Canberra United are expected to announce their first round of signings on Friday.
FFA Release below
ADELAIDE UNITED ANNOUNCES MATILDA AS CAPTAIN FOR WESTFIELD W-LEAGUE
Adelaide United FC has secured former Matildas representative Di Alagich as the club's Women's League Captain in a major coup for the women's game in South Australia ahead of the inaugural Westfield W-League.

Queue the jokes about the Seattle Mariners....
This tidbit comes to us courtesy of the Boston Globe:

Seattle Sounders FC received permission from Revolution director of soccer Mike Burns to talk to assistant coach Paul Mariner about its head coaching position, a league source confirmed last night.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

So who is the most wanted man in Major League Soccer? No, this isn't a David Beckham joke. The answer, it turns out, is Kansas City Wizards technical director Peter Vermes. Less than a month after turning down an offer to become general manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy, now comes word that he has turned down an MLS head coaching job.

It's been over 300 days - 327 according to the maginificent calculator at timeanddate.com - since my last Rhode Island College women's soccer game. And my, oh my, have things changed immensely since that heartbreaking evening in Danbury, CT back on November 1, 2007.
For beginners, nine seniors have since graduated.

US and Hannover 96 defender Steve Cherundolo has now reported into his club's training camp after being given a bit more time to rest after three tough international matches for the USA. During the break, he also changed agents, from his longtime representaive Dr. Michael Becker to the Hannover based Harun Arslan.

This article comes to us courtesy of Argentine site Facetas Deportivas. It details the travel plans of FC Dallas's assistant coach John Ellinger who has one mission: To bring back players and hopefully "El Burrito" Ortega is one of them. With the pending transfers of Juan Toja and Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas will have some big holes to fill.

Do coaches lead more than just our players? We often speak of our players as leaders, or our ability as coaches to lead our team -- but what about or ability as coaches to lead one another? How important is leadership within a coaching staff, and what does the leadership that your staff exhibits ultimately mean for the players on your team?

It is no secret that Galaxy gaffer, Ruud Gullit is not on good terms with Carlos "El Pescadito" Ruiz. And it is an open secret that LA has been shopping Ruiz around the league. There have even been some who suggest he may be headed back to play for a club in Guatemala. We may soon have an answer to the questions regarding Ruiz's future.

Updates at bottom.

So the hammer comes down.

The Los Angeles Times, in a story by Grahame Jones, reports that AEG has axed BOTH Alexi Lalas and Ruud Gullit in a meeting held today.

Jones reports,

In a pair of sweeping changes brought about by a Major League Soccer season in meltdown, the Los Angeles Galaxy today removed Alexi Lalas as team president and general manager and Ruud Gullit as coach.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Eddie Lewis and Cory Gibbs are set to come back to the Major League Soccer.

SBI has learned that the Los Angeles Galaxy are set to acquire the rights to Lewis after passing on Gibbs with the top spot in the MLS Allocation order.

Former Socceroo, Canberra Cosmos player and now Canberra United and Assistant Matildas and ACTAS Coach Robbie Hooker talked about his plans as boss of the newest team in town. Should girl's play with boys? Who will we sign and more.....
Canberra United W-League Coach Robbie Hooker fronted up to the Nearpost Radio (98.

The Rapids will have US Mens National Team midfield Pablo Mastroeni back tonight when they take on the Houston Dynamo tonight. Is Pablo healthy and ready to start? The team hasn't said he's not despite him coming off early in the USMNT World Cup Qualifier against Barbados last weekend with, well, what appeared to be a sore butt.

Tomorrow sees Indonesia host the New Zealand Olympic side as they prepare for their bid for gold in Beijing.
Tickets go on sale on the day of the match from 9 am and are available in four categories:
VIP West - 100,000 rupiah
VIP East - 75,000
Category 1 - 50,000
Category 2 - 25,000
Last night I went to a reception hosted by the New Zealand ambassador at his place and managed to meet the squad and coaches.

Graham Jones of the LA Times with the story that comes as no surprise to anyone.
LA Galaxy owners AEG fired both team president/general manager Alexi Lalas and head coach Ruud Gullit today.
The dead give away came when Gullit put his house up for sale last week, then claimed his "wife just didn't really like the place".

Photo by ISIphotos.com

The Los Angeles Galaxy will introduce Bruce Arena as the team's new head coach at a press conference scheduled for 2pm ET today.

Arena and assistant coach Dave Sarachan will take over for former Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit, who resigned a week ago, and their first game at the Galaxy helm will be Saturday against the Chicago Fire.

While we're sadden to see a good man like John Murphy relieved of his assistant coaching position, we're happy to see him move into his new role. According to team insiders, while Coach Clavijo and former assistant coach John Murphy's...

Merryn Sherwood from the Canberra Times scoops the story on Danny Vukovic,

He's been banned from the Olympics for striking a referee, but Central Coast Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic is clear to play against the ACT Rockets at Deakin tonight.

What is going on!

What was supposed to have been a battle for the right to play for the SuperLiga final instead turned into, well, a battle.
Atlante vs. New England in a battle royale. Vilar versus Heaps. Atlante assistant versus Albright. Disgrace versus Revolution.
The match itself was not the greatest display of soccer.

The LA Galaxy will introduce former US National team coach Bruce Arena as the team's new head coach at a press conference scheduled for 1pm CT today. Arena and assistant coach Dave Sarachan will take over for the Galaxy and have their first game against Chicago this Thursday in Primetime action. Cobi Jones is expected to [.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Fernando Clavijo has resigned as Colorado Rapids head coach in a move that seemed destined to happen even before the 2008 season began.

"A lot of things happened through the year that I was not happy with in many ways," Clavijo told the Denver Post.

Real Maryland FC of the USL-2 has named Carolina RailHawks goalkeeper coach David Noyes as their new General Manager.
Noyes brings over twenty five years experience as a professional soccer player and coach to the USL-2 side. He has directed soccer programs ranging from youth camps and clinics to collegiate and professional levels.

Sounds like the New England Revolution had a strange flight to Southern California today for Sunday's SuperLiga game against Chivas USA:

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An American Airlines flight from Boston to Los Angeles was diverted to Oklahoma City on Friday after a passenger stripped, put his clothes back on and then tried to open an emergency exit door before being subdued by members of a pro soccer team andothers, the FBI said.

FC Dallas midfielder Victor Sikora has suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and will miss 4-6 weeks of action, according to club officials. The injury occurred during FCD's 1-1 draw against Kansas City on Saturday when the former Ajax star was tackled by the Wizards' Sasha Victorine just minutes into the second half.

PRESS RELEASE
Springfield Soccer Club

Zach Alumbaugh to take Assistant Coach Position at Loras College

Zach Alumbaugh (pictured on right), the Director of External Affairs for the Springfield Soccer Club, has accepted a position with Loras College. Alumbaugh will serve as the Assistant Men's Soccer Coach and Goalkeeper Coach for the Women's team.

England manager Fabio Capello has indicated that Spurs front man Darren Bent may be in line for a recall to the England setup. Bent currently has 3 caps for the national side but having sent England assistant coach Franco Baldini to watch Bent against Roma Capello has decided that perhaps it is time for Bent to increase his tally.

Back before the season began, WV Hooligan put out Fernando Clavijo, Sigi Schmid and Juan Carlos Osario as his top 3 for being in the coaching hot seat in the MLS. Sigi Schmid doesn't appear to be close with the Crew, along with head coaching rookie Dennis Hamlett's Chicago Fire, still in contention with New England for the Supporters Shield.

Well, it happened. Fernando Clavijo and the Colorado Rapids have parted ways with 11 games left in the 2008 MLS season.

I didn't think it would with the Rapids front office seemingly content to wait for Clavijo's contract to run out at the end of the year. Likewise Fernando Clavijo didn't seem interested in leaving before his contract was up.

It's finally happened. The Rapids have fired their coach, Fernando Clavijo. Surprisingly, Gary Smith is going to take over for him on an interim basis, whatever that means. I say suprisingly, because it seemed like the Rapids have been preening assistant coach John Murphy for the job. He's been the face of the coaching staff for years, and the Rapids even sent him over to Europe to become the first American to be a UEFA certified manager.

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Ex-QPR Birthdays: David Bardsley Turns 45...John Spencer Turns 37-
QPR's former England International fullback, David Bardsley Turns 45: Born September 11, 1964. Signed by Trevor Francis in 1989 from Oxford. Bardsley played almost nine seasons with QPR. Bardsley is - or at least was recently - coaching Ajax academy in Florida.

If ever there was a game in need of a strong leader to take it by the scruff of the neck it was Thursday night's Group B match between Germany and Croatia. The chaotic early pace, the slipshod passes, the ill-timed tackles; the match needed a firm master, someone who would play the ball and control movement.

Who: New England Revolution at Chivas USA
What: SuperLiga Group Stages
Where: Titan Stadium at Cal-State Fullerton, Fullerton, Calif.
When: Sunday, 8:00 p.m. (Telefutura, MLSNet.com)

The New England Revolution had a delayed arrival in Los Angeles Friday after General Manager Craig Tornberg, VP of Player Personnel Mike Burns, and assistant coach Gwynne Williams had to restrain a man trying to open an emergency exit on the team's American Airlines flight at an altitude of 30,000 feet.

After Frank Yallop resigned, I was wondering if the head coaching position at the Galaxy might be offered to Cobi Jones. It wasn't, of course, at least not directly.
Thing is, when I was talking to Cobi about becoming Ruud's assistant, back when they were introduced together as a team, there was one thing he made expressly clear.

It was a more relaxed-looking and less intense-sounding Bruce Arena who was introduced as the Galaxy's new general manager and coach this morning at Home Depot Center.

The former U.S. National Team coach and two-time MLS Cup winner with D.C. United was under no illusions about the scale of the task facing him to get the Galaxy into the playoffs.

Nick at We Want Rapidman felt the Colorado Rapids, with new coach Gary Smith at the helm, would be fired up and ready to play at RFK Stadium against DC United. Unfortunately that wasn't the case with the Rapids losing 3-0.

View From The Couch takes a look back at the Clavijo Era. Note that the talk on the street was that Clavijo was a coach in name only.

Group A: Chelsea, Roma, Bordeaux, CFR Cluj
I lol at everybody writing off Bordeaux. Fear Laurent Blanc, people. Fear him. This isn't as straight-forward as it looks.
Group B: Inter, Werder, Panathinaikos, Anorthosis
This I think is as straight-forward as it looks.

Goal Seattle has a great rundown of rumors and news surrounding the team's coaching search.
Added is a report from Ives that the K.C. technical director Peter Vermes turned down the job.
While current Sounder coach Brian Schmetzer remains in the pool, there is one name that's getting some mention.

Brazil has produced some of the most potent footballers on the planet. Names like Ronaldinho and Ronaldo (not the Manchester United maestro) spring to mind. But, Brazil has also produced some of the sexiest goalkeeping you'll ever see...goalkeeping, and some may argue goalkeepers as well, or not. Dida and Rogerio Ceni with his goal scoring prowess are two that spring to mind instantly.

Two months after winning the Champions League final in Moscow it has been anything but a quiet summer at Old Trafford. With the long-running Ronaldo soap-opera plus assistant coach Carlos Queiroz leaving to take over at Portugal Sir Alex Ferguson has seen his pres-season plans thrown into turmoil. With United returning almost everyone from last year's [.

Not exactly football-related but topical, nonetheless. Chaos the other night in Detroit as Candace Parker and Detroit's Plenette Pierson spark a bench-clearer. First handbags, then punches. Bodies flying everywhere, people getting hurt. Ten players plus an assistant coach were suspended as a result.

i received a phone call today from Chicago Fire legend and Ring of Fire member Lubos Kubik. He was at the airport waiting to board for a flight to Hong Kong and the Beijing Olympics where he will serve as Piotr Nowak's Assistant Coach for the United States Men's Olympic Soccer Team.
We talked about getting together in October when he plans to be in Chicago and he offered to help the Chicago Red Stars source players in Eastern Europe.