US 3-0 Poland - We kill you with set pieces, player grades

US 3-0 Poland

Set them up and we'll knock them down. The US rolled over a difficult Polish side thanks to their amazing ability to confuse the defense on free kicks. All three goals were the result of plays from dead ball situation.

Overall the team held together well with the defense looking particularly sharp. Tim Howard had a very easy night in front of net thanks to the work down in front of him. In the midfield, the US won a lot of the possession game and had limited give aways. Up top, well things need improvement.

Any goal is a good goal, so I am not knocking the result, but it would be so nice to get a goal from the run of play (I think I wrote the same thing about the U23s). There is no doubt that America has improved over the last 6 years, but if they want to run with the big boys, a pure striker is needed.

So how did everyone do? Here are my player grades:

Starting XI
Tim Howard (GK) - Didn't have to do much, but he did it when needed. Did a good job organizing the defense. Grade: A
Steve Cherundolo (D) - Kept the right side clear. The couple times he did get beat, he made some good tickles to get the ball back. A-
Oguchi Onyewu (D) - He played a smart, physical game, which closed down options in the center for Poland and didn't earn him a card. This was his best game for the national team in over a year. A
Carlos Bocanegra (D) - He might not be getting the playing time at Fulham, but he still has something. He did get turned a couple times, but he also helped Pearce on the left. Add to it a goal and you have a good night. B
Heath Pearce (D) - Left back is still the weakest position in the US lineup, but Pearce made a good case for himself on the night. His one weak point, bad clearances. B-
Landon Donovan (M) - Landon finally shows something in Europe. His passing was precise, he got back to help on defense and he made himself open for the attack. If only he had finished the breakaway, it would have been a fantastic night. As far as dead balls, I guess Beckham has taught him something. A
Ricardo Clark (M) - Stopped some attacks, but misread plays a bit too often. C+
Michael Bradley (M) - Not a breakout night, but he did a lot of little things, including picking a few pockets. B+
Clint Dempsey (M) - He always seems frustrated these days. His play is still creative, but he never gets the ball in a place where he seems to want it. B
Brian Ching (F) - I'm sure some folks will disagree but Ching showed well. He used his physicality to push his way into space and did okay on the ball. As a target man, he gave the mids a good extra option, which force Poland to double cover him at times. Still needs to speed up his game for the international level and needs to make more of his chances. B-
Eddie Johnson (F) - I really like Johnson, but he has been lost on the pitch for a long time now. He just doesn't seem to see the game happening around him and he is scared to take the shot. C-

Subs
Josh Wolff (F) - On for Ching in the 63'. Found his space and placed some good balls. Still making a case for a start. B+
Jay DeMerit (D) - On for Onyewu in the 63'. Proof that there is some serious depth developing in the center back position. A-
Eddie Lewis (M) - On for Donovan in the 64'. Well maybe he is in the running for a 2010 spot. His free kick was perfect and his field play was strong as well. A-
Jonathan Spector (D) - On for Cherundolo in the 72'. Nice work to keep a clean sheet late and he knows how to get the ball out of the danger zone. B+
Benny Feilhaber (M) - On for Pearce in the 85'. He wasn't in much, but he did make a little noise. His game looked better, but with just 8 minutes of playing time, I can't really grade him. No grade.

Subs not used: Marcus Hahnemann (GK), Cory Gibbs (D)

Goals:
USA - Carlos Bocanegra 12',Oguchi Onyewu 35', Eddie Lewis 73'

One last grade, the new away jersey. Simple black with blood red accents. Looks far better then the home kit. Maybe basic black is the way to go, I mean it is so slimming. A

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

US-Poland starting lineup

Here is the official lineup for the US:

-------------------------Howard---------------------------

Cherundolo----Onyewu----Bocanegra (c)-------Pearce

Dempsey------Clark---------Bradley----------Donovan

------------------Ching----------Johnson----------------

Donovan over on the left to help Pearce out is a smart move by Bob Bradley, however it will probably force Donovan into more of a defensive, less wondering style of game.

Ching getting the start, didn't see that one coming. Look for Clark and Bradley to aim more then a few balls in the air his way. It will be interesting to see how the Hawaiian does in the snow of Poland.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Guss Hiddink to stay with Russia through 2010

Guss Hiddink is to every international team what Jrgen Klinsmann was to US Soccer. Meaning, every time a spot becomes available, his name is thrown into the ring.

But it looks like Hiddink has gone the way of Klinsmann and taken his name out of consideration for at least two years as he has signed a new contract with Russia through 2010. This, combined with their relatively easy group draw, means Russia has a good chance of making it to South Africa.

If he does, it will just be a continuation of his streak that includes the Netherlands (1998), South Korea (2002) and Australia (2006).

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

MLS Expansion - Seattle names down to three, Sounders not an option - Poll

The future MLS team based in Seattle is very close to announcing a name, but first they want a vote. Starting next Thursday, March 27, through March 31, the team will allow fans to vote on the teams name.

As far as the names from which voters will be selecting, "(t)he three naming options will be announced Tuesday, March 25, and were chosen through fan focus groups, internal committees and fan suggestions, but will not include Sounders."

So no, no to Sounders, but what are the other choices? Obviously nothing official as yet, but the Seattle Times has them pegged as Seattle FC, Seattle Alliance and Seattle Republic.

Although I have a feeling Seattle FC will win, I really hope it does not. Between Dallas and Toronto, the league has enough FC's in it, especially for Major League Soccer.

As far as Alliance or Republic, it's like Star Wars all over again. Damn that Rebel Alliance and their desire for a New Republic.

Anyway, I like Republic, because it relates to the historical idea of a separate Northwest state such as Cascadia. A nice tie in to local history, even if it is only subtle, is always a good thing. The downside, fans would probably be called Republicans and that might not go down so well in Seattle.

Alliance is better then FC, but I'm not really sure what they are aligning.

In the end, it will probably end up Seattle FC with some sort of nickname like the 'greens' or 'emeralds of the pitch.'

So what is your choice?



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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

2008 Concacaf Champions Cup - Houston looks for first KO of the year; DC United dominates

Houston Dynamo - CSD Municipal
Team tied 0-0 in first leg
8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
Robertson Stadium
TV: Fox Soccer Channel
Radio: KBME 790AM (Eng)
Tickets

Tonight, for the first time since winning the MLS Cup last November, the Houston Dynamo return to their home pitch and they need a win if they want to keep their chances of becoming the top club team in the world alive. However, to do so, they must get past a very tough side in CSD Municipal.

The two played a feisty game last week in Guatemala that saw a number of quality chances for both sides, but no goals.

If the Dynamo are to win this match, they will need another fantastic performance from, drum roll please, Dwayne De Rosario. With Stuart Holden and Brad Davis unavailable for the match, his team will again look to the Canadian to be their engine. He will need to push the offense by sending in good balls to Ching and Wondolowski as well as taking some long-range shots to force Municipal's defense out of their box. He will also need to work with Ricardo Clark to prevent Municipal from cracking their defense.

The Dynamo's backline looked good in Guatemala, but Mario Rodriguez and Freddy Garcia still managed to make trouble and it is only due to the great work of goalkeeper Pat Onstad that Houston did not lose the match late. They can expect more of the same tonight.

Even with their issues, Houston still has the edge in this one. Everyone will be looking to Ching to provide the goals as their score pool is limited, but Ching has this habit of finding the net when he needs to. Add to it the best defensive line in the league and it should be enough to get them into the semifinals.

Predictions:
Me HD 1-0 Municipal
Wife HD 1-0 Municipal


DC United 5-0 Harbour View
DC wins series 6-1

What a home opener for DC United. On a pitch that might be the best in America, United demolished Jamaica's Harbour View thanks in huge part to the efforts of Fred. He was all over the place on the night. Making the needed tackles to stop breaks while providing perfect passes to setup DC's attack.

Although the first 45 minutes were tight, at no time did the outcome ever seem in doubt. And once United figured out Harbour's offside trap in the second half, the real damage began. Luciano Emilio picked up where he left off last season while Devon McTavish managed a brace to run his campaign total up to three goals from two matches. Really, Devon McTavish.

Santino Quaranta came on in the 64' and had an immediate effect on his side. He cut through the tired Harbour backline and generally caused havoc in front of goal. His two assists are a testament to what he brought into the game and as long as he doesn't let stuff like this go to his head, he looks to be on his way to playing a significant role in United's season.

If there is a downside for DC from all this it is the lack of action their defense saw on the night. No matter who they face in the next round, they will face a tougher test in their final third. Nothing really stood out as a major issue last night but that might be due to the lack of force from Harbour them the strength of the back.

Goals:
DC United: Devon McTavish 26', Luciano Emilio 63', 66', Devon McTavish 68', Fred 88'

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Roma and San Jose Earthquakes soon to be linked

MLS's own San Jose Earthquakes might be about to get a powerhouse corporate big brother as 'Quakes co-owner John J. Fisher has been linked again to a purchase of Italian heavyweights AS Roma. Fisher has been pursuing the club since last summer.

One of the main issues Fisher will need to overcome if he does moves to own Roma is the image American owners have thanks in large part to what has happened in the EPL. Although Italy is a very different league, Fisher would keep current club President Franco Sensi on as honorary President.

With $2.4 billion in wealth and a proven history in the game, Fisher might just be the person to prove that American ownership of a top soccer side does have to be horrible.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

2008 Concacaf Champions Cup - Can DC ruin Harbour's View?

DC United - Harbour View
Teams tied 1-1 in first leg
7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT
TV: Fox Soccer Channel
Radio: WFED 1050AM (Eng), WACA 1540 AM (Spn)

DC United returns home for the first time since November with the hope that home pitch advantage will give them the extra boost needed to send them into the next round of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

After a rough showing in Jamaica for the first leg, DC hopes the improved playing surface at RFK will allow them to play a game based on their strengths, i.e. passing and speed. If so, we can probably expect a solid night from Marcelo Gallardo who, even in Jamaica, had some dangerous moments.

However, DC will miss Jaime Moreno due to a hamstring injury suffered in the first leg, which will probably result in 5 foot 4 Franco Niell getting his first start for the club. The question he will need to answer is if he has had enough time to work out his role with striker partner Luciano Emilio?

On the Harbour View side of things, they are missing two key players due to visa issues. Both midfielder Kemeel Wolfe and striker Rafiek Thomas were denied access to the US for unknown reasons. Since both of them were very important to their sides 1-1 draw in the first leg, this is a big blow for Harbour.

The good news for the Jamaicans, defender Christopher Harvey is back after serving a one game suspension. Harvey will help steady Harbour's back line and will probably be all over Niell. Combine their improved backline with the strength of midfielder Richard Edwards and forward Kemar Petrekin and United should have a busy night ahead of them.

That said, I've got to go with DC for this one due to the strength of their passing game. This will allow the team to slip in behind Harbour's defense and get some great shots on goal.

It will be a struggle, but United will win.

Predictions:
Me DC 3-1 HV
Wife DC 2-1 HV

One last thing, lets hope Jamaica and the US can change their rules so future teams will not have to face such visa problems.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Olympic Qualifying - Mexico fails to reach the Olympics

Mexico 5-1 Haiti

Even with a win, Mexico fails to make it out of their group. In a match where they played up a man for an hour, had a penalty kick (which was stopped) and had at least three open shots on goal, there is no reason for Mexico to have failed to get the needed six goals, but they did.

Haiti just collapsed in the final 15-minutes giving Mexico numerous three or four on none breaks, but Mexico could not make the most of them.

Overall, this was one of the strangest soccer matches I've ever seen as even when Haiti was getting stomped in the back, they still seemed to place the majority of their team up top. Add to it a red card for a Haitian player on the bench and another for some odd flight call and you've got a heck of a way to finish up group play.

This means Mexico will fail to make the Olympics for the first time since 1984 and that the US will face Canada on Thursday night in Nashville.

One last thing, I'm guessing Leonel Saint Preux is every Canadian's best friend tonight (he got Haiti's lone goal).

Update: One more last think, Haiti's goalkeeper Johnny Placide was fantastic on the night. I know that seems strange with 5 goals getting past him but he basically played the entire Mexican team by himself for the second half. He stopped shots that he had no right to stop and is the biggest reason Mexico is not going to Beijing. Okay, the biggest reason was Mexico's failure to make anything of their huge number of chances, but you get the point. So when will Hugo Snchez get the boat for this one?

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Olympic Qualifying - Does the US even want to win?

US vs. Honduras
7pm ET/4pm PT
TV: Fox Soccer Channel

With Panama dispatching Cuba 4-1, the US is assured of advancing to the knockout round, now the question is what spot will they take? If they can pull of a win against a decent Honduras side, they will take first. Anything less and they stay in the second spot.

Over in group B last night, both Mexico and Canada lost meaning that the best either side can hope for is a second place finish. So if the US do not win tonight, the earliest they could face either North American team is the final.

Does that mean they should play for the tie? In a word, no. Guatemala did not beat Mexico on a fluke, they played the better game. Same goes for Haiti over Canada. With neither Mexico or Canada looking fantastic, facing them might be the best way to go. Still, like all tournaments done over a short period of time, a good team one day can be a crap team the next.

Which brings us to the US and Honduras. With both teams already in the knockout phase, don't expect many stars. Such enough, here is the lineup:

---------------Cervi---------------
Hill----Ianni----Orozco---Freeman

Zizzo---Holden-Kljestan--Gaven

-------Findley----Barrett--------

It is great to see Holden in the middle as he was outstanding on Thursday night. If he can combine with Findley and help provide some cover for fellow Houston Dynamo Ianni, the US will be alright on the right side.

Kljestan has also proved himself during this tournament, so he and Holden will be expected to be the fire for the team.

It looks like Peter Nowak is using this game as a test of yet another formation, so I don't think he is overly worried about the result. I even think that if Charlie Davies was not riding a yellow, he would be included in it.

Overall, I'm guessing the team will take a win, but they are more interested in seeing how different players react with each other.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Confederations Cup spot earns US soccer $1.4 million

FIFA has placed $17.6 million into the prize fund for next year's Confederations Cup in South Africa.

"The winners will receive $3.75 million and the runners-up $3.25 million, while the team finishing third will get $2.75 million with $2.25-million going to the fourth-placed country. The other participants will each receive $1.4 million."

The US joins South Africa, Brazil, Italy, Egypt and Iraq in the Confederations Cup. The winner of Euro 2008 and the Oceania Nations Cup will fill the final two spots.

So where will this money go? Hopefully it will be used to improve the youth system in the US. The better the facilities, coaches and training are for the younger players, the better the national team will be in the next decade.

As far as the Confederations Cup, this will be a test run for South Africa. With five World Cup venues being used, we should have a better understanding of just how many glitches we can expect during 2010. Also, since fewer fans travel for the Confederations Cup, this should give the locals a great chance to see some top quality soccer.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

2008 Concacaf Champions Cup - We are all DC and Houston fans tonight

The pretending stops tonight as two MLS sides final take to the pitch in games the matter. Both DC United and the Houston Dynamo will represent MLS and American soccer over the next few weeks as they try to earn the Concacaf spot in the FIFA World Club Cup this December.

Last year, both teams looked strong in the Concacaf Champions Cup, but fell in the semifinals to their Mexican opponents.

For the opening round, DC United will play Jamaica's Harbour View while the Dynamo get Guatemalan side CSD Municipal. With both MLS teams still in preseason, these games will not be easy.

DC United at Harbour View
8pm ET/5pm PT
TV: Fox Soccer Channel

Harbour View is in the middle of a very bad run of play, winning just one of their last eight domestic games, plus they might be without striker and former Metrostar Fabian Taylor. I can't tell for sure, but I think he has signed with Norwegian side Notodden FK. The teams website has a news release about Taylor, but sadly my Norwegian fails me at the moment, so I'm not sure what exactly it says. However, I see that there is a poll on the right hand side asking who the team's top scorer will be this season and he is listed as an option.

If it is true that Taylor is gone, United will want to send a big thank you across the Atlantic. Without Taylor, Kavin Byran, who is just back from injury, will need to take over things on top. DC get another break as defender Christopher Harvey is suspended for the match due to a red card from Harbour's qualifier last December.

All of this should allow United time to organize and settle. Their main concern for this match will be stamina as none of them are truly match fit. To combat this, they will need their midfield, lead by designated player Marcelo Gallardo, to control the game. If DC's defense is chasing balls for most of the first half, Harbour will pull out a surprise.

In the end, I think it will be a little bit of a struggle, but DC should get out of Jamaica will no less then a tie.

Predictions: Me DC 1-1 HV, Wife DC 2-1 HV

One last thing, I'm not sure Harbour View coach Lenworth Hyde Sr. fully understands the CCC as he said, "Going out there today we can't give up any goals. The away goal rule is in effect so we have to be very disciplined defensively." The CCC does not use the away goal rule like they do in Europe. Never a good side when your coach doesn't know what type of game needs to be played.


Houston Dynamo vs. CSD Municipal
10pm ET/7pm PT
TV: Fox Soccer Channel

Municipal are also in the middle of a bad streak as they have lost their last two matches 1-0 and have dropped to third in the league, however they still have plenty of class, most of which has spent some time in MLS.

Fredy Garca spent some time with Columbus, but never really achieved much in their midfield. However, back home with Municipal, he has proven himself to be a threat at any moment. The combination of Garca with Fred Thompson (not the former presidential candidate) has proven very difficult for teams to break.

But Houston's biggest concern is probably on their own side of the ball. Right now the club is missing a number of midfielders due to injury and Olympic call-ups. Adding to these problems is the lack of cohesion in the back and a bunch of unknowns up top and it might be difficult for the Dynamo to come out of Latin America with anything good.

For this to work, Houston needs an outstanding performance by Dwayne De Rosario with Ricardo Clark picking up the problems before they get to the back line. When they do sneak through, Waibel, Robinson and Barrett will need to watch Bobby Boswell as he is the new man to their lineup.

This one will probably be a bit of a slog as Municipal is very happy to play the foul game. Don't forget Carlos Ruiz played here during his formative days and he still shows what he learned every time he steps out of the pitch (watch out Ricardo Clark).

Predictions: Me HD 1-2 Municipal, Wife HD 2-1 Municipal


So why are we all DC and Houston fans tonight? Simple, if soccer in America ever hopes to gain respect both internationally and locally, we need all teams to win on the international level. If MLS wins the region, they will have a chance to play a major team from Europe or South America in a meaningful competition, which will give the league a chance to catch additional eyeballs. The more people that pay attention to MLS, the better it, and the people that play in it, become.

Full Concacaf Champions Cup schedule here.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Re-live Donovan's 35 international goals

It was just under two-weeks ago that Landon Donovan officially became the all-time US Men's goal scorer. To celebrate this achievement, US Soccer has put together a fantastic trip down memory lane as they look back at all 35 goals.

Just launch the interactive viewer and you will be able to see the location of every shot, plus you can watch the video of the goal (I've got to admit, I'm a sucker for this sort of thing).

US Soccer also breaks down the goals by month, year, opponent, venue, minute, etc. Lots of good stuff here, although the one stat that stands out more then any other is not the most positive.

By Country
Grenada - 1 (2.8%)
Panama - 1 (2.8%)
Korea - 2 (5.8%)
USA - 31 (88.6%)

Although the US has played a majority of their matches on home soil over the last eight years, the 88.6% figure is still high. Any way you look at it, it is a bit disconcerting that so many of his goals have taking place in the states. With all the World Cup Qualifiers played throughout Concacaf, I would have thought a few other nations would be on the list.

Looking over the other stats, I think I have discovered Landon's perfect game scenario: US vs. Cuba in a Gold Cup competition in early June at Gillette Stadium. He would start and play the whole match. Odds are he would net a goal in the second half (60% of his goals have come in the second 45), with a good chance of it being in the final 15-minutes (26% of his goals came between the 76-90th minutes).

So enjoy wasting some time look back at the international goals of Landon Donovan.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Nowak names his US Olympic Qualifying roster

Peter Nowak has selected the roster that he thinks will return the US men to the Olympic games. After an impressive showing in 2000, the U-23s won their qualifying group in 2004 but lost to Mexico in the semifinals and missed a trip to Athens.

The US should have a good chance of taking their group again this time around, however the question is can Mexico do the same or will they finish in second and force another semifinal showdown? Either way, this roster looks to be the best U-23 group the US has ever put forward, so they should be ready.

Here is Peter Nowak's full Olympic Qualifying roster:

GK (2): Dominic Cervi (out of contract), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

D (7): Hunter Freeman (New York Red Bulls), Kamani Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

M (7): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96)

F (4): Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire),
Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

Jonathan Spector (West Ham United) is on this roster even though he was not called into the final training camp early this month. Oddly enough Benny Feilhaber (Derby County) did not make the final roster. Not sure if he suffered an injury, was called back to his club or just didn't fit in with Nowak's plans.

Overall, this is a great group, however there seems to be some weakness in the back. Look for Spector to play a big roll. I'll be watching Orozco as I haven't really followed him much in the Mexican league. He might just be the surprise of the group.

As far as which teams have the most players on the list, Real Salt Lake have the most with three while Houston, New York and Toronto each have two.

The US gets things started on Tuesday against Cuba at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Fox Soccer Channel and ESPN Deportes will air all the matches live. ESPN360.com will also stream the matches on the internet.

Here is the full Concacaf Olympic qualifying schedule.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

MLS Expansion - Philadelphia sells 2,000 season tickets in a week

In just one week, the new Philadelphia MLS side has sold more then 2,000 season tickets for their inaugural 2010 campaign. Not bad for a team that doesn't have a signal player, coach or date for any games.

This is a really strong showing, however I'm sure more then a few folks in Seattle are unimpressed with Phillys numbers since they sold 3,000 season tickets within the first 24-hours of their MLS announcement. That said, Seattle has a built in advantage as they already have a strong soccer team in the market (USL's Seattle Sounders), they have a stadium (Quest field) and they had less time till their kicked off their MLS life (15-months compared to 25 for Philadelphia).

One other thing, why is there no link off MLS's home page to the new Philadelphia team? Seattle is linked up top, why not Philadelphia?

If you are interested in buying season tickets for 2010 or just learning a bit more about the future team, here is the Philadelphia MLS web site. On a side note, why is there a picture of Columbus Crew fans on the Philly 'reserve your tickets now' link? I would think the Sons of Ben would be only too happy to give them a local born image.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Game against FC Dallas could decide if Beckham gets 100th England cap

England Coach Fabio Capello might show up in Dallas on March 15th* to see the LA Galaxy take on FC Dallas and decide if Beckham is fit enough to call into camp for England's March 26th match against France.

Last month Capello left Becks off the roster for their game against Switzerland because he was not playing any competitive games, so it is odd that he is being considered for the March 26th game since LA is still in pre-season. LA is playing games, but they are just warm-ups. Are good centering balls against Shanghai Hong Kong United enough to earn him a spot?

Anyway, if Capello is in Dallas, expect to see Beckham play the full 90 and try to force some action (much like the Gamba Osaka game last month).

*Capello might want to check his schedule as he says the game is on the 14th, but it actually is on the 15th.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Former KC goalkeeper Chris Konopka signs with top Irish side

After not seeing a minute of playing time in his year with Kansas City, Chris Konopka is hoping to have better luck in Ireland. Irish soccer club Bohemians FC signed Konopka to a one-year deal after the Wizards decided against exercising their contract option.

The Bohs went for Konopka after he trained with them in January. He also had trails at other European clubs.

Konopka is the type of keeper that could develop into an amazing player. At 6' 5", he is imposing in goal, but he knows how to get low to stop shots. He might not be as known as Real Salt Lake's Chris Seitz, but he is very similar (although at this point Seitz is still the better goal stopper).

Perhaps the biggest thing Konopka has going for him in Europe is his ability to land a Polish passport, thanks to dual citizenship, which will make any future moves in Europe easier then most of his American counterparts.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

US vs. England at Wembley almost set - Could it be Beckham's 100th?

The English FA and US Soccer have almost worked out all the details for a meeting at Wembley stadium on Wednesday, May 28th. If the game does take place, Fabio Capello is likely to select David Beckham for the roster, meaning he will finally earn his 100th cap for his country.

On the US side of things, look for a full roster to be called in for this one as the European season will be finished and the only MLS sides that play during the week are DC and New England (on Thursday night).

Combine this with Spain (4 June) and Argentina (8 June - still unofficial) and the US will have a great two weeks of games.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Can San Jose finally attract Latino fans?

On Sunday, 50,000 fans watched two U-23 sides compete in a friendly in Oakland. The fact that Mexico was one of those two sides, explains the numbers. So obviously there are a lot of soccer fans of Latino heritage in the area (there is a non-news flash). Now the question is can the new San Jose Earthquakes develop a relationship with this community that will result in them turning out to 'Quake matches?

The good news is the new ownership did not waste this chance to start reaching out.

Fans streamed through the gates under a San Jose Earthquakes banner. Earthquakes tickets were on sale. And the Earthquakes had a suite filled with key members of the Hispanic community, in an effort to make connections and create marketing opportunities.

The past version of the Earthquakes, like most of the league, failed miserably in their attempts to bring in more Latino fans, however a lot has changed. The league is more competitive then it was in the late 90's, the SuperLiga has brought meaningful matches with Mexican rivals to the schedule, MLS games air on Spanish language TV, Chivas has invested in MLS and Cuauhtemoc Blanco is now strolling the leagues' pitches. So can San Jose exploit this to fill their seats?

Perhaps this answers that question:

The new Earthquakes have much more marketing savvy than their predecessors. They know they have to sell tickets at the grass-roots level, making them available in local markets. They're coming out with a T-shirt and a team jersey that reads Terremotos, the Spanish word for Earthquakes. They know they can't pander to fans or assume a loyalty that hasn't been earned.

Of course all this marketing helps, but the true way to build up a legion of fans in with the play on the field. If the team puts on a good show, even in defeat, soccer fans of all backgrounds will take notice.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]

Landon Donovan becomes US's all-time goal scoring leader

Mark your calendar, on this leap day 2008, Landon Donovan became the official 'king of all US male goal scorers.' Although the US did not play a match today, Donovan gets this honor thanks to FIFA recognizing a match the US played against Denmark as an official 'A' international game.

During the 20 Jan 2007 game, which the US won 3-1, Donovan scored a goal from the penalty spot in the 44th minute. US Soccer has counted this game as official all along, however FIFA wasn't so sure.

Denmark said they did not play their A team so it should not count, however US Soccer pointed to contracts the FAs signed that recognize the match as an official game.

After much negotiations, Denmark decided to fess up to it being an official game, thus it is in the FIFA books, thus Landon Donovan has more goals then previous all-timer Eric Wynalda.

Congratulations to Donovan.

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[Source: My Soccer Blog]