It has been almost a year since SBI's last installment of You Write the Caption, and that one
came after a two-year hiatus for one of the site's original and most popular series. We plan on
changing that after feedback from readers who told us we should bring the series back.
For those of you unfamiliar, You Write the Caption is when we post a funny photo and allow our
readers to take their cracks at writing a caption to go with the photo.
It is that time again. Time for us to discuss all things soccer in the latest SBI Live Q&A.
Join me as I take questions on all aspects of the sport, as well as some pop culture questions,
for the next hour or two.
Want to talk U.S. national team? Landon Donovan's loan?
If you've been wondering when the next SBI Live Q&A would be, wonder no more. We will be having
one today.
The latest SBI Live Q&A will take place at 1pm this afternoon, so get your questions ready to
discuss everything from the MLS pre-season to the U.S. national team, to Clint Dempsey's insane
form to European soccer and the international game.
The U.S. men's national team kicks off 2012 in Arizona, taking on Venezuela at University of
Phoenix Stadium in its first match of the year (9 p.m., Galavision/ESPN3.com).
The friendly comes as part of the culmination of January training camp, and it provides Jurgen
Klinsmann a chance to see some of the players he has yet to observe in international game
situations on a competitive stage.
It's that time again. Time to talk all things soccer in the first SBI Live Q&A of 2012.
We have plenty to talk about today, from the MLS Draft, to the U.S. national team camp and
upcoming friendlies, to the U.S. Under-23 training camp and upcoming Olympic qualifiers.
We don't have to stop there.
It's that time again. With the new year upon us, and plenty to discuss in the soccer world, it's
time for the latest SBI Live Q&A.
Join me at Noon today as I answer questions on all things soccer (and pop culture). Want to talk
about the MLS Draft? The U.S. national team camp?
The Montreal Impact will make the first draft pick of their MLS history today as the league's
19th team kicks off today's 2012 MLS Mock Draft.
The Impact are expected to pick between Darren Mattocks and Andrew Wenger as the top pick in
this year's draft, with Mattocks expected to be the selection.
The 2012 MLS Draft is set to kick off in a few hours as teams from across the league look to add
those missing pieces to the puzzle.
The 2012 draft class is a strong one, with depth at a variety of positions, such as centerback
and attacking midfielder. There are quality prospects available that have teams trying to trade up
into the top four, where the likes of Luis Silva, Kelyn Rowe, Enzo Martinez and Sam Garza have
drawn considerable interest.
SBI: Michael Farfan To Train With Sunderland
Soccer By Ives is reporting over Twitter that Philadelphia Union midfielder Michael Farfan will
train with English Premier League side Sunderland.
The MLS Combine resumes action today as MLS Draft prospects look to give scouts and coaches more
to think about as we draw closer to the MLS Draft on Thursday.
Day One saw several players boost their stock, while some others struggled to make an impact.
UCSB playmaker Luis Silva, UCLA striker Chandler Hoffman, Marquette midfielder Calum Mallace,
Louisville's Austin Berry and Indiana's Tommy Meyer were just some of the players who enjoyed
strong first days.
Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com
The MLS Combine gets underway in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., later this afternoon, and MLS has
released the rosters for the four teams that will compete in front of coaches and scouts for the
next four days.
Seven foreign players were invited to participate in the combine, which is otherwise comprised
of NCAA seniors and Generation adidas signings.
Photo by Bill Barrett/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Scoring was not the easiest of things for the U.S. men's national team in 2011. It found the
back of the net just 16 times in 17 games for its lowest goal-scoring total in a decade.
That does not mean there weren't any nice goals, though.
Hello all. I want to wish a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you SBI readers out
there. We hope you enjoy some time off, quality family time and a few peeks at SBI in between your
unwrapping of presents and celebrating.
We will have a few presents for you in terms of posts today to help quench your thirst for
soccer so keep an eye out for those, and feel free to throw some story suggestions our way today as
we make our way through a second straight day without soccer to watch (the good news is soccer is
on the way on Monday courtesy of the Premier League's Boxing Day schedule).
Philadelphia Union
The Union's Central American pipeline continued to flow with the announcement this morning of
the signing of 26-year-old Costa Rican left back Porfirio Lopez, one day after the announcement of
the signing of Panamanian midfielder Gabriel Gomez and two weeks after the signing of Costa Rican
forward Josue Martinez.
Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
A day after locking up centerback Chad Marshall for the foreseeable future, the Columbus Crew
may be on the verge of losing a key figure from its attack.
Winger Robbie Rogers is closing in on a deal with Leeds United, according to a report from
England.
Another top striker considering skipping MLS for the prizes in Europe? It sure seems that way.
According to Soccer By Ives, Akron sophomore Darren Mattocks is considering to pass on the proposed
Generation adidas deal that the league is offering him to go to Europe.
The Jamaican-born striker is said to be fielding offers from clubs in Sweden, Norway and
Denmark.
Featured image courtesy of UNC/Jeffrey A. Camarati
NCAA College Cup
University of North Carolina defeated UNC Charlotte 1–0 on Sunday to win the College Cup. Ben
Spea's goal was a cracker.
Soccer America's Paul Gardner has an interesting take on the final.
Philadelphia Union
UNC's win prompted a funny Twitter exchange that began with a tweet from UNC product Sheanon
Williams:
Williams: "Want to congratulate @UNCmenssoccer.
The championship favorites take on the ultimate Cinderella story as No. 1 ranked North Carolina
faces Charlotte in the NCAA Men's College Cup Final today in Hoover, Alabama (4pm, ESPNU).
The Tar Heels entered the tournament as favorites, and showed their quality in beating a tough
UCLA side in penalties in the semifinal.
It's time for us to have the latest installment of the SBI Live Q&A.
With the 2011 MLS season behind us, and the off-season in full swing, it's the perfect time to
have another live Q&A.
Want to talk off-season MLS transaction? U.S. national team results and the future?
Photo by ISIPhotos.com
It is that time again. Time to discuss all things soccer in the latest SBI Live Q&A.
Join me at 1pm as we spend a few hours dicussing everything from Major League Soccer news to the
U.S. men's national team, to international soccer.
Get your questions ready and join me at 1pm.
The race to win the 2011 NCAA College Cup will heat up today as the 16 remaining contenders
square off in pre-quarterfinal action across the country.
Four of the top five seeds are still alive, including No. 1 North Carolina, which opens today's
action in a tricky match-up against Indiana.
Hello everybody. It is Thanksgiving Day, one of those rare days during the year when soccer goes
on the backburner and there are no major games to watch.
American soccer fans have plenty to be thankful for, from a growing and strengthening Major
League Soccer to a continuously growing number of soccer television viewing options.
The Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo will do battle tonight as they each search for their
third MLS Cup titles in tonight's 2011 MLS Cup Final (9pm, ESPN).
The Galaxy come in as the heavy favorites, playing at home in Home Depot Center, where they
haven't lost in MLS all season.
MLS Cup is right around the corner, which means not only a chance for the league to crown a new
champion, but a chance for readers and fans to party with SBI.
Soccer By Ives will be hosting our annual MLS Cup Bash at the Seven Bar Lounge in downtown Los
Angeles (555 W.
The NCAA men's college soccer season wraps up pre-NCAA Tournament play today on what is
essentially conference championship Sunday, with most of the country's biggest conference crowning
champions today.
The Big East, ACC and Big Ten are among the conferences that are holding championship games
today, and along with the conference titles up for grabs, there are also the automatic NCAA berths
that go along with them.
It is time to talk all things soccer in the latest SBI Live Q&A.
We have plenty of topics to discuss this time around. Whether it's the U.S. national team, MLS,
college soccer or European and international soccer, we can talk about it for the next few
hours.
Let's jump right in and get started (Live Q&A is after the jump):
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There were plenty of standout defenders in MLS this year, and several who could make cases for
being the top defender in the league, but it is tough to argue that there was a better defender in
2011 than Omar Gonzalez.
The LA Galaxy centerback was the leader and foundation for the best defense in MLS, improving
his game in every facet and going from being an All-Star caliber defender to a dominant force who
was key to LA winning the Supporters Shield and reaching the MLS Cup Final.
It is that time again everybody. Time for you to get your soccer-related questions ready to send
my way in the latest SBI Live Q&A.
We have plenty to talk about today, what with the U.S. national team preparing for two
friendlies in Europe, MLS Cup fast approaching and the college season reaching the most important
time of the year.
The two strongest teams in MLS over the past three seasons square off tonight for a chance to play
in the 2011 MLS Cup Final as the Los Angeles Galaxy take on Real Salt Lake at Home Depot Center
(9pm, ESPN).
The Galaxy come in as Supporters Shields winners and the favorites against an RSL side that
struggled late in the regular season, but showed against Seattle in the playoffs that they were
back to the form that helped them reach the CONCACAF Champions League Final last spring.
The Houston Dynamo play their final match at Robertson Stadium before moving to their new
stadium in 2012, and if they want to christen that new stadium with an MLS Cup trophy, they will
need to hold off the Philadelphia Union in their Eastern Conference semifinal second leg (8:30pm,
Fox Soccer Channel).
The task is an extremely difficult one, but not an impossible one for the highest-scoring team
in MLS.
The Seattle Sounders must find a way to erase a three-goal deficit in tonight's Western
Conference semifinal second leg against Real Salt Lake after suffering a 3-0 loss in the first leg
(10pm, ESPN2).
The first spot in the MLS Conference Finals will be locked up tonight when Sporting Kansas City
takes on the Colorado Rapids at Livestrong Sporting Park tonight (8pm, Fox Soccer Channel).
Sporting KC opened the Eastern Conference semifinal series with a 2-0 victory against the Rapids
at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, and will now return home where they will be favored to hold off an
injury-hit Rapids squad that will play tonight's match without injured starting defenders Drew Moor
and Kosuke Kimura.
The defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids take on Sporting Kansas City today in Eastern
Conference semifinal action, and while the Rapids are reigning champs, Sporting KC comes in as the
favorites in a series that kicks off tonight (7:30pm, Fox Soccer Channel).
The Rapids find themselves in the Eastern Conference bracket for the second straight year, but
face a very tough opponent in the semifinals as Sporting KC has been one of the strongest teams in
the league in the second half of the season.
The Philadelphia Union will play the first playoff game in their team's brief MLS history today
as they take on the Houston Dynamo at PPL Park (5pm, ESPN2).
The Dynamo finished the regular season on a strong run to grab the No. 2 seed in the Eastern
Conference playoffs, but take on a Union side that has been very tough to beat at home.
The Los Angeles Galaxy will begin their chase for the 2011 MLS Cup title today against a New York
Red Bulls squad intent on shaking up the playoff field wih an upset of the Supporters Shield
winners (3pm, ESPN2).
Today's Western Conference semifinal first leg brings us to frigid Red Bull Arena, where some
surprising snow covered the area on Saturday.
Two of the top three teams in Major League Soccer during the regular season square off in the
opening match of the MLS conference semifinals (10pm, Fox Soccer Channel).
The No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake will look to win at Rio Tinto Stadium
in game one of the two-game series to put pressure on the No.
While many MLS fans are caught up in the excitement of the playoffs, there are plenty of fans
who have seen their teams already eliminated and who are already thinking toward the future.
High on the lists of things to think about is the 2012 MLS Draft, which is about ten weeks
away.
The Colorado Rapids will take their first step toward trying to repeat as MLS Cup champions when
they face the Columbus Crew in the second of two MLS Wild Card games this week (10pm, Direct
Kick).
The Rapids will look to take advantage of the home-field edge provided at Dick's Sporting Goods
Park against a Columbus side that will be looking for some revenge after being eliminated from the
2010 playoffs by the Rapids.
The Colorado Rapids will take their first step toward trying to repeat as MLS Cup champions when
they face the Columbus Crew in the second of two MLS Wild Card games this week (10pm, Direct
Kick).
The Rapids will look to take advantage of the home-field edge provided at Dick's Sporting Goods
Park against a Columbus side that will be looking for some revenge after being eliminated from the
2010 playoffs by the Rapids.
The road to the 2011 MLS Cup Final begins tonight, with the New York Red Bulls taking on FC Dallas
at Pizza Hut Park in Major League Soccer's first wild card match (Fox Soccer Channel, 9pm).
FC Dallas enters the match as the highest-seeded wild card team, but a 2-5 finish to the regular
season has Schellas Hyndman's club looking vulnerable against a New York Red Bulls side that
finished the season strongly.