What's most interesting to me is the focus on his "soccer-style" celebration after kicking a game-winning field goal in overtime last night to send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl. Bob Hunter in the Dispatch:

When Devin Barclay the football player made the biggest kick of his life, Devin Barclay the soccer player took control of his body.

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A thief targeted three sports teams visiting Los Angeles recently - including CD Guadalajara when they were in town taking on their American spinoff at the Rose Bowl:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A man with slicked-back hair who stole $26,000 in cash and jewelry from an Israeli basketball team at the Staples Center also scammed his way into two downtown hotels to steal thousands of dollars from Chivas players and a salsa music troupe, police said Wednesday.

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Remember when a big, live concert broadcast was solely the domain of HBO and MTV? To quote Biggy, "things done changed".
This Sunday night U2 will broadcast their show at Pasadena's Rose Bowl live and for free on Youtube so if you didn't have the duckets, desire or luck to score tickets to the 360 Tour this is your chance to "watch through the fence" so to speak. Click to continue reading...

If you didn't rearrange your life in order to watch the U20 World Cup final yesterday between Ghana and Brazil, you won't get a lot of fansnobbery smack from me.
We can certainly stipulate that, what with the sudden - and delightful - deluge of tasty soccerfootball events we've been favored with since last June 1st, if one or two of them can be allowed to fall by the wayside without putting your reputation as a True Afficionado de Footy, this would probably be one of them. Click to continue reading...

There's a promotion on the MLSnet front page that is tough for me to resist - you see, I love "Spot the difference" games.
Unfortunately, actually playing the game probably puts you on the AXE BODY SPRAY!!! mailing list, and I think I'd rather be on the list they were using in "Munich."
Fortunately, we can play Spot the Difference here on BigSoccer! Click to continue reading...

I previewed Wednesday's Chivas USA-CD Guadalajara game Wednesday at the Rose Bowl. Read the column here.

BTW, two Chivas USA players - Gerson Mayen and Jorge Flores - won't play because they, along with UCLA goalkeeper Brian Perk and midfielder Michael Stevens, are in Egypt preparing for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup that starts Thursday.

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Americans Abroad
Europa League: Keepers - USSoccerPlayers
Friday's Americans Abroad Roundup - Soccer365
Weekend Preview - The MNT Blog
US Men's National Team
US Under-20 World Cup Roster Announced - Soccer By Ives
Rongen Tabs US U-20 WC Squad - Soccer365
Rongen Unveils Egypt U-20 Roster - Yanks Abroad
Rongen Names World Cup Squad - American Soccer News
Rongen Picks US U-20 World Cup Roster - MLSnet
Sorting The Entrails - The Fullback Files
Chicago Fire
Pause And Thorrington Raise The Scarf At Wrigley Field - En Fuego
Preview: DC United at Fire - SlideTackles. Click to continue reading...

Briefly:
*Read the details about how defender Christie Rampone became the third Sky Blue FC coach this season. They face the Sol Saturday in the WPS Championship at Home Depot Center.

*Both the Rose Bowl and L.A. Memorial Coliseum (among 32 stadiums) remain in contention to host games if the U.

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I'm guessing some, if not most of you have heard that the US is working to bring the World Cup back to the USA in either 2018 or 2022. The most recent step in that process is a new website, appropriately called GoUSAbid.com There's a website/blog that offers lots of current information on the worlds game, a petition you can sign, a Facebook page, you name it they've got it.

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My views on MLS on this website in the last week have been dissected and criticized. I think this "summer of soccer" has yielded both good and bad for the American top flight. On the positive side, MLS has higher attendance than football leagues in Spain, Italy, Holland and France, making the league one of the best attended in the industrialized western world.

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It was a great game at the Rose Bowl of Pasadena, California, the match between the Italian team Inter and the English team Chelsea: it was intended for the World Football Challenge.

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Needed: more fans (still cheering on Seattle in the waning moments of Wednesday's game even with the Sounders dead and buried at 4-0) like these in L.A. (AP Photo)As I lined up to take the shuttle bus at the Rose Bowl after last Saturday's Galaxy-Barcelona exhibition game, I chatted with three teenage fans about their experience.

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Any Lionel Messi fans out there?

Here's Messi juggling the ball atop the Space Needle, more than 500 feet above Seattle.

Lionel Messi, FC Barcleona, juggling atop the Seattle Space Needle - Click for full size picture - Courtesy: FCB/Sounders FC/SUM

FC Barcelona will face MLS's Seattle Sounders in a sold-out match at Qwest Field Wednesday, August 5.

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LA Galaxy's Chris Birchall, David Beckham and Landon Donovan line up to defend a kick from Barcelona's Dani Alves at the Rose Bowl, Aug 1, 2009.

Chris Birchall: Looks like I'm taking one for the team. I hate being the new guy.

David Beckham: I should be above having to line up for these shots.

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LA Galaxy's Chris Birchall, David Beckham and Landon Donovan line up to defend a kick from Barcelona's Dani Alves at the Rose Bowl, Aug 1, 2009.

Chris Birchall: Looks like I'm taking one for the team. I hate being the new guy.

David Beckham: I should be above having to line up for these shots.

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Nearly at the two-thirds mark of the season. Some clubs have already hit the 20-game mark on the season while most are getting close. Week 20 was an interesting one to say the least in Major League Soccer, it was one where the clubs near the bottom decided to step up for a day and do some serious scoring.

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If you like your soccer highs scoring, this was your weekend. Major League Soccer had multiple clubs cranking up the output, with FC Dallas leading the way with whatever you want to call one player scoring four times. Meanwhile, LA got the big crowd in an international friendly against Barcelona at the Rose Bowl. Click to continue reading...

Pretty entertaining game tonight from the Rose Bowl where the Galaxy played Barcelona in the first game of the new phase of Euro preseason in USA. Barcelona won 2-1 in front of a 93,200+ person crowd.

The biggest story out of this game has to be David Beckham winning some support from fans (albeit, not in their home stadium) through an impressive free kick goal and a good all around effort.

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Saturday's Galaxy-Barcelona game represented the latest installment of soccer history at the Rose Bowl.

Look familiar? The Rose Bowl awaits soccer fans Saturday for the first time since 2002.

The line forms:

Now you (don't) see them:

Now you see them:

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A trademark free-kick from David Beckham was not enough to prevent LA Galaxy losing to an under-strength Barcelona side in front of 93,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles last night.
The England midfielder curled home a free-kick into the top corner on the stroke of half-time to level the scores, and silence the boo boys, after Pedro Rodriguez had fired Barca ahead following Lionel Messi's blocked shot. Click to continue reading...

Some Galaxy fans think a lot of us Angelinos are not really committed to soccer. While we turn out by the tens of thousands to see Barça, Chelsea, AC Milan and Inter, the fact is, most of us take a pass on making the drive to Carson and few of us really care that much about the whole Beckham/Riot Squad thing. Click to continue reading...

The Los Angeles Galaxy hosted Spanish club FC Barcelona in Saturday night at the Rose Bowl in a friendly. The match drew over 90,000 fans was nationally televised. Here's a full recap and video highlights of the match.

FC Barcelona beats Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 Â - Video Highlights

Spanish club Barcelona edged the Galaxy 2-1 after a 2nd half goal from Suarez at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.

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How huge did this match turn out to be? The Rose Bowl was nearly completely filled, with over 93,000 filling the stands – the largest attendance ever in the United States since the World Cup final in the same stadium back in 1994. FC Barcelona: are we epic, or are we epic?
Please excuse the ego trip, we're just too proud of our boys. Click to continue reading...

David Beckham silenced some boo-birds and Landon Donovan showed once again why he's considered the best field player in U.S. national team history, but even that wasn't enough to stop the European champions.

FC Barcelona posted a 2-1 victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 93,137, a record for a match involving an MLS team.

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David Beckham silenced some boo-birds and Landon Donovan showed once again why he's considered the best field player in U.S. national team history, but even that wasn't enough to stop the European champions.

FC Barcelona posted a 2-1 victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 93,137, a record for a match involving an MLS team.

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If Los Angeles Galaxy and MLS fans needed to be reminded as to what makes David Beckham a big time footballer, they got a taste last night in a friendly against FC Barcelona at the Rose Bowl. A few versions...

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(Galaxy-Barcellona 1-2)
Stanotte, in California, si è disputata un'amichevole di lusso, e non si assisteva a tanta gente addirittura dal 1944. I Campioni d'Europa e di Spagna del Barcellona da una parte, i Galaxy di Beckham dall'altra. Finisce due a uno per la squadra di Guardiola, questi i risultati di calcio, agli americani non basta la rete siglata proprio dall'ex centrocampista milanista. Click to continue reading...

Over 93,000 spectators packed into the Rose Bowl as Champions League winners Barcelona edged past an impressive LA Galaxy side who had equalised through a stunning 35 yard free kick from David Beckham.

• 60 Yard MLS Wonder Goal in LA Galaxy Game: Nope Beckham Didn't Score It! (3)
• Chelsea and Spurs Ready to Offer Beckham Premier League Return (7)
• David Beckham Stupidly Confronts Irate LA Galaxy Fans (5)
• David Beckham Hits Back at LA Galaxy Team-mate Landon Donovan (1)
• Ten Ways David Beckham Can Make Americans Love Him Again!

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Remember if you have any questions for the players or coaches, post here before halftime and I will do what I can.
Location:
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Weather:
Sunny and 80 degrees
Referees:
Head Ref: Baldomero Toledo
Asst Ref: Corey Rockwell
Asst Ref: Chris Strickland
4th Official: Ramon Hernandez
Actual Lineups:
FC Barcelona
GK Jose Manuel Pinto
RB Marc Muniesa
CB Rafael Marquez
CB Maxwell Andrade
LB Dani Alves
RM Seydou Keita
CM Toure Yaya
LM Jonathan Dos Santos
RS Lionel Messi - Captain
CS Krkic Bojan
LS Pedro Rodriguez
Subs
GK Victor Valdes
DF Gerard Pique
DF Carlos Puyol
MF Xavi Hernandez
FW Eidur Gudjohnsen
DF Andreu Fontas
FW Thierry Henry
MF Sergio Busquets
FW Jeffren Suarez
DF Eric Abidal
DF Adriano Henrique
DF Victor Sanchez
Los Angeles Galaxy
GK Josh Saunders
RB AJ DeLaGarza
CB Omar Gonzalez
CB Tony Sanneh
LB Todd Dunivant
RM Landon Donovan
CDM Christopher Birchall
CAM David Beckham
CDM Stefani Miglioranzi
LM Eddie Lewis
CS Jovan Kirovski
Subs
GK Kevin Guppy
DF Gregg Berhalter
FW Tristan Bowen
FW Alan Gordon
MF Leonard Griffin
FW Bryan Jordan
MF Chris Klein
MF Dema Kovalenko
MF Mike Magee
DF Yohance Marshall
MF Kyle Patterson
PRE-GAME:
-Crowd erupts as Barcelona takes the field, even though the Galaxy have been warming up the whole time. Click to continue reading...

It's just after 6:20 p.m. here at the Rose Bowl and the crowd is beginning to filter in.

I took a ride over here on the free shuttle from Old Town and it was incredibly fast and easy; parking spots were available within just a couple of blocks for all of $5, so I recommend that option for those of you still planning to head to the game (shuttle details are in this morning's post - click on arrive early!

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I don't, but you know that's because I'm here in sunny Virginia.

But if you are going I'd love to hear from you. Post a comment before or after the game and give us a feel for the game. How was the atmosphere? How was the play? Who were the stand out players for the Galaxy? Who would you rather see in the line up?

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Here is the Major League Soccer single table at the all star break. Â It isn't uncommon to see Houston on the top along with FC Dallas and San Jose near the bottom.

This table doesn't take into effect any of the games that will be taking place today. Â Ten teams will be seeing action later today while there is only one game tomorrow.

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FC Barcelona poses for a team photo in Hollywood Thursday at the opening of a rooftop soccer facility at The Montalban Theater that's part of a partnership between Nike and the LA84 Foundation to build or refurbish playgrounds throughout Los Angeles. (Photo by Susan Goldman courtesy of Nike).

The first Galaxy game at the Rose Bowl in seven years will see the team play Barcelona and stars such as Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry, but not injured new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic at 8 o'clock tonight.

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Once again instructions for today's tailgate prior to the LA Galaxy vs. FC Barcelona has changed. This is the final update. I promise things will not change. The Rose Bowl keeps moving us around. We are now going to be located in Lot 5 and Lot 6. Parking in these lots will be for RV and campers only.

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For the first match of Barca's American tour, the boys will be up against such stars as David Beckham and Landon Donovan as they face MLS team LA Galaxy - we can hardly wait! Not only because of who we're up against, but because Pep will surely be fielding the usual starters for this one, instead of the subs and B-teamers he was playing in London. Click to continue reading...