Soccer By Ives

Does anyone still miss Amado Guevara?

When Amado Guevara was traded to Chivas USA for a designated player slot there were plenty of angry Red Bulls fans who couldn't understand why the team would unload its best player.

As if the team's 3-0-1 start weren't already evidence enough of why the move was a smart one, we get a very telling incident involving Guevara in Chivas USA's 3-1 loss to the Galaxy on Saturday night. Guevara was pulled from the match in the 56th minute for ineffectiveness, then issued a red card after shoving an assistant referee while on the bench.

The incident serves as yet another clear reminder that Guevara is both unreliable and immature. His inability to control his temper as well as his inconsistency as a player were factors in the MetroStars/Red Bulls never being able to find consistent success during his time in New Jersey.

Now the Red Bulls have Claudio Reyna and will soon have Juan Pablo Angel. Is there anyone who would really rather have Guevara than either of those two?

The better question is, "Do you think Chivas USA regrets making that trade?" I think we know the answer.

Nice war of words between Benitez and Mourinho

Those of you pumped up about Wednesday's Champions League semifinal between Chelsea and Liverpool will surely get a kick out of the growing war of words between Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

Benitez even took a shot at Chelsea fans after Mourinho did the same to Liverpool fans:

"At Stamford Bridge, we showed that our supporters won their battle, even though Chelsea had their fans all with flags to wave," Benitez said. "But our supporters were there with their hearts.

"We do not need to give away flags for our fans to wave - our supporters are always there with their hearts and that is all we need."

For those of you who didn't already know, the Chelsea-Liverpool semifinal second leg will air on ESPN2 at 2:30 p.m. It should be a real barnburner.

FIFA reveals USA as potential emergency host for World Cup 2010

For the first time in recent memory FIFA president Sepp Blatter entertained the possibility that South Africa might not be ready to host the 2010 World Cup. Blatter didn't say the African nation won't be ready but he did reveal that several countries, including the United States, are ready to step in if anything goes wrong with the current host country.

World Cup 2010 USA. It has a nice ring to it. Here's a question though. Would you rather the USA step in as an emergency fill-in for 2010, or would you rather the United States win the bidding for 2014 and have a full cycle to prepare and promote the World Cup?

Monday Morning Centerback

Good morning all. It is the last day in April and guess who is A) unbeaten and B) who has yet to register a point in MLS?

If you answered the Red Bulls, Chicago Fire (yes, I forgot to list them the first time around) and Columbus Crew for A then you are right. If you answered D.C. United and Toronto FC to B then you are also right

While the Red Bulls' unbeaten and unscored upon start is thoroughly impressive it is the Crew's truly surprising 1-0-3 start that has me thinking that the East just might have five playoff teams this year

For those of you who didn't notice MLS changed its playoff guidelines to allow for the possibility that the fifth-best team in one conference could replace the fourth place team of another conference in the opposing conference playoffs if the fifth-place team has a better record. In short, if the Crew finish in fifth place in the East, and they post a better record then the fourth-place team in the West, then Columbus would go into the playoffs as the fourth seed in the West.

I know it's early but the East has taken control early on. After starting out 0-2-1 in interconference play, the East has rattled off a 5-0-1 record against the West. That success is why the East's fifth place team, Columbus, has as many points as Chivas USA, the second-place team in the West.

The most shocking start to the season has to be DC United, which was a consensus pick to at least reach MLS Cup, and a popular choice to win it. They enjoyed a strong run through the CONCACAF Champions Cup before the season and figured to plow through MLS competition with new signings Luciano Emilio and Fred, but three losses to start the season has to be a little disconcerting for new coach Tom Soehn.

Even with the rough start it is difficult to imagine DC not pulling it together and marching up the East standings. If and when they do, you will suddenly have six Eastern Conference teans vying for playoff spots. The Western Conference had better be ready because it is in danger of losing a playoff spot to the deeper and stronger East.

 

My latest ESPN column

Here is some more light reading on the Red Bulls. As much as I don't like writing about the Red Bulls on ESPN.com too much how can you not given their start? You can rest assured that I will stay away from the Red Bulls on ESPN.com for a good while (that roar you hear is cheering from fans from DC to Boston).

Also in that column are this week's game previews. For those of you who didn't notice I finished off a 6-0 week last week, the first perfect week of my career. The "even a broke clock is right twice a day" lines are pouring in but I'm convinced that this is a real turnaround. If the Red Bulls can be unbeaten and unscored upon then why can't I stay above .500 in my picks? Wait, don't answer that. And for the record, nowhere in my game previews do I promise to have another perfect weekend. Given my track record I'm more likely to go 0-6 than 6-0 this week.

The celebration has been tempered by my terrible decision to make Carlos Ruiz my fantasy MLS captain this week instead of Kevin Hartman. I mulled that one over and made the wrong choice. Now I have a captain who's favoring a gimpy hamstring and earning yellow cards after the final whistle blows. Thanks Fish, you're the best. I feel a tumble out of the Top 10 in SBI coming.

That's all for now. Enjoy this weekend's soccer action

This weekend's soccer TV schedule

Hello all. Sorry I haven't posted the weekend soccer TV schedule the past few weeks but it seems like something crazy is always happening on Friday. I will try to make sure that this schedule is posted every Friday afternoon so you can plan your weekend accordingly.

Here are the games. It is all European expect for an MLS match that should be entertaining (Chivas USA vs. Galaxy). Enjoy.

SATURDAY

7:30 a.m.- FSC- Chelsea vs. Bolton. Never too early in the morning to watch Jose Mourinho whine.

9:30a.m.- GolTV- Moechengladbach vs. Stuttgart . If you were hoping to see Kasey Keller, the goalkeeper Real Salt Lake prefers Nick Rimando to, he's out with a thigh injury.

10am- FSC- Tottenham vs. Middlesbrough- Two fun teams to watch

11:30am- GolTV- Bayern Munich vs. Hamburg- A chance for me to wear the Hamburg jersey I bought last summer, if it actually fit that is.

Noon- FSC- Torino vs. AC Milan- If we learned anything this week it's that you don't miss a chance to see Kaka play.

2:30pm- FSC- Blackburn vs. Charlton- Brad Friedel takes on a team fighting for its EPL life.

4pm- GolTV- Valencia vs. Recreativo Huelva- The upstarts against the powerhouse. Watching Valencia is never boring

10:30pm- FSC- Chivas USA vs. LA Galaxy- Your chance to watch Sacha Kljestan ruin your fantasy team.

SUNDAY

9am- GolTV- Roma vs Lazio- GAME OF THE WEEK- You can't miss the Rome derby. Tivo it if you must

11am- FCS- Arsenal vs. Fulham- Another chance for Clint Dempsey to ask himself if he made the right move going to England.

11am- GolTV- Sevilla vs. Espanyol- Darkhorse Game of the Week pick. Tons of skill on display in a match that will surely entertain

1pm- GoltV- Barcelona vs. Levante- You can either watch Lionel Messi play live or wait for someone else to email you the YouTube clip of his next sick goal

3pm- GolTV- Atletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid- Guess who has quietly creeped back into the La Liga title race? Yep, the boys in white.

9:30pm- GolTV- Inter vs. Empoli (delayed)- Which Italians will you watch? The Sopranos or these?

Decisons galore for Bruce Arena

You're Bruce Arena and you must figure out your starting 11 for the Red Bulls with Juan Pablo Angel having a work permit, Markus Schopp healthy and Clint Mathis NOT suspended. Who do you start?

Here's my starting 11:

-----Angel----Altidore-----

VDB-----------------Richards

------Reyna---Kovalenko

Dunivant--------------Freeman

---------Parke-Mendes------

----------Waterreus---------

Mathis, Stammler and Schopp are on the bench. Bruce ARena has stated that he plans to employ some sort of rotation once everyone is available so you'll see some lineups geared toward certain opponents.

WHat's your starting 11? Reveal it in the comments section:

Red Bulls 1, FC Dallas 0

Hunter Freeman continues his stellar run since taking over for Marvell Wynne at right back by blasting home a game-winning goal to give the Red Bulls a 1-0 victory. The goal was actually the first of Freeman's MLS career.

Yes, it's the best start in franchise history and it is getting tougher and tougher to ignore this start.

My game balls go to Freeman, obviously, Dema Kovalenko and pretty much the entire back-line. Who is going to score against these guys?

One thing is pretty clear. You need Clint Mathis playing behind Altidore, or Juan Pablo Angel playing alongside him, to keep defenses from smothering Altidore. Playing tonight's lineup will give you some solid defense but the scoring opportunities will be tough to come by, particularly against the league's better teams.

What do you think of tonight's victory? Post your thoughts below:

Red Bulls 0, FC Dallas 0 at halftime

The Red Bulls defense is just plain smothering FC Dallas and creating some chances along the way in a pretty tight match.

Carlos Ruiz is favoring a tender hamstring, which basically means I look like a genius for making him my captain in SBI MLS Fantasy soccer.

Jozy Altidore is looking dangerous yet again and I think it's just a matter of time before he gets a cross he can work with.

Your thoughts? Share them below.

Your Questions Answered

Hello folks. It took a little while but I have finally finished answering your questions. I will be looking to put a cap on the next Q&A so I can get it done sooner so keep that in mind then next time I do one so you can get your questions in quickly.

Here they are, your questions answered:

TIM- 1. Could the Red Bulls have traded Taylor Graham or Mike Magee instead of Marvell Wynne or did the Red Bulls have to offload Wynne's salary to remain under the cap with the signing of Juan Pablo Angel?

2. Do you think the Red Bulls will actively go after a S-I central defender either using spot by VDB's green card (once issued) or releasing Schopp if he can not contribute within a month or so?

IVES- Bruce Arena has stated repeatedly that the cap space issue is what drove the Wynne trade but I think Hunter Freeman's emergence and Wynne's slower than expected development made it an easier pill to swallow. From what I heard lately Toronto wasn't interested in Taylor Graham.

JOE IN ND- 1. Who would you like to see in the European Cup Final?

2. Once the transfer window reopens do you think that all the teams with remaining DP slots will trade or fill them up?

IVES- I would like to see Man U and Chelsea in the final. Nothing against Liverpool, I actually prefer Liverpool to Chelsea but the Man U-Chelsea rivalry is at an all-time high right now so I wouldn't mind seeing them play in the Champions League Final, FA Cup final and the last game of the EPL season.

I don't think ALL teams will fill their slots. You'll see at least one or two remain unused.

Ireland vs. Ecuador at Giants Stadium

The Irish national team and Ecuadorian national team will meet in a friendly at Giants Stadium on Wednesday, May 23rd at 8 p.m.

Tickets for the match go on sale on April 28th.

Champions League semifinal: Liverpool at Chelsea

We're almost at kickoff at Stamford Bridge and I have to say that I think Liverpool will steal the win on the road. No Essien and no Ballack is going to make things tough for Chelsea. Yes, Joe Cole has looked good lately, and Makelele is still there, but Liverpool turns it on for Champions League matches and has been playing very well lately in all competitions. I see a Liverpool 1-0 win.

MLS cracks the whip

Suspensions were handed down today following some incidents from the past weekend's MLS matches. The league suspended Columbus forward Andy Herron for four games for his intentional elbow on Revs defender Jay Heaps and suspended Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan for two games for his harsh tackle on Real Salt Lake midfielder Andy Williams.

Were the suspensions fair? Definitely. If anything, I'm surprised Herron's wasn't a bit longer. He basically sized Heaps up and delivered a full force elbow to his face. Considering Shalrie Joseph missed a playoff game for one of the most non-existent elbows ever delivered, I could have seen Herron receiving six games. He should have gotten an extra game just for that ridiculous story he told following the game where he insisted the elbow was an accident.

Here's the elbow for those of you who haven't seen it yet:

Herron's Elbow

Shalrie Joseph was also fined $500 for putting his hand in Herron's face.

Hopefully the suspensions help clean up some of the dirty play we have seen early on in what has been a pretty entertaining season.

Wednesday it is

Good morning folks. I'll be heading to Red Bulls practice in an hour or so and wanted to give you a heads up on a few things:

First, the Q&A will be posted tomorrow morning. I have already begun answering questions but figured it would be best to post it all at once than in pieces. We hit a new high for questions and I seriously need to consider capping them after a certain number because I always wind up needing to take longer to answer them because more questions come every time. That said, it's great to hear from all of you and I just hope I can help you find the information and insight you're looking for.

Second, the deadline for SBI Fantasy MLS lineups is today at 5pm. I know some of you tend to forget so there's a reminder. I hope I don't forget because I have six empty lineup slots right now.

Lastly, I'll updating you folks on what I see at Red Bulls training today. It's the team's last session before leaving for Dallas today so there shouldn't be too many surprises.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more info..

Red Bull practice notes (Angel's arrival)

Well, Juan Pablo Angel's public arrival to the Red Bulls was pretty boring actually. Except for a handful of fans and a small horde of Spanish media the event was rather tame.

No word yet on his visa. One promising development was word that Angel would not be returning to England after receiving his work permit. He is in the USA to stay for a while now.

The best development I took from the training session, aside from getting a good look at the probably lineup vs. FC Dallas, was seeing Clifton native Chris Karcz training with the Red Bulls. Team sources tell me he has looked good and if he stays healthy he has a very good chance at a developmental contract. I'm not sure if I have stated this before but Karcz is easily one of the best high school players I ever saw. If not for the injuries he has had he would already be in the league (The Chicago Fire drafted him and had him in camp in 2005 but a knee injury cost him his chance.)

Now, onto the lineup:

Champions League semifinals

Manchester United plays host to AC Milan today in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal clash on ESPN2 (2:30pm). Man U must try to defeat the Italians with more than half its starting lineup out injured. Anyone expecting another blowout ala the Roma quarterfinal has another thing coming.

Who do you think wins? I think Man U holds for a draw. What do you think? Feel free to offer your opinion.

Angel will NOT be training with Red Bulls this week

Bad news for you Red Bulls and Juan Pablo Angel fans who planned on going out to Montclair State tomorrow. According to the team, Angel cannot train with the club in a formal setting until he has his work visa. He will be with the team at training but will not actually train. So unless you want to go to practice to watch Angel do some stretching and jogging you might want to change your plans if you intended to go to the practice.

Actually, those of you who were planning to go should probably still go if only to give the Colombian striker a warm welcome. Either way, Angel is moving closer and closer to joining the team, which is still pretty good news for the Toros Rojo.

Dane Richards not on the Red Bulls injury report

The knee injury suffered by Dane Richards in Saturday's 1-0 win against Houston will not be an issue for the speedy Jamaican winger. Team sources say he won't be on the injury report and is good to go against FC Dallas on Thursday.

The only addition to the injury report is French midfielder Elie Ikangu, who suffered a seperated left shoulder in the Baby Bulls 2-0 reserve team victory against Houston. I watched some of the reserve game and was actually impressed with Ikangu. Too bad he has become the team's Mr. Glass.

U.S. national team to face Sweden in August

The U.S. men' national team will travel to Goteborg, Sweden to face the Swedish national team on Wednesday, Aug. 22nd. It will be the team's first trip to Europe of the year and will be, for now, the first U.S. match following Copa America.

The U.S. team's next match is June 2nd against China in San Jose, California before the team begins defense of its Gold Cup title.

Sweden, led by stars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Freddie Ljundberg, should give the Americans one of the toughest tests of the year. The match, slated for a 2:30pm ET start time, will air on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision.

Your chance to see Juan Pablo Angel

If you are eager to see newly-acquired Colombian forward Juan Pablo Angel train with the Red Bulls and you have Tuesday morning free then you can make your way to the campus of Montclair State University where the Red Bulls will be practicing from 10:30am to noon.

The club isn't publicly promoting the practice session but since the practice is being held in the middle of a public university's campus it would be tough to keep enterprising fans from going and watching. You might want to leave the drums home though (although I think all the hardcore drumbangers (like Vezina) have day jobs.

The practice will be held at Pittser Field on the MSU campus. For information on how to get to MSU, visit the school's website.

From Mr. Wrong to Nostradamus

As most of you know, I don't exactly hide from the fact that my MLS game predictions on ESPN.com have never been reliable. It has become a running joke around the league, with a few coaches commenting on how they hope I pick them to lose. I don't mind it because I know I've earned that.

At least for one weekend though, the picks went my way in uncanny fashion. Here were my predictions for Saturday's matches on ESPN.com:

Altidore, U.S. Under-20s to play Argentina

Jozy Altidore will look to carry over his club heroics to the youth national team stage when the U.S. Under-20 national team faces Argentina in a friendly at PAETEC Park in Rochester, New York on May 15th.

The friendly will serve as part of the U.S. team's preparations for this summer's Under-20 World Cup in Canada.

Here is the roster U.S. Under-20 coach Thomas Rongen is calling in for the match:

SBI Fantasy MLS League (Week 3 Results)

Congrats to the Jeffrey Bitterling, owner of the Western Sky Rockets, for knocking me from the perch atop the SBI League standings and taking over first place by seven points. As disappointing as that was, there is some consolation in moving into the top 10 overall in the entire MLS Fantasy game (Atletico SBI is now 10th overall).

The Taurine Machine is right on our tails, just 11 points behind me. I'm not sure how many leagues there are, or how we actually stack up against other leagues, but having three owners in the top 16 has to say something about the competitiveness of the SBI League.

The league's guest owners and resident soccer experts are starting to do pretty well. Metrofanatic lieutenant Brad Ostaszewski, owner of Potezny Hillsborough, has held steady in the top 10 and is currently No. 8. Jason Endres of Yanks-Abroad moved into 25th place while Luis Arroyave of the Chicago Tribune has rebounded well from a rough start to move into 61st place out of 263 teams. Not bad fellas, not bad at all.

The retired Red Bulls/MetroStars in the league are starting to find a rhythm. Steve Jolley, owner of Old Timer, moved into 41st place while Mark Lisi, owner of Geddes Gimps, moved into 58th place.

Juan Pablo Angel has arrived

Colombian international and newly-signed Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel has arrived in New Jersey, getting here late Sunday night. He has not received his work visa yet but can train with the Red Bulls and is training with the team today. It is still unclear when he will receive the visa and cannot play until he receives it. As it stands he cannot play in Thursday's game against FC Dallas but he will train with the team all week.

He will address the media after an open training session on Tuesday at Montclair State so stay tuned for that.

The first place Red Bulls (sounds strange doesn't it?)

Hello folks, it is the day after the Red Bulls 1-0 win against Houston and I must say it is a weird feeling to be covering this team now that it is slowly building a reputation as one of the league's best. I would try tempering the enthusiasm by pointing out that the 1999 MetroStars began the year 3-1 but I'm sure most you realize that this year's club is significantly better than that nightmare of a squad.

Chicago is right with the Red Bulls with a 2-0-1 record and this week will give us a good idea of where both teams stand when the Red Bulls travel to FC Dallas and the Fire travels to Houston.

Those of you wondering when the East leaders meet, they face off at Giants Stadium on May 24th in a Thursday night clash on ESPN2.

That's still a month away. For now, Red Bulls fans can bask in the early-season success and count the days until Juan Pablo Angel arrives. All I can say now is what a difference a year makes.

I'll be back on Monday morning with the Monday Morning Center Back and some other news and notes so check back in tomorrow.

Red Bulls beat Dynamo 1-0

A man down against the defending champions and the Red Bulls find a way to win. Jozy Altidore's goal was a thing of beauty and you have to start taking the team seriously as a title contender.

Here are some observations and highlights from tonight's match:

Jozy Altidore was beaten up so badly by the Dynamo defense that I thought his mother was going to call DYFS. Even with that, and the chances he missed in the first half, Altidore still found the focus and courage to deliver a game-winner. As much as Bruce Arena is trying to stop it, I sense a Freddy Adu-like hype machine preparing to roll on this kid. At least in this instance, the hype is based on his actual production on the field. We are seeing a star in the making.

Clint's missed penalty

For those of you who don't recall Clint Mathis' last penalty kick at Giants Stadium you should know that he missed that one too, in a scoreless draw against Dallas. I'm sure at least a few Red Bulls fans muttered "Amado would have made that one."

It should also be noted that the Red Bulls missed both penalty kicks it took at the Carolina Challenge Cup in Charleston, with Claudio Reyna and Dave Van Den Bergh both missing kicks.

Who will take the next one? Good question, maybe Hunter Freeman can give one a try. He did convert one for the U-20s in the 2005 Under-20 World Championships.

If there's another kick I see Reyna taking it, just a hunch.

SBI's MLS picks of the week

Not a great week for picks last week, as a 2-3-1 record isn't paying anyone's mortgage. Let's face it, the only way I'm making money with my MLS picks is if I start extorting MLS coaches under threat of picking their teams to win.

I'll keep it going though, under the deluded hope of posting a winning mark at the end of the year. At 6-5-1 for the year I'm at least doing better on SBI than on ESPN. The extra two days helps a little.

Here are this week's game predictions:

Houston at Red Bulls- Claudio Reyna's home debut and his first start alongside Clint Mathis since the pair started for the U.S. national team in its 1-1 World Cup qualifying tie against Panama in Panama City on Sept. 8, 2004 (Yes, the rain game with Cobi Jones' late equalizer). Red Bulls 2, Houston 1.

KC at Chicago- Wizards put the heat on Chicago's defense early but the Fire finds a late winner at Toyota Park. Fire, 2, Wizards 1.

Real Salt Lake at Chivas USA- Goats will eat anything, tonight they devour RSL. Chivas USA 2, Real Salt Lake 0

Colorado Rapids at FC Dallas- The Hoops are finally home and should play well, but the Rapids are in form and will steal a point at Pizza Hut Park. FC Dallas 2, Rapids 2.

WEDNESDAY

Toronto FC at Kansas City- It will take more than a week for Mo Johnston's patchwork defense to gel as the Wizards give a not-so-warm welcome to the head coach (Toronto assistant Bob Gansler) and captain (Johnston) of their 2000 MLS Cup winning team. Wizards 2, Toronto FC 0

THURSDAY

Red Bulls at FC Dallas- Let's just say that Bruce Arena wasn't thrilled to hear that I picked his team to win two games this week (which I did on ESPN.com). Upon further review I see the Hoops at least tying the Red Bulls. FC Dallas 1, Red Bulls 1. 

A beautiful day for a game

So I just came from Giants Stadium, where I had to run an errand, and man is it beautiful out. I was impressed to see some families and groups already tailgating at 1:45pm. That's pretty early, NFL-like even. Now the lots weren't full or anything (unless you count the flea market in the southwest parking area) but it was still good to see people on the property for an MLS game some six hours before kickoff.

There is definitely a buzz about this game, not just in the NJ/NY area but around MLS. People are really curious to see just how good these Red Bulls are. If the RB win then people will stand up and take notice. If the RB lose then I think most people will write the club off as just another mediocre squad at Giants Stadium.

What do I see happening tonight? I see a fast and physical game that will be heaven to the soccer purist but might not offer the excitement a casual fan craves. Are there two better midfields in MLS? I know DC will argue that there's is in the mix, and that is true, but the combination of skill, wing play and bite is pretty impressive.

Something that should be noted is that the RB have looked really good at passing the ball around on the turf. Reyna, in particular, will benefit from the true bounces off it and even though he hasn't played a ton of games on turf his skill will be maximed on the stuff.

Bruce Arena's line of the day

Some of you don't get to hear enough of Bruce Arena's sense of humor so I figured I can give you some insight into it. I will try to pass along some of the better gems he delivers. Today's was pretty good. When asked if Ronald Waterreus would be able to handle the weather this weekend, Arena came through with a beauty:

"He'll probably get heat stroke," Arena said of Waterreus. "We're only planning for him going 45 minutes."

This is your coach Red Bulls fans.

The Red Bulls, Ted Niziolek and the absurd rules of MLS

Sorry for the lack of posts today but it till all day to get the blog fixed and I was pretty much wiped out after writing the stories I had to write and waiting for it to get fixed. Apologies for the lack of posts and for making you wait. I needed a break and just watched Mariano Rivera implode vs. the Red Sox.

Here is the interesting development regarding someone I wrote about recently. For those of you recall, I wrote a story about Clifton native Teddy Niziolek, whose story was told here. Long story short, the Columbus Crew drafted him and offered a developmental deal, which Niziolek decided he couldn't play for (between 13 and 14K for the year). The Red Bulls were interested and made some offers but Columbus turned them all down. Now Niziolek is in limbo.

Well things have gotten interesting thanks to Major League Soccer's absurd rules. If you want to see Niziolek play you can go to Giants Stadium on Saturday and watch him play for the Red Bulls' reserve team against Houston's reserve team. The game takes place after the senior teams play. No, there wasn't a trade you hadn't heard about. According to MLS rules, Niziolek can play reserve team games as a guest player even though Columbus owns his rights. The rule is even more absurd if you consider that, in theory, the Red Bulls could take Niziolek on a road trip to play against the Columbus Crew reserves if they wanted to. Yes, I know, insane. He can also train with the Red Bulls, which he did Friday.

While it is nice to see that Niziolek can get some action in a professional environment it is still difficult trying to understand MLS rules.

As for whether any progress has been made regarding the Crew potentially trading Niziolek, the Crew have not spoken to Niziolek and all indications are that Columbus isn't budging.

Sorry this wasn't more juicy Red Bulls related news but I thought you guys would get a kick out of this latest development.

The Red Bulls' lineup vs. Houston

Hello folks, I just got back from the stadium and man is it beautiful out. here's hoping it's anywhere close to this nice tomorrow night.

Claudio Reyna trained and is ready to go. He says he is fully recovered from the left leg contusion that kept him out of last week's game.I know there was some question about him playing Saturday but he has trained since Tuesday. The injury report that listed him as questionable was issued Monday and those reports are never updated.

Some VERY interesting non-senior team developments regarding someone I wrote about recently. I will post on this a little later on so stay tuned. You're going to get a kick out of this news.

Now on to the important stuff, here is the Red Bulls' lineup for tomorrow night's game, based on observations from today's practice:

Messi's amazing goal

If you still haven't seen Lionel Messi's jaw-dropping goal against Getafe on Wednesday, here it is.

Wow, what more can you say?

SBI Fantasy MLS League (Week 3)

This is it. My last chance to enjoy first place in the SBI Fantasy MLS League. I just have that feeling that I'm going to plummet down the standings. Too many good owners are closing in.

But there is hope. If New England can dispose of the Columbus Crew and have Taylor Twellman score some goals in the process then I just might be able to hold on to the lead.

For those of you wondering, here is my starting 11 for this week:

GK- Brad Guzan

D- Michael Harrington, Kelly Gray, Lawson Vaughn and Avery John

M- Terry Cooke, Justin Mapp, Sacha Kljestan and Dave Van Den Bergh

F- Taylor Twellman and Eddie Johnson

I went with Twellman ahead of Ante Razov and Vaughn ahead of some other defensive options.

I don't know why but I have a feeling this is the week my captain doesn't get me big points. This week Twellman is the captain. Yes, Columbus has two shutouts but I wouldn't call that defense unbeatable. Goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum has been great, no question, and the Crew played New England tough last year, but I just think the Revs break them down.

I noticed that plenty of people were jumping on the Clint Mathis bandwagon this week. I think Mathis is in for a big year but Houston is Houston and I don't see that game being a high-scoring affair.

I'm sure some of you are wondering why I jumped on the Eddie Johnson bandwagon so quickly. Well, I think he can get some points this week and, more importantly, KC plays Toronto twice next week so I factored that in. I'm sure I'll wind up regretting it.

Good luck to all of you. The league has definitely been a fun experiment.

Richard Mulrooney heading to Houston

Toronto FC is keeping busy. Just a day after dealing for former No. 1 overall pick Marvell Wynne, Mo Johnston's club has made another big deal. According to league sources, TFC has dealt disgruntled defensive midfielder Richard Mulrooney to the Houston Dynamo for defender Kevin Goldthwaite and Houston's first round pick in 2008.

The deal comes on the same day that Toronto FC announced the signing of English striker Danny Dichio, giving the team about six strikers.

The deal reunites Mulrooney with former San Jose teammates as well as Houston coach Dom Kinnear. I'm not sure how Mulrooney fits in to Houston's starting lineup but he's too good a player to keep on the bench. A 4-5-1 perhaps? Or is Houston preparing for the possibility that Ricardo Clark is sold in the summer transfer window? It's something to think about.

Toronto unloads a player who didn't want to be in Canada and they add a sorely-needed left back in Goldthwaite and basically replace the draft pick it dealt to the Red Bulls for Wynne. Mo Johnston didn't waste time addressing his defensive issues. Wynne may be raw but he's a solid right back and Goldthwaite has impressed for Houston when he has played.

As for the Wynne trade, it is being held up by MLS, which happens sometimes. You can't blame the league for wanting to unveil the deal later in the week. For those of you wondering if the deal happened or not, Wynne is already in Toronto so the deal is done.

is Toronto FC done dealing? Probably not, but I think it's fair to say the expansion club is done dealing with the Red Bulls. At least for the immediate future.

It is Q&A Time

Yes, it has been a while, in part because it took me so long to finish the last one, but the Q&A is back. I promise not to take as long on this one as I did the last one. Now that I'm into the flow of the MLS season I'm ready to listen to some new questions.

You know the drill. Post your questions at the bottom of this post and please try to keep your questions to two or three tops. Also try to keep the questions a reasonable size.

Now fire away:

Markus Schopp has sports hernia surgery

Austrian winger Markus Schopp underwent successful sports hernia surgery in Germany on Tuesday and is expected to miss two to four weeks. He has yet to play for the Red Bulls this season.

His absence means Bruce Arena will have some more time before having to make some pretty tough decisions regarding his starting lineup.

The news of the surgery also means that the Red Bulls have reached the 12 hernia surgery bonus mark and is now eligible for a free surgery and toaster from German surgeon Dr. Ulricke Muschaweck. Okay, maybe the last part wasn't true, but it should be.

Shalrie Joseph ponders holdout

The bad situation in New England between the Revs and star midfielder Shalrie Joseph just got worse. The Soccer New England website reported on Tuesday that Joseph is considering holding out over his contract dispute with the Revs.

My take on the Wynne trade

Did the Red Bulls give up on Wynne too soon? Did the club get enough for a player chosen No. 1 overall just a year ago? Is Hunter Freeman really the answer at right back?

There are plenty of questions following the Marvell Wynne trade but what needs to be remembered before anything else is the fact that Wynne was far from the finished product and there was never going to be a guarantee that he would develop into the next great (or first great) American right back.

Your Questions Answered (The Lost Questions)

It's all my fault.

I had the misguided belief that I could handle completing a Q&A session right at the start of the MLS season. I was wrong. I answered some of your questions in two parts but then tossed the rest into a bin where they sat for weeks. Thanks to some persistent readers who reminded me what I forgot about I realized that I still had the questions (with some answers included) and I needed to get the answers to you folks before I tried doing another Q&A session.

So here they are, your questions from nearly three weeks ago FINALLY answered:

KEVIN- What are your thoughts on the roster situation for the Gold Cup and Copa? I know the Gold Cup is the most important but will he take a true A team that is 23 deep and sit some young guys? Or will he take a less deep roster to the Gold Cup and also give some younger guys a chance at the Copa? Will guys like DeMerit, Spector, Mapp, Pearce, Bornstein, sit on the bench at the Gold Cup or play in the Copa America, or both? Thanks

IVES- The US team will send a full-strength roster to the Gold Cup and a much younger team to Copa America. Maybe not MUCH younger, but you'll see a core of MLS players do both tourneys. There will be some Europeans that US Soccer tries to get into both tourneys, Beasley being one (especially if PSV can't find a good price for him and are stuck with him). I used to be down on sending the young team to Copa but the more I think about it the more it sounds like a good idea to send some young talents to South America to get a real test against top competition.

TONY M- If you were going to handicap forwards who have not yet had National Team call outs, including Josy, Ferrari, Davis and others, who do you think has the best chance of emerging before 2010?

IVES- Best chance? I would go in this order: Josmer Altidore, Gabriel Ferrari, Johann Smith, Charlie Davies, Preston Zimmerman, Andre Akpan. We will know PLENTY in the next year, between the U-20 World Cup and the next year in Europe we will see how much progress these kids make.

Marvell Wynne traded to Toronto FC (UPDATED)

Just four days after being benched for the first time since taking over as the Red Bull starting right back last July, Marvell Wynne has played his last game for the club that made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 MLS Draft.

The Red Bulls have traded Wynne to the Toronto FC for a second round pick in the 2008 MLS Draft and a partial allocation, multiple sources within MLS confirmed on Tuesday. The deal reunites Wynne with former Red Bulls coach Mo Johnston, who traded up in in last year’s draft to make him the first player chosen.

Both Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena and Johnson declined to comment about the trade when contacted on Tuesday.

A former standout for the U.S. Under-20 national team, Wynne started 23 games for the Red Bulls last season, impressing with his blazing speed and imposing strength. His poor touch and raw technical ability made him a work in progress, which may have made him expendable in the eyes of Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena, who started Hunter Freeman in his place on Sunday against FC Dallas.

The move also frees up a senior roster spot the club needed for newly-acquired Colombian forward Juan Pablo Angel.

Who would you start?

The Red Bulls have just added Juan Pablo Angel to an already deep roster. You're Bruce Arena, who do you start?

We'll give you the whistle and let you play the role of Arena. No, you don't have to drink the 20 cans of Red Bull Arena knocks off daily, but you do have to pick a starting 11.

Let's hear them, give us your best starting XI possible.

Juan Pablo Angel will sport No. 9

Get your orders in.

Introducing Juan Pablo Angel

 

Angel it is

I'm at Red Bulls headquarters in Secaucus and we have just been shown photos of Mr. Juan Pablo Angel sporting the Red Bulls uniform. He is the acquisition and he has even cut his hair short so there won't be the ponytail and headband look of his Aston Villa days.

Stay tuned for more........

SBI Fantasy MLS League Week 2 Results

This fantasy thing is starting to get to me.

For those of you who don't know I am a pretty serious fantasy sports nut, specifically fantasy football and baseball. I never did fantasy MLS because I was always so busy around the time people set up leagues and teams. Thanks to some enterprising SBI readers the SBI Fantasy MLS League was created and I had to invest myself into an MLS league for the first time.

It's a weird thing to be covering a game with players who you sort of need to perform. This is one of the reasons I only used one Red Bull in Week 2 so of course Dave Van Den Bergh has to drive my crazy by missing a first-half sitter then burying a last-minute goal. I'm not going to lie, I delivered a mini-fist pump when the goal went in. I was almost ashamed of myself.

That joy turned to anger when I found out Bouna Coundoul cost me about 40 points by giving up a late goal to Chicago. That goal cost me a top 10 place overall in MLS and made me realize that the SBI League is going to drive me crazy.

And what is the deal with so many people in the league starting Dave Van Den Bergh? Did I write one too many pieces saying that this guy is the real deal? He is certainly looking good and is going to continue to be a popular starter considering how inexpensive his roto salary is.

I still managed to hold off a tough charge from Taurine Machine to stay in first place in the SBI League by a mere three points. The buzzards are circling and I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a way to stay on top. Maybe I'll start some Toronto FC defenders, or maybe Facundo Erpen. Greg Sutton in goal anybody?

Enough about that, here are the league's standings through week two (I'm pretty sure my reign on top will end next week):

Angel on the way

The Red Bulls long and arduous search for a high-profile forward has finally come to an end. The well-publicized courtship of Juan Pablo Angel succeeded as the Red Bulls landed the Aston Villa striker. The team will hold a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to announce the move.

As for when he actually arrives, I have heard that he could potentially be here in time for Saturday's game, but that sounds pretty fast considering the visa issues that usually await these types of deals.

All of a sudden the Red Bulls go from being painfully thin at forward to having three very solid options after Clint Mathis served notice on Sunday that he was back and ready to be his old goal-scoring self.

Is Angel a can't-miss? Given his strengths--he's instantly one of the best in the league in the air and he's faster than most MLS strikers--and the Red Bulls midfield, I see him having a 12 goal season at the very least. He should be at least as successful as the last high-profile Colombian striker to pass through here, Adolfo Valencia. Here's hoping his MLS career is a wee bit better than 'El Tren's'.

What will the Red Bulls lineup look like with all hands on deck, here's an idea:

Waiting on an Angel

   

It is 10 a.m. and there is still no official word on the transfer of Juan Pablo Angel from Aston Villa to the Red Bulls. Sources have told me that the deal is done and a press conference was planned for Tuesday but the team hasn't said a peep and I'm starting to wonder if they missed the transfer deadline. You would think that a deal this big (in MLS terms) couldn't be botched by a missed deadline.

So what was the hold up? From what I have pieced together it appears that Aston VIlla and the Red Bulls were locked in a game of chicken, with Villa trying hard to see if it could score a nice transfer fee for Angel, who the club could have sold a year ago for a good price. The Red Bulls must have realized that paying close to seven figures just to get Angel three months earlier than they would have if they simply waited for the summer transfer window didn't make much sense. We may never find out who won the game of chicken. More than likely the clubs found a compromise.

If the deal was, in fact, completed and made the deadline, Angel's arrival would suddenly catapult the Red Bulls into the conversation of MLS title contenders. Yes, I know, in this league all you need to do is get hot in October but adding Angel to an already strong Red Bulls team would leave Bruce Arena with few flaws in his lineup, especially if Clint Mathis is ready for a real bounce-back season.

No, Angel wasn't setting the EPL on fire, and hasn't done so in two years, but he still has the tools to dominate in MLS. His combination of size and speed should translate into a double-digit goal total at the very least, particularly given the midfield he will have setting him up.

As soon as I get final confirmation on this deal I will pass the info along. Stay tuned...

Monday Morning Center Back

What is going on in Major League Soccer? DC United doesn't have a single point, the LA Galaxy still don't have a win, the Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake have yet to lose and Eddie Johnson is scoring and setting up goals. Is this Bizarro World MLS?

Yes, it's just two weeks into the 2007 season but you have to admit that things are pretty interesting thanks to some surprising results.

Not everything is a surprise. Chicago has gotten off to a solid start, the Houston Dynamo has four points from two matches and Taylor Twellman and Carlos Ruiz are scoring goals.

So what should we and shouldn't we believe? I wouldn't expect DC to keep losing, even if their defense looks shakier than a college kid on a case of Red Bull.

What should stay the same? Toronto FC's struggles, Colombus' inability to score and Houston's defensive stinginess.

There has been some very attractive soccer played early on and things should only get better with players such as Schelotto, Marinelli and Juan Pablo Angel (yes, him) making their way to MLS in the coming weeks. Things are about to get real interesting.

Red Bulls smoke FC Dallas 3-0

I'm in the process of writing stories and won't be able to drop the heavy posting until later tonight but I had to throw something up.

What a showing from Clint Mathis, who drank from the Fountain of 2000 and smoked his favorite victims one more time. Listen to these career stats for Mathis:

In 30 career games against FC Dallas, that's matches for all his past teams, Mathis has scored 19 goals to go with seven assists against FC Dallas. Yes folks, Mathis owns FC Dallas/Burn and he's got the receipt to prove it.

I'll hit the blog hard between tonight and tomorrow on everything from Hunter Freeman to Claudio Reyna to Ronald Waterreus' temporary bout of hypothermia. Feel free to post your comments and questions at the bottom of this post and I'll see if I can provide some answers if you have any following this game. Now this isn't a formal Q&A, just an informal one for Red Bulls fans regarding today's game.

Halftime notes from Red Bull vs. FC Dallas

Mathis' goal was his first for the club since a two-goal game vs. KC on Sept. 6, 2003. It was his first goal at Giants Stadium since July 2nd, 2003, when he scored two goals in a 4-4 tie against San Jose.

For those of you wondering, the club formerly known as the MetroStars is 20-0-4 in games that Mathis scores a goal.

Waterreus came out at halftime due to illness. Not sure yet what the illness is.

FC Dallas defender Dave Wagenfuhr has been taken to the hospital for observation after having a Clint Mathis shot strike him square in the face just before the Red Bulls' first goal. Wagenfuhr has had two concussions already so the team os being cautious.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for some post-match tidbits.

Red Bulls lineup

Here it is, today's starting lineup. Yes, it looks familiar:

------------Altidore-------Mathis-----------

Van Den Bergh---------------------Richards

------------Stammler---Kovalenko---------

Dunivant----------------------------Freeman

---------------Mendes--Parke----------------

------------------Waterreus-------------------

The rain is just pelting the field and I doubt we'll see a pass on the ground go further than three yards. We are in for an absolutely ugly game. Enjoy.

Steady Rain but no crazy wind

Those of you wondering what the weather is like at Giants Stadium I can tell you that there is a steady downpour right now but no super-strong winds that would turn today's Red Bulls game into a farce, at least not yet. I'll keep you posted on how things go.

The Red Bulls lineup vs. FC Dallas

Sorry for posting this so late but I had to step away for a while (and heighten the suspense). For those of you not already asleep, or boozing, here is the lineup Bruce Arena is likely to put on the field. I have this lineup on good authority and the one wild card is Claudio Reyna, who is now a game-time decision. He will undergo a fitness test to determine if he plays. If I were putting odds on it I would put him at 70 percent he doesn't play, 30 percent he does.

Here's the lineup:

Red Bulls lineup will be an interesting one tomorrow

Assuming the game isn't cancelled because of the expected monsoon that's going to hit the area, the Red Bulls match with FC Dallas should be pretty interesting. Bruce Arena is ready to do some lineup tinkering and the result may surprise some of you.

If you think you know what the starting 11 is going to be tomorrow then post your suggestion in the comments section of this post. I will reveal the starting lineup that Arena is very likely to use on Sunday later on tonight.

Stay tuned...

My MLS picks this week

Not a bad first week for yours truly, a 4-2 mark helped out by Colorado's good showing and Chicago's handling of a short-handed New England squad. I faired much better than I did in my ESPN picks (1-2-3).

If you're wondering where 1-2-3 came from I am now giving myself ties for matches that end in ties where I picked a winner. A math professor pointed out to me that with three different outcomes for each match that a percentage of .333 was actually average. Since nobody was giving me props for finishing with about a .410 winning percentage last year I figured I would level the playing field.

Enough about that. Here are the picks for the week:

Good story on the plight of the developmental players in MLS

The plight of the Developmental Player has become the topic du jour this week and Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch comes through with a brilliant piece illustrating just what it is these players have to deal with.

I'm sure some Crew fans will praise Moss for his sacrifices (and deservedly so) but that story certainly shouldn't be used to criticize Teddy Niziolek's decision not to do the same. If anything, the story helps illustra