Soccer By Ives

What a goal by Cuauhtemoc Blanco

I know this is four days late but figured if I hadn't heard about it then maybe some of you hadn't either.

Check out this stunning goal from Mexican star and Chicago Fire designated player Cuauhtemoc Blanco in the Mexican League finals series against Pachuca. The goal temporarily gave Blanco's club, America, the series lead before Pachuca won on aggregate. That still doesn't take away from the stunning goal Blanco scored in his last match for Club America.

Chicago Fire fans have a reason to feel optimistic about Blanco's arrival. They will be hoping that their team isn't too far out of the race when he finally does show up after a full summer of Mexican national team duty.

And yes, I'm sticking by my opinion that I don't think he's going to be a huge impact for the Fire, even though his recent amazing form for America makes me wonder. Then I think about how bad Chicago is these days and feel better about my statement. Let me be clear, I think the guy is amazingly skilled, but his temper and the league's penchant for rough fouling of players just like him won't make for a good mix. He may wind up with more red cards than goals. I hope I'm wrong because the Fire could be a dangerous team if he dominates the way he's capable of.

Do you think Blanco will be a boom or a bust? Share your thoughts below.

In search of the Dario Sala/Colorado Rapids brawl video

I was speaking with a friend recently regarding the infamous brawl between FC Dallas goalkeeper and Colorado Rapids players after the Rapids did a little too much celebrating following their playoff series victory at Pizza Hut Park. I wanted to see the video again but couldn't find it anywhere.

If anybody has a lead on where I can see it please pass the info along. Red Bulls fans might watch that video with renewed interest considering current Red Bulls defender Hunter Freeman  gets the business end of a Dario Sala haymaker in the fight.

Let's see what the SBI posse can come up with. Help me out.

Red Bulls practice observations

It was a pretty light day of training today at Red Bulls camp, probably because it felt like 100 degrees on the team's new field. Here are some tidbits:

Ronald Waterreus, Hunter Freeman and Todd Dunivant look like they will be out for Saturday's match. Dunivant did some running but won't be ready while Waterreus and Freeman didn't even join team on the practice field.

One player who is healthy is Claudio Reyna. He is fit and ready to go (insert your 'Unless he gets hurt on Friday joke here').

Here's the lineup I think you are most likely see vs. Kansas City on Saturday:

A Youri comeback?

Could Youri be asking his old teammate for a job?

It may not mean anything but one of Youri Djorkaeff's representatives attended Red Bulls training on Thursday and met with Red Bulls technical director Jeff Agoos. Could the Frenchman be itching for one last go-round?

As of late spring, Djorkaeff was still living in New York City and may be tempted to come back to a Red Bulls team that is much better than the team he left. You couldn't really blame Djorkaeff if he wanted to go out in a better fashion than he did last year, missing his last game as a Red Bull due to injury.

The team still has Djorkaeff's rights but I'm not sure how it would work salary-wise. More importantly, I'm not sure what role Djorkaeff would play on the current Red Bulls team.

When asked about the possibility on Thursday, Agoos smiled and said, "You never know." That probably translates to, "No shot."

Is it realistic to expect Djorkaeff, at 39, to come back? Probably not. As I stated above, it was probably nothing, but I thought you folks would find it interesting.

SBI Fantasy Rankings (Week eight)

Sorry for the delay in getting this up but it got lost in the holiday weekend/Q&A mix.

Congrats to Mike Sansone, who is representing the SBI League well by holding first place overall in the entire Fantasy MLS competition. That is seriously impressive. Props to Hudson FC for moving into second place in the league and seventh overall, helping us state our case for having the toughest league in the entire set-up.

Here is the Top 10 after last week's games:

Man United pull a double swoop for Anderson and Nani

Sir Alex Ferguson didn't waste a lot of time getting ready to defend that EPL title Manchester United just won. Man U has landed Brazilian playmaker Anderson and Portuguese star Nani in a pair of deals that have to make the Red Devils favorites to repeat as EPL champions.

If you haven't seen either of these Portuguese League players player, you have missed out. Here are some videos of Anderson and Nani, courtesy of YouTube. Not only are these kids already super-skilled, Nani is just 20 and Anderson is 19. Adding them to Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo gives ManU a nucleus of young attacking players to rival Arsenal's deep stable of young talent.

With a deal for Owen Hargreaves all but completed, Ferguson has not only bolstered an already-dangerous attack, but he has also helped the team prepare for the inevitable departures of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, who were both great this season but who are turning 34 and 33 respectively next season.

U.S. Under-20 game at Giants Stadium announced

As first reported here on SBI more than a week ago, The US Under-20 national team will play in a doubleheader at Giants Stadium with the US Women's national team on Saturday, June 23rd (Not on Wednesday, as I first wrote). The US Under-20s will face off against Chile, another team participating in June's U-20 World Championships in Canada. US Soccer officially announced the match today. The U-20 game is slated for a 2pm kickoff.

Since it doesn't appear as if this game will air on TV (yes, I finally figured out that the game isn't on a Wednesday), I may have to break out the SBI Running Commentary that went over so well during the Red Bulls' US Open Cup loss to the Galaxy. Stay tuned for that one.

This game should offer fans in the area a great chance to see just how good the U-20 team is. As we get closer to the Under-20 World Cup in Canada there is a growing belief that this U.S. team could get pretty far in the tournament.

The game could also allow us to see the Jozy Altidore-Gabriel Ferrari forward tandem that seems destined to start for the U-20s in Canada.

Looking forward to this match? Post your thoughts on the match below:

US Lineup vs. China (what starting XI do you want to see?)

Looking at Bob Bradley's roster for the China game and its inclusion of so many young players (and some Bradley favorites like Razov and Marsch) I started wondering what starting 11 I would want to see out of that group on Saturday.

Do you want to see the national team veterans or a lineup with one or two of the youngsters, like Nguyen or Davies?

I have a feeling we could see this lineup:

----------Razov----------Hill----------

Beasley------------------------Dempsey

----------Bradley------Feilhaber-----

Bornstein-----------------------Simek

-----------Onyewu---Bocanegra------

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

I thought about having Dempsey up top and Nguyen on the right flank but I'm not sure how healthy Nguyen is. I also thought of Davies over Hill and wouldn't mind that swap. So why not have both youngsters start? I think you need at least one vet and I think Bradley gives Razov this start. Just a feeling I get.

What starting 11 would you like to see? Post it here.

Davies, Nguyen and Kamani Hill named to US squad vs. China

I told you folks in this morning's Q & A that Bob Bradley would have some nice surprises in store for the China rosters and he did, calling in Charlie Davies, Lee Nguyen and Kamani Hill for the friendly on Saturday.

Nguyen is the biggest surprise, having just recovered from shoulder surgery. I didn't think he would be back this soon but if he is close to fit then he is a very strong candidate for the Copa America roster. Davies, currently playing in Sweden, and Hill, fresh off his debut in the German Bundesliga, are also very intriguing prospects and Copa America candidates.

The fact that Chivas USA is off this weekend means Bradley can call in some long-time favorites in veterans Ante Razov and Jesse Marsch. That will probably annoy those US fans who are easily annoyed but it's a nice gesture on his part to two players who he has enjoyed much success with.

Here is the rest of the US roster:

Gold Cup rosters announced

CONCACAF announced the rosters for next month's Gold Cup. After looking them over I have to say that the region has grown stronger than people realize. There are some pretty good teams in the field, including Costa Rica, Honduras and Canada along with traditional powers Mexico and the US.

The most disappointing absence? How about Honduras' David Suazo? I hadn't heard of any injury so to not see him on the team is a serious blow to the appeal of the tournament. Among the interesting names in the field are Canada's Martin Nash, yes, the brother of Steve Nash, and Honduran forward Carlos Costly (gotta love that name for headline purposes).

As for the team with the biggest disparity between players? How about Haiti, which boasts Atletico Madrid defender Frantz Bertin as well as Ricardo Pierre-Louis, who is without a club at this moment.

Here are all the rosters:

Chris Leitch training with Red Bulls

The rash of injuries to Red Bulls defenders has led the club to take another look at former MetroStar Chris Leitch. Some of you may remember that Leitch was set to train with the Red Bulls but suffered a knee injury very early in the trial.

What may not be as well known is that the Red Bulls were all set to sign him before the injury happened. Because of the knee injury the Red Bulls wound up trading for Hunter Freeman, a deal that worked out well before the trusty turf at Home Depot Center mangled Freeman's ankle.

My feature on Chris Karcz in today's Herald News

Hello all, I'm back after my recovery from knocking out the biggest Q&A session to date. I really appreciate you all contributing to that.

Here's my feature in Red Bulls trialist and former Clifton High star Chris Karcz in today's Herald News. For those of you who don't know I covered Karcz in high school and at Rutgers and he really is a testament to perseverance. He is closing in on a developmental deal with the Red Bulls after three pretty grueling years worth of injury setbacks. It's a story definitely worth reading (and not just because I wrote it.)

Your Questions Answered

Here they are folks, your questions answered (please feel free to comment on the answers below):

EMILIO- With the potential Karcz signing as a developmental player, who would be released.

Also, is Arena comfortable with Graham as a backup or is he seriously interested in another center back, like the argentine who tried out.

Thanks

IVES-  If I had to guess I would say Randi Patterson is in danger of being axed. I also wonder about Blake Camp's status. As for the center back situation, the team currently has Parke, Mendes, Stammler, Graham and Regan. I'm pretty sure he wants someone good enough to step in and push Parke and Mendes. How he would get that done under the current cap situation is beyond me.

GO METRO- How is the relationship between Clint Mathis and Bob Bradley? Is it possible that he could ever find his way back on the US team if he keeps his current form?

IVES-  I'm not sure where they stand these days but anyone trying to cook up bad blood theories is off base. Mathis is certainly playing well but he will need a full season of form like this before he is once again considered for the national team.

A problem is position. He's not quite a national team forward at this point. He's more an attacking midfield type on the international level now. It is fair to say that there isn't anyone like him in the current pool, well except for Landon Donovan. I used to wonder about his fitness but he's playing 90 and showing a good work rate. If he keeps up the current pace for a full season then I could see him getting a call-up this fall. Someone wisely pointed out that Mathis retired from the national team before the last World Cup. While this is true I can't imagine he would turn down another chance to play for the USA.

JOSH- Was that Altidore yellow deserved? Looked unintentional to me on TV.

IVES- I replayed it about 10 times, hoping to see contact. Whether contact was made was inconclusive but what made me feel like there wasn't contact was CJ Brown's reaction. He throw his hands to his face in a very unnatural way. Let's just say he's not a great actor. I remember thinking at the game that the play is either a red card or nothing.

Colombia releases preliminary Copa America roster and guess who isn't on it?

The Colombian national team released a preliminary 34-man roster for Copa America on Monday and Red Bulls striker Juan Pablo Angel is not on the list. Not really a surprise since he hasn't been in the Colombia mix for a while but I was curious to see whether his good start to the MLS campaign would raise any eyebrows in his native country.

Here is the Colombia preliminary roster for Copa America (Pretty impressive actually) and here's a little write up on the squad:

Goalkeeper: Miguel Calero (Pachuca, México), Agustín Julio (Tolima) y Robinson Zapata (Cúcuta).

Defenders: Iván Ramiro Córdoba (Inter Milan), Amaranto Perea (Atletico Madrid), Mario Alberto Yepes (Paris Saint Germain), Aquivaldo Mosquera, (Pachuca, México), Gerardo Vallejo (Tolima), Háyder Palacio (Cali), Walter Moreno (Cúcuta), Javier Arizala (Tolima), Jair Benítez (Cali) y Gerardo Bedoya(Millonarios).

Midfielders: John Viafara (Real Sociedad), Fabían Vargas (Internacional, Brazil), Jorge Banguero (América), David Ferreira (Atlético Paranaense, Brasil), José Amaya (Nacional), Jaime Castrillón (Medellín), Vladimir Marín (Libertad, Paraguay), Juan Carlos Escobar (Tolima), Danilson Córdoba (Medellín), Alvaro Domínguez (Cali), Macnelly Torres (Cúcuta), Carlos Sánchez (River Plate, Uruguay) y Camilo Zúñiga (Nacional).

Forwards: Edixon Perea (Bordeaux, France), Radamel Falcao García (River Plate), Andrés Chitiva (Pachuca, México), Sergio Herrera (Cali), Hugo Rodallega (Monterrey, México), Luis Gabriel Rey (Morelia, México), César Valoyes (Medellín), Freddy Montero (Huila).

Can someone please tell me how all eight of those forwards get the call ahead of Angel? Consider that the scoring leader in the Colombian First Division, where three players on this roster play, is none other than former MetroStar Sergio Galvan Rey. Yes, the one and only.

There's some good talent on that list but Angel should have made the preliminary squad at least. I know Red Bulls fans won't be complaining though, especially not when so many other MLS teams will be missing players.

Random thoughts

As I sit here after cranking out a Memorial Day feature on Chris Karcz for the Herald News and recovering from a barbeque (they always seem like a good idea until smoke is stinging your eyes and you're dreading cleaning the grill), I figured it was a good chance to catch you up on some soccer happenings and topics that I may have missed recently:

Eto'o to Liverpool?- I can't imagine too many Liverpool fans missed this one when it surfaced earlier in the weekend. It seems Barcelona star striker Samuel Eto'o is a big admirer of the fans at Anfield. Given his rocky relationship with Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard it wouldn't be a surprise to see Eto'o leave. I wouldn't have guessed Liverpool originally but word that American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are ready to break the bank for Liverpool's transfer hunt makes it a real possibility.

SBI MLS Power Rankings

I know these are a day early but I figured I would reward those of you who are checking out the blog on Memorial Day (and yes, I'm using the term 'reward' very loosely here).

MLS RANKINGS

1. Red Bulls (5-1-2)- With 10 days to recover, the red-hot Red Bulls should be healthy for their trip to KC.
2. Kansas City Wizards (5-2-1)- Eddie Johnson is on fire, but the Wizards defense faces a tough test against the Red Bulls next week.
3. New England Revolution (5-2-2)- Dealing with Gold Cup absences is nothing new for the Revs, but giving up four goals is.
4. Colorado Rapids (4-2-3)- Call the Rapids Chelsea-lite, they have a talented lineup and win despite playing sometimes ugly soccer.
5. DC United (3-3-1)- Back to .500 but DC still isn't playing the level of soccer expected when the year began.
6. FC Dallas (5-4-1)- I keep saying it, the Hoops don't have a championship-caliber defense, which puts too much pressure on the offense to produce big every week.
7. Chivas USA (3-3-2)- Maykel Galindo is one of the finds of the season, but the Goats still need a replacement for Amado Guevara to be taken seriously.
8. Houston Dynamo (2-5-1)- There's trouble in title town. the Dynamo still can't find good form and now Brian Ching, Dwayne DeRosario and Ricardo Clark are set to play in the Gold Cup.
9. Toronto FC (2-5-1)- A 2-1-1 mark in their last four moves them past some traditional powers, for this week at least.
10. LA Galaxy (1-3-2)- I'm starting to wonder if even David Beckham will be enough to make this team a serious title contender.
11. Chicago Fire (3-4-1)- Yes, I get it, Chris Rolfe and Diego Gutierrez are hurt, but if you can't score on Real Salt Lake then you have SERIOUS problems.
12. Columbus Crew (1-2-5)- Andy Herron looks good in return but that defense is starting to play to its talent level, which isn't very high.
13. Real Salt Lake (0-3-4)- Here's the good news RSL. You're unbeaten in three. The bad news is you still don't have a win.

FIFA puts Alexi Lalas in his place regarding Beckham's England recall

You just knew it was going to happen. A few days after Alexi Lalas planted both feet in his mouth regarding David Beckham's recent call up to the England national, FIFA has stepped in and reminded Lalas what the rules are regarding players being able to play for their national teams.

In short, the Galaxy can't stop Beckham from playing in England friendlies if the matches are on FIFA dates. You, me and most of the soccer-loving world already knew this but that didn't stop Lalas from chiming in and making a not-so-bad situation bad.

Can anyone put a muzzle on the guy? I can usually see the marketing value of his asinine statements but just can't figure out what he or the Galaxy gained from his comments regarding the Beckham situation.

Monday Morning Centerback

Yes, I know, there's only an hour left in the morning, but I wasn't even going to do this week's MMCB until someone asked about it. The idea for MMCB is to give people something to read a they're sitting in their office trying to recover from the weekend. I guess I didn't think about those unlucky few who are actually at work today instead of sitting on a beach somewhere this Memorial Day.

The topic for the morning is Eddie Johnson. He just plain torched the New England Revolution and likely took the MLS Player of the Week honors right off of Juan Pablo Angel's mantle. Here's my question. Who do you prefer playing alongside Landon Donovan in the Gold Cup? Do you go with Brian Ching, who has always played well with Donovan, Twellman, who is on form in MLS action but still not established internationally, or Johnson, who has had his struggles for the national team but does have a track record of beating up on CONCACAF teams?

I'm actually leaning toward Eddie Johnson at this point. He's just a more intriguing prospect for me than Twellman is. I'm still in the school of thought that Twellman will never be much of a player on the international level. I also think Ching is still rusty from his knee injury.

What do you think? Share your thoughts below.

FIFA to outlaw international matches at high altitude

FIFA is set to outlaw matches held at high altitude, the sport's governing body announced on Sunday.

Sorry US Soccer fans but there isn't cause for celebration. The new guidelines outlaw matches played at more than 2500 meters (about 8200 feet). Unfortunately for US fans, that won't rule out matches at Mexico's Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which is located at 2200 meters. You can't help but wonder how much lobbying went on for that 300 meters.

So who does the new rule affect? It will mean bad news for Ecuador (with Quito at 2,800 meters) and Bolivia (with La Paz at 3,600 meters), who have played at high altitude for decades. It will also spoil the plans of poor little Peru, which only a few months ago came up with the idea of holding its games in Cuzco (3,300 meters).

Denver fans, you can relax. Your city is only at about 5,280 feet of altitude.

So let's hear it, I know there are some conspiracy theories out there about what Mexico did to make sure it still had Estadio Azteca for qualifiers. Share your thoughts about this new rule below.

Eddie Johnson blasts New England, nets hat trick

Eddie Johnson has continued the resurrection of his 2005 form on Saturday, netting a hat-trick to lead the Wizards to a 4-3 win against New England.

Who is this guy and what have the Wizards done with the real Eddie Johnson? This is great news, particularly for the US national team as it heads into the Gold Cup with Johnson and Taylor Twellman in great form. Now it is up to him to show that he deserves a starting job for the national team and that he can score in important national team matches.

Are you buying the resurrection or do you still see Johnson having a weak Gold Cup? Share your thoughts below.

Beckham earns England national team recall

 

Real Madrid midfielder and soon-to-be LA Galaxy star David Beckham has earned a call-up to the English national team. In a remarkable turnaround, England manager Steve McLaren has called Beckham back in after famously dropping him after taking over as England manager.

MLS fans hoping to see Beckham during his tour of the league had better start checking England's fall calendar. If he comes back strong for England the way he has for Real Madrid then he just might be playing in meaningful matches for England this fall.

If anything, here's hoping the call-up can quell some of the incessant talk about Beckham being a shell of his former self. No, he's not 2000 David Beckham but the 2007 David Beckham is still a difference maker and someone fans can enjoy watching.

Now the only question that remains is whether Beckham can convince Landon Donovan to go with the bleach job to match his.

Crying about Catalonia

Hello all. Apologies for the day away from the blog but I needed some time to unplug and chill out with the family. That said, I surely would have blogged if I had a computer with me. Unfortunately I was like Ari Gold without his cell phone on Yom Kippur.

I'm back and have to say that I am pretty sick of hearing the complaining about the U.S. national team's October friendly against Catalonia. For those of you who are unaware, the U.S. team announced a pair of friendlies in Europe in October, against Catalonia and Switzerland. For you non-geography majors, Catalonia is a region in Spain which boasts Barcelona. No, it isn't a country, but does have more soccer talent than probably 70 percent of the countries in this world.

It is Q & A Time

With the long weekend ahead of us and so much soccer news going on, from MLS to US national team, I figured it was a good time for another question and answer session.

Just post your questions below in the comments section and I will post the answers to them on Tuesday morning. Remember, try to keep the questions somewhat brief and try to limit them to one or two.

Fire away....

What a goal by Juan Pablo Angel

So I'm watching the Red Bulls-Fire game a second time before I write up a blog report on the match for the morning and I had to comment on Juan Pablo Angel's second goal, the fakeout on Chris Armas and Matt Pickens. It is just amazing how much skill and intelligence it took to pull that play off.

Actually, all three goals were impressive, both in construction and quality. Take Angel's fakeout goal. It starts with a quality switch pass by Richards that Jozy Altidore lets go past him to Stammler, who dribbles to the line before dropping a pass back to Taylor Graham. Now you can argue that Graham swung and missed badly or you can say he backheeled it to Angel. I'll be generous and say he heeled it. Then you have Angel's clever fake shot and tap in.

Good stuff all the way around. Yes, the Red Bulls were sloppy for large chunks of the match but that can happen when you have a two-goal lead three minutes into the match.

I'll write more about the game tomorrow. Right now I need to knock out an ESPN column on the Gold Cup roster.

feel free to post your thoughts on Angel's fakeout goal, or anything else.

Halftime observations

The best word I can use to describe the first half for the Red Bulls is Dynamic.

Slotting Jozy Altidore at left wing and Dave Van Den Bergh at left back has helped transform the Red Bulls attack into a free-flowing unit. If you think about it, by playing VDB and Kovalenko at outside backs the Red Bulls basically have eight attack-minded players on the field (Okay, so Stammler isn't really in attack mode but he is playing his part).

Clint Mathis is running the show in midfield and I have to say he almost looks like 2000 Clint.

Here's a question for you old-school Red Bulls fans. When is the last time this club had an attack this dangerous? I'll go with late 2000 and early 2001 but even those teams didn't have fullbacks joining the attack like this group.

Red Bulls lineup (Dunivant injured, Altidore in midfield)

Todd Dunivant picked up a left thigh injury in Wednesday's practice session, meaning we will see this lineup tonight (My mistake for the earlier formation):

--------Angel-------Wolyniec----------

-------------- Mathis------------------

Altidore -------------------Richards

--------------Stammler----------------

VDB------------------------Kovalenko

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

----------------Conway-----------------

I have never seen Dave Van Den Bergh at left back but he's playing there tonight. Same with Jozy on the left flank. Looks pretty good so far.

Share your thoughts on the first half. I'll report at halftime.

U.S. Gold Cup roster announced

Here is the US Gold Cup roster:

• Goalkeepers (3): Tim Howard, Kasey Keller, Brad Guzan
• Defenders (8): Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Frankie Hejduk, Jonathan Bornstein, Jay DeMerit, Frank Simek, Michael Parkhurst, Jonathan Spector
• Midfielders (8): Clint Dempsey, DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Benni Feilhaber, Pablo Mastroeni, Steve Ralston, Justin Mapp
• Forwards (4): Landon Donovan, Brian Ching, Eddie Johnson, Taylor Twellman

Injuries kept several players off the roster, including Steve Cherundolo, Jimmy Conrad, Chris Albright and Chris Rolfe. Some players who were candidates but didn't make the final squad include Michael Harrington, Bobby Boswell, Kenny Cooper, Brian Carroll and Kyle Beckerman.

Bradley included veterans Frankie Hejduk and Steve Ralston, two older players who are in great form for their clubs and players who can help provide leadership for a pretty young team.

Here is a closer look at the roster, with a breakdown of each position:

Bradley to name US Gold Cup roster today

We are a few hours away (NOON, not 1pm) from hearing the official naming of the U.S. national team's Gold Cup roster and I have to say that there seems to be more intrigue surrounding this group than any previous Gold Cup roster before it. Obviously we are all curious because we want to see what kind of roster Bob Bradley names.

I wouldn't expect many outright surprises. I see Bradley leaving those for the Copa America roster.

Here is the US Gold Cup roster I see Bradley naming:

• Goalkeepers (3): Tim Howard, Matt Reis, Joe Cannon
• Defenders (8): Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jimmy Conrad, Jonathan Bornstein, Jay DeMerit, Frank Simek, Bobby Boswell, Jonathan Spector
• Midfielders (7): Clint Dempsey, DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Pablo Mastroeni, Benni Feilhaber, Justin Mapp,
• Forwards (5): Landon Donovan, Brian Ching, Kenny Cooper, Eddie Johnson, Taylor Twellman

Tim Howard and Michael Bradley are the only names I personally know will be on this list, with Bradley ready to play in the Gold Cup and Under-20 World Cup. Chris Rolfe seemed like a shoe-in for this group but he's dealing with an ankle injury now that could leave him out. If he is named to the roster I really have no idea who would be left off. Brian Ching appears to have recovered fully from knee surgery and when he's healthy he has to get the nod.

There is some question about Conrad's health and if he can't go then I could see someone like Heath Pearce getting the nod. Steve Cherundolo is reportedly out with a back injury he will spend the summer resting. His absence, coupled with Chris Albright's recent injury means that there will be plenty of opportunity for Jonathan Spector and Frank Simek to show their stuff this summer.

The goalkeeper situation could also be vastly different. Does Bradley call in Keller or does he save him for Copa America altogether? Keller's uncertain health makes him more likely to sit out until Copa America. I listed Cannon and Reis here behind Howard but part of me feels that Bradley won't take them both. If he doesn't then he will likely go with Brad Guzan, who is probably a more ideal third goalkeeper than Reis or Cannon, vets who probably don't have much interest in going to the Gold Cup just to watch.

The roster will be released at NOON (sorry for the time error earlier) on USSoccer.com. Once the roster is out I will post it along with some projected lineups we could see.

Your thoughts? Post below:

SBI Fantasy MLS League (Week 7 standings)

I know many of you were waiting to see this posted and I apologize for the delay but as you probably know I had a story earlier in the week that required more of my time than most stories. Those of you who thought I didn't post this because my team is now officially terrible should be ashamed of yourselves. I have all your names and will seek my revenge.

But seriously, I think it is safe to say that the SBI League is one of, if not the strongest leagues in the entire MLS fantasy set-up. Having the second and third best teams in the entire competition is very impressive. Too bad my team can't pick up the slack. Maybe I should stop playing defenders who don't get on the field. That would be a start.

Here they are, the current SBI Fantasy League standings:

Champions League Final in Pictures: AC Milan tops Liverpool

AC Milan gained their revenge, beating Liverpool 2-1 in the Champions League final in a rematch of the 2006 final.

It was a good game and it can be argued that Liverpool played better. I would call it an evenly played game but Milan is a deserving champion.

Here are some images from the game:

Pipo Inzaghi celebrates one of his two goals on the day.

My Champions League final prediction

Before I give you my Champions League final prediction, here are the Champions League final picks for some of the Red Bulls:

• Dave Van Den Bergh- AC Milan
• Seth Stammler- Liverpool
• Todd Dunivant- AC Milan
• Dane Richards- AC Milan
• Bruce Arena- AC Milan
• Jon Conway- Liverpool
• Carlos Mendes- AC Milan
• Clint Mathis- Liverpool
• Hunter Freeman- Liverpool
• Jozy Altidore- AC Milan
• Dema Kovalenko- AC Milan

Now, on to my pick. I think the Milan midfield controls a tightly-played match as Andrea Pirlo nets the game-winner in a 2-1 AC Milan victory. Liverpool fans can thank me later.

Red Bulls Practice report (Wednesday)

So I made it to Montclair State on Wednesday but I missed a good portion of the short training session. Here is what I did gather from my trip:

Claudio Reyna did take part in some light drills and is a game-time decision. The team is calling it a game-time decision but given the fact that he didn't take part in any heavy training this week I wouldn't bet on him playing tomorrow.

The same starting lineup that beat the Crew 4-0 is a safe bet to go again. Wolyniec has looked good in training and should get the nod over Jozy Altidore.

One positive sight from training was Hunter Freeman walking around without a walking boot. He looks healthy but is still weeks away from being able to play.

Finishing drills were fun to watch, with Dave Van Den Bergh having the shot of the day, a blistering left-footed volley from the top of the box. Clint Mathis also had some nice shots. I do have to say that it is a funny sight watching Dane Richards stand around during shooting drills. He's the only attacking player who doesn't take part because he has the shot of a U-8 player. That said, he's still a rookie of the year candidate.

That is all for today.

Off to Red Bulls practice

I'm heading to Montclair State for practice and will try to post from there. I'm taking the laptop so I'll see about getting you some quicker updates on the team. Stay tuned..

Red Bulls fire Director of Youth Soccer

In what has to be one of the most shocking developments of the new year, the Red Bulls have fired recently-hired director of youth soccer Armen Simoniants on Tuesday for lying on his resume. Simoniants was hired to replace Giovanni Savarese just two weeks ago but was swiftly fired when inconsistencies in his resume came to light.

So what did he lie about? For one, he claimed to have been a head coach of the MetroStars reserve team from 2000 to 2003. Not only was he never a reserve team head coach, he was actually fired as an assistant coach in 2003.

I first got wind of this situation when he was hired. Having covered the team since 1999 I have followed the team very closely and just didn't remember Simoniants from the period of time he was supposed to be a reserve team head coach. I started asking around about him and it didn't take long to get a half dozen well-placed sources to confirm my suspicions.

Champions League Final: Where will you be watching?

AC Milan and Liverpool will square off on Wednesday afternoon on ESPN2 and I'm sure most of you who can get away from work or don't have day jobs will be watching. My question is where will you be watching?

I'm leaning toward Mulligans in Hoboken again, although I'm sure I can be persuaded to go somewhere else.

Let me know where you folks will be watching.

Red Bulls practice report (Tuesday)

Another day at Montclair State and I have to say the team looked pretty sharp in training, at least the portion of the session I saw. I tend to time my arrival to get there in time to see the 11 v 11 action and I got to see just that today. Here's what I saw:

Red Bulls injury update

What first seemed like somewhat minor ankle injuries suffered by Red Bulls goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus and defender Hunter Freeman have turned out to be far more serious, team trainer Rick Guter revealed on Tuesday.

Both players suffered torn ankle ligaments in the same week. Freeman's injury could keep him sidelined up to a month or longer while Waterreus has made a rapid recover from the injury he suffered during the team's 3-3 tie against Real Salt Lake more than two weeks ago.

Freeman suffered torn ligaments on both sides of his ankle but the injury did not require surgery. He is now wearing a walking boot to prevent any further damage.

Waterreus has recovered quickly from his own injury, though the inside of his left ankle is still seriously swollen. That said, Guter stated that if the team were playing in a cup final then the team could find a way to get him on the field. He could be back in two weeks or so.

Claudio Reyna did not train today but will attempt to train tomorrow. He seems more likely to miss Thursday and be back for the team's road game against KC on June 2nd. 

And we're back

Apologies for the day-long disappearance from the blog but I had a full day of attending Red Bulls practice, working on a feature series on the Red Bull Youth Academy as well as other stories.

I will be posting on today's Red Bulls practice later this evening so stay tuned for that. I will be posting an injury update on Ronald Waterreus and Hunter Freeman in about an hour.

Real Salt Lake dealing Jeff Cunningham to Toronto for Alecko Eskandarian

A source has just confirmed this deal to me. Steve Goff broke the story of Eskandarian being dealt to RSL by Toronto FC and I just got word that it was for none other than Mr. Cunningham.

I'll pass along more info as it becomes available.

SBI MLS Rankings (Week seven)

Here is this week's MLS rankings. No change at the top but there's one team rising quickly (DC) and one falling fast (Columubs):

1. New England Revolution (5-1-2)- The Revs D shows it can win games too.
2. New York Red Bull (4-1-2)- Juan Pablo Angel has officially arrived.
3. FC Dallas (5-3-1)- Dario Sala is back, and so is the FCD attack.
4. Kansas City Wizards (4-2-1)- Two games without a win and now the Wizards go to New England.
5. Colorado Rapids (3-2-3)- Haven't won a game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park since season opener.
6. DC United (2-3-1)- Look whose slowly climbing up the ladder.
7. Chicago Fire (3-3-1)- No Rolfe, no chance for a win.
8. Los Angeles Galaxy (1-2-2)- Landon Donovan owns Chivas USA, plain and simple.
9. Chivas USA (2-3-2)- Four straight matches without a win. Maybe they should kiss and make up with Amado Guevara.
10. Houston (2-4-1)- This isn't a Champions Cup hangover. There's something wrong with the champs.
11. Toronto FC (2-5)- The newcomers are playing well and deserved at least a tie vs. DC United
12. Columbus Crew (1-2-4)- Overachievers are starting to face the reality of their mediocre roster
13. Real Salt Lake (0-3-4)- We're learning quickly that it wasn't all John Ellinger's fault.

U.S. U-20s to play at Giants Stadium

The U.S. Under-20 national team will play at Giants Stadium on June 23rd as part of a doubleheader with the U.S. Women's national team. The match will be one of the team's final preparation matches for this summer's Under-20 World Championships in Canada in late June.

A source has told me that the U-20 team, which features Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu, Michael Bradley and Gabriel Ferrari, will hold its pre-tournament camp at the Premier Development Academy in New Jersey and will play two friendlies in the area. One will be the match on the 23rd at Giants Stadium, the second one will be played in the area at as yet unknown location. The June 23rd match will be part of a doubleheader with the U.S. women's national team's exhibition against Brazil. Kickoff for the women's game is 5pm.

Opponents for the matches were not known at this time but they will likely be two teams that are competing in the Under-20 world championships. Sources have identified Chile and New Zealand as the likely opponents.

US Soccer would only confirm that talks are underway regarding a U-20/Women's national team doubleheader, but that nothing has been finalized.

Shevchenko eyes eventual MLS move

For those of you who hadn't seen it, here is a story on Chelsea striker Andriy Schevchenko saying that he wants to finish his career in MLS. Sheva told SI.com that he wants to play in MLS before his career is over.

This really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone in the US. His wife is American and reports have been around for a while that they will eventually settle here.

Where will he actually play if and when he comes here? I would go with DC since his wife grew up there. Not a bad player to replace Jaime Moreno when he leaves, is it? Then again, maybe his wife, who is a model, will want to live closer to New York? An Angel-Shevchenko strike force with Claudio Reyna dropping from a DP to regular MLS salary would be a nice coup for the Red Bulls as well.

Red Bulls stadium looking at a delayed opening

The Red Bulls announced on Monday that the projections for when Red Bull Park will open have been changed and now fall of 2008 is more likely than the summer. Land cleanup issues have led to delays. It should also be noted though that a warm, snow-free winter could speed things back up.

What does this mean for the Red Bulls? It means fans will be subject to Giants Stadium just a little bit longer. It also means fans will have to wait a little bit longer for the Red Bulls front office to start actually promoting their team.

Here's hoping we have a warm winter.

Monday Morning Centerback

Who will Bob Bradley choose the for the Gold Cup? We had another weekend of MLS games and the new US coach must have his roster selected by now. Readers offered up some pretty good suggestions on players Bradley should bring in.

Rather than going through trying to pick an entire roster I figured I would ask this: What MLS player has raised his national team stock the most so far this season and what player has seen his stock drop the furthest?

For me, I think Chris Rolfe has raised his stock. So has Michael Harrington. Some will mention Taylor Twellman, but since he was already a national team lock this summer I'm not sure how much his stock actually rose. Whose stock is rock bottom? Pat Noonan has had a rough year so far.

Give me your take. Whose stock is up? Whose stock is down? Fire away.

A day at the Red Bulls reserve game

I made my way to Montclair State this morning to take in the Red Bulls' reserve team match against the Columbus Crew. I didn't expect to see great soccer, particularly on the turf at Sprague Field, but the fact that Clifton natives Danny Szetela and Chris Karcz were slated to start made it a trip worth taking.

The Red Bulls won 2-1, on goals from Jerrod Laventure and Sinisa Ubiparipovic in a game that was pretty ugly. How ugly? I can't recall a sequence where either team could string good passes together. The turf didn't help but it was just a game lacking any real creativity.

Markus Schopp saw extended minutes and really got nothing going while he was in the match. Calling him rusty is an understatement. That said, he's fit enough to warrant some minutes on Thursday.

Sinisa Ubiparipovic continues to impress. He's still adjusting to the speed of the pro game but he has a creative approach to the game and a good touch on his passes that should continue to earn him minutes.

Sorry folks

I was in the process of writing a post on today's Red Bull reserve match before a problem with my wireless connection forced me to scrap it. I will finish it and post it tonight.

Red Bulls 4, Crew 0 (A second look)

Funny what happens when you actually finish your chances.

The Red Bulls didn't play amazing soccer on Saturday night but when they put together a good sequence they finished it off with a nice goal. it is what the club couldn't do in the season opener against the Crew and what it didn't do last week against the Rapids.

The Crew probably deserved better than a 4-0 loss but it is clearly lacking a dynamic central midfield presence. Yes, Ned Grabavoy has enjoyed a solid seaosn but the team needs a star playmaker to provide more chances for Alejandro Moreno and Guillermo Schelotto.

Juan Pablo Angel showed why he is a world class striker. He had a hand in ever goal scored, making good passes and smart runs. The one thing I notice about him is that he doesn't force bad plays out of selfishness. He will make the drop-off pass to the flank in order to set up a good cross into the box and he'll hit a teammate making a run rather than looking for his own shot. His unselfishness is something that can become contaagious and it was on Saturday night.

At the half: Red Bulls 1, Crew 0

Commentary to come. Post your thoughts on the first half below:

Altidore is at his prom

If you were wondering where Jozy Altidore was tonight, he is in Florida attending his senior prom.

Altidore follows in the footsteps of Mike Magee, who attended his prom in 2003 on the day of a game. The only difference is Magee scored a goal at Columbus before heading to Chicago for his prom.

Keep your "Jozy should keep his scoring streak intact" jokes to yourself.

Lineups and breakdown for Red Bulls-Crew

Here's the starting 11 for tonight's match:

--------Angel----------Wolyniec--------

-----------------Mathis------------------

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

----------------Stammler----------------

Dunivant--------------------------Kovalenko

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

-------------------Conway-----------------

As I suggested earlier in the week, Wolyniec is in the starting lineup. I know some of you hate the guy but he is a physical presence and works well with Angel. Altidore is NOT on the roster tonight. He is at his prom (yes, prom).

No Reyna again, which shouldn't have come as a surprise as soon as the rain started falling. This is his third game missed and I'm starting to wonder whether Bruce Arena is doing a good job of managing Reyna's health. We all know that Reyna has his issues and Arena should know this better than anyone.

Those of you who hate Reyna or are gloating about his injuries, here's a rough jibe from Star Ledger writer Frank Giase. "I think Roger Clemens is going to play more games than Claudio this year."

Here's the lineup for the Crew:

Drogba scores, Chelsea lifts the FA Cup

Chelsea did it. After a season without a single piece of distinguished hardware the former EPL champions salvaged their 2006/2007 campaign by winning the FA Cup, courtesy of a Didier Drogba goal in extra time of a pretty even match (okay, so maybe it wasn't as ugly as I first suggested). Here is hoping Wednesday's Champions League final is more entertaining.

The La Liga race heats up

Real Madrid and Barcelona are tied atop the La Liga standings and you can watch both play on TV on Sunday thanks to Gol TV.

Real Madrid meets Recreativo Huelva at 1pm then Barcelona faces Atletico Madrid at 3pm. GolTV will air both matches.

Actually, GolTV will also air third-place Sevilla's match against Deportivo La Coruna at 11am so Sevilla, which is fresh off winning a second-straight UEFA Cup title, could move into first place temporily before Real Madrid and Barcelona play.

In short, if you love Spanish soccer then this is your weekend.

Mulligan's it is (FA Cup Final viewing)

After reading some of the responses about where people will be going to watch the FA Cup final in the morning I have decided to see the game at Mulligan's in Hoboken (159 1st St.). Having seen last year's Champions League final there and a Chelsea-Barcelona Champions League tilt there this year I can vouch for it being a good place to watch a game.

Now, waking up will be the real trick. Those who know me well know that I'm standing at about a 10-1 underdog to actually wake up and go. I can tell you the odds are better than that.

I'm calling a ManU victory, say 2-1.

The FA Cup final: Where will you be watching?

The FA Cup final is all set for Saturday morning, with Chelsea ready to battle Manchester United one more time.

I'm looking for a place to watch the game and wanted to know where you folks will be watching the game. Drop some suggestions for places to see the game. I'm sure I'm not the only one trying to find someplace with a good atmosphere to see the game.

Gold Cup roster: Who should Bradley take?

Now that the whole ordeal of naming Bob Bradley as US head coach is behind us, we can look at the team Bradley will take to the Gold Cup. Yes, Copa America's roster will be filled with more new faces and surprises, but the Gold CUp roster is going to be announced pretty soon.

Here's my very quick take on what the Gold Cup roster might look like:

• GK- Tim Howard,  Matt Reis, Brad Guzan
• D- Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit, Jonathan Spector, Frank Simek, Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce
• M- DaMarcus Beasley, Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Clark, Pablo Mastroeni, Sacha Kljestan, Justin Mapp, Benny Feilhaber.
• F- Landon Donovan, Taylor Twellman, Chris Rolfe, Kenny Cooper, Brian Ching.

There will probably be a winger in place of Feilhaber or Kljestan but I couldn't decide what winger I would include so I went with the two central midfielders.

Where's Kasey Keller? I see him starting in Copa America. There are No. Under-20s on this list but that may not stop one or two of them from making this roster.

What do you think the 23-man GOld Cup roster will look like for the United States? Feel free to offer your opinion of this roster as well as provide your own take on the roster. Fire away: