FIFPro, the international professional soccer players union, has released a wide-ranging report on working conditions for pro players in Eastern Europe. The Black Book Eastern Europe is available as a pdf download from FIFPro's official site. Representing the experiences of 3,357 players, the report details evidence of racism and harassment of players along with club financial issues, unenforced contracts, and lack of oversight in how soccer operates in the region.

Various MLS teams carry associations with particular regions for their foreign players. The Chicago Fire rode their ability to scout Eastern Europe (decent football, middling economics) to an extraordinary launch for their franchise. D.C. United uses non-major nations from South America (decent football, poor economics) to become MLS first dynasty.

It's after midnight where I am, so consider yourselves served again.Truth be told, though, I may be forced into giving you a double goodie on this day. I've got one you're gonna enjoy with an oven timer threatening to ding on me.Also, we need someone to come up with a proper name for our winter silly season holiday, as "Festivus" is taken.

I've wrestled back and forth for hours on how to address last night's simultaneous Champions League incidents in Amsterdam and Zagreb, obviously because of the team short-strawed with the outcomes. I have decided that it cannot be avoided. I suppose that I will just have to speak as objectively as my reputation allows.

Why the road to redemption is now 9,337 miles long for Fabio Capello

The road to redemption for Fabio Capello and England is now the long road. A series of flights into the outer reaches of eastern Europe. A journey of 5113 miles including the flight from London just to get out of the group stage, and possibly visiting three different cities to play the six matches needed to lift the Henri Delaunay trophy.

Liverpool are keen on rookie Romanian goalkeeper Valentin Cojocaru according to talkSPORT.
The 16-year-old stopper is widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents to come out of eastern Europe, and is currently on the books at Steaua Bucharest.
Cojocaru has been offered the chance to train with Liverpool at the club's Melwood academy - where Reds boss Kenny Dalglish will ask his team of coaches to determine whether or not the teenager could have a future at Anfield.

Wow, there is a lot of noise in the Major League Soccer system right now.

You either think Houston were idiotic (or poorly attempting to be sly) for not protecting local-icon Brian Ching, or you think Montreal hopes to do slimy deal-brokering with little regard to the player. Maybe you think both.

Guess who forgot something last night. Oh well, gives me a chance to sneak in a Champions League strike...Listen to how bored the Russian broadcast team had gotten with Real Madrid dominance by the time Gonzalo Higuain tucked home this beauty against Dinamo Zagreb last night.Traveling back to the international break, Nani lit the cannon to help Portugal punch their Euro2012 ticket against Bosnia.

Stay tuned to NSC tube for another episode of HopeTV later, plus word on a chance for you to become an actual part-owner of an actual club you've heard of...Let's start with one to make you feel bad if you don't get your motor revved this morning, a wild ride thanks to Milan Petržela of FC Viktoria Plzeň (a team NSC pal Phil Schoen digs).

English Football Wages: 1984 to 2010 - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Football wages are a ridiculously easy target whether it's the high wages paid by Chelsea and then Manchester City, the astronomical wage bills of Barcelona and Real Madrid fueled by unequal TV deals or the retirement homes that front as football clubs in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, football wages have steadily increased in the last 20-25 years.

I'm not ashamed to admit it. But for now, the more important topic is Sigma Olomouc forward Stefan Jerome opening his first team account with the 1-0 winner in a Czech Republic Football Cup round of 16 decider against Seziomovo Ústí (his side having taken the first leg 4-1).I thiiiiink he scored on a header, but I'm not 100% certain.

We'll never come whack on an old school track...Let's begin with the MLS Goal of the Week nominees. I gotta go Cruz control on this one, folks.Real Zaragoza's Helder Postiga builds one bitchingly fast bicycle.Look for how high above frame this looong free kick from Slovenia's Dare Vršič is as it passes the spot and how quickly it falls off the table.

Now that the group stages of the Euro 2012 qualification are over, I thought I'd take a look at the attendances. It's especially interesting this time around as many of the games have been played on Friday/Tuesday rather than the traditional (and I use that term very loosely) Saturday/Wednesday. For the record of the 240 qualification ties 26 were played on a Saturday, 4 were played on a Tuesday, 103 were played on a Friday and 106 were played on a Wednesday.

The group stage of any major tournament - let alone the Under-20 World Cup - is not too different from a high school prom. It's the culmination of an arduous journey that is a cause for celebration. Everybody gets to hang around, dance a little, try to impress the ladies and generally have a good time.

A day late, but never yadayada...Let's begin this time with a wave goodbye to a wonderful Women's World Cup with Sweden's Marie Hammarstrom.Sweden - France 2-1 www.rojadirecta.es door kehl3So check this out... Clarence Seedorf's cousin Regilio, who plays for something called FK Taurus in Lithuania, wearing red and black stripes, in the Europa League, against a Dutch side.

Does anyone else feel like Tottenham are stuck in limbo? Probably too good for the Europa League, not quite good enough for the Champions League. A situation that it appears impossible to free ourselves from. I'm not interested in the riches of Manchester City or Chelsea. I feel like any achievements they make mean very little as there are no real obstacles in either side's way other than the impatience of their respective owners.

Good Day SSNers!!
Sid Lowe in Spain with The Sids, previews for the weekend's Euro 2012 qualifiers, the U.S. host Spain in Foxboro tomorrow, more on FIFA, Jonathan Wilson in Eastern Europe, Friedel goes to Spurs, Mark Hughes leaves Fulham but does not go to Villa, Dale Johnson is Off The Ball, Barcelona sign 10-year-old American and much more!

I meant to post this on Thursday, but took a nap instead. What we have here is a list of all the Americans that are currently property of clubs holding invites to Europe for the fall.Those marked by an asterisk stand at least a pretty good chance of being with another team when the tourneys start (note how I've worded that once you hit them, as there are several different possible reasons for the

It took me a long good while, but I finally unearthed a clip of Jemal Johnson's famous 1-0 Saturday winner to send Lokomotiv Sofia into the Europa League for the first time (though they have been in Europe before).- Greg Seltzer

While Americans playing overseas have not found much success playing in Eastern Europe, Danijal Brkovic is trying to break out with FK Velez Mostar in the Bosnia Herzegovina Premier League.

Guess what has two thumbs and inadvertently dozed off before posting last night...Let's kick it off with the MLS Goal of the Week nominees - admittedly, not the juiciest bunch ever.Both goals from CSKA Sofia's win were scored beautifully by a young lad named Michel Platini - no, I'm not joking. I also have no explanation for the goal celebrations in Bulgaria.

The way that Klaus Augenthaler left the green fields can be a very good story for a light drama movie. The guy who had great career with Bayern Munich, which was his club since he was 18 years old till he retired at 1991. He had only 27 appearances with the national team in 7 years, but really very valuable 27 caps (the quality, not the quantity).

Old habits die hard. Just ask John McClane...#1 - The Kansas City Star explains why Sporting KC decided to pay for their stadium naming rights. Awesome.And for those KC folks who pay attention to such silly things: The Distracter super-duper approves of this. Despite the Wizards name change, which was upsetting, they remain "her team".

UEFA Champions League, Round of 16, Second LegsTransfer rumours of 'Fabregas to Barça' will be relit this evening in Catalonia as Arsenal take a slender advantage to the Camp Nou, while Shakhtar Donetsk fly Eastern Europe's flag with a narrow lead over Roma.Italian clubs are up against it, all trailing from their home legs: A defeat for the giallorossi in Ukraine coupled with Milan sinking in

The Blizzard You might know Jonathan Wilson as a football journalist (Guardian, World Soccer magazine, Sports Illustrated etcetera) and author of four books (including Behind the Curtain: Football in Eastern Europe, Inverting the Pyramid), a tactics genius and historian, an expert on Slavic and Eastern European football, a Guardian Football Weekly regular, and a giant brain sitting in a tub of

Once again, let's make sure nobody missed any of my extra-NSC-ular activities.- The new Postcard From Europe, featuring Sacha Kljestan- FCN's Timothy Chandler has a sweet new deal- Pribram's Brian Ackley hopes to be back in the selection soon- The new Top 5 Continental Shifts (a ka the Eurosnob* Gazette)* = You can tell I'm a Eurosnob because I didn't hyphenate it.

(When it comes to the Champions League, I can't help but root for any English team, unless that team is playing against Arsenal... How the Gunners beat Barcelona is not for me to decide, for I'm certainly not an analyst. My best answer is that Arsenal beat Barca the same way Arsenal can be beaten: Solid defending and goalkeeping, making chances count, waiting for a couple sloppy passes and scoring on the break.

Today US Soccer announced the nominees up for the US Soccer Hall of Fame. On the list are four former Wizards players. Included in the list is one current member of the Wizards staff, technical director and head coach Peter Vermes. Vermes played in eastern Europe and MLS during his playing career at both forward and defender.