One of Europe's most prized transfer targets could very well be headed to Tottenham this
summer.
Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard reportedly has a deal in place to join Spurs during the next
transfer window, according to France Football. The report stipulates that the two clubs will still
need to come to a transfer agreement, meaning that the move is far from official but is
nevertheless along in the process.
USA 2014 World Cup Squad Projection Version 1.5 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog
It's been a few months since the initial projection and it's changed a bit with several
friendlies taking place. Overall, the core of the team remains the same with the final spots still
unclear. This projection is of what the team (23 man squad) will be for the World Cup (in 2014) and
not during qualifying.
Photo by John Todd/ISIphotos.com
United States fullback Eric Lichaj has completed his return from a hip injury that kept him out
of action for the better part of the last five months, making the bench for Aston Villa's first
team in its last two matches. Despite Lichaj being a candidate to go on loan upon his return, Aston
Villa appears to be remain committed to seeing what he can do for the club, even if that means
moving him to a new spot on the field.
It was widely thought that after regaining his fitness following hip surgery American and Aston
Villa fullback Eric Lichaj would head on loan to Leeds United, where he enjoyed overall success in
his first stretch with consistent first-team minutes while on loan there last year.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht returned to league action this weekend for the first time
since December, and they both picked up right where they left off.
RSC Anderlecht continued its winning ways with a 3-0 victory over third-place Club Brugge on
Sunday.
Robbie Keane is returning to the Premier League as a short-term member of Aston Villa. The Los
Angeles Galaxy has agreed to loan Keane to Brad Guzan and Eric Lichaj's club and Keane could be
playing against the Americans at Everton this weekend. It's a quick trip for Keane, who has spent
most of January training with Spurs in London.
photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
Robbie Rogers made it no secret that he wanted to play abroad once his MLS contract expired at
the end of last season.
It appears his wish has been granted.
Rogers has agreed to join Championship club Leeds United, subject to him securing a work
permit.
Saturday Bristol Rovers - Aston Villa 12pm - Fox Soccer The FA Cup enters the Third Round proper,
with Brad Guzan and Eric Lichaj's Villa getting an away date with League Two club Bristol. Part of
the fun of the English cup competitions is seeing stadiums that normally don't appear on US
television. Memorial Stadium in Horfield, Bristol is mostly standing areas, since Bristol has never
been high enough in the English league system to.
photo by Gerhard Steenkamp/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Aston Villa finished 2011 with a big upset victory over Chelsea, and Brad Guzan played a part in
making that happen.
In his fifth start of the season, Guzan helped the Villans stun Chelsea, 3-1, on Saturday.
Photo by Joe Toth/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Clint Dempsey has made quite the statement in 2011, and this weekend will provide him with a
chance to finish it in style.
Having enjoyed a career year, Dempsey's final game of 2011 will pit him and Fulham against
Norwich City in a match that could see the Cottagers inch closer to the top half of the Premiership
table.
By FRANCO PANIZO
If the Christmas weekend left you starved for soccer, Monday might just be enough to satisfy
your hunger.
Nearly a dozen games involving Americans Abroad are scheduled to take place on Boxing Day,
including Jonathan Spector's match against his former club, West Ham United.
Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
A day after locking up centerback Chad Marshall for the foreseeable future, the Columbus Crew
may be on the verge of losing a key figure from its attack.
Winger Robbie Rogers is closing in on a deal with Leeds United, according to a report from
England.
The future remains bright for an up-and-coming U.S.-eligible defender.
Danny Potts, 17, put pen to paper Friday on a two-and-a-half year deal that will keep him at
West Ham through the 2013-2014 season. Potts, whose father was born in the United States and played
for West Ham, is eligible to play for both England and the United States.
By FRANCO PANIZO
There were several noteworthy performances from the Americans Abroad contingent this weekend,
but none was better than the match put in by Oguchi Onyewu.
Onyewu was the only American to find the back of the net this past weekend, as he hit the winner
in Sporting CP's 1-0 victory over CD Nacional de Madeira.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Brad Friedel made waves with his comments about Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey this week, but
its his team that has been making waves in the Premier League recently. Friedel and Tottenham
Hotspur have not lost in the Premiership since the second week of the season, but they'll have to
see off tricky Stoke City this weekend if they are to continue their run of good form.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Jozy Altidore has been no stranger to scoring nice goals this season, but the one he bagged this
weekend is arguably among his best of the year.
Altidore finished off a beautiful passing sequence in AZ Alkmaar's match against Heerenveen when
he got an open look from close range after a beautiful first touch that got him by a defender.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Having been beaten by Kilmarnock in shocking fashion last week, Carlos Bocanegra, Maurice Edu
and Alejandro Bedoya enter their match against Dunfermline Athletic with one thing in mind:
Winning.
Rangers is still four points clear of Celtic for first place in the Scottish Premier League, but
the Blues need to bounce back from last weekend's defeat.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Timmy Chandler may have scored a goal on Saturday, but he wasn't the only U.S. men's national
team defender to make an impact with his left foot.
Jonathan Spector helped rescue Birmingham City from defeat, assisting on an 87th-minute
equalizer in the club's 2-2 draw with Blackpool.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Brondby IF won its first game since early October in shocking fashion this past weekend, and it
can partially thank Clarence Goodson for that.
Along with going the distance and limiting first-place FC Copenhagen to one goal, Goodson scored
the opener in Brondby's 2-1 victory on Sunday.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Jozy Altidore has reason to celebrate, and not just because it's his birthday.
Altidore found the back of the net for the first time since Sept. 29 by capping the scoring in
AZ Alkmaar's 3-0 victory over ADO Den Haag on the day he turned 22 years old.
By FRANCO PANIZO
If you saw Clint Dempsey score in Fulham's game against Wigan Athletic on Saturday, you didn't
just see him hit a winner.
You saw him make history.
Dempsey's first-half strike in Fulham's 2-0 win versus Wigan gave him 36 league goals in his
Premiership career, tying the U.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Seeing German-Americans playing along one another on the U.S. men's national team is becoming
quite the trend, but for one weekend we'll see a portion of them doing battle.
Jermaine Jones is set to face off against fellow United States pool players Danny Williams and
Fabian Johnson when Schalke 04 and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim play on Saturday.
By FRANCO PANIZO
If Chris Rolfe is trying to make his way back into the U.S. men's national team picture, he did
a good job of helping his cause this weekend.
Rolfe, who has not represented the United States since 2008, scored two goals in a 90-minute
performance against Odense BK.
photo by Javier Garcia/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Three months into the season, Everton and Fulham are each just two points away from the
relegation zone, leaving Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey to attempt to help further their respective
club away from there this weekend.
By FRANCO PANIZO
It's been over a year since Herculez Gomez last represented the U.S. men's national team, but
that drought could soon end after Gomez's latest goal-scoring performance.
For the fourth straight game that he's played in, Gomez scored a goal.
1. Much like the Project 2010 Blog, Oguchi Onyewu will rise from the ashes today, getting a
rare start. He won't quite look like his old self (see: Oguchi Onyewu, Confederations Cup
2009), but it will be promising. He'll get beat where he shouldn't on a couple of occasions, but
he'll show some ability to recover, which he's been lacking for a while.
1. Much like the Project 2010 Blog, Oguchi Onyewu will rise from the ashes today, getting a
rare start. He won't quite look like his old self (see: Oguchi Onyewu, Confederations Cup
2009), but it will be promising. He'll get beat where he shouldn't on a couple of occasions, but
he'll show some ability to recover, which he's been lacking for a while.
1. Much like the Project 2010 Blog, Oguchi Onyewu will rise from the ashes
today, getting a rare start. He won't quite look like his old self (see: Oguchi
Onyewu, Confederations Cup 2009), but it will be promising. He'll get beat where he shouldn't on
a couple of occasions, but he'll show some ability to recover, which he's been lacking for a
while.
1. Much like the Project 2010 Blog, Oguchi Onyewu will rise from the ashes
today, getting a rare start. He won't quite look like his old self (see: Oguchi
Onyewu, Confederations Cup 2009), but it will be promising. He'll get beat where he shouldn't on
a couple of occasions, but he'll show some ability to recover, which he's been lacking for a
while.
1. Much like the Project 2010 Blog, Oguchi Onyewu will rise from the ashes
today, getting a rare start. He won't quite look like his old self (see: Oguchi
Onyewu, Confederations Cup 2009), but it will be promising. He'll get beat where he shouldn't on
a couple of occasions, but he'll show some ability to recover, which he's been lacking for a
while.
1. Much like the Project 2010 Blog, Oguchi Onyewu will rise from the ashes
today, getting a rare start. He won't quite look like his old self (see: Oguchi
Onyewu, Confederations Cup 2009), but it will be promising. He'll get beat where he shouldn't on
a couple of occasions, but he'll show some ability to recover, which he's been lacking for a
while.
By FRANCO PANIZO
The Americans Abroad have made a habit out of scoring goals this season, and this weekend was no
different.
Clint Dempsey was one of the players to find the back of the net, scoring the fifth goal in
Fulham's 6-0 demolition of Queens Park Rangers.
Photo by ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Whether it was injuries, being out of form or something else, DaMarcus Beasley had a hard time
getting minutes at the club level in recent years.
Those days are long gone, with Beasley's latest performance serving as the latest piece of
evidence that Beasley is back.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Carlos Bocanegra may be one of the most experienced players on the U.S. men's national team, but
he has likely been seeking advice from Maurice Edu in advance of Rangers' upcoming game.
Bocanegra is likely to get his first taste of the Old Firm rivalry on Sunday, as Rangers is set
to face Celtic in the first of three matches between the two teams scheduled this season.
By FRANCO PANIZO
If Oguchi Onyewu is hoping to earn his first call-up under new U.S. men's national team head
coach Jurgen Klinsmann in the near future, he took one step closer towards achieving that this
weekend.
Onyewu made his official Sporting Lisbon debut on Saturday, starting and going the distance in
the club's 3-2 victory over Pacos de Ferreira.
photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
It's been a while since we've seen a U.S. men's national team player play in Serie A, but that
looks to change this weekend.
Michael Bradley is set to make his debut Chievo Verona debut on Sunday when the club takes on
recently-promoted Novara.
When the USMNT lineup that would face Belgium came out last Tuesday the sight of Steve
Cherundolo and Timmy Chandler in the squad led to the immediate realization that Jurgen Klinsmann
was getting serious about his search for a reliable left back.
Chandler responded to the positional switch with a surprisingly steady defensive
performance.
WPS
Unwelcome news for WPS: The CEO is stepping down after less than a year on the job.
Paul Riley spoke about the future of WPS in a conference call yesterday. Any time Paul Riley
speaks, everyone should listen. Two people should be allowed to call a joint session of congress:
The President of the United States of America and Paul Riley, President of AwesomeQuotes.
A few Americans made moves in Europe ahead of the close of the summer transfer window, but some
of the bigger names being tossed around the rumor mill stayed put.
The major move to Arsenal never materialized for Clint Dempsey, who remains at Fulham. Jermaine
Jones is still out of favor at Schalke.
STARTERSVery bad injury news for Eric Lichaj who suffered a torn labrum (part of the hip) and depending on
the severity or need for surgery he could be out until January at worst.
dN
A very interesting note on the day long frenzy on the closing of the international transfer window
today: as much as the American soccersphere waited/anticipated for a Clint Dempsey move, the
English press never even hinted that there was going to be one.
