Portland is no DC United. This will be a test for the revamped Fire side that should provide an indication of how much better the club is with Bakary Soumare and Mike Magee in the lineup. The Timbers have been one of the better teams in the West this season currently sitting in third place with a 5-1-7 mark.
Despite racing out to a quick 3-0 lead, the Philadelphia Union were made to sweat out some nervy
moments before finally dispatching with the Harrisburg City Islanders 5-2, moving into the
semifinals of the US Open Cup.
An early Freddy Adu penalty kick was quickly followed by goals from Jack McInerney and Lionard
Pajoy, with the Union looking a certain winner at halftime.
The Philadelphia Union begin life after Peter Nowak tonight as they take on arch-rival D.C.
United in their first match under interim head coach John Hackworth.
The Union parted ways with Nowak on Wednesday, saying goodbye to the only head coach they ever
had. Now the task is up to Hackworth to turn around a disappointing start to the season by molding
a young squad into the winning team expected when the season began.
Before the next international break comes around in the second week of October, Arsenal face four
league games that could have a massive impact on the whole season. With a bit of luck and no
disasters, Arsene Wenger could have a full strength squad to choose from after those
internationals, and if the Gunners are [.
When your stream is lagging behind your commentary, Arabic commentators are an immeasurable
help. In normal circumstances, voice modulation and discernible enthusiasm can ruin an impending
goal for you; but these brethren from the Middle East keep up such an impossibly high and jovial
tempo throughout the game that it basically gives off the image of Arsenal punting it into the net
every second.
German defender Per Mertesacker has offered his support to Arsenal teammates Theo Walcott, Lukas
Podolski, and Laurent Koscielny during a Euro 2012 campaign that has been somewhat of a
roller-coaster ride for all the said players.
Walcott did not play in England's tournament opener against France but came off the bench to
lead the team to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Sweden on Friday.
Last time the LA Galaxy came to town they were far from full strength. Thanks to a combination
of David Beckham's porcelain reticence to play on turf and Bruce Arena's attempt at canny lineup
shuffling with another match three days later, the Galaxy's brace of Eurostars stayed home. And
they were without Omar Gonzalez, who missed the entire first half of the season with an injury.
The 2012 London summer Olympics offer an appetizing platter of soccer, despite the roster age
restrictions. Brazil is featuring close to a full strength squad, while Spain's B team could
probably win a proper World Cup with a bit of luck. Thus, we asked a few Americans what they
thought about the London games.
Could Carroll get a start?...
Image: guardian.co.ukHearts are the opposition for Liverpool on Thursday night as they continue
their attempts to proceed through the Europa League rounds. The Reds will look for a result to take
back to Anfield and with Manchester City looming at the weekend they will surely want to go about
this in the easiest way possible.
That was more like it, a much more reassuring friendly than the three in the USA. Which may have
had something to do with the stronger XI, not all that different from the one which faced Gomel on
Thursday. It was far stronger than expected, with Gerrard, Suarez, and Lucas all surprise starters.
Resplendent in what looked like Poland's strip, England's overpaid, loutish footballers,
totally devoid of Olympic spirit  like Chris Hoy or that one in the Modern Pentathlon, met Italy
on Wedensday night in Berne's Wankdorf Stadium, only a few weeks after the Azzurri dumped them out
of EURO 2012.
KICKERS TRAVEL TO WILMINGTON SATURDAYHigh-Stakes Match Kicks
Off at 7:30 p.m. on USLNation.com
RICHMOND, VA – (Friday, July 6, 2012) – The Richmond Kickers (5-5-5, 20 points) conclude a
three-game series against the Wilmington Hammerheads (6-5-4, 22 points) this Saturday, July 7.
While Mexico has called up a nearly full-strength roster, the US roster 10 MLS-based players and
many notable absences. It could be a long night for the US.
It is the U.S. men's national team's house of horrors, one of the more daunting places to play
around the world. And it looms Wednesday night.Â
The U.S. men's national team has never won at the storied Estadio Azteca, and despite bringing a
less-than-full-strength squad to Mexico City for Wednesday night's friendly against El Tri, the
challenge remains the same: Finally put a "1" in the "W" part of the W-L-T column that current
reads 0-8-1 all-time at Azteca, 0-19-1 all-time in Mexico City and 0-23-1 all-time on Mexican
soil.
The U.S. Men's National Team can take control of their World Cup Qualifying group tonight with a
win in the hostile environment in Guatemala City as the Americans take on Guatemala at Estadio
Nacional Mateo Flores.
The Americans come in off a 3-1 qualifying win against Antigua & Barbuda, a sloppy victory, but
a win that put the team closer to qualification.
The U.S. Men's National Team moves a step closer to the start of World Cup qualifying tonight in
Toronto with a match against Canada (7pm, NBC Sports) Â that will serve as the final tune-up before
qualifying kicks off on Friday in Tampa.
The Americans will be looking to recover from last Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Brazil by beating a
team they haven't lost to since 1985.
Tottenham Need To Strengthen - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Spurs 2-0 pre-season loss to Valencia on Thursday night is not a sign that Spurs should panic,
but it did show the weaknesses currently prevalent in the Spurs squad and showed the need to bring
in reinforcements.
Jermaine ‘JJ' Jenas and Jake Livermore in midfield struggled to both keep possession and press
the opposition while the defensive high line loved like a childhood teddy bear by Andre Villas-Boas
was at fault for the second of the Valencia goals.
Tottenham Need To Strengthen - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Spurs 2-0 pre-season loss to Valencia on Thursday night is not a sign that Spurs should panic,
but it did show the weaknesses currently prevalent in the Spurs squad and showed the need to bring
in reinforcements.
Jermaine ‘JJ' Jenas and Jake Livermore in midfield struggled to both keep possession and press
the opposition while the defensive high line loved like a childhood teddy bear by Andre Villas-Boas
was at fault for the second of the Valencia goals.
The Los Angeles Galaxy have been on the rise in recent weeks, but the Seattle Sounders brought
them back to reality with a thorough victory.
The Sounders dismantled a full-strength Galaxy side, 4-0, at CenturyLink Field in a week that
also included a 3-1 triumph over Caledonia AIA in the CONCACAF Champions League.
From the season opener to the present day, the Red Bulls have been steadily fighting (and
overcoming) injuries all year long. Saturday's match against the Union continued that trend as
comeback player Brandon Barklage fell with a hamstring injury despite New York's victory.
Last weekend, the Red Bulls fell to the New England Revolution 2-0, failing to create quality
scoring chances while playing without six of their regular starting eleven.
The Red Bulls currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference while battling injury woes
all season long.
After the disappointing loss to the Revs, NYRB finally received some good news on Wednesday with
word of a few key players returning.
Earlier this season, a decimated New York Red Bulls lineup managed to tie a club record for
consecutive victories with five wins in a row despite heavy losses to their starting eleven. Bench
players, newcomers and rookies all helped keep the Red Bulls' season afloat, securing three
shutouts while outscoring opponents, 8-3.
Michael Gspurning was deemed "ready" by Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid following Thursday's
training. The assumption being that Gspurning is due to make his first start since May 2, allowing
for the obvious caveats that anything can happen between now and then.
Now, with two vital matches approaching, Sigi Schmid and the Seattle Sounders roster are stuck
between the proverbial petrified tree and a hard place (namely the unstable San Andreas Fault).
With only a day separating the Cascadia Cup from the Open Cup, Sigi will be forced to weigh the
ability and fitness of the side he trots out with the skill of the teams they will face and the
importance of the games they will play.
The Timbers held a closed training session at Jeld-Wen field today, the first time the team have
practiced in the stadium in three weeks. Practice today was more in line with the season norm
rather than the training camp atmosphere on display over the break.
The Timbers were back close to full strength today with only Steven Smith, Eric Brunner, and
Rodney Wallace out of practice.
The World Football Challenge continues its 2012 tournament with Major League Soccer side Toronto
FC hosting English Premier League side Liverpool.
Liverpool will be without several of their top players such as Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, and
Andy Carroll due to FIFA regulations for mandatory vacation following international
tournaments.
While the Portland Timbers faced off against a tough opponent and came out the better side last
Sunday, their true test will be tomorrow night when they go on the road, once again, to take on
Western Conference rival the Colorado Rapids. As we all know, the Timbers don't have the bets
record against Colorado so far since joining MLS and, with the Rapids now returning to full
strength after a series of injuries, Spencer's side will truly be tested.
The upcoming Reading United AC and Harrisburg City Islanders friendlies will provide Roger
Torres with two games to begin to get back into match fitness.
Philadelphia Union head coach Peter Nowak said at today's press conference that Torres was
nearly back to full strength after training with the team.
The Fire appear to be catching another club at just the right time with the Colorado Rapids coming into Toyota Park at less than full strength. The Rapids weren't expected to contend for much in the West this season but at 5-5-5 they've overachieved amid a string of injuries and reliance on several young players.
After a tough 2011-12 plagued by recurring knee problems, longtime 1860 Munich youth player Bobby
Wood is concentrated on patiently regaining his full strength in the new season.
Reading all the vitriol about Gavin Wilkinson over the last few days you'd be forgiven for
forgetting the Timbers' first game under the new interim coach was just two weeks ago. It might be
more comforting, I suppose, for a Timbers fan to convince him/herself that it has been three or
four weeks, considering the eleven goals the Boys in Green have leaked with Wilkinson at the
helm.
FIFA Ranking: 5 (as of July, 2012) Coach: Jorge Barcellos Number of Olympics Appearances: The US has participated in every Olympics where
women's soccer has been a sport (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012), with two silver medals (2004, 2008)
and two fourth place finishes (1996, 2000).
Brazil will take on Team GB in a friendly international at Middlesbrough's Riverside stadium
later today. Mano Menezes will put out a full-strength side with Oscar, Neymar and Hulk all
starting. Manchester United target, Lucas Moura, is on the bench alongside Paulo Henrique
Ganso. Brazil squad in full here Team GB (possible): Butland, Taylor, Bertrand, Richards, Dawson, Rose, Cleverley,
Ramsey, Sinclair, Giggs, Bellamy Coach: Stuart Pearce Brazil: (probable) Rafael Cabral, Rafael da Silva, Juan, Thiago Silva, Marcelo,
Sandro Ranieri, Romulo, Oscar, Neymar, Hulk, Leandro Damião Coach: Mano Menezes Date: 20 July 2012 Kick-off: 19:45 (London) 15:45 (BrasÃlia) Venue: Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
Italy and Germany are tremendous historic rivals; as two of Europe's most powerful footballing
nations, any match between these two squads is intense and there is usually something on the line.
Although this match probably won't be as epic as the battle in Dortmund in the 2006 World Cup, it
is still highly-anticipated and should be plenty exciting.
Two broken toes have left the Philadelphia Union with a weakened team heading into John
Hackworth's second game as head coach.
Without Sheanon Williams (right big toe), the Union back line will most likely feature rookie
right back Raymon Gaddis, midfielder Amobi Okugo at center back, captain Carlos Valdes and Gabriel
Farfan in front of Zac MacMath.
If the Dynamo played the Vancouver Whitecaps at full strength, I would bet the mortgage that
Vancouver would need at least three games to score three goals against Dominic Kinnear's team,
That's how highly I think of the Dynamo defense. But if we learned anything from the Dynamo's 3-1
loss against the Whitecaps on Sunday, [.
