SoccerBlogs

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.

If I was asked to describe Nani in a word, then I would say 'Frustrating'. Forget about me, I think almost every United fan would say that and I don't think I need to tell any of you why we think so. The game against Everton itself was a perfect example of a typical Nani performance so irritating at times that I was ready to hurl every solid object that was within my reach at the telly.

As I touched upon in an article on Saturday, Freddy Adu has not lived up to his role as a playmaking winger enough this year. A few games, specifically his pre-second yellow card play against the New York Red Bulls, have shown that he has the mindset and ability to properly adjust to the role he thrust himself into this offseason, but Adu has disappointed routinely out of a high spot in the Philadelphia Union's offense.

Not all of the Sounder at Heart nicknames stick, and this one hasn't, but Cordell Cato still offers some of Katniss. He's speed is so notable (the fire) that many overlook his other skill sets. Cato's passing is best demonstrated by his low, quick crosses at about 20 yards out. His dribble is good enough that he isn't going to give it up often and he reads the game well enough that he generally doesn't push himself past his skill set.

I have to admit that watching England make easy work of the Moldovan national team on Friday in their opening World Cup Qualifier for Brazil 2014 was a pleasant experience in direct contrast to their previous competitive match in the Euro2012 Quarter Final loss against Italy in the early summer.

If there's one lethal weapon futbolitos will be wearing at the Euro 2012 tournament, it's the brand new Adidas' Predator® Lethal Zones boot, made up of five, unique super-light (SL) rubber and memory foam 3-D zones designed for complete ball control!

We've all done it. Screamed at Gervinho, I mean. When the match is firmly encamped in the tenterhooks phase; both teams engaging in thrust and cautious counter-thrust; the tension so palpable that you could cut it with the switch-blade Steve Bould undoubtedly carries around in his back-pocket: Gervinho gets the ball, attempts a dribble, jinks impressively past his man, and tonks it woefully out of play.

Transfer rumours are usually a waste of time but occasionally they come true. And when stories about the arrival of a world class player turn to reality it's difficult to contain the excitement. When Arsenal officially confirmed the arrival of Santi Cazorla I felt a big hole in the squad had been plugged.

Chelsea remained perfect in the 2012-13 English Premier League season with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge.

Eden Hazard had another impressive match and Fernando Torres scored for the second straight match as the Blues are showing they could be title contenders this season.

Manchester City came from behind to beat Southampton and Chelsea won at Wigan Athletic in the the English Premier League on August 19, 2012.

Chelsea scored two early goals and cruised to a victory in the opening round. The visitors started very quickly as Eden Hazard sent a great pass to Branislav Ivanovic who got behind the defense on a counterattack.

The United States defeated Mexico 1-0 in an international friendly on August 15, 2012. It's the Americans first ever win at the Estadio Azteca. Very few gave the USA a realistic chance to get a result, let alone win, as Mexico have been dominant at the Azteca.

Mexico started out with most of the possession but the United States were committed to defending and absorbing pressure.

The Los Angeles Galaxy crushed Chivas USA, Montreal got a rare away win, and Chicago moved up the standings with a win at Philadelphia in Major League Soccer on August 12, 2012.

Sanna Nyassi would dribble his way for more than half of the field before firing a great shot into the upper right corner.

Greece edged Russia with a late first half goal to book their spot in the quarterfinals. It was a surprise result as Russia were major favorites and would have advanced with a draw or win.

Russia were the stronger side to start but Greece were able to keep it scoreless. The lone goal of the match just before halftime as Greece scored following a throw-in.

The USA opened CONCACAF 2014 World Cup Qualifying with a victory over Antigua & Barbuda on June 8, 2012. It was a 3-1 victory a a much closer match than most expected.

It started out on a positive note for the USA as Carlos Bocanegra pounced on a rebound following a corner kick. Antigua and Barbuda, who are a small country with a small population (about 85,000), were not expected to get anything out of the match and likely were going to struggle to keep the match competitive.

The Revs midfielders desire to dribble over playing the ball quickly has hurt the team lately. (Photo: Chris Aduama/aduama.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. It's the same story, just different night for the New England Revolution. The Montreal Impact came into Foxborough and took advantage of the one mistake New England made, while the Revolution didn't have an answer for Montreal's defensive shape.

One could blame poor refereeing. Or a lack of effort. Or that the Seattle Sounders played without passion. That would be passing off the blame. It wasn't in Seattle's head, or referee Mark Geiger's. Seattle was out played. Poor passing out from the backline compounded by poor passing in the middle.

There's always an attempt to replicate great moments — particularly goals — in the playground, though any young fan who enjoyed Danny Welbeck's winner against Sweden for England on Friday evening would have difficulty pulling it off. It was an audacious piece of skill; the fact that it was initially seen as lucky, cynically dismissed as a fluke, made it an altogether better goal as the replay showed Welbeck react instinctively to Theo Walcott's cross by turning, then letting the ball gently bounce onto the back of his boot away into the right of Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson.

After having Saturday off, the U.S. U-20 WNT hit the field on Sunday for its final training before facing Germany in its Group D finale on Monday, Aug. 27 (ESPN2 & ESPN3 at 2:50 a.m. ET).

The Miyagi prefecture has been much cooler than the USA's stay in Hiroshima -- until today -- when the heat was turned up and the Americans once again trained in hot, humid and sticky weather.

Sporting KC defeated DC United in 2-1 in Major League Soccer (MLS) on August 11, 2012. It's the first home win for Sporting in their last home matches.

The match started out with Sporting dominating play and taking the lead in the 13th minute. Teal Bunbury would head in a Graham Zusi corner kick to make it 1-0.

Starfire may not be magic, but special moments happen there. Wednesday night's game rarely seemed in doubt, and it was finished off by Sammy Ochoa with goal number 4, a fourth time ejecting Chivas USA from the Open Cup, a fourth time advancing to the Final and an opportunity for a historic #SE4TTLE.

Ex-professional football players occupy a unique position in British society. For anyone else of any other profession or social standing, years having engaged in an activity on a professional basis day-in day-out would afford you with a modicum of respect and a reputation for expertise. You have been there, on the inside.

Orlando, FL Following the overtime, pk's, post game celebrations, and the long journey out of the complex we reached our hotel at 10:30 am. The boys had one hour to rest. Instructions were crystal clear. Rest your bodies with legs elevated, hydrate with plenty of gatorade, and eat fruit and power bars to refuel before the final.