June 30, 2009
VIDEO: The next Pablo Mastroeni
Horrible tackle from behind.
Really horrible.
If Bob Bradley is coaching the USMNT when this kid grows up, he might have a new enforcer roaming the midfield...
Steve Nash loves LINKS
Via ESPN..."It is easy for me to say soccer because the grass is always greener, right? I love playing hoops and I love playing soccer. Those are two games I love to play."
-- Steve Nash, when asked about whether he prefers playing basketball or his first ever sport, soccer. Last week, Nash hosted his second annual celebrity soccer game in New York City, "The Showdown in Chinatown," to benefit the Steve Nash Foundation, which is dedicated to assisting underserved children in their health, personal development and education.
Now let's get to the links:
- The Jose Mourinho affair. [The Spoiler]
- England's U21s smoked. [BBC]
- Sepp gives S. Africa vote of confidence. [Yahoo!]
- Greek club lands Cisse. [SkySports]
- Rooney thinks he can replace Tevez/Ronaldo loss. [Times]
VIDEO: Great goals
If 101 Great Goals asked me for live human sacrifice, I might do it. They're that good.
1. Wonderful shot this
2. This might be even better
1. Wonderful shot this
2. This might be even better
Transfer o' the day
Let's start with some American stuff:- Bofo is considering an MLS move.
- We might get Pavel Nedved too.
- Eto'o probably won't go to City.
- G. Silva wants countrymate F. Melo at Arsenal.
- New York Red Bulls got Bouna Coundoul. All their problems are solved. Not really.
Romanian dude involved with secret police?
Some newspaper said Gheorghe ‘Gica’ Popescu was an secret informant to the government back in the 1980s.He kind of denies it:
The 41-year-old Popescu said he once signed a document promising to “defend the national interests.”Apparently back then government had national-team athletes on a short leash.
“I signed a very general thing. My conscience isn’t clear, it’s very clear,” he said at a news conference. “I didn’t inform on anyone.”
He had over 100 caps for Romania, went to three World Cups and captained Barcelona, so he sounds like kind of a big deal.
ESPN's 2010 World Cup plans
Looks like the self-proclaimed worldwide leader is bringing out the big guns for next year's big show.This TV coverage plan via EPL Talk:
- ESPN will present all of its 2010 World Cup coverage from on-site in South Africa, totaling more than 65 hours of original content.
- The studio hosts will be Bob Ley, Chris Fowler and Mike Tirico.
- SportsCenter will feature World Cup segments.
- There’ll be a nightly World Cup Live show (30 minutes) shown on ESPN or ESPN2.
- ESPN will have pre-match, halftime and post-match shows, shown on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.
This appears to be no different.
Two less soccer coaches in the world
Some Colombian coach quits over some death threats from rabid fans. I probably would too.Some other dude quit via Twitter. He said he had more info on his blog. At least he's innovative.
Jozy wants some playing time
Plain and simple. Listen to the kid. He knows what he wants:“In my mind, I don’t really want to go back to Villareal,” he said, of the Yellow Submarines, with whom he only started two games. “I want to go play somewhere else.”I want to see him play too. So get him out of there.
For Altidore, playing time is the most important aspect of his search for a new club. Which is why he also does not want a return to Spain's second division.
“I want to find a team where I’m going to play—simple,” he said. “I won’t go back to the Segundo division. I’m just looking for somewhere to play the whole year.”
There has to be a team somewhere in all of Europe that will play the kid.
How you got here...
I haven't done this in a while, but soccer news has been slow. Check out these recent Google searches that brought people to my blog.I've added some editorial comments in italics. Fun times:
- "brad evans have a girlfriend" (not sure, next time add a '?')
- "teens gone wild video" (sorry my blog didn't help you out)
- "ronaldo dinosaur" (nice ad)
- "clint dempsey" (deuce is popular, rightfully so)
- "fifa 08 how to get be a pro season" (can't understand that one)
- "soccer moms gone wild" (probably didn't help again)
- "Kovax Brothers Wine" (I should get some free bottles, only fair)
- "michael owen galatasaray" (do they know something we don't)
- "games with totti" (what kind of games?)
- "frre vedio on gk" (horrible spellers love my blog)
- "carlos bocanegra salma hayek" (sounds like a cute couple)
- "wild teens" (apologies for not having a smut site)
- "blamestorming TV video" (my new favorite word)
- "goal 3" (horrible movie, don't watch it)
- "pranking game" (I don't know any)
- "Ike Opara" (I forgot who he is)
- "femalestreaker" (one word? two words?)
Edgar Castillo to USMNT?
Give us your tired, your poor...Man, Bob Bradley must be a master recruiter.
First that German midfielder expressed his desire to play for the States. Now this kid, Edgar Castillo, from Mexico wants to play for our national team.
Sure he looks awful in that El Tri uniform, but he's a talented 22-year-old left back, so I'm very intrigued.
The position has been quite the question mark for the USMNT of late.
June 29, 2009
Bradley investigation LINKS
Looks like the prodigal son might miss a couple national-team games after allegedly accosting that ref that issued him a red card at the end of the 2-0 win against Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinal.Could potentially be bad news for World Cup qualifying.
Time for some links:
- Did Tevez enroll his kid at a Manchester school? He's going to City perhaps? [Goal.com]
- VIDEO: MLS goals of the week. [101GG]
- VIDEO: Toronto crazies in action. [Dirty Tackle]
- Ronaldo signs contract. Deal finalized. [SI]
- 3 good, 3 bad. [Center Holds It]
- Henry discusses MLS. [Soccer365]
- The Price is Right -- Sounders FC style. [SSE]
- Kaka talks City snub. [ESPN]
- Ref in trouble for water break. [Goff]
- Taylor Twellman back on the DL. [USA Today]
- Moonwalk goal celebration. [Pies]
- Some Weezer dude loves soccer. [UF]
VIDEO: PES 2010 trailer
Just saying Pro Evolution Soccer gets me nice Google traffic.
Never played it. Just FIFA.
Arshavin to represent himself
Andrei Arshavin saw some things he didn't like in his Arsenal contract and fired his agent.Now the Russian will represent himself.
The 28-year-old intends to iron out problems with his deal and is also concerned by the rising tax rate in the UK, which will jump from 40 per cent to 50 per cent for high-earners next April.Good luck with that.
The aftermath
The overwhelming feeling after Sunday's 3-0 defeat in the Confederations Cup final: the USMNT got beat by a better team.Sure, blowing a 2-0 lead is disappointing and frustrating. But there was no reason to think Brazil couldn't match what the U.S. did in the first half. Their attack is phenomenal.
Heck, the Samba Boys had a 3-0 half against Italy (historically the best defensive team in the world) without even trying!
I certainly thought the USMNT would need a goal in the second half to be safe.
The biggest thing I wanted to see Sunday was competitiveness. If you're gonna lose, make a game of it. Show some fire, show some emotion. And watching Clint Dempsey on the podium accepting his awards with tears in his eyes told me everything.
Losses suck, but the U.S. competed with the world's elite. How can you not be proud of your team taking out Spain and pushing Brazil to the brink?
That's what it's all about.
Some ratings: Tim Howard 8.5, Jonathan Spector 6.0, Oguchi Onyewu 7.0, Jay DeMerit 6.0, Carlos Bocanegra 5.0, Landon Donovan 7.5, Clint Dempsey 6.5, Ricardo Clark 6.0, Benny Feilhaber 5.0, Charlie Davies 6.0, Jozy Altidore 5.0, Sacha Kljestan 0.5, Jonathan Bornstein 5.0, Conor Casey Inc.
VIDEO: Ronaldo the skilled dinosaur
Great work by Dirty Tackle here. The video posted above is the 'behind the scenes' viral ad with the Brazilian playing some fake keepy-uppy for fun.
His dinosaur character is based on the real advertisement posted below.
I like the work.
Original. Unique. And keeping a legend busy.
Scolari's blamestorming session
I must admit, I got the word 'blamestorming' from a commercial.But I love it. And it applies to ex-Chelsea coach Phil Scolari blaming everyone else for his failings at Stamford Bridge well after the fact.
“Of course, the first to be dismissed will always be the coach. And the major footballers already perceive their power and do what they wish.Psh, good luck staying relevant in Uzbekistan...
“This was my major problem at Chelsea. Drogba, Ballack and Cech did not accept my methods of training nor my demands.”
Transfer me sideways
A couple links involving Americans this time:Hopefully the Yanks benefit most from the Confederations Cup run.
USMNT cartoon
I saw this over at The Offside Rules.I like the piles of crap as the first two games of the tournament.
The expression on the bull is positively Bob Bradley-esque.
Miss U.S.A.
Some of the guys met reigning Miss U.S.A. Lauren Perry in South Africa during the Confederations Cup.She'll be competing in the 2009 Miss World Pageant there in December.
That might be the widest smile I've ever seen from Gooch. Ever.
Credit to the USMNT blog with this one via TOW.
MLS roundup
Kudos to my hometown Sounders FC for a big 3-0 win against Colorado on Sunday to lessen the sting of the USMNT loss.Nate Jaqua (right) had two goals and an assist -- which was a powerful header redirected into the net by Fredy Montero, who had a pair of assists on his own -- to lead Seattle.
Some good attendance around the league this week. Only one tie. And two more shutout losses for N.Y. (how Coach Osorio still has a job, I have no idea).
Here are the scores:
Sunday
Seattle Sounders FC 3-0 Colorado Rapids (A: 32, 526)
Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 Houston Dynamo (A: 17,938)
Saturday
Columbus Crew 1-0 New York Red Bulls (A: 15,575)
Real Salt Lake 3-0 Toronto FC (A: 18,188)
Wednesday
Toronto FC 2-0 New York Red Bulls (A: 20,902)
Colorado Rapids 1-1 FC Dallas (A: 10,583)
Keep your heads up lads
Disappointed? Sure.Frustrated? Of course.
Embarrassed? No chance.
* * *
More on this one to come later...
June 26, 2009
THE UNIVERSE WILL COLLAPSE ON ITSELF!!!
UPDATE: I just found out a Seattle Times reporter that the Sounders FC are going to play the first half of the USMNT game in Qwest Field on the jumbotron.
Then they will blackout the USMNT game during the Sounders game, with no updates.
Then let people stay in the stadium after the Sounders game and play the second half of the confederations cup final on the jumbotron.
So, at least its something.
The U.S. mens national team playing in the Confederations Cup final starts at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The Sounders FC game starts at 1 p.m.
There's an inevitable overlap -- especially for those hoping to attend the MLS game at Qwest Field.
I'm sure the Sounders ownership wish this weren't the case. I bet everyone involved would love to watch the USMNT game (including the media, fans, players and coaches).
SoundersNerd over at Publicola is trying to find a solution.
Please join the debate over there to see if something can be done.
Certainly a half-empty stadium is a bad thing for all parties involved.
Impact-to-MLS talk again?
And why not?Montreal has the highest USL attendance and draws more fans than many MLS teams.
I kind of want them in the league.
VIDEO: Racist outburst caught on tape?
The Copa Libertadores story from a couple days back, 101GG found some video.
Transfer talk
Let's do it.- Jozy Altidore to Greece?
- Cisse to Greece?
- Real Madrid lands another: Albiol.
- Rossi and Manchester United? Or Huntelaar?
BeyonceMilan and Adebayor?- Some mysterious huge Pato bid was rejected.
- Madrid after Cesc? Or Arbeloa?
MLS moves
Sorry to all the casualties of the league.- Seattle Sounders FC waived former UW Husky and Pac-10 Player of the Year Kevin Forrest, a really cool guy as I've come to know him.
- Josh Wicks ascendancy as D.C. United's No. 1 goalkeeper, paved the way for the team to release Louis Crayton.
- Finally, San Jose placed a couple defenders (Kelly Gray and Eric Denton) on waivers.
Are conservatives anti-soccer?
Yes, every single one of them. Unless they stray from party lines.In all seriousness, it is an intriguing question addressed over here, so check it out if you like.
Paris Hilton thinks C-Ron is sissy?
“She likes her men rugged, it’s as simple as that. She thought her friends would laugh at her if she dated a guy who walks around with flowers in his hair.”
Sissy?
This guy?
Never...!
Final Gold Cup roster announced
Here are the lucky 23.GOALKEEPERS (3): Jon Busch, Troy Perkins, Luis Robles.Lot of new names there. Should be interesting to see if some guys take advantage of the opportunity.DEFENDERS (7): Steve Cherundolo, Jimmy Conrad, Clarence Goodson, Jay Heaps, Chad Marshall, Michael Parkhurst, Heath Pearce.
MIDFIELDERS (8): Davy Arnaud, Kyle Beckerman, Colin Clark, Sam Cronin, Brad Evans, Stuart Holden, Logan Pause, Robbie Rogers.
FORWARDS (5): Freddy Adu, Brian Ching, Kenny Cooper, Charlie Davies, Santino Quaranta.
And we have some Seattle Sounders FC representation, do well Mr. Evans.
June 25, 2009
The strike of Dani Alves
Brazil was foundering and floundering. The effort was lagging. The attack was stagnant.Their opponent, host South Africa, was putting on an inspired performance in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
Then came one free-kick for the Selecao in the 88th minute.
Up stepped Dani Alves, a recent substitute in a pathetic black turtleneck. With one magical swing of the right foot, the Barcelona lightning rod swung a shot with the perfect combination of curl and power to the far post.
A diving Bafana goalkeeper flailed wildly but unsuccessfully only to watch the ball ricochet off the post into the net for the winner.
The winner and a berth to the final.
See for yourself.
New arrival LINKS
Word is the Sounders FC could be signing a new left back: Leonardo González of Costa Rica.It's the only pressing concern for the team so it makes sense. Plus the owners are quite proactive.
Something to keep an eye on.
I'd like to order some links now:
- TFC makes another move. [Goal.com]
- MLS newcomer rankings. [Center Holds It]
- Newcastle turns season to a play? [The Spoiler]
- Quotes o' the week. [SSN]
- NYC showdown. [TiAS, who else?]
- Riquelme hates Maradona. [TOW]
Howard Webb gallery
Guardian readers make fun of a stupid ref.Normally I lean against ref abuse, but the men in the middle have ejected three American rather harshly in the Confederations Cup, so I'm enjoying this one.
Gimme shelter transfers
We'll with an MLS oldie but goodie.- Thierry Henry talking some New York Red Bulls.
- Real Madrid and Benzema now?
- Word is Ribery is leaning to the Bernabeu.
- Stoke is the latest Michael Owen suitor.
- Robinho wants Eto'o bad at City.
What do you think?
Wiki world rankings
A little different than the FIFA world rankings, a couple teams swapped spots.Some hotshot team is No. 1 and some other fell down to No. 14.
And Spain has some weird regional group too.
Hmmmmm, interesting.
MLS scores
Toronto FC 2, New York 0 -- The Red Bulls still can't amount to anything on the road. Pablo Vitti scored his first MLS goal and Dwayne De Rosario (above) put the game away with a second to vault TFC to second in the Eastern Conference.Colorado Rapids 1, FC Dallas 1 -- Not a bad result for Dallas, but they'll be disappointed to give up a late equalizer to Omar Cummings. David Ferreira had given the Hoops a 1-0 lead in the first half. Rapids have gone seven games without a loss now.
Copa Libertadores racism
Don't be fooled in thinking racism is isolated to Europe.A recent story takes us to South America, where an Argentine (Maxi Lopez of Gremio) allegedly had some names for a black Brazilian opponent (Elicarlos of Cruzeiro).
"The striker Maxi Lopez called me a macaco (monkey), he said that to me," Elicarlos told reporters after Cruzeiro's 3-1 victory in Belo Horizonte, adding that he would report the incident to the police.Lovely stuff.
Elicarlos, who is black, and former River Plate and Barcelona striker Lopez had a heated argument on the pitch during the first half of the match at the Mineirao with other angry Cruzeiro players also getting involved.
The Gremio team bus went straight to the police station from the stadium to report the incident.
Good to take it seriously. Racist punks.
Alan Shearer to get permanent Toon job?
Really? After Newcastle suffered one of its most disappointing seasons, they want to keep the manager that inevitably led the side to relegation.Not sure I understand this one.
Why not start fresh? With those lovely banana cream jerseys?
VIDEO: Where's the ball?
Sometimes kids have the worst tackles.
But they do have a future in the center midfield of the USMNT. Horrid tackles are welcome and commonplace there.
Ronaldo will need to time adjust
Call that excuse No. 1.
U.S.A. rankings
This will be my last bit o' analysis of the USMNT's historic 2-0 win over No. 1 Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals. Ratings based on 1-10 scale.Tim Howard (8.5) -- Steady and strong for all 90 minutes. The save of Villa's outward-bending shot early in the second half was world-class. Wasn't called on during every Spain attack but had it all under control.
Jonathan Spector (5.5) -- Not the strongest performance I felt. Was beat consistently on the left side -- Spain's left -- by Riera and Capdevila. Provided nothing in the attack also. Was lucky not to have conceded.
Jay DeMerit (7.5) -- Very strong showing in the back. Made numerous goal-saving tackles to keep Torres and Villa out of the net. Rating takes a hit because he was never comfortable on the ball and gave it away easy.
Oguchi Onyewu (9.0) -- My Man of the Match. Impenetrable and unflappable in the back. Won everything in the air. Sacrificed his body on a number of tackles and imposed his will on the Spain's attack. Sublime game.
Carlos Bocanegra (6.0) -- Didn't shine, but wasn't expected to in his first game back from injury. Strong on the ball and provided nice service to the forwards. Not the best on defense, but Cesc and Sergio Ramos will do that.
Ricardo Clark (7.0) -- Redemption for the opening-game embarrassment against Italy. Strong tackler that was rarely caught out of position. Did well to contain Xavi. Also provided a little in the attack.Clint Dempsey (7.5) -- Assist to Jozy was fortunate to take a deflection, but also provided the game winner. Showed his best work rate of the tournament I felt. Was starting to disappear though just before the goal.
Michael Bradley (5.5) -- Would have been higher, but that tackle was unnecessary so late in the game with the result almost in hand. Also helped control Xavi's effect on the game. Will watch the final from the bench.
Landon Donovan (7.5) -- My player of the tournament for the U.S. Have worked nonstop every second on the pitch. Did well to track back and player centerback at times, also was a constant presence on the right.
Jozy Altidore (7.0) -- Scored a game-winning goal for the ages. Showed the strength, skill and promise that we all hope to see. Still needs to work on holding the ball and distributing. Disappeared late.Charlie Davies (6.0) -- Provides a great element on the USMNT frontline: speed and effort. Had a fun bicycle-kick attempt but doesn't hold the ball up well. He does get to the right spots and pressure the defense though.
Benny Feilhaber (6.5) -- A love the work he brings in the midfield. Can play inside or outside and always provides good effort. Helped set up the second goal and will be called on in the final I would think.
Conor Casey (5.0) -- Didn't really provide much at all in his time but fresh legs. Ran a little bit but couldn't hold onto the ball or pass efficiently. We all called for the experiment, but Davies is the answer for now.
Jonathan Bornstein (5.0) -- Wasn't on the field long enough to garner a real rating. Lost his starting spot to Bocanegra and spelled Dempsey late to add another defender. Works hard but isn't at the top level.
Confederations Cup semifinal prediction
I got burned yesterday picking the favorite (Spain), but I'm not going to be burned again.Brazil is the pick and will win 2-0.
Take it to the bank.
June 24, 2009
Altidore to Fulhamerica? LINKS
If any Premiership team was gonna be interested in the young American prospect, of course it'd be Fulham.Word is the club is considering a move to get him on loan.
Doubt it'll happen, but who knows?
Hit me with some links:
- I got interviewed! [FC Earth]
- Help out our boy S.F. if you can. [The Offside Rules]
- Setanta's final moments. [SSR]
- Petke banned and fined. [SI]
- TFC signed some dude. [Goal.com]
- German club gives tix to Neo-Nazis? [The Spoiler]
- Brazil loses Juan for the rest of the Confed. Cup. [ESPN]
- Sounders FC player on Price is Right? [Times blog]
- VIDEO: Assaulting CR7, gamer-style. [Dirty Tackle]
- The dual nationality trials of Amauri. [Futbolita]
- Can an African team win the World Cup. [The Offside]
- Kaka likes the Backstreet Boys they say. [Pies]
VIDEO: Slappy halftime talk
Don't think this is how halftime talks in Turkey locker rooms go, but I can't be 100% sure.
99.9% maybe... but not 100...
Toronto FC to honor breast cancer awareness
This at MLS Rumors the other day via an email tip:Hey MLSR, It was announced today that Toronto FC will be wearing a new third jersey tomorrow night for the match against New York. The PINK jersey is in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. They will also be wearing it October 10th against San Jose.Great effort by the team to bring attention for a worthy cause.
Please keep me Anonymous.
Certainly deserving of a post from my end.
Time to celebrate
A long post is coming tomorrow.
For now, it's time to celebrate the win.
Dos a cero! Gotta love it.
Transfers for $200 Alex
Daily double!- Word is the David Villa to Real deal is dead.
- Man. United to make a big push for Kun Aguero?
- Here's a new one: Michael Essien and Barcelona?
- Cesc could be leaving Arsenal.
- Barca considering an Eto'o for Villa switch?
- Malouda signs extension with Chelsea.
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