Chasing the Big Leagues FC Zwolle (Dutch Eerste Divisie) is a post from: Just Football
Just Football's Tales from Tier Two series, in
association with @tiertwofooty, concludes now with a look at the runaway leaders of the Dutch
Eerste Divisie:
FC Zwolle
FC Zwolle are in pole position to return to the Dutch Eredivisie eight years
since they were cruelly relegated after both Volendam and Vitesse claimed rare victories as Zwolle
were being thumped 7-1 at Feyenoord.
Hans Backe wants to go for it all. (Getty Images)
File this under "we've heard this before".
New York Red Bulls manager Hans Backe made a sweeping declaration yesterday to reporters while
in Mexico. He plans to go all-in this season.
"I say we should go for it all: the Open Cup, the Shield, the MLS Cup," Backe told reporters in
a conference call on Thursday from Mexico, where the Red Bulls are training.
Ching squared off against his old club yesterday. (Photo via Montreal Impact)
As bad as it was back in November, both Brian Ching and the Houston Dynamo are ready to move
past the whole expansion draft fiasco.
Ching now a member of the Montreal Impact played the Dynamo yesterday in a preseason
scrimmage.
By The Numbers: Who should take over from Fabio Capello? - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
Following Fabio Capello's resignation as England manager, Castrol EDGE Performance
data shows why Harry Redknapp is firm favourite to take over the reins. Since the previous
European Championships in 2008, Redknapp has secured an impressive win ratio of 49% with Portsmouth
and Tottenham, guiding Spurs to their most successful season in the Premier League and securing
European football for the past two seasons.
Juninho proved to be a handful for most MLS sides in 2011. (Getty Images)
I said a few weeks (or maybe just a couple weeks) back that the biggest thing that the LA Galaxy
needed to replace this winter was Juninho.
Well, what better way to replace him than with him.
The LA Galaxy announced on Tuesday that the club has reached an agreement with Brazilian club
São Paulo FC that will allow midfielder Juninho to return to the Galaxy on loan for the 2012 MLS
season.
Go ahead and say it. You think this is pretty. Well you aren't the only one. The orange seats
are going in as we speak and the grass will soon be installed. Happy times indeed in Houston.
(Photo via @hapykappy7)
The John Terry controversies a complete list - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
John Terry on his day is one of the best central defenders in the Premier League, and certainly
an important player for Chelsea and England.
However, the 31-year-old is in danger of missing out on Euro 2012, after being stripped of his
nation's captaincy due to the ongoing allegations of racism against the Barking-born man.
The Return of Luis Suárez - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Ahead of the Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur match on Monday night, we look at the return of
Luis Suárez and how Liverpool have fared in the Premier League in his absence.
Luis Suárez returns to the Liverpool squad for Monday night's game at home to
Tottenham Hotspur following a much publicised eight-game suspension.
Why Fernando Frequently Fails to Fire - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Useless. Flop. Goddamn waste of money. Adjectives are not too hard to come by when Fernando
Torres is the topic of discussion. Few footballers have fallen as far and as fast as the former
Liverpool hit man has in the past 2 seasons.
The Flowers of Manchester - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Daniele (from Red Rants) has a written a moving piece on the Munich disaster here's an
extract:
Sam couldn't have been more focused if he had been watching a movie, so I moved on: "Harry
Gregg, United's keeper, had been thrown out the cabin after the impact along with Bobby
Charlton.
The Montreal Impact announced on Friday that more than 25,000 tickets were already sold for the
home opener at Olympic Stadium, March 17, against the Chicago Fire.
The Impact are hoping to create a new record for attendance at the Olympic Stadium with
additional sales leading up to the home opener.
Chelsea v Manchester United: A Battle Of Widths - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
According to Castrol EDGE Performance analysis, both Manchester United and
Chelsea's wingers have been key to both club's positive play this season, with Antonio Valencia,
Nani, Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge all enjoying impressive campaigns.
Portland and Vancouver have done well in preparing for their sophomore seasons. (Getty
Images)
Yesterday I took a look at the 10 clubs from the Eastern Conference in how they've done so far
this winter. Naturally right after the post was put up one of those clubs went out and signed a
DP.
Today, we'll look at the nine clubs from the Western Conference to see how they've been doing so
far this winter.
Chasing The Big Leagues Southampton and the challengers (English Championship) is a post from:
Just Football
Tales from Tier Two is a series on Just Football
in partnership with @tiertwofooty, in which we assess the promotion chances of the clubs in tier
two of Europe's major leagues at the midway point of 2011/12.
Zamora and Cissé Can they keep QPR in the Premier League? - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
Mark Hughes was very active on transfer deadline day, signing ex-Liverpool front man Djibril
Cissé from Lazio and re-uniting himself with Bobby Zamora from Fulham. Castrol EDGE Performance
analysis shows that with an impressive shooting accuracy of 57% and the ability to create a chance
for his teammates every 40 mins, Zamora looks set to play an important role in QPR's battle to
avoid relegation.
Toronto and Kansas City have faired pretty well so far this winter. (Getty Images)
Many clubs are a few weeks into their pre-seasons and now that the international transfer window
has shut, it is a good time to look at how each MLS side has done so far this winter. (Note: the
MLS window doesn't close until April, which means players who failed to land new jobs in Europe can
still head to MLS.
Chasing The Big Leagues West Ham United (English Championship) is a post from: Just Football
Tales from Tier Two is a series on Just Football in
partnership with @tiertwofooty, in which we assess the promotion chances of the clubs in tier two
of Europe's major leagues at the midway point of 2011/12.
An ode to Mario Balotelli: his notorious on and off-field antics (to date) - originally posted
on Soccerlens.com
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is without doubt one of the most interesting, but
controversial players in the current game. Flashes of brilliance for the Etihad Stadium outfit,
Inter and Italy testify to the 21-year-old's ability, but scandal and strange off-field behaviour
have never been too far away in the attacker's short career to date.
John Terry Good Or Bad For England's Euro 2012 Campaign? - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
The extraordinary delays in a resolution to the Terry-Ferdinand affair have already resulted in
the wholly unnecessary cop-out by the FA and the Premier League in asking Chelsea and QPR to forego
handshakes in their recent league clash.
Sunder, Sunder, SUNDERLAND, HO! - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Ever since I saw the scoreline for Sunderland's win against Norwich yesterday, the above title
has been ringing around in my head. There's always the uplifting effect that a new manager has on
the club and yes, many of the mid-table clubs in the Premier League haven't fared too well of late,
but Sunderland's sustained success in the last couple of months is heartening.
How To Choose Your Ideal Bundesliga Club - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Are you new to German football, and attracted to the much-lauded mix of exciting end-to-end
football, standing fans, cheap beer and cheap tickets, not to mention the chance to watch football
in a country where the national team can actually amount to something come crunch time?
Edson Buddle is back. (Getty Images)
Edson Buddle is back in a LA Galaxy uniform. The deal to bring back one of the league's all-time
best goal-scorers happened today.
Buddle rejoins the Galaxy after being released from his contract with FC Ingolstadt 04 on
Tuesday. Los Angeles maintained his MLS rights following his free transfer to Ingolstadt last
January.
All January 2012 English Premier League Transfers - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
You'll find the latest Premier League Transfers (January 2012) listed here.
Archives for older transfer seasons are at the end of this page. For the latest transfer rumours
and confirmed transfers for other leagues, see our football transfer lists page.
Chasing the Big Leagues Real Valladolid and the contenders (Spain Segunda) is a post from: Just
Football
Just Football's Tales from Tier Two series, in
association with @tiertwofooty, continues now as we continue with Spain's Liga Adelante. First we
assessed the promotion chances of Deportivo La Coruña in Spain's Segunda
Division:
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid have been in and around the top six all season in Spain's
Segunda Division following a run of just 2 defeats in 22 games since kicking off the season with a
3-0 win at Gimnastic Tarragona.
Charles Renken is now a Timbers. (John Dorton/ISI)
It has been one of those days. First the Sebastien Le Toux trade now these two stories.
First up is former US youth phenom Charles Renken has been signed by the Portland Timbers. The
Timbers got the youth star off of waivers somehow.
Martin Rennie looks to have built an offensive juggernaut. (Photo via Vancouver Whitecaps)
With the news of Sebastien Le Toux joining the Vancouver Whitecaps on a trade today. It has to,
no, it must be pointed out exactly how stacked these Whitecaps are on offense.
Just look at these names currently on the roster (and in camp):
- Camilo
- Eric Hassli
- Atiba Harris
- Omar Salgado
- Darren Mattocks
- Davide Chiumiento
- Lee Nguyen
- Long Tan
- Sebastien Le Toux
- Etienne Barbara (not currently signed)
Holy smokes.
Talk about a 180.
Just a week or so ago it was Sebastien Le Toux on a plane to England to train with Bolton. Now
he is back in North America and has been traded to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
No word yet on what the terms of the deal will be but the Frenchman just tweeted out that it is
official.
Wilman Conde is back in MLS with the Red Bulls. (Getty Images)
This news had been around for some time. The New York Red Bulls and the Chicago Fire finally
made it official today though. Wilman Conde is finally going to the Big Apple.
The fun part about this deal however is that it is really a few years too late.
Generation 2022: Al-Kass Under-17 International Cup Scouting Report is a post from: Just
Football
Always on the lookout for new talent here at Just Football, we sent our man
in Qatar to check out the inaugural Al-Kass International Under-17 tournament. A warm welcome to
Raphael Nawari, who reports on a competition full of promising youngsters:
In a small secluded part of the world, the new stars of tomorrow are taking part in a newly
formed tournament, which in years to come will be considered as one of the better known youth
tournaments, rivalling the Milk Cup and others where the likes of Wayne Rooney, Ronaldinho and
Lionel Messi have graced us with their precocious talents.
Ricardo Clark got a little redemption but that's about it. (Getty Images)
It has been a long time coming for the US Men's National Team. A solid three-game winning
streak.
Typically these sorts of things happen around the January friendly time. It certainly isn't the
first time this has happened but with Jurgen Klinsmann in as boss, it is.
Chasing the Big Leagues Deportivo La Coruna (Spain Segunda) is a post from: Just Football
Just Football's Tales from Tier Two series
continues now with a look at the promotion chances of Deportivo La Coruña in
Spain's Segunda Division:
Deportivo La Coruna
Deportivo have a three point lead on Valladolid and Hercules going into week 22 as the
blanquiazules aim to bounce back to La Liga at the first time of asking.
Who should MLS face off against this summer in the All-Star Game? (Getty Images)
Today we learned that Philadelphia and PPL Park would be home to this year's summer friendly for
Major League Soccer known as the All Star Game.
But what we don't know is who the MLS All Stars will be facing off against come July.
It has been a crazy day for me here. Busy at work. Busy at life. But I wanted to get to this bit
of news before the day really gets away from me.
The Union and MLS have scheduled a press conference in Philadelphia for Tuesday, where
Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter and MLS commissioner are expected to announce that PPL Park will
be host this summer's 2012 MLS All-Star Game.
Tim Ream has seen his last days in MLS. (Getty Images)
Add Tim Ream to the list of Americans on the move this winter. According to reports, the New
York Red Bull defender has received his work permit, clearing the way for a permeant move to
Bolton.
Ream would leave the New York Red Bulls on a transfer worth £2.
The African Cup of Nations is underway, but does it feel like we are missing a few people? -
originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The 2012 African Cup of Nations kicked off on Saturday, with co-hosts and debutants Equatorial
Guinea getting a last-gasp, dramatic 1-0 win over Libya. The likes of Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure and
Demba Ba are chomping at the bit to showcase the quality of football in the African continent, but
this year's edition has a number of recognisable absentees.
African All-Stars: 7 Players to watch at Africa Cup of Nations 2012 is a post from: Just
Football
"I think it is a responsibility for every proper club in Europe to go to the Africa Cup of
Nations to see what the market brings and what hidden talents are running around in Africa,"
Hoffenheim scout Lutz Pfannenstiel told the BBC on the eve of the African Cup of Nations 2012.
When the Chicago Fire announced Quaker Oats as their new jersey sponsor earlier this week (I
swear that one is growing on me by the day), the news left four clubs without a sponsor.
The Colorado Rapids, the Columbus Crew, FC Dallas and Sporting Kansas City all have holes in
their jerseys well metaphorically speaking.
David Beckham is staying in LA for two more years, after that it could be owning a MLS team.
(Getty Images)
This is something we've been hearing since 2007. David Beckham has a clause in his contract with
Major League Soccer that once he retires, he can buy a MLS franchise.
That much was true with his five-year deal in MLS and it is true once again with his new
two-year deal.
Arsenal relying on van Persie and midfield strength to beat Manchester United - originally
posted on Soccerlens.com
In August Manchester United and Wayne Rooney inflicted a resounding 8-2 defeat on Arsenal, with
Rooney netting a hat-trick. However, since then it is Robin van Persie who has lit up the Premier
League.
Manchester City Enjoying Home Comforts In Title Race - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Castrol EDGE analysis shows that Manchester City's strength at the Etihad Stadium has been
central to their challenge for the Premier League title.
Roberto Mancini's side have won each of their last 15 home league games, a home winning streak
only bettered once in Premier League history, by none other than their Manchester rivals
United.