2. Scrimmage: FCD 3, Memphis 1 FCD defeated the University of Memphis 3-1 Saturday morning in a preseason scrimmage on the adidas Field. It was a cold morning and slow start for both teams but FC Dallas got on the scoreboard first when third round draft pick Jason Yeisley drew a foul outside the 18-yard box setting up a free kick for midfielder Bruno Guarda. Guarda blasted the ball into the goal after it took a deflection off a Memphis player. Three minutes later trialist Yu Dabao took advantage of a mishandled ball from the Memphis goalkeeper and easily tapped it into the net. Memphis managed to get one in the net right before the halftime whistle by forward Justin Watson. The second half saw a number of substitutions and a close scoring chance in the 54th minute when Peri Marosevic?s shot hit the post. Dallas would get one last goal in the 74th minute when Bryan Leyva picked up a foul 20 yards out. Peri Marosevic took the free kick, lobbing the ball over the Memphis wall to finish out the game.
Scoring: Bruno Guarda 20 Yu Dabao 23 Peri Marosevic 74
FCD: Josh Lambo (Sean Kelley* 46), Anthony Wallace, Steve Purdy, Edson Edward, Aziz Ansah, Eric Alexander (Paulo da Silva 74), Bruno Guarda (Bryan Leyva 46), Duke Hashimoto* (Misho Fahim* 46), Yu Dabao* (Brian Shriver* 46), Dane Saintus (Peri Marosevic 46, Osianou Sarr* 74), Jason Yeisley (Andrew Weideman 46).
*on trial
Be sure to check FCDallas.com later today for a full recap. The team will have Sunday off before returning to the training field on Monday morning.
Training went well again this morning. We broke up into 3 teams and played 11 v 11 full-field (12 minute games). This was the first time that we?ve gone full-field this year. It was a good opportunity to get the guys moving together and getting used to playing in a full-sided atmosphere as we build towards our first game tomorrow night.
Everyone will play a full 30 minutes tomorrow, and then do a full fitness run after they play. As we?ve gone from fitness testing to getting used to knocking the ball around again, we?ve progressed through that phase. I think we?ve arrived at the point that it?s time to see our guys against other competition, so we're excited about the game tomorrow night.
In regards to the game, I don't think you'll really see a lineup of "starters" per say. We are nowhere near deciding who are starting 11 will be, and during these early games there will be a mix of probable starters and players who are fighting for a starting spot/players the team is wanting to get a better look at.
In this morning's practice the Blue Team was the winning side. There's a chance we'll keep the teams from this morning together in the game tomorrow night. Here is what the Blue team looked like this morning:
GK--Crayton
Harrington, Hohlbein, Conrad, Leathers
Espinoza, Trialist x, Fuzetti, Arnaud
Wolff, Zoltan
6. Bobby Rhine: Week one impressions The days of a MLS preseason consisting primarily of fitness are over. The game has reached a level in America where it is no longer just about being in better shape than the opponent. That approach, I hope, is dead and buried.
Today?s approach from a coach?s standpoint is to build team fitness through more ball related exercises. This is a philosophy I enjoyed both as a player and today as a youth coach.
With that approach there is a level of accountability for the players to gain sharpness with the ball as the preseason moves ahead. You would be surprised how a player can lose sight of one small thing that applies especially during preseason- Just play simple!
When a player is just coming back from an extended layoff he doesn?t see the game as clearly as when all cylinders are firing. It?s not uncommon at all to see professionals forget this. Often times you?ll see a player become frustrated. My advice: don?t try to overcomplicate things. Play the pass you see first. Concentrate on your first touch. Do all of the little things- simply!
One FC Dallas player has impressed me with his ability to train with this particular principle in mind: Dax McCarty. I know he is already fit having spent time in the USMNT camp last month, but this week he has shown simplicity is bliss. His ability to connect passes accurately and his quick decision making puts other players at ease. It?s been a good week for him and several others, but I feel that Dax has been particularly good. Players know what they need to feel sharp. Exercises involving the ball accelerate that process, and in week one FC Dallas has done exactly that.
The first FC Dallas scrimmage will take place at Pizza Hut Park tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Look for players that are approaching the game with such attention to detail, and let me know what you think.
There are several EPL games that I recommend watching this weekend. Saturday- Liverpool vs Everton - 6:30am on ESPN2 Tottenham vs Aston Villa ? 11:30 on FSC Sunday- Chelsea vs Arsenal ? 10am on FSC
You can follow my thoughts regarding all of the games from the weekend on twitter/@bobbyrhine.
10. Podcast 3 Thad and I recorded podcast number 3 this past Sunday night, and here's a link to the 3 part podcast. We're still in the process of finalizing a name and once we get a name we'll start working on getting it up onto I-tunes for all you guys.
This episode we discussed the stadium construction starting, the US-Honduras game, Roger Espinoza's potential loan move, the trialists in camp, and the rest of the roster. Enjoy everyone and if you have any ideas for names, leave them in the comments section.
11. Random Wizards News Not a lot of big news today, but some different random bits of news about the Wizards.
First, Wizards President, Robb Heineman has an update on what's going on out at the Wizards stadium site out at the Legends. No big news on that front, other than they continue to move dirt around and are getting ready to start moving dirt away from the site. Below is the video from Hillcrest Road.
Also from Hillcrest Road the past two days, Kerry Zavagnin has been providing practice updates over at the Wizards blog. Yesterday was the first day of those updates and today he added even more to the report on practice. Today's report provides a lot more information on what the team is doing in practice, but yesterday gave more thought to the belief that goalkeeper Kevin Hartman will not be back in KC. Yesterday Zavagnin said that the #1 shirt is wide open that there's not really a #1 at the moment. You could say people are reading to much into it, but some people, including myself see this as a sign that Hartman likely isn't going to be in KC next season.
On the US national team front, no Wizards were named to the US roster for the upcoming friendly against El Salvador in Tampa in late February. This move doesn't bother me at all, I'd rather Wizards players be in camp right now preparing for the 2010 MLS season.
Finally, a little delayed news from before the signing of Kei Kamara was completed. According to Soccer America before the signing was completed the Wizards were apparently contacted about former MLSer, Stern John, who has been playing in England since leaving MLS after the 1999 season. There isn't word on whether the Wizards were actually really interested in signing John, only that they'd been contacted about him. The signing of Kamara, as the SA article says, likely took KC out of the running to get John, as the Adam Cristman trade showed the Wizards already had too many forwards on the roster.
13. Today's Update from KZ Yesterday afternoon we did some aerobic and technical work, then some technical passing activities. We also did a little bit of pattern work to goal. We finished with 7 v 7 games.
We came out today and continued with the same idea of aerobic type activities. We played 10 v 10 (3 different teams). We're progressing well and looking forward to our first game Saturday night. With 30+ guys in camp, we've talked about this being an evaluation time as well as an ability to build our fitness base and technique. When we start cutting down the numbers, that's when we'll hit the tactics of how we're going to play heavily and start getting more of an idea about our starting lineup. That should take place during the second trip to Arizona.
All the rookies have adjusted pretty well. The first week with the testing they had some nervous energy. Each session was an exciting one for them, but I think they've calmed down a little bit. I think all of our draft picks have made a case for themselves to be a part of the next phase of training. I'm sure a lot of people are excited about Teal. From a coaching staff we are trying to keep it in perspective, but he certainly brings a lot of attractive qualities to the group. With his size and the speed that he has, it's a nice, raw talent to work with. He's lived up to being a first-round pick so far. We can't evaluate until the games start, but the first glimpse of him has been a good one.
We have 18 guys that weren't on the roster last year in camp with us. We've mixed up the room assignments to get the new guys integrated with the team. The rooming list puts a minimum of 4 guys in each suite, and a few have up to 8 guys. It's important for team chemistry to get everyone integrated with each other. This is also partially intended to keep our players from getting too comfortable. I don't think there's anyone that feels extremely comfortable, and I think that 's a good thing because that keeps them on their game.
Last night was Octavio's birthday. We went out to eat at a steakhouse. Octavio had a big steak to celebrate the occasion. His addition has really helped out our staff. We have four guys now with head coaching experience, so I think everybody within our group brings an important piece of the puzzle. It's certainly a unified staff and a good one to work with, with everyone working hard and being committed to getting the job done.
14. Stadium Update from Robb Heineman Robb took some time out after this week's design meeting to update everyone on the construction and design processes taking place on the Stadium Complex at Village West. Watch, enjoy, and pass along to your friends:
16. Former Wizards Update Here's another week of weekly Wizards updates. As mentioned earlier today, there's a new former Wizard, as Adam Cristman has been traded to DC. I also believe another former Wizard may be on the look out for another team, as Scott Sealy no longer appears on the roster for Bnei Sakhnin on the Israeli FA website.
MLS Shavar Thomas - Philadelphia - Started and played 90 minutes in Jamaica's 1-0 win over Canada in an international friendly.
Indoor Sean Bowers - San Diego - Beat California 11-10 last Thursday. Pat Healey - Baltimore - Played in Baltimore's 10-6 loss to Milwaukee. Vicente Figueroa - California - Lost to San Diego 11-10 last Thursday. Paul Wright - San Diego - Beat California 11-10 last Thursday.
International Eloy Colombano - Ferrocarril Sud - Argentina - Drew 1-1 with Bella Vista on the 1st. Herculez Gomez - Puebla FC - Mexico - Came off the bench and played 20 minutes in Puebla's 2-1 loss to Querétaro. Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Played Boys Town today. Will John - NK Vinogradar - Croatia - Are on winter break until the end of February. Eddie Johnson - Aris FC - Greece - Came off the bench, scoring a goal in Aris' 2-1 loss to Xanthi. Carlos Marinelli - CA Aldosivi - Argentina - Did not play in Aldosivi's 2-0 loss to Deportivo Merlo. Akeem Priestly - FK Mughan - Azerbaijan - Came off the bench and played 13 minutes in Mughan's 1-0 loss to Inter Baku. Scott Sealy - Bnei Sakhnin FC - Israel - Did not dress in Bnei Sakhnin's 1-0 win over Hapoel Haifa. I have thoughts he may not be with the team any more. Matt Taylor - FSV Frankfurt - Germany - Did not dress in Frankfurt's 2-0 win over SC Paderborn 07. Diego Walsh - Wellington Phoenix - Australia - Did not dress in Wellington's 1-0 win over Adelaide United.
The close road trips for Wizards fans all come in July, as the Wizards play in Dallas July 3rd, Columbus July 14th, Colorado July 17th, and July 24th in Chicago. Longer trips to either Houston or Salt Lake are both in May.
Here is the Wizards schedule. March 03/27 - Saturday D.C. United 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com April 04/10 - Saturday Colorado 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 04/17 - Saturday at Seattle 2:00 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 04/24 - Saturday LA Galaxy 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com May 05/01 - Saturday at Houston 7:30 p.m. FSC, FSE 05/05 - Wednesday at D.C. United 6:00 p.m. ESPN2, Deportes 05/15 - Saturday Chicago 7:30 p.m. FSC, FSE 05/23 - Sunday Columbus 3:00 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 05/29 - Saturday at Real Salt Lake 8:00 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com June 06/05 - Saturday at Toronto FC 3:00 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 06/10 - Thursday Philadelphia 7:00 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 06/26 - Saturday New York 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com July 07/03 - Saturday at FC Dallas 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 07/10 - Saturday Chivas USA 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 07/14 - Wednesday at Columbus 6:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 07/17 - Saturday at Colorado TBD DK, MLSnet.com 07/24 - Saturday at Chicago 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 07/31 - Saturday Toronto FC 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com August 08/07 - Saturday Real Salt Lake 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 08/14 - Saturday at San Jose 9:00 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 08/21 - Saturday New England 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 08/28 - Saturday at LA Galaxy 9:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com September 09/04 - Saturday at Philadelphia 2:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 09/11 - Saturday Houston 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 09/19 - Sunday at Chivas USA 7:00 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 09/25 - Saturday FC Dallas 7:00 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com October 10/02 - Saturday at New York 6:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 10/09 - Saturday Seattle 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 10/16 - Saturday at New England 7:00 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com 10/23 - Saturday San Jose 7:30 p.m. DK, MLSnet.com
18. Cristman Traded Last year I spoke with some excitement when the Wizards traded for forward Adam Cristman. I thought given the chance he could be a big time goal scorer for the Wizards. Unfortunately a foot fracture and a hamstring injury limited Cristman to only 5 appearances for the Wizards, 3 starts, and only 213 minutes played. For those that missed it on Twitter today (still the best way to keep in touch with this blog during the day), Cristman's time in KC came to an end. Cristman was traded to DC United today for an international slot for two years.
Overall I like this trade and it makes a lot of sense. The Wizards are currently stacked at forward, with Teal Bunbury, Zoltan Hercegfalvi, Kei Kamara, and Josh Wolff already with the team, it was going to be hard to justify having a 5th forward on the roster, and Cristman appeared to be the odd man out. I thought the Wizards would have trouble trading Cristman due to his lack of playing time and his injuries the past two seasons. But former Wizards coach Curt Onalfo brings in a player he helped originally bring to KC. And to get an international slot for him is a good move, especially with the number of foreign players currently in camp for KC. A smart move in my opinion by the Wizards team.
Training was good. After a pretty challenging day yesterday, we used the morning session to do a lot of technical work. Another perfect weather day. Kamara trained today and looks ready to go. He's fit and happy to be here. Auvray is doing an excellent job early on. He's a good pro. Ryan Smith is a good player. There's talent there.
The goalkeeper position is wide open. There's not really a #1 at the moment, so everyone in camp is eligible for the starting spot.
Reach 11 is a nice complex. There are 8 fields right next to each other, and the fields are very good. It's about 15 minutes away from the team hotel.
A picture of Mr. Cristman during his first training with KC last January.
Greetings all. We have traded striker Adam Cristman to D.C. United in exchange for an international roster spot for two seasons. We acquired Adam from New England the day before Seattle's expansion draft, but injuries limited his production last year to five games (three starts). He is a Virginia native (and attended UVA), so this is a homecoming of sorts. Good luck to Adam. We thank him for his hard work while in Kansas City and his contributions to the community while he was here.
The 2010 MLS schedule is out, the guide by which Wizards fanaticos will plan trips, tailgates and other events from March through November. This season, each MLS team plays every other team once at home and once away for a completely balanced schedule.View our full schedule. View the full MLS schedule.
As you already know, we open the season with D.C. United at home March 27 at 7:30 p.m. CT. We are then off the following weekend before hosting** the Colorado Rapids at 7:30 p.m. CT Saturday, April 10. One of the highlights of the schedule is a home match Thursday, June 10 against expansion club Philadelphia Union. We are one of only two matches played in MLS the night before the first FIFA World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa. It's going to be a great way to start the WC break.
We have 13 Saturday-night home games, one Thursday night match (the Philly game just before the World Cup) and one Sunday match (5-23 vs Columbus at 3 p.m. CT).
TV schedule will be announced at a later date, besides our three National TV appearances. They are:
Saturday, May 1 at Houston on FSC/FSE
Wednesday, May 5 at D.C. United on ESPN2/ESPN Deportes
Saturday, May 15 vs. Chicago on FSC/FSE
Tell us your thoughts on the schedule in the comments section below.
22. Preseason Camp Roster Thad at The Back Post and myself have posted on this, but today the team has posted an official preseason camp roster. Missing from the list are the Wizards 3 remaining out of contract players, Kevin Hartman, Eric Kronberg, and Claudio Lopez. And the further along we get the less likely I feel that any of these 3 players will be back with the Wizards for the 2010 season. Here is the Wizards official preseason camp roster, broke down by position.
Goalkeeper: Louis Crayton, Alex Horwath, Boris Pardo, Ian Walker Defender: Korede Aiyegbusi, Matt Besler, Nick Cardenas, Jimmy Conrad, Michael Harrington, Aaron Hohlbein, Jonathan Leathers, Rauwshan McKenzie, Chance Myers, Ofori Sarkodie (Pablo Escobar is not listed yet) Midfielder: Davy Arnaud, Stephane Auvray, Alexei Casian, Roger Espinoza, Mauro Fuzetti, Eric Gehrig, Santiago Hirsig, Jack Jewsbury, Igor Kostrov, Michael Kraus, Kurt Morsink, Nelson Pizarro, Ryan Smith, Kevin Souter, Lance Watson, Graham Zusi Forward: Kyle Brown, Teal Bunbury, Adam Cristman, Zoltan Hercegfalvi, Kei Kamara, Josh Wolff
And there's always the chance of more trialists joining the team in Arizona, including the "left sided attacking player" that Robb Heineman has mentioned in the past. There's a total of 38 players in camp counting the new player and Escobar, so it'll be interesting to see who makes the final roster.
23. Preseason Schedule Out, League Schedule Tomorrow The Wizards are currently down in Arizona for the second leg of the 2010 preseason, with plenty of players competing for spots. Today the team released their schedule for the games the team will be playing down there. The Wizards will be playing 4 MLS teams while they are down there along with playing Grand Canyon University in their 7 games down in Arizona. The schedule kicks off this Saturday at noon when the Wizards take on the Antelope. KC then plays San Jose twice on the 10th and the 13th before returning to KC for a week. They then play Chivas USA, LA, and Columbus before closing preseason in Arizona against the Antelope again. Below is the team's full preseason schedule.
Date/Time (All Times Central) Opponent Location Saturday, Feb. 6, 12 p.m. Arizona SahuarosGrand Canyon University Wednesday, Feb. 10, 12 p.m. San Jose Earthquakes Reach 11 Saturday, Feb. 13, 12 p.m. San Jose EarthquakesArizona State University Wednesday, Feb. 24, 12 p.m. Chivas USA Reach 11 Friday, Feb. 26, Time TBA Los Angeles GalaxyReach 11 Thursday, March 4, 12 p.m. Columbus CrewReach 11 Sunday, March 7, 12 p.m. Grand Canyon UniversityReach 11
As for the league schedule, that will be coming out tomorrow at 1pm central time. Meaning it'll be time to start planning the rest of my year and figure out where I'll be road tripping to this season to see the Wizards play. I'd love to make it to either Salt Lake or Toronto this year for a game, and I'll likely make it to one of the "close" road trips (Colorado, Dallas, Chicago).
In addition to staying in shape for the 2010 season, Costa Rican midfielder Kurt Morsink took some time to do some good in his birth nation. Kurt took back some soccer equipment and donated it to footie fans in need. Due to video capture issues, this is a silent movie, but you get the gist:
Perfect weather for training this morning--70 degrees and sunny when the team got started at 9:30 AM MT. The coaching staff has told us that the focus this week is on continuing to build the team's aerobic fitness base, as well as evaluating the player pool currently in camp.
This morning's practice started with some technical work, then 10 v 10 games (8 minutes) with 3 teams. Following that, the team did some full-field fitness work, and then broke into 7 v 7 small-sided games.
Energy and the commitment to training were high during today's practice. Kei Kamara arrived in camp this morning and spent the practice doing aerobic work on the side. Kei is likely to be on the field tomorrow, either during the morning or afternoon training session.
The team will be hitting the weight room this afternoon, and then will be returning to the practice field tomorrow at 9:30 AM Arizona time. Wednesday's second practice will be at 4:00 PM, with this week's work building to Saturday's first exhibition game against Grand Canyon University at 11:00 AM.
Notes--Jack Jewsbury and Lance Watson are not currently with the team. They remain in Kansas City due to injury.
First of all, the League will announce the 2010 regular-season schedule tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT on MLSnet.com. We already know the home opener is March 27 against Curt Onalfo's D.C. United at 7:30 p.m. CT. What other opponents are you excited to see in KC this year?
Also, we put out our pre-season schedule today. Here it is (as always, subject to change):
Date/Time (All Times Central) Opponent Location
Saturday, Feb. 6, 8 p.m. Arizona SahuarosGrand Canyon University
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 12 p.m. San Jose Earthquakes Reach 11
Saturday, Feb. 13, 12 p.m. San Jose EarthquakesArizona State University
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 12 p.m. Chivas USA Reach 11
Friday, Feb. 26, Time TBA Los Angeles GalaxyReach 11
Thursday, March 4, 12 p.m. Columbus CrewReach 11
Sunday, March 7, 12 p.m. Grand Canyon UniversityReach 11
Last Night, Team Prez Robb Heineman used some late-night Tweeting and Big-Soccer posting to inform everyone of three players in on trial with the team down in Arizona. The first is left-sided winger Ryan Smith, a former Arsenal product who has spent time with various English clubs during his career. Smith is 23 and has appeared once for the England U-20 National Team.
Also on trial are Moldovan midfielders Alexei Casian and Igor Kostrov.
Some Casian video, thanks to Northbank Highbury:
28. Moldovans in Camp Along with his mention of the Ryan Smith tonight, Robb Heineman also gave us the names of the two Moldovans that are training with the Wizards right now. While he only gives us last names, with some searching, it appears the players are Alexei Casian and Igor Kostrov. Casian appears to have last played for Dinamo Bender in Moldova. Casian also has a video out on Youtube of some of his play as well (seen below). Kostrov also appears to have played with Bender, but has also spent time in Israel. From what I saw out at practice on Saturday of these two, they're both decent players, we'll see if either or both of them make the team.
29. Left Sided Attacking Player in Camp The Wizards have another new player in camp. Robb Heineman posted tonight on Twitter that the player has joined the Wizards for training down in Arizona. The player, former Arsenal youth player, Ryan Smith just recently left financially struggling Crystal Palace. He's jumped around different teams in league 1 and the Championship in England since leaving Arsenal. Smith has also not gotten a ton of playing time in his travels, playing 56 league games since leaving Arsenal after the 05-06 season. Most recently, Smith had a short trial at Grimsby Town before coming to Kansas City.
30. Kamara Re-signed For those that missed the tweets earlier today, the Wizards have re-signed forward, Kei Kamara. Of the four players that were still out of contract when preseason had started, Kamara was the guy that I thought the least likely to re-sign as he seemed set on going abroad. As preseason started, though, I changed my mind, not because of Kamara specifically, but because of things involving the Wizards other 3 unsigned players (Kevin Hartman, Eric Kronberg, and Claudio Lopez). Kamara's re-signing is big news for the Wizards, it gives them another striker option and one that brings something to the table that none of the rest of the current strike force with the Wizards have.
Kamara's re-signing means that the Wizards have now have Kamara, Teal Bunbury, Adam Cristman, Zoltan Hercegfalvi, Michael Kraus, Josh Wolff, and even Davy Arnaud as strikers in camp. You have to think that at least 1, possibly 2 of these guys won't make the roster once the season starts. It certainly adds to the competition for these spots and will make preseason extremely interesting.
Kamara sent moments ago via Twitpicthis image of him after signing his new contract.
Kei Kamara has re-signed with MLS and the Wizards. He put pen to paper on his contract just moments ago and sent out the picture above via Twitpic to his Twitter followers. You can follow Kei at twitter.com/keikamara.
Robb Heineman was the first to announce the signing, also via Twitter, 20 minutes ago.
Kamara first joined the Wizards last September from the Houston Dynamo, scoring one goal in six games (four starts) in Kansas City blue. He has 15 goals and three assists in 86 League games since 2006. He played for Columbus, San Jose and Houston before joining the Wizards. His six total goals in 2009 were a career high.
For those of you who follow the English Premier League or any of the other big European leagues, today is the final day for transactions before the summer. So far, the action has been relatively quiet, with Fulhamerica (well, they're not really anymore, but lots of us Yanks still like them) one of the more active clubs. Check out all the completed deals here and follow England-based transfer gossip here.
Speaking of European soccer (and Fulham), former Wizards strike Eddie Johnson opened his Aris account yesterday with a persistent finish off a feed from Freddy Adu in a 2-1 loss. EJ played the final 20 and scored in the 90th, so maybe he's looking at an increase in playing time. The goal:
36. Players in Camp Earlier today, Thad posted a list of players that are currently in camp for the Wizards, both rostered players and none roster trialists. Many players from last are in camp this season, with only 5 exceptions. Herculez Gomez and Matt Marquess are both gone from KC, Gomez is now playing in Mexico and Marquess has retired from professional soccer. The other 3 players are all out of contract and all 3 were starters for the Wizards down the stretch. Kevin Hartman, Kei Kamara, and Claudio Lopez are all out of contract. Four of the Wizards five drafted players, with Olukorede Aiyegbusi being the only drafted player not currently in camp. As for the Wizards new signings, Stephane Auvray, Pablo Escobar, and the left sided attacking player, Auvray is now in camp, Escobar is set to join the team in Arizona, while the left sided attacking player is likely still waiting on his P-1 Visa.
Thad also has a list of the Wizards trailists currently in camp or listed on the camp roster. Obviously still on the roster is Ian Walker, although he currently is not in camp. Also in camp is former Wizards player, Nelson Pizarro who played with Miami FC after leaving KC last year. Another former MLS player is Kyle Brown who spent last season with Austin in USL-1. There are also two Moldavian players in camp, although Thad was asked not to release their names. Another field player in camp is Eric Gehrig, who was at Loyola Chicago this past year and participated in the invite only tryout. Camp is currently full of goalkeepers at this point. It appears that the Wizards could be potentially looking for a replacement for Hartman should he not re-sign. Along with Walker, there is former DC United goalkeeper, Louis Crayton in camp, along with Matt Glaeser who went to Hartford and was last playing Pallo-Iirot in Finland, Alex Horwath who was at the invite only tryout and played with the KC Brass and trained with the Wizards last season, and finally another foreign player in camp is Szabolcs Kemenes, a former Hungarian youth international that is apparently currently with MTK Hungária FC in Hungary. It's a guess, but I would think the two Moldavian and Kemenes come on the recommendation of current assistant coach, Octavio Zambrano. Will be interesting to see who, if anyone makes the roster of these trialists.
Some of the boys, including former high school place kicker Kerry Zavagnin, imitated Ryan Succop today at the Chiefs' indoor facility. Looks like Kurt Morsink would make a decent American football kicker:
38. Bobby Rhine: Preseason -- what players are really thinking this time of year With preseason training set to begin on Monday for FC Dallas players, it stirs a lot of different feelings for me. I do miss the camaraderie I experienced with teammates throughout my career. Creating relationships behind closed doors and within locker room stalls are the most unique for any athlete. I miss the competition you have with and against teammates who are striving for the same goal- FC Dallas success.
With all of that said, I am so happy to be retired!
I won?t miss the questions ALL players hold inside before preseason begins. Am I fit enough? How physically and mentally demanding will preseason be? How many consecutive two-a-days will we have? When will it not hurt to take a shower? When will I be able to walk up stairs again? When is the first day off? Ok maybe these last questions are for the older guys, but you get the idea.
If a player tells you he?s excited to get started for preseason camp, he?s not exactly telling the truth. All any athlete really wants to do is play games. To compete at the highest level, physical fitness, mental strength, and ability are non-negotiable, but most professionals don?t want to spend time working on the first two components. Players say things like ?I?ll just play my way into shape? or ?I just need to work on my match fitness?. It?s a game of denial that we all play. Anxiety exists for every player because they know how hard they will have to work before they can play the game at its highest level. We all know it?s a necessary evil.
The adversity every player faces in preseason camp is what binds teammates together forever no matter what sport they play. No other setting in the working world creates a similar atmosphere. Running in the cold rain until you feel like your lungs are about to explode, but you keep pushing harder? Battling doubts in your head when you get out of bed after the first series of two-a-days and wonder how on Earth you?ll be able to do it all again, yet you tug on your boots for another day anyway? Praying you remain injury-free just so you CAN keep getting out there with your teammates every session.
All players in all sports ask these questions of themselves going into preseason training camp. They know the answers most of time, and usually the concerns they have are more difficult than the actual camp. But whether it?s your first camp or your 10th camp, the questions are as automatic as your belief in the fact that you will get through it because after all, you are simply going to do what you have been trained to do. I look forward to seeing this year?s squad begin training next week. I?m sure there will be moments I wish I could be out there mixing it up right along with them. But, I sure don?t miss being one of the guys that has to wrap an ice bag on every limb in order to do so.
Next week as I watch the guys begin preparations for the 2010 season I will share more memories and thoughts on Twitter @BobbyRhine
Former Open Tryout participant Nelson Pizarro is back trying to make the 2010 squad. Check out this video about his travels since he left the Wizards in the middle of last season:
Speaking of the open tryout, if you'd like to participate in this year's version (March 13-14), click here and sign up.
42. Wizards NOT Set to Sign Walker For those that missed it earlier today, word out of the UK was that the Wizards were "set to sign" Ian Walker, who had been in town recently for the invite only tryouts that the Wizards held out at Swope Park. The funny thing is that the report states the source as, close friend of this blog, Thad from The Back Post. For reference, here is Thad's report about the invitee tryouts last Friday, you see a mention of the fact that Walker is there at the tryout, but nothing about the Wizards even considering signing the former England international. Thad told me he does not know where the article got the idea that he was "set to sign" from his post. According to Thad, Walker isn't even currently in camp with the team, while another keeper from the tryouts and Nelson Pizarro still are with the team.
After I read the article this morning I tweeted about the potential signing. I was quickly given a tweet response from the Wizards themselves on the signing, saying "Walker is on trial, but reports that he's signing are premature. He's trying to make the squad like others in camp." Given all this information, I'd that I've been given, including speaking with the article's source, I'd say it's a little far off the mark right now. Now whether it turns out to eventually be true, we'll have to wait and see, but he's certainly not "set to sign"
In November the NCAA named Frisco and Chattanooga, Tenn., as the two finalist cities the next three NCAA Division I Football Championship Games (played each January). Team Frisco played host to a site survey of NCAA staff and football committee members earlier this month and the finalists will make formal presentations before the NCAA on Feb. 25. The winning bid will be revealed shortly thereafter.
To boost Team Frisco?s chance at a winning bid, the host committee has developed a Web site for football fans to indicate their interest in buying tickets should the national championship games be awarded to Frisco. The site allows individuals to provide contact information and the number of tickets they may be interested in purchasing for the game. There is no financial transaction or further obligation beyond this pledge of interest. It is simply a way for Team Frisco to discover the potential of local and regional sales possibilities.
?We strongly believe the Frisco bid offers the NCAA, the participating teams and visiting fans an unrivaled championship game experience,? writes Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett. ?Whether it?s the unmatched national air service into this area?s two major airports, or the superb lodging, restaurant and shopping options, or the outstanding cultural and family-oriented opportunities in the DFW metropolitan area, we think Frisco is the ideal destination for the NCAA?s highest level of championship football.?
Please, visit collegefootballfrisco.com and show your support for Team Frisco and its bid to bring NCAA championship football to Pizza Hut Park.
NEW YORK (Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010) ? Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Major League Soccer Players Union (Players Union) today announced that the two organizations have agreed to continue to negotiate through February 12, as they work towards reaching a new collective bargaining agreement.
?While we still have areas of disagreement, the talks have been constructive and both parties believe it makes sense to continue to work hard to reach agreement,? said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. ?This extension provides both MLS and the players the opportunity to continue our discussions while clubs are in training camps preparing for the 2010 MLS season.?
?Both the Players Union and MLS have concluded that a new agreement will not be reached by February 1, but we have agreed to continue to talk and we will be meeting over the next two weeks to determine if a new agreement can be reached,? said Players Union Executive Director Bob Foose. ?In the meantime, MLS Players are reporting to training camp, and preparations for the 2010 season will continue.?
The current CBA, the first in MLS history, is a five-year agreement that had been scheduled to expire on Jan. 31, 2010.
ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. MLS features many stars from the U.S., Canada, and around the world. MLS kicks off its 15th season on March 25, 2010. MLS features 16 clubs each playing 30 regular season matches in 2010. Those teams include Chicago Fire; Colorado Rapids; Chivas USA; Columbus Crew; D.C. United; FC Dallas; Houston Dynamo; Kansas City Wizards; Los Angeles Galaxy; New York Red Bulls; New England Revolution; Real Salt Lake; San Jose Earthquakes; Seattle Sounders FC; Toronto FC; and, in their inaugural season, Philadelphia Union. Expansion teams in Vancouver and Portland will debut in 2011. For more information about MLS, log on to the League?s official website at MLSnet.com.
ABOUT THE MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER PLAYERS UNION The Major League Soccer Players Union, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is the exclusive bargaining representative for all Major League Soccer players. For more information about the Players Union, log on to its website at www.mlsplayers.org.
Sold already? Go ahead and pre-order yours today. If not, they did some demos today at Stamford Bridge, so I'm sure some reviews and screen shots and such will be coming out shortly.
Yesterday, ESPN announced the full 2010 FIFA World Cup schedule, which includes 44 ESPN games, 10 ESPN2 games and 10 ABC games (all in HD). The United States kicks off its 6th-straight World Cup finals Saturday, June 12 against England at 1 p.m. CT on ABC. The USA will then play Slovenia Friday, June 18 at 8:30 a.m. CT on ESPN and Algeria Wednesday, June 23 at 8:30 a.m. CT on ESPN. All ESPN and ESPN2 broadcasts will be simulcast live online at ESPN360.com, with ABC matches re-shown later on the website. For the full match schedule, click above.
As most of you know by now, Landon Donovan scored his first EPL goal yesterday in Everton's 2-0 victory over Sunderland. Donovan's calm settle and finish drew praise from Everton boss David Moyes, among others. Check out Steve Goff's rundown of what the British papers said about USA's #10. (Everton fans were chanting "USA, USA" after Donovan scored. Think that'll happen June 12 when he scores? [Count that as a bold prediction])
Ives Galarcep has been nominated by Soccerlens as the best Football writer of 2009. That's a pretty big honor for an American, as he's up against four from the islands. Go vote for your favorite.
In other news, Thad posts an update from the second day of preseason, the first day with the ball. We find out that there are a couple players still in town from the tryouts, including former Wizard, Nelson Pizarro, who scored a rocket of a goal today according to Thad. With all the goalkeepers in camp you have to wonder whether or not the Wizards expect Kevin Hartman back this season.
In scheduling news, the Swope Park Rangers appear to have their first game of the season schedule, as the St. Louis Lions of the PDL tweeted today that the Lions will be in KC playing the Wizards on May 5th. Depending on the MLS schedule this seems likely to be a reserve game.
53. Former Wizards Update Here's another week of former Wizards updates, more Wizards are getting back into action as Argentina is getting back into gear. For those that missed it, another former Wizard has retired as Andrew Gregor has retired from the professional game. Gregor played with the Wizards only in the 2001 season but earned a bit of a cult following among Wizards fans who wanted Bob Gansler to "Free Andrew Gregor". Here is this week's update.
Indoor Sean Bowers - San Diego - Don't play again until tomorrow. Pat Healey - Baltimore - Played in Baltimore's 13-10 loss to Milwaukee. Vicente Figueroa - California - Defeated Wenatchee Fire 16-5 Saturday. Defeated Tacoma Stars 4-3 Sunday. Paul Wright - San Diego - Don't play again until tomorrow
International Eloy Colombano - Ferrocarril Sud - Argentina - Ferrocarril wonn 2-1 over Alvarado Mar del Plata. Herculez Gomez - Puebla FC - Mexico - Came off the bench and played 39 minutes in Puebla's 3-2 win over U.A. De G. Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Had an assist in Harbour View's 1-0 win over Sporting Central Academy. Will John - NK Vinogradar - Croatia - Are on winter break until the end of February. Eddie Johnson - Aris FC - Greece - Came off the bench and played 22 minutes in Aris' 0-0 draw with Panathinaikos. Carlos Marinelli - CA Aldosivi - Argentina - Came off the bench and played 35 minutes in Aldosivi's 2-0 win over Talleres FC in the team's final preseason game, their season starts this Sunday. Akeem Priestly - FK Mughan - Azerbaijan - On winter break until February 2nd. Scott Sealy - Bnei Sakhnin FC - Israel - Dressed but did not play inn Bnei Sakhnin's 2-0 win over Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv Matt Taylor - FSV Frankfurt - Germany - started and played 63 minutes in Frankfurt's 5-0 loss to SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Diego Walsh - Wellington Phoenix - Australia - Came off the bench and played 2 minutes in Wellington's 2-0 loss to Perth. Started and played 90 minutes in Wellington's 4-0 loss to Melbourne.
No word on how Eric Kronberg and Nick Cardenas did in the paint against Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
57. A Quick Good Bye to Matt Marquess So for those that missed it, word out of the Wizards first preseason practice is that Matt Marquess has retired from professional soccer. Marquess was drafted by the Wizards in the 3rd round of the 2008 MLS Superdraft, the 39th pick. In his two years in the league, Marquess played in 6 league games, starting 5 of them and made one playoff appearance. Most of those appearances came in his rookie year when he appeared in 5 straight league games, starting 4 in the month of August. He was the Wizards last sub, coming on in the 77th minute of their 2-0 loss to Columbus that ended the Wizards run in the 2008 MLS playoffs. Marquess' lone league appearance this past year was the final game of the season, where he played 85 minutes. The game didn't go too well for Marquess as he gave up a PK for one of DC's goals and was out jumped by an injured Julius James on DC's second goal.
Counting those appearances with his 3 appearances in the US Open Cup over two seasons (all 3 of which went to extra time, two to PKs), Marquess appeared in 10 professional games for the Wizards for a total of 839 minutes. He had more success with the Swope Park Rangers, where in the 2008 season he started all 9 games he played in in the reserve league, scoring one goal and assisting on another. In the 2009 season, without a reserve league, Marquess appeared in all 12 of the Rangers games, scoring 3 goals over the course of the exhibition season the Rangers played. Good luck to Marquess in his future endevors away from KC and Major League Soccer.
59. Preseason Day 1 Today preseason started for the Kansas City Wizards out at the Arrowhead practice facility. Thad from The Back Post was there to provide updates to all us stuck at work. He gives us a lot of information on who and who is not in camp right now. We already knew that Kei Kamara, Claudio Lopez, and Kevin Hartman weren't in camp, but we also learned that Jimmy Conrad and Josh Wolff are not in camp, although there are rumors they are in New York for discussions on the collective bargaining agreement. The team's two newest signings, Stephane Auvray and Pablo Escobar are not in town yet, Auvray will join the team later in the week while Escobar will join the team in Arizona. Thad also mentions a couple other players that he did not see there today as well. Matt Marquess, Thad was told, retired from the game of soccer, Lance Watson is coming off an injury, and Olukorede Aiyegbusi has not reported yet to finish up some school stuff. The rest of last year's team, including the rest of the Wizards' draft picks. Also at camp today were plenty of trialists, including former DC United goalkeeper, Louis Crayton. After practice, Thad got interviews with two of the Wizards draft picks this year, Mauro Fuzetti and Ofori Sarkodie.
Today was the first day of 2010 training, which consisted mostly of fitness testing. The players did the beep test, speed/agility drills and other running exercises. Below are videos of 1st rounder Teal Bunbury, the 2009 Hermann Trophy winner, and Fitness Coach John Pascarella. For more from the first day, including who is in and out of camp at the moment, head to The Back Post. Hint: Hartman, Kamara and Lopez are not at training. Louis Crayton, formerly of D.C. United, is.
Today is an interesting day of international fixtures, as four Premier League games are on tap along with a pretty big international friendly between Argentina and Costa Rica and Copa Libertadores playoffs. Spurs-Fulham kicks off at 1:45 p.m. CT today on Fox Soccer Channel, with Wolves-Liverpool at the same time on Setanta. Follow all of today's matches live on ESPN Soccernet's scoreboard, including Bolton-Burnley in a showdown of Stuart Holden's trial teams (Bolton confirmed his capture today) and Portsmouth-West Ham in a showdown of teams who have had some financial troubles this season.
Diego Maradona will look to trim down his squad for this summer's World Cup, beginning with a mostly domestic roster for tonight's friendly against Costa Rica. Argentina fans will be interested to know the roster features four from Boca Juniors, three from Velez Sarsfield, three from Estudiantes and none from River Plate.
Goalkeepers: Cristian Campestrini (Arsenal, Argentina), Nelson Ibanez (Godoy Cruz) Defenders: Carlos Matheu (Independiente), Guillermo Burdisso (Rosario Central), Gaston Diaz (Velez Sarsfield), Clemente Rodriguez (Estudiantes), Luciano Monzon (Boca Juniors), Matias Caruzzo (Argentinos Juniors) Midfielders: Enzo Perez (Estudiantes), Federico Insua, Nicolas Gaitan (both Boca Juniors), Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina), Franco Razzotti (Velez Sarsfield), Walter Erviti (Banfield) Forwards: Gabriel Hauche (Argentinos Juniors), Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors), Mauro Boselli (Estudiantes), Jonathan Cristaldo (Velez Sarsfield).
62. Preseason Starts Tomorrow Tomorrow at the Chiefs indoor training facility, the Wizards preseason starts for the 2010 season. And while most of the team will be showing up, the team is reporting that 3 players from last years team will not be there. Kei Kamara, Claudio Lopez, and Kevin Hartman are all still without a contract and while they are still negotiating with the league, they are not in KC for camp. Word is that Kamara is in Germany for a trial with Greuther Fürth of the German 2nd division. Last we heard on Lopez was that he was still in Argentina, and Hartman was training with the US team out in California and it seems likely if he's not with KC he's still out in California.
As for the rest of preseason, the Wizards announcement today says that after training in KC, the team will head to Arizona for more training. Unlike last year, no trip to Florida, where the team has gone for quite a few years. The team will apparently spend most of the month training down in Arizona. Whether they make another trip abroad has not been announced yet.
63. Highs and Lows For Wizards in US-Honduras Game Depending on how you want to look at tonight's USA-Honduras friendly out in LA, you could see it as a very bad night or a good night. From the aspect of a Wizards fan, it was a mixed bag. First on the bad side, Wizards goalkeeper, Kevin Hartman did not even make the bench as Troy Perkins started and Nick Rimando was on the bench. Things only got worse for the US contingent of US players, as only 18 minutes into the game Wizards and US captain, Jimmy Conrad picked up a second yellow and was shown the door. Conrad's first yellow was in the 6th minute for a tactical foul after a USA corner. The second was for a shirt pull. And while I think it was a bit harsh, in that situation, Conrad has to be smarter. The call also led to a penalty kick and Honduras grabbed a 1-0 lead.
On the other side of the ball, Wizards midfielder, Roger Espinoza had a himself a strong game. Espinoza caused issues down both wings at different times throughout the game. Espinoza set up the second goal after a long ball over the top to Carlos Pavon, who found Jerry Palacios. And while that goal could also be blamed on the US defense (particularly Chad Marshall), Honduras looked the more likely to get a second. Espinoza was rewarded for his work in the 53rd minute when he worked a give and go with Palacios and buried his shot to the far post. The US did pull a goal back in the 70th minute through Clarence Goodson off of a corner kick, but overall the US was outplayed and Honduras was really the only team deserving a win tonight.
From a Wizards fan perspective, Espinoza showed quite well as he came off just before second half stoppage time and certainly kept himself in the mind of the Honduran coach for the World Cup.
64. New Shoes ? The Adidas Samba Nua II About a week ago I receive a new pair of indoor shoes – the Adidas Samba Nua II Germany edition. I was told these were very nice shoes but I was a little bit skeptical at first. If you look at the collection of Adidas Samba shoes they have, you’ll notice several different countries are [...]
65. Invitee Tryouts Yesterday I mentioned some of the trialists that were in or coming to KC. Today Thad at The Back Post went out to practice to see what was going on with the biggest of the names on that list, Vincenzo Bernardo, and found that there were about 30 players there for an invitee tryout. Along with some of the players I mentioned, there were some other players there that Wizards fans or soccer fans in general may recognize. Two former Wizards were out there at the tryouts, former open tryout participant, Nelson Pizarro, and a draft pick from last year, Doug DeMartin.
Probably the biggest name of all those there, was Ian Walker, who judging from Thad's photos is the same Ian Walker that player in the Premiership. Walker, who is 38 now, was last with Bolton in the 08-09 season, but has not played a professional game since the 06-07 season. Unfortunately from the photos I don't recognize any other players that are out there though. I'm sure those that impress will be hanging around and joining the team when they begin training this Tuesday. Will be interesting to see who impresses enough to be brought back, if any.
66. Bobby Rhine: Saturday?s Match Much More Than Friendly? Typically a U.S. Men?s National Team friendly in the month of January doesn?t carry significant weight, but when the Nats play Honduras on Saturday it could prove to be a very meaningful game. With the start of the 2010 World Cup less than five months away, the clock is ticking on players looking to impress US Head Coach Bob Bradley.
Several injuries have generated questions about the US team?s depth. Who could bolster the center of defense if Oguchi Onyewu cannot reclaim fitness after his October knee surgery? Who could provide good flank play in midfield if Clint Dempsey is unable to return to full strength before June? Who can find timely goals in the fashion that Charlie Davies had in 2009 before he was involved in an auto accident that has his return in doubt?
The invitation of 30 players for the camp, which began earlier in the month, targeted such questions. The U.S. boss was careful to bring in two players at each position to increase the intensity in scrimmages and exercises. This brings a measurable component to the training sessions for players and staff alike. I know when you can see the guy you are competing with for the right to play, it requires a heightened level of concentration. Competition is what fuels the fire, and it exists in all elements of life while in camp. Fitness exercises, weight training, extra time spent after practice all create a pressure-packed atmosphere, and Bob Bradley knows how to push the right buttons to make it so.
On Saturday I expect to see a team that is committed to quick, sharp passing as much as to defending and conceding nothing to the Catrachos. The players have spent nearly three weeks in preparation for the match and fitness should not be an issue.
The 23-man provisional World Cup roster announcement is required by mid-May and decisions are sure to come very soon. There are two games remaining for the U.S. team before it begins the final May camp before departing for South Africa. The U.S. will face El Salvador on February 24 in Tampa, Florida. Then on March 3rd the U.S. team will travel to Amsterdam on an international fixture date to face Holland.
The competition is fierce and the pressure to perform exists for the players that are taking part in this camp. Show well on Saturday night against Honduras and a door may open for future call-ups. I won?t miss a minute of it and nor should you.
The match can be seen on Fox Soccer Channel at 8 p.m. CT.
Be sure to follow me on twitter @BobbyRhine.
67. Preseason Begins Tuesday The Wizards put out a press release this afternoon announcing that preseason will begin this coming Tuesday, January 26th. And according to reports, while the collective bargaining agreement is still being discussed, players have been advised to report to camp.
KC's camp will begin like it has the past few years with a week in Kansas City. The team will train from 11-12:30 Tuesday through Saturday. From there the team is likely to move on to a warmer location to continue their training. In years past this has been a trip down to Florida and then onto either Mexico or Argentina. The team hasn't announced yet where they are going after they start in KC, though so we'll have to wait and see where the team goes. And with preseason starting, the schedule isn't too far behind. Word is the schedule for the 2010 season should be out in early February.
68. Podcast Number 2 After a successful first attempt at podcasting, here is the second podcast by Thad at The Back Post and myself. It is a bit out of date now with the news that came out as the week went on with regards to the stadium and the new signings, but it's still relevant. Also, we are still looking for a good name for the podcast so post your ideas. We're working on getting it up on itunes as well.
part 1 - We talk about the draft
part 2 - we talk about the stadium renderings, jersey's and a couple other things
part 3 - former player updates
69. Trialists Coming In During the draft last week, Robb Heineman mentioned that the Wizards were going to be bringing in a lot of players for trials this preseason, players that the team would have previously signed.
The first trialist was Dan Williams, a goalkeeper at the University of Kentucky who had posted on Facebook before the draft that he was going to have a trial with the Wizards.
The second trialist is another keeper, Alex Horwath, from the University of Wisconsin. Horwath played with the KC Brass last season and also trained with the Wizards for a period of time as well.
The third trialist that is known so far is probably the most high profile, and that is US Under 20 international, Vincenzo Bernardo. Bernardo has been playing with Napoli's primavera squad since he joined the club. He's now apparently too old for the primavera squad and turned down a loan move to Serie C2, Italy's 4th division. He's a favorite player to bring up among Yank's abroad followers, but is also viewed a little skeptically as no one has ever really seen the kid play. He's appeared for both the U-17 and U-20 national team, but did not make the U-20 World Cup team this past year. Bernardo arrived in town yesterday and had his first training session today.
Following up on what he said yesterday, Robb Heineman got behind the "wheel" of one of those machines sitting out at the Legends stadium site and made the first breaking of ground. The photo above is from Heineman's first dig in the ground. After the ceremonial dig, Heineman made way for the professionals and they started moving dirt in the southeast corner of the complex, around the area where the entrance to the Cauldron Club will be. It's still a long ways off and I'll feel better once things are further along, but it's good to see the work start immediately after the approval unlike at Bannister where we waited a little before the mall started to get knocked down. Even with my reservations, this moment should still not be belittled, it's a big moment in the process of getting the stadium built.
Thad at The Back Post has some good information on the construction as well, saying that the site will have 2 web cams set up eventually. One of the web cams will be on a pole on the State Ave bridge over France Family Dr. on the south side of the development. The second one will be on the corner of State Ave and N. 106th St, on the west side of the development.
Here's video of the first dig.
71. Former Wizards Update Quick update in between bigger news today. Nothing big of note this week for former Wizards, although two former Wizards are in a big relegation fight. Scott Sealy's Bnei Sakhnin FC is currently one point from safety in the Israeli league. Meanwhile, Matt Taylor and FSV Frankfurt are in a lot more trouble, they are 9 points from safety as the German league has just continued after their winter break.
Indoor Sean Bowers - San Diego - San Diego defeated the Texas Outlaws 14-7 last Saturday. Pat Healey - Baltimore - Lost to Monterrey 7-6 on Sunday. Vicente Figueroa - California - California defeated the Texas Outlaws 13-5 last Sunday. Paul Wright - San Diego - San Diego defeated the Texas Outlaws 14-7 last Saturday.
International Herculez Gomez - Puebla FC - Mexico - Came off the bench and played 38 minutes in Puebla's 1-0 loss to U.A.N.L. Jermaine Hue - Harbour View - Jamaica - Harbour View is off until the 23rd of January. Will John - NK Vinogradar - Croatia - Are on winter break until the end of February. Eddie Johnson - Aris FC - Greece - Came off the bench and played 11 minutes in Aris' 1-0 win over Pas Ioannina. Akeem Priestly - FK Mughan - Azerbaijan - On winter break until February 2nd. Scott Sealy - Bnei Sakhnin FC - Israel - Started and played 65 minutes in Sakhnin's 0-0 draw with Hapoel Petah Tikva. Matt Taylor - FSV Frankfurt - Germany - Came off the bench and played 34 minutes in Frankfurt's 5-0 loss to MSV Duisburg. Diego Walsh - Wellington Phoenix - Australia - Did not play in Wellington's 3-0 win over North Queensland.
72. Our Central Defender Signing Yesterday the name of the Wizards new midfielder, Stephane Auvray, was publicly released. Today we get the name of the Wizards central defender. Ives Galarcep posted today about the Auvray signing and said that he'd been hearing that the Wizards central defender from Colombia was Pablo Escobar. Escobar is the Colombian player from Deportivo Cali. Escobar's name was the name that I was hearing as well as the Wizards signing of the 3 Colombians. Escobar spent last year with Deportivo Cali, coming over from Deportes Quindio. He hasn't appeared as much for Cali as he did for Quindio, but he has gotten games in the Copa Sudamericana, and appeared in 19 games for them last season. I can't find much on Escobar the football player, plenty on the drug lord with the same name though. He did score his first professional goal with Cali, below is video of the goal.
73. Daniel Hernandez locked in for 2010 season FC Dallas fans can cross one question mark off their lists for 2010. Defender Daniel Hernandez will be back in red and white.
An integral part of FCD's 2009 late-season run, Hernandez has decided to return to the club in 2010. The Tyler, Texas native originally signed with FC Dallas on Sept. 9, 2009, after spending the three previous seasons in Mexico. The L.A. Galaxy drafted the former SMU All-American in 1998. From L.A., the 33-year-old veteran went on to play with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, the New York MetroStars and the New England Revolution.
74. Andrew Wiedeman is Dallas-bound FC Dallas used their second round selection today to pick up Generation adidas player Andrew Wiedeman out of the University of California. Wiedeman played for SMU alum Kevin Grimes at Berkley where he earned 2009 First-Team All-Pac 10 honors and was a 2008 NSCAA Third-Team All-American. Wiedeman scored 11 goals and tallied four assists in 18 games during the 2009 season, bringing his tally to 30 goals and 15 assists during three seasons with the Bears.
His thoughts on joining FC Dallas: "This is awesome. I'm really excited to join a team that just missed out on the playoffs last year so hopefully I'll be able to help out and we can make a push to get in the playoffs next year and have a good run. My coach at Berkeley actually played for Coach Hyndman and he assisted with him at SMU, so I've got that little connection going on. I've been hearing for the last three years what a great coach he is and what a great guy."
Just finished running the media gauntlet with Zach Loyd, our first round (fifth overall) selection in the 2010 SuperDraft. An Oklahoma native, Zach is excited to be heading to Dallas and even has family in the area. Of course, he also is excited to join former fellow North Carolina Tar Heel Dax McCarty on the pitch. Named NSCAA First Team All-American and College Soccer News First Team All-American, Zach is a two-time NCAA College Cup Tournament Team selection and a 2009 First Team All-ACC honoree.
Here's what he had to say...
"I'm very excited and optimistic. I know I'm going to have to go in there and work hard and earn my spot or my time, so I'm just ready to get it going. "
76. T-minus 30 minutes Team technical staffs have made it over to the Convention Center and now supporters are making an entrance... a colorful, loud one. The Philly supporters opened things up with some serious anti-New York chanting... a rivalry is officially born. New York supporters are out in force as well. Now if we could just get a small-sided game to break out in the lobby, we'd be set. :)
I arrived at the convention center a little more than an hour ago and staked out my spot in the PR work room. I snagged a nice little corner spot at a table close to the door so I can get in and out easily for whatever I may need to do. The Red Bulls showed up shortly after and claimed six spots ... they have a lot of cameras and computers and everybody has on a nifty Red Bull lapel pin. I want a lapel pin... not that I have a lapel to pin it on in my FC Dallas red sweater, but still... they are nice. As soon as they get busy, I'm swiping some Red Bull... it's going to be a long day. They should share. Anyway, now that I'm set up... it's just a waiting game. I hate this part! Less than two hours till go time though. I will continue to send pictures and commentary on Twitter @FCD_PR.
Cheers, Leigh Anne
P.S. I finally got to run up the Rocky steps here in Philly last night... I was heartbroken to learn the Rocky statue is no longer at the top!
78. SuperDraft Day It's draft day in Philadelphia, the city of the newest MLS team the Philadelphia Union. The Union will look to bolster their team with their draft picks today including FC Dallas' sixth overall pick which was traded to them this morning in exchange for allocation money.
Dallas still has five picks in today's draft which will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 1 p.m. CT and on MLSnet.com. Here's a breakdown of all of FC Dallas' picks:
First Round Pick #5 (Acquired in trade with Toronto FC for D Adrian Serioux on February 24, 2009)
Second Round Pick #21 (Conditional pick acquired from Toronto FC in trade for Fuad Ibrahim in 2008)
Third Round Pick #38 (FC Dallas? Natural Third Round Selection)
Pick #44 (Acquired Columbus Crew?s 2010 second and third round picks in exchange for FC Dallas? second and third round picks in 2008 MLS SuperDraft. FC Dallas? traded the 2010 SuperDraft second round pick to Real Salt Lake in exchange for D Kyle Davies on April 28, 2009.)
FC Dallas traded their natural second round pick to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for defender Ugo Ihemelu last August.
Don't forget to join fellow FC Dallas fans at one of the six locations that will showing the draft live. *Trinity Hall Dallas *Trinity Hall Allen *The Londoner Uptown/Dallas *The Gingerman Pub Plano The Gingerman Pub Dallas The Gingerman Pub Ft Worth
The locations with an * will have FCD staff on-site who will be conducting raffles for FC Dallas scarves.
79. Welcome Home Troy Perkins is returning to the USA, MLS and DC United!
Awesome.
I know that some of you will be happy that he is returning at the expense of Fred, who is moving to Philadelphia.
Share your thoughts in the comments.
80. A Note from Leigh Anne... Greetings from the City of Brotherly Love? I am writing to you from deep inside hotel headquarters in the midst of league PR meetings ahead of Thursday?s MLS SuperDraft. They have us on technology lockdown to force the attention-deficit-disordered into complete focus on the issues at hand. Many people have had to turn their PDAs face down just to abate the pure torture of a flashing message light you aren?t allowed to check? okay, so maybe that was just me.
Anyway, as we talked about blogs this morning in meetings centered around Web and social media, I thought my lunch break was as good a time as any to update our blog for all of you. I realize it?s been a while since you?ve heard from us. With apologies for the break, I offer a small explanation. Changes are coming. We feel the blog is in need of a personality boost, as well as an expansion of voices. With that in mind, over the coming weeks, we plan to unveil several new contributors ? a blog squad. I will be one of those regular bloggers. Bobby Rhine is another blogger. As for the rest of the squad? well, you?ll just have to wait (not long) and see.
Meanwhile, look for expert analysis from Bobby along with a look (way) back in history at his own draft day experience. I will contribute my own observations from my first MLS draft on site Thursday. I don?t know about you, but everything about 2010 is exciting to me? Thursday?s draft? the MLS season? the World Cup and the U.S. bid for a future World Cup... I feel like a kid the week before Christmas or Summer Break. I hope you can share your soccer world with us this season as we try to give you an inside look into ours through this blog and Twitter (@fcd_pr if you?re interested in following me and my current obsession with the Rocky Steps at the museum here in Philly). Of course, you can also follow @BobbyRhine, @FCDallasWeb and @HeathPearce24 throughout the year.
My time is up? meetings are back in full swing with speakers from U.S. Soccer, which reminds me? check out today?s U.S. Soccer blog about the care package we sent Dax, Jeff and Heath?. Glad to see they liked it! http://bit.ly/5yE6nY
Cheers from Philly,
Leigh Anne
Twitter/@fcd_pr
81. Does Landon Donovan have a weakness? As I was going to dig to see what I could find out about Landon Donovan’s loan to Everton I read something interesting. What would you say Landon Donovan’s weakness is?
Donovan has been a beast for the United States throughout his career. He’s set records and won numerous awards. His MLS career isn’t too shabby [...]
82. Video: Eric Avila in South Africa MLSnet.com has posted a daily blog video featuring FC Dallas midfielder Eric Avila describing Day 2 of the Generation adidas trip in South Africa. The GA team played their first game against the Orlando Pirates and got a 2-0 victory. Check out the video here.
83. WeAreNotSpectators.com Some of you may have noticed a new design on FCDallas.com this week, it's part of the launch of a new site, WeAreNotSpectators.com. A site that celebrates you, the soccer fan, and gives you a chance to win two FC Dallas 2010 season tickets in the supporter's section (value $340). Registration ends Dec. 31 and the winner will be announced Jan. 4.
WeAreNotSpectators.com highlights how soccer fans display their passion for ?The Beautiful Game.? As much a part of the game as the players themselves, soccer fans and their colorful brand of chanting, banner-waving, drum-banging support combine for an atmosphere unlike any other experience in sports. Check it out today!
84. Brek skips South Africa trip with swelling in knee FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea is resting while teammates Eric Avila, Bruno Guarda, Peri Marosevic and Josh Lambo tour South Africa with Generation adidas. Shea experienced some swelling in his knee that will require rest and a little rehab. Meanwhile, his teammates helped Generation adidas to a win in their first game on the trip with Guarda tallying an assist on Patrick Nyarko's second-half goal in a 2-0 victory over the Orlando Pirates.
85. Giving Thanks This Thanksgiving, we at FC Dallas would like to take the time to say how thankful we are for every member of the FC Dallas family... supporters, players, coaches, staff... we appreciate each and every one of you. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we asked a few players to share what they are most thankful for in their lives...
I am thankful for all of my family, especially my two daughters, Candice and Caydence. I am thankful for being healthy enough to still be playing soccer, and definitely thankful for finally being back at home, playing for F.C. Dallas! - Daniel Hernandez
I am thankful for having a beautiful family and great friends. - Bruno Guarda
I am thankful I made it back safe to Seattle and am home with friends and family. Happy Thanksgiving! - George John
I'm thankful for the life that I have been blessed with... for all the people that have helped me get to where I am now and helped shape me into the person I am today. - Ugo Ihemelu
I am thankful for my family of origin and my family of choice. - Josh Lambo
I just left Seattle for the Player's Union meetings, and on my way home to Louisville, Ken., to be with family. - Ray Burse
I am thankful for all my family and friends, as well as everyone in the FC Dallas organization who help us players do what we love. I am also thankful for all the great fans who support FC Dallas. Happy Thanksgiving! - Dax McCarty
I am thankful for the opportunity to spend my first Thanksgiving at home in six years!!! Even though times are tough in this economy, it's nice to see people still giving and being thankful. - Heath Pearce
We hope you're enjoying this holiday season and would love to hear some of the things you are thankful for.
86. Protected List It took longer than expected to get the full protected list for Wednesday's Expansion draft but here is FC Dallas' list:
Defenders - Jair Benitez, Kyle Davies, Ugo Ihemelu, George John and Heath Pearce Midfielders - Marvin Chavez, David Ferreira, Atiba Harris, Daniel Hernandez and Dax McCarty Forward - Jeff Cunningham
Generation adidas and Home Grown players are also protected.
87. Expansion Draft Rules Real Salt Lake captured the 2009 MLS Cup last night in penalty kicks over the LA Galaxy securing the first major championship for the organization.
The teams now turn their focus to the 2010 season with the Philadelphia Union SC joining as the League?s 16th team. This week the Union will sign their first players through the MLS Expansion draft.
By 2 pm CT today, all current MLS teams must submit a list of the 11 players they are protecting. There will be 10 rounds of the draft while the Union may only select one player from each team which means five teams will not lose a player. Before submitting their protected list, teams have a three hour window to make trades. The window will close today at noon ET, and will open again after the Expansion Draft, which is set for the afternoon of Wed., Nov. 25.
A couple notes to keep in mind: Generation adidas and Home Grown players cannot be made available. For us, that means that Eric Avila, Josh Lambo, Bruno Guarda, Brek Shea, Peri Marosevic and Bryan Leyva are automatically protected. The league has graduated Anthony Wallace so he no longer counts as a Generation adidas player.
Also, teams may make available a number of international players equal to their total number of international players minus 3. FCD currently has six internationals - which means we can not expose more than three internationals. The internationals are: Jair Benitez, Marvin Chavez, David Ferreira, Bruno Guarda, Andre Rocha and Daniel Torres.
So, with 5 Ga's and one Home Grown player automatically protected, we have 20 players that can be exposed from our 26-man roster. Eleven must be protected, which means nine will have to be exposed. Click here for our current roster. We'll be back with our list later today.
88. The Goals of 2009 FC Dallas scored 50 goals in 30 regualar season games this season, 17 of which were attributed to the 2009 MLS Budweiser Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham. Here are all of the goal scorers from this season:
Jeff Cunningham (17)
David Ferreira (8)
Kenny Cooper (7)
Dax McCarty (3)
Drew Moor (3)
Dave van den Bergh (3)
Atiba Harris (2)
Andre Rocha (2)
Eric Avila (1)
Ugo Ihemelu (1)
George John (1)
Below is a video highlighting all 50 regular season goals, enjoy!
89. U.S. 1, Denmark 3 The U.S. plays their final fixture of 2009 today versus Denmark at 1:30 p.m. CT, the broadcast will start on ESPN Classic and move to ESPN2 after the FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Greece and Ukraine.
Three FC Dallas players, Jeff Cunningham, Dax McCarty and Heath Pearce are all part of the 22-man roster that traveled to Denmark for the international friendly.
(UPDATE) - Jeff Cunningham scored his first international goal in today's 3-1 loss to Denmark. U.S.' only goal came in the 26th minute off a mistake by the Denmark goalkeeper, Cunningham took the opportunity and hit a low left-footed shot inside the post. Dax McCarty earned his second cap with the Nats when he entered the match in the 80th minute for Jozy Altidore. Congratulations to Jeff!
90. Commerical Shoot FC Dallas players Jair Benitez, Dario Sala, Daniel Hernandez and Marvin Chavez all participated in a commercial shoot last week for First Choice Power. The power company is conducting a reality show in which families will get paired up with a FC Dallas player to see which family can reduce their energy consumption the most. By the way, Hernandez was an excellent cue card holder.
Look for the commerical and reality show soon on Univision TV.
91. MLS Best XI How does this look for a best XI lineup. This is the group that was named to the MLS best XI for this 2009 season. Only a single player from the best XI will be represented in the MLS Cup this Sunday. That is of course Landon Donovan – US player of the decade.
Conor Casey [...]
92. Jeff Cunningham named Best XI MLS Commissioner Don Garber today announced the 2009 Best XI including FC Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham. This is Cunningham's third nomination for the award with the previous honors coming in 2002 and 2006. The Best XI recognizes the top 11 players at each position on the field and is voted by the media, MLS players and MLS coaches and general managers.
Cunningham is also up for Volkswagon MLS MVP along with LA's Landon Donovan and New England's Shalrie Joseph which will be announced Thursday live on ESPNews.
93. Soccer Weekend This past weekend was chock full of soccer games from the MLS playoffs to World Cup qualifying and including the U.S. versus Slovakia friendly. Congratulations to Dax McCarty for playing in his first full U.S. Men's national team game and Jeff Cunningham getting his first playing time with the Nats since Sept. 7, 2005. The U.S. ended up falling 1-0 but will have a friendly versus Denmark on Wednesday, Nov. 18 (live at 1:30 p.m. CT on the ESPN networks).
Three teams qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa over the weekend including Cameroon, Nigeria and the surprising New Zealand.
And in the MLS Cup playoff race, the LA Galaxy booked their ticket to the final in Seattle after beating the Houston Dynamo 2-0 in overtime. The game was delayed twice due to the Home Depot Center stadium lights cutting off. Real Salt Lake pulled the upset in Chicago when they won in penalties over the home team the Chicago Fire. This is Salt Lake's first trip to the finals. MLS Cup kicks off in Seattle on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. CT on EPSN.
What soccer games did you watch this past weekend?
94. MLS Cup 2009: Real Salt Lake vs LA Galaxy MLS Cup 2009
vs Real Salt Lake (#4 East) vs LA Galaxy (#1 West)
The semi-final tonight between Real Salt Lake and the Chicago Fire was a wild one. Some people might say 120 minutes with no scoring is a boring game – but this was far from boring. The game eventually went to a shootout and [...]
95. Galaxy going to MLS Cup for 6th time! With that crazy long overtime win last night over the Houston Dynamo the Galaxy book their place in the MLS Cup final for the 6th time in the young league’s history. 6 happens to be the most any team has played for the MLS Cup. DC United has been there 5 times. [...]
96. Dario's Save is Top 10 Thanks to all the fans who voted for Dario Sala's save from the FC Dallas game versus San Jose. Dario's save is now one of the final top 10 nominees for Degree Men Save of the Year. You can watch the save again and make sure to vote here.
97. Interesting Fact I just watched the 11+ minute video of all of the GOTY nominees. I noticed that no GOTY nominees were scored against DC United. On the face of it, that makes me happy. It is good to know that DC United didn't get poster-ized to wide renown this season.
Thinking about it more, however, one may be able to make an argument that for keepers like Rimando or Reis, who seemed to figure prominently in these highlights, if the only goals that they are giving up are the fantastical, flooky goals or the once-in-a-career one-timers out of midair, maybe that's not so bad.
The corollary to this argument would be that all of the goals that DC United surrendered this season were plain, boring tallies that were breakdowns in positioning or marking and shouldn't have been given up at all. So maybe it would have been nice to see DCU getting beat a few times in this video reel? Your thoughts?
98. MLS Cup Playoff Schedue is set VS Columbus Crew (#1 East) vs Real Salt Lake (#5 West)
Game 1: Saturday October 31st – 5:30 PM @ Salt Lake
Game 2: Thursday November 5th – 7:00 PM @ Columbus (ESPN2)
Regular Season Series tied 1-1 vs Chicago Fire (#2 East) vs New England Revolution (#3 East)
Game 1: Sunday November 1st- 1:00 PM @ New [...]
99. Galaxy win the West The LA Galaxy are going into the playoffs with the #1 position from the West. That means they will play rivals Chivas USA on Saturday, November 1st and Sunday, November 8th. The Galaxy won the regular season series over Chivas USA 2-0-1 with one scoreless draw and two 1-0 victories.
After disposing of Chivas [...]
100. Chicago Fire join the playoffs The Fire joined the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs tonight with a victory over Chivas USA. A single point would have put them in, but they ended up with a 1-0 victory on an own goal scored by Eduardo Lillingston in the 67th minute.
Here is the updated standings:
49 Columbus
45 Los Angeles
45 Houston
45 Chivas USA
45 Chicago
44 [...]
101. Chivas USA and Seattle Sounders FC join playoffs Chivas USA and Seattle Sounders FC both have guaranteed themselves a spot in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs. They are joining defending champions Columbus Crew along with Houston Dynamo and LA Galaxy.
That leaves 3 positions up for grabs on the last weekend of the year. Those 3 spots that are up for grabs [...]
102. Galaxy lead the Western Conference into the playoffs With only a single game remaining in the regular season (with the exception of Chivas USA having 2 games) the Galaxy are on top of the Western Conference. That top spot currently has them tied on points (45) along with Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA. All 3 teams have sealed a spot in [...]
Let me just start by saying that Steve Cronin impressed the hell out of me last night. He played confidently, and he did not hesitate to come off of his line or even out of the box. At one point last night, he ran almost to the corner flag to shield a Crew player off the ball until it ran out for a goal kick. He was completely alone in the corner, the goal mouth was empty and the wet conditions at RFK meant that if the ball had not rolled out, he would have been in a position needing to play the ball with his feet 1 v 1 against the attacking player. I wouldn't say that it was a nervous moment, because it worked out fine, but I mention it because it was the type of heads up, proactive goalkeeping that you don't see very often and with it, he made things a lot easier for himself. The score line shows him earning a 6 save shutout and he earned Man of the Match honors as a result of a text-message poll of fans there at RFK. I think it was well deserved, even more so than Emilio, your goal scorer, and Khumalo, the assist man.
I can't decide whether the Crew played like the best team in the league last night. On the one hand, they spent virtually the entire 2nd half in the United end. But on the other hand, they got shut out by a team struggling to even make the playoffs and only had 2 or 3 decent chances. One thing that I know for sure is that their supporters should definitely stay at home next time.
The most experience I've had with supporter's groups is with Barra Brava, Screaming Eagles and La Norte and so I've always thought of these groups as positive things. They support their team. It seems that these assholes from Ohio only came to RFK last night to unleash a barrage of senseless profanity. And don't get me wrong, I love me some profanity, but as my wife pointed out, the Crew supporters (does anyone know what their are known by? Massively Terrible?) were seated in a section directly above the VW Garage area, which was filled with little kids getting their faces painted and getting free VW t-shirts. So when Cronin took his first goal kick of the night, the Crew supporters responded very clearly with "FUCK YOU ASSHOLE!" My wife and I were still down there getting our VW t-shirts at that point and the looks of complete puzzlement on the 10 year old faces was saddening.
So I hope you guys enjoyed your visit to your nation's Capitol, but please, don't let Emilio's boot hit you in the ass on your way home. I hope your team loses the Supporter's Shield.
Oh yeah, hilarious story of the night: when GBS came over to the corner for an early corner kick, under the Crew supporter's section and right next to the VW Garage area where my wife and I were still standing, watching the first few minutes of play, the supporter's greated him with an ongoing chant of "Guillermo! Guillermo!" HAHAHA Because it sounded exactly like they were chanting, "Terrible! Terrible!"
104. Galaxy, Dynamo and Crew reserve spots in playoffs Three teams have booked their spots in the 2009 Major League Soccer playoffs. The defending champions Columbus Crew are in and currently leading the whole league with 46 points and even a game in hand over several of the teams chasing them. At 44 points the champions of 2006 and 2007 Houston Dynamo are [...]
105. CONCACAF Champions League - Cruz Azul @ CLB It is a good thing that I am not a CLB fan right now. In the 41st minute of this CCL match, play is getting chippy as hell and C.A. just scored a second goal a few minutes after one of those stretches when the commentators say, "Uh, the ref really needs to get control of this game soon or someone is going to get hurt."
So I would really have lost it if I was a CLB supporter. Good thing...
In a personal note, I just got the FiOS hooked up today so in addition to this game I'm waching now, and the CD Marathon @ DCU I'll be watching tomorrow, I got to watch the Serie A: Udinese @ AC Milan early this afternoon.
Sweet.
Cheers all.
106. Simple Things I watched the DCU @ SJJ match last night and said to my wife, "These guys are professional soccer players. You would think that they wouldn't need to be reminded that in order to score, you need to shoot." But I find myself screaming at the TV (or at the players, when I venture to RFK) "SHOOT IT!" "SHOOT THE BALL!"
The pointless back passing has to stop. It is a real momentum killer. If you don't think you can do anything with the ball when you receive it while posted up on a guy at the top of the box, for example play it square or turn on the defender and go to goal, then why are you posting up there in the first place? Just get out of the way; you aren't helping.
And the settling... These guys are professionals, I am not. But even I remember from when I was like 8 years old that the most important part of receiving a pass is to settle it, to control it. When Emilio or Gomez or whoever it is receives a pass and then they pop it up over their head with their first touch and then it is taken away from them, that is unacceptable. What is it that they practice in these training sessions of theirs?
These seem like silly things to focus on, but I'm not sure why we'd talk about anything else until these things are remedied.
107. 17,329 The last 10-15 minutes of regular time and stoppage time was amazing. It was totally frantic and United supporters were rewarded with a goal at the end of regulation. I was actually telling my wife that the set play off of that free kick should have been to fake it at goal and just slot it to Simms who was faking that run anyway. But the way that it went down was good too. I remember an absolutely brilliant goal that Etcheverry scored in that exact manner several years ago. If someone can find me that highlight on the intertubes, I will buy you a hamburger on a Tuesday.
By the way, there were some Sounders fans there...
Overall, I thought the team looked decent. Pontius was dangerous, Jaime was hustling, Gomez was making aggressive runs at the defense. The problem, of course, was the finishing.
The most interesting thing to report from the stadium was what a horrible idea $2 beers and $2 hotdogs were. The lines were AMAZINGLY long. It was almost worth giving up alcohol because of those lines. It is completely possible that some people missed the entire 1st half standing in some Ouroboros-like line, winding around and back upon itself. The whole idea was a logistical nightware. There seemed to be only one Miller Lite rep running kegs back and forth to the various outposts and by early in the second half, just after halftime, they had started substituting Yuengling, because all of the Miller Lite was gone.
Comment away!
108. United reaching out to DC Sports fans Its nice to see the team trying to reach out beyond the usual fans. But will it work? I guess we'll know in a week.
109. Open BLECH for DCU v LAG CSN is letting me down. My wife and I are on a reduced entertainment budget, so we can't necessarily afford the trip to RFK and the inevitable beers cotton candy. And we have Comcast basic cable... I guess we are grandfathered in on that; is that even offered to new subscribers anymore?
Subsequently I don't get Fox Soccer Channel. Not like I'd want it; f**k Fox, in any formation or configuration.
Anyway, it sounds like Emilio played his ass off and didn't get any satisfaction, so everyone tell me whether I'm right or I'm wrong in the comments.
And pass along free tickets and other stuff to me when you have it, since my wife will be in school for 16 months and we'll be on only one income. Thanks in advance.
110. Open comments for DCU at TFC I might be prompted to build an argument for a change at manager around this game.
Make sure to read down the the bottom, including the bit in red.
And just in case you don't get the parody right away, check this out.
112. Watch USA vs Mexico Live You might be looking for a place to watch USA vs. Mexico coming up in about 15 minutes. This is kinda late notice – but better late than never.
You should be able to watch the game here live:
http://envivo.terra.com/deportes/live/259-eu/
I have Dish Network and I will be recording the game on channel 838. The game will be [...]
113. Galaxy get first ever win at Gillette Stadium The LA Galaxy extended their undefeated streak to 6 games this weekend with a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution. The victory keeps the Galaxy in 2nd place in the west at a single point ahead of the Colorado Rapids. Landon Donovan scored a goal that should be a goal of the week followed [...]
114. Galaxy come close in friendly versus Barcelona The LA Galaxy played the reigning European champions to a tight 1 goal game. At halftime the Galaxy were level with Barcelona at 1-1 after an amazing free kick that Galaxy midfielder David Beckham put right into the upper left corner past the Barcelona keeper.
The game was witnesed by 93,137 fans at the sold out Rose [...]
115. Houston to New York ? MLS single table at the all star break Here is the Major League Soccer single table at the all star break. It isn’t uncommon to see Houston on the top along with FC Dallas and San Jose near the bottom.
This table doesn’t take into effect any of the games that will be taking place today. Ten teams will be seeing action later today [...]
116. Don?t miss LA Galaxy vs FC Barcelona tonight Don’t miss the Galaxy taking on reigning European and La Liga champions FC Barcelona tonight. VS Over 80,000 tickets have already sold for the game at the Rose Bowl tonight but there are still some available. You could also get the game on Fox Soccer Channel with pre-game coverage starting at 7:30pm local time.
It isn’t every [...]
Test yourself for self-delusion: "A point on the road is a good thing." Right?
No, none of us are that deluded. How about this? "The most frustrating thing about this match was giving up a two goal lead." Any buyers? I see a few hands out there.
But, of course, that's a comforting delusion as well. The fact is, United could have been down two goals at half time, and a point would still be a disappointment. San Jose is not a good team. San Jose is an awful team. If it weren't for a certain franchise in Jersey, you could say things about them being the worst team in the league. It is not as though their talent was superior to United's in any way. They are scrappy, yes, I will give them that. They hustle. They have some speed. But on the ball there is nothing that impresses me.
No, if you're mad about United dropping a two goal lead, it is because you don't want to face the fact that United didn't beat a team that has 13 points this year. That's less than a point a game. And that's a really bad team.
What's so upsetting to me is that they beat a United team using a tactic that normally United can exploit: Close marking and high pressure. Normally that allows United's short passing game to warp an opposing team out of their shape, but instead United in the second half was bewildered on how to break out. After connecting on some long diagonal switches in the first half, it seemed United has fallen in love with the tactic and couldn't let go of it. And so suddenly they found themselves bottled up, incapable of setting up possession in midfield, and looking to hit the perfect long ball. They had the talent. They know the tactic. But they failed in putting it out there.
The absence of Clyde Simms should be noted here. You may not see him as excelling in distributing out of the back, but his strong positioning in transition helps move the ball around side-to-side. When Ben Olsen was gone, it seemed that United's midfield consisted of Szetela and Wallace in the middle. That's one player who has his first game with the team, and another who I think has played more minutes on the wing and at left back this season (though the left back thing seems to have stopped). Chris Pontius moved from forward to wide midfield to center mid and back to forward all in one match. And this constant shifting meant United never really owned midfield the way a five man midfield should.
So, I can whine about the giving up the lead, but I'd much rather whine about losing at all. United lost points that teams in 10 other matches did not drop. And even on the road, it is a bit unforgivable.
I am on the road in Buffalo for the CONCACF match, so if anyone knows a bar with FSC, let me know.
118. Game Recap FAIL Sorry folks. At this point it may be too late... Consider this an open thread for your comments on Saturday night's impressive win over Colorado.
1. The At A Glance stats have been updated on the sidebar. Gomez has provided three goals and two assists in the past 5 MLS matches. 2. Namoff is leading GOTW voting, 38% to 34% over Alecko of LAG. Honestly, in terms of a combination of Gomez's hard work along with Fred's patience, I thought the third goal was more impressive. Emilio continued his run and gave Fred a good option as he was holding off (!!!) the keeper. You don't see that everyday. 3. No goals for Casey, so, yay.
US Open Cup tonight at some place called Boyds, MD and then the teams travels to San Jose for a 10:30pm EST matchup on Saturday. I wonder if my hotel in Corning, NY will have FSC.
119. First Impressions: DC United v Colorado Rapids I know this isn't how D does it. He races home from the match and types 5 thick paragraphs of analysis about how United performed and why the outcome was the way it was. He probably begins his compositions on his Blackberry while walking along E. Capital on his way to the Metro. It is very impressive.
Me? I went to Trusty's straight away with my wife and my BFF (Bendt) to celebrate United's win. And I just got home.
The goals? OMG - this thing called the "Volkswagon Game Nav" (way cool BTW) is showing Namoff as scoring twice - 14th and 56th minute. Which is awesome because it exactly highlights what BFF Bendt said about Namoff's game winning goal:
He made up for his mistake.
Seeing it at the bar, I wasn't so sure that it wasn't just a bad giveaway. But now watching it on TiVo at home, I guess it was an own goal. I haz a sad.
But I feel compelled to point out something to all of you out there on FB. I started a group a few days ago called Marc Burch needs a right foot! Please join me. We need this group (about this IMPORTANT ISSUE) because in the 33rd minute, the one and only Marc Burch switched the ball back to his right foot from his left foot and unleashed one of the softest, ugliest shots that we've seen from him.
Freedom win 1-0. I didn't see any of it; I was too busy getting free beer from my WAFC peeps.
What did you guys think about the frisbee exhibition? Totally cool, right? Sweet! The best part was when that dude hucked that one disc into the trashcan! Am I right?!?!
120. The Game Before The Game: Washington Freedom v St. Louis Athletica I'm ashamed of myself for not even mentioning this at all in my two prior posts, but the event at RFK today is a doubleheader. As I'm writing this now, I'm wearing an old school, WUSA-era Abby Wambach tee, back from when she was Mia Hamm's understudy.
Freedom takes on St. Louis Athletica at 5pm, in just over an hour. However, the Freedom will be without powerhouse Wambach, who plays with the Lady Nats tomorrow in Rochester, NY, against Canada. Rochester is Abby's hometown, so it will be great if she can score a goal or three in front of family and friends.
National Team duty also means that the Freedom will be without Cat Whitehill and Erin McLeod (Canada) and that St. Louis is missing Lori Chalupny and Hope Solo (sorry fellas).
121. Preview 2: W2W4 Yesterday's preview post wasn't much of one, in that it only talked about what I wanted to talk about and probably nothing that you wanted to read about.
Basically, I hope that United can contain Conor Casey tonight.
I feel like there have been several times this season when United has allowed big-name, franchise players to score to easily and as a result have dropped points on the road or had to battle back to pull a point back. Most notably, I keep thinking about Shalrie Joseph's easy header back in April when the Revs were carrying about 14 players on their roster and we failed to punish them. In mid-June, United came back from two goals down against Seattle to take a point on the road. That's good, except the good guys were only down by two goals because Nate Jaqua had somehow scored and that guy hates to score.
I don't think Casey is as good as his stats are saying, but then again, you can't really argue with 8 goals in 12 games. So I hope the back line is ready for his bald, bulky, bouldering brand of soccer.
Also, Danny Szetela.
UPDATE: I just watched the "Crossbar Challenge" on dcunited.com's Access United. Yes, they were practicing hitting the crossbar... I hope that doesn't come back to haunt them. The good news is that out of the 5 competitors (John DiRaimondo, Andrew Jacobson, Boyzzz Khumalo, Ange N'Silu, and Milos Kocic) your winner is the Serbian GOALKEEPER. The forwards just couldn't keep the ball out of the back of the net.
Bob here, now and through the weekend. I love watching soccer and supporting DC United. But when I am actually going to get outside and run around, Ultimate Frisbee is my game. And at halftime of tomorrow's match, two local club teams will put on a demonstration of the sport that actually has quite a bit of support in this area. WAFC, the Washington Area Frisbee Club, is the local organizing body for the sport. They worked with DC United to arrange this opportunity to showcase these teams and this sport on the pitch at RFK. If you aren't stuck in the beer lines at halftime, and I sincerely encourage you to make an effort to see this, you will see some great athletes pulling off some amazing throws and some amazing catches. See you there.
Also, Facundo Erpen.
Wait a minute, what??? No Facundo? Why no Facundo?
123. Alecko Eskandarian shines and Beckham returns Alecko Eskandarian notched his second goal for Galaxy tonight.
David Beckham made his return to the Galaxy from AC Milan tonight.
The Galaxy got their 4th straight victory tonight with a 3-1 win over the New York Red Bulls.
Things are looking pretty good for the Galaxy right now!
This post is from LAGalaxy.netAlecko Eskandarian shines and Beckham returns Related [...]
I don't believe in the "win at home, draw on the road" theory, but that doesn't mean the idea doesn't have value. It has value, occasionally, it just shouldn't be a mantra. Columbus has come on recently, but the single significant win was a 2-1 victory over Chivas. The other four wins include 2 wins against Kansas City (including a nice 2-0 road win), a win at home against San Jose, and a win at home against New York. At home, Columbus has not beaten Chicago, D.C. or Toronto. Compare that to United, who at least can look at their home record and cite with some satisfaction home wins against the Fire and Dynamo. These three points were more valuable to Columbus than D.C., and yet D.C. looked like the more likely team to walk away with it.
Yes, Schelotto made Columbus a capable team at any moment, and yes, Columbus were not toothless. Yes, that's how this team seems to make its living, by picking chances and going through. But I was pleased with United's play, with their attack. Columbus was at home, facing a United team down Emilio, Moreno, and Quaranta, and if nothing else had to feel that failing to get the full points would be significant. Yet United, after a shaky opening 10 minutes, exerted more control on the match as it went on. Columbus never played like a team that felt it was going to win, it played like a team that was looking for a single chance, which they got.
There is much to be said for United's performance. Janicki, who looked somewhat miserable a few weeks ago, played well in the center of the back three. If anything, the concern I had was that Burch and Namoff both seemed to be losing touch with him, opening large gaps on either side. Boyzzz was acceptable as a starting winger, and showed that he deserves the occasional start in the future. Importantly, he didn't run himself out in the opening half hour, he played well for the 55 minutes he got. Pontius and Gomez both seemed to get stronger as the match progressed. N'Silu was far too deep back given his ball control skills in this match, his touch was off and he surrendered a few too many balls when he tracked back for them.
Ben Olsen was in his rightful position, and showed why the term is "Holding midfielder." He would hold possession, cutting the ball back with reason to extend United's midfield strength. He held position on several key tackles. When all else failed, he held a huge chunk of jersey from an opposing player. I don't know how long Ben can go this year, but this was a solid match from him.
United got a solid result against a conference opponent on the road. How can I be angry about that? More importantly, they denied points to Columbus. It is a strange feeling having to take Columbus seriously, and I don't particularly like it. So I'd rather have to take them seriously with them looking up at us then the other way around.
126. Alecko Eskandarian is coming to town! That is right, the 2004 MLS Cup MVP is making his way from Chivas USA over to the Galaxy! What a move. In order to make room for Alecko the Galaxy had to cut Josh Tudela. A lot of people will be sad to see him go.
According to the official press release [...]
127. Galaxy beat top of the West Dynamo The Galaxy just wrapped up a rare 3 points by beating the Houston Dynamo. The Dynamo are currently on top of the West and have the best record in the league.
The difference in the game came in the 24th minute when Todd Dunivant scored his first goal of the year assisted by Mike Magee.
This [...]
128. OT: Vuvuzela Please forgive my two non-DCU posts in a row, but you must understand what with the horrible display by our club last weekend and the interesting things happening on the world stage.
I personally don't understand the vuvuzela haters. I guess some people have no ability to filter out these quiet buzzing sounds from the ubiquitous noisemakers in the stands during the Confederations Cup matches. Apparently, they are called vuvuzelas. I want one.
From the very first seconds of the very first Confederations Cup match that I watched this year, New Zealand v Spain, I thought, "what is that interesting sound?" and then promptly filtered it out. In a similar way, when I lived in Rosslyn, under the flight path of the planes approaching National Airport, the noisy planes bothered me for about a week. Then I didn't hear it anymore.
Anyone who has been to a live soccer match knows that it is an event of experiences. There is the game itself, but there are songs, Roman Candles, smoke bombs, drums, horns. Oh yeah, and drunk supporters too.
The world football governing body, FIFA, wanted to ban the use of vuvuzelas during the World Cup 2010 because of concerns that hooligans could use the instrument as a weapon and that businesses could place advertisements on vuvuzelas. However the South African Football Association (SAFA) made a presentation that vuvuzelas were essential for an authentic South African football experience, and FIFA decided in July 2008 to drop the ban. Vuvuzelas will be allowed at matches during Confederations Cup 2009 and World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
Ban?!?!
I think Deadspin's take is reasonable. You may think they are annoying or whatever but GET. OVER. IT. because when a bunch of Europeans come into SA and start bossing the "riff raff" around, uh, no. They close their commentary with this:
Why can't South Africans enjoy soccer like normal folks?with racist songs and flare guns!
But be warned before you check out the comments, there is some ignorant shit in there.
129. Soccer in America I'm going to gingerly set this down in the middle of the room, careful not to make any sudden moves, and then slowly back away from it so that I can get as close to the door as possible before anyone realizes what I've done. By the time someone notices it sitting there, and wanders over curiously to sniff it and poke it with a paw, I'll have a thick door between us and will have already bolted 3 of the four padlocks.
130. Congratulations Landon and entire US team! Landon Donovan and the rest of the United States national team made history today. After a poor start with 3-1 and 3-0 losses to Italy and Brazil the United States has done the unthinkable. They somehow managed to beat a tough Egypt team 3-0 while Brazil did exactly the same to Italy to [...]
I suppose the major debate is whether United lost this match or Colorado won it, and the easy answer is both. Fatigue was a factor, altitude was a factor. It showed up in obvious ways like tired legs and players running out of gas. It showed more poignantly mentally: United could not execute this match at all. Colorado's second and third goals resulted from some lapses, from Avery John's back pass/through ball to Cummings, and to Jakovic missed trap that forced him the wrong way. That being said, Colorado's first goal was well executed by Cummings, as he makes a strong run, stays on his feet over Janicki's tackle, and fires far post by Wicks. And once Colorado had that edge, all else was preordained.
There are bright things to consider. It was nice to Olsen on the field in something other than a token role. Boyzzz again showed life and energy in exactly the way N'Silu did not. But the match itself was like watching a tax audit -- it was tedious and you felt at some point United would pay through the nose, and sure enough Cummings would pop up with the ball at his feet saying "now, about this receipt here..."
The shift to start the match in a 4-4-2 was interesting, but it felt like a line-up that may have been more suited to the previous match against Seattle. Throwing Olsen on the right in his first match back seemed to ask a great deal, and Simms and Gomez found linking up difficult. We can complain about Janicki if you desire, but I can't imagine that any other back four performs better in this match.
Write it off, pay the bill, and cross out the footnote that said "United has yet to lose after conceding the first goal."
Every time I watch Seattle, I'm entertained. Seattle is essentially an ADHD afflicted six year old, dosed with caffeine and sugar, put on the tea cup ride at Disney World. Then you hand him a morning star and tell him to run around in traffic. It's not beautiful soccer, though at times it approximates beauty the way a swarm of wasps approximate ballet. When I watch Seattle, I feel like an arsonist at a bonfire.
So United comes to Seattle, and proceeds to play a match that manages to maximize that feeling. It was chaotic and ridiculous affair. Two own-goals, one from each team, sums up the natural state of this match. United's defense was vulnerable to shot, sharp passing that pushed them away. Rodney Wallace showed he is not a long term solution at holding midfielder. Seattle scored the first goal on a pure shooter's goal, the second with a chance deflection off of Marc Burch, and the third another with smart ball movement springing an attacker who then finished perfectly. United's first goal took advantage of a nice far post run by Pontius combined with poor marking on Seattle's part, the second was a shooter's goal from Gomez, and the third had a dangerous Pontius cross meet a fortunate Tyrone Marshall head for an own goal. This match had everything you love about football, and everything that exasperates.
When United played Chivas, I may have mentioned that I felt comfortable that even down two goals, United could recover. I did not have that feeling this night. Even after Gomez pulls the team to within one goal, it felt that Seattle could have tacked on three more goals and put the match easily out of reach. Namoff and Burch may have had moments, but far too often seemed poorly placed to handle Seattle's attack. Jakovic ran all over the field, a testament to his will but also to how disorganized the back line seemed all night. Fred, and later Tino and Chris both tracked back, but never fit in seamlessly. If United's defense had a shape, it requires higher order mathematical topology to describe it. United looked its best for stretches in the first half, where they played some smart possession football, simply because that meant United was scrambling its defenders all over the field.
I'll admit it, I wondered if the cardiac kids might finally have died on the table. That they didn't... well, it shocks me like a defibrillator to the groin. I'm not sure this was a good game. The more I think about, this game seemed like a bloody, horrible mess. Then again, that's how I like my omlettes. But if we think about this rationally, this game was a barely contained disaster, right? Hooray for saving the point, but does anyone feel comfortable taking this style into a road trip?
133. @Seattle Sorry to step on your toes (Touxs?) D, but I had to say this before I went to bed...
I hope the dude that threw the beer bottle at Wicks deep into stoppage time, got his ass kicked by the 29,103 other fans at Qwest Field. Because he just ruined it for all of them.
What a match.
134. Goalkeeping Impressions With the win against the Chicago Fire, Josh Wicks should solidify his claim as D.C. United's starting goalkeeper. He made a huge stop on the McBride penalty, plucked a lot of crosses out of the air, and has had, not just in this game, excellent reaction stops. Subjectively, its hard to argue to bench him, and I'm not going to try that.
But, as I was looking at the standings and individual stats this morning, I was a little surprised. With fourteen games played, Wicks and Crayton have bopth played 540 minutes (540, and have identical 2-1-3 records. Wicks does have a statistical edge in goals allowed (6 versus 8), goals against average (1.00 vs 1.33), PK's saved (1 vs 0), and shutouts (2 vs 1).
I know statistics in soccer are less meaningful than in other sports, but I'd say that both quantitatively and qualitatively, Wicks is a better option in goal than Crayton. Once you factor in the salaries of both players, and if Kocis is a credible backup option, then you have to wonder if and why Crayton would be picked up again once his contract expires. Freeing up his salary and roster spot would allow the team to pursue another international player.
What do you think? If Crayton leaves, who would you like to see the team pursue?
This post was going to begin with an apology to Chicago for having the misfortune of being the first team to face United after US Soccer apologized for ridiculous penalty awarded to New England. Center official Baldomero Toledo seemed to want make amends immediately by awarding a just as atrocious penalty to United in the 23rd minute. Still, Toledo promptly turned around again, awarding a penalty to Chicago on a Dejan Jakovic foul that seems, well, not particularly worthy itself (though, to be fair, much more worthy than Twellman's.) United's other goal came on a free kick by Gomez outside the box, and the symmetry of the halves was reflected again as Chicago got a similar free kick which rattled off the woodwork. It was as if Toledo was so impressed by Dave Gibbons work in Watchmen #5 ("fearful symmetry") that he decided to see if he could officiate a match in symmetry.
That being said, the halves were not symmetrical. For all the goals of the first half, the second felt somewhat more engrossing, as Chicago pushed for an equalizer, and United looked to possess for time, strike on the counter, and bunker when necessary. If all games United had played with a lead this year ended like this one, it would not be the frustrating nail-baiting soccer we had earlier in the season, but the high tension engrossing soccer that makes even 45 scoreless minutes fascinating to watch.
I was not ready to award Josh Wicks the starting job after the match against RSL, or after the match against New York. But a PK save on MacBride and two other point blank stops, well, now I am late to the party but willing to say "OK, even if he has a bad match, it's his job for now." He did the best a keeper can do tonight -- he gave his team a chance to win the game they might otherwise have drawn or lost. His command of the box on corners was also the best it has been this season, as he took at least three crosses out of the air and held them. It was beautiful to watch.
For all the praise being heaped on the defense, and 1 goal allowed is a decent result, I am uncomfortable with their performance here. Every defender had a moment, but Chicago was able to play long balls forward a tad too easily. More damning, once played forward, they were able to start to set up possession, buying time for players to run up behind the ball and support the attack. Clyde Simms and Rodney Wallace were both being bypassed, which would be okay for one or the other at times, but not both. The back line was immediately under pressure, and Chicago's goal resulted at least in part on Fred not coming back fast enough to help out on the perimeter of the defense. Of course, the rest of Chicago's goal was the result of good ball movement, a neat dummy move that forced Wallace out late, and a hell of a shot that left Wicks with nothing to grab.
I do not like Fred on the wing, his skill in the middle is minimized in that position. I understand Christian getting the start, and he certainly had, for the first game he started that I can recall this season, more than one moment where he neatly kept the ball at his feat, ate up a ton of ground, and finished his possession with an intelligent pass. Tino was decent, but not astounding, and Moreno/Pontius/N'Silu were also competent, but the first half saw a significant number of possessions in the final third result in general bafflement.
Boyzzz looked his most credible ever as a late sub, no?
In general, this was a match where I enjoyed the second half much more than the first, and love the result more than either. Your man of the match is Wicks, but Jakovic was coming close until that penalty.
136. You ask (or say), I answer?(but not the a**hole emails) BeautifulFC on August 24th, 2008 at 8:13 am #
I don?t care about the pitch. I want a play-off spot.
Fair enough. I care about both. Call me crazy, but I think one will help us in the long run, the other in the short. But again, I might be crazy. You tell me.
sergio fuentes on August [...]
137. Thoughts Fish or shark? Will Ruiz show a killer instinct or flop and flop around the pitch?
Chad Barett. .5 gpg strike rate. Will he keep it up?
Formation. 4-5-1 or 4-4-2. Which do you prefer?
Anyone have any other questions? Answers? Post ‘em below.
138. Uncle Leo Messing Shep Messing sounds like a sedated Uncle Leo (start at :30) from Seinfeld.
Carry on.
139. The Maurice Edu Memorial Pitch?? Admittedly, naming a new, grass playing pitch at BMO Field for the player whose transfer funds may very well have made it a short-term reality, is not my idea. Definitely stole it from Morgan Campbell. But, I’m fully in favour of it. I said it before, and it seems like everyone is saying it now, [...]
140. WHAT!?!? Lauren (sic) Robert?s been waived? THAT?S?. …Amazing. Good riddance you apathetic waste of money. The ONLY reason that I haven’t written a post in the past two months about just how much watching Robert play makes me angry is because I felt as though the general sentiment surrounding the team was already getting too low. BUT, this is undoubtedly a great [...]
141. Breaking: Edu to Glasgow Rangers? Well, this is certainly not ideal for a team that desperately needs to bring quality players IN.
Soccer By Ives is reporting that the MLS has accepted a $5 million bid for Maurice Edu from Rangers. So, let’s all wish Mo the best, but understand that with just hours left in the transfer window, we’ve lost [...]
142. Writer?s Block? …I’m just so excited for the impending transfers of a quality scoring threat and perhaps even a solid centre-half that I can’t think. They’re coming, right Mo? I’ll wait until after the transfer window closes tomorrow night to express my joy at your signings.
(Seems like everyone else must have writer’s block too, as there hasn’t [...]
143. Ever wonder?. …what you could get for the fastest guy you knew in high school in an MLS trade?
Apparently, the answer is a 3rd round draft pick. Assuming, of course, the fastest guy you knew in high school had zero finish around the net.
Jeff Cunningham, the above-average-paced-but-recently-completely-ineffective-at-anything-but-running Striker, has been traded to FC Dallas for a third [...]
144. OH THANK GOD! This and this make me feel a little better today. Now, where’s that new signing, Momo???
145. Ben Knight: On Officiating and Putting it better than I? Here’s a post from Ben Knight’s On Soccer Blog and the Globe.com
He’s quite right that the poor officiating isn’t malicious (which would obviously be a lot worse and give some credibility to the “Refs want to stick it to TFC” argument.) The league has merely failed to mature in the area of officiating. They [...]
146. The referee?s a?. ….joke. But I don’t want to rant about how much the refs in this league suck. I don’t want to rant about the ineffectual offense. I REALLY don’t want to talk about how the last thing we had pride in this season, and unbeaten home record, no is no longer there.
Yup, things are pretty dark [...]
147. Farewell for now I could list all sorts of reasons for stepping aside from ThroughBall.com, not least of which is a desire to shower attention on my nine-month-old but, if I’m being honest, I simply have neither the passion nor the time it takes to do this correctly.
I suspect I’ll see you all again down the road—here or [...]
149. U.S. 2-2 Mexico: three things Not a great showing from the boys last night. There were flashes here and there but they rarely looked in control. That said, here are three non-game-related points about last night:
Commenting on the Commentators
While searching for the game, I inadvertently flipped to ESPN instead of ESPN2. Who did I hear doing the play-by-play of the [...]
151. U.S. Soccer is hiring: Manager of Video Production Here’s your chance to be a part of the great video evolution at U.S. Soccer. The Federation is looking for a Manager of Video Production. Here’s what you need to know:
Candidates should have extensive knowledge of and experience with Final Cup Pro, Adobe Photoshop, AfterEffects and multimedia production and video management systems. Candidates should possess [...]
152. Around the Soccersphere: January 24, 2008 Can I tell you how much I love it when readers send me things of interest? It makes my life a lot easier. Brian Quarstad interviews the Minnesota Thunder’s new Marketing Director [Blue Sky Soccer via BQ]
Speaking of USL, Austin gets a team in ‘09 [The Offside Rules via Minor]
Beckham is being called the world’s “biggest [...]
153. On strikers Agree or disagree?
Here’s a fact, Twellman is 27. Here’s another, he’s scored six goals in 29 international matches… Part of me thinks the suits at the US Soccer Federation so desperately want Twellman to succeed. He’s got everything they need in a poster boy — an alliterative name, goofy smile, blond hair, etc. You know, [...]
155. Ives sees the light Ives Galarcep made a bold move on January 1, 2008 when he went independent. Says Galarcep:
I am leaving the Herald News after 10 years at the paper in order to devote myself to launching and running a soccer news website [editor's note: if it runs on WordPress, orders content sequentially by date and allows comments, [...]
Good morning everybody. It is time to let you all know about the changes to Soccer By Ives that I have hinted about for months.
I am leaving the Herald News after 10 years at the paper in order to devote myself to launching and running a soccer news website that readers from all over the country, and American soccer fans all over the world, can come to for the best mix of news and analysis around. www.soccerbyives.net will be that site.
My plan is to make the new SoccerByIves a one-stop shop for all your soccer news needs. Curious about European transfers? Wondering who the next MLS coaching hire will be or whether a rumored trade is actually happening? Interested in hearing other people's opinions on the big soccer news of the day? You will find all of these elements on the new SBI just as you found them on the old SBI, only with more content on a wider range of topics.
www.soccerbyives.net launches live today, January 2, so you can feel free to change your bookmarks to the new site immediately.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions you can contact me at soccerbyives@gmail.com. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you at the new SBI.
Good morning everybody. The new year is here and the soccer is already under way with Fulham suffering yet another heartbreaking loss, this time to Chelsea. Not exactly the way to start the year for American soccer fans, but 2008 should still be a fun one.
What will you be looking forward to in 2008 in the soccer world? World Cup qualifying? The Olympics? Euro 2008? US-Mexico for the millionth time? San Jose Earthquakes opening day?
I'm looking forward to all of it, as well as some major changes you will be finding out about very shortly.
For now, share with us what you will be looking forward to the most in this new year. Post your thoughts below.
European-based forwards Charlie Davies, Preston Zimmerman and Kamani Hill headline the 24-man roster chosen by U.S. Under-23 national team head coach Peter Nowak ahead of a two-week training camp in January in Bradenton, Florida. The camp is being held as part of preparations for U.S. Olympic qualifying.
Here is the roster:
GOALKEEPERS: Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake), Chris Brown (Boston College), Billy Chiles (Towson University) DEFENDERS: Sean Franklin (Cal State Northridge), Steve Purdy (1860 Munich), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Greg Dalby (SC Charleroi), Julian Valentin (Wake Forest), Pat Phelan (Wake Forest), Mike Randolph (Galaxy), Chance Myers (UCLA) MIDFIELDERS: Stuart Holden (Houston), Johann Smith (Darlington), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Stephen King (Maryland), Alejandro Bedoya (Boston College), Eric Avila (UC Santa Barbara), Arturo Alvarez (FC Dallas), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew) FORWARDS: Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Charlie Davies (Hammarby), Preston Zimmerman (Hamburg), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire), Kamani Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg)
If you are wondering where MLS-based stars Jozy Altidore and Maurice Edu are, they are both taking part in the U.S. national team camp in California.
The U-23 camp will take place from Jan. 6 to Jan. 20 and will be used as preparation for the U.S. team's upcoming Olympic qualifiers in Tampa in March.
What do you think of this group of players? Is there anybody missing? Is there anybody who surprised you by being selected? Share your thoughts below.
Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore and Brad Guzan headline the 26-man roster Bob Bradley selected for the U.S. national team's January camp.
The squad will begin training on January 3 at Home Depot Center in Carson, California ahead of the national team's first friendly, on Jan. 19 against Sweden.
Here is the roster:
GOALKEEPERS ? Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Will Hesmer (Columbus Crew), Matt Pickens (Chicago Fire), Zach Wells (D.C. United) DEFENDERS ? Dan Califf (Aalborg BK), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Ramiro Corrales (SK Brann), Todd Dunivant (Toronto FC), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC) MIDFIELDERS ? Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution) FORWARDS ? Josmer Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas Cit y Wizards), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution), Jeremiah White (AGF Aarhus)
If you are wondering where most of the big names are, keep in mind that European-based players are still in their seasons (except for Scandanavian leagues). I will offer my take on the roster shortly. Let me know what you think of Bradley's selections in the comments section below.
Good morning people. I know some of you are at work today wondering like heck why you didn't save up one more sick day to use on this exact day.
As we stare at the clock and think about tonight's New Year's Eve celebration, you might want to think about 2007 and what it meant for American soccer and the soccer world in general. It wasn't a boring year by any stretch. In fact, for it to not be a World Cup year, or even a year with World Cup qualifying or a European Championship, 2007 was pretty exciting on the soccer pitch.
For those of you who may have missed it, here is my take on the 10 best storylines in American soccer in 2007 for ESPN.com. Everyone is doing these types of year-end lists so I had to do mine and I think it's fair to say that you can ask 10 people their choices for 10 best storylines and you will get 10 different answers.
With 2007 almost over, it is time to think about 2008 and all the great stories to come. The New Year will also bring some major changes to SBI. You will hear about those changes very soon.
For now, enjoy the last day of the year. I will come back with a few posts throughout the day to get you through this workday (which I'm sure will feel longer than most) so stay tuned.
Good morning folks. Today marks the final fulll day of soccer of the season and the English Premier League has been kind enough not to take this weekend off.
Instead, we have a robust schedule of matches, all of which can be seen either on Fox Soccer Channel or Setanta Sports USA. I will be busy attending to non-soccer matters today so I figured the least I could do was give you folks a post where you could add your comments on today's matches.
Whether you're home lounging, or at work for some reason, feel free to follow along here as everyone shares their comments below.
Fulham has named its permanent replacement for fired coach Lawrie Sanchez on Friday, choosing veteran manager Roy Hodgson to take over. Hodgson will be on the sidelines for Fulham's match against Birmingham.
What will this mean for the Americans? It shouldn't mean a thing for Clint Dempsey, who is a first-choice player no matter who is the coach, but it will be interesting to see what becomes of Carlos Bocanegra. The Fulham defense has been a wreck and it will be interesting to see what Hodgson does to fix the back-line.
What do you think of this hire? Do you think Dempsey and company will benefit from learning from such an experienced manager? Do you foresee an overhaul of players that could claim Bocanegra? Share your thoughts below.
It's all England, all the time this weekend. With the other leagues on Europe on a winter break, we will be forced to live on a steady diet of EPL action this weekend.
If the EPL isn't your cup of tea then you might consider watching GolTV, which will have several replays of some of the year's best games, from the Colombia-Argentina World Cup qualifier to a good Spain-Sweden Euro qualifier.
If you prefer the live stuff, and prefer the EPL, then you'll have some quality choices. Actually, if you have Setanta Sports and Fox Soccer Channel you will have access to all 10 EPL games this weekend.
And here they are, all 10 EPL games on TV this weekend. Enjoy:
SATURDAY
10am- FSC- Newcastle at Chelsea. The Blues are short-handed but can't afford to drop any more points. Luckily they play host to struggling Newcastle.
10am- Setanta USA- Manchester United at West Ham United. Carlos Tevez is back. How will Hammer fans treat him?
Noon- FSC- Arsenal at Everton. Gunners need a win to keep pace with Man U. Toffees have been red-hot. This qualifies as the game of the week.
Noon- Setanta USA- Reading at Tottenham. The Spurs look to make life difficult for Americans abroad for a second straight week.
2pm- Setanta USA- Aston Villa at Wigan. The Villains are riding high after the mid-week draw against Chelsea. Wigan should provide a speed bump.
2:30pm- FSC- Fulham at Birmingham. Clint Dempsey can't stop scoring. Unfortunately for Fulham, neither can their opponents. If the Cottagers can't get a point against Birmingham then Dempsey might start consider where he'd like to play next season.
3:45pm- Setanta USA- Bolton at Sunderland. ZZzzzzzzzzzz
4:30pm- FSC- Middlesbrough at Portsmouth. May be a good time to catch a movie, that is unless you're starting Benjani, Muntari or any other Portsmouth players on your fantasy EPL team.
SUNDAY
8:25am- Setanta USA- Blackburn at Derby County. Will Feilhaber get a start? He should and if he does there's a good chance there will be three Americans on the field for this one.
11am- FSC- Liverpool at Manchester City. City has been unbeatable at home. Can Liverpool stop the slide and halt Man City's winning ways at home?
Good morning people. The end of the year is fast approaching and as we begin to find a slew of year-end stories capping the best games, moments and stories (mine is coming on ESPN.com shortly) I got to thinking about what exactly was the most memorable moment of 2007 for American soccer fans.
The question is simple enough. What one soccer moment will stand out in your mind from 2007? Was it a great goal (Like Messi's Maradona-like run)? Was it a game (like the Red Bulls-Galaxy thriller in a packed Giants Stadium)?
What moment stands out for me? Benny Feilhaber's game-winning goal in the Gold Cup final comes to mind. If something else comes to me I'll post it later.
For now, I want to hear from you. What was the most memorable soccer moment of 2007 for you? Share your thoughts below.
Good morning everybody. Let me start by apologizing for the low number of posts recently. I can assure you that the action will pick up after New Year's Day. For now, I will try to keep you updates on the goings on in the American and international soccer world.
Before we get into the day's events, I must make another request for SBI readers to take part in the SBI reader roll call. If you haven't already taken part, please do so. Your input is going to go a long way toward helping me shape and set a direction for SBI as we head into 2008.
Secondly, I have not forgotten about the most recent Q&A session. I am working on it and am hoping to have it done for tomorrow. It will be done by Monday at the latest.
Now, onto the news. Here are some recent tidbits you may or may not have heard:
U.S. Olympic qualifying games set. The U.S. Under-23 national team learned the path it will take to Olympic qualifying yesterday as the match schedule for CONCACAF Olympic qualifying was announced. The Americans will face Cuba (March 11), Panama (March 13) and Honduras (March 15), with all matches being played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. There will be tripleheaders played each of these days, with the U.S. team's game serving as the nightcap on each occasion.
The top two teams in the group will join the top two teams in Group B (Mexico, Canada, Haiti, Guatemala) in the semifinals and final, which take place in Memphis Nashville on March 20 and 23.
I was going to point out that the Americans should have little trouble qualifying, but you know what happened the last time around. That said, this Olympic team should qualify and this qualifying tournament should give us a good glimpse at what Peter Nowak has planned for the Olympics.
Man U takes over first place. Manchester United destroyed Sunderland, 4-0, while Portsmouth held Arsenal to a scoreless draw, which means Man U is in first place at the mid-way point of the season. The lead is a point, but is effectively two points based on Man U's superior goal difference.
There is still plenty of soccer to be played, so you shouldn't go chiseling Man U's name in the trophy just yet, but you have to like the Red Devils' chances of holding on in the second half of the season. And you can wave goodbye to Chelsea's already dim chances of winning the league after its crazy 4-4 tie against Aston Villa, a match that saw two Chelsea players red carded and goalkeeper Peter Cech look like a shell of himself. I'm still trying to figure out why Avram Grant would play an injured Cech when he has some pretty decent goalkeepers on his bench.
Ronaldo to transfer back to Brazil? Beleaguered Brazilian striker Ronaldo has gone to Brazil to receive treatment for an injury, but now reports are surfacing that link the 2002 World Cup winner with a move to Brazilian club Flamengo. Ronaldo has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, and has yet to make any sort of contribution to AC Milan this year, so a move to Brazil could help him regain his form. I'm sure some Red Bulls fans would say that a stint in MLS could help Ronaldo's form as well. Too bad AC Milan is already denying the rumors. It sounds like some wishful thinking from Brazilian journalists. Sound familiar?
Trouble for former MLS player. Remember Onandi Lowe? The former Jamaican national team and Kansas City Wizards striker? He had a little trouble with the law in Jamaica recently. Apparently Lowe thought it was a good idea to go for a drive with 42 marijuana cigarettes in his car. Yes, you read that right, 42. Save your "Marijuana is illegal in Jamaica?" remarks. My first thought was, "how long a ride was he going on?" Major League Soccer's version of Nate Newton apparently didn't learn his lesson when he was nearly convicted for trying to smuggle crack out of England.
I'll be back with a Boxing Day recap in a bit. For now, share your thoughts on these stories, and any other stories making the rounds this morning.
American soccer players had a busy Boxing Day in England on Wednesday, with 10 of them playing at least a half and nine earning starts (That's including Watford's Jay DeMerit and Millwall's Zak Whitbread.)
There were mixed results, from Tim Howard posting yet another shutout for Everton to Carlos Bocanegra watching his Fulham defense be torn to shreds yet again. There were even two goal-scorers on the day, with usual suspect Clint Dempsey being joined by DeMerit.
Before I get to the rundown, I wanted to talk about Benny Feilhaber's performance for Derby County against Liverpool. It had its ups and downs, but his effort, or lack thereof, late in the match could hurt his chances for more playing time in the future.
Feilhaber's 45 minutes of playing time were action packed. He had some good tackles, sharp passes and was very active, but he also showed timidness getting forward on occasion and his biggest crime was his effort on the play that led to Liverpool's game-winning goal.
If you missed the match, or the replays, the play begins with Steven Gerrard making a run down the left flank starting from the opposite end (it actually begins with the referee missing a Liverpool foul, but I digress). Gerrard carries the ball forward and Feilhaber comes in from the center of the field to challenge Gerrard. Feilhaber's effort to close down Gerrard was, shall we say, less than total and he almost appears to be jogging toward Gerrard, who sees this and proceeds to hit another gear, leaving Feilhaber out of position and forcing Feilhaber to attempt a sliding tackle that misses badly. Gerrard gets into the area and eventually scores the game-winning goal after some ricochets.
Now, blaming Feilhaber for the goal would be wrong. As a coach once told me, most goals are the fault of many, not of one. While this is true, Feilhaber's effort on that particular play wasn't ideal, or what you would expect from a player who has been starving for minutes lately.
Does that mean he won't see more chances? That would seem harsh considering the good things he did, and the injury woes plaguing Derby, but Paul Jewell's comments after the match make me wonder if he was thinking about Feilhaber when he made them.
Ultimately, it's just one play, but good players make those plays. Here's hoping Feilhaber learns from it and gets more chances to show that he deserves more playing time.
Okay, enough about that. Here is the rundown of how Americans did on Boxing Day:
Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made one save in Everton's 2-0 win against Bolton.
Clint Dempsey started, played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Fulham's 5-1 loss to Tottenham.
Carlos Bocanegra started and played 90 minutes for Fulham.
Eddie Lewis started, played 90 minutes and his free kick helped set up Derby County's lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Liverpool.
Benny Feilhaber came off the bench and played 45 minutes for Derby County.
Jonathan Spector started and played 90 minutes in West Ham United's 1-1 tie vs. Reading.
Marcus Hahnemann started, played 90 minutes and made eight saves for Reading.
Bobby Convey started and played 66 minutes for Reading.
Jay DeMerit started, played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Watford's 2-2 tie against Cardiff.
Zak Whitbread started, played 90 minutes and drew a yellow card in Millwall's 3-0 win against Brighton.
European-based Americans will be busy today as well, with Blackburn's Brad Friedel and Heerenveen's Michael 'Goal Machine' Bradley both seeing action.
Share your thoughts on Feilhaber and the other Americans below.
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*Landon is ...
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