Charlie Davies statement LINKS

Here's a message from the young forward's family. Courtesy of The Soccer Insider:

"The tremendous support the family has received is of great comfort and much appreciated at this difficult time. Our thoughts also go out to the families and friends of those involved in the accident. We would also like to thank all the staff at Washington Hospital Center in Washington D.C. and the staff at the United States Soccer Federation for all their tremendous efforts. Charlie is in a serious but stable condition and is resting after extensive surgery. If you would like to send any messages of support to Charlie we have set up an e-mail account at CharlieDavies9@yahoo.com. Thank you again and we will keep you informed when possible as Charlie continues his recovery."

Here's to a speedy recovery.

Now a whole mess o' links:

• Kroenke increases Arsenal stake again. [BBC]
  
• Coach must rebuild Costa Rica's spirits. [CBS News]
• Redknapp: Spurs move could've ruined me. [CityAM]
• Ecuador's coach is out after missing W.C.. [SI]
• Ex-Italy coach slams Lippi for fan criticism. [TribalFootball]
• Colombia coach out after missing W.C. [ColombiaReports]
• Beckenbauer backs van Gaal. [SkySports]
• Valenica finances still dire. [ESPN]
• Toni could see some PT? [TSN]
• River Plate guy caught doping. [FourFourTwo]
• Backing for S. African coach Santana. [IOL.co.za]
• MLS Portland bid in trouble. [SSE]
• Blatter praises Russia's W.C. bid. [Yahoo!]
• Guess who's a new daddy... [NoInvite]
• English dude says Capello should drop Becks. [TeleText]
• Mascot head goes missing. [Off the Post]
• Ballack hits out at German fans. [Goal.com]
• Belgium loses bout with Everton. [Daily Mail]

VIDEO: Fans v. riot police

All too familiar images. This time it's Russian fans in Azerbaijan.

Transfer pickups

Same names, similar stories:

• Beckham deal to Milan is done, they say.
  
• Portsmouth rules out Zaki move.
  
• Robinho set for Jan. move to Barcelona.
  
• Birmingham promises to spend 40m pounds.
  
• Fergie wishes Belgium midfielder a speedy recovery. Hmmmmm.
  
• PSV dropping Carlos Salcido?
  
• Mutu wants to stay at Fiorentina.
  
• I'm not gonna leave, says Heskey.

Finally, league action is just about back.

VIDEO: ESPN PressPass

It's been a slow couple days.

Friday photo gallery

1. ESPN doesn't know Gooch


2. The Offside caught it too


3. Hilarious Babel GIF


4. Beckham Beard Barbie


5. Joe Cole smoochie


6. Ibrahimovic clubbing

VIDEO: Robinho rips his jeans

While displaying some awesome skill as nonchalant as possible.

Argentina's in, still crazy

For some reason I thought news out of the South American country would cool down a little since the national team qualified.

It's still crazy.

This story quotes Maradona, Argentine Football Association head Julio Grondona, Juan Sebastian Veron and a country's newspaper.

Questions and issues are still abound...

Will Maradona stay on as coach through the finals? Will he resign? Will he be forced out?

And if he's not enough, there's still the Messi question. Like is the Barcelona stay ever going to produce for his country.

Dani Alves says it's an unfair comparison, but I don't.

And if Argentina is the seeded team the USMNT gets grouped with, I won't be upset.

VIDEO: Honduras videos

I was sent to these thanks a great resource, Grant Wahl's twitter.

1. A Honduran call of the game


2. Scenes of the celebration

A reunited Honduras celebrates

Not only did Jonathan's Bornstein's last-gasp equalizer earn him a invitation to the Central American country as an honored guest, but he might've helped stabilized the turmoiled nation.

At least for a while.

While Honduras has two men claiming leadership, all was forgotten Wednesday -- which was declared a national holiday -- with the first World Cup berth since 1982.

Plus, the U.S. might have earned a blood brother for life. Check out this bit from a recent Grant Wahl piece on SI.com.

An hour after the game, I received an e-mail from a friend in Honduras. There was pandemonium in the streets, he said, after Honduras had reached its first World Cup since 1982. "Right now the U.S. is king in this country," he wrote. "People in the streets are carrying Honduran and U.S. flags."

Awesome.

VIDEO: Not Bendtner's finest moment

Check out this unscripted bit of skill a little after the 0:30 mark...

Did Milan buy Gooch insurance from the USMNT?

Because the Italian team is acting like it.

After the hulking defender tore his patella tendon in World Cup qualifying action against Costa Rica on Wednesday, Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani offered this gem in search of damages from the U.S. national team.

"I'm very angry because once again the national teams take our players and we have to pay the consequences of injuries," Galliani is quoted as saying by Italian media.

"We demand compensation from the American Federation because we cannot pay the salary of a player who cannot play for six months."

Yeah, nice try. Sure there's a huge precedent for that. And it's three to four months.

The report actually had some of the first words I've heard from Onyewu.

"It is a big blow for me. I am devastated.

"After a jump, I did not feel my knee. I knew straight away that I was badly injured.

"But that is life. Hopefully, I will come back soon."

As of some point yesterday, U.S. Soccer claimed to have had no contact with Milan over payment.

Probably because the team knows it's ridiculous, but needed to vent over an injury to a player it never plays.

VIDEO: New FIFA '10 trailer

Courtesy of The Offside Rules.

You're fired LINKS

Remember that one coach that got busted for driving drunk?

First he got suspended. Well now he got fired.

That's a lesson to the kids.

Now the links:

• Quotes o' the week. [Sanford's Soccer Net]
  
• Aquilani's Liverpool debut coming? [ESPN]
  
• W.C. hosts to be whipping boys? [UF]
  
• Rafa Marquez to buy Mexican team? [SI]
  
• Jamaican nat'l team player killed. [Comcast]
  
• Czech's Jankulovski retires, Hasek quits. [Yahoo!]
  
• 7-match ban for giving the finger. [Reuters]
  
• Czech paper offered San Marino $$$ to win. [Off the Post]

VIDEO: Great goal from where?

Brazil, of course!

Transfer highlights

Let's get to it:

• Beckham says Milan move is 95% done.
  
• Sunderland teen signs a new deal.
  
• O'Neill not concerned with Heskey rumors.
  
• Barca defends Messi contract.
  
• Adriano would only return to Inter.
  
• That must rule out a Tottenham link.
  
• Fowler on the move?
  
• Milan/Spurs talking forward swap.
  
• Rossi to join Juve after W.C.?
  
• Palermo prez. slams journalists for rumors.

Damn writers...

VIDEO: Cesc still in control

Another ad in his series.

Thursday photo shoot

1. Great fumble save!


2. Awful, awful kit


3. Charlie Davies tribute


4. Red Bull Stadium update


5. Obligatory Sven/North Korea


6. England on the 'net gallery


7. Lippi does somersaults

VIDEO: Brilliant overhead

There is nothing like a good bicycle kick right?

What do Obama and Beckham have in common?

According to English national team coach Fabio Capello, they are both undeserving.

In his eyes, David Beckham didn't deserve to be player of the game as the second-half substitute of a 3-0 win against Belarus.

And Barack Obama didn't deserve to win the Nobel Peace Prize after being in office less than a year.

He might have a point on both...

VIDEO: Duo of pitch invaders

1. Slovakian snow celebration


2. Crazy France/Austria fools

Sigi Schmid Q&A

Great feature over at The Seattle Times website the other day. Seattle Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid took questions online from fans.

He's such a unique character that I recommend reading the whole thing, but here are some highlights:

[Comment From Chris]
Who is the biggest prankster on the team? It would seem that Taylor Graham would be the leading candidate. Has anyone played a prank on you?

Sigi Schmid: You are correct. Taylor is the best prankster on the team. Although Tyrone Marshall did hogtie our fitness coach and the players dumped a cooler of Gatorade on him on his birthday. The players usually consider me off limits. Although there was a picture on my office door of Notorius BIG with my face on it proclaiming Sigi Smalls was here. But I think that might have come from someone affiliated with Columbus.

[Comment From that guy]
If Joe Roth decided to make a movie about the sounders, who would play you?

Sigi Schmid: I wish I could say Brad Pitt or George Clooney, but it would probably be John Goodman.

Good stuff.

VIDEO: International gaffs

1. The Uruguayan arm tackle



2. The French dive and dance

W.C. qualifying roundup

Congratulations to Switzerland, Slovakia, Honduras and, drum roll please, Argentina on clinching World Cup berths Wednesday!

So that's 23 of 32 teams down.

And, of course, it means Maradona is vindicated. It didn't take him long to slam his country's journalists and even name a couple guys (not Messi) to the final World Cup roster.

Congratulations to Slovakia (right) for earning its first berth to the big dance.

Playoffs and final berths will be one in November. Costa Rica and Uruguay face off in the CONCACAF/CONMEBOL playoff. The UEFA playoff teams are Portugal (seeded), Greece (seeded), France (seeded), Russia (seeded), Slovenia, Ukraine, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ireland.

Three other bids come from Africa between: Cameroon/Gabon, Tunisia/Nigeria and Algeria/Egypt. Lastly, the New Zealand/Bahrain playoff winner.

Can't wait!

VIDEO: Double bicycle kick goal

One of the most unlikely goals you'll ever see in your life.

Bornstein: the unlikely hero

So in these last two World Cup qualifiers, USMNT fans were raving about Conor Casey (Saturday) and Jonathan Bornstein (Wednesday)?

Yeesh. Quite the odd couple.

And I'm not sure hero is the right word? The 2-2 draw arguably didn't mean much, but winning the group is cool. Though it would have been nice to beat Costa Rica as a tribute to Charlie Davies, not scramble to salvage a point at home.

It would have been even better had Casey not missed a wide-open net in the 9th minute, the time in the game set aside to honor the kid.

As far as World Cup seeding goes, I think we need Russia and France to lose in the UEFA playoff round to have a remote chance.

I guess we did our Honduran friends a favor. So says Sunil Gulati as seen over at The Soccer Insider:

After the respectful reception the Americans received in Honduras last weekend, "our guys aren't disappointed with who is going to Montevideo," Gulati said, referring to the Catrachos finishing third and Costa Rica having to play Uruguay in a two-leg playoff next month.

And there's another reason to temper celebration. Oguchi Onyewu, the only seemingly steady American defender, will be out 3-4 months after tearing his patella tendon.

I guess as far as a knee injuries go it was good news.

Now for some video. First the highlights:


Then some Jozy Altidore reaction:

VIDEO: World Cup news girls

Late-night entertainment courtesy of The Offside Rules.

Threatening LINKS

Apparently River Plate fans have been leaving not-nice voice messages on the players' phones.

Maybe that's what being in 16th place does to ya.

Oh and players are blaming the media for releasing the numbers and thus aren't talking to reporters.

Fun times. Now the links:

• Benitez not punished by FA. [Yahoo!]
  
• Best XI for old guys. [The Offside]
  
• Cancer insult? Not cool. [Off the Post]
  
• FA concerned over secret foreign owners. [ESPN]
  
• CRon to Benzema: Say nothing, score goals. [Goal.com]
  
• U20 W.C. final -- Ghana v. Brazil [CBC]
  
• Mancini and Notts County? Psh. [BBC]
  
• S. Africa coach future TBD soon. [SI]
  
• Henrik Larsson wants to coach Celtic. [Daily Mail]
  
• Scotland team air scare. [Guardian]
  
• Hacking Maradona's website. [Avoiding the Drop]
  
• Young stars avoiding England. [EPL Talk]
  
• Celtic/Rangers to EPL possible. [TOW]
  
• USMNT to play against Denmark. [WV Hooligan]

VIDEO: Teammates smooch

101 Great Goals caught a couple stills.

Nothing 100% conclusive...

Transfer recipe

Things slowed just a little yesterday:

• Liverpool and Emily Heskey.
  
• Alex commits to Chelsea.
  
• No January move for Patrick Vieira.
  
• Shevchenko turned down United and Barca.
  
• Spanish team Cadiz after Michael Bradley.
  
• Robinho offers to be turned down?
  
• But Barca might have an agreement for the Brazilian.
  
• Julio Baptista nearing Roma exit.
  
• Villareal reads about Juve interest in Rossi.
  
• David James and United?

Same names a lot these days...

VIDEO: Costa Rica preview

Only a couple hours to go until kickoff...

Wednesday photo shoot

1. El-Hadji Diouf avoids ticket


2. Fierce team picture Paraguay


3. Carlo on Chiambretti Night


4. Dutch team under my umbrella


5. Nice shirt there Denmark


6. Ref hair before and after


7. Flour fight in practice

VIDEO: All Ukrainian clips

1. Cheerleader love


2. A crazy cartoon

MLS power rankings: week 30

Only four games this "week" of soccer. It's a pathetic little attempt at honoring international week I guess.

The rest of the world's top leagues are focused entirely on World Cup qualifying, but Major League Soccer still doesn't get it.

Fortunately -- for Seattle fans -- the results helped the Sounders FC playoff hopes as New England and Toronto didn't help their postseason bids much.

FC Dallas continues a run of fine form and has 10 wins!

Here we go:

1. (1) Columbus Crew 13-5-10
2. (2) L.A. Galaxy 11-6-11
3. (3) Houston Dynamo 12-8-8
4. (5) Chivas USA 13-9-5
5. (4) Chicago Fire 10-7-11
6. (6) Seattle Sounders FC 10-7-11
7. (7) New England Revolution 10-10-8
8. (8) Colorado Rapids 10-8-10
9. (11) F.C. Dallas 10-12-6
10. (9) Toronto FC 9-10-9
11. (10) D.C. United 8-8-12
12. (12) Real Salt Lake 9-11-7
13. (13) Kansas City Wizards 8-12-8
14. (14) San Jose Earthquakes 7-13-8
15. (15) N.Y. Red Bulls 4-18-6

VIDEO: Dreadful miss

Perhaps there's a reason Alexander Hleb’s little brother, Vyacheslav, plays for Shanghai Shenhua in China, and not a bigger club.

This is probably why.

International craziness

A lot of wild stories on the wire the other day involving international soccer.

And why not? It's international week.

First off, Belgium and Everton star Marouane Fellaini is having an interesting spat with his national team. Apparently that wisdom teeth surgery he had a while back was not given with the good graces of his country.

And since he missed international duty, Belgium wants FIFA to ban him from playing for his club as well.

Not very nice.

In some Brett Favre-esque moves, now that Italy has qualified for the World Cup, Totti is considering his unretirement. Also David Trezeguet might end his retirement with France for a some playoff action.

Finally some quick hitters:

• Sven-Goran Erikkson linked to North Korea.
  
• Ligue 1 might change its league schedule to help French national team.
  
• Argentina fans criticize Messi because they are scared of Maradona.

VIDEO: Jozy Altidore on First Take

Check out the young American getting some ESPN love the other day.

Be sure to listen in at around the 0:50 mark when the clueless interviewer asks if the U.S. has arrived as a world power.

Jozy gives a great response.

Be well Charlie Davies

By now you probably have heard that USMNT forward Charlie Davies, 23, was seriously injured in a fatal car accident early Tuesday morning.

Certainly the image of the vehicle above would make anyone sick to their stomach.

One other passenger died in the one-car crash. Davies suffered a broken leg, fractured elbow and facial fractures among other injuries -- it could take him 6-12 months to recover.

Hard to imagine his American teammates being too excited to take the field later today.

So send your thoughts Charlie's way, the future for him is still bright...

VIDEO: Some awesome goals

What better to get you through the night then some great goals, courtesy of 101 Great Goals.

1. Distance lob


2. Distance strike


3. Qualifying bike

Cleared of it all LINKS

Fabio Cannavaro -- the frustrated one -- has been cleared of his doping allegations.

Turns outs his bee sting alibi had legs.

I also heard he slammed Italian media and said he's retire if his country wins the World Cup again.

Now the links:

• Argentina dudes asked Peru to throw game? [The Offside]
  
• Zlatan rips into Inter Milan. [ESPN]
  
• MLS considering changing schedules. [USA Today]
  
• Drogba eyeing a W.C. title. [CNN]
  
• UCL match-fixing w/ Blues and Reds? [Daily Mail]
  
• Dempsey's best goal celebrations. [Goal.com]
  
• Lots of good World Cup stuff. [Soccer Source]
  
• No successor to be named by Arsene. [Yahoo!]
  
• Ireland: Refs will favor seeded teams. [Guardian]
  
• van Gaal offered United job? [SkySports]
  
• Paper airplanes are dangerous. [Telegraph]
  
• JT said something to Shevchenko. [UF]
  
• Young American tears ACL. [SBI]
  
• Quaranta out for the season. [Goff]

VIDEO: Holy collision

Dirty Tackle calls it "kamikaze" style.

Sounds right.

Tuesday transfer talk

Still high-tide in rumors:

• Milan VP says Beckham return "very probable."
  
• Amr Zaki to join Portsmouth.
  
• D.C. gets 'keeper from Timbers.
  
• Mascherano unhappy at Liverpool.
  
• United eyeing three Inter dudes.
  
• Toni not leaving, says Munich.
  
• Sevilla not after Julio Baptista.
  
• Klose "admires" Inter and Liverpool.
  
• Barcelona after Sissoko?
  
• And Cicinho?
  
• Old Denilson to Denmark?

Good times.

VIDEO: Clinical finish

Too bad it was in the wrong net.

Classic.

Tuesday's photo shoot

Sweet Bolivian embrace


Ibrahimovic and a ref


'Dinho and the Golden Foot


USMNT celebration


C-Ron's ex = Superman?


New African kits look nice