World Cup qualifying for the U-20 World Cup is fast approaching, and one American who is
currently helping his cause to make the United States' roster is Bobby Wood.
Having recently been promoted to TSV 1860 Munich's first team, Wood made his professional debut
against MSV Duisburg on Saturday.
American midfielder Freddy Adu's long and winding path through Europe has taken him to
Turkey.
According to Richard Motzkin, his agent, Adu is set to move to Turkish second division club
Rizespor on loan. Portuguese club Benfica, which bought Adu from Real Salt Lake in 2007, still owns
Adu's contract.
Maurice Edu closed out January with arguably his best outing since recovering from a knee
injury, playing 90 minutes and scoring a beautiful goal as Rangers reached the Co-operative
Insurance Cup final.
Edu opened the scoring in Rangers' 2-1 victory over Motherwell in the Scottish League Cup
semifinal by blasting a left-footed shot from distance in the 20th minute.
Clint Dempsey and Fulham aren't challenging for a European place, and are more concerned with
avoiding relegation, but the FA Cup is still the club's best chance at glory and the Cottagers will
need to knock off mighty Tottenham today to keep that dream alive.
Fulham-Tottenham headlines the day's FA Cup offerings, with Arsenal taking on Huddersfield Town
in a battle of powerhouse vs.
PHOENIX -- No MLS team will spend more time in the desert than Sporting KC, around four weeks in
all.
That's OK, because the newly-branded club (formerly the Kansas City Wizards) could use the "on
the road" experience to prepare for the MLS regular season, when it will play its first nine or 10
games away from home before opening its new 18,500-seat soccer-specific stadium in June.
After missing the playoffs for the first time under Steve Nicol last season, the Revolution
enters the 2011 season with more questions than answers.
The Revs have been in transition since Taylor Twellman first sustained the head injury that
would eventually end his career midway through the 2008 season.
After weeks of speculation about where Michael Bradley could wind up, the U.S. national team
midfielder is heading to England to play for a team with plenty of American ties.
Bradley is heading to English Premier League side Aston Villa, sources confirmed to SBI on
Saturday.
While Dimitar Berbatov has been stealing most of the headlines during Manchester United's
unbeaten league run, Mexican striker Javier Hernandez has also played a pivotal role, scoring seven
league goals and threatening Wayne Rooney for a starting role.
Hernandez should get another chance to work his magic today as Manchester United takes on
Southampton in FA Cup action.
Call it a Winter Cup Weekend, with the FA Cup and Asian Cup grabbing the headlines and
dominating the weekend TV schedule.
Australia and Japan will face off on Saturday in an Asian Cup Final in the best match of the
weekend. The match isn't being shown on the traditional American soccer channels, but there are
cable networks and internet options for fans eager to see what should be an exciting final.
Jeff Cunningham is returning to Columbus after all.
Cunningham, the second-leading goal scorer in Major League Soccer history, and the Crew agreed
on a multi-year contract on Friday, more than a month after Columbus secured the striker's MLS
rights in the Re-Entry Draft.
American midfielder Ricardo Clark finally broke through in recent weeks at German club Eintracht
Frankfurt, earning quality minutes and impressing at multiple positions.
Clark's renaissance has been on hold after suffering a fractured cheekbone during a training
session on Friday.
In the same month that the New York Red Bulls signed Maryland standout Matt Kassel to a
Homegrown Player contract, the club has now added the first defender from its academy to the senior
team.
The Red Bulls have signed U.S. Under-20 national team defender Sacir Hot to a Homegrown Player
contract, sources told SBI on Friday.
Amid rumors that Fernando Torres is interested in joining Chelsea comes word that Liverpool has,
in fact, added a star rather than lost one.
Liverpool has completed the acquisition of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez from Ajax for a
reported €26.5 million euros. After a lengthy and public negotiations, Liverpool finally offered
a total that Ajax deemed reasonable for one of the stars (and villains) of the 2010 World Cup.
With the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers joining Major League Soccer in 2011 the league
had to make some changes to conference alignment.
As it turns out, MLS made just one change.
The Houston Dynamo will be playing in the Eastern Conference in 2011, a move that is more
cosmetic than anything since the league will play a balanced schedule in 2011.
PHOENIX -- The Sounders are one of the teams that trained at Grande Sports World in Casa Grande,
Ariz., last offseason. They're repeat customers in 2011, hoping the preseason will be the
springboard to a third playoff berth in three seasons of existence.
Michael Bradley appears to have played his last game for Borussia Moenchengladbach, with a
transfer expected to be completed before the close of the current transfer window.
Bradley has been linked with a handful of clubs in recent weeks, and Moenchengladbach's signing
of Michael Fink on Thursday set the wheels in motion for a winter transfer for the 23-year-old
Americans.
Clint Dempsey and Fulham may have had a flat showing against Liverpool on Wednesday, but they'll
have a chance to quickly erase that from their memories in FA Cup action this weekend.
Fulham hosts Tottenham on Sunday, and Dempsey will look to spark the Cottagers' attack against
the likes of Ledley King and Michael Dawson after failing to find the back of the net against
Liverpool.
Conor Doyle was born and raised in Texas, and just finished a training camp with the U.S.
Under-20 national team, but that hasn't stopped Ireland from courting him and leaving him with a
decision to make over which country he will represent.
After a tumultous reign as the head coach of D.C. United, Curt Onalfo is headed back to
work.
The Los Angeles Galaxy announced that Onalfo, 41, will join the club as an assistant where he
will be reunited with Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena, under whom he served as an assistant for the
U.
University of Michigan freshman Soony Saad, the leading scorer in NCAA Division I men's soccer
in 2010 with 19 goals, has left Michigan to pursue a professional career. Saad confirmed his
departure from Michigan to Fox Soccer and SBI on Thursday.
The injury that forced American defender Oguchi Onyewu to leave Wednesday's FC Twente match
against PSV Eindhoven has turned out to not be serious.
According to SBI's Avi Creditor, who spoke to Onyewu on Thursday, Onyewu suffered a muscle
injury in his rib cage that will require some rest and rehab, but he isn't expected to be sidelined
for an extended period of time.
After being a regular starter for Borussia Moenchengldbach for the better part of two and a half
seasons, U.S. national team midfielder Michael Bradley days with the relegation-threatened German
club appear numbered.
Bradley has come off the bench in Moenchengladbach's past two matches, with rumors swirling
about clubs interested in his services.
It wasn't too long ago that Jonathan Spector and Ricardo Clark were among the list of American
players struggling for minutes in Europe, but they each have seen their fortunes change over the
past month.
Spector has seen a position change from fullback to central midfield spark a renaissance, with
Spector scoring goals and earning regular starts for West Ham United.
Jonathan Spector was in the starting lineup for West Ham yet again, but he couldn't duplicate
his past Carling Cup magic as the Hammers lost to Birmingham, 3-1, in overtime of their second leg
at St. Andrews on Wednesday. The loss sent Birmingham to the Carling Cup Final.
West Ham came in with a 2-1 lead on aggregate, but Birmingham forced extra time with its own 2-1
regulation scoreline and clinched the victory at home courtesy of a Craig Gardner goal.
In what was a near-inevitable move, Sky Sports has announced the resignation of Richard Keys
after the commentator made disparaging comments about a female lineswoman this weekend.
"I am deeply sorry for my remarks and the offense they have caused," Keys said in a
statement.
In a Copa del Rey match marred by Iker Casillas being hit with a projectile from the stands and
a controversial no-goal call on a shot by Luis Fabiano, Karim Benzema delivered an excellent
individual effort to give Real Madrid a 1-0 lead over Sevilla heading into the second leg of their
semifinal tie:
The San Jose Earthquakes have hit the goalkeeper jackpot.
Entering Wednesday's lottery for Cal goalkeeper David Bingham with the fifth-highest odds of
winning (8.8 percent), the Earthquakes cashed in by landing the final 2011 Generation adidas
prospect on the market.
In addition to the number of Americans that are in action on Wednesday, Barcelona and Real
Madrid both have Copa del Rey semifinal first-leg matches, which should make for a rather exciting
day of mid-week soccer.
Real Madrid must travel to Sevilla for its match (2 p.m., ESPN3.com/ESPNDeportes), while
Barcelona will host Almeria (4 p.
Japan will be severely short-handed in Saturday's Asian Cup final against Australia after
offensive catalyst Shinji Kagawa was ruled out of the match with a broken foot.
Kagawa, a star for Bundesliga leader Borussia Dortmund, was injured in the Samurai Blue's
dramatic Asian Cup victory over South Korea.
Sporting Kansas City, Chivas USA, D.C. United, the Houston Dynamo and Philadelphia Union have
all opted out of Wednesday afternoon's lottery for the rights to Generation adidas goalkeeper David
Bingham, leaving 13 teams vying for his services.
After putting last season's historically bad campaign in the rear-view mirror, D.C. United is
aiming for a fresh start with Ben Olsen at the helm of a team on a mission.
With a bevy of new faces in camp and a fresh attitude to boot, expectations of a vast
improvement are abound in the nation's capital.
Jonathan Spector has had quite a run over the last couple months, and if he and West Ham turn in
another winning performance on Wednesday, they'll book themselves a place at Wembley Stadium for a
Carling Cup title bout with Arsenal on Feb. 27.
West Ham and Birmingham square off in the second leg of their cup semifinal tie (2:45 p.
Brad Guzan's loan deal to Hull City has helped him earn valuable playing time.
He's about to get a bit more.
Aston Villa and Hull City have agreed to extend Guzan's loan for another month.
Guzan has been Hull's starter since coming over and is expected to remain the starter for
another two weeks, when Vito Mannone is expected to return from a thigh injury.
The Los Angeles Galaxy has signed the second Homegrown Player in team history, coming to terms
with 16-year-old forward Jack McBean, sources told SBI on Tuesday.
The Newport Beach native is a 6-foot target striker who has spent time with the U.S. Under-17
national team, having joined the Under-17 national team Residency Program in Bradenton,
Florida.
New Coach, new General Manager, a host of new players and now a new sponsor.
Chivas USA announced on Tuesday an agreement with Groupo Modelo, a Mexican beer conglomerate.
The agreement will lead to the Corona Extra logo taking a prominent place on team apparel.
The list of foreign players expressing interest in signing with Major League Soccer is growing
by the way, and now you can add another familiar name to the list.
Former Mexican international Francisco "Kikin" Fonseca is seeking an MLS contract, sources close
to Fonseca told SBI on Tuesday.
PHOENIX -- The Vancouver Whitecaps' first MLS preseason camp away from home figures to draw some
interest from plenty of those following the expansion club.Â
Vancouver is no stranger to training in Arizona. The USSF Division 2 Whitecaps played three
preseason games in Casa Grande and Tempe (Arizona State University) last February and are back for
a total of three weeks in the winter sunshine of the desert this year.
Arch-rivals Japan and South Korea played a memorable Asian Cup semifinal on Tuesday that came
down to dramatic penalty kicks. Kicks South Korea wasn't ready for.
Japan converted three of four penalties while South Korea missed all three attempts to send
Japan to the Asian Cup Final, where the winner of Australia/Uzbekistan awaits.
It's that time again. Time for the latest SBI Live Q&A.
I will hold a Live Q&A today at 1pm. We can talk all things soccer, from the USA-Chile friendly,
to the upcoming MLS season, to European soccer or anything else on your mind.
California goalkeeper David Bingham has signed a Generation adidas contract with Major League
Soccer and will be made available in a special draft lottery before the 2011 MLS season, sources
told SBI on Monday.
Bingham was regarded as one of the top two goalkeeping prospects heading into the 2011 MLS
Draft, but was left out of the 2011 Generation adidas draft class after failing to reach an
agreement.
                               Photo by ISIPhotos.com
BY ADAM SERRANO
Often when a new player joins the national team program, their performance is ripe with
expectation. Each move is scrutinized and each pass dissected. For Mixx Diskerud, the story is no
different.
It might seem like the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup is still far away, but it is less than five months
away, meaning it isn't too early to start thinking about the squad Bob Bradley will put together to
try and regain the Gold Cup title.
The United States has won the past three Gold Cup titles where the first-choice squad was
available and this year's tournament will feature America's best.
   PHOENIX -- Like Florida and Arizona in major league baseball, the two sunny states are
also entrenched as the destinations of choice for U.S. winter preseason training for Major League
Soccer clubs.
And just like in baseball, it appears Arizona is increasingly becoming the locale of choice.
The U.S. men's national team began its new year on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Chile, and
while the first match of 2011 had some of the sloppiness often associated with January friendlies,
there were also the bright spots that come with seeing new faces perform.
Though the club at times has looked far from invinvible this year, the fact remains that
Manchester United has gone undefeated through its first 22 Premier League matches. Perhaps the
biggest factor in the Red Devils' success so far has been the form of Bulgarian striker Dimitar
Berbatov, who added three more goals to his league-leading total of 18 in the club's 5-0 thrashing
of Birmingham City on Saturday.
After holding talks with the Vancouver Whitecaps, Robbie Savage has decided to stay in
England.
"I'm going to stay here," Savage, 36, said on Twitter. "Canada was a great option but it was too
big a move for my family." The former Wales international currently plays for Derby County in the
English Championship and works occasionally as a television pundit.
The 2011 Central American Cup in Panama came to a close on Sunday, and World Cup participant
Honduras walked away victorious.
Honduras claimed its third Central American title, defeating a 10-man Costa Rica side, 2-1, in
Panama City. Los Catrachos took an early lead through a rifled finish from close range by Walter
Martinez in the 8th minute, and Emil Martinez added a second off a free kick in the 53rd.
Jermaine Jones is set to make his English Premier League debut for Blackburn against West
Bromwich Albion in one of today's key matches to watch.
Jones joins Blackburn on loan and should slide right into the starting lineup for a Rovers side
currently in 12th place. He won't be the only American central midfielder in action, with Michael
Bradley and Borussia Moenchengladbach facing Bayer Leverkusen.
CARSON, CALIF -- The U.S. men's national team's first match of the new year didn't start well,
but ended with some promising signs as the young forward tandem of Juan Agudelo and Teal Bunbury
helped the United States salvage a point on opening night.
Bunbury scored on a penalty kick in the 75th minute of play while Esteban Paredes was the lone
goalscorer for La Roja in front of a crowd of 18,580 at the Home Depot Center.
The U.S. men's national team begins the new year tonight by taking on South American side Chile
at Home Depot Center (10pm, Telefutura/ESPN3.com).
Bob Bradley will be fielding a very young squad against a Chile team that also has plenty of new
faces. Neither team will feature it's best players, but the chance to impress their coaches should
have both teams in attack mode.
The U.S. men's national team will open a new year and new four-year World Cup cycle tonight when
the Americans take on Chile at Home Depot Center (10pm, Telefutura/ESPN3.com).
Bob Bradley will be fielding a young squad against a Chile side made up of domestic league
players.
There were only two American field players in action in the English Premier League on Saturday
but that didn't stop them from nearly equaling the goal total of all the English Players in the EPL
combined.
Clint Dempsey scored a pair of goals to help Fulham defeat Stoke City, 2-0, while Jonathan
Spector added his own goal to help West Ham register a 2-2 tie against Everton.
Revenge will be on the mind of some of England's top teams today in a loaded schedule of soccer
around the world.
Manchester United dropped points in controversial fashion when the Red Devils visited Birmingham
City last month, but Sir Alex Ferguson's side will look to take all three points at Old Trafford
today.
Soccer fans in the Pacific Northwest won't have to wait until the regular season starts to see
their teams face off against their regional rivals.
The Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps (and their fans) will come
together March 4-6 at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.
The Los Angeles based club began their preseason preparations today and change was in the air
for the club on their first day of practice. Fraser announced that the Cuban forward Maykel
Galindo, Costa Rican defender Dario Delgado and Mexican winger Rodolfo Espinoza were not continuing
 with the club.
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. -- On a frigid desert evening in practically the middle of nowhere, in front
of a handful of people, a Major League Soccer veteran played through a groin injury.
That last part probably wasn't good news for Toronto FC, which opens full-team preseason
training for 2011 in just a few days.
Japan slipped by Qatar 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup behind a Masahiko Inoha game
winner.
The Kashima Antlers midfielder jumped on a loose ball in front of net and slotted home the
stoppage time winner. Shinji Kagawa added two goals in the effort for the Blue Samurai.
Former Los Angeles Galaxy striker Edson Buddle got his European career off to a great start on
Friday, scoring a goal in FC Ingolstadt's 1-1 draw vs. Duisburg.
Buddle started and played 88 minutes and looked to give relegation-threatened Ingolstadt a big
boost with his late goal, but Duisburg found a late equalizer to spoil Buddle's debut.
                                          Â
                                           Â
            Photo by ISIPhotos.com
BY ADAM SERRANO
It's the first match of the year for the United States national team and for many of the players
on the field, it will be their first chance to state their case for a future with the team.
If you're hoping to see some Americans making their debuts with new clubs, then this is a good
weekend for Soccer on TV.
Jermaine Jones will make his Blackburn debut in a match airing on Fox Soccer Channel, while
Robbie Findley's Nottingham Forest debut is airing on Saturday on Fox Soccer Plus.
The U.S. men's national team is set to begin a new year, and a new World Cup cycle, on Saturday
in its kickoff friendly against Chile, and while there won't be any first-team regulars in action,
the match will offer us the first glimpses of what the new year might be like.
Mike Grella figured to have a good chance for playing time with Scottish club Motherwell, but
now he won't have that chance.
Grella's loan from Leeds to Motherwell has been cancelled due to FIFA regulations that don't
allow players to play for three clubs in one season. Grella had played for Carlisle United on loan
last fall, an emergency loan neither Leeds or Motherwell believed would count against Grella, but
the Scottish FA put a halt to the loan.
When Juan Pablo Angel completed his move to the Los Angeles Galaxy there was plenty of talk
about how well he could do in the Galaxy offense, while some in New York questioned whether he had
much left in the tank. One thing is clear. How well the Galaxy does in 2011 will be directly tied
to how well the Colombian striker does.
With the 2011 MLS Draft and Supplemental Draft now in the rearview mirror, it's time to take a
closer look at the teams who did the best job of stockpiling talent.
No, we won't know for sure who the true winners and losers were for a few years, but we can
certainly speculate about which teams we thought did well.
American striker Mike Grella has joined Scottish club Motherwell on loan, the club announced on
Thursday.
Grella joins Motherwell from English side Leeds United, where he has struggled for playing time.
Grella most recently went on loan to Carlisle United, where he scored three goals in 11
appearances.
The Philadelphia Union continued the revamping of its second-year squad on Thursday with the
announced signings of Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon and Colombian defender Carlos
Valdes.
Mondragon, 39, joins the Union from German side Cologne while Valdes, 25, comes to MLS from
Colombian club Independiente Santa Fe.
It's that time again. Time for us to discuss all things soccer in the latest SBI Live Q&A.
I will be holding the latest Q&A today at 1pm. Want to talk about last week's MLS Draft? The
winter transfer market? The upcoming UEFA Champions League Round of 16?
Get your questions ready and check back in at 1pm today.
The Los Angeles Galaxy have signed Juan Pablo Angel as the club's third Designated Player, the
team announced on Wednesday. Angel was chosen by the Galaxy in the Re-Entry Draft last
December.
Los Angeles is in dire need of a forward after the recent departure of Edson Buddle to the
German second division.
Oguchi Onyewu's drought of playing club-level soccer has come to an end.
Onyweu played 90 minutes in his first match with FC Twente since being loaned to the club from
AC Milan, with whom he hadn't played since September, 2009.
Twente defeated Heracles, 5-0, behind four goals from Marc Janko.
After a frustrating fall spent watching AC Milan matches from the sidelines (and more often from
the stands), U.S. national team defender Oguchi Onyewu is set to make his league debut with FC
Twente today against Heracles (12:45pm).
Onyewu has made the move to the Dutch Eredivisie on loan, where he will be re-united with his
former Standard Liege manager, Michel Preud'homme.
U.S. Under-20 national team striker Bobby Wood was one of the standouts of the recent U-20 camp,
and his stellar form has helped earn him a place on the 1860 Munich first team.
Wood joins the first team just a week after 1860 Munich parted ways with another American
striker, Kenny Cooper, who has signed with the Portland Timbers.
After parting ways with Freddie Ljungberg earlier in the off-season, it appears the Chicago Fire
will begin the 2011 season without either of its 2010 Designated Players.
According to reports in Mexico and Greece, Mexican striker Nery Castillo is set to join Greek
club Aris FC on a loan for the rest of the European season.
U.S. national team striker Jozy Altidore was handed a rare start for Spanish power Villarreal,
but he couldn't keep his squad from being knocked out of the Copa Del Rey quarterfinals after a 3-0
loss to Sevilla.
Altidore played 62 minutes, and showed some glimpses, but struggled to make an impact as the
left forward in a 4-3-3 attack.
Ryan Miller's name isn't one many would have expected to receive a U.S. national team call-up a
month ago, but considering how far he has come in his career over the past two years, nothing
should come as too much of a surprise.
The MLS Supplemental Draft doesn't have the hype or get the attention of the MLS "Super" Draft
but there were still good values to be had during Tuesday's draft.
The Vancouver Whitecaps began proceedings by taking UCSB centerback Michael Boxall with the
first pick to get the draft going.
If the 2011 MLS Draft wasn't enough of an event for you to get your off-season fix, then today's
MLS Supplemental Draft should offer an appetizer for those who love seeing their teams add new
faces.
There is some talent left that went undrafted last week, particularly non-American college
players who teams passed on because they would take up international player slots.
Omar Cummings won't be joining Aston Villa after all.
Cummings' attempt to secure a United Kingdom work permit was denied, meaning that the Colorado
Rapids striker won't be going to Aston Villa on loan as had been speculated for some time.
The first U.S. national team match of the year won't feature many familiar faces. In fact, there
are no players who could be considered first-choice national team options. No, Saturday's friendly
against Chile is instead about new faces and Bob Bradley's chance to see how a new crop of MLS
players can measure up in what will be a first or second appearance for many of them.
When Real Salt Lake lost assistant coach Robin Fraser to Chivas USA, the club figured to find
another former MLS player to replace Fraser. RSL has done just that, tapping a 13-year MLS
veteran for the job.
Real Salt Lake is set to hire long-time Chicago Fire defender C.J. Brown as the club newest
assistant coach, sources with knowledge of the appointment told SBI on Monday evening.
Good evening folks. It's that time again. Time for you to send me your soccer-related questions
and time for me to give my take on those questions in the newest SBI Live Q&A.
There is plenty to discuss, from the recent 2011 MLS Draft, to the U.S. men's national team's
upcoming 2011 opener, to the European season.
The Portland Timbers bolstered their attack at last week's MLS Draft with the selection of Akron
striker Darlington Nagbe, and now the Timbers have officially added an ideal partner for Nagbe in
former U.S. national team striker Kenny Cooper.
Portland announced the acquisition of Cooper on Monday, pending receipt of his international
transfer certificate.
With the 2011 MLS Draft having come and gone, and with the U.S. men's national team set to play
its first match of the new year, it's a good time to have a Live Q&A.
Be sure to check in tonight at 8pm for the newest SBI Live Q&A. I will be taking questions on
all things soccer (and pop culture).
The 2011 MLS Draft has come and gone and as great a day as it was for many teams, the whirlwind
of transactions might have been a bit overwhelming for folks to keep up with.
Here is a quick rundown of SBI's coverage of last week's MLS Draft:
My Fox Soccer piece on the 2011 MLS Draft Winners and Losers
Just days after Jermaine Jones made the move from the German Bundesliga to the English Premier
League, now comes word a U.S. teammate of Jones could be joining him in the EPL.
Sunderland is lining up a transfer bid for U.S. World Cup midfielder Michael Bradley. The Black
Cats are believed to be looking for a potential replacement for Lee Cattermole, who is battling a
back injury and is drawing transfer interest from the likes of Liverpool, and Bradley could be just
the player to solidify the midfield for Steve Bruce's side.
Three of the world's top clubs were held to draws this weekend against lesser opposition, and
each of them surrendered ground in their respective title races because of it.
The most shocking of the three results was Real Madrid's 1-1 draw at Almeria.
Darren Bent's tenure at Sunderland has apparently come to a close.
The England international is on the verge of heading to Aston Villa after an 18 million pound
offer has been made for the star striker. Bent turned in a written transfer request Sunday night
and will travel to Aston Villa today to discuss personal terms.
The 2011 Gold Cup is five months away, and all but two nations set to participate are known as
three more qualified on Sunday.
Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama reached the Gold Cup with wins that assured them of playing
in the semifinals of the Copa Centroamericana, the seven-team tournament that names a Central
American champion and decides which five nations from the region reach CONCACAF's biggest
stage.
Jonathan Bornstein may be coming off an injury with a team and setting that he's fairly
unfamiliar with, but that didn't stop him from making his Tigres UANL (and Americans Abroad) debut
this weekend.
Having missed the season opener due to a thigh strain, Bornstein made his first start for Tigres
on Saturday as the club defeated Necaxa 1-0.
One of the wildest games of the weekend was Manchester City's 4-3 victory against Wolverhampton,
and a game that crazy deserved a goal as good as the one Carlos Tevez delivered by dancing through
the Wolves defense.
After being sidelined in recent weeks with a knee injury, American midfielder Maurice Edu showed
just how healthy he is on Saturday, when he delivered this beautiful goal for Rangers.
Jermaine Jones needed to escape the doghouse at Schalke 04 quickly, and now he's heading to a
place where he will be able to play as well as work on his English.
Jones has had his loan move to Premier League side Blackburn go through, meaning he will join
fellow U.
We're still in the first month of the new year but today will be offering us the best day of
soccer action to date.
There are can't-miss derbies, table-topping clashes and even some intriguing international tilts
on today's schedule. The Merseyside Derby kicks things off with Liverpool and Everton squaring
off.
Arsenal will look to keep pressure on unbeaten Manchester United in the English Premier League
title race today with a win against struggling rival West Ham.
That London derby is one of several interesting match-ups today in England, including Chelsea's
battle agaist Blackburn and Stoke's match-up against Stuart Holden's Bolton.
The Seattle Sounders didn't wind up having a first-round pick when the MLS Draft concluded on
Thursday, but the club's wheeling and dealing left the team as one of the draft's winners when all
was said and done in Baltimore.
The Sounders traded out of the first round and secured some allocation money in the process,
while using the four second-round picks it had to stockpile an impressive collection of
prospects.
When the Chicago Fire entered the 2011 MLS Draft, the hope was that the rebuilding club would be
able to find defensive help to make up for the losses of Wilman Conde and C.J. Brown.
The club's wishes were answered when North Carolina central defender Jalil Anibaba fell to the
Fire at the No.
The Portland Timbers bolstered their offense on draft day with Akron forward Darlington
Nagbe.
In the team's first MLS Draft the Timbers drafted the most impactful player for 2011 in Nagbe.
The Hermann Award winner is a dynamic attacker with a nose for goal.
The Houston Dynamo came away as the big winner on draft day taking Kofi Sarkodie and trading up
to select Will Bruin.
Sarkodie, the dynamic right back from Akron, fell a few spots lower than expected on draft day.
Houston took the best player available with the seventh overall pick in Sarkodie despite just
recently signing a right back in Hunter Freeman,.
The former Real Salt Lake striker received his work permit on Friday, clearing the way for him
to join English League Championship side Nottingham Forest.
The Philadelphia Union came into the 2011 MLS Draft with a handful of needs, but goalkeeper
wasn't considered one of them.
That is what made the Union's selection of Maryland goalkeeper Zac MacMath somewhat surprising,
but with incoming goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon turning 40 this year, Peter Nowak chose to take one of
the best overall prospects in the draft.
Tim Howard, Everton and Liverpool aren't too far from the relegation zone, and this weekend's
Merseyside Derby could determine which team continues to fight for safety for the remainder of the
season and which starts to climb the table.
Howard and Everton travel to Liverpool on Sunday in one of the marque match-ups of the
weekend.
Erik Soler and the Red Bulls said before the draft the team would concentrate on defense. But,
New York threw a change-up when Corey Hertzog fell to them at the 13th pick. The speedy Penn State
forward will supply needed quality depth behind Thierry Henry or could play out wide.
Robin Fraser knows a thing or two about being a part of and overseeing a strong defense, and he
used that knowledge when making Chivas USA's first pick in the draft by picking up Akron's Zarek
Valentin.
After picking at No. 4, Chivas traded back into the first round, acquiring Real Salt Lake's
first-round pick (No.
The New England Revolution found itself on the outside of the playoff picture looking in last
season. In an effort to avoid a repeat of that scenario, the Revs looked to shore up its defense by
landing one of the top centerback prospects in the MLS SuperDraft, taking California's A.J. Soares
with the sixth overall pick.
The Vancouver Whitecaps kicked off the 2011 MLS SuperDraft in surprise fashion, selecting United
States Under-20 forward Omar Salgado with the first overall selection. After the Whitecaps stole
the early headlines, they continued to stockpile talent, taking Akron's Generation adidas
midfielder Michael Nanchoff with their second first-round pick (No.
The United States men's national team is going to be taking on two of South America's top squads
this spring.
The United States Soccer Federation officially confirmed the U.S. men's national team's March 26
friendly against Argentina in New Jersey, but it also announced a friendly with Paraguay three days
later in Nashville, Tenn.
DC United got its man. In a turn of unexpected events, Perry Kitchen fell to United with the
third overall pick. United followed up its selection of the current US U-20 captain with another
Akron player, fullback Chris Korb. DC finished off its draft by trading into the third round to
select goalkeeper Joe Willis of Denver.
So much for all that Darlington Nagbe and Perry Kitchen talk.
The Vancouver Whitecaps opted to select Omar Salgado with the first overall pick in the 2011 MLS
SuperDraft, choosing the 17-year-old United States U-20 prospect over the two Akron products who
had been expected to vie for the top spot.
The 2011 MLS Draft is set to kick off shortly and if you were wondering who the best players
available were at each position, let us give you a guide.
Here is a rundown of the top players available by position. We'll be tweaking the board as we
get closer to the start of the draft, but be sure to make this your place to see who is
available.
The 2011 MLS Draft is less than 12 hours away, but it's never too late to project every single
pick in the draft.
It took us some time, and plenty of travel, but we've come up with a full 54-player draft. Every
team, every pick, every player.
No, we don't actually think we'll be right on all 54, or even most, but this Mock Draft should
help give you a sense of how players are rated heading into Thursday's Draft.
The 2011 MLS Draft is set to begin Thursday at Noon and while we have a good idea who the first
two players picked will be, it isn't a stretch to call this year's draft one of the toughest to
predict in recent memory.
I will be posting a Final 50-player MLS Draft Big Board, as well as a full three-round MLS Mock
Draft later on tonight (They would have been sooner if I hadn't fallen ill on Tuesday).
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The U.S. U-20 national team ended its final camp before World Cup
qualifying on Wednesday morning, and it did so in impressive fashion.
After a quiet beginning to the offseason, the New York Red Bulls announced they have signed
three players on Wednesday, less than 24 hours ahead of the 2011 Major League Soccer
SuperDraft.
Red Bulls General Manager Erik Soler confirmed that English striker Luke Rodgers and Norwegian
midfielder Jan Gunnar Solli, who have long been rumored to be added to the club, have officially
joined the fold.
Chivas USA forward Justin Braun and Dallas defender Ugo Ihemelu have been released from the U.S.
National Team camp due to injuries and will miss the team's upcoming friendly against Chile on
January 22.
Braun is out for a week after four stitches were required to close a cut on his Achilles' tendon
and Ihemelu was unable to shake off nagging hip and groin injuries.
The 2011 MLS Combine is in the books, but before all of the focus turns towards where these guys
will be playing this season, we're looking back at the event's top performers.
Several of the top prospects did not participate in the Combine, but there were still many
players who showed considerably well over the three days worth of matches in sunny Ft.
Hope and promise surround Toronto FC after the revamping of its coaching and techinical staff,
but those good feelings have been tempered by the word that homegrown player Nicholas Lindsay is
expected to miss the entire 2011 season with a knee injury.
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The 2011 Major League Soccer Combine came to a close on Tuesday
afternoon, and only a small portion of the players ended it with impressive performances.
Jalil Anibaba, A.J. Soares and Michael Tetteh had some of the more promising efforts on a day
that ended with Jabulani defeating AdiPower, 2-1, and AdiPure playing to a scoreless draw with
AdiZero.
The 2011 MLS Combine wraps up today with the final day of action as players have their final chance
to impress MLS coaches today.
We will be providing commentary throughout the morning's matches so please feel free to follow
along here. As always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments
section below.
CARSON, CALIF -- Eugene Starikov's journey has been a winding road that is not typical among
American soccer players. A search for soccer success that has taken him from the heat of Central
Florida to the chill of Siberia and finally to the sunny fields of Carson, California.
For the second-consecutive year, Lionel Messi has been voted the best player in the world.
Messi, 23, beat out Barcelona teammates Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta to take home FIFA's
inagural Ballon d'Or award. FIFA merged its World Player of the Year award with France's Ballon
d'Or award last year with Messi winning both awards in 2009.
Day Two of the 2011 MLS Combine is set to kick off and most Combine observers are expecting
today's action to really tell a more clear story about where many of these players will wind up
being taken on Thursday at the MLS Draft.
I will be providing commentary along with the rest of the SBI team today from here in Fort
Lauderdale, so please feel free to follow along here.
Every January, as the third round of the FA Cup begins in England, the question is never whether
there will be upsets, but rather how big they'll be. Saturday's was one of the biggest in recent
memory.
Tiny Stevenage, which only became part of the Football League this season, and currently sits
15th in the League Two table, not only out-shot and out-possessed its Premier League opponents, it
out-played them.
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -Â MLS coaches were probably wishing that Joe Gyau was entering the
upcoming draft.
Gyau, who is under contract with German club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, enjoyed an impressive outing
in the U.S. U-20 national team's intra-squad scrimmage on Sunday afternoon.
The U.S. Under-20 men's national team is in Fort Lauderdale for training camp ahead of CONCACAF
Under-20 World Cup qualifying and they're playing an intra-squad scrimmage today that will help
showcase their players to MLS scouts in town for the MLS Combine.
SBI will be providing some live commentary on today's scrimmage so please feel free to follow
along here.
U.S. World Cup striker Edson Buddle has been in Europe for most of the winter, in search of a
big payday after finishing out his MLS contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
He has found that payday, and it has taken him to Germany.
Buddle is set to sign with German second division side FC Ingolstadt, sources told SBI on
Saturday evening.
It's a good day for top-level soccer match-ups on TV, with three of the world's top leagues
offering up juicy match-ups.
Manchester United and Liverpool started things off this morning with a key clash, while Real
Madrid and Villarreal are set to do battle in the day's most enticing match-up.
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The 2011 MLS Combine kicked off on Saturday, and while there were the
expected first-day cobwebs, there were also several promising performances.
In the first game of the day, AdiPure and AdiPower played to a dull 0-0 draw.
The 2011 MLS Combine is set to kick off in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with most of the top players
in the MLS Draft Pool in attendance trying to impress MLS coaches.
MLS Soccer will be providing live video from the combine so you can follow the action there. I
will be providing commentary through the day so please feel free to follow along here.
The English FA Cup is in full swing this weekend while the Mexican League sees a full slate of
games in its 2011 kickoff today.
Everton and Aston Villa are just two of the clubs with American players who will compete in FA
Cup action today, while La Liga also has some offerings on the schedule, with FC Barcelona in
action this afternoon.
For the second-consecutive year, the Hermann Trophy is in the hands of a Zip and a Cardinal.
Akron junior forward Darlington Nagbe was voted the best Division I player by the National
Soccer Coaches of America (NSCAA), beating out fellow forwards Will Bruin of Indiana and Colin
Rolfe of Louisville.
The 2011 MLS Draft will kick off in less than a week and one of the most intriguing prospects in
the draft is U.S. Under-20 striker Omar Salgado.
The 17-year-old El Paso native has made a rapid rise from relatively unknown prospect in the
Chivas Guadalajara youth system to one of the most promising players in the U.
After a crowded holiday period of league action in the EPL, the FA Cup is back with Liverpool
taking on Manchester United in the weekend's must-see fixture. Manchester United is looking to
improve upon last year's Cup run where it was knocked out by Leeds United in the third round.
For Akron midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong, his four years at Akron couldn't have ended any
better.
After time expired and the Zips' first national title was secured with a 1-0 victory over the
Louisville Cardinals, the midfielder from Texas found the man who brought him to Ohio, Akron coach
Caleb Porter.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup might just be played in the winter after all.
After a series of high-profile soccer personalities raised the possibility of scheduling the
event in the winter to avoid the high temperatures of a Qatari summer, FIFA president Sepp Blatter
offered a surprisingly revealing take on the matter, which will be discussed at FIFA's executive
committee meeting in March.
The USMNT camp of new faces has added another national team newcomer to the mix, with Bob
Bradley calling in Russian-based striker Eugene Starikov.
Born in the Ukraine, Starikov was raised in Florida and played for Stetson University before
signing with Zenit St. Petersburg in 2009. He went on loan to Russian First Division side  Tom
Tomsk, where he scored one goal in nine appearances.
Stephen McCarthy's journey to Major League Soccer has spanned three time zones, two colleges and
one famed club team, but he's finally approaching his final destination.
McCarthy, one of the top defensive midfield prospects available in next Thursday's MLS
SuperDraft, spent three years at Santa Clara University prior to transferring to North Carolina for
his senior season.
Eddie Johnson has been receiving sporadic minutes with Fulham as of late, but this weekend's FA
Cup action may be just what he needs in order to receive a start.
Fulham take on League One club Peterborough United, and that could give Johnson an opportunity
to get his first start since early October.
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -Â Poor finishing for the U.S. U-20 national team nearly
cost it a result against a team made up of players from southern Florida, but Zac MacMath came up
with a big second half penalty kick save to end the match at 0-0 on Thursday afternoon.
Toronto FC announced a whole host of front office moves on Thursday, most notably officially
introducing Aron Winter as its new head coach and technical director and Paul Mariner as its new
director of player personnel.
Bob de Klerk, who worked with Winter in the Ajax Amsterdam academy system, will be the team's
top assistant coach.
In the half a decade that Jason Herrick spent in College Park, Md., he experienced the ups of
winning a national championship and the downs of a long-term injury. The one thing that never
wavered in that time was his work rate or professional mindset.
              Photo by Juan Miranda/Chivas USA
BY ADAM SERRANO
CARSON, CALIF -- After a host of rumors and speculation, Chivas USA unveiled head coach Robin
Fraser on Wednesday afternoon. Fraser, a former assistant to Jason Kreis at Real Salt Lake comes to
a team that is seeking to overcome a host of issues.
Kristine Lilly, one of the most accomplished players in women's soccer history, has retired.
The world record holder for international appearances with an amazing 352, Lilly has decided to
step away from both the U.S. women's national team and her professional career with the WPS Boston
Breakers after spending parts of four decades playing at the highest level.
It's that time again. Time for you to send me your soccer-related questions and time for me to
answer as many of them as possible.
It may be the off-season in American soccer but it's arguably the busiest time of year. You've
got the MLS Combine and MLS Draft coming up, U.S. national team camp and U.
If mid-week soccer action is your thing, then today is a good day for you.
Manchester City takes on Arsenal in the marquee match-up on a very busy Wednesday of soccer
action.
The Citizens will try to pull back into a tie with Manchester United with a win, while Arsenal
will try to score the win to jump past Manchester City in the Premier League standings.
If you've been waiting for the next night-time SBI Live Q&A, tonight is your night.
With the MLS Combine and MLS Draft fast approaching, tonight feels like the right time to talk
MLS Draft, as well as any other soccer topics you want to discuss.
Want to talk European soccer? U.S. national team camp?
With the Generation adidas class completed (we think), and the MLS Combine fast approaching, the
2011 MLS Draft class has really started to take shape.
A total of 10 Generation adidas players lead a strong crop of players that will also include
five non-college international players (among them John "Wayne's my brother" Rooney).
UCSB left winger/fullback Michael Tetteh has been added to the MLS Generation adidas draft
class, UCSB head coach Tim von Steeg confirmed to SBI on Wednesday.
First reported by Presidio Sports, Tetteh's inclusion raises the number of Generation adidas
players in the 2011 MLS Draft to ten.
Tetteh is a speedy left-footed player who projects as an attacking fullback on the pro
level.
Clint Dempsey scored his sixth goal of the season on Tuesday to help Fulham climb out of the
relegation zone with a 3-0 win against West Bromwich Albion.
Fulham jumped all the way to 13th in the English Premier League standings with the win.
Dempsey's goal made the score 2-0, with defender Brede Hangeland added an insurance goal to make
the score 3-0.
You don't usually get the chance to see much soccer on Tuesdays, but the English Premier League
has a few games for us to enjoy today.
Manchester United takes on Stoke City today (3pm, Fox Soccer Chanel)Â looking to extend its lead
atop the Premier League standings. Meanwhile, Fulham will try to climb out of the relegation with a
win today against West Bromwich Albion (3pm, ESPN3.
Major League Soccer announced the rosters for the upcoming MLS Combine and several of the top
players in the draft will not be taking part.
Four Generation adidas players (Perry Kitchen, Zarek Valentin, Zac MacMath and Omar Salgado)
will miss the Combine because of U.S. Under-20 national team commitments, while Akron striker
Darlington Nagbe will also sit out the Combine for undisclosed reasons.
PHOENIX -- In the desert between Phoenix and Tucson lies a place that is right now developing
potential MLS players for Real Salt Lake, and for the immediate future, developing college soccer
prospects.
Manchester City is closing in on another high-priced superstar.
The English club has reportedly agreed with VfL Wolfsburg on a transfer fee for star Bosnian
striker Edin Dzeko in a move that would take one of the premiere names of the transfer season off
the market.
With January here, the winter transfer season is upon us and while the moves of big European
stars will rule the headlines, there are a bunch of American players in dire need of loans or
transfers this month.
The defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids have started the new year by adding some
defensive depth.
The Rapids announced the signing of veteran defender Tyrone Marshall on Monday. Colorado
acquired Marshall's rights in the second phase of the MLS Re-Entry Draft last month.
For someone who has made a career out of expressing his devotion and loyalty to the likes of
England, Manchester United and his own family, David Beckham sure has made a habit out of doing
anything but devoting himself to his current club, the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Jermaine Jones' time in the Schalke 04 doghouse figures to end this month with a likely
transfer, and now another German club has emerged as a potential destination for the U.S. national
team midfielder.
TSG Hoffenheim is reportedly interested in signing Jones after selling Brazilian Luiz Gustavo to
Bayern Munich.
Brad Guzan's month-long loan move to Hull City has already produced more playing time for the
American goalkeeper in three days than he'd seen in the past three months.
Guzan made five saves to help Hull City post a 3-2 victory against Portsmouth on Monday.
Guzan started and played 90 minutes, making a key late save to preserve the victory.
Fresh reports out of England indicate that David Beckham and Tottenham are interested in a
short-term loan but have yet to receive permission from the L.A. Galaxy.
Beckham is trying to secure a loan in order to keep himself in the England picture after Fabio
Capello said that he was unlikely to call up the former captain again.
With the Major League Soccer Combine and SuperDraft just days away and the start of the 2011
preseason following shortly, it appears as if another team has filled its coaching vacancy.
As first reported by ESPN Deportes, Chivas USA will hire Real Salt Lake assistant coach Robin
Fraser to be its next head coach.
After spending most of the off-season without a head coach and permanent technical director,
Toronto FC appears ready to finally fill the two vital positions.
According to multiple MLS sources, Toronto is set to name former New England Revolution
assistant Paul Mariner as Technical Director and former Dutch national team player Aron Winter as
head coach.
Brad Guzan started 2011 by doing something he did little of last year: he started a match.
Having completed a one-month loan to Hull City, Guzan made his first start at the club level
since a Sept. 22 Carling Cup match for Aston Villa on Saturday.
It's a new year, which means another year to watch Barcelona work its magic.
The Spanish champions are back in action today against Levante in the club's first step toward
trying to maintain their hold on first place ahead of Real Madrid.
While La Liga is back in action, the English Premier League has a few important matches as well,
with Chelsea looking to stay in range of Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City by beating
a woeful Aston Villa side flirting with the relegation zone.
Happy New Year everybody. It's a special day for us at SBI as well because today marks the third
anniversary of our independent launch.
Yes, today is SBI's third birthday.
As we embark on our fourth year in business we will look to keep improving on bringing you
soccer news and analysis from the United States and the world.
If Arsenal is going to keep the pressure on Manchester United in the English Premier League
title race the Gunners will need to win at the same stadium where Manchester United recently
stumbled, St. James' Park.
Arsenal take on Birmingham today in one of the more intriguing match-ups of today's New Year's
Day Schedule.
