Newcastle have played well the last couple of games at Sunderland and against Club Brugge in the Europa League, since we were taken apart 3-0, by Manchester United at St. James' Park a couple of weeks ago. But we really need to start picking things up in the league, and we have only 10 points [...]
Tottenham, a couple weeks removed from a big win over Manchester United, will face another stiff test in English Premier League table toppers Chelsea. Spurs new boy Clint Dempsey scored against Man U and twice in the United States' World Cup Qualifier against Guatemala on Tuesday, so it appears he is back in good form and could help with a potential upset.
The last couple of weeks have been a blur for me. I wish I could say it's been hours spent playing FIFA 13, but it's been a combination of several things — helping my wife launch her food truck business, ... Continue reading →
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NEW YORK -- To say Stuart Holden is eager to get back to playing soccer would be an
understatement.
Holden has not appeared for either Bolton Wanderers or the U.S. men's national team since March
2011, picking up a knee injury in a match against Manchester United before suffering a setback as
he neared his recovery last September.
The New England Revolution tweeted and later reported in their weekly update that Juan Toja
joined the Revolution for his first training session since signing with the squad a couple weeks
ago. The former MLS All-Star arrived in the States on Sunday and it looks like promising for him to
be available on Saturday against D.
Is this facing Chivas USA thing getting a bit tiresome? Throw in an Open Cup match and suddenly
the two sides are about to meet their fourth time. The Goats have transitioned quite a bit from
that Open Cup meeting (Three Questions, Recap). They've added significant names to the roster but
still got blown out by Seattle just a couple weeks ago (Three Questions, Recap).
Montreal and Columbus headline a busy holiday weekend. (Getty Images)
I probably should open up this post with a little housecleaning item. This week has been crazy
busy at work, which would explain the lack of posts going on here. It happens. Plus, I've been
working for a couple weeks on the side at getting this site a little more mobile friendly, which is
something I hope to roll out either today or sometime next week.
After another full week of games and some upsets you'd expect some movement in this week's
rankings. Well, you thought wrong. Only a couple teams made some noise in the rankings. I nearly
made a new number one and almost moved a club back into the top tier but in the end decided against
it.
Also, we have a new addition to the bottom tier as the four groups begin to get a little more
evenly laid out.
Colombian striker Jose Moreno waived by the Revolution on Monday. (Photo: Kari
Heistad/CapturedImages.biz)
Advertised as the New England Revolution's new number 9 back in February, Jose Moreno came to
the club on loan from Colombian side Once Caldas with high expectations. From the beginning,
nothing seemed to go as planned and now Moreno's time with the club is over after being waived on
Aug.
Good morning everyone! It's the middle of a bye week for the Revolution, so you'd expect news to
be slow, but honestly there's more out there than I expected. Also, we've got the Euros starting on
Friday, which is also the day that the USMNT takes on Antigua & Barbuda in their first World Cup
2014 Qualifier.
With the upcoming Cascadia Cup match against the Portland Timbers arch rivals the Seattle
Sounders just over a week away, there are undoubtedly a lot of fans who are placing their remaining
hopes of the season on winning the regional trophy. After all, with the chances of making the play
offs all but mathematically ruled out, there's little else for Timbers fans to get excited for.
We've been pointing out for a couple weeks that it would take some real work for the roster of
playoff teams to be shaken up from the 10 teams who've held the projected playoff spots for some
time. Part of that work would be an extended run of bad play from the teams closest to the edge:
the Vancouver Whitecaps in the West and DC United in the East.
In case there were anymore of you out there concerned that Mario Martinez was nothing more than
myth, the Honduran hero was actually training with the Seattle Sounders on Friday and will likely
make his debut this weekend. Sounders coach Sigi Schmid Martinez could play as early as Saturday
against the Vancouver Whitecaps, but would definitely play in Sunday's Reserve League match.
We've already inundated you guys with previews for tomorrow's match and, having played FC Dallas
just a couple weeks before there's simply not much more to say. So instead of rehashing the same
content, once again, I figure some light discussion would be in order for this steamy Saturday
afternoon.
Four Major League Soccer teams make up the semifinal round of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
which will be contested this evening. MLS sides Philadelphia Union, Sporting Kansas City, Chivas
USA and three-time defending champion Seattle Sounders FC each won their quarterfinal matches on
Tuesday, June 26.
Seattle Sounders keepers are busy in the news today. Josh Ford, who once won the third keeper
job over Bryan Meredith was activated from the short term injured list today. While he was only on
the list from May 4th, his injury troubles go back to last year. With the news that Andrew Weber is
out for 2-4 weeks Meredith will return to the starting lineup.
We're back with the weekly rankings after a couple weeks off.
A few changes throughout the rankings. Two clubs moved up into the top tier while two dropped
out. I have a feeling we'll see similar movement in those two tiers for the next few weeks as we
move further into the summer months.
The third tier is still chugging along in a massive style while the final tier is still the
worst two clubs in the league (though FC Dallas is close to joining that group).
Another big weekend in Mexico, filled with great games, surprises, and some teams further
separating themselves from the rest. After 7 weeks, Toluca (17 points) sits atop the table,
followed by Club Tijuana (16), Leon (13), Cruz Azul (13), Morelia (12), Atlante (12), Santos (11),
and America (10).
On getting players ready after loss to Colorado:
"I think it's easy to get up for games here. The passion and energy that's in the stadium is just
tremendous.
Heading into tonight's match is about more than the three points that the Portland Timbers
desperately need. It's about vengeance. It's about restoring the pride that a team like the Timbers
should have given the city that loves them so much. With FC Dallas having outplayed Portland twice
at home in embarrassing fashion (4-nil last year, 5-nil just a couple weeks ago) it's time for the
Timbers to return the favor and deal Dallas the same kind of humiliating defeat.
Oh. My. God. As bad as it has been around these parts over the past couple weeks, Saturday felt
like a rather massive relief. Not only did the Seattle Sounders win their first league game in
almost two months. Not only did they look sharp doing it. But we also got to see Steve Zakuani play
against the same team that put him out about 14 months ago.
It's been a long time coming and truly this international break has seemingly gone on for
forever but the wait is now over! As of 4:00 PM this evening we will, once again, see our Portland
Timbers take the field against the LA Galaxy, a team they don't have a great record against away
from home. But now is another chance to remedy that.
The topic of a possible FC Dallas trade, or lack thereof, has been a hot one for a couple weeks. So
I pulled together a quick 3rd Degree roundtable of myself, Peter Welpton, and Todd Date to discuss
the issue.
Just four days after a tough victory over FC Dallas in the Texas Derby, the Dynamo will be back
to work tomorrow night at BBVA Compass Stadium. This time, it's Toronto FC, an Eastern Conference
foe who has put the struggle in struggling so far this season.
This will be Paul Mariner's second match in charge of Toronto after replacing Aron Winter less
than two weeks ago.
Last week I was given the chance to talk to FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea on his involvement
with Deuce Brand watches. Below is a little interview with him on how things are going right now
for him, FC Dallas and why he is teaming up with Deuce Brand.
The day so many soccer fans have been waiting for has arrived. Yes, goal-line technology has
been approved by FIFA.
The decision was made by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) during a meeting in
Zurich on Thursday, with two different systems getting the green light.
With just about two weeks to go until our next MLS regular season game, we're getting a little
light on stuff to write about here on Stumptown Footy. I mean, practices are interesting and all,
but without some sort of action, game, transfer etc. to back it up with they can get a little dull.
As such, we'll be incorporating a bit more off topics discussions and in depth analysis over the
next couple weeks starting today!
A couple weeks ago, the KNVB launched a campaign promoting acceptance of gay footballers with a commercial depicting a guy wearing a closet while playing. The goofy depiction, which has aired on Dutch television, concludes with the words, "Why not come out of the closet? Your team is on your side.
As I said in my analysis a couple of weeks agothis Wolves team own the potential to climb right back up to the Premier League. The defeat by six goals to Chelsea doesn't change my estimation of the team a bit. Why not so? Well, there are many reasons to that. Firstly, we played the [...]
For my first Arsenal match in August 2006, covered in the 10 am spilled beers and yell spit of
fellow patrons at Nevada Smith's in New York, I saw Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott come on as
subs after Thierry Henry had done something or other phenomenal. My buddy Roland, who deserves all
the blame for me being a Gunner, had filled me in on the Walcott World Cup call up fiasco and
considered van Persie his favorite player.
The Dynamo play the third game of their late August/early September six match in 19 day
gauntlet. There is plenty of good news though as we hit the half way point. The Dynamo are 1-0-1,
fresh off their first ever in Central America over C.D. FAS on Wednesday. More importantly, the
team's depth (a word rarely associated with MLS sides) stood up well in the mid week, allowing
Kinnear to hold back most of his starters ahead of this weekend's TFC match and this coming
Thursday's trip to Honduras for their second CCL match.
If you've ended up here for a discussion of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations
Act, I apologize, this post isn't for you. If you've ended up here to discuss the return of Ricardo
Clark to the Houston Dynamo, then you're in the right place.
Unless you've been away from the Internet for the last couple weeks, you've probably heard the
news that midfielder Ricardo Clark has re-signed with the Dynamo after over two years in
Germany.
Its been a wonderful couple weeks, Orange fans. Helmets removed at will, Bears a-dancing, and
wins to go along with it all. I'm even getting caught up in the excitement. Sometimes I find myself
ripping off my bike helmet on the way to school just to do the "Dancing Bear" across the BCM
campus. Needless to say, morale is high.
I am in the middle of a couple weeks of vacation right now and did not plan ahead of time as to
weather or not I would be posting every day. I had decided that I did not want to make a plan for
these couple of weeks, and its now pretty clear that I am only going to post when I feel like it.
So there you go, an explanation.
