'Soler' Powered...

...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...

...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...

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...

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

...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.
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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...

...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.
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(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...

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.

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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 )

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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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