Sunday, January 31, 2010

After The Weekend

Title and Champions League Races in Europe
 GP  W   D  L   GD  Pts 
EPL
 Chelsea  23   17  3  3  38  54 
 Manchester Utd 24   17  2  5  36  53 
 Arsenal  23   15  4  5  32  49 
 Tottenham 24   12  6  6  20  42 
Bundesliga
 Bayer Leverkusen 20   12  8  0  29  44 
 Bayern Munich 20   12  6  2  25  42 
 Schalke 04 20   12  5  3  16  41 
 Bor Dortmund 20   10  6  4  5  36 
Ligue 1
 Bordeaux 22   15  3  4  22  48 
 Montpellier 22   13  3  6  5  42 
 Lille 22  12   4  6  20  40 
 Lyon 22  11   6  5  10  39 
Serie A
 Internazionale 21   15  4  2  26  49 
 AC Milan 21   12  5  4  14  41 
 AS Roma 22   12  5  5  11  41 
 Napoli 22  10   8  4  7  38 
La Liga
 Barcelona 20   16  4  0  40  52 
 Real Madrid 20   15  2  3  32  47 
 Valencia 20   11  6  3  16  39 
 Sevilla 20   11  3  6  9  36 

Player Moves
MLS Preseason
The Business of Soccer
The Independent is reporting the the UEFA Champions League final has surpassed the NFL Super Bowl as the most watched sporting event.

The US U-20 Women win the CONCACAF title and qualifies for the U-20 Women's World Cup.

Salvador Cabanas, the Paraguayan striker that was shot in the head in a Mexican bar last week has regained consciousness.

Egypt retains African title, defeating Ghana.

USMNT defender Steve Cherundolo will be out for four weeks with a shoulder injury suffered during practice with his club team Hannover of the Bundesliga. This is the latest in a series of injuries that has prevented Cherundolo from getting a sustained period of playing time.

Friday, January 29, 2010

News and Views from Friday

Player Moves
Interesting Reads
MLS News

Thursday, January 28, 2010

News and Views from Thursday

Player Moves
The Business of Soccer
  • The Philadelphia Union scored a huge coup today regarding its television broadcast rights, announcing a multi-year agreement to air its games on WPVI 6.
  • Women's Professional Soccer franchise Los Angeles Sol is no more. The players will be will be dispersed to the remaining clubs via a draft.
MLS News
Interesting Reads
Other Stuff

      Wednesday, January 27, 2010

      News and Views from Wednesday

      Player Moves

      The Business of Soccer



      MLS Stepping Up to Help Haiti

      Tuesday, January 26, 2010

      News and Views from Tuesday

      Totally Insane
      Paraguay Soccer Star Shot in Mexico City Bar

      Player Moves
      It's official. Houston Dynamo midfielder Stuart Holden has signed with EPL club Bolton for the rest of the season.
      Tottenham Hotspur forward Giovani dos Santos has joined Turkish club Galatasaray on loan until the end of the season. 

      The Business of Soccer
      A report is out that says that half of the clubs in UEFA are losing money.
      Fabled English club Crystal Palace is in administration. 

      MLS Training camps open nationwide
      Colorado
      Columbus
      Kansas City
      Los Angeles 
      Philadelphia
      San Jose 

      Young US Teams Not Faring Well
      The US Mens U-19 team and academy teams from Chivas USA and Houston are participating in the 18 team Copa Chivas. So far the three US based teams have taken 6 points from 36.

      Monday, January 25, 2010

      News and Views From Monday

      Player Moves
      Sky Sports is reporting that Houston Dynamo player Stuart Holden's loan to Bolton has been finalized.

      Interesting Reads
      Portland Timbers community bloggers on MLS in Portland.
      Early feedback on Philadelphia ticket sales.
      A post on why MLS's SuperDraft should be scrapped.
      A USA match reaction from the Fullback Files. I don't always agree with their posts, but I usually find them fun to read.
      Update on the Red Bulls, currently in Spain playing in the La Manga tourney, in which they drew UEFA Champions League team CSKA Moscow.

      After the Weekend

      Title and Champions League Races in Europe

       GP 
       W 
       D 
       L 
       GD 
       Pts 
      EPL
       Manchester Utd
       23
       16
       2
       5
       34
       50
       Arsenal
       22
       15
       3
       4
       34
       48
       Chelsea
       21
       15
       3
       3
       34
       48
       Tottenham
       22
       11
       5
       6
       18
       38
      Bundesliga
       Bayer Leverkusen
       19
       11
       8
       0
       27
       41
       Bayern Munich
       19
       11
       6
       2
       22
       39
       Schalke 04
       19
       11
       5
       3
       14
       38
       Bor Dortmund
       19
       10
       6
       3
       8
       36
      Ligue 1
       Bordeaux
       21
       15
       2
       4
       22
       47
       Montpellier
       21
       12
       3
       6
       3
       39
       Lille
       21
       11
       4
       6
       19
       37
       Marseille
       20
       10
       6
       4
       11
       36
      Serie A
       Internazionale
       21
       15
       4
       2
       26
       49
       AC Milan
       20
       12
       4
       4
       14
       40
       AS Roma
       21
       11
       5
       5
       10
       38
       Napoli
       21
       10
       7
       4
       7
       37
      La Liga
       Barcelona
       19
       15
       4
       0
       39
       49
       Real Madrid
       19
       14
       2
       3
       30
       44
       Valencia
       19
       11
       6
       2
       17
       39
       Mallorca
       19
       10
       4
       5
       12
       34

      Jeff Carlisle takes a look at Houston's prospects without Rico Clark and Stuart Holden.

      US Youth teams coming up short in the Copa Chivas.

      On the other hand, the Seattle Sounders can be happy that one of their youth partners did very well in the Region IV ODP championships in Phoenix.

      I leave it to the gazillions of other sites to discuss the USA/Honduras match. Suffice it to say, no new shining stars jumped up and screamed 'take me to South Africa', although Alejandro Bedoya did show enough to warrant another runout. 

      Saturday, January 23, 2010

      Footie Notes, Ruud Move

      WVHooligan's look at MLS's newest team, the Philadelphia Union. 

      The Business of Soccer
      Tom Dunmore strikes again with a piece on the increasingly precarious nature of the business of soccer.

      Player Moves

      Friday, January 22, 2010

      Friday Footie Notes

      From Deseret News, key dates in the 2010 MLS season. 

      Player Moves
      The Business of SoccerMLS Youth
      There has been a lot of whining over the development of young players in the US. I think fans have been too impatient with MLS, especially since the mandate that all clubs have their own academy or a direct affiliation with a local club or academy is fairly recent. Granted it took the league a while to issue the mandate, and the desertion of the reserve league has been a big mistake, but I believe the league is moving in the right direction. Over 200 college and pro scouts were in attendance at the Development Academy Winter Showcase in Phoenix. In fact I found myself sitting between the scouts from Mexican club UANL Tigres and Manchester United. They wouldn't be there if they thought it was a waste of time. That all being said, Houston's academy team will be joining Chivas USA's academy team in the Copa Chivas in Guadalajara, Mexico.

      And speaking of MLS youth, RBNY announced that it will field a U-23 team in the NPSL.

      Thursday, January 21, 2010

      Player Moves and News Briefs

      Buzz Carrick with his view on the Lee Nguyen deal that didn't happen.

      The MLS players' union has advised its members to report to preseason camp. Many see this as a good sign as the CBA expires soon.

      Freddie Ljungberg has rejected advances from Italian club Livorno.

      US U-20 International Vincenzo Bernardo is on trial with the Kansas City Wizards.

      Four MLS clubs will participate in the 1st Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic. The event kicks off on February 25.

      Red Bull Arena will be inaugurated with a visit from fabled Brasilian club Santos on March 20.

      Player Moves
      Brasilian striker Jo has joined Galatasaray on loan from Manchester City.
      The Chicago Fire have signed El Salvadoran international, Julio Martinez, a midfielder.
      DC United has signed 22 year old defender/midfielder Floribert N'Galula. 
      The 4 player deal between the Revs and Rapids originally announced on draft day has been officially completed. 
      The Houston Dynamo have acquired the rights to Canadian international midfielder Kevin Harmse from Chivas USA for a conditional draft pick. 
      In addition to signing midfielder Stéphane Auvray, reported in an earlier post, the Kansas City Wizards have signed defender Pablo Escobar of Deportivo Cali in Colombia.  

      Interesting Read
      The third installment of Richard Farley's series on citizen journalism in US soccer.

      Footie News Brief

      A website called IMScouting is reporting that Seattle Sounders midfielder Freddie Ljungberg is being courted by Italian club Livorno. 

      The Business of Soccer
      The new owners of EPL team West Ham United report that the club is 110 million pounds in debt.
      Ben Berger at Footiebusiness discusses 3rd party online merchandising of MLS.  

      Player Moves
      According to MLS Daily, San Jose has signed Montreal Impact midfielder Joey Gjertsen.
      Yanks Abroad is reporting that Stuart Holden is not going to Portuguese leaders Sporting Braga.
      24th minute reports that Toronto FC have acquired midfielder Jacob Peterson from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for allocation money.

      Wednesday, January 20, 2010

      News and Views - Wednesday

      Once again, Baltimore has slipped into the discussion as a potential home for DC United. The Maryland Stadium Authority has approved a feasibility study for a professional soccer stadium. DCU has encountered innumerable problems attempting to get a new stadium in DC. Even if they don't move, the folks in Maryland are looking at both Crystal Palace, newly self promoting to USSF-D2 from USL-2 as well as having made the first venue cut for a potential World Cup in 2018 or 2022.

      Former DCU coach Tom Soehn, was named Director of Soccer Operations for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

      Steve Davis speculates on Houston's future if Stuart Holden follows Ricardo Clark to Europe.

      Inside Minnesota Soccer is reporting that Kartik Krishnaiyer will be appointed PR Director of NASL.

      Player Moves
      Based on his tweets, looks like Lee Nguyen(@Nguyen24) is headed back to Vietnam.

      Interesting Reads
      Peter Wilt's posts are always entertaining and informative.
      I'm a little late with this one, but nevertheless, I present Bill Archer's latest.
      Part Two of Richard Farley's series on citizen journalism in US Soccer.

      The Business of Soccer
      The story of Manchester United's debt just keeps coming.

      MLS and Young Players
      J.R. Eskilson seems to have tweaked commenters into some strong opinions over the best way to develop young talent in the US.

      Tuesday, January 19, 2010

      News and Views Found on Tuesday


      Interesting Stuff
      Pro soccer starved Phoenix may at least see some preseason action. The nation's 14th largest media market has no team above the USASA level, and that team has been on hiatus because of a lack of teams in the American Southwest.
      The long road to the Kansas City Wizards playing in a soccer specific stadium took a big step forward.
      Jason Davis at MatchFitUSA fills in the blanks on Landon Donovan's new Galaxy contract and what it means for a potential permanent move to Europe.
      Richard Farley's latest Inside the Six podcast is the first in a three part series on citizen journalism and the US soccer media.
      Fulham FC is reporting that Clint Dempsey's knee injury will not need surgery. He is expected to see action for the club before season's end. Great news for Fulham and the US Men, who are already wondering if two other World Cup starters, Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu will be able to take to the pitch.

      Player Moves
      USMNT midfielder Ricardo Clark has signed with Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer until the end of the season.
      Former LA Galaxy player Josh Tudela signed a three-year deal at Steaua Bucharest.
      Chris Albright's trade to RBNY on draft day has a caveat. His contract is not guaranteed due to the uncertainty over his recovery from what amounted to a season ending injury to his torn left lateral meniscus last April.
      Down the Byline pointed me to this post on the KC Wizards signing of Guadelupe native Stephane Auvray. Auvray is a defensive midfielder who has been playing in the second division in France.
      Jemal Johnson is moving from MK Dons to Stockport County on a 6 month loan.
      Chivas USA midfielder Paulo Nagamura had signed to play with UANL Tigres of the Mexican League. 

      CBA Notes
      Greg Seltzer reports on player plans in case of a lockout.

      MLS Team Update
      Brian Lewis' RBNY update.

      Haitian Football Devastated
      Howard Hamilton's report on the effects of the earthquake on Haitian football.

      Monday, January 18, 2010

      Soccer Bits, Player Moves, Tracking Your Team

      Lower Division in the USA
      Young Yanks
      The new USMNT U-17 residency class for the Bradenton Academy has been been selected.

      For Your Viewing Pleasure
      Johnathan Starling at Set Piece Analysts reports that mun2, an NBC Universal property, will broadcast Mexican First Division matches in English.

      MLS Biz
      Fake Sigi on the limitations of MLS's single entity structure.

      More Post MLS SuperDraft Analysis
      This time it comes from Ives.
      And this one about the NE Revs defense.


      MLS Pre-Season
      RBNY will head to La Manga, Spain for two weeks from Wednesday, Jan. 20 to Feb. 4. After returning, the club will go to Florida to complete its pre-season.

      Rumored Moves
      Lee Nguyen is assessing the possibility of playing in MLS. Nguyen currently plays for Vietnamese team Hoàng Anh Gia La.
      Reports from France has USMNT Defender Carlos Bocanegra moving from Renne to St. Etienne.
      After Bolton passed, Ives is reporting that Dynamo midfielder Stuart Holden may be headed to Portugal to sign with 1st place Sporting Braga.

      Confirmed Moves
      DC United signs Aussie forward Danny Allsopp.

      Good Reads
      After a couple of good showings for Everton, Andrea Canales of Goal.com offers up her opinion on the likelihood that Landon Donovan's loan will be extended, or more.
      Grant Wahl on his journey to cover the African Cup of Nations.

      More Help for Haiti from the Soccer Community
      Kaka, Zidane to Play in Game for Haiti Relief.
      RBNY, SCF to benefit Haiti through RBA tours.

      Sunday, January 17, 2010

      After the Weekend

      Clint Dempsey of Fulham and the USMNT injured his knee this weekend. The prospect for his return to action will depend on medical test results.

      Rumored Moves
      Interesting Reads
      Rants
      Mike Martin at UnitedMania on DC United's SuperDraft history.

      More Post SuperDraft Posts
      New England Revolution Draft Review

      Title and Champions League Races in Europe

        GP W D L GD Pts
      EPL
      Chelsea   21 15 3 3 34 48
      Manchester Utd 22 15 2 5 30 47
      Arsenal  21 14 3 4 32 45
      Tottenham 21 11 5 5 20 38
      Bundesliga
      Bayer Leverkusen 18 10 8 0 24 38
      Schalke 04 18 11 4 3 14 37
      Bayern Munich 18 10 6 2 21 36
      Hamburg SV 18 9 7 2 17 34
      Ligue 1
      Bordeaux 20 14 2 4 20 44
      Lille 20 11 4 5 20 37
      Montpellier 20 11 3 6 2 36
      Marseille 19 9 6 4 10 33
      Serie A
      Internazionale 20 14 4 2 24 46
      AC Milan 19 12 4 3 12 40
      AS Roma 20 10 5 5 9 35
      Napoli 20 9 7 4 5 34
      La Liga
      Barcelona 18 14 4 0 36 46
      Real Madrid 18 13 2 3 28 41
      Valencia 18 11 5 2 14 38
      Mallorca 18 10 3 5 12 33

      Soccer's Continuing Role in Haiti 
      Jeff Rusnak of the Sun Sentinal reports on the Haitian National Stadium serving as a hospital in the ravaged country(link found on Howard Hamilton's Hexagonal Blog).

        Saturday, January 16, 2010

        MLS Post SuperDraft

        Recent MLS Player Moves
        Midfielder Fred goes to the Union as part of the deal that brought GK Perkins to DC United.
        Defender Chris Albright is now a member of RBNY.
        Clint Mathis has rejoined coach Bruce Arena in Los Angeles.
        The Rapids swapped Corey Gibbs and Preston Burpo to New England for Wells Thompson and the rights to Jeff Larentowicz.

        Rumors
        Ives is reporting that former US youth international defender Micheal Orozco, currently with San Luis of the FMF, might be headed to MLS.

        MLS SuperDraft Assessment
        I don't what what they are thinking over at Pro Player Pipeline, but their assessment of the Philadelphia Union's draft selections are baffling. I think the Union did a fantastic job.

        Greg Seltzer at Soccer365 has a far better review(IMO) of the recent SuperDraft.

        WV Hooligan gives us the current MLS Allocation order.

        And After the SuperDraft the Locals Say ...
        • Jack McCarthy, writing for the Chicago Tribune on GK Jovan Bubonja, who went undrafted after being on nearly everyone's prediction list of the top 64 eligible players
        • Zach Johnson at ASN/DCU reflects on DC United.

        And Now on to the Collective Bargaining Agreement(CBA)
        With the SuperDraft over, it's time to turn attention to the impending walk-out/strike/lockout as the current CBA expires at the end of January. Should make for a fun couple of months. To get you caught up, here's Jason Davis' Super Fun Guide to the MLS CBA.


        Money, Money, Money
        The Daily Mail is reporting that Manchester City's annual payroll for the year ending on May 31, '09, was 82.6M pounds.


        Soccer Rises to the Occasion in Haiti
        Sites around the world are linking to aide organizations. I'll point you to MLSTalk.com.