Instead of my usual big game prattle, I will do an impromptu quickie Top 5'er as my preview
presentation.--Top 5 MLS Cup KeysThese five are ranked based on a combined factor of importance and
"spectacularity".#5 - Watch your mouth, watch your challenges... just watch everything!With the way
that MLS refs have thrown about the red card in 2009, nobody wants to be the guy who puts him team
down a
Click to continue reading...
I've decided that today's Cut of the Day will actually be a medley. Today, you will hear nothing
but songs from South Park episodes. And why? Because I'm easily amused like that. The first one is
dedicated to the L.A. Galaxy and Real Salt Lake...Let's flip the channel to ESPN for both a preview
of Sunday's final and a stroll down MLS Cup memory lane.
Click to continue reading...
Let's dip into the playoff poll again, this time with one of the fallen favorites. We corralled
Houston radio man Brian Zygo to tackle our Dynamo answers.NSC: What went wrong?BZ: In simple terms,
a lack a finishing, the Houston Dynamo were having trouble putting the ball in the net. It took
over 180 minutes of playing time in the first round of the MLS playoffs before the Dynamo scored a
goal.
Click to continue reading...
Oh man, I twisted the holy hell out of my ankle last night. Came down from a jump halfway on
someone else's foot in the last minute of the game. Suddenly, my four flights of stairs up aren't
so charming...#1 - Landon Donovan is your MLS MVP. He also won Goal of the Year. Somehow, he was
beaten out for Save of the Year by Pat Onstad.
Click to continue reading...
Our old ASD colleague Alex Abnos is an idea man, a musician. Today, he has all sorts of ideas on
how to orchestrate a comeback season for the Kansas City Wizards. Lots of ideas.
And-a-one-and-a-two...What went wrong?The short answer: this.The long answer: It's tough to point
to any one thing, as I believe the team's failings in 2009 were the result of many little wrongs
that built up over time.
Click to continue reading...
Yeah, we had to do this one sooner or later. And being the Empire Supporters Club die-hard that he
is, my former American Soccer Daily co-hort Jason Endres found a way to make the "What went right?"
answer as long as the "What went wrong?" answer. But ya know what... that's New Yawk, baby. Now put
the Strokes' cut Someday on and read.
Click to continue reading...
With Uruguay seeing off Costa Rica, the field for World Cup 2010 has been completed.Africa -
Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South AfricaAsia - Australia, Japan, North Korea,
South KoreaEurope - Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal,
Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, SwitzerlandNorth America - Honduras, Mexico, United
StatesOceania - New
Click to continue reading...
It will be talked about for a long time: a World Cup berth "handed" to France. Thierry's Henry
helping hand assist (and a blown offside call) teed up William Gallas for the extra time clincher
to leave Ireland feeling backhanded...... but that was hardly the only drama on hand.Earlier,
Algeria, Greece and Slovenia procured invites to South Africa via upsets, with Portugal closing out
a tidy sweep
Click to continue reading...
Until espn2 picks up the game, I'm relying on a sometimes reliable Danish stream, so let's hope we
have no problems.As always, you can also follow along at the U.S. Soccer Matchtracker.The USMNT
line-up:Guzan; Hejduk, Spector, Bocanegra, Bornstein, Holden, Bradley, Clark, Feilhaber, Altidore,
CunninghamBack near kickoff.
Click to continue reading...
As you might expect, we have plenty of things going on today. Two or three plenties worth,
actually...#1 - Let's begin with my double interview with Real Salt Lake strikers Robbie Findley
and Yura Movsisyan.Other RSL tidbits:- Rogue Cavaliers Brigade blog Denz's Sopabox has interview
videos- Have a ticket but no flight yet?
Click to continue reading...
Today, we continue our series by launching an inquest into our first playoff team, the Revs. How
they managed to make the postseason, I'll Nicol know... erm... never know, but luckily we have
someone here to make sense of all things Beantown ball. For this one, I pass it over to former
American Soccer Daily colleague (and Holy Cross midfielder) Ryan O'Hanlon.
Click to continue reading...
The mission is simple if you choose to accept it: score USMNT ducats for the Cup next summer.Your
first set of instructions is here.This message will not self-destruct, but chances are good it will
go make peanut butter toast because it is hungry.- Greg Seltzer
Click to continue reading...
It was a difficult year for the Bay Area boot squad, but an easy choice on who to ask for some
answers. Sorting through the Earthquakes rubble for us is ESPN & Center Line Soccer all-star Jeff
Carlisle.NSC: What went wrong?JC: Just about everything. Players like Francisco Lima and Scott
Sealy werent adequately replaced at the start of the season.
Click to continue reading...
And by MLS Best XI's, plural, I mean the official league edition and Du Nord's three-layer
extravaganza.How much do I agree with these lists? I guess you'll have to wait until I unveil my
team of the season over at S365 later in the week.- Greg Seltzer
Click to continue reading...
Another international has shockingly been lost. Former MLS target Antonio De Nigris, who was
playing with Greek side Larissa, has died of a heart attack at the age of 31.This is hitting the El
Tri community hard, as you might imagine. NSC condolences go out to his family, friends, teammates
and fans.
Click to continue reading...
We move along in our series with the Rapids, who wildly disappointed fans by slumping down the
stretch to miss out on the playoffs thanks to a closing day loss to arch rivals Real Salt Lake -
who have added insult to injury by making it to MLS Cup. Yeesh. For this autopsy/look ahead, we
turn to Class VI Grand Poobah Mark Bodmer.
Click to continue reading...
It may have been a lighter weekend slate than usual, but we still woke up with a smoldering farm
shed on Sunday morning. This week's prize match saw Nigeria rally from behind to take the lead and
then require a late winner at Kenya.And all they got for their WCQ closing day troubles was a place
at World Cup 2010.
Click to continue reading...
I'm not in the mood to mince words or getting all wound up through great elaboration, so I'll cut
right to the point.Today, USMNT coach Bob Bradley called 23 players for a midweek friendly against
Denmark in Aarhus, yet stunningly ignored AGF attacker Jeremiah White. This, my friends, is a bush
league maneuver.
Click to continue reading...
The USMNT list for the Aarhus party:G: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton),
Troy Perkins (Vålerenga )D: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Edgar
Castillo (Tigres), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Frankie Hejduk
(Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)M: Michael Bradley
(Borussia
Click to continue reading...
After a pair of gripping conference finals, our MLS Cup match-up for next weekend takes the
all-East flavor from last year's final out west. It will be the Los Angeles Galaxy (yes, THAT L.A.
Galaxy... paging Sky, BBC, iTv and every rotten paper rag to the airport, pack as if staying in
London) pitted against upstarts Real Salt Lake at Qwest Field in Seattle a week from today.
Click to continue reading...
If like me, you were wondering and wondering what got Hannover 96 and Germany keeper Robert Enke so
depressed to end his life last week, his father has revealed a stunning cause: fear of failure on
the pitch.And here's the kicker... Dirk Enke is a sports psychologist.Somehow, this episode just
became much sadder and much more confusing.
Click to continue reading...
Thanks to a first half spot kick from Napoli star Marek Hamšík, Slovakia edged out the USMNT 1-0
in Bratislava. The visitors were both shorthanded and short of ideas playing on a bumpy patch.Full
report link and highlight reel to come, with my U.S. Player Ratings set to appear at S365 either
tonight or early tomorrow.
Click to continue reading...
With five playoff first legs beginning, we now have 25 teams already qualified for next summer's
World Cup in South Africa.Early today, New Zealand finished of Bahrain in the Oceania/Asia playoff.
Rory Fallon became a household name in his land forever by nodding home the lone goal of the tie to
send the Kiwis back to World Cup for the first time since 1982.
Click to continue reading...
What can I say? Stuff is goin' on all over. It's relentless. You can't fight stuff...#1 - I've
posted a capsule preview of the four UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs over at S365. Who is my
upset pick this time? Bosnia, baby. And in case you missed it yesterday, my chat with Houston
Dynamo ace Geoff Cameron.
Click to continue reading...
Sorry it took me so long to get to this, I've had some interwebs woes.Anyhoooo... here's the deal.
We will try to go one-by-one through every MLS team that does not win the title, find a local guy
close to the team and ask three simple questions about A) what went wrong this season to keep them
from glory, B) what went right to give hope for next season & C) what the team's #1 player need is,
Click to continue reading...
I'm off to play some soccer myself, but I'll be back later to start that MLS also-rans series I
teased yesterday. For now, let's slink into the ol' beanbag chair for some tube...The MLS Goal of
the Year and Save of the Year nominees have each been shaved down to a field of 10.The ESPN crew
preview the UEFA World Cup playoff match-ups, which kick off on Saturday.
Click to continue reading...
I know we had one yesterday, but so much has been going on that we have another. And I meant to
have it up sooner, so a few of these may be old news to some...#1 - The National Soccer Hall of
Fame has unveiled this year's list of nominees, which includes the two gentleman pictured at
left.#2 - Yesterday, MLS tabbed Seattle forward Fredy Montero as Newcomer of the Year and Chivas
USA keeper Zach
Click to continue reading...
U.S. and Sochaux forward Charlie Davies has now left the National Rehabilitation Center about a
month after being badly injured in a fatal Washington D.C.-Area car accident.The #9 shirt released
a statement, and the chief of surgery at his original hospital gave an encouraging prognosis.- Greg
Seltzer
Click to continue reading...
When it comes to the Premier League, the arguments could go on all night. The debate could turn
ugly. The question even secretly burns in the mind of true believers.Which English top flight club
has the most cumulative cool in the way of celebrity supporters?The four of us went off to research
five clubs each, then came back with the data, made our individual tables and then averaged them
out.
Click to continue reading...
Later today, I will have that 'fun Premier League post' that I promised was coming a few weeks
back. Sean and I put it together with a couple of NSC pals. Took a little longer than expected, but
it's ready now...#1 - I've posted my Q&A with USMNT/IK Start defender Clarence Goodson, who I had
somehow had never interviewed before last week.
Click to continue reading...
As you probably noticed, we've had some S365 machine ghosts to bust this weekend. That obviously
slowed me down, and thus, this is late. It's still videos of sweet goals, though...Let's begin with
some dude named Ricky at Real Madrid. Apparently, he doesn't mess around.Speaking of single moniker
Brazilians, it seems Corinthians have a goal-sniffin' fella name of.
Click to continue reading...
USMNT boss Bob Bradley has selected 22 players to gather in Bratislava to prepare for Saturday's
friendly with fellow World Cup qualifier Slovakia.As you can see, I pegged much of the roster, with
a few notable exceptions (like Tim Howard and the Mexican-based guys). However, I also expect some
changes to the roster before the Denmark match that follows four days later.
Click to continue reading...
This was gonna be a tough call... until they came along.Ladies and gentleman, I give you Olympiques
Lyon and Marseille. Grab your confit and sit tight for the next 7+ minutes.- Greg Seltzer
Click to continue reading...
Clint Dempsey has scored from the spot for Fulham in the first half against Wigan, earning him a
league turkey for strikes in three consecutive frames. That game is ongoing, knotted at
ones.Yesterday, we had Leeds United's Mike Grella and Wycombe's Jon-Paul Pittman bag their first
career FA Cup goals.
Click to continue reading...
Most of the sweet weekend games haven't started yet, so why not kill time with some tube?We begin
with another promo clip from Wayne Rooney's Street Striker challenge show. In this clip, you get to
see a bit of how the show works and meet a few of the kids. I despise and avoid most "reality
challenge" programs, but I love this show!
Click to continue reading...
