Some Soccer News for Apr 28, 2016

It's Day 119 of 2016.


CONCACAF Champions League Final:
Club America of Mexico City has won their 7th CONCACAF championship.

• Huge congrats to them. This title sets a new CONCACAF record.2nd Leg

-Wed Apr 27
Club America 2-1 UANL Tigres (2-0) - Ame wins the series 4-1 on aggregate.

• USA defender Ventura Alvarado was in the game-day 18 player roster, but did not play for America.

• And USA midfielder Jose Torres was not in uniform for Tigres.

dN

UEFA Champions League Semifinals:
A spectacular goal by Saul gave Atleti the only goal of the round among the 4 teams.

• Match review of Atletico Madrid v Bayern Munich. By Jorge Garcia of AS.

2nd Leg
-Tue May 3
Bayern Munchen v Atletico Madrid (0-1)
-Wed May 4
Real Madrid v Manchester City (0-0)

dN

Roberto Soldado was a high priced player at Tottenham who gave them just average performances. So where did it go wrong, and what kind of track is he on now at his new and very different type of team Villareal? By Sid Lowe of the Guardian.

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Minnesota United defensive midfielder Greg Jordan, the man I call Swampthing cuz he's a vegan superhero, has suffered a torn right meniscus that has required surgery. The team has hope he will be back on the field late in the year. I will be surprised if that happens. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Minnesota United has a bye this weekend.

NASL Week 5
-Sat Apr 30
Ottawa v Miami
Fort Lauderdale v Tampa Bay - yet another Florida rivalry
OKC v Indy
-Sun May 1
Cosmos v Carolina - a big big big big one! #3 v #1!

dN

Purple: du Nord Music Mix Vol 81 (download + extract)

dN

I got a text message from a friend last night:
DL: Axel Rose to replace Brian Johnson?????? Who came up with an idea like that?
Me: An accountant.

dN

The young goalkeeper from Minnesota Cody Cropper tore the labrum in his right shoulder last weekend playing for MK Dons and has had surgery to repair the damage. By Brian Quarstad of Northern Pitch.

• To make things worse, the team ended up losing the game and were officially relegated out of the English Championship division.

dN

MLS Week 9 began last night:
Did all six teams get together before the night started and make a deal? "Hey lets all go out there and score 1 goal each. That way no one goes home disappointed." Painful.
-Wed Apr 27
New York City 1-1 Montreal
New England 1-1 Portland
Vancouver 1-1 KC

• Montreal got the tying by Dominic Oduro off a free kick in 2nd half stoppage time.

• New England stole a point in the games last minute off a Jermiane Taylor Own Goal.

• Kendall Waston got 2 yellow cards so Vancouver played down a man for 39 minutes, but Kansas City could not make them pay.

More MLS Week9 coming up this weekend:
-Fri Apr 29
Red Bulls v Dallas
-Sat Apr 30
Montreal v Colorado
New York City v Vancouver
Philadelphia v San Jose
Seattle v Columbus
Chicago v DC
New England v Orlando
Salt Lake v Houston
-Sun May 1
Portland v Toronto
KC v LA

dN

For those of you still wondering about how bad Darlington Nagbe's leg injury is, he started and went 90 on the fake turf in New England last night.

dN

Bradley Wright Phillips was in a big slump to start the season, but finally broke loose last weekend. What was the dealio? By Graham Parker of ESPNFC.

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After winning big in Week 1 of this MLS season Houston has gone completely in the tank. What is going on with the Dynamo? By Scott French of Four Four Two.

• Is coach Owen Coyle on the hot seat? He should be.

dN

Speaking of the hot seat. Here's the latest installment of....

du Nord Futbol's MLS Coaches Hot Seat Power Rankings:
5 Patrick Viera - NYC - somehow the team is worse then last year, and they blamed Jason Kreis
4 Jeff Cassar - there's been instability at this team since the owner, general manager and head coach all left
3 Greg Vanney - no Toronto coach is ever NOT on the hot seat
2 Owen Coyle - year two of poor performances may not come to a pleasant end
1 Sigi Schmid - the team is floundering and the fans are getting restless with the Potato Salad King

dN

Today we get, of all people, David Beckham and Tim Leiweke in Las Vegas trying to con that city out of a billion dollars or so to build the Oakland Raiders a football stadium, that can have a MLS team too, I suppose. By Avi Creditor of Sports Illustrated.

• Fer fuck sake, can't these two just go back to Miami and get something done there! Then they can go help other people. Right now they have the credibility of Pat Paulsen For President.

The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 27, 2016

It's Day 118 of 2016.


A verdict in the Hillsborough inquiry comes after 27 years. Its not pretty for the local police. The WHOLE story by David Conn of the Guardian.

• The burden of sorrow and guilt carried all these years by Liverpool fans gets a little relief. By Tony Cartlidge of the Guardian.

dN

UEFA Champions League Semifinals:

• Atleti gets the one goal win at home today over Bayern. And that one goal was ridiculously good.

Take a bow, Saul. @HeinekenSoccer #UCL https://t.co/Q6WDlWVvAv

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 27, 2016

• A match report of yesterday's scoreless Man City v Real Madrid game. By James Robson of the Manchester Evening News.

• Looking ahead to the 2nd Leg, Real Madrid has won 7 out of 8 times when the 1st Leg ended 0-0 in European play. By Joaquín del Pozo of AS.

1st Leg
-Wed Apr 27
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Bayern Munchen - AM goal by Saul Niguez.
2nd Leg
-Tue May 3
Bayern Munchen v Atletico Madrid
-Wed May 4
Real Madrid v Manchester City (0-0)

dN

Carolina RailHawks were bought by a local group last Fall and the new stability has shown up on the field as the team has opened the Spring Season with perfect results. By Scott French of Four Four Two. Thanks to Jon Marthaler for the link

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The best stories of players being given their 2nd Yellow Card in a game for taking off their shirt! And yes the magnificent Eric Hassli is here. By John Ashdown of the Guardian.

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Purple: du Nord Music Mix Vol 81 (download + extract)

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Tab Ramos, the USMNT youth director and coach, talks about the status and progress of his programs. By Brian Sciaretta of American Soccer Now.

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The yo-yo career of young American defender Ventura Alvarado from Club America. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

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CONCACAF Champions League Final:

• America hold a commanding lead and are heavy favorites to repeat and win their 7th CONCACAF Title (which would be a new record)

2nd Leg
-Wed Apr 27
Club America v UANL Tigres (2-0) - 8:30pm CT on Univision Deportes + UniMas

dN

MLS Week 9 begins tonight:
-Wed Apr 27
New York City v Montreal
New England v Portland
Vancouver v KC

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The only true MLS Weekly Awards that matter. [VIDEO] By Alejandro Morena of ESPNFC.

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CJ Sapong of Philadelphia has gotten his act together off the field, and its lead to success on the field. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

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Two NBA owners, of the Detroit Pistons + Cleveland Cavaliers, have approached MLS about bringing a team to Detroit. Here is their intro: (thanks to Joe for the link)

Introducing our vision for the proposed #MLSxDetroit Stadium. #Detroit #GameOn pic.twitter.com/SpPOY4Thj7

— ROSSETTI (@ROSSETTIdesign) April 27, 2016

The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 26, 2016

It's Day 117 of 2016.


How has head coach Diego Simeone of Atletico Madrid changed Spanish soccer? by Sean Ingle of the Guardian.

dN

UEFA Champions League Semifinals:
1st Leg
Today's game ended scoreless, and fairly dull, except for 2 excellent late chances for RM.
-Tue Apr 26
Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid
-Wed Apr 27
Atletico Madrid v Bayern Munchen - 1:45pm on FS1
2nd Leg
-Tue May 3
Bayern Munchen v Atletico Madrid
-Wed May 4
Real Madrid v Manchester City

dN

CONCACAF Champions League Final:
America, holding a commanding lead, are heavy favorites to repeat and win their 7th CONCACAF Title. (Which would be a new record.)
2nd Leg
-Wed Apr 27
Club America v UANL Tigres (2-0) - 8:30pm CT on Univision Deportes + UniMas

dN

One of my favorite songs of all time, the very haunting and powerful Ghost Town by The Specials.

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Some really great stuff here! How a professional referee-instructor-assessor saw the Minnesota United v New York Cosmos game. From Northern Pitch.

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Kim Little of Seattle Reign has been named NWSL Player of the Week.

• No, not Lil Kim.

Tyler Turner of Orlando City B has been named USL Player of the Week.

Christian Ramirez of Minnesota United has been named NASL Player of the Week.

Emmanuel Boateng of LA Galaxy has been named MLS Player of the Week.

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Does Christian Ramirez of Minn United have what it takes to compete at the national team level? Article by the excellent Frank Dell'apa of One World Sports.

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RIP Prince

An article on and interview with a completely unknown 18 year old kid from Minneapolis who is making musical demo tapes to send to the big record companies in 1977. By Lisa Hendricksson of the University of Minnesota's newspaper The Minnesota Daily. Really well written, very behind the scenes, and almost clairvoyant about his future.

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Jimmy Fallon tells the story of the night Prince challenged him to a game of ping pong! [VIDEO]

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For Prince, performing could be a blood sport. And he never lost! By Jody Rosen of the New York Times.

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A very good guide to Prince music beyond the big hits. From The Quietus.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 25, 2016

It's Day 116 of 2016.


Juventus wins Serie A for the 34th time. Huge congrats to them. And if you greet a Juve fan today make sure you still have your wallet afterwards

#Hi5story!!!!! pic.twitter.com/dvdTvSPXvM

— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) April 25, 2016

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Every game in NASL Week 4 was a rivalry of sorts:
-Fri Apr 22
Miami 2-3 OKC
-Sat Apr 23
Ft Lauderdale 1-1 Jacksonville
Tampa Bay 1-3 Carolina
Minnesota 1-0 New York
-Sun Apr 24
Edmonton 2-0 Ottawa

14 goals in 5 games = 2.8 GPG.

dN

My NASL Notes:

• RailHawks are the toast of the league, and a big road win!

• 6000 fans had hoped to see their Rowdies stay in the elite level of the league, but they were very outgunned.

• All 4 TBR and CRH goals were scored in the 2nd half.

• Rayo Jr. gets its first ever win after a big contribution from du Nord favorite Billy Forbes.

• Turns out the big crowd at the Miami opener was an anomaly - this week just 2168.

• And up the road in Fort Lauderdale the crowd was even sadder with just 1097 in attendance.

• The Montons will not go goalless this season after all. They put two past their Canadian counterpart Ottawa who have gone from best team in the league last Fall to the worst team in the league this Spring.

dN

My Minnesota Notes:

• Finally broke the Cosmos stranglehold with a win. The best MU had ever done in the past was a tie.

• 3 wins in a row for the Loons after taking the lead in the first game but letting it slip away.

• The Minn goal was very very dramatic, coming just as the game entered stoppage time.

• The goal was a classic counter attack: Bernardo Anor gave up the ball near midfield but kept the pressure on with his defense, which saw the Cosmos just dump the ball toward the Minnesota box. But Brent Kallman was there to head the ball out directly to Lance Laing, who then flicked the ball wide to Justin Davis just inside his own half. No one was in front of Davis so he turned on the jets taking 1 touch and then crossing to the top of the Cosmos box on the opposite of the field for Christian Ramirez to run on to. CR took one touch to control the ball and with his 2nd put a ball on the ground toward the far post just past the lunging Carlos Mendes and under the stooping Jimmy Maurer and into the net.

• Loons have the best defensive record in the league. Bet you didn't call that one before the season started.

• MU played down a man since the 54th min when Damian Lowe cleated Michael Lahoud pretty bad and in an out-of-control way. Yes Lowe got the ball first, but he was just too reckless with the whole play. And even if you thought it was only a Yellow Card offense (which I don't think it was) he was already sitting on a Yellow and would have been sent off for that too.

• As soon as Lowe saw the referee reach for his back pocket he turned and started sprinting off the field applauding the crowd in the stands as he ran into the tunnel. Even slapped a few hands along the way. It was almost like he was telling his teammates, "Look, I blew it, and I got ejected, but I'm going to get the hell out of here quickly so we don't lose any momentum and you guys can just keep right on rolling like we are and you can win this game even though I made a big mistake and left you in a hole. Please don't hold it against me. Now go get the job done."

• One big worry I had going into the game was how the inexperienced centerbacks of Minnesota would handle the serious veterans up top for the Cosmos. The answer: Pretty damn well!

• Ibson started his first game of the year, but came off at half time. Injury?

• Coach Carl Craig said after the game that he made some tactical changes at half time. So was Ibson part of that. I know in the past Craig has shown frustration with Ibson not playing the "team game." But in the first half Ibson was one of the most dangerous players on the field for either team - setting up teammates and almost scoring himself.

• Jeb Brovsky was another guy who played a major roll in the win. Constantly stuffing the Cosmos attempts to work the ball into the scoring third through the middle of the field. And he was a good outlet for the centerbacks. Cool, calm and collected. With Vicentini out sick and Jordan still out injured the d-mid spot could have been a weakness, but there was no sign of that.

• Central midfielder Niko Kranjcar was a real handful for the Cosmos. He was physical and pro-active. They could have used more of that up top where the team was fairly inert.

• See full game highlights right here. [VIDEO]

Christian Ramirez of Minnesota United was named NASL Player Of The Week.

dN

Space Pants
Do you see my pants?
No way, you missed them!
My pants are a tour of the solar system.

dN

Christian Pulisic jumped all over a rebound and scored his 2nd goal for Dortmund.

Bobby Wood did NOT get a goal so his streak ended at 8 consecutive games. Damn.

Alfredo Morales went the distance for Ingolstadt and he got a goal too. A rare one for him. Well done.

DeAndre Yedlin and Sunderland got a very important tie against Arsenal and pulled themselves out of the relegation zone in the English Premier League. They are above Norwich by way of the Goal Differential tie breaker. They have 4 games left to play.

dN

MLS Week 8
-Sat Apr 23
Montreal 0-2 Toronto
Philadelphia 2-0 New York City
DC 3-0 New England
Columbus 1-0 Houston
Colorado 3-1 Seattle
Vancouver 3-0 Dallas
LA 5-2 Salt Lake
-Sun Apr 24
San Jose 1-0 Kansas City
Red Bull 3-2 Orlando

28 goals in 9 games = 3.1 gpg.

dN

My MLS Notes:

• Luciano Acosta of DC with the best goal of the weekend!!! His first in MLS.

• If the standings went strictly on Points Per Game Average, who would be the 2nd best team in the league right now? Of course you guessed correctly - Colorado. (LA #1)

• The best team in the East (Philly) would make the playoffs today as the last team in the West. Disparity.

• New England could really use a guy like Jermaine Jones couldn't they. Bad mistake to let him go.

• Yeah. About Germ Jerm... That guy is good. He showed up at stinky Colorado Rapids and has lead them to 2 wins in his 2 games. And he scored in both of them. So, there's that.

• And Colorado had 17,294 in the stands too. Good job. Now do it again.

• Are you surprised that Eric Miller is getting starts for Colorado and they are winning? I'm not. He's from the Twin Cities.

• Wondo scored his 7th goal of this season, giving him an amazing 109 goals in the last seven seasons.

• Sebastian Giovinco got two more goals. Toronto is for real, for the first time in their 10 years.

• Bradley Wright-Phillips got two goals also, ending his streak of 0-for-the-season. And the Red Bulls won a frickin game. A comeback to boot.

• RSL saw their unbeaten run to start the season go up in flames - losing 5-2 at LA. Joao Plata missed the game with a hip injury, and Buritto Martinez left the game early with a thigh injury. Their attack is very thin.

• LA may have given up the first goal to RSL at home but they answered back with 4 goals before half time. Are we sure they need Robbie Keane? Zardes, Magee, Boateng and Dos Santos scored.

• Nick Rimando saved another penalty kick! I have never seen a better goalkeeper for Penalties. Wow.

• KC did not get a Penalty call in their favor that sure looked legit. Is Dom Dwyer's reputation as a diver and whiner starting to catch up with him?

• KC has lost 3 in a row.

• ATTN: New York City FC upper management. It wasn't Jason Kreis's fault your team was bad last year. You have too many mediocre players. And you did nothing in the off season to fix that.

• Houston is really bad too.

dN

They are breaking ground on the DC United stadium today. Huge news for that struggling organization.

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This is kind of an amazing stat:

I could be wrong but I think this is most games in a row Khedira started for Juve- with him in lineup Juve has 18 wins & 1 draw in Serie A

— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) April 24, 2016

dN

Juventus claimed another Serie A championship today. They won Sunday at Fiorentina and Napoli lost Monday at Roma. Game over.

dN

Slump buster! After getting their mighty ship hung up on a reef Barcelona have turned it around with 14 goals in two games, including 8 from Luis Suarez.

• But the Madrid cousins, Atleti + Real, continue to win too. So the race is still a dead heat for the crown with 3 rounds left to play.

dN

2 other top Euro Leagues:

• Leicester has a 7 point lead over Tottenham with 3 games left to play. They can win it all next Sunday with a win at Manchester United. Can you imagine the TV ratings for that one?

• Bayern has a 7 point lead over Dortmund with 3 games left to play. They can claim another championship with a win next Saturday v Monchengladbach.

dN

RIP Prince.

Lenny Waronker, our boss at Warner Bros, with his first memories of Prince. Some great stuff here.

Lets end our Prince tributes with a post from the most genuine Prince fan I know - someone I worked with in the mid-80s who taught me a lot about music, Esa Katajamaki.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 22, 2016

It's Day 113 of 2016.


He sang like Smokie Robinson. He played guitar like Jimi Hendrix. He danced like James Brown. He wrote songs like no one else.

RIP Prince.

Last night was pretty overwhelming in Minneapolis. The love for Prince poured out of every inch of the city. It was hard to get to sleep at all. I eventually took a late night drive to see the lights. My emotions ran high, especially the celebration of his music.

• If you want to see some of the visual highlights go scroll through my Twitter timeline from Thursday night and Friday morning.

A fantastic remembrance of Prince by Paul Westerberg of the Replacements and also Minneapolis! Funny, sad and self deprecating - classic PW. From Rolling Stone.

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Justin Davis of Minnesota United loves his celebrations! By Andy Greder of the St Paul Pioneer Press.

New players on the Minn United roster are contributing already. Also by Greder of the PiPress.

• And the team still hasn't unleashed The Pinho!

A big test ahead this weekend for Minnesota United as they host the team they just can't beat - New York Cosmos. Game is at 7pm CT at the National Sports Center Stadium in Blaine MN.

• If for some horrible reason you can't get to the stadium, like gout, then you can watch it locally on MY29 TV, or ESPN3 on the internet.

dN

Every game in NASL Week 4 is a rivalry of sorts:
-Fri Apr 22
Miami v OKC - battle of the two new teams
-Sat Apr 23
Ft Lauderdale v Jacksonville - another battle of Florida
Tampa Bay v Carolina - battle of the last two unbeaten
Minnesota v New York - battle of the two biggest clubs in the league
-Sun Apr 24
Edmonton v Ottawa - battle of Canada

dN

MLS commissioner Don Garber answered questions on almost all of the biggest topics in American soccer today. By Ronald Blum of Associated Press.

• A few more topics are covered in a similar article by Alexander Abnos of Sports Illustrated.

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A Q + A with Sebastian Giovinco, talking Toronto, MLS and Itay. By Joshua Kloke of the Guardian.

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San Jose Earthquakes are going to have to increase their player budget if they really want to compete in MLS. And they feel they are on the right track. (I'm not buying hypothetical stock in this club these days.) By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

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The three best MLS Week 8 games to watch:
-Sat Apr 23
Montreal v Toronto - 3:00pm CT
Vancouver v Dallas - 9:30pm CT
LA v Salt Lake - 9:30pm CT

dN

Bob Bradley + HAC - 3 games left - currently in 4th place, 3 points behind Metz in the race for 3rd place in Ligue 2 + promotion to Ligue 1:
-Fri Apr 22
Evian 1-1 Le Havre got the tying goal in the 85th minute.

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Bobby Wood has scored more goals in Germany in 1 season then any American before him. Impressive. So what comes next? By Brian Sciaretta of Four Four Two.

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Alejandro Bedoya writes his own story on going to Europe to become a professional soccer player as an American. From the Players Tribune.

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USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann looks ahead to his potential roster for Copa America Centenario. From US Soccer.

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UEFA Champions League Semifinals begin next Tuesday and Wednesday. Hoooo Hoooo.

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Charlton and Aston Villa, two English clubs with decades of history and success, have found new and exciting ways to fail miserably. By Barney Ronay of the Guardian.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 21, 2016

It's Day 112 of 2016.


He sang like Smokie Robinson. He played guitar like Jimi Hendrix. He danced like James Brown. He wrote songs like no one else.

RIP Prince.

Live in the Winter of 1982 from Passaic NJ.

• I saw Prince play for the first time about 2 months after this video was shot, on the same tour, doing a very similar set, in Minneapolis. I was blown away. This is great stuff.

I mean, did you ever see this video where he blows Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne and guys like that out of the water. With ease!

Prince: "Can you make it rain harder?" [VIDEO]

One of the funniest Prince stories. [VIDEO] Told by Kevin Smith!

On Prince and Minneapolis By Dave Zirin for The Nation.

• "Everyone in the Twin Cities had a story about Prince."

Question once asked of Eric Clapton: "What's it feel like to be the world's best guitarist?"
EC:"I don't know. Ask Prince"

dN

One way to cure a dramatic slide off the top?!?! Barcelona goes to Deportivo La Coruna and wins 0-8! 4 goals for Luis Suarez.

• But Atleti won to stay tied at the top on points and Real won to stay 1 pt off the lead.

dN

CONCACAF Champions League Final:
1st Leg
-Wed Apr 20
UANL Tigres 0-2 Club America - Ame goals by Dario Benedetto + Osvaldo Martinez.

• Ventura Alvarado went 90 minutes at right fullback for America in the win.

• Jose Torres started and played 70 minutes in central midfield for Tigres in the loss.

2nd Leg
-Wed Apr 27
Club America v UANL Tigres - 8:30pm CT on Univision Deportes + UniMas

dN

Having a couple weeks to dig deeper into the USWNT pay disparity issue reveals lots of details, some answers as to why differences exist, but few clear pathes to settling things. By Andrew Das of the New York Times.

• One thing that I get from this and the many other articles I have read on this subject is that the Women and Men are part of two very different job landscapes that can barely be compared, if at all.

• The second thing that I see is that the Women are asked to do more for their pay, which is completely out of line.

• Finally, the culprit in some of the smaller day-to-day pay discrepancies is the Collective Bargaining Agreement that both the Men's team and the Women's team negotiate separately, and which are renewed, renegotiated and expire at different times, thus making some aspects of the pay difference not permanent but fluctuating.

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Announcing - USMNT friendly in Puerto Rico:
-Sun May 22
Puerto Rico v USA - 11am CT in Bayamon on FS1, UniMas and UDN

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In Germany John Brooks and Hertha were whipped by Dortmund at home 0-3 in the DFB Pokal semifinals. Brooks played the whole game. Christian Pulisic was on the bench for Dortmund but did not play. -Bayern will host Dortmund on May 21 in the final.

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Short interview with Bob Bradley talking about MLS and UEFA Champions League. Nothing about Le Havre. [VIDEO] From ESPNFC.

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Bob Bradley + HAC - 4 games left - currently in 5th place - the race for 3rd place in Ligue 2 + promotion:
-Fri Apr 22
Evian v Le Havre

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Lets get all caught up on the latest expansion talk for MLS. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

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Your weekly Minnesota United report from the training grounds. Carl Craig never fails to amaze with his comments - this week its "crystal wiggling." By Jeff Rueter of Northern Pitch.

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A preview of Week 4 in NASL. By Jake Nutting of Empire Of Soccer.

NASL Week 4 Matches:
-Fri Apr 22
Miami v OKC
-Sat Apr 23
Ft Lauderdale v Jacksonville
Tampa Bay v Carolina
Minnesota v New York
-Sun Apr 24
Edmonton v Ottawa

dN

In case you missed it:
This excerpt from the Chuck Blazer book American Huckster is fantastic. Its all about Jack Warner. From Sports Illustrated.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 20, 2016

It's Day 111 of 2016.


A look at all the young Americans flooding into European clubs and succeeding. Including the story of Brooks Lennon at Liverpool. By Brian Sciaretta of American Soccer Now.

This is as strong a USA U20 list as there has ever been:
Mukwelle Akale - Villareal
Cameron Carter-Vickers - Tottenham
Brooks Lennon - Liverpool
Matthew Olosunde - Manchester United
Erik Palmer-Brown - Porto
Joshua Perez - Fiorentina
Christian Pulisic - Dortmund
Luca de la Torre - Fulham
Gedion Zelalem - Arsenal

dN

Jason Kreis speaks! We have not heard a peep from the former RSL and NYC head coach since he was fired after 1 season in New York. The subject of the article is a documentary film covering the first year in existence of NYC FC. Further comments by GM Claudio Reyna. By Glenn Crooks of CBS New York.

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Awesome! I forgot to post this on Monday - another classic Didier Drogba goal for Montreal! What an amazing player. [VIDEO]

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It was not a pleasant weekend for fans of the 3 pro teams in New York - Red Bulls, City and Cosmos all lost. Lets read some thoughts on those games by Dave Martinez of Empire of Soccer.

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Is TFC finally getting it right? Only time will tell, but they are bullish. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

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Many people see MLS refereeing as a major issue in need of immediate answers. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPFC.

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Mortal: du Nord Music Mix Vol 80 (download + extract)

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Someone asked me to list my 10 favorite record stores of all time: (alphabetically)
Honest Jons Records/Reggae Revive (London)
Lou's Records (Encinitas)
Northern Lights (Minneapolis)*
Other Music (New York)
Pier Platters (Hoboken)*
Tower Records - Piccadilly (London)*
Used Kids Records (Columbus)
Vintage Vinyl (St Louis)
Vinyl Solution (Grand Rapids)*
Waterloo Records (Austin)

• *Sadly many of these great stores are gone.

dN

One fan tells his story of growing to hate what his favorite team has become (and details the pitfalls,) then realizes that he can follow a club at any level he choses. From The Set Pieces.

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Interesting: On the NCAA job board there is a new posting for "Director Of Boys Soccer" at Shattuck-St Marys School, which is a US Development Academy program located in Fairbault MN. The posting says Shattuck is affiliated with the "MLS Minnesota United academy system."

• This is the first I have heard of a Minnesota United academy system.

dN

The NPSL team from Fort Worth TX, Vaqueros, is going to announce that they are building a 5000 seat stadium. The more this kind of story happens the more this whole American soccer world grows. Its as exciting to learn of this as it is to hear that Orlando and DC are building their own stadiums too.

dN

CONCACAF Champions League Final:
1st Leg
-Wed Apr 20
UANL Tigres v Club America - 8:30pm CT on Univision Deportes + UniMas
2nd Leg
-Wed Apr 27
Club America v UANL Tigres - 8:30pm CT on Univision Deportes + UniMas

dN

Philosophy:

love that one !! pic.twitter.com/i42druxVXu

— Jürgen Klinsmann (@J_Klinsmann) April 20, 2016

The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 19, 2016

It's Day 110 of 2016.


An excerpt from the Chuck Blazer biography American Huckster has been posted - and it destroys Jack Warner. From Sports Illustrated.

dN

CONCACAF Champions League Final
1st Leg
-Wed Apr 20
UANL Tigres v Club America
2nd Leg
-Wed Apr 27
Club America v UANL Tigres

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Tickets now on sale for USMNT v Ecuador - Wed May 25 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco TX. Copa America warm up match.

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Speaking of tickets - the AC Milan v Chelsea friendly this summer in Minneapolis has sold 30k so far.

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Minnesota United owner Dr Bill McGuire was on the radio in Minneapolis last night talking about the team and building a stadium in St Paul. [AUDIO] From WCCO Radio.

dN

Atlanta United announce that they are building a big training facilities. Just read around the hyperbole.

dN

Details are beginning to leak out on the guilty pleas of three of the FIFA-scandal conspirators, including former CONCACAF boss Jeffrey Webb. From Agence France-Presse via the Guardian.

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A feature story on the return of the Reggae Boyz to prominence. [VIDEO] By Kick.

dN

My 10 favorite record stores of all time: (alphabetically)
Honest Jons Records/Reggae Revive (London)
Lou's Records (Encinitas)
Northern Lights (Minneapolis)
Other Music (New York)
Pier Platters (Hoboken)
Tower Records - Piccadilly (London)
Used Kids Records (Columbus)
Vintage Vinyl (St Louis)
Vinyl Solution (Grand Rapids)
Waterloo Records (Austin)

dN

Chandler Hoffman of Louisville has been named USL Player Of The Week.

Giovani dos Santos of LA Galaxy has been named MLS Player Of The Week.

dN

Brad Davis of KC has become the third field player in MLS history to play 400 games.

• Kyle Beckerman and Steve Ralston are the other two field players. Nick Rimando and Kevin Hartman have done it as goalkeepers.

dN

DC United's Managing General Partner Jason Levien is part of group looking to buy English Premier League team Swansea City. By David Conn of the Guardian.

• Current owners bought Swansea for $700,000 fourteen years ago, and are now said to have an asking price of $70,000,000!

dN

Both Leicester and Barcelona seem to be feeling the heat at the top in the most crucial moment. By Rob Hughes of the New York Times.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 18, 2016

It's Day 109 of 2016.


My NASL Notes:

• Indy Eleven dramatically beat New York Cosmos for the first time ever. The two had tied every prior meeting.

• Cosmos lead 0-1 in the 89th minute but Indy grabbed a PK in the 90th and a winner in the 5th minute of stoppage time to steal the 3 points!

• Eamon Zayed got both goals for Indy.

• Carolina RailHawks stayed perfect with a 3rd win in a row.

• Of course Tiyi Shipilane scored for Carolina again. Great player.

• Minnesota United rolled over Fort Launderdale Strikers at home. Former Loon Geison "Red Card Comin" Moura signed with Ft L in the off-season and lived up to his name with a 22nd minute ejection. Damion Lowe got the game winning header for Minnesota off a corner kick!

• Jean Marc Alexandre was was pretty much the only good thing Ft L. That guy is a beast and nearly impossible to take the ball off.

• Jacksonville Armada and first time head coach Tony Meola got their and his first win.

• Edmonton still hasn't scored a goal in 3 games.

Eamon Zayed of Indy Eleven has been named Player Of The Week.

dN

NASL Week 3:
-Fri Apr 15
Jacksonville 2-1 Miami
-Sat Apr 16
Carolina 1-0 Ottawa
Indy 2-1 Cosmos
Tampa Bay 1-0 Edmonton
Minnesota 3-0 Ft Lauderdale

11 goals in 5 games = 2.2 gpg.

dN

Full game highlights of Minnesota's win over Ft Lauderdale. [VIDEO]

My Minnesota United Notes:

• The two centerbacks, Damion Lowe + Brent Kallman, and two defensive midfielders, Juliano Vicentini + Jeb Browvsky, were strong for the 2nd game in a row, protecting the goal well.

• Kevin Venegas has fully erased all the preseason weirdness and had a very strong game, continuously getting forward and laying waste in the attack.

• Lance Laing was firing in crosses like rockets! That guy is really impressive. Can't wait to see all these guys clicking in together.

• Ibson made a late appearance, coming on the field since being injured in the first preseason game. He kept it simple, but got right into the thick of it immediately.

• Christian Ramirez caused chaos for the opposition centerbacks. He nabbed a gimme goal and forced an own goal! If he fine tunes his finishing over the next few weeks he will be deadly. Could have had at least 2 more goals.

• Stefano Pinho was not on the field long, but his speed looked incredible. Something Minnesota has not had in a long long long time.

• I am curious about the status of Damion Lowe's contract. He is on loan from Seattle, but is there an option to buy him outright?

• The overall team is a lot younger and faster than in any previous years.

• The high pressure was good and can only get better.

Minnesota hosts Cosmos on Saturday night! A real test for this team. Minn has never beaten Cosmos.

dN

Very costly home loss for Bob's Boyz!
Bob Bradley + HAC - 4 games left - currently in 5th place - the race for 3rd place in Ligue 2 + promotion:
-Sat Apr 16
Le Havre 1-3 Nancy
-Ligue 2 Standings for 3rd:
56 Metz (+9)
---
55 Lens (+7)
55 Le Havre (+6)
55 Red Star (+3)
54 Clermont (+4)
NEXT: Fri Apr 22
Evian v Le Havre

dN

Christian Pulisic got his first pro goal, and set a record as the youngest non-German to ever score in the Bundesliga. It was also the game winner for Dortmund in a 3-0 victory over Hamburg.

Bobby Wood got his 17th goal of the season for Union!

Here's a good one: Cody Cropper got another start for MK Dons, but committed a foul in the box and was Red Carded late in the game with the score tied 1-1. MKD had already used all three subs so a forward went in goal and SAVED the Penalty Kick attempt to preserve the point!

Brad Guzan and Aston Villa were officially relegated after losing 1-0 at Man United.

DeAndre Yedlin and Sunderland got a win and are now 2 points away from safety, with a game in hand. But they are still in the relegation zone.

Danny Williams was suspended for 3 games after getting into a shoving and shouting match with a teammate two weeks ago. It was unsightly.

Word from Pachuca is that Omar Gonzalez left their game on Saturday in the 65th minute due to an injury. I don't know what the injury is, or how severe it might be.

dN

Brand new USL club FC Cincinnati set a league attendance record with 20,497 to see them lose 2-3 to Louisville City.

11 things we learned from Week 4 in USL. From USLsoccer.com.

dN

My MLS Notes:

• Dallas won twice last week.

• Colorado won twice last week too.

• Kansas City lost twice last week.

• Red Bull lost twice last week too.

• Columbus finally won for the first time this season.

• Chris Wondowlowski scored two goals in two games.

• Wondo and Fanendo Adi are tied for the league lead in goals scored with 6.

• Jordan Morris got his first ever professional goal - and it was a game winner.

• Drogba: First game of the season. First goal of the season. First game winner of the season.

• Germ Jerm: First game of the season. First goal of the season. And he did what he almost always does - Win! And it was on a snowy field in Denver!!!! He was the best player on the field by far.

• Words on the Jones debut in Colorado. By John Meyer of the Denver Post.

• I know it was Wintry weather in Denver, but there couldn't have been more than 3000 in the stadium. That is beyond embarrassing. I feel for those fans who have such inept ownership and management.

• New England sure could have used a player of Jermaine Jones talents on Sunday.

• New England has 5 ties in 7 games.

• Orlando did not get robbed! Yes it was a bogus penalty against them in the end, but their goal right before that should not have counted either. Its a wash. Ended 2-2 instead of 1-1.

• If you know me, you know I love a free kick goal! And Mauro Rosales wins it for Dallas with this beauty. [VIDEO]

• Tyson Wahl of Columbus committed a foul in the penalty box and the ref made the correct call, except he gave a Red Card to Michael Parkhurst instead. Today the league acknowledged the error and Wahl will be suspended next week and not Parkhurst. This ref could have used help from his "teammates." just ask Kaka.

• Dallas has lost centerback Matt Hedges due to a knee injury. He will be out for 6 weeks.

• Houston beat Dallas 5-0 in Week 2. Since then Houston has not won another game and are already 12 points behind 1st place Dallas. Houston is in last place in the West.

• 6 teams in the East only have 1 win each! Oof.

• Red Bulls are the worst team in the league: 1 Win and 6 losses for 3 points. 5 Goals For (league worst). 15 Goals Against (league worst).

• My pick to win it all, Vancouver, already has 4 losses!

dN

Harrison Shipp returned to Chicago (his home town) and won with Montreal. His return story by Paul Tenorio of Four Four Two. Plus several other topics from the weekend in MLS.

dN

MLS Week 7:
-Wed Apr 13
Kansas City 1-2 Colorado
Portland 1-3 Dallas
San Jose 2-0 Red Bull
-Fri Apr 15
Houston 1-4 LA
-Sat Apr 16
Chicago 1-2 Montreal
DC 0-1 Toronto
Columbus 3-2 New York City
Colorado 2-1 Red Bull
Salt Lake 1-0 Vancouver
Seattle 2-1 Philadelphia
Portland 3-1 San Jose
-Sun Apr 17
Orlando 2-2 New England
Dallas 2-1 Kansas City

41 goals in 13 games = 3.2 gpg.

dN

Full faceplant by Barcelona! Their 39 game string without a loss ended, they lost the Classico, were knocked out of the UCL, and got pulled back into a tie at the top of La Liga with two more losses. All in about two weeks times!

• The team that couldn't lose suddenly can't win! By Sid Lowe of the Guardian.

dN

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

dN

Top Euro League races:
Spa: Barca 0 pt lead over Atletico Madrid and 1 pt lead over Real Madrid with 5 to play.
Eng: Leicester 5 pt lead over Tottenham with 4 to play. [Updated at 4:32pm CT]
Ger: Bayern 7 pt lead over Dortmund with 4 games to play.
Ita: Juventus 9 pt lead over Napoli with 5 to play.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 15, 2016

It's Day 106 of 2016.


Putting an end to this saga:
Every retro-activated Red Card in MLS this season has earned the perp a 1 game suspension. But for his incident last weekend LA's Nigel De Jong got a 3 game suspension. I think it should have been 1 like others.

• Darlington Nagbe trained with Portland today, unknown if he is available this weekend.

dN

NASL Week 3:
-Fri Apr 15
JA v M - 6:00pm CT on beIN Sports
-Sat Apr 16
CRH v OF
IE v NYC
TBR v E
MU v FLS - 7:00pm CT on MY29 (Twin Cities) + ESPN3.

dN

Bob Bradley + HAC - 5 games left - the race for 3rd place in Ligue 2 + promotion:
-Sat Apr 16
Le Havre v Nancy

dN

One of my favorite music websites is The Quietus, and their section The Bakers Dozen where great artists tells us about their favorite records is tremendous. For the adventurous type.

dN

UEFA Champions League Semifinals:
-Apr 26 + May 4
Manchester City v Real Madrid
-Apr 27 + May 3
Atletico Madrid v Bayern Munchen

• Final: May 28 in Milan Italy at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza

• So we all want Man City to beat Bayern in the Final just for the awkward angst and anxiety, right?

dN

The Diego Simeone v Pepper Guardiola showdown should be awesome By Jonathan Wilson of the Guardian.

dN

What is the single best goal ever scored for EVERY MLS team? Here is a collection the league made. [VIDEO] Some great ones here, but there are others that are better than some of these too.

dN

After a rally in Sacramento MLS commissioner Don Garber made comments on further expansion plans and goals. By Paul Kennedy of Soccer America.

• The league would like Minnesota United to join in 2017, but the details are not all in place yet to make that happen. If MNUFC does join its almost certain that they will play home games in Minneapolis at TCF Bank Stadium until their own facility in St Paul is completed.

dN

MLS Week 7 - midweek games:
-Fri Apr 15
Houston v LA - 6:00pm CT on UniMas
-Sat Apr 16
Chicago v Montreal
DC v Toronto
Columbus v New York City
Colorado v Red Bull
Salt Lake v Vancouver
Seattle v Philadelphia
Portland v San Jose
-Sun Apr 17
Orlando v New England - 2:30pm CT on ESPN
Dallas v Kansas City - 6:00pm CT on FS1



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 14, 2016

It's Day 105 of 2016.


At a public speaking event today MLS commish Don Garber said that Minnesota would be joining MLS in 2017. Waiting for official confirmation.

dN

All the latest news from Minnesota United - injuries (Anor, Calvano, Jordan + Nicht out), tryouts (Ceus, Watson-Siriboe + Blake) and quotes from CCC (Coach Carl Craig.) By Jeff Rueter of Northern Pitch.

dN

Ben Speas tells us all about THAT goal! And a little about his life. By Jack Bell of NASL.

dN

NASL Week 3:
-Fri Apr 15
Jacksonville v Miami
(4 more games coming on Sat)

dN

The energy that the soccer fans and the people of Sacramento are kicking out for a potential MLS team is fantastic. They can't get into the league fast enough.

dN

UEFA Champions League Semifinals featuring Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid!

• Draw: Fri Apr 15

• Semis: 1st Leg: Apr 26 + 27 and 2nd Leg: May 3 + 4

• Final: May 28 in Milan Italy at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza

dN

For the 2nd time in 3 years Atletico Madrid has bounced Barcelona from the UCL! Sid Lowe of the Guardian was on the scene.

dN

Comparing the four UCL Semifinalers. Atleti, Man City, Bayern + Real. By Sid Lowe and Raphael Honigstein of the Guardian.

dN

Copa Libertadores - on Wednesday 3 more, Boca Juniors (ARG), Corinthians (BRA), and Gremio (BRA), advanced to the knock out stages.

• Already advanced (5 of 16): Atletico Nacional(COL), Deportivo Tachira(VEN), Nacional (URU), Pumas UNAM(MEX), Toluca(MEX)

dN

"Allen Chapman, the referee who officiated Sunday's controversial LA Galaxy-Portland game, was removed from his weekend MLS assignment." From Paul Kennedy of Soccer America.

dN

LA head coach Bruce Arena feels the Nigel De Jong situation is engulfed in hysteria. By Scott French of Four Four Two.

dN

MLS Week 7 - midweek games:
-Wed Apr 13
Sporting Kansas City 1-2 Colorado Rapids
Portland Timbers 1-3 Dallas
San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 New York Red Bulls
-Fri Apr 15
Houston v LA - 6:00pm CT on UniMas
(9 more games coming on Sat & Sun)

My MLS Notes:

• The guy I predicted would be the big newcomer signing this year, Shkelzen Gashi, has gotten off to a slow start in Colorado, but he made the difference last night scoring his first goal, the game winner in KC. He also made a huge defensive play clearing a ball off the line that had beaten the MacMathlete. Here's to many more.

• And Portland is off to their traditional slow start. Even after a championship season nothing has changed.

• Former Portland forward Maxi Urruti hounded Jack Jewsbury into coughing up the ball twice leading to Dallas goals!!!

• Gorgeous goal by Fabian Castillo!

• Oh Red Bull, what are you smoking? Or did someone spike the punch?

• Wondo with goal #5! He is now tied at #4 with Ante Razov on the MLS all-time goal scoring list with 114. (Still 30 behind LD though)

dN

The four teams at the bottom of the MLS barrel with the least points? It's one helluva list:
2 Columbus
3 Red Bull
4 Seattle
5 Portland

dN

Bob Bradley + HAC - 5 games left - the race is on for 3rd place in Ligue 2 + promotion to Ligue 1 - Up next: Sat Apr 16 Le Havre v Nancy

dN

Group Stage for Women's Olympic Tournament (12 teams):
A
Brazil
China
South Africa
Sweden
B
Australia
Canada
Germany
Zimbabwe
C
Colombia
France
New Zealand
USA

Group Stage for Men's Olympic Tournament (16 teams):
A
Brazil
Denmark
Iraq
South Africa
B
Colombia
Japan
Nigeria
Sweden
C
Fiji
Germany
Mexico
S Korea
D
Algeria
Argentina
Honduras
Portugal

dN

A boy can dream can't he?

Rumours are wrong! Not going anywhere and Everton FC has a fantastic Manager in Roberto Martinez!https://t.co/G1fQiBmHzB

— Jürgen Klinsmann (@J_Klinsmann) April 13, 2016

The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 13, 2016

It's Day 104 of 2016.


What is being done to improve the level of refereeing in MLS? By Aaron Gordon of Vice. Thanks to Grant Wahl for the link.

• I am pretty referee-neutral. I tend to say that I have found a Zen place for the ref. They make plays good and bad. Some are better or worse then others. I believe it all evens out in the end. I also think that if we held players and coaches to the same standard of perfection we hold the referees that we wouldn't have any teams left. That's not to say that they can't all be better, some considerably, and I hope they work hard to achieve that.

dN

UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals:
Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich have advanced today.
-Joining Man City + Real Madrid who advanced yesterday.
2nd Leg
-Wed Apr 13
Benfica 2-2 Bayern Munich BM advances 3-2 on aggregate.
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Barcelona AM advances 3-2 on aggregate.
[WILL BE UPDATED WHEN TODAYS GAMES END]
-Tue Apr 12
Manchester City 1-0 Paris St Germain - MC advances 3-2 on aggregate.
Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg - RM advances 3-2 on aggregate.

Draw for the Semifinals will be on Fri Apr 15.
1st Leg: Apr 26 + 27
2nd Leg: May 3 + 4
Final: May 28 in Milan Italy at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza

dN

Our FIF Wes Burdine and his family are featured in an article on people moving to St Paul's Midway neighborhood, inspired by the proposed Minnesota United stadium. By Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press.

dN

Sunday was a very good day for American soccer on TV. 2016 records were set for the USWNT, MLS on ESPN, and MLS of FS1. Nice. By Paul Kennedy of Soccer America.

dN

What in the name of the Sam Hell is going on with Red Bull New York? (3 points and 4 goals from the first 5 games.) Coach Jesse Marsch says they will get it right. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

dN

Igloo: du Nord Music Mix Vol 79 (download & extract)

dN

The Guardian did a study on the 70 million comments posted on stories from its website since 2006 and discovered that of the 10 most abused writers eight are women, while the other two are black men.

dN

If I offered you $13 Million to spend less time with your kid for the next 6 months, while you kept doing the same job you have had for 12 years, would you take it? Adam LaRoche said no, you can keep your money. By Tim Keown of ESPN.

dN

Much to my surprise DeAndre Yedlin has fought for and earned his spot on the field in the English Premier League this Spring. Hard work and listening to the coach have paid off at Sunderland. By James Hunter of the Newcastle Chronicle. Thanks to Colin for the link.

dN

The group stage draw for the Olympic tournament is tomorrow, Thu Apr 14, at 10:30am CT.

dN

The Bundesliga is falling further behind the Premier League in terms of international financial value and popularity. Some of the clubs want this addressed. By Raphael Honigstein of the Guardian.

dN

Please oh please oh please oh please!

Persistent Merseyside rumours that USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann could be next Everton manager.

— Ian Darke (@IanDarke) April 13, 2016

(Not gonna happen)



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 12, 2016

It's Day 103 of 2016.


Sing it with me. (To the tune of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap):
Carl Craig And A Bleep Bleep Bleep
buuuuum
bum bum
bum bum
Bleep Bleep Bleep
(practice right here)

dN

No broken bones for Darlington Nagbe. Don't know how long he will be out with leg and ligament trauma though.

dN

Germ Jerm is set to make his debut for Colorado Rapids on Sat Apr 16 v Red Bulls! Are you on the band wagon?

dN

The great MLS weekly awards show. [VIDEO] You know it. You love it. Autogolazo! By Alejandro Moreno of ESPNFC.

• Oh no, Zac MacMath, what in the world are you doing???

dN

Fabian Espindola of DC United has been named MLS Player Of The Week.

Taylor Mueller of Charleston Battery has been named USL Player Of The Week.

dN

A Q + A to catch up with our main man Miguel Ibarra at Leon. By Michael Levine of NASL.

dN

Minnesota has released midfielder Andrei Gotsmanov. I have no doubt he is a very good guy, just never been one of my preferred players.

dN

Minnesota saw centerback Tiago Calvano go down with an injury in the first half at the Montons on Sunday, but we have heard nothing as to what the injury is and what the prognosis might be.

dN

NASL commish Bill Peterson on several topics: OKC + Miami debuts, Cosmos attendance, expansion and Canada. By Jake Nutting of Empire Of Soccer.

dN

By the way, Freddy Adu has not been named in the 18 player gameday roster in either of the first two games for Tampa Bay. He is not injured.

dN

Who is UP and who is DOWN for the USMNT. By Doug McIntyre of ESPNFC.

• This list has befuddled me at times. For instance, how in the world is Brad Guzan on the UP list? At best he is neutral. At best! His club Aston Villa has been outscored 23-3 in their last 8 games (2.9 per game!) and he was in goal for all of them. I know the whole team is awful, but he is not exactly shining.

dN

On Monday Palermo fired their EIGHTH coach of the season. The team owner Maurizio Zamparini is clearly a nut job. There is no way you can maintain any quality whatsoever with that hanging over your head as a coach or player.

dN

UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals:

Its off to the Semifinals for Manchester City (De Bruyne goal) and Real Madrid (Ronaldo all 3 goals). As predicted in most forums.

2nd Leg
-Tue Apr 12
Man City 1-0 PSG - MC advances 3-2 on aggregate.
Real 3-0 Wolfsburg - RM advances 3-2 on aggregate.
-Wed Apr 13
Benfica v Bayern (0-1)
Atleti v Barca (1-2)

dN

Monterrey became the first team to clinch their spot in the Liga MX Spring post-season playoffs.

• There are 4 rounds left in the regular season.

• America + Pachuca are on the verge of securing their playoff positions.

• 7 teams will be fighting over the last 2 or 3 of the eight playoff spots, and like usual it will go down to the last day of the season on May 8th to sort that out.

The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 11, 2016

It's Day 102 of 2016.


The topic of the day is Nigel De Jong, many people's hatred of him, and this brutal tackle on Darlington Nagbe from Sunday night (and many other people on many other days.)

Yikes. This photo catches the exact moment De Jong stomped on Nagbe's ankle: https://t.co/wIHsebJz9T #LAvPOR #RCTID pic.twitter.com/lLzvtVEhoC

— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) April 11, 2016

But I want to address referee Allen Chapman. He has no right being on the field. We saw him referee many Minnesota games over the years and he was always terrible. His two worst traits were his wild inconsistency and his leniency on nasty tackles (which always lead to angry players and more nasty tackles and cheapshots.) I gave him the nickname Dr Evil and on two occasions when I yelled it at him from the stands he stopped in his tracks and turned around to give me the stink eye. He is not fit for service. End of story.

• Back to De Jong for a minute. I don't need to say much. The foul on Nagbe was awful. He just crushed the guys ankle. It would have been a great MMA move. Maybe De Jong should go on The Ultimate Fighter if he wants to bust ankles.

• De Jong will get a multiple game suspension outta this. He shouldn't be on the Galaxy or in MLS to begin with!

• Chapman should get that too. And he shouldn't be refereeing at any level.

How did local media of the two teams react?

• The Oregonian went crazy.

• The LA Times barely even mentioned the incident in the last sentence.

dN

Lets cleanse our palate with something great:
Emerson Hyndman got a goal for Fulham. His first professional goal. On his 20th birthday! The game winner! 3 minutes into 2nd half stoppage time! OH YEAH! Post-game interview from the Fulham website. [VIDEO]

• What is it with American players and Fulham???

• With 5 games left Fulham has bailed out their sinking ship and are now 11 points from relegation. A month ago it looked like they were doomed.

• Brian Sciaretta dug up this wild post-game quote from Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic: “[Hyndman] is probably one of our most talented players. I am a little bit disappointed in myself for not finding more minutes for him this year. I believe in front of him he has a brilliant future and he is a very talented player. He is quality on the ball. I believe in the future he can be a very important player for us.”

dN

NASL Week 2:
-Sat Apr 9
Indy 1-1 Ottawa
OKC 2-3 Carolina
Miami 1-1 Tampa
-Sun Apr 10
Edmonton 0-2 Minnesota
New York 2-0 Jacksonville
-Bye: Ft Lauderdale
-13 goals in 5 games = 2.6 goals per game.

dN

Minnesota United did what they were supposed to do, wipe Edmonton off the field. A 0-2 win was a good feeling. And both goals scored by Ben Speas! Ben Speas! I did not expect to be typing that at any point this season. Here are the game highlights. [VIDEO]

• MU goals in the 16th and 55th, the first off a pass from Kevin Venegas that was deflected right into Speas path, and the 2nd off a throw in also by Venegas in which Speas pulled off a brilliant flick of the ball over his own head and then spun past the defender on this back to create a clear path to goal for himself. Both were very good shots.

• And a shutout for the MU defense. That doesn't happen often enough over the years.

• Match report by Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Journal. (To demystify one misconception in that match report: MU does not a have a large squad, they have 24 players on the roster. MLS teams typically have 28-30.)

• Lance Laing had played in Edmonton for 5 years prior to this, and going back there was not an easy task for him emotionally. An interview with some great quotes from Laing by Steven Sandor of The 11.

dN

My NASL Notes:

• Miami had a big crowd of over 10,000 for their first home game and got their 2nd tie in a row against a fellow Florida team. They continue next week with a 3rd straight Florida derby at Jacksonville.

• Cosmos rolled again. They are going to be almost impossible to beat!

• But its really sad that so few people go to Cosmos games. They are a great team and deserve to be seen. What they need is a real place to play.

• Carolina pulled out some magic to get their 2nd win in a row. Austin da Luz scored the winner in stoppage time. His 2nd of the game.

Austin Da Luz of Carolina RailHawks has been named NASL Player Of The Week.

dN

A little feature on one of the world's great record shops: Rockers International of Kingston Jamaica. Opened by the legendary Augustus Pablo. From Vinyl Factory. Thanks to Steve for the link.

dN

Don't! Go! Down!

dN

UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals:
2nd Leg
-Tue Apr 12
Man City v PSG (2-2)
Real v Wolfsburg (0-2)
-Wed Apr 13
Benfica v Bayern (0-1)
Atleti v Barca (1-2)

dN

After last weeks glory for Matt Miazga at Chelsea, this week was gloom. He started the game against Swansea but was pulled off at half time after getting beat for what turned out to be the games only goal. Ouch. Growing pains on international TV can be ugly.

dN

Brad Guzan and Aston Villa are all but dead and buried. With 5 games left they are just 1 pt dropped or 1 earned by Norwich away from relegation. They lost their 8th league game in a row and have been outscored 23-3 in those games.

dN

17 year old Christian Pulisic got another start for Dortmund and played 73 strong minutes.

dN

Ho! Ho! Ho! The Chuck Blazer book is out! American Huckster! Thanks to Steven Goff for the link.

dN

MLS Week 6:

22 goals in 10 games = 2.2 goals per game.

My MLS Notes:

• No doubt about it, right now Kansas City is the best team in the league. End of story.

• Columbus still winless! 2 draws and 3 losses so far. Outscored 7-3.

• Salt Lake still unbeaten. Unreal.

• People said Red Bulls defense was a big question mark that they didn't really address in the offseason. Results so far say its a disaster. Most goals allowed - 11.

• Galaxy still haven't scored a first half goal through 5 games.

• Some big favorites are struggling early: Seattle, Portland, Vancouver (Cascadia! In the West), and Columbus, New York and Toronto in the East. 6 total wins between these 6 teams in a total of 31 games played. Oof. Who had DC scoring 4 goals in any game this season? Not me. Great job.

• If Fanendo Adi is not one of your favorite MLS players you might want to call your physician cuz there might be something wrong with you.

• Every Portland v LA game is more intense then the previous. Ratchet up the pressure!

• Goal Of The Week has to go to Tranquillo Barnetta of Philadelphia!

• Kelyn Rowe of New England had a fantastic header goal too. Patience by the team, moving the ball around, then the cross comes in and... Power! And! Placement!

• Not sure who should be Player Of The Week.

• Oh, by the way, Chris Wondolowski, without taking any Penalty Kicks like others at 4 goals have.

• And Houston have 12 goals! Most in the league. Dallas 2nd with 10.

• Embarrassing: FC Dallas attendance - 13,386. They join Colorado on the We-need-real-ownership pile.

dN

3 good looking midweek games start Week 7 off early:
-Wed Apr 13
Sporting Kansas City v Colorado Rapids
Portland Timbers v Dallas
San Jose Earthquakes v New York Red Bulls
-A full 10 game slate coming up on the weekend too.

dN

Check out the plans for Real Salt Lakes new $50Million training complex. Damn! The team "decided against taking baby steps." By Brennan Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.

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Europe Big 4:
-Leicester has a 7 pt lead with 5 games to play. Next: Sun Apr 17 v West Ham.
-Bayern has a 7 pt lead with 5 games to play. Next: Sat Apr 16 v Schalke.
-Juventus has a 6 pt lead with 6 games to play. Next: Sun Apr 17 v Palermo.
-Barcelona has a 3 pt lead with 6 games to play. Next: Sun Apr 17 v Valencia.

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One consequence of Leicester's unlikely race for the title is serious scrutiny of how they got to this place. Financial oddities unearthed. They might be nothing.... By David Conn of the Guardian.

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Others are looking for comparisons to Leicester'a amazing season - there are NONE! So lets make due with a good story then: Hellas Verona winning Serie A in 84-85. By Richard Hough of the Guardian.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 8, 2016

It's Day 99 of 2016.


Its NASL Week 2: Featuring a 2nd Florida derby in 2 weeks!
-Sat Apr 9
Indy v Ottawa - 6:30pm CT on beIN Sports.
OKC v Carolina
Miami v Tampa
-Sun Apr 10
Edmonton v Minnesota - 3pm CT on ESPN3 and in the Twin Cities on My 29.
New York v Jacksonville
-Bye: Ft Lauderdale

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Beautiful new soccer related Ebbets Field-made ball caps for sale at Talisman + Co. Including a very nice Minnesota hat. The company is owned by former Minnesota Thunder player Dustin Branan.

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Jon Jones versus his toughest opponent - Himself. Feature story on the troubled UFC star, one of the greatest fighters if not the best of his generation. By Mike Bohn of Rolling Stone.

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Bob Bradley - the race for promotion:
-Fri Apr 8
Brest 0-0 Le Havre - a scoreless tie doesn't cost HAC today, as they remain in the 3rd and final promotion position.

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Bobby Wood stayed en fuego to score 2 more goals for Union Berlin today. That gives him 16 for the season. The most ever by an American in Germany.

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Copa Libertadores: Nacional (URU) becomes the 5th team to advance to the Round Of 16.

• Already advanced: Pumas UNAM(MEX), Deportivo Tachira(VEN), Atletico Nacional(COL), Toluca(MEX)

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Remember a few months ago when we heard the crazy story of Marco Pappa (then of Seattle but about to be traded to Colorado) getting stabbed by a Miss USA contestant from Washington state? (Her name is Stormy. You can't make it up.) Here is the aftermath. By Jesse Paul of the Denver Post.

The Rapids become more irrelevant in Denver every day. The stands at the home opener were 2/3 empty. Meanwhile other teams are excited to play games at at Dick's Sporting Goods Park:

• Just announced USWNT v Japan game friendly on Jun 2 sold out in 10 minutes.

• Also just announced is a Brazil v Panama friendly on May 29 as a Copa America warm up. It will be a full house.

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Some early season success for Salt Lake and Orlando is surprising people. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

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Very high expectations were put on Jordan Morris by the management of his team Seattle Sounders. But its been a predictably slow start (which is just fine.) By Jeff Carlisle of ESPN FC.

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MLS Week 6: (several really good games to watch)
-Fri Apr 8
Philadelphia Union v Orlando City - 6pm CT on UniMas
-Sat Apr 9
Montreal Impact v Columbus Crew
New England Revolution v Toronto
DC United v Vancouver Whitecaps
New York Red Bulls v Sporting Kansas City
Dallas v San Jose Earthquakes
Real Salt Lake v Colorado Rapids
-Sun Apr 10
Houston Dynamo v Seattle Sounders - 3pm CT on ESPN
New York City v Chicago Fire - 6pm CT on FS1
LA Galaxy v Portland Timbers - 8:30pm CT on FS1

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Controversial Israeli club Beitar Jerusalem is now in open conflict with journalists who say the team and its notorious supporters are blatantly anti-Arab. By Peter Beaumont of the Guardian.

• "No Arab has played for the club in its 80-year history despite being based in a city with a population that is 40% Palestinian."

The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Apr 7, 2016

It's Day 98 of 2016.


On Saturday April 6, 1996 the first MLS game was played. You can watch the whole game right here, and see how much soccer in America has changed.

• A look back to the inaugural day 20 years ago as many people on the scene tell their versions of the story. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

dN

But there is another side to all this 20 Years celebration!
Last week in DC a long time United supporter was banned from the stadium for 1 year after igniting a smoke flair in the tunnel outside the stadium when leading the most hardcore of supporters into the stands. I have no idea if he had been warned before or this topic was a serious issue with the team, but a 1 year ban is pretty significant. You won't be surprised to find out that many fans are quite upset by all of this. Here is an open letter to the club that was posted on Facebook today by a member of the supporters group District Ultras, the group whose member was punished.

• The biggest point I take from all of this is that week-in and week-out we see MLS and many of the teams using images of supporters shrouded in smoke in their promotion of the games - and here is a guy getting a 1 year ban from all games for that exact thing, and it wasn't even done in the stadium!

• My favorite line from the whole letter is this one: "Can you embrace us for who we are? Because we embrace you, good times and bad." Oh yeah.

Here is an earlier story from the Black And Red United blog with some more info on what actually went down from the club and supporters perspectives. There are still a lot of unanswered question here though.

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Do you remember that there was a time when the phrase, "Possession is 9/10ths of the law" held sway? Well, over the past 40 years that phrase has slowly been eroded and now completely replaced by, "Perception is 9/10ths of the law." The organization known as US Soccer finds it self with a terrible perception issue: "The women are great and massively underpaid, the men are mediocre and horribly coached." By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

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The Panama Papers

• Juan Pedro Damiani of the FIFA Ethics Committee has resigned due to his connections with the Panama Papers.

• Swiss justice dept went right to work using the Panama Papers as a guide and executed a search warrant on UEFA headquarters.

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Wow! The Men In Blazers TV show will feature USA Attorney General Loretta Lynch on next weeks episode - Mon Apr 11 at 9:00pm CT on NBCSN.

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Rogue One

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Crater: du Nord Music Mix Vol 78 (download & extract)

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Pueblo Colorado has one of the worst gang and drug problems in the entire United States. By Julie Turkewitz of the New York Times.

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UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals - 1st Leg Key Points:
-Big upset for Wolfsburg!
-2 road goals and a tie game for Man City.
-1 road goal for Atleti.
-2nd Leg matches next week.
1st Leg
-Tue Apr 5
Bayern 1-0 Benfica
Barca 2-1 Atleti
-Wed Apr 6
Wolfsburg 2-0 Real
PSG 2-2 Man City

• A review of Wednesday's two big games. By Sam Borden of the New York Times.

2nd Leg
-Tue Apr 12
Man City v PSG (2-2)
Real v Wolfsburg (0-2)
-Wed Apr 13
Benfica v Bayern (0-1)
Atleti v Barca (1-2)

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Bob Bradley and his club Le Havre AC are fighting for promotion. They are in the 3rd and final spot with 6 games left to play. Here is what's up next: Fri Apr 8 - Brest v Le Havre

• Bradley sits down for a Q + A at this vital junction of the season. By Mark Rodden of ESPNFC.

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Matt Miazga talks about making his debut for Chelsea, and his USA future prospects. By Brian Sciaretta of American Soccer Now.

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Why does San Antonio want to be an MLS city so badly? by Tom Dart of the Guardian.

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MLS Week 6 begins on Fri Apr 8: Philadelphia Union v Orlando City - 6pm CT on UniMas

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Colorado Rapids team management can't really do much right these days. A whole new issue. By Daniel Boniface of the Denver Post.

• I have said it many many times and can't imagine stopping - this team needs new ownership badly. The fans deserve at least that.

• I realize the team and some fans will laugh at me and say, "Can't do much right? We just signed Tim Howard and Jermaine Jones." Fair enough, but they aren't going to help you fix all the problems and build for the future. They are last pieces to a nearly complete puzzle, just ask New England.

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Some updates on injuries, players etc from Minnesota United practice. By Jeff Rueter of Northern Pitch.

An analytic review of a big moment from last weeks MU game by former coach Buzz Lagos [VIDEO] and words from head coach Carl Craig along with a preview of Sunday's game in Edmonton. From Minnesota United.

Minn United forward Christian Ramirez's story. By Kristan Heneage of Four Four Two.

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A snapshot of the stretch run in the English Premier League with 6 games left:
69 Leicester (GD+24) - Sun Apr 10 at Sunderland
62 Tottenham (GD+32) - Sun Apr 10 v Man U
58 Arsenal (31 played) (GD+22) - Sat Apr 9 at West Ham

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Pumas UNAM(MEX) and Deportivo Tachira(VEN) join Atletico Nacional(COL) and Toluca(MEX) as the first four teams to advance to the Round Of 16 in Copa Libertadores.

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With 5 week left to go in the Mexican Clausura 7 of 8 teams currently in the playoff positions features Americans in regular starting or contributing positions:
1 Monterrey - Edgar Castillo
2 America - Ventura Alvarado
3 Pachuca - Omar Gonzalez
--
5 Leon - William Yarbrough and Miquel Ibarra
6 Santos Laguna - Jose Villafana
7 Tigres - Jose Torres (finally healthy again)
8 Tijuana - Paul Arriola and Michael Orozco

dN

With a victory on Tuesday Rangers earn promotion to the Scottish Premiership for next season. Before the 2012/13 season the club was relegated to League Two (the 4th division) after filing for bankruptcy. It took them 1 year longer then expected to reach the top division again.



The Bird Is The Word