Photo: Paul Rudderow

Le Talk

Yesterday he's going, today he is staying. An article from sportinglife.com suggests that Le Toux "did not impress sufficiently" at Bolton. Owen Coyle is quoted in the article, "Sebastien came in for a couple of days, and to be fair to him he hadn't trained for four or five weeks.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Le Talk

Yesterday he's going, today he is staying. An article from sportinglife.com suggests that Le Toux "did not impress sufficiently" at Bolton. Owen Coyle is quoted in the article, "Sebastien came in for a couple of days, and to be fair to him he hadn't trained for four or five weeks.

The Philadelphia Union have brought in a few international players during the offseason to bolster the team's roster ahead of the 2012 MLS season, but it appears that a veteran German striker isn't in the team's plans.

Michael Thurk, who has been linked to the Union since the 2011 summer transfer window, is not on his way to MLS, especially Philadelphia or the Vancouver Whitecaps, according to reports out of Germany.

FIFA Team of the XXth Century of CONCACAF Deportivo Saprissa S.A.D.(formerly known as C.D. Saprissa) is Central America's and Costa Rica's most successful soccer club. Twenty nine time Primera División de Costa Rica and CONCACAF Champions' Cup winners in 1993, 1995, and 2005, Saprissa is the only team from the region apart from Mexico's Necaxa [.

The Philadelphia Union have been linked to Michael Thurk again, this time with the team being listed as one of the German's two front runners for his services. Thurk's agent, Klaus Gerster, said that Thurk will make a decision this week, with both the Union and fellow MLS team the Vancouver Whitecaps as the forward's favored destinations.

Photo of Taylor Twellman at Union's 2011 home opener by Earl Gardner.

Philadelphia Union

Deportivo Saprissa president Juan Carlos Rojas has confirmed in an interview with a Costa Rican radio station that the Union has been in contact with the club about Josue Martinez, saying "I would not go into much detail but there has been interest from Philadelphia [in Martinez].

Fox Soccer Channel sideline reporter Brian Dunseth told viewers of the Real Salt Lake and New York Red Bulls game on Saturday that unconfirmed reports have placed the value of Carlos Ruiz's transfer to Veracruz at $500,000.

Dunseth couldn't say if the $500,000 transfer fee was the full price of Ruiz's move to the Tiburones Rojos or the two thirds of the total transfer cost that the Union would receive.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

Union

Have you already read the PSP preview? More match previews for tonight's encounter between the Philadelphia Union and Colorado Rapids at MLSsoccer.com, the Brotherly Game, Unholy Union, Goal.com, phillyBurbs.com, DelawareOnline.com, FoxNewsLatino, the Denver Post, the LA Times and Bookmaker.

According to Teletica, a news outlet in Costa Rica, the Philadelphia Union had a transfer bid for Deportivo Saprissa's young striker Josue Martinez rejected.

"The refusal was given because the club believes that the price does not equal the value of the player," per Teletica's report.

What the price is varies based on context clues, most of which come from Saprissa fans.

Well, that was quite out of the blue. A few days ago, reports started fluttering through about how Arsenal representative Richard Law had travelled to Costa Rica to thrash out a deal for nineteen year-old striker Joel Campbell with Deportivo Saprissa. And just earlier today, Gunnerblog revealed that Saprissa's President, Juan Carlos Rojas, has told a radio station of an ‘agreement in principle' between the two clubs and a virtually completed transfer pending only on personal terms.

Well, that was quite out of the blue. A few days ago, reports started fluttering through about how Arsenal representative Richard Law had travelled to Costa Rica to thrash out a deal for nineteen year-old striker Joel Campbell with Deportivo Saprissa. And just earlier today, Gunnerblog revealed that Saprissa's President, Juan Carlos Rojas, has told a radio station of an ‘agreement in principle' between the two clubs and a virtually completed transfer pending only on personal terms.

07.07.2011 - Lo comparan con Samuel Etoó pero idolatra y se refiere a Ronaldo: "Soy inteligente, rápido y con buen trato de balón, pero mi mejor característica está en el uno contra uno".
Joel Nathaniel Campbell Samuels (26.06.1992) se está haciendo en el Deportivo Saprissa y transita por las selecciones juveniles costarricenses.

Dando prioridad a la Copa de Oro y por orden de la Concacaf, Costa Rica se presenta en la Copa América 2011con un equipo Sub'23 reforzado con 5 jugadores mayores: los defensores Johnny Acosta (27) y Heiner Mora (27), el volante José Miguel Cubero (24) y los delanteros César Elizondo (23) y Randall Brenes (28).

Jorge Vergara, the Mexican businessman who owns Mexican giants Chivas de Guadalajara, sold his majority interest in Costa Rica's Saprissa to a group of local businessmen. The sale was completed yesterday and confirmed today at the club's official website. Vergara owned 67% of the club, which he turned over to the consortium called Purple Horizon (Horizonte Morado) that is led by Juan Carlos Rojas, Édgar Zurcher, Alberto Raven, and René Picado.

Real Salt Lake will look to make history night by defeating Deportivo Saprissa in their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal series. After winning the first leg, 2-0, RSL heads into Estadio Saprissa with a two goal lead and a chance to make its mark in MLS lore.

A hostile and capacity crowd is expected at Estadio Saprissa tonight, with cool breezes replacing rain drops for now.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica-- A relaxed Real Salt Lake squad went through the paces at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa on Monday in preparation for its CONCACAF Champions League decider against Deportivo Saprissa on Tuesday night (10pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

RSL comes in healthy and in good form, playing the most attractive soccer in MLS and looking every bit like a club capable of posting a win in the hostile environment at Estadio Saprissa.

This post is mostly a joke towards RSL Soapbox and Stumptown Footy, with both sites posting real polls based on "what are you going to watch?" Think of this as a way to make your jokes about any of the teams involved in the comments section below.

Ignore the fact that the 2011 MLS season is starting again.

The quarterfinal stage of the CONCACAF Champions League begins this Tuesday following a winter break after the conclusion of the group stages. Along with the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, the CONCACAF Champions League is in the knockout stage, and will vie with those two tournaments, along with the Copa Libertadores for attention this week.

The CONCACAF Champions League resumes this week with an interesting fixture list as the competition commences its knockout stages. There are two all-Mexican affairs as well as an all-American encounter and an intriging match-up involving the record champions of Costa Rica and Honduras. Stoppage Time International Football Blog looks ahead to the last eight clashes.