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Kanu to retire LINKS

The Beautiful Game (2) 17 November @ 08:45 PM EST
After the World Cup he says he's done.
"I cannot play when I am 50."
I thought he would. Though he's only 33, and I've been under the impression that he's been in his 40s for a while now.
Oh well, to the links:
  • Scotland fires head coach. [FourFourTwo]
  • Neville wants an elite pool of refs.
Click to continue reading...

Expansion Draft List: Colorado Rapids

WVHooligan 12 November @ 06:02 AM EST

Colin Clark and Conor Casey make up a big part of the Rapids. (Getty Images)

We are moving forward today in our expansion draft coverage. So far we've knocked out both the Fire and Chivas USA, today we stay out west with a look at the Colorado Rapids. Now this is a club that may go through a bit of a change this winter because of their collapse late in the season.

Click to continue reading...

Tragedy LINKS

The Beautiful Game (2) 11 November @ 08:15 PM EST
Sad news out of Germany yesterday, as it appears star goalkeeper Robert Enke took his own life.
The 32 year old was apparently struck by a train. He is survived by his wife and their adopted daughter.
The impact of this one will be felt a while over there.
Now to some links:
  • Irish dude rips Raymond Domenech.
Click to continue reading...

Some News for Wed Nov 11, 2009

Du Nord 11 November @ 04:39 PM EST
STARTERS
The Associated Press with an article on German goalkeeper Robert Enke who took his own life yesterday. He had been suffering badly from depression, and left behind a suicide note. There are quotes from the players wife, the German chancellor, his doctor and players & coaches. Click to continue reading...

Best friends LINKS

The Beautiful Game (2) 10 November @ 08:11 PM EST
Word is Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill and Nigel Reo-Coker are back on good terms. That took a while.
A couple months ago the two had one of the biggest spats of the season, over the weekend the boss named the player captain.
Kumbaya.
Now the links:
  • Fergie escapes FA punishment (v.
Click to continue reading...

Onward Christian Athletes? Faith in the Game

Pitch Invasion 09 November @ 10:42 AM EST

Photo credit: zz77 on Flickr

Does God care about soccer? There are certainly a good number of players, fans, and teams who think it likely. Take Diego Maradona bringing "his Argentina squad to mass to pray for a World Cup miracle." Or take Fred earning a yellow card for celebrating a DC United goal with the message "Jesus Loves You.

Click to continue reading...

Dirtiest soccer player ever

The Beautiful Game (2) 06 November @ 09:32 PM EST
Elizabeth Lambert. Plays of the University of New Mexico.
She's brutal. Worse than Cantona or Gattuso or Materazzi or anyone you can think of.
Check out the highlights from SportsCenter.
Then check out some links:
  • MLS Defender of the Year: Chad Marshall.
Click to continue reading...

Some News for Wed Nov 4, 2009

Du Nord 04 November @ 05:22 PM EST
STARTERS
Got this note yesterday from a great reader named Anthony who lives in Glasgow: Have you heard of any fans making the trip to Bratislava for the Nov 14 game? I haven't heard anything and US Soccer hasn't even released info about tickets, but I got a cheap flight from Edinburgh to Bratislava so I'm going for the weekend in hopes I can get a ticket there and looking to meet up w any other US fans before the game to march and sing to the stadium together. Click to continue reading...

Holy Hello Kitty jacket and LINKS

The Beautiful Game (2) 03 November @ 09:15 PM EST
Kickette had this masterpiece last week and I just recently came across its glory. Word is this gal is an ex-WAG, so it's still semi-soccer relevant.
She must be desperate for attention.
Now some other links:
  • Mancini a possible Rafa replacement? [Daily Mail]
  • A new world's top 25.
Click to continue reading...

MLS TV numbers don’t lie, but they can certainly be taken out of context

American Soccer News 02 November @ 01:41 PM EST

Fox Soccer Channel today put out a press release on the growth of its ratings numbers over the past year, its first as a Nielsen-rated channel.

Among reports of increases in Serie A and English Premiership viewers, the statement also points out that "Major League Soccer audiences are up 89%, averaging 51,000 viewers last month vs.

Click to continue reading...

Champions League(s) Drama

Hillcrest Road 21 October @ 02:17 PM EST
***Spoiler Alert***
Man United scored a late one through Antonio Valencia to beat CSKA Moscow 1-0 in Russia. The rest of today's matches, including Kaka's return to AC Milan with Real Madrid are taking place right now. If you can find a TV, tune it to Fox Soccer Channel or the sports section on DirecTV. Click to continue reading...

Linked Up

Fire Confidential | ChicagoNow 21 October @ 12:36 AM EST

Hey everybody, thought I'd share a few links with you before I talk with Fire Head Coach Denis Hamlett later this afternoon (knock on wood...).Here's a piece the USA Today put together further detailing the MLS playoff situation. It gives a pretty broad view of the postseason picture and drops some valuable knowledge so you should check it out.

Click to continue reading...

US Takes 1st In CONCACAF On Late Equalizer

Springfield MO Soccer 15 October @ 03:29 PM EST

From US Soccer: With a berth to the 2010 FIFA World Cup already secured, the U.S. Men's National Team took care of one last piece of business during its 10th and final game of CONCACAF Qualifying, mounting a furious comeback that finished with just 10 players on the field while earning a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica on a rainy night at RFK Stadium.

Click to continue reading...

Update on Charlie Davies and a Statement from his Family

Inside Minnesota Soccer | Inside Minnesota Soccer - Uniting Soccer Fans in the S 15 October @ 12:11 PM EST

There's still not a lot of new information coming in on the accident that Charlie Davies was involved with early Tuesday morning. There is still no word on who the driver is or their condition.

Steven Goff was reporting this morning that US coach Bob Bradley visited Charlie on Wednesday morning and that he was responding to doctors but was still heavily sedated.

Click to continue reading...

Update on Charlie Davies and a Statement from his Family

Inside Minnesota Soccer | Inside Minnesota Soccer - Uniting Soccer Fans in the S 15 October @ 12:11 PM EST

There's not a lot of new information coming in on the accident that Charlie Davies was involved with early Tuesday morning and still no word on who the driver is or their condition.

Steven Goff was reporting this morning that US coach Bob Bradley visited Charlie on Wednesday morning and that he was responding to doctors but was still heavily sedated.

Click to continue reading...

The Sweeper: I love you so much Jonathan Bornstein

Pitch Invasion 15 October @ 09:51 AM EST

Big Story
The biggest drama of a long and interesting day of World Cup qualification was reserved for RFK Stadium in Washington DC. After a week that must have drained the U.S. players to the core, with the terrible near-death experience for forward Charlie Davies, Bob Bradley's boys somehow found it in them to pull out a 95th minute equaliser by Jonathan Bornstein ("the ball just fell on my head and I put it away.

Click to continue reading...

Cleared of it all LINKS

The Beautiful Game (2) 13 October @ 07:06 PM EST
Fabio Cannavaro -- the frustrated one -- has been cleared of his doping allegations.
Turns outs his bee sting alibi had legs.
I also heard he slammed Italian media and said he's retire if his country wins the World Cup again.
Now the links:
  • Argentina dudes asked Peru to throw game?
Click to continue reading...

What is MLS? Getting to Know Garber

A More Splendid Life 13 October @ 10:56 AM EST
There is a delicious sense of the absurd in the way Don Garber has gone about his MLS business in the last few days, almost like a Steven Colbert satirizing the moronic "ideas" market of the Blatter/Warner contingent in order to expose football's upper echelon time-wasters for what they are.
First, we had Garber telling European clubs that MLS could be a model for wage sharing on the continent, the equivalent of asking the Germans to slow down on the Autobahn or the French to "clean up those unions so everything can run better in the country and there'd be less strikes and stuff. Click to continue reading...

Daily Dose: October 11th, 2009.

The Offside 12 October @ 05:56 PM EST
Stuff to read while you see Argentina's World Cup chances saved by the bar (1:00)..... The Barcelona blog returneth. Six times over. (Barca Offside) Discovering the internet via Ukraine England. (Studs Up) MLS looking into the indoors. (USA Today) The phenom taking Germany by storm...Diego who? (Deutsche Welle) Six injury times you're glad you waited for the whistle. Click to continue reading...

U.S. Qualifies For World Cup

100 Percent Soccer 10 October @ 11:17 PM EST

Honduras 2 U.S. 3

Game story.

Former Galaxy striker Carlos Pavon proved once again why he failed so abysmally in MLS, missing a crucial penalty in the 87th minute for Honduras that sealed the U.S. win. And then he missed another sitter two minutes later.

Still, it looked to me a legitimate Honduras goal was called offside.

Click to continue reading...

USA vs Honduras: Raising the Bar

Soccer Tickets Online 10 October @ 07:00 AM EST

It is one of the biggest games in the soccer history of both countries. Both squads must wait four years to have another chance as good as the one that they will see this weekend as Honduras hosts the United States in a critical World Cup Qualifier. A win will put both squads in Position A for a spot in next years World Cup and a loss will make it that much more unlikely.

Click to continue reading...

Some News for Fri Oct 9, 2009

Du Nord 09 October @ 03:40 PM EST
STARTERS
The last time the USA was in Honduras was late March of 2001. And while many things in American soccer have changed in just 8 years, others have stayed remarkably the same. The game that night was only shown in America via Pay Per View. (Sound familiar?) So, via the glory of Big Soccer, 8 of us lost souls met up in a basement in St Paul. Click to continue reading...

On tap: USMNT v Honduras

No Short Corners 09 October @ 01:13 PM EST
I will come back tomorrow with my thoughts on the contest tomorrow, kicking off either a standard prediction/line-ups/recap post or a LIVE if I can swing a home feed. I'm working on it.So off we go to the Reading Room:- USMNT match notes- Coach Bradley's conference call quote sheet- FIFA match preview- Michael C. Click to continue reading...

Meat-eating LINKS

The Beautiful Game (2) 06 October @ 08:58 PM EST
A new look at Bayern Munich and Oktoberfest.
Kickette also has the pictures of booze and cleavage too.
If you're into that.
Now the links:
  • Lotsa great high-quality goals. [101 Great Goals]
  • Wicks suspended for Montero stomp. [Goff]
  • USMNT ain't likely to get a W.
Click to continue reading...

USA Today on Landon Donovan

The Offside - LA Galaxy 01 October @ 10:06 PM EST


One of America's more perceptive futbol journalists. Beau Dure, has a lengthy profile of Landon Donovan in yesterday's USA Today. (No comments on our speed of motion please.)

Aside from the a vintage shot of Donovan with blond hair, I actually learned a couple of things about the front-runner for the Honda Player of the Year award.

Click to continue reading...

Fighter pilot LINKS

The Beautiful Game (2) 01 October @ 08:55 PM EST
Not sure I pictured this as a alternate career for Andres Iniesta.
Pretty awesome though.
On to the links:
  • Three-year ban for Manchester pitch invader. [USA Today]
  • W.C. stadiums are nearly finished. [SI]
  • There's a hooligan-fighting unit in France.
Click to continue reading...

Some News for Thu Oct 1, 2009

Du Nord 01 October @ 04:35 PM EST
QUESTION ON MY MIND
1-888-388-2650 - This is the phone number of the dopes trying to sell the Honduras v USA game via closed circuit in the USA. Call them and tell them that they are dopes. So far they have signed up a whopping 5 places in the entire country to carry the game. Click to continue reading...

Linked Up 10/1: Fire-Galaxy Version

Fire Confidential | ChicagoNow 30 September @ 10:56 PM EST

Here are a few quick Fire-Galaxy themed links to start your day. I hope to be back with another entry later on, so keep it here...The USA Today did a nice feature on Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, which you can check out here. Donovan - who scored in the Galaxy's 2-0 win over the Fire back on August 19th - is, in my mind, the best player in MLS and the Fire need to watch out tomorrow night, because he can turn a match around in a hurry.

Click to continue reading...

Thriller LINKS

The Beautiful Game (2) 30 September @ 08:50 PM EST
Dirty Tackle is trying to figure if that's what Ghana U-20 team was trying to pull off in this celebration.
I can see it. Except for the guy with heartburn.
Now the links:
  • Former AEK Athens owner a fraud. [Yahoo!]
  • Pep cleared in doping case. [SI]
  • UEFA W.
Click to continue reading...

Gag reel LINKS

The Beautiful Game (2) 29 September @ 08:53 PM EST
Hilarious shot found over at Off the Post.
Yes Fergie, you can have all the time you need.
To the links:
  • FIFA wants to deter violent conduct. [BBC]
  • Ref reports racism in Spain. [MLive]
  • Cyberpolice after W.C. ticket fraud. [ESPN]
  • West Ham and Millwall charged.
Click to continue reading...

UEFA’s French conspiracy

Dirty Tackle 29 September @ 06:34 PM EST

At the weekend we discussed accusations of Serie A referees favoring bigger clubs and now we have similar accusations of French referees favoring French clubs in the Champions League. Well, not actual French clubs, because their success in the Champions League would be far too suspicious. No, they're accused of favoring the one good club that's more French than Gerard Depardieu in a beret Arsenal.

Click to continue reading...

Lovin' Seattle LINKS

The Beautiful Game (2) 22 September @ 08:53 PM EST
Word is Seattle and Qwest Field might get the nationally-televised MLS opener against Philly in 2010.
Also, the MLS Cup this year is gonna get primetime treatment from ESPN.
Seattle rules.
Now the links:
  • Bobby Robson tribute. [BBC]
  • Does soccer need a visible game clock?
Click to continue reading...

Butt's Brain: Thursday

Never Captain Nicky Butt 17 September @ 09:46 AM EST
  • Great goal celebrations. Adebayor not included [The Offside]
  • Birmingham set piece taker James McFadden out for a month [Premier League]
  • Mark Hughes could pick himself at striker for the United match [USA Today]
  • Win a free Never Captain Nicky Butt T-Shirt [NCNB]
  • If the Inter - Barcelona match continued.
Click to continue reading...

MIDWEEK LINKS

SlideTackles.net 16 September @ 05:44 PM EST
In case you have missed anything, here are some recent links with Chicago pro soccer mention:
WPS expansion draft
• John Howell, Bleacher Report: Red Stars lose two subs to Philadelphia in WPS first expansion draft
• Beau Dure, USA Today: Philly looks strong in WPS expansion draft
• Jeff Kassouf, The Equalizer: Grading the WPS expansion draft
Chicago Fire player development
• L. Click to continue reading...

Some News for Thu Sep 10, 2009

Du Nord 09 September @ 11:05 PM EST
STARTERS
After yesterdays results things look like this for the USA to get in the World Cup: - Beat Honduras (Oct 10) or Beat or Tie Costa Rica (Oct 14). There are several other ways to get in too, but they are all slightly more complex. These 3 choices are straight up and doable. Click to continue reading...