Photo by John Dorton/ISIphotos.com

U.S. Under-23 national team defender Gale Agbossoumonde is set to finalize a loan move to the NASL's Carolina RailHawks today, sources told SBI.

The 20-year-old Agbossoumonde has been on a constant quest for consistent playing time for the better part of the last three years, having stints with Sporting Braga in Portugal, Djurgardens IF in Sweden and Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany yield few first-team minutes.

Groupe A ( Bata et Malabo) : Guinée équatoriale, Libye, Sénégal, Zambie
Guinée équatoriale Gardiens : Danilo Emanuel (America-PE, Brésil), Felipe Ovono (Sony de Ela Nguema), Achille Pensy Muokombe (The Panther)
Défenseurs : Lawrence Sokota Doe (Al-Shabah, Oman), Jose Bokung (Deportivo Mongomo), Rui Fernando da Gracia Gomes (Logrones, Espagne), David Alvarez Aguirre (Langreo, Espagne), Armando Sipoto Buale (Badajoz, Espagne), Raul Ivan Fabiani Bosio (CD Alcoyano, Espagne)
Milieux : Ben Esono Konate (The Panther), Daniel Vazquez Evuy (Villarosa, Espagne), Rolan de la Cruz Biyogo (Fortaleza, Colombie), Juvenal Edjogo Owono (Sabadell FC, Espagne), Narcisse Ekanga Amia (Tout-Puissant Mazembe, RDC), Raul Juan Maximo Eyama (Deportivo Mongomo), Jose Javier Balboa Osa (Beira-Mar, Portugal), Fousseny Kamissoko (Al-Shabah, Oman)
Attaquants : Elong Douala Viera (Sony de Ela Nguema), Rodolfo Bodipo (Deportivo La Corogne, Espagne), Ivan Bolado Palacios (Cartagena, Espagne), Iban Iyanga "Randy" (Las Palmas, Espagne), Thierry Fidjeu Tezemeta (Kombassan Konyasport, Turquie), Daniel Bladimir Ekedo (San Roque de Lepe, Espagne) Libye Gardiens : Samir Aboud (Al-Ittihad), Joumaa Gtit (Al-Ahly), Mohamed Nachnouch (Al-Ittihad)
Défenseurs : Mohamed al-Moghrabi (Ol.

If this is the apocalypse, gimme some It's been almost five months since I've posted something fresh to my blog. That's downright apocalyptic, which is apropos given it's after all 2012. Kinda sad for footie fans if the Mayans are right. After all, we're stuck with 2010 as the last World Cup--aside from Spain establishing itself as the best national team in a generation, the Mundial didn't give us much more.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice from the penalty spot against Atletico

Real Madrid (Played 13, Points 34) took the initiative in the Spanish league last night as a 4-1 derby success at home to local rivals Atlético de Madrid was sweetened by a defeat to champions FC Barcelona whose 1-0 defeat to Getafe saw them go six points behind los Blancos at the top of the table.

In our final week before the next international break, I count forty-three matches being broadcast in the United States this weekend, so there's definitely something for everybody. The only match between two ranked clubs takes place on Saturday from a league that is used to such matchups but including a pair of unlikely suspects as Levante hosts Valencia on ESPN Deportes.

There was nothing concrete upon which to link Birmingham City winning the League Cup with their relegation from the Premier League at the end of last season, of course, but it didn't stop some from asserting exactly this and it hasn't stopped panicky-looking managers whose main ambition for this season is to finish seventeenth in the Premier League from effectively binning England's second cup competition.

The draw for the 2011-12 UEFA Europa League group stage was made in Monaco today. 2009 winners Atlético de Madrid are arguably the biggest club involved in this season's competition and they will have been relatively pleased with a draw which placed them in Group I alongside Italian Champions League drop-outs Udinese Calcio, French side Stade Rennais and Swiss side FC Sion.

Portuguese clubs did not fair well this week in European competitions with none of the five clubs in action coming away with a victory. Benfica opened the week of drawing 2-2 with Dutch club Twente and will be looking to advance to the Champions League group stage at home this coming week. In Europe League action, Sporting, Braga and Nacional all played to scoreless draws against

As up-and-coming Brazilian star Neymar gets set for one of the more important summers of his career, his club has come out and said he is not for sale.

Despite Santos attracting lucrative offers from some of the biggest clubs in the world for its star forward, club president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira said in a statement that "In light of continuous speculation in the national and international press about the future of our player, I feel obliged to communicate the departure of Neymar is non-negotiable.

FC Porto wrote another chapter in their majestic season by becoming Europa League champions. Porto beat Sporting Braga 1-0 in the Europa League final at the AVIVA Stadium (referred to as the "Dublin Arena" for this final). Porto had previously claimed domestic league honours, their 25th league title, as well as winning the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (also known as the Portuguese SuperCup).

Of course, the day belongs to Porto for winning their first Europa League title in eight years (the last one they picked up was with Mourinho when he was making his mini mark as a mastermind in 2002!) But these innovative fans take the cake for using paper plates (or something along those lines) to create their butts/costumes!

SILVIO, the 23 year Portugues International & SPORTING BRAGA player, announced straight after the loss of his team to Porto in the Europa League Final that he would be playing in SPANISH FOOTBALL & conctretly with ATLETICO DE MADRID next season. Silvio new Atletico de Madrid player No details of the transfer deal have been made public except the habitual justifiable message that the defender

SILVIO, the 23 year Portugues International & SPORTING BRAGA player, announced straight after the loss of his team to Porto in the Europa League Final that he would be playing in SPANISH FOOTBALL & conctretly with ATLETICO DE MADRID next season. Silvio new Atletico de Madrid player No details of the transfer deal have been made public except the habitual justifiable message that the defender

The constant stream of comparisons between current FC Porto coach André Villas-Boas and his mentor José Mourinho are set to continue following the Portuguese club's UEFA Europa League triumph over compatriots Sporting Braga. Radamel Falcao claimed the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time to secure FC Porto their second success in this competition, adding to the UEFA Cup won with Mourinho in 2003.

Porto won its third trophy of the season, adding the UEFA Europa League to its Portuguese league and Super Cup titles with a 1-0 victory over Sporting Braga in the final in Dublin, Ireland. Falcao scored the goal -- his 17th the competition -- to help make 33-year-old manager Andre Villas-Boas the youngest coach to win a UEFA competition.

FC Porto vs Braga 2011 Europa League 2011 Final- 18 May, 2011- 18/5/11- Aviva Stadium, Dublin Final score:- Porto vs Braga 1-0 ( Falcao) Radamel Falcao scores the only goal of the game as Porto beat Sporting Braga to win the 2010/11 Europa League crown. Falcao's winner was his seventeenth Europa League goal of the [.

FC Porto didn't lose to a single team from Portugal all season en route to an undefeated domestic championship campaign. Sporting Braga would love nothing more than to snap that streak today.

The two Portuguese sides meet for the UEFA Europa League championship in Dublin, Ireland (2:45 p.

Heute steigt das Finale der Europaleague und leider ohne Beteiligung einer deutschen Mannschaft. Stattdessen haben es zwei Portugiesen in das Finale nach Dublin geschafft. FC Porto gegen Sporting Braga, so richtig vom Hocker reißt mich die Paarung nicht, aber als wahrer Fussballfan muss man wohl auch in dieses Finale mal reinschauen.

Heute steigt das Finale der Europaleague und leider ohne Beteiligung einer deutschen Mannschaft. Stattdessen haben es zwei Portugiesen in das Finale nach Dublin geschafft. FC Porto gegen Sporting Braga, so richtig vom Hocker reißt mich die Paarung nicht, aber als wahrer Fussballfan muss man wohl auch in dieses Finale mal reinschauen.

Despite European leagues winding down and no MLS games until the weekend, there's still an ecclectic array of soccer on Wednesday.

Between the UEFA Europa League final, Copa Libertadores quarterfinals, a U.S. women's national team pre-World Cup friendly and Canadian championship, there's plenty of entertaining soccer to go around.

We lamented a bit last week over the close of the (European) club season, with most of the big leagues decided (and after the weekend, France (Lille) and the Netherlands (Ajax) also crowning champions). So what else is a CultFootball fan to look to, aside from the upcoming Champions League final (10 days away!

It's an all-Portuguese Europa League affair tonight (quit the groaning OK, we know all the glamour is in next Saturday's CL finale showdown but you can't ignore these equally hardworking tipos!) As always, the Portuguese press including A Bola (who do things like crawl into Cristiano Ronaldo's private jet, among other things) came up with a pretty interesting "ode to Dublin" on today's front cover.

ESPN2 has the US Women – Japan friendly at 7pm. GolTV has same day coverage of the Europa League final between Porto and Sporting Braga at 8pm. All Times Eastern

Falcao has been Porto's instrumental goalscorer this seasonWhile the Champions League has been attracting a lot of attention due to the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona clash, this season's Europa League seems equally, if not more exciting. A dynamic FC Porto side has been the star the show, playing a goalscoring and attacking style.

Falcao has been Porto's instrumental goalscorer this seasonWhile the Champions League has been attracting a lot of attention due to the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona clash, this season's Europa League seems equally, if not more exciting. A dynamic FC Porto side has been the star the show, playing a goalscoring and attacking style.

Giuseppe Rossi and Villarreal need somewhat of a miracle to keep their hopes of European silverware alive.

The Yellow Submarine enters Thursday's semifinal second leg against Porto down 5-1 after being trounced in the first leg in Portugal. If Villarreal can't pull off a large victory, the Europa League final in Dublin will be guaranteed to be an all-Portuguese event.

A stunning four goal show by Colombian striker Falcao saw Portuguese champions Porto come from a goal down to overwhelm Spanish side Villarreal 5-1 on Thursday in their Europa League semi-final first leg clash in Oporto.

Falcao's goals took him to a record 16 in the competition, beating Jurgen Klinsmann's total of 15 for Bayern Munich in the 1995/95 competition when it was the UEFA Cup.

This stunning Oscar Cardozo goal vs Braga gave Benfica a 2-1 win over their Portuguese rivals in the first leg of their Europa League semifinal on 28th April 2011. The Cardozo goal against Braga came close to the hour mark, with the game tied at 1-1. From around 30 yards out, Cardozo fired an unstoppable [.

Sporting Braga capped a historic night for Portugal in the Europa League as all three Primeira Liga teams went through to the semi-finals. Starting the night level after a 1-1 draw away to Dynamo Kyiv last week, Braga survived the 28th-minute dismissal of Paulo César to earn a goalless draw which saw them through on away goals.

Oguchi Onyewu and FC Twente need a comeback of epic proportions to keep their UEFA Europa League hopes afloat after being drilled by Giuseppe Rossi and Villarreal in the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup. Twente managed a late away goal in the opening leg to keep its flame flickering but still trails its Spanish opponent by four goals.

An Oguchi Onyewu-Giuseppe Rossi head-to-head matchup highlights the first legs of four UEFA Europa League quarterfinals on Thursday.

Onyewu's FC Twente and Rossi's Villarreal do battle in one of the four remaining ties, which involve three teams from Portugal, two from the Netherlands, and one apiece from Spain, Russia and Ukraine.

Liverpool vs Braga 2011 UEFA Europa League Knockout Stage- 17/3/11- Anfield, Liverpool Final score:- Liverpool vs Braga 0-0 ( Braga win 1-0 on aggregate) Braga knock Liverpool out of the Europa League as the Reds fail to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg at Anfield. ( Credits of this Liverpool vs Braga 2011 [.

Liverpool vs Braga 2011 UEFA Europa League Knockout Stage- 17/3/11- Anfield, Liverpool Final score:- Liverpool vs Braga 0-0 ( Braga win 1-0 on aggregate) Braga knock Liverpool out of the Europa League as the Reds fail to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg at Anfield. ( Credits of this Liverpool vs Braga 2011 [.

Jamie Carragher will equal Emlyn Hughes's club record of 45 appearances in the competition if he figures in tonight's Europa League clash with SC Braga at Anfield. Here are all the rest of the big match stats.
Liverpool's European record (overall): Pld 327 Won 185 Drawn 71 Lost 71
Liverpool's record in Fairs/UEFA Cup/Europa League: Pld 116 Won 64 Drawn 28 Lost 24
The Reds have won 7 and drawn 1 of the previous 9 meetings with Portuguese opponents at Anfield.

RICHMOND, VA – (Wednesday, March 16, 2011) – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce the signing of Japanese international Nozomi Hiroyama for the 2011 season, pending USSF and Visa approval.
"We are delighted Hiro has agreed to join the Kickers as he has exceptional quality and an extensive international experience," comments Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers Head Coach and Director of Soccer.

Joe Cole has signalled his intention to change his luck at Liverpool through sheer hard work.
The 29-year-old has failed to live up to his pre-season billing for the club and has struggled for form, fitness and confidence.
Cole played the full 90 minutes against Sporting Braga on Thursday on the left of midfield, where he has often found himself deployed for his new club.

The UEFA Europa League Round of 16 gets underway on Thursday, with all of the remaining teams in the competition in action.

Among the teams still alive are Maurice Edu's Rangers and Oguchi Onyewu's FC Twente. Rangers opens its tie with PSV Eindhoven on the road, while Twente hosts Zenit-St.

Sporting Braga vs Liverpool 10th March 2011- 10/3/11 Europa League Round of 32- 18.00 UK kick off Braga vs Liverpool is one of the early Europa League Round of 16 clashes. Liverpool will look to carry the momentum from their 3-1 win over Man United into this fixture against their Portuguese opponents.

Sporting Braga vs Liverpool 10th March 2011- 10/3/11 Europa League Round of 32- 18.00 UK kick off Braga vs Liverpool is one of the early Europa League Round of 16 clashes. Liverpool will look to carry the momentum from their 3-1 win over Man United into this fixture against their Portuguese opponents.

Three of the UEFA Europa League's Round of 32 first legs are in the books, but 13 more remain to be played on Thursday including games involving Americans Sacha Kljestan and Maurice Edu.

Kljestan starts out on the bench as Anderlecht opens up at home against Ajax Amsterdam in one of the more intriguing knockout-stage matchups.