Still with U.S. Soccer.After the recent successes officials are confident that the time is right for the next move.They are excited about the prospect of bringing young Hispanic and African-Americans into the mainstream.
Sunil Gulati, the president of the United States Soccer Federation says.

¡Qué trágico! for poor Diego Buonanotte. If you haven't heard, the influential River Plate midfielder was involved in a fatal car crash which killed three of his friends on Saturday. And according to the Argentinean dailies, Diego, who is in the hospital now frequently wakes up in the middle of the night asking "what happened?

Felipe Melo definitely won't be coming to Arsenal this summer, but his fellow Brazilian Naldo certainly could be. Werder Bremen's central defender has been tipped to join the Gunners' by coach Thomas Schaaf who's quoted a potential transfer fee at just under £8million. "Naldo is a great athlete and could do well at the right [.

Internet site Sport.co.uk, the site that first reported the imminent signature of Thomas Vermaelen, though in fairness they do print so much garbage they are making Tribal football look respectable, are stating that Brazilian centre back Naldo is on his way from Werder Bremen to Arsenal.

They quote Werder Bremen coach who said, "Naldo is a great athlete and could do well at the right club, unfortunately he doesn't fit the direction we're planning to move in any longer.

Dunga has revealed why he chose to exclude The Dinho from the selection that will compete in South Africa.

"He has a player with quality. I trust him - he's a different athlete. He is going through a bad time but I hope he can overcome that. Seeing a player like Ronaldinho on the bench is not good.

Owen Hargreaves last game for Manchester United was our 1-1 draw away to Chelsea. He saw out the full 90 minutes before decisions were made to operate on both of his knees in November.

Whilst Darren Fletcher is capable of filling the more sterdy midfield role, we really are lacking in players like Hargreaves in our squad, which makes it so frustrating to be without him for so long.

The eternal question of football/soccer and its survival in the United States is: Why won't the sport be huge and break into the Big 4 of US Professional Sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR)?
Well we here at MAF have 5 answers to that question that will make you think and hopefully bring out some emotion in favor or against these arguments.

Intelligent Athlete Academy has revolutionized sport specific training with their Virtual Sports Performance Systems. This is just ONE example of thousands of drills and personalized sport specific training solutions at Intelligent Athlete Academy. Our Virtual Sports Performance System provides PERSONALIZED workout programs to each athlete developed by LEADING performance specialists in EACH SPORT.

Soccer Training with athlete of the Brazilian club A.A.Internacional of limeira with Physical Trainer Djair Garcia Duration : 0:2:20 Technorati Tags: athele, brazilian, club, coach, football, Soccer, Training

Hopefully, you'll all remember what Nike SPARQ testing is. Standing for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness, the battery of tests that Academy players underwent at the Winter Showcase and then again in the Spring Showcase help to measure each individual athlete's overall athletic ability. They can then train for specific weaknesses, helping to improve their ability over time.

Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby was all over the news last weekend following an incredible own goal which gave Manchester United the lead at Old Trafford.

Manager Arsene Wenger believes the 23-year old will recover from that and can go on to become a main figure in the Gunner's midfield.

The Frenchman said:

If he stays injury free, he can be an athlete and powerhouse.

Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie are likely not the hugging pair anymore. Last weekend Adebayor showed the world that he is in fact a "mindless and malicious" player as his former teammate van Persie pointed out. And Adebayor likely deserves a severe ban for his unprofessional actions.

Who's got the freshest ink? Footballers love their ink. We love looking at the ink of footballers. Some of us more than others. Much of this has to do with a delve into the mind of an athlete, a demographic not to be confused with a Nobel recipient roll call. For example, which footballer needs a [.

Jozy Altidore's days at Hull City could be numbered, and his chances for playing time in the immediate future seem remote, after he became the latest athlete to get in trouble for posting something revealing via Twitter.

Altidore is being issued an undisclosed fine by Hull for tweeting an apology after arriving late to the club's match vs.

Ronaldo, the prolific big boned striker and all-time leading World Cup goal scorer thinks the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is the perfect venue for his retirement.
The current Corinthians striker, who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title, said "A chance to play in the World Cup would prolong my professional career.

The Sunday Conversation is a segment that airs on Sunday morning editions of ESPN's SportsCenter in the USA . It is usually an interview with an athlete, coach, or other member of the world of sports who has been in the news for some reason. These sit-down interviews are typically very in-depth and last several [.

Anderson has gone all out on praising Manchester United's new signing Michael Owen. It appears as though we've got quite a fan in the ranks!

"I am certain that he will help us a lot," said Anderson. "He is a player who has played a big part in the history of English football. I hope he has more success in Manchester and helps us repeat the excellent season that we had last year.

Wake Forest forward Cody Arnoux is set to join the American revolution at Everton, as reported by Ives Galarcep on ESPN.
The Premier League team was impressed by the American youngster during his trial at Everton in March. Arnoux is set to sign a contract with the Liverpool-based club, making him the second American player to join Everton this summer.

For those of you out there wondering what exactly "dookie rope" is or isn't, please allow me to clarify. This is not a dookie rope, it is just a common chain painted gold. This on the other hand is a classic dookie rope chain. Note the tell-tale twisted flow of the rope; so gangsta.
Now, about that award then.

Ever since joining Man United in 2007, Owen Hargreaves has been having a terrible time with injuries. Hargreaves finally joined United in 2007 after almost a year of speculation and negotiations between United and German side Bayern Munich.
The first season he was at United was successful; he helped United win the Champions League and the Premier League.

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Apr 16, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- I was recently interviewed by Tony McClean of the Black Athlete Sports Network for his show "Weekend Sports Rap". The focus of the interview was mainly about Blacks in the game of soccer domestically and internationally, but the discussion turned toward soccer's relatively low spot in America's sporting landscape.

Eric Steege, a former Monona Grove athlete and...
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We sports fans, even those of us who are ostensibly grown men, have a tendency to make our favorite athletes out to be larger than life. Different, somehow, then the rest of us who show up to a job we may or may not like every day and feel underpaid and underappreciated. So it is nice, on occasion, when we discover that an athlete is still a person, that he hasn't forgotten where he came from, and that he is, perhaps, in his own way, not so different than you and I.

Soccer Training with athlete of the Brazilian club A.A.Internacional of limeira with Physical Trainer Djair Garcia Duration : 0:2:8 Technorati Tags: athele, brazilian, club, coach, football, Soccer, Training

Betcha didn't think the highlight of the weekend would be from Egypt's friendly with....checking....checking....Oman. Amr Zaki, the new/old Mido, hasn't made himself very welcome at Wigan as of late. In fact he was famously called by Steve Bruce the most "unprofessional" athlete he's ever worked with - no small charge.

Soccer Training with athlete of the Brazilian club A.A.Internacional of limeira with Physical Trainer Djair Garcia Duration : 0:1:47 Technorati Tags: athele, brazilian, club, coach, football, Soccer, Training

A 32 page dossier on Michael Owen the 'ahem' 'athlete;ambassador and icon' here.. gives you all the possible information you could ever want to know and more.

The Kansas City Star is reporting that Curt Onalfo's Kansas City Wizards will roster a team of reserve players when they take on the Minnesota Thunder on Tuesday night June 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the third round of the US Open Cup. The game will be carried on USL Live.com.

Onalfo told the paper that he will probably only use two starters in the contest against the Thunder.

Michael Owen, 'the athlete; the ambassador; the icon', is laid bare in all his former glory here in the 32-page brochure distributed to elite football clubs across Europe, touting the ex-England striker as a potential summer signing.

Do you want your club to sign the former Liverpool prodigy, turned Newcastle flop?

Reports this morning are that Adebayor's move to Manchester City, which yesterday seemed to be virtually a done deal, is now on hold. Apparently Adebayor is worried about how the move might be perceived in Africa, where Arsenal is a very popular club and Manchester City is virtually unknown. He's worried his fellow Africans, with whom he is very well-liked, will think it means he doesn't care about winning and only cares about money.

It's only three games in and Cristiano Ronaldo's $131 million salary is already starting to pay off. The young player scored his first Real Madrid goal in a game against Liga de Quito that ended in a 4-2 victory.

Cristiano Ronaldo in action during the Peace Cup match between Real Madrid and Liga de Quito at Santiago Bernabeu stadium on July 28, 2009 in Madrid, Spain.

David Beckham's ego is off the charts. He is not bashful in the least bit, as noted from his underwear ads and from his attitude towards his career.

He has expressed himself with the press on a range of topics. Most recently, he appeared with ESPN and answered questions regarding his notorious outburst towards fans from the stands.

Ladies of New England, behold the Massachusetts Mack Daddy of the Month courtesy of RevsTV. Sure he's not a Celtic or a Red Sock but he is a pro athlete who makes pretty good money. He is also single. He also likes his ladies in "any white top," a pair of jeans and high heels so if you can handle that you at least have a shot.

At halftime of Saturday's FC Dallas v Colorado Rapids broadcast, sideline reporter Kelly Webster interviewed FCD defender George John.
What followed was one of those classic strange local broadcast moments that typically find their way on to the internet for all of us to laugh about.
In this case, we get a strange comment and an even stranger question from Kelly Webster.

Wenger shows interest in up and coming centre back.

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Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic has been reported to be attracting interest from Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City.

The Washington Hospital Center issued a press statement on Tuesday announcing that United States National Team forward Charlie Davies has been released from the hospital. Davies has been recuperating at the National Rehabilitation Hospital. "I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has dealt with me in the Hospital Center and NRH for really putting in the time to help me get better as a person and as an athlete," Davies said.

''David Beckham will have a greater impact on soccer in America than any athlete has ever had on a sport globally,'' said Timothy J. Leiweke, president and CEO of AEG, the sports and entertainment conglomerate that operates the Galaxy. ``David is truly the only individual that can build the bridge between soccer in America and the rest of the world.

Briefing: Agent Marvell Wynne (aka "Mr. Marvellous") is a rookie to the MNT for all practical purposes. The 22 year old has not had a chance to prove himself in big missions. But, when Mission 2010 rolls around, I think he needs to be ready. The Pittsburgh native is very fast and extremely talented.

Fit For Soccer is a company that develops individualized and team strength and conditioning programs that are soccer specific. Whether you are an athlete that inspires to play at the high school, college or professional level, Fit For Soccer can tailor a fitness program to help you reach your full potential and bring your [.

Dear athlete,

Whether you know it or not you are, quite literally, a marketable product... but unless you're one of the few headliners in your league, chances are you just can't afford a team of people to get your name out there, build a cool website, or create a personalized marketing campaign.