Wednesday, September 30, 2009

List of WPS Free Agents

Women's Professional Soccer released the names of players from eight teams who were waived or declared free agents. (the Philadelphia Independence were the only team not to declare free agents or waive any players).

Players like Cristiane, Carli Lloyd, Heather Mitts and Leslie Osborne among others are available if the price is right. Here is the full list of free agents from the eight teams.


Atlanta Beat - Sara Larsson.

Boston Breakers - Nancy Agustyniak Goffi (waived), Candace Chapman (waived), Abby Crumpton, Fabiana, Kristin Luckenbill, Heather Mitts, Sophia Mundy, Ashley Phillips, Erika Sutton.

Chicago Red Stars - Free Agents: Cristiane, Heather Garriock (Waived), Jamiel Johnson (Waived), Carli Lloyd, Mary Therese-McDonnell, Frida Ostberg, Michelle Wenino, Lydia Vandenbergh.

FC Gold Pride - Marissa Abegg (waived), Adriane (waived), Greer Barnes, Erika (waived), Formiga (waived), Lindsay Massengale, Megan McCrary, Leslie Osborne, Sissi, Tiffany Weimer (waived).

Los Angeles Sol - Liz Bogus, Brittany Cameron, Han Duan (waived), Martina Franko (waived), Lyndsey Patterson, Keri Sanchez, Lisa Sari, Julia Schnugg, Christie Shaner (waived), Aly Wagner, McCall Zerboni.

Saint Louis Athletica - Niki Cross, Daniela (waived), Sheree Gray, Erin Kane, Ashlee Pistoruis, Lisa Stoia, Melissa Tancredi, Sarah Walsh (waived), Erin Walter, Christie Welsh.

Sky Blue FC - Cori Alexander, Mele French, Katie Hooker, Collette McCallum (waived), Kelly Parker (waived), Lauren Sesselman, Julianne Sitch (wiaved).

Washington Freedom - Kristin DeDycker, Parissa Eyorokon (waived), Katie Forbis, Emily Janss (waived), Christen Karniski, Joanna Lohman, Kati Jo Spisak (waived).

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

WPS news

Amy Rodriguez Philly-bound

The Boston Breakers have traded Amy Rodriguez along with the fifth pick in the 2010 WPS Draft, to be held in January, to the Philadelphia Independence for the second overall pick as well as the 11th pick.

http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/news/general/090929-rodriguez-trade.aspx

The trade gives the expansion Independence a player which it could build around. Rodriguez, a member of USC's 2007 national championship team and the US National team that captured the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, was taken first overall in the 2009 WPS General Draft and was expected to rise to stardom immediately in Boston, but couldn't find her spark and had a rather cold relationship with Breakers head coach Tony DiCicco. Rodriguez will now look to re-discover her mojo with the Independence.

Sky Blue FC Hires new Coach

New York-New Jersey based Sky Blue FC, which won the inagural WPS championship despite going through three head coaches in one season, including installing Christie Rampone as player-coach, have hired Pauliina Miettinen as their latest head coach.

Miettinen, a Finnish international and current head coach of Finnish Club PK-35, played her college ball at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire, where she helped them to three Division II titles. Miettnen has been an assistant at Franklin Pierce, Barry University and Florida State.

Here's hoping she has as much success as Rampone

http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/ny/news/press_releases/090929-miettinenhire.aspx

Monday, September 28, 2009

List of UEFA Champions League matchups for Wednesday, Septepber 30

Continued from preview post.

Wednesday, September 30
Group A
Juventus @ Bayern Munich
Maccabi Haifa FC @ Girondins de Bordeaux

Group B
Besiktas JK @ CSKA Moscow
VfL Wolfsburg @ Manchester United

Group C
FC Zurich vs. AC Milan
Olympique Mariselle @ Real Madrid

Group D
Chelsea @ APOEL FC
Athletico Mardid vs. FC Porto

UEFA Champions League Preview

Some big matchups are on tap for the next round of UEFA Champions League play.

One matchup that carries implications in the standings occurs in Group B, where Manchester United and Vfl Wolfsburg both have three points headind into their matchup at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Another matchup that could change the standings will be in Group F, where FC Barcelona faces Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday. Dynamo currently sits in first place, two points ahead of Barcelona.

Here is the complete lists of Champions League matchups for September 29-30.

Tuesday, September 29
Group E
Liverpool @ ACF Fiorentina
Lyon @ Debreceni VSC

Group F
Inter Mian @ FC Rubin Kazan
Dynamo Kiev @ Barcelona

Group G
VfB Stuttgart @ Unirea Urziceni
Sevilla @ Rangers

Group H
Olympiakos @ Arsenal
Standard de @ AZ Alkmaar

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Wigan upsets Chelsea

The story of the weekend in the Premiership has to be Chelsea falling to Wigna Athletic 3-1 at The DW Stadium on Saturday.

The loss marked the first time this season that Chelsea has lost a match, and coupled with Manchester United's 2-0 win over Stoke City means the two clubs are now tied atop the Premiership table, with Liverpool and Tottenham only three points behind.

Wigan's first blow came in the 16th minute when Titus Bramble opened the scoring. Wigna took the lead into the halftime break, but gave it up just a minute into the second half, as Didier Drogba scored the equalizer.

However, the match turned in the 53rd minute when Chelsea keeper Petr Cech recieved a red card for tripping Hugo Rodallega. Rodallega then put the penalty shot past Henrique Hilario to wrestle the lead back. Paul Scharner then struck in stoppage to complete the stunning victory for Wigan.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Soccer week in review

USA-Honduras at a Neutral site????????
The World Cup Qualifying match between the United States, scheduled to be played on October 10 at San Pedro Sula may be moved to an alternate site amid the political unrest that is currently gripping Honduras.

Airports in Honduras have been closed down due to widespread violence in the wake of ousted president Miguel Zelaya's return to the country. FIFA and CONCACAF is monitoring the situation and hope to make a desicion sometime next week.

Chivas beats Chivas
Chivas de Guadalajara and Chivas USA met in the first ever "ChivaClasico" played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Wednesday.

After a scoreless first half, Guadalajara finally took control, as two goals by Omar Arellano, the first in the 74th mintue and the second coming five minuteIs later, propelled the parent club to the win over the MLS version of Chivas.

In La Liga action........
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid romped to easy victories on the road. Barcelona defeated Racing Santander 4-1 behind Lionel Messi's two goals while Madrid got goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Villareal.

Barca and Madrid are currently tied atop the La Liga table with 12 points, while Sevilla FC is only three points behind.

And in Serie A...........
Inter Milan defeated host Napoli 3-1 on Wednesday. Samuel Eto'o, Alberto Diego Milito and Ferreira Lucio found the back of the net for Inter. AC Milan was not as fortunate however, as it was upset by Udinese at Stadio Friuli. Antonio Di Natale scored the winning goal in the match in the 22nd minute.

Juventus narrowly avoided the same fate as AC Milan on Thursday, as a goal by David Trezeguet in the 86th minute enabled Juventus to salvage a 2-2 draw against Genoa. Juventus and Inter Milan are tied atop the Serie A standings with 13 points. Sampdoria sits one point behind Inter Milan and Juventus while Genoa, Fiorentina and Parma are all one point behind Sampdoria. AC Milan is part of a four-way tie for eighth in the table.

And finally, CONCACAF Champions League...........
DC United recharged it chances of reaching the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals on Thursday night as Luciano Emilio's brace propelled DC United to a 3-0 win over Marathon at RFK Stadium.

The result leaves the two teams tied for second in the Group B standings, six points behind group leader Toluca.

Scoreless in the first half, Emilio scored for DCU just tow minutes into the second half. Emilio assisted Jamie Moreno's strike in the 57th minute and Emilio finished off the match with a goal in the 71st minute.

DC United's next CCL match takes place next Wednesday, as it hosts winless San Juan Jabloteh.

MLS look ahead, September 26-27

The week actually got started on Wednesday, as the Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquakes played to another 1-1 draw at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

The highlight match of the weekend is the Los Angeles Galaxy facing off against the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium on Saturday. The Galaxy (are two points behind the Crew and the Houston Dynamo for first place in the playoff standigs.

The Galaxy though might be shorthanded for this crucial matchup, as late word has surfaced that David Beckham did not travel with the team to Columbus, staying behind to treat an injury, and could miss the match altogether.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/09/beckham-galaxy-soccer.html

Stay tuned.

Other Week 27 MLS Matches (all times list are Pacific Standard Times)

Saturday, September 27
Seattle Sounders FC @ New England Revolution, 4;30.
Real Salt Lake @ FC Dallas, 5:30 p.m.
Toronto FC @ Chicago Fire, 5:30 p.m.
Colorado Rapids @ Kansas City Wizards, 5:30 p.m.
New York Red Bulls @ Chivas USA, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, September 28
San Jose Earthquakes @ DC United, Noon (Telefutura).

MLS announces 2010 Home openers

Major League Soccer has announced the 2010 home openers for all 16 MLS teams.

After a rousing 2009 debut, Seattle Sounders FC will kickoff the 2010 MLS season at Qwest Field, as it plays host to the newest edition to MLS, the Philadelphia Union, on Thursday, March 25. The match will be televised on ESPN2 at 6:30/9:30.

The Philadelphia Union will have to wait until April 10 to make its home debut in Philadelphia, as it will host DC United at Lincoln Financial Field on April 10. The match will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel at noon/3 p.m.

Another highlight for the 2010 MLS openers will feature the New York Red Bulls debuting its brand new home, Red Bull Arena, against the Chicago Fire on Saturday, March 27.

The Columbus Crew, Chivas USA, FC Dallas, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes will join the Red Bulls and Sounders in playing their 2010 season openers at home. The Dynamo, Rapids and DC United will have their home openers in Week 2 on April 3 and the Fire, Revolution and Real Salt Lake along with the Union will have their 2010 home debuts in Week 3.

MLS plans to announce the schedules for all 16 teams at a later date. Until then, here is the complete list of MLS 2010 openers.

All times listed are Pacific Standard Times

Week 1
Thursday, March 25
Philadelphia Union @ Seattle Sounders FC, 6:30 pm (ESPN 2)

Saturday, March 27
Toronto FC @ Columbus Crew, 1 p.m.
Chicago Fire @ New York Red Bulls, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
DC United @ Kansas City Wizards, 5:30 p.m.
Houston Dynamo @ FC Dallas, 5:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake @ San Jose Earthquakes, 6 p.m.
New England Revolution @ Los Angeles Galaxy, 8 p.m. (Fox Soccer Channel)

Sunday, March 28
Colorado Rapids @ Chivas USA, Time To Be Determined (Telefutura)

Week 2
Saturday, April 3
Chicago Fire @ Colorado Rapids, TBD
New England Revolution @ DC United, 4:30 p.m.
Kansas City Wizards @ Houston Dynamo, 5:30 p.m.

Week 3
Saturday April 10
DC United at Philadelphia Union, noon (Fox Soccer Channel).
Toronto FC @ New England Revolution, 4:30 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes @ Chicago Fire, 5:30 p.m.
Seattle Sounders FC @ Real Salt Lake, 6 p.m.

Premier League look-ahead, September 26-27

Not a lot of intruguing matchups for the coming. The most interesting story heading into the coming weekend of matches will be whether or not Portsmouth, who is winless in its first six EPL matches, can finally pick up points against Everton.

Here is the Premier League schedule for the weekend

Saturday, September 26
Everton @ Portsmouth
Bolton @ Birmingham
Aston Villa @ Blackburn
Hull City @ Liverpool
Manchester United @ Stoke City
Burnley @ Tottenham
Chelsea @ Wigan Athletic
Arsenal @ Fulham

Sunday, September 27
Wolves @ Sunderland

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Crew stumble again vs. Cruz Azul

After taking a 5-0 beating at the hands of Cruz Azul at Estadio Azul back on August 27, the Columbus Crew looked to have a better showing in the second leg of the matchup at Crew Stadium.

However, instead of payback, Cruz Azul inched ever closer to a berth in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, as goals by Pablo Zeballos and Alejandro Vela propelled Cruz Azul to a 2-0 win over the host Crew.

Both Cruz Azul goals came in the first half, with Zeballos' goal coming in the 14th minute and Vela's strike coming in the 39th minute. A minute before Vela's goal, Cruz Azul's Horacio Cervantes elbowed Steven Lenhart while the two were positioning for a corner kick. No call was made however and a near-scrum ensued.

Cruz Azul leads the Crew by four points in the Group C standings with two matches left to play. The Crew still have a chance to grab the second spot in the group if it defeats Saprissa on the road next Tuesday.

DC United will be the last MLS team to resume CONCACAF Champions League play, as they host Marathon at RFK Stadium tommorow night.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

CONCACAF Champions League: Houston vs. Arabe Unido

The Dynamo pull into a second place tie with Arabe Unido in Group A with a 5-1 win. Houston, now two points behind Pachuca, owns the tiebreaker advantage over Arabe Unido on goal differential.

Stuart Holden scored two goals, which were the Dynamo's final two in the match, to seal the win. Houston outshot Arabe 16-6 in the match.

http://www.concacafchampions.com/page/CL/NewsDetail/0,,12856~1805307,00.html

The Columbus Crew host Cruz Azul tommorow looking to avenge a 5-1 defeat earlier in the month, and DC United host Marathon on Thursday.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Manchester classic

It was an opportunity for Mancehster City that came up short in heart-breaking fashion.

Yet in the end, Manchester United showed why it is still one of the top clubs in the world, let alone the big dog in Manchester, as a stoppage time strike by Michael Owen enabld Man U to steal a 4-3 win over Man City at the Old Trafford.

United never trailed in the match, but each time it jumped ahead, City rallied for the equalizer. The last equalizer came from Craig Bellamy, whose goal in stoppage time appeared to have salvaged a draw for City, but extended stoppage time gave United enough time, and Owen won the first leg of the Manchester derby with a strike in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=269872&cc=5901

Columbus Crew 2, Chicago Fire 2

Guillermo Barros Schelotto came to the rescue for the Columbus Crew on Sunday, as his two goals rallied Columbus from a 2-0 halftime deficit and the Crew salvaged the draw with the Fire in a crucial Eastern Conference showdown at Toyota Park.

The draw enables the Crew (11-4-10, 43 points) to remain in the drivers seat in the East, as it is still three points ahead of the Fire (10-6-10, 40 points). More importantly to the Crew, they are now tied witht he Houston Dynamo in the race for the Supporters Shield.

The Fire broke out quickly to start the match. Peter Lowry scored six muntes later and added another goal in the 35th minute. The Crew however pulled one back on a Schelotto score in the 55th minute. Schelotto later converted a penalty kick in the 78th minute for the equalizer.

Final: Galaxy 2, Toronto FC 0

Second half highlights

The Galaxy sealed the match in the 83rd minute, as Beckham crossed a ball to Landon Donovan in the box and Donovan touched the ball to Buddle, who beat Stefan Frei to the left post.

Toronto had one good chance at the start of the second half. Chad Barrett collected a loose ball, led a break for goal and fed a ball to Ali Gerba. Gerba shot over Ricketts, but was foiled by the crossbar.

Buddle had two good looks prior to his goal, but both of them went over the crossbar.

Beckham got into a scrum with Amado Guevara, resulting in yellow cards for both, then narrowly missed another chance for a brace, as his shot attempt in the 80th minute went wide left, though not by much.

Read my match report for American Soccer News here
http://galaxy.american-soccer-news.com/?p=262

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Start of the second half

One change for the Galaxy; Chris Klein is in for Eddie Lewis.

1-0 Galaxy at the half.

Beckham accounts for the lone score in the eighth minute and could've had two, but his one-timer off a cross from Eddie Lewis hits the left post.

Toronto had some good looks at goal. TFC nearly capitalized on a turnover by Beckham in the 16th minute and had some looks inside the box, but some timely tackling by Omar Gonzalez bailed him out.

Another Toronto chance came in the 32nd minute when TFC's newest acquistion, midfielder Julian De Guzman, crossed a ball to Ali Gerba, who got his foot on the ball, but so did keeper Donovan Ricketts, who kick save and a beauty sent the ball out of play.

Galaxy Goal!!!

Beckham works a give-n-go of sorts with Chris Birchall that ends with Beckham shooting well inside the box and beating Frei to the left post.

The Galaxy's first scoring chance.......

came in the sixth minute, when Beckham from right-center, feeds a perfect ball to Donovan in the box, but his shot is stopped by Stefan Frei, who re-directs the shot to the left.

As promised

Here are the starting lineups, Lots of changes to the Galaxy lineup.

Los Angeles Galaxy Toronto FC
GK - Ricketts GK - Stefani Frei
D - Sean Franklin D - Marvell Wynne
D - Gregg Berhalter D - Nana Attakora
D - Omar Gonzalez D - Nick Garcia
D - Todd Dunivant D - Jim Brennan (C)

MF - Chris Birchall MF - Sam Cronin
MF - David Beckham MF - Julian De Guzman
MF - Stefani Miglioranzi MF - Dwayne De Rosario
MF - Eddie Lewis MF - Amado Guevara

F - Landon Donovan (C) F - Chad Barrett
F - Edson Buddle F - Ali Gerba

Update from Home Depot Center

Both teams have started warming up on the field.

Guess who is back warming up for the Galaxy; Defender Sean Franklin, who has missed the last four months with a Hamstring injury, is back in uniform warming up with the other 10 starters. Forward Edson Buddle is also warming up with the starters.

Back with the lineups for both teams soon.

Live from the Home Depot Center

Hey all. Comin to you live from the Home Depot Center, where tonight, the LA Galaxy will try to rebound from its ugly 6-2 loss last week when it hosts Toronto FC tonight at 7:30 p.m. pst.

Read my match preview for American Soccer News right here.
http://american-soccer-news.com/?p=3135

back in a few with the starting lineups.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Premier League weekend

September 19
Burnley vs. Sunderland (Set your recorders and TiVo's to 4:30 a.m. on ESPN 2)
Arsenal vs. Wigan Athletic
Aston Villa vs. Portsmouth
Bolton vs. Stoke City
Hull City vs, Birmingham
West Ham United vs. Liverpool

September 20
Manchester United vs. Manchester City
Wolves vs. Fulham
Everton Blackburn
Chelsea vs. Tottenham

Some pretty big matchups in the Premiership, starting with the Manchester derby between United and City at Old Trafford. Both sides along with Tottenham stand at 12 points, three behind front-running Chelsea.

Speaking of the Blues and Hotspur, both sides will meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Chelsea looking to maintain its edge in the table. Liverpool looks to jump into the race as it travels to East London to face West Ham United while Arsenal looks to get back on track as it hosts Wigan Athletic.

MLS Weekend September 18-20.

Note: All start times are Pacific Standard.

Friday
New England Revolution @ New York Red Bulls, 4:30 p.m.
Colorado Rapids @ San Jose Earthquakes 7:00 p.m., (ESPN2).

Saturday
Chivas USA @ Seattle Sounders FC, Noon (Fox Soccer Channel).
Real Salt Lake @ Houston Dynamo, 5:30 p.m.
FC Dallas @ Kansas City Wizards, 5:30 p.m.
Toronto FC @ Los Angeles Galaxy 7:30 p.m.

Sunday
Columbus Crew @ Chicago Fire, Noon (Telefutura).

Two matches that stand out for the coming weekend are Chivas USA/Seattle Sounders and Columbus Crew/Chicago Fire.

Both Chivas and Seattle look to improve on their respective positions in the Western Conference. Seattle stands in third place in the West with 37 points and can catch the Dynamo for first place in the conference with a win and a Houston loss. Chivas meanwhile can climb up to as high as second place with a win and some help from San Jose and Toronto FC.

As for Columbus/Chicago, the Crew at 42 points stand three points ahead of the Fire in the race for the Eastern Conference title, so a Crew win all but assures the Crew of its second straight conference title while a Fire means a sprint to the finish line.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

MLS Tidbits

Union to Open at Linc?????

The home debut of MLS' newest team, the Philadelphia Union, might be held at a different venue.

Apparently, the Union's new home Stadium, located in Chester might not be ready in time for the first week of the season, prompting MLS to delay the announcement of home dates until next week.

Full story right here.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/soccer/Philly_soccer_team_eyeing_stadium_alternatives.html

FC Dallas signs Leyva from Juniors Program

FC Dallas announced that Bryan Leyva, a 16-year old midfielder out of its juniors program has signed with the team. Leyva becomes the first player to sign with FC Dallas through its youth system.

Leyva also represents Mexico's under-17, which is preparing for the U-17 World Cup, which will be held later this year.

http://fc.dallas.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20090916&content_id=6998796&vkey=pr_fcd&fext=.jsp&team=t104

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

MLS to break during World Cup 2010

Major League Soccer today announced it will not play any matches during the 2010 World Cup

The World Cup will start on June 11 and the last MLS matchday prior to the tournament will be on June 10. The group phase of the World Cup is to end on June 25 and MLS also announced it will not play any matches on the days of the World Cup semifinals and championship match.
MLS also announced that the 2010 MLS season will start on March 25 and conclude with the MLS Cup final on November 21 and with the addition of the Philadenphia Union to the league, it will play a balanced 30-match schedule with each team playing against each other twice a year.

Official link to the story is here.
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20090916&content_id=7000180&vkey=pr_mls&fext=.jsp