Soccer Junkie's Soccer Blog for the Soccer-Obsessed

Happy New Year!

2010-01-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

Before we begin today, SoccerJunkie would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and I sincerely hope you all had a happy, safe, and warm holiday season! SoccerJunkie was proud to be in Times Square (for work) on New Year's Eve, and I hope you all had as enjoyable a New Year's as I...

Back to business...it's January, which means the FIFA transfer window is open, and the MLS Draft is coming up...

SoccerJunkie will get into full details of the draft next week, but this could be one of the most interesting drafts in the league's short history---not just because of the depth of the talent, but also due to questions that surround whether or not the league will kickoff on time. Normally, this time of year is buzzing about the draft and the MLS schedule, but, aside from each team's opening games, the schedule hasn't been released yet...and the draft is being dwarfed by the possibility of a devastating work stoppage. As far as anyone can tell, the league and the MLS Player's Union (MLSPU) are still very far apart, with neither side backing down. Players are said to be looking for an increase in the salary cap, guaranteed contracts (currently less than 30% of contracts are guaranteed), as well as the ability to negotiate their contracts directly with teams (rather than the league, who presently owns all contracts). It's likely that these changes would usher in other new items, including free agency, as well as the possibility of buying/selling players between teams. The union also claims that the league's single-entity structure violates FIFA regulations, though FIFA has announced it sees no issue with the structure, and won't get involved. The league, on the other hand, is looking to continue to grow the league slowly, and attempting to build a solid financial base for the future. With that in mind, the league isn't ready to budge on most of these demands, meaning it's increasingly likely that a last-minute deal will be necessary to save the season.

All that said, BOTH sides NEED to work out a deal in the coming weeks. MLS is simply too young and lacking a strong enough fan base to be able to survive even just a brief work stoppage. Unlike the NHL, which took a hit, but survived a lockout (and is in a better place, both on and off the ice, for it), any kind of stoppage (strike or lockout) would likely spell the end of another North American soccer league.

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The US Men's National Team has opened camp, featuring 30 domestic- and Scandinavian-based players who are currently out of season (or on a winter break from action). Most of these players are fringe players looking to earn a spot on the roster for South Africa, and will have a friendly later in the month against Honduras to try to impress US coach Bob Bradley. Bradley is also said to be looking for a February friendly to give these players every shot, as most likely won't see the field in March's friendly with the Netherlands.

SoccerJunkie will give a more in-depth look at the roster and the possibility for these players to earn a spot in South Africa in the coming weeks.

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The Red Bulls appear set to make their first signing of the offseason, as Costa Rican defender Roy Miller has reportedly agreed to a deal, with only a physical and a few details left before he will be unveiled.

Miller, who is 6'2", can feature at any position in the back 4, and is an international teammate of Red Bulls right back Carlos Johnson (the two used to share an agent, as well). The idea that Miller will be new GM Erik Soler's first signing shouldn't come as a surprise---Miller's professional career has been based in Scandinavia in recent years, with Rosenborg having been his most recent home.

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Scary sight in this afternoon's Serie A game between Chievo and Inter Milan, as Inter left back Cristian Chivu had to be rushed to the hospital following a clash of heads.

Even scarier is that Chivu was rushed into emergency surgery to repair skull fractures and bleeding around his brain. Doctors have said that his injury doesn't appear to be career-threatening---his skull fracture was successfully repaired, the hematoma was successfully alleviated, and there was no sign of any brain injury---but couldn't yet set a timetable for Chivu's return. Inter will have to expect, however, that it will be quite a while before the Romanian international's back on the field.

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Also in Serie A---LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham has been handed a start in his first game back on loan with AC Milan.

Becks got the start in the right midfield against Genoa this afternoon, a game AC Milan leads 4-1 in the 60th minute. Beckham will rejoin the Galaxy after the World Cup---he is on loan hoping to keep himself on England coach Fabio Capello's radar for South Africa.

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Meanwhile over in England...

-US/LA Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan will look to get his first Premiership start on Saturday. Donovan is loan with Everton, who will travel to Arsenal (weather permitting---Arsenal's match against Bolton was postponed this afternoon due to snow, just one of many matches lost to the weather over the past couple weeks).

-One game that did get played was yesterday's Premiership match between Stoke City and Fulham. Though Stoke did pull out the 3-2 win, it wasn't for lack of effort from Fulham's American striker Clint Dempsey, as is evidenced by this late wonder-strike that drew Fulham within one:

-Portsmouth continues to fall on hard times. For the third consecutive month, the club has failed to pay player's on time---this time missing a second, self-imposed deadline yesterday to make up that payment. The south-coast team says it will hand out paychecks tomorrow, but the team is actively looking for investors. The English government is apparently in pursuit of back taxes owed, and administration would almost certainly guarantee that Portsmouth will be relegated to the League Championship. If the team is sold, it would mark the 4th owners to step into Fratton Park this season alone...

A Christmas Gift From SoccerJunkie...

2009-12-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

...for everyone out there. If you're in the midwest, I wish I could send you a huge plow, but they haven't developed that internet technology yet... at least you get a "White Christmas" :-)

Anyway, as people across the country prepare to start opening their gifts, I leave these gifts for you---a real treat of a video from US Soccer, and a couple added bonuses from the inside...

First off, I treat you to the US Soccer Behind the Scenes video from the 2-2 tie between the US and Costa Rica at RFK Stadium on October 14th. While this may not rank as the best game for the US in 2009 (the 2-0 win over Spain in the Confederations Cup will top SoccerJunkie's list---look for that next week), it was an absolute thriller that won't soon be forgotten... If you have 13 mins. handy, it's well worth the time...

And here is a look at the tying goal from inside the stadium, shot from the section directly next to SoccerJunkie by Youtube's own Fujiwu36...

And, shot by SoccerJunkie himself, I present you:

Celebration of the tying goal/Final whistle/Fireworks...

US captain Carlos Bocanegra takes the mic/"Thank You Fans" video...

Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!

Another Week...

2009-12-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

Another bad time to be at the top of the EPL...

The top of the English league is becoming more cluttered by the weekend---thanks to Manchester United's 3-0 demolishing by Fulham (a game in which American Clint Dempsey picked up an assist), Chelsea was able to extend their lead to 4 points with only a 1-1 draw against West Ham. Wins by Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Tottenham have closed the gap between the top 2 and the rest of the league, however---Arsenal and Villa are only 2 points back of United, Tottenham's only 4 points adrift of the Red Devils.

Once again, it was good to be an American 'keeper in EPL---the 3 teams with Yank 'keepers earned 10 out of 12 possible points. Tim Howard and Everton were the only team to drop points, picking up a 1-1 draw against Birmingham City, while Brad Friedel (Aston Villa) picked up a 1-0 win over Stoke, and Marcus Hahnemann continued to put a stamp on the #3 spot for the World Cup, making 5 saves as Wolves' topped Burnley, 2-0.

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Speaking of the US World Cup squad, a prominent name from the past now has to be mentioned with the players likely to make the team following an incredible resurgence...

DaMarcus Beasley's standout play could earn him a spot in the US starting 11 for the World Cup

Provided he keeps playing---and producing---Rangers' midfielder DaMarcus Beasley should find himself not just on the US team, but in the starting 11, after spending 2 years fighting to recover his health, fitness, form, and place in his Scottish club team following a serious knee injury. A goal and an assist in Rangers' win over the weekend gives Beas 2 goals and 4 assists in 5 games this year.

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US Soccer has announced an important warm-up for South Africa...

The Yanks will take on the 3rd-ranked Netherlands on March 3rd (FIFA's only dedicated fixture date prior to the World Cup) at the state-of-the-art Amsterdam Arena.

The 51,000-seat stadium features Europe's first retractable roof, as well as pitch built 30 feet above the ground to allow a vital highway to pass underneath the stadium.

Not only will the match provide a warm-up against a quality opponent, but the US should have a full, fresh compliment of European-based players who won't need to make the trans-Atlantic trip for this one.

Kickoff at the colorful arena is set for 2:30pm ET, and the match will air on ESPN2.

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Reports are surfacing that Blackburn has offered current free agent Stuart Holden a 4-year contract. A move to the EPL could be the best---or the worst---thing to happen to the former Houston Dynamo midfielder this winter...if he gets solid playing time, Holden's World Cup prospects rise dramatically...but if he finds himself on the bench, Holden could find himself on the outside looking in come May (when the World Cup squad will convene for camp). If he doesn't take a chance on a move to Europe now, Holden will likely remain at the top of the list of fringe players, though there's no guarantee that he will get quality offers from English or Scottish clubs in the future (he's in his prime developmentally, something that European managers drool over).

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The draw for the UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 took place on Friday, and there are plenty of intriguing match-ups. David Beckham will take on the team that developed him into a superstar, as AC Milan take on Manchester United. Karim Benzema led Ligue 1 in scoring last year as a member of Lyon---the team he will now face as a member of Real Madrid, who purchased him over the summer. "The Special One," Inter manager Jose Mourinho, will also face his former club, as the Italian giants face Chelsea.

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich will face Fiorentina, FC Porto takes on Arsenal, Olympiakos plays Bordeaux, VfB Stuttgart takes on holders Barcelona, and CSKA Moscow will play Sevilla.

In related news, Barcelona's 2-1 win in the FIFA Club World Cup Final on Saturday gives them SIX trophies this year---the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Copa Del Rey, European Supercup, Spanish SuperCup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. Add in the Spanish players on the team who won Euro 2008, and the only team to knock any of those players out of a tournament since Euro '08? The United States (in the Confederations Cup).

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In the latest addition to the "Adding Injury to Insult" files, Liverpool's Javier Mascherano will miss at least 3 weeks after injuring his knee in a rash challenge on Portsmouth's Tal Ben Haim in Liverpool's 2-0 loss over the weekend. The injury will likely keep him out longer than the suspension he faces for the red card he received on the play.

This comes after Jens Lehmann's self-injury-causing-red-carded challenge last weekend.

And how was your weekend?

Undefeated Akron...

2009-12-14T11:57:00.000-08:00

...are not the 2009 NCAA Division I National Champions?

That's right, in the qwirky world of college soccer, Akron managed to finish the season with a 23-0-2 record, yet only take home the National Finalists trophy. How? For records sakes, a shootout, whether won or lost, in the collegiate postseason is recorded as a tie. Akron, who went 20-0-0 in the regular season, defeated UNC in a shootout in the semis to take their record to 23-0-1, before falling in a shootout to the University of Virginia in yesterday's final.

Congratulations to the University of Virginia, 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Champions.

If there were any bright spots from the lack of goals in this weekend's College Cup (3 goals in 3 games---all of which went to at least Added Extra Time (2 all the way to shootouts)), it was the play of a number of MLS prospects. Akron's Teal Bunbury and Virginia's Tony Tchani both boosted their stock, and either one could go as the No. 1 pick to Philadelphia in January. The second overall pick---which belongs to the Red Bulls---could be the highest-rated player in the draft, Wake Forest centerback Ike Opara. Opara proved himself to be the best player available, but likely won't go to the Union, who have 2 solid starting centerbacks already on their new roster (Chivas USA's Shavar Thomas, and US centerback Danny Califf, who is returning from Denmark in January).

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For the 2nd consecutive week, it's great to be an American playing in Europe, but a horrible week to be at the top of the table.

Brad Friedel stonewalls giants United (Photo/Getty)

In England, leaders Chelsea were held to a 3-3 draw by Everton and US 'keeper Tim Howard (4 saves), but still managed to extend their lead to 3 points over Manchester United, who were blanked by Aston Villa and their American 'keeper, Brad Friedel (4 saves). The shining American star in England on this day, however, was Wolves' 'keeper Marcus Hahnemann, who made 7 saves en route to a 1-0 win over Tottenham (which dropped the Spurs from 3rd to 5th in the table). Hahnemann, who only recently took over as the No. 1 at Wolves, may just play his way into the 3rd goalkeeper spot for South Africa (behind Tim Howard and Aston Villa backup Brad Guzan), where his personality would be a great advantage to the US team off the field (Hahnemann also held the #3 spot in the 2006 World Cup squad, behind Kasey Keller and Tim Howard).

In Germany, Michael Bradley had the big night in an American-vs.-American match-up---Bradley scored the winning goal off a freekick in Monchengladbach's 5-3 victory over Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96. It was a tough night for top-of-the-table Bayer Leverkusen, as they were held to a 2-2 by Hertha Berlin (former club of Yanks outside back Heath Pearce).

While there are currently no Americans playing for the top Italian teams (with US/AC Milan centerback Gooch Onyewu continuing to rehab his knee injury), maybe they should consider signing a few. Leaders Inter had the best result of the top 3, a 1-1 draw with Atalanta. AC Milan, currently 2nd, fell 2-0 to Palermo, while 3rd-place Juventus lost both their game against Bari (3-1) and Italy 'keeper Gigi Buffon, who will miss more than a month after having knee surgery following Saturday's loss.

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In what could be a terrific move for all those involved---player, clubs, and country---Everton is finalizing their loan deal for Yanks playmaker Landon Donovan. Not only will Donovan combine with US teammate Tim Howard (who's on the record predicting Donovan will be a star in the EPL), he'll provide a needed boost for injury-riddled Everton, and gain added sharpness ahead of the World Cup. Provided he doesn't get hurt (or burnt out before the end of the MLS season), this can only be a positive for the LA Galaxy, as well.

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Lehmann is given his marching orders (Photo/Getty)

In a case of adding insult to injury...well, actually...adding injury to insult...VfB Stuttgart (and former Germany and Arsenal) 'keeper Jens Lehmann struck out at a Mainz striker during the Bundesliga match on Saturday, causing the penalty that allowed Mainz to tie the game 1-1 late. As if costing his team the 2 points isn't enough, Lehmann suffered ligament damage in his knee on that play, and is set to miss more than just his suspension.

And how was your Saturday?

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The world is getting its first look inside the new Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. The new 69,000+-seat stadium will host a World Cup semifinal this summer.

'Soler' Powered...

2009-12-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

...is what the New York Red Bulls are now.

New Red Bulls GM Erik Soler (right) with Red Bull Sporting Director Deitmar Beiersdorfer (left)

The Red Bulls introduced former Norwegian player/agent/broadcaster/owner/executive Erik Soler as their new Sporting Director/General Manager, charged with helping to rebuild the league's worst team. Well respected soccer writer Ives Galarcep was at the press conference introducing Soler, and came away with "the distinct impression that he may be the sharpest man Red Bull has ever hired to run its New York club." Of course, given the previous hires (with the exception of Bruce Arena), there really isn't anywhere to go but up. Red Bulls fans need to hope that he surrounds himself with MLS-knowledgeable people who actually listen and can provide him accurate information, especially for January's draft...

Just take a look at Agoos' bomb last year: the Red Bulls were eyeing fullback Evan Brown with their 18th-overall pick...until Seattle took him with the 16th pick. Agoos was left to scramble, and selected Babajide Ogunbiyi---a defender who really impressed at the MLS Combine. Of course, Red Bulls fans are probably scratching their heads and asking "Who on Earth is Babjide Ogunbiyi???" Well, that's because Ogunbiyi made it clear he wanted to play in Europe, and wouldn't join an MLS team for anything less than a senior-level contract---which is the reason he had slipped so far in the draft. In the end, the Red Bulls 18th-overall pick never signed with the team.

SoccerJunkie is willing to give this guy a couple years, let's see what he can do...

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"Hero, thy name is Tim Howard."

Howard saves!

That was the chant heard around Goodison Park on Sunday after Tim Howard stopped Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe in 2nd-half stoppage to preserve Everton's come-from-behind 2-2 tie against their London rivals. England's Daily Telegraph took it a step further, linking the save to this summer's World Cup (look for complete analysis of the World Cup draw below): "USA 1, England 0 as Everton's American 'keeper saves Defoe penalty and denies Tottenham victory."

Howard's save was one of 3 PK stops for Premiership 'keepers this weekend, as Manchester City's Shay Given rescued their victory over Chelsea with a late stop, while Stoke GK Tomas Sorenson also picked up a save against Arsenal.

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Shay Given's PK save was just the start of an awful weekend for top-of-the-table teams in Europe...

Given stones Frank Lampard

In England, leaders Chelsea saw Manchester United's deficit cut to just 2, as the Blues lost to Manchester City. As mentioned, Timmy Howard's PK save left 4th-place Tottenham with just a draw against 15th-place Everton.

Meanwhile, in Germany, the top 2 in the Bundesliga were left with just a point each: leaders Bayer Leverkusen were held by US defender Steve Cherundolo and Hannover, while 2nd-place Weder Bremen only managed a draw against Cologne. Italy's leaders, Inter Milan, fell to Juventus, while 4th-place Parma drew against Genoa. Over in Spain, Seville fell from 3rd to 4th after dropping their match against Valladolid.

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US coach Bob Bradley talks to reporters before the draw

The US now knows who they will face in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup, and the Yanks draw for South Africa is one of the best that any fan could've hoped for, and one of the best the team has ever been given. Before answering some questions, here are the results of last Friday's draw:

Group A- South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

Group B- Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

Group C- England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia

Group D- Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

Group E- Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon

Group F- Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Group G- Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal

Group H- Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

So here's SoccerJunkie's answer to some common questions:

What is the "Group of Death?"

Without a doubt, Group G. Brazil, Portugal, and Ivory Coast all rank in the top 11 in FIFA's rankings, and in the top 9 of ESPN's Soccer Power Index (SPI)---Ivory Coast gets bumped up 2 spots in the SPI as they gain "home field" since the tournament's held on their home continent. No other group has 3 teams that are in the top 18 of the SPI.

Who is the favorite to win the World Cup?

Simply put, there is none. The top 2 teams in both FIFA's rankings and the SPI (Spain and Brazil) could meet as early as the 2nd-round, but no later than the quarterfinals. Other possible quarterfinal match-ups could include Argentina/France, Italy/Netherlands, and some form of England, Germany and the US. If you can find a winner with this draw, then SoccerJunkie needs your crystal ball.

How is this draw for the US?

This draw is simply scrumtrilescent for the Yanks (scrumtrilescent (adj): a word that describes something so great that, ironically, no word can describe it). It isn't just the teams involved, but the order---the US gets the most preparation time for England, being able to prepare through most of camp instead of just 3 days between games. Most important thing for the Americans? Whatever you do, don't overlook Algeria and Slovenia...one slip and the US could face the same fate as Russia: out of the tournament.

Is anybody a "lock" to win their group?

Germany, Spain and Argentina will have the easiest time progressing...but this is the first World Cup in a long time where the two spots that will advance from each group are truly up-for-grabs. Predicting who will finish 2nd in almost every group is a longshot at best.

Who is the "sleeper" in the tournament?

Watch out for Honduras in Group H---SoccerJunkie is quite familiar with them, having seen them play live twice in the last year. "Shock" results against Switzerland and Chile aren't out of the question, though they'd have to face a strong team from Group G in the 2nd round. Other possibilities? South Korea and Paraguay.

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Speaking of the US National Team... The US appears set to face Honduras in a January 24th friendly at the Home Depot Center. While US Soccer has yet to confirm the match, the Honduran federation confirmed it to their local media this morning. Since this match doesn't fall on a FIFA fixture date, expect this to be similar the US roster that went to the Gold Cup, made up mostly of current MLSers and Scandanavian-based players (the Dutch and Swedish leagues will be on winter break until March). Honduras will also likely field a team of domestic players, and, like the US, will likely feature fringe players hoping for the final spots on the 23-man roster for South Africa.

While many Americans will be tired of playing Honduras (having met twice in qualifying, as well as in the Gold Cup in the last year), there are serious limitations as to who the US can set-up as an opponent for such a date. No teams from outside North/Central America will be available, as they are in season (with the exception of Denmark, who the US just played in November), and Honduras is a team that will show up with something to prove, as their players look to make the World Cup roster. A friendly against a team like Jamaica would be less valuable to the US at this point than even an intra-squad scrimmage.

One player likely to suit up for the US: Danny Califf. But instead of joining the team due to the winter break in Denmark, he'll likely be there as a member of the Philadelphia Union. The MLS' newest franchise is finalizing a deal with Houston for the rights to the defender, with a contract already agreed upon that will have him join the Union during the January transfer window.

There are also reports that the US is working to complete an agreement for a friendly with Northern Ireland. That match would either be played on a FIFA fixture date set for March (March 3rd), or right after the end of the European league's seasons in May.

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UNC celebrates their 20th title

Congratulations to the University of North Carolina Women's Soccer Team, 2009 NCAA Champions.

The Tar Heels beat the until-then undefeated Stanford Cardinal 1-0 to take home the trophy for the 20th time in the 28 years.

FIFA or Red Bull New York...

2009-12-02T12:04:00.000-08:00

...Who's worse???

Right now, they both seem to be in a "how can we make this any worse" mode. First off, with just 2 days until the World Cup draw, let's take a look at some international tidbits...

FIFA has recognized that Thierry Henry's handball led to an unjust result of the 2nd leg of the Ireland-France playoff. That said, they've rejected Ireland's requests for a replay or to be allowed in "under special circumstances" as the 33rd team in the tournament. Instead, they've opened a Discipline Committee investigation into Henry's "unsporting actions in not accepting his actions during play" that could result in the striker being suspended for France's first match of the Finals. As for punishment against France?...

FIFA announced the Pots for Friday's group draw in Cape Town, and have once again changed the method to determine which team goes in which pot. Pot #1, which includes 7 "seeded" teams and the hosts, is now done based on seeding...sort of. As a punishment to France, they've been dropped from the seeded pot, despite being ranked 7th. To justify it, they've also dropped Portugal from the seeded pot (Portugal is ranked 5th), saying seeded teams can not have used a playoff to win qualification. For the rest of the pots, they've thrown out ranking entirely, and placed the teams based on region (with Pot #2 holding CONCACAF, Asia and Oceania; Pot #3 holds unseeded CONMEBOL and Africa; Pot #4 holds unseeded UEFA). The idea behind this is to prevent any group from containing 2 teams from the same region, with the exception of seeded teams (5 groups will feature 2 European teams, while anywhere from 0-2 groups can have 2 South American teams). This system is entirely unfair to mid-ranked teams, as the World Cup doesn't feature the teams ranked 1-32 in the world---the lowest ranked team (which is oddly in the "seeded" Pot #1) is the hosts, South Africa, ranked 86th, while North Korea isn't far behind at 84th---and also leaves strong CONCACAF teams like the US and Mexico with a great risk of being drawn into a "Group of Death."

The pots for Friday's draw are (with FIFA rank):

POT #1: Brazil (2), Argentina (8), Spain (1), Netherlands (3), Italy (4), Germany (6), England (8), South Africa (86)
POT #2: USA (14), Mexico (15), Honduras (38), Australia (21), Japan (43), South Korea (52), North Korea (84)
POT #3: Chile (17), Uruguay (19), Paraguay (30), Cameroon (11), Ivory Coast (16), Nigeria (22), Algeria (28), Ghana (37)
POT#4: Portugal (5), France (7), Greece (12), Switzerland (18), Serbia (20), Denmark (26), Slovenia (33), Slovakia (34)

As there are teams from outside the top 32 in the field, surely there are some from inside the top 32 left out... They include:

Croatia (10)
Russia (13)
Czech Republic (23)
Ukraine (24)
Israel (25)
Bulgaria (27)
Egypt (29)
Norway (31)

Just for fun, SoccerJunkie has decided to do a mock World Cup draw, though far less official (using ripped up Post-Its and a faded navy Adidas baseball cap... Here's the results...

Group A- South Africa, Honduras, Nigeria, Greece

Group B- Argentina, South Korea, Uruguay, Portugal

Group C- Netherlands, North Korea, Paraguay, Serbia

Group D- Brazil, Australia, Algeria, France

Group E- Spain, USA, Ivory Coast, Slovakia

Group F- Italy, Japan, Cameroon, Slovenia

Group G- Germany, Mexico, Ghana, Denmark

Group H- England, New Zealand, Chile, Switzerland

England get a great group, while the US could be in trouble with a good Ivory Coast team to go with Spain and Slovakia...

Let's hope SoccerJunkie doesn't see into the future very well...
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In a bit of US National Team news...

...Jermaine Jones returned to training with Schalke, his club team in Germany. Jones has taken advantage of a new FIFA mandate that allows players to transfer their international allegiance under certain conditions (having not played with the Senior national team in their home country in a recognized competition (a non-friendly), and fitting the FIFA nationality requirements of their "new" country), moving from the German National Team (where he was born and grew up) to the US (thanks to his American father). Though he has yet to appear with the Yanks (due to a shin injury that's plagued him since his transfer of allegiance was finalized), he's a definite midfield candidate for the US in South Africa.

...Charlie Davies has given his first interview since the tragic wreck that claimed one woman's life---and left Davies seriously injured---just before the US/Costa Rica qualifier in DC in October. Davies told ESPN that he's still struggling with the psychological aspects of surviving such a devastating accident, but that he expects to make a full recover BY THE WORLD CUP. The President of Davies' club team, France's FC Sochaux, has said he expects Davies to leave Delaware and return to France by the end of this month, and that he's been told Davies could begin jogging by the beginning of February.
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There are reports out that the New York Red Bulls will introduce Erik Soler as their new GM by the end of the week. Soler's apparent favorite for the head coaching position is out, as fellow Norwegian Age Hareide has accepted a club coaching position in Norway. The new name being thrown around as a coaching candidate?? Tony Adams. Adams, who has no MLS experience whatsoever, was fired this season by Premiership side Portsmouth after producing worse results than the Red Bulls did last year...but he is a close friend and former teammate of Red Bull target Thierry Henry. To top off the "how stupid can we possibly get" side of this...IF the Red Bulls hire Adams, they will likely keep Jeff Agoos aboard as an "advisor" who will help Soler and Adams with the intricacies that are the MLS roster system and salary cap.

Exactly what the Red Bulls need...people in charge who don't understand the American game, and the chief architect of last season's debacle there to hold their hand and guide the way...

Again, let's hope SoccerJunkie doesn't see into the future very well...
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In other MLS news...

The Philadelphia Union have completed their Expansion Draft, and can begin trading and signing players. Those taken in last week's draft are:

Jordan Harvey (D), Colorado Rapids
Andrew Jacobsen (M), D.C. United
Brad Knighton (G), New England Revolution
Sebastien Le Toux (F), Seattle Sounders FC
Stefani Miglioranzi (M), L.A. Galaxy
Alejandro Moreno (F), Columbus Crew
Dave Myrie (D), Chicago Fire
Shea Salinas (M), San Jose Earthquakes
Shavar Thomas (D, Chivas USA
Nick Zimmerman (M), New York Red Bulls

These selections were a bit of a surprise, as Union coach Peter Nowak decided to take only one proven starter (Moreno), and one semi-proven player (Le Toux)...the rest of the selections came off the bench (if at all) for their teams. To start building a real core to the team, the Union are expected to acquire two players in the near future:

Jeremiah White is a Wake Forest product (and Philly native) who chose to play overseas instead of the MLS. Currently a teammate of Benny Feilhaber at Aarhus in Denmark, it's widely expected he'll leave the team (where he's fallen out of favor, averaging just 10 minutes/game over the last 2 months) to play in his home town.

Chris Seitz is currently Real Salt Lake's backup 'keeper, but is considered the highest rated goalkeeping prospect in the country. Philly has made no secret of their desire to acquire the US Youth National Teamer, and a deal is expected before the draft next month. Seitz, who left the University of Maryland after his freshman year to turn pro, is expected to step in immediately as the starting 'keeper.

The Chicago Fire are apparently trying to get former Fire and USA midfielder Chris Armas to change his mind. Armas is reported to be the club's leading candidate to replace head coach Dennis Hamlett, who was let go at the end of the playoffs, but is said to not be interested in a coaching position right now.

SoccerJunkie's Expansion Draft...

2009-11-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

With less than 24 hours until the Philadelphia Union draft their first 10 players, SoccerJunkie has been asked by more than a few people just who I would draft if I were Peter Nowak...

Well, here they are, in no particular order...

Jon Conway- GK, Chivas USA (Chester, PA native---Philadelphia's new stadium is being built in Chester)

Bobby Convey- MID, San Jose Earthquakes (Philadelphia native, once the youngest player in MLS (played for DC at age 16))

Amado Guevara- MID, Toronto FC (even if he's not for the roster, he's terrific trade bait)

Frankie Hejduk- DEF, Columbus Crew (IF Philadelphia is interested, but finds out he's pondering retirement, Columbus FWD Jason Garey is my pick instead)

Alan Gordon- FWD, LA Galaxy (IF Frankie Hejduk is pondering retirement (see above), LA DEF Todd Dunivant is my pick)

James Riley- DEF, Seattle Sounders FC (2nd consecutive year he'd be picked up in the Expansion Draft)

Ned Grabavoy- MID, Real Salt Lake

Jacob Peterson- MID/FWD, Colorado Rapids

Mike Chabala- DEF, Houston Dynamo

Pat Phelan- MID, New England Revolution

This leaves Chicago, FC Dallas, DC United, New York Red Bulls, and Kansas City free and clear...though some of these teams certainly have attractive players available---KC's Adam Cristman, Chicago's Calen Carr, and FC Dallas' Dave van den Bergh just to name a few.

There are other notable names available---Chicago's Chris Rolfe and Gonzalo Segares, Colorado's Mehdi Ballouchy---but there's a good chance they're considering going to Europe, which wastes the pick. Also available, but widely expected to retire, DC workhorse Ben Olsen.

We Have A Winner...

2009-11-23T10:24:00.000-08:00

And what an MLS Cup Final it was!

First off, congrats to Real Salt Lake---MLS Cup 2009 Champions!

(photo/AP)

While Robbie Russell (game-winning PK), Nick Rimando (2 PK saves, MLS Cup MVP), and Robbie Findley (game-tying goal in 2nd half) will go down as the heros on the field, the real heros in this game were both wearing sport coats on the sideline---RSL coach Jason Kreis and LA coach Bruce Arena. Both teams had used their 3 allotted subs by the middle of the 2nd half---but 4 of the 6 subs were forced by injury or illness, including an MLS Cup-first goalkeeper substitution. RSL lost midfielder Javier Morales to an MCL tear, replaced by Clint Mathis in only the 22nd minute, as well as fellow midfielder Will Johnson, who was replaced by Ned Grabavoy at halftime due to a bout with food poisoning that started the night before. For the Galaxy, starting GK Donovan Ricketts became the first 'keeper ever replaced in the Final when he broke his hand just after halftime. Ricketts would gut it out for an additional 18 minutes before giving in, with Josh Saunders (who would also save 2 PKs in the shootout) coming on in the 66th. Bruce Arena would also be forced to replace MLS Rookie of the Year Omar Gonzalez after Gonzalez experienced calf trouble (he picked up a knock in training on Thursday). Gonzalez was replaced by his former University of Maryland teammate, AJ Delagarza.

Rimando saves the decisive PK (photo/AP)

Both coaches ended up having to make all tactical changes using only the personnel on the field (with the exception of LA's Chris Klein-for-Chris Birchall sub, and RSL replacing Yura Movsisyan with Fabian Espindola)---as was evidenced by Jason Kreis moving Andy Williams from the outside midfield to the attacking midfield role in the 2nd half of Added Extra Time (AET), with Williams too gassed to keep up his defensive responsibilities. The result of their moves??? Both teams created chances throughout the entire 120 minutes, leaving it impossible to question the standing of Arena and Kreis among the absolute best coaches in the country (not like there's ever been much question about Arena, considered among the best coaches in the CONCACAF region...but Kreis proved himself to be just as strong a tactician in Seattle last night).

Earlier in the week, SoccerJunkie mentioned the fact that the only 2 people to stop a Landon Donovan PK in the MLS were Nick Rimando (RSL's GK) and Jeff Cassar (RSL's GK coach). Think it got into LD's head? Normally money from the spot (20-for-22 in MLS play), Donovan launched his shootout attempt into the Seattle night---a decisive miss that helped cost LA the title.

The most striking image of the night---the most striking image of the season, in SoccerJunkie's opinion---was the shot of Javi Morales virtually inconsolable on the RSL bench after being forced off with his knee injury. The tears were evident as he came off the field, covering his face with his jersey, before breaking down completely on the bench. You can't say these guys don't give their everything to their team...

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MLS Commissioner Don Garber has announced that the league is interested in having Montreal join the league in 2012, which would fulfill Garber's goal of 3 Canadian teams (to go with Toronto and Vancouver (set to join in 2011)). If everything is worked out, Montreal will become the 19th team in the MLS, with Philadelphia set to join next year, followed by Vancouver and Portland in 2011. The biggest obstacle at the moment appears to be the expansion of Saputo Stadium, home of the Montreal Impact (and owned by potential MLS-team owner Joey Saputo). The league is talks with city officials to find a funding plan to bring the stadium---which currently holds 14,000---up to an MLS-acceptable capacity around 25,000.

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FIFA has announced an "emergency meeting" of the Executive Committee, which will be held in South Africa on December 2nd. The meeting, which is being held 2 days before the World Cup draw, will discuss the disputed playoff between France and Ireland, as well as the latest match-fixing probe. Despite Thierry Henry's support for Ireland's request for a replay (which was rejected by FIFA on Friday), it is expected that the result of the match will not change---but rather that the quality of match officiating will be at issue.

Thierry Henry "hands" France a place in the World Cup Finals (photo/Getty)

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Tottenham outscoring the Dallas Cowboys? In this weekend's "football"-vs-football, they sure did. Tottenham managed to out-do Dallas' 7-6 victory over the Washington Redskins by putting up a 9-spot against Wigan. Spurs went into halftime with just a 1-0 lead, but were paced by Jermaine Defoe's 5 second-half goals (including an 8-minute hat trick) in the 9-1 home laugher.

The scoreboard says it all (photo/Getty)

For their part, Wigan players have now decided to refund the ticket price for any fans that travelled down to White Hart Lane to witness the thrashing...

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While names continue to float around as to who the Red Bulls will hire as their new sporting director, an interesting new name has become available in the coaching ranks---an international coach with both playing and coaching experience in the MLS. That name would be none other than former New England 'keeper and coach (and, for a season, player/coach) Walter Zenga, who was fired by Serie A side Palermo this morning.

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Speaking of the need to hire a Sporting Director, the MLS Expansion Draft (or, in this case, Philadelphia Union's Expansion Draft) is this Wednesday. Each team had to submit their list of 11 protected players this afternoon, and the league has released them to the media. For the Red Bulls, the list includes:

Juan Pablo Angel

Danleigh Borman

Bouna Coundoul

Kevin Goldthwaite

Jeremy Hall

Carlos Johnson

Mac Kandji

Carlos Mendes

Ernst Obster

Dane Richards

Seth Stammler

Among those missing...Danny Cepero, who could be attractive for Philadelphia on Wednesday. To his advantage (if he wants to stay in NY), Jon Conway---a native of the Philadelphia area---was left unprotected by Chivas USA.

Philadelphia will have the opportunity to draft 10 Senior and Developmental players during the draft, with a maximum of 1 coming from each team (if you do the math, that means 5 teams will not lose anybody to the expansion team). All Developmental players who are drafted must be offered a Senior contract, and must appear on Philadelphia's roster as a Senior player by the roster deadline for next season. No team may protect all of their Internationals, leaving a minimum of 3 available (or 1, for teams with 3 or less Internationals).

Be sure to check back on Wednesday evening to see who coach Peter Nowak drafts...

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On a final note, David Beckham confirmed after the MLS Cup Final that he will rejoin the LA Galaxy after the World Cup---and that he does intend to exercise his option to buy an MLS franchise after his playing days end. His contract allows for him to purchase a team beginning with the 20th team to enter the league, which will be in 2012, at the earliest.

Set for South Africa

2009-11-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

...the 32 teams going to South Africa are now known and await the December 4th draw to determine who will face each other in the group stage.

The "Hand of God" Returns
In the best game of the day, Thierry Henry handled the ball before slotting through for William Gallas to finish in the 103rd minute as France survived Ireland. After winning 1-0 in Dublin, France saw Robbie Keane bring the Irish level on aggregate---and away goals---just after the half-hour mark, and were fortunate not to fall even further behind. When the clock struck 90:00 with the score unchanged, extra time was left to settle the playoff, with Gallas scoring the deciding goal, and Henry admitting that he struck the ball once with his arm and once with his hand during the set up. France claimed the last European spot in the Finals.

Elsewhere in Europe, Greece used a first-half goal to beat hosts Ukraine 1-0, and take their playoff by the same score (they tied 0-0 in Athens on Saturday). In Slovenia, the hosts pulled off the biggest upset of the day, winning 1-0 over Russia. Though Russia won the opening leg 2-1, Slovenia advances to South Africa on the away goals rule, with the final aggregate being 2-2 (Slovenia 1 away goal, Russia 0). Portugal were the only team to face a comfortable end to their match, as today's 1-0 victory sent them past Bosnia 2-0 on aggregate.

In the day's other playoffs, Algeria beat Egypt 1-0 in a winner-take-all playoff to decide their African qualifying group, while Uruguay's 1-1 tie at home against Costa Rica puts them through 2-1 on aggregate.

So the 32 teams to vie for the World Cup trophy in June are:
EUROPE
Denmark
Germany
Spain
England
Serbia
Italy
Netherlands
Switzerland
Slovakia
Portugal
Greece
France
Slovenia
- -
AFRICA
South Africa (host)
Ghana
Ivory Coast
Cameroon
Nigeria
Algeria
- -
ASIA/OCEANIA
Australia
Japan
South Korea
North Korea
New Zealand
- -
CONCACAF (North/Central America)
United States
Mexico
Honduras
- -
CONMEBOL (South America)
Brazil
Paraguay
Chile
Argentina
Uruguay

Again, the World Cup draw takes place in Zurich on Dec. 4th.
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Also playing Wednesday afternoon, USA vs. Denmark. In a tale of 2 halves, the Yanks had a really good opening half, with Jeff Cunningham putting the US in front (a lead held up 'til halftime). US midfielder Benny Feilhaber, starting on the left with Landon Donovan back in the 'States preparing from MLS Cup 2009, had a strong showing on his "home" field (Feilhaber plays his club ball for Aarhus, which calls NRGi Park--the site of this friendly--home). The Danes came out strong in the second half, however, scoring 3 goals in an 8 minute span to take control of the game, and the US barely posed a threat offensively. The collective disarray in the second half is alarming, though US fans can take some solace in the fact that the starting 11 in this one (who were in through all 3 Denmark goals) included only 3 players who will likely start in the same position in South Africa (Carlos Bocanegra (centerback), Michael Bradley (central midfield), and Jozy Altidore (forward)). Feilhaber is also likely to start in South Africa, though there's a better chance he'll pair with Bradley in the central midfield (where Ricardo Clark started in this one), while Landon Donovan will take the right midfield. The rest of the back line is a question mark for the US---Frankie Hedjuk started on the right, with Jonathon Spector in the center and Jonathan Bornstein on the left Wednesday...Bornstein can easily play himself OUT of South Africa with continued poor performances (he was atrocious against Denmark), considering Edgar Castillo is waiting in the wings...Spector could be a solution out right, provided Jay DeMerit or Gooch Onyewu are healthy in the center. Up top, Jeff Cunningham impressed in his start, and could be a solution in the race to replace Charlie Davies, but his partnership with Altidore was almost non-existent.

More GAMES like the first half on Wednesday, the US is in good shape this summer...more performances like the second half, then it's time to start looking for a new coach...
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From the qwirky fact file...
If the MLS Cup Final should go to PKs on Sunday night---or if LA is awarded one during play---it will be interesting to see who will take it...LA captain Landon Donovan has converted 20 of 22 career MLS penalty kicks (high above the average MLS conversion rate of just above 80%)---but the only 2 'keepers to stop Donovan are Nick Rimando and Jeff Cassar. If Landon steps up, it will be Rimando (the RSL 'keeper---who stopped 3 PKs in the shootout to win the Eastern Conference Final) he sees before him. Where is Jeff Cassar these days? He's a goalkeeper coach...for Real Salt Lake.
-------------------------------------
The search for a Sporting Director continues for the Red Bulls, but reports put Erik Soler in the front-runners seat. Soler is co-owner and chairman of Norwegian club team IK Start, and spent time in the 80's with German club Hamburg (same club and same time as new international Red Bull soccer director Dietmar Beiersdorfer). Soler has also worked as a player agent and TV color commentator. If hired, Erik Soler will work for Red Bull Managing Director Erik Stover.

Almost There...

2009-11-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

...just 2 days from now the last of the 32 teams to punch their tickets for South Africa will be known, and the field will be set.

Over the weekend, 3 more teams clinched their spots in the World Cup---Cameroon and Nigeria joined already-qualified Ghana and Ivory Coast with automatic spots in the Africa confederation, while New Zealand won the 2nd leg of their playoff with Bahrain, picking up a 1-0 home win in Wellington after a scoreless tie last month in Asia. This will be the All Whites first appearance in the Finals since 1982 World Cup in Spain.

Add one more match to Wednesday's docket of playoffs---Egypt's win over Algeria on Saturday in Cairo created a very rare tie atop their qualifying group. With the 2-0 win, Egypt and Algeria are tied in all categories: points, goal differential, goals for, goals against, head-to-head... The logjam will be settled with a winner-takes-South Africa playoff in Sudan (the neutral venue picked by FIFA). The good news about an unexpected playoff in a neutral venue announced only 4 days before the match??? Plenty of tickets available, and they're cheap. So if you just so happen to be in the neighborhood (because we know SoccerJunkie does (not) have a band of followers in Sudan), grab some seats and enjoy the match...

The remaining playoffs will see their 2nd legs played out on Wednesday as well. Every match-up is wide open, as none of the 5 final fixtures is separated by more than a single goal... Here's a look at the results from Saturday's opening leg (Home team in CAPS):

Europe

RUSSIA 2-1 Slovenia

France 1-0 IRELAND

PORTUGAL 1-0 Bosnia

GREECE 0-0 Ukraine

CONCACAF/CONMEBOL

Uruguay 1-0 COSTA RICA

Ireland and Costa Rica could be in worse shape after having lost their home legs, as---being that away goals are the first tiebreaker---any win in the away leg will guarantee that they will not be knocked out (without, at least, extra time (a 1-0 win would bring extra time, a 2-1 win or greater would bring qualification based on away goals)).

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The US was one of a number of already-qualified teams to play a friendly on Saturday, falling to fellow qualifiers Slovakia 1-0 on a first half penalty. Lessons learned from the game? The US can't produce well when it's missing its top 'keeper (Tim Howard), defender (Gooch Onyewu), midfielder (Landon Donovan), and one of its top forwards (Charlie Davies). Brad Guzan had a strong performance deputizing for Howard, strengthening his spot as the Yanks #2 'keeper, while Jonathan Spector had a surprisingly great game filling in at center back. Having spent his international career as an outside back, injuries to Onyewu, Jay DeMerit, and Chad Marshall left US coach Bob Bradley to experiment with Spector, who did not disappoint. Whether he is seen as an answer at left back---where Jonathon Bornstein had a disastrous game, which included the foul that gave Slovakia the game-winning PK---or whether he supplants Steve Cherundolo at right back, Spector should see playing time in South Africa.

Another positive from the loss was the central midfield partnership of Michael Bradley and Benny Feilhaber. They controlled the center of the field, limiting Slovakia's chances through the center and distributing well going forward. The name of the game for these two now will be consistency---regular performances like this one will lead to spots in the starting 11 this summer.

The US team has flown on to Aarhus (club home of midfielder Benny Feilhaber, and former club home of injured forward Charlie Davies), where it will face South Africa-bound Denmark on Wednesday afternoon. The game, set to kick-off at 2:30pm ET, will start off on ESPN Classic, and will air on ESPN2 at the conclusion of the Greece/Ukraine playoff, which will air starting at 1pm.

The roster for Denmark sees a few changes, as Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden join the team (following Houston's loss to LA in the Western Conference Final), along with left back Edgar Castillo from Mexico's Tigres. Castillo has played for the Mexico National Team, and is the first player to join the US squad following FIFA's new rule that allows players to change allegiance once, provided they have only played in friendlies for the team they are leaving (and meet the standard eligibility requirements for the nation they're joining). German holding midfielder Jermaine Jones has also been cleared by FIFA to join the Yanks, but continues to recover from knee surgery.
Leaving the US squad are Clint Dempsey, injured back Chad Marshall, and Steve Cherundolo. Cherundolo flew straight to Germany after Saturday's game, where he served as a pallbearer at the public memorial service and funeral for Hanover 96 teammate Robert Enke. Cherundolo serves at Hanover's captain, and you can read the latest on Enke's suicide a little later in this entry.

(photo from UK's Guardian...Cherundolo is on the far R)

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MLS Cup 2009 is set, as Real Salt Lake will meet the LA Galaxy at Seattle's Qwest Field on Sunday, November 22nd at8:30pm ET. For the second consecutive year, the MLS Cup Final will feature 2 teams from the same conference, as Real Salt Lake (of the Western Conference) beat the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference Final, thanks to a stand-out shoot-out performance by RSL's GK Nick Rimando. Last year, the Red Bulls were the Western Conference champions, thanks to the wild card seeding the MLS uses for the playoffs (the top 2 teams from each conference qualify, followed by the next 4 teams (regardless of conference) in overall points (the lowest seeded team crosses over to the other conference, if necessary).

If SoccerJunkie hasn't made it clear enough in the past that the Red Bulls have serious personnel issues in the front office (who help make personnel decisions on the roster), just take a look at the list of former Red Bulls/Metrostars appearing in this year's playoffs:
Bruce Arena- Coach, LA
Todd Dunivant- Def, LA
Edson Buddle- Fwd, LA
Dema Kovalenko- Mid, LA
Mike Magee- Fwd/Mid, LA
Clint Mathis- Fwd/Mid, RSL
Zach Thornton- GK, CHV
Jon Conway- GK, CHV
Eric Brunner- Def, COL
Eddie Gaven- Mid, COL (Metrostars)
Danny O'Rourke- Mid/Def, COL
Ricardo Clark- Mid, HOU (Metrostars)
Dominic Oduro- Fwd, HOU
Brad Davis- Mid, HOU (Metrostars (yes, in 2003))
Tim Ward- Def, CHI (Metrostars)
Terry Boss- GK (Seattle)
If you think about it, you could start a 4-4-2 of Thorton (GK), Ward-O'Rourke-Brunner-Dunivant (Def), Mathis-Kovalenko-Clark-Davis (Mid), Magee-Buddle (Fwd), all coached by Bruce Arena...and they'd have to be among the favorites to win the MLS Cup.

In Red Bulls news...
-'Keeper Bouna Condoul (patella tendon tear) and forward Mac Kandji (adductor/groin) have both gone under the knife and are expected to be ready for preseason training.
-If he returns to the team for the 2010 season, Andrew Boyens has a chance to become just the 5th player in franchise history to make a World Cup roster after New Zealand's win on Saturday. He would join Tab Ramos, Alexi Lalas, Marcelo Vega (1998) and Clint Mathis (2002) on that list.
-Reports are out that the Red Bulls have interviewed Curt Onalfo for the Sporting Director position, while the Washington Post reports that Richie Williams has interviewed for the DC United coaching opening. Onalfo failed miserably in KC, while allowing Richie to go to hated rival DC would spell two disastrous moves for the NY franchise. In related news, reports are out that Preki is set to sign on as the head coach at Toronto FC, taking another viable coaching candidate off the board for the Red Bulls.
-------------------------------------------------

(photo from ESPN)

More than 45,000 fans turned out for a public memorial service in memory of Germany National Team 'keeper Robert Enke on Saturday at his club's home stadium. Among those in attendance at Hanover's AWD Arena were German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as the entire Germany National Team (who had been due to play Chile that afternoon...the match was cancelled after Enke's death). Enke's teammates on the national team have asked the DFB (the German federation) to schedule a memorial match, possibly against Hanover in the lead up to the World Cup, in the goalkeeper's honor.

Prior to the memorial service and funeral (Enke was buried next to his baby daughter, who died 3 years ago), more details of what led such a successful athlete, set to perform in the largest single-sport event in the world, to commit suicide. Enke's widow and doctor confirmed that the German 'keeper suffered from depression, seeking treatment for the last 6 years, and had an acute fear of failure. In a suicide note left for his family, Enke said that in the days prior to his death, he feigned that he was well in order to carry out his suicidal plan. The news that Enke suffered from depression came as a shock to teammates and friends, as his widow said he hid the depression from everyone out of fear the daughter they adopted over the summer would be taken away, and his profession would be in jeopardy.

A Tragic Day...

2009-11-10T13:55:00.001-08:00

Spokesmen for Hanover 96, DFB (the German Federation), and local police have confirmed that Hanover 96 and German National Team 'keeper Robert Enke died after being struck by a train today in an apparent suicide.

Over the course of his career, Enke played for a number of large European clubs, including Barcelona (Spain), Benfica (Portugal), and Fenerbahce (Turkey), as well as German clubs Borussia Moenchengladbach and Jena. Though he had collected only 8 caps with the German National Team, Enke was considered the front-runner for the starting job at this summer's World Cup in South Africa, with coach Joachim Loew leaning towards him over Rene Adler. His last cap was a 2-0 win over Azerbaijan on August 12th. Enke was passed over by Loew for the German squad set to play friendies against Chile and Ivory Coast over the next week after missing nearly two months (and the final 4 World Cup qualifiers) battling a bacterial bowel infection. He only returned to action this weekend, making the final of his 196 Bundesliga appearances. With his contract at Hanover due to expire at the end of the season, it was widely expected that Enke would move to Hamburg after the World Cup to continue his club career.

In 2006, Enke's 2-year-old daughter died of a heart defect...Enke and his wife adopted a 2-month-old girl this past May.

Robert Enke was 32.

----------------------------------------------------

Playoffs to determine the remaining teams who will travel to South Africa begin Saturday! Be sure to check back to SoccerJunkie next week for all the latest results and analysis.

On a related note---Portugal will face an uphill battle against Bosnia after losing star midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo for both playoff legs. Ronaldo is continuing to recover from an ankle injury he picked up in late September, then aggravated a mere week later playing for Portugal against Hungary.

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The playoff dates bring with them an international break. England will face Brasil in Doha, Qatar on Saturday at the (relatively new) Khalifa Stadium...

England will be without David Beckham (who will be suiting up for the LA Galaxy in the Western Conference Final) and Liverpool's Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson, who are both out through injury.

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The US will travel through Europe this week, playing at fellow World Cup finalists Slovakia on Saturday...before heading for a midweek (11/18) match at Denmark, who are also South Africa-bound. Bob Bradley's roster for the matches:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan, Aston Villa (England); Marcus Hahnemann, Wolverhampton (England); Troy Perkins, Valerenga (Norway)

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Rennes (France); Jonathan Bornstein, Chivas USA; Steve Cherundolo, Hanover 96 (Germany); Jimmy Conrad, Kansas City Wizards; Clarence Goodson, IK Start (Norway); Frankie Hejduk, Columbus Crew; Chad Marshall, Columbus Crew; Heath Pearce, FC Dallas; Jonathan Spector, West Ham (England)

Midfielders: Michael Bradley, Borussia Moenchengladbach (Germany); Clint Dempsey, Fulham (England); Benny Feilhaber, Aarhus (Denmark); Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA; Dax McCarty, FC Dallas; Robbie Rogers, Columbus Crew

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Hull (England); Conor Casey, Colorado Rapids; Jeff Cunningham, FC Dallas; Eddie Johnson, Cardiff City (England)

Missing from the US roster...

Tim Howard: Likely left off by Bob Bradley simply to allow him a break. No question that he is the #1 'keeper for the US...but with Everton's involvement in European ball the past 2 years (plus the Confederations Cup and all the qualifiers), you need to make sure he doesn't get burnt out. Howard had a matter of just a few weeks off after the Confederations Cup and is playing every week---sometimes multiple games each week.

Landon Donovan: A reserve captain and the all-time leading scorer for the Yanks, Donovan will be playing for the LA Galaxy as they go after the MLS Cup.

Brian Ching: If only playoff goals were eligible for MLS Goal of the Year... Ching's strike against Seattle last weekend was a thing of true beauty (check it out here: http://web.mlsnet.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7126411 )... that strike could prove to be a double-edged sword for Ching: while he's likely to be in the 23-man team that goes to South Africa, that goal could've been everything he needed to get another look from Bradley in these friendlies with an eye on a spot in the starting 11...unfortunately, that goal means Houston is in the Western Conference Final and Ching will be there instead of with the Yanks in Europe next week. (on a quick related note...how about Pat Onstad?!?! the only thing better than Ching's goal was the full body of work from Onstad in this one...check it out: http://web.mlsnet.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7126471 )

----------------------------------------------------

The MLS Save of the Year nominees are out...and while Danny Cepero has two fantastical saves up for vote (save 1: http://web.mlsnet.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7114291 and save 2: http://web.mlsnet.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7077277 ), SoccerJunkie's vote goes to the ageless Pat Onstad. Find me another 40-something-year-old who can make this save...

http://web.mlsnet.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7114153

You can see the rest of the nominees and vote for your pick here:

http://web.mlsnet.com/sights/save_of_the_year/

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Money may be able to buy you really nice clothes, really good food...some would argue money can even buy you love...but, as Real Madrid has discovered, money can't buy you a King's Cup...

That's right, mighty Real Madrid are out of their domestic cup (which in Spain is the King's Cup) in the Round-of-32, falling 4-1 on aggregate to Alcorcon. Yes, you read that right, Alcorcon. Haven't heard of Alcorcon??? Well, neither had SoccerJunkie until they stunned Real 4-0 in the 1st leg. Alcorcon is a Segunda B side---that's the THIRD tier of Spanish futbol (behind Real's La Liga and Segunda A)... Their budget? Only about $1.5 million...or about FOUR HUNDRED times smaller than that of Real. To give a little more comparison, the MLS salary cap this year was just over $2 million.

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R.I.P. Robert Enke

2009-11-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

News reports are out this afternoon that German National Team and Hanover 96 'keeper Robert Enke has been killed in an accident...

Stay tuned to SoccerJunkie for the latest...

Don't Tell Me Soccer's Not Intense...

2009-11-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

It's November...but what's there to write about???

How about when soccer becomes a rugby match?? Ever wonder if women soccer players pull each other's hair??? If you ever needed proof that a) soccer is an intense sport, and b) rivalries exist between colleges regardless of the sport, then look no further than New Mexico women's soccer defender Elizabeth Lambert...

(from ESPN, via Youtube)

And in this one, you get to see the reaction of BYU late in the game...

(from themtn.tv, via Youtube)

One can only hope that the "indefinite" suspension handed down by New Mexico lasts at least through the end of their season...and hopefully longer. They say there's no such thing as bad publicity, but for a sport that's struggled with its image in the U.S....well, better things could've happened to get on ESPN.

So here's to Elizabeth Lambert, SoccerJunkie's College Soccer Goon of the Day...

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Better late than never, a few chants heard in English stands last weekend...

"Jim Bullard, Bullard He's worse than Steve Gerrard He's fatter than Frank Lampard Jim Bullard, Bullard." Fulham fans welcome back Jimmy Bullard (to the tune of Que Sera Sera).

"Who needs Mourinho, we have our physio!" Tranmere fans as caretaker manager/physio Les Parry runs on to the pitch.

"We're your biggest fans - we'll follow you around the country! Marine, Marine FC!" To the tune of Lady Gaga's Paparazzi.

"Jon Macken whoah-oh-oh, Jon Macken whoah-oh-oh. He used to play for Town... but now he's just a clown!" Ipswich fans to Jon Macken... (who scored the game-winner in 2nd half stoppage)

"We only came to see your Willey!" Chant heard at Kingstonian v Cray Wanderers match to Cray defender Mark Willey.

------------------------------------------------------------

Adios, Giants Stadium...

2009-10-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Farewell, Goodbye, Auf Wiedersehen, Arrivederci, Au Revior... Not really sad to see you go, though...(a rare full house at Giants Stadium as the US takes on Argentina in 2008)

The Red Bulls closed out soccer in the concrete behemoth with a surprising 5-0 win over Toronto FC on Saturday night---a win that allowed the Red Bulls to avoid the dubious distinction of being the lowest scoring team in league history by ONE goal (that's right---a team that couldn't find the net needed to score 4 times against a team desperate for their first playoff berth...and managed to pop in 5). New York somehow managed to bury the team that has alienated fans all year alongside Jimmy Hoffa (whom SoccerJunkie thinks he's located---check the end zone in front of 101, the location of the first puddle I've ever seen on the artificial turf of the Swamp), and play their best game in years. From Bouna Condoul and the backline, all the way up to Juan Pablo Angel and Mac Kandji up top, the team played a complete, exciting game for 90 full minutes---opening the scoring the 2nd minute, and closing it with a 90th min. PK. Appropriate, as well, was that it poured through most of the game---the final game before the team moves into Red Bull Arena, where fans will be sheltered from the elements by the structure's revolutionary roof system (that will allow sunlight in for the natural grass field, but cover all seats while leaving the field open).

Now that the season is over, it's time to look forward... Who will coach the Red Bulls next year? Who will take over as the team's Sporting Director? It appears that the executives at the top are ready to allow one person to handle both positions again (they decided to split them after firing Bruce Arena)...but they must take lessons from their hirings of Arena, Jeff Agoos, and Juan Carlos Osorio... Lesson #1--- Give whoever you hire some time. They let go of Bruce Arena before he had the opportunity to shape the franchise to his likings. Where is Arena now??? He holds that same dual role for the LA Galaxy, a team with two Designated Players (or at least 2 who earn DP money)...a team that has finished #1 in the Western Conference this year. By the way, the Red Bulls hold 2 DP slots, only one of which is being used (as rumors swirl (Thierry Henry?) about who will fill the 2nd)... Lesson #2--- Don't hire someone who doesn't understand the American game well enough. Juan Carlos Osorio has had success in the MLS before, but only in short stints. The MLS is a physical league, and the style of players that he brought in just doesn't fit with the style of play in the league. Along those same lines, anyone brought in MUST understand the salary cap structure and various limitations placed on rosters. The news over the past couple weeks that Avram Grant was interviewed and would've taken the dual-role position shows that the front office needs a wake-up call---you need more than just a name. Lesson #3--- Get someone with experience as an executive in the sport. Jeff Agoos has been a complete disaster, and a lack of experience is part of the blame.

Various reports are out there about names that have had meetings with Managing Director Eric Stover about positions with the club. Among those... Tab Ramos---apparently interested in a scouting job, which he could excel at. Claudio Reyna---has no interest in the coaching position, citing his own lack of experience (Thank You, Claudio!)...says he is interested in helping the club in any acceptable way, though. Tony Meola---Don't even get me started...refuses to write-off coming out of retirement as a player (says Kasey Keller can do it at 40, why can't he...Tony: You're no Kasey Keller!)...also gave every reason not to hire him as Sporting Director or coach with these statements during a recent interview:

"They have to put the right mix of players on the field. If they do that for
me, the coach is so secondary in the whole puzzle as is the sporting director. I
know that's the first piece of the puzzle they want to put together. You
can have the best coach and the worst players -- and not necessarily they have
the worst players here -- but in theory, you can have that and you're not going
to win. You can have a bad coach and really good players and win. that's the
most important thing."

So let's get this straight...success is pretty much entirely dependent on the players? Good players will win even with a bad coach? Bad players will lose with a great coach? Got news for you, Tony---it's dependent on EVERYONE within the organization. Players, coaches, trainers...everyone. Youri Djorkaeff---Yup, you read that right. Djorkaeff HAS spoken to the organization, and said that he is here if they need him. Would he succeed as a coach? Of all the former players out there, he probably has the best chance to---he understands the American game (having played here), and is one of the most intelligent players (both "book smart" and "soccer smart") to ever set foot on a field. Does that mean he will succeed? Not exactly. It would be an interesting move, but a risky one. There can be no doubt he'd also draw some big names to the organization...

The new coach and Sporting Director are going to have the task of developing the roster for the opening season at Red Bull Arena. With a 2nd Designated Player slot available to be filled in either January or July (with the earlier mentioned rumors swirling that Thierry Henry could join after the World Cup), New York needs to look no further than their Western Conference counterparts---a team in the biggest market in their conference, in a great home stadium, with 2 players being paid DP salaries, and finished last in the league last year---for a model to build around (yes, I'm talking about LA). Their plan? Start with their DPs (Beckham and Donovan (who earns $900k but is grandfathered in the DP rule), build the rest of the core on a few experienced players who make decent money (GK Donovan Ricketts (Jamaican National Teamer, $$150k), former US MNT defender Gregg Berhalter ($144k) Todd Dunivant ($109k), midfielders Eddie Lewis ($160k) and Chris Klein ($175k), and forward Edson Buddle ($169,950)), and then stock in the draft with talented young players (including starting centerbacks Omar Gonzalez ($64k) and AJ DeLaGarza ($36k) and forward Bryan Jordan (34k). The rest of the team includes young, but proven players who don't command a 6-figure salary (such as forwards Alan Gordon ($79,750) and Mike Magee ($70k), midfielders Chris Birchall (Trinidad National Team, $84k) and Stefan Miglioranzi ($70k), and defenders Sean Franklin ($64k) and Julian Valentin ($36k)). It's a formula that's been nothing but successful all season long.

With that said, let's take a look at the Red Bulls roster to end the season (including their salary for 2009)...

Goalkeepers- Bouna Condoul ($124K)- had a solid final game, but is one of the worst 'keepers in the league technique-wise...makes poor decisions, but recovers thanks to his athleticism...likely to return unless the team can score a steal somehow. Danny Cepero ($34k)- another good season from the young 'keeper...undersized, but makes up for it with incredible athleticism...no reason he can't be the starting 'keeper in 2010, and at this price, there's no reason to let him go anywhere.

Defenders- Danleigh Borman ($20k)- worth keeping as cover at left back at this salary...a natural left back should be a #1 priority in the draft. Andrew Boyens ($49,500)- has good size and experience...again, at this price, no reason to keep him to compete at centerback---another draft priority. Walter Garcia ($36k)- only got some real time in the finale, and did a fine job...as an Osorio signing, expect him to leave. Kevin Goldthwaite ($102k)- doesn't play well enough to justify his salary...well liked by the fans, but the team can do better for less. Carlos Johnson ($90k)- still believe he's the type of player who can succeed in this league...would love to see him hang around. Leo Krupnik ($144k)- WHAT? $144,000 for a RESERVE centerback? Again, someone with experience in the front office would go a long way...definitely not worth keeping around---for that money, you need to be a stand-out in this league. Carlos Mendes ($85k)- always been a wonder why he doesn't play more...missed the end of the season with a foot injury, but should be good to go for the preseason...no reason he shouldn't hang around. Mike Petke ($80k)- experience that you can't put a price on, yet he comes reasonably priced...if he decides to keep playing, a valuable player to have---both on and off the field.

Midfielders- Albert Celades ($100k)- fantastic finale to the season and his career...wasn't always the most effective, but didn't really have the personnel around him to play him in the most effective position...his retirement means more cap money. Jeremy Hall ($55k)- yes, I'm listing him as a midfielder, even though he played all but one game as a defender...played the final game as a left midfielder---he's a natural midfielder---and excelled...whoever takes over the team next year should use this kid in the midfield, where he belongs, and where he can really grow. Matthew M'Buta ($20k)- highly touted when he was signed with Mac Kandji, but hasn't lived up to the hype...of course, $20,100 for a reserve is a very fair price. Ernst Oebster ($36k)- brought over from Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) in midseason, then left briefly when his girlfriend gave birth to their first child...showed flashes of real talent, could easily compete for time next year...definitely worth keeping around for this money. Dane Richards ($125k)- definitely make-or-break for Richards...doesn't live up to his salary, though his speed is something you can't compete with...if his finishing and delivery improve, could be one of the best in the league on the outside, but is he worth this money?...the move would outrage many fans, but maybe it's time to let him go. Jorge Rojas ($120k)- nothing much to say here...clearly underperformed, definitely not worth the money, another Osorio signing who failed. Luke Sassano ($34k)- that Sassano started as much as he did shows the lack of depth and talent in the midfield...a solid reserve, and worth keeping at this salary. Seth Stammler ($118k)- a steady holding midfielder...quietly goes about his business...fantastic in the locker room...definite keeper, even at 6-figures---he earns it. Sinisa Ubiparipovic ($34,650)- like Sassano, is not the answer in the midfield...worth keeping if he's coming off the bench, though. Nick Zimmerman ($20k)- you have to like this kid's upside...exciting player, comes cheap...worth keeping around.

Forwards- Juan Pablo Angel ($1.5mil)- his stats say it all...worth every penny. Girogi Chirgadze ($20k)- team's first "homegrown" player, signed from the Academy team...highly touted, should be good to see what he's got. Mac Kandji ($70k)- inconsistent at times, but performances like Saturday night show why the team's so high on him...electric player, just needs a solid finishing touch...no doubt he should be back. John Wolyniec ($80k)- give him a chance, he'll score...one of the "heart and soul" type of player, gives you all he's got and can be the heart of the team...no doubt he belongs here.

So what does the team need in the draft? First, a natural left back and a solid centerback to solidify a leaky defense...a goalkeeper with real potential would help the competition...a playmaker is also a pressing need---but one that might be best resolved through the transfer market.

And Then There Were 32...Almost

2009-10-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Qualifying is winding down, and 23 teams have now booked their tickets to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and in just a months time the remaining 9 will be known.

The US, which clinched with the win in Honduras last weekend, picked up a huge 2-2 tie against Costa Rica to close out qualifying on Wednesday night. The game tying goal---coming in the 90+5' (also known as the 5th minute of second-half stoppage time)---by Jonathon Bornstein sent the 26,000+ into a frenzy...but also completely changed the final standings in the hexagonal...

With that one header, the US vaulted back over Mexico to finish #1, while Costa Rica, in dropping the 2 added points of a win, fell behind Honduras---meaning Honduras will play in South Africa, while Costa Rica is left in a playoff (more on that later)...

The US was by far the better of the teams in this one, with Jozy Altidore especially playing an inspired game--spurred on by the tragic accident late Monday night that killed a 22-year-old woman and left starting striker Charlie Davies laying in an intensive care unit with serious injuries. Davies certainly wasn't forgotten, with the fans offering a tribute all around the lower bowl at RFK, holding up printed #9s (Davies' jersey number) in the 9th minute of the game...

The tribute nearly translated to the field, as Altidore sent Connor Casey in alone on the Costa Rican net, though Casey narrowly missed...right as the clock struck 9:00 in...

Misses turned into the theme for the US, as Altidore, Casey and Landon Donovan all missed first half sitters. Costa Rica capitalized with two goals in a 3-minute span to take the lead into the half. After Michael Bradley notched one back in the 72nd, off of a rebound from a Landon Donovan shot, the Yanks' task was made even tougher with the loss of Gooch Onyewu to a torn patellar tendon...which all set the stage for the stunning equalizer...

(video from YouTube, shot from section 201---directly next to SoccerJunkie's section)

At the end of the night, the US walked out 2-2 in a game that could've easily been a 6-2 win, though this was enough to win the CONCACAF region and begin to turn the focus to South Africa.

SoccerJunkie was fortunate enough to be there to share in the celebrations with the US players and fans, taking these pictures, and capturing the end of the celebration from the goal and final whistle on video...

As the US celebrated, captain Carlos Bocanegra took the mic...

Of most worry now for the US is the state of the roster. Heading into this final round of qualifying, it looked as though at least 18 (or more) of the roster spots were set, with a few remaining fringe players battling to be in the final 23. The starting 11?...all but a lock. However, the news coming out of the US Soccer press offices over the past week has left the roster in tatters, with spots (such as centerback) that were once thought to be deep and solid, now left thin and inexperienced. Over the past week, the US has lost:

Charlie Davies---injured in a serious car wreck late last Monday night...underwent more than 5 hours of surgery to repair a lacerated spleen and place rods to set his broken femur and tibia...though released from intensive care, Davies still faces more surgery to fix a broken left elbow, and likely faces surgery for facial fractures...WORLD CUP PROGNOSIS: non-existent...lucky to be alive, Davies career isn't out of the woods yet...doctors expect at least a 6-12 month recovery, though nobody knows how his body will heal, and how these injuries will affect his fast, powerful game.

Gooch Onyewu---left with less than 10 mins. of regulation remaining in Wednesday night's game with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee...looked hobbled earlier, with his left leg appearing to bother him right before the first Costa Rican goal...set to undergo surgery in LA this Wednesday...WORLD CUP PROGNOSIS: Good...but at what strength?...US Soccer isn't announcing a recovery timetable until after surgery, though this injury typically requires 3-4 months of rehab...Gooch will need a fast recovery and some meaningful minutes with AC Milan if he's to be 100% match fit for South Africa.

Jay DeMerit---would be the natural choice to replace Onyewu at centerback (after the Confederations Cup, it looked as though Onyewu and DeMerit would start in the center with Bocanegra out wide left, which is still a possibility)...prior to his club match for English side Watford on Sept. 15th, some dirt or grit got stuck under the contact lens in DeMerit's left eye...his eye became infected, and DeMerit had surgery to replace his cornea this past Saturday...WORLD CUP PROGNOSIS: Good...expected to miss 2 months as his sight returns to normal, DeMerit should be ready to rejoin Watford after the New Year, and should be 100% for a send-off series for the US in May and June.

Clint Dempsey---suffered a shoulder injury with English club team Fulham that appears to be more serious as he misses each day...initially expected to be available for the Costa Rica game, but had to be replaced on the roster...WORLD CUP PROGNOSIS: Good...Dempsey's had multiple scans, all of which confirm that the injury isn't exceedingly serious...still considered to be day-to-day and won't need surgery...the sooner he returns to the field, the sooner the Yanks breathe a sigh of relief.

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As mentioned at the beginning of tonight's entry, 23 teams are set to compete in South Africa, while the remaining 9 teams will be known following playoffs that will take place next month. Already qualifying are:

Host
South Africa

Asia
Australia
Japan
North Korea
South Korea

Europe (UEFA)
Netherlands
England
Spain
Germany
Denmark
Serbia
Italy
Switzerland
Slovakia

South America (CONEMBOL)
Brazil
Paraguay
Chile
Argentina

Africa
Ghana
Ivory Coast

North/Central America (CONCACAF)
US
Mexico
Honduras

Africa, which has no teams that are drawn into playoffs, are the last to finish qualifying. Three of the 5 groups are still up for grabs, with two teams alive in each...

Group 1
Cameroon leads Gabon

Group 2
Tunisia leads Nigeria

Group 3
Algeria leads Egypt

The top 8 2nd-place teams from UEFA have been drawn for their playoffs, which will feature:

Ireland vs. France
Portugal vs. Bosnia
Greece vs. Ukraine
Russia vs. Slovenia

The remaining playoffs feature:

Costa Rica (4th-place CONCACAF) vs. Uruguay (5th-place CONEMBOL)
New Zealand (Oceania champion) vs. Bahrain (5th-place Asia)
(New Zealand and Bahrain are tied 0-0 after the first leg of their playoff.)

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The Red Bulls will play their final match at Giants Stadium on Saturday night...let's hope a new arena, new coach, and (hopefully) new front office staff will help bring a completely fresh start to this franchise and help turn it into a successful one (for once).

One other Red Bulls note: No team in the MLS saw as sharp a decline in attendance as NY. The league as a whole is averaging just over 15,000 fans per game this year, down a modest 3.45% from last year (not nearly as bad as MLB, which dropped 6.4% in the recession). Seattle is leading the way, ready to set a new attendance-average record, presently drawing over 30,700 fans to Qwest Field for each match (nearly triple the Red Bulls average). In a season where only 3 teams---RSL, San Jose and Toronto FC---have seen attendance rise, the average crowd in Giants Stadium this season has dropped 26% from last year. Hopefully the new arena brings an end to that shocking trend...

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Parting thought for today:
Is it just me, or has the Champions League lost a lot of its appeal with its switch from ESPN to FSC? Sure, we get to see more games...but still only one per day live (the others debut as late as 10pm), and by the time they're played on FSC, we already know the result.
And no offense to Bobby McMahon (FSC analyst for pre- and post-matchday shows)---yes, he IS a smarter, more aware analyst than ESPN had---but he simply lacks that "I'm your lovable, but uber-crazy Grandpa who wants to say 'Bulging the 'ol Onionbag' as much as possible" appeal that Tommy Smyth brought to their studio.

Charlie Davies in Serious Accident...

2009-10-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

SoccerJunkie sends US and Sochaux striker Charlie Davies wishes for a speedy recovery after being injured in a serious accident early this morning.

Davies was in an SUV with 2 other people when it struck a metal rail along the Memorial Bridge in DC, sheering the SUV nearly in half. A female in the car---a friend of LA Galaxy striker Alecko Eskandarian, who was in DC at the time of this accident---was killed. Davies is undergoing what is said to be a multi-hour operation, with what the Washington Post is reporting to be "possibly career threatening" injuries.

Stay tuned to SoccerJunkie for the latest...

South Africa, Here We Come!!!

2009-10-12T12:20:00.001-07:00

...that's right, the US is headed to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after Saturday night's 3-2 win in Honduras!

Normally, SoccerJunkie would break down the game at this point...but---in the biggest travesty US Soccer has seen a in long, long time---soccer fans nationwide were left to find a local bar that was able to bring in a feed of the game after Honduras sold the TV rights to a company that only broadcasts in closed-circuit. The result of all that...no US network (ESPN, Fox Soccer Channel, Telemundo, or Galavision) was able to obtain a feed that it could broadcast, and most US soccer fans had to wait for the result on Twitter, USSoccer.com, or other online sources. Can something be done so that this can be avoided in the future? SoccerJunkie sure hopes so!

Looking forward, the US rounds out qualifying against Costa Rica on Wednesday night in Washington, D.C. ---and SoccerJunkie will be there, in the Land of the Bouncing Stands, taking it in live (so be sure to check back for analysis after the game!).

Despite having qualified for South Africa, this match still carries plenty of meaning for the US, and even more for Costa Rica. A United States win guarantees that the Yanks win the CONCACAF hexagonal, and (while gaining a top seed is very unlikely) finish with a higher seed than rival Mexico---an important step towards avoiding the Group of Death in 1st-round draw. During the draw for that 1st round---the Group Stage---the 32 teams that qualify are placed in 4 pots of 8 teams each---Pot #1 includes the 8 "seeded" teams---including host South Africa, who's automatically drawn into Group A; while Pot #2 includes the highest seed from any confederation not included in Pot 1 (this will almost certainly include CONCACAF, AFC (Asia), and OFC (Oceania, which will be represented by New Zealand IF they advance through their 2-leg playoff with Bahrain...they tied the 1st leg 0-0 on Saturday, the 2nd leg will be played next month), with the remaining places going to UEFA teams not in Pot 1); Pots #3 & 4 include the remaining teams, with higher seeded teams in Pot 3, lowest seeded teams in Pot 4. A Costa Rica victory guarantees them an automatic berth in South Africa, while a loss or draw would leave them scoreboard watching---Honduras (who travels to 5th-placed El Salvador) sits 2 points back, but has a 5-goal lead over Costa Rica in goal differential. In short, a Costa Rica loss or tie, paired with a Honduras win, means the Ticos will face the 5th-placed CONEMBOL (South America) team in a playoff for a spot in South Africa, while Honduras would earn the automatic berth. The remaining match in CONCACAF (Mexico @ Trinidad & Tobago) has little meaning, as Mexico has clinched a berth and Trinidad has been eliminated. A Mexico win, with a US loss, would allow Mexico to win the final hexagonal and make for an interesting seeding process.
A quick look at the CONCACAF standing heading into the last match:
Country Record Points Goal Differential
USA 6-2-1 19 +6
Mexico 6-3-0 18 +6
Costa Rica 5-4-0 15 0
Honduras 4-4-1 13 +5
El Salvador 2-5-2 8 -5
Trinidad 1-6-2 5 -12

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Elsewhere in qualifying, as we head into the final day of matches (with the exception of playoffs)...

Europe has barely begun to sort things out. The Netherlands, England, Spain, Germany, Denmark and Serbia are all assured automatic berths at this point, while Switzerland and Slovakia currently lead their groups and are assured of at least a 2nd-place finish and a playoff spot (the top 8 2nd-place finishers (out of 9 groups) advance to the 2-leg playoff to determine the final 4 UEFA berths). Ireland, France, Bosnia and Russia are all guaranteed of a 2nd-place finish and playoff spot. The rest, though, is up for grabs...here's a quick look at each group:
Group 1
Denmark is through with 21 points, while Portugal (16 points, vs Malta (1 point)) is in a battle for their playoff lives with Sweden (15 points, vs Albania (7 points)) and Hungary (13 points, at Denmark (21 points)). Going in to the final day, 7 groups have clinched playoff spots (meaning whoever finishes 2nd will have enough points to make the playoffs)...the two groups battling for the last remaining playoff spot? Groups 1 and 9.
Group 2
Switzerland leads the group with 20 points, and is assured of at least a playoff spot heading into their home match vs. Israel (15 points, 3rd place). Only 2nd-place Greece (17 points) can catch Switzerland, as they host Luxembourg (5 points)---but they would miss the playoffs altogether with a loss and an Israel win over Switzerland or a loss, a Swiss win, and a Latvia (14 points) win at home over Moldova (3 points). Wayyy too many scenarios to really detail here, just have to wait and see...
Group 3
Slovakia leads on 19 points, and, like Switzerland, is assured of at least a playoff spot as they travel to Poland (11 points). Of the 3 teams who are still alive for a playoff spot---Slovenia (17 points, at San Marino (0 points)), Czech Republic (15 points), and Northern Ireland (14 points)---only Slovenia can still finish ahead of Slovakia. Northern Ireland and the Czech Republic will meet at the Sparta Stadium in Prague.
Group 4
All decided here---Germany has won the group, Russia will advance to the playoffs.
Group 5
Same here as the previous group---Spain will play in South Africa, Bosnia will await the playoff draw.
Group 6
England has clinched qualification, while the playoff spot is down to just two teams---Ukraine (18 points, at Andorra (0 points)) and Croatia (17 points, at Kazakhstan (6 points)).
Group 7
Serbia has advanced, France has clinched a playoff spot.
Group 8
Italy will get a chance to defend their World Cup trophy, while Ireland has booked a playoff spot.
Group 9
No games to play, as this is the group that has only 5 teams. The Netherlands will advance, while Norway has finished second. This group is most likely to miss the playoffs, as a win by either Portugal or Sweden would likely have them finish ahead of Norway and in the playoffs.

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There's still plenty to play for in South America, as well. Brazil, Paraguay and Chile have clinched qualification, while the 4th-place automatic berth and 5th-place playoff spot (against 4th-place from CONCACAF) are wide open. Powerhouse Argentina currently sit 4th on 25 points, but face a match away to Uruguay, who are only 1 point behind (24 points). To potentially complicate things even more, Ecuador (who will play at Chile) are sitting on 23 points, though they'd have a large goal differential to make up against both Argentina and Uruguay. Venezuela (21 points) are still in contention for a playoff spot, though they face an uphill battle, playing in Brazil.

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On a short MLS note, after picking up a shutout this weekend, Chivas USA 'keeper Zach Thornton is now only one shutout away from equaling Brad Guzan's single-season club shutout record of 13. Both of the 'keeper over at Chivas, by the way, are Red Bulls cast-offs, with Thornton being backed up by Jon Conway---which is kind of ironic, as Thornton backed up Conway for a large portion of last season in NY. Good to see Big Zach back in net and back on his game.

And speaking of the Red Bulls...prior to signing as Portsmouth's Director of Football, former Chelsea manager Avram Grant met with the Red Bulls about taking over a dual Director of Football/head coach position. Grant was apparently very interested, but, with the Red Bulls dragging their feet, decided to take the opportunity offered in the Premiership. Another miss for the Red Bulls, though you have to wonder if Grant would be a good fit for the team---his background with the American game is minimal. At this point, only time will tell what direction the Red Bulls go, but with a new stadium set to open, whatever move they make better be a good one...

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Finally, thanks to the BBC, some fantastical quotes---and even more fantastical chants---from the last weekend of action in England (yes, it's a little late)...

"Well, he just can't stop scoring!" Ken Bates on the arrival of striker Lucianno Becchio's baby daughter.

"We had three French officials and a French manager of one of the teams. I don't think the referee was biased but a goal was offside." Olympiakos manager Zico after Arshavin's goal in the Champions League, which he didn't think was biased at all!

"There's a terrific atmosphere here (at Fiorentina), they always have passionate crowds in France." Chris Waddle gets his countries mixed up during Fiorentina-Liverpool.

"On another day, they both would have scored today." Graeme Souness on Sky after Chelsea v Liverpool. I'm sure it made sense in his head!

It may be golf, but it’s still good…
"I cannot be in three places at one time - I can manage two, but not three." Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie backs himself to defy the laws of physics at Celtic Manor.

BBC reporter: "People are going to ask me to ask you - are you going to stay on?"
Roy Keane: "I refuse to answer that question."
BBC reporter: "We'll take that as a yes, then?"
Roy Keane:"Take it whatever way you want." Keano being interviewed following Ipswich's 3-1 defeat at Barnsley. If looks could kill....

"You have to expect that from Tim Cahill, he's got the ability to do the completely unexpected." Commentator on The Quay radio station during the first half of Pompey's 1-0 loss to Everton.

"Man United may only get three or four chances against you, but they can end up scoring three, four, even five from them." Clark Carlisle on MOTD2.

And for the chants...

"We're not pointless anymore!" Southampton fans after beating Gillingham 4-1 to get their points tally into positive figures.

"We don't need no health and safety,We don't need no ground control,We're just here to support the Boro....Hey, stewards, leave our fans alone!" To the tune of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall, sung at Boro-Reading as fans at the front were told to sit down.

"You've been hit by, you've been struck by... Lee Cattermole." Sunderland fans at Old Trafford to the tune of Smooth Criminal.

"Yeaaaaaaah..... And Bent is on fire!" More from Sunderland fans (to the tune of Sex Is On Fire by Kings of Leon).

"We want six!" Wolves fans at Old Trafford when the board went up showing three minutes added-time.

And just for kicks, a great banner...

"I'm only here because the ticket was free." Spotted at Home Park during Plymouth v Nottingham Forest. I could also see this banner hanging at Giants Stadium on the 24th---the Red Bulls last game of the season....anyone? Anyone?

Be sure to check back later in the week for the lastest on Wednesday's matches, as well as pictures and video from USA/Costa Rica---if you're going, SoccerJunkie will see you at RFK!

Sneak Peek inside Red Bull Arena

2009-10-05T12:43:00.001-07:00

That's right, SoccerJunkie got a sneak peek inside the still-under-construction Red Bull Arena, which becomes the new home of Red Bull New York this March! Now, as a season ticket holder, of course there's some bias...but what a beauty!

The first section of seats has gone in (visible in the lower left corner of the first picture), which consists of just 17 rows in the lower tier (which will hold 11,000 of the 25,000 seats in the stadium). Spectators will get the first-class, up-close-and-personal view of the game that's typical in Europe---just 21 feet from the first row to the sideline. Adding to the European experience, EVERY seat will be covered.

Just in case you somehow miss anything going on on the field (though that's highly unlikely in this place), two large video boards will hang from the ends of the arena (the brackets can be seen in the next two pictures). The playing surface will be a full 120x75yd. Kentucky Bluegrass pitch, which also features subterranean drainage and heating systems, helping to keep the field in perfect condition year-round.

There will also be wrap-around LED signage along the base of the upper tier (you can see the brackets in this final picture). The entirely aluminum construction of the upper tier means it will be LOUD, while the idea of "nosebleed" seats just doesn't exist, as the upper tier contains a maximum of 23 rows. For those of you adding it up, that's a maximum of just 40 rows between a seat and the field---the same as the lower tier of the Red Bulls current home, Giants Stadium.

Follow the progress of Red Bull Arena at redbullarena.us, which includes both interior and exterior LIVE webcams.

On a final Red Bulls note, this weekend's 1-0 loss to San Jose is actually a plus for the team and the fans. The loss clinches the worst record in the league for New York, which carries with it the 2nd pick in each round of January's draft. With a new coach, and hopefully new leadership in the front office, in place, the opportunity to rebuild a younger, stronger squad is there. An advantage to a younger squad that hasn't been discussed...younger players carry smaller salaries, which opens more cap space. The Red Bulls still hold a 2nd Designated Player slot, which will likely cost a full $400k on the salary cap---but could be well worth it.

As the MLS season comes to a close, check back for the latest in the MLS playoff races and playoff previews.

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US coach Bob Bradley has his roster together for the upcoming qualifiers at Honduras (Saturday) and vs. Costa Rica (next Weds.)...

GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England)

DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan, Italy), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England)

MIDFIELDERS: Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus, Sweden), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca, Mexico)

FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Hull City, England), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (1860 Munich, Germany), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux, France), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

There are no real surprises in the roster---DaMarcus Beasley hasn't seen any time at Rangers, where Maurice Edu continues to recover from a knee injury, so their absence doesn't come as a huge surprise. An important loss for the US, though, is Clint Dempsey, who will miss the Honduras match (despite being named to the roster) with a sprained shoulder that he picked up over the weekend.

One win from these final two matches will guarantee the US' place in South Africa, though the Honduras result will be meaningless if the US gets at least a tie vs. Costa Rica. The real goal, however, should be winning both matches and, therefore, finishing at the top of the final hexagonal---it'll help next summer to be drawn as the top-ranked team in CONCACAF, hopefully avoiding a "Group of Death" in the group stage.

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In other qualifying news...this weekend starts the last push for South Africa. By next Wednesday, teams with automatic berths will have punched their tickets, while all of the countries facing November playoffs (including 8 UEFA teams (the top 8 2nd-place finishers in the European groups), 4th-place CONCACAF vs 5th-place CONEMBOL (South America), and New Zealand vs. Bahrain) will be locked in as well. If you aren't fortunate enough to be on those lists, your hopes to play in June are limited to friendlies to warm up the teams headed to South Africa.

In Africa, most every group is still up for grabs with Cameroon (by 1pt. over Gabon), Tunisia (by 2 over Nigeria), Algeria (3pt lead on Egypt), and Ivory Coast (6pt lead on Burkina Faso) leading their groups, while Ghana is the only team in Africa to already qualify.

Brazil and Paraguay are in from South America, but the other 2 spots and the playoff spot are still up for grabs, and favorites Argentina are in serious danger of not qualifying. Currently in the 5th-place playoff spot with 22 points, Diego Maradona's men will host last-place Peru before travelling to Uruguay in their quest to catch 3rd-place Chile (27pts) and 4th-place Ecuador (23pts). However, 6th-place Uruguay and 7th-place Venezuela (21pts each) are right on their heels, and 8th-place Columbia (20pts) isn't far behind.

Europe still has a host of open spots---only the Netherlands, Spain and England have clinched qualification---and many of the 9 groups will come down to the last day (all 9 group winners gain automatic qualification, while the top 8 second-place teams will be drawn into 2-leg November playoffs for the remaining spots). Perennial favorite France seems headed for a playoff spot, while other favorites, including Portugal, the Czech Republic, Poland and Turkey are currently on the outside and face an uphill battle just to make the playoffs.

Should be a GREAT week of futbol.

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Portsmouth is in real trouble, and it appears that the Saudi oil-rich Al-Faraj brothers are set to step in and rescue the club---the second takeover of the club in the past 42 days. This comes after Sulaiman Al-Fahim, who purchased the club just a month and a half ago from Sacha Gaydamack, was unable to raise the approx. 15 million Pounds that he promised would be available by October 15th. The result? Players weren't paid this week, teams are awaiting transfer fees, and debts are ballooning. Without intervention, the club wouldn't be facing administration (an English form of bankruptcy), but complete extinction. Enter the Al-Faraj brothers, brought in by club chairman Peter Storrie as backers for his bid to buy the team when Al-Fahim's bid was slowed by concerns over his ability to finance the purchase, who promised (and have now provided) a bridging loan to keep the team afloat. As soon as all due diligence has passed, the brothers will purchase 90% of the team from Al-Fahim, and assume control over the club. Best of luck, Portsmouth!

A quick look at the Premiership table...

Chelsea's win over Liverpool this weekend proves that the Big 4 may be more of a Big 5 or Big 6 with the arrival of Tottenham and Manchester City. The loss sends the Reds crashing---not just out of the top 4, but down to 6th. The Blues, meanwhile, vault over Manchester United with the win, while 3rd-place Tottenham, 4th Manchester City, and 5th Arsenal round out the big clubs.

Just a couple weeks ago, Everton was struggling, sitting at the bottom of the table...well, that's changed in a hurry as this week they climb to the 10th spot, officially entering the top half for the first time this season.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth (3 points) and West Ham (5 pts) continue to struggle at the bottom of the table, with Hull (7pts) sitting in 18th on goal differential, though 1 win can take them as high as 11th.

With the break for the final round of World Cup qualifiers (aside from November's playoffs) coming this weekend, the table will sit unchanged until play resumes on the 17th.

Slow week...

2009-09-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

...so since there's not much to analyze, I figured I'd share some of the weeks greatest quotes and chants from the games in the UK, courtesy of the BBC...

"If you've just joined us, we are having a long delay, because Bassong's head has bounced off the pitch." Radio 5 live commentator during Chelsea's win over Tottenham.

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"If the ball is in the back of the net, you can't catch them on the counter." Johnny Giles with a cutting insight during RTE commentary.

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"Portsmouth - Still winless, still pointless." Mark 'Chappers' Chapman questions Pompey's very existence on Final Score.

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"Cardiff City's new £50 stadium holds 26,500 and was opened in the summer." Picture caption on BBC Sport website. I always knew Cardiff were cheapskates!

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"West Brom are having a bad little spell. They were leading 4-1, but now they're leading 3-1." Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday.

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"I was going to hitch the shorts up to my nipples. I thought that would have been a good celebration, but the fans would have thought what the hell's he doing?" Newcastle's Steven Taylor ditches his planned goal celebration after scoring against Plymouth.

And we can't forget some great chants...

"We've got Morten Gamst Pedersen; Gamst Pedersen is what we need!"

A soft rock tribute to the Blackburn midfielder to the tune of Bon Jovi's Bad Medicine.

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"Hey! Chelsea! Leave those kids alone!"

Villa fans to the tune of Another Brick in the Wall (following the transfer ban for allegedly illegally inducing French teenager Gael Kakuta to sign).

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"We only cost five quid!"

Morecambe fans to moneybags Notts County during the Shrimps' 2-1 victory on Saturday.

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"The Unibond, it has no nails,The Unibond it has no nails,And its anti-mould bath sealantIs very good, it never fails."

From the Stand Band at Marine FC. Should please the sponsors of the Northern Premier League! To the tune of When The Saints.

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"Jo, Jo, Jo, he's magic, you know."

Sung to the Brazilian forward after he finished off AEK Athens with a fourth for Everton. To the tune of Magic by Pilot.

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"Petr, Petr love your socks."
Chelsea fans appreciate Petr Cech's bright green football socks.

"Danny, Danny Coyne! Danny, Danny Coyne!" Middlesbrough fans at Hillsbrough to Boro's keeper (To tune of Daddy Cool).
And after the teams changed ends...
"You're not Danny Coyne! You're not Danny Coyne!" Boro fans still sharp as ever!

"U-N-I. T-E-D.United fans are from Surrey,With a nick-nack paddy whack, give a dog a bone,Manchester is not your home!" Heard in the Park Lane end at White Hart Lane in honour of our 'northern' guests. Which still doesn't beat a similar one from last year---Arsenal fans to Manchester United fans at Old Trafford: "We'll race you back to London!" For those unaware, most Manchester United fans aren't actually from Manchester...

"If you all won at Wembley, clap your hands!" Gillingham fans (last season's League Two play-off winners) to Millwall fans (League One play-off losers).

And finally, the best stadium announcements of the weekend...

"Oxford United would like to thank the fans for the great support shown. The attendance today is 5688...5600 of those fans being Oxford supporters." The stadium announcer mocking the lack of Eastbourne Borough supporters during their 4-0 defeat to the U's.

"Devastating news from Pride Park...Derby are losing!" Tannoy announcer at Leicester-Blackpool game, followed by a big cheer.

Hope you all enjoyed!

Back to the Same Old, Same Old...

2009-09-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

Another week, another loss for the Red Bulls...

Following last weekend's 1-0 home loss to Kansas City, there really isn't much of anything to do except look forward. The Red Bulls are the first team mathematically eliminated from the playoff race in MLS, dealing with a multitude of injuries (including Juan Pablo Angel's sprained ankle, which kept the skipper off the field over the weekend), and are being led by an interim coach. Will Richie Williams continue at the helm for the debut of Red Bull Arena in the Spring? Well, that decision appears to be a ways off still---the man who will hire a permanent replacement for Juan Carlos Osorio is likely not even an employee of the franchise yet, as Jeff Agoos will likely be let go at season's end. Rumors are rampant that current Chicago Red Stars (WPS) CEO---and former President and GM of the Chicago Fire---Peter Wilt will be hired to replace Agoos. Wilt, who was the first President and GM of the franchise, and led them to the Double (MLS Cup Champions and US Open Cup Champions) in their inaugural season of 1998, wouldn't comment on the rumors during an interview with ESPN's Kirstian Dyer, saying only that his partner with the Red Stars have known that he would like to return to the MLS one day. As for his thoughts on the New York franchise, and why they've struggled to find success... "The New York and New Jersey market and new stadium give them the potential to be MLS' flagship team, but I think there are a few other teams which can credibly stake that claim ahead of the Red Bulls.
Lack of consistency in personnel on and off the field has been their biggest challenge since the beginning. The most successful organizations in MLS have found ways to retain their best staff and players over long stretches of time. That's done by creating good environments, doing the little things right and treating people with respect. You look around the league and the clubs that have used that formula are the ones that have been successful." If Wilt does get hired, and uses this as a starting point for the direction of the franchise, then the Red Bulls might just be in good hands after all...

As for one person who won't be back with the Red Bulls next year... bye bye Alfredo Pacheco. The Red Bulls terminated the loan deal and contract of the defender, another Osorio signing who couldn't hold up in the league. After a promising start, Pacheco was victimized all too often in his last games, before finding himself stuck on the bench (in favor of Danleigh Borman, who isn't even a natural defender) after Williams took over the team. While the Red Bulls are set at the right back position (if Carlos Johnson could stop picking up red cards---he picked up his 3rd of the season AFTER the final whistle on Saturday night), they, much like the US National Team, are thin at the left back position, something they should definitely look at in the draft...

Speaking of the draft (and looking forward), the Red Bulls find themselves in a fantastic position going into January's draft. In addition to likely having the 2nd pick in each round (thanks to their awful record this year), the team will also get an extra pick in each of the first two rounds---NY gets Houston's first-round pick (as part of the deal for Dominic Oduro), as well as LA's second-rounder (from the trade for Mike Magee). RSL could still owe NY a pick, as a conditional draft pick was included in the trade that sent Dema Kovalenko out west...but that pick is still up-in-the-air, as it's been tied-in to the conditional draft pick RSL picked up when they shipped Kovalenko to LA (and the league reviews all situations where one team gets two draft picks from another in the same draft)...

Meanwhile, in other news...

--Costa Rica will arrive in the US next month for their final World Cup qualifier with a new coach. Rodrigo Kenton has been fired after 3 straight losses, which have seen the Ticos drop from 1st to the 4th-place playoff spot in the CONCACAF hexagonal. The US plays Costa Rica at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 14th---and SoccerJunkie will be there, in the Land of the Bouncing Stands, to bring you a full report!

--Chelsea Chief Executive Peter Kenyon is stepping down, effective Oct. 31st. The former Umbro CEO--and former Manchester United Chief Exec--was brought to the helm at the club after Russian billionaire Roman Abromavich took over, and has led the club to their recent successes in the Premiership and UEFA Champions League, as well as scandal, which now sees them banned from the transfer market for the next two windows. Kenyon could be the first of a mass exodus from the London club. One of Kenyon's biggest achievements at the club...negotiating a then-record jersey sponsorship deal with Samsung...

--Which leads us to a new record jersey sponsorship deal, and the end of an era of sorts for another Premiership leader... Liverpool's long-standing deal with Carlsburg is coming to an end, and Standard Chartered Bank is set to become the new jersey sponsor for the Reds. The deal is said to be in the neighborhood of 80 million Pounds, and will take effect next July. Carlsburg had been Liverpool's jersey sponsor since 1992.

--Arsenal's Italian rookie 'keeper Vito Mannone was handed his first UEFA Champions League start this afternoon, after first-choice 'keeper Manuel Almunia picked up a virus, while #2 'keeper Lukasz Fabianski continues to recover from knee surgery. How has his deputizing started off? Mannone allowed 2 goals in the first 5 minutes on the road to Belgium's Standard Liege. It could be worse...he could've given up a goal to the opposing goalkeeper (::cough:: Andy Gruenebaum ::cough::).

Quick look at the Premiership table and this coming weekend's matches:

-The top of the table has no surprises left...Chelsea #1, Manchester United #2. United will face a HUGE match on Sunday morning, when they host 3rd-placed Manchester City at Old Trafford in an unusual top-of-the-table Manchester derby. Chelsea will host former leaders Tottenham on Sunday at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham dropped to 4th after last weekend's loss to United.

-Second-to-last Everton (complete shock there!) look to get headed in the right direction Sunday, as they host Blackburn Rovers at Goodison Park. Though Blackburn are 5 places ahead of Everton, only 1 point separates the two teams, and a win could vault Everton to the top-half of the table.

-Saturday's big matches will see 5th-place Liverpool travel to Upton Park to play West Ham, while struggling (and 9th-place) Arsenal will host Wigan at the Emirates. Other Saturday fixtures: cooled-off Burnley host Sunderland, Stoke travel to Bolton, Hull hosts Birmingham at the KC, and Aston Villa takes on Portsmouth at Villa Park. The 4th Sunday match will see Fulham travel to take on newly-promoted Wolves.

And then there were 3...

2009-09-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

After walking off the field with a 2-1 victory over El Salvador on Saturday, the US has three games remaining in a tightly-packed CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying hexagonal...

Saturday night's win continued to show that the US has a scary trend of surrendering the first goal this year---this match makes the second consecutive home qualifier (with June's win over Honduras in Chicago) that the Yanks have spotted their opponents a lead, and also the second time in this final round that they had to come-from-behind against El Salvador (a team that is rightly entrenched in the 5th spot in the standings), overcoming a 2-0 deficit to rescue a point in the road leg. The back four on Saturday (Spector, Marshall, Bocanegra, Bornstein) were shaky too many times, with Spector and Bornstein equally responsible for numerous giveaways in the defensive half---with Bornstein turning over the ball unneccesarily 20 yards from the endline on El Salvador's goal (though some responsibility also sits with Tim Howard, who overplayed a far-post run). Possible solutions for the Trinidad game? If Jay DeMerit has recovered from his groin injury, pairing him with Gooch Onyewu (back from suspension) would be likely, with Bocanegra moving back out to the left side (while his lack of speed against Trinidad could be an issue, it's far better than having Bornstein out there). Should DeMerit be unable to go, Bob Bradley wouldn't be unwise to keep Bocanegra parked centrally (though he will likely move him out to the left, with Marshall deputizing for DeMerit once again), and play his two best outside backs---Steve Cherundolo on the right, and Jonathon Spector on the left (if it weren't for DeMerit's coming out party at the Confederations Cup, this could've easily been the World Cup backline, should the US qualify).

Regardless, unless the US does better possessing the ball, especially from the backs to the midfield, this could be an uncomfortable final three games...

Heading into these final three matches, the top four teams (3 automatic qualifiers, 4th place playoff spot) are clearly separating themselves from the field...the problem for the US? Realistically, unless the Yanks walk away with maximum points from these matches, it's all too easy---and likely---that they'll fall to the 4th-place spot (a far guarantee from a spot in South Africa, as this leads to a playoff against the 5th-placed team from South America...a team that could easily be Argentina). The good news? Maximum points in these final 3 matches would guarantee (because of a road match against Honduras) that the good 'ol US of A finishes at the top of the hexagonal---and, unlike 4 years ago (when the US won the final qualifying round, but Mexico was reseeded as the top CONCACAF team), will get that valuable spot in the higher pot for the World Cup draw (helping avoid the "Group of Death").

Standings going into Wednesday's matches (which feature USA @ Trinidad, Honduras @ Mexico, and Costa Rica @ El Salvador): 1. Honduras 13 pts, 2. USA 13 pts, 3. Mexico 12 pts, 4. Costa Rica 12 pts, 5. El Salvador 5 pts, 6. Trinidad 5 pts.

A Win Streak??? What???

2009-08-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Richie Williams must be doing something right in NY, as in just 2 games, the Red Bulls interim coach has managed to double the teams win total for the season, avoid the record for worst team in MLS history, and upset the defending MLS Cup champs (with Sunday night's 1-0 win over Columbus at Giants Stadium). All credit for the goal has to go Dane Richards (with a little help from Seth Stammler), who picked up a loose ball off of a Columbus corner kick (a ball that was loose thanks to a block by Stammler), raced it a full 50 yards, and made Brian Carroll look like a fool with a couple of nifty shifts at the top of the box, before slotting home past Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum. Check out the goal---a Goal of the Week nominee---from MLSnet.com: http://redbull.newyork.mlsnet.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6385179&team_id=t107&topic_id=t107

For the second consecutive week, the Red Bulls came out aggressive (both offensively and defensively) and really pushed the play to their opponents. While John Wolyniec was a workhorse once again up top, the inclusion of Mac Kandji in the second half really made a difference, as the young Senegalese striker and wiley veteran hooked up almost immediately after Kandji stepped on the field, Kandji setting up Wolyniec for a rocket off the post.

On a side note, Gruenebaum---Columbus' backup 'keeper---must absolutely dread playing in Giants Stadium. Last year, it was Gruenebaum who gave up the only goal a goalkeeper has scored in the MLS...scored by Danny Cepero at Giants Stadium:

Sunday, Gruenebaum didn't manage to record a single save en route to his 2nd loss of the season---only the 4th of the season for the Crew, and snapping the team's 16-game league unbeaten streak.

On one final Red Bulls note, SoccerJunkie has gotten his date for seat selection in the new Red Bull Arena---a reason to start getting excited for next year! You can check out the webcam of the new stadium, including an interior webcam showing the field installation here: http://www.earthcam.com/clients/redbullarena/

The summer transfer window has closed, and it certainly ended with a bang for Portsmouth... The south coast club, under the new ownership of Sulaiman al-Fahim (the man behind the takeover of Manchester City by the Abu Dhabi Group, though he has since split from them), brought in 3 new players on this final day: Watford centerback Mike Williamson (for around 3 million Pounds), Benfica midfielder Hassan Yebda (on a season-long loan), and their marquee signing, Manchester City centerback Tal Ben-Haim (for approx. 4 million Pounds). Just as these players were on their way in, equally as many were on their way out, including David Nugent (on a season-long loan to Burnley) and midfielder Niko Kranjcar to Tottenham. Kranjcar figures to fit right in as a replacement for his teammate on the Croatian National Team, Luca Modric, who was lost for 6 weeks to a broken leg in the weekend's win over Birmingham.

The move of the day has to go to Everton, who has signed Athletico Madrid (and as well Holland international) centerback Johnny Heitinga for 6.2 million Pounds (although the deal could rise as high as 7 million Pounds depending on performance). The oft-injured Heitinga will replace Joleon Lescott, who has sealed his move to Manchester City (thus freeing up Ben-Haim for his Pompey move)---even taking on Lescott's now-vacant #5 jersey. If Heitinga can remain healthy, this move (in addition to the purchase of Sylvan Distin from Portsmouth last week) should help Everton sure up what has been a horrendous defense so far this season.

The US returns to World Cup qualifying Saturday night, hosting El Salvador at Salt Lake's new Rio Tinto Stadium, before heading to Trinidad for a midweek match. While the top 4 teams in CONCACAF have begun to separate themselves, this next week could go a long way to boost---or hurt---the possibilities of automatic qualification for all 4 teams at the top of the CONCACAF hexagonal (the top 3 gain automatic entry to the World Cup, while the 4th-place finished plays the South American 5th-place finisher in a home-and-away aggregate playoff for a spot in South Africa). Heading into this week's games, here's how the teams currently sit:

Costa Rica 4-2-0 12 pts 0 goal differential

Honduras 3-2-1 10 pts +4 GD

United States 3-2-1 10 pts +3 GD

Mexico 3-3-0 9 pts -1 GD

El Salvador 1-3-2 5 pts -2 GD

Trinidad & Tobago 1-3-2 5 pts -4 GD

This week's matches feature:

Sept. 5th: El Salvador @ US, Trinidad @ Honduras, Mexico @ Costa Rica

Sept. 9th: US @ Trinidad, Costa Rica @ El Salvador, Honduras @ Mexico

The US, with by far the easiest schedule, needs to use these games to lock in a top 3 (more realistically a top 2 spot)...Mexico, which has the most difficult schedule, could see themselves fighting just for the playoff spot, though their recent form should make these some very interesting games.

Check back later in the week for SoccerJunkie's in-depth previews/analysis of the US matches!

Well, it's been a while...

2009-08-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

SoccerJunkie returns after an unwanted layoff, and there is plenty to talk about...

First off, congrats to WPS' first champion, Sky Blue FC. If you knew going into this season all the turmoil this team would face, there's certainly no doubt that this squad would have had the worst odds for winning it all. Three coaches---the final being captain/player/coach Christie Rampone---a run of roster changes, a struggling superstar (in Natasha Kai, who's facing off-season shoulder surgery), and needing to accomplish a worst-to-first turnaround all made a title seem unlikely. Even heading into the playoffs---which Sky Blue backed into (LA beat Boston on the final day of the regular season after Washington beat Sky Blue the evening prior)---the Jersey team looked to have little chance...as the #4 seed, they'd face 3 road games in just 8 days, having to play at teams they hadn't beat this season. But you have to give the girls credit---they never once looked like a team that didn't belong, outplaying Washington, St. Louis, and LA for long stretches in each game, and picking up crucial goals along the way. After an extremely shaky regular season, Jenny Branam had a HUGE postseason (SoccerJunkie is still trying to figure out how Mark Rogandino and Jenn Hildreth believed that she was one of the best 'keepers in the league this year...they did attend games, right??? Branam struggled to hold on to the ball, making meals of easy saves, even dropping a cross---directed parallel to the goal---into her own net against Boston). But in the playoffs, Branam was nothing short of a complete monster---aggressive, sure-handed, and took one heck of a beating, but somehow managed to pop back up to hold on for the win (granted, against both Washington and St. Louis, I'm not sure Branam would've finished the game if Sky Blue hadn't already used all three subs). While Heather O'Reilly was named MVP---and she correctly named Rampone as a better choice for MVP---I'm not sure there was any single MVP...Jen Buczkowski replaced Euro-bound Anita Asante along side Rampone in the central defense and never missed a beat; Keeley Dowling capped an outstanding defensive effort with the game-winning goal against St. Louis; Kerri Hanks stepped into a starting role, and had a couple of terrific games before giving way to super-sub Kai in the final; Rosana moved from her customary midfield position to become the second striker with ease; and Kacey White terrorized on the outside midfield, doing everything but scoring a goal. From top to bottom, this is the definition of TEAM. And if team efforts win championships---which they do---then there is no more deserving champion than Sky Blue FC. Congratulations, ladies.

To say it's been a week of changes for the Red Bulls would be an understatement... After Juan Carlos Osorio "resigned" (by mutual consent...so let's be honest, the franchise let him save face by resigning before he was fired), the team managed to get off the schnide with a 3-2 home win over FC Dallas on Sunday afternoon. Juan Pablo Angel tied the Gio Savarese's franchise record for regular season league goals with a nifty chip over FC Dallas 'keeper in the first half, then passed it---and tied Clint Mathis' franchise record for goals in all competitions---with the game-winner, a rebound of a terrific shot from Mac Kandji late in the second half. Dane Richards added his second of the season in the first half, a one-touch finish of a John Wolyniec cross. Wolyniec had a strong game, starting up front as Kandji continues to work back from a hamstring injury, and turning in the workman-like effort we've come to expect from the vetran.

(Richards scores in the first half...)(and is stopped by Sala in the second...)
(while Danny Cepero comes up with a first half save)

One win doesn't mean this is a turn-around, though. The team is still a point shy of the league-record for fewest points in a season, and is being led by an interim coach, Richie Williams. Whether or not this team is really going to make a true turnaround---which it can't with this personnel on the field---will hinge on the decision the owners make this offseason regarding the front office of the team. If history tells anything...don't hold your breath. Since purchasing the team, Red Bull has appointed two people to lead the franchise...Marc de Granpre, a marketing exec from the drink side of the company, and Eric Stover, a stadium guru (handy to have with the opening of Red Bull Arena this coming Spring) who currently leads the front office. Neither of these men has ANY experience leading a professional sports franchise, and it's shown---leading to a revolving door of coaches and GM-style positions (which have had a variety of names). After the company got Mo Johnston to step down, Bruce Arena was brought in to assume both roles (without much down time following his 8-year reign with the US National Team), then dropped without being given a chance to really shape his team. Enter Juan Carlos Osorio (at the cost of draft picks to get him from Chicago) and Jeff Agoos (who has no previous executive experience), who are held as equals by the franchise---which should lead to Agoos' dismissal at the end of the year. Almost every player signed by this duo has failed miserably---Angel, Cepero, Goldthwaite, Richards, Wolyniec, Stammler (even Sassano and Ubiparapovic) were Arena signings (or prior)...while players like Rojas, Mbuta, Pietrovallo, Cinchero, Pacheco have all struggled mightily during their tenure. The next coach/GM that Red Bulls bring in need to have a clear understanding of the American game, and be given appropriate time to build their team. There's a reason Americans succeed in Europe, but few have in South America (Jonny Walker is the only player I can think of off the top of my head), and the next coach and GM need to realize that. Jurgen Klinnsmann is still available, right???

The new Premiership season is underway, and already there are some surprises. Who would've thought that one of the last teams on 0 points (and bottom of the table thanks to a 6-0 thrashing against Arsenal) would be Everton? And who would've thought that newly-promoted Burnley would shock Manchester United and Everton? Liverpool tied for first is no surprise, but Tottenham leading the way is a bit of a stunner. Granted, it's early (remember Tottenham's start to last season? Or Hull's start, then finish?), so there's nothing but time for the usual suspects to make this a two-horse race, but things could easily be interesting at the bottom of the table all season long, as SoccerJunkie will predict now that at least one "established" team WILL be relegated this season.

It Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Lady Sings...

2009-08-10T16:49:00.001-07:00

That's right---there IS meaningful soccer left to play in the NY metro area...and I'm not talking about the upcoming collegiate seasons, or the FDNY/NYPD game at Giants Stadium.

As late as 7pm Sunday night, halftime in the LA/Boston WPS season finale, it appeared that Sky Blue's tumultuous season was coming to a close (for those who haven't heard, defender and US Captain Christie Rampone has taken over as coach---the team's third this season---after Kelly Lindsey abruptly resigned prior to practice almost 2 weeks ago. Lindsey's resignation came on the heels of the suspension of one of her assistants, a move the team has said was necessary and justified, but wouldn't describe the offense(s).). In the end, though, LA popped home 2, including a meaningless (but still controversial) penalty, for a 2-1 win, and Sky Blue will be the only pro team in the metro area that has something left to play for. They may also be the only team to have a goal to be like the Red Bulls---last year's version, which made a run to the MLS Cup final after backing into the playoffs. It'll take 2 road wins (against Washington and St. Louis) to get to the WPS Final in/against LA...the same number of road wins the Red Bulls needed (against Houston and RSL) last year to make the final, also held in LA.

As for the Red Bulls, well the season that seems like it can never get worse...keeps getting worse. The Red Bulls crashed out of the CONCACAF Champions League in embarassing fashion last week, as captain Juan Pablo Angel was sidelined with a grade-II concussion. Despite scoring two crucial away goals in a 2-2 tie at Trinidadian club team W Connection, the Red Bulls were beaten on their home turf (literally, the FieldTurf surface at Giants Stadium, a type of surface the Caribbean teams are rather unfamiliar with---most can't afford the expense of the installation of the surface, and why would they want to (most of these teams have gorgeous fields)) in front of a smaller crowd (roughly 2,000...in an 80,000-seat stadium) than W Connection drew in their 10,000-seat home. A goal for the Red Bulls for this week: draw more than that 2,000 for Saturday night's home game against Chivas USA.

(photo courtesy WorldStadiums.com)

Wednesday afternoon, 100,000+ will pack the Estadio Azteca for the USA/Mexico World Cup qualifier---a game that has all the meaning in the world to both teams. The US wants to cement their place as the team to beat in CONCACAF---and get rid of the monkies on their back (revenge for the 5-0 Gold Cup final loss at Giants Stadium, and pick up their first ever win in 12 matches at the Azteca)...while 3 points would be vital to Mexico's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup. As the standings are now, the US sits in 2nd, 4 points ahead of 4th-placed Mexico. A 4th-placed finish would send Mexico to a playoff against the 5th-placed finisher from the South American federation. The US roster for the game:

GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Tim Howard (Everton FC, England)
DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan, Italy), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England)
MIDFIELDERS: Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC, England), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus, Sweden), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca, Mexico)
FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Hull City, England), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux, France), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

This is certainly a A-team (unlike the B/C-team that faced Mexico in the Gold Cup final), and is a team that has the talent and confident to pick up that first Azteca win. Even still, a tie on the road would be a massive success, as this is a game the US has had to have planned for 0 points in the road to South Africa. Best line-up for success? It'd have to be a 4-4-2 that utilizes speed up top paired with a target forward, and plays the players that have played best together thus far...which means two players in particular, Jozy Altidore and Steve Cherundolo, will find themselves on the bench to start. Brian Ching is the best target man in the country, especially when it comes to having a player playing off of him---a skill Altidore should refine in the Premiership this year. As for Cherundolo, the play of Jonathon Spector in the Confederations Cup this summer makes it nearly impossible to sit him in this one. The best line-up for success:
Howard; Spector-DeMerit-Onyewu-Bocanegra; Dempsey-Bradley-Clark-Donovan; Ching-Davies

The English Premier League season had it's curtain-raising event Sunday, as Chelsea beat Manchester United on penalties to win the Community Shield. If the officiating in this one is any indication of the season to come, this is sure to be an interesting run. Chelsea has the official to thank for their second goal, as a blatant elbow by Michael Ballack (Sir Alex claimed it was worthy of a red card, though a yellow would have been a more justified) left Patrice Evra laying injured on the ground as Chelsea stormed up the field to score. The kicker: the referee had twice stopped play prior to that to allow injured players---including Ballack himself on one occasion---to be tended to. Inconsistency is the biggest downfall for referees, and football fans worldwide can only hope it gets better from here.

99% Full Moon...

2009-08-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

Even though there were no big games to really talk about tonight, there is a wide array of expected, surprising, and just old weird news (the moon is 99% full tonight, naturally)...

--Kansas City has fired head coach Kurt Onalfo, replacing him with team executive (and former MLS star) Peter Vermes. The Wizards made the change sitting 2nd-to-last in the Eastern Conference at 5-7-6 for 21 points...a full 11 points ahead of the Red Bulls (2-15-4, 10 points), with 3 games still in hand. Onalfo's career record with KC ends at a very average 27-29-22... Hard to believe that that is grounds for firing, yet the 11-26-14 record of an unnamed coach in NY is satisfying enough to keep him in charge.

--Should New York advance in the CONCACAF Champions League tomorrow evening (hosting W Connection in the 2nd leg, tied 2-2), the Red Bull corporation will have a lot of Champions League to prepare for this year. Salzburg advanced through the 3rd qualifying round in the UEFA Champions League 3-2 this afternoon.

--On one last Red Bull-related note, there's another new twist in the Jozy Altidore "saga" (his story is quickly becoming one since he left for Europe). After getting minimal time with Villareal after his transfer (not at all unexpected), then not playing at all during his loan at Xerez (completely unexpected), there are new questions about where he will play this year. Over the last few weeks, a new loan deal to Olympiakos in Greece appeared likely...but now Premier League side Hull City are said to be offering Villareal 6.5 million Pounds to purchase the American striker. Two other Premiership sides (both with Americans already on the roster), Everton (Tim Howard) and Fulham (Clint Dempsey), are also said to be in the mix, which could lead Villareal to cash in on Jozy. The Spanish side paid MLS approx. $10 million (roughly 5 million Pounds at the time) for Altidore, meaning this could be a quick profit for a player who hardly played for the team.

In more international news:

--Real Madrid is continuing their spending spree, as Liverpool has agreed to sell midfielder Xabi Alonso to the Spanish giants. The move, worth 3o million Pounds, shines the light on a larger problem...

as does...

--Everton defender Joleon Lescott is said to be writing the team's chairman, asking for a transfer to Manchester City. City has had bids on 15 and 18 million Pounds denied, and are reported to be preparing another bid.

The problem? Players demanding transfers. Soccer is one of the only sports in the world where players are commodities, bought and sold by clubs. Even this years swap between Inter Milan and Barcelona saw Inter include $56 million with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in exchange for Barca striker Samuel Eto'o. Players sign their contracts, but an increasing number of these players are trying to force their teams into selling them to competitors (just look at Lescott, who wants Everton to sell him to a Manchester City team that Everton could easily be in a grueling season-long battle with for a spot in European competition next year). In other major sports, when a player signs a contract, they honor that contract until they become free agents...soccer players should be held to that same standard.

And the wheels fall off...

2009-07-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

...for the US MNT.

First off, every good blogger admits when they're wrong...and in June 30th's preview of the Gold Cup, well, I was wrong. "how far can the US advance? Will we see another US/Mexico final? Well, not likely." Just to be fair, though, SoccerJunkie never picked the US to win this tournament...of course, I never picked Mexico either.

Sunday's 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Mexico unveiled every weakness within the US roster. The lack of experience was glaring, as the US started pushing forward at fever pace immediately after Mexico put in the penalty to take the lead early in the second half---if it weren't for Troy Perkins making 3 nearly impossible saves, the US would've allowed 6 goals in that 13-minute span instead of 3. The US needed regroup, stay patient, understand that they still had more than a half-hour (Torrado's penalty came in the 57th min.) to claw back into the match, and remain confident that their play to that point was strong enough to allow them to do so---while they gave up plenty of opportunities, they also earned a few of their own.

Should Bob Bradley have called in some of the extra 7 players at his disposal for the final? Certainly not. There are a lot of arguments out there that he should have, and considering the score, you can understand why...but this is about the bigger picture. First off, World Cup qualifying is back on in just 2 weeks time---and the US has a crucial game at the Azteca in Mexico City on Aug. 12th. These players need to be healthy and available---something club teams may be reluctant to agree to if you're taking them away from their club teams during the preseason (which is a far more vital stage than most people realize---this is the time where the mold for the team (the style of play, the formations, set plays, etc) is formed). Add on top of that the fact that the 7 extra players all participated in the Confederations Cup in South Africa in June, and you're risking having some of your key A-teamers burn out at the most crucial time of all---the World Cup. These players would have competed in World Cup qualifying last summer, played with their clubs (mostly in Europe) from August through mid-May (some, such as Tim Howard (who finished up with Everton at the FA Cup final on May 30th), even later if they advance in various competitions), gone to the Confederations Cup in South Africa for all of June, spent July zig-zagging the US for the Gold Cup, only to return to their club teams through May, then off to the World Cup in South Africa in June. Yes, these are pro athletes...yes, they're built and take care of themselves like finely-tuned performance machines...but they're human. The mental and physical rigors of the sport take their toll in just one year---it's why there is an offseason (and why they refer to it in Europe as a "holiday"). The World Cup is far, far, far, FAR, FAR, FAR more important than the Gold Cup---especially in a year where the winner doesn't qualify for the Confederations Cup---and Bob Bradley simply emphasised that point. And all this doesn't even mention the fact that these B- and C-teamers got you all the way to the final (a game they really had to earn in this tournament), and it would kill their growing confidence to say "Thanks for getting us here, but you're not good enough to win it, so I'm going to call in people that are."

All of this said, the US really showed some guts in this tournament. As a group that has rarely trained or played together, this young squad came together, played some gritty, hard-nosed soccer, and earned themselves a lot of respect. Advancing out of the group stage came as no surprise, but fighting for a come-from-behind win (a game in which they showed patience after giving up the goal) in the quarters, and fighting out a win in the semis showed the great depth this country possesses.

At this point, I'd normally say that the wheels have also fallen off for the New York Red Bulls...but the wheels fell off long ago. New York is nothing more than an embarassment at this point. Not to beat a dead...Bull...but the Red Bulls have a regular season record of 11-26-14 during Osorio's tenure, including a 1-19-7 record on the road. There isn't another sport in all the world where a coach would hold his job with this kind of a record.

WPS is drawing to a close, and the schedule is finally starting to balance itself out (something for the league to work on for next year?). Washington currently sits in a tie with Sky Blue for the 4th and final playoff spot, though Washington has a game-in-hand (3 left vs. 2 for Sky Blue). That doesn't mean much though, as only 4 points separate 2nd-place St. Louis and 5th-place (based on games played) Sky Blue...and the remaining schedule for those 4 teams sets up a fevered finish: St. Louis has the easiest schedule, facing 3rd-place Boston before finishing the season against the bottom 2 teams (Chicago and FC Gold Pride)...Boston faces Washington and St. Louis before closing against LA (who has clinched a spot in the inaugural WPS Championship)...Washington faces Boston and FC Gold Pride, and Sky Blue face FC Gold Pride, before the final Saturday features what could be a playoff-deciding match between Washington and Sky Blue at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Hold onto your pants folks, this could be a wild ride.

Some (mostly) international news:

--The global economic slowdown may have found another victim...and opened people's eyes to a large problem in the sport. Argentina is set to delay the start of the Apertura (originally scheduled to begin Aug. 14th) because of the large debts held by clubs. The reason clubs are facing these larger debts? Players aren't deferring any payments on their large contracts as they did in the past. It used to be that players were assests of the club, and many would defer payment as a means of building a retirement fund (remember, most professions don't retire in their mid-30's). However, as more players are "owned" by their agents (some of whom take a 30+% stake in each client), the players are requesting a larger percentage of their contract in each payment in order to pay their agents and still have money left over to live on.

--Tottenham's Darren Bent, now considered surplus on White Hart Lane after the arrival of Peter Crouch, was hauled off the team plane yesterday after Spurs agreed a fee with Sunderland for the English striker. Bent had already taken his seat before having to deplane his luggage on the tarmac...only to find out that Tottenham now has a decision to make, as Hull and Aston Villa have both pledged to match the 14 million Pound valuation that the Black Cats were set to pay. And the waiting game begins...

--In a related story, the Odd Couple are back, now that Peter Crouch has put pen to paper with Spurs. Just seeing 5'7" Jermaine Defoe along side lanky 6'7" Crouch as the Tottenham strike pairing (they played side-by-side last year at Portsmouth) is just a sight you rarely see in pro sports...

picture courtesy of daylife.com

--Tomorrow's MLS All-Star Game (against Tim Howard and EPL side Everton in Sandy, Utah) will feature a 39-year-old MLS rookie. Of course, it's hard to consider an American legend, who has had one of the most stories careers in US Soccer history, a "rookie" at all...but that is a distinction Kasey Keller does carry. While hardly showing his age (2nd in the league with a 0.80 GAA, to go with his 6 shutouts for Seattle), this game will be a passing-of-the-torch of sorts, as Keller will see Howard in the opposite goal---one US legend passing the torch to the man who's following him in the US nets.

SoccerJunkie returns from Vegas...just in time for Gold Cup, WPS

2009-07-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

SoccerJunkie returned from Vegas just in time to attend Saturday's Gold Cup quarterfinal doubleheader at the Linc in Philly!

The US is through to the semifinals after Saturday night's 2-1 ET win over Panama, now set for a Thursday night match-up with Honduras in Chicago---the second time these same two teams will meet in the same city in the last month-and-a-half. If the last meeting was any indication, the US could be in for another tough match, this time with a B team (at best, maybe a C team) in a stadium where the A team needed to come from behind to beat Honduras 2-1 in June 6th's World Cup qualifier.

Getting through to the semis was no easy task, as the US once again came from behind to win. The Panamanian goal took advantage of a forced substitution for the US---with Clarence Goodson coming on for the concussed Jimmy Conrad at the free kick that was lofted into the box (catching Goodson and Stuart Holden flatfooted) before being knocked home. To each players credit, neither Goodson nor Holden had any obvious mistakes throughout the rest of the game, with Holden creating opportunity after opportunity---though the US struggled to test Panamanian 'keeper Jaime Penedo with any serious shots. Goodson/Conrad, joined in the center by Chad Marshall, along with outside backs Jay Heaps and Heath Pearce (and 'keeper Troy Perkins) did a terrific job snuffing out the few chances the Panamanians were able to create past holding midfielders Kyle Beckerman (a very deserving Man of the Match) and Logan Pause. Beckerman's take on the first US goal was a thing of beauty, finishing off a terrific buildup from a US offense that most featured a typical Brian Ching workhorse effort, holding up and possessing the ball with expertise, precise passing...though the final shot seemed lacking most of the night.

Kenny Cooper's insertion into the game provided a eye into another Panamanian weakness---the inability to handle multiple players who have the size, speed, and possession abilities of the American strikers. Prior to Cooper's arrival, the Panamanian's struggled with Ching, but Davy Arnaud faded out of the match, allowing a stronger defensive prescense on the Houston targetman. Cooper threw the defensive organization Panama was attempting into a tailspin, eventually leading to a boot in the gut as Panamanian defenders struggled to contain the tall Texan. A clinical finish on the ensuing PK, which Cooper had to place perfectly off the post after Penedo guessed correctly to cut out most of the left side of the net, gave the US the semifinal berth.

Unseen by many on TV, though, was a complete meltdown by players and coaches from the Panamanian team after the final whistle. As the officials made their way off the field---through a different tunnel in a different corner of the field than the players for both teams---Panamanian players surrounded the referee, evidently complaining about the penalty kick. The referee, Mexico's Benito Archundia---one of the most respected referees in the world, who officiated a semifinal match at the '06 World Cup---showed one of the Panamanian's a yellow card (the player's 2nd of the match) for dissent, and a subsequent red card. As he's holding the red card up, another player grabs his wrist, resulting in an appropriate straight red card. At this point, another player knocks the game ball out of the referees hands and picks it up...when he does, the 4th official extends his hands, asking for the game ball, but the player refuses to turn it over. Tournament and site officials surround the officials, ushering them to the safety of the tunnel, when the game ball is flung at the officials.

This behavior, along with actions seen in other games this tournament (such as the Mexico coach kicking a Panamanian player, who was on the field, in the groin) should hopefully lead to strong sanctions from CONCACAF against the players involved in this clear, excessive abuse of match officials. CONCACAF has shown through a 3-game suspension for Mexican coach Javier Aguerre that it's willing to take a stand...though in Aguerre's case, the stand may have been a little soft (how a coach can be allowed on the sideline again in the tournament after his actions is questionable). While Panama has a long time before their next CONCACAF event (they've already been eliminated from World Cup qualifying), any players involved in this post-match fracas shouldn't see the field for multiple games.

After a late night in Philly, SoccerJunkie managed to take in the WPS match between Sky Blue FC and Chicago, despite its earlier-than-usual start time for a Sunday. With both teams battling for a playoff spot (starting the game outside looking in), and with lineups made up of players looking to prove themselves (with regulars away with the US, Canadian, and English national teams), fans should've been hoping for an open game with plenty of scoring opportunities, and strong tackles on the defensive side of the ball. While the fans got the strong tackles, quality opportunities seemed to be lacking---except for US international Natasha Kai, who could've easily scored a hat-trick, but squandered opportunities (missing the net on a couple occasions, and being denied by strong saves from Chicago 'keeper Caroline Jonnson on 2 other chances). Both teams were strong in the midfield, with Sky Blue looking to play direct for almost every position, while Chicago looked to develop almost every attack through Frida Oostberg and Brittany Klein...but neither team could could piece together the opportunities in the final 1/3. The result was headed for a 0-0 tie until Kerry Hanks scored her first in a Sky Blue (though they wore orange) jersey early in 2nd half stoppage time to steal the crucial 3 points for the Jersey outfit.

Other news:

--Michael Owen has scored in each of his first two games for Manchester United. Could a career revival be on the horizon?? Owen is still young enough and talented enough to make a big impact at Old Trafford...but his body will have to hold up, which it has proven it can not do.

--David Beckham confronted boo-birds in LA during last night's exhibition against his former (and soon to be current) team, AC Milan. Did the man seriously expect that "I want to play in Italy because the MLS isn't good enough to keep me on the England national team" (not his words, just a synopsis of all his comments) would lead to a standing ovation? We were happy to see you come, Becks...but you can't leave soon enough.

--John Terry is apparently undecided about his future, mulling an offer to join Manchester City. If he does leave, the England captain---who plays for a team that challenges for the Premiership and Champions League titles every year...one of the most passionately supported (and hated) teams in the world---says it wouldn't be about money. City is only offering him a 200,000 pound/week contract...ONLY 200,000 pounds/week... Is it the wonderful Manchester rain?

--Cristiano Ronaldo spent years tearing apart the Blackburn Rovers...but was held in check yesterday in his Real Madrid debut... ...by the Shamrock Rovers. Don't worry, nobody else outside of Ireland has heard of them either. Karim Benzema played the hero in Madrid's 1-0 win. 80 million pounds for Ronaldo...more than 200 million pounds this summer on new talent...looking well worth it.

--The Red Bulls have lost yet another match, this time at home. David Beckham was quiet in his return to LA, but the Galaxy exploded for 3 goals in the first half, en route to a 3-1 win. The game at Giants Stadium drew a little over 23,000 fans...a fantastic number consider the spiral the team is in. Of course, Seattle Sounders FC has drawn 22,000 fans into season ticket memberships...30,000+ for games. If Juan Carlos Osorio is doing a good enough job to hold job in New York...just imagine what he could do with Seattle...

4th of July (okay, 5th of July) on the road...

2009-07-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

SoccerJunkie brings you this post courtesy of my Blackberry, so all typos are to be blamed on the fact that SoccerJunkie has huge thumbs and they keys on this thing are pretty small... that disclaimer aside...

Happy 4th of July everyone! and Happy 233rd Birthday America---you don't look a day over 200!

The holiday weekend brought plenty of action, led by the US lining up against Grenada in only the 2nd game the Yanks have played on this national holiday (the other was a 1-0 loss to Brazil at the '94 World Cup)...and the result of this one was far more favorable, as our boys eased out a 4-0 win over the 88th-ranked Spice Boys in their Gold Cup opener. While a win over an island nation of 90,000 isn't cause for a huge celebration, there's nothing but positives to take out of this game: a team of young players showed a lot of maturity, Steve Cherundolo had a solid game in his return from hip surgery, and the US showed it doesnt have to rely on a few select players to score. Charlie Davies, who only continued to tighten his grip on a 2010 World Cup roster spot, scored the 4th goal for the US, the 3rd of his career---the most career goals of any of the 4 goalscorers last night. Freddy Adu added the 2nd of his career, Robbie Rogers scored the 1st of his career (and assisted on 2 others) in only his 2nd cap...only to be outdone by Stuart Holden, who marked his debut with the senior team with an intelligent header for the 2nd US goal. The Yanks controlled the play, Kyle Beckerman and Logan Pause snuffed out attacks in the midfield, and the US moved the ball well in the offensive-third, outshooting Grenada 25-3. All-in-all, this should prove to be a good confidence booster ahead of the most crucial match of the group stage, which comes Wednesday night in the nation's capital against Honduras.

For the first time in a while, SoccerJunkie can give you a little insight into a couple of great WPS games this weekend---including the what was probably the best game of the weekend (played by any gender) in the country this weekend: LA at Washington tonight (at worst, it's a close 2nd to the El Salvador-Costa Rica game in LA Friday Night). It was a game that featured great technical skill, fantastic chances, and late-game heroics (as LA won 1-0 on a Marta goa in 2nd-half stoppage time). And don't let the fact that this was a game featuring women fool you---these ladies went hard into every single tackle (example A: LA's Christie Shaner going down with what we can only hope isn't a serious leg injury after a strong challenge on Abby Wambach early in the 2nd half---Shaner had to be stretchered directly to an ambulance, Marta's goal coming early in the resulting 9 (yes, NINE) mins of stoppage). The only disappointing thing was what appeared to be far from the best games from Canada's top 2 'keepers (LA's Karina LeBlanc and Washington's Erin McLeod)...but everytime the 'keepers were beat (with the exception of the goal), the defenses covered up, with both teams having efforts cleared--spectacularly on more than one occasion--off the line, as well as shots for both teams off the woodwork. Just a fantastic demonstration of the "Beautiful Game" by two very talented, determined teams...played in a fantastic atmosphere in front of 5,100+ at the beautiful Maryland Soccerplex (we need more fields like that in SoccerJunkie's home state of NJ). Well worth the 3+ hrs each way on the road (this entry comes to you from I-95 on the way back to Jersey).

The other WPS game SoccerJunkie caught live was an afternoon match-up between Sky Blue and the Boston Breakers at Rutgers' Yurcak Field. This one wasn't quite as good as tonight's game, with both teams struggling to possess at times, and missing (Sky Blue's Natasha Kai-shoulder) or losing (Boston's Heather Mitts, who left at halftime after picking up a gash in a head-to-head collision with Sky Blue's Kelly Parker). Heather O'Reilly picked up the only goal in Sky Blue's 1-0 win, curling a corner kick that barely crossed the line before Boston 'keeper Allison Lipsher-who horribly misplayed the ball-parried it out.

One quick observation from the two WPS games SoccerJunkie attended this weekend---the league has done a terrific job when it comes to providing a atmosphere that is great for both the fans and the growth of the league. Sky Blue's home field- Rutgers University's Yurcak Field- is a roughly 4,000-seat facility (though this weekend's crowd (under 2,000) was decidely quiet in comparison to some of the larger crowds the team has drawn) that seats all the fans in a larger single sideline stand. The staff (more specifically the interns) do a fantastic job keeping the crowd (made up largely of families that include younger female players, obviously the league's target audience) excited and into the game. Washington draws a larger, equally energetic crowd to their roughly 6,000-seat stadium at Maryland Soccerplex. While tickets are a little pricier at Washington ($19 can get you front row at Rutgers, while $20 only gets you into the upper section at Soccerplex), they do have a facility that seems almost tailor-made for this new incarnation of the league, which has a business model built on realistic attendance expectations (an average of 5,000 fans per game). If WPS teams shared stadiums with their MLS counterparts (which would come at a higher cost), the atmosphere would be lost---similar to going to a Red Bulls game at Giants Stadium, where 15,000 fans (if we're lucky) seem almost lost in the 80,000-seat bohemouth. Playing in front of 5,000 fans in a 25,000-seat stadium (or worse, in Sky Blue (80,000-seat Giants Stadium) and Washington's (50,000-seat RFK Stadium) case) would likely see the league head in the direction of the old WUSA. So here's 3 cheers to the execs at WPS!

Speaking of the Red Bulls, they also took the field Saturday night, with an away game at FC Dallas. The result? Yet another loss. Sure, Osorio's guys managed only their 2nd road goal of the year---Juan Pablo Angel finally scored a non-PK goal that wasn't a gift from the opposing teams defense (like Dallas' first goal, a gift from Red Bulls' Luke Sassano)---but even that was nearly saved. For weeks, the question has surrounded what it would take before management made the necessary change and let Osorio go. After this loss, the Red Bulls, at 2-13-4 (10 pts), have played more games than any team in the league, but have the fewest points of any team... The international transfer window opens on the 15th, an opportunity for a (new) coach to (re)shape the squad to his liking... So what will it take before Red Bull management looks to build excitement again? Red Bull Arena opens next year, but there needs to be excitement about your team, not just your ridiculously, awesomely incredible facility (which SoccerJunkie has seen from the inside, in-person, and can attest to its ridiculously, awesome incredibleness). It's time, Osorio HAS to go.

Confederations Cup recap...and other news...

2009-06-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Confederations Cup has come and gone, with plenty of surprises: the United States finished second, Egypt put up a fantastic showing despite not advancing, and host South Africa nearly pulled off a 3rd place finish (taking Spain to extra-time in the consolation match, this despite a run of poor results in the last year).

As for the US giving away a two-goal lead in the final, they just didn't show up (certainly to the degree that Brazil did) in the second half. The Brasilians were always a better team, they just waited 45 minutes to prove it.

Now that it's all over, there's certainly plenty to observe from the US squad. First off, it appears that there actually will be competition for spots in the 2010 World Cup squad, after a number of players improved their stock significantly. Steve Cherundolo will need to show that he's completely recovered from his hip injury during the Gold Cup, though even a strong showing might not be enough to cement his hold on the right back spot (a position that was his, never in doubt as recent as the World Cup qualifiers at the beginning of this month) following Jonathon Spector's meteoric rise and fantastic tournament in South Africa (another player who's battled injuries this year, but finally demonstrated the potential that's been seen in him for years). Charlie Davies might have had the biggest rise of any player on the team, going from unknown---even in the first 2 games of the tournament---to key contributor to the US side. His strike partner, Jozy Altidore, only continued to demonstrate why he's so highly regarded with an inspired run (having not played since being loaned to Xerez by Spanish side Villareal). In the midfield, Benny Feilhaber played more like the guy who scored the spectacular volley in the '07 Gold Cup final that got the US into this tournament (than the player who's had attitude problems and struggled to find a team (much less get playing time) in the last year and change). And Jay DeMerit did more than admirably stand-in for injured Carlos Bocanegra in the central defense---he held the spot, bumping the US captain to the left-back spot (also a tactical move to help protect Bocanegra's tender hamstring, which he injured in the qualifying win over Honduras on June 6th).

In addition, a number of the "stars" of the US squad stepped up, playing even above their expected role. Landon Donovan has always been expected to be a leader and major contributor to any US success, and played a huge role in the way that the US advanced. Only bigger than Donovan (offensively, at least), was Clint Dempsey. The further Dempsey played in an advanced role (similar to his position with England's Fulham), the more production he delivered (scoring a goal in each of the last 3 games). Prior to his red card, Michael Bradley continued to establish himself as the best central midfielder in the country, patrolling the center of the pitch, contributing both offensively and defensively. On the back line, center back Gooch Onyewu should have no problem finding a contract (his contract with Belgian club Standard Liege expires tomorrow, and he's said he wants to look elsewhere) after his performance, and it's no coincidence that the return of captain Carlos Bocanegra (albeit as a left back) coincided with the run of results that got the US into the final. In net, Tim Howard deservedly beat out the likes of Julio Caesar (Brazil), Iker Casillas (Spain), and Gigi Buffon (Italy) for the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award. Timmy came up with HUGE saves in nearly every game, stood on his head at times, and kept the US in position to finish as high as they did.

With all this said, does finishing 2nd at a significant international tournament like the Confederations Cup, beating the #1 team in the world in the process, mean that the US can crack the top 10 in the next FIFA rankings? Simple answer...no. Not a chance. Sure, the US did put together big-time games against Egypt, Spain, and in the final against Brazil...but they still finished the tournament (2-3-0) and the month (3-4-0) with a sub-.500 record. In fact, if it weren't for the poor performance of the other teams in the 11th-15th spots (US is currently 14th), there'd be a better chance that the US would drop out of the top 15 than jumping into the top 10. Spain will, more than likely, drop the top spot, and Brazil will also climb from their current 5th position), but it'd be shocking to see the US see much change to their overall rank (possibly climbing up a spot or two). When you break down the month of June, the US didn't fare very well overall: a comprehensive 3-1 loss to Costa Rica (#41), a struggling come-from-behind 2-1 home win over Honduras (#35), two more complete losses to Italy and Brazil (#4 and #5, respectively), then turning it up with solid wins of their own, over Egypt (#40) and Spain (#1), before the gritty, hard-fought loss to Brazil in the final.

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Bob Bradley's planning for the Gold Cup (CONCACAF's regional championship) had to begin before he ever left South Africa (the US released the roster before the Confederations Cup final), and tactical planning had to begin on the plane to Seattle, as the US opens play on Saturday (July 4th). Speaking of the Gold Cup roster:

Goalkeepers: Jon Busch (Chicag0), Troy Perkins (IK Start (Norway)), Luis Robles (Kaiserslautern (Germany))
Defenders: Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96 (Germany)), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Clarence Goodson (IK Start (Norway)), Jay Heaps (New England), Chad Marshall (Columbus), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaellands (Denmark)), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock (Germany))
Midfielders: Davy Arnaud (Kansas City), Kyle Beckerman (Salt Lake), Colin Clark (Colorado), Sam Cronin (Toronto), Brad Evans (Seattle), Stuart Holden (Houston), Logan Pause (Chicago), Robbie Rogers (Columbus)
Forwards: Freddy Adu (Monaco (France)), Brian Ching (Houston), Kenny Cooper (Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby (Sweden)), Santino Quaranta (D.C.)

So with this roster, which is obviously a "B" squad, how far can the US advance? Will we see another US/Mexico final? Well, not likely. This US squad isn't all that "green behind the ears"---there is an experienced core of players in Steve Cherundolo, Jimmy Conrad, and Brian Ching. In addition, there are younger players who, though inexperienced at the international level, have been viewed as having the potential to really succeed, and why not let them get the start in this "smaller" tournament? These players include Michael Parkhurst, Sam Cronin, Brad Evans, Stuart Holden, Robbie Rogers, Freddy Adu, and Kenny Cooper. The US should advance out of the group stage (against Grenada, Haiti, and Honduras), and, if these fringe players step up, have the possibility of making a decent run out of this thing. Another Gold Cup trophy, though? Against the full teams of the likes of Mexico (which is gearing up to host the US in a crucial World Cup qualifier in August), Honduras, and Costa Rica, the US should consider a semifinal appearance a success in this one.

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New York Red Bulls have returned to training in preparation for Saturday's trip to Dallas. To kick off the week, the team signed former Colorado 'keeper Bouna Condoul. As SoccerJunkie mentioned in an earlier blog, there was no feasible way to keep all three goalkeepers (Condoul, Danny Cepero, and Jon Conway) on the team...so the Red Bulls "terminated" the contract of Jon Conway. Goalkeeping has been far from the team's biggest issue this season, so this move is certainly questionable. On the upside, we now know that the Red Bulls do in fact know how to "terminate" someone's contract...now maybe the team can terminate the contract of coach Juan Carlos Osorio, the next appropriate step for a team in a major slide. Simply put, New York is the worst team in Major League Soccer right now, and has been in the lower half (last year's playoff run, which New York backed into, aside) of the league since Osorio took over.

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Tomorrow is July 1st, which means dozens of contracts around the world expire at midnight tonight. In the MLS, and similarly-positioned leagues around the world, this means open season for transfers, as new faces can be brought in without the ever-growing (in some cases, astronomical) transfer fees due to the team that originally held the player's contract. Expect a rash of signings in the coming days, with Carlos Tevez (expected to sign with Manchester City) leading the way as soon as legally permissable.

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Samuel Eto'o has now said he'd like to negotiate a new deal to remain at Barcelona. If that doesn't come through, however, he has also said he wouldn't reject a move to Manchester City (which is looking to follow through on its promise to become a star-laden team...though whether they're a contender for anything is still up in the air). Reports are that Manchester City is willing to make Eto'o the highest paid player in professional football.

Speaking of high-paid players, Real Madrid unveiled Kaka in front of approx. 50,000 fans at the Bernabeu today.

Manchester United has swooped in, completing the signing of Antonio Valencia from Wigan (to replace Real Madrid's record signing, Cristiano Ronaldo, who completed a six-year deal over the weekend (jury's out on whether he'll honor all 6 years, or whether the sweet sounds of Milan (or somewhere else) will come calling first)).

And the fat lady has sung...

2009-06-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

(Getty Images)

USA's 1-0 win over England back in the 50's? Or the win over Brasil in the Gold Cup final back in '98? The 3-2 win over Portugal or the 2-0 win over Mexico in the '06 World Cup? Or tonight's 2-0 win over Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals? What marks the greatest win in the history of US Soccer (for the men, at least)? Before we answer that, let's take a quick look back at tonight's stunning upset...

So just how did the USA manage to win just their second game ever against a team ranked #1 in the world (the US had been 1-7-1, the tie coming last summer against Argentina)? First, a brilliant move by Bob Bradley to bring back Carlos Bocanegra, the team's captain, but play him as a left back instead of his customary central defense position. The move took pressure off of Bocanegra---less up-and-down pounding on his tender hamstring that has kept him out of every game since the Honduras win earlier this month---and allowed the Onyewu/DeMerit partnership continue to thrive. As a group, the back 4 (Spector/DeMerit/Onyewu/Bocanegra) kept a high line that (1) kept pressure on dangerous Spanish strike-duo Fernando Torres and David Villa, denying them time and space (both on and off the ball), and (2) forced Torres and Villa offsides (7 times). They then withstood Spain's pressure late, where the best team in the world threw everything (including the kitchen sink) at the Americans.

All the credit in the world has to be given to 'keeper Tim Howard, who made 8 saves---most of the of the "spectactular" variety. Equal credit needs to be given to Bocanegra, Gooch Onyewu (especially), DeMerit, and Ricardo Clark , who (bravely, at times) stood in and blocked numerous shots (Spain outshot the US 29-9, 8-2 on goal (both US shots on goal ended up in the back of the net)).

Both US goals came as the result of terrific, absolutely beautiful ball movement on the counterattack. On the first, an up-tempo exchange between Clint Dempsey, Charlie Davies, back to Dempsey, and finally setting up Jozy Altidore, covered nearly 70 yards before Altidore muscled off Villareal teammate Joan Capdevilla, then muscled the ball past Iker Casillas. On the second, substitute Benny Feilhaber did a great job to maintain possession, setting up Landon Donovan on the right for a cross...a poor play by Spain right back Sergio Ramos (losing his awareness of Dempsey's location) allowed Dempsey to toe-poke home the insurance goal.

A brilliantly coached game by Bob Bradley---Davies pairing with Altidore; Bocanegra, DeMerit, and Onyewu starting on the backline; the defensive scheme; the substitutions... everything went perfectly for the senior Bradley. Feilhaber came on for Davies (a great move with a 1-goal lead...take off a forward, but not losing the offensive mindset) and created the second goal...Casey came on for Altidore with fresh legs, and did a decent job holding up the ball late...

As for a player of the game? There is definitely no way to single out a single player---the win came from every position on the field. If you have to narrow it down? Tim Howard and Jozy Altidore. Howard stood on his head, making his biggest saves with the score still only 1-0, while Altidore terrorized his Villareal teammates and La Liga opponents straight from the opening whistle. Quite possibly the best game Altidore has ever played for the national team, while greatness (especially against a #1-ranked team---think back to Argentina at Giants Stadium) is becoming Tim Howard's norm.

Spanish streaks coming to an end in this one... 35 games unbeaten, 15 consecutive wins, and 451 minutes without conceding a goal. To put this in perspective, the last goal Spain allowed was against Turkey back on April 1st... Even more impressive, the last time Spain lost...November 2006, just after the last World Cup, to Romania.

The only thing not in the US' favor tonight...yet another red card (3 this tournament alone). Michael Bradley's dismissal late was certainly harsh, and he will definitely be missed against Brazil or South Africa on Sunday.

So which US win is the biggest? Tonight. Why? No other win has ever put the US in the final of a FIFA event---this will be the US' first final appearance in anything other than the Gold Cup.

Pro "sports analysts" in America (and I use that term loosely, for some) will surely begin to ask and debate... Was this win a fluke? Does this mean that the US has finally arrived on the world soccer stage? Simple answers? This was definitely no fluke---this was the US with every player playing up to their potential, both as an individual and as a team. As for arriving on the world soccer stage? The US is still the 14th-ranked team in the world, not a shabby place to begin with. This is a team that could've easily advanced to the semifinals at the World Cup in Germany in '06, a team that's displaced Mexico as the top team in CONCACAF. Sure, we're not a top European or South American team. Sure, soccer will continue to be a joke in the eyes of far too many Americans (including plenty of these "professional" sports analysts). But the US arrived on the world soccer stage long before beat top-ranked Spain tonight...long before tying top-ranked Argentina last summer...long before a quarterfinal run in 2006. The US really showed we belong back in 1994, when the Americans held there own and hosted one hell of a World Cup.

And now, in other news...

---French midfielder Franck Ribery's agent has said that the Bayern Munich star would like a move to Real Madrid. With Madrid's move for David Villa falling apart, this would certainly help Perez (Madrid president) get over that hangover...while dealing yet another blow to Manchester United, who saw Ribery as a possible replacement for Madrid-bound Cristiano Ronaldo.

---Rumors are linking Real Madrid and Spain 'keeper Iker Casillas with a move to Manchester United. While Casillas would continue the tradition of having one of the world's top 'keepers at Old Trafford (Peter Schmeichel, Edwin van der Saar, etc), this deal is hard to fathom. Casillas was born just outside of Madrid, joined Real's youth academy early on, and made his first team debut at just 16. Being only 28 (and still just hitting his prime), it's hard to see him anywhere besides the Bernabeu.

---Red Bulls centerback Mike Petke has been suspended an additional 2 games by MLS for his conduct against Toronto (sent off for verbally abusing an official), this in addition to his automatic suspension for last weekend's game against Seattle. While the MLS making an example of Petke is a bold move, the MLS isn't doing anything about the bigger issue---absolutely awful officiating this season. Line up referees who can call a decent game, players won't go off the reservation.

On the eve of Spain...

2009-06-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

Less than 24 hours until the US kicks off their shock Confederations Cup semifinal date with Spain, a date that the US has plenty of people to thank for. Brasil came out firing on all cylinders on Sunday versus an Italy team that made the mistake of looking forward. The result: a 3-0 Brasil win---the US needed every one of those goals. Also to thank, an Egypt team that found itself "enjoying" its time at the tournament a little too much...and those women-of-unnamed-profession who made sure they enjoyed their time in South Africa (if you're missing my hint, simply Google "Egypt soccer prostitute scandal." The result of their "best efforts:" a 3-0 US win---and the US needed every one of those goals, as well. (For those behind on the news, the US advanced, even on points with Italy and Egypt, even on goal-differential with Italy, with one more goal scored than Italy).

Tomorrow afternoon, the US faces a Spanish squad that is on fire--- a 35-game unbeaten run, 15-game winning streak, and wins of 5-0 (New Zealand), 1-0 (Iraq), and 2-0 (South Africa) in this tournament. The US is a member of those streaks, playing to a 1-0 loss in Santander last summer. Sure, the Yanks put up a solid effort, especially considering Landon Donovan wasn't in the US squad for that one...but neither was (for all intents and purposes) the Spanish striking duo that has eaten defenses for breakfast all tournament. David Villa, he of the constant transfer rumors, sat out that match, while Fernando Torres played well below 100% (as he did for much of last season) with a significant ankle injury. As if Spain didn't have enough of an advantage, the US had to make the trip from Rustenburg to Bloemfontein with only 2 days between games...the Spanish, who'll be playing on 3-day rest (more for a lot of the starters, afforded the luxury of the South Africa game off after already clinching a semifinal berth), played their last 2 group games in Bloemfontein.

All the history, current form, travel, etc. aside...the US might actually be in a position to pull off what would definitely be the biggest win in the history of the National Team. Iraq and South Africa demonstrated how to hold the Spanish defensively---compact play, forcing the play to come through (ironically) the central midfield (normally a playmakers role, but a weakness (if you can call it that) in the Spanish squad), and denying time and space to Torres and Villa. Jozy Altidore, Landon Donovan, and Clint Dempsey provide a stronger counterattack than either the Iraqis or the host nation, and if Bob Bradley decides to start Charlie Davies up top with Altidore, the US attack is even stronger. The "X-Factor" for the US will be in the defense... Will Carlos Bocanegra be healthy enough to play? Does the Jay DeMerit/Gooch Onyewu partnership continue to improve (having improved steadily as this tournament has progressed) if Bocanegra can't go? Jonathon Spector has been one of few shining points for the US at right back, but does the other Johnathan (Bornstein) step up for the biggest game he's ever played? Plenty to be seen tomorrow afternoon (2:25pm ET on ESPN).

A couple other notes from the soccer world today:

--Roque Santa Cruz has said he's excited over his transfer to Manchester City. It's widely expected Carlos Tevez will be joining him later in the week after his loan to Manchester United ends...and Mark Hughes is reportedly very interested in Samuel Eto'o. With a strike combination like that (in addition to Robinho, who's already at the club), who wouldn't be excited?

--Manchester City have also made another move, signing Stuart Taylor, fomer goalkeeper for the England U-21 side, from Aston Villa. Taylor shouldn't see much playing time behind Shay Given (still one of the best goalkeepers in the game, easily in the top 5 (more likely the top 3) goalkeepers in the Premier League), which isn't why he was signed...this move allows Joe Hart, a young 'keeper who's higher in the line for the England throne, to be loaned out to Birmingham, where he'll gain valuable playing time for the recently-promoted side.

--Real Madrid is claiming that David Villa's proposed sale is "100% dead." Of course, that just means that there's an extra couple tens-of-millions in the coffers for the new Golacticos... Among the new reported targets? Inter's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lyon's Karim Benzema, and cross-town rival Athletico Madrid's Diego Forlan, who led La Liga in scoring last season.

Should be plenty to talk about tomorrow, win or lose---be sure to check back!

Thank You Egypt?

2009-06-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Most people would hope that at this point of the year---halfway through World Cup qualifying, Confederations Cup games against Italy and Brazil out of the way---the US National team could be looking at their squad, picking out just a position or two that needs to be improved, and trying (at least) to understand what system works best for this team, so that the next year could be spent refining it in preparation for the World Cup in South Africa next June. Instead, the US is just short step shy of being in complete disarray. An inability to keep players on the field (red cards in back-to-back games, losing key players to yellow card accumulation), and an inability to keep the ball out of the net---especially in the early stages of the game (the US has given up a goal in the opening 7 minutes in 3 of the last 4 games) are hurting this team. Having to play from behind constantly is a difficult task, but the need to constantly do it ruins confidence.

Today's 3-0 loss to Brazil is a game nobody in their right mind would've expected the US to even be in. But nobody should be pleased with the way the US played---passing was ineffective, marking (especially on set pieces) was almost nonexistent...the overall effort was severely lacking. The two new faces for this one---DaMarcus Beasley and Sascha Klejstan---were as close to useless as you can get on the field...until Klejstan was sent off for a reckless and unnecessary challenge and Beasley was replaced by Connor Casey at halftime. And Klejstan's foul was only one of countless unnecessary fouls---one of which led directly to the first Brazilian goal. The US team has a long way to go if it's going to be prepared for next year's World Cup---the first step being to actually qualify. It's going to take a far better performance, on a consistent basis, to lock up qualification.

As for the rest of the Confederations Cup, only Egypt's shock 1-0 win over Italy has prevented the United States from already being eliminated. That said, the Yanks still have a HUGE mountain to climb... In order to advance to the quarterfinals...1) the US MUST beat Egypt...2) Brazil MUST beat Italy...and 3) the US has to make up a 6-goal disadvantage on goal differential (the first tiebreaker) to Italy, while 4) making up a 5-goal differential disadvantage to Egypt. That basically means that a 3-goal win over Egypt is required, as is a 3-goal Brazil win over Italy. Nothing less will allow the US to advance. Possibly the only thing working in the United States' favor is that Brazil isn't assured of a spot in the quarterfinals yet, despite winning their first two games (4-3 over Egypt, 3-0 over the United States). A 2-goal loss to Italy, combined with a large Egyptian win over the US, would actually eliminate the Brazilians on goal differential. For all those confused by all of that, here's the Group B standings:

Team Record Points (Goal Differential (1st tiebreaker))
Brazil 2-0-0 6 (+4)
Italy 1-1-0 3 (+1)
Egypt 1-1-0 3 (0)
USA 0-2-0 0 (-5)

One last USA note: US Soccer Federation has already reserved a training camp site for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Should the US qualify, the team will be based out of Southdowns College in Irene, about 30 minutes from Johannesburg. The highly-rated facility, which the Italians are using as their base for the Confederations Cup, is one of the most sought-after in the tournament, and includes use of the Irene Country Lodge. Should the US not qualify, the site would be reopened for applications by FIFA.

Still no motion from the front office in New York in terms of firing head coach Juan Carlos Osorio. Sorry Red Bulls fans, we'll all have to sit through another painful performance this weekend. Only bright spot---this week's opponent, Seattle Sounders FC, blew a 2-goal lead to DC United last night. A cross-country flight and a blow to this team's confidence might just make them vulnerable...then again, blowing the lead could serve as motivation for a good, 'ol fashioned whooping (which would fit the way NY has played).

For those of you who tuned into ESPN2 last night to watch that Seattle/DC United game...I feel your pain. College baseball? Aluminum bats? And UVA trying desperately not to win that game---even if you know nothing about baseball, you have to figure that a team that blows a 2-run lead in the top of the 9th, loads the bases in the bottom of the 9th and 10th, second-and-third in the 11th, and 3rd base in the 12th (now down a run), all with the chance to win (or tie in the 12th)...and not score a single run? When did Virginia move to New York and become the Red Bulls of college baseball?

Enough rambling from me today...tune in Monday for a recap of all the weekends action!

Videos from last summer's USA/Argentina game...

2009-06-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

So apparently some of SoccerJunkie's fans (wait, I have fans????) liked the videos from the USA/Honduras game in Chicago...so I figured I'd share some even better videos from the USA/Argentina game last summer---where the crowd was larger (78,000) and had a far larger pro-USA advantage...

How do you show a visiting team it's OUR house...78,000 singing the Star-Spangled Banner, that's how...

And here's a chant Sam's Army started up before the game...

USA/Italy recap and more...

2009-06-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

For 45+ minutes on Monday afternoon (minus a few minutes after Ricardo Clark's red card), it appeared the USA might actually knock off the defending World Cup champions, who remain one of the most powerful teams on the planet (#4 in FIFA's latest rankings)... That was, until Italy coach Marcello Lippi introduced young New Jersey-born (and raised) Giuseppe Rossi. The 22-year-old's two clinical finishes first drew doubt into the US squad---even Italy's hard-tackling midfielder Gennaro Gatusso said it changed the game---, then finished them off.

Fatigue could easily be blamed---the US put up one hell of a fight against a far better team, especially down a man for all but the opening 34 minutes. For a second consecutive match against the Italians (the last one being in the group stage of the '06 World Cup), the Yanks managed to find a way to play an inspired game, playing at a level above themselves, despite the man disadvantage (in Germany's red card fest, the US held on for a 1-1 tie (the only game the Italians didn't win in the tournament), playing 9 v 10 after Mastroeni and Pope were sent off (along with Italy's other goalscorer from Monday, Daniele Di Rossi).

Bob Bradley prepared his squad adequately for this one and made all the right moves off the bench (trying to bring on fresh legs, while trying to avoid losing much in quality). One has to wonder what the result would've been if Ricardo Clark hadn't been sent off with a very harsh red card---yes, it was a foul...yes, it was late...yes, it was careless...but at this stage, for that foul, a yellow card is far more appropriate.

A huge bright spot for the US in this one? Jozy Altidore. The young striker (also raised in New Jersey), played a mature, composed game. His penalty kick was well earned---a bit embellished, but very well earned (he did get both kicked and held, and likely wouldn't have gotten the call if he didn't flop). He held the ball well, and seemed the shake off the rust he had shown in the pair of World Cup qualifiers earlier this month.

Another bright spot---Jermaine Jones. He didn't play in this one, didn't make the bench. In fact, he's never featured in a US squad. So why's he a bright spot? Well, he may just be the one that didn't get away (unlike Rossi, who proved to be the one that got away, opting to play for Italy instead of the US). The Schalke midfielder, who has appeared in 3 friendlies for the German National Team, has decided to represent the United States from here on out. New FIFA laws allow a player to switch allegiance, as long as he hasn't played in anything beyond a friendly with the full national team---Jones holds a US passport (his father was born in the US), and was limited to those 3 friendlies, making him eligible to join the Yanks. Welcome aboard.

One other point---this has to have been the most players on the field in an international match from the great (yes, I said great) state of New Jersey since the John Harkes-Tab Ramos-Tony Meola era. Like Harkes, Ramos, and Meola, all three hail from northern New Jersey (all 3 from the 90's were from Kearny, while Rossi was raised in Tenafly, Altidore in Newark, and US 'keeper Tim Howard is from North Brunswick).

The Red Bulls have brought Bouna Coundoul in for a trial after yet another loss. The Bronx native shouldn't be a total surprise---he is a local and out of contract after failing to find a team in Europe (he left Colorado after they acquired Matt Pickens to sure up the nets)...but signing him would only serve to raise more questions for a team that's already pretty much in crisis. One of the few spots that couldn't really be considered weak this season would be the goalkeeping in the Big Apple---just look at Danny Cepero's performance this past week if you need evidence (his performance was surely worthy of consideration for a rare feat---MLS Player of the Week coming from a losing team). The two goals scored against New York came on the rebound of a penalty kick saved by Cepero (watch the replay---Toronto had the first 3 players into the box...that's the goalkeeper's fault how?), and off the rebound of a beautiful toe poke save by Cepero (stopping Vitti on a 35-yd breakaway). Cepero's performance both Saturday night and this season warrants the starting position, which would move Jon Conway (and his six-figure salary) to the bench. There are only two goalkeepers on the Bulls roster, so it's hard to imagine either 'keeper being released, especially since Coundoul is an experienced starter (starting 51 of the 52 matches he's played---his first appearance coming only 10 mins. into a game to replace an injured Joe Cannon) who'll likely demand a six-figure salary himself. Releasing Cepero leaves two six-figure 'keepers on the roster, while releasing Conway acknowledges that Cepero is the better 'keeper...and either puts your better 'keeper on the bench, or your new six-figure signing on the bench. Just doesn't make much sense.

Of course, not making sense is right up New York's alley right now. Juan Carlos Osorio, head coach, New York Red Bulls---these words in the same sentence - without the word "fired" - is simply mindblowing at this point. This downward spiral is set to continue into Saturday night's home match against Seattle, a match that Red Bull fans can only hope is Osorio's last stand---you never want to see your team lose, but New York just isn't headed in the right direction with Osorio at the helm. We've reached the halfway point of the season, and it would take at least 30 points in the 2nd half of the season just to consider a playoff spot---that's something along the lines of a 9-3-3 record.

Videos from USA/Honduras

2009-06-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

SoccerJunkie shot these two---Landon Donovan burying a first-half PK, and the Star-Spangled Banner---from the 16th row at Soldier Field! :-)

Thursday afternoon musings...

2009-06-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Where to begin, where to begin...

-Real Madrid apparently isn't feeling the recession. Just 3 days after breaking the world transfer record with a 59 million Pound (yes, that's roughly $100 million!) deal for Kaka, Madrid President Florentino Perez has secured Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for 80 million Pounds ($131 million!). Perez has decided to prey on teams, in these cases, that are quietly having serious financial difficulties (the depth of Milan's aren't fully known, but the Ronaldo transfer fee would barely cover the interest that Man U has collected on its debt this year). Add in a reported 37 million Pound offer for Valencia striker David Villa (another club that is having very public financial troubles), and it's easy to say that Los Golacticos are back. It was in Perez's first reign at Madrid that the initial version of the Golacticos came to be---the roster included Brazilian striker Ronaldo (bought for 23.2 million Pounds), David Beckham (24.5 million Pounds), Luis Figo (37 million Pounds), and Zinedine Zidane (bought for a then-record 46.7 million Pounds---a record broken by the purchase of Kaka).

-World Cup 2010 is only a year away, a mark that was celebrated in South Africa today. With that in mind, here's a quick look at some of the qualifying regions:
-CONCACAF: Halfway through, and Costa Rica (4-1-0, 12pts) leads the US (3-1-1, 10 pts) by 2 points, with Honduras (2-2-1, 7 pts) in the final automatic qualification spot. Both the US and Costa Rica are in good shape to qualify, while Honduras will be in for a fight if 4th-place Mexico (2-3-0, 6 pts) ever regains its form, which has been woeful of late (including scraping out a 2-1 win over last-place Trinidad (0-3-2, 2 pts) AT HOME last night). El Salvador (1-2-2, 5 pts) will make it an interesting 3-way race for 3rd-place (automatic qualification) and 4th-place (playoff vs 5th-place in South America).
-Europe (UEFA): Some shocks and some runaways as the nine groups reach their halfway point (the winner of each group advances, while the top 8 2nd-place teams advance to a playoff for the final spot). In Group 1, favorites Portugal and Sweden are tied for 3rd, 4 points behind 2nd-place Hungary (7 behind leaders Denmark), and are in serious danger of not qualifying. Greece and Switzerland are tied atop Group 2 on 13 points, with Latvia (10) and Israel (9) both in a position to fight for a chance. The Group 3 favorites, Poland (10 pts) and the Czech Republic (9 pts), are also not likely to qualify---they both trail leaders Slovakia (15) and Northern Ireland (13). Group 4 is nearly settled, though Russia (15 pts) is right on leaders Germany's heels (16)---Finland (10) and Wales (9) are both likely already out. Groups 5 and 6 are settled, with leaders Spain (Grp. 5, 18 points) and England (6, 21 pts) both unbeaten and un-tied (Bosnia (5, 12) is settled in 2nd, while Croatia and Ukraine (6, 11) are tied for the playoff spot). Group 7 leaders Serbia (18 pts) lead France by 8 points, while Group 8 is a two-horse race between Italy (14 pts) and Ireland (13). Group 9 features the only team to clinch qualification in Europe, with the Netherlands (21 pts) leading Scotland and Macedonia by 14 points.
-South America: CONMEBOL has 4 games remaining for each team in the final 10-team table (top 4 automatically qualify, 5th-place plays CONCACAF 4th-place for a berth). Argentina (22 pts) is still holding on to the final automatic spot, despite having lost back-to-back qualifiers (given, they were on the road AND at high altitude). Brazil (27), Chile (26) and Paraguay (24) are all in good shape, as is Argentina. Ecuador (20) sits in the playoff spot, with Uruguay (18), Columbia (17), Venezuela (17) all within shooting distance.
-Africa: The final round is only 2 games old for each team, so there's still a long way to go. The winner of each group (5 groups, 4 teams each) automatically qualifies. In Group A, the two favorites (Cameroon and Morocco) each only managed a point out of their opening games. Better results down the line should make it an interest race to see which team qualifies (Togo and Gabon round out the group). A similar race should develop between Group B leaders Tunisia and 2nd-place Nigeria (Mozambique and Kenya finish out B), as well as Group C leaders Ghana and currently-bottom (but African Cup of Nations champion) Egypt (Zambia and Rwanda also reside in C). In Group D, leaders Ghana should qualify (against Benin, Sudan, and Mali), while Ivory Coast shouldn't have any problems qualifying out of Group E, which includes Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Malawi (sorry, Madonna).
-Oceania: New Zealand has already qualified for a playoff against the 5th-place finisher from Asia.
-Asia: Japan, Australia, and South Korea are all nearly clinched for South Africa, while either North Korea or Saudi Arabia will qualify, with the other facing either Bahrain or Qatar for the right to play New Zealand in an aggregate home-and-home series for a berth in South Africa.

-Another week, another 2 losses for the Red Bulls...still no coaching change. You have to wonder what's going on in the front office at this point---this is now 8 road games, 0 goals...not to mention the league-record 16-game road winless streak. This is a team that backed into the playoffs last year with a sub-.500 record, and is now the worst team in MLS. A combined 6-0 scoreline over 4 days against key Eastern Conference rivals should've been the last straw...now Juan Carlos Osorio gets Saturday night's game at Toronto FC to cement the disaster that this team has become.

On a semi-related note, Toronto has released Canadian National Team 'keeper Greg Sutton. If this guy stays on the market long, I'll be shocked---yes, he's older, but he's got great size and is still a solid goalkeeper. Unfortunately for him, rookie Stefan Frei has been a sensation (so much so that the US is trying to get him to consider playing for the US National Team instead of his native Switzerland). If an MLS team doesn't pick Sutton up soon, expect a USL-1 team to get him under contract.

Soccer Junkie Invades Chicago!!!

2009-06-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

Soccer junkie has made it back from the Windy City...and in one piece as far as I know! A compelte review of the game itself will come either later tonight or tomorrow...for now, just a review of the trip itself since I've promised a few people who asked about it that I'd just write it all in here...

Saturday began bright and early (well, dark and really early), so that we could get to Philadelphia Int'l in time for an 8am flight to O'Hare... For a first trip through PHL, and considering that my brother explained it as one of the worst airports he's flown out of, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The airport was very easy to navigate, the terminals are a reasonable size (we flew out of a gate at the very end of the concourse, and it was not that far of a walk), sitting areas were comfortable and not overcrowded (more than enough room to stretch out my legs and slouch in my seat, and I'm 6'3"), and there are plenty of food options and places to grab magazines and newspapers (especially in the connector buildings).

We flew out on a United A320 (after what had to be the longest mechanical delay I've had---more than 90 mins, kept on the plane (at the gate) while they worked to try to fix a nitrogen tank used if they need to blast the door open), which was a pretty comfortable plane. There's a visible difference in legroom between standard economy and their "Economy Plus" (they advertise as 5 extra inches of legroom), which makes the seats seem really close together, but all-in-all it's comparable to every other major airline. Thankfully, United hasn't done away with in-flight entertainment (a lot of airlines have completely removed their systems to save weight and, subsequently, fuel), which will be a huge help on my flight to Las Vegas next month (starts with a 5+ hour flight to LAX). The movie on our flight was alright, I just can't remember the name of it (I almost dare to call it "cute," though)...something starring Rene Zelwegger, Harry Connick, Jr., and the guy who used to play Dr. Skoda (the psychologist) on Law & Order (his role was damn near hilarious).

Anyway, we got to O'Hare, checked into our hotel, and prepared to head downtown. Jeff (brother) decided to leave his sweatshirt at the hotel, I didn't even pack and long sleeves (the weather forecast was for 70s and 80s both days), and we both quickly regretted those decisions. We found our way to the Blue Line, found out there was track work going on all weekend, and hopped on a shuttle bus that didn't really move in (what appeared to me all weekend) Chicago's always-jammed traffic. At the second stop, Jeff said he knew where another L line was, so we hopped off...mistake #2 on our part. After about 40 mins. of wandering around various neighborhoods, we stumbled upon the Red Line and made our way downtown to the Sears Tower.

If you ever go to Chicago, a trip to the top of the Sears Tower (or Willis Tower, or whatever they're calling it at that time) is definitely a must-do activity. Even on a hazy day like we had, the views from the tallest building in the country are INCREDIBLE. Though our views of Wrigley Field, US Cellular Park, O'Hare, and Midway were either partially or completely obstructed by the hazy cloudiness (Soccer Junkie also happens to be a stadium and travel/airport junkie), the views of the lakefront, John Hancock Building, the rest of downtown, and the surrounding area is nearly indescribable. An absolutely breath-taking experience.

With only a couple of hours left to kill until it was time to get over to Soldier Field, we decided to head off to experience one of the great NYC vs. Chicago competitions/controversies--- thin crust vs. deep dish pizza. Having been born and raised on the Jersey Shore, just an hour from the East Coast home of thin crust, I was obviously partial going in. That said, we found a real nice place that offered "stuffed" deep dish, which was actually quite delicious...but there was one glaring problem---pizza is not meant to be eaten with a fork and knife. Pizza was, is, and always will be a finger food, meant to be eaten in the "fold and go" method. Just for that, this pizza ended up on the list of pictures from our trip that include a certain finger flying through (I'll explain all that later).

So with full stomachs, it was time to head to Soldier Field. Now, with all our various travels to that point since we had landed at O'Hare (at the hotel, at the Sears Tower, on the L, and on most downtown streets), it was certainly not appearing like we'd have a strong home crowd...and upon our arrival to the stadium, our fears were looking justified. Outside the stadium (and for the first hour or so after the gates opened), it appeared Honduran fans would outnumber US fans 4-to-1...ESPN would use that ratio in their articles (I think that had a lot to do with the US Soccer Federation advising American fans to wear red (Honduras is blue and white), though there aren't really any jerseys or anything for the US team that are red (white home jerseys, navy away), though the ratio was really less than 2-to-1 (more like 60/40). US fans made up approx. 90% of the lower bowl and held large pockets in the 2nd tier, as well as a few in the upper tier. I have to say, this was one of the loudest crowds I've seen at a match---55,647 (second largest crowd ever for a World Cup qualifier on US soil) that easily sounded like a full 50,000 fans rooting for their own country (when, in reality, it was only half that many). The Honduran fans went nuts with their early goal (5 mins. into the game), though the US fans were equally as loud (if not louder) on Donovan's PK goal late in the first half, and nearly blew the roof off the place (so to speak, obviously) on Bocanegra's 2nd half game-winner. I'll post another entry with details on the game, but I'll just say it was a solid game from the Americans, though there is plenty to discuss. Oh yeah, it was 47 degrees out just before gametime.

As for Soldier Field, it is an absolutely beautiful stadium, definitely in the top 10 (I'd have to really do some thinking to see if it gets into the top 5) of my favorite stadiums. The exterior is hit-or-miss---the original colonnades are striking and classy, but the upper seating bowl looks like a UFO from the east and west sides (the sideline sides) and just looks plain weird from the north and south (end zones), where there's a break in the upper tier (but the sides don't really transition into each other). Once inside, though, this place is a work of art. The outermost concourses feature a history of the Bears, including a wall with the name of every player to wear a Bears uniform (organized by the year they joined the team). All seats are easily accessible, regardless of whether you're sitting in the lower tier (which is very small for an NFL stadium), the 200-level mezzanine, or the upper tier (where the majority of the seats are located). Concessions are plentiful and didn't appear to have long lines, even though the stadium was nearly full (55,600+ in a 61,500-seat facility). After filling up on pizza prior to the game, I didn't try anything from the concessions, so I can't speak for their quality...but the beer guy came by every 5 minutes or so, which is always appreciated in a stadium (especially for football or soccer games).

Anyway, after the game, we began a two-hour trek back to the hotel. Trying to find a cab after the game...yeah, that was a nearly laughable task. Of course, right as we were giving up on the cab and starting to head towards the L, we finally found one. A great day, but one of the longest in my life --- roughly 22 hours on about 3-3 1/2 hours of sleep. Oddly enough, I found myself awake for about 15 mins. at 4:30 in the morning...for absolutely no reason at all.

Sunday was another action-packed day (and set up to be another rather long one), with an early breakfast at IHOP (complete with stuffed French Toast---stuffed with "barbarian cream" as our waitress put it) before check out. Another long trip downtown (we stayed on the Blue Line shuttle bus this time), and we grabbed some obligatory tourist pictures along the river. Our next stop, Millenium Park, was one of the most interesting outdoor spaces I've ever seen: there's a large amphitheatre with an interesting looking soundshell and steel spider-web over the seating areas, a large bean-looking sculpture (which is mirrored and has some of the weirdest reflections when viewed from underneath), a winding bridge, and two towers made of these bricks that project video from within (of people's faces---water then shoots from the mouths of these people). From there, it was on to a short walk along the lakefront (again, we weren't expecting it to be so cold), then we decided to start heading back towards Michigan Ave. to figure out lunch and the rest of the day. Jeff had been pushing Jimmy John's for lunch, but the timing was just not working out. We ended up hopping a shuttle back to O'Hare (good thing we did considering the traffic), and grabbed a bite to eat at the airport.

The flights home were uneventful---a short flight to Detroit, a quick tram trip to the clear opposite end of the mile-long terminal, then another relatively short flight into Philadelphia. Interesting to see the transition from Northwest to Delta as it goes---one flight was on a Delta-livery plane, the other on a Northwest, and the magazines were still noting changes for those who were used to Northwest's offerings (Delta offers slightly different beverage options, etc).

All in all, a great trip---I hope to update this post with pictures and videos as I finish getting them uploaded onto my computer!

REALITY CHECK! and more Thursday musings...

2009-06-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Costa Rica 3, USA 1...and this one was over before the US ever set foot on the field.

News that Brian Ching was ruled out through injury (hamstring) left US coach Bob Bradley with some decisions to make. There were pretty much two main options---1) switch to a more offensive formation and try to beat the Costa Ricans at their own game, or 2) try to make as close to a one-to-one swap as possible with a target forward. Based on the way the United States played last night, they had clearly had trained and prepared for a more defensive, midfield-heavy formation than they played last night...which is where things went completely wrong. Bob Bradley had two options when Ching went down, and got caught right in the middle of the two.
The 4-3-3 formation that the US went out on the field in appeared designed to try to beat the Costa Ricans at their own game---not a bad idea in itself. The problem was the US played the opposite of the game they needed to: offensively, they slowed the play down instead of attacking and bringing the game at the Ticos (but lacked options in the midfield, which led to turnovers), while defensively, they sat back and gave Costa Rica space instead of applying high pressure (which was painfully evident on the goals against). When the US had possession, Costa Rica had high pressure on the ball (usually with a second player closing in fast), while players who would be passing options were closely marked and passing lanes were shut down. Take a look at the 3rd Costa Rican goal, and you see Michael Bradley dig in, only to get completely turned around by Pablo Herrera...then Klejstan and Bocanegra sit back and give Herrera space. Bocanegra closes slowly, but way too late, as Herrera had all he needed to make it 3-0.
The lineup, in the 4-3-3, also showed flaws that Costa Rica exploited. On paper, Pablo Mastroeni was penciled in as a right midfielder, yet played in his more-appropriate holding midfielder role. Clint Dempsey continued to play in an advanced role, and Marvell Wynne was left with no cover when he pushed forward, nor was there that wide option in the midfield when the US gained possession. The international inexperience of the widebacks for the US (DaMarcus Beasley (2nd game at left back) and Wynne (1st qualifier start at right back) showed at times, as well. Hindsight is 20/20, but you have to wonder what could've been if Bob Bradley maybe went with a 4-4-2...played Donovan with Altidore up top, Beasley on the wide left with Dempsey on the right and a Bradley/Mastroeni central midfield, and a backline that would've featured Spector at left back (out of his natural right back position, but he is a versatile outside back) with Gooch/Bocanegra/Wynne rounding out the defense.
As much as losing these points in the standings hurts (Costa Rica now leads the final group with 9 points, the US sits second on 7---but each team has one more game played than the rest of the hexagonal), the thing that possibly hurts the most is the loss of Michael Bradley for Saturday's game against Honduras. The US will need to push the game (3 points at home becomes all the more important with last night's loss), and the loss of a fantastic two-way player like Bradley is sure to be felt. Look for the outside backs (likely to be the Beasley and Wynne again because of their speed and Beasley's offensive ability) to get forward even more at Soldier Field.
If there was one positive from last night's game, at least the US has scored at the Saprissa one more time before it closes (the last US goal before Donovan's 92' penalty was Ernie Stewart back in 2000).

On a quick related note: more than 50,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday's match at Chicago's Soldier Field. With a capacity of 61,500 (the smallest stadium used by the NFL), the stadium could be more than 90% full for this one---which hopefully means it will be rocking in the US' favor. "The Yanks are coming. Will you be there?" I know I will---16th row, and I'll have a full report for you after the game.

Red Bulls vs DC United tonight (7:30pm ET) on ESPN2. New York is nearing the level of desperation (yes, even this early in the season) for points, and it will take a drastic change in fortune for that to happen. Fresh off a very disappointing 1-2-1 homestand, the Red Bulls hit the road for 7 of their next 9 matches (3 straight to open the swing)...where they have scored exactly 0 (yes, ZERO) times- and picked up only 1 point in 5 matches- this year. DC United enters looking to start a new unbeaten streak, having their 7-game run stopped in last weekend's 2-1 loss to New England. Josh Wicks is likely to start his third straight game in net for United, which is a feat in itself considering DC's revolving door between the sticks (this would be Wicks' 5th game (1.25 GAA), while Louis Crayton (6 games, 1.33 GAA) and rookie Milos Kocic (2 games, 2.00 GAA) have also manned the net this year). Oh yeah, DC is undefeated (2-0-4) at RFK this season. Keep optimistic, though, New York fans...stranger things have happened (like getting to the MLS Cup final last year).

AC Milan has announced that the future of star midfielder Kaka will be decided on Monday, with Real Madrid and Chelsea (who named Carlo Ancellotti coach this week---Ancellotti coached Milan this year) both having reportedly tabled record-setting bids for the Brazilian's services. Don't be shocked if a deal is made, likely with Madrid---Milan's chairman has said (rightfully so) that a deal just makes economic sense at this point.

Reuters is reporting Italy has named their Confederations Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Marco Amelia (Palermo), Morgan De Sanctis (Galatasaray)
Defenders: Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Andrea Dossena (Liverpool), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina), Fabio Grosso (Olympique Lyon), Nicola Legrottaglie (Juventus), Davide Santon (Inter Milan), Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)
Forwards: Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Fabio Quagliarella (Napoli), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich)

Europeans like to say that the Confederations Cup is nothing more than a tournament of exhibitions, and that most teams feature their 'B' squads, especially since the tournament usually happens around the same time as World Cup qualification hits the final round (coaches like to keep their best players fresh for the games that really matter). Well, this certainly doesn't look anything like a 'B' squad to me...

Less than 24 Hours 'til Costa Rica...

2009-06-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

And many questions surround the lineup for tomorrow's match...Frankie Hejduk is doubtful with a groin strain, Maurice Edu has stayed in Scotland to have his (hopefully not serious) knee injury evaluated. So with all these questions...plus the facts that-at the Estadio Saprissa-the US is 0-6-1 in qualifying, Costa Rica has lost only once in 20+ games, and the artificial turf is in miserable shape (oh yeah, and the Saprissa is probably the second most difficult stadium for an opponent to play in, only behind the Azteca in Mexico City)...does Bob Bradley go into this one with the mentality of a-tie-is-a-win? While the US is sure to come out in a more defensive formation, the US is not a country content with sitting back and not pushing forward---especially against a CONCACAF opponent, and especially in such a meaningful game. Look for the US men to break out in counterattacks and not shy away from offensive opportunities.
Defensively, the US will need to be aggressive, which could take a toll for the Honduras game this weekend. Michael Bradley, Gooch Onyewu, Frankie Hejduk, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore are all carrying yellow cards into this match, and a yellow to any of them would cause them to miss Saturday night's game at Soldier Field (Costa Rica comes into this game with 7 players carrying yellow cards, an indication that this is another team that's not afraid to stick in on a tackle). Given the deplorable condition of the playing surface at the Saprissa, and the physical nature of these two teams, this game has every opportunity to get chippy and cost both teams in the card department.
More quick stats:
-both teams are 9-1-1 in this qualifying cycle (the US lost to Trinidad to close the semifinal round, having already clinched a spot in the final round).
-the US holds an 11-10-5 all-time record against Costa Rica...but is 0-6-1 away to the Ticos in qualifying. In the last 10 meetings, the US is 5-3-2---all 5 wins coming in the US, all 3 losses coming at the Saprissa.
-DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley, and Heath Pearce have each started 9 games in the 2010 qualifying cycle. Beasley leads the team having played 83% of all possible minutes (822 mins), only one year removed from a serious knee injury that kept him off the field for 6 months.
-Seven players (Bocanegra, Donovan, Howard, Mastroeni, Wynne, Califf, and Feilhaber) played 90 mins for their clubs over the weekend (as well as 81 mins for Brian Ching, and another 48 for Torres). These players could play 3 games in 8/9 days.
-Only 2 players on the US roster have scored against Costa Rica---Donovan (2 in an '05 qualifier) and Bocanegra (in the '03 Gold Cup Third-Place Match). All of those goals came on US soil (Donovan in Salt Lake City, Bocanegra in Miami).

All this said, Bob Bradley has to be happy he boards the flight to Chicago with another point in the standings---not just because of the history and the odds, but because one point gained by the US is two points that Costa Rica won't pick up on home soil. The points dropped could be more important later in qualifying than the point earned.

Quick hits on other news in the sport today:
-England international Gareth Barry has completed a 12-million Pound move from Aston Villa to Manchester City. Last year, a deal looked done for Barry to move to Liverpool, but fell through when Liverpool balked at the 18-million Pound fee that Villa sought. In any other transaction, this could be attributed to the current state of the global economy, though City's owners (who hail from recession-affected yet still financially-secure Dubai) could've easily afforded the original fee.

-Reports are out in Spain that Real Madrid and AC Milan have agreed to fee in the neighborhood of 56-million Pounds for Kaka. Of course, these reports are notoriously unreliable, and Kaka has stated his desire (multiple times) to remain at the San Siro...that said, if Madrid offers that kind of money, Milan may not be able to turn it down. There's a new manager on the bench (after Ancellotti bolted for Chelsea), which surely means a shake-up is on the horizon...and revamping a roster costs a lot of money. How better to finance that revamping than to cash in on one of your most profitable investments...

Tomorrow (Wednesday) night. 10pm ET. ESPN2. Tune in.

Quick Weekend Overview

2009-06-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

First, a quick look at this weekend's surprising MLS results (home team in bold):

Chicago 3 - 2 Chivas USA (Thurs 5/28)
Colorado 3-2 Red Bulls
New England 2-1 DC United
Houston 3-0 Toronto FC
San Jose 2-1 Real Salt Lake
Seattle 1-1 Columbus
Los Angeles 1-1 Kansas City
Dallas 3-0 Chicago (Sunday 5/31)

...if you followed my predictions for the week...I was a miserable 1-7.

Chicago, as expected, did pick up their first loss of the year...just not against the West's wonders in Chivas, but rather a shut out thrashing at home by the West's bottom-dwellers Dallas. Thursday's undeserved win over Chivas only exemplifies the problems with officiating in the MLS this season---a problem that has 3 people/groups to blame: the USSF (US Soccer Federation), Major League Soccer referees, and the players themselves. The USSF publishes weekly critiques of every official's performance on the US Soccer website, available both as a report and as a podcast. As official's now know that not only will they be assessed by the Federation on a weekly basis, but that that assessment will be available to the masses, they are calling games by the book, to the letter of the law. One problem with that...the laws of the game are idealistic, they're not designed letter-for-letter, word-for-word around the actual flow of the game. Referees need to interpret the laws as they fit the game, not necessarily as they're written letter-for-letter, but these critiques are preventing them from doing that. The Federation needs to stop these very public published assessments, the referees need to grow a pair and call the game the way it needs to be called. The players need to step up as well...officiating has been bad, but some things are not completely the referees fault. These stats don't lie...through this week's games (84 games in total), MLS officials have issued 312 yellow cards, and 28 ejections. The yellow cards (3.71 per game) is pretty much equal to the frequency seen in the English Premiership this year, but the ejections (a red card issued once every 3 games) are occuring nearly twice as often as the Premiership. This doesn't come down just on the officials---stupid elbows, useless slaps, unnecessary fouls have all led to players seeing red this season, and the players have nobody to blame for those but themselves.

If you're visiting New York City on business or vacation, I used to almost always recommend a trip to a Red Bulls game at nearby Giants Stadium while you're in town. After Saturday's debacle, though, save your money. Each of the last two seasons, the Bulls have managed a very respectable (if not intimidating) 9-3-3 record on the Giants Stadium FieldTurf. To manage that this year, the team can't afford to lose another match at home, and with their 2-3-2 record being a semi-accurate account of their play (one of those wins came against a San Jose team that couldn't beat a U-10 team...prior to this weekend, that is), I wouldn't hold my breath for a miracle summer. When you're playing poorly at home, you absolutely have to step up on the road...the Red Bulls, though??? Nope. 0-4-1 and yet to score a goal outside the state of New Jersey.
This past weekend demonstrated just how rocky a season this team is having. Colorado came in a solid .500 team, nothing special. Sure, Connor Casey came in tied for the league lead in goals (and left with sole possession of that honor), and Matt Pickens is having a solid season, but this is a team New York needed to take it to right from the opening whistle. Instead, they sat back, used yet another new formation (Mac Kandji started the game in the playmaker's role as an offensive midfielder), and gave an overall abysmal performance. The Rapids held possession in the offensive third for long periods of time (on the road?) and capitalized on their chances. Offensively, New York managed only a Juan Pablo Angel PK and a garbage time rebound from substitute Danleigh Borman.
Something has to change with this team, in two places in particular. First, Osorio is done. Once more, another new lineup (many of the same players, but in a completely different formation) is not helping this team...and Osorio is continuing to make questionable (if not downright unexplainable) substitutions. After his team blew a 2-1 90th minute lead to DC a few weeks back (where only 2 defenders were on the field for the final 10 mins...with a one-goal lead), Osorio managed the moves poorly again this week. Down a goal with 30 mins to go, pulling a defender is a wise move...but replacing Alfredo Pacheco with Luke Sassano (who sat just in front of the back 3)??? Seth Stammler was already firmly entrenched in the holding midfielder role, and this sub needed to create more offense. One of those options, Danleigh Borman, came on in the 66th to replace an utterly useless Sinisa Ubiparipovic, and managed a garbage time goal. The third sub was a no-brainer, with John Wolyniec coming on for Seth Stammler, but came too late in the game (87th min). The loss drops New York to 1-5-1 in their last 7, and, as a season ticket holder, I'm certainly hoping that the team returns to Giants Stadium (after 3 games on the road) with a new coach on the bench.
Second shake up...in net. Jon Conway is not playing like a 'keeper who makes a 6-figure salary. While Conway does, just barely, own the better goals-against-average between himself and back-up Danny Cepero (1.43 vs 1.47), Cepero sits 3rd in the league with a 77.7% save percentage. Aside from Cepero's first loss (3-0 at Seattle in the Sounders' first-ever game), he's backstopped ties against Houston (2nd in the West) and East-rival New England, beaten San Jose (okay, no big deal), and played admirably in a 1-0 loss to Chicago (which leads the East with a 5-1-6 record). It's time to turn the gloves over to the kid for a few games...

One last note for today---Sky Blue FC, the last-place NY/NJ representative in the WPS, came through with a solid showing in a 2-1 win over the second-place Boston Breakers. Sky Blue played an entertaining game, pushing the offense, while still putting in a solid defensive performance, as well. If not for Jenny Branam's horrific gaffe (who knew a 'keeper who dropped a cross into her own net could still be named Player of the Game...though Branam did make some big saves in an attempt to redeem herself), Sky Blue would've walked off the Yurack Stadium field at Rutgers with a shutout. Cheers to an excellent, entertaining performance.

Rapidly approaching 48 hours until kickoff at Estadio Saprissa in Costa Rica, and it looks like Frankie Hejduk is out through injury. Be sure to check back tomorrow night for a full preview!

Thursday's musings...

2009-05-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

The weekend is almost here! Some interesting news to come out today...

---Peter Nowak is set to be named as the first head coach of the Philadelphia Union (Philly's new MLS franchise) tomorrow morning. And good for Peter... He could've easily been on his way to South Africa at this time next year as an assistant to Bob Bradley with the US men's team, but he's a great coach and belongs in charge somewhere. Philadelphia is only going to be a better team with him at the helm.

---Eduardo Garcia has withdrawn from the race for president at Real Madrid, leaving Florentino Perez as the only candidate (if nobody else steps up, Perez could be appointed on Monday without an election). Perez has vowed to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu if he's elected...and with his appointment now likely, it's time for those rumors to begin once again. A deal for Ronaldo could cost in excess of 100 million English pounds, and given the economy, as well as Ronaldo's refusal to discuss a move, it appears unlikely.

---Portsmouth is the second Premiership team to be sold to Sulaiman Al Fahim...sort of. Al Fahim brokered the sale of Manchester City to the Abu Dhabi United Group, but gave control of the club to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (one of the world's wealthiest men). He's not promising Pompey the kind of cash that he promised to Man City, which is probably a good thing for this team (especially considering what the record-breaking deal for Robinho has managed to do for City (a mid-table finish)). Hopefully he'll bring stability to the club and invest enough to have them challenging for a European spot in the next few years... Fratton Park is too small for Kaka.

MLS got their week underway last night with Columbus' 2-1 victory over San Jose. The win is only the 2nd of the season for the defending MLS Cup champs...but against San Jose (at home, as well) doesn't say too much. Chicago could give Chivas a run for their money tonight (10:30pm ET, ESPN2), but the Goats are home and playing too well this year.

The Red Bulls host Colorado on Saturday night (and, as always, I'll be there---this time with 100+ from the local rec club my family is involved with). Expectations? Well, the way the season's gone, the only expectation you can have is no expectations. Rojas is set to serve the second (and final) game of his suspension, which it's hard to tell how much that hurts the Bulls, considering how inconsistent his play has been. Colorado has a solid roster---Conor Casey is tied for the league lead in goals, Howell product Nick Labrocca has produced when given the opportunity, and Matt Pickens is playing like a 'keeper who earned a contract in Europe (and will likely earn another). All of that adds up to the Rapids likely getting at least a point out of this one... (Analysis, of course, will follow after the game)

This week's predictions (home team listed first, predicted winner in CAPS):

Chicago vs CHIVAS USA (Thursday)
Colorado vs Red Bulls (draw)
New England vs DC UNITED
Houston vs Toronto FC (draw)
SEATTLE vs Columbus
Los Angeles vs Kansas City (draw)
San Jose vs REAL SALT LAKE
CHICAGO vs Dallas (Sunday)

And just to finish up yesterday's US roster posting, here's my prediction for the US lineups in next week's games:

vs Costa Rica (at Estadio Saprissa, San Jose, Costa Rica), Weds. June 3rd, 8pm MT (10pm ET), ESPN:

--------------------------------------Howard--------------------------------------------------

----Hejduk------------Onyewu---------------Bocanegra-------------Spector------------

---------------------Mastroeni----------------------Edu-------------------------------------
---Dempsey----------------------Bradley-----------------------------Donovan-----------

-------------------------------------Ching-----------------------------------------------------

vs Honduras (at Soldier Field, Chicago, IL), Sat. June 6th, 7pm CT (8pm ET), ESPN:

----------------------------------Howard----------------------------------------------------

----Wynne--------Onyewu----------------Bocanegra---------------Beasley-------------

---Dempsey-------Bradley------------------Adu------------------Donovan--------------

--------------------Altidore-------------------Ching-----------------------------------------

The Yanks are coming! Will you be there?

2009-05-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

I know I will, for one of them at least.

The US men are getting ready for a busy stretch this summer, starting next Wednesday with a World Cup qualifier at Costa Rica, then continuing next Saturday night in Chicago with another qualifier vs. Honduras---and I will be in the Windy City for that one. It takes a true SoccerJunkie to get up for an 8am flight out of Philadelphia (it takes a true junkie of any sorts to fly out of there), fly out to Chicago (in my USA jersey, with my USA scarf) for a 7pm game, and fly home in time for work Monday morning. Follow that up with the Confederations Cup just over a week later in South Africa (vs. Italy on the 15th, vs. Brazil on the 18th, and vs. Egypt on the 21st), then the US hosts the Gold Cup in July (with our boys drawn into Group B with Grenada (July 4th in Seattle), Honduras (July 8th in DC), and Haiti (July 11th in Foxborough)). Should we advance, the quarterfinals for the Group B winner and runner-up will be on July 18th in Philadelphia (and SoccerJunkie will be there, as well, despite the red-eye flight from Vegas landing the morning before)...if we get all the way through, the final is set for Giants Stadium (I've got my tickets for that as well).

Anyway, I digress...Bob Bradley has named his 24-man roster that will train ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, and likely includes the majority of the squad that will be headed to South Africa (good to see him going with an A-squad for the Confederations Cup)...so let's take a little more in-depth look at his selections:

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard (Everton), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)

Tim Howard- The clear-cut US #1, but you have to wonder if he'll play every match. He'll be joining the team late (the team convened yesterday in Miami) after playing in Saturday's FA Cup final for Everton, so will be playing on a lot of travel with little break.

Brad Guzan- Has consistently been Bradley's pick as the #2 for the US, and I don't think you can argue too much with it. Lack of playing time behind US legend Brad Friedel at Aston Villa could be a hinderence (of course, training with Friedel everyday can never hurt), but could see some playing time with Timmy's travels.

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Danny Califf (Midtjylland (Denmark)), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege (Belgium)), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock (Germany)), Jonathan Spector (West Ham), Marvell Wynne (Toronto)

The back-four combination for each of these games is likely to be dicated by the opponent and location of each match. Does Bradley continue the DaMarcus Beasley at left back experiment? What is Bradley's obsession with Heath Pearce (he consistently gets called up, but has underperformed far more often than he has outperformed)?

Gooch and Bocanegra are the starting centerbacks, no questions asked. Califf is there in case either gets hurt or needs a break, and DeMerit can step in easily...but expect big things from Gooch over the course of the next month. His contract with Liege is up and he can (and has said he wants to) move anywhere for free. There are big clubs in England, France, and Spain interested in him, but a solid performance in qualifiers and against Italy and Brazil could equal a HUGE payday with a HUGE club. He excelled in his brief stint with Newcastle (but obviously won't be headed there since they were relegated), and could be set to play himself into an even bigger English club (possibly Villa, Everton, maybe Tottenham) than is interested in him right now (Fulham).

As for the outside backs, expect Spector on the left and Hejduk on the right at Costa Rica. The Saprissa in San Jose is one of the most difficult environments to play in, and you can expect Bradley to come out with a more experienced and defensive-minded team. In front of 40,000 pumped US fans at Soldier Field, on the other hand, look for Bradley to push with speed and offense against Honduras. The DeMarcus Beasley experiment could resume wide left, while Marvell Wynne might get a chance to prove himself on the right.

Midfielders: Freddy Adu (AS Monaco (France)), DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers (Scotland)), Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach (Germany)), Maurice Edu (Rangers (Scotland)), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus (Denmark)), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado), Jose Fransico Torres (Pachuca (Mexico))

If Bradley goes with a more defensive formation in Costa Rica (likely a 4-5-1), that would create an extra opening in the midfield. Michael Bradley is a shoe-in to play in both qualifiers (and likely every game in the Confederations Cup), but not because he's the coach's son. Bradley has become the most consistent and most versatile central midfielder the US has seen in decades---who's the last central midfielder that you can remember that shut down a team one game, then turned around a sliced them apart offensively and popped in a few goals the next? Against Costa Rica, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey are options to drop back as wide midfielders, giving the US an extra option going forward without compromising too much defensively. Mastroeni is a likely option to partner with Bradley centrally, as he's a gritty, hardnosed defensive midfielder who will go hard into tackles and deny the Costa Ricans time and space as they push forward. That last spot is completely up in the air, and likely goes to whoever performs best in training---though Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley will both be arriving late after playing in the Scottish FA Cup final on Saturday against Falkirk (another reason to expect Dempsey and Donovan out wide instead of Beasley). Either Torres or Edu is most likely feature---Adu is too much of a risk defensively, while there are still too many questions surrounding Feilhaber (it's been a long fall from the Gold Cup winner against Mexico two years ago).

When the US returns home to face Honduras, again expect Bradley to sit central. Though the shape of the team will likely change (to a 4-4-2), it's hard to imagine too many changes in the midfield. The Beasley experiment in the back could continue, opening the wide positions again for Donovan and Dempsey (which would provide greater opportunities up top). As for Bradley's partner, it wouldn't be much of a shock to see Adu get a chance (either starting or off the bench) in an offensive role (maybe interchanging with Donovan as wide/central playermaker roles), with Bradley assuming the holding responsibilities. There's also likely a place for Kljestan to come in off the bench in the qualifiers, maybe pick up a start or two with all these games in such a short period of time.

One of the more head-scratching moves is the inclusion of Benny Feilhaber. While reports are that he has turned his game and attitude around in recent weeks, he has had a long fall from grace in a short period of time. Two years ago, he was one of the highest-regarded US prospects, and that Gold Cup winner against Mexico could've been his coming out party...but then his attitude and ego started getting the best of him, followed by the injury bug (which only seemed to get worse as reports surfaced that he wasn't working hard enough in recovery). For some reason, Bradley doesn't want to give up on this kid, and it would be great to see him live up to the potential he displayed in the past...but is this really the time?

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Xerez (on loan from Villareal) (Spain)), Brian Ching (Houston), Charlie Davies (Hammarby (Sweden)), Clint Dempsey (Fulham (England)), Landon Donovan (LA)

Brian Ching in a lone forward role against Costa Rica is highly likely (though that doesn't mean he'll be the only "forward" that plays). As already mentioned, Donovan and Dempsey can easily slide into the wide midfield roles (Donovan can play in the advanced midfield role, as well). The home qualifier in Chicago seems like a perfect time to play young Altidore (he does have 5 goals in 6 career qualifiers), though his health and lack of playing time at Xerez are concerns. A likely scenario would be Altidore starting alongside Ching, with Davies (who has been scoring at a prolific pace in Sweden) an option to come off the bench if Jozy just isn't cutting it.

Six points over these two games would get the US a lot closer to clinching qualification for South Africa 2010...and a strong showing against Italy and Brazil would certainly earn US soccer a lot more respect on the international scene. There are plenty of players on this roster with something to prove for various reasons (new contracts, inconsistency, or, as in Feilhaber's case, a complete nosedive). No predictions here, but I'm definitely hoping for a great game at Soldier Field and 40,000+ raucous fans making it a true home field advantage.

BARCA '09---Champions League Final review

2009-05-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

First off, congratulations to Barcelona, 2009 Champions League champions.

The game that gave Barca their 3rd UEFA title certainly didn't live up to the billing that most soccer fans, including at least the Man U half of the 72,700 at the Stadio Olympico, expected...I know I said in the preview that these teams are equal, that the loser wouldn't have lost to a better team...Well, Barca and Man. U. may be equals in the long haul, but today, at least, Barca was the far better team.

Some plays that stood out to me:

---Ronaldo early on, challenging Valdes and the Barca defense...and not missing by much. Just one of those shots going in makes this a totally different game.

---10' GOAL: Eto'o finishing with pure class. This goal came completely against the run of play chances wise (Barca was getting some possession but weren't creating the way Man U--especially Ronaldo-- was). Van der Saar got a hand on it, but this was the game-changing moment.

---Pique's yellow card in the 16' was fortunate for Barca...the Frenchman could easily have been considered the last man, and a red card would have definitely had an impact on the game. No matter who the opponent, Man U doesn't waste a man advantage, especially when they have it for 75+ minutes.

---Tevez coming on for Anderson at halftime. This sub would've been a complete flop...the only reason it wasn't was that Anderson was equally as ineffective as Tevez. This was a chance for Tevez to drive his stock wayyyy up---the chances he remains at Old Trafford were slim to begin with...now Man U won't want him, but his stock with potential suitors is worth about as much as GM.

---Man U was deservedly lucky when Xavi rang a freekick off the post in the 53rd---the Iniesta takedown was a harsh call. A goal would've been the dagger for United...that would just come later.

---70' GOAL: United appeared to head back to England around the 70th min...Xavi had all the room in the world get pinpoint his cross for Messi, who had nobody within 3 or 4 yards of him (which is completely unacceptable when you're only 7 or 8 yards from goal).

---Barca fans couldn't have asked for anything more than the 70 quality mins. they got from Henry. He would've been on the score sheet if not for a quality save by van der Saar in the 48th...he possessed well, he moved well. A great workman-like effort.

---Right after the second goal, Valdes stepped up BIG TIME. World class save from an underrated world-class 'keeper.

The player of the game, without any doubt, wasn't Messi...wasn't Ronaldo...wasn't Henry...certainly wasn't Rooney (more on him in a bit)...nope, Man of the Match goes to Samuel Eto'o. An absolutely fantastic goal, and he wasn't just dangerous with his shot---he set-up Messi TWICE with beautiful passes in the 19' and 50' marks. Messi should've finished the first opportunity, and had his shouts for a penalty denied (rightfully) on the second.

As for the most disappointing player in this match...Wayne Rooney. Where on Earth was he??? Obviously not in Rome... Rooney usually makes himself invisible to get himself space for spectacular goals...tonight he was invisible for all the wrong reasons.

Overall...Man U controlled until Eto'o scored, but followed it with too many giveaways and couldn't seem to develop any rhythm. I won't say Guardiola outcoached Ferguson...his players are just the ones that decided to show up today. Barca earned and deserved their 3rd European title (they also won in '92 and '06), which equals Man U's three ('68, '98, '08).

On another positive note, at 4:15 WINS in NYC actually mentioned the game---which was still in action (74', 2-0) during their one-minute sports update. Now if only they'd mention the Red Bulls...

One last CONGRATULATIONS to FC Barcelona, the 2009 Champions of Europe.

Champions League Final preview

2009-05-26T20:23:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow afternoon, Rome becomes the center of the football world. Man U. Barca. Champions League final. Don't say you didn't see it coming...

As much as many people HATE that these two are facing each other in the final...and as much as many people are rooting for Barca just because they HATE Man U. ...you simply can't deny it, these are the two best teams in Europe right now, and the two most deserving (yes, Chelsea fans, I said it) of the trip to Rome. For all their differences, these two teams have some key similarities---which just so happen to form the key match-ups in tomorrow's...um...match...:

--Sir Alex vs Pep

Sir Alex deserves the "Sir," let's face it. You wanna talk about prime English football---a team that can play with flair, yet kick your ass (both physically and on the scoreboard) while doing it---then this man's coached it for decades. The Scot is English football. In the other area, you've got Barca's young manager...but the one who has actually gotten the potential out of this team.

--Ronaldo vs. Messi

Two of the best two players in the world. Both have the flair, both have the pace, Messi has the balance. Ronaldo has Rooney...but Messi's got Eto'o...

--Van der Saar vs. Valdes

In one net, you have one of the biggest names, one of the best goalkeepers in Dutch history. 130 caps for his national team, scored a goal for Ajax (albeit a penalty), the first non-Italian to guard the net at Juventus (and the predecessor to the great Gigi Buffon)... In the other, one of the most disrespected goalkeepers in the game. The long-time starter at one of the top 2 clubs in his home country, and he can't even get a call-up as the #3 keeper for his national team. Size, style, experience...these two couldn't be more different except for one thing---they're both world-class goalkeepers who can steal this game. In this case, they both have dominant centerbacks in front of them as well (though Valdes will be missing Rafa Marquez tomorrow)...

Regardless of who wins, both teams have had incredible seasons. The loser will not have lost to a better team...

My prediction...penalties are not out of the question...but the lack of Marquez and questions surrounding Iniesta and Henry's fitness will be too much... Man U. in either a 1-0 or 2-1 game.

Time for this week's musings...

2009-05-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend is over and there's plenty to talk about...

---Bye, Bye Newcastle.

There's a lot of advantages to being in the Premiership that just went right out the window for owner Mike Ashley. Among these...the thing he cares about the most- money (he'll still get a supplement for the next 2 years if they remain in the Championship, but just like Reading, if they don't gain promotion next year, say goodbye to any semi-name players remaining with the club)...and the thing he should care about the most- the fans. Toon supporters will continue to back the team, but any respect for the owner is now long gone. Take it down now, though...Newcastle will be back in the Prem after 1 year, and it will be with Alan Shearer at the helm. Middlesborough will be back, too---but minus Gareth Southgate.

---Hull Survives!

There are moments in life where you just can't help but smile and feel really good for someone...and Sunday was that day. The scene at the KC was nothing like you'd expect for a team that hasn't won a game since George Bush was President. Phil Brown taking the mic and leading a still-packed stadium in song to celebrate their survival in top flight English football is one hell of a sight.

While we're at it, huge congrats to Stoke...a team that took its time to find its groove, but has played the last 2 months like a team that belongs. I'm not saying they'll be a mid-table team next year, they may not survive at all, but they do belong back the way they finished (especially compared to their bottom-half counterparts).

And one last Prem note for tonight---welcome Burnley...a giant-killer in the FA Cup gets to try to prove it against the rest of the Prem.

---I'm keeping my Red Bulls note short this week...

I missed this weekend's game, one of two this season I'll miss, but I did catch it on DVR. They certainly didn't deserve to lose...but all that matters at this point is they did lose. It's 1/3 of the way through the season, sitting in the basement...it's too soon to panic, but you simply cannot afford to give up points when you're this far back with the way the West is playing (those last wildcards are setting up well for the West). The biggest issue this season has been consistency, but it's hard to blame the players. 11 games, 11 different starting lineups... At some point, it's not just the player's fault anymore...

---Quick Cheers to ESPN

Fantastic almost-8-minute piece on North Brunswick's own Tim Howard. A great goalkeeper, a great American, a great man. He's carried this team at times this year---Everton started very inconsistent, but Timmy's set a club record for shutouts...not to mention he picked up 2 saves in the penalty shootout to defeat former club Man. U. in the FA Cup semis... He deserves the FA Cup on Saturday...I know I'll be wearing my blue.

---This week's best:

"He's got a bird's nest on his head!" -West Ham fans at Goodison about big-haired Marouane Fellaini - to the tune of He's Got The Whole World In His Hands.

"You'll have a nice time at Millwall!" -Fulham fans to Newcastle.

"Ravi, Ravi, Ravi Ravi, Ravi, Ravi Bopara, he scored three tons, he scored three tons!" -Third day of the second Test at Chester le Street, to the tune of Karma Chameleon.

"He's gonna cry in a minute!" -Wigan fans taunt Ronaldo after he throws a hissy-fit for not getting a free-kick.

"Are you Batman in disguise?" -Liverpool fans behind the goal after Di Michele's comedy tumble for West Ham.

"You're just a fat Steven Gerrard!" -Sheffield United fans to Preston's Neil Mellor.

Rather than waiting a whole week, I'll be back tomorrow to discuss the Champions League final and Bradley's roster for Costa Rica and Honduras (The Yanks are coming. Will you be there?)

Soccer Junkie is Back!

2009-05-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

I've decided to return to the blogosphere, bring back my tireless rantings about all things footie. As anyone who's followed my previous blogs knows, things focus on worldwide soccer, with extra depth on the Red Bulls since I get to watch all home games up close and personal...

Buckle your seatbelt, Grandma, this train's about to roll...