La selección absoluta de España conservó el primer lugar en el ranking mundial divulgado hoy por la Federación Internacional de Fútbol.
Los ibéricos, vigentes monarcas del orbe y de Europa, continúan al frente de la clasificación con 1564 puntos, casi 200 por delante de su escolta Holanda, subcampeón en la Copa del Mundo Suráfrica-2010.

Updated with press release from today. This is now official. Statements from Sigi and Boss.

Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Terry Boss suffered a concussion against Manchester United in the infamous friendly and a few weeks later another while suiting up for the Puerto Rico National Team.

Welcome to episode #19 of the IMSoccer News North American Soccer League Podcast, a special NASL Championship edition and the final show of 2011. The second leg of the NASL Championship was played in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and just like last years USSF D2 Pro League Puerto Rico Islander who came from the last playoff [.

País Oro Plata Bronce Total 1 [USA] Estados Unidos 92 79 65 236
2 [CUB] Cuba 58 35 43 136
3 [BRA] Brasil 48 35 58 141
4 [MEX] México 42 41 50 133
5 [CAN] Canadá 30 40 49 119
6 [COL] Colombia 24 25 35 84
7 [ARG] Argentina 21 19 35 75
8 [VEN] Venezuela 12 27 33 72
9 [DOM] República Dominicana 7 9 17 33
10 [ECU] Ecuador 7 8 9 24
11 [GUA] Guatemala 7 3 5 15
12 [PUR] Puerto Rico 6 8 8 22
13 [CHI] Chile 2 17 24 43
14 [JAM] Jamaica 1 5 1 7
15 [BAH] Bahamas 1 1 1 3
16 [CAY] Islas Caimán 1 1 1 3
17 [AHO] Antillas Holandesas 1 0 1 2
18 [CRC] Costa Rica 1 0 0 1
19 [URU] Uruguay 0 3 2 5
20 [PER] Perú 0 2 5 7
21 [TRI] Trinidad y Tobago 0 2 2 4
22 [SKN] San Cristóbal e Nevis 0 2 0 2
23 [ESA] El Salvador 0 1 0 1
24 [BAR] Barbados 0 0 2 2
25 [BOL] Bolivia 0 0 2 2
26 [PAR] Paraguay 0 0 2 2
27 [DMA] Dominica 0 0 1 1
28 [GUY] Guyana 0 0 1 1
29 [PAN] Panamá 0 0 1 1 Gracias por tu visita Estadísticas de Fútbol

Oro Plata Bronce Total 1 [USA] Estados Unidos 16 16 11 43 2 [BRA] Brasil 9 5 7 21 3 [MEX] México 6 5 8 19 4 [COL] Colombia 5 3 3 11 5 [ARG] Argentina 4 2 2 8 6 [CAN] Canadá 3 5 10 18 7 [DOM] República Dominicana 3 0 1 4 8 [VEN] Venezuela 2 4 4 10 9 [CUB] Cuba 1 4 5 10 10 [CHI] Chile 0 1 6 7 11 [GUA] Guatemala 0 1 1 2 12 [ESA] El Salvador 0 1 0 1 13 [PER] Perú 0 1 0 1 14 [TRI] Trinidad y Tobago 0 1 0 1 15 [GUY] Guyana 0 0 1 1 16 [CAY] Islas Caimán 0 0 1 1 17 [PAR] Paraguay 0 0 1 1 18 [ANT] Antigua y Barbuda 0 0 0 0 19 [AHO] Antillas Holandesas 0 0 0 0 20 [ARU] Aruba 0 0 0 0 21 [BAH] Bahamas 0 0 0 0 22 [BAR] Barbados 0 0 0 0 23 [BIZ] Belize 0 0 0 0 24 [BER] Bermudas 0 0 0 0 25 [BOL] Bolivia 0 0 0 0 26 [CRC] Costa Rica 0 0 0 0 27 [DMA] Dominica 0 0 0 0 28 [ECU] Ecuador 0 0 0 0 29 [GRN] Granada 0 0 0 0 30 [HAI] Haití 0 0 0 0 31 [HON] Honduras 0 0 0 0 32 [ISV] Islas Vírgenes 0 0 0 0 33 [IVB] Islas Vírgenes Britanicas 0 0 0 0 34 [JAM] Jamaica 0 0 0 0 35 [NCA] Nicaragua 0 0 0 0 36 [PAN] Panamá 0 0 0 0 37 [PUR] Puerto Rico 0 0 0 0 38 [SKN] San Cristóbal e Nevis 0 0 0 0 39 [VIN] San Vicente y Granadinas 0 0 0 0 40 [LCA] Santa Lucía 0 0 0 0 41 [SUR] Surinam 0 0 0 0 42 [URU] Uruguay 0 0 0 0 Actualizado 18 Octubre.

It seems like a dream but it's true, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers made it to the NASL finals and will meet the Minnesota Stars in a 2 game series that starts next Saturday in Minnesota.
Over 4200 people showed up to see the Strikers beat the Islanders 2-1 (5-2 aggregate) thanks to a brace by Brian Shriver.

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers are 90 minutes away from the NASL final thanks to a 3-1 win over the Puerto Rico Islanders. With a 2 goal lead the Strikers will look to eliminate the Islanders this Saturday, Oct. 15th at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available at www.strikers.com or the box office at Lockhart stadium.

FC Politehnica Timisoara forward Tosaint Ricketts (UW-Green Bay) earned his seventh career cap Tuesday night, playing the final 20 minutes of Canada's 0-0 draw against Puerto Rico in a CONCACAF 2014 World Cup qualifier at BMO Field in Toronto.

The Canadians (3-0-1) need just one point from their final two matches in Group D to advance to the third round of qualifying, which will include Mexico, the U.

I don't think this is what Hart had in mind...
It was a nice night out at BMO, but deja vu was in the air. The last time a team in red played a team from the not-quite-a-U.S.-state, it was a group-stage clincher-type set-up where the visitors put 8 defenders in front of their goal and got the result needed to wreck everything.

Everyone needs to rush over to www.miamiultras.com to check out The latest and greatest version of Miami Ultras Alive. South Florida's only unprofessional soccer radio show that you can listen to every Monday night at 10PM. Last night we had a great show covering the USA vs Honduras game in Miami and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers victory over the Puerto Rico Islanders in the NASL playoff semifinals.

As the United States men's national team gets ready for their showdown with Honduras this Saturday 8th at 6 PM (Tickets still available!) South Florida American Outlaws and all fans of the beautiful (including the Miami Ultras) game were honored to spend some time with forward Jozy Altidore, a one time South Florida resident.

Tosaint Ricketts (UW-Green Bay) will rejoin the Canadian national team next week as it continues second-round CONCACAF qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

Canada, which leads Group D with a perfect six points from two matches, plays at St. Lucia (0-2-0) next Friday and plays host to Puerto Rico (0-1-1) on Oct.

On the second to last weekend of the regular NASL season, the playoff picture became more clear. With first place Carolina and second place Puerto Rico already securing byes in the first playoff round, both Florida teams clinched home games for the first round playoffs as FC Tampa Bay drew at home 1-1 with the [.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

With only two weeks to go in the NASL regular season, the postseason picture is pretty much set. Five of the six teams headed to the playoffs have already clinched their spot while Carolina and Puerto Rico have wrapped up byes to the semifinals.

That precious final spot will be contested down the stretch by the NSC Minnesota Stars, who have imploded during August and September, and the Montreal Impact, who have turned their form around after an atrocious opening half of the season.

Tosaint Ricketts (UW-Green Bay) scored his second career international goal Tuesday night, putting the finishing touches on Canada's 3-0 road victory over Puerto Rico in a CONCACAF World Cup 2014 qualifier in Bayamon.

The 24-year-old Ricketts earned his sixth cap, coming on as a sub in the 84th minute.

Joined in progress, it's the second matchday of the second round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. Here we go: [Group B] Barbados 0-2 Trinidad & Tobago F [Group A] Dominican Republic 1-1 Suriname F [Group F] US Virgin Islands 1-8 Antigua & Barbuda F [Group E] Belize 1-2 Guatemala F [Group D] St. Lucia 2-4 St.

Seattle Sounders backup goalkeeper Terry Boss is back with the team a little earlier than expected after he may have suffered a concussion while playing in a World Cup qualifying match with the Puerto Rico national team on Friday. The Sounders have only said that he is currently being evaluated. Boss was expected to be with Puerto Rico until after Tuesday's game against Canada.

Week 22 of the NASL season saw a full slate of Saturday games as the Carolina RailHawks extended their lead over second place Puerto Rico to nine points by defeating FC Tampa Bay 2-0, while the Islanders unbeaten streak ended with a 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Silverbacks. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers got back on [.

Midfielder-forward Tosaint Ricketts (UW-Green Bay) was called into Canada's first two World Cup 2014 qualifying matches.

Ricketts, who started his season with FC Politehnica Timişoara in the Romanian second division last weekend, is one of 19 players called in for CONCACAF second-round qualifying games against St.

Hurricane Irene hit Puerto Rico and dropped a shark into a street. Insane. Irene is expected to hit the Delaware Valley sometime Sunday.

(H/T @MiddleOfMayhem)

The Swope Park Rangers, Sporting KC's reserve side, moved their record in the reserve league this year to 2-2-2 with a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids today at the Swope Park training complex. An early goal by Soony Saad was the lone tally in the game. Both teams had some good chances, in a game that was delayed for a period of time due to lightning.

Partnership equals profit.
The debate will always rage between the fans of a European game and the MLS system faithful: the debate of relegation. This article is not about that. Relegation is not a reality in modern American soccer, so let it rest. Instead the focus is on the relationship between Major League Soccer (MLS) and the second tier North American Soccer League (NASL).

COPA AMERICA TROPHY ON DISPLAY AT AVENTURA MALL THIS WEEKEND
AVENTURA, Fla. – June 30, 2011 – Copa America kicks off in Argentina on Friday, but South Florida residents and visitors will have a unique opportunity to view the soccer tournament's prestigious trophy this weekend at Aventura Mall.

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers announced there will be a double header this Saturday as Lockhart Stadium. Starting at 5 pm. Palm Beach United and the Jacksonville-based Florida Sol of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) will be playing prior to the Strikers versus the Puerto Rico Islanders to be held at 7:30 pm.

Alpha United became the first Guyanese club to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League after defeating Trinidad's Defence Force in the third place game of the CFU Club Championship. The match finished 1-1 after 120 minutes, and Alpha United won on penalties. More information to follow later. Tempête and Puerto Rico are playing the final of the CFU Club Championship, but I have not seen a final score yet.

Puerto Rico Islander NOT in Sounders CCL Group

But do advance to the CFU Championship Final. One of Defence Force or Alpha United will be the CFU's 3rd team and be a potential opponent.

Canadian Championship still undecided after lightning and heavy rain canceled this week's 2nd leg.

Carolina Railhawks 3, Puerto Rico Islanders 0
Etienne Barbara
Utter Dominance. That is the only way to describe what the Carolina Railhawks accomplished last night in their 3-0 win over the Puerto Rico Islanders. With the win Carolina improved an unbeaten streak to seven straight matches and asserted a strong hold over the league table.

Watching Tractor Traylor play basketball was always a joy. Yeah, Tractor Traylor was fat. But that didn't stop him from starring at Michigan. His unique combination of size, nimbleness and skill made him a fan favorite and made NBA decision makers dream. Although his NBA career never panned out, he was loved everywhere he played.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

Three Puerto Rican soccer teams have been dropped from USL-Pro with immediate effect, the league announced Tuesday morning, reducing the number of active teams to 12.

Puerto Rico United, River Plate Puerto Rico and Sevilla FC Puerto Rico had been playing in the USL Pro's International Division, but it has now emerged that all three have encountered severe financial difficulties and no longer meet the league's standards and obligations.

Se está disputando la CFU Club Champions Cup 2011 de la Caribbean Football Union (CFU), la entidad que rige el fútbol en la región.
En esta 13° edición participan 13 equipos de nueve países del Caribe. Puerto Rico Islanders, el último campeón, comenzó su participación en la Segunda Ronda.

Thanks to those of you who pointed out some typos and transpositions in last week's tables. Here's the latest offering, through games of yesterday:

THE MLS G Total Avg. Median High Low Seattle 4 145,147 36,287 36,255 36,433 36,204 Los Angeles 3 75,717 25,239 24,998 27,000 23,719 DC United 3 62,806 20,935 18,132 26,622 18,052 Vancouver 5 104,315 20,863 20,809 22,592 19,396 Toronto 5 97,965 19,593 20,086 22,453 16,313 Portland 3 55,881 18,627 18,627 18,627 18,627 Salt Lake 2 36,020 18,010 18,010 20,507 15,513 Philadelphia 4 71,046 17,762 18,435 19,027 15,149 New York 4 69,590 17,398 17,472 20,982 13,664 Houston 4 67,185 16,796 17,281 20,577 12,047 Dallas 4 65,295 16,324 16,203 21,867 11,022 Chivas USA 4 58,592 14,648 13,722 18,122 13,027 Chicago 3 42,833 14,278 12,473 18,203 12,157 Colorado 4 52,970 13,243 12,987 17,139 9,857 Columbus 4 43,848 10,962 10,802 14,549 7,695 San Jose 4 40,254 10,064 10,401 10,525 8,928 New England 4 39,412 9,853 9,692 12,914 7,114 Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 0 MLS TOTAL 64 1,128,876 17,639 18,127 36,433 7,114 NASL G Total Avg.

By Pieter Brown - The Fort Lauderdale Strikers know how to keep things exciting. Cheering for the red and yellow is like a roller coaster ride, one minute you're up and 5 seconds later you're shooting straight down.
Strikers traveled to Puerto Rico to take on the always tough Islanders Friday night.

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers will battle the Puerto Rico Islanders tonight Friday, April 29th, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. The Islanders, the reigning Div 2 champions and also the reigning CFU Club Championship winners, are undefeated in the NASL so far this season winning 2 games away and another in their home debut.

Here's the first full rundown of attendance figures for the various levels for 2011. Not every team has had a home game yet, so there are some zeros and there are a few games for which attendance figures aren't available (yet).

THE MLS G Total Average Median High Low Seattle 3 108,870 36,290 36,223 36,443 36,204 Los Angeles 3 75,717 25,239 24,998 27,000 23,719 DC United 3 62,806 20,935 18,132 26,622 18,052 Vancouver 5 104,315 20,863 20,809 22,592 19,396 Toronto 5 97,965 19,593 20,086 22,453 16,313 Portland 2 37,254 18,627 18,627 18,627 18,627 Salt Lake 2 36,020 18,010 18,010 20,507 15,513 Philadelphia 3 52,767 17,589 18,591 19,027 15,149 New York 3 48,954 16,318 14,308 20,982 13,664 Houston 3 46,608 15,536 15,176 19,385 12,047 Chivas USA 3 44,534 14,845 13,385 18,122 13,027 Dallas 3 43,428 14,476 12,261 20,145 11,022 Chicago 3 42,833 14,278 12,473 18,203 12,157 Colorado 3 41,181 13,727 14,185 17,139 9,857 Columbus 3 32,550 10,850 10,306 14,549 7,695 San Jose 4 40,254 10,064 10,401 10,525 8,928 New England 4 39,412 9,853 9,692 12,914 7,114 Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 0 MLS TOTAL 55 955,468 17,372 18,052 36,443 7,114 NASL G Total Average Median High Low Montreal 1 12,060 12,060 12,060 12,060 12,060 Ft.

Just so people don't keep commenting in the post from two weeks ago, here are this weekend's soccer scores and crowds for reflection and dissection:

MLS
Friday
Seattle 1, COLORADO 0 (14,185)
Saturday
Chivas USA 2, SAN JOSE 1 (10,525)
Columbus 1, TORONTO 1 (20,145)
Dallas 2, VANCOUVER 1 (21,000)
NEW ENGLAND 3, Kansas City 2 (11,414)
Houston 1, CHICAGO 1 (12,473)
LOS ANGELES 3, Portland 0 (23,719)

NASL
Saturday
Tampa Bay 0, MONTREAL 0 (12,060)
Fort Lauderdale 2, ATLANTA 1 (3,227)

USL-Pro
Thursday
Sevilla Puerto Rico 1, ANTIGUA 0
Friday
Puerto Rico United 2, ORLANDO 2 (7,279)

Saturday
RICHMOND 2, Charleston 1 (1,833)
New York 0, CHARLOTTE 0 (1,076)
PITTSBURGH 1, Harrisburg 0 (1,004)
Rochester 3, DAYTON 2 (625)
Los Angeles 1, RIVER PLATE PUERTO RICO 1 (128)
ANTIGUA 3, Sevilla Puerto Rico 2

WPS
Saturday
MAGICJACK 1, Boston 0 (1,224)

Sunday
Western New York 2, ATLANTA 2

Orlando City players celebrate after Maxwell Griffin scores a goal during second half action of a United Soccer League Pro division match against Puerto Rico United at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla. on Friday, April 22, 2011. (Joshua C. Cruey, Orlando Sentinel)

To see more pictures from the match, click here.

Mike Trudell of Lakers.com on the influences of legendary Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson-
When asked if other coaches in various sports have contacted him to inquire about his methods or whatever, Jackson said that certainly many have. He listed some (like Joe Girardi of the New York Yankees, Brian Billick formerly of the Baltimore Ravens and many more), and I actually wrote an article on March 16 detailing how one of the world's greatest soccer coaches, José Mourinho, was reading his books and how Jackson's philosophies and style made sense when compared to the game of soccer.

Yesterday I went on another one of my rants questioning why American soccer team logos seem to always have the 1970′s Adidas Telstar style black and white soccer ball on them.

This all came up in the discussion of San Antonio's 3-finalist for their team logo. All three had the old black and white soccer ball again.

NASL approved for 2011 only

The USA, Canada and Puerto Rico have pro leagues, and semi-pro leagues for 2011.

The NASL has been approved for one year on a provisional status. MLS already exists and USL Pro at the third level is also approved.

US Open Cup structure should come out shortly.

After the decision made by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), that revoked their preliminary sanctioning of the North American Soccer Leagues (NASL) for Division 2 soccer, the NASL teams supporters groups united and sent a letter to USSF President Sunil Gulati.
Their message follows:

February 1, 2011
President Sunil Gulati
U.