Some Soccer News for Sep 29, 2016

It's Day 273 of 2016.


Is football too big for England's sports governing structure to handle? All the wealth and power that comes with it have long been an issue, but its growing into a very big monster. Leagues and national team are all teetering on the brink of overload on their leadership. By Owen Gibson of the Guardian.

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du Nord Futbol's MLS Coaches Hot Seat Power Rankings:
5 Veljko Paunovic - not really in trouble, but they have not been good. And nothing has changed throughout the season. Really though owner is too cheap to cut bait this quick.
4 Gregg Berhalter - doubtful his job is in jeopardy, but its been a large drop from 2015 and the inner-turmoil among the players has been bad.
3 Mauro Biello - Joey Saputo is his boss. He is never safe. Yes they are slightly better overall than before Biello, but this years stretch run has been poor.
2 Jay Heaps - this team seems to be going nowhere, and instead of the MLS Cup 2014 runner up being a building block it now looks like an aberration.
1 Carl Robinson - way too much attacking talent on this team for them to be this bad. And to think I picked them to win it all this year. Surely change must be coming.

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The Women's U17 World Cup in Jordan starts this Fri, Sep 30 and Fox Sports will show all 32 games.

• Forward Adrienne Richardson from the Minnesota Thunder Academy is on the team.

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Allie Long of Portland Thorns named NWSL Player Of The Month for September.

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The biggest questions of the moment in Liga MX all answered here. 6 rounds left in the regular season. By Tom Marshall of ESPNFC.

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Copa MX - Round of 16
-Wed Sep 28
Queretaro 3-1 Lobos BUAP
Toluca 4-3 Leon
America 1-0 Veracruz
Juarez 1-1 Alebrijes Oaxaxca - AO advances 5-3 in Penalty Kick Shootout

How did it go for the Americans:

• Jonathan Bornstein went the full 90 as Queretaro advanced.

• Miguel Ibarra + William Yarbrough were both on the bench as Leon was eliminated.

• Juan Ocegueda was on the bench for winners Oaxaca.

Quarterfinal Schedule:
(Oct 18-20 - exact dates TBA)
America v Chiapas
Cruz Azul v Queretaro
Puebla v Toluca
Guadalajara v Oaxaca

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NASL Mid-Week 24 Schedule:

• Miami got a game winning goal in the 5th min of 2nd half stoppage time to move them within 1 point of the playoffs.

-Wed Sep 28
Jacksonville 0-0 Edmonton
Carolina 0-2 New York
Puerto Rico 2-1 Ft Lauderdale
Miami 2-1 Ottawa


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NASL playoff race: (top 4 advance)
52 New York (5 games left)
45 Indy (6 games left)
44 Edmonton (6 games left)
36 Minnesota (6 games left)
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35 Tampa Bay (7 games left)
35 Miami (6 games left)
33 Carolina (6 games left)

Rest of the Week 24 schedule:
-Sat Oct 1
Tampa Bay v Miami
Minnesota v Jacksonville
-Sun Oct 2
Ottawa v Puerto Rico
Edmonton v Indy
New York v Ft Lauderdale
OKC v Carolina

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Brian Helmick, one of the owners of NASL expansion team SF Deltas had some things to say about the future direction of the league. Including more universal partnerships among owners. (Sounds a little like MLS to me.) What happened to the free wheeling, "we have no rules," NASL that has bragged about? By Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America.

• Although thin on any details he seems to have a different way of doing things, compared to the leagues vision up to this point.

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Beaming: du Nord Music Mix Vol 98 (download + extract)

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This dude is describing the worst American golf fans, but he is close to describing the worst American sports fans. Its a brutal slagging. Its really funny. By Pete Willett of National Club Golfer.

• Example: "They need to smash the obnoxious dads, with their shiny teeth, Lego man hair, medicated ex-wives, and resentful children. Squeezed into their cargo shorts and boating shoes, they’ll bellow ‘get in the hole’ whilst high-fiving all the other members of the Dentists’ Big Game Hunt Society."

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American fullback DeAndre Yedlin and his Newcastle teammates pulled off one of the great comeback yesterday in the English Championship division.

• Trailing 2-3 at home to Norwich as the game went into 6 minutes of 2nd half stoppage time. At the 5 min mark Yedlin sent in a cross that a teammate headed home to tie the game, and less than a minute later Yedlin again was part of the action that saw Newc bagged another one to steal all three points, winning 4-3.

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Young American centerback Cameron Carter Vickers has signed a new contract with Tottenham Hotspur. He recently made his senior team debut. Article from the team website.

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More love and trust and belief in the game right here in the USA is needed and its OK to feel that way. Its time for the inferiority complex to go. By Charles Boehm of the US Soccer Players Assoc.

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CONCACAF Champions League - Matchday 5:

• Dallas choked at home (27 shots and 0 goals) and now will have to go on the road to Guatemala and get a result to advance.

• Tigres lost on the road, so their group will go down to the last game when they host Herediano in 3 weeks.

• Vancouver finished the group with a perfect 4 wins. Very huge for them.

• Advanced: Vancouver, Arabe Unido, NYRB

• Eliminated: Monterrey, Kansas City

-Wed Sep 28
Plaza Amador 1-0 Tigres UANL
Dallas 0-0 Suchitepequez
Vancouver Whitecaps 4-1 Central
Monterrey 3-0 Don Bosco
-Thu Sep 29
Police United v Olimpia
Honduras Progreso v W Connection

Carlos Ruiz made his re-debut for Dallas last night, wearing their shirt for the first time since 2007, and he put a shot off the bar and had another cleared off the line, both could have won the game. By Jon Arnold of the Dallas Morning News.

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Four midweek games in MLS Week 30:
(all have playoff implications)

• Only Orlando failed to help themselves in a bid for the playoffs.

• Montreal, DC and Seattle all gained.

• Seattle moved into a spot in the playoffs for the first time all season, bumping their main rival Portland down to 7th.

-Wed Sep 28
Montreal 3-1 San Jose
DC 3-0 Columbus
Toronto 0-0 Orlando
Seattle 1-0 Chicago

Chase for 6th Place in MLS:
EAST
41 Montreal (3 games left) - Next: Sun at Orlando
40 DC (3 games left) - Next: Sat at Toronto
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36 New England (3 games left) - Next: Sat v Kansas City
34 Orlando (3 games left) - Next: Sun v Montreal

WEST
43 Kansas City (3 games left) - Next: Sat at New England
41 Seattle (12 wins) (4 games left) - Next: Sun at Vancouver
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41 Portland (11 wins) (3 games left) - Next: Sat at Colorado

Biggest games in MLS for the rest of Week 30:
-Sat Oct 1
Red Bulls v Philadelphia
Toronto v DC
Colorado v Portland
Dallas v LA
-Sun Oct 2
Vancouver v Seattle

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You have to think its do or die on Saturday for New England Revolution! By Brian O'Connell of ESPNFC.

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Philly's talented midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta has announced he is leaving the team at the end of the season, and will return to Switzerland to play for his hometown team St. Gallen, to end his career.

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Cool story on young Red Bulls player Alex Muyl who takes the train to home games from lower Manhattan where he lives. By Kristian Dyer of Metro.



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