Some Soccer News for Jul 31, 2017

It's Day 212 of 2017.


Opening Day Across Europe's biggest leagues:

• France - Aug 4
• Scotland - Aug 5
• Portugal - Aug 6
• England - Aug 11
• Netherlands - Aug 11
• Turkey - Aug 11
• Germany - Aug 18
• Spain - Aug 18
• Italy - Aug 19

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Video Assistant Referee comes to MLS starting next Saturday.

• Not everyone is excited. By Kurt Larson of the Toronto Sun. -Just know that it won't go smooth out of the gate, so don't waste your time being upset. There will be bugs to work out.
• One former player said: "Shit's gonna get weird." Hahahahahahaha.

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MINNESOTA UNITED

My MNUFC Notes:

• Minimal game highlights [VIDEO]
• 4 goals is 4 goals right?
• And a shutout is a shutout right?
• The whole game must be reviewed through the lens of "DC United is the worst team in the league."
• So its not like MN pasted a quality opponent. Lets save the superlatives and admit that this is the score that was to be expected.
• Ramirez goal was a nice piece of teamwork - Molino makes a great play and pass and Ramirez finishes with power:

?????????? #11 Assist: @_nash10 ??????

A post shared by Christian Ramirez (@christianramirez_21) on Jul 30, 2017 at 8:38am PDT

• Molino stepped up with 2 big assists. He played some defense too. Solid game from him. This is what fans should expect from Hot Boy.
• Strong goal from Danladi too, beating Hamid at the near post is no easy feat.
• Great to see Calvo back in the lineup. And watching him bomb forward on two occasions was a thing of beauty.
• Boxall and Nicholson both started and were again OK. Nothing special. There are better players on the team at their positions.
• Thiesson! What can you say. His wife had a baby on Thursday or Friday, and there he was going 90 minutes flat out. Becoming one of the best right fullbacks in the league.
• Ibarra posted a note on the net Friday night showing that he was not starting and expressing his frustration. He came on for the injured Ramirez in the 43rd. He played hard and ran fast. His slightly overhit cross turned in to an own goal, which was pretty glorious. Late in the game he juked and jumped to make space and then took a shot that Bill Hamid got a hand to but could not keep out of the net. Good game. But take your frustrations out on the field, not Twitter.
• Someone suggested we piss off before the game Ibarra every week if he is going to play like that.
• Cronin and Ibson looked their age - wear and tear, they need a break.

Kevin Molino has one of his best games for Minnesota. By Megan Ryan for the Star Tribune.

• He still has a long way to go to prove his worth. The 3 previous games were well below par.

Schedule:
-Sat Jul 29
Minnesota 4-0 DC - MU goals by Ramirez, Danladi, OG, and Ibarra.
-Sat Aug 5
Minnesota v Seattle - 7pm CT on My29

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Jon Jones is once again the UFC light heavyweight champion - with serious aplomb:

A post shared by Jon Bones Jones (@jonnybones) on Jul 30, 2017 at 1:23am PDT

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MLS

The impact of 6 big games last weekend in 1 word:

• Atl-Orl - Deadlock
• Dal-Van - Stunner
• Hou-Por - Deficient
• KC-Chi - Overcame
• LA-Sea - Lame
• Tor-NYC - Masters

Media:

• Expert analysis on what went down in MLS. By Matt Doyle for MLS.
• Oh Pirlo! And much more from a great week in MLS. By Alexander Abnos for Sports Illustrated.

Sebastian Giovinco already has 50 MLS goals. Here they are. [VIDEO]

• 10 are via Free Kicks!

Week 21 Results:
(12 games)
-Wed Jul 26
Philadelphia 3-0 Columbus
-Sat Jul 29
Atlanta 1-1 Orlando
New England 3-0 Philadelphia
New York Red Bulls 4-0 Montreal
Dallas 0-4 Vancouver
Houston 2-2 Portland
Kansas City 3-2 Chicago
Minnesota 4-0 DC
Salt Lake 2-2 Columbus
San Jose 1-0 Colorado
LA 0-0 Seattle
-Sun Jul 30
Toronto 4-0 New York City

38 goals in 12 games = 3.2 gpg.

Week 22 Schedule:
(11 games) -Sat Aug 5
DC v v Toronto
Philadelphia v Dallas
Montreal v Orlando
Minnesota v Seattle
Chicago v New England
Colorado v Vancouver
Salt Lake v Houston
San Jose v Columbus
-Sun Aug 6
Portland v LA - 3:00pm CT on ESPN
NYC v NYRB - 5:00pm CT on FS1
KC v Atlanta - 7:00pm CT on FS1

As a fan of a specific team, how would you like to see this come across your news feed: Owners of DC United are shopping their team - now that they have a stadium deal done and the value has gone up considerably. By Michael J. de la Merced and Andrew Ross Sorkin for the New York Times.

• I don't think it will take long for Minnesota United to be for sale either.

Big move for a player with a ton of potential: Seattle's Joevin Jones has been signed by Darmstadt in the German 2nd division, and will move in January. He contract is up at the end of the MLS season.

As a team in Miami run by David Beckham silently inches closer to reality, the hurdles continue to be a challenge. By Ken Belson for the New York Times.

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Eric Calvillo of New York Cosmos named NASL Player Of The Week

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LIGA MX

Atlas + Necaxa are the only two teams with 2 wins after Round 2.

• Pachuca, Tijuana, Veracruz and Leon have 2 losses.

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GUARDIAN 2017-18 PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW:

Arsenal
Bournemouth

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All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Jul 28, 2017

It's Day 209 of 2017.


Thursday recap:

• Jonathan Dos Santos (younger brother of Giovanni) has signed with LA Galaxy Curt Onalfo fired as head coach of LA Galaxy
• Sigi Schmid rehired as head coach of LA Galaxy

-What comes next for the stumbling Galaxy? By Matt Pentz for ESPNFC.

• Bob Bradley hired as head coach of LAFC

-Interview with Bob Bradley. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

• Me and Bob exchange pleasant emails

All eyes are on the new Battle for LA. By Scott French for Four Four Two.

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MINNESOTA UNITED

A big big game on Satuday for MNUFC. If any game this season can be called "must win" its this one. The opponent DC United is the one team in the whole league that is absolutely worse than MN. The Loons must beat them if they want to push forward and have a productive 2nd half to the season, which has gotten off to a bad start.

Francisco Calvo is back baby! And ready to roll. By Megan Ryan for the Star Tribune.

Jermaine Taylor had a great Gold Cup for Jamaica, and wants more minutes with the Loons. By Ryan.

A match preview from Washington and a DCU perspective. By Steven Goff for the Washington Post.

Loons have released high paid goalkeeper John Alvbage. They had a chance to re-sign his loan deal for another year, but declined to do so. Alvbage is happy to have had the chance. By Ryan.
-I will say this, his Instagram has been a joy to follow, and he seems like a really great, smart, fun loving guy. Too bad it didn't work out.

Current form for MN:

• Last place in the Western Conference
• Lost 3 and tied 2 in last 5 games
• Won 1, lost 2 and tied 2 in last 5 homes games
• Last win was on Jun 21 when they beat Portland 3-2 at home
• 0 goals scored in last 3 games
• 4 goals allowed in last 3 games
• Christian Ramirez is top goal scorer with 10
• Team has scored just 25 goals this season
• Team has allowed 45 goals this season

Current form for DC:

• Last place in the Eastern Conference
• Lost 5 in a row
• Lost 6 in a row on the road
• Last win was on Jun 21 when they beat Atlanta 2-1 at home
• 6 goals scored in last 3 games
• 11 goals allowed in last 3 games
• Luciano Acosta is top goal scorer with 4
• Team has scored 18 goals this season
• Team has allowed 38 goals this season

Stadium Cam

Schedule:
-Sat Jul 29
Minnesota v DC - 7pm CT on My29

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Navel: du Nord Music Mix Vol 131 (download + extract)
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MLS

Six very big games this weekend. All marked below as "BIG." -This is as good a weekend for MLS games as I have seen in a long time.

Week 21 schedule:
(12 games)
-Wed Jul 26
Philadelphia 3-0 Columbus
-Sat Jul 29
BIG Atlanta v Orlando - 3:30pm CT on FOX
New England v Philadelphia
New York Red Bulls v Montreal
BIG Dallas v Vancouver
BIG Houston v Portland
BIG Kansas City v Chicago
Minnesota v DC
Salt Lake v Columbus
San Jose v Colorado
BIG LA v Seattle - 9:00pm CT on ESPN
-Sun Jul 30
BIG Toronto v New York City - 1:00pm CT on ESPN

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An update on Matheus Silva - the Reno 1860 player who drown on the 4th of July, was resuscitated and spent 2 days in a coma. He has trained with the team and wants to play! Doctors aren't sure though. By Elliot Almond for the San Jose Mercury News.

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USMNT

The next step is even bigger - 4 World Cup qualifiers. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

Bruce Arena looks forward. By Michael Lewis for Front Row Soccer.

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LIGA MX

Week 2 Schedule:
-Fri Jul 28
Puebla v Morelia
Atlas v Pumas
-Sat Jul 29
Queretaro v Lobos BUAP
Cruz Azul v Guadalajara
Monterrey v Veracruz
Pachuca v America
Necaxa v Tijuana
-Sun Jul 30
Toluca v Leon
Santos Laguna v Tigres

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FIFA is a joke. Example No. 2037.

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Several months ago stories exploded across England of sexual abuse of young football players going back decades, and involving hundreds of people. But the story has faded. Where do things stand? by Matt Dickinson for The Times of London.

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All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Jul 27, 2017

It's Day 208 of 2017.


2 HUGE moves in the City of Angels professional soccer coaching ranks today!

1) Out goes Onalfo. In comes Schmid.

• LA Galaxy fired head coach Curt Onalfo today and rehired their former coach Sigi Schmid.
• And you won't believe who LA plays this Saturday in Schmid's first game? His former team Seattle Sounders! Nice.

2) But this is even bigger news, and more bad ass:

It's time.#WelcomeBob pic.twitter.com/yPlBVhqaOb

— LAFC (@LAFC) July 27, 2017

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Please go VOTE for my friend in football Tony Sanneh in the MLS Community MVP contest. Minnesota United nominated Tony and his Sanneh Foundation for their great community work. Show your love and vote here

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USMNT

Gold Cup Champions. For a sixth time.

My USMNT Notes:

• Game highlights [VIDEO]
• That was an important, although not that significant, win for this program.
• Altidore hit a stonkin' free kick goal in the first half, and Morris blasted home late to win the game over a very rough and tumble and determined Jamaica team.
• Morris got the game winner when everything was on the line. He had a strong tournament as a whole.
• Jamaica lost goalkeeper Andre Blake in the first half with a hand injury on a play in which he made a big save that turned into a mad scramble.
• Blake got stitches in his hand, but had no broken bones.
• Dwayne Miller came on for JA in the goal and did a pretty damn good job himself.
• Acosta had another rough night. He looked like he was trying way too hard in this whole tournament. He needs to settle down and keep it simple, or he will find himself out of the team until a later date.
• Minnesota centerback Jermaine Taylor started for JA, and former Minn centerback Damion Lowe was his partner in the middle.
• Bradley was so solid, dominating the center of the field, that he was awarded the Golden Ball as best player in the tournament.
• Dempsey came on as a sub again and gave the USA a big boost. He really shook up the center of the JA defense.
• The USA exploited the wings fairly well, but at times could have done a lot more with it. Getting to the end line can be devastating to a defense. This team needs more of that.
• No one from the US had a bad game, even Acosta who struggled.
• OGonzalez is getting back to his top form when he was a star for the LA Galaxy around 2010.

No USA break through players really emerged from this tournament. By Steve Davis for Four Four Two.

• But Jordan Morris did cement his place in the main group, so that is something of significance.

Gold Cup Final Results:
-Wed Jul 26
USA 2-1 Jamaica - USA goals by Altidore + Morris. Jam goal by Watson.
Santa Clara CA - Levi's Stadium.

USA Roster

• G: Jesse Gonzalez - Dallas, Bill Hamid - DC United, Tim Howard - Colorado Rapids
• D: Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City, Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca, Matt Hedges - Dallas, Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest, Matt Miazga - Chelsea, Justin Morrow - Toronto, Jorge Villafana - Santos Laguna, Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
• M: Kellyn Acosta - Dallas, Paul Arriola - Tijuana, Michael Bradley - Toronto, Joe Corona - Tijuana, Dax McCarty - Chicago Fire, Darlington Nagbe - Portland Timbers, Chris Pontius - Philadelphia Union, Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy
• F: Juan Agudelo - New England Revolution, Jozy Altidore - Toronto, Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders

Jamaica roster

• G: Andre Blake - Philadelphia Union, Damion Hyatt - Arnett Gardens, Dwayne Miller - Syrianska
• D: Sergio Campbell - Rochester Rhinos, Oniel Fisher - Seattle Sounders, Shaun Francis - Montreal Impact, Rosario Harriott - Harbour View, Kemar Lawrence - New York Red Bulls, Damion Lowe - Tampa Bay Rowdies, Alvas Powell - Portland Timbers, Ladale Ritchie - Montego Bay United, Jermaine Taylor - Minnesota United
• M: Michael Binns - Portmore United, Owayne Gordon - Montego Bay United, Ewan Grandison - - Portmore United, Kevon Lambert - Montego Bay United, Ricardo Morris - Portmore United, Je-Vaughn Watson - New England Revolution
• F: Cory Burke - Bethlehem Steel, Jermaine Johnson - Tivoli Gardens, Darren Mattocks - Portland Timbers, Shamar Nicholson - Boys' Town, Romario Williams - Charleston Battery

The Official Gold Cup Best XI:

• Andre Blake
• Graham Zusi
• Kemar Lawrence
• Jermaine Taylor
• Omar Gonzalez
• Michael Bradley
• Jesus Duenas
• Darlington Nagbe
• Alphonso Davies
• Jordan Morris
• Jozy Altidore

With that tournament now out of the way Bruce Arena wants the team to take it up another notch for the 4 huge World Cup qualifiers ahead. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

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USWNT

The USA Women hosts the 4 team Tournament of Nations (odd name) which begins tonight with a lot of new blood in the team. By Caitlin Murray for the New York Times.

• Australia, Brazil and Japan are the other 3 teams.

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Navel: du Nord Music Mix Vol 131 (download + extract)

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MLS

Columbus head coach Gregg Berhalter last night went off on the referees, and divers, in his post game press conference after his team got two red cards (on 2 of their 3 defenders) AND blown out by Philadelphia. The spirit of Mike Petke is spreading:

Gregg Berhalter upset with officials after 3-0 #CrewSC loss pic.twitter.com/otWYMYVH6x

— Andrew Erickson (@AEricksonCD) July 27, 2017

Week 21 schedule:
(12 games)
-Wed Jul 26
Philadelphia 3-0 Columbus
-Sat Jul 29
Atlanta v Orlando - 3:30pm CT on FOX
New England v Philadelphia
New York Red Bulls v Montreal
Dallas v Vancouver
Houston v Portland
Kansas City v Chicago
Minnesota v DC
Salt Lake v Columbus
San Jose v Colorado
LA v Seattle - 9:00pm CT on ESPN
-Sun Jul 30
Toronto v New York City - 1:00pm CT on ESPN

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All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Jul 26, 2017

It's Day 207 of 2017.


Please go VOTE for my friend in football Tony Sanneh in the MLS Community MVP contest. Minnesota United nominated Tony and his Sanneh Foundation for their great community work. Show your love and vote here.

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Kansas City has sold striker Dom Dwyer to Orlando for approximately $1.6M, a record amount of money within the league. By Sam McDowell for the Kansas City Star.

• Seems like an odd move despite the big $. How are SKC going to score? Do they have a seriously big name striker in the pipeline?
• Only 3 teams have scored less goals than SKC this season.
• And while the SKC defense has allowed the fewest goals this season, they are only 6th in goal differential. It should be much higher.
• From what I can tell SKC fans are really bummed out about this move. Really down in the dumps.

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USMNT

Tonight. Gold Cup Final.

A comparison of the USA and Jamaica. By Matt Pentz for ESPNFC.

Life under Bruce Arena again has been very good for Michael Bradley. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

More on Michael Bradley, from his teammates and coaches. By Mike Woitalla for Soccer America.

The USA really wants this trophy tonight, but Jamaica will be a challenge, do not be fooled. By Brian Straus for Sports Illustrated.

The JA are relishing the underdog role. From the Jamaica Gleaner.

Gold Cup Final Schedule:
-Wed Jul 26
USA v Jamaica - 8:30pm CT on FS1
Santa Clara CA - Levi's Stadium

• If the game end's tied after 90 minutes then they will go to 30 minutes of Added Extra Time (in which they can added a 4th substitute,) and if still tied after that they go to a Penalty Kick Shootout.

USA Roster

• G: Jesse Gonzalez - Dallas, Bill Hamid - DC United, Tim Howard - Colorado Rapids
• D: Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City, Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca, Matt Hedges - Dallas, Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest, Matt Miazga - Chelsea, Justin Morrow - Toronto, Jorge Villafana - Santos Laguna, Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
• M: Kellyn Acosta - Dallas, Paul Arriola - Tijuana, Michael Bradley - Toronto, Joe Corona - Tijuana, Dax McCarty - Chicago Fire, Darlington Nagbe - Portland Timbers, Chris Pontius - Philadelphia Union, Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy
• F: Juan Agudelo - New England Revolution, Jozy Altidore - Toronto, Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders

Jamaica roster

• G: Andre Blake - Philadelphia Union, Damion Hyatt - Arnett Gardens, Dwayne Miller - Syrianska
• D: Sergio Campbell - Rochester Rhinos, Oniel Fisher - Seattle Sounders, Shaun Francis - Montreal Impact, Rosario Harriott - Harbour View, Kemar Lawrence - New York Red Bulls, Damion Lowe - Tampa Bay Rowdies, Alvas Powell - Portland Timbers, Ladale Ritchie - Montego Bay United, Jermaine Taylor - Minnesota United
• M: Michael Binns - Portmore United, Owayne Gordon - Montego Bay United, Ewan Grandison - - Portmore United, Kevon Lambert - Montego Bay United, Ricardo Morris - Portmore United, Je-Vaughn Watson - New England Revolution
• F: Cory Burke - Bethlehem Steel, Jermaine Johnson - Tivoli Gardens, Darren Mattocks - Portland Timbers, Shamar Nicholson - Boys' Town, Romario Williams - Charleston Battery

My USMNT viewing spot in the Twin Cities is Town Hall Brewery in the Seven Corners neighborhood of Minneapolis. Look for your fellow fans in the back room.

Nice last minute addition to squad, but can't suit up for the game:

.@ussoccer has called in @CristianRoldan to be a part of the #GoldCup2017 Final activities and to share in preparations with the team.

— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) July 26, 2017

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MINNESOTA UNITED

The two saddest teams in MLS do battle on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium. Are you ready for it? This will be Minnesota's best chance to rise above the 5 win threshold.

Stadium Cam

Schedule:
-Sat Jul 29
Minnesota v DC - 7pm CT on My29

Eight sports stadiums around the world are sponsored by Allianz Insurance company:

• St Paul - Minnesota United FC - Allianz Field
• Turin - Juventus FC - Allianz Stadium
• Munich - FC Bayern + TSV 1860 - Allianz Arena
• London - Saracens RC - Allianz Park
• Sydney - Rooster RC, Waratahs RC + Sydney FC - Allianz Stadium
• Nice - OGC Nice - Allianz Riviera
• Sao Paulo - SE Palmeiras - Allianz Parque
• Vienna - SK Rapid Wien - Allianz Stadion

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Navel: du Nord Music Mix Vol 131 (download + extract)

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The BBC has a radio documentary series on The Clash and their relationship with New York City. Hosted by Don Letts on the BBC.

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MLS

Week 21 schedule:
(12 games)
-Wed Jul 26
Philadelphia v Columbus
-Sat Jul 29
Atlanta v Orlando
New England v Philadelphia
New York Red Bulls v Montreal
Dallas v Vancouver
Houston v Portland
Kansas City v Chicago
Minnesota v DC
Salt Lake v Columbus
San Jose v Colorado
LA v Seattle
-Sun Jul 30
Toronto v New York City

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Megan Rapinoe of Seattle Reign named NWSL Player Of The Month for July.

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Turkey national team coach Fatih Terim has resigned 2 weeks after getting into a fight at his son-in-laws restaurant. (Some ruckus with the restaurant next door apparently.) From the Hurriyet Daily News.

• Other reports say he and his son-in-law beat up 5 guys.

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The Afghan Premier League. 3 month season. 8 teams. 18 games. All in 1 city. By for the Guardian.

• But, you know, without promotion and relegation its just more fake football.

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All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Jul 25, 2017

It's Day 206 of 2017.


Minnesota United has announced that their new stadium in the St Paul Midway will be called Allianz Field.

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Ka-Boom!

#SportingKC has agreed to trade Dom Dwyer to Orlando City SC in exchange for $1.6 million in allocation money, $700K of which is incentives.

— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) July 25, 2017

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USMNT

A preview of the Gold Cup Final against Jamaica on Wednesday. By Brian Sciaretta for American Soccer Now.

Bruce Arena has a pretty good idea who he has at his disposal now, after 13 games, qualifiers, friendlies and a tournament in charge. By Steven Goff for Washington Post.

The USA wants this Cup, but its not going to be easy against an unusually solid Jamaican defense. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

Gold Cup Final Schedule:
-Wed Jul 26
USA v Jamaica - 8:30pm CT on FS1.
Santa Clara CA - Levi's Stadium.

USA Roster

• G: Jesse Gonzalez - Dallas, Bill Hamid - DC United, Tim Howard - Colorado Rapids
• D: Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City, Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca, Matt Hedges - Dallas, Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest, Matt Miazga - Chelsea, Justin Morrow - Toronto, Jorge Villafana - Santos Laguna, Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
• M: Kellyn Acosta - Dallas, Paul Arriola - Tijuana, Michael Bradley - Toronto, Joe Corona - Tijuana, Dax McCarty - Chicago Fire, Darlington Nagbe - Portland Timbers, Chris Pontius - Philadelphia Union, Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy
• F: Juan Agudelo - New England Revolution, Jozy Altidore - Toronto, Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders

Jamaica roster

• G: Andre Blake - Philadelphia Union, Damion Hyatt - Arnett Gardens, Dwayne Miller - Syrianska
• D: Sergio Campbell - Rochester Rhinos, Oniel Fisher - Seattle Sounders, Shaun Francis - Montreal Impact, Rosario Harriott - Harbour View, Kemar Lawrence - New York Red Bulls, Damion Lowe - Tampa Bay Rowdies, Alvas Powell - Portland Timbers, Ladale Ritchie - Montego Bay United, Jermaine Taylor - Minnesota United
• M: Michael Binns - Portmore United, Owayne Gordon - Montego Bay United, Ewan Grandison - - Portmore United, Kevon Lambert - Montego Bay United, Ricardo Morris - Portmore United, Je-Vaughn Watson - New England Revolution
• F: Cory Burke - Bethlehem Steel, Jermaine Johnson - Tivoli Gardens, Darren Mattocks - Portland Timbers, Shamar Nicholson - Boys' Town, Romario Williams - Charleston Battery

My USMNT viewing spot in the Twin Cities is Town Hall Brewery in the Seven Corners neighborhood of Minneapolis. Look for your fellow fans in the back room.

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How can more meaning be put into the Gold Cup. Lots of possibilities. By Paul Tenorio for Four Four Two.

• The best way to do it is for there to be more quality teams in the region. And that isn't happening any time soon.

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MLS

Week 21 schedule:
(12 games)
-Wed Jul 26
Philadelphia v Columbus

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• Daniel Royer of New York Red Bulls named MLS Player Of The Week
• Miguel Gonzalez of OKC Energy named USL Player Of The Week
• Megan Rapinoe of Seattle Reign named NWSL Player Of The Week

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Besiktas has desires to be one of the worlds big teams. By Emre Sarigul for the Guardian.

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All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Jul 24, 2017

It's Day 205 of 2017.


On Tuesday morning Minnesota United will announce that their new stadium in the St Paul Midway will be called Allianz Field.

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USMNT is on to the Final of the Gold Cup on Wednesday night where they will face Jamaica who knocked off Mexico.

• Jared Borgetti, former Mexican striker, blamed the loss on "too many foreign players in Liga MX."
• Jamaica keeper Andre Blake has been insanely good in this tournament.
• The USA will have to be nearly perfect to win the title.
• Clint Dempsey was the super sub for the USMNT, coming on in the 66th min against Costa Rica and adding the scoring punch the USA lacked.
• Minnesota United centerback Jermaine Taylor and former centerback Damion Lowe have been a powerful partnership in the Jamaica backline. Congrats to them. But I can't support you in the Final. Hope you understand.

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CONCACAF has handed down multi-game suspensions to 2 El Salvador players for biting and pinching USMNT players in the Gold Cup Quarterfinals:

• Henry Romero receives a six-match ban from participating in the next official matches with the El Salvador national team. (Bit and nipple twisted Jozy Altidore)
• Darwin Ceren receives a three-match ban from participating in the next official matches with the El Salvador national team. (Bit Omar Gonzalez)

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MINNESOTA UNITED

My MNUFC Notes:

• Game highlights. [VIDEO]
• The mental weakness of this team apparently knows no bounds.
• Yes the roster is thin, but the fight is barely there.
• On the 2nd NY goal the Minnesota players stood around complaining of a non-call while Bradley Wright Phillips slipped past Davis and easily finished his shot around Shuttleworth. So poor from the Loons.
• The whole team was sleep walking until New York scored, then they kicked it in to gear but still couldn't manage a shot on goal. Ramirez, Ibarra, Molino and Danladi all missed golden opportunities to score.
• Three games in a row without a goal, all at home.
• One point in the last 5 games.
• Kallman again exited the game with a knee injury. He can't keep going on like this. It will only make his long term recovery harder. He needs a rest. Hopefully with Calvo headed back and then Taylor, plus the addition of Boxall, he will get the needed down time.
• Plus Kallman got another yellow card and will be suspended for the next game anyway.
• Cronin has seen the wear and tear catch up to him too, and he sat out which opened up the whole field in front of the MN back line. It was ugly.
• No out could have expected new guy Boxall and fullback Davis to play centerback with no protection in front of them.
• The coach has few choices on this bench, but the way he sends his guys out on the field is weird. He did not instruct either Ibson or Martin to STAY HOME in the d-mid and guard the centerbacks? Or did they not listen? WTF?
• The team tried to disguise the fact that they only had 4 field players on the bench by listing JVenegas as available, but he never warmed up and was certainly not going to play under any circumstances. So they had 14 outfield and 2 goalkeepers.
• The other new guy Nicholson came off the field in the 60th with a completely dazed look on his face. He had never experienced heat like that in his whole life. He should have come off at half time. And Nicholson went straight to the locker room upon substitution presumably to avoid heat stroke. They may have destroyed the guy. I hope he recovers. Heat damage like that can set you back weeks.
• Until Burch returns Jome has to be the left fullback of choice. He has the pace to not get beat over and over again.
• Molino, what can I say? Earn you pay buddy.
• The whole team looks exhausted.
• And offensive set pieces. Holy shit its bad.
• And I don't want to hear about the god damn referees. They didn't effect the outcome of this game. Yes, they aren't perfect. No one is. So my fellow fans need to stop blaming refs.

Next Saturday they play the only team in the league worse then they are. It is a must win game. Their first of the season.

• There are only 5 home games left in the season, and they have yet to win on the road.

Toothless is the name of the game for MNUFC right now. By Alex Schieferdecker for Fifty Five One.

Stadium Cam

Results:
-Sat Jul 22
Minnesota 0-3 New York Red Bulls - NYRB goals by Daniel Royer, Bradley Wright Phillips + Alex Muyl.

Schedule:
-Sat Jul 29
Minnesota v DC - 7pm CT on My29

The Loons are still on pace to have the worst defensive stats in league history. 45 goals given up so far. Chivas USA had allowed 44 at this same point of the season (21 games.) Painful!

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LISTEN: The WTF podcast with Marc Maron has a great interview with Mark Mothersbaugh. You really should listen. He was at Kent State when the Vietnam protesters were killed by the National Guard. He founded the rock band DEVO. And has done amazing sound and music work for TV and films for years, like Pee-Wee's Playhouse and Wes Anderson movies. Plus he is just a really interesting guy with great stories. From WTF. [AUDIO]

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USMNT

MY USMNT Notes:

• Comprehensive 2-0 win against Costa Rica in the Gold Cup Semifinals.
• The USMNT controlled the whole game, but it took the super-sub Clint Dempsey to get the results. He set up with the first goal and scored the second after coming on in the 67th min.
• Dempsey is now tied with Landon Donovan for the All Time USMNT goal scoring record of 57.
• Who else was good? Altidore, Howard, OGonzalez, Bradley.
• Who was bad? Villafana + Morris were kind of invisible. Does that make them bad? Doubtful.
• Who was average? Zusi, Besler, Arriola, Acosta, Nagbe.
• Subs with no impression? McCarty + Zardes.

Semifinal Results:
-Sat Jul 22
USA 2-0 Costa Rica - USA goals by Jozy Altidore + Clint Dempsey

Final Schedule:
-Wed Jul 26
USA v Jamaica - 8:30pm CT on FS1.
Santa Clara CA - Levi's Stadium.

A Jamaica primer. From US Soccer.

On Sunday I posted this poll on Twitter:

Who is the starting goalkeeper for USMNT right now?

— Bruce McGuire (@dunord) July 23, 2017

• Who are those 16% who didn't vote for Howard?

Young Dallas goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez is now a part of the USMNT set up and this is his story. From the AP via USA Today.

dN

Gold Cup

A huge upset! Jamaica knocked off Mexico to advance to the Final against the United States.

Don't forget though, Jamaica did the same thing to the USA in the Semifinals 2 years ago.

The pressure is mounting on Mex head coach Juan Carlos Osorio after a bad loss. By Tom Marshall for ESPNFC.

• All of the blame cannot be laid at the feet of Osorio - the league owners refused to give him any reinforcements for the knock out stages of the tourney.

I was surprised at all the empty seats at the Rose Bowl for Mexico v Jamaica last night. At least 25% empty, maybe more.

Semifinals Schedule:
-Sat Jul 22
5 Costa Rica 0-2 USA
-Sun Jul 23
6 Mexico 0-1 Jamaica

Final Schedule:
-Wed Jul 26
USA v Jamaica

-Follow the entire Gold Cup here.

dN

MLS

Media:

• The MLS XI for Week 20 - craziness abounds! By Alexander Abnos for Sports Illustrated.
• The best analysis of Week 20. By Matt Doyle for MLS.

My MLS Notes:

• MUST SEE: Mike Petke, head coach of Salt Lake, had the performance of the week - easily. [VIDEO] "The freakin' printer didn't work!"
• Houston finally won a road game this season. Good for them.
• DC is worse than Minnesota and they play in Minneapolis next Saturday.
• Atlanta stunned Orlando on a great goal by Villalba. Wow.
• A man down for 78 minutes and behind on virtually every stat except the only one that counts, NYC beat Chicago at home in a battle of top teams. Play below par and still win against a great team - Impressive.
• LA has lost SIX IN A ROW!
• Montreal is s(t)inking too.
• Without their 2 top strikers Seattle still crushed a lifeless San Jose.

Week 20 results:
(18 Games)
-Wed Jul 19
Montreal 2-1 Philadelphia
New York Red Bulls 5-1 San Jose
New York City 2-2 Toronto
Minnesota 0-0 Houston
LA 0-1 Vancouver
Portland 1-4 Salt Lake
Seattle 4-3 DC
-Fri Jul 21
Orlando 0-1 Atlanta
-Sat Jul 22
New York City 2-1 Chicago
Minnesota 0-3 New York Red Bulls
DC 1-3 Houston
Toronto 1-1 Colorado
Columbus 1-0 Philadelphia
Montreal 1-2 Dallas
New England 4-3 LA
Salt Lake 1-1 Kansas City
-Sun Jul 23
Vancouver 1-2 Portland
Seattle 3-0 San Jose

58 goals in 18 games = 3.2 goals per game.

Week 21 schedule:
(12 games)
-Wed Jul 26
Philadelphia v Columbus
-Sat Jul 29
Atlanta v Orlando
New England v Philadelphia
New York Red Bulls v Montreal
Dallas v Vancouver
Houston v Portland
Kansas City v Chicago
Minnesota v DC
Salt Lake v Columbus
San Jose v Colorado
LA v Seattle
-Sun Jul 30
Toronto v New York City

dN

AMERICANS ABROAD (IN MEXICO)

Two young Americans started the first game of the season in Liga MX and several others played their part as well:

• Jonathan Gonzalez debuted at just 18 years old, starting and going 56 minutes for Monterrey as they tied 0-0 at Morelia.
• Edgar Castillo was on the bench for Monterrey.
• Alejandro Guido started and played 72 min for Tijuana but they lost 0-2 to Cruz Azul.
• Michael Orozco was on the bench for Tijuana.
• Jonathan Borntstein was a sub for just the last seconds for Queretaro as they upset America 0-1.
• William Yarbrough was in goal for Leon but they lost 0-3 to Atlas.
• 30 year old Rodrigo Lopez made his Liga MX debut for Toluca starting and going 75 minutes as they tied Champions Guadalajara 0-0 on the road.

dN

LIGA MX

Week 1 saw some big results with Tigres showing why they are the best, rolling 5-0 over Puebla. Atlas was the other big winner, 0-3 at Leon. Miguel Herrera had a poor first game in charge losing at home 0-1 to Queretaro.

• A Week 1 round up. By Thomas Harrison for Fut Mex Nation.

Week 1 Results:
-Fri Jul 21
Morelia 0-0 Monterrey
Tijuana 0-2 Cruz Azul
-Sat Jul 22
Lobos BUAP 2-2 Santos Laguna
Tigres UANL 5-0 Puebla
Leon 0-3 Atlas
America 0-1 Queretaro
Guadalajara 0-0 Toluca
-Sun Jul 23
Pumas UNAM 1-0 Pachuca
Veracruz 0-2 Necaxa

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Jul 20, 2017

It's Day 201 of 2017.


The VAR (Video Assistant Referee) is headed to MLS sometime after Aug 2. This should be interesting. By Ben Shpigel for the New York Times.

• It's official now, the time it will be used is Aug 5.

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

My MNUFC Notes:

• Game highlights. [VIDEO]
• Clean Sheet.
• Yeah, they got a point. But it was awful to watch. Really awful.
• An incredibly thin roster makes things pretty rough.
• Only 16 players dressed.
• I hope Joe Greenspan is going to be OK. He clonked heads again and they took him out so my guess is that he failed the concussion test. That was bad looking.
• UPDATE: Greenspan has a broken nose and probable concussion. This 3rd this season. Oh no.
• 4 shots. That's all MN could muster. Ramirez had 1. ONE!
• And that is despite MNUFC controlling the ball most of the game, and pressuring a lot in the 2nd half.
• Late in the game when MN needed a goal in the worst way, and were applying healthy pressure, they really could have used another forward on the field. And guess what, they still had 1 sub left and newly acquired forward warming up. So what did the coach do... NOTHING.
• The Loons had the opponent on the ropes but couldn't get a clean shot off for the knock out. That's when you alter your tactics and finish them off.
• Houston was just sitting back. So not pull off a centerback and go for the win at home? 1 point does no good.
• The Dynamo got lucky when a penalty was not called on their goal keeper Tyler Deric who mowed over Ramirez when he was charging in on goal, but the referee made no call as both players went down with a little ding. It was a stone cold PK.
• Kadrii got hung out to dry by his coach. Yanked at halftime when he was far from the worst performers on the field. No, he wasn't good, but he wasn't bad and making mistakes constantly either. How can the coach ever find out if he is good enough when he only gets 45 minutes?
• I will just go ahead and say it again - Molino played half-ass. Near the end he did pick it up, but for too much of the game he is just stumbling around. They paid a lot for this guy.
• Ibson had a poor passing game too. Way to many misses per swing.
• Good news: Jome is the best choice at left fullback until Burch is healthy. Bad news, he is not very good. But he is better than Davis and as an upgrade that is worthy of note.
• Going back to the first half, HD had 6 very good scoring opportunities and only their ineptitude kept it scoreless.
• AJ De La Garza of Houston saved a big MNUFC chance off the line.

Media:

• Match report. By Andy Greder for the Pioneer Press.
• Match report. By Aaron Reiss for the Star Tribune.
• Match report. By Wes Burdinie for Fifty Five One.
• Minn United's Special Olympics Unified team played their first game last night, after the senior Loons match. They lost to Houston Dynamo 0-1. By Megan Ryan for the Star Tribune.

Stadium Cam

Results: -Wed Jul 19
Minnesota 0-0 Houston

Schedule:
-Sat Jul 22
Minnesota v New York Red Bulls - 3pm CT on ESPN
-Sat Jul 29
Minnesota v DC - 7pm CT on My29
-Sat Aug 5
Minnesota v Seattle - 7pm CT on My29

dN

USMNT

El Salvador has some nasty nasty players, and I don't mean that in a Janet Jackson way. But it wasn't enough as the USA won 2-0. Match report. By Steven Goff for the Washington Post.

A much better match review. By Brian Straus for Sports Illustrated.

USA coach Bruce Arena gives his appraisal of El Salvador - and says they earned red cards. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

• Contains video of Arena press conference.

MY USMNT Notes:

• Game highlights [VIDEO]
• ES centerback Henry Romero gave Altidore a nasty nipple twister and bit him on the shoulder, in separate incidents. Unreal.
• Turns out ES's Darwin Ceren got in on the act too, biting OGonzalez during a set piece.
• Overall a pretty poor performance by the USA, but a win, two goals and a shutout are nothing to get worked up about.
• Zardes made up for his bad game last Saturday with a very solid night, especially in the attack. Its not his fault that his teammates were not up for making something out of what he was creating. He did his part.
• As the first half wore on Nagbe tried to get it going for the USA too. But like Zardes was not getting any help.
• Bradley's service on set pieces is as good as ever, and that's quite good.
• Lichaj made up for his horrendous errors with a crucial goal.
• Both teams flubbed major chances in front of goal, with ES flubbing several more. It could have been a much different game.

Quarterfinal Schedule:
-Wed Jul 19
USA 2-0 El Salvador - USA goals by OGonzalez + Lichaj

Semifinal Schedule:
-Sat Jul 22
USA v Costa Rica - 9pm CT on FS1
AT+T Stadium, Arlington TX

USA Roster

• G: Jesse Gonzalez - Dallas, Bill Hamid - DC United, Tim Howard - Colorado Rapids
• D: Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City, Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca, Matt Hedges - Dallas, Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest, Matt Miazga - Chelsea, Justin Morrow - Toronto, Jorge Villafana - Santos Laguna, Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
• M: Kellyn Acosta - Dallas, Paul Arriola - Tijuana, Michael Bradley - Toronto, Joe Corona - Tijuana, Dax McCarty - Chicago Fire, Darlington Nagbe - Portland Timbers, Chris Pontius - Philadelphia Union, Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy
• F: Juan Agudelo - New England Revolution, Jozy Altidore - Toronto, Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders

My USMNT viewing spot in the Twin Cities is Town Hall Brewery in the Seven Corners neighborhood of Minneapolis. Look for your fellow fans in the back room.

After the Whistle - USA v El Salv post game show [VIDEO]. From MLS.

An interview with Kellyn Rowe who just completed his first run with the USA and looked good on the field. By Brian Sciaretta for American Soccer Now.

dN

Gold Cup

NOTE: If Qfinals + Sfinals are tied after 90 they go straight to Penalty Kick Shootout. In Final its 30 minutes extra time and then penalties. (Teams will also get 1 extra sub in extra time.)

Quarterfinals Schedule:
-Wed Jul 19
1 Costa Rica 1-0 Panama - CR goal by Anibal Godoy(OG)
2 USA v El Salvador - USA goals by OGonzalez + Lichaj
-----
-Thu Jul 20
3 Mexico v Honduras - 6:30pm CT on FS1
4 Jamaica v Canada - 9:30pm CT on FS1

Semifinals Schedule:
-Sat Jul 22
5 Costa Rica v USA
-Sun Jul 23
6 Winner 3 v Winner 4

Final Schedule:
-Wed Jul 26
Winner 5 v Winner 6

-Follow the entire Gold Cup here.

dN

MLS

My MLS Notes:

• 26 goals scored in 7 games on Wed night. And 2 of those 7 games combined to score 1 goal. Imagine if those two had put some numbers on the board?!?!
• DC became the first team in MLS history to lose after leading 0-3. Oof.
• Portland is in trouble, and RSL is turning it on. A switcheroo from early in the season.

Week 20 schedule/results:
(18 Games)
-Wed Jul 19
Montreal 2-1 Philadelphia
New York Red Bulls 5-1 San Jose
New York City 2-2 Toronto
Minnesota 0-0 Houston
LA 0-1 Vancouver
Portland 1-4 Salt Lake
Seattle 4-3 DC
-Fri Jul 21
Orlando v Atlanta - 6pm CT on ESPN
-Sat Jul 22
New York City v Chicago
Minnesota v New York Red Bulls - 3pm CT on ESPN
DC v Houston
Toronto v Colorado
Columbus v Philadelphia
Montreal v Dallas
New England v LA
Salt Lake v Kansas City
-Sun Jul 23
Vancouver v Portland - 5:30pm CT on FS1
Seattle v San Jose

dN

Crumbs: du Nord Music Mix Vol 130 (download + extract)

dN

LIGA MX

Schedule:
-Fri Jul 21
Morelia v v Monterrey
Tijuana v Cruz Azul
-Sat Jul 22
Lobos BUAP v Santos Laguna
Tigres UANL v Puebla
Leon v Atlas
America v Queretaro
Guadalajara v Toluca
-Sun Jul 23
Pumas UNAM v Pachuca
Veracruz v Necaxa

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Jul 19, 2017

It's Day 200 of 2017.


Why are there 7 MLS games tonight when the USMNT is playing in the Quarterfinals of the Gold Cup?

• And 8 more MLS games on Saturday that would conflict with a Semifinal game if the USMNT advances.

• I am not searching for an answer here. We all know why. I just get frustrated some times and lash out facetiously.

dN

My latest column for 1500ESPN: Mid-season roster changes are happening for Minnesota United, and I answer your soccer questions.

dN

Dortmund beat AC Milan 3-1 is a preseason friendly last night. Christian Pulisic got the assist on the 1st and 3rd and drew the penalty for the 2nd. Video highlights. The 18 year old is off to a good start for 2017/18.

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

A very important run of 4 home games will be crucial to the rest of the season. By Megan Ryan for the Star Tribune.

Houston is DESPERATE for a road win. Like MN they have none this season. Tonight is huge for them too, and they have serious playoff aspirations.

• But they are missing four key attackers, Erick Torres with Mexico, and Romell Quioto, Alberth Elis + Boniek Garcia who are with Honduras, at the Gold Cup.

MNUFC could/will be missing tonight:

• At Gold Cup - Calvo, JVenegas, Taylor
• Potentially injured - Schuller, KVenegas, Danladi, Kallman, Molino
• Out injured - Burch, Anor, De Villardi
• Being released by team - Alvbage, Demidov
• Don't have international clearance - Boxall, Nicholson
• That leaves 14 players on the roster and not a whole lot of depth for tonight.

Stadium Cam

Schedule (4 more in a row at home):
-Wed Jul 19
Minnesota v Houston 0 7:00pm CT on My29
-Sat Jul 22
Minnesota v New York Red Bulls - 3pm CT on ESPN
-Sat Jul 29
Minnesota v DC - 7pm CT on My29
-Sat Aug 5
Minnesota v Seattle - 7pm CT on My29

dN

Scumbag Dean Johnson who drove Minnesota Thunder into the ground is at it again, this time in Poland. By Wes Burdine for Fifty Five One.

dN

USMNT

Quarterfinal Schedule:
-Wed Jul 19
USA v El Salvador - 8pm CT on FS1
Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia

Reminder: If tonight's game ends tied after 90 min the game will go directly to PKs.

A little bit on the opponent El Salvador. By Paul Kennedy for Soccer America.

• This team doesn't just sit back and counter attack, they go for it.

The US coach sees El Salvador as an improving team. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

Altidore + Dempsey are key to the machine. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

Does winning Gold Cup actually matter? To the US insiders it does. By Brian Straus for Sports Illustrated.

USA Roster

• G: Jesse Gonzalez - Dallas, Bill Hamid - DC United, Tim Howard - Colorado Rapids
• D: Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City, Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca, Matt Hedges - Dallas, Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest, Matt Miazga - Chelsea, Justin Morrow - Toronto, Jorge Villafana - Santos Laguna, Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
• M: Kellyn Acosta - Dallas, Paul Arriola - Tijuana, Michael Bradley - Toronto, Joe Corona - Tijuana, Dax McCarty - Chicago Fire, Darlington Nagbe - Portland Timbers, Chris Pontius - Philadelphia Union, Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy
• F: Juan Agudelo - New England Revolution, Jozy Altidore - Toronto, Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders

El Salvador Roster (have not announced any roster changes yet)

• G: Oscar Arroyo - Alianza, Derby Carrillo - IBV, Benji Villalobos - Aguila
• D: Roberto Dominguez - Santa Tecla, Alexander Larin - Alianza, Ivan Mancia - Alianza, Ruben Marroquin - Alianza, Milton Molina - Isidro Metapan, Henry Romero - Alianza, Bryan Tamacas - Santa Tecla
• M: Junior Burgos - Reno 1868, Darwin Ceren - San Jose Earthquakes, Oscar Ceren - Alianza, Andres Flores - New York Cosmos, Victor Garcia - Aguila, Gerson Mayen - Santa Tecla, Richard Menjivar - New York Cosmos, Narciso Orellana - Alianza, Denis Pineda - Santa Clara, Edwin Sanchez - Aguila
• F: Harold Alas - Santa Tecla, Nelson Bonilla - Nacional, Rodolfo Zelaya - Alianza

My USMNT viewing spot in the Twin Cities is Town Hall Brewery in the Seven Corners neighborhood of Minneapolis. Look for your fellow fans in the back room.

dN

Gold Cup

Quarterfinals Schedule:
-Wed Jul 19
1 Costa Rica v Panama - 5:00pm CT on FS1
2 USA v El Salvador - 8:00pm CT on FS1
-----
-Thu Jul 20
3 Mexico v Honduras - 6:30pm CT on FS1
4 Jamaica v Canada - 9:30pm CT on FS1

dN

MLS

An interesting look behind the Seattle acquisition of Nicolas Lodeiro, including interviews with all the involved parties. By Kyle McCarthy for the Seattle Sounders magazine The Ninety.

Based on where last season ended Montreal was expecting big things this year. That hasn't happened. And its all on the line now as the 2nd half begins. By Stu Cowan for the Montreal Gazette.

Week 20 schedule/results:
(18 Games)
-Wed Jul 19
Montreal v Philadelphia
New York Red Bulls v San Jose
New York City v Toronto
Minnesota v Houston
LA v Vancouver
Portland v Salt Lake
Seattle v DC
-Fri Jul 21
Orlando v Atlanta - 6pm CT on ESPN
-Sat Jul 22
New York City v Chicago
Minnesota v New York Red Bulls - 3pm CT on ESPN
DC v Houston
Toronto v Colorado
Columbus v Philadelphia
Montreal v Dallas
New England v LA
Salt Lake v Kansas City
-Sun Jul 23
Vancouver v Portland - 5:30pm CT on FS1
Seattle v San Jose

dN

Crumbs: du Nord Music Mix Vol 130 (download + extract)

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Jul 18, 2017

It's Day 199 of 2017.


My latest column for 1500ESPN: Mid-season roster changes are happening for Minnesota United, and I answer your soccer questions.

dN

A Twitter feed remembering the summer of 1967 in Detroit when riots broke out. This feed from the Detroit Free Press daily newspaper will show day-by-day how they covered the events.

dN

Another FIFA creep ends up in handcuffs, this one for financial skull-duggery. And he's the Spanish federation president and FIFA VP. By Raphael Minder for the New York Times.

dN

USMNT

USA preps for the Salvadorans in Philadelphia. By Jonathan Tannenwald for Philly.com.

How deep does the talent run in the USMNT player pool. By Steve Davis for Four Four Two.

Quarterfinal Schedule:
-Wed Jul 19
USA v El Salvador - 8pm CT on FS1
Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia

dN

Gold Cup

A discussion of the two top teams at this tournament - Mexico and USA. By Jeff Carlisle and Tom Marshall for ESPNFC.

Word has it that Mexican team owners blocked any changes to the Gold Cup roster, denying coach Juan Carlos Osorio's requests.

Sorting through the 8 Quarterfinalists. By Avi Creditor for Sports Illustrated.

NOTE: If Qfinals + Sfinals are tied after 90 they go straight to Penalty Kick Shootout. In Final its 30 minutes extra time and then penalties. (Teams will also get 1 extra sub in extra time.)

Quarterfinals Schedule:
-Wed Jul 19
1 Costa Rica v Panama - 5:00pm CT on FS1
2 USA v El Salvador - 8:00pm CT on FS1
-----
-Thu Jul 20
3 Mexico v Honduras - 6:30pm CT on FS1
4 Jamaica v Canada - 9:30pm CT on FS1

-Follow the entire Gold Cup here.

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

MNUFC trying to get Vadim Demidov off their roster and payroll. By Megan Ryan for the Star Tribune.

Injured list: KVenegas, JVenegas, Danladi, Alvbage, Schuller, Burch.

• Kallman and Molino trained with the regulars today.

• With Calvo and Taylor still away for the Gold Cup, that leaves a very thin team with 2 games coming up this week.

Minn United's Special Olympics Unified team takes the field for the first time tomorrow night against Houston Dynamo Unified team. By Andy Greder for the Pioneer Press.

Stadium Cam

Schedule:
-Wed Jul 19
Minnesota v Houston 0 7:00pm CT on My29
-Sat Jul 22
Minnesota v New York Red Bulls - 3pm CT on ESPN

dN

MLS

Atlanta's Julian Gressel has been one of the league's biggest surprises in the first half of the season. Who is he? By Paul Tenorio for Four Four Two.

Week 20 schedule/results:
(First 7 of 18 Games)
-Wed Jul 19
Montreal v Philadelphia
New York Red Bulls v San Jose
New York City v Toronto
Minnesota v Houston
LA v Vancouver
Portland v Salt Lake
Seattle v DC

dN

Jose Mourinho on Real Salt Lake: "This team played well the first 30 minutes, well-coached and good understanding of the game. Two fast wingers, good midfield. I really like the way they played. I’m sorry they have game on Wednesday and couldn’t play with best team for 90 minutes." Manchester United beat RSL 1-2 last night in Sandy UT. From the Guardian.

dN

• Nemanja Vukovic of Indy Eleven named NASL Player Of The Week
• Andressinha of Houston Dash named NWSL Player Of The Week
• Jason Johnson of Phoenix Rising named USL Player Of The Week

dN

Florida based business owner Robert Palmer has bought the Jacksonville Armada. It was previously owned and run by the NASL. By Clayton Freeman for the Florida Times Union.

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Jul 17, 2017

It's Day 198 of 2017.


My newest column for 1500ESPN: Roster changes are underway for Minnesota United, and I provide answers to your most burning soccer (and more) questions.

dN

Johan Venegas of Minnesota United was released by the Costa Rican national team due to injury.

• The club hasn't made any mention of this yet, so we don't know what the injury really is, or how severe.

dN

Bad Scheduling Conflict:
-Wed Jul 19
Minnesota United v Houston Dynamo - 7pm CT
USA v El Salvador - 8pm CT

dN

Let's Party!!!

Hey friends, if you are looking to host a private poolside event for a :-

Birthday party
Bachelorette party... https://t.co/LfEvn0umLC

— Jack Warner (@jackwarnertt) July 17, 2017

dN

USMNT

The USA got what they needed in Game 3, a 3-0 win to advance to the knockout stage, and make them the #1 seed from their group.

They made it as hard as possible on themselves though with both Dwyer and Corona having weak penalty kicks saved. Oof!

They take on El Salvador on Wednesday.

Bruce Arena swapped out 6 players after that game, with some big games joining the roster:

• OUT - Brad Guzan, Sean Johnson, Alejandro Bedoya, Cristian Roldan, Kelyn Rowe, Dom Dwyer
• IN - Tim Howard, Jesse Gonzalez, Michael Bradley, Darlington Nagbe, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore

The who, what, and why of the USMNT roster changes. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

Gold Cup Group Stage Results:
-Sat Jul 8
USA 1-1 Panama - USA goal by Dywer.
-Wed Jul 12
USA 3-2 Martinique - USA goals by OGonzalez + Morris(2).
-Sat Jul 15
USA 3-0 Nicaragua - USA goals by Corona, Rowe + Miazga.
FristEnergy Stadium - Cleveland

Gold Cup Quarterfinal Schedule:
-Wed Jul 19
USA v El Salvador - 8pm CT on FS1
Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia

USA Roster

• G: Brad Guzan - Atlanta United, Jesse Gonzalez - Dallas, Bill Hamid - DC United, Tim Howard - Colorado Rapids, Sean Johnson - New York City
• D: Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City, Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca, Matt Hedges - Dallas, Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest, Matt Miazga - Chelsea, Justin Morrow - Toronto, Jorge Villafana - Santos Laguna, Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
• M: Kellyn Acosta - Dallas, Paul Arriola - Tijuana, Alejandro Bedoya - Philadelphia Union, Michael Bradley - Toronto, Joe Corona - Tijuana, Dax McCarty - Chicago Fire, Darlington Nagbe - Portland Timbers, Chris Pontius - Philadelphia Union, Cristian Roldan - Seattle Sounders, Kelyn Rowe - New England Revolution, Kenny Saief - Gent, Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy
• F: Juan Agudelo - New England Revolution, Jozy Altidore - Toronto, Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders, Dom Dwyer - Sporting Kansas City, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders

El Salvador Roster (have not announced any roster changes yet)

• G: Oscar Arroyo - Alianza, Derby Carrillo - IBV, Benji Villalobos - Aguila
• D: Roberto Dominguez - Santa Tecla, Alexander Larin - Alianza, Ivan Mancia - Alianza, Ruben Marroquin - Alianza, Milton Molina - Isidro Metapan, Henry Romero - Alianza, Bryan Tamacas - Santa Tecla
• M: Junior Burgos - Reno 1868, Darwin Ceren - San Jose Earthquakes, Oscar Ceren - Alianza, Andres Flores - New York Cosmos, Victor Garcia - Aguila, Gerson Mayen - Santa Tecla, Richard Menjivar - New York Cosmos, Narciso Orellana - Alianza, Denis Pineda - Santa Clara, Edwin Sanchez - Aguila
• F: Harold Alas - Santa Tecla, Nelson Bonilla - Nacional, Rodolfo Zelaya - Alianza

The place to watch the USMNT in the Twin Cities is Town Hall Brewery in the Seven Corners neighborhood of Minneapolis. Join the growing crowd in the back room.

dN

Gold Cup

NOTE: If Qfinals + Sfinals are tied after 90 they go straight to Penalty Kick Shootout. In Final its 30 minutes extra time and then Penalties. (Teams will also get 1 extra sub in extra time.)

Schedule/Results:

Group A
7 CR (+4 GD)
5 Can (+2 GD)
4 Hon (+2 GD)
0 FG (-8 GD)
Results:
-Fri Jul 14
Costa Rica 3-0 French Guiana
Canada 0-0 Honduras

Group B
7 USA (+4 GD) (7 GS)
7 Pan (+4 GD) (6 GS)
3 Mar (-2 GD)
0 Nic (-6 GD)
Results:
-Sat Jul 15
Panama 3-0 Martinique
USA 3-0 Nicaragua

Group C
7 Mex (+4 GD)
5 Jam (+2 GD)
4 El S (0 GD)
0 Cur (-6 GD)
Results:
-Sun Jul 16
Jamaica 1-1 El Salvador
Mexico 0-2 Curacao

QFinals Schedule:
-Wed Jul 19
1 Costa Rica v Panama - 5:00pm CT on FS1
2 USA v El Salvador - 8:00pm CT on FS1
-----
-Thu Jul 20
3 Mexico v Honduras - 6:30pm CT on FS1
4 Jamaica v Canada - 9:30pm CT on FS1

always enjoy a bracket pic.twitter.com/mlUtfemOR8

— Brian Straus (@BrianStraus) July 17, 2017

SFinals Schedule:
-Sat Jul 22
5 Winner 1 v Winner 2
-Sun Jul 23
6 Winner 3 v Winner 4

Final Schedule:
-Wed Jul 26
Winner 5 v Winner 6

-Follow the entire Gold Cup here.

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

MY MNUFC Notes:

• Game highlights from the friendly - Minn v Atlas [VIDEO]
• Great frickin goal by Kadrii!
• I think we found someone in a Minn United uniform who can deliver a free kick to a dangerous area. [VIDEO]
• Schuller got injured after just 14 minutes. The guy can't stay healthy. Time to go.
• Allen landed in the Twin Cities on Saturday and started the game.
• The moment Ramirez came on as a sub you could see how much more dynamic a player is than Allen to is a meat and potatoes brute strength no frills kinda forward.
• The whole team sprung to life once Ibson, Molino and Ramirez joined the game.
• Jome played at left fullback.
• Davis started at left centerback.
• Martin and Greenspan got starters minutes too.
• Danladi and Kallman are still injured.
• They say Molino jacked up his ankle sometime in there too. Who knows on his condition.

I predicted the team would sign 1 or 2 players this summer. They have signed 3 so far. So I am definitely wrong on that one.

Stadium Cam

Schedule:
-Wed Jul 19
Minnesota v Houston 0 7:00pm CT on My29
-Sat Jul 22
Minnesota v New York Red Bulls - 3pm CT on ESPN

dN

MLS

The season resumes with 7 games on Wednesday.

Week 20 schedule/results:
-Wed Jul 19
Montreal v Philadelphia
New York Red Bulls v San Jose
New York City v Toronto
Minnesota v Houston
LA v Vancouver
Portland v Salt Lake
Seattle v DC

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This pretty much kicks ass! [VIDEO]

I'm speechless, tonight was unreal! Thank you to everyone that's helped me be able to make this dream come true!! #Repost @monsterenergy ・・・ @jamesfosterbmx just won @xgames BMX Big Air GOLD 🥇 with this run! #MonsterEnergy #BMX #XGames

A post shared by James Foster (@jamesfosterbmx) on Jul 15, 2017 at 12:38am PDT

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LIGA MX

The Apertura season begins on Friday!

Schedule:
-Fri Jul 21
Morelia v v Monterrey
Tijuana v Cruz Azul
-Sat Jul 22
Lobos BUAP v Santos Laguna
Tigres UANL v Puebla
Leon v Atlas
America v Queretaro
Guadalajara v Toluca
-Sun Jul 23
Pumas UNAM v Pachuca
Veracruz v Necaxa

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All of my columns for 1500ESPN.

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After 25 years of the Premier League an English coach has still never won the title. Something to nibble on from the Guardian today.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Jul 14, 2017

It's Day 195 of 2017.


My two-pronged plan for soccer on Saturday:

1. 6:00pm at Town Hall Brewery in Seven Corners to watch USA v Nicaragua in Gold Cup on TV
2. 8:00pm-ish head to Minnesota United v Atlas friendly at TCF Bank Stadium

dN

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is basically more worthless than its ever been before. Most teams and players don't care. Its run half-assed. Less and less people are in the stands at every game. One minute the TV feed is interesting and well done, the next its off kilter and nonsensical - inconsistent is the word to use I guess. Hell, the Gold Cup patches on the uniforms won't even stay on.
(I know this isn't a revelation of any sort. I am just venting. And you know I am going to watch anyway.)

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USMNT

After 2 games its obvious the USA is playing waaaaaaaay to slow. They did not play slow against Ghana in the pre-tournament friendly. So why now? Why are these players not taking advantage of this huge chance to push their international career forward? Come on guys, lets get your shit together
.
Gold Cup Group Stage Schedule:
-Sat Jul 8
USA 1-1 Panama - USA goal by Dom Dywer. -Wed Jul 12
USA 3-2 Martinique - USA goals by Omar Gonzalez + Jordan Morris(2). -Sat Jul 15
USA v Nicaragua - 6:00pm CT on FXX
FristEnergy Stadium - Cleveland

USA Roster

• G: Brad Guzan - Atlanta United, Bill Hamid - DC United, Sean Johnson - New York City
• D: Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City, Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca, Matt Hedges - Dallas, Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest, Matt Miazga - Chelsea, Justin Morrow - Toronto, Jorge Villafana - Santos Laguna, Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
• M: Kellyn Acosta - Dallas, Paul Arriola - Tijuana, Alejandro Bedoya - Philadelphia Union, Joe Corona - Tijuana, Dax McCarty - Chicago Fire, Chris Pontius - Philadelphia Union, Cristian Roldan - Seattle Sounders, Kelyn Rowe - New England Revolution, Kenny Saief - Gent, Gyasi Zardes - LA Galaxy
• F: Juan Agudelo - New England Revolution, Dom Dwyer - Sporting Kansas City, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders

Important Note: The USA can select up to 6 players left over from the original 40 player Gold Cup roster (16 available to choose from) that could be added to the roster after the Group Stage:

• G: Joe Bndik, Jesse Gonzalez, Tim Howard
• D: Steve Birnbaum, Greg Garza, Matt Polster, Jonathan Spector
• M: Michael Bradley, Tommy McNamara, Darlington Nagbe, Christian Pulisic, Wil Trapp
• F: Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, CJ Sapong, Chris Wondolowski

Nicaragua Roster

• G: Justo Lorente - UNAN, Henry Maradiaga - Real Esteli, Diedrich Tellez - Diriangen
• D: Luis Copete - Comerciantes Unidos, Cyril Errington - Real Esteli, Oscar Lopez - Managua, Henry Nino - Jaco Rays, Josue Quijano - Real Esteli, Manuel Rosas - Real Esteli, Erick Tellez - Diriangen, Bismarck Veliz - Chinandega
• M: Daniel Cadena - Njarovikur, Elvis Figueroa - Real Esteli, Luis Galeano - Real Esteli, Bryan Garcia - Real Esteli, Marlon Lopez - Real Esteli, Maykel Montiel - UNAN, Bismarck Montiel - Managua, Luis Peralta - Walter Ferretti
• F: Juan Barrera - Comunicaciones, Carlos Chavarria - Real Esteli, Jorge Hurtado - Walter Ferretti, Eulises Pavon - Suchitepequez

I'm watching the USMNT at Town Hall Brewery in the Seven Corners neighborhood of Minneapolis. Come find me in the back room.

dN

Gold Cup

Mexico could only muster up a 0-0 tie with Jamaica. Made the USA 1-1 tie with Panama feel victorious in retrospect.


Group A
4 Can (+2 GD)
4 CR (+1 GD)
1 Hon (-1 GD)
1 FG (-2 GD)
Schedule:
-Fri Jul 14
Costa Rica v French Guiana
Canada v Honduras

Group B
4 USA (+1 GD) (4 GS)
4 Pan (+1 GD) (3 GS)
3 Mar (+1 GD)
0 Nic (-3 GD)
Schedule:
-Sat Jul 15
Panama v Martinique
USA v Nicaragua

Group C
4 Mex (+2 GD) (3 GS)
4 Jam (+2 GD) (2 GS)
3 El S (0 GD) (3 GS)
0 Cur (-4 GD) (0 GS)
Schedule:
-Sun Jul 16
Jamaica v El Salvador
Mexico v Curacao

QFinals Schedule:
-Wed Jul 19
1 A1 v B2
2 B1 v A/C3
-----
-Thu Jul 20
3 C1 v A/B3
4 C2 v A2

SFinals Schedule:
-Sat Jul 22
5 Winner 1 v Winner 2
-Sun Jul 23
6 Winner 3 v Winner 4

Final Schedule:
-Wed Jul 26
Winner 5 v Winner 6

-Follow the entire Gold Cup here.

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MINNESOTA UNITED

An article on MNUFC's goalkeeping coach Marius Rovde. Really good to learn more about him. By Jeff Reuter for Four Four Two.

The Loons play a friendly on Saturday night against Atlas. Game is at 7:30pm at TCF Bank Stadium. Season ticket holders already have a ticket for this game.

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MLS

A list of 10 players who are surprising MLS this season with their play. Few saw them coming. By Greg Seltzer for MLS.

Stability: Toronto has given contract extension to head coach Greg Vanney and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko. Now don't go getting complacent.

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OTHER STUFF

Heavy, enlightening, and somehow uplifting. A Small-Town Police Officer’s War on Drugs. By Benhamin Rachlin for the New York Times.

If you focus solely on the 4 albums by Black Sabbath, made with Vertigo in 1970, 1971 & 1972, (untitled), Paranoid, Master Of Reality + Vol. 4, you are more than covered on the peak of their career. You can very safely skip the rest.

The first 4 Black Sabbath records: pic.twitter.com/kP74QS9D52

— Bruce McGuire (@dunord) July 14, 2017

Letter of Recommendation: Detroit Techno By Shuja Haider for New York Times Magazine.

• My favorite Detroit techno track wasn't even made until 1999: The Aztec Mystic aka DJ Rolando - Jaguar

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US Open Cup

The Mia v Cin game which was postponed due to weather will now be played on Wed Aug 2.

Quarterfinals schedule:
-Wed Aug 2
Miami v Cincinnati - original game postponed due to weather

Quarterfinals Results:
New England Revolution 0-1 New York Red Bulls
Sporting Kansas City 3-0 Dallas
San Jose Earthquakes 3-2 LA Galaxy

Semifinals Schedule:
-Aug 8-9
Sporting Kansas City v San Jose Earthquakes
Miami/Cincinnati winner v New York Red Bulls

Final Schedule:
-Sep 20
Winner 1 v Winner 2 - 8:00pm CT on ESPN2
-Priority order for hosting final:
Sporting Kansas City
New York Red Bulls
Miami/Cincinnati winner
San Jose Earthquakes

dN

My previous columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word