Letters From Vagabondia will be changing from a soccer-only format to a broader one including
social commentary plus perspectives on travel and living a healthier, happier life. We'll still
have a soccer blurb now and then but it will no longer be the focus of this blog.
Thanks for your readership and we hope you give us a look under the new format in the coming weeks.
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American international Heath Pearce has signed for Turkish First Division side Buraspor (just south
of Istanbul).
The Gators are currently in fifth place on seven points after the first four matches of the
season.
For more details, check out LFV pal Greg Seltzer's report over on his blog No Short Corners.
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Today the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body looked into the case of the Arsenal's Eduardo for
"deceiving the referee" during the UEFA Champions League play-off second leg match on 26 August
against Celtic FC, and has suspended him for the next two CL matches.
Arsenal now has three days to appeal the decision.
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Courtesy of FIFA:
India goalkeeper Subrata Paul was the hero as the host nation held their nerve to retain the Nehru
Cup winning 5-4 on penalties against Syria at New Delhi's Ambedkar Stadium on Monday.
Despite losing to Lebanon by a solitary goal in the opener, India bounced back to reach the final
of the five-nation tournament with wins over Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka.
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While Roma got shelled today 3-1 by Juventus, exposing its enduring weakness on the defensive end,
newby keeper Julio Sergio did provide a moment of brilliance for the giallorossi.
Check out his brilliant save at the 9 second mark on the video. After that, check out Juve's Diego
channeling Maradona (with a brief intermission by Roma's Daniel De Rossi with a gorgeous long range
shot).
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Please observe a moment of silence for that fine band of City fans from Manchester, Oasis. It looks
like they'll be splitting up now that guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher will be leaving the
band since he can no longer work with his brother, Liam.
Noel wrote on the band's website: "It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you I quit Oasis
tonight.
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CHICAGO (Aug. 27, 2009) — U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of
24 players that will train in advance of the critical FIFA World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador
and Trinidad & Tobago. The U.S. first hosts El Salvador on Sept. 5 in Sandy, Utah (tickets).
Kickoff at Rio Tinto Stadium is set for 6 p.
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You've probably heard the rumor by now that the LA Galaxy's Landon Donovan has been linked to Paris
Saint-Germain. What you probably haven't heard is that virtually every report (including this one)
is just a recap of a blurb from French website
10 Sport.But even 10 Sport only mentions that he is about to be engaged with the club (which could mean
talks have begun), a far cry from being close to a signing - assuming this rumor has any truth to
it.
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NEW YORK (August 20, 2009) – The USA Bid Committee today announced the 27 United States cities
that passed the third stage of the city and stadium proposal review process and remain under
consideration as potential host venues for the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022. These cities will
continue working with the USA Bid Committee both on the development and promotion of their local
and national campaigns.
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Its official!
American striker Jozy Altidore has finally received his UK work permit and will be able to join
Premiership side Hull, which opens the season this weekend against Chelsea.
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Is a bidding war starting for American striker Jozy Altidore? The UK's
Daily Mail thinks
so.
If this pans out, it looks like Jozy's value has already jumped by $2 million since last
summer.
Special thanks to LFV reader Marc Sarchet for digging up this nugget.
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Wow! Fulham has just named its hospitality pub after former striker Brian McBride - I can't think
of a more deserving player (no bias here, cough).
We've all seen McBride pour his heart, soul, and blood into every match he plays, whether its at
Fulham, Columbus, Preston NE, Chicago, Wolfsburg, or for the USA.
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So, MLS has decided to fine David Beckham a whopping $1,000 for taking the bait from jeering fans
and exchanging words and gestures with what appeared to be a less-than-gentlemanly nature.
I for one am glad to see this kind of passion coming from these MLS fans, who care enough about
their club to be bothered by the way Beckham has disrespected the Galaxy over the past year.
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American striker Gabe Ferrari has been transferred from Sampdoria to Serie C1 side Foggia after
spending the past season on loan with Perugia. The New York native made 14 appearances for Perugia
this season, scoring one goal.
Foggia, which last saw Serie A action in the early 1990s, has been trying to claw its way back into
Serie B since 1998, coming close to promotion in 2007.
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The transfer season arms race at the top of Spanish football continues as today's
Gazetto Dell
Sport and
Marca indicates Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be heading for FC
Barcelona. in a 42 million euro deal Its understood that Barça President Joan Laporta and Inter
Boss Massimo Moratti came to an understanding on the transfer during a meeting last night in Milan.
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Midfielder joins. D.C. after two years in Spain, Italy
Washington, D.C. (July 15, 2009) - D.C. United today acquired midfielder Danny Szetela via its #2
allocation ranking. Szetela joins the Black-and-Red after spending two-plus years in Spain's La
Liga and Italy's Serie B. The 22-year old is currently with the team and will be available for
selection upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate.
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Greek media are reporting that young American ace Jozy Altidore may be spending the next year with
Olympiakos. The 19 year-old Villarreal striker, after turning more than a few heads in the recent
Confederations Cup (including scoring against Spain), is still facing the prospect of not breaking
into the Yellow Submarine's starting 11.
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While the French media reported a few days ago that Hammarby's American striker Charlie Davies had
all but locked up a deal with Sochaux, methinks the phone lines are burning up between his agent
and several clubs, to include Rennes, Saint Etienne, and at least one Bundesliga club.
Word on the street is that the price tag for the 23 year-old US breakout star of the Confederations
Cup will be anywhere from is currently somewhere between € 2.
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Livorno crushed Danny Szetela's Brescia side 3-0 in the final leg of their promotion playoff and
will return to Serie A next season. Livorno's win capped a 5-2 aggregate win in the Serie B
playoffs. Lingering injuries kept Danny Szetela out of the side which will remain in Serie B for at
least one more season.
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As you can probably tell, your loyal vagabond has been laying low these days since I just moved
back to the USA after 10 great years of bouncing around Europe. Now I'm in sunny El Paso where
neighboring club Indios (Juarez) just made a great run in the Mexican First Division playoffs.
So, I'll be on hiatus for a few weeks reacquainting myself to round doorknobs, large parking
spaces, and late night Mexican food.
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American striker Gabe Ferrari, on loan from Sampdoria, scored his first goal for Perugia last week
in Serie C (Lega Pro) action.
In the match against a pesky Pistoise side, Ferrari scored in the 44th minute by converting a low
bouncing free kick with a sneaky back heel. He also had two shots go just wide of goal in the
Grifoni's 3-2 win.
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Napoli primavera striker Vincenzo Bernardo seems to be inching closer to a chance to dress with the
first team in Serie A action sometime before the season ends. After practicing most of the season
with the first team, the New Jersey native has been spending more time playing each week with the
primavera (reserve) squad and but drawing more attention from the Napoli management and local
media.
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Its been awhile since we've had some gratuitous transfer rumors about Standard Liege defender
Oguchi Onyewu so let's fix that right now.
Kicker is now reporting that Michael Bradley's Borussia Moenchengladbach, which tried to
acquire Gooch last winter, has renewed its interest in the 26 year-old Onyewu with a view toward
picking him up on a free transfer this summer.
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American Clint Dempsey gave Fulham fans a nice Easter gift by helping his team to a 3-1 road win at
Manchester City.
City took a 1-0 lead on a gorgeous shot from distance by Stephen Ireland in the 27th minute. Fulham
looked to be on the ropes for the next 22 minutes before
Dempsey levelled to game at 1-1 by picking up a loose ball from Zamora in the 49th minute which the
Texan easily stroked into the goal with his right foot.
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As you've probably noticed, your loyal Vagabond is slowing down for a bit since my father passed
away last Sunday. We'll be up and running again soon but in the meantime, you can find great soccer
updates on the Friends Of LFV links on the left side of the page.div class="blogger-post-footer"img
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In Italian primavera (reserve) action, Vincenzo Bernardo played in the second half of Napoli's 5-0
romp over Ancona, scoring one goal and assisting on another.div
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Michael Bradley has found his scoring touch again and all signs are that he is not letting it go
anytime soon. Tonight against 1FC Cologne, he opened up a 1-0 lead for Borussia Moenchengladbach
with a left footed tap from a Marko Marin pass in the 25th minute (see Morin's brilliant run in the
video below).
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BACOLET, Tobago (March 10, 2009) – The U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team secured a place at
the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup with a 2-0 win against El Salvador on Tuesday evening in their final
Group A match of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Bacolet, Tobago. The 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup
will be held from Sept.
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BACOLET, Tobago (March 8, 2009) – The U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team played to a scoreless
draw against Honduras in Group A action on Sunday night at the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship at
Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago.
The draw keeps the U.S. atop of the group with four points.
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Young American midfielder Danny Szetela played the second half of Brescia's 1-0 loss to Rimini in
Serie B action tonight. Brescia is currently in 6th place in Serie B with 46 points - three points
out of the promotion zone.
Brescia's enduring problem this year has been its finishing and this week's result is just another
example.
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You couldn't make this one up...
Courtesy of Ligue 1:
Carlos Bocanegra's flawless displays at left-back for Rennes this season have won him many
admirers, but it appears that the Californian's surfer-boy good-looks have also not gone
unnoticed.
The 29-year-old American has been voted the Breton club's most sexy player in an Internet poll, and
to celebrate his victory, all female spectators at Rennes' match with Auxerre on Sunday - which is
also International Women's Day - will be given an eight-page publication with photos and a
biography of the USA international.
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