I'm not a referee but it's apparent to me from the replays that Carlos Bocanegra interfered with the Slovenian defender which in turn provided a means by which Maurice Edu was able to run onto the ball the he buried into the net. It was a foul the referee was in position to see, to his credit. In talking to a pair of local referees, I have learned that there is no rule that requires the referee to tell the players, or even the coaches, what was called.

Well, the goals just keep coming for Mexico's Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez. Manchester United's Hernandez found the back of the net against his new team while playing for his old squad, Chivas Guadalajara, during Chivas' 3-2 win on Friday night.

Man U boss Sir Alex Ferguson was most likely pleased with Chicharito's performance, but would have definitely preferred him scoring for his new squad rather than his old one.

By AVI CREDITOR

Advantage, new guys.

Major League Soccer's freshest regional rivalry produced a riveting first chapter, with the expansion Philadelphia Union securing its first-ever win with a 3-2 result over league stalwart D.C. United Saturday night.

By FRANCO PANIZO

The U.S. men's national team entered its friendly against the Netherlands having never defeated the Dutch in the three all-time meetings between the two teams.

You can now make that four meetings without a win for the U.S.

Goals from Dirk Kuyt and Klass-Jan Huntelaar were enough to hand the Netherlands a 2-1 victory over the U.

FC Dallas fell to DC United 4-2 Wednesday night at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. It was the second time in as many years that FC Dallas has lost a play-in game for the U.S. Open Cup to DC United. DC United scored twice in the first half to take the 2-0 lead into the half on goals from Christian Castillo and Adam Cristman, who would end up hitting the back of the net twice for DC United on the night.

Last weeks uninspired performance against DC United was not only a disappointment when put into context of the weeks events, but it was also a lost opportunity for the Red Bulls to tie the Columbus Crew for first place in the East. This week, the team has a shot at redemption, and then some.

With their tie last week, and the Crews loss, the Red Bulls found themselves two points out of first place through 15 games even.

Will Juan Pablo Angel and Thierry Henry be the offensive dynamo everyone expects to see? Red Bull fans will get their first glimpse this afternoon as both are expected to start the game against Manchester City in the Barclays New York Challenge.

Currently, the second place Bulls have accumulated 18 goals through 16 games; hardly a score line to hang their hats on.

photo credit: cmaccubbin

Real Madrid-Mallorca

Real Madrid blew a chance to move into a share of the lead last week in their 0-0 match against Osasuna and this weekend they need to prove that they can rediscover the back of the net against a strong fourth place squad in Mallorca.

By AVI CREDITOR

PHILADELPHIA - Sebastien Le Toux's hat trick capped off a wild home opener for the Philadelphia Union, as the expansion team defeated regional rival D.C. United 3-2 at Lincoln Financial Field Saturday night.

Le Toux's 20-yard free kick found a seam in United's wall and eventually the back of the net to break a 2-2 tie in the 80th minute and deliver the Union the franchise's first victory.

Former FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper could be on his way back to Major League Soccer this summer, according to a report in the German publication Bild. With prospects of getting meaningful playing time for 1860 Munich fading, Cooper is allegedly interested in returning to the United States to get his career back on track.

Jermain Defoe is the hero in England today after he scored the only goal of the game that helped England move into the second round of the 2010 World Cup.

In a game that England dominated, despite some good chances by Slovenia to equalize, Defoe's goal was what separated the sides and enabled England to finish in second place in the group.

Mexican start Nery Castillo and Omar Bravo have arrived in Major League soccer and should add a serious punch to the sometimes dull matches in the league.

"I'm very happy to be joining the Fire, which is a club that I feel embodies the same values that I have as a player," said Castillo.

Brrrrrr! Wayne Rooney's cold streak continues and the man who at one time last season couldn't miss the back of the net can't find the once familiar area to save his life right now. Wayne Rooney hasn't scored a single league or national team goal since nearly six months ago in March. And the number of games without a goal for Rooney right now is at unlucky number thirteen.

He's been highly-rated for some time, but Theo Walcott is finally starting to show some steady progress. With several goals already in the bag for the campaign, Walcott has developed an appetite for shooting rather than crossing and with fresh demands for a central role now tickling the ears of manager Arsene Wenger, there is indeed a tactical decision to make.

American international Jozy Altidore has finally opened his account in the English Premier League. The Hull City forward found the back of the net after 31 minutes in his club's shock 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Saturday, breaking an over year-long drought since he last scored a goal (November 2008 with Villarreal).

By FRANCO PANIZO

It appears age is nothing but a number for Brad Friedel.

The 38-year-old Friedel posted his eighth shutout in Aston Villa's last ten league games by making five saves in the Villans' scoreless draw with Tottenham. Averaging less than a goal against per game, Friedel now has 11 cleansheets on the season.

By AVI CREDITOR

After falling 2-1 at the San Siro in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Chelsea needs a strong performance Tuesday to avoid joining Real Madrid, AC Milan and the other Champions League spectators on the outside looking in.

Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge with his confident Inter Milan squad, its recent 3-1 loss to Serie A minnow Catania not withstanding.

Former Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman had an interesting run-in with new MLS star Thierry Henry last night in Dallas. Can't find video, but after a NY goal, Hartman went to clear the ball back up to midfield as Henry went to blast the ball into the back of the net in an NBA JAM Double-Dunk reference.

photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Benny Feilhaber just cannot be stopped.

Having scored four goals in the past seven days, Feilhaber continued his tear with AGF Aarhus on Sunday as he assisted on two goals and scored a clutch game-winner in a 3-2 victory over Koge.

The Champions League is providing plenty of interesting stories, for example, do you remember Vincent Enyeama? He was the Nigerian goalkeeper in the 2010 South Africa World Cup, and he basically stopped Messi from scoring his first goal of the World Cup.
Well, Enyeama became the third goalkeeper ever to score in a Champions League match when he slotted in his penalty for Hapoel Tel-Aviv.

If money and timing were no object then these five would all be plying their trade at Anfield!

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Some of these fall into the "if money was no object category" and others are more realistic and do not require us to spend money we don't have, ala Portsmouth, and hell some wouldn't cost a penny (if we ask nicely)!

By FRANCO PANIZO

Landon Donovan's possible home finale with Everton may have only been a 20-minute cameo, but it was a productive outing that saw Donovan notch an assist and score a goal in a 5-1 victory over Hull City.

With Everton leading 3-1, Donovan came off the bench and joined in on the fun almost immediately.

By FRANCO PANIZO

Since recovering from injury, both DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu have yet to solidify starting roles for Rangers, but they became the first Americans Abroad players to bring home hardware this season, as Rangers defeated St.

All good things come to an end. Los Angeles Galaxy's perfect winning record in the current MLS season proved to be no exception. However, unlike some other seemingly immortal winning streaks, this one was waiting for its inevitable end. When a team relies on a single individual to do literally all of its scoring, bad things are bound to happen.

In the nation's capital, DC United lost its plot in the second half of a steamy encounter (over 90 degrees at kickoff) with the New York Red Bulls, succumbing 2-0. The loss drops United to 0-5 (something DCU fans can lament in their new forum if they so choose).

For New York it was the first victory at RFK Stadium in nearly five years, which was of particular satisfaction to veteran defender Mike Petke.

Agent Patrick McCabe has announced that Real Salt Lake forward Robbie Findley will not be returning to the club at the end of this season. Despite RSL making a "competitive offer," Findley has opted to try his luck overseas in a move similar to one that McCabe orchestrated for Yura Movsisyan a year ago.

Writing about disappointment and disaster can be cathartic, can't it? Hopefully, reading what is written can do the same. The US was dumped out of the World Cup by Ghana for the second straight time. What is worse is that while this game was called much more fairly, the US looked to have created the better chances.

by John Carlton
On a steamy Thursday night at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, FC Dallas scraped a 2-2 draw against UEFA Champions Inter Milan. The Italian giants fielded something akin to their starting lineup with Eto'o, Maicon, Milito and Cambiasso among the superstars on display.

By FRANCO PANIZO

Michael Bradley's new season could not have started any better.

Against second division club FC Erzgebirge Aue in the first round of the DFB Pokal, Bradley scored the opener for Borussia Moenchengladbach, netting with a sliding finish. The goal helped pave the way for a 3-1 Moenchengladbach victory.

For 42 minutes it was all looking so good for the first Englishman to lead a team into the Champions League since Sir Bobby Robson eight years ago. Indeed it was all looking ‘triffic'.

Then Assou-Ekotto sliced a ball wildly and needlessly out for a throw on before deciding that, actually, he didn't fancy getting too close to the Bremen striker who had got between King and Cudacinni and duly put the ball into the back of the net.

Minneapolis Southwest 2-0 Stillwater Area

The first Class AA Boys' Semifinal match featured the undefeated Minneapolis Southwest Lakers (21-0-0) against the Stillwater Area Ponies (18-3-1). Both teams advanced to the semifinals in 1-0 quarterfinal games at Park High School, but the Lakers were able to find the back of the net twice on their way to the State Tournament championship game Thursday.

Yet again, Arsenal midfielder Alex Song not only helped his team with his strength and determination in midfield but also by finding the back of the net. On target against Chelsea on Monday, the Cameroon International ...

A few notes for this Tuesday April 13th, concerning the NSC Stars.

The big news from the Stars camp is of course Louis Crayton. While no one knows for sure the extent of his injury its most likely not good. Crayton was 40 seconds into injury time at the end of the first half and curiously decided to throw a retrieved ball down near a Vancouver player and then try to fake him out with a cut to his left and then a kick up field.

The CFU Club Championships last night brought wins for the Trinidad & Tobago Teams Joe Public FC and Clico San Juan Jabloteh.

In the first game of the fixtures Joe Public FC continued their winning ways as they cruised to an easy win over Walking Boys 5 to 0, with 2009 leading scorer Kerry Baptiste showing the way with 2 goals.

I hate the self styled Special One. I've often called him the Dark Lord of anti-football, a man capable of taking all joy out of the beautiful game. Irrespective of how one might feel about him, no one can deny the tactical genius of the manager who must not be named.

I had mixed feelings about this semi-final.

Brazilian clearly wants Old Trafford move.

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BRAZIL star Luis Fabiano has issued a remarkable plea to Manchester United to sign him this summer.
With Sir Alex Ferguson in the market for a striker, £15million-rated Fabiano claims he would not fail to deliver goals for United because of the service he would receive at Old Trafford.

White Hart Lane plans triple raid.

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HARRY REDKNAPP will be given a £40m transfer kitty for Spurs' assault on the Champions League – with Michael Carrick topping his wanted list.

The Tottenham manager is aiming to boost his squad so they are up to scratch in the European Cup.

Wesley Sneijder (9 June 1984) is dangerous. There is no beating around the bush when it comes to this attacking midfielder. In less than one month, he will lead the Netherlands squad in World Cup 2010. He is quick, plays a controlled style of soccer, and can find the back of the net when he has to.

By ANTHONY ZILIS

Last season, Chicago Fire goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra won his team's backup spot in an exhibition match against Club America.

Dykstra's performance was impressive, and he eventually beat out former MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Jon Busch for this season's starting spot.

This match has probably had the most anticipation than any other match in the group stages, while many were pointing to the USA's historic victory over England in 1950, I'm pointing at the 1-1 draw that the USA player's fought so hard for.
Steven Gerrard celebrating the opening goalEngland - USA


Both teams went into this match with a straight 4-4-2, Capello decides to put Robert Green in net while Bob Bradley puts Clark in midfield next to Michael Bradley.