I share this mainly because it's the first time I've seen a member of team management (as opposed to an MLS head honcho) speak about the strike threat.

AEG's Tim Leiweke essentially threw down the gauntlet today in an interview with the LA Times.

"Here's our issue, and I'm speaking on behalf of AEG," Leiweke said in an interview with The Times on Monday.

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The day we have all been waiting for has arrived. The Final Draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa will take place this evening at 7pm (local time) at the International Convention Center in Cape Town.

Taking place on a huge wooden stage with a typically African backdrop, the Final Draw will be preceded by a ceremony featuring a series of speeches and a dazzling array of live music and dance performances.

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This past weekend the world tuned into the MLS Cup only to see David Beckham lose to small market team Real Salt Lake. Last year the Columbus Crew, another small market team, beat big boys Red Bull New York to take home the championship. The only difference was the Crew didn't need extra time to take down RBNY.

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Here, let me help all of you with my short interview with the Creeper today:

On the Sounders FC inaugural season . . .
"Obviously at the end of the day when you look at the whole thing it was a pretty special year.

I made a lot of money.

It was a special year from the standpoint of what went on in Seattle in terms of the fans, the enthusiasm, the connection to the sport, the unique atmosphere that got created on a game and game basis and I think it was a special year for our team.

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ERIC SAMUEL
The Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru is a "football heaven" for Kelantan coach B. Sathianathan.
The former national coach said that teams should look forward playing in Kota Baru and not be intimidated by their partisan fans.
"The kind of atmosphere you get playing here is lacking in Malaysian football," said Sathianathan after Kelantan, backed by a sell-out 25,000 crowd, defeated KL Plus 3-0 in a Malaysia Cup quarter-final second-leg match on Saturday to advance 4-1 on aggregate. Click to continue reading...

Orlando, FL The 2009 Major League Soccer Racial and Gender Report Card resulted in continued outstanding results for MLS regarding racial hiring practices and another significant improvement in gender hiring practices.

MLS earned a third consecutive solid A (92) for racial hiring after getting A's in the categories of MLS League Office, players, head coaches, team president/CEO and team professional administration.

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Orlando, FL The 2009 Major League Soccer Racial and Gender Report Card resulted in continued outstanding results for MLS regarding racial hiring practices and another significant improvement in gender hiring practices.

MLS earned a third consecutive solid A (92) for racial hiring after getting A's in the categories of MLS League Office, players, head coaches, team president/CEO and team professional administration.

Click to continue reading...

Former Manchester United and England captain Bryan Robson was officially presented as the new manager of the Thailand national soccer team in Bangkok earlier today. Robson has signed a four-year contract to coach the three-time Southeast Asian champions. This will be Robson's first international team management experience. Click to continue reading...

Fox Sports Jamie Trecker and World Soccer Reader's Richard Farley joins us to discuss the following topics.

• US Player Development in the wake of two lackluster qualifying wins
• The state of the US program
• Where the US stacks up against other international sides
• Mexico's re-emergence as a power under Javier Aguirre
• Bob Bradley's team management
• The attitude of Americans fans and press
• Does the US have an issue integrating minority players into its national setup
• Will the US look at a non-American coach anytime in the near future

This and much more on an action packed MLS Talk Podcast brought to you by Audible.

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A large number of our players are away on international duty at the moment. Let's hope they all return safely next Thursday/Friday.

My beloved Wales, all but eliminated from the World Cup next year in South Africa are home against Russia next Wednesday evening in Cardiff.

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There's a spanner in the works; someone is not playing ‘the game'. The man in question seems quiet, reserved and astute, yet has a unique ability to get under peoples' skin. The man I'm talking about is, of course, Rafael Benitez, manager of Liverpool FC.
What fascinates me is why this quiet man from Madrid seems to provoke such a strong reaction from people. Click to continue reading...

Decidedly minor league Buck Shaw Stadium may be the home of the Quakes for the foreseeable future.
Remember this article about San Jose's stadium plans? Well it turns out that the only reason we will see those ultra secret stadium renderings is because the process has stalled to the point where the owner is questioning whether to built it at all. Click to continue reading...

ZAINUDDIN MUHAMMAD
THE Umrah trip to Mecca is on for T-Team players and officials now that their place in the Super League next season is secured.
Assistant manager Rosdi Awang said the trip, as promised by Terengganu Youth and Sports Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Rahin Mohd Said, who is also team manager, would be honoured by the team management. Click to continue reading...

I received my latest Eurosport catalog earlier this week, one of the highlights of my mail for nearly two decades. How smart are the Eurosport folks? They locked down the URL soccer.com before anyone else. Flipping through the catalog and looking at the jerseys, I was inspired to post my take on the top five jerseys in European club football. Click to continue reading...

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Manchester City keeps on spending.

The best team oil money can buy is set to land yet another key weapon ahead of the upcoming EPL season by acquiring striker Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal in a 25 million pound transfer.

The move for Adebayor comes in the same week Manchester City completed the move for Argentine striker Carlos Tevez, who now means City boasts a strike force of Adebayor, Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz.

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Manchester City keeps on spending.

The best team oil money can buy is set to land yet another key weapon ahead of the upcoming EPL season by acquiring striker Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal in a 25 million pound transfer.

The move for Adebayor comes in the same week Manchester City completed the move for Argentine striker Carlos Tevez, who now means City boasts a strike force of Adebayor, Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz.

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The following letter will be sent today to Derek Chappell, Chairman of Charlton Ath PLC

Mr Chappell,

In November 2008 you joined our Charlton Life forum and actively participated on our messageboard. You expressed interest in supporter opinions, and sought to provide answers to questions supporters may have.

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The New York Red Bulls have signed goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul to a multi-year contract, the New York Post is reporting this afternoon. In order for the deal to go done, New York has also had to ship an undetermined amount of allocation money to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for the rights to Coundoul. Click to continue reading...

It's commonly called "Team Management", or more correctly in thisparticular case "Club Management", something that is not being donetoo well at FC BARCELONA, or at least it seems from this outsideobserver´s point of view. The last couple of weeks have seen FCBarcelona transform itself & its public image from total euphoria toalmost depression,that is, the signals being transmitted outside fromthe Click to continue reading...

There was a sadness in the air at the end of today's game. A few Toronto players took the time to applaud the supporters, but it seemed as if the fans had no energy or awareness of them, never mind return the salute. I have read comments on some fan forums that have complained about players not saluting the supporters no matter the outcome of the game. Click to continue reading...

Chang has attended the Lot 8 tailgates and is a big fan of United.
In what United fans likely see as an ominous sign, Will Chang appears to be the last man standing.
Courtesy of MLSNet:
Washington, D.C. -- Victor MacFarlane has announced his sale of his ownership interest in the D. Click to continue reading...

#mls #forbes
Last year, Forbes released a survey of MLS team values, showing several of them doing quite well and several more that could be doing well once their stadiums are built.
But not everyone at Forbes is interested in including MLS as a major sport. This week's list of 10 -- America's Most Miserable Sports Cities -- doesn't just omit MLS. Click to continue reading...

We here at the Winning Ugly Radio Show have come to the conclusion that Drew Carey would make a great guest on our show and apparently so do some of our listeners.
One of our fans has already contacted the Seattle Sounders encouraging them to not only convince Drew to come on the show, but that they should listen to Winning Ugly Radio on a regular basis as well! Click to continue reading...