Some Soccer News for Aug 31, 2017

It's Day 243 of 2017.


The Houston Dash and Houston Dynamo soccer clubs are encouraging anyone who wants to contribute to the Hurricane disaster funds to connect with the Red Cross.

• You can also text HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

dN

Let's review du Nord's MLS coaches hot set power rankings:

Preseason:

• OUT 7 Curt Onalfo
• 6 Jay Heaps
• 5 Veljko Paunovic
• OUT 4 Jeff Cassar
• 3 Jim Curtin
• 2 Dominic Kinnear
• 1 Carl Robinson

Mar 30:

• 6 Jay Heaps
• 5 Adrian Heath
• OUT 4 Dominic Kinnear
• OUT 3 Curt Onalfo
• 2 Jim Curtin
• 1 Carl Robinson

Apr 28:

• 6 Mauro Biello
• 5 Jay Heaps
• OUT 4 Dominic Kinnear
• 3 Carl Robinson
• OUT 2 Curt Onalfo
• 1 Jim Curtin

Jun 1:

• OUT 6 Pablo Mastroeni
• 5 Carl Robinson
• 4 Jay Heaps
• 3 Mauro Biello OUT 2 Curt Onalfo
• 1 Jim Curtin

Jul 1:

• 4 Jim Curtin
• OUT 3 Curt Onalfo
• 2 Jay Heaps
• 1 Mauro Biello

Aug 3:

• 5 Ben Olsen - dreadful season, and owners looking to sell
• 4 Jay Heaps - winless on the road, 6 points out of playoffs
• OUT 3 Pablo Mastroeni - new management above him and last place in the West
• 2 Jim Curtin - shuffle players, same results
• 1 Mauro Biello - meltdown master for an owner

And the list for end of August/beginning of September will be out tomorrow.

dN

USMNT - World Cup Qualifying

A flash back to the Snow Clasico against Costa Rica, including new interviews previewing tomorrows game etc. [VIDEO] By Bob Ley for ESPN Outside The Lines.

Bruce Arena press conference from earlier today. [VIDEO] From US Soccer.

• By far the most important thing he said was, "We have 26 players in camp on our roster and we have 26 players that are healthy."

Maybe reading this will help me better understand Alejandro Bedoya - a player I have never seen the quality in. But plenty of other people do. By Ridge Mahoney for Soccer America.

The pieces that Bruce Arena alone brings to his teams. By Paul Kennedy for Soccer America.

The rivalry between USA + CR continues to grow. By Brian Straus for Sports Illustrated.

The kid still has his feet on the ground despite the incredible last 9 months. Pulisic. By Steve Davis for Four Four Two.

Run DMB is lining up a 5th World Cup - not many players can even come CLOSE to that. By Brian Sciaretta for the New York Times.

Bobby Wood is gonna get his chance to make a difference right now. By Ron Blum for Associated Press via Denver Post.

Now is the time for the USA players to step up, be ruthless and efficient and finish off what they started in March. By Steven Goff for the Washington Post.

Schedule:
-Fri Sep 1
USA v Costa Rica - 5:55pm CT on ESPN
-Tue Sep 5
Honduras v USA - 4:30pm CT on beIN

USA Roster

• G: Brad Guzan - Atlanta United, Tim Howard - Colorado Rapids, Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake
• D: DaMarcus Beasley - Houston Dynamo, Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City, Geoff Cameron - Stoke City, Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca, Matt Hedges - Dallas, Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest, Tim Ream - Fulham, Jorge Villafana - Santos Laguna, Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
• M: Kellyn Acosta - Dallas, Paul Arriola - DC United, Alejandro Bedoya - Philadelphia Union, Michael Bradley - Toronto, Fabian Johnson - Borussia Monchengladbach, Dax McCarty - Chicago Fire, Darlington Nagbe - Portland Timbers, Christian Pulisic - Borussia Dortmund, Cristian Roldan - Seattle Sounders
• F: Jozy Altidore - Toronto, Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders, Chris Wondolowski - San Jose Earthquakes, Bobby Wood - Hamburger

dN

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying:

With 4 rounds left to play Mexico could qualify tonight - They would need a win and a Panama loss. And they happen to play each other!

• Somehow Mexico plays their 3rd game in a row at home tomorrow.

Hexagonal Schedule/results:
Matchday 7
-Fri Sep 1
USA v Costa Rica - 5:55pm CT on ESPN
T+T v Honduras - 7:00pm CT on beIN
Mexico v Panama - 8:30pm CT on FS2
Matchday 8
-Tue Sep 5
Honduras v USA - 4:30pm CT on beIN
Panama v T+T - 7:00pm CT (No USA TV)
Costa Rica v Mexico - 9:00pm CT on beIN

Hexagonal Standings:
(6 of 10 games played)
14 Mexico (+7)
11 Costa Rica (+5)
8 USA (+3)
-----
7 Panama (0)
-----
5 Honduras (-8)
3 Trinidad +Tobago (-7)

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

Jose Leiton will wear #77 for the Loons.

Baskim Kadrii is out the door:

Updated: @tipsbladet reports that Kadrii's #MNUFC contract is terminated and he is set for a Randers move. https://t.co/qhB1BAp9rR

— Wes Burdine (@MnNiceFC) August 31, 2017

• Signed with Randers in Denmark officially now.

Schedule:
-Sat Sep 9
Minnesota v Philadelphia Union

dN

Crocus: du Nord Music Mix Vol 136 (download + extract)

dN

MLS

What direction are Jim Curtain and his Philadelphia Union headed in? Who knows, but its not upward. So what's the dealio? By Jonathan Tannenwald for Philly.com

dN

Ignacio Piatti of Montreal Impact named MLS Player Of The Month for August.

dN

AMERICANS ABROAD

Julian Greene has left Stuttgart after an unsatisfying year, going on a season long loan to Bundesliga 2 team Greuther Furth.

dN

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING

We are getting closer and closer to having our field set for next summer's tournament. Lets check in.

SOUTH AMERICA

• Play 18 games total.
• No one has officially qualified yet, but that could change tonight.

Matchday 15:
-Thu Aug 31
Uruguay v Argentina
Brazil v Ecuador
Chile v Paraguay
Venezuela v Colombia
Peru v Bolivia

ASIA
Group A:

• Japan is IN! Clinched their spot today.
• Saudi Arabia + Australia will fight for 2nd spot in group.
• United Arab Emirates still alive for playoff spot.

Group B:

• Iran has been IN for a while
• South Korea, Syria and Uzbekistan battling for 2nd spot, and playoff spot.

Africa

• There are 5 groups of 4 and the winner of each group goes to the World Cup.
• Most teams have played 2 or 3 of the 8 games, so no one has really separated fully yet.

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 30, 2017

It's Day 242 of 2017.


The Houston Dash and Houston Dynamo soccer clubs are encouraging anyone who wants to contribute to the Hurricane disaster funds to connect with the Red Cross. Their city is just getting crushed. Please help if you can.

• You can also text HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

dN

Great article today about the soccer team I love to support, Minnesota United, and my amazing fellow fans. By Chris Nietupski for City Pages.

dN

USMNT - World Cup Qualifying

Tim Howard: “The makeup of this (USMNT) team is probably the best I’ve ever seen.”

The Christian Pulisic press conference drew a big crowd:

• Grant Wahl for Sports Illustrated
• Paul Kennedy for Soccer America
• Thomas Lipe for New York Post

The game on Friday night is in Harrison NJ at Red Bull Arena, and there are no less than 5 former members of that team on this USA roster: Altidore, Bradley, Howard, McCarty and Ream.

First ever World Cup qualifier in the New York City metro area. US Soccer expects pro-USA crowd. By Stefan Bondy for New York Daily News.

After a 2016 in which everything came up just a little short for Michael Bradley he is looking for 2017 to have a better ending. By Michael Lewis for Front Row Soccer.

The mood of this USA squad compared to 10 months ago is a remarkable turnaround. By Brian Straus for Sports Illustrated.

What will Fabian Johnson's role be? Outside midfield or fullback? By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

The Costa Ricans are preparing for the USA. By Arch Bell for ESPNFC.

• Including Francisco Calvo and Johan Venegas from Minnesota United.

Schedule:
-Fri Sep 1
USA v Costa Rica - 5:55pm CT on ESPN

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

A lot of MNUFC updates: Summer signing Jose Leiton has arrived, Cronin has a concussion, Kapp sent out on loan, Bashkim Kadrii has fled the country(!), other injury notes on Ramirez and Kallman, plus more. By Megan Ryan for the Star Tribune.

More Loons updates: (some similar topics) but also interesting words on JVenegas, Burch health and the Italian Bomba sandwich. By Andy Greder for the Pioneer Press.

Brent Kallman has been dealing with a couple of injuries. We knew about the knee, but did you know he had surgery for testicular torsion (a twisted testicle). Yeeeeouch! Plus he helps coach a high school team. By Andy Greder for the Pioneer Press.

dN

Crocus: du Nord Music Mix Vol 136 (download + extract)

dN

MLS

Tim Leiweke is the person who convinced the owners of TFC to open their check book then found the management team that turned the team from laughing stock to power house. By Kurt Larson for the Toronto Sun.

Week 26 Schedule:
(4 games)
-Sat Sep 2
New England v Orlando
Montreal v Chicago
Dallas v New York RB
LA v Colorado

dN

The new potential 3rd division American soccer league, lead by our friend Peter Wilt, made their first real announcement today with several teams lining up to join the league. Press release.

• More on to days news, plus leagues background and ideology. By Chris Kivlehan for Midfield Press.

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 29, 2017

It's Day 241 of 2017.


MLS

A reporter who is used to seeing the game from the press box takes in the Seattle-Portland rivalry from the sidelines, and it is intense. By Matt Pentz for Four Four Two.

LA Galaxy has added Dominic Kinear to their assistant coaching staff.

dN

"I dont think you know who I am. I'm the sausage man. The shadow licker. I'm a tiny little ghost that features in your despondent moments. A timeless whisper. A glassy dude. I'm Miami."

dN

My new EP is now on Bandcamp!https://t.co/mv20FojEbE

— Bill McGuire (@geargab) August 19, 2017

dN

• Jack Blake of Jacksonville Armada named NASL Player Of The Week
• Hayley Raso of Portland Thorns named NWSL Player Of The Week
• Sebastian Giovinco of Toronto named MLS Player Of The Week
• Kevin Kerr of Pittsburgh Riverhounds named USL Player Of The Week

dN

The new USL team in Las Vegas will be called - Las Vegas Lights FC.

• Owned by long time du Nord Futbol reader and supporter Brett Lashbrook!

dN

USMNT - World Cup Qualifying

Schedule:
-Fri Sep 1
USA v Costa Rica - 5:55pm CT on ESPN
-Tue Sep 5
Honduras v USA - 4:30pm CT on beIN

USA Roster

• G: Brad Guzan - Atlanta United, Tim Howard - Colorado Rapids, Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake
• D: DaMarcus Beasley - Houston Dynamo, Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City, Geoff Cameron - Stoke City, Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca, Matt Hedges - Dallas, Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest, Tim Ream - Fulham, Jorge Villafana - Santos Laguna, Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
• M: Kellyn Acosta - Dallas, Paul Arriola - DC United, Alejandro Bedoya - Philadelphia Union, Michael Bradley - Toronto, Fabian Johnson - Borussia Monchengladbach, Dax McCarty - Chicago Fire, Darlington Nagbe - Portland Timbers, Christian Pulisic - Borussia Dortmund, Cristian Roldan - Seattle Sounders
• F: Jozy Altidore - Toronto, Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders, Chris Wondolowski - San Jose Earthquakes, Bobby Wood - Hamburger

dN

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying:
Hexagonal Schedule/results:
Matchday 7
-Fri Sep 1
USA v Costa Rica - 5:55pm CT on ESPN
T+T v Honduras - 7:00pm CT on beIN
Mexico v Panama - 8:30pm CT on FS2
Matchday 8
-Tue Sep 5
Honduras v USA - 4:30pm CT on beIN
Panama v T+T - 7:00pm CT (No USA TV)
Costa Rica v Mexico - 9:00pm CT on beIN

Hexagonal Standings:
(6 of 10 games played)
14 Mexico (+7)
11 Costa Rica (+5)
8 USA (+3)
-----
7 Panama (0)
-----
5 Honduras (-8)
3 Trinidad +Tobago (-7)



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 28, 2017

It's Day 240 of 2017.


USMNT

World Cup Qualifying is back and the games this week (Friday) and next (Tuesday) are big challenges.

Schedule:
-Fri Sep 1
USA v Costa Rica - 5:55pm CT on ESPN
-Tue Sep 5
Honduras v USA - 4:30pm CT on beIN

My USA WCQ Notes:

• A couple of key injuries are the story for the USA. Right fullback DeAndre Yedlin and left centerback John Brooks both have leg injuries and were not called in at all.
• Right fullback options are basically Eric Lichaj and Graham Zusi.
• Left centerback options are Matt Besler, Geoff Cameron and Tim Ream.
• There is also the issue that right centerback Omar Gonzalez is just returning from an injury at Pachuca, with 1 full game back.
• Forward is a real bright spot, where all 5 guys are scoring regularly right now. The options and match ups are as good as they have ever been.
• I am confused by not bringing in a young goalkeeper, especially Ethan Horvath who is the starter at Club Brugge now.
• Midfield has plenty of depth if not the perfect form for some of the players right now as Acosta is inconsistent and Johnson just returned from injury.

What are the scenarios that get the USA to the World Cup? By Brian Straus for Sports Illustrated.

Geoff Cameron is a big key player now for this USA squad. Him and who else are the defenders for these two games? By Steve Davis for Four Four Two.

On DaMarcus Beasley, the Houston flooding, and other USMNT notes. By Grant Wahl for Sports Illustrated.

What Bruce Arena needs out of this USA roster for the 2 big games. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

A review of this USA squad, which is surprisingly close to my thoughts above. (Great minds think alike.) By Brian Sciaretta for American Soccer Now.

USA Roster

• G: Brad Guzan - Atlanta United, Tim Howard - Colorado Rapids, Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake
• D: DaMarcus Beasley - Houston Dynamo, Matt Besler - Sporting Kansas City, Geoff Cameron - Stoke City, Omar Gonzalez - Pachuca, Matt Hedges - Dallas, Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest, Tim Ream - Fulham, Jorge Villafana - Santos Laguna, Graham Zusi - Sporting Kansas City
• M: Kellyn Acosta - Dallas, Paul Arriola - DC United, Alejandro Bedoya - Philadelphia Union, Michael Bradley - Toronto, Fabian Johnson - Borussia Monchengladbach, Dax McCarty - Chicago Fire, Darlington Nagbe - Portland Timbers, Christian Pulisic - Borussia Dortmund, Cristian Roldan - Seattle Sounders
• F: Jozy Altidore - Toronto, Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders, Chris Wondolowski - San Jose Earthquakes, Bobby Wood - Hamburger

Altidore, Bedoya, Besler, Bradley and Cameron all have a yellow card and will miss a game if they get another one.

dN

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying:
Hexagonal Schedule/results:
Matchday 7
-Fri Sep 1
USA v Costa Rica - 5:55pm CT on ESPN
T+T v Honduras - 7:00pm CT on beIN
Mexico v Panama - 8:30pm CT on FS2
Matchday 8
-Tue Sep 5
Honduras v USA - 4:30pm CT on beIN
Panama v T+T - 7:00pm CT (No USA TV)
Costa Rica v Mexico - 9:00pm CT on beIN

Hexagonal Standings:
(6 of 10 games played)
14 Mexico (+7)
11 Costa Rica (+5)
8 USA (+3)
-----
7 Panama (0)
-----
5 Honduras (-8)
3 Trinidad +Tobago (-7)

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

Results:
-Sat Aug 26
Chicago 1-2 Minnesota

My MNUFC Notes:

• Game highlights [VIDEO]
• I am so glad I was at this game!!! Thanks to my awesome traveling partners Charlie, Rich and Doug.
• FIRST ROAD WIN! That was an important win for the Loons. On the road in Chicago.
• Loons are no longer the worst team in the league in Points Per Game. They are on 1.00 ppg, while LA sits at 0.92 and Colorado is at the bottom with 0.88.
• Going in I thought this was a winnable game, even prompting me to predict a 2-1 win the night before.
• Chicago looked exactly like I thought they would: disjointed enough on defense to allow quality chances and very little confidence that they could score enough goals to win.
• No Ramirez again. Still out with the hamstring injury.
• Danladi bagged both Minn goals. Great for him. Very needed after several underwhelming performances in a row before this game.
• The assists for both goals came from the right side of the field with Finlay getting the 1st and Thiesson getting the 2nd. Both did a great job to set up the goals.
• Imagine the potential when Finlay and Jerry get enough time together on the right side of the field and really start to click and work as one. They will be hard to stop.
• Loons defense looks shaky but they pulled it off. A real nail biter.
• A one point late in the game I asked those around me. "How many shots can a bullet proof vest handle before the Kevlar breaks down?" That's how many times Chicago fired at the Minn goal. But they held tight.
• Molino had another very bad game. So many poor passes and weak effort. Jogging back on defense, taking the easiest defensive position instead of the best one over and over again. THEN in the last 10-15 minutes when Minn needed some real composure to hold the lead and get the 1st road win it was Molino who led the charge. Especially when it came to holding the ball, making the right run, connecting on the perfect pass, pointing to spots for teammates - acting like a god damn high priced veteran! Thank you Kevin Molino, you earned some respect back.
• The coach needs to dig deep and use his knowledge as a former striker to find new offense for this team. They only had 2 shots on goal in Chicago. Luckily they both went in.

And then there is this:

.@MNDarkClouds brick at @ChicagoFire Stadium brought us luck tonight as @MNUFC won on the road for the 1st time this season 2-1. pic.twitter.com/XlX2bivSbF

— Bruce McGuire (@dunord) August 27, 2017

• The Dark Clouds bought this brick in 2006 or 07 or whenever the stadium was being built - it was for a charity. Now it has paid off. Like a Trojan-Horse, we were on the inside all along!

Schedule:
-Sat Sep 9
Minnesota v Philadelphia Union

Examining the Minn United roster building budget 3/4 of the way through season 1 in MLS. By Sam Stejskal for Four Four Two.

Loons headed off to play for their national teams:

• Boxall - New Zealand
• Calvo - Costa Rica
• Molino - Trinidad + Tobago
• Taylor - Jamaica
• JVenegas - Costa Rica

dN

MLS

My MLS Notes:

• How is this for a special player? Diego Valeri has 16 goals this season, and has scored in 6 games in a row!
• Toronto. Yeah. A winning machine. They will be tough to stop.
• With a tie and loss Dallas has fallen below the playoff line. Considering they were many people's favorites to challenge for MLS Cup this has come as a shocking descent into mediocrity. They just don't have the real striker they need to take them over the top, and an injury here or there has kept them off balance. Plus, since their key playmaker Mauro Diaz has come back from a long term injury they just haven't been the same high quality team.
• Seattle has thundered up the charts just like they did last year and are now #1 in the West.
• With a 1-1 tie New York City claims the local derby for 2017. By Andrew Das for the New York Times.

Week 25 Results:
(17 games)
-Wed Aug 23
Columbus 2-0 LA
DC 1-0 Atlanta
Dallas 3-3 Houston
Toronto 3-0 Philadelphia
Salt Lake 4-0 San Jose
Vancouver 1-1 Seattle
Portland 2-1 Colorado
-Fri Aug 25
New York Red Bulls 1-1 New York City
-Sat Aug 26
DC 1-0 New England
Philadelphia 2-2 Atlanta
Columbus 2-1 Dallas
Orlando 1-2 Vancouver
Chicago 1-2 Minnesota
Salt Lake 4-1 Colorado
-Sun Aug 27
Montreal 1-3 Toronto
LA 0-3 San Jose
Seattle 1-1 Portland

51 goals in 17 games = 3.0 gpg.

Points Per Game standings - Top 10:

• 2.07 Toronto
• 1.81 New York City
• 1.60 Kansas City
• 1.58 Chicago
• 1.56 New York Red Bulls
• 1.56 Seattle
• 1.52 Vancouver
• 1.50 Columbus
• 1.50 Atlanta
• 1.46 Portland

dN

Lets check in on the big Dom Dwyer move from Kansas City to Orlando and see how things have gone in the short run (a little over 1 month.)

• Orlando: 0 Wins, 2 Ties and 3 Losses. With Dwyer playing 207 minutes and scoring 0 goals.
• Kansas City: 3 Wins, 1 Tie and 1 Loss. With 8 goals scored as a team.
• During the 24 games Dwyer was with KC they averaged 1.42 goals per game.
• Since Dwyer left KC they are averaging 1.60 goals per game.

dN

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

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Lederhosen Fitting

Time To Trim The Toenails

Peppercorn Harvesting

Getting The Oil Changed

Some Soccer News for Aug 18, 2017

It's Day 230 of 2017.


My new column for 1500ESPN - The New Loons are here! Rounding up and rating the newest members of Minnesota United.

dN

Sporting Kansas City has their 100th consecutive MLs home sellout this weekend. Before they opened their stadium they couldn't give tickets away. What a massive difference that place has made. The stadium has probably put a big chunk of money away toward paying for itself. Amazing.

• The new ownership in 2006 used a long term plan to give fans a reason to come spend their money on this team. And it worked. By Sam McDowell for the Kansas City Star.
• I am very happy for all the success they have had. Some very good people involved in SKC, inside the team and very much so in the stands.

dN

Opening Day Across Some Of Europes biggest leagues:

GERMANY SCHEDULE:
-Fri Aug 18
Bayern v Leverkusen
-Sat Aug 19
Schalke v Leipzig
Wolfsburg v Dortmund
Hoffenheim v Werder Bremen
-Sun Aug 20
Monchengladbach v Koln

SPAIN SCHEDULE:
-Sat Aug 19
Girona v Atletico Madrid
Sevilla v Espanyol
-Sun Aug 20
Barcelona v Real Betis
Deportivo La Coruna v Real Madrid

ITALY SCHEDULE:
-Sat Aug 19
Juventus v Cagliari
Hellas Verona v Napoli
-Sun Aug 20
Atalanta v Roma
Crotone v Milan
Inter v Fiorentina

dN

Best of luck to the University of Minnesota Gophers soccer team who open their new season today at Washington State, then come home on Mon Aug 21 v North Dakota State University.

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

I'm hearing multiple Liga MX sides made transfer offers for C. Ramirez last month. #MNUFC turned down all bids, which were worth ~ $1.5M.

— Jeff Rueter (@jeffrueter) August 18, 2017

I've also learned that #RBNY, #RCTID, & #SoundersFC made trade offers for M. Ibarra this summer. #MNUFC rejected all advances.

— Jeff Rueter (@jeffrueter) August 18, 2017

Schedule:
-Sun Aug 20
Seattle v Minnesota - 8:30pm CT on FS1
-Sat Aug 26
Chicago v Minnesota

dN

MLS

On the firing of head coach Pablo Mastroeni at Colorado Rapids, and the newly declared direction of the organization, with words by a few people including team captain Tim Howard. By Brian Straus for Sports Illustrated.

Q + A with Toronto GM Tim Bezbatchenko - the guy behind the scenes that has his hands deep in their reconstruction from doormat to powerhouse. By Scott French for Four Four Two.

Michael Bradley has strong family connections to Charlottesville and he is feeling the pain. By John Molinaro for Sports Net.

Week 24 Schedule:
(11 games) -Wed Aug 16
Montreal 3-0 Chicago
-Fri Aug 18
Portland v New York RB
-Sat Aug 19
Montreal v Salt Lake
Orlando v Columbus
Chicago v Toronto
KC v v Dallas
Colorado v DC
Vancouver v Houston
San Jose v Philadelphia
-Sun Aug 20
New York City v New England
Seattle v Minnesota

dN

USMNT

As I wrote about earlier this week the USA defense has a lot of injuries - here is a closer look. By Brian Sciaretta for American Soccer Now.

dN

All the young coaching talent in the Bundesliga keeps pushing the league's quality forward in new ways. By Rory Smith for the New York Times.

dN

BIG TEAMS + GAMES IN EUROPES TOP LEAGUES:

-Fri Aug 18
Metz v Monaco
-Sat Aug 19
Swansea v Manchester United
Stoke v Arsenal
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
Lyon v Bordeaux
St Etienne v Amiens
-Sun Aug 20
Tottenham v Chelsea
Marseille v Angers
PSG v Toulouse
-Mon Aug 21
Manchester City v Everton

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 17, 2017

It's Day 229 of 2017.


My new column for 1500ESPN - The New Loons are here! Rounding up and rating the newest members of Minnesota United.

dN

Zinedine Zidane became manager of Real Madrid on Jan 4 2016. Since then the team has lost 7 games. SEVEN. In over a year and a half. Yeah. They and he are pretty decent.

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

The talented Seattle Sounders added reinforcements during the international transfer window. By Geoff Baker for the Seattle Times.

• Sounders have won 5 and tied 1 in their last 6 games.
• In that run of games they have scored 15 and allowed 4, but have allowed ZERO in their last 4 games.

Loons go to Seattle looking for redemption of embarrassing loss at home 2 weeks ago. By Megan Ryan for the Star Tribune.

Schedule:
-Sun Aug 20
Seattle v Minnesota - 8:30pm CT on FS1

dN

MLS

The league announced that teams would be allowed a 4th substitute in playoff games that go to Extra Added Time.

Uh oh. Is there smoldering in the dumpster out back of the Chicago Fire locker room? They have lost four of their last five now. Last night they got seriously outplayed by Montreal, who are not a great team. If Chicago wants to be upper echelon they have about 10 games to get it straight. Or have other teams figured them out?

• Ignaccio Piatti is really good, in case you forgot.

Toronto is the blue print that the Fire need to follow in building their organization and team. By Matt Pentz for ESPNFC.

Colorado fired head coach Pablo Mastroeni - he probably got the short shrift. By Ridge Mahoney for Soccer America.

• Then the Rapids released this statement about the future direction of their club in the local newspaper. written by Padraig Smith (Sporting Director + General Manager) and Wayne Brant (Chief Business Officer) From the Denver Post.
• Its all a bunch of hot air until they concretely define what they are doing, which this piece, despite all their talk of transparency, does not.

The fake turf in Atlanta's new stadium is not ideal. By Doug Roberson for the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

• The same brand of the fake shit is used in Portland and Seattle.

Week 24 Schedule:
(11 games)
-Wed Aug 16
Montreal 3-0 Chicago
-Fri Aug 18
Portland v New York RB
-Sat Aug 19
Montreal v Salt Lake
Orlando v Columbus
Chicago v Toronto
KC v v Dallas
Colorado v DC
Vancouver v Houston
San Jose v Philadelphia
-Sun Aug 20
New York City v New England
Seattle v Minnesota

dN

Turner networks acquired the rights to broadcast UEFA Champions League and Europa League in the United States beginning next year for the 2018/19 season.

• In a radical move most of the games will be shown on a new pay streaming system, with about 20% of games on TBS, TNT and TruTV.
• Another blow to Fox Sports - losing a huge component of their soccer package.

dN

Precip: du Nord Music Mix Vol 135 (download + extract)

dN

USMNT

DeAndre Yedlin began training again with Newcastle this week. Lets hope he has recovered from the ankle injury. From Brian Sciaretta on Twitter.

dN

Juventus's young star-in-the-making Paulo Dybala is looking to plant his flag at the top of the mountain this season. By Rory Smith for the New York Times.

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 16, 2017

It's Day 228 of 2017.


My new column for 1500ESPN - The New Loons are here! Rounding up and rating the newest members of Minnesota United.

dN

John Brooks has a torn tendon in his right thigh and will be out 3 months - so he will miss the remaining USMNT World Cup qualifiers. Dammit.

• All the bad news for Brooks. By Henry Bushnell for Yahoo.

The current USMNT defenders list is a hot mess right now:
-Right Fullbacks:

• Yedlin - out, thigh injury
• Lichaj - not getting any minutes
• Chalder - playing, scored goal
• Zusi - playing

-Right Centerbacks:

• Cameron - playing, healthy
• Gonzalez - out, ankle injury
• Orozco - playing

-Left Centerbacks:

• Besler - playing
• Brooks - out, thigh injury
• Ream - playing

-Left Fullbacks:

• Beasley - playing
• Villafana - not getting any minutes

-Other Possible CBs:

• Birnbaum
• Carter-Vickers
• Hedges
• Marshall
• Miazga
• Spector
• Zimmerman

-Other Possible LFBs

• Garza
• FJohnson
• Morrow

-Other Possible RFBs:

• Evans
• Polster

dN

When a loser is a winner: FC Cincinnati got beat 2-3 by New York Red Bulls in the US Open Cup semifinals last night. But with a full enthusiastic stadium this club is bound for bigger things. Even the Red Bulls fans and players saluted the hosts after the game.

dN

Our man and Loons fan Peter Bartz-Gallager is in a new MNUFC video for a sorta Cross-Bar challenge!

• Christian Ramirez, Miguel Ibarra and another fan, Ethan Neal.

dN

US Open Cup

Cincy lead 2-0 into the 74th minute. At home. And the Red Bulls, like other MLS teams before them, were clearly rattled. But 2nd half subs for NY upped the teams energy and pressure. They controlled the ball almost the entire 2nd half, and then in the 75th and 78th they struck quickly to level the score and badly wound the Cincy players and fans. The game did go to Extra Added Time, but again NY poured on the the pressure until Bradley Wright Phillips got his 2nd goal of the game, and finished it off.

• It was a helluva game.

But the dream is over for Cincinnati. By Patrick Brennan for the Cincinnati Enquirer.

RBNY will travel to SKC for the Cup.

In a similar fashion to FCC I will never forget the 2005 Open Cup run for the Minnesota Thunder, who also made it to the Semifinals.

• In a way the Thunder run was even more impressive in that they beat 3 MLS teams in a row (Cincy beat two - both at home), the first 2 at home and the third on the road at Kansas City (I got maced at that game.) Then MT had to go to LA Galaxy for the semis (where Cincy played another home game.) Minnesota lost 5-2 to the Galaxy, but had an early chance to take the lead and on a penalty kick that Melvin Tarley put over the goal. Who knows what could have happened if that goal had gone in for the Thunder.

Semifinals Schedule:
-Tue Aug 15
Cincinnati 2-3 New York Red Bulls

Final Schedule:
-Wed Sep 20
Sporting Kansas City v Red Bull New York

dN

Precip: du Nord Music Mix Vol 135 (download + extract)

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

Some more details on the Minn United stadium being built in the Midway of St Paul. By Tim Newcomb for Four Four Two.

Another injury update: Burch, Ramirez and Cronin. By Megan Ryan for the Star Tribune.

Schedule:
-Sun Aug 20
Seattle v Minnesota - 8:30pm CT on FS1

dN

MLS

Former long time MLS assistant coach and head coach Paul Mariner makes lots of observations about the current state of MLS on the field from many angles. By Ridge Mahoney for Soccer America.

Matias Laba of Vancouver, a du Nord favorite, is out for the rest of the season do to a right ACL tear. He is headed to surgery and a rehab. It is usually about a 4-6 month recovery time.

There is a MLS mural in Chicago. From Windy City Times.

Week 24 Schedule:
(11 games)
-Wed Aug 16
Montreal v Chicago
-Fri Aug 18
Portland v New York RB
-Sat Aug 19
Montreal v Salt Lake
Orlando v Columbus
Chicago v Toronto
KC v v Dallas
Colorado v DC
Vancouver v Houston
San Jose v Philadelphia
-Sun Aug 20
New York City v New England
Seattle v Minnesota

dN

Julian de Guzman has been named head coach and GM of Ottawa Fury in USL.

• Paul Dalglish stepped down as head coach yesterday. He had told ownership that he wanted to leave at the end of the season, and they decided to make the move right away. Good decision.

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 15, 2017

It's Day 227 of 2017.


Pablo Mastroeni has been fired as head coach of the Colorado Rapids. By John Meyer for the Denver Post.

• He was #3 on du Nord Futbol's MLS Coaches Hot Seat for Aug 3, 2017.
• Current Rapids assistant Steve Cooke named interim.

dN

US Open Cup

TONIGHT!

Cincy is definitely the underdog in tonight's Semifinal, but NYRB have not exactly been world beaters in knock out games either.

A big big night for FC Cincinnati's very brief soccer history. By Patrick Brennan for the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The Red Bulls of New York are ready and confident that this is their year. By Brian Lewis for the New York Post.

Semifinals Schedule:
-Tue Aug 15
Cincinnati v New York Red Bulls - 7pm CT on the web at USSoccer.com.

Final Schedule:
-Wed Sep 20
Sporting Kansas City v Cincy/RBNY winner

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

A review of the rookie season so far for Abu Danladi. By Joe Bailey for the Santa Maria Times.

• Newspaper is from the area where Danladi lived when he first came to America.

Schedule:
-Sun Aug 20
Seattle v Minnesota - 8:30pm CT on FS1
-Sat Aug 26
Chicago v Minnesota

dN

MLS

Alejandro Moreno's always entertaining Weekly MLS Awards. [VIDEO] From ESPNFC.

The market for players in and around MLS is changing rapidly. The money is going up and up. By Paul Tenorio for Four Four Two.

Week 24 Schedule:
-Wed Aug 16
Montreal v Chicago

dN

• Stefano Pinho of Miami named NASL Player Of The Week
• Luke Spencer of Louisville City named USL Player Of The Week
• Justin Morrow of Toronto named MLS Player Of The Week
• Samantha Mewis of North Carolina Courage named NWSL Player Of The Week

dN

US SOCCER

34 stadiums across the USA have been asked to submit a bid to host games at the 2026 World Cup.

• US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is on the list, but has very little chance of succeeding because the footprint of the floor of the stadium is not regulation size for FIFA. They would need an exemption to qualify. They would also need to bring in real grass as the stadium has fake turf.
• More on the story with a list of all potential host stadiums. By Tom Marshall for ESPNFC.

dN

AMERICANS ABROAD

18 year old Westin MeKennie got his first start for Schalke on Monday in the Pokal. They won 0-2 at Berliner Dynamo. He made his pro debut last Spring but this was his first start. He played 55 minutes in central midfield.

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 14, 2017

It's Day 226 of 2017.


18 days until the next USMNT World Cup Qualifier.

dN

And Las Vegas jumps into the USL pool! For 2018 no less. They will play at a baseball stadium - Cashman Field, home to AAA Mets, located north of downtown just off the strip.

• Huge congrats to owner Brett Lashbrook a long time friend and supporter of du Nord Futbol.

dN

US Open Cup

Semifinals Schedule:
-Tue Aug 15
Cincinnati v New York Red Bulls

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

Important injury update from MNUFC training today:

Also at #MNUFC training today, Marc Burch (sports hernia) participating more, while Christian Ramirez (hamstring) rehabbing on side.

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) August 14, 2017

Schedule:
-Sun Aug 20
Seattle v Minnesota - 8:30pm CT on FS1

dN

MLS

My MLS Notes:

• Guess who is in first place in the West? Yeah, you got it. Houston. No? You didn't guess that? Me neither. Wow.
• The top 4 teams in the Supporters Shield race are all in the East! And Toronto is 10 points up on best in the West.
• The DCU-RSL game was delayed a day because of heavy rain causing a flooded field on Saturday. The game was played on Sunday to only about 1000 people. Ugh.
• Every time I have felt dread coming for the Montreal coach they seem to turn it around.
• The inverse is true for Vancouver - right when I think they are looking good, they flop. They have needed a new coach for 2 years.
• Sean Johnson should be named Player Of The Week for his job shutting out LA at home. He won't be, cuz it will go to someone who got a couple goals. (For instance Justin Morrow for TFC.)
• The red card for Kaka was a joke. He and former teammate Aurelien Collin where cleary goofing around when Kaka grabbed Collins head in a fake aggressive way. Then the ref, AFTER USING VAR, tossed Kaka. Watch it here. Yes it looks bad at first. Come on. Both players were laughing as the action happened. There was no ejectable(?) offense there!
• Seattle, Toronto, NYRB, Houston + NYC keep establishing their superiority.
• KC, Chicago and Dallas fell short in establishing theirs.
• Clint Dempsey bagged his 50th goal for Seattle, and it was a game winner of course.

The week 23 review. By Matt Doyle for MLS.

The weeks best 11 things. By Alexander Abnos for Sports Illustrated.

Things haven't clicked for Sigi and the Galaxy yet. By Matt Pentz for the Guardian.

• Is that the name of a new wave band from 1981?

Week 23 Schedule:
(10 games)
-Sat Aug 12
Seattle 1-0 Kansas City
Toronto 4-1 Portland
Columbus 3-1 Chicago
New York Red Bulls 3-1 Orlando
Dallas 0-0 Colorado
New England 1-0 Vancouver
Philadelphia 0-3 Montreal
Houston 3-0 San Jose
LA 0-2 New York City - 10pm CT on ESPN2
-Sun Aug 13
DC 0-1 Salt Lake - game delayed 1 day after heavy rains had flooded the field.

24 goals in 10 games = 2.4 gpg.

dN

USMNT

One of the most important developments for any national team pool player abroad is that Ethan Horvath has become the #1 goalkeeper at Club Brugge. While they are not a big club in a big league he has gone from backup to starter with each consecutive climb up the European ladder - a very good sign.

Injured across the back line are getting worrisome for the USMNT - Yedlin, Brooks, Gonzalez all dinged up. By Paul Kennedy for Soccer America.

Tim Chandler got the game winner for Eintract Frankfurt in the Pokal. They beat Erndtebruck 0-3.

While Bobby Wood did score for Hamburger in the DFB Pokal (German Cup,) his team was beaten by 3rd div club Osnabruck, which is coached by American Joe Enochs.

dN

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

dN

The Australian Football Federation is a mess and FIFA is on the brink of stepping in. By Jonathan Howcraft for the Guardian.

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 11, 2017

It's Day 223 of 2017.


Morocco declares bid to host 2026 World Cup. By Andrew Das for the New York Times.

dN

How did DC United get to such a spot that after years of barely spending any money on players they could cut loose in past few weeks to overhaul their roster so dramatically. By Steven Goff for the Washington Post.

Does Columbus finally look like a team that is ready to put up the resources to be great, it kinda looks like it. By Michael Arace for the Columbus Dispatch.

dN

COPA LIBERTADORES

The Quarterfinals are all set with 3 teams from Argentina, 3 from Brazil, and 1 each from Bolivia and Ecuador.

#1 seed Atletico Mineiro was knocked out by minnows Wilstermann of Bolivia on a aggregate scoreline of 1-0.

#5 seed Palmeiras was the only other favorite eliminated in the Round of 16 - by the only other minnow left, Barcelona of Ecuador.

Quarterfinals Schedule:
Leg One
-Sep 12-14 (exact match dates TBA)
Wilstermann (Bol) v River Plate (Arg)
Barcelona (Ecu) v Santos (Bra)
Gremio (Bra) v Botafogo(Bra)
San Lorenzo (Arg) v Lanus (Arg)
Leg Two
-Sep 19-21 (exact match dates TBA)
River Plate (Arg) v Wilstermann (Bol)
Santos (Bra) v Barcelona (Ecu)
Botafogo (Bra) v Gremio (Bra)
Lanus (Arg) v San Lorenzo (Arg)

dN

A look through the summer transfer window for all 22 MLS teams. Grades for everyone. By Matthew Doyle for MLS.

• Minnesota gets a less than satisfactory grade. As should be the case.

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

NOTE: Minn is off this weekend. They were originally scheduled to play at Atlanta, but a delay in stadium opening has pushed the game back a few weeks.

Q + A with the big boss Dr Bill McGuire - from players, coach, and fans to stadium. By Andy Greder for the Pioneer Press.

A look at the scene in Columbus as Ethan Finlay departed the Crew. By Andrew Erickson for the Columbus Dispatch.

Various reports coming out of Columbus that the Crew will pay a portion of Finlay's salary. Not confirmed but from very trustworthy sources.

Lots of words on and from Ethan Finlay. By Ryan Tolmich for SBI.

dN

MLS

Who is in charge of the future for LA Galaxy and do they have a plan? By Matt Pentz for ESPNFC.

Both the Seattle (v KC) and Toronto (v Port) home games should provide some quality viewing this weekend.

Week 23 Schedule:
(10 games)
-Sat Aug 12
Seattle v Kansas City
Toronto v Portland
DC v Salt Lake
Columbus v Chicago
New York Red Bulls v Orlando
Dallas v Colorado
New England v Vancouver
Philadelphia v Montreal
Houston v San Jose
LA v New York City - 10pm CT on ESPN2

dN

AMERICANS ABROAD

Weston McKennie is confident that he will make an impact at Schalke this season. By Arch Bell for Marca.

Doubtful that we will see Kenny Saief suit up for the USA again this year as complications from a hernia surgery will see him out of action an additional 2 months. He got an infection. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

American head coach David Wagner will lead Huddersfield into the Premier League in England. What an opportunity. By Rob Stewart for Four Four Two.

dN

A preview of the Turkish Super Lig for 2017-18. By Emre Sarigul for the Guardian.

dN

GUARDIAN 2017-18 PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM PREVIEWS:

• West Ham
• West Bromich Albion
• Watford
• Tottenham
• Swansea
• Stoke City
• Southampton
• Newcastle United
• Manchester United
• Manchester City
• Liverpool
• Liecester City
• Huddersfield
• Everton
• Crystal Palace
• Chelsea.
• Brighton + Hove Albion
• Burnley
• Bournemouth
• Arsenal

dN

Opening Day Across Europes biggest leagues:
England - Aug 11
Netherlands - Aug 11
Turkey - Aug 11
Germany - Aug 18
Spain - Aug 18
Italy - Aug 19

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 10, 2017

It's Day 222 of 2017.


Premier League, Eredivisie and Super Lig all start the new season tomorrow.

dN

3 Minnesota United roster moves:

• Ethan Finlay comes to MN from Columbus Crew for a lot of money.
• Jose Leiton arrives on loan from his club in Costa Rica, Herediano.
• Rasmus Schuller has left on loan back to Finland to play for 1st place HJK.

(more details below)

Is Bashkim Kadrii still headed out? We shall see.

dN

The MLS roster freeze is Sep 15. Moves inside the league can still happen, and so can the signing of internationals who are not under any contract.

dN

Chicharito GOES OFF! Mexican star Javier Hernandez passionately defends his friends and international teammates who have chosen to play for LA Galaxy (Gio + Jonathan Dos Santos) and LAFC (Carlos Vela) and are taking heavy criticism back home in Mexico. From ESPNFC. [VIDEO]

• It's not just Mexican fans that are unhappy, its the national team coach too. But this doesn't seem to matter to these players. By Kevin Baxter for the LA Times.

dN

Rafa Marquez denies that he is connected to a notorious drug cartel leader. By Jeremy Woo for Sports Illustrated.

• Marquez has not been charged with any crimes.
• He calls it an investigation, which is not true. The investigation is over and he is part of a large group that has been sanctioned.
• Rafa talks about news organizations reporting the story, but the info is coming direct from a US Treasury Department notice.
• Never once does he say he doesn't know Hernandez.

There are 9 businesses that Marquez runs (including a charity) that have been deemed connected to drug money. Oof.

dN

US Open Cup

Of course the big game in KC went to penalty kicks! When do they not? And KC won this one.

• They will host the winner of Cincy-Red Bulls.

Semifinals Schedule:
-Wed Aug 9
Sporting Kansas City 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes - SKC advances 5-4 in Penalty Kick Shootout
-Tue Aug 15
Cincinnati v New York Red Bulls

Final:
-Date TBA
Sporting KC v Cincy/NYRB winner

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

NOTE: Minn is off this weekend. They were originally scheduled to play at Atlanta, but a delay in stadium opening has pushed the game back a few weeks.

Ethan Finlay is a Loon. MNUFC acquired him from Columbus (the only pro team he has ever played for) on Wednesday for a pile of salary cap exemption money.

• The 27 year old right midfielder was born in Duluth and grew up in Wisconsin.
• Finlay is having his worst season in several years and is looking for a jump start.
• 2014 he had 11 goals, 2015 he had 13 goals, 2016 he had 6 goals, and so far in 2017 he has just 1 goal.

Jose Leiton from Costa Rican club Herediano is now a Loon as well. The 24 year old left sided midfielder comes recommended by Francisco Calvo, and stands at just 5'5".

• Leiton got his first international cap for CR playing in the Gold Cup against the USA. He came on as a sub in the semifinal match.
• I gotta wonder though, with Ibarra and Nicholson was a 3rd left mid really necessary?

A little stadium building insight from team owner Bill McGuire. By Brian Quarstad for Fifty Five One.

Andy reports that the grass for the stadium is about to be planted! Bluegrass!

The Kentucky bluegrass to become #MNUFC's pitch at Allianz Field will begin growing in Colorado this week or next, owner Bill McGuire said.

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) August 10, 2017

• I used to have bluegrass in my yard until the weeds took over.

dN

Brazen: du Nord Music Mix Vol 133 (download + extract)

dN

MLS

Some of the biggest summer signings in MLS this year. Including a batch of names you probably don't know who could be quite good. By Nick Sabetti for MLS.

Twin Citian Calum Mallace has been traded by Montreal to Seattle.

Week 23 Schedule:
(10 games)
-Sat Aug 12
Seattle v Kansas City
Toronto v Portland
DC v Salt Lake
Columbus v Chicago
New York Red Bulls v Orlando
Dallas v Colorado
New England v Vancouver
Philadelphia v Montreal
Houston v San Jose
LA v New York City - 10pm CT on ESPN2

dN

Jorge Herrera of Charlotte Independence named USL Player Of The Month for July

dN

What's it like when your rinky dink town suddenly becomes a Premier League city? By Rory Smith for the New York Times.

dN

GUARDIAN 2017-18 PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM PREVIEWS:

• West Ham
• West Bromich Albion
• Watford
• Tottenham
• Swansea
• Stoke City
• Southampton
• Newcastle United
• Manchester United
• Manchester City
• Liverpool
• Liecester City
• Huddersfield
• Everton
• Crystal Palace
• Chelsea.
• Brighton + Hove Albion
• Burnley
• Bournemouth
• Arsenal

dN

Opening Day Across Europe's biggest leagues:
England - Aug 11
Netherlands - Aug 11
Turkey - Aug 11
Germany - Aug 18
Spain - Aug 18
Italy - Aug 19

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 9, 2017

It's Day 221 of 2017.


Today is the last day of the MLS international transfer window - there will be deals.

dN

Minnesota United roster moves:

• Rasmus Schuller - out. Sent on loan back to Finland to play for 1st place HJK Helsinki.

Rasmus Schüller palaa Klubi-paitaan https://t.co/7Pt9tRT7GE#HJK #Veikkausliiga #OnVainYksiKlubi pic.twitter.com/PgIKNszwgA

— HJK Helsinki (@hjkhelsinki) August 9, 2017

• Ethan Finlay - in?
• Jose Leiton - in?
• Bashkim Kadrii - out?

dN

Mexican star Rafa Marquez is among a group of people who have been named by the US Treasury Dept as having direct ties to a drug cartel boss named Raul Flores Hernandez of the Flores cartel.

• All money and business dealings Marquez has in the USA have been frozen. Its highly likely he could enter the country without arrest.
• The sanction says he has had long standing ties to Hernandez and been a front for him financially.
• Details on each of the individuals involved.

"Marquez has a longstanding relationship with Flores Hernandez, and has acted as front person for him and his Drug Trafficking Organization, and held assets on Hernandez's behalf."

OFAC Kingpin action targets 22 Mexican Nationals & 43 entities—the largest Kingpin designation against a Mexican drug network pic.twitter.com/RaGfecYahf

— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) August 9, 2017

dN

DC United has made another big move on transfer day, signing American Paul Arriola from Tijuana.

dN

US Open Cup

Semifinals Schedule:
-Wed Aug 9
Sporting Kansas City v San Jose Earthquakes - 7:30pm CT via YouTube.
-Tue Aug 15
Cincinnati v New York Red Bulls

Priority order for hosting final:
1 Sporting Kansas City
2 New York Red Bulls
3 Cincinnati

dN

I firmly believe that a MLS team can be frugal and succeed. But you have to be exceptional at what you do. You need to be smarter, quicker, and harder working than your competition. And you probably need to be a little unorthodox too. It takes special people to pull this off.

dN

Brazen: du Nord Music Mix Vol 133 (download + extract)

dN

"We are streaming motherfuckers!"
-The Coen brothers announcement of a Western TV series on Netflix today called The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.

dN

MLS

People south of the border are taking notice of Carlos Vela and Jonathan Dos Santos moving to MLS. By Tom Marshall for ESPNFC.

dN

USL
A new USL team has been announced for Birmingham AL, to begin play in 2019.

And Austin TX will be the home to another new USL team in 2019. They are building their own stadium on the grounds of the Circuit Of The Americas Formula One race track, and will be owned by the chairman of COTA Bobby Epstein. The race track is outside of Austin, about 30 minutes from downtown.

Don't forget that Fresno and Nashville join USL in 2018 as well.

dN

GUARDIAN 2017-18 PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM PREVIEWS:

• Swansea
• Stoke City
• Southampton
• Newcastle United
• Manchester United
• Manchester City
• Liverpool
• Liecester City
• Huddersfield
• Everton
• Crystal Palace
• Chelsea.
• Brighton + Hove Albion
• Burnley
• Bournemouth
• Arsenal

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.

dN




The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 8, 2017

It's Day 220 of 2017.


I received this email from my father on Sunday. He was referring to the Minnesota United game on Saturday night against Seattle. I have left the email unedited:

Subject: Last nights Game
From John McGuire
Time: 5:02 PM
Date: Sunday, August 6, 2017
To: Bruce

Ha Bruce;
Have your Coaches just look at the last two Games. Don't over analyse.
Look at the personnel. If they could just improve a little "average it out" what wold that do?
20,000 good attendance wasn't it. Probably the game that I should have came to.
Dad

dN

LAFC has made Mexican forward Carlos Vela their first big signing. Buying him from Real Sociedad. I assume the deal will start in January.

• How will this work with notorious Vela butts heads with Bob Bradley? Vela is known for laziness and disrespect to managers. Bradley is known for no bullshit policies.

dN

And it looks like a roster churn at DC United is underway. By Steven Goff for the Washington Post.

dN

du Nord MLS Hot Team Hot List Power Rankings:
(Based solely on science using the 5 previous games, with no bias for prior standing or projections - just results.)
(As of Mon Aug 7)

1. Seattle Sounders
2. New York Red Bulls
3. Atlanta United
4. Vancouver Whitecaps
5. Dallas
6. San Jose Earthquakes
7. Portland Timbers
8. New York City
9. Philadelphia Union
10. Chicago Fire
11. Montreal Impact
12. Toronto
13. Houston Dynamo
14. Real Salt Lake
15. New England Revolution
16. Columbus Crew
17. Sporting Kansas City
18. Colorado Rapids
19. Minnesota United
20. Orlando City
21. LA Galaxy
22. DC United

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

NOTE: Minn is off this weekend. They were originally scheduled to play at Atlanta, but a delay in stadium opening has pushed the game back a few weeks.

The Loons signed goalkeeper Alex Kapp who has been training with the team for about a month already.

• Kapp was drafted by Atlanta and was on their roster until they had to make room for goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

Schedule:
-Sun Aug 20
Seattle v Minnesota - 8:30pm CT

dN

MLS

The growth of MLS is real. By Ken Belson for the New York Times.

• Clearly fake news.
• Seriously though, there are a lot of flaws in MLS and one helluva long way to go for this league to be declared truly successful. But from what I have experienced in soccer in my lifetime this league has been a genuine revolution. We all need to keep the pressure on to keep it growing and improving in the right directions.

How have New York City, and in turn Manchester City, progressed in their 3 years in America? By Chris Young for the Guardian.

Is your team "ambitious or frugal?" It might start getting real hard for the frugal. By Paul Tenorio for Four Four Two.

• I have felt for a long time that a frugal team can succeed, they just have to be smarter, better suited and make less mistakes than the ambitious.

Houston has signed a European centerback familiar to many - Swiss player Philippe Senderos from Rangers.

Week 23 Schedule:
(10 games)
-Sat Aug 12
Seattle v Kansas City
Toronto v Portland
DC v Salt Lake
Columbus v Chicago
New York Red Bulls v Orlando
Dallas v Colorado
New England v Vancouver
Philadelphia v Montreal
Houston v San Jose
LA v New York City - 10pm CT on ESPN2

Owners of the Minnesota Vikings NFL team, aka the Wilf family, have become part of the potential ownership group in Nashville, hoping to secure an MLS expansion team.

dN

• David Villa of New York City named MLS Player Of The Week
• Enzo Martinez of Charlotte Independence named USL Player Of The Week
• Arielle Ship of Washington Spirit named NWSL Player Of The Week

dN

The new Southern California NASL team will be called California United FC. They will play at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium (just north of Anaheim) - home of Lalas Hill. They will begin play next Spring.

dN

USMNT

DeAndre Yedlin has a jacked up hamstring, just in time for Newcastle's return to the Premier League this weekend. Not good.

Aron Johannsson is reportedly for sale by Werder Bremen.

dN

US Open Cup

Semifinals Schedule:
-Wed Aug 9
Sporting Kansas City v San Jose Earthquakes - 7:30pm CT via YouTube.
-Tue Aug 15
Cincinnati v New York Red Bulls

Priority order for hosting final:

1. Sporting Kansas City
2. New York Red Bulls
3. Cincinnati

dN

AMERICANS ABROAD

A season preview of the top Americans across Europe. By Brian Sciaretta for American Soccer Now.

Who will be next in the wake of Pulisic to make an impact on a European club? Here are some possibles. By Andrew King for Four Four Two.

• Although it looks like one of the picks in this article Russell Canouse is on his way to DC United.

dN

GUARDIAN 2017-18 PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM PREVIEWS:

• Southampton
• Newcastle United
• Manchester United
• Manchester City
• Liverpool
• Liecester City
• Huddersfield
• Everton
• Crystal Palace
• Chelsea.
• Brighton + Hove Albion
• Burnley
• Bournemouth
• Arsenal

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



The Bird Is The Word

Some Soccer News for Aug 7, 2017

It's Day 219 of 2017.


The Dutch have won the UEFA Women's Championship. Huge congrats to them.

dN

A great explanation (and example) of how/why/when the VAR can work and be very useful. By Doug Marshak for Fifty Five One.

• Marshak is the Minnesota State Director of Referee Instruction.

dN

MLS Hot Teams List as of Mon Aug 7, 2017:
(based strictly on results over last 5 weeks - no credit for prior or speculative results)

1. Seattle Sounders
2. New York Red Bulls
3. Atlanta United
4. Vancouver Whitecaps
5. Dallas
6. San Jose Earthquakes
7. Portland Timbers
8. New York City
9. Philadelphia Union
10. Chicago Fire
11. Montreal Impact
12. Toronto
13. Houston Dynamo
14. Real Salt Lake
15. New England Revolution
16. Columbus Crew
17. Sporting Kansas City
18. Colorado Rapids
19. Minnesota United
20. Orlando City
21. LA Galaxy
22. DC United

dN

MINNESOTA UNITED

My MNUFC Notes:

• After a 4 win over DC last week the Loons fell into a dry well and lost 0-4 to Seattle.
• Two questions emerge; 1) Where did the team from the week before go to? And 2) How bad is DC?
• Game highlights [VIDEO] via Minnesota
• Game highlights [VIDEO] via Seattle
• In the first 20 minutes both teams had good energy and good scoring opportunities. The problem was that Seattle finished 2 of their 4 while Minnesota missed on all 3 of theirs with out forcing the keeper to make any saves.
• Overall it was pretty painful to watch.
• The Loons had a few chances, but only threatened the Seattle keeper 1 time - on a nice shot from Nicholson. On the 2nd Seattle goal one of the best headers of the ball in MLS history, Chad Marshall, is left completely unmarked at the back post, and of the best American goal scorers of all time, Clint Dempsey, runs completely free to the opposite post to head the crossed ball into the net. How is this possible?
• I could dissect all 4 Seattle goals pretty easily and show you what went wrong, but I am tired.
• Clint Dempsey had 2 goals. He is good.
• Jordan Morris is fast. He is good.
• Danladi had chances. But he is lacking the final pieces of the puzzle.
• Molino had chances. He can be a lazy player on too many occasions. One minute good, one minute bad.
• Nicholson had chances. The jury is out, but I doubt he is better than what they already had on the roster.
• There was a good 15 minute period in the 2nd half with the score still 0-2 that Minnesota applied a ton of pressure in their offensive third. The only problem is that they only got off 1 decent shot in that time and the Seattle keeper made a strong save. Otherwise the Loons looked unprepared to breakdown the opponent. There looked to be no apparent philosophy, strategy or plan.
• Heath appears to not enjoy the play of Ibarra. He took him off in the 68th minute with team down 2. Five minutes later they were down 4.
• Heath made that change, bringing on JVenegas, looking for an immediate difference. He got it - no more defense from his midfield. Instant shit.
• Taylor must be sitting on the Minn bench wondering what he did wrong? "Boxall gets the start over me?"
• Taylor had a solid Gold Cup starting every game at centerback for Jamaica who went to the Final, but he returns home to [whisper] NOTHING.
• JVenegas. Wow, were his 22 minutes on the field worthless or what?
• Calvo was OK.
• Thiesson got burned more than once. Get some sleep Jerry.
• Jome. Yeah.
• Ibson cannot be allowed to take any more set pieces. Its a waste of time.
• Cronin. Did he play?
• Ibarra. Back to too much chicken with his head chopped off. Hustle it one thing. Running for no reason is another.
• No one in the league got beat worse than Minn's 0-4 at home. Only New England also gave up for goals, but they scored 1 and were on the road.
• The two biggest home crowds of the season have produced losses of 1-6 and 0-4. WTF? Maybe they should play in front of much smaller crowds.
• But calling the game a sellout is pretty lame. Selling out the lower bowl is great. Only the 2nd time its happened in 14 games. But at 22,000 in attendance its only 44% of the stadium capacity.

Results:
-Sat Aug 5
Minnesota 0-4 Seattle

A little more clarity on why those U of M logos are on the United field most of the time. By Andy Greder for the Pioneer Press.

dN

MLS

Diego Valeri of Portland is a special player and a special person in many ways. By Matt Pentz for ESPNFC.

The leagues assessment of how VAR went in its first week of use. From MLS.

There are only 2 teams averaging less than 1 point per game: DC at 0.83 and Minn at 0.96.

Media:

• A breakdown of all the weeks games. By Matt Doyle for MLS.
• The best XI of the week. By Alexander Abnos for Sports Illustrated.

My MLS Notes:

• VAR made its debut and canceled two goals that should have been canceled. 2 for 2. Perfect. Thank you very much.

-A review of how VAR worked, the back story, and the potential. By Graham Ruthven for the Guardian.

• David Villa - just a hat trick over the rivals. His first MLS hat trick too. He is good.
• Dallas is in a bit of stumble bum mode. Diaz is not the same as before. Zimmerman is out. Acosta wants out. That's not a good combo for success.
• Chicago has all the pieces working - talented players all over the field. So impressive after the past 6 years.

Week 22 Schedule:
(11 games)
-Sat Aug 5
DC 1-1 Toronto
Philadelphia 3-1 Dallas
Montreal 2-1 Orlando
Minnesota 0-4 Seattle
Chicago 4-1 New England
Colorado 2-2 Vancouver
Salt Lake 0-0 Houston
San Jose 2-1 Columbus
-Sun Aug 6
Portland 3-1 LA
NYC 3-2 NYRB
KC 1-1 Atlanta

36 goals in 11 games = 3.3 gpg.

dN

USMNT

With the next World Cup qualifier 25 days away (Sep 1 v Costa Rica) the USA fullback corp is in trouble. By Paul Kennedy for Soccer America.

What are Bruce Arena's plans for the 2 big qualifiers headed his way? By Steven Goff for the Washington Post.

A Q + A with Steve Cherundolo! He is currently the U17 coach at his his long time club Hannover. By Jeff Carlisle for ESPNFC.

• Cherundolo does a great job of describing what makes Bruce Arena a successful head coach.

dN

Abdoulaye Diakite of Edmonton named NASL Player Of The Week

dN

AMERICANS ABROAD

Tijuana with Paul Arriola, Michael Orozco, Joe Corona and Ale Guido all getting regular minuets has started the new season with 3 straight losses. New coach Eduardo Coudet will soon be in deep deep trouble if things don't change.

Omar Gonzaelez and Pachuca aren't looking any better at 3 losses in 3 games in Liga MX.

dN

GUARDIAN 2017-18 PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM PREVIEWS:

• Manchester United
• Manchester City
• Liverpool
• Liecester City
• Huddersfield
• Everton
• Crystal Palace
• Chelsea.
• Brighton + Hove Albion
• Burnley
• Bournemouth
• Arsenal

dN

All of my columns for 1500ESPN.



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