By FRANCO PANIZO

A little over a week separates Italy from the start of their Euro 2012 campaign, and it appears the Azzurri have a lot to work on before then.

Italy suffered a surprising 3-0 defeat to Russia in Zurich, Switzerland on Friday in a friendly that extended the Italians' scoreless streak to 300 minutes.

Valencia's stop in the United States is proving quite successful.

More than a week after defeating the Portland Timbers, the Spanish club beat the Houston Dynamo, 2-1, in a friendly on Thursday night. Valencia rode two early goals from forward Aritz Aduriz to victory against a mostly first-choice Dynamo team in front of a soldout crowd of 22,039 at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Every week the New England Soccer Today crew will look beyond the standings to rank each of the 19 Major League Soccer (MLS) teams. This week Sean Donahue and Ryan Lanigan contributed rankings. Comments are followed by the ranker's name and the rank they gave that team.

1. Real Salt Lake (9-3-2, 29 points)
Three game winning streak and Salt Lake still aren't playing their best football.

Article by Luke Lohr
Photos by Rob Kinnan
The NASL Carolina RailHawks played host to the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer in the third round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Tuesday night. The sold out event was a spectacle to be sure, if only as a chance to showcase the remarkable facilities at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

With the Olympics quickly approaching, it would seem the USWNT are prepared to take on whoever will be thrown at them when they head to London. Pia Sundhage's squad played a great game of football in front of a sold out crowd at PPL Park on Sunday, coming up with a big win against China. This match also marked the debut of new matching kits for both the USMNT and the USWMNT, who put them to good use.

Article by Doak Gips

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Minnesota Stars


It wasn't for a lack of trying, but neither the Rowdies nor the Stars could put anything into the back of the net, and played to a 0-0 draw in front of 3182 fans at Al Lang Stadium in Tampa Bay.

By FRANCO PANIZO

FC Edmonton looked ready to give the San Antonio Scorpions some payback after losing to the Texas club in Week 7, but the Scorpions refused to lose.

San Antonio extended its unbeaten streak to six games on Sunday afternoon, fighting back from two goals down to grab a 2-2 draw with the Eddies.

For someone who was born in Scotland, I never thought I would ever write that headline! Thirty years after a team of Scots conquered Europe when Celtic won the European cup, Scottish football is a shadow of itself. What ever happened to Scotland the Brave. Against the U.S. in Jacksonville FL, it was Scotland the Weak.

Quotes

Portland Timbers Quotes

Head coach John Spencer
General thoughts on the match:
"I thought we never got what we deserved tonight. I felt we were by far the better team for most of the game, for long periods of the game. I thought our football at times was some of the best football we've played the whole year.

SOMERVILLE, Mass. When Katie Schoepfer was substituted out of the game in the 70th minute of Saturday night's 3-2 Breakers victory over the Western New York Flash, the sellout crowd at Dilboy Stadium erupted in applause. With the help of Schoepfer and her first career hat trick, the Breakers solidified their place as the top team in WPSL Elite and extended their unbeaten streak to four.

In case anyone was wondering: Landon Donovan hasn't lost his mojo. And Saturday's performance was proof positive.

A trio of goals from the Galaxy playmaker powered the United States to a 5-1 thrashing of Scotland in an international friendly at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.

Donovan, who returned to pitch after an eight-month hiatus from the national team, opened his account in the 3rd minute, and added two more in the 60th and 65th minutes.

The United States wasted no time as Landon Donovan put them on top in the third minute. The goal was a result of turnover good play in the midfield which resulted in a great chance for Donovan. His first shot was saved but he quickly followed up and sent a shot just under the crossbar to make it 1-0.

photo by John Todd/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- U.S. men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann talked earlier in the week about starting this jampacked summer by defeating Scotland in an exciting manner.

Klinsmann got just what he asked for.

After a hat-trick Friday evening versus the Dayton Dutch Lions on the Island, Yann Ekra stayed hot and led the Harrisburg City Islanders to victory Tuesday night in a US Open Cup match against the Long Island Rough Riders (Premier Development League).

In the 22nd minute of the match, after a strong build up by the Islanders, Ekra fed the ball to former Philadelphia Union midfielder Morgan Langley with a clever back-heel pass.

Liverpool defender Fabio Aurelio has sealed his exit from Anfield after agreeing a one and a half year deal with Brazilian club Gremio. Aurelio had been at Anfield for six years, but this summer saw his time expire after Liverpool released him.

The writing was on the wall for the left back when Liverpool signed former Newcastle standout Jose Enrique, and with a new manager on the way in Aurelio will be looking forward to a new start in his home country.

Oxlade-Chamberlain: RVP Is Irreplaceable

Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain believes that if club captain Robin van Persie is sold in the upcoming transfer window, then goal scoring would become a major problem for the Gunners.

Moreover, the former Southampton starlet told The Sun that van Persie is a major presence at the club and his departure would leave a massive leadership hole in the Arsenal dressing room.

Quick Recap: Portland started a mix of the first XI and the game day 18 players but it wasn't enough to keep Valencia from getting the first goal. At the half the subs all came in and the young guns got their chance to show what they can do but they could not find the back of the net despite having some good opportunities.

The Boston Breakers claimed their franchise-best third straight victory to start the season in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the New York Fury at Hofstra University in Long Island, N.Y.

Tameka Butt (10′) and Katie Schoepfer (19′) each scored first half tallies while Merritt Mathias (66′) scored the lone Fury goal.

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.

Arsenal Told to Decide About Benayoun

Arsenal have been informed by Chelsea that they need to make a swift decision over whether they want to sign Yossi Benayoun on a permanent deal or not. (The Daily Mail)

Benayoun, who spent the 2011/12 season on loan at Arsenal, impressed during his time in North London and scored six goals in 25 matches.

What does a week with six draws get you? Oddly enough a good deal of movement in my power rankings.

I shuffled a couple tiers around, as the top group got one team bigger and the third tier got a few clubs larger. Really that third tier is just a bunch of mess that could either go up or down at this point.

By Max Grieve

Munich rocked; the Allianz Arena shaking in anticipation of the final whistle. It would come, as it always does, but brought with it a fresh burden. Drogba rose to meet the corner; Drogba fell back to earth, and sent millions into raptures.

Quick Recap:

Portland goes up early but couldn't hold onto the lead as Chicago equalizes in the first half. The second half was much of the same as Portland gets the first goal but this time holds on for the win. 2-1 Portland wins.

First Half:

The Portland Timbers looked to show off their offensive talent early and often and it almost created the early goal.

By FRANCO PANIZO

FC Nordsjaelland are one step away from becoming champions of Denmark, and Michael Parkhurst is a big reason for that.

Playing left back, Parkhurst delivered the assist on the winning goal in Nordsjaelland's 1-0 victory over Brondby. The win placed Nordsjaelland in first place in Denmark with one game left in the season.

FC Dallas and the Philadelphia Union's respective winless runs continue.

Panamanians Blas Perez and Gabriel Gomez each found the back of the net for their teams, as FC Dallas and the Union played to a 1-1 draw at FC Dallas Stadium on Saturday. The result leaves FC Dallas without a victory in their last seven games, while the Union have not won in their last four.

"We're a Football League club, how good is that?" Gary Mills' reaction to York City's return to the league was typically unshowy, embodying the calm, quiet way the Minstermen have gone about their season.

There were no tears, no whoops of delight and not much in the way of a wild celebration, just an acknowledgement of how much it means for the club to win.

Kyah Simon scored two goals to help send the Breakers to a 4-1 win against FC Indiana before a sold-out Dilboy Stadium on Friday.

Simon scored the second and third Boston goals while Katie Schoepfer opened the account in the 9th minute. Tameka Butt capped the Breakers' scoring with a 57th minute effort.

CRANSTON, R.I. Paulo Mendes scored the first goal in Rhode Island Reds history in Friday's 1-1 draw to FC New York.

Mendes' 41st minute tally tied it after Cemil Turin put New York on the board in the 8th minute. The 1-1 draw also marked the first point collected by the Reds, who dropped a 1-0 in their inaugural game last week against the Brooklyn Italians.

Article by Doak Gips
Welcome all to your new weekly NASL recap! I'll be here keeping you informed of what's going on in the lower league and who's been making an impact at that level. You probably will recognize a lot of names coming in as a whole lot of NASL guys have played at the MLS level at some point and usually jump back and forth between both.

By FRANCO PANIZO

The first-place Puerto Rico Islanders just continue to roll in NASL, and their latest victim was a team that handed them their only loss of the season.

The Islanders exacted revenge against the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers on Saturday, beating them, 2-0, in front of a crowd of 1,060 at Bayamon Soccer Complex.

There's little doubt that Alan Pardew has concerns about losing Demba Ba this summer. Papiss Cisse - in action yesterday What's that ball doing there it should be in the back of the net And in last Friday's BBC Radio Five call-in he said there was some truth to the rumors about Ba having a release clause in his contract, and that Newcastle were trying to fix that by offering the Senegal striker [.

By FRANCO PANIZO

Josh Gatt made his return to Molde FK's starting lineup this weekend, and he might be staying there for the foreseeable future after a strong outing in a blowout win.

Molde topped Stabaek 5-0 on Saturday, and Gatt contributed to the rout with a goal and an assist.

It was a rude welcome to WPSL Elite for the Mutiny, as Merrit Mathias' hat trick led the New York Fury to a 5-1 rout of the hosts at East Longmeadow High School on Saturday.

Mathias (5′, 24′, 42′) Jasmyne Spencer (14′) Megan Lenczyk (74′) found the back of the net for the Empire State-based side.

Last season Newcastle were very good at set plays, and got a number of goals from corners and free kicks. Douglas FC Twente 6'4″ Brazilian center-back Of course it helped when Andy Carroll was at the club, and he could get to the balls with his head, and often knock them down for other players to put the ball into the back of the net.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

Philadelphia Union

John Hackworth on the New York Red Bulls: "I don't think they like us and I don't think we like them."

Sheanon Williams on the Red Bulls: "Regardless how many years we've been around, it's Philly and New York, and nobody in Philly likes any teams in New York, and that is definitely how it goes with the Union and Red Bulls.

• 00:05 - Pregame handshakes.
• 00:20 - Chase Harrison and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar collide inside of the Philadelphia Union 18. Huntelaar was accidentally hit in the face by Harrison, who was attempting to punch a cross out of his area. The Dutch striker was diagnosed with a concussion and his face had already begun to swell up.

"I've agreed to keep communication open with [Preston North End manager] Graham Westley just in case I come across a miracle cure," began a brief statement by former Liverpool striker Neil Mellor. "But realistically, and regrettably, this is the end of my playing days."

It was sad news for the player, and more than a touch sad too for the countless Liverpool fans who will fondly remember the massive role Mellor played in the road to Istanbul and Champions League glory in 2005.

"I've agreed to keep communication open with [Preston North End manager] Graham Westley just in case I come across a miracle cure," began a brief statement by former Liverpool striker Neil Mellor. "But realistically, and regrettably, this is the end of my playing days."

It was sad news for the player, and more than a touch sad too for the countless Liverpool fans who will fondly remember the massive role Mellor played in the road to Istanbul and Champions League glory in 2005.

Every week the New England Soccer Today crew will look beyond the standings to rank each of the 19 Major League Soccer (MLS) teams. This week Sean Donahue and Ryan Lanigan contributed rankings. Comments are followed by the ranker's name and the rank they gave that team.

T1.

Henderson celebrates...Liverpool ended their last league game at Anfield this season in style with a 4-1 win over Chelsea. They say revenge is a dish best served cold but the Reds were on fire yesterday as they redeemed themselves after Chelsea won in the Cup.
Chelsea manager di Matteo started a changed side due to the fact his team face Bayern Munich in a few days time for the Champions League final.