The most powerful and prestigious soccer leagues in the world have stopped at 20. From a huge
country like Brazil to a relatively small one like England, 20 clubs seem to be the limit for even
the strongest circuits. Whether it's to keep the number of games manageable, maintain the depth of
the talent pool or simply a trend, 20 has become the standard.
Liverpool striker David N'Gog has completed his deadline day move to Bolton.
The French striker, who joined the club from Paris Saint Germain in 2008, has failed to live up to
expectations and following the signings of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez in January, has found his
first team opportunities limited.
Arsene Wenger's massive defensive acquisition Per Mertesacker has quickly endeared himself to
the Gunners faithful by insisting that he has always been one of them while growing up in
Germany.
The former Werder Bremen skipper revealed that he was not sure if the opportunity would ever
arrive for him to play for Arsenal but having watched his boyhood club hammered 8-2 by champions
Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend, the 26-year old is looking forward to helping the
team recover.
Photo: Nicolae Stoian
With the prospect of no Carlos Valdes in the back line to face Real Salt Lake, last week we
looked at the defender statistics for the Philadelphia Union through the first 24 games of the
season. In doing so, the numbers confirmed what was already a generally held opinion: the Union
defense has suffered since the departure of Jordan Harvey.
I explain why I like the trade between LA and TFC that sees TFC go younger and cheaper with the
acquisition of Kyle Davies and Elbekay Bouchiba nears his long awaited debut for TFC after a season
long injury.
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Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
Chivas USA isn't dead just yet, and it has its veteran, mid-season acquisition to thank for
that.
Led by a resurgent Juan Pablo Angel, Chivas USA came back from a two-goal deficit to force a 2-2
road draw with D.C. United and blew out Toronto FC, 3-0, to maintain it's postseason hopes for at
least another week and capture SBI MLS Team of the Week honors.
Sebastian Grazzini -- Getty ImagesBy Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com
The Chicago Fire have won four of their five past matches, but they will likely have to continue
pushing on without midfielder Sebastian Grazzini.
Grazzini, who injured his hamstring during the first half of Chicago's 3-2 win over the New England
Revolution, is expected to miss Wednesday's match at Real Salt Lake.
