Some Soccer News for Aug 31, 2016

It's Day 244 of 2016.


BIG NOTE: The USA Women will play an exhibition game in Minneapolis v Switzerland on Sun Oct 23 at US Bank Stadium.

dN

Lets start it off with a quick story from our friend Sasha:

• "you know how we have the T-shirt cannon firing off shirts at baseball games and such? well....during halftime of the game I was at, there was a pep squad walking around the pitch launching cans of coca cola into the crowd with an oversized sling shot. The cokes were flying around like missiles and the couple which were fired in our vicinity exploded upon impact. It was crazy"

dN

Since the San Jose Earthquakes were re-re-born in 2008 John Doyle has been the general manager. But not anymore. He was fired on Monday and replaced on an interim basis by Chris Leitch. Doyle was known for his conservative approach, and it appears as though head coach Dominic Kinnear has demand that the club release the hounds. Lets see what happens now.

• A report on the firing. By Martin Gallegos of the San Jose Mercury News.

dN

LA Galaxy and USMNT forward Gyasi Zardes has suffered a broken foot and will miss the rest of the 2016 season, and World Cup qualifiers in Sep. The club hopes he can return in November for playoff games.

Speaking of LA - bad boy/villain Nigel de Jong is GONE! It was a short lived spell in MLS. Sold today to Galatasaray in Turkey.

• At least 1 person is not going to miss de Jong:

Lets all take a moment to appreciate Nigel de Jong's time in MLS.....ok thats long enough.

— Merritt Paulson (@MerrittPaulson) August 31, 2016

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Why is year 3 a success for Pablo Mastroeni and Colorado Rapids when seasons 1 and 2 were so awful? The coach speaks. By Brian Kay of the Guardian.

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On one hand MLS is very proud of the fact that 59 of its players have been called into national teams for international matches this week and next. On the other hand 10 of the leagues teams have chosen to still play games without those very best players. Are tickets to all games equally discounted?

MLS Week 26 schedule:
-Sat Sep 3
Vancouver v NYRB
New England v Colorado
Chicago v Philadelphia
Dallas v Portland
LA v Columbus

dN

Did you all see the goal Lance Laing scored for Minnesota United last Saturday? Yeah, it was spectacular. [VIDEO]

dN

Things have gotten even weirder at Rayo OKC. We know there was a full management shake up a couple weeks ago, and now one of the minor owners have literally taken his turf and gone home!

• This guy had paid for the playing surface out of his own pocket and as finances have gotten increasingly desperate he went to the stadium after hours and took out half the turf because he feared his partners were preparing to sell the field.

dN

As for the league itself, the broadcasts of games are getting harder and harder to find:

• beIN is going to be showing college football in prime time on Saturday nights instead of NASL games starting this weekend.

• One World Sports has been dropped from Dish Network, their #1 carrier.

dN

Minnesota plays their third game in a row in the state of Florida. So far they have a 0-0 draw at Jacksonville and a 1-1 draw at Miami.

• 3 points tonight would be huge for the Loons.

A preview of tonight's Minnesota game at Fort Lauderdale from a Florida perspective. By Pedro Heizer of the Sun Sentinel.

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NASL Week 20 - midweek
-Wed Aug 31
Fort Lauderdale Strikers v Minnesota United - 6pm CT - not shown locally on My29, sorry about that. Only on CBS Sports Network. Oh, and they don't stream games online either.
New York Cosmos v Indy Eleven

dN

NASL Standings (32 game schedule)
41 NYC (21 GP)
40 E (20 GP)
38 IE (21 GP)
32 MU (21 GP)
-----
27 TBR (21 GP)
26 FLS (20 GP)
26 CRH (20 GP)
25 ROKC (21 GP)
23 M (20 GP)
20 OF (21 GP)
17 JA (21 GP)
8 PR (11 GP) - did not start until Summer/Fall Season

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The USMNT landed in St Vincent this morning and began training right away.

USMNT with 2 huge games this week and next:
-Fri Sep 2
St Vincent + The Grenadines v USA - WORLD CUP QUALIFYING - Arnos Vale Stadium, St. Vincent - 2:30pm CT on beIN SPORTS
-Tue Sep 6
USA v Trinidad + Tobago - WORLD CUP QUALIFYING - EverBank Field, Jacksonville FL - 7:00pm CT on FS1 + Univision

The USA has a very clear cut goal for these two upcoming games. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

Jurgen Klinsmann talks about demanding more from his young players and those coming up through the ranks. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

• JK also commented on "the England job".

Difficulties lie ahead for the team though:

• Michael Bradley is suspended for StV+G game -Michael Orozco is suspended for StV+G game

• Clint Dempsey out with heart issue

• Jermaine Jones out injured (dropped from roster today)

• Gyasi Zardes out injured

• John Brooks out injured

Jozy Altidore has been named captain.

With both a USA win and a TnT win on Friday both team would advance to the Hex.

USA Roster:
G: Brad Guzan - Middlesbrough, Ethan Horvath - Molde, Tim Howard - Colorado Rapids
D: Kellyn Acosta - Dallas, Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City, Steve Birnbaum - DC United, Geoff Cameron - Stoke City, Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca, Fabian Johnson - Monchengladbach, Michael Orozco - Tijuana, DeAndre Yedlin - Newcastle
M: Paul Arriola - Tijuana, Kyle Beckerman - Real Salt Lake, Alejandro Bedoya - Philadelphia Union, Michael Bradley - Toronto, Sacha Kljestan - New York Red Bulls, Darlington Nagbe - Portland Timbers, Christian Pulisic - Dortmund, Caleb Stanko - Vaduz, Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
F: Jozy Altidore - Toronto, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders, Rubio Rubin - Utrecht, Chris Wondolowski - San Jose Earthquakes, Bobby Wood - Hamburger

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Semifinal Round:

• The top 2 teams from each group will advance to Final Round - the Hexagonal.

• With 2 games remaining only 1 team has advanced (Mexico) and only 1 team has been eliminated (St Vincent.)

Group A
12A Mexico (+10 GD)
4 Honduras (-1 GD)
4 Canada (-4 GD)
2 El Salvador (-5 GD)
Group B
10 Costa Rica (+5 GD)
7 Panama (+2 GD)
4 Jamaica (-4 GD)
1 Haiti (-3 GD)
Group C
10 Trinidad + Tobago (+8 GD)
7 United States of America (+7 GD)
6 Guatemala (+1 GD)
0E Saint Vincent + the Grenadines (-16 GD)

Match schedule:
-Fri Sep 2
Hon v Can
El S v Mex
Pan v Jam
Hai v CR
TnT v Guat
St V v USA
-Tue Sep 6
Mex v Hon
Can v El S
CR v Pan
Jam v Hai
USA v TnT
Guat v St V

dN

Matt Cardone of San Antonio named USL Player Of The Week

Patrick Mullins of DC United named MLS Player Of The Week

Andres Flores of New York Cosmos named NASL Player Of The Week

Manon Melis of Seattle Reign named NWSL Player Of The Week

dN

A new documentary on one of the world's all time great musicians John Coltrane is coming out. Nice. From Shadow And Act.

dN

On Sunday in Kuwait City the temperature was 129 degrees!

dN

Miguel Ibarra may get himself another chance at Leon - head coach Luis Tena has been fired.

dN

Bob Bradley + Le Havre Tracker:
Previous - Sat Aug 27 D 0-0 at Red Star
Up Next - Sat Sep 10 v Valenciennes

dN

(Recap from last weekend)
Results in the Bundesliga season openers for the 9 Americans:
-Fri Aug 26
(Julian Green) Bayern Munich 6-0 Werder Bremen (Aron Johannsson)

• Johannsson got the start and went 64 minutes for Werder Bremen today!! Fantastic. He has been out of action since last September with a hip injury.

• Green on the bench for Bayern.

-Sat Aug 27
(Christian Pulisic) Dortmund 2-1 Mainz

• Pulisic was in uniform on the bench but did not play.

(Bobby Wood) Hamburger 1-1 Ingolstadt (Alredo Morales)

• Wood went the full 90 and scored a great goal.

• Morales started and played 81 minutes.

(Timmy Chandler) Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 Schalke

• Chandler came on as a sub in the 55th minute.

(Fabian Johnson) Monchengladbach 2-1 Leverkusen

• Johnson subbed on in the 61st minute.

-Sun Aug 28
(John Brooks) Hertha v Freiburg

• Brooks went the distance.

Hoffenheim 2-2 RB Leipzig (Terrence Boyd)

• Boyd is still recovering from injury and was not on the roster.

dN

The numbskull who tried to turn the LA Dodgers baseball team into complete garbage, Frank McCourt, has just bought legendary French team Olympique Marseille. Dear People of Marseille, good luck to you, yer gonna need it.



The Bird Is The Word

No Soccer News Again For Tue Aug 30, 2016

Another day off. See you tomorrow.

No Soccer News For Mon Aug 29, 2016

A day off. See you tomorrow.

Some Soccer News for Aug 26, 2016

It's Day 239 of 2016.


Word came out this afternoon that Clint Dempsey is having a medical exam due to an irregular heartbeat. By Matt Pentz of the Seattle Times.

• Lets hope he is OK. Heart issues sound very scary to me.

• He will not be in uniform for Seattle in their big match on Sunday and most likely not be named to the USA World Cup qualifying roster.

dN

Who will be on this USMNT roster for World Cup qualifiers on Sep 2 and 6? Here are some ways you can narrow down the list and make an educated guess. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

• The strongest position for the USA is forward if you can believe that! Bobby Wood, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore can all get the job done, and Clint and Jozy are tearing up MLS right now.

• I would expect there to be changes in the roster for the 2 games.

• Here are a few of the players who currently look to be in great shape and others who are in a sticky wicket. By Doug McIntyre of ESPNFC.

dN

Big MLS games in Week 25:
-Fri Aug 26
Real Salt Lake v Colorado Rapids - 7pm CT on UniMas
-Sat Aug 27
Toronto v Montreal Impact - 6:30pm CT on MLS Live
Houston Dynamo v Dallas - 8pm CT on MLS Live
-Sun Aug 28
Portland Timbers v Seattle Sounders - 4pm CT on ESPN
Orlando City v New York City - 6pm CT on FS1

A preview of all these great MLS games and more. By Scott French of Four Four Two.

dN

NASL Week 19
-Wed Aug 24
Ottawa Fury v Miami
-Sat Aug 27
NY Cosmos v Carolina RailHawks
Tampa Bay Rowdies v Rayo OKC
Miami v Minnesota United - 7pm CT on My29 + ESPN3
-Sun Aug 28
Ottawa Fury v Indy Eleven
Edmonton v Puerto Rico

A preview of this week in NASL where there is not much in the way of marquee matchups. By Jake Nutting of Empire of Soccer.

dN

A lil bir-day told me that Miguel Ibarra has some sorta leg injury that has been keeping him out of the line up at Leon. Get better soon Batman, your city needs you.

dN

beIN network announced in early June that they would begin to show Conference USA college football on Saturday nights starting Sep 3. But that is in direct time conflict with NASL games that were already scheduled for the whole Fall. What's going on? The NASL says its a minor issue and tweaks to the schedule will be announced soon. Thanks to Adam for the link.

dN

Crowds: du Nord Music Mix Vol 93 (download + extract)

dN

CONCACAF Champions League group stage Matchday 3 schedule:

-Thu Aug 25
W Connection 1-1 Honduras Progreso
Dragon 0-0 Saprissa

• Matchday 4 kicks off on Sep 13.

dN

Bob Bradley + Le Havre Tracker: Up Next - Sat Aug 27 at Red Star

dN

Bundesliga season openers for the 9 Americans:
-Fri Aug 26
(Julian Green) Bayern Munich 6-0 Werder Bremen (Aron Johannsson)

• Johannsson got the start and went 64 minutes for Werder Bremen today. Fantastic, well maybe not. He had been out of action since last September with a hip injury.

• Green on the bench for Bayern.

-Sat Aug 27
(Christian Pulisic) Dortmund v Mainz
(Bobby Wood) Hamburg v Ingolstadt (Alredo Morales)
(Timmy Chandler) Eintracht Frankfurt v Schalke
(Fabian Johnson) Monchengladbach v Leverkusen
-Sun Aug 28
(John Brooks) Hertha v Freiburg
Hoffenheim v RB Leipzig (Terrence Boyd)

dN

Wrap your head around this concept: Thierry Henry, assistant coach. Yup. He is going to be the assistant to Roberto Martinez who was recently hired as head coach of the Belgian national team. Odd. And interesting.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 25, 2016

It's Day 238 of 2016.


Yes FC Dallas does a great job with their youth academy, but winning needs to become a bigger priority. And they want that too. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

• Owner Dan Hunt: "I want to win [MLS] Cup. I want to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. I want to win the Supporters' Shield, and I want to advance in the CONCACAF Champions League.”

dN

Orlando City plays New York City this weekend. The match up is very personal for OC coach Jason Kreis. By Paul Tenorio of Four Four Two.

dN

When is the last time that the RSL-Colorado game meant anything real? Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni knows that it does this season. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

dN

Vancouver has shipped hatchet man Pa Modou Kah to their USL team (VWFC2) and signed him to a player/coach contract. By Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province.

dN

There are some real doozies on the schedule in MLS Week 25 this weekend:
-Fri Aug 26
Real Salt Lake v Colorado Rapids - 7pm CT on UniMas
-Sat Aug 27
Toronto v Montreal Impact - 6:30pm CT on MLS Live
Houston Dynamo v Dallas - 8:pm CT on MLS Live
-Sun Aug 28
Portland Timbers v Seattle Sounders - 4pm CT on ESPN
Orlando City v New York City - 6pm CT on FS1

dN

Supposedly we will see the roster for the USA Men's World Cup qualifying games some time on Sunday.

dN

NASL Week 19 - midweek game:
-Wed Aug 24
Ottawa Fury 0-0 Miami

dN

Miami rested a lot of their starters on the road last night and still got a point and a shutout. Good way to go. They host Minnesota on Sat.

• Miami + Minn are tied on points and goal differential in the standings, but Miami has played 1 less game.

dN

Kevin Venegas is back to full training for Minnesota United. The sooner he can get back into the lineup the better, but he doesn't need to rush back.

dN

Minnesota's Ibson has been suspended an extra game after a nasty foul lead to a Red Card last weekend at Jacksonville. He literally kicked a ball and let his follow-through jack a guy right in the gut with the bottom of his foot. And Ibson's action was retaliatory too. It was definitely a Red Card.

• According to a league spokesman 4 other NASL players have gotten extra game suspensions this season:

1. Adam Moffat of New York Cosmos on Aug 13
2. Michel of Rayo OKC on May 28
3. Billy Forbes of Rayo OKC on May 28
4. Simon Mensing of Carolina RailHawks on Apr 2

dN

Edmonton is leading the NASL because of the work they are doing on the road.

• They have 12 points from 9 road games

Compared to Minnesota who has just 6 road points from the same number of road games.

• Minn trails Ed by 8 points in the standings. You can clearly see why.

dN

Richard Chaplow of Orange County Blues adamantly denies using any homophobic slurs against Robbie Rogers. By Bob Williams of the Telegraph.

• However, Chaplow was given a 2 game suspension, so he must have said something that went over the line. They just don't hand out suspensions for cursing.

dN

Crowds: du Nord Music Mix Vol 93 (download + extract)

dN

CONCACAF Champions League group stage Matchday 3 schedule:

• Dallas got a tie in Nicaragua with both teams goal coming in the first 7 minutes of the game off headers from set pieces.

• Tigres got a solid home win.

• Viewing: Univision Deportes and Facebook.

-Wed Aug 24
Don Bosco 2-5 Arabe Unido
Tigres UANL 3-1 Plaza Amador
Real Esteli 1-1 Dallas
-Thu Aug 25
W Connection v Honduras Progreso
Dragon v Saprissa

dN

American DeAndre Yedlin was sold to Newcastle this week and has a chance to really prove himself at the new club. Here is his story in England so far, from ugly to solid. By Chris Young of the Guardian.

• Newcastle hosts Brighton + Hove Albion on Saturday.

dN

Bundesliga season openers for the 9 Americans:
-Fri Aug 26
(Julian Green) Bayern v Werder Bremen (Aron Johannsson)
-Sat Aug 27
(Christian Pulisic) Dortmund v Mainz
(Bobby Wood) Hamburg v Ingolstadt (Alredo Morales)
(Timmy Chandler) Eintracht Frankfurt v Schalke
(Fabian Johnson) Monchengladbach v Leverkusen
-Sun Aug 28
(John Brooks) Hertha v Freiburg
Hoffenheim v RB Leipzig (Terrence Boyd)

dN

We should it to be 5 titles in a row for Bayern Munich...unless... By Raphael Honigstein of the Guardian.

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Here are 17 Bundesliga players you should keep your eyes on this season. By Thomas Hautmann of Fox Soccer.

• The list goes deeper than just the half dozen big name players in the league. Several Americans make the list too, and maybe not the ones you might expect.

dN

UEFA Champions League Group Stage Draw:

• American Fabian Johnson and Monchengladbach were drawn into brutally tough Group C against Barcelona, Manchester City, and Celtic.

Group A
1 Paris St Germain
2 Arsenal
3 Basel
4 Ludogorets
Group B
1 Benfica
2 Napoli
3 Dynamo Kyiv
4 Besiktas
Group C
1 Barcelona
2 Manchester City
3 Monchengladbach
4 Celtic
Group D
1 Bayern Munchen
2 Atletico Madrid
3 PSV Eindhoven
4 Rostov
Group E
1 CSKA Moscow
2 Leverkusen
3 Tottenham
4 Monaco
Group F
1 Real Mardid
2 Dortmund
3 Sporting Portugal
4 Legia Warszawa
Group G
1 Leicester
2 Porto
3 Brugge
4 Kobenhavn
Group H
1 Juventus
2 Sevilla
3 Lyon
4 Dinamo Zagreb



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 24, 2016

It's Day 237 of 2016.


Minnesota United begins the task of building a team for MLS:

• Peter Vermes and Taylor Twellman give their perspectives on how this can be done. By Jeff Rueter of Fifty Five One.

• There are plenty of expansion examples out there to show the new boys how to avoid disaster. By Steve Davis of Four Four Two.

Here is my formula for a MLS expansion team: Defense + Defense + Defense + Defense = Not embarrassing.

dN

Former Seattle Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid talks about what lead to his demise with the team this season. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

dN

LAFC has signed a massive deal for stadium naming rights with Banc Of California worth $100M. That is staggering. By Eben Novy-Williams of Bloomberg

• So why do I immediately think of this from Colorado just 2 years ago: "Rapids partner with Ciao Telecom for historic jersey partnership," which turned into missed payments and a dropping of the sponsorship only 9 months later... I am not saying this is that kinda deal for LAFC, but when things look too good I get a funny feeling. I hope I am wrong.

• Insider news on the deal - the bank and team are tied together at the hip in many ways including: The chief executive of Banc of California is the son in law of LAFC's executive chairman. From the LA Times.

dN

Orange County Blues player Richard Chaplow has been named as the person who harassed LA Galaxy player Robbie Rogers with homophobic slurs during their game last weekend with LAGII last weekend, and he has been suspended for 2 games by the USL.

• MLS players have been given a 3 game suspension in the past for similar offenses.

• But none of the MLS players who used the slur ever used it directly at a player because they were gay. It was always used as a general taunt.

• This punishment is light and bullshit. If I ran the club he would have already been cut before the announcement was made public.

• Chaplow is a 31 year old English player from Accrington who has a private Twitter account, with over 26,000 followers.

dN

American fullback DeAndre Yedlin has been sold by Tottenham to Newcastle for nearly $7M. Nice.

• Tottenham doubled the amount of money they paid Seattle for Yedlin 2 years ago.

dN

American Fabian Johnson and Monchengladbach rolled to a 6-1 win in a UEFA Champions League Qualifying 2nd Leg match today at home v Young Boys. Aggregate score ended 9-2.

• Johnson went the full 90 as the team prepares to open the Bundesliga season on Saturday v Leverkusen.

• Thorgan Hazard and Raffael each got a hat trick today for Gladbach.

• The draw for the Champions League group stage will be held on Thursday.

dN

A featurette on Ale Bedoya's transfer from Nantes to Philadelphia. From US Soccer.

.@AleBedoya17 shares the behind-the-scenes story of his move to @PhilaUnion in #TheJourney: https://t.co/Fiu6QmlUVL pic.twitter.com/1p91ZZ5UUc

— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) August 24, 2016

dN

Leon lost in Copa MX on Tue night 1-3 at home to Atlante - Miguel Ibarra was not in uniform. WTF!

dN

CONCACAF Champions League group stage Matchday 3 schedule:

• Pachuca and Vancouver both laid out 3-0 wallopings - Pac to Police United, and Vac to Sporting KC.

• KC played a full B-team while VW used half-and-half team. You know half milk and half cream.

• Vancouver and Pachuca both have the full 6 points after 2 games.

• KC has just 1 point after 2 games. It will take a miracle for them to advance.

• Dallas and Tigres are the 2 big teams with games tonight.

• Viewing options: Univision Deportes and Facebook.

-Tue Aug 23
Alianza 1-1 Antigua GFC
Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 Sporting Kansas City
Pachuca 3-0 Police United
-Wed Aug 24
Don Bosco v Arabe Unido
Tigres UANL v Plaza Amador
Real Esteli v Dallas
-Thu Aug 25
W Connection v Honduras Progreso
Dragon v Saprissa

dN

I believe this proves that god and the devil are one in the same! hahahahahaha

Leading active men's international goal-scorers:

Carlos Ruiz, Cristiano Ronaldo 61
Lionel Messi 55
Wayne Rooney 53
Clint Dempsey 52

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) August 24, 2016

The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 23, 2016

It's Day 236 of 2016.


Today in hate:

• 1. Robbie Rogers was the subject of homophobic slurs from an as yet unidentified Orange County Blues player. Rogers returning from injury was playing for LA Galaxy II on Saturday night. Nothing was done to stop it during the game. Both USL and MLS are investigating.

• 2. Inaki Williams playing for Athlectic Bilbao was taunted with racial slurs by some fans of Sporting Gijon on Saturday. The referee stopped the game and an announcement was made in the stadium to stop, with Gijon players urging fans to stop as well. Play resumed. Williams is the first ever black player in 118 years for Bilbao. Thanks to Anthony for the heads up on this story.

dN

Top Goal Scorers in MLS:

• 16 Sebastian Giovinco (11 assists)

• 16 David Villa (1 assist)

• 15 Bradley Wright-Phillips (5 assist)

• 13 Ignacio Piatti (5 assist)

dN

LAFC held a ceremony today to kick off construction of their stadium. They will begin play in MLS in 2018 and hope to open the stadium some time that year, if not opening day of the season.

Will Ferrell vows @LAFC will go undefeated their first season or "you can tackle me out in the parking lot."

— Alicia Rodriguez (@soccermusings) August 23, 2016

dN

A panel of players, coaches, commentators etc: Tab Ramos, Shep Messing, Peter Vermes, Clint Irwin, Heath Pearce, Marcelo Balboa, and Jimmy Conrad, were asked a series of questions about the future of MLS. By Noah Davis of ESPNFC.

dN

If Jermaine Jones can't play this week for Colorado then he is definitely out of the USA game on Fri Sep 2 in St Vincent. Right? He probably won't go to St Vincent anyway. But what about the following Tue in Jacksonville for the game against Trinidad + Tobago?

dN

Fabian Johnson and Monchengladbach in UEFA Champions League Qualifying - 2nd Leg on Wed Aug 24 at home v Young Boys with a 3-1 lead.

dN

The talented Mukwelle Akale from the Twin Cities is quickly making his way up the ladder at Villarreal in Spain. Very exciting. by Brian Quarstad of Fifty Five One.

dN

Looks like Amauri had a huge game for Fort Lauderdale in just his third time on the field, scoring twice, including a wild bicycle shot, as they won 3-1 v Ottawa. Massive for the Strikers.

dN

Minnesota United's offense has gone into hibernation mode. Scoring just 8 goals in the past 7 games is not good enough for the team that is supposed to be the most explosive in the league. They are far from that right now, and need to change it starting Saturday night at Miami.

• 7 goals scored in first 4 games this season on the road.

• 2 goals scored in last 5 games this season on the road.

• And only 2 points in those most recent 5 games.

dN

Matt VanOekel of Edmonton named NASL Player of the Week

Clint Dempsey of Seattle Sounders named MLS Player of the Week

Thomas Sanner of Vancouver Whitecaps 2 named USL Player of the Week

dN

Let's check in with Peggy Blumquist from last season's Fargo TV series, as played by Kirsten Dunst. By Kathryn Shattuck of the New York Times.

dN

Great photos from a crazy, high tension era of social upheavel in England: "The Radical British Musicians Of The 70's Who Fought Racism With Rock"

dN

Bobby Wood played in an official game for his new club Hamburg yesterday, getting the start in the DFB Pokal as they won 0-1 at Zwickau.

• Wood and Hamburg open the Bundesliga season this Saturday at home v Alfredo Morales and Ingolstadt.

• Bundesliga kicks off a new season this weekend.

dN

CONCACAF Champions League group stage Matchday 3 schedule:

• Vancouver and KC face off in a huge game tonight.

• Viewing options: Univision Deportes and Facebook.

• The Facebook feed for the Kansas City game last week in Trinidad was so poor it wasn't even worth trying to watch.

-Tue Aug 23
Alianza v Antigua GFC
Vancouver Whitecaps v Sporting Kansas City - 9pm CT
Pachuca v Police United
-Wed Aug 24
Don Bosco v Arabe Unido
Tigres UANL v Plaza Amador
Real Esteli v Dallas
-Thu Aug 25
W Connection v Honduras Progreso
Dragon v Saprissa



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 22, 2016

It's Day 235 of 2016.


Next time you see Buzz Lagos remember to thank him for all of this modern Minnesota soccer love. It all begins with him.

I want to personally thank the NASL, all the league staff, the team owners former and current, and especially ex-commissioner David Downs for keeping Minnesota pro soccer alive in 2011 and 2012 when no one really needed to do that.

And a huge thank you to the National Sports Center and Paul Erickson for running the team and keeping it alive in 2010 when no one else would step up.

Last Friday night Minnesota United made it official with an announcement about their future in MLS, which will begin next March with home games to be played at TCF Bank stadium on the University of Minnesota campus, until their own stadium in the St Paul Midway neighborhood is built.

• Minnesota United will play in the MLS Western Conference.

• Put a $40 deposit down on season tickets right now.

And so the building of the future Minnesota United club takes shape. We have built a foundation, now the main event begins. By Paul Tenorio of Four Four Two.

Manny Lagos, the MNUFC technical director, has been working hard to get his team on the field ready for next year. But as usual, he keeps things pretty tight lipped on the facts. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

And while yer at it, go check out this article from 6 years ago pondering the future of pro soccer in Minnesota. Prophetic. by Jon Marthaler for SB Nation.

And finally, a good summation of where soccer in Minnesota sits at this very moment in time - great, tired, fresh, odd, exciting, flawed, backed, today, yesterday, tomorrow. All at once! By Alex Schieferdecker of Fifty Five One.

dN

11 days until the USMNT travels to St. Vincent + The Grenadines for a World Cup Qualifier - Fri Sep 2 at 2:30pm CT on beIN.

dN

Do you hear the Submarine Dive Alarms going off in du Nord Futbol MLS Coaches Hot Seat Power Rankings! There is a new name at the top and things are HOT!

du Nord Futbol's MLS Coaches Hot Seat Power Rankings:
5 Gregg Berhalter - only in trouble if the owner thinks Berhalter has totally lost it and 2015 was a fluke.
4 Mauro Biello - owner Joey Saputo has an itchy trigger finger.
3 Greg Vanney - every Toronto coach will be on this list until they become mega-successful.
2 Jay Heaps - its starting to smell bad in Massachusetts, but due to ownership's extreme cheapness there is no way the owners make an in-season move.
1 Carl Robinson - this team had visions of glory before the season. They may need an upgrade at the top. I would not be surprised to see changes come at any second now.

Stats on the current streaks for those coaches in big trouble:

• Vanc - last 10 games = 9 pts

• NER - last 10 games = 7 points

(Compared to the 2 teams that are considered the worst right now, Chicago and Houston, who both have 11 points from last 10 games.)
dN

Mark your calendar cuz its OFFICIAL:
US Open Cup Final
-Tue Sep 13
FC Dallas v New England Revolution - at 9pm CT on ESPN2 and UDN

dN

NASL Week 18 scores:
-Sat Aug 20
Jacksonville 0-0 Minnesota
Fort Lauderdale 3-1 Ottawa
Carolina 3-2 Indy
Puerto Rico 1-2 Cosmos
Tampa Bay 0-1 Edmonton
OKC 1-2 Miami

dN

My Minnesota Notes:

• Game highlights of scoreless draw in Jacksonville on Saturday. [VIDEO]

• The mid day sun killed MU in Florida, but they still should have found a way to win. Jax is terrible.

• Red Card to Ibson for a ridiculous kick to the midsection of an opponent. It was embarrassing. I love the way Ibson plays but he can be very hard to keep making excuses for.

• Minn has kept a 2nd clean sheet in a row. A good credo is, Get the defense in line and the offense will come. 1 point on the road and 4 points in 2 games is not a set back.

• But again, this team still needs to get some wins on the road.

• The next 2 games are on the road, next Sat at Miami and the following Wed at Ft Lauderdale.

• Brent Kallman was on bench for 2nd straight game. This time though he came on late in Jax to help preserve the shut out.

• Jeb Brovski is helping the defense at right fullback for 2nd straight game in place of Kevin Venegas. Playing much better out there then Damien Lowe did.

dN

Scores from Big Matches in MLS Week 24:
-Sat Aug 20
New York City 1-0 LA Galaxy
Philadelphia Union 1-3 Toronto
Real Salt Lake 1-0 Dallas
-Sun Aug 21
Seattle Sounders 3-1 Portland Timbers

dN

My MLS Notes:

• Toronto is beginning to shed all of the past debris off their shoulders. Maybe the only thing left to accomplish is playoff success and then they will be fully formed. Big win on the road over a fellow contender this week.

• LA suffered its first loss since Jun 18. Both losses were 1-0 on the road. If I were them I would be OK with that.

• Chicago won on the road for the first time in nearly 2 years. Yes, they celebrated.

• No answer from Portland on why Fanendo Adi didn't start against Seattle. He came on late and made a difference, but the game was already over by that point. I hope the punishment handed down by the coach was worth the loss.

• Seattle is now just 2 points behind Portland, with a game in hand, for the last playoff spot in the West. And the two face off again next Sunday in the Rose City. YeeHaw!

• For the 4th time in the past 6 games the Red Bulls gave up a lead and ended up tied. That's 8 points dropped. And in this weeks game at DC, like previous games against LA and Philly they gave up 2-0 leads and tied 2-2. That is gonna cost em big time come the playoffs.

• KC ground Vancouver further into the dirt.

dN

A breakdown of the best details and key moments from Week 24 of the MLS season. By Matthew Doyle of MLSsoccer.com.

dN

22,000 season tickets have been sold in Atlanta!

dN

The owner of Houston Dynamo Gabriel Brener writes a letter to the fans telling them that the club is doing everything in its power to improve and succeed. Good to see.

dN

A Q + A with former great Eric Wynalda on soccer philosophy for American players, and some of the bright young talent from this country today. By Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com

dN

An interview with Jason Kreis the new head coach of Orlando after a month on the job. By Brian Sciaretta of American Soccer Now.

dN

CONCACAF Champions League group stage Matchday 3 schedule:

• Vancouver and KC face off in a huge game on Tuesday night.

• Viewing options: Univision Deportes and Facebook.

-Tue Aug 23
Alianza v Antigua GFC
Vancouver Whitecaps v Sporting Kansas City
Pachuca v Police United
(more games coming on Wed and Thu.)

dN

Americans In Europe:

• Brad Guzan got his shot at Middlesbrough, with Victor Valdez injured, and they won 2-1 in the big derby match against Sunderland. Great for him.

• Lynden Gooch got his 2nd start in a row for Sunderland, and although it was another loss he was named his teams Man Of The Match.

dN

Americans In Mexico:

• Jonathan Bornstein scored a goal for Queretaro but they lost 2-1 at Leon.

• Omar Gonzalez was pulled from the Pachuca game in the 55th min after Andre Gignac of Tigres twice wrung him out like an old sweaty t-shirt. Oof. Tuzos lost 4-2.

• Jose Torres went the full 90 for Tigres in their big win.

• William Yarbrough and Leon got a vital win, their first of the season, probably saving their coach Luis Tena's job. They beat Queretaro 2-1.

• Michael Orozco played the whole game for first place Tijuana as they tied 1-1 at Necaxa.

dN

Olympic Tournament Finals Match Schedule:

• Congrats to the German women and Brazil men on winning the Gold Medal.

Women's
Sweden 1-2 Germany

Men's
Brazil 1-1 Germany - Bra wins 5-4 in Penalty Kick Shootout.

dN

Atletico Madrid thought they stole the 3 points on opening weekend in Spain by scoring 3 minutes into 2nd half stoppage time, but newly promoted Alaves was having none of that and scored 2 minutes later for the tie. Welcome to La Liga you Babazorros.

dN

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

dN

Goals Per Game this weekend:
4.4 MX
4.1 La Liga
3.2 Serie A
2.5 Ligue 1
2.2 EPL
-----
2.4 MLS
2.7 NASL



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 19, 2016

It's Day 232 of 2016.


Dear Metallica, I have never asked you for anything, and will admit I haven't liked very much of your music since Cliff passed away, but now I am asking for a favor, please stop.

dN

Minnesota United officially steps in to Major League Soccer tonight with a big press conference and party in St Paul at CHS Field.

• How the team that nobody wanted has become beloved. An historical timeline. By Andy Greder of the St Paul Pioneer Press

• The day is here to move to a bigger league with much bigger $$$ and expectations. By David La Vaque of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

• Lots of quotes from yours truly in both articles.

My former podcast partner Wes Burdine was the guest on Extra Time Radio (MLS's in-house podcast/radio show) yesterday talking all things Minnesota United. [AUDIO]

You can watch a live video stream of the Minnesota Next Stop MLS press conference tonight at 6pm CT.

Lots and lots of talk about expansion in MLS starting with Minnesota, and some on NASL and USL too. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

dN

NASL Week 18:
-Sat Aug 20
Jacksonville v Minnesota - 1:30pm CT on My29 (Twin Cities) + ESPN3
Fort Lauderdale v Ottawa
Carolina v Indy
Puerto Rico v Cosmos
Tampa Bay v Edmonton
OKC v Miami

dN

ESPN Deports/du Nord Futbol Jersey Giveaway:
All week we asked you soccer questions here on the du Nord Futbol blog, and on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, you gave us your answers and we compiled a list of all the answerees names. Then we put all those names into a big box and drew out the name of 1 winner this morning!

• Winner is E.X. Aguilar Barrera @el_oregonio

dN

OFFICIAL: US Open Cup Final
-Tue Sep 13
FC Dallas v New England Revolution - at 9pm CT on ESPN2 and UDN

dN

Big Matches in MLS Week 24
-Sat Aug 20
New York City v LA Galaxy - 2pm CT on ESPN
Philadelphia Union v Toronto - 6:00pm CT on MLS Live
Real Salt Lake v Dallas - 9:00pm CT on MLS Live
-Sun Aug 21
Seattle Sounders v Portland Timbers - 8:30pm CT on FS1

dN

CONCACAF Champions League group stage Matchday 2 schedule:

• Pumas and coach Paco Palencia got the home win they needed.

• Saprissa were the biggest winners this week getting 6 goals at home.

• Matchday 3 is next week.

• Viewing options: Univision Deportes and Facebook.

-Thu Aug 18
Suchitepequez (GUA) 1-0 Real Esteli (NIC)
Pumas UNAM (MEX) 2-0 Progreso (HON)
Saprissa (CR) 6-0 Dragon (SAL)

dN

Bob Bradley + Le Havre Tracker:
Up Next - Fri Aug 19 - L 1-3 at home v Troyes

dN

Spain's La Liga season preview - a weird world, with a third team joining the Big 2 in recent years, but the rest of the league can almost feel irrelevant. By Sid Lowe of the Guardian.

dN

Olympic Tournament Finals Match Schedule:
Women's
-Fri Aug 19
Sweden v Germany
Men's
-Sat Aug 20
Brazil v Germany



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 18, 2016

It's Day 231 of 2016.


Giveaway Sweepstakes Time:

• I have been asking some soccer questions and compiling answers from you the reader throughout the week in order to give away a customized @ESPNDeportes soccer jersey with "du Nord" on the back. Today is the last day of questions.

• One winner will be drawn from all the entries posted on this here du Nord Futbol blog, along with my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

• Final Question: What is that one stadium in the world where you want to go see a game?

dN

Fellow Dark Clouds,
This is what its all about.
Support your club at every corner.
By any name.
In any league.
Stand up and be proudly counted.
This is a huge moment for Minnesota soccer.
Just think back to all the times (and there have been many) when we
didn't even know if we would have a team again.
For the past 3 seasons we have had that peace of mind, and its about
to get a lot bigger and way better.
Not to mention the new stadium that's on the way.
Oh Yeah!
Be Here Now.
Fri Aug 19

dN

Minnesota got a home win last night on goals by Ben Speas and Christian Ramirez.

• Game highlights [VIDEO]

• On the first goal we saw a classic blunder from TBR defense and Speas made them pay.

• That was the most ordinary TBR team I have ever seen. Almost toothless.

dN

NASL Week 18 - mid-week matches:
-Wed Aug 17
Minnesota 2-0 Tampa Bay
Jacksonville 1-1 Fort Lauderdale


NASL Week 18 - Coming up:
-Sat Aug 20
Jacksonville v Minnesota
Fort Lauderdale v Ottawa
Carolina v Indy
Puerto Rico v Cosmos
Tampa Bay v Edmonton
OKC v Miami

dN

Minnesota-American goalkeeper Cody Cropper has signed with New England Revolution. He was with MK Dons last season, and Southampton for a few years before that. In the offseason he had shoulder surgery (I believe) and did his rehab with the Minnesota United medical/training team.

dN

Meet the 1981 Minnesota Kicks:

Today's #NASLKitoftheDay the 1981 #MinnesotaKicks Away Kit. #MinnesotaSoccer #NASL pic.twitter.com/r8FRBkhqpJ

— Classic NASL (@ClassicNASL) August 18, 2016

dN

In Copa MX on Wed night we saw several Americans in action and inaction:

• For Leon it was a 1-1 tie at Celaya with William Yarbrough on the bench, and NO sign of Miguel Ibarra whatsoever.

• Tijuana was flying the Stars + Stripes as usual with 20 year old Amando Moreno getting the start and scoring in a 1-1 tie v Lobos BUAP. Paul Arriola and John Requejo both went the full 90, while 17 year old Brandon Vazquez came on in the 60th as a sub for Moreno.

dN

Big Matches in MLS Week 24
-Sat Aug 20
New York City v LA Galaxy
Philadelphia Union v Toronto
Real Salt Lake v Dallas
-Sun Aug 21
Seattle Sounders v Portland Timbers

dN

Some atrocious TV ratings for MLS lately. There are no excuses. By Collin Werner of World Soccer Talk.

dN

CONCACAF Champions League group stage Matchday 2 schedule:

• Monterrey was stunned at home, losing 2-3 to Arabe Unido of Panama!

• Whereas Tigres went on the road and rolled to a 1-3 win in Costa Rica.

• Pumas is the last big team to play this week, tonight in Honduras.

• Viewing options: Univision Deportes and Facebook.

-Wed Aug 17
Monterrey (MEX) 2-3 Arabe Unido (PAN)
Herediano (CR) 1-3 Tigres UANL (MEX)
-Thu Aug 18
Suchitepequez (GUA) v Real Esteli (NIC)
Pumas UNAM (MEX) v Progreso (HON)
Saprissa (CR) v Dragon (SAL)

• Matchday 3 is coming next week with Vancouver hosting Kansas City and many more.

dN

Bob Bradley + Le Havre Tracker:
Up Next - Fri Aug 19 v Troyes

dN

The new La Liga season begins on Fri Aug 19, but the main action starts on Sat Aug 20 with Barcelona v Real Betis. And then on Sun Aug 21 its Real Sociedad v Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid v Deportivo Alaves.

dN

The new Serie A season begins this weekend with defending champions Juventus hosting Fiorentina on Sat Aug 20 in the weekends biggest match.

• A season preview, but is there anything anything to discuss beyond total Juve domination? by Paolo Bandini of the Guardian.

dN

Olympic Tournament Finals:

Women's
-Fri Aug 19
Sweden v Germany

Men's
-Sat Aug 20
Brazil v Germany



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 17, 2016

It's Day 230 of 2016.


Giveaway Sweepstakes Time:

• I am going to be asking some soccer questions and compiling answers throughout the week to give away a customized ESPN Deportes soccer jersey with "du Nord" on the back.

• One winner will be drawn from all the entries posted on the du Nord Futbol blog, and my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

• Today's question: Do you have a favorite player of all time? Any particular performance that sealed it?

Post your reply in the comments section to win.

dN

Dr. Bill McGuire, Don Garber, Taylor Twellman, Mark Dayton and Chris Coleman will speak at the Minnesota United Is Moving To MLS announcement on Friday night. I would suggest you be there if you are in the Twin Cities.

dN

As to be expected tension is running high in training for Minnesota United these days, with futility on the field growing. Training report by David LaVaque of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

More from Minn training this week: League standings, team health and the mental aspect of the game are on the docket. By Jeff Rueter of Fifty Five One.

• While MU is in the 4th and final playoff spot in the standings, they are 10, 9 and 8 points behind the top 3 now, and only 3 points ahead of a pack of teams chasing them.

dN

NASL Week 18 - mid-week matches tonight:
-Wed Aug 17
Jacksonville v Fort Lauderdale
Minnesota v Tampa Bay

dN

Marc Dos Santos is now officially the first head coach of SF Deltas who will begin play in NASL in 2017. We hear from Dos Santos and team ownership. By Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America.

dN

In 2017 US Open Cup 2nd Qualifying Round action:

• Minneapolis City SC will host the winner of Ann Arbor FC/Oakland County FC on Sat Oct 22 in Blaine on NSC Field U2.

• There are 5 rounds of qualifying to get to the First Round next May.

dN

Official: USMNT will face New Zealand in a friendly on Tue Oct 11 in Washington DC at RFK Stadium - 7pm CT on on ESPN and UniMas.

In the meantime it's just 16 days until the next World Cup Qualifier!

• Fri Sep 2, St Vincent + The Grenadines v USA - Arnos Vale Stadium, St Vincent - 2:30pm CT on beIN SPORTS

• St Vincent is just off the coast of Venezuela, next too Greneda, Barbados and Trinidad + Tobago.

dN

Freejack: du Nord Music Mix Vol 92 (download + extract)

dN

CONCACAF Champions League group stage Matchday 2 schedule:

• Neither SKC or RBNY could travel all that distance (T+T and El Salv respectively) and snatch the 3 points. But 1 point is just fine, as long as they take care of business at home.

• SKC has the tougher path though with Vancouver in the group with them.

• Monterrey is at home tonight, while Tigres goes to Costa Rica.

• Viewing options: Univision Deportes. Streaming on Facebook too but this feed is a fucking joke! Constant buffering. Its 2016, sort this out.

-Tue Aug 16
Central (T+T) 2-2 Sporting Kansas City (USA)
Olimpia (HON) 4-0 Police United (BEL)
Alianza (SAL) 1-1 New York Red Bulls (USA)
-Wed Aug 17
Monterrey (MEX) v Arabe Unido (PAN)
Herediano (CR) v Tigres UANL (MEX)
-Thu Aug 18
Suchitepequez (GUA) v Real Esteli (NIC)
Pumas UNAM (MEX) v Progreso (HON)
Saprissa (CR) v Dragon (SAL)

dN

Fabian Johnson and Monchengladbach won 1-3 at Young Boys of Bern Switzerland in the 1st Leg of the UEFA Champions League Playoff Round.

• Johnson came on as a sub in the 81st minute.

• 2nd Leg is in Germany next week on Wed Aug 24.

UCL Group Stage draw will be held on Thu Aug 25.

dN

Season 4 of the Eric Andre Show is off to a rip roaring start with guests TI, Abbey Lee Miller, Jack McBrayer and Stacey Dash all truly unnerved and last seen fleeing the premises. Plus the Blindfolded Rapper Olympics was fantastic - Walk the Plank; Kiddie Pool of Snakes; 100 Mousetraps on the Floor; Swinging Medicine Balls... You get the gist.

dN

I wrote my couple of sentences about the big season Dallas is having on multiple fronts yesterday, and now today the big boys tell the full story for us. By Jeff Carlisle of ESPNFC.

dN

Tom Gores is the one trying to bring MLS to Detroit. So, who is he? By Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.

Others don't see any need for another team in Detroit - they say that they are doing just fine with Detroit City FC. By Noah Trister of the Associated Press. Thanks to Kieran for the article.

dN

FC Cincinnati has been a big success in its first year in the USL, in the stands with huge attendance numbers, and on the field in 3rd place of the 29 team third division league, and their head coach is none other than John Harkes. (Harkes once tried to put me in a headlock at a party!) By Brian Sciaretta of American Soccer Now.

dN

Olympic Tournament Semifinals Match Schedule:

• The boys in bright yellow certainly have their swagger back.

• And Ze Germans will be hoping for an Olympic W/M double.

Men's
-Wed Aug 17
Brazil 6-0 Honduras
Nigeria 0-2 Germany

Finals
-Fri Aug 19
Women's
Sweden v Germany
Men's
-Sat Aug 20
Brazil v Germany

dN

Dick Advocaat has become the 13th coach in the last 15 seasons for Fenerbahce. Who would want that job?

• The previous head coach Victor Pereira (and his coaching staff) fled the country after being knocked out of the Champions League last week.

The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 16, 2016

It's Day 229 of 2016.


Giveaway Sweepstakes Time:
I am going to be asking some soccer questions and compiling answers throughout the week to give away a customized ESPN Deportes soccer jersey with "du Nord" on the back.

• One winner will be drawn from all the entries posted on the du Nord Futbol blog, and my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

• Today's question: Did you go to or watch any International Champions Cup games this Summer? #ICCxESPN

dN

Some of the blanks are finally being filled in on the future of Minnesota United. By Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press.

• Team will switch leagues in 2017 to MLS.

• Their WILL be a MLS expansion draft. Lots of talk over the last year said this was NOT going to happen.

• No confirmation of name change.

• No confirmation of games being played at TCF Bank Stadium next season.

• But both name and stadium updates are expected.

• Big event coming up Friday evening in St Paul with the club.

dN

[LINK FIXED]
How did Minnesota United end up with a plan to build a stadium in St Paul when the initial location was in Minneapolis? (Part 1 of 3) By Brian Quarstad of Fifty Five.

dN

Queretaro campaigning for Jonathan Bornstein to be included in the next USMNT squad for World Cup Qualifying games on Sep 2 and 6:

|@JonnyBornstein mandó mensaje a @ussoccer y @J_Klinsmann: está listo para volver a la selección. #SiempreGallos pic.twitter.com/AOrfg5H54t

— Gallos de Querétaro (@Club_Queretaro) August 12, 2016

• Thanks to Brian Sciaretta for the heads up.

dN

Orlando City under new head coach Jason Kreis - 4 points:

• Jul 31 - W 3-1 v New England

• Aug 7 - L 1-3 at Seattle

• Aug 14 - D 2-2 at Chicago

dN

Seattle Sounders under interim head coach Brian Schmetzer - 7 points:

• Jul 31 - D 1-1 v LA

• Aug 7 - W 1-3 at Orlando

• Aug 14 - W 2-1 v Salt Lake

dN

FC Dallas is literally battling on 3 fronts at the same time. MLS Supporters Shield, US Open Cup, and CONCACAF Champions League. And doing so with a very small roster and tiny payroll, and lots of inexperienced homegrown players. If they don't crack at some point along the way it will be remarkable.

dN

Sacha Kljestan is having another strong season for Red Bull New York, but is he the best at his position in the league? Paul Tenorio of Four Four Two makes that case.

• I would think that Diego Valeri, Mauro Diaz, Kaka, Javier Morales, and on really good days 1 or 2 more might have something to say about that.

• We can all argue about what we think a real #10 player is. To me its an attacking/play-making midfielder that plays behind the forward(s).

dN

Bradley Wright-Phillips of New York Red Bulls named MLS Player of the Week

Alhassane Keita of Jacksonville named NASL Player of the Week

Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla of FC Montreal named USL Player of the Week

dN

NASL Week 18 - mid-week matches:
-Wed Aug 17
Jacksonville v Fort Lauderdale
Minnesota v Tampa Bay

dN

The word on the streets of San Francisco is that Marc Dos Santos will be the first head coach of SF Deltas, who begin play in NASL next year. Two Saints is currently coach of Swope Park Rangers in USL and previously the head man in Ottawa and Montreal in the NASL.

dN

Fort Lauderdale's big Summer signing Amauri scored on his debut. That's how its done.

• By the way, how in the world does Miami go from crushing Minnesota 0-4 on the road last week to getting beat at home 0-2 by the bums from Ft L?

dN

Edmonton won for the 9th consecutive time at home. Only loss was in Week 2 to Minnesota.

dN

Most Overrated Movies Power Rankings:

• 5. Platoon

• 4. Back To The Future

• 3. Avatar

• 2. Shawshank Redemption

• 1. Lord Of The Rings

dN

CONCACAF Champions League group stage Matchday 2 schedule:

• Sporting KC has to travel all the way to the island nation of Trinidad + Tobago (just off the coast of Venezuela) for tonight's game, while RBNY has to go way down to Central America to El Salvador.

• Viewing options: Univision Deportes + Facebook (CONCACAF Champions League page)

-Tue Aug 16
Central (T+T) v Sporting Kansas City (USA)
Olimpia (HON) v Police United (BEL)
Alianza (SAL) v New York Red Bulls (USA)
-Wed Aug 17
Monterrey (MEX) v Arabe Unido (PAN)
Herediano (CR) v Tigres UANL (MEX)
-Thu Aug 18
Suchitepequez (GUA) v Real Esteli (NIC)
Pumas UNAM (MEX) v Progreso (HON)
Saprissa (CR) v Dragon (SAL)

dN

Olympic Tournament Semifinals Match Schedule:
Women's
-Tue Aug 16
Brazil 0-0 Sweden - SWE advanced 4-3 in Penalty Kick Shootout.
Germany v Canada
Men's
-Wed Aug 17
Brazil v Honduras
Nigeria v Germany

dN

William Yarbrough, Miguel Ibarra and Leon are off to a horrendous start in the Liga MX Apertura season: 0 Wins - 1 Draw - 4 Losses - 1 Point - 1 Goal For - 11 Goals Allowed - Last Place. Oof.

dN

On Tue Aug 16th Fabian Johnson + Monchengladbach travel to Young Boys in Bern Switzerland for the UEFA Champions League Playoff Round - 1st Leg.

• 2nd Leg matches next week.

• Group Stage draw will be held on Thu Aug 25.

dN

La Liga and Serie A both open their new seasons this coming weekend.

dN

I have an odd feeling that Leicester City will struggle to avoid a relegation battle in the English Premier League this season. They lost some key players and NO ONE will take them lightly.

dN

Brazilian Joao Havelange who took the business of world football from backwater to the front page, filling his pockets and teaching Sepp Blatter every crooked trick he knew, has died at age 100. RIP.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 15, 2016

It's Day 228 of 2016.


Giveaway Sweepstakes Time:
I am going to be asking some soccer questions and compiling answers throughout the week to give away a customized ESPN Deportes soccer jersey with "du Nord" on the back.

• One winner will be drawn from all the entries posted on the du Nord Futbol blog, and my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

• Today's question: Do you watch Mexican soccer? Who is your team?

dN

The USA Women have never been knocked out of the Olympics this early before. What does this mean about the program, and what comes next? By Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated.

dN

A trip through the first ever use of the Video Assistant Referee! Happened during a USL game between New York Red Bulls II and Orlando City B. By Dave Martinez of the Guardian.

• I did not know the ref would walk off the field and look at a video screen. I assumed an additional referee would review and make the call. What happens in blistering heat, brutal cold, pouring rain or snow? How do they check the screen then?

dN

My MLS Notes:

• Vancouver was my pick to win MLS Cup this year, I know I know, and they are in a total tailspin. Actually the season has been out of whack since the start. 5 in a row now without a win and 3 losses in a row. Not to mention in 8th place with 9 games to play. The job of head coach Carl Robinson has to be in jeopardy.

• In the Dallas v KC match all 4 goals were scored between minutes 66 and 76.

• Nigel De Jong has become such a menace on the field that this week he crushed his own goal keeper, recklessly going after a ball and kneeing Brian Perk in the head, busting Perk wide open and probably concussing him. Get him outta here.

• Huge road win for Philly, 0-4 at the Revs, with Bedoya getting his first start. Up, up and away?

• New England is really struggling in the league, nearing Columbus and Chicago's level.

• NYC scored on a PK two minutes into stoppage time and thought they had beat Columbus, but the Crew scored 2 minutes later to claw back a tie.

• Bradley Wright Phillips scored 2 more goals for RBNY who are getting hot at the right time.

• The Houston v Toronto game was delayed 24 hours due to lighting. It ended in a 1-1 tie.

• Frank Lampard has scored 9 goals in 10 games. Remember earlier this summer when he was terrible?!?!

dN

Entertaining expert analysis of Week 23. By Matt Doyle of MLSSoccer.

dN

MLS Week 23
Big Matches:
-Sat Aug 13
Dallas 2-2 Sporting Kansas City
LA Galaxy 1-1 Colorado Rapids

dN

MLS must-see goals of the week:

• Shkelzen Gashi

• Joao Plata (for Stefan Frei blunder)

• Nicolas Lodeiro

• Christian Maidana

• Jozy Altidore

• Roland Alberg (for pathetic TV commentator)

• Ignacio Piatti

• Sean Davis (for Mike Grella assist)

dN

Diego Valeri is having another great season in Portland, and he loves being there. Its a story other teams should look to emulate. By Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated.

dN

How much fun is it watching Usain Bolt run? Its just incredible to watch humans move that fast.

dN

Buzzfeed: "Twitter is a Honeypot for Assholes.” Strong sentiment.

• (I have very little clue what Buzzfeed is all about. I have heard it referred to as a honeypot for the dimwitted.)

• Sure, Twitter can be a drag, but that is what the BLOCK function is for. I love Twitter. But if its not for you, then its not for you.

dN

20 year old American midfielder Lynden Gooch made his Premier League debut on Saturday starting for Sunderland in a 2-1 loss at Manchester City. He played 65 minutes.

dN

Brad Guzan finds himself in a back up role at Middlesbrough behind Victor Valdez. He is going to have to work very hard to become the starter.

dN

NASL Week 17
Big Matches:
-Sat Aug 13
Indy Eleven 2-1 Rayo OKC
-Sun Aug 14
Edmonton 1-0 Minnesota United

dN

Yes, of course Indy won again with a goal after the 80th minute. It is etched in stone from an ancient text that this is how the 2016 season must be performed.

dN

Jacksonville fired their head coach and immediately wins a game. That is the desired effect.

dN

Edmonton pulled a heist to start the 2nd half, bum rushing the Minn goal until the wall broke and the goal went it. Then they barred the door in front of their own goal. Well done. Minnesota came out of the locker room after the break without a change of plan and were totally outplayed. Sad to watch.

dN

Minnesota plays at home on Wed Aug 17 against Tampa Bay beginning a run of 4 straight games against Florida teams, with the last 3 all on the road at Jacksonville (20th), Miami (27th), and Fort Lauderdale (31st). Last time Tampa came to Minnesota they won 0-2 in late May.

• MU has collected 8 points in last 7 games, with 6 coming in 2 home wins. And only 2 points from the last 4 games.

dN

CONCACAF Champions League group stage Matchday 2 schedule:

• Kansas City, Red Bulls, Monterrey, Tigres and Pumas are up this week.

• Univision Deportes + Facebook (CONCACAF Champions League page)

-Tue Aug 16
Central (T+T) v Sporting Kansas City (USA)
Olimpia (HON) v Police United (BEL)
Alianza (SAL) v New York Red Bulls (USA)
-Wed Aug 17
Monterrey (MEX) v Arabe Unido (PAN)
Herediano (CR) v Tigres UANL (MEX)
-Thu Aug 18
Suchitepequez (GUA) v Real Esteli (NIC)
Pumas UNAM (MEX) v Progreso (HON)
Saprissa (CR) v Dragon (SAL)

dN

Olympic Tournament Semifinals Match Schedule:
Women's
-Tue Aug 16
Brazil v Sweden
Germany v Canada
Men's
-Wed Aug 17
Brazil v Honduras
Nigeria v Germany

dN

10 unknown young players in the English Premier League to watch for this season. By Ben Lyttleton of Sports Illustrated.

dN

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



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 12, 2016

It's Day 225 of 2016.


Giveaway Time: I am going to be asking some questions and compiling answers over the next week to give away a customized ESPN Deportes soccer jersey with "du Nord" on the back.

• Today's question: Tell me about the first time you saw (with your own two eyes) an amazing feat in pro-soccer.

dN

The USA Women are OUT! Beaten by Sweden in a Penalty Kick Shootout. The cruelest way to go.

Women's Olympic Tournament
Quarterfinals:
-Fri Aug 12
USA 1-1 Sweden - Swe wins 4-3 in Penalty Kick Shootout - USA goal by Alex Morgan. Swe goal by Stina Blackstenius.

• How did the Penalty Kicks go?

USA: S123M
SWE: 12S34

• Penalty Kicks are a horrible way to end a soccer game. But the drama they create is incredible and hard to top.

(More Olympic coverage below.)

dN

International Football Association Board (IFAB), the group that oversees soccer rules, will be testing the Video Assistant Referee tonight during the USL game New York Red Bulls II v Orlando City B. Things are moving forward.

• Red Bull Arena has been a testing ground for the system for a while now, and this is the first time it will be used during a live game.

• The next 5 home games for RBNY II will see the system tested.

The VAR system will be used to check 4 things:

• Verify Goals

• Verify penalty calls

• Verify straight red cards

• Correct mistaken identity of red cards

But herein lies the rub! This week MLS said two calls in the LA v RBNY game last Sunday would have been called Penalties had the VAR been in use. But LA has since pointed out that one of those 2 plays should have been a moot point because the player that was later fouled was initially offside, yet wasn't called so by the referee. By Adam Serano of LA Galaxy.

• Be prepared; video replay will not be perfect and will open new cans of worms.

dN

MLS Week 23
Big Matches:
-Sat Aug 13
Dallas v Sporting Kansas City - 8pm CT on MLS Live
LA Galaxy v Colorado Rapids - 9:30pm CT on MLS Live

dN

NASL Week 17
Big Matches:
-Sat Aug 13
Indy Eleven v Rayo OKC - 6:30pm CT on ESPN3
-Sun Aug 14
Edmonton v Minnesota United - 3pm CT on MY29 in Twin Cities + ESPN3

dN

A report from Minnesota United training this week, including plenty of injury talk. By Jeff Rueter of Fifty Five One.

• Ben Speas: “We have a lot of guys who are capable of stepping up and filling in." The problem Ben is that they are not doing that. In fact its almost he opposite, they are failing to contribute at all.

dN

Montreal Impact still has 2 players on the roster today from their NASL days. Evan Bush and Henry Camara. Patrice Bernier was on the team even before that, in the USL days, then left and returned when the club moved to MLS. By Bill Beacon of the Canadian Press, via Montreal Gazzette.

dN

Women's Olympic Other Quarterfinals Match Schedule:
-Fri Aug 12
Brazil v Australia
Germany v China
Canada v France

dN

Brazil finally busted loose in the Men's Olympic tournament after over 2 years of really bad soccer for the national team. They beat Denmark 4-0 to advance to the knock out stages.

-Men's Olympic Tournament
Quarterfinals Match Schedule:
-Sat Aug 13
Portugal v Germany
Nigeria v Denmark
S Korea v Honduras
Brazil v Colombia

dN

Bob Bradley + Le Havre Tracker:

• [UPDATED]Up Next - Tied Fri Aug 12 1-1 at Gazelec Ajaccio

dN

Managers are not the big factor in soccer today the way they once were. Not even the big big big names. By Simon Kuper of the Financial Times.

• "Average tenure (of managers) in English football has dropped from 3.5 years in 1992 to 1.3 years now."

• Its been way too long since I last linked to a story by Kuper who is one of my favorite soccer culture writers.

dN

English Premier League team-by-team season previews. From the Guardian:

• West Bromwich Albion Football Club

• West Ham United Football Club

And here are previews of the other 18 teams in the 2016-17 season of the English Premier League:

• Arsenal Football Club

• Athletic Football Club Bournemouth

• Burnley Football Club

• Chelsea Football Club

• Crystal Palace Football Club

• Everton Football Club

• Hull City Association Football Club

• Leicester City Football Club

• Liverpool Football Club

• Manchester City Football Club

• Manchester United Football Club

• Middlesbrough Football Club

• Southampton Football Club

• Stoke City Football Club

• Sunderland Association Football Club

• Swansea City Association Football Club

• Tottenham Hotspur Football Club

• Watford Football Club

dN

Premier League: 10 things to look out for on opening weekend .From the Guardian.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 11, 2016

It's Day 224 of 2016.


US Open Cup

• A stunning comeback victory for Dallas on the road. Getting the winning goal in the dying seconds just before the teams went to a Penalty Kick Shootout.

• Game Highlights [VIDEO]

• The game ended 0-0 after 90, but we got fireworks in the 30 minutes of Added Extra Time in the form of 3 goals and lots of attacking.

• In the end we saw LA's Ashley Cole defending the post on a set piece like Mike Burns did at the 98 World Cup - very poorly/not at all.

• In a rematch Dallas will host New England in the Final on Sep 21. (NER beat FCD for the Open Cup title in 07!)

Semifinals Match Schedule:
-Tue Aug 9
New England Revolution 3-1 Chicago Fire - NER goals by Kei Kamara(PK), Je-Vaughn Watson + Teal Bunbury. CF goal by David Accam.
-Wed Aug 10
LA Galaxy 1-2 Dallas - LAG goal by Mike Magee(PK). Dal goals by Matt Hedges + Victor Ulloa.

dN

Women's Olympic Tournament
Quarterfinals Match Schedule:
-Fri Aug 12
USA v Sweden - 11am CT on NBCSN
Brazil v Australia
Germany v China
Canada v France

dN

Brazil finally busted loose in the Men's Olympic tournament after over 2 years of really bad soccer for the national team. They beat Denmark 4-0 to advance to the knock out stages.

Men's Olympic Tournament
Quarterfinals Match Schedule:
-Sat Aug 13
Portugal v Germany
Nigeria v Denmark
S Korea v Honduras
Brazil v Colombia

dN

Diego Valeri has signed a contract extension with Portland Timbers. Great move. He might be the best player in MLS right  now.

dN

One of the few highlights for the Columbus Crew this season has been 2nd year fullback Harrison Afful from Ghana. And like many foreign players he really likes living in the USA. By Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch.

dN

The number of American youth players that are signing with pro teams instead of going to college is starting to sky rocket. The players earmarked as having significant quality are being snapped up by big European clubs. By Paul Kennedy of Soccer America.

dN

Bob Bradley + Le Havre Tracker: Up Next - Fri Aug 12 at Gazelec Ajaccio

• In Round 1 of the Coupe De La Ligue on Tue Aug 9 they traveled to Reims and came home 5-2 winners. In Round 2 they will face Chateauroux on Tue Aug 23 at home.

dN

"It’s not normal that we can win the league again. It’s more difficult than last season. It’s easier that ET comes to Piccadilly Circus." - Leicester City coach Claudio Ranieri.

dN

You ever heard more than one sentence from Spanish great Xavi Hernandes? Me neither. Here he explains the gift of Pep Guardiola. From the Guardian.

dN

$134 Million is the reported price that was wrung up at the cash register at Juventus when they sold Paul Pogba to Manchester United earlier this week. Wow.

• The new Juventus stadium which opened in the Fall of 2011 cost $112M to build. Now its all paid for.

dN

English Premier League team-by-team season previews. From the Guardian:

• Tottenham

• Watford

(see previous day's blog entries for other team previews)



The Bird Is The Word