After each match the contributors to New England Soccer Today will rate the performances of the United States National Team players who made an appearance on a 1 to 10 scale (1 horrendous, 5 average, 10 perfection). This week Sean Donahue and Brian O'Connell contributed ratings for the USA's 4-1 loss to Brazil.

While the majority of MLS sides were struggling in the US Open Cup the Seattle Sounders were collecting goals from four different players. Sammy Ochoa finished his brace in the the 66th minute to put Seattle up 5-1 over the Atlanta Silverbacks. Starfire and the Open Cup continue to be a place of Sounders victories.

photo by Bernd Feil/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

LANDOVER, Md. -- When the U.S. men's national team's starters walk through the tunnel at FedEx Field on Wednesday, two players who likely will not be among that group are Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore.

May's packed schedule is nearly up for the Seattle Sounders with their last MLS match of the crowded schedule. For some players this will mean a rest. For others, due to injuries, they will be pressed into more duty than one could expect. On top of a likely start at CDM for either Andy Rose or Servando Carrasco there could also be a change in the backline.

Manchester City's controversial striker Mario Balotelli has vowed to be on his best behavior in this summer's European Championships, promising his Italian coaches that he won't see red.

"Mario will keep his word, I'm sure," Italy manager Cesare Prandelli said at his Thursday press conference.

By JASON MITCHELL

It was three years and seven matches in the making, but thanks to a pair of goals and stingy defense the Columbus Crew finally beat the Seattle Sounders.

Justin Meram's header in the 16th minute gave the Crew the only goal they would need Wednesday night, but Emelio Renteria's stunning one-touch volley from 30 yards out in the 76th minute secured the victory.

I spent the last glorious week post-graduation curled up in a fetal position in my room back in Houston. As if my body finally relented to the exhaustion of 4 years of college, I was stricken by a sudden illness the afternoon of my return. Now, I get colds from time to time, but rarely have I been this sick.

Steve Cherundolo: Putting his foot down on international attackers since September of 1999.

On Saturday, the US senior side kicks off its longest run of matches since the 2010 Gold Cup tournament with a set of three friendlies followed by the first triple of World Cup qualifying games.

Will Klinsmann have the US standing tall in World Cup qualifying?

Serie A will witness a drastic haul once the 2012-13 season begins with legendary players such as Alessandro Del Piero and Alessandro Nesta destined to leave the peninsula. There are a number of other players who made some major contributions throughout their career who will either retire or move outside Italy.

Analysing the attackers: by SV Over the past week, we have taken a look at our defensive and midfield units. Today, I shall focus on our attackers. As you will, no doubt, be aware, we play a 4-3-3. That's four defenders, three central midfielders and then three strikers. And it is important to remember that [.

BY DAVE MARTINEZ

In times of great need, unlikely heroes emerge. For the New York Red Bulls, Dax McCarty has proudly carried the mantle of leadership in the face of daunting odds.

"I feel good. I definitely feel like I'm starting to play like I was in Dallas a few years ago when we made that MLS Cup run," McCarty told reporters after New York's 1-0 shutout of the Houston Dynamo.

Milan's quest to repeat as champions of Serie A fell short due to a number of reasons, in particular the injuries which affected the squad and the demands of European football which drained the players.

The Rossoneri must address the following key concerns in order to be successful next season in Italy and Europe:

a) Ibrahimovic Factor: Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been in fine form since his move from Barcelona prior to the beginning of last season.

At this time last year, the Portland Timbers were just eight games into their inaugural season, and they were already creating a reputation for a dangerous ability to score goals off corner kicks and free kicks.

By May 8 the Timbers had scored eleven goals, seven from set pieces. Portland's next game came against Seattle, when Futty Danso famously got his head above Kasey Keller's outstretched mitts and redirected Jack Jewsbury's long free kick for the score.

LAURENT Koscielny reckons Arsenal's new signing Lukas Podolski could help Arsene Wenger's side end the seven-year spell without a trophy. The Gunners wrapped up the signing of the Cologne striker last week and he will make the switch to the Emirates for a fee in the region of £11million. And versatile defender Koscielny, who played against the German international forward in a pre-season game, has hinted that his firepower may contribute to a campaign in which we finally lift some silverware.

After each match the contributors to New England Soccer Today will rate the performances of the New England Revolution players who made an appearance on a 1 to 10 scale (1 horrendous, 5 average, 10 perfection). This week Brian O'Connell and Sean Donahue contributed ratings for the New England Revolution's 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake.

The FA Cup Final: Torres & Drogba v Suarez & Carroll - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Today's FA cup final will provide four big names with the chance to turn a poor season around by bringing success to their respective clubs.

Chelsea's two attackers have had a less that average season, Torres has managed 6 goals in 30 Premier League appearances, whilst Drogba has scored just 5 in 23.

Fernando Cardenas and Saer Sene both put in strong performances for the Revs on Wednesday. (Photo: Tony Biscaia/RevsNet)

After each match the contributors to New England Soccer Today will rate the performances of the New England Revolution players who made an appearance on a 1 to 10 scale (1 horrendous, 5 average, 10 perfection).

After each match the contributors to New England Soccer Today will rate the performances of the New England Revolution players who made an appearance on a 1 to 10 scale (1 horrendous, 5 average, 10 perfection). This week Brian O'Connell and Sean Donahue contributed ratings for the New England Revolution's 1-0 loss at the New York Red Bulls.

'Coach told us today that all we're going to play against XXXXXX is defense'.

Why would you ever tell your players that? It just means you're trying to lose by less, which gains you... what? I've never understood soccer coaches who drop 5-6-7 kids back on defense or directly shadow strikers to try to stem the bleeding.

Shortly after accepting his new position at New England Revolution Head Coach, Jay Heaps expressed his desire to change the style of play completely. Heaps stressed a more attacking, better passing with a focus on maintaining possession. We're through six games of the 2012 season the New England Revolution find themselves with six points at a record of 2-4.

Editor's Note: Within the last hour, Chicago Fire's Chris Rolfe and Toronto FC's Danny Koevermans have been ruled out for Saturday's game

Be wary of a change in formation for TFC (From 4-3-3 to 4-4-2)

In Toronto's latest loss against Chivas, they played a 4-3-3 formation with Plata and Johnson wide and Koevermans in the middle.

Veteran Italian striker Bernardo Corradi has started to leave his mark for the Montreal Impact, with goals in each of the club's last two games. As of now, he'll only have about two more months to contribute up top, though he hopes to extend that period for at least the rest of the season.

I think we can all agree that this was a game to forget. There are no excuses this time. No narrow pitch or early red card to blame. This one was a winnable game, for the most part, but I do not think that the Revs deserved to win it. To be fair, I don't think Dallas did either; a point a piece would have been a just end to this match.

Roma have played down speculation that they are lining up a move for Liverpool ace Luis Suarez.
Recent reports emanating from Italy have suggested Suarez was on Roma's list of summer transfer targets as they look to bolster their attacking options.
Suarez's future at Anfield has been the subject of conjecture in the wake of his eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra earlier this season.

One of the Chicago Fire's more integral players is not going anywhere.

The Fire re-signed speedy attacker Patrick Nyarko on Thursday, locking up the Ghanaian to a new deal, the terms of which were not disclosed by the club. With 19 assists in the last two seasons, Nyarko has been instrumental to Chicago's attack, using his pace to go at defenders while playing consistent provider for fellow Ghanaian Dominic Oduro.

You're staring at the (potential) disaster that is Daniele di Rossi's tattoo. The defensive midfielder has been known for being a harsh and extremely technical player for Roma, but his tattoo definitely takes the cake as the "Roadie Ink Of The Century!" It shows a (defensive) player trying to tackle an opponent's calves except the opponent appears to be Bionic Man and continues running.

Milan only managed a point after a 1-1 draw at Catania but the Rossoneri remain on top of the league standings by two points despite Juventus recording an impressive 3-0 win over Napoli.

On Paper, Milan's schedule is much easier due to two main reasons- the Rossoneri will play 6 of their final 8 matches at the San Siro, including the away clash against city rivals Inter, and have no matches left against top 5 sides.

Photo: Earl Gardner

First the positives for the Union.

They kept their first clean sheet of 2012 and outside of two incisive runs from Sebastien Le Toux, the Whitecaps had very little offense of which to speak. True they were without target man Eric Hassli and midfield maestro Camilo Sanvezzo, but the Union's four man backline, finally reunited, got the job done.

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

By DAVE MARTINEZ

The New York Red Bulls' home opener took on a special meaning for Wilman Conde. The Colombian defender's re-integration to Major League Soccer also marked a return to competition after nearly a year away from the game.

I spent much of the day yesterday reflecting on Saturday's game. What did I like? (Not much.) What didn't I like? (Far too much.) If anything, Saturday's game showed by that there are still a few jitters left over from the 2011 squad that made them an easy road team to beat. The fact that the New England Revolution managed to score within 30 seconds of kick off is fairly telling of our current defensive back line.

Dynamo News

• Dynamo Beat San Jose 1-0 (Houston Dynamo)
• Match Highlights: HOU-SJ (Houston Dynamo)
• Cameron, Boswell keep attackers at bay (MLS Soccer)
• Postgame Notes HOU-SJ (Houston Dynamo)
• Tweets Surrounding the Game (Houston Dynamo)
• Dynamo get the full three points at San Jose (Glenn Davis Soccer)
• Dynamo Down San Jose (Ordinary Orange Fan)
• Houston make light of extended road trip (The Guardian)
• Six Thoughts on Dynamo win (Houston Chronicle)
• Hainault didn't want to leave Houston (MLS Soccer)

Soccer News

• Former Dynamo coach Spencer makes unforgettable call (MLS Soccer)
• MLS Goal of the Week- 2 (MLS Soccer)
• Friend says Muamba is speaking again (Fox Soccer)

Tweet(s) of the Day

Fabrice Muamba's heart is now beating without medication and his arms & legs have shown movement #SSN

- Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 19, 2012

The 2011-2012 season has been quite lacklustre for Manchester United. Even though they are at the top of the Premier League summit, as of the time of writing, the Red Devils have been knocked out of the FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League and were defeated by Athletic Bilbao 3-2 in the Europa League last week.

Sometimes it feels as though for years now, fans have wildly swung between believing the club can't survive without Gerrard and suggesting they can get on just fine without him—even if it would be nice if they didn't have to. It's understandable. After all, the simple truth is Liverpool don't have anyone else capable of doing what Gerrard does when he's on form.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VIt0CQbFaU Did you happen to catch the league game in Romania between Concordia Chijana and Visalani on Saturday night? If not, you missed out primarily on a masterclass of calamitous keeping that makes Massimo Taibi's time at Manchester United look like a reign of consummate composure.

That goal-scoring has been one of Liverpool's greatest problems is no great secret. But Liverpool's first two goals last night – more specifically, how Liverpool scored those goals with quick transitions from defense to attack – shows the promise in this side. If Liverpool play a certain way.
The first was an archetypal break from defense.

It was a classic opening game. The fans came hoping to see signs of a rebirth with new acquisitions and a team style that had finally gelled. They went away disappointed as DC United remained mired in the same ineffective scoring rut that ended the 2011 season.

Kansas City was superior in possession and earned far more good shooting chances.

Photo: Earl Gardner

Everyone else has season previews. Why not us?

But this is a Philly site. Forget the Western Conference. We're keeping it simple and focused. And guessing at the order of finish.

1) Sporting Kansas City

In the Eastern Conference, there is Kansas City and everyone else.

By ADAM SERRANO

The Vancouver Whitecaps begin their second year in MLS with a new head coach and a new sense of promise.

Martin Rennie, who was hired midway through the 2011 season, has quickly sought to revamp a club that finished at the bottom of the Western Conference last season.

The English claim to have invented football... "Football's coming home" they sang in 1996... But everyone knows Holland re-invented football in 1974 and we will take the victory back to Holland. The sacred pitch of Wembley will be ours...

1. Inexperienced attackers

Mathijsen and Heitinga are laughing themselves silly for days.

Etienne Barbara officially joins the Whitecaps. (Photo via Vancouver Whitecaps)

I won't go too much into this signing. The Vancouver Whitecaps have signed their 7th, yes 7th striker for the 2012 season in the form of Maltese international Etienne Barbara.

Barbara rejoins head coach Martin Rennie, the two were together in the NASL with the Carolina RailHawks.