Philadelphia Union
The Goalkeeper has a transcript of Wednesday's press conference with Peter Nowak. Among the
highlights:
On Pajoy: "He's a guy who brings not only character but also a
mentality to the game. He's very physical, and very fast as well. He can change the game, because
he's a different option.
After winning MLS Cup, earning a place in the Champions League and become the MLS equivalent of a
SuperClub, the LA Galaxy had questions to answer at the end of 2011.
The possible departures of David Beckham, Juninho and the confirmed loss of Donovan Ricketts raised
questions. Add to that the threat of extend loans from Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane, the Galaxy
had quiet cause for concern.
As if the defending MLS Champions needed any more offensive firepower, the LA Galaxy announced
today that Edson Buddle would be rejoining the Galaxy after terminating his contract with FC
Ingolstadt by mutual consent.
Buddle's addition gives LA the league's best forward tandem, as he and Robbie Keane will lead a
line that should feast on the service provided by Landon Donovan and David Beckham.
By Chris Wright
Eng-lish Pre·mi·um/ing'liSH ˈprēmēəm/Noun: An amount to be paid on top of any given
football transfer fee to recognise the paltry significance of said footballer hailing from these
sceptred isles and will hopefully therefore play with 'bags of passion', etc.
Photo: Paul Rudderow
With the SuperDraft behind us, thoughts now turn to the nitty-gritty of the 2012 Union season.
Naturally, questions arise. Over a two-part series we pose ten questions to our Union beat
reporter, Eli Pearlman-Storch, beginning in part 1 with a focus on formation, roster depth and
leadership roles within the starting XI.
A look at the Liverpool's goals for column, despite spending £57.3m on two strikers, doesn't make
the happiest reading for Liverpool fans. Profligate against Stoke, unable to finish off Manchester
United and a draw at home with Norwich means we currently sit ten points behind City and have
scored the least goals of clubs in the top six.
DC United has a diverse attack. With goal scoring and assist men on the wings, at forward and
with the player who may be the most similar in play to Fredy Montero with Dwayne De Rosario in that
space between the forwards and midfield. The Seattle Sounders don't see this necessarily as
something that has to change their defensive posture.
Photo: Paul Rudderow
As far as first starts go it was not what Zac MacMath would have wanted, but it was certainly
not a contest he will forget anytime soon. The rookie goalkeeper will fondly remember the night the
Union stormed back from 4-1 down in the second half to earn a gritty point.
The Colorado Rapids come to Toyota Park tonight at 7:30 PM CST so we turned to Chris 'Uz' White
of the Burgundy Wave for some insider perspective by exchanging the traditional three questions. If
you live in Chicagoland but can't make it to the game, it's being broadcast on My50. The answer to
the first question in the exchange is below and the rest of the questions in the exchange are after
the break.
Everton Shouldn't Panic Yet - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
We're told some Everton fans are desperate. In fact, we're told it's not just Everton fans, but
their Chairman too. Bill Kenright admitted as much to a supporters group, to discuss their
problems. Everton have exhausted their overdraft and the banks, probably sensibly, don't see any
reason to extend it.
Many of the faces that highlighted Jurgen Klinsmann's first roster last month will be back for
more when the US national team lines up in friendlies against Costa Rica and Belgium in early
September.
The 22-man roster announced by US Soccer on Thursday includes 11 players from Major League
Soccer, including LA Galaxy star Landon Donovan, New York Red Bulls striker Juan Agudelo and the
tandem of FC Dallas winger Brek Shea and Columbus Crew midfielder Robbie Rogers, who stole the
spotlight during a 1-1 draw against Mexico on Aug.
We know that some of the regular Seattle Sounders did not make the trip to Monterrey, Mexico for
tonight's CONCACAF Champions League match. Mauro Rosales, Fredy Montero, Kasey Keller and Jhon
Kennedy Hurtado all, apparently, headed back to Seattle to prepare for Saturday's game against the
Columbus Crew.
Philadelphia Setup: The Union set up in their accustomed 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield. Miglioranzi
played in the holding midfield spot with Carroll out injured. Daniel played wide left and Mapp
played wide right. Paunovic played in the center behind the two strikers. Le Toux and Mwanga were
the two strikers.
There might not be a segment of the Seattle Sounders fanbase more excited about Mike Fucito's
recent coming out party. Almost as long as Sounder at Heart has been following a MLS, we have been
signing his praises. And while it may seem counter-intuitive to question the gospel of
#churchoffucito, I do feel compelled to take a tiny step back and ask: What's the cost of making
Mike Fucito a full-time starter?
Photo by David Bernal/ISIphotos.com
Clarence Goodson is the latest of original U.S. men's national team call-ups that won't be
participating in Wednesday's friendly with Mexico.
Goodson strained his left hamstring in Brondby's match over the weekend and did not make the
trip to the United States after being evaluated by his club's doctors, according to U.
Photo by Kelley L. Cox/ISIphotos.com
Dwayne De Rosario reminded everyone on Saturday that he still has plenty left in his tank.
De Rosario scored two top-notch goals and turned in a strong overall performance to lead D.C. to
an important 2-0 victory at San Jose over the weekend, earning SBI MLS Player of the Week
honors.
Landon Donovan was in need of an outing like the one he had Saturday night.
In the midst of a mini slump and coming off a minor calf injury, Donovan took control of the Los
Angeles Galaxy's match against the Vancouver Whitecaps, scoring two goals and setting up a third in
the second half of the Galaxy's 4-0 victory.
Remember the Liga Primer Indonesia? You know, that league funded by a wealthy businessman set up to
rival the FA sanctioned Indonesia Super League? Nah, still can't remember? Come on...the one that
promised to change the game?
Well it has been on a mid season break since the end of May I think it is.
Photo by ISIPhotos.com
Colorado Rapids striker Conor Casey will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn
Achilles tendon.
Casey suffered the injury during the Rapids' 4-3 loss to the Seattle Sounders on Saturday. The
star forward will miss between 8-to-10 months after tearing his Achilles tendon on a play that
didn't actually involve any contact.
Just a quick take on the big game this weekend. The US Women will take the field on Sunday
with a chance to become World Cup champions. The Final will kick off at 2:45 on Sunday and
promises to draw a significant audience that could rival the 1999 USA/China match. The game will
be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN3.
Still traveling for the holiday, but we wanted to bring a quick wrap of the weekend that was.
Another series of Womens World Cup matches and a full slate of MLS tilts are in the rear view
mirror. Before we get to attendance, it is worth noting Taylor Twellman's continued improvement
in the booth.
The U.S. men's national team can move into the 2011 Gold Cup Final with a win on Wednesday
night, and whether that goal is reached will be determined in large part by the lineup decisions
head coach Bob Bradley makes.
Bradley actually has some tough calls to make after seeing several players step up in the team's
quarterfinal victory against Jamaica.
At the critically acclaimed FistedAway I wrote a guestpost on England's midfield dilemma. No, I
did not regurgitate the decade-long lament of "Lampard + Gerrard = failiure." Rather, I speculate
on the alternative: what happens when the Three Lions can't blame their failure on this midfield
tandem?
In a season that has seen some other rookies garner more headlines, Columbus Crew utility man
Rich Balchan has quietly put together one of the better rookie seasons in the league.
Balchan is a secret no more, not after his clutch last-minute equalizer in the Crew's 1-1 draw
against the New York Red Bulls last Saturday.
30.05.2011 - Quejándose del nivel académico y presionando a un cambio, un rector de la UBA
dijo en conferencia:
"Ponemos una vaca y, sentada aquí cinco años,
se va con el título en la mano" (como si las vacas tuviesen manos).
No viene a cuento la facultad en cuestión ni el nombre del rector.
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.
Colorado Rapids have been waiting weeks to get Conor Casey back from a strained hamstring, but
now the Rapids will be forced to play without their most dangerous player.
Colorado striker Omar Cummings is set to miss 2-4 weeks with a sprained ankle suffered during
the Rapids' 2-1 win vs.
Promotion play-off bound English Football League One club Huddersfield Town FC unveiled their
2011/12 Umbro home kit on Saturday ahead of their home game against Brentford. According to the
club website: New kit manufacturer Umbro have designed the shirt in tandem with the Club, with the
shirt encompassing the famous blue and white stripes of Huddersfield Town [.
The Philadelphia Union has traveled across the country to try and become the first visiting team
to take points at Jeld-Wen Field, but the red-hot Portland Timbers will be looking to stop that
tonight in Portland (10:30pm, Fox Soccer Channel).
The Timbers are a perfect 3-0 at home, but have yet to face a defense as strong as
Philadelphia's.
Catania and the Argentine Sicilians is a post from: Just Football
Argentina! Argentina! Argentina! In this week's Serie A column David Swan reports on an
Italian club with a very different current identity...
Of all the games to pick out from last weekend in Serie A, Catania-Cagliari might seem a strange
choice.
The Colorado Rapids and Seattle Sounders will look to try and close the gap on Western
Conference leaders Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles when they face off tonight in Colorado (9:30pm,
Fox Soccer Channel).
The Rapids will look to halt their own two-match losing streak as well as Seattle's four-match
unbeaten streak, while the Sounders will look to win with Fredy Montero back in the starting
lineup.
Photo by ISIPhotos.com
The list of missing players was like a Who's-Who of New York Red Bulls standouts. Thierry Henry,
Juan Agudelo, Rafa Marquez, Tim Ream, Dane Richards and goalkeepers Bouna Coundoul and Greg Sutton
were all missing from the Red Bulls' lineup on Saturday, but that didn't stop New York from earning
a tough road point against an Eastern Conference rival.
Fire coach Carlos de los Cobos -- ISI PhotosBRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The two MLS teams that were atop
last year's playoff-less panel square off this Saturday as the Chicago Fire host Sporting Kansas
City at Toyota Park. Sporting K.C., previously known as the Wizards, ranked ninth last season with
39 points, and the Fire had the 10th-best points total last season with 36.
[This is the final installment of a three-part series analyzing the
Union's roster ahead of Saturday night's season opener. On Wednesday we looked at the team's
defense, and yesterday we analyzed the midfield.]
Last season, the Philadelphia Union managed a measly 35 goals, good for 5th-to-last in the
league.
You can't expect me to diagram any plays, or demonstrate on a virtual chalk-board how this is
going to happen. I'm not savvy enough with the Interwebs to maneuver in such a fashion. But, I can
give you a rather impassioned presentation of 5 keys to what should be an all-out attacking affair
on Saturday morning.
CARSON, CALIF -- The U.S. men's national team's first match of the new year didn't start well,
but ended with some promising signs as the young forward tandem of Juan Agudelo and Teal Bunbury
helped the United States salvage a point on opening night.
Bunbury scored on a penalty kick in the 75th minute of play while Esteban Paredes was the lone
goalscorer for La Roja in front of a crowd of 18,580 at the Home Depot Center.
(Editor's note: This is part three of a series looking at how the Rapids will fill out an
expanded roster for 2011.)
The Rapids won an MLS cup with a team that relied on a midfield built to challenge balls,
disrupt attacks and allow little room for opponents.
Colorado midfielders spent a lot of energy.
(Editor's note: This is part two of a series looking at how the Rapids will fill out an
expanded roster for 2011.)
There are only six defenders on the current roster, but there is probably no position in better
health for the Rapids. There's also no area that will tell more about the team's long-term plans
for captain Pablo Mastroeni, 34, than what Colorado does on defense.
Kenny Dalglish has already began to put his stamp on Liverpool by hiring Steve Clarke as his
first team coach. Sammy Lee will remain as assistant manager,
"It is important we have good backroom staff and Steve comes into that category," Dalglish said
on Liverpool's website.
