Clemente Lisi writes of Michael Bradley's start to his Serie A career with Chievo Verona.
The opening weekend of Italy's Serie A brought with it the familiar sights and sounds. The
sight of loud fans tossing flares onto the field and the sound of coaches whining about referees.
In the middle of it all was one American among the nearly 500 players spread out across 20
clubs.
Alexi Lalas is a former U.S. National Team defender (96 caps), appearing in two World Cups and was
U.S. Soccer's Male Player of the Year in 1995. Lalas was the first American to play in Italy in the
modern-era and then returned to the United States to be a part of the group of high profile
American soccer players to launch Major League Soccer.
A somewhat innocent tweet from USMNT striker Herculez Gomez about hanging out with some fellow
American soccer players may hold the key to what Michael Orozco Fiscal is currently doing.
The former Philadelphia Union central defender's job status has been up in the air since the
Union could not extend his one year loan with the team, or purchase his rights from San Luis, a
Mexican Primera Division club.
By CALEB SONNELAND
As if the local rivals needed any more animosity between them, Aston Villa is closing in on the
capture of Birmingham City's former manager Alex McLeish after agreeing to pay the Blues £2
million in compensation for the head coach.
Having quit Birmingham City via email just four days ago, McLeish has been in talks with Villa
over the last couple days and it appears the two sides are ready to make a deal for his
services.
BY ADAM SERRANO
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.
I called in sick to work this morning. I usually only get sick once a year so here it was. After
finally managing to get out of bed I plopped down in front of the computer and pulled up the ol'
Twitter box to see what was going on in what appeared to be a painfully slow soccer day.
Midway through the morning, though, the Twitter box started rocking.
The close of the European transfer window was especially frenzied for big-name American soccer
players, so fans could be forgiven for missing some of the new faces on the scene, such as
Reading's new signing Erik Opsahl.
Clint Dempsey, Fulham
It's the Champions versus Fulham, a West London derby that should be interesting as Phil Mison, the
Fulham correspondent for ESPN notes Belief Will Beat The Blues
Why? At home Fulham's defence is back to its miserly best. Roy's fortress has been well and
truly restored.
By Clemente Lisi - NEW YORK, NY (Mar 2, 2011) US Soccer Players --There was a time when the only
mentors American soccer players had growing up were foreign-born. Whether it was Pele or George
Best during the 1970s in the original NASL or Tatu and Steve Zungul of MISL fame throughout the
1980s, a lot has changed in this country's soccer landscape over the last several decades.
The U.S. has cranked out its fair share of panic-attack-quelling goalkeepers, but this season has
really showcased the creativity that American soccer players possess. On Saturday it was Fulham's
Clint Dempsey and Bolton's Stuart Holden once again providing the spark in the attack, helping
their squads nab big wins in the Premier League.
The big news in the world of American soccer was the announced return of Freddy Adu to Major
League Soccer. For better or worse, Adu remains one of the most recognizable soccer names to most
American soccer fans. After a few years of moving about Europe, Adu is reportedly coming to
Philadelphia on a multi-year contract.
The following story features Eclipse Select players Christian Meyer and Mitchell Meyer.By George Wilcox
Pioneer Press
For the Meyer brothers of Clarendon Hills, sometimes watching the Fox Soccer Channel and playing
soccer video games isn't enough.
Brothers Will, Christian and Mitchell are planning a return trip to England later this year to see
an English Premier League game involving Fulham at Chelsea.
Things today that have some others worked into a tizzy, but that leave me saying, "Meh
..."
- FIFA Club World Cup
- El-Hadji Diouf (linked by France press to a potential L.A. Galaxy move), who would be on his
eight club in 10 years, an cautionary sign
- Pretty much any MLS-related transfer reports that come out of France
- Mock MLS drafts
- American soccer players / coaches who don fake English accents
- Video clips of goals set to music (the truly great strikes don't need the extra umph)
- Series finales that leave more unresolved than resolved (that's for Homeland fans)
