Some Soccer News for Mar 31, 2016

It's Day 91 of 2016.


The USA Women's National Team players association has filed a grievance against US Soccer with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission declaring unequal pay for the Women compared to the Men's National Team. The Women's team contends that they are paid far less then the Men's team, but outperform them consistently. By Andrew Das of the New York Times.

• The Women's team is not wrong in saying they deserve to get paid a whole lot more for what they have delivered. They are simply the best in their sport.

• However, they have never "out performed" the Men's team because they have never played against them or in any of the same competitions. All of us and the Women's team know how that would go.

• The best tool to show the USWNT deserves to get paid more is the revenue that their program generates. That is 100% legit. Its about 15% lower than the USMNT. But the current difference in pay is not 15%. Its much larger then that. Much larger.

• By ramping up this fight the Women are building for the future of all women. This issue is a million times bigger than just soccer in America. But every brick in the wall helps the whole concept of equality become stronger. Women deserve better. A whole lot better.

dN

Good perspective on the USMNT game from Tuesday night. By George Vecsey on his blog. I miss his writing in the New York Times a lot. (And he means Copa America, not Gold Cup.)

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The contributions made by Kyle Beckerman to the USMNT are formidable. By Brian Sciaretta of American Soccer Now.

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The daily internet and satellite radio talk show Soccer Morning has lost host Jason Davis. He will be running a brand new show on SIRIUS satellite. (No other details known at this time.)

• Soccer Morning will continue with a new host, yet to be named.

• I nominate Jonathan Tannenwald.

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Lighter: du Nord Music Mix Vol 77 (download and extract)

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Family. Today's feature story on Minnesota United's Christian Ramirez. By Andy Greder of the St Paul Pioneer Press. (Part of a weeklong series.)

• Wednesday 2: Ben Speas.

• Wednesday 1: Kevin Venegas.

• Tuesday: Justin Davis

• Monday: Sammy Ndjock

dN

The San Francisco Deltas were officially introduced as a new NASL team today.

• They will begin play in 2017 (don't know if its Spring or Fall.)

• Home games will be held at Kezar Stadium.

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NASL has now signed broadcast deals with 4 national providers, not to mention local deals that individual teams have set up. So is this a great thing, or a cluster fuck? [PARODY] [KINDA] By Jon Marthaler of Northern Pitch.

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Individual NASL team season previews from SBISoccer:

• New York Cosmos

• Edmonton

• Jacksonville Armada

• Carolina RailHawks

• Tampa Bay Rowdies

• Ottawa Fury

• Indy Eleven

• Fort Lauderdale Strikers

• Rayo OKC

dN

Joao Plata of Real Salt Lake was named MLS Player Of The Month for April.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 30, 2016

It's Day 90 of 2016.


The USMNT got the job done in convincing fashion last night just in time to rid the sinking ship of all the excess water.

But the US Olympic team was not so lucky. Colombia was clearly motivated by not getting the job done in Leg 1, and demolished the U23 team.

dN

World Cup qualifying results:
-Tue Mar 29
USA 4-0 Guatemala - USA goals by Clint Dempsey, Geoff Cameron, Graham Zusi, and Jozy Altidore.

My notes:
-De'Andre Yedlin in defense had a good game. (Didn't imagine I was going to be writing that about Yedlin, but his time at Sunderland has made him a better defender.)
-Graham Zusi in particular was effective from the first minute of the game. He was aggressive, precise and tuned in. The only question around Zusi is why wasn't he called in with the original roster. (There are so many questions with this coach, aren't there?)
-Gyasi Zardes had the touch of a fork lift again, but the good thing is that he turns and goes right at the defenders, which can unsettle them and open windows for teammates. Give him credit for that. He was in the middle of 2 of the goals.
-Michael Bradley was comfortable knowing there was a guy behind him who was going to keep things under control and help the centerbacks.
-Kyle Beckerman played that #6 role to perfection. Simple, clean, a little rough, yet relaxed - the way the #6 should be. Why is he not an automatic starter every single game?
-The centerback pairing of Geoff Cameron and Steve Birnbaum were not tested, so we cannot critique their defense.
-And was Brad Guzan in goal was not really challenged at all either.
-But Cameron added to the offense in big ways - first with a long pass into the box that lead to the Dempsey goal, and second with his smashing header on a corner kick that no goalkeeper could have stopped.
-Clint Dempsey still spent too much time whining to the ref, but he had some great moves, scored the most important goal of the game and did some damage in the way only he can. Good job.
-The USA is more desperate for a left fullback then ever before. Edgar Castillo is definitely not the answer. Someone with the physique of a 12 year old is not going to get it done when you need it most against top notch opponents. Maybe they have to consider Fabian Johnson at left fullback for Copa America - as much as I want him in a more forward position.
-A goal 17 seconds into the 2nd half ended any promise Gautemala had of coming out regrouped after halftime.
-The kid Christian Pulisic (pronounced puh-LISS-ick) was capped and is now a USA player forever.
-Jozy Altidore was strong and bashed home a good goal late.
-Ethan Finley got to play in front of his Columbus Crew fans, then had a goal erroneously called offside after he scored on a great run.
-This was a simple win, a good-enough team performance. It was ordinary, and exactly what they should deliver.
-Lets not get carried away though, the win for the senior team last night was not special. A quality opponent would have made them work an awful lot harder then that, and would have exposed a few weaknesses. But luckily it was Guatemala and unlike last Friday they did not put up a fight.
-The pressure was on and the players responded. Enough said.

The atmosphere in Columbus was again positive for the USA. By Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch.

Lots of questions still hanging over the USMNT program even after the win. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

dN

The rest of CONCACAF qualifying today:
-Mar 29
Group A
Mexico 2-0 Canada
Honduras 2-0 El Salvador
Group B
Costa Rica 3-0 Jamaica
Panama 1-0 Haiti
Group C
Trinidad + Tobago 6-0 St Vincent +the Grenadines

Mexico has advanced with a perfect 12 points from 4 games.

Canada was really hoping to fire up their program with 2 strong performances and quality points against Mexico, but as most predicted they were shut out in both games and earned 0 points. They are better then they have been, but not significantly.

Canada has fallen to 3rd in their group and go to Honduras for Matchday 5, which they will have to win if they want to advance.

Costa Rica is all but advanced with 10 points and a 6 point lead on 3rd place Jamaica.

Group C standings:
10 Trinidad (+8 GD)
7 USA (+7 GD)
6 Guatemala (+1 GD)
0 St Vincent (-16 GD)

In Matchday 5 on Sep 2, the USA goes to St Vincent + The Grenadines and needs to roll big time, then come home on Sep 6 v T+T and do the same thing. Roll!

dN

And a berth in the Olympics was on the line:
2nd Leg
-Tue Mar 29
USA U23 1-2 Colombia U23 - Col advances 3-2 on aggregate - USA goal by Deiver Machado (Own Goal). Col goals both by Roger Martinez.

My notes:
-The US team got a lot of credit for a gutsy bunker in Leg 1, but they got stuffed in the 2nd Leg.
-Colombia came out from 00:01 to show that the first game was a fluke. Even though the scoreline was close, the match was not.
-The USA was so overpowered and overwhelmed that it was sad to watch at times. Men against boys is the only way to put it. The entire Colombia team just looked better, bigger, stronger, and faster.
-Two USA guys did themselves proud: goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, and forward Mario Rodriguez.
-Luis Gil came on as a sub in the 67 minute and got two quick yellow card, one for kicking an opponent, the other for flailing his arms and yelling in the referees face. He got his Red Card in the 77th minute. Pathetic performance but a guy who stepped on the field with completely the wrong attitude.
-Matt Miazga got the second USA Red Card of the game for committing a foul as the last defender and bringing down an opponent from behind who was heading toward goal. That came in the 90th minute.
-Kellyn Accosta and Tim Parker were both very lucky not to get Red Cards too, after both were seen stomping on Colombia players. WTF guys?
-Accosta had a decent games otherwise, compared to most of his teammates.
-The rest of the USA players were pretty bad: Desevio Payne, Wil Trapp, Emerson Hyndman, Paul Arrioa, Matt Polster, and Jordan Morris all earned low to failing grades for their games.
-Through the 2 games the USA could only muster up 1 shot on goal. 1. 1! ONE! Oof.
-The correct team of these two is going to the Olympics.
-Embarrassing attendance numbers continue in Frisco TX. Less than 8000 (a good number wearing Colombia yellow too) at the game and tix were only $10.

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Nights Of Terror, Days Of Weird - on Terry Southern, writer of book/movie/TV projects like Dr Strangelove, Candy, The Magic Christian and Easy Rider. By Will Stephenson of the Oxford American.

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The successor to one of my favorite movies, Dazed And Confused, is set to open. Richard Linklater talks about his new movie Everybody Wants Some and other topics of interest. By Mekado Murphy of the New York Times.

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Mexico urging supporters to stop homophobic chant. Its about time someone is doing something about this issue. From Fox Sports.

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NASL announced a new TV deal with beIN today. The network will show 34 live games this season starting with Sat Apr 2, Fort Lauderdale v Miami. Good match to start the run!
-The league also announced that like last season the majority of games will be shown on ESPN3 as well.

Reiterating, ALL Minnesota United league games will be broadcast locally on My29.

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Get mean. Today's feature story is on Minnesota United's Kevin Venegas. By Andy Greder of the St Paul Pioneer Press. (Part of a weeklong series.)
-Tuesday: Justin Davis
-Monday: Sammy Ndjock

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On Thursday NASL will officially announce the addition of a new club, San Francisco Deltas.
-A hype sheet for the Deltas.

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Individual NASL team season previews from SBISoccer:
-Carolina RailHawks
-Tampa Bay Rowdies
-Ottawa Fury
-Indy Eleven
-Fort Lauderdale Strikers
-Rayo OKC

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Pretty cool article on 2 women who regularly sing the national anthem at Portland Timbers games and what it feels like to be in that electric atmosphere. By Jamie Goldberg of the Oregonian.

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Barcelona is going for its 40th consecutive game without a loss in all competitions this weekend. They host Real Madrid on Saturday at 1:15pm CT on beIN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 29, 2016

It's Day 89 of 2016.


A note posted in the comments section here yesterday about the current state of the USMNT: " I watch with all the enthusiasm of entering a flaming porta-potty. -Marc"

dN

World Cup qualifying results:
-Tue Mar 29
USA v Guatemala - 6:00pm CT at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus OH on ESPN2.

You can't make this up: Carlos Ruiz has cleared up his legal issues and will be allowed into the USA after all. He caught a flight this morning. Chaos with the smile of the Devil is on the way.

Ahhhhh, Jimmy Conrad, the Clown Prince of American Soccer is NOT telling jokes in his diatribe about the USMNT coach. [VIDEO] Jimmy is also a lovely man.

I don't believe its going to happen, but...
If the USMNT loses tonight AND Trinidad + Tobago wins, then T+T and Guatemala don't have to win another game to eliminate the USA! Believe it hotrod. Doomsday device type stuff by Matthew Doyle of MLSSoccer.

In watching Jurgen Klinsmann's press conference on Monday morning I was struck by one thing: In all the time he has been USA head coach his optimism has never waned. But yesterday I saw a subdued man. A weary man. A scared man. The famous Grinsi only came out once, and it was briefly, when talking about past successes in Columbus OH.

Six important cogs from the USA 2002 World Cup team give their opinions on the current state of the national team. Claudio Reyna, Tony Sanneh, Cobi Jones, John O'Brien, Brian McBride, and Carlos Llamosa. By Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated.

Will Columbus add a soothing balm to the USMNT wounds tonight? It has in the past. by Andrew Keh of the New York Times.

Tonight is a genuine MUST-WIN game for the USMNT. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

How did we get to this? A game against Guatemala with everything on the line. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

Vultures are circling in the sky over the USA coach. By Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch.

dN

3 USMNT matches announced:

• Last game of this round of World Cup qualifying on Tue Sep 6 v Trinidad + Tobago at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.

• Two friendlies before Copa America - Wed May 25 v Ecuador at Toyota Stadium in Frisco and Sat May 28 v Bolivia at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City.

dN

The rest of CONCACAF qualifying today:
-Mar 29
Group A
Mexico v Canada
Honduras v El Salvador
Group B
Costa Rica v Jamaica
Haiti v Panama
Group C
Trinidad + Tobago v St Vincent +the Grenadines

dN

And also tonight with a berth in the Olympics on the line:
2nd Leg
-Tue Mar 29
USA U23 v Colombia U23 (tied 1-1 from 1st Leg) - 8:30pm CT at Toyota Stadium in Frisco TX on ESPN2.

• Away goals is the tie breaker.

Some background on this important game for the USA men's Olympic team. From US Soccer.

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A fantastic music mix of Jamaican wonders (dub roots reggae) from the great visual artist Coop! For Fleamarket Funk.

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Today's feature story is on Minnesota United's Justin Davis. By Andy Greder of the St Paul Pioneer Press. (Part of a weeklong series.)

• Monday: Sammy Ndjock

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Team-by-team NASL season preview. By Jake Nutting of Empire of Soccer.

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Individual team previews by Ryan Tolmich of SBISoccer:

• Tampa Bay Rowdies

• Ottawa Fury

• Indy Eleven

• Fort Lauderdale Strikers

• Rayo OKC

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No surprise that Michael Barrios of Dallas was named MLS Player Of The Week.

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Even when the Colorado Rapids are trying hard to improve their roster they can't catch a break: Kevin Doyle will be out a month after suffering a really nasty laceration to his shin (don't look if you are squeamish) while playing for Ireland.

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DC has signed Andrea Mancini, the son of Inter Milan head coach Roberto Mancini. Both teams are owned by Erick Thohir.

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The First Round matches for the 2016 US Open Cup will be announced on April 6.

• USL teams enter in the Second Round

• NASL teams enter in the Third Round

• MLS teams enter in the Fourth Round

The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 28, 2016

It's Day 88 of 2016.


Mission accomplised. For Guatemala!

As far as I can tell, GUA (#95) the lowest-rated team in FIFA rankings #USMNT have lost to in official comp since rankings intro'd in 1992.

— Matthew Doyle (@MLSAnalyst) March 28, 2016

World Cup qualifying results:
-Fri Mar 25
Guatemala 2-0 USA - Gua goals by Rafael Morales + Carlos Ruiz.
Next match
-Tue Mar 29
USA v Guatemala - 6:00pm CT at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus OH on ESPN2.

• When the USA wins on Tuesday a lot of this #PANIC will go away. But it changes very little of what has gone on in the last 4 years.

That game in Guatemala City was one of the bigger stink-bombs from the USA that we have seen in a long time. Yes the USMNT did create enough chances to win, but they barely put one more ounce of effort into the game then that. And there were so many questionable lineup/roster choices that the team was deep in a hole before they even kicked off.
Lets examine the causes of some problems:
1. Tim Howard hasn't played a game for Everton in 2 months.
2. Geoff Cameron has played 2 games at right fullback for Stoke this season. He plays nearly every club game a centerback or d-mid.
3. Michael Orozco hasn't played in a league game for Tijuana this season.
4. DeAndre Yelin is a fullback, but started at right midfield.
5. Mix Diskerud is an attacking midfielder, but started at defensive midfielder.
6. Michael Bradley is a defensive midfielder, but started at attacking midfielder.
7. Alejandro Bedoya is a central midfielder, but started at left midfield.
8. Now add to that 2 centerbacks being injured during training last week and being dismissed from the team: Matt Besler (concussion), John Brooks (knee something or other).
9. Fabian Johnson suffered a groin injury with his club the weekend prior but was brought into the team anyway. He has been sent back to Germany.
10. Jozy Altidore has had a injured hamstring for 6 weeks prior to this camp and only recently got back to training and played a few minutes for his club the weekend before.

• How is it possible that you go into a CONCACAF road game with 10 issues?

Some major issues in the game itself:

• Guatemala was desperate and playing their first competitive game under a new coach. So you knew what was coming - lots of pressure, lots of cheap shots and lots of fake injuries.

• Goal 1: horrible backpass by Castillo to Howard leads to corner kick. No one from USA covering post on corner as the team had discussed in pregame. Diskerud flailing to stick with his man and ball goes off him and into the net in the 7th minute.

• Goal 2: Guate goal kick goes all the way past midfield skidding toward the USA goal (Bradley says he did not touch it), old man Ruiz slides right between Gonzalez and Orozco (who appear to be napping) scoops up the ball and strolls in on Howard alone, he shoots through Howard's legs in the 15th minute.

• Both centerbacks eventually are subbed out.

• Defensive midfielder is eventually subbed out.

• Those three positions and the goalkeeper are usually only subbed out for injury. Otherwise its generally seen as poor prep from coaching staff to start those players that needed subbing in the first place.

• Dempsey, while a couple of times he showed some of his great quality in passing and discombobulating defenses, spent too much of the game on the ground and whining to the referee.

• Bedoya was clearly out of steam with 15 minutes to go. Before that he was decent, but had 2 great chances for goals that he shot straight at the keeper.

• Yedlin.... does he know how to play soccer? Sometimes I wonder.

• Zardes had the touch of a bumper car.

• Altidore was on the field for nearly 10 minutes before he even touched the ball. Finally had a great chance well saved.

• Bradley had 2 chances from the top of the box that he put a mile (combined, half mile each) over the goal.

• Diskerud was practically invisible while he was out there.

Other notes:

• USA had not lost to Guatemala since 1988.

• No one in CONCACAF is afraid of the USA now. No one.

• On Monday morning at a press conference the USA coach said, "I'm not playing anyone out of position."

• Alexi Lalas pointed out that the USA players look "uncomfortable" on the field these days. I can't think of a better word to describe this team.

• Graham Zusi and Christian Pulisic have been added to the USMNT roster for the game in Columbus.

• We are also hearing that Bedoya may be injured.

• Sadly no defenders were added, they one area where the team actually needs help.

• I hope that at the least US Soccer placed a call to DaMarcus Beasley about the Tuesday game, if not, its a shame.

• USA record in competitive matches in 2015/16: 4W-4L-2D (Gold Cup, CONCACAF Cup, World Cup qualifying).

• Good news for Tuesday: the USA has not lost a qualifier at home since 2001.

In the end you have to give Guatemala credit. They wanted this game. Ruiz again was a royal pain in the ass. And their keeper Paulo Motta had the game of his career.

What is at stake for the USA come Tuesday in Columbus Ohio (and Frisco Texas)? Let Jeff Carlisle of ESPNF spell it out for you.

A preview of what's to come in Columbus. By Steven Goff of the Washington Post.

Columbus Crew central midfielder Rodrigo Saravia impressed for Gautemala on Friday and hopes to do it again on his home field tomorrow. By Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch.

dN

Olympic qualifying results:
-Fri Mar 25
Colombia U23 1-1 USA U23 - Col goal by Juan Quintero(PK). USA goal by Luis Gil.
Next match:
-Tue Mar 29
USA U23 v Colombia U23 - 8:30pm CT at Toyota Stadium in Frisco TX on ESPN2.

• On the road with intense heat the USA got a good early goal and then played strong (and lucky) defense to keep themselves alive in Olympic qualifying. They had the ball stuffed down their throat for a good portion of this game, but hung on and at the end even relieved some of the pressure with a couple good chances of their own. It seemed like the USA was bound to finally crumble in the last 10-15 minutes but that did not happen at all. A very important tie on the road with an away goal (the first tie breaker) to boot.

• Several USA players describe different aspects of the game and atmosphere around the game in Colombia. From US Soccer.

• Tuesday will be a big task for them, and don't be surprised if they get blitzed early.

dN

The terror attack in Lahore that happened on Sunday is just disgusting - a children's playground in a park was the target. My heart aches for these people. From the Pakistani English language daily newspaper Dawn.

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Feature story on Minnesota United goalkeeper Sammy Ndjock starting with his childhood in Yaounde Cameroon. By Andy Greder of the St Paul Pioneer Press.

Minnesota United has signed fullback Jeb Brovsky. A much much much needed signing. He was on the NYCFC roster in MLS last season, and in Norway at Stromsgodset before that.

dN

NASL season begins on Sat Apr 2 with Carolina RailHawks v Minnesota United at 2pm CT. See the game on Ch 29 in the Twin Cities and ESPN3.com everywhere else.

Team-By-Team previews by Ryan Tolmich of SBISoccer:
-Ottawa Fury
-Indy Eleven
-Fort Lauderdale Strikers
-Rayo OKC

Week 1 schedule:
-Sat Apr 2
Carolina RailHawks v Minnesota United
Fort Lauderdale Strikers v Miami
Tampa Bay Rowdies v Indy Eleven
Rayo OKC v Edmonton
-Sun Apr 3
New York Cosmos v Ottawa Fury
-Bye: JA

dN

Who leads MLS in goals so far? Yeah, its Pedro Morales of Vancouver with 4, ALL from the Penalty spot!!!!

I am naming Mauro Diaz of Dallas as the MLS Player Of The Month for March.

Weekend results:
New York City 1-1 New England Revolution

• New England could really use a guy like Jermaine Jones to unify and motivate them.

Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 Houston Dynamo

• Vancouver basically lined up in a 4-2-4! I love it. Rivero, Kudo, Manneh and Techera all in the starting 11 and all are forwards. Houston looked really good again, even though they lost.

DC United 0-3 Dallas

• Dallas rumbled past DC. A thorough beating. Michael Barrios of Dallas will probably be named Player Of The Week.

dN

Helluva story: For over a decade Fulham ownership kept the team financed and in the English Premier League, but less than 3 years after selling to American Shahid Khan the club is hurtling down toward the 3rd division - League One. By Paul Doyle of the Guardian.

• The Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL, also owned by Khan, have not had a winning season since be bought the team in 2011.

The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 25, 2016

It's Day 85 of 2016.


It was on this day 1 year ago that MLS awarded a franchise to Minnesota United. So what has happened in that 1 year. The HUGE step is that the club is inching inching inching closer to breaking ground on a stadium, not in Minneapolis, but in St Paul where they have been greeted with open arms. Other then that? Not very much. We still don't know when they will enter the league. If they will have to find a temporary home field. Or if the name of the team is being changed. We hear rumors about all those items, but not 1 single official word on any of them.

• The new season starts in just 8 days!

Twin C‪ities ABC affiliate KSTP Ch. 5 gives us a good strong 11+ minutes of interviews [VIDEO] with Minnesota United head coach Carl Craig and players Christian Ramirez and Jamie Watson.

dN

2 big road games for the USA men this week:
-Fri Mar 25
USMNT at Guatemala - World Cup qualifying - 9pm CT on beIN
USM-U23 at Colombia - Olympic qualifying - 4pm CT on FS1

Having already lost at home to Trinidad and Tobago in this qualifying round the Guatemalans don't intend to lose to the USA at home as well. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

This will be the first non-friendly match for Guatemala under new coach Walter Claveri.

According to Guatemalan press both Carlos Ruiz (a rent dispute according to Jeff Carlisle) and Hamilton Lopez (couldn't get a visa) will not travel to the USA for the 2nd match.

Goalkeepers Tim Howard and Brad Guzan will rotate starting the two games. Not sure who starts which game though.

Werder Bremen says Aron Johannsson will not return to the field this season. He has been out since October with an ankle injury.

dN

Looks like there are A LOT of tickets left for USA v Guatemala next week in Columbus. Thats a little disappointing. I was hoping for a full house again.

dN

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah Bill Walton. The weirdest and biggest and darkest personality in sports broadcasting. And by that I mean, "Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude. Cool. Wow. Bummer. Man. Profound." By Sam Anderson of the New York Times.

dN

Johann Cruyff was one of the main architects of modern day play at Barcelona. By Sid Lowe of the Guardian.

dN

The great story of a Jewish-American businessman, who did not like soccer, but bought and revived one of Costa Rica's biggest clubs Herediano. By Bryan Kay of the Guardian.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 24, 2016

It's Day 84 of 2016.


Dutch legend Johan Cruyff has died. He was one cool customer. RIP to one of the greats. He died due to lung cancer. Don't smoke. It smells horrible. Its really bad for your health. Its actually about the single worst thing you can do to yourself. Maybe outside of handling uranium.

Tweets from around the world shared their condolences for Cruyff. Compiled by Deutsche Welle.

dN

2 big games for the USA men this week:
-Fri Mar 25
USMNT at Guatemala - World Cup qualifying - 9pm CT on beIN
USM-U23 at Colombia - Olympic qualifying - 4pm CT (changed) on FS1

The USMNT has tied 5 of the past 6 trips to Guatemala. I fully expect the USA to get a tie on Friday.

Tim Howard wants to add another win in Guatemala to the USMNT column. By Walter Villa of the Miami Herald.

Kyle Beckerman is the most likely be put into the Jermaine Jones role in Guatemala. Or will the team go in another direction? By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.com.

Are the right roster choices being made in order for the USA to succeed in 2016? by Caitlin Murray of the Guardian.

Which players are red hot right now and need to see playing time: Alejandro Bedoya, Matt Besler, John Brooks, Omar Gonzalez, Chris Wondolowski, and Bobby Wood.

This is cool - Kasey Keller and Ante Razov sit down to review video of a crazy USA qualifier at Guatemala in 2000, delivering a commentary track for us. From US Soccer.

• If I'm not mistaken the next game was at Costa Rica and was just as nuts, ending with both Bruce Arena and Claudio Reyna getting suspensions for going after referee Peter Prendergast after the match had finished.

Frankie Hejduk addresses a letter, that only he can write, to this current team about their trip to Guatemala. From US Soccer.

Matt Besler hands a new USA jersey to Serena Williams. Pretty damn cool. For him.

.@MattBesler helped @serenawilliams get ready for @MiamiOpen before presenting her w/ a new #USMNT jersey tonight. pic.twitter.com/aNCVk3o7VP

— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) March 22, 2016

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The Olympic qualifying series is very important business for the USA. By Brian Sciaretta for Four Four Two.

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There appears to be a hole in the Colombia defense waiting for the U23s to exploit. By Doug McIntyre of ESPNFC.

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The new USA jerseys went on sale today in both white and black. $150 for the authentic, and $90 for the replica.

dN

The USL kicks off its 2016 season this week with 2 games on Friday, 10 on Saturday, and then 2 more next Wednesday. (The third division league has 29 teams this season.)

dN

MLS commissioner Don Garber talks about the future of the sport in America in a college setting. By Matthew Gutierrez of the Daily Orange at Syracuse University. Thanks to Soccer America for the link.

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Herculez Gomez who was released by Toronto during preseason has been signed by Seattle Sounders.

dN

Forward Stefano Pinho is back in training with Minnesota United for the first time in over a month.

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Canada plays home and away qualifiers against Mexico in this international window. They are very optimistic about grabbing at least 1 point at home (Fri at BC Place at 9pm CT on UniMas/Deportes), but are going for all 3. There has even been talking of getting 4 from the 2 games.

• The Vancouver Sun has no less than 4 articles and 1 video report on the game today.
• What do you think the odds are of that happening? I think its most likely they get 0. But you never know. Maybe its their time.

dN

There has been talk about Zlatan Ibrahimovic being named a finalist and potentially a winner of the World Player Of The Year award for 2016. I think in order for him to get an award like that his club PSG is going to have to win the UEFA Champions League, or come close and he plays out of his mind, AND his country Sweden makes their mark at Euro 2016. Without BOTH of those he has no shot at winning the Ballon D'or.

dN

One Galatasary player, Jason Denayer, has been in the same city during terrorist attacks 3 times in the past 10 days. Ankara, Istanbul and Brussels. From the Daily Sabbah.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 23, 2016

It's Day 83 of 2016.


The Belgian national team was scheduled to play a friendly in Brussels next Tuesday the 29th against Portugal, but due to the terrorist attack they have decided to move the match to Portugal. Good idea.

dN

Even before the attacks in Brussels yesterday UEFA was already making plans to hold Euro2016 games in empty stadiums if necessary. Written 3 weeks ago. By Rob Harris of the AP.

dN

Mike Magee thought he was going home 3 years ago when he left LA for Chicago. He did win the league MVP there, but he has returned to his true soccer home, the Galaxy. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

• Magee says he got a text from Bruce Arena one minute after the free agency period opened!

dN

Orlando City announced that they have signed former Real Madrid player 34 year old Brazilian central midfielder Julio Baptista from Cruzeiro in Belo Horizonte.

dN

You don't need to say much beyond this:

Really? #stopislam?! How about #stopwar #stoppoverty #stopcrime #stopracism #stopcancer #stopviolence #stopcorruption stop being an idiot.

— Jozy Altidore (@JozyAltidore) March 22, 2016

dN

Diverge: du Nord Music Mix Vol 76 (download + extract)

dN

I gotta push you on this again - you need to listen to I AM RAPAPORT: STEREO PODCAST - its really really really funny. The first of two episodes this week from the SXSW festival in Austin TX ends with an amazing Stan Van Gundy impersonation story!

dN

The young player getting the most attention from big-clubs-with-big-check-books these days is 18 year old French forward Ousmane Dembele of Rennes. By Ed Aarons of the Guardian.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 22, 2016

It's Day 82 of 2016.


Our thoughts today are with the people of Brussels who were attacked by terrorists.

• The Belgian national team is scheduled to play at friendly in Brussels on Tue Mar 29 v Portugal.

dN

Bob Bradley's Le Havre fell back into 4th place on Monday after a Red Star victory pushed them 1 point ahead with 7 games left to play.

• There has been a lot of confusion over how many teams in the French 2nd division will get promoted to Ligue 1 at the end of this season. Initially only 2 teams were going up, but at some point that was changed back to the traditional 3. This has lead to different websites having different information, and confusing me. For a couple months I was under the impression that only 2 were going up. But I was assured by the highest authorities that 3 will be promoted. Thanks to everyone who helped figure this out. Special thanks to Steve, Bob, April and Paul.

• Next Up: Fri Apr 1 v 13th place Laval

dN

NASL had a conference call with Commissioner Bill Peterson today - expect to see some recaps come out in the next day or so. I will find a good one and link it here tomorrow. Some good stuff, but nothing spectacular was said.

• Also during the call Peterson named every coach in the league except Carl Craig.

• The new season begins on Sat Apr 2 with Carolina RailHawks v Minnesota United at 2pm CT.

dN

A survey was conducted with over 100 current MLS players answering anonymously. Topics: Standard of play, Klinsmann, pay, pro/rel, celebrity owners, stadium atmosphere, expansion, CCL and more. Conducted and reported by ESPNFC.

• A salacious sidebar: Most overrated + underrated players, and the coach you would most like to play for?

dN

A rejuvenated Omar Gonzalez is a great thing for the USA. And some other notes from the USA camp. By Doug McIntyre of ESPNFC.

dN

Another USA player at the top of his club game right now is Ale Bedoya, who has some things to say. By Brian Sciaretta of American Soccer Now.

dN

Tim Howard's long and amazing run at Everton is coming to an end. By Tim Hill of the Guardian.

dN

Cody Cropper and Eric Miller prepare for U23s v Colombia for spot in Olympics. The two Minnesota boys are doing well. By Jeff Rueter of Northern Pitch.

dN

A proto-type of the new USA white shirts. Gives you a little idea of how the process works. From Footy Headlines.

• Slovenia still making use of the mountain range/Charlie Brown look on their new uniforms. Strong look!

• Canada's latest look too.

dN

I was wrong in my prediction yesterday, Felipe of Red Bull New York has been named MLS Player Of The Week.

dN

In 2 road games Real Salt Lake has gone deep into the match holding a 0-2 lead only to blow it and end up with a pair of 2-2 ties. More details on the late game collapses by Christopher Kamrani of the Salt Lake Tribune.

• Week 1 at Orlando: gave up goals 4 minutes and 6 minutes into 2nd half stoppage time.

• Week 3 at Portland: gave up goals in the 79th and 84th min.

• One culprit is Red Cards - they have 11 in the last 31 MLS games!

• (NOTE: They also gave up 3 goals to Tigres in the CCL. In Leg One they gave up goals in the 67th min and 86th min. In Leg Two 1 min into 2nd half stoppage time.)

dN

FC Dallas has chosen to play a game this weekend even though there is an international break - and they have 7 regulars who have been called into their national teams. Oof. I hope they have discount tickets. Sat Mar 26: DC United v Dallas

dN

The obituary for that crazy-popular-crack-smoking mayor of Toronto - Rob Ford. RIP Rob. From the Toronto Globe And Mail.

dN

I AM RAPAPORT: STEREO PODCAST

• If you are a fan of the wild man that is Michael Rapaport, then you need to check this out. I give it my endorsement. And he loves Minneapolis!

dN

The International Champions Cup announced their return to Minneapolis after a year off. Wed Aug 3 its AC Milan v Chelsea FC at the brand new US Bank Stadium.

• Will be the first event at the stadium.

• Lots of factors to be considered: Small field size. Fake turf. Hot humid day. Indoor glass building. I sure hope that Air Conditioning has been tested and is working or its gonna get nasty in there.

• Sadly there is a Minnesota United home game that same night. Kind of a shitty deal.

dN

FIFA has officially begun an investigation of the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany. Yes, Franz Beckenbauer is one of the 6 people being scrutinized.

• I would expect that in the late 2020's or early 2030's we will see the same type of investigation into Russia and Qatar, but not before that.

• And don't expect anyone from Germany to get more than a slap on the wrist.

dN

Head coach Thomas Tuchel has elevated Borussia Dortmund to a new level. By Rafael Honigstein of the Guardian.

dN

Leicester City! Who would have thought they would make it this far? Or hang on this long? Not me. An amazing story. And its not over yet. By Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated.

• Can they really do it? What are the odds?

dN

One of the most messed-up cities in all of Italy is home to a team that is closing in on being promoted to Serie A for the first time ever next season - FC Crotone. By Michael Yokhim of ESPNFC.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 21, 2016

It's Day 81 of 2016.


Sporting Kansas City is the only team left standing in MLS with a perfect record (3-0-0) after just 3 weeks.

• And SKC has beaten three Cup favorites - Seattle, Vancouver and Toronto!

• A lot of Kansas City fans hate Brad Davis due to their rivalry with his old team Houston, but scoring game winners will make him a local hero soon enough.

• Orlando and Salt Lake are the only other teams without a loss. (1 win and 2 ties each.)

• Two favorites are at the bottom of the pile: Seattle with 3 losses, and Columbus with 2 losses and a tie.

• NYRB went down 1-2 and 2-3 before coming back to win 4-3 over Houston! A wild game.

• Dallas and Philly had the most emphatic wins of the weekend - 2-0 v Montreal and 3-0 v New England respectively.

• I did not pick San Jose to make the playoffs this season, but I think I might be wrong. They have a very good coach and quite a few good players. Do not underestimate them.

• Jameson Olave of RSL set a new MLS record by receiving his 10th Red Card.

• Bobby Shuttleworth of New Eng save TWO penalty kicks by the Union. Fantastic!

• CJ Sapong of Philadelphia will most likely be named the Player Of The Week.

dN

Four fantastic Free Kick goals in MLS on Saturday night! Enjoy watching them:

• Felipe for Red Bull

• Ivanschitz for Seattle

• Plata for Salt Lake

• Diaz for Dallas

• (Lee Nguyen for New England should have joined that group, but his great shot hit off both goal posts without actually going into the goal!)

dN

The very best breakdown of Week 3 in MLS. By Matt Doyle of MLSsoccer.

dN

Why these 6 MLS teams are playing games during the international break this week is beyond me:
-Sat Mar 26
New York City v New England Revolution
DC United v Dallas
Vancouver Whitecaps v Houston Dynamo

dN

Tim Howard has officially signed with Colorado Rapids. He will join the team when the Summer transfer window opens in July.

dN

In 12 days the NASL season begins.

dN

Minnesota United is still very very short on defenders. Very bad situation to be in when defense was biggest weakness from last season and its not been address yet.

• They have 2 fullbacks (Davis & Venegas) and 3 centerbacks (Calvano, Kallman and Lowe) on the roster. 4 centerbacks if you count Pitchkolan. Laing could also be listed as a backup for left fullback.

All Minn United NASL games (home and away) will be shown live locally on TV on WFTC My29 this season.

dN

WOW! Bobby Wood got his 14th goal of the season this weekend as Union be Braunschweig 3-1!

dN

Bob Bradley and Le Havre won 2-0 v Tours, moving them up to 3rd place but still 7 points from promotion with 7 games left.
-I have been set straight: Three teams are promoted to Ligue 1, not two like I thought. Thanks to everyone who corrected that.

dN

USMNT World Cup Qualifying:
-Fri Mar 25 at Gautemala in Guatemala City - 9pm CT on beIN Sport
-Tue Mar 29 v Gautemala in Columbus OH - 6pm CT on ESPN2
Roster
G: Bingham, Guzan, Howard, Yarbrough
D: Alvarado, Besler, Birnbaum, Brooks, Cameron, Castillo, Gonzalez, Orozco, Yedlin
M: Beckerman, Bedoya, Bradley, Diskerud, Finlay, Johnson, Nagbe, Nguyen
F: Altidore, Dempsey, Wondolowski, Wood, Zardes

NOTES:

• The paucity of fullbacks and outside midfielders is alarming.

• Johnson, Altidore and Nagbe all come into camp injured.

• Tim Ream is really the only defender who has seen regular minutes with the national team that was not called in.

• Three other defenders who have played for the Nats recently: Kellyn Acosta, Matt Miazga, and Brandon Vincent are on the U23 roster.

• Orozco and Alvarado are not playing at all for their club teams. Form means nothing.

• Aron Johannsson remains out with an injured ankle. He has not played since Fall.

• Germ Jerm is out due to suspension. (He has served 3 of 6 games in MLS so far.)

dN

The rest of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying matches during this window:
-Fri Mar 25
(Group A)
Canada v Mexico
El Salvador v Honduras
(Group B)
Jamaica v Costa Rica
Haiti v Panama
(Group C)
St Vincent and the Grenadines v Trinidad and Tobago
-Tue Mar 29
(Group A)
Mex v Can
Hond v Salv
(Group B)
CR v Jama
Hai v Pan
(Group C)
T+T v St V+G

Last 2 games of this stage will be played Sep 2 + 6.

dN

USNMT U23 team tries to qualify for Rio 2016 Olympics this week too:
-Fri Mar 25 at Colombia in Barranquilla - 5pm CT on FS1
-Tue Mar 29 v Colombia in Frisco TX - 8:30pm CT on ESPN2
Roster
G: Cody Cropper, Ethan Horvath, Tyler Miller
D: Kellyn Acosta, Matt Miazga, Eric Miller, Tim Parker, Desevio Payne, Shane O’Neill, Brandon Vincent, Walker Zimmerman
M: Fatai Alashe, Paul Arriola, Luis Gil, Julian Green, Emerson Hyndman, Jerome Kiesewetter, Matt Polster, Dillon Serna, Wil Trapp
F: Jordan Morris, Mario Rodriguez, Khiry Shelton
-Cameron Carter-Vickers is out injured.

dN

Yesterday's Galatasaray v Fenerbache game (the Bosporus derby) was postponed due to terror threats that the state took seriously. Deadly insurgent attacks from Kurdish rebels have been happening more and more frequently across Turkey. From Daily Sabah.

dN

English Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action. From the Guardian.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 17, 2016

It's Day 77 of 2016.


The new USA uniforms. (There is a full gallery of images near the bottom of the page, just click on the picture of the black shorts. Its kinda hidden.)

• USMNT will debut both on Mar 25 + 29 against Guatemala.

dN

Guatemala is doing everything they can to be prepared to face the USA next week. From US Soccer.

dN

The big MLS game this weekend:
Sporting Kansas City v Toronto - 6pm CT on FS1

dN

The MUCH lighter side of Mix Diskerud. by Dylan Butler of MLSsoccer.

dN

The long, odd road to get to the pros for Gideon Baah of RBNY. By Kristan Heneage of the Guardian.

dN

All the goals from Week 2 in MLS. [VIDEO]

dN

Minnesota United returns to the Twin Cities today after spending 10 days training in Mexico. Head coach Carl Craig talks about the trip. By Jeff Rueter of Northern Pitch.

dN

The state legislature bill that will give Minn United the last piece to the stadium puzzle was introduced to the senate today. Words on the general mood around the state capital from Fred Melo at the Pioneer Press.

• Sen Sandy Papas said there has been "...little push back against the measure in the Legislature or in St. Paul."

dN

I am going to campaign for this until it is a reality: The Cup Of St Paul! Minnesota United FC v FC St Pauli v Sao Paulo FC!

dN

Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National have announced that they are releasing a 60 song Grateful Dead Tribute album on May 20 featuring Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Justin Vernon, The War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, Mumford + Sons, Lee Ranaldo, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Stephen Malkmus, Courtney Barnett, and many more.

• I am excited to hear Courtney Barnett do New Speedway Boogie!

dN

CONCACAF Champions League - Semifinal 1st Leg matchups:

• Tigres and America both got clean sheets on the road which is enough to make them big favorites in the 2nd Leg matches.

-Tue Mar 15
Queretaro 0-0 Tigres UANL
-Wed Mar 16
Santos Laguna 0-0 Club America
Next
2nd Leg
-Apr 5
Tigres v Queretaro
America v Santos Laguna

dN

UEFA Champions League - Rd of 16 2nd Leg matches.

• A stunning comeback by Bayern Munich ended the Round of 16. After a 2-2 tie in the first leg in Turin, the game in Munich went a little nuts with Juve taking and holding a 0-2 lead late into the game. But in the 73rd min Bayern got a goal back, and then poured it on to tie the game at 2-2 (4-4 on agg) in 2nd half stoppage time! The game went to 30 minutes of Added Extra Time which remained tied at the 15 minute break, but 2 goals from Bayern in quick succession essentially ended the game with 10 minutes still to play. So lets recap the series: Bayern score 2 in a row on the road. Juve storms back with 4 in a row, 2 at home and 2 away, to take a shock lead. Bayern finishes it off with 4 goals in a row, 2 in regulation, and 2 in added time. Fantastic series.

-Wed Mar 16
Barca 3-1 Arsenal - Bar advanced 5-1 on aggregate.
Bayern 4-2 Juve - Bay advanded 6-4 on aggregate in Added Extra Time.

• Advanced to the Quarterfinals: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, and Wolfsburg.

• Quarterfinal draw is on Fri Mar 18

dN

We got to see State-Of-The-Art-Soccer from Barca and Bayern. By Rob Hughes of the New York Times.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 16, 2016

It's Day 76 of 2016.


You can't make this up!
So far the US Justice Department has confiscated nearly $200 Million from defendants in the FIFA scandal. And today FIFA officials admitted that in the past bribes have been paid in exchange for votes for World Cup bids. FIFA is also playing the "victim" card now and says some of that $200 Million is their money that was improperly used by its members and they want it back. That is rich! By Graham Dunbar of the AP.

dN

Doing things the Ben Olsen way at DC United. By Charles Boehm of Four Four Two.

dN

After a rough first season in MLS it looks like Mix Diskerud is off to a much better start in 2016 under new head coach Patrick Viera. By Dave Martinez of Empire Of Soccer.

dN

What does Didier Drogba still have left in his 38 year body that can benefit Montreal Impact this season? By David Amoyal of GianlucaDiMarzio.com.

dN

Do you remember back when I had a podcast and we talked excitedly about Cubo Torres all the time? What happened? He can barely get on the field for Houston Dynamo, and when he does not much gets accomplished. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

dN

Yet another article asking the question, "Why hasn't America produced a worldwide soccer superstar yet?" At least this article seeks some answers and gets feedback from many different sources.. Some of those answers are very messy. By Elliot Turner of the Guardian.

dN

There are FIVE really good looking games coming up this weekend in MLS:
New York Red Bulls v Houston Dynamo
Dallas v Montreal Impact
Seattle Sounders v Vancouver Whitecaps
LA Galaxy v San Jose Earthquakes
Sporting Kansas City v Toronto

dN

The results of several big and yet conflicting games are on the line in 10 days time for the USMNT and Men's Olympic team in important qualifiers. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

dN

The home of two Washington Spirit players (NWSL) was completely destroyed by fire recently. They are trying to put things back together. By Steven Goff of the Washington Post.

dN

The Twin Cities market does not make the Top 30 American soccer rankings as compiled by Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing - a reputable agency. Read all about the criteria and the top markets.

• 5 of the top 11 are in Texas! And 6 in California are top 30, including the #1.

dN

Minnesota United got a 1-1 tie in a friendly at Cruz Azul today in Mexico City.

• The center of the defense was again purged for a goal.

• Damion Lowe scored on header from a free kick. He attacks the ball like a fiend on set pieces. Minn has not had one of those type guys in a long time.

• The team heads back to Minnesota tomorrow with 1 win and 2 draws in Mexico.

dN

Be-All/End-All: du Nord Music Mix Vol 75 (download + extract)

dN

CONCACAF Champions League - Semifinal matchups:
1st Leg
-Tue Mar 15
Queretaro 0-0 Tigres UANL
-Wed Mar 16
Santos Laguna v Club America

dN

UEFA Champions League - Rd of 16 2nd Leg matches.
-Tue Mar 15
Atleti 0-0 PSV - series ended tied 0-0, Atl advanced 8-7 in Penalty Kick Shootout.
Man City 0-0 Dynamo Kyiv - MC advanced 3-1 on aggregate.
-Wed Mar 16
Barca v Arsenal (2-0)
Bayern v Juve (2-2)
Already advanced to the Quarterfinals: Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Wolfsburg, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Benfica.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 15, 2016

It's Day 75 2016.


This is how the ball goes into the net during a miracle season:

This finish is a MUST WATCH. What a beauty! #BPLonNBC https://t.co/8YF5NMf3zT

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) March 14, 2016

dN

Bob Bradley's La Havre are 8 points away from a promotion spot, but it doesn't look like they are going to make it. They lost last weekend to relegation candidates Sochaux and could not gain any ground on the 3 teams ahead of them who all lost as well.

dN

Minnesota United continues preseason training in Mexico. Next up is a game on Wed Mar 16 v Cruz Azul in Mexico City.

Loons head coach Carl Craig talks about the game against the Mexico U20s last Saturday with some reservations about how preseason training is going for his team. By Wes Burdine of Northern Pitch.

Lance Laing, new to MNUFC this season, says some interesting things here about training and teammates. [VIDEO] I like it. From Minnesota United.

dN

You know it, You love it - awesome MLS weekly awards [VIDEO] as handed out with extreme enthusiasm by Alejandro Moreno of ESPNFC.

dN

Andrew Wenger of the Houston Dynamo has been named MLS Player Of The Week.

dN

The head of a Washington DC city government department looked at the plans for DC United's new stadium and said, "This reminds me of a prison." Oof! By Michael Neibauer of Washington Business Journal.

dN

The hideousness of fake turf and NFL stadiums is still plaguing Major League Soccer. By Steve Davis of Four Four Two.

• Owner Robert Kraft needs to be crushed in the media for the way he runs New England Revolution. Those fans and players deserve A LOT more.

• Fake turf this season at: Montreal (early season games), New England, Orlando, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. That is 6 of 20.

dN

Guatemala has named their roster for the 2 World Cup qualifiers against the USA on Mar 25 and 29. It includes old boy Carlos Ruiz, Moises Hernandez of Dallas, Rodrigo Saravia of Columbus Crew, and Marco Pappa of Colorado Rapids.

dN

How are the main USA players looking on the field these days as the next 2 World Cup qualifiers get closer? By Doug McIntyre of ESPNFC.

dN

CONCACAF Champions League - Semifinal matchups:
1st Leg
-Tue Mar 15
Queretaro v Tigres UANL
-Wed Mar 16
Santos Laguna v Club America

dN

A car bomb attack in Kizilay Square, in the Turksih capital Ankara, on Sunday has killed 35. From the Daily Sabah.

• What is the mission of the PKK? (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistane aka Kurdistan Workers' Party)

• Among the 35 killed was the father of Galatasaray player Umut Bulut.

dN

Palermo has been a mess of a club for the last decade under owner Maurizio Zamparini, but things seem worse then ever these days. By Paolo Bandini of the Guardian.

• This club has had 34 managers since 2002 when Zamparini took over, including 5 already in 2016. FIVE! In two and a half months! That sounds like a horrible sickness to me.

dN

Meet Paul Pogba, the player that a few of my friends claim as their favorite. From FIFA.com.

dN

It seems like all the blue chip bargains are coming from the French leagues these days. By Rob Hughes of the New York Times.

dN

UEFA Champions League - Rd of 16 2nd Leg matches.
-Tue Mar 15
Atleti v PSV (0-0)
Man City v Dynamo Kyiv (3-1)
-Wed Mar 16
Barca v Arsenal (2-0)
Bayern v Juve (2-2)

• Already advanced to the Quarterfinals: Wolfsburg, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Benfica.

The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 14, 2016

It's Day 74 of 2016.


My trip to Kansas City on Saturday was my 13th consecutive Sporting KC/Wiz/ards home opener. And as usual it was a great time. We left Minnesota at the end of a gray Winter and arrived in KC six and a half hours later in the first burst of Spring. The soccer and BBQ were very good too. It was my first time eating at Jack Stack - and its worth it. All 3 goals in the SKC-VW game were scored right in front of us, and two were works of art! The streets of downtown KC were teeming with idiots at bar close time and we thoroughly enjoyed making fun of each and every one of them. We also spotted some Vancouver players on the late night prowl. Thanks to the Cauldron and everyone else for showing us such a great time. Again!

dN

Notes from a weekend in MLS:

• 2 goals by Dom Dwyer.

• 2 goals by Chris Pontius.

• 2 goals by David Villa.

• Second year professional Matt Polster is the captain of Chicago Fire. I like this player a lot.

• David Accam of Chicago is FAST!!! Just ask Seb Hines, who got burned for a breakaway goal.

• Marco Pappa comes on as a sub for Colorado and hits a spectacular volley for a goal 5 minutes into 2nd half stoppage time. Wow. Big win for the Rapids.

• What does it say about the Philadelphia back line when the only name I know is Fabinho? Who are those other 3 guys?!?! Doesn't matter when you are the only road team to win this weekend!

• Texas derby time: Houston explodes - Dallas implodes! It was 4-0 for the Men In Orange by the 27th minute!

• David. Horst. Super. Star. Game. Winner. Still. Terrible.

• I was surprised to see NYC play a genuine 3-5-2, not one of those hybrid 5-3-2's. Very interesting.

• Portland coach Caleb Porter called the Quincy Amirikwa (aka John Quincy Adams Jamiroqui) goal a fluke. I call Caleb Porter a sore loser. That goal was spectacular for San Jose. Watch it here and judge for yourself.

• Shockers after 2 games: 0 points for RBNY - 0 points for Columbus - 0 points for Seattle - 0 points for Vancouver!

Scores:
OC 1-1 CF
NER 0-0 DCU
MI 3-0 NYRB
RSL 2-1 SS
CR 1-0 LAG
CC 1-2 PU
SKC 2-1 VW
HD 5-0 D
NYC 2-2 T
SJE 2-1 PT
-27 goals in 10 games. 2.7 per game. Not terrible, but not much beyond good either.

Two bits of MLS off the field news for Portland: 1) Vancouver has sold inconsistent forward Darren Mattocks to Portland. 2) Portland has signed forward Fanendo Adi to a new 3 year contract extension.

New England Revolution has launched their annual "we would like to build a soccer specific stadium" bullshit routine. Every year at this time, for roughly the past 10 years, we have heard this song and dance. And then 12 more months go by with little to no news...

dN

Bobby Wood scored again for Union Berlin, this time on a penalty, and has scored 6 goals in the 7 games they have played since the winter break.

dN

And two Americans made European debuts: Perry Kitchen played as a sub for Hearts in Scotland, and Russell Cannouse made his professional debut at Hoffenheim! Terrific for him!

dN

Paul Arriola got his first start of the season for Tijuana. He has been a super-sub in every game until this one. They won 1-2 at Chiapas. That leaves Xolos in 8th place with 7 games to go.

dN

Edgar Castillo continues to play 90 every game for Monterrey which has opened up a 5 point lead at the top of Liga MX.

dN

Minn United faced off against the Mexico U20 national team on Saturday.

• The score finished 2-2 and played at Pachuca stadium.

• MNUFC went down 2-0 early on poor defensive mistakes - which has been the hallmark of the preseason. Are the fans going to have to show up at training with the Iron Skillets in hand? This lousy defending is unacceptable.

• The Loons came back with goals by Christian Ramirez on the counter attack (Ndjock to Anor to Laing to Superman), and Elbio Alvarez stealing the ball from the keeper and putting it into the open net.

• Continuing another terrible preseason trend, Damion Lowe was given a red card in the first half.

• Video highlights of the game.

Next up is Wed Mar 16 v Cruz Azul in Mexico City.

dN

UEFA Champions League - Rd of 16 2nd Leg matches conclude this week:
-Tue Mar 15
Atleti v PSV (0-2)
Man City v Dynamo Kyiv (3-1)
-Wed Mar 16
Barca v Arsenal (2-0)
Bayern v Juve (2-2)

• Already advanced: Wolfsburg, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Benfica.

dN

The last time Juventus lost in Serie A was Oct 28 - since then its been 19 games unbeaten.

dN

And if anybody actually cares, PSG has clinched Ligue 1 with 8 games still left to play. They have a 25 point lead. Sad really - a whole league has been hijacked by one wealthy owner.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 11, 2016

It's Day 71 of 2016.


I missed this the other day - March 7th, 2005 was the birthday of du Nord Futbol. That makes it 11 year old now.

dN

Last nights dream: Lou Reed moved to Minneapolis and we became close friends. I set up cool little musical performances for him. Lovely.

dN

A short short short film by Cole Kush - Backer.

dN

Ronald Zubar of Red Bull and Christian Bolanos of Vancouver where given 1 game suspensions for brutal tackles last weekend that were punished at the time with just a yellow card. Welcome to MLS Mr Bolanos - big brother is watching you.

dN

I'm headed to Kansas City on Saturday for my 13th consecutive Sporting KC Wiz/ards home opener.

• And if Minnesota joins MLS next season, then this will be my last KC opener (unless of course Minnesota is the opponent next year. How great would that be!)

dN

Minn United match this weekend: Sat Mar v Mexico U20 at Pachuca stadium.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 10, 2016

It's Day 70 of 2016.


EDITORIAL: Its my belief that when the PED scandal hits world soccer its going to be the most massive thing in the history of sports. And it will happen in the next couple of years.

dN

Jermaine Jones was introduced by his new team Colorado Rapids. By Daniel Boniface of the Denver Post.

• Jones said he is happy to be playing on real grass in a real soccer stadium. The question remains though, if no one is there to see it was the game played? And I certainly don't blame the people of Denver. This club needs to give fans a reason to be proud and inspired.

• Germ Jerm still has to sit out a 6 game suspension handed down by the league at the end of last season when he went after a referee in the playoffs. It was quite the scene.

dN

Some great interviews with Frank Lampard, Jordan Morris and Caleb Porter on the Men In Blazers podcast.

dN

One of the lesser known young American talents today - Marco Delgado of Toronto FC. By Doug McIntyre of ESPNFC.

dN

Beatrice Hillanda, girlfriend of USMNT player Alejandro Bedoya, tells the tale of their encounter with Cristiano Ronaldo and the importance of training to maintain top levels. From Sports Illustrated.

• Make sure to watch the accompanying video clip! Fantastic skill!

dN

And then watch this! One helluva goal by Alex Morgan for the USWNT last night v Germany.

dN

George Martin the Beatles record producer has died at age 90. Obituary by Allan Kozinn of the New York Times.

dN

Speaking of England, Londonist just named the top record stores in the capital city. Some great ones here. Many others not even mentioned. Great record store city.

dN

Minnesota In Mexico

Good Q + A with head coach Carl Craig after the first game v Pachuca Reserves, a 1-2 win. By Jeff Rueter of Northern Pitch.

Here is video highlights of the win over Pachuca Reserves. From Minnesota United.

Music video of the teams first day arriving and training in Mexico. From Minnesota United.

Taking over the leadership of Minn United on the field has changed little-to-nothing for coach Carl Craig. By Matthew Levine of NASL.

dN

Due to injuries and squad rotation young American centerback Cameron Carter Vickers was named to the gameday 18 player roster for Tottenham for their Europa League game at Dortmund. CCV did not play and they lost 3-0, but it was a still a milestone worth mentioning.

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UEFA Champions League - Rd of 16 2nd Leg matches.
Wolfsburg advances 4-2 on aggregate over Gent.
Real Madrid advances 4-0 on aggregate over Roma.
Paris Saint-Germain advances 4-2 on aggregate over Chelsea.
Benfica advances 3-1 on aggregate over Zenit.
-Tue Mar 15
Atleti v PSV (0-2)
Man City v Dynamo Kyiv (3-1)
-Wed Mar 16
Barca v Arsenal (2-0)
Bayern v Juve (2-2)

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The CEO of Sunderland AFC in England has resigned in the aftermath of a player being found guilty of the sexual abuse of a minor. The CEO had knowledge of the abuse after the fact but let the player remain on the team until police announced his arrest. By Kevin Coulson of Eurosport.

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The oldest ultra in Italy. By Martino Simcik of the Guardian.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Mar 9, 2016

It's Day 69 of 2016.


Minnesota United played their first friendly in Mexico today - taking on a select team from CF Pachuca, made up of reserves, regulars and youth team members.

• The Loons won 1-2 on goals from Christian Ramirez and Lance Laing. (We are told that video highlights will be posted online soon.)

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Tigers: du Nord Music Mix Vol 74 (download + extract)

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A rare and fantastic interview with movie director William Friedkin, last week on the WTF podcast with Marc Maron.

• Friedkin films: French Connection, Exorcist, Cruising, To Live And Die In L.A., Killer Joe and more.

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A lot of young, and strong players left MLS this off-season. Will there be a lasting affect? By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

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Philly Union's leader Maurice Edu has been slowed down all preseason with a nagging leg injury, but today the team announced that its now been diagnosed as a fractured bone in his left lower leg (I don't know if its tibia or fibula) and he will miss up to 4 months. Oof.

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A weekly MLS topical review - High Five. This week: Drogba, Magic Mike, Red Cards, and Coaching-Is-Hard Mmmkay. By Steve Davis of FCDallas.com.

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UEFA Champions League - Rd of 16 2nd Leg matches.
-Tue Mar 8
Wolfsburg advances 4-2 on aggregate over Gent.
Real Madrid advances 4-0 on aggregate over Roma.
-Wed Mar 9
Zenit 1-2 Benfica - Ben advances 3-1 on aggregate.
Chelsea v PSG (1-2)

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The English Premier League has put a cap on ticket prices for traveling fans at 30 Pounds = $43. Should have been cheaper but well done.

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The French Football Federation is getting dragged into the FIFA scandal as the Swiss justice dept requested that French authorities search the FFF headquarters. By the Associated Press.



The Bird Is The Word