Danny Szetela to Newcastle

US U-20 and Columbus Crew midfielder Danny Szetela has signed a four-year deal with the EPL's Newcastle. The move will not take place till January meaning Szetela is still available for Crew during their final run to the playoffs. The date also means MLS will not get a transfer fee since his contract concludes at the end of the year.

Szetela was close to signing with Italy's Roma or Lazio but decided to move to England instead.

His time at Columbus has not shown much however he did have a wonderful U-20 World Cup. Newcastle has been a difficult place for players to break into in the past. If Szetela wants to get first team action, he is going to need to really stretch his abilities.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

SuperLiga final - Can LA pull off the great upset?

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Pachuca CF
10pm ET/ 7pm PT - Home Depot Center
TV: Telefutura (Spanish)
Internet: MLStv

Could the first SuperLiga, a competition that has seen some of the best club soccer played in America in the last ten years, really conclude in such a lopsided contest? Pachuca comes into the match as recent winners of Mexico, CONCACAF and South America's Copa Sudamericana, while LA is having a hard time remembering the last time they won a game.

The good news for the Galaxy, one of the few wins they have earned this year came earlier in the competition against Pachuca and they did it without Beckham. The bad news is Pachuca has only improved since then while LA has played almost 10 games and added a number of players to the injury list.

Pachuca has lost recently as well when they dropped a match this past weekend, however it was due in large part to resting six starters for tonight's match. Fausto Pinto, Gerardo Rodrguez, Damian Alvarez, Christian Gimenez and Juan Carlos Cacho will all come into the game well rested and ready to claim a fourth title in a year. This should terrify any Galaxy or MLS fans.

For the Galaxy to pull off an upset, they will need to do something they have done many times in the past, play great tournament ball. For all LA's faults, they have always managed to punch above their weight in tournament settings. Be it their run from eighth place to MLS champs in the 2005 playoffs or their usually strong play in the US Open Cup, the team clicks in single-elimination settings, but to make history, they are going to need a performance from their offense unlike any they have given this season.

Pachuca will likely surrender a goal or two but their success rests a great deal in their patience. They never seem to lose composure, even when down a couple goals. This allows them to poke around the final third and wait for mistakes. With the Galaxy very prone to making mistakes, this will probably be their undoing.

They need to keep tabs on Juan Carlos Cacho because he can turn a play like few others, but perhaps their best chance of changing the game is keeping Gimenez out of it as much as possible. He is to Pachuca what Beckham is to LA, ie the man who gets it all going. If they could somehow force him into an early card situation or make him track back, it will take some of the heavy pressure off the backline.

If the Galaxy defense can hold (or if Cannon can save them), then they just need to push their forwards up. Pachuca is strong on defense but they have a weakness when it comes to crosses. If Beckham is on the pitch, this should help the club, but they will still need to find someone to get under those crosses. Look for Pavon to be the big target while Xavier or Kelly Gray will probably push forward to add something to the mix.

So LA will need to play a near perfect game to walk out with the $1million prize and the SuperLiga trophy. As if that wasn't pressure enough, if they don't win, there is a good chance coach Frank Yallop will be sacked (and maybe GM Alexi Lalas as well) and their season will be considered a total failure.

We will learn tonight just what the Galaxy have in them.

Predictions: Me LA 2-1 Pachuca, Wife LA 1-4 Pachuca

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Lalas - MLS screwed LA with the schedule

LA Galaxy Alexi Lalas is hitting out at MLS for the 'ridiculous schedule' they have to play between now and the send of the season.

"We have bent over backwards to help everybody but the Galaxy," Lalas said. "A lot of people have made a tremendous amount of money on the back of what the Galaxy has brought to their markets this year and I hope that they remember that going forwards.

"Have we played well? No. But this ridiculous schedule that we have been saddled with in an effort to appease absolutely everybody, on and off the field, has taken its toll."

He does have a point as his side has club has 12 league matches over the next eight weeks, however there are three main problems with his argument.

1. He knew about this schedule a long time ago and could have voiced his anger then.
2. Even when his club was well rested, they were still bottom of the table with a 3-5-4 record through August.
3. LA had October 3rd & 10th off, but Lalas added friendlies on those dates. Instead of a road trip that will take them from KC to Columbus to Houston over two weeks, they will now go KC, Columbus, Vancouver, Houston, Minnesota, all in two weeks and all designed by Lalas.

Don't get me wrong, LA did get a crap schedule handed to them that will help others more then it helps them, however Lalas did not complain about it till his club fell to dirt. In fact he made their schedule even harder by adding late season friendlies.

So Lalas can complain but until he explains away the three items above, he issues just seem a little self-serving. Who would have ever thought Lalas and self-serving would be in the same sentence.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

MLS Expansion - Public to see St. Louis soccer plan

The bid to build a soccer complex in Collinsville, just outside of St. Louis, is heading into the final phase and if bid leader Jeff Cooper has anything to say about it, the public will get to see as much of the proposal as possible.

"I've got to live" in the Metro East, Cooper said. "I don't want people burning down my house because they think I was slipping something by the Collinsville council."

Cooper said he is so confident in the project that he wants residents to be given the opportunity to see any plans "so the public has a chance to shoot holes in it."

The city council is set to look at the deal at their 10 September meeting. Even if they vote in favor of it at that time, the city will not be tied to the project as it will probably depend on the awarding of a MLS franchise to Copper and St. Louis Soccer United.

The full project will include "an 18,500-seat stadium, 240 hotel rooms, at least two restaurants, several youth soccer fields and nearly 500,000 square feet of office and retail space" and cost about $402 million to build. Cooper is asking the city to become a partner in the deal by issuing bonds as well as pay for some of the infrastructure.

It seems that the only part of the plan with which the city takes issue is the number of homes. Cooper calls for 1600, but the city would like there to be less then that.

With rumors suggesting that MLS will announce at least one expansion franchise in the next 30-60 days, this has got to be good news for soccer fans in St. Louis. If Collinsville agrees to the terms, I don't see how MLS could say no.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

2010 World Cup Concacaf qualification process set - US gets bye in first round

Concacaf has announced their qualification structure for the 2010 World Cup and it is remarkably similar to the one used for 2006.

The top 13 teams, based on FIFA's May rankings, in the region get an automatic bye in the first round. These teams include the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Canada, Guyana and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Twenty-two other nations will be drawn into home-home pairings during the qualifying draw on 25 November in Durban South Africa. The 11 winners and St. Vincent will then advance to the second round.

The first round teams will then be drawn into a home-home pairing with the top teams (note that even though St. Vincent is a top team, they will need to play one of the other 12 top teams). The 12 winners of the second round advance to the semifinals.

These 12 teams will be divided into three groups of four. These groups will play home-home series for a total of six matches each. The top two teams in each group advance to the final stage.

The final stage will have six teams play home-home series (10 games each) with the top three earning a spot in South Africa while the fourth place side will have to play a home-home playoff series against the fifth-place team from South American.

So what does this mean for the US? Their next match that matters takes place in the second round, which will probably take place some time in June 2008.

During World Cup 2006 qualification, there was no second round phase for Concacaf.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Thursday Night Soccer - LA vs. Chivas - No matter what happens, Jaime Moreno is still king

Chivas USA (9-6-3) vs. Los Angeles Galaxy (3-8-5)
10pm ET/7pm PT
TV: ESPN 2

The Super Clasico comes to ESPN2 tonight as the teams from LA fight for city pride (but will Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa cheer for his beloved Chivas side or will he wear the Beckham jersey?). In the past, this series has not been so super, however this year things are looking a little different.

The goats, after getting laughed at for the first two seasons of this series now have a good chance of changing things. LA comes into the game hurt and in bad form. They have not won a league match since July 4, and even though their play has picked up since Beckham took the pitch, they are still a low level squad. With both Donovan and Beckham fresh off the plane from Europe, who knows where the Galaxy will turn to jump-start their attack.

Chivas is the quiet team with no real big names that is lurking. With their improved finishing skills and road play starting to look like their outstanding home play, the goats stand an excellent chance of being the out-of-nowhere club for 2007. As far as this match, if Chivas can beat LA, they pretty much kill off the Galaxy's playoff hopes. How sweat would that be for the club?

So what is going to happen? If history is to be a guide, LA will find a way to top their neighbors. Chivas is perfect at homes with the exception of one tie. LA got that tie.
Predictions: Me LA 2-0 CV, Wife LA 3-1 CV

One last note, a big congratulations to DC United's Jaime Moreno for getting his 109th goal last night against New York. It is fantastic that such a classy player holds the record for most goals in MLS play. His playing days might be coming to an end, but he is still fun to watch.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

August FIFA Rankings - US falls but still in top 20

The new FIFA rankings are out and there is not a lot of moving around. All five top teams stayed where they were in July and only one team fell out of the top 20 (Uruguay).

Here is the top 20:

Rank	Team	June Rank	Change
1.	Brazil	1	0
2.	Argentina	2	0
3.	Italy	3	0
4.	France	4	0
5.	Germany	5	0
6.	Croatia	7	+1
7.	Netherlands	6	-1
8.	Spain	9	+1
9.	Czech Republic	11	+2
10.	Portugal	8	-2
11.	Mexico	10	-1
12.	England	12	0
13.	Romania	13	0
14.	Greece	16	+2
15.	Ukraine	17	+2
16.	Cameroon	15	-1
17.	USA	14	-3
18.	Serbia	17	-1
19.	Sweden	20	+1
20.	Poland	21	+1

Team moving into the top 20: Poland.

Team moving out of the top 20: Uruguay

Here is the way Concacaf ranks up:
Rank Team
11 Mexico
17 USA
52 Costa Rica
53 Canada
57 Honduras
63 Trinidad and Tobago
71 Panama
80 Guatemala
88 Haiti
90 Guyana
91 Cuba
95 Jamaica
104 St. Vincent and the Grenadines
119 Barbados
123 Suriname
130 Bermuda
131 Antigua and Barbuda
138 El Salvador
140 Dominican Republic
141 St. Kitts and Nevis
149 Bahamas
154 Nicaragua
156 Grenada
158 St. Lucia
166 Turks and Caicos Islands
177 Netherlands Antilles
179 British Virgin Islands
184 Dominica
185 Cayman Islands
194 Puerto Rico
196 Anguilla
199 Belize
199 US Virgin Islands
199 Montserrat
199 Aruba

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Week 20 Power Ratings and other fun numbers

Week 20 was a fun one for MLS action as just about every game had some bit of entertainment. Also, an interesting trend seems to be going on in league play as 6 of this week's 7 games saw a team shutout to bring August's total for shutouts to 14 out of 16 making it the month with the most shutouts by percentage (87.5%) since April (July 17 of 28 (60.7%), June saw 13 of 30 (43.3%), May 9 of 27 (33.3%), April 17 of 26 (65.4%)). In order to be the month with the most shutouts, four of the remaining 10 matches need to end with a team standing small at zero.

Anyway, here are the regular league numbers 129 games into the season:

	Season	Week 20
Attendance	2,042,069	166,180
Att per game	15,830	23,740
Beckham Att (4*)	168,847	66,237
Beckham Avg Att	42,211	66,237
Goals	332	20
Goals per game	2.573	2.857
Inter-conference	East 24-19-17	Tie 2-2-0
Visitors	34-64-31	4-3-0
Ties	31 (24.0%)	0 (0%)

* Number of MLS matches with Beckham in attendance

One last bit on these numbers, this is the first time this season that the league has gone two weeks in a row without any ties. But onward to the ratings.

The top four remain the top four as they represent the top tier of the league. However, the second tier looks like it might grow soon as LA is looking much better of late while Colorado might be showing some sign of life as well. If Toronto gets healthy, the second tier might make up the majority of the league.

1. New England Revolution (3) - Even strong teams tumble at time and that is what happened against Colorado, however they pulled things right back together in KC. Twellman is looking strong as is the midfield meaning the Revs are ready to compete.

2. DC United (2) - The side underperformed against Columbus but they still came home with the full three points. Fred is a workhorse, now if their defense could just look the same.

3. Houston Dynamo (4) - What a way to make a point with a good effort at home. The team still seems to move a little slow and Corey Ashe didn't seem to know where the coach wanted him to go, but the Dynamo still represent some the best of the league.

4. FC Dallas (Last week - 1) - Dallas is still a tough team but too often, especially on the road, it seems like they want the refs to help them with the game. It is too bad as they are a team that is strong enough to win on their own.

5. New York Red Bull (5) - I said it last week and I'll say it again this week, a well rested New York side is dangerous. When even Clint Mathis is showing pure class, you know you have found something special. If they can keep the level of play close to this, they will be near the top of the East.

6. Chivas USA (8) - The goats are the quiet team in the league and now that their road form is getting better, they might just find a way to pull off a shock in the West. If there is one team that could keep Texas from taking the conference, it is Chivas.

7. Columbus Crew (6) - The Crew have cooled of late as their defense is lapsing and their offense is failing to finish. They need to find a way to hold the ball better if they want to finish strong.

8. Kansas City Wizards (7) - KC is heading to bad, yet familiar territory as they look to be walking towards another late-season slide. If EJ doesn't start scoring soon, this team is heading towards heartbreak.

9. Chicago Fire (9) - Blanco, Blanco, Blanco. It might have been against the worst in the league but it was still a great performance. He has brought some much-needed spark back to the fire.

10. Colorado Rapids (11) - They actually got a win and deserved it. The Rapids smothered and spanked the Revs but I've seen this act before. The question now is can they do it again anytime soon?

11. Los Angeles Galaxy (12) - They might not be getting any points but their play has become something interesting. Beckham is obviously the key to much of what has happened but he is not alone. Now if they could do something, anything about their defense, they might have a chance. Joe Cannon is wonderful but allowing 15 shots on goal is just a bit too much to ask of him.

12. Toronto FC (10) - It looks like the injury bug might be getting somewhat better for the side, but they are still weak from it all. This slide is too much to overcome but they will make some late season pain for others.

13. Real Salt Lake (13) - Alecko Eskandarian and Robbie Findley are back, which should give Kyle Beckerman some good options but a bad team is still a bad team.

Week twenty is now passed the expiration date.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

2007 Week 20 Predictions

After about a month without a full slate, this weekend sees the closest thing MLS can get to such an outing. Twelve of the thirteen teams play this weekend with Sunday being the day were the big guns meet, but a most eyes will be focused on New York Saturday night when LA comes into town. It should be a fun weekend of soccer.

Chivas USA (8-6-3) vs. Toronto FC (5-10-5)
Saturday 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT
TV: Direct Kick
Internet: MLStv
The team who cannot win on the road versus the team that cannot lose at home. Okay, it is not a hundred percent true, but that is the way these teams shape up. Toronto is still soft due to injuries while Chivas has had about a month off from MLS play. If I was a betting man, I'd point to a Chivas win however, I'm just a blogger so I think TFC will find a way to pull something out.
Predictions: Me CV 1-1 TFC, Wife CV 0-1 TFC

DC United (9-6-3) vs. Columbus Crew (6-6-8)
Saturday 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT
TV: HDNet, Direct Kick
Internet: MLStv
United looked less then a team against LA in SuperLiga, but without Beckham on the pitch, will they be able to recover? The Crew has been clicking really nicely of late but the United of recent MLS play will take a lot to beat. My guess is the Crew finds a way to take United to task.
Predictions: Me DC 1-2 CC, Wife DC 2-1 CC

Los Angeles Galaxy (3-7-5) vs. New York Red Bulls (9-7-3)
Saturday 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT
TV: Fox Soccer Channel (30-minute pre&post), FSE
In a lot of ways, this game might decide LA's season. Will they show up the way they did in SuperLiga or will they play like they did last week against New England? Beckham changed the match on Wednesday but will he be able to do it three days later, on the other side of the continent and on turf? NY is old, but they have had a lot of time off of late, which should give them the upper hand, but LA might just be a new team.
Predictions: LA 2-1 NY, Wife LA 1-0 NY

Chicago Fire (5-8-5) vs. Real Salt Lake (2-9-6)
Saturday 9pm ET/6pm PT
TV: Direct Kick
Internet: MLStv
Chicago has kicked it up of late but it has not transferred into a full three points. They are finding ways to control the middle, but they have not pushed it up top. Real is playing the best soccer of the year (if not their history), but they are still a lose luck kind of team. If Blanco is not pressured, he will have a huge game against Real.
Predictions: Me CF 3-1 RSL, Wife CF 2-0 RSL

FC Dallas (11-6-3) vs. Houston Dynamo(10-7-4)
Sunday 7pm ET/4pm PT
TV: Galavision
This match very easily could decide the winner of the Western Conference. Houston is coming off a rough couple of weeks and will probably still be a little tired from their SuperLiga outing. FC Dallas has had a full week off but is still hurting due to injury. FCD proved that they are a full team last weekend, but they do not play well on the road to Houston. The Dynamo should get their first win for their new jersey sponsor.
Predictions: Me FCD 0-2 HD, Wife FCD 1-2 HD

New England Revolution (10-5-6) vs. Kansas City Wizards (8-6-5)
Sunday 8pm ET/5pm PT
TV: Direct Kick
Internet: MLStv
KC might be in fourth place, but they stand a real could chance of challenging for the top of the East, but to get their they must beat NE. KC has found new ways of scoring thanks to Eddie Johnson pulling defenders towards him. The Revs are hurting, as showed by their total crap performance against the Rapids, but they seldom fall twice in a row. However, I think Sunday is the day the Revs drop another one.
Prediction: Me NE 0-1 KC, Wife NE 2-0 KC

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Thursday Night Soccer - NE vs. Rapids - Can the Rapids not suck?

New England Revolution (10-4-6) vs. Colorado Rapids (5-9-6)
9pm ET/6pm PT
TV: ESPN2

New England rolls into town looking to take sole possession of first place in MLS with a result against the Rapids. Colorado actually comes in on a winning streak (yes, 1 game is a streak), however it was nothing but luck that they sit where they do.

The Revolution have picked up their attack of late, however Michael Parkhurst has a knee sprain, so he might not be able to help get their game move from the back. Then again, this is Colorado they are playing, so there is a very good chance the Revs backline will not see anything close to trouble.

Colorado is a team that creates very little but they know how to bunker down (sort of like Guatemala). It doesn't make for a pretty game, but it can be enough to frustrate the opposition into a tie. If NE expects to just come in a take the match without a struggle, they will end up disappointed.
Predictions: Me NE 2-0 CR, Wife NE 2-0 CR

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

2007 SuperLiga - Can DC smack LA again?

DC United vs. LA Galaxy
10pm ET/7pm PT - Los Angeles
TV: TeleFutura
Internet: Live on MLStv or SuperLiga website

From one coast to the next in less then a week and this time it's not just for three points. Everything points to DC running away with this one as the injury issue has only got worse for LA, but then there is Beckham. He wants to go at least 45-minutes and although he is not the savor, he is a game changer. The way he can pinpoint passes and free kicks could finally be what the Galaxy need. LA's biggest problem is their shocking ability to give away the ball in midfield, but that could change tonight.

United, on the other hand, has a healthy side and Fred is really looking amazing in the middle. Combine that with some good defense and an expanding playing area and you have a DC side on the rise. For United to beat LA for the second time in six days, they will need to force the issue. If Beckham is on the pitch, there is a good chance that almost every pass will be heading his way. If DC can exploit this known event, they could counter any positive it gives LA.

In the end, I think LA will play better then they have in a long time (not saying much), but United will be able to wait them out and get a win to advance to the $1 million final.
Predictions: Me DC 2-1 LA, Wife DC 3-0 LA

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

2007 MLS Week 19 Power Ratings

The long run of Houston at the top of the ratings comes to an end this week after the perplexing defeat in Colorado. Other then that, most of the list stays the same.

1. FC Dallas (Last week - 2) - A strong Crew team kept them busy, but they still found a way to pull out a win, even when going down a man. In the past, injuries have killed FCD but this year it looks like they might have the bench to survive and thrive.

2. DC United (3) - Fred in the middle is pure power. United still fluctuates in quality during matches but the periods in the bad zone are getting much less frequent. Still, how do you only get 1 goal out of a LA side you ran into the ground for over an hour?

3. New England Revolution (4) - Much like DC before them, they showed a solid team that pushed forward yet could only get one goal out of LA. On top of that, their defense has some holes that better clubs will abuse.

4. Houston Dynamo (1) - Back-to-back defeats at Salt Lake and Colorado is not a confidence builder. In both games they played the better 90-minutes but they are failing to find goal again. Maybe it is SuperLiga fatigue, but with a big showdown coming this weekend against Dallas, they need to change course soon.

5. New York Red Bull (6) - A well rested New York side is dangerous. The great news for them, once they get out of August, they don't play more then one game a week for the rest of the season. This should give the old legs enough to provide Jozy Altidore and Juan Pablo Angel what they need.

6. Columbus Crew (5) - This team has some great flow and energy these days but it only lasts about 70-minutes. If they can improve their stamina, the Crew will play in the post season.

7. Kansas City Wizards (7) - The Wizards had the week off, as I'm sure you noticed from the lack of fans in their stadium. Um, you did notice didn't you?

8. Chivas USA (8) - Chivas got to hold out of MLS play for another week and everyone cried. Actually, if they can do anything with their road form, they will challenge for the Cup.

9. Chicago Fire (10) - Chicago was off this week meaning Blanco has gone almost a full month in the MLS without a red card. All those bookies were wrong.

10. Toronto FC (9) - Injuries show Toronto to be without depth. Still a fun team to watch but do not have the talent this year to go anywhere.

11. Colorado Rapids (11) - The Rapids win their first game since May but can't even claim that it was anything other then a fluke. Counting on the other side to score goals for you will only get you so far. Even with a victory, this team looks pathetic.

12. Los Angeles Galaxy (12) - Wrecked by injuries and playing some of the most uninspiring soccer ever, ladies and gentleman the jewel of MLS. There doesn't seem to be any improvement week-to-week with this club. If they don't get 7-points from their next three league matches, Becks and the boys will get an extended winter holiday (which I'm sure Lalas will use to schedule nine more friendlies).

13. Real Salt Lake (13) - Real has decided to just end their season now and go out on a high not. I mean really, they've got a winning streak going, why ruin it by playing some matches?

Week nineteen has now crusted over and been sealed closed.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

MLS Expansion: St. Louis's stadium deal

Co push to bring professional soccer back to the St. Louis area might be about to pay off as his group, St. Louis Soccer United, has proposed a stadium deal to the Collinsville City Council that, if approved, would all but guarantee the city a MLS club.

The $100 million stadium complex includes an "18,900-seat stadium, a hotel, at least two restaurants, about 1,000 single-family homes, several youth soccer fields and nearly 500,000 square feet of office and retail space." Cooper is asking Collinsville to invest $20 million in bonds to get the project started.

As far as the money is concerned, Cooper says, "The city stands to make $40 million to $50 million above and beyond the bonds in the first 10 years. What we're prepared to do is put an $80 million to $100 million investment into Collinsville, and we're asking the city to help us out with some of that with taxes that will be paid off from the project."

If this stadium deal is approved, Cooper believes that it will be ready for the 2009 season.

St. Louis Soccer United launched their web site today to explain their plan for the stadium and for their future club. On the site, they give a great description of the stadium:

The project's soccer-specific stadium will be among the next generation of MLS stadiums striving to capture the intimacy and excitement of the European game. It will incorporate a roof structure which fully covers the seating areas to help mitigate inclement weather conditions and hold in the sound of the crowd. The project design team contributed significantly regarding the stadium's interaction with the surrounding spaces. For example, the orientation of the stadium club and associated veranda to the park and youth soccer pitches (referred to as "the mall") are situated to provide an unobstructed view from the club over the town square and the mall to the downtown St. Louis skyline in the background.

St. Louis is a huge part of America's soccer tradition and it is a shame that MLS is not there. However, it looks like Cooper and Soccer United might just be the perfect group to change all this.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

LA 0-1 DC - Beckham shows something but United get the points

Los Angles Galaxy 0-1 DC United
The fans at RFK got just about everything they wanted as Beckham played, Emilio scored and United won. Not a bad way to spend a night.

During the first half, ESPN kept showing Beckham on the sideline and mentioning how angry he looked but I'd be pissed as well if my club played as horrible as his did in the first 45. LA was getting nothing moving and could not hold a ball to save Donovan's life. Meanwhile United, thanks in large part to the work of Fred in the middle were everywhere while Gros and Olsen were having standout matches.

The second half saw LA actually start playing a serious match and not losing the ball with every touch, but it was United's Jaime Moreno that caused the most excitement. He was running at balls and putting himself into position. If only he could have kept his shots down, he might have broken the MLS record for goals.

And then it was time, Beckham entered the match and he showed what he could bring to the Galaxy. Even though they were down a man, LA was suddenly moving forward and controlling the tempo. Between enforcing calm and directed his players, Becks also found time to place a few near perfect passes including one that almost set Donovan free in the United box. LA played United close for the final 20-minutes and actually looked like they could get a tie out it. In short, this was the best the Galaxy looked all year and is reason enough for people to not write the club's season off.

Now a few other things about the match. How was that take down of Donovan by Devon McTavish in the box not a penalty? It was a textbook example of a play that should result in a pk. United was extremely lucky with that call.

Hopefully the league will give LA's Kyle Martino a huge fine for his disgusting tackle on Fred. As the video showed, Fred is lucky to be walking today.

What does it take for ESPN to actually call the match taking place right in front of them. Stop talking about the NASL or American's in Europe or Barry Bonds and talk about the action happening in the game. At least three times there was action taking place in the box and the ESPN boys were talking about something else. Eric Wynalda made a big deal about how MLS needs to focus less on getting fans from other sports and more on getting the soccer fans that already existence, yet he spent most of his time on mic not calling the game. Does he really think fans of European soccer want to hear about the hairstyles of players (or whatever garbage they were talking about)? It really is a simple concept, if the action on the pitch isn't exciting enough for the people who are being paid to pay attention to the game, why should anyone else. If ESPN wants them to talk about all this other stuff then why not either do it at halftime (like they do in the NFL and NBA) or, crazy idea, have a 30-minute pre-game show.

But let's end on a happy note, seeing RFK full for a soccer match was wonderful. Let's hope a number of those fans liked what they saw and return again soon.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

England has never had any impact on world football - FIFA VP goes after 2018 England World Cup big

The decision on the location for the 2018 World Cup is still 5-years away but that hasn't stopped FIFA VP and Concacaf President Jack Warner from attacking England's plans as if it was the final month of a tight political campaign.

Warner, who is very good at using the sport of soccer to enhance his own financial situation, lead heavy into England's hopes in an interview with BBC World Service to air on Saturday. Warner thinks that even if the 2018 finals were held in Europe, England would not get them because "nobody in Europe likes England."

He went on to say: "England - who invented the sport - has never had any impact on world football. England at no time has had the love and support of Europe. For Europe, England is an irritant." Those are some heavy words.

At the center of all this is the fact that Concacaf would be denied a chance to host the finals if the rotational system is scrapped.

There are moves to give it to England. I must fight that.

I really don't believe that we should just lay down and play dead to anyone who wants to take the World Cup from CONCACAF.

I know in FIFA there are those persons who believe the rules should be changed to satisfy Europe but I tell you this today we shall fight it to the very end.

I'm sure Warner's motives for bringing the games to the region in 2018 have at least as much to do with personal desire as they do confederation pride, but this is an interesting theme he is playing. If he can try to play the rest of the world vs. Europe, he might be able to force FIFA's hand.

I'm no fan of Warner, but I do like that he is standing up for Concacaf. Now how much of what he says is just blowing hot wind to try and land some other benefit and how much of it is sincere, we'll find out over the next few years. But for now, don't expect to see Warner having high tea with Steve McClaren at Wembley anytime soon.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

MLS Expansion - Seattle is very close

According to the Seattle Times, the city of Seattle is very close to landing a MLS franchise for the 2009 season.

"There's pretty high-level conversations going on right now about MLS," (Sounders managing partner Adrian) Hanauer said earlier Tuesday on KJR radio about MLS expansion to Seattle. "There's a lot of progress being made and lot of conversations happening.

"I'd say this thing is further along than it's ever been. There's a high, high likelihood that MLS will be here in the not-too-distant future."

In another bit of interesting news, US goalkeeper Kasey Keller was in attendance to watch the Seattle Sounders pound the Colorado Rapids last night. Keller, who currently has no club to call home has been approached by the Sounders to play for the club.

He has ruled out a move to the USL in the past, however, here comes my wild speculation, if Seattle was given a MLS team to start play in 2009, maybe Keller would play a year in the USL with the Sounders knowing that he would move up to the MLS the next year. He has said that he would love to play in the MLS if there was a team in Seattle so maybe it might happen.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

2007 US Open Cup Quarterfinal results - FCD moves along, Colorado is humiliated

Three of the four quarterfinals are over and the news for the MLS is mixed as FC Dallas pulled out a win while Seattle destroyed Colorado in amazing fashion. In the lone USL vs. USL meeting, Carolina held out against Richmond to advance to the semifinals.

However, the collapse of Colorado has got to be the story of the night. Down three at halftime, they shifted to a three-man backline to increase their offense only to see things get even worse. With the way this club looked tonight added to their current MLS form, one has to wonder what it would take for Fernando Clavijo to get fired. Don't get me wrong, I like Clavijo but his club is heading backwards in a hurry and something needs to change.

FC Dallas was the only road team to win on the night meaning home sides are 28 for 35 in this year's open.

Richmond looked good through out their match with Carolina but the Railhawks just had a little more push in this one.

Game Number Date, Teams, Venue, Time
33 August 8, Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2) at NE Revolution (MLS), Gilette Stadium; Foxborough, Mass., 7:30 pm ET
34 August 7, Richmond Kickers (USL-2) 0-1 Carolina Railhawks (USL-1)
35 August 7, FC Dallas (MLS) 2-1 Charleston Battery (USL-1)
36 August 7, Colorado Rapids (MLS) 0-5 Seattle Sounders (USL-1)

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

England's coach coming to DC to see Beckham and MLS standard of play

England's national team coach Steve McClaren will be among the thousands of people at RFK stadium on Thursday to watch DC United take on the LA Galaxy. McClaren will be there to talk with Beckham regarding his recovery from injury as well as judge the standard of play in the MLS.

'I know David has been struggling with injury and has not played yet but I intend to go over and have a chat with him to see how he is.

'I definitely need to speak with his coach (Frank Yallop) and the director of football (Alexei Lalas) as well, but I also need to watch an MLS game in the flesh and have a look at the standard.

'A lot of people have been writing things about the standard of football over there.

'But I need to see it myself and make that judgment rather than other people.'

McClaren will announce his roster for England's August 22nd friendly against Germany next week, and even though Beckham will likely not be on it, this was the best time for him to fit in a trip to the US to take in a game.

With a crowd of over 50,000 a possibility and a DC United team that is looking to move ever closer to the top of the East, this should be a very good match for McClaren to watch.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Beckham out of Toronto FC match

Beckham has ruled himself out of tomorrow's match with Toronto FC.

"Today was the first time I've run and running straight forward is not a problem but turning corners is still a problem for me at the moment," Beckham told reporters after a morning practice session.

"I don't think I will be involved in the game tomorrow unfortunately," he added. "Unless there is a drastic change I won't be on the pitch tomorrow."

This is sure to ruffle some feathers in Toronto but probably not as many as it did in Dallas. In his interview concerning tomorrow's match, he did talk about the whole mess in Dallas: "I know I've been criticized for not appearing in Dallas but, like I said before, I'm here for five years not just this year."

ESPN2 will still carry the match tomorrow, however they might change the 30-minute pregame, which was going to focus around Beckham. However, the network will get another chance of televising Becks first match when they carry the LA-DC match live this Thursday.

Missing this match will probably give the league another black eye, however there is some good news as it looks like Beckham will not be called back to England to play a friendly against Germany later this month due to the injury.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]