By JAMES CLARKEast Rutherford, New Jersey -- The lads and I spent a beautiful Sunday with 12,000-plus fellow fans at Giants Stadium and saw the resurgent New York Red Bulls impose themselves during a comprehensive 3-nil win over the Houston Dynamo in a match that was broadcast nationally on Spanish-language network Telefutura. Click to continue reading...

The one thing players stress about new Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena is his man management skills:

"His best quality is as a man manager and as a team manager," said defender Chris Klein, who has had stints under Arena with the national team. "He's always gotten the most out of players and if you ask guys who played for him many more times than I have, they'll say the same thing - when you play under Bruce, he's going to get the most out of you.

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Nothing like moving from the field to the booth. Now this looks like a guest-gig for Claudio Reyna but hopefully it works out for him and we won't have to listen to people like Allen Hopkins or people like that. Also, we get Adrian Healey and Shep Messing tomorrow night on ESPN2...yippie. Claudio Reyna, former U. Click to continue reading...

Apologies for the late blogging since I am somewhat under the weather today (and, no, that's not because of all the soccer on TV).

Still, there is a lot.

First up at noon on Fox Soccer Channel is David Beckham and England taking on the Czech Republic in London.

Then at 7 p.

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TRADER MO HAS STRUCK AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!

Every year, you can always expect certain things to happen in the MLS

1. There is an Older European player who, underestimated the level of play in the MLS.

This year, we have had a number of examples to add to the growing list of euro washouts.

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Various UK news sources, including Sky Sports and the Globe and Mail are reporting that the final details are being worked out in a deal to bring American Maurice Edu from Toronto to Glasgow Rangers. After returning from Olympic duty in China, Edu was supposed to be in Glasgow yesterday for Rangers' home opener against Hearts to iron out a deal worth a reported $5 million. Click to continue reading...

UPDATE: This list has been updated to include Darren Huckerby's salary, Emilio's big pay raise and Claudio Reyna's retirement.

Also the list of celebrity MLS fans has been updated here.



While MLS is not the English Premier League, that hasn't stopped a few players from making a tidy bit of coin and greenbacks. Click to continue reading...

As reported in an article by the New York Times, it appears that Maurice Edu from Toronto F.C. and also recently on the U.S. Olympic team, is going to be transferred to Glasgow Rangers, possibly to replace Carlos Cueller who recently was sold to Aston Villa. Even I have to admit that this is a great move for Edu as Rangers are a very big club within the Scottish Premier League and even in the context of Europe (despite their recent setback of getting knocked out of the Champions League). Click to continue reading...

Claudio Reyna was honored at halftime of the Barcelona game this past week. Many people missed it since one tends to go to the bathroom or the concession stands at that point (should have happened at the beginning of the game - my opinion).

Nevertheless, the video is excellent.

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If you weren't in attendance for the Red Bulls-Barcelona match on Wednesday I've got a little something to show you. And if you were there but you spent half-time trying to get a beer, get to the bathroom and get the digits of one of those scandalous little Red Bull Girls, you might want to see this as well. Click to continue reading...

Part III: The Post-1998 World Cup Breakout

By now, most of the trailblazers had returned home to play in Major League Soccer (MLS); Caligiuri to Los Angeles, Wynalda to San Jose, Harkes to DC United, and Lalas to New England. Nonetheless, the number of American players in Europe exploded to unprecedented numbers with over 20 playing in Germany alone – a combination of established professionals, young players, and journeymen. Click to continue reading...

Post-1994 World Cup: Breaking Into First Division Soccer

After the 1994 World Cup in which the US team showed great progress from 1990, the European soccer establishment started to notice two things; that the Americans do indeed play soccer and that a few more of their players are worth signing. Click to continue reading...

It was supposed to be the Beckham show on Saturday night at Giants Stadium but Dave Van Den Bergh, Jorge Rojas and Juan Pablo Angel gave the Red Bulls fans in attendance a reason to smile.

At least before Landon Donovan stole the show with a late equalizer, something he's done in the past, to help the Galaxy salvage a tie and force the home team to think about its missed opportunity to close ground in the tight Eastern Conference.

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Hot young Maryland prospect Chris Agorsor proved again last week why he could be one of the most exciting young prospects in US Soccer, helping his team win the Development Academy U-17/18 championship at the Home Depot Center in southern California. Jaime Cardenas of the LA Times has a great writeup on the tournament here. Click to continue reading...

You would think from the accolades last week that Zinedine Zidane had just retired. In fact DaMarcus Beasley somehow compared Claudio Reyna to ZuZu before the 2006 World Cup saying: On the field, technically he's our best player. He's so smooth. He's very nonchalant. He always reminds me of [Zinedine Zidane]. Click to continue reading...

Who caught Captain American playing in the 2002 World Cup eighth-final against Mexico?

You might want to hit mute before you hit play.



The USA beat Mexico 2-0. Captain America Claudio Reyna had a great game against Mexico. Check out the embeded football video: it's that 2-0 victory in the 2002 World Cup over Mexico. Click to continue reading...

I didn't write the headline to my article about the Olympic roster.

Not that I object to it per se, but I do find it a bit of a paradox, because one of my main points in the article was that the U.S. didn't send the strongest team they could have to the Olympics. Obviously, World Cup qualifying was an issue that conflicted, as did the demands of club teams, especially when it came to one Landon Donovan. Click to continue reading...

Another soccer-filled weekend is on tap, so let's get to it.

*The Galaxy are out of town in New York where Claudio Reyna retired this week and the Red Bulls signed two South American midfielders who could make their debuts Saturday.

The game airs live at 3:30 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel and a crowd of more than 45,000 is expected to turn out largely to see David Beckham who continues to prove why he's nicknamed Golden Balls.

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The roster for the US U23 squad that will play at the upcoming Olympic games has been named. Lots of familiar names including including Brian McBride, Brad Guzan and Michael Parkurst as the three older players allowed under the rules. Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley and some others. Then there's the fellow pictured in the photo (by Micheal Goulding, Orange County Register) who I've seen plenty of as I've become a Chivas USA fan this season:

Sacha Kljestan, captain of Team USA during Olympic qualifying, is also a lock to be named Thursday to the U.

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The Steve Nash Foundation hosted the Showdown in Chinatown in NY last month, a pick-up game starring such notables as the recently retired Claudio Reyna, Barca's Thierry Henry, Jason Kidd, Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, and Juan Pablo Angel. Click to continue reading...

Claudio Reyna's career should be defined by what he did in Europe for over a decade, as opposed to his two injury-ridden seasons in MLS. Click to continue reading...

From everything! Forever!

It's kinda sad, but I can't remember watching this guy play since the World Cup.

Nevertheless, Claudio Reyna (aka Captain America) is one of the few Americans that has earned street cred in Europe.

He's played in England, Germany and Scotland at a high level. Click to continue reading...

Like many of you I too wondered a great deal about the famed second designated player slot that the New York Red Bulls owned. With the announcement of Claudio Reyna's retirement today the question on everyone's mind was surrounding that second DP slot. As we all recall New York traded for a second DP slot back [. Click to continue reading...

As you all might no, Claudio Reyna,  "Captain America" announced his retirement because of recurring injuries yesterday.  As poor as Reyna looked for the Red Bulls, it should do nothing to play down his illustrious career.  I present the following video to honor all the good "Captain America" has done for US Soccer. Click to continue reading...

Photo by ISIphotos.com

With the Claudio Reyna retirement press conference still a few hours away, there are still plenty of questions being asked about his retirement and its ramifications. I've decided to answer some of the questions I'm seeing being raised.

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Idiocy can certainly be tolerated on message boards, blogs or college campuses. Indeed, on some level we expect nonsense to emanate from all three areas. That's kind of what they're there for, right? So when somebody on the BigSoccer sewing circle argues with conviction about the New York Red Bulls' needing to go after Cristiano Ronaldo, Fabio Capello, Ronaldinho, Buffon or Drogba, we can kind of laugh it off the same way we would an 18-year old arguing the virtues of Marxism. Click to continue reading...

Just as promised, once I got more information, I would pass it along to you. This morning was more like a flood of information from sources, reports, and other blogs. What we do know is Captain America has retired. But what it appears to be now is he was some what forced into retirement by his [...] Click to continue reading...

There was a Claudio Reyna before the Red Bulls - and that is the Reyna that I and the rest of the world will remember forever. Feel how you may, but no one can take away the accomplishments of Captain America.

He was a pioneer for United States soccer. Following the "Golden Era" of American Soccer from 1990-1995, Reyna was one of the first youngsters to emerge as a steady bridge from the old guard to the new.

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Former United States captain Claudio Reyna is to announce his retirement after struggling with injuries in Major League Soccer this season. Click to continue reading...

My SI.com editorJonah Freedman takes the New York Red Bulls to task about the Claudio Reyna retirement situation.

Freedman argues that if New York knew about Reyna's impending retirement, which really he should have been euthanized when he first broke down this year, then the Bulls should have made a push for Ronaldinho. Click to continue reading...

In case you read Eric Wynalda's comments on Claudio Reyna in today's notebook and wondering what the former U.S. forward and ESPN commentator is doing these days, the answer is he's in business with Joe-Max Moore. See the clip.

Wynalda says he doesn't miss TV at all, and he's watching more games than ever while spending time with his kids and occasionally playing with the PDL's Bakersfield Brigade.

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Questions abound regarding that Reyna DP slot. Do we own it? Will we use it?

Ives is clarifying things, as always. The Bulls won't be using the DP slot this season - mainly due to salary cap constraints. But they plan on using it on a marquee player for the opening of Harrison next summer.

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By JAMES CLARKNew Jersey has such a rich, wonderful history when it comes to American soccer. Names like John Harkes, Claudio Reyna, Tony Meola, Tab Ramos and Bob Bradley drip off the tongue, as do clubs and schools like Kearny Thistle and St. Click to continue reading...

Apologies for not mentioning this earlier, but you surely knew already -- we have two SuperLiga games tonight. D.C. United hosts Atlante (NOT Atlanta!!) and Houston takes on Chivas (Guadalajara, not USA). Doubleheader on TeleFutura and superliga2008.com starts at 8 p.m. ET. Might also check some regional broadcasters and see what you find.

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Claudio, we hardly knew you. At least as an American player in an American league, we didn't get to see you in action till the very end, and even then we barely go to know you. Claudio Reyna is expected to announce his retirement from professional soccer and the New York Red Bulls tomorrow. I must say that I have mixed feelings about Reyna's career. Click to continue reading...