Ever Winter, Major League Soccer releases its schedule for the upcoming season. In addition to setting out the slate of games, the initial release sets out the national television schedule, establishes breaks for FIFA dates and gives fans an opportunity to plan their Summer of soccer. We thought it would be worthwhile to talk to Brad Pursel, Major League Soccer's Vice President of Club Services about the process of putting together the league schedule.

Having mastered the art of kicking teammates, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has now moved on to slapping opponents. Zlatan was sent off in the 64th minute of Milan's 0-0 draw against Napoli for reaching around teammate Antonio Nocerino to slap Salvatore Aronica in the face. If the slap is ruled to be a violent gesture, then Ibra will have to serve a three-match ban.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Philadelphia Union

The silly season got sillier for the Philadelphia Union over the weekend. Following word from England that Sebastien Le Toux reportedly did not sufficiently impress while on trial with Bolton, and the news that Danny Mwanga is training for two weeks with Aston Villa, the Union transfer rumor well still wasn't dry.

Silly season has bitten the Philadelphia Union hard, as the international transfer window is set to close in three days. After apparently shrugging off a Sebastien Le Toux transfer to Bolton Wanderers, the Union are set to lose team captain Faryd Mondragon.

The 40-year-old is on his way back to Colombia, according to Deportivo Cali's Vice President.

Reports have been coming through today that a permanent deal for Giovani dos Santos could be tied up before the weekend. There has been much speculation about Gio's future since the transfer window opened and according to Villareal's vice-president Jose Manuel Llaneza, Gio's White Hart Lane misery could soon be at and end.

AC Milan have officially ended their pursuit of Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez after their bid worth more than €20 million was turned down by the club yesterday.

Milan vice president Adriano Galliani confirmed that talks had broken down saying that City were holding out for €35 million which for Milan is too pricey.

AC Milan have officially ended their pursuit of Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez after their bid worth more than €20 million was turned down by the club yesterday.

Milan vice president Adriano Galliani confirmed that talks had broken down saying that City were holding out for €35 million which for Milan is too pricey.

I'm pleased to announce that I've joined StatDNA as Vice President of Analytics and Software Development. This is a super exciting opportunity for me as I'll be combining my loves of software development, data analysis and soccer. What could be better? I'll hopefully have some blog posts up for StatDNA over at their blog soon using their best in breed data.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

Editor's note: At the end of the 2010 season, we posted a series of season reviews of every Philadelphia Union player. Over the past several weeks PSP continued with a review of the 2011 season. We conclude with a review of Peter Nowak's 2011 season.

Following you will find pictures and fan video taken during the meeting with MLS Commissioner Don Garber on January 8, 2011. None of the video is professional so bear with us. The video does give you a little taste of what it was like to be there.
If you haven't read all the progress made in South Florida be sure to check out www.

AC Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi could be on his way out of the San Siro according to Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani. The 38 year old veteran striker has failed to make an impact in Allegri's squad this season and with the impending arrival of Carlos Tevez next month, Inzaghi's chances of playing look dimmer and dimmer.

Liverpool and Chelsea have been told to look elsewhere after River Plate insisted that Brazilian teenage sensation Lucas Ocampos is not for sale in January.
Ocampos is rated one of the best young strikers in South America and has already been dubbed the 'new Cristiano Ronaldo'.
Liverpool look certain to step up their search for a new striker after star forward Luiz Suarez was given an eight-match ban, after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

Liverpool and Chelsea warned off River Plate strike starlet

Brazilian teenage sensation Lucas Ocampos is not for sale in January, says club's vice president

View the full story here: Talksport

A news article on 2011-12-21 15:09:45 from: Talksport

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

New developments are emerging in the Carlos Tevez transfer debacle after PSG sporting director Leonardo confirms that the club are interested in bringing the Argentine to France.

Truth be said, PSG is the last club Tevez would sign and i don't mean this disrespectfully, but the French side really competing against some of the best and most successful clubs in the world to land his signature.

If he's going to do it, it will have to be announced prior to the Democratic convention, set for September 3, 2012. More than likely, it would get leaked to the press or be part of the campaign by July. So, there's still time for President Obama to think it through.

I am sure like me, many of you were surprised when you saw the result of Wednesday's Champions League match between French side Olympique Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia.

However, it is now emerging that Olympique Lyon's 7-1 drubbing of Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday could have been as a result of a betting scandal.

With everyone scrambling to buy just the right gift for the holidays, we thought it worth revisiting we did a few months back on the MLS shopping experience.

We have repeatedly posted about the MLS shopping experience. From a shortage of gear at brick and mortar retailers, to the absence of infant sized Galaxy items to the improved online experience, we have repeatedly written about procuring MLS items.

Carlos Tevez's move to Italy seems to be gaining momentum with every new day. Just last week Tevez's agent Kia Joorabchian met with Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani for a dinner which many believe was a disguise to discuss the fate of the Argentine striker.

This is the second meeting between both players after their first meeting at Milan headquarters more than a week ago.

The playoffs and MLS Cup final are being completely revamped in 2012.

Instead of rotating the MLS Cup between different cities, starting in 2012, the MLS Cup final will be played at the home venue of the participating team with a higher regular-season point total. No more neutral fields, which is something that the MLS has done since 1996.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

Shane Kelly seemed to know everyone.

He had contacts everywhere in the Philadelphia soccer scene. He knew the people who ran those fields in the northeast and the southwest. Shane had a foot in so many sports teams and leagues in Philadelphia that I sometimes wondered how he had enough feet left to play soccer in the Casa Soccer League, where he was commissioner of the league's top division.

As expected the Supporters' Shield winner will host MLS Cup, a welcome and long overdue change.

But the top five in each conference - Montreal joins the now 10-team Eastern Conference while the nine-team Western Conference remains the same - will now qualify for the playoffs. The fourth and fifth place teams will play a single game to determine who advances to play the conference champion in the two-game aggregate score semifinals, while the second and third place teams faceoff in the other semi.

Serie A champions AC Milan have cooled down talk of Chelsea star Didier Drogba joining the club. Drogba who is out of contract with Chelsea next summer, has been consistently linked with a move away from the bridge.

Now, however, Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani has cooled down talks of the Ivorian star joining the 7 time European champions.

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has joined the bandwagon of people who are calling for the number of clubs playing in top flight Spanish, Italian and English leagues to be cut down to 16.

According to Rosell, La Liga is too big and needs to be cut down to 16 teams. Rosell who also doubles up as the European Club Association Vice President, said that UEFA is in danger of witnessing a mass walk out of some of its biggest club's if the association refused to consider the demands made by the ECA.

Today's post starts in New England, where the Revs announced some rearranging of roles in the front office. Mike Burns and Brian Bilello are remaining with the club, but with new titles and new responsibilities. Bilello has been named President of the Club, with responsibilities on both the player and business sides.

Warner: I tried for eight years to find out Blatter's FIFA salary

Former FIFA vice-president has begun to unleuah his promised "tsunami" on the organisation

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2011-10-18 16:22:11 from: The Mirror

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

If you needed any more proof that former CONCACAF President Jack Warner is crooked, watch the accompanying video to hear Warner discussing the gifts of silver he had received from former FIFA vice-president Mohammad Bin Hammam. Warner discusses why the gifts were received and that they would be distributed by him.

Bueno Could Join Liverpool in Summer 2012

Mexican starlet Marco Bueno could be joining Liverpool next Summer after it has been revealed that the Reds have first option on the striker. Bueno was believed to have spent ten days at Melwood during in August on a trial and was said to have impressed the Liverpool staff.

Liverpool will wait until Mexican teenage striker Marco Bueno turns 18 next year before stepping up their bid to sign him.
The Reds entered the race to sign one of the stars of this summer's World Under-17 championships in July and brought the Pachuca player over for a ten-day trial in August.
But Bueno returned without penning a contract and made his first-team debut for the Mexican top flight club over the weekend.

We have repeatedly posted about the MLS shopping experience. From a shortage of gear at brick and mortar retailers, to the absence of infant sized Galaxy items to the improved online experience, we have repeatedly written about procuring MLS items. Today we are pleased to present some thoughts from Stu Crystal, Major League Soccer's Vice President of Consumer Products, about shopping for league merchandise.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the Caribbean...Jack Warner, the infamous former CONCACAF boss and FIFA Vice-President, is back in the news.Still smarting from his banishment in June after almost three decades in the corridors of football power, Warner has taken aim at Chuck Blazer, his long-term colleague who reported him to the FIFA Ethics Committee for reasons hitherto

Sebastian Coates move to Liverpool is complete Nacional vice-president

The young defender has received a work permit and will join Kenny Dalglish's squad immediately, with compatriot Suarez already welcoming him to Anfield

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-08-30 21:04:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Update: DC - Portland has been postponed, with the League yet to announce the makeup date. Due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene on the East Coast, Major League Soccer adjusted the weekend schedule. "With the safety of our fans and clubs top of mind, and thanks to the cooperation of our clubs and broadcast partners, Major League Soccer has rescheduled two games that were originally set for this weekend," MLS executive vice-president of.

The Philadelphia Union announced on Thursday evening that Sunday's match against New England Revolution has been postponed due to expected extreme weather conditions as Hurricane Irene makes its way up the Atlantic coast.

The announcement on the Union's website says, "The decision to postpone the game was made to ensure the safety of players and fans.

The sold-out, nationally televised game in New York was rescheduled to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Also postponed: Sunday's Philadelphia Union-New England Revolution until Sept. 7, while Saturday's D.C. United-Portland contest was brought forward to 2 p.m. from 7 p.m.

"With the safety of our fans and clubs top of mind, and thanks to the cooperation of our clubs and broadcast partners, Major League Soccer has rescheduled two games that were originally set for this weekend," said Nelson Rodriguez, Executive Vice President of Competition and Game Operations.

Aquilani the man for Milan

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has confirmed the club are on the brink of signing Alberto Aquilani from Liverpool.

View the full story here: Sky Sports

A news article on 2011-08-24 17:31:46 from: Sky Sports

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

AC Milan have signed Alberto Aquilani on loan from Liverpool, claims vice-president Adriano Galliani

Reds midfielder appears to be on the brink of officially completing his switch to San Siro, as the Serie A champions look to fill the void created by Andrea Pirlo's exit

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-08-24 15:01:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Liverpool's buying mode in this summer transfer market apparently isn't done yet as latest reports suggested that they are very close to sign another Uruguayan talent, Sebastian Coates from Nacional.

The young defender, who was part of the national team that won the Copa America this year along with Luis Suarez, reportedly is set to join his colleague at Anfield after the player and his current club's vice president hinted at the deal.

'Sebastian Coates will surely go to Liverpool' Nacional vice-president confirms Reds have made 'very good' offer for Uruguay international

Kenny Dalglish is looking to improve his defensive options following the sale of Sotirios Kyrgiakos to Wolfsburg, and is hoping to replace him with the 20-year-old

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-08-24 08:35:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

'Sebastian Coates will surely go to Liverpool' Nacional vice-president confirms Reds have made 'very good' offer for Uruguay international

Kenny Dalglish is looking to improve his defensive options following the sale of Sotirios Kyrgiakos to Wolfsburg, and is hoping to replace him with the 20-year-old

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-08-24 08:35:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

'Sebastian Coates will surely go to Liverpool' Nacional vice-president confirms Reds have made 'very good' offer for Uruguay international

Kenny Dalglish is looking to improve his defensive options following the sale of Sotirios Kyrgiakos to Wolfsburg, and is hoping to replace him with the 20-year-old

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-08-24 08:35:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.