Some Soccer News for Aug 3, 2016

It's Day 216 of 2016.


I will be on the radio today at 5:15pm CT with Patrick Reusse of ESPN 1500am talking about the continuing rise of Twin Cities soccer glory. What a day.

dN

Soccer is definitely in the news a lot more these days in the Twin Cities. Another article today on the growth of the game, with quotes from me. By Amelia Rayno of the Star Tribune.

dN

USWNT Olympic Tournament - group stage:
Match schedule:
-Wed Aug 3
USA v New Zealand - 5pm CT on NBCSN

• Today's game is in Belo Horizonte. Say it with me.

-Sat Aug 6
USA v France - 3pm CT on NBCSN
-Tue Aug 9
USA v Colombia - 5pm CT on NBCSN

dN

World Player Of The Year Carli Lloyd wants MORE! By Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated.

dN

Who is Hot or Not for the USA Men right now. By Doug McIntyre of ESPNFC.

dN

Take my word on this: Fabian Castillo is NOT coming back to Dallas, even if FCD and MLS say the deal is dead. The man is in Turkey but not yet training with Trabzonspor. Again, he is not coming back. Every day the $ amount goes down for Dallas.

dN

Ale Moreno's always excellent MLS Awards Of The Week. (Even though Ale is on vaca this week.) From ESPNFC. [VIDEO]

dN

Brilliant move by the Union! Alejandro Bedoya is headed for the Philadelphia Union. The deal is done:

• (Link below includes great video package of his greatest hits at Nantes! Goosebumps.)

[OFFICIEL] Alejandro Bedoya quitte le #FCNantes @AleBedoya17@PhilaUnion #GoodLuckBedo https://t.co/yxXz3XQsUo pic.twitter.com/5UMm3N6Sls

— FC Nantes (@FCNantes) August 3, 2016

dN

A Major League Baseball umpire had an extremely obnoxious fan thrown out of the ballpark in Philly due to his language. After the game the ump said, "And people cheered me. Which is unusual in this town."

dN

A list of the MOST and LEAST of all Metal words. From Dangerous Minds.

du Nord MOST METAL WORDS Power Rankings
5. Hell
4. Death
3. Black
2. Brutal
1. Satan

dN

Tonight Minnesota United begins a run of 7 games between now and Aug 31. That's a game every 4 days during the hottest month of the year. That's just wrong.

• The last 3 are on the road in Florida.

dN

Indy gets their slump buster tonight at home.

dN

NASL Week 16 mid-week match schedule:
-Wed Aug 3
Minnesota United v Puerto Rico
Indy Eleven v Jacksonville Armada

dN

CONCACAF Champions League group stage starts this week!

• Both Vancouver and Pachuca sent out their 2nd teams and got wins. Vancouver the more impressive of the two as they were on the road. Wins are huge in a group stage that is only 4 games long.

• Red Bulls and Portland both have home games tonight. While Pumas and Monterrey go on the road.

Matchday 1 schedule:
-Tue Aug 2
Central (T+T) 0-1 Vancouver Whitecaps (CAN)
Pachuca (MEX) 1-0 Olimpia (HON)
-Wed Aug 3
W Connection (T+T) v Pumas UNAM (MEX)
New York Red Bulls (USA) v Antigua GFC (GUA)
Portland Timbers (USA) v Dragón (SAL)
Don Bosco (HAI) v Monterrey (MEX)
-Thu Aug 4
Dallas (USA) v Real Estelí (NIC)
Plaza Amador v Herediano (CR)

• Univision Deportes is the television broadcaster in the USA.

• But Facebook is showing the games in English. Yes Facebook. Go to the CONCACAF Champions League page.

dN

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

• Crystal Palace

• Everton

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

dN

"Baseball in the States, like cricket in the U.K., was arguably made for the radio era—full of long-winded statistics and played at a much slower pace with only the occasional rush of real drama. The NFL was built for TV, complete with compartmentalized and quartered action enabling high-spending advertising to act as a divider between the action. So soccer feels built for this digital and social age, where moments are everything, and instantaneous on-pitch memories are captured, documented, and spread around the world at the speed of a meme."

• From: Major League Soccer Is Perfecting The "Beautiful Game" For The Social Age. By James Kirkham of Co.Create.

The Bird Is The Word