This is not an injury for antsWhat could be the worst way to repair a defence that just saw itself ripped open for six goals this past weekend? How about losing the anchor of that already porous backline for the remainder of the season? No?
　
Thought you'd seen the last of Ty Harden?

It's been a long 2 and a half months, but it's finally coming to an end tomorrow when KC ends their 10 game road trip in Toronto. KC ended their long losing streak last week in Colorado with a 1-1 draw against the defending champs. Toronto comes into this game on the backs of a humiliating 6-2 loss to Philadelphia at home.

An African online news source All Africa.com is reporting that the Secretary General of the Sports Writers Association of Liberia, Roland Mulbah, was attacked by three players from the Liberian National team on May 31, 2011.

According to the paper:

The players, Anthony Laffor of Super Sports United in South Africa, Francis "Grandpa" Doe of Egypt's Al-Ahly, and goalkeeper Louis Crayton of the Minnesota Thunder (was actually a former Minnesota Stars player) in the U.

Impact goalkeeper Bill Gaudette will miss 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury.

Earlier this season Daryl Sattler, the FC Tampa Bay goalkeeper was having quite a start to the season. That is, until he tore his ACL which ended his year.

Last Friday evening at Foote Field in Edmonton, the Eddies' were taking on Carolina RailHawks where goalkeeper Lance Parker dove for a ball.

(Editor's Note: This is the fourth part in a series on what the Rapids will do with an expanded roster in 2011.)

Who will be the sixth forward?

This is the key question for the Rapids attack as they start the 2011 season. The team has only five forwards on its roster, and one is coming off a major knee injury.

It started in September 1997, when Alf-Inge Haland (then a Leeds player) mocked Roy Keane after a clumsy foul in the box. As Keane lay prone on the ground, Håland stood over Keane, accusing the injured United captain of having tried to hurt him and of feigning injury to escape punishment.

Photo by Nick Turchiaro/ISIphotos.com

Toronto FC's season just went from bad to worse.

Days after a record-setting 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union, the club announced that starting centerback Adrian Cann tore his ACL in training and will be out for the remainder of the season.

Michael Essien's nightmare is now a reality.

Official statement from the club:

Following injury to his right knee in training last week Michael Essien had surgery today to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus.

The surgery was successful and Michael's full recovery could take up to six months.

I meant to write this one up yesterday but I was honestly just far too busy. Not to sound like a stereotype or anything, but... Mondays...

Anyway, for those who were watching last Saturday's game against the Chicago Fire you'll probably remember Kevin Goldthwaite going down with an injury in the early part of the game.

Feel good story of the week is Linday Tarpley scoring in just her second game back with the national team since tearing her ACL at the end of the 2009 WPS season. It was a classy finish that she somehow tucked into the lower right corner from an angle, giving the USA the victory. It was another cold night in China, but the USA played a very good second half, kept Christine Sinclair from creating too much trouble (although, let's be honest, the kid is always trouble), hit the crossbar twice and scored two very nice goals.

We've seen with the Dan Gosling case, that long term injuries can be very difficult to come back from, and of course Dan has been out of action since last March, when he injured the ACL in his knee while playing his very last game for Everton. Dan Gosling cruel luck on this lad [...]

The Indonesian FA (PSSI) are used to being under fire. But amid the turmoil over renegade leagues, accusations of lying to FIFA and a boss with experience of porridge the fate of Indonesia's teams in the ACL and AFC Cup have been forgotten.
OK, strictly speaking drawing up the fixture list ain't their responsibility, it's done by the league body, the nominally independent Liga Indonesia.

When the reigning TPL champions Muangthong United make their return to the Jalan Besar Stadium tomorrow to take Tampines Rovers, I expect it would be a fiery AFC Cup showdown.
After all, when the "Twin Qilins" were here last February, they were crushed out of a chance to make it to the continent's biggest club tournament - Asian Champions League (ACL) proper, following their loss to the Singapore's SAFFC on penalties.

Photo by David Bernal/ISIphotos.com

Los Angeles Galaxy centerback Leonardo will be out for the season after tearing the ACL and LCL in his right knee in the waning moments of the Galaxy's victory over the Chicago Fire on Sunday.

Leonardo, who had filled in admirably for injured centerback Gregg Berhalter from the start of the season, was hurt during an encounter with the Fire's Dominic Oduro in stoppage time of the match.

Arema's AFC Champion League campaign ended ignobly with a 5-0 thumping against Chinese side Shandong Luneng.
They went into the game without either of their first choice keepers, Mega Kurnia and Ahmad Kurniawan, as well as influential striker Noh Alam Shah and Roman Chhmelo. Also missing were the likes of Dendi Santoso and Guillen Esteban.

AFC Champions League
Jeonbuk v Arema 6-0
4 - Arema 6 0 1 5 2-22 1
Well I can't see any Indonesian teams being allowed to compete in the ACL in the future. It just isn't a priority for them and long flights overseas aren't exciting when you spend half the season on planes anyway.

Lindsay Tarpley (Madison) got a scare Saturday night, as the midfielder was forced to leave the U.S. women's national team's 2-0 win over Japan in Columbus, Ohio, because of a knee injury.

Tarpley went 10 months between national team appearances after suffering a torn right ACL in her knee in August 2009.

Former Red Stars MF Lindsay TarpleyFormer Chicago Red Stars midfielder Lindsay Tarpley tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee with 15 minutes remaining in the U.S. Women's National Team's 2-0 victory over Japan on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
U.S. Soccer announced Sunday that the injury will sideline Tarpley for six to eight months, preventing her from playing in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

What started out as a terrific week for Lindsay Tarpley (Madison) came to a devastating end.

The magicJack midfielder tore the ACL in her right knee for the second time in two years during the U.S. women's national team's 2-0 victory over Japan in a friendly in Columbus, Ohio.

Abby Wambach puts on a clinic and gets 1 goal and 1 assist in the 2-0 win as a tune up for the WWC 2011 in Germany while Madison, WI native Lindsey Tarpley tears another ACL in the 75th and will miss the Cup.Women's World Cup starts in 41 days in Germany (June 26th- July 17th)with single game tickets still available through Fifa.

Editors's Note: Maura Gladys is a former reformed :> ESPN writer trialing for the The Shin Guardian. Please use the comment section to let us know what you'd like to hear about the women's national team as they prepare for World Cup 2011 and another unique hairstyle from head coach Pia Sundhage.

Following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Japan on March 11, the J-League has rearranged the schedule for the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup.
The two group format has been abandoned in favor of a straight two-leg knock-out competition.
1st Round 1st Leg June 5
Urawa Reds vs Yamagata
Kashiwa Reysol vs Sendai
Yokohama F Marinos vs Vissell Kobe
Venforet Kofu vs Shimizu S-Pulse
Jubilo Iwata vs Fukuoka
Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Kawasaki Frontale
1st Round 2nd Leg June 27
27 Jul Wed
Sendai vs Kashiwa Reysol
Yamagata vs Urawa Reds
Kawasaki Frontale vs
Shimizu S-Pulse vs Ventforet Kofu
Vissel Kobe vs Yokohama F Marinos
Fukuoka vs Jubilo Iwata
Second round two-leg games will take place on 14 September and 28 September when Omiya Ardija and Albirex Niigata will join the competition.

In another clear case of the backward thinking that's plagued their squad's recent form, the Revolution front office has allowed a pair of proven players Marko Perovic and Ilija Stolica to leave Foxborough all the while the team stumbles through one of its worst seasons ever.

The reasons given by Vice President of Player Personnel Michael Burns were two-fold: clearing cap space and granting a player's request to return home.

The new season is still a month away yet Inter are already feeling the wrath of the injury bug. This past weekend saw two of the Nerazzurri goalkeepers go down with freak injuries. Emiliano Viviano tore his ACL in his left knee during training on Saturday, while sliding to reach a ball in a practice match.

The 2011 fantasy football season already has its first huge story: Jamaal Charles is likely out for the season. Charles, who was drafted in the top three in many fantasy football drafts, likely tore his ACL in Week 2. If that's true, the Kansas City Chiefs running back will be gone until next season.

Afellay injured in training today could be lost up to six months (Photo: Reuters)

In today's training session midfielder Ibrahim Afellay ruptured his left ACL and will have to have surgery tomorrow. The news is just breaking but preliminary reports are that the player will be lost for six months.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. | Subscribe: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

In this week's review section, we look at stories from the Asian Champions League, pressure at Sunderland and Carlos Tevez embroiled in more controversy. You can listen to these and other stories on our weekly podcast and can find explanations of key vocabulary in bold below, or highlighted in blue.

I might have to be writing a bit this season. Things are exciting at the Roar and I am full of material. If anything I've been suffering the writer's block of someone with far too much to say. So fuck it, I'll start with a rave. Anything to get the gripes with FIFA (which I still have) from the top of the page and some news of this brilliant team.

Giuseppe Rossi's season has come to a screeching halt.

Rossi's club Villarreal confirmed that the New Jersey-born striker tore his right ACL against Real Madrid in Wednesday's 3-0 loss at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and he will have to miss the next six months of action.

Coming off a the best season of his career to date, the 24-year-old Rossi had scored five goals in all competitions for Villarreal this season including two in UEFA Champions League play.

Sporting KC kicks off their playoff campaign tomorrow night in Colorado against the Rapids in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals. KC split the season series with the Rapids, drawing both games 1-1. In the game out in Colorado Conor Casey scored in the 13th minute after a poor back pass.

In this week's review section, we look at stories from the Asian Champions League, pressure at Sunderland and Carlos Tevez embroiled in more controversy.

As expected, Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has been ruled out for the rest of the season through injury.
The club site released following statement a few minutes ago:
"A scan has confirmed an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Lucas Leiva's left knee.

The swelling went down, the MRI was done, and the news came back confirming the worst fears and least palatable rumours: Lucas Leiva will be out, at best, for the remainder of the season after injuring his ACL. This is, of course, horrible news for the player himself, whose development into one of the best holding midfielders in world football had finally seen a long overdue shift in public and media opinion.