•Manchester City-3, Doncaster-1
•Manchester City-4, Orgryte-1
•Manchester City-2, Shrewsbury-0
•Manchester City-0, Valencia-1
•Arsenal-2, Barnet-0
•Arsenal-3, Genclerbirligi-0
•Arsenal-0, SV Salzburg-1
•Arsenal-2, Paris Saint-Germain-1 (Emirates Cup)
•Arsenal-2, Inter Milan-1 (Emirates Cup; Arsenal wins Emirates Cup)
•Arsenal-2, Lazio-1 (Amsterdam Tournament)
•Liverpool-3, Crewe-0
•Liverpool-3, Werder Bremen-2
•Liverpool-2, Auxerre-0
•Liverpool-3, South China-1 (Barclays Asia Trophy)
•Liverpool-2, Shanghai Shenhua-0 (Port of Rotterdam Tournament)
•Liverpool-1, Feyenoord-1
•Bolton-2, Chivas Guadalajara-0 (Peace Cup)
•Bolton-2, Racing Santander-1 (Peace Cup)
•Bolton-0, Lyon-1 (Peace Cup Final, Bolton wins Peace Cup)
•Bolton-3, Espanyol-0
•Reading-0, River Plate-1 (Peace Cup)
•Reading-1, Lyon-0 (Peace Cup)
•Reading-1, Shimizu S-Pulse-0 (Peace Cup)
•Reading-6, Brentford-1
•Reading-3, Wolverhampton-2
•Portsmouth-2, Yeovil-0
•Portsmouth-2, Havant & Waterlooville-0
•Portsmouth-1, Eastleigh-0
•Portsmouth-1, Fulham-0 (Barclays Asia Trophy)
•Portsmouth-0, Liverpool-0 (Portsmouth wins on PK’s, Barclays Asia Trophy Final)
•Portsmouth-4, Bournemouth-1
•Portsmouth-3, Leicester City-1
•West Ham-2, Dagenham and Redbridge-0
•West Ham-1, Leyton Orient-1
•West Ham-2, MK Dons-3
•West Ham-3, Southend United-1
•West Ham-2, AC Roma-1
•Chelsea-2, Club America-1 (World Series of Football)
•Chelsea-1, Suwon Bluewings-0 (World Series of Football)
•Chelsea-1, LA Galaxy-0 (World Series of Football)
•Chelsea-1, Feyenoord-1
•Chelsea-0, Rangers-2
•Chelsea-2, Brondby-0
•Middlesbrough-0, FC Schalke-3
•Middlesbrough-1, Burnley-1
•Middlesbrough-2, Darlington-0
•Manchester United-2, Urawa Red Diamonds-2
•Manchester United-4, FC Seoul-0
•Manchester United-6, Shenzhen Jianlibao-0
•Manchester United Reserves-2, Port Vale-3
•Manchester United-3, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical-0
•Manchester United-2, Inter Milan-3
•Manchester United-2, Doncaster-0
•Manchester United-3, Glentoran-0
•Manchester United-4, Dunfermline-0
•Newcastle-3, Hartlepool-1
•Newcastle-1, Carlisle United-1
•Newcastle-4, Celtic-1
•Newcastle-0, Hull City-1
•Newcastle-2, Juventus-0
•Newcastle-1, Sampdoria-0
•Fulham-1, Dagenham & Redbridge-0
•Fulham-4, South China-1 (Barclays Asia Trophy)
•Fulham-1, QPR-2
•Sunderland-2, Darlington-0
•Sunderland-4, Galway United-0
•Sunderland-1, Juventus-1
•Tottenham-2, Kaizer Chiefs-1
•Tottenham-2, Orlando Pirates-1
•Tottenham-3, Orlando Pirates-0 (Tottenham wins Vodacom Challenge Trophy)
•Tottenham-4, Leyton Orient-2
•Tottenham-2, Torino-0
•Everton-0, Real Salt Lake-2
•Everton-4, Ventura County Fusion (PDL)-0
•Everton-2, Werder Bremen-2
•Everton-0, Crystal Palace-0
•Aston Villa-4, Toronto FC-2
•Aston Villa-3, Columbus Crew-1
•Aston Villa-2, Stoke City-0
•Aston Villa-3, Inter Milan-0
•Wigan Athletic-2, Blackpool-1
•Wigan Athletic-2, Barnsley-0
•Wigan Athletic-2, Leeds United-1
•Derby County-2, Nottingham Forest-0 (Derby County wins inaugural Brian
Clough Trophy)
•Derby County-2, Espanyol-2
•Blackburn-1, Huddersfield-2
•Blackburn-3, Preston North End-0
•Birmingham-3, Peterborough-0
Note: Premiership team listed first, NOT home team
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Roundup of Recent Friendlies
Friday, July 13, 2007
US-Austria Preview
What possibly could be the most underhyped of the four quarterfinal games of the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup (at least from a global view) features the US and Austria, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals to take on the winner of the Spain-Czech Republic game. The US is seen as the significant favorite over Austria, however they were seen in the same light before their game against Uruguay and that was a much closer game than many people thought it would be.
Austria's roster is comprised of all domestic-based players except for one, Martin Harnik, who plays for Werder Bremen in Germany. They're led offensively by Erwin--and this is not my own bad joke--"Jimmy" Hoffer, who's scored twice in four games for his side. Austria as a team has only scored four goals in this tournament; however they've only conceded two and if they can force their tempo on the US like Uruguay did, they could pull the upset and move on to the semi-finals. Three different goalies have played for Austria thus far; Michael Zaglmair has started twice and Andreas Lukse and Bartolomej Kuru have started once. Zaglmair was in net for Austria's 1-1 tie with Congo in the first group game and for the 2-1 win over Gambia in the quarterfinals. It seems as if a rotation is in place, and if that's the case, Andreas Lukse is in line to start against the US as his last appearance was in the second group game (a 1-0 victory over Canada). One thing is for certain though: Austria's defense is led by Sebastian Proedl, who plays his club soccer at SK Sturm Graz. Proedl has played every minute of every game at this U-20 World Cup, and at 6'2", 187, Proedl is a physically imposing player who could give the US fits all night.
I'd venture to say everyone reading this preview knows about the US by this point. Freddy Adu, Josmer Altidore, Danny Szetela, and Sal Zizzo have carried the US to this stage in the tournament. However, Altidore's availability could be in question after he limped off with a knee injury in the 51st minute against Uruguay. The last thing the US needs is to play without Altidore against an already-referenced stout defense. The two goals scored in the Uruguay game were scrappy, hard-nosed goals that don't come around too often. Andre Akpan didn't show much of anything after he was subbed on for Altidore and if he has to start this game, the US could be in trouble offensively. Their goalkeeping situation also could be in doubt. Chris Seitz, the starter, got injured against Brazil and was obviously still too banged up to play against Uruguay was Brian Perk got the call. There's a huge gap between Seitz and Perk, in my opinion, and though it may not turn out to be much a factor against a team like Austria that struggles to score, I'd rather have Seitz in goal ten times out of ten. Perk looked shaky at best against Uruguay; not calling off defenders to claim the ball himself, punching balls he easily could've caught, in short, looking every bit of the 17 years of age that he is. Seitz is a steady, calming influence at the back and his presence alone would give the US a huge advantage.
Toronto, Ontario is the host city for tomorrow's game, which is scheduled for a 2:15 PM Eastern Time kickoff on ESPN U. Check back here for a full match recap, one which hopefully will be celebrating a US win.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
US U-20's Rally, Advance to Quarterfinals
Michael Bradley put the finishing touch on a left-footed shot by Julian Valentin in the 107th minute and the US U-20 national team held on to beat the Uruguayan U-20's 2-1. Luis Suarez put Uruguay ahead on 73 minutes after slamming home a rebound that couldn't be controlled by US fill-in keeper Brian Perk, but an own goal 14 minutes later sent what was a brutal-to-watch, no rhythm game to extra time.
The match started off slow and just got slower throughout the first half. A combined 22 fouls (some of which were nitpicky and could've been no-calls by the Uzbek referee, Ravshan Irmatov) really sucked the flow out of the first 45 minutes of play. The US wasn't able to play the up-and-down, high-paced style of soccer they'd exhibited in the group stage of the tournament as they fell in to the slow tempo that Uruguay wanted to maintain. Neither side had any exceptional scoring chances, though Luis Suarez sent a curling free kick just over the crossbar and Josmer Altidore had a free header which was saved by the Uruguayan backup goalkeeper, Yonatan Irrazabal.
The US suffered a huge blow in the 51st minute when Josmer Altidore suffered a knee injury that could prove problematic to the US down the line. Uruguay's defenders had been very physical with Altidore all game long and their repeated challenges seemed to take their toll on the New York Red Bull striker. He was substituted for Andre Akpan, and at this point, things seemed bleak for the US as they'd generated little offense to that point and with their best striker out of the game, not much more attack could be expected.
The situation became even drearier when Uruguay drew first blood in the 73rd minute. Luis Suarez beat Brian Perk to a rebound from an Edinson Cavani header and hammered it home to put the South Americans up 1-0. The two European-based players were the best players on the field for Uruguay all night long, and when Suarez was substituted out in the in the 83rd minute, it was a move that had me second, third, and fourth-guessing Uruguay coach Ferrin Gustavo.
Sure enough, the US scored just 4 minutes later courtesy of a Mathias Cardaccio own goal. Danny Szetela kept a Freddy Adu corner kick alive, dribbled towards the end-line, and slammed a low left-footed drive from 9 yards out that skipped under Irrazabal's diving frame. Andre Akpan looked certain to finish it, but a sliding lunge from Mathias Cardaccio was actually the touch that directed the ball into the net.
Uruguay nearly won the game in regulation but an awkward-looking header from Manuel Diaz came squarely off the right post. It had Brian Perk frozen; just an inch or so to the left and Uruguay would've won but as it was, the US benefited from a stroke of luck and the game went into extra time.
The first 15 minutes of extra time went by without any drama, though a yellow card was handed out to defender Anthony Wallace. The second 15 minutes produced 5 more yellow cards, but most importantly, what turned out to be the game-winning goal by US midfielder Michael Bradley. In truth, Bradley had not played very well, to say the least, all game long but he was in the right place at the right time to redirect a Julian Valentin shot into the net to give the US a 2-1 advantage. Bradley has often times looked out of his depth during this FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is surprising after his impressive performance (though it was against lesser CONCACAF teams) during the Gold Cup. However, his goal gave the US the lead and it was a lead they held onto for the last 13 minutes of extra time.
Men of the Match:
USA: No one jumped out at me whatsoever, and I refuse to name Michael Bradley man of the match simply because he scored the game-winning goal because he didn't play well at all during the game. Insert your choice here, but I'll go with Freddy Adu.
Uruguay: Edinson Cavani
The US advance to the quarterfinals to take on Austria, a 2-1 winner over Gambia. That game will be played this Saturday, July 14, also in Toronto. Kickoff is set for 2:15 PM Eastern Time, and ESPN U will have the live broadcast from BMO Field.
A full preview of that game can be found here either tomorrow night or early Saturday morning. Keep checking the site for the latest coverage of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
International Eligibility
When the US U-20 national team played Poland on July 3, the match commentator made a comment touching on something I had been stewing over for a while. He said that Danny Szetela was eligible to play for Poland based on his heritage; Szetela's parents are native Poles but Szetela himself was born in New Jersey and has lived in the US his whole life. 
Nigel Reo-Coker's transfer on July 5 brought up the same topic. Reo-Coker is of Sierra Leonean descent and has stated on multiple occasions that he would consider future call-ups to their senior national team, though he was the captain of the England U-21 team until recently, having become too old to play for the squad after the 2007 UEFA U-21 Championship which finished in June. He's lived in England since he was eight and played for England's youth senior teams and club teams and captained some of them along the way. Should he really be allowed to play for Sierra Leone? He's spent more than half his life in England, including the part of it where soccer played the bigger part. Ages 8-present are more important for soccer than anything younger than 8 because opportunities for rapid development and good coaching can be found as you get a bit older.
There are, of course, many other players who are in the same position as these two players; that is, they're eligible to compete for multiple countries, if their heritage allows, on the senior international level even after playing for one country on the youth international level. They can still play for another country at the senior level as long as they're uncapped with the senior team of the country they played their youth international games for. This ruled Freddy Adu out as he played for the US senior team on January 22, 2006 in a friendly against Canada. Adu could've played for Ghana even though he's lived in the US since he was eight and has played for youth international teams here, but that eligibility was terminated once he made a senior appearance with the US. It doesn't work backwards, however. A player can't play for one country's senior team and then still compete for another country's youth teams.
All of this, to me, is ridiculous. If you play for a country at the youth international level, that's the country you should have to play for at the senior level. FIFA currently organizes world championships at the U-17 and U-20 level, but countries have national teams for ages even younger than this; both the US and England have a U-16 team, for example. By that age, players should have enough maturity to decide what country (if they are eligible to play for more than one) they want to play international soccer for. Jumping from one country's youth teams to another's senior team shouldn't be permitted. That rule needs to be changed by the powers-that-be. What sense does it make?? The players that take advantage of this rule often exploit it to play for a country on whose senior team they would be able to play more for, perhaps because the country whose youth teams they played for is stacked at the senior level and there's no room for that player to play a part on the team.
How right is that? Doesn't sound logical to me. Playing for your national team is supposed to be an act of patriotism. It's not a right, it's a priviledge (as my parents said to me when I became old enough to drive). To put on that uniform is something time-honored and something that people who aren't blessed with the skills that those players have but still play the game would do anything for. You represent your country when you play for their national teams, at any level. But for some reason, it's permitted for players to, for lack of a better term, country-hop. What message does that send young players?
In Danny Szetela's case, I understand that his parents are from Poland. I'm sure they speak the language fluently and I wouldn't be surprised if Danny himself spoke it as well. Here's the reality though: He was born in New Jersey and has lived his whole life here. He shouldn't be allowed to play for Poland because he isn't Polish! His parents, if they played soccer, could play for Poland because they're native Poles, but Szetela is an American. There simply shouldn't be any way that could play for them. He's made it clear that he will only play for the US senior side if called up, and I applaud him for that, but that isn't the point.
Look, I know that some situations are different than others, some are the same, and some are completely unique. But the fact is, if you're mature enough to embrace the colors of one country at the youth international level, that's the country you should have to play for at the senior level. If there's any doubts in your mind as a player about who you want to play for as an adult, don't appear for any youth team until you've made your decision. Players take advantage of the rule that allows them to play for different teams and that shouldn't be the case.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Benayoun to Liverpool, Nugent to Portsmouth; Baines to Everton?
According to the agent of Israeli midfielder and captain Yossi Benayoun, Liverpool and West Ham have agreed to an $8 million US fee that would send Benayoun to Liverpool. It is the second high-profile deal between the clubs this week (Bellamy to West Ham). Benayoun is just 27 years old and played as an attacking midfielder for West Ham, though Liverpool sees him as the perfect replacement for Luis Garcia, who left the club for Atletico Madrid. His acquisition seems to signal Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's intention to reinforce the outside midfield positions this year. The move further strengthens a midfield that is probably the best in all of England, with Xabi Alonso, Gerrard, Harry Kewell, Jermaine Pennant, Javier Mascherano, and Mohamed Sissoko already signed through at least this season.
Former England U-21 striker David Nugent is reportedly set to sign for Portsmouth on Wednesday, according to BBC Radio Lancashire. Nugent has starred for Championship side Preston North End since 2005, scoring 33 goals in 94 appearances for the club, but the 22-year old has been seeking a move to a Premiership team and Portsmouth is a team where he would be able to play a lot of games and contribute at a high level. Sol Campbell has been pleading with management all summer for additions at the striker position with the departure of Svetoslav Todorov and the controversy surrounding Kanu and his return to the club, and this signing could be just what Portsmouth needs to contend for a European spot this season. The deal is rumored to be worth $12 million US with Nugent then having to agree to personal terms and pass a physical.
Updated Wednesday, July 11: Nugent's transfer has been confirmed and completed as he passed a physical and signed a four-year contract with Portsmouth, keeping him on the South Coast through the 2010-2011 season. 
Another former England U-21 player, Wigan defender Leighton Baines, could also be on the move within the coming days. Wigan has rejected multiple offers from Sunderland but now Everton is lining up a $9 million US bid to bring Baines to Merseyside. New Wigan manager Chris Hutchings said that Baines would be part of his club next season:
"I have told (Sunderland boss) Roy Keane that Leighton is not for sale. He is part of this club.
"Every player does have a price but I am happy to keep him here as I am building a team."
With this being said, if Everton can match the price at which Wigan rates him, I would expect a transfer to be completed. At only 22 years of age, he's already been a part of Wigan's first team for five seasons, and he is still a young talent growing into his tremendous potential. Baines will only be looking to play for a bigger club in the future anyway, and I think Wigan would be wise to sell him if they can get full value so they can bring in more players to address their multiple needs.
New Uniforms Galore
We'll start off with a team on the South Coast, Portsmouth. Their new home jersey looks very similar to last year's edition; the only real addition to this jersey is the presence of gold/yellow as an accent color, replacing white (though white can still be found around the collar). White shorts and red socks finish off the home kit and all-in-all, it's a classy, more modern kit that still reflects some of the club's history.
Jersey designer: Canterbury
Blackburn Rovers will also be debuting a new home jersey this fall. The club had already released a home jersey manufactured by Lonsdale which was supposed to be their new jersey for this year as voted on by fans, but they've scrapped those plans and signed a contract with Umbro instead. Once again, one large blue stripe and one large white stripe are the focal points of this jersey. A bit of red can be found near the neck as well. In my opinion, this is one of the uglier jerseys I've seen. Blackburn shouldn't be credited for flip-flopping manufacturers; they had a deal with Lonsdale and had already come out with a jersey, it should've been honored.
Jersey designer: Umbro
I have mixed feelings towards Derby County's new home shirt. On one hand, it's tight, slim, and not ruined by a sponsor who wants their logo blown up across the front. On the other hand, it's a bit plain and almost resembles white Under Armour. The shorts are all black, and the away uniform will be what you see here in reverse (black shirt, white shorts). Adidas wasn't very creative when they came up with these uniforms, to say the least.
Jersey designer: Adidas
And to finish up, here's a look at Charlton Athletic's new away jersey, which will replace their black away jersey from last year (that black jersey now becomes their third jersey). It goes on sale beginning July 18, but honestly, why would people it? The stripes are clashing with each other ("seahawk blue" and "denim" are not a good combination) and there's no red anywhere in the jersey, which is Charlton's traditional color. Puzzling choice of colors, to say the least.
Jersey designer: Joma
Images courtesy of http://www.football-shirts.co.uk
Monday, July 9, 2007
US U-20's to Meet Uruguay in Round of 16
The Round of 16 was finalized yesterday as group play finished off in Groups A and C. The US, as the winner of Group D, earned the right to play a third place team in the Round of 16, and their opponent will be South American side Uruguay.
Uruguay ended group play (Group B) with 4 points from 3 games and a -1 goal differential, which cost them second place as Zambia also had 4 points but a +1 goal differential. Uruguay was led by two goals from Palermo striker Edison Cavani and a goal and an assist from FC Gronigen midfielder Luis Suarez. Worth noting, however, is the fact that Uruguay will enter the match with the US without their starting goalkeeper, Mauro Goicoechea, who received a red card just 19 minutes into his country's final group match against Zambia (a 2-0 loss). This surely will be a huge advantage for the US, whose dynamic offense gives starting goalkeepers fits, much less their backups.
The US heads into the knockout stages as the winner of Group D with 7 points. A comfortable goal differential of +6, buoyed by 3 goals apiece from Danny Szetela, Freddy Adu, and Josmer Altidore. Sal Zizzo contributed 3 assists as well, and the US led all countries in goals scored during the group stage with 9.
The match will be played in Toronto on Wednesday, July 11. It's tentatively scheduled to be televised on ESPN U, though interest across the country forced ESPN executives to move the match against Brazil to ESPN and the same may be done again. The winner of this match will play the winner of the Austria-Gambia game in Toronto on July 14.
Check back here for a full recap of this match and if results go the US' way, a preview of their quarterfinal game.
For the complete knockout bracket, see: http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/matches/index.html
Chelsea to Sign Malouda
According to the Premier League's official website, Chelsea and French giant Lyon have agreed to a deal which would bring Florent Malouda to Chelsea. The move, a $27 million US, £13.5 million pounds UK, has been confirmed by both a statement on Chelsea's website and Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas:
"It (the deal) is brilliant and it is good news for Flo," Aulas told OLTV, the French champions’ own television station.
The addition of the 27-year old French midfielder now gives the London side a glut of players who are capable of playing on the wing. Arjen Robben, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Joe Cole have all played many a game on the outside and with Chelsea's formation being what it is (4-3-3, which often turns into a 4-5-1), it's most likely that only two of the now four players would start a game. Shaun Wright-Phillips seems to be the one who's out of favor with Chelsea's management and thus could be on the way out. Malouda has made 28 appearances for France, scoring 3 goals, but had a breakout World Cup in 2006. His performance raised his value considerably and he's now cashing in on his hard work.
Updated Tuesday, July 10: Chelsea and Lyon reached an agreement that will send an undisclosed fee Lyon's way and Malouda to London. He passed a physical yesterday and will now fly to Los Angeles to join his new squad for a three-game preseason tour of the US, headlined by their game against David Beckham's LA Galaxy.
Friday, July 6, 2007
US U-20's Roll On, Upset Brazil 2-1
New York Red Bull striker Josmer Altidore scored twice and Freddy Adu had his coming out party as the two led the US U-20's past Brazil's U-20's by a score of 2-1. Adu had the assist on Altidore's second goal after his shot (which, if finished, would've looked exactly like his first goal against Poland) was deflected by a Brazilian defender and finished on one bounce into a wide-open net by Altidore.
The game was a hotly contested, up-and-down affair with chances aplenty for both sides. The US came out of the gate firing on all cylinders and they set the tone for the rest of the match, proving to Brazil that they wouldn't be intimidated and that they were a team to be reckoned with. Robbie Rogers looked dangerous early as he had a good shot parried away by Cassio and then served a cross in to Josmer Altidore, who just got a foot on it as Cassio came up with another good save. Altidore received the ball won by Adu from a Brazilian player in the 25th minute, controlled it between two defenders, and unleashed a wicked shot that stayed on the ground and went past the diving Cassio to give the US a 1-0 lead. The shot would've went in on any surface but it was ironic that this game was played on turf, which the Brazilians and the other South American teams had complained about. The shot definitely looked to be turf-aided in the fact that it didn't slow down at all; grass would've sucked some of the velocity right out of the shot.
Brazil absolutely deserved an equalizer and got it, scrappy though it was, from Leandro Lima in the 64th minute. Michael Bradley's poor clearing header (and it was awful, no power at all behind it) was controlled for a second, then popped up, and when the ball came down, Renato Augusto's incredible side volley was saved by US keeper Chris Seitz. Seitz couldn't hang on to the rebound and a hard-charging Leandro Lima did enough when he and a US defender crashed into Seitz to poke the ball under the keeper. The ball rolled slowly into the net and the Brazilians were back in the game, 1-1.
At this point, doubts sprang into my mind. The pace of the game was too high for the US team and they visibly looked to be exhausted. There's no shame in not being able to keep up with the Brazilians and it seemed that for all the world that it would be the Brazilians, if anyone, who would get another goal, especially because the Brazilians came into the game far more desperate than the Americans, needing points to secure advancement into the knockout round. However, it was not Brazil who scored the the next goal, but it was the US. An incredible showcase of dribbling got Freddy Adu free in the box, parallel to the end-line, and when his shot was deflected by a Brazilian defender in the 81st minute, Josmer Altidore was there to pick up the pieces and side-foot the ball into a wide-open net to make it 2-1.
This would be all the US needed and though it was a frantic last 10+ minutes, Chris Seitz came up huge like he had done all game long. He deserves a lot of credit for the victory as Brazil had good chances to score all game long, led by CSKA Moscow striker Jo, new Real Madrid left back Marcelo, and Renato Augusto. The supremely talented Alexandre Pato seemed to disappear far too often for Brazil yesterday, and aside from a failed chip shot that would've been a breathtaking goal, Pato was not a factor in the match at all.
It was a great crowd last night in Ottawa, far better than what the US got when playing in Montreal. The stadium (Frank Clair Stadium) was filled to capacity and both teams had their own rooting section. The US seemed to be the choice of the neutral fans, however, as I think they got an added boost from a crowd which was cheering for the underdogs and the team close to home.
With the victory, the US finishes on top of Group D and go into the Round of 16 on a high note. By winning the group, they stayed away from Argentina (Poland, Group D's runner-up, drew the South American side in the next round) and assured themselves of a chance to play a third place team. That's huge for this country as a successful showing here would help erase the negatives that were generated by the awful results achieved by the senior team sent to Copa America. That team went 3 losses and out, like the World Cup 1998 side that brought soccer in America down until we reached the quarterfinals in 2002.
Look for another post when the US know who their Round of 16 opponent is and a full preview of that match, which will be played on July 11 in Toronto.
Men of the Match
Brazil: Jo
USA: Freddy Adu/Josmer Altidore
For full highlights of this match, see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsBEIxvLAMU
Craig Bellamy Ready to Join West Ham
After spending just one year at Liverpool after joining the Reds from Blackburn, 27-year old Welsh striker and captain Craig Bellamy is set to play in East London next year for the Hammers. The move clearly indicates that West Ham are prepared to face life in the Premiership without last season's savior, Carlos Tevez, who is rumored to join Manchester United. West Ham had no choice but to be proactive in finding a capable replacement for the Argentine and with many big-name strikers already transferred and under contract, signing Bellamy is a solid move for the Hammers. He's agreed to personal terms, with a four-year, $18 million US contract (70,000 pounds/week) already confirmed, but Liverpool and West Ham now have to agree on a transfer fee or the possible swap involving West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun.
Bellamy was really never in favor with Rafael Benitez at Liverpool (for some reason Peter Crouch plays nearly every game though??) but can be a dependable goal-scorer when given the chance. He scored 13 goals for Blackburn in 27 English Premier League games in 2005-2006 and 7 in 12 Scottish Premier League games when he was on loan with Celtic in 2005. The knock on Bellamy, and it is a rather large one, is that he wears out his welcome very quickly. Controversy has followed him wherever he's gone recently, from his feud with Newcastle United to attacking Liverpool teammate John Arne Riise with a golf club while the team was training in Portugal.
West Ham are in desperate need of a number 1 striker with Marlon Harewood and Carlos Tevez on their way out. They have Bobby Zamora but realistically, he's not much better than a second option and the same can be said, at best, about Dean Ashton and Carlton Cole.
For Fox Soccer's article concerning the transfer, see
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6996556
Updated Tuesday, July 10: West Ham and Liverpool reached an agreement on the transfer fee to sign Bellamy. The Hammers will pay $15 million US to the Merseyside club for the Welsh striker's services, which is a club record signing for West Ham. Bellamy spoke to the media afterwards:
“I supported Liverpool as a boy and would have had the chance to play Champions League football again next season but I needed to look beyond that, in the same way that Lucas Neill did when he came here,” said Bellamy.
“I understood Lucas’s position. If he’d joined Liverpool, he would have been a squad player, like I was. Some people don’t understand it, but the opportunity to be a senior figure at an ambitious club like West Ham is very attractive.
“I’ve signed a five-year contract here, and I will be here for the long term. I’ve moved around a bit in recent years, and now I want to settle.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
American Football Meets English Football
Two of the most marketable superstars in their respective sports, Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints and David Beckham of the LA Galaxy/English national team (for now), have come together and filmed several commercials for Adidas as part of the sports giant's "Futbol meets Football" campaign. They can be seen on YouTube by searching "David Beckham and Reggie Bush".
The commercials are quite good, in my opinion. You can see that Reggie Bush is an incredible athlete. For someone who probably hasn't ever played soccer before, he picks up the game incredibly well. Beckham and Bush establish a solid chemistry right off the bat and the scenes are pretty entertaining. The two fire penalties at each other, Beckham shows Bush how he hits one of his trademark free kicks, and Bush shows Beckham a few things about American football. The shot with Beckham lofting a long ball, much like a quarterback, and Bush acting as a wide receiver and hauling it in yards down the field is classic.
Nothing bad can come out of commercials like these and surely David Beckham's arrival in LA later this month will provide soccer with increased visibility here in the States. He and Reggie Bush are two athletes who are easily recognized wherever they go and joint efforts like these are good for both sports, but primarily soccer as it needs credibility in the US. Rapper P. Diddy is a reknowned Arsenal fan (http://www.itv.com/news/entertainment_6fea0f017e4b7c37a7299c15ab7cd75e.html) and has been to Premiership games before. He visited Manchester United in Copenhagen when they were there for Champions League commitments and he was in town for the MTV Europe Music Video Awards. Superstars of that magnitude are so important for soccer to succeed in the United States and the commercials with Beckham and Bush are just another illustration of soccer's attempt at growth here.
Here are a few of the commercials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfpm7FrdQyI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmhgiY9uvKU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc6csxqtrBk
Nigel Reo-Coker Set to Join Aston Villa
The former West Ham midfielder and current England U-21 captain (though he won't play another game for the side due to his age, 23) has reportedly agreed to a four-year deal which would keep him at his new club until after the 2010-2011 season. Official word is pending as Reo-Coker still has to pass a physical and agree to personal terms, but Aston Villa have reached an agreement with West Ham concerning his transfer fee.
Reo-Coker would become Villa manager Martin O'Neill's first summer signing and probably would be inserted immediately into the starting lineup. Together with Craig Gardner, who had an impressive season last year, and Isaiah Osbourne, Reo-Coker will become an integral part of a young, promising midfield at Aston Villa for years to come. He's already proved he is capable of being placed in a position of leadership as he's been a club captain (at West Ham) and an international captain (England U-21) at the young age of 23. This will be invaluable to Aston Villa as he'll be counted on to assist the current captain, Gareth Barry, in mentoring those young midfielders.
Thursday afternoon update: Reo-Coker has completed the transfer to Aston Villa as he passed his physical and agreed to personal terms. West Ham and Villa agreed to a $17 million US transfer fee for the 23-year old midfielder.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
US U-20's Victorious, Rout Poland 6-1
After a shaky start that saw them go down a goal just 4 minutes into the game, the US U-20's picked up their play and went on to beat Poland's U-20 team 6-1, led by a hat trick from Freddy Adu and two goals from Danny Szetela, the talented Columbus Crew youngster with Polish heritage.
In all honesty, the outcome could've been even more one-sided. The US looked threatening all game long, visibly outclassing Poland at every position on the field. Southampton's Bartosz Bialkowski came up with some outstanding saves to hold the US to 6 goals and without him in net, Poland may just have conceded a total in the double digits as the US was firing shots from all over the field.
The Polish defense, headlined by Bolton defender Jaroslaw Fojut, their captain, will be hard-pressed to forget Adu and Szetela, but I think it was Sal Zizzo who came up with the best performance of the night. Zizzo looked like Cristiano Ronaldo with his play on the right side, constantly running at the Polish defenders and breaking them down. He had two assists on the night and it was only his unselfishness that didn't see his name onto the scoresheet as he was the most menacing player on the field.
One brief sidenote about the match, which was played at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. If the stadium isn't good enough to keep the professional baseball team that played there recently, the Montreal Expos, is it really fit to be a site at the FIFA U-20 World Cup? It's a 65,000+ seat stadium but only half of it, at best, was filled for the US-Poland game. There's nothing worse than playing in front of a reserved, lackluster crowd and at the biggest stage of them all in youth international soccer, the sight of a game in Olympic Stadium was a disgrace. The stadium is closed for four months every winter as the fire marshal in Montreal has concerns about the roof not being able to support snow loads for goodness' sake!
The US will square off against perennial power Brazil in Ottawa on July 6. They sit on top of Group D after 2 games and with a +5 goal differential, one would think a tie would be enough for the US to advance to the knockout stages of this tournament. A loss may not even eliminate the US as long as the scoreline is kept close. Right now, the US is in the driver's seat and if they can hold on and win the group, they would play a third-place team in the next round, improving their chances of moving further in the tournament.
Group D Standings (after 2 matches):
1. USA (4 pts, +5 GD)
2. Brazil (3 pts, 0 GD)
3. Poland (3 pts, -4 GD)
4. South Korea (1 pt, -1 GD)
New Away Jersey for Everton
Though it will be officially launched on July 12, Everton has released an image of theiy 2007-2008 away shirt on the club's official website. I'm not sure where the inspiration for this jersey came from; for a club that is visually separated from its Merseyside neighbors Liverpool by the blue in their uniform, I see nothing on their jersey that would make me think "Everton" immediately. Particularly when you take a look at their new home jersey (which can be found at the bottom of this site's homepage), this one doesn't seem to make any sense. The sponsor's logo is green and the accent color is black! No blue whatsoever can be found on this jersey.
Memo to the marketing/business staff of Everton: Next time you come out with a new jersey, at least put your club's traditional color on it somewhere!
Jersey designer: Umbro
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Back from Vacation
It's been a great two weeks on the sandy shores of Hawaii, though without internet access it was tough to get caught up on all the extraordinary soccer news other than the periodical reports in the USA Today concerning the American national team. I hope everyone has kept up with the goings-on around the world and especially in England and the US, where stars are changing teams left and right, new uniforms are coming out, and the national teams are playing.
Sites like eplleague.blogspot.com and soccershout.com are outstanding sources of breaking news, as well as the Fox Soccer website and Premier League official website. These links and others can be found in the "Useful Soccer Sites" section to the left of the homepage.
It's good to be back, and it's good to be working on the blogs again.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
England U-21's Eliminated in Epic Penalty Shootout Loss
In a game that was as memorable as any in recent recollection, the host Dutch U-21's advanced to the European Championship Final after a 1-1 (13-12 PK's) victory over the England U-21 squad.
Leroy Lita, who, aside from missing a penalty kick in the group stage of the competition, was probably England's best player in the tournament, scored 39 minutes into the game to give his side the lead heading into halftime.
Holland was fortunate just to extend the game into extra time after an 89th-minute bicycle kick goal from Maceo Rigters. The England players immediately appealed for high-kick but there was simply no way the referee was going to disallow the goal; no danger or potential harm was brought upon Nedum Onouha and the goal was never going to be called back. As the match commentator said, it was ironic that an English defender (Steven Taylor) was down injured at the time Holland drew level as it reminded viewers of the scene against Serbia when Slobodan Rajkovic was down and England played on and scored the insurance goal.
When the 30 minutes of extra time had been completed, England had just nine players fit enough to continue as Nedum Onouha was forced off the field and Steven Taylor was barely able to walk.
The penalty shootout was a story of missed opportunities as both teams had chances to end it before Holland's Gianni Zuiverloon coolly slotted home the deciding spot kick. Justin Hoyte's failed attempt during Round 4, which would've effectively sealed the deal for England, gave Holland hope and they took full advantage, scoring right after to level the score at 3-3. Nigel-Reo Coker's shot was saved in Round 9 and he was only avenged when the potential game-winner from Arnold Kruiswijk was put high over the net. Matt Derbyshire put one right into the Dutch keeper's (Boy Waterman) midsection in the 15th round and again England escaped from defeat, this time with a great diving save by Scott Carson to deny Daniel de Ridder. England's luck finally ran out when Anton Ferdinand, who had scored earlier in Round 6, put his attempt off the crossbar and Zuiverloon beat Carson to his right to win the game for the hosts.
It was a classic game between two nations who have some extremely promising youngsters waiting for a chance at the senior level. Holland move on to the final against Serbia, a 1-0 winner against Belgium, and you have to like the host's chances in that game although Serbia have a stout defense. It should be a great match and I'm looking forward to watching.
Lita's goal: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2bu0m_england-1-0-holland-lita
Rigters' late equalizer: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2buu1_england-1-1-holland-rigters
Last two rounds (four shots) of the penalty shootout: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2bwbv_penalty-shootout-las-4-penalties
Sunderland To Host Juventus in Friendly
The famed Italian club, newly returned to Serie A,
will visit the Stadium of Light for a pre-season friendly on Saturday, August 4, a week before the Premiership schedule starts. The match is designed to help mark 10 years at the Stadium of Light, a beautiful 49,000-seat UEFA four-star ground that cost only 34 million pounds ($67.7 million US) to build.
Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn told the club's website that he was pleased to welcome Juventus to England:
"Juventus is one of the biggest clubs on the world stage, with countless European successes as well as a superb domestic record.
"There have been some legendary players to have represented the club over the years and it will be an honour to welcome some household names to the Stadium of Light when they come here."
Monday, June 18, 2007
England U-21 Advances to Semi-Finals
Goals from Leroy Lita and Matt Derbyshire propelled the England U-21's past Serbia's U-21's 2-0 in a game that was marked more by off-the-field activities than what occurred on the pitch itself. Chants from the Serbian fans directed at England defenders Nedum Onuoha and Justin Hoyte, both of whom are black, forced UEFA to make an impromptu anti-racism announcement.
"We will not tolerate your racist chants," the stadium announcer said just before the half-hour mark. "Please stop or leave the stadium."
Lita put England up 1-0 after just 5 minutes after finishing a missed header by Steven Taylor and his replacement Derbyshire scored a controversial second half goal to seal the deal for England. Talented young Serbian defender Slobodan Rajkovic was down injured at the time and Derbyshire received a pass from Kieran Richardson, dribbled right by the injured Rajkovic and slotted a finish home to make it 2-0 instead of playing the ball out to allow treatment for Rajkovic. Angry Serbian players then confronted Derbyshire on the sideline sparking a host of English players to come over as well. Pushing and shoving ensued but that was just the beginning.
Tom Huddlestone was sent off in the final minute of the match for foul and abusive language and chaos erupted in the tunnel after the game with Serbian and English players involved. UEFA will decide on taking action when they receive the official report handed in by the match delegate, but by that time England will be preparing for their semi-final game against the host nation Holland.
Huddlestone has been given a two-match ban for his actions, meaning the Tottenham midfielder will miss the final if England beat Holland on Wednesday.
Lita's goal: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2as0r_england-1-0-serbia-lita
Derbyshire's goal: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2atlm_england-2-0-serbia-derbyshire
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Sven-Goran Eriksson On Verge of Becoming New Manchester City Manager
Eriksson is reportedly set to become the new manager at the Eastlands if Thai businessman and deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's $237 million US takeover bid goes through. The former England manager has been linked with the Manchester City job since the dismissal of Stuart Pearce a day after the Premiership season ended and now has to be the favorite for the position after Claudio Ranieri joined Juventus.
However, according to the Sunday Mirror, Eriksson's appointment is predicated solely on Shinawatra's takeover. Negotiations are still ongoing although Shinawatra recently had $2.77 billion US of assets frozen by the military government that deposed him.
For the Sunday Mirror's original article, see
http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/sport/football/2007/06/17/sven-thai-up-98487-19309482/
Stuart Pearce Interested in Full-Time U-21 Position
The former Manchester City manager has admitted he would seriously consider taking over the English U-21 team on a permanent basis if the job is offered to him after the European Championships. England can qualify for the semifinals with a win over Serbia today but may need only a draw depending on the result of the Italy-Czech Republic game, which is also today.
Pearce made 78 appearances for England during his international career and highly values working for the FA:
"I find it a great honour to work for England, always have done and probably always will do. It gives me great pride to work within the FA. It's how you feel inside with your personal pride. For me it means a great deal."
Pearce has had ambitions of managing a club again after his dismissal at Manchester City but the U-21 job would keep him just as busy. Sir Trevor Brooking, who is the the FA's director of football development, is pushing for the job to become full-time, a sentiment echoed by both Stuart Pearce and senior England manager Steve McLaren.
He has a successful background in bringing along young players through the ranks---from the academy to the first team. Shaun Wright-Phillips, Joey Barton, and Micah Richards all came through Manchester City's youth academy and Pearce believes he could have similar success in developing England's youngsters to the point where they could be fixtures on the senior team as they get older.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Darren Bent to Tottenham?
This according to an article on the BBC's website, which also states that Liverpool are interested in Bent but that he would not be their top choice striker. His current club, Charlton Athletic, have rated him at 17 million pounds, which is no small sum of money ($33.5 million US). The fact that that sum is only half a million US dollars short of what Manchester United paid for Owen Hargreaves shows how highly Charlton values the 23-year old English striker and also greatly narrows down the list of teams who can afford Bent. He has scored 31 goals in two seasons for Charlton (68 games) and at his young age, the potential to become a special player is there.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Tal Ben Haim Spurns Newcastle, Heads to Chelsea
After making 110 appearances for Bolton over three seasons, 25-year old Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim has agreed to personal terms on a four-year contract with Chelsea. Ben Haim rejected the outreaches of former manager Sam Allardyce to join the Blues at Stamford Bridge instead, and one can't help but second-guess this choice.
The best move for him as a player seemingly would've been to go to Newcastle because he would have immediately been plugged into their center of defense and gotten a start nearly every game. Chelsea already have their captain and England's captain John Terry in the same position, so you know he won't often come out of the lineup, talented Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho, and Brazilian international Alex, who featured prominently in the central defense for PSV Eindhoven for the past three seasons. At best, I can see Ben Haim fighting for second-choice at that position.
Of course, that would mean a starting spot, but he would probably be in a rotation with Carvalho and to a lesser extent, Alex. Chelsea most likely offered Ben Haim more money than Newcastle, but for me, it would have had to be a substantial amount more because I would rather start every game and make less money than play for a team where I may not play all the time but make more money.
Here is Chelsea's official press release concerning the move:
http://www.chelseafc.com/xxchelsea180706/index.html#/page/Homepage/article_1053189
New Jerseys for West Ham and Chelsea
West Ham have released images of their new home jersey, which, according to the club's official website, is "exclu
sively available online and in store. New
shirt. New beginning." It is available through pre-order and will be officially ready for purchase beginning June 16. It's not much of a change from last year's edition; the jersey designer is now Umbro instead of Reebok, but the colors remain the same. In addition, the home shorts are white with a bit of claret and blue at the bottom, and the socks are white with claret trim. All-in-all, I like this new 
uniform, my only complaint lies in the size of the sponsor's logo on the shirt. The full away kit is scheduled to be unveiled July 26.
of a testament to the wise judgement of other clubs who understand that fluoresecent yellow makes little sense for a soccer jersey. Fans may purchase it for the novelty and from that perspective, the jersey could be successful but if I played for Chelsea, I think I would request a transfer simply so I didn't have to wear this day-glo yellow away from Stamford Bridge. Last year's away jersey was a nice, conservative white and blue which simply reversed the colors from their home jersey. If Chelsea intend to make a statement, this is it, although I don't know if it's the right one. This jersey will make its match debut July 17 when Chelsea come to the Home Depot Center in suburban Los Angeles to play a friendly against the LA Galaxy. The match is expected to be sold out as is it scheduled to be David Beckham's MLS debut, though with all these rumors flying around that have him staying in Europe, you never know. Preorders are set to be delivered June 28. Here is Chelsea's official press release explaining why this jersey, but one word can sum it up: Bull---- Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Carling Cup draw-1st Round
The full list of matchups can be found on the BBC's website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/league_cup/6747987.stm), with the home team listed first. A few of the ties jumped out at me, and they are listed below. Matches begin the week of August 13th.
Sheffield United v. Chesterfield
Watford v. Gillingham
Swindon v. Charlton Athletic
Cardiff v. Brighton
West Brom v. Bournemouth
Macclesfield v. Leeds United
Chester v. Nottingham Forest
Monday, June 11, 2007
Steven Gerrard: "I'm Worn Out", David Bentley, Fatigue in the Premiership
After seeing an article the Premier League's website ran several days ago (http://www.premierleague.com/fapl.rac?command=setSelectedId&nextPage=enNewsLatest&id=1816694&type=com.fapl.website.news.NewsItem&categoryCode=NewsLatestFAPremierLeagueNews), which addressed Steven Gerrard's concerns about fatigue and another about David Bentley dropping out of an England U-21 international game for the same reason, I got to thinking: What are these players complaining about?
Being an avid fan of sports here in America (especially baseball, basketball, football, and hockey), I feel that players in the Premiership have no room to complain about fatigue and a lack of energy. Why? The answer is twofold.
Teams in the Premiership play a standard, domestic 38-game schedule. They play every other team in the league twice (once at home, once away) and are rarely on the road for more than three games in a row. They also only play one game a week for the most part, though sometimes teams play two in a week. Extra competitions can add to this amount of course, like the UEFA Cup, Champions League, national team games, FA Cup, and Carling Cup. Steven Gerrard played in 62 games this season after taking into account the combined 49 appearances he made in Liverpool's Premiership, Champions League and domestic cup games and 13 appearances for England, but that is a rather high number; most Premiership players appear in somewhere between 35-50 games per season. David Bentley played in 51 games for Blackburn this season. Here in America, most professional sports leagues' regular seasons are far longer than 38 games. Major League Baseball has a 162-game schedule and the NHL and NBA both employ an 82-game schedule. The NFL has only a 16-game regular season but there can be no argument over which sport is tougher on the mind and body when comparing football and soccer; obviously playing 16 NFL games is more difficult than 38 Premier League games due to the extreme mental and physical toll taken. There are also no playoffs in the Premier League, even the playoff system employed by the lower leagues is much less grueling than the one used in American sports. In America, the general system involves a quarterfinal round, semifinal round, conference final round, and final round or something of that nature. In the first three leagues on the table below, the playoff rounds consist of multiple games (Best of 7 in all rounds other than MLB's Divisional Series, which are Best of 5's). It's not uncommon for players in the NHL and NBA to play close to 100 games and for Major League Baseball players to play upwards of 165 games. Compared to the 35-50 games the average Premiership player appears in, that is ridiculously exhausting and grueling but yet players don't complain about it as often in the media though they have every reason to do so.
Major League Baseball: Divisional Series, League Championship Series, World Series
NHL: Conference quarterfinal, Conference semifinal, Conference final, Stanley Cup finals
NBA: Conference quarterfinal, Conference semifinal, Conference final, NBA Finals
NFL: Wild Card Round, Divisional Round, Conference Championship, Super Bowl
Travel is the other critical factor when discussing the energy levels of professional athletes. England is a relatively small country, especially when compared to the US, in terms of land area. Distance between cities is not nearly as great in England and teams rarely play multiple games in a row on the road like they do in the US. I don't think an English soccer player has heard the term "roadtrip" or "homestand" before because they generally alternate home games and road games, with the occasional 2 in a row at home or 2 in a row on the road mixed in. But even the games on the road aren't too tough because teams are able to go home and rest in between successive road games due to the short distance between cities. As discussed before, teams usually play only one game a week as well. In America, it's not uncommon for teams to play on back-to-back nights, or 3 times in 4 nights, or 4 times in 5 nights even. Professional baseball schedules consist of 3 or 4-game series' against the same team in 3 or 4 nights (they play each other once a night for as many games as their series lasts). Teams travel between cities on chartered airplanes but still, multiple-hour flights in the middle of the night after the team has just played are commonplace and not the most comfortable way for players to recuperate. Has Steven Gerrard ever played 3 games in 3 days or 3 games in 4 days with all of the games in different cities which are several hours apart by plane? My favorite MLB team, the Atlanta Braves, had a stretch from April 10-April 25 where they played every single night. From April 20-29, they were on the road (April 20-22 in New York, April 23-25 in Florida, April 27-29 in Colorado). From June 29-July 8, they'll be on the road as well (June 29-July 1 in Florida, July 2-5 in Los Angeles, July 6-8 in San Diego). English soccer players have never dealt with being away from home for extended periods of time while playing a game nearly every night. How can they complain of fatigue when they don't have to travel as often??
I'm tired of hearing Premiership players complain about fatigue. They don't play very many games a season and don't have to travel very far to play them.
New Away Uniform for Arsenal
Arsenal's new 2007-2008 away uniform has been released (though not for public purchase yet) and it is an extremely classy tribute celebrating the contributions of their legendary manager, Herbert Chapman. It will be launched on July 5 and is available for pre-order directly on the club's official website (http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=464540). Now that Arsene Wenger has pledged to see his contract through, Arsenal have every reason to hope for a promising season and have an away uniform to reflect it.
Jersey designer-Nike
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Scott Parker to West Ham
Former Newcastle captain Scott Parker has signed a 5 year, $13.9 million US contract with West Ham as he reunites with his old manager at Charlton Athletic, Alan Curbishley. Parker had his eye on a return to London with the new management taking over at Newcastle and seemed especially eager to rejoin his first professional manager and in the end, he got his wish.
England vs. Estonia Recap
The result of this game never seriously looked to be in doubt as England traveled into Estonia's capital city and beat the hosts 3-0 behind a goal apiece from Joe Cole, Peter Crouch, and Michael Owen. For the second time in the same number of games, however, David Beckham was the real difference-maker and provided two brilliant crosses that led directly to goals. Beckham was clearly the most dangerous player on the field and he didn't even look to be at full strength after injuring his ankle just a quarter of an hour into the game.
With all this being said, and though it was the kind of game that may ease criticism of Steve McLaren temporarily simply because England won, in reality England's performance was not nearly as inspiring as could have been hoped for. The Three Lions did just enough to win the game and not much more. Fans should keep their optimism tempered until England host Israel in 3 months' time as that will be more of an indicator towards England's Euro 2008 future. Peter Crouch will not be available (yellow card accumulation) for that match and Israel has allowed only 7 goals in 8 games (even that is misleading because 3 of them were in the same game against Croatia).
That is in the future though; for now fans will take a bit of comfort in a 3-0 win and a favorable result in the Croatia-Russia game (0-0) which has pulled England to within 3 points of the top two teams in Group E for Euro 2008 qualification.
Updated Group E Standings:
1. Croatia (17 points, +12 Goal Differential, 7 Games Played)
2. Israel (17 pts, +10 GD, 8 GP)
3. Russia (15 pts, +10 GD, 7 GP)
4. England (14 pts, +10 GD, 7 GP)
5. Macedonia (7 pts, -1 GD, 7 GP)
6. Estonia (0 pts, -14 GD, 7 GP)
7. Andorra (0 pts, -27 GD, 7 GP)
Note: Top two teams qualify for Euro 2008 (cohosted by Austria and Switzerland)
Friday, June 8, 2007
Xabi Alonso, Jose Reina re-sign with Liverpool
Both players have agreed to five-year contracts to remain with Liverpool and join Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher in making up the long-term core of the club.
The 25-year old Spanish midfielder had been linked with a move to Barcelona for months as an individual transfer and also as part of a swap-deal that would have brought Samuel Eto'o to Liverpool. Alonso and Gerrard make up half of a very talented Liverpool midfield, and with Javier Mascherano establishing himself in his short time at Anfield and Mohamed Sissoko now expected to sign a long-term deal with the club as well, Liverpool will have what arguably is the strongest midfield in the Premiership next year as they seek to dethrone Manchester United.
Mark Viduka, Joey Barton to Newcastle; Ben Haim as well?
Updating the previous post, Mark Viduka has signed a 2-year contract to play for Newcastle with an option for a third year. He becomes the fourth notable striker on Tyneside (along with Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins, and Shola Ameobi) and in my mind has to be either second or third in the pecking order there.
A deal for Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton is in the works as well and only an "admininstrative hitch" is holding the official transfer up. Barton is out of favor with the Blues and has agreed to an $11 million US switch and change of scenery. When his mind is right, the 24-year old can be a dynamic player and would be an immediate upgrade for the Magpies. He has plenty of talent but struggles to restrain his temper and his mouth, spouting off to teammates, opponents, and the media alike. If Sam Allardyce can rein Barton in, he will be getting a young player who can make a significant impact for his team.
Sam Allardyce's former Bolton defender Tal Ben Haim is also rumored to join Newcastle. He is out-of-contract with the Wanderers and the Israeli center back has drawn furious interest from Allardyce. At just 25 years of age Ben Haim still hasn't entered his prime as a player yet but has already made 88 Premier League appearances and would immediately be inserted into Newcastle's rather weak back line.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Mark Viduka to Play on Tyneside?
Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher to Remain at Liverpool
This story is several days old but I hadn't gotten a chance to update the site, so here we go.
In a piece of news that is sure to excite the hearts of the Liverpool fans on Merseyside, versatile midfielder Steven Gerrard (the captain) and center back Jamie Carragher (the vice-captain) have signed contracts keeping them with the Reds through 2011. The two players have spent their entire professional careers at Anfield and their deals pretty much ensure that they will play the most productive years left in their career with their hometown team.
Gerrard is easily Liverpool's most talented player and is a centerpiece that a team can be built around. He is capable of playing anywhere in the midfield and was even used as an outside back early in his career by former Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier. He's made 268 appearances with the club and scored 44 goals, though his contributions are far more wide-ranging than just the tangibles.
Carragher is a solid center back who's made 473 appearances with Liverpool since joining the club in 1996. Rafael Benitez knows exactly what he'll get every time he writes Carragher into the starting lineup and that kind of consistency is essential for a successful center back. Carragher has been a fringe player as far as making the England national team goes and obviously his growth potential as a player has peaked. Other than when making the occasional appearance for his country, Liverpool fans expect to see Carragher play his best and hold a back line, which possesses the talented young Dane Daniel Agger, together.
These two signings are very important for the new American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillette and should help usher Liverpool into their new stadium near the end of this decade.
For more information, see
http://www.premierleague.com/fapl.rac?command=setSelectedId&nextPage=enNewsLatest&id=1815134&type=com.fapl.website.news.NewsItem&categoryCode=NewsLatestFAPremierLeagueNews
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