick’s experts highlight the good, the bad, and the ugly from around YouTube’s soccer world. History buffs can visit the past to catch full matches on the Kick Classics channel, while aspiring stars can learn the game in the Academy channel. From London to Los Angeles, Buenos Aires to Barcelona, Kick will be covering the world’s most popular sport with unparalleled breadth and depth.

2011-12 CONCACACHAMPIONS

Coming next week!

Quarterfinals

Matches & Scores:
1st Leg
-Tue Mar 6
Morelia v Monterrey
-Wed Mar 7
Toronto v LA Galaxy - 7pm CT on Fox Soccer
Seattle Sounders v Santos Laguna - 9pm CT on Fox Soccer
-Thu Mar 8
Isidro Metapan v UNAM Pumas

dN

I have a feeling that Toronto is better prepared for this series then LA is. We have been hearing a lot of talk the the Galaxy could be up for the challenge of winning this tournament, but don't be surprised if they don't make it out of the Quarters.

FIFASCANDALIZATIONINGS

Lasana Liburd of Wired868 reports that Jack Warner has handed over to FIFA all of his documentation on the funds that were earmarked for Haiti and supposedly never got there. Warner claimed complete innocence in the matter.

BIG EUROPEAN CLUB MATCHES

Matches & Scores:
-Fri Mar 2
Benfica 2-3 Porto - Porto wins a big big Portuguese rivalry and takes over top spot from the defeated who fall back to #2.
-Sat Mar 3
Liverpool v Arsenal - two teams who desperately want a spot in the Champions League next season
-Sun Mar 4
Roma v Lazio - the Rome derby
Newcastle v Sunderland - the Tyne–Wear derby
Tottenham v Manchester United - #3 hosts #2
Real Madrid v Espnayol - a much lesser Madrid v Barcelona derby
PSV v Twente - #1 v #3

BEST NEWS I'VE HEARD ALL DAY

Philip O'Conor of Reuters reports that the Norwegian Football Association will implement a rule during the upcoming season that says only team captains can speak to the referees during games! Fantastic!

Several years ago the NBA put in a rule where you could not even jesticulate negativity toward a referee or you would get the equivalent of a yellow card. I love it. Soccer needs that rules. All the whining and BS would go away quickly.

DID YOU KNOW?

Brek Shea can write? We know he can play soccer. We know he can paint. We know he wears a wet albino rat on his head....

Goal.com with his first journal entry for them.

HMMMMM, VERY INTERESTING

Tom Marshall of MLSsoccer.com talks to Herculez Gomez about life in Mexico and now playing for Santos Lagua, who travel up to Seattle next week!

And Joshua Mayers of the Seattle Times has words from Sounder head coach Sigi Schmid responding to some of the things that Gomez had to say about his days playing under Schmid.

WELL WELL WELL

Brian Quarstad of IMSoccer News reports that US Soccer, the Canadian Soccer Association and Major League Soccer have agreed to run something that is being called the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) to help organize, assess, train and identify candidates for a professional level of referees in North America.

OOF

Rob Harris of the AP reports that World Cup prep in Brazil is still going very badly.

Tales Azzoni also of AP says the no work has been done on the stadium in Porto Alegre for over 8 months!

Just say the words Seppy! The USA is always ready to jump in and take over!

PICTURE OF THE DAY

DC United markets their home games:


















MLS TEAM & PLAYER NEWS

General News

Graham Parker, I wish it was that one, of the Guardian previews the Western Conference.
-Here is his prediction:
1 LA
2 Seattle
3 Salt Lake
4 Dallas
5 Portland
6 Colorado
7 San Jose
8 Vancouver
9 Chivas

dN

Player Transactions

Portland has signed Supplemental Draft pick Ryan Kawulok.

Seattle has signed 28 year old goalkeeper Andrew Weber who played for San Jose last season.

dN

MLSSoccer.com Season Previews

Football Club Dallas

Sporting Kansas City

Houston Dynamo
Colorado Rapids
Philadelphia Union
Columbus Crew
New York Red Bulls
Portland Timbers
Chicago Fire Soccer Club
San Jose Earthquakes
DC United
Club Deportivo Chivas USA
Toronto Football Club
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club
New England Revolution

dN

CD CHIVAS USA

Scott French of ESPN says Chivas is struggling to sign Juan Pablo Angel, and a look at the rest of their roster.

COLUMBUS CREW

Adam Jardy of the Dispatch reports that the Crew are closing in on a first 11 for opening day.

FC DALLAS

George John's loan spell at West Ham has ended without him being offered a contract. Back to Dallas for him. Great news for FCD.

dN

David Ferreira was back in a walking cast yesterday due to an inflamed achilles. The team says he was injured in the match against Orlando because the referee allowed the opponent to kick the crap out of him.

dN

Todd Date of 3rd Degree gets a few minutes for a Q & A with head coach Schellas Hyndman.

DC UNITED

DC has sent young defensive midfielder Conor Shanosky on a loan deal to the Ft Lauderdale Strikers.

MONTREAL IMPACT

Montreal and expansion draft pick Bobby Burling could not reach an agreement on a contract.

NEW YORK RED BULLS

Bulls projected starting goalkeeper Ryan Meara suffered a broken nose during their game against LA on Wednesday night. His prognosis for playing on Mar 11 is good.

SEATTLE SOUNDERS

Joshua Mayers of the Times talks to GM Adrian Hanauer about the latest Sounders news.

dN

Don Ruiz of the News Tribune talks to 2 new Sounders rookies, Andrew Duran & Babayele Sodade, who has some very interesting things to say about becoming a professional.

MLS PRESEASON SCOREBOARD

Matches & Scores:

-Sun Mar 4
Carolina RailHawks(NASL) v Vancouver Whitecaps
Venue: Wake Med Park - Cary NC

dN

Preseason Tournaments

Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic - Feb 24-Mar 3
Venue: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex - Orlando FL

2 of 4 rounds have been played.

Rivalry clashes in Saturday's final matches!
-Vancouver will play Toronto for the Championship.
-And Houston plays Dallas for 3rd place.

Group 1
9 Vancouver Whitecaps FC (+7)
2 Houston Dynamo (-1)
2 Sporting Kansas City (-3)
2 Montreal Impact (-3)
Group 2
7 Toronto FC (+5)
4 FC Dallas (+1)
4 BK Hacken (Sweden) (0)
1 Orlando City SC (USL Pro) (-6)

Matches & Scores:
-Fri Feb 24
Sporting Kansas City 0-0 Houston Dynamo
Montreal Impact 0-3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC - VW goals by Eric Hassli, Darren Mattocks & Sebastien Le Toux(PK).
-Sat Feb 25
Orlando City SC 2-2 Toronto FC - OC goals by John Rooney(PK) & Kevin Molino. TFC goals by Miguel Aceval & Torsten Frings.
BK Hacken 1-1 FC Dallas - BKH goal by Mattias Ostberg. FCD goal by Fabian Castillo.
-Sun Feb 26
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1-0 Houston Dynamo - VW goal by Sebastien Le Toux(PK).
Sporting Kansas City 1-1 Montreal Impact - SKC goal by Soony Saad. MI goal by Mike Fucito.
-Tue Feb 28
Toronto FC 3-1 BK Hacken - TFC goals by Ryan Johnson, Moises Ororzco & Joao Plata. BKH goal by Andreas Drugge(PK).
Orlando City SC 0-4 FC Dallas - FCD goals by David Ferreira(PK), Fabian Castillo, Blas Perez & Andrew Wiedeman.
-Wed Feb 29
Sporting Kansas City 0-3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC - VW goals by Sebastien Le Toux, Russell Teibert & Carlyle Mitchell.
Houston Dynamo 1-1 Montreal Impact - HD goal by Will Bruin. MI goal by Patrice Bernier.
-Thu Mar 1
Toronto FC 3-0 FC Dallas - TFC goals by Luis Silva(2) & Ryan Johnson.
Orlando City SC 0-2 BK Hacken - BKH goals both by Bjorn Anklev.
-Sat Mar 3
Championship
Vancouver Whitecaps v Toronto
Consolation
Houston Dynamo v Dallas

dN

Jeld-Wen Field Tournament - Feb 27-Mar4
Venue: Jeld-Wen Field - Portland OR

Standings:
4 Allmanna IdrottsKlubben (Sweden) (+2)
2 Portland Timbers (0)
2 San Jose Earthquakes (0)
1 CD Chivas USA (-2)

-Mon Feb 27
CD Chivas USA 0-2 AIK - AIK goals by Viktor Lundberg & Lalawele Atakora.
San Jose Earthquakes 1-1 Portland Timbers - SJE goal by Hayner Mosquera(OG). PT goal by Khalif Alhassan.
-Thu Mar 1
AIK 0-0 San Jose Earthquakes
CD Chivas USA 1-1 Portland Timbers - CUSA goal by Cesar Romero. PT goal by Ryan Kawulok.
-Sun Mar 4
San Jose Earthquakes v CD Chivas USA
AIK v Portland Timbers

dN

The Desert Diamond Cup - Feb 22-Mar 3
Venue: Kino Stadium - Tuscon AZ

3 of 4 rounds played.

Standings:
9 New England Revolution (+4)
3 LA Galaxy (0)
3 New York Red Bulls (-2)
3 Real Salt Lake (-2)

Matches & Scores:
-Wed Feb 22
LA Galaxy 2-3 New England Revolution - LAG goals by Edson Buddle & Mike Magee. NER goals by Benny Feilhaber, John Lozano & Jeremiah White.
Real Salt Lake 1-0 New York Red Bulls - RESL goal by Paulo Junior.
-Sat Feb 25
LA Galaxy 2-0 Real Salt Lake - LAG goals by Paolo Cardozo & Mike Magee.
New England Revolution 2-0 New York Red Bulls - NER goals both by Kelyn Rowe.
-Wed Feb 29
Real Salt Lake 1-2 New England Revolution - RSL goal by Nico Muniz. NER goals by Diego Fagundez & Bjorn Runstrom.
LA Galaxy 1-2 New York Red Bulls - LAG goal by Marcelo Sarvas. NYRB goals by Kenny Cooper & Thierry Henry.
-Sat Mar 3
Championship
New England Revolution v LA Galaxy
Consolation
New York Red Bulls v Real Salt Lake

dN

Carolina Challenge Cup - Feb 25-Mar 3
Venue: Blackbaud Stadium - Charleston SC

2 of 3 rounds are complete.

Standings:
6 DC United (+3)
3 Chicago Fire (0)
1 Columbus Crew (-1)
1 Charleston Battery (-2)

Matches & Scores:
-Sat Feb 25
DC United 1-0 Chicago Fire - DCU goal by Hamdi Salihi.
Charleston Battery 2-2 Columbus Crew - CB goals by Dane Kelly & Jose Cuevas(PK). CC goals by Eddie Gaven & Mirovan Mirosevic(PK).
-Wed Feb 29
Columbus Crew 0-1 Chicago Fire - CF goal by Federico Puppo.
Charleston Battery 1-3 DC United - CB goal by Jose Cuevas. DCU goals by Maicon Santos, Ryan Richter & Hamdi Salihi.
-Sat Mar 3
DC United v Columbus Crew
Charleston Battery v Chicago Fire

USA U23/OLYMPIC TEAM

The Tennesseen previews the USA team qualifying group stage games that will take place in Nashville in just 3 weeks.

AMERICANS IN EUROPE

Michael Adubato of Yanks Abroad talks to Mix Diskerud about the step up at his new team Gent in Belgium.

MEXICO

Kevyan Antonio Heydari of the New York Times looks at Guadalajara's big gamble bringing in Dutch legend Johan Cryuff to try and turn around their faultering organization.

ENGLAND

AFP reports that Birmingham has failed to file their financial records with the Football Association for this year and have now been banned from any transfer moves until it is resolved.

GERMANY

Die Bundesliga Standings (23 games played):
52 Dortmund (+35 gd) - NEXT: Sat Mar 3 v Mainz
48 Bayern (+37 gd) - NEXT: Sat Mar 3 at Leverkusen
47 Gladbach (+23 gd) - NEXT: Sun Mar 4 at Nurnberg
44 Schalke (+20 gd) - NEXT: Sat Mar 3 at Freiburg

COPA LIBERTADORES

Back in action next Tuesday!

ARGENTINA

Leonardo Astrada has been hired as the new head coach at Argentinos Juniors, replacing Nestor Gorosito who was involved in a serious car accident and suffered multiple injuries.

ASIA

Bob's Boys played their third and final friendly today, a scoreless game against DR Congo. They will play the two legs of their African Cup of Nations qualifier in June.
-Ahram with an article on today's game.