Soccer By Ives

What was your highlight of the weekend?

Good afternoon folks. Apologies for the absence of posts today but I'm having issues with the official SBI computer. Hopefully they can be straightened out later today, but if not I'll definitely be back up by tomorrow.

For now I want to hear from you folks on what you thought were the best soccer highlights from the weekend? Was it Fulham, led by its American players, holding Chelsea to a tie? Was it Portsmouth's seven-goal drubbing of Reading? Was it Thierry Henry's hat-trick? Was it D.C. United's dismantling of Toronto? How about Seattle's USL championship?

I want to hear them. Tell me your favorite moments from the weekend.

Seattle Sounders trounce Atlanta, win USL title

The Seattle Sounders routed the Atlanta Silverbacks, 4-0, in the United Soccer League championship on Saturday night. The title is Seattle's fourth.

Greg Howes came on as an 18th-minute substitute for injured Sounders star Leighton O'Brien and scored two goals to help the Sounders win the league championship in what could be their last season in the USL. As first reported on SBI, Seattle has been approved for an Major League Soccer franchise in 2009.

What do you think of Seattle's championship victory? Share your thoughts below.

Red Bulls vs. Real Salt Lake (Running Commentary)

Good evening folks. I'm here at Giants STadium and the Red Bulls-REal Salt Lake match is about to kick off. Apologies for the absence of posts today. I had some non-work stuff to take care of today. I'm back now and ready to roll.

Let's get going. Follow the match here and feel free to share your thoughts on the match below:

Convey Hurt Again

Bobby Convey can't catch a break.

He finally returns from a long injury layoff to score a stunning goal against Liverpool earlier this week but now reports are surfacing that he injured his leg in training and won't play this weekend.

There are no details on the injury yet but it does not appear severe enough to keep him out for an extended period of time. At least you hope so for Convey's sake.

SBI Reader Roll Call (Take Four)

Good afternoon all. It is time to bring back the reader roll call one final time. We're at almost 800 responses and I really want to see if we can get to 1,000. Just remember, if you've provided your info here before please don't add it again. Those of you who haven't taken part yet can keep reading on.

(Alert, if the next three paragraphs sound familiar it's because they're basically the same from the last three times I did roll calls.)

You've heard about the SBI Mafia, but what remains unknown is where all the readers are checking in from. There have been comments from all over the US, Europe and Asia. Now it's time to get a real sense of where everybody is.

Let's hear it. Tell me where you're from. Post your name (comment nickname if it's different) and where you're posting from. You can also share what clubs you support but that's about it (No zodiac signs or favorite movies, this isn't MySpace.) Now, if you already posted your information below PLEASE do not post it again.

I plan to post a detailed breakdown of where SBI readers are checking in from. I can say based on the early returns that New Jersey/New York, DC/Virginia/Maryland and California lead the way as 45 states and 14 countries have been represented in the roll call. Since the number of hits the blog gets has increased considerably since the last roll call I'm hoping for enough responses to create a good sample of where SBI readers are checking in from:

Fire away folks, let's give the SBI Mafia an identify. Post your info below.

This Weekend's Soccer on TV

Okay folks, you asked for an expanded weekend TV schedule so I have included MLS and some Latin American soccer matches on the Soccer TV schedule.

Roma at Inter Milan is the headliner this weekend, kicking off at 2:30pm ET on Saturday on Fox Soccer Channel.

I'm sure there are other matches I am missing, and I still haven't included Setanta, but consider this schedule a good starting-off point. SBI readers are encouraged to add more TV games in the comments section.

Here it is. This weekend's soccer TV schedule:

TGIF: What would a 20-team MLS look like?

It is a day after SBI reported the Seattle MLS expansion team and while some people still aren't buying it, those of you who are believers have probably started wondering just how big MLS can get and what it might look like when the league is done expanding.

Wizards lose game, Conrad and Arnaud sent off

Gavin Glinton's goal was enough to give the lowly Los Angeles Galaxy a 1-0 victory against the Kansas City Wizards on Thursday night.

KC defender Jimmy Conrad and midfielder Davy Arnaud were both issued red cards in the match, which means both will now miss the Wizard's key Eastern Conference showdown against DC United on Friday, Oct. 5th.

The KC loss also means the Chicago Fire could pull within a point of the Wizards with a win against Chivas USA on Saturday.

For the third straight season the Wizards are stumbling to the finish line. It seems unlikely that KC will miss the playoffs for a third straight year but the Wizards don't look like they'll be lasting too long once they make them.

What do you think of the Wizards' latest late-season swoon? Share your thoughts below.

Red Bulls practice report

Hello all. Apologies for the lack of posts today but I wanted to let that breaking news on the Seattle expansion team enjoy the spotlight. I've also been running around a bit today, attending Red Bulls practice and some other personal matters. Here are some tidbits from practice:

Brazil blasts USA in Women's World Cup semis (Hope Solo sounds off)

Marta scored two goals to lead Brazil past the U.S. women's national team in the World Cup semifinals. The story of the match was U.S. coach Greg Ryan's decision to start Brianna Scurry in goal ahead of Hope Solo. Scurry looked old and slow in net today, with at least two of Brazil's shots coming close enough to save only to have Scurry fail to make the stop.

Ryan was already going to face the heat for his decision but Solo hasn't made things any easier after blasting Ryan's decision in post-match interviews. I don't have a link to her comments yet but I'm sure they will hit the web soon. Keep an eye out and get ready for some raw anger from Solo, who has every right to be upset about Ryan's ridiculous decision.

Would Solo in net have helped the Americans win? I'm not sure about that one, but I do doubt the score is a blowout with her in goal.

What do you think of today's events in China? Share your thoughts below.

Seattle to MLS in 2009

   

Major League Soccer's 15th team will be its first in the Pacific Northwest.

SBI has learned that MLS has chosen Seattle as the home for the next MLS expansion team. Sources with knowledge of the deal have confirmed that Seattle will join MLS for the 2009 season, a year after San Jose is set to join MLS as its 14th team. An official announcement will be made in two weeks.

Adu scores first Benfica goal in Cup victory

Freddy Adu showed the first real glimpses of being something special for Benfica by scoring a 90th minute penalty kick and converting a penalty shootout attempt to help Benfica defeat Estrela Amadora in the quarterfinals of the Carlsberg Cup.

Adu came on as a second half substitute for Benfica and calmly placed a shot into the top right corner of net to tie the match in the 90th before placing Benfica's first shootout attempt into the low left corner of the net. Benfica won the shootout, 5-4.

What does this mean for Adu? It definitely showed that he can handle pressure, though I'm not sure there were really concerns about that. He's still a young player on a strong European team so don't go pegging him for a starting role just yet. If anything, this performance should help his chances of making the bench and seeing some minutes, which had been hard to come by in the past month.

What do you think of this news? Share your thoughts below.

Messi does it again

If you forgot to watch or TIVO the Barcelona-Zaragoza match, or you were late to see it, you have already missed three stunning goals. Lionel Messi has scored two goals and Alberto Zapater added his own blast and it's 2-1 Barcelona after 11 minutes.

Cesc Fabregas and Wesley Sneijder are off to great starts right now but I don't think there's a more dangerous player in the world right now than little Lionel Messi. The Messi-dona nickname certainly fits.

If you just plain forgot about this game I suggest you start watching. If you can't do that then check the GolTV schedule for the re-broadcast.

U.S. women turn to Scurry

The U.S. women's national team faces Brazil on Thursday in the World Cup semifinals and the Americans will have a familiar face in goal. Veteran Briana Scurry will get the nod in goal ahead of regular starter Hope Solo.

U.S. coach Greg Ryan stated that Brazil's style of play and ability to get plenty of shots from close range led him to start Scurry, who he deemed the best in the world at making reaction saves. Another factor that probably played a part in the decision is the fact that Scurry has never lost to Brazil while Solo has never faced Brazil.

For those of you who missed it, Germany booked its place in the final with a 3-0 victory against Norway. Germany did dominate but the scoreline was a bit misleading. The three goals came courtesy of an own goal, deflected shot and shocking defensive error. That said, Germany will be tough to beat in the final.

What do you think of the decision to start Scurry? Share your thoughts below.

Szetela misses out on debut

 

Danny Szetela did not make the team sheet for Racing de Santander's match against Villarreal today. The former Crew midfielder is getting over a flu. He has yet to make his debut for Racing since joining from Major League Soccer last month but is expected to be in uniform soon.

Szetela also missed out on a reunion of sorts with childhood teammate, fellow Clifton native and Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi, who earned the start for Villarreal.

The Ronaldinho to Chelsea rumor

 

If you're wondering why it took me a while to comment on the Ronaldinho to Chelsea story, it is because as of right now it is a story being reported by an absolute rag tabloid of a publication, the Daily Sun. I know that didn't stop ESPN from running with the story (a bit of an absurd decision of you ask me. It would be like the BBC evening news running with a National Enquirer story), but I wasn't really impressed with the rumor

Your chance to see Amado Guevara play

Hey Amado Guevara fans, can't wait until his inevitable return to the Red Bulls in 2008 (sarcasm alert) to see your favorite volatile Honduran playmaker? You're in luck.

Guevara and CD Motagua will be playing Panamanian squad San Francisco tonight in the quarterfinals of the Central American club championships on GolTV at 9pm.

Motagua beat San Francisco in the first leg of this home-and-home, 1-0.

Who will the Red Bulls start down the stretch?

There are four games to go in the regular season for the Red Bulls and last week's 2-2 tie with New England marked the first time they used the same lineup two games in a row. That doesn't leave a lot of time for building continuity and familiarity.

It may not matter if the Red Bulls attack keeps playing as well as it did against New England. The team looks to be rounding into form at the right time and only the habitual mistakes of the back-line are keeping me from thinking they have a serious chance of making a run in the MLS playoffs.

So what lineup will Bruce Arena use when the playoffs get here? Obviously the next four games will tell us what we need to know, but here is a look at what the post-season Red Bulls could look like.

A better version of Giusfredi's long-range goal

Okay folks, I know most of you have already seen it but if you'd like to see a better quality video clip of Eliseo Giusfredi's goal from the midfield stripe, here it is. The clip starts with the post-goal celebration, which is a bit weird, but the actual goal comes up right after. Enjoy.

Mid-week European Soccer on TV

 

Can't wait for the weekend to get your European soccer fix? You're in luck. This week features a bunch of quality action in Italy, Spain and Germany.

Barcelona, Roma, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are just some of the teams you'll be able to watch on TV this week. Here is the mid-week European soccer TV schedule:

My column on Eliseo Giusfredi

Good morning folks. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here is my column in today's Herald News on Seton Hall star Eliseo Giusfredi.

If you missed my post this weekend, here is the clip of Giusfredi's game-winning goal from near the midfield stripe.

Is the kid for real? The short answer is yes.

What could Arsenal do with a $140 million transfer budget?

If you haven't heard by now, Arsenal has made a boatload of money thanks to its new stadium, Ashburton Grove, and now the Gunners reportedly will have a $140 million transfer war chest next summer.

So what do you give the team that is already loaded with talent and quality young prospects? There are always areas a team can upgrade and Arsenal has their own. Here is a look at what Arsene Wenger could do with that transfer money.

It's Q&A Time

Okay folks, it has been a few weeks since the last question & answer session so let's have another one. I know I didn't get to all of the questions last time but I will look to cut off the questions sooner so I can handle them all in a timely manner.

Let's hear your questions. Fire away.

SBI European Top 10

 

Talk about a bunch of high-quality match-ups in European soccer this weekend.

There were a half-dozen matches pairing teams either in the SBI European Top 10 or in the honorable mention, from Roma-Juve to Man U-Chelsea, and these match-ups have helped the Top 10 come into a better focus as we head toward October.

Real Madrid holds on to the No. 1 spot but high-flying Arsenal is closing fast. Here is the Top 10:

Random Soccer Thoughts

Hello all. Those of you waiting for the SBI European rankings, they are on the way. For now, here's a post that isn't about any soccer subject in particular. Just some random thoughts I've had recently after watching hours and hours of soccer this weekend. Here goes:

Monday Morning Center Back (Who wants to make the MLS playoffs?)

Good morning folks. It was a pretty busy weekend of soccer action and while there was plenty to talk about in the European game, my MMCB this week will focus on MLS. This really is supposed to be the playoff stretch in Major League Soccer, even if MLS teams aren't playing like it.

Chicago, Columbus and Colorado are supposed to be battling it out for the final MLS playoff berth but none of them looks like they're ready to take control. Whether blowing leads, losing games against beatable opponents or struggling to beat bad teams, this trio of playoff pretenders didn't show much urgency this weekend.

Video of Eliseo Giusfredi's goal from the midfield stripe

In case you missed the post earlier this week, Seton Hall forward and Paterson resident Eliseo Giusfredi scored a game-winning goal against Princeton on Monday that has to be seen to be believed.

Americans in Europe: Bradley scores again

Michael Bradley can't stop scoring.

The U.S. national team midfielder netted his fourth goal in three matches for Heerenveen, scoring his team's first goal in a 3-2 loss to FC Utrecht. Bradley scored in the 50th minute to tie the match at 1-1 but Utrecht scored two late goals to win. Here are video highlights from the match. Bradley actually came close to adding a second goal but his side volley from close range hit the crossbar. He followed up that shot by heading the rebound to a wide-open teammate in front of goal but his teammate also sent his header off the crossbar. (Interesting aside. The goalkeeper who starred for Guadeloupe in the Gold Cup comes in for Utrecht as a second half sub.)

Bradley was the only European-based U.S. national team player to score this weekend, but he wasn't the only American-born player to score. Clifton native Giuseppe Rossi scored two goals to lift Villarreal past Murcia on Sunday.

Here is a rundown of how the Americans in Europe did this weekend:

European Soccer: Man U wins, Juve and Roma tie

   

Goals from Carlos Tevez and Louis Saha helped Manchester United top Chelsea, 2-0, on Sunday. A 32nd minute red card issued to Jon Obi Mikel crippled an already short-handed Chelsea squad and ManU spoiled Avram Grant's debut as Jose Mourinho's replacement.

In Italy, Juve netted an 88th-minute equalizer from Vincent Iaquinta to spoil Roma's perfect record and salvage a 2-2 tie in their Serie A showdown.

The two matches highlighted a busy Sunday of European soccer action. Stay tuned for more posts shortly.

What did you think of these showcase matches? Share your thoughts below.

Red Bulls-Revolution (Running Commentary)

Good evening folks. I'm at Giants Stadium and the Red Bulls-Revolution match is about to get under way. Check here throughout the match for updates and comments.

Messi leads Barcelona past Sevilla, 2-1

No Ronaldinho, No Samuel Eto'o? No problem.

Argentine wonder kid Lionel Messi scored a brace, including a beautiful side volley off a perfect pass from Thierry Henry, to lead Barcelona past Sevilla, 2-1, on Saturday.

Barcelona's second goal came courtesy of a penalty drawn by Mexican starlet Giovani Dos Santos which Messi converted. Sevilla added a fluke stoppage time goal to avoid the shutout.

Ronaldinho missed the match with a calf injury but it didn't matter as Barca outplayed a Sevilla squad that looked like it was trying to escape with a point.

Pink is the new Red (New pics)

Just when you thought Olympique Marseille's hideous neon uniforms, which were featured in the most recent You Write the Caption, were going to be the most shocking uniforms we'd see this season I now give you Sevilla's hot pink road uniforms, which they are wearing against Barcelona today.

Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with wearing pink, as Palermo can attest, these uniforms are just a bit loud.

What do you think of these hot pink unis? Share your thoughts below. (Some more pics after the jump

Liverpool ties, Tinker man Benitez loses

When will Rafa Benitez learn?

The Spaniard keeps tinkering with Liverpool's starting lineups and yet again his club dropped points against a team it should have thrashed. Liverpool settled for a scoreless tie against Birmingham, whose combined transfer value may not even be as much as Spanish striker Fernando Torres, who started this match on the bench.

Arsenal added another two points to increase the gap between the Gunners and Reds and you get the feeling that Liverpool fans will sit around come March wondering how they fell so far behind the leaders.

I realize that some teams just focus more on the Champions League but Liverpool's roster should be able to handle both the Champions League and EPL without sacrificing one for the other. There's really no excuse for Torres to be benched for two straight leagues matches and no excuse for Liverpool to settle for three straight draws and two straight scoreless draws in the league.

What do you think of Liverpool's struggles? Share your thoughts below.

Arsenal crushes Derby

Okay, okay, I'll admit it. Arsenal is playing out of this world soccer. After smoking Sevilla in mid-week in the Champions League, the Gunners thrashed Derby, 5-0, on Saturday. They're playing beautifully, though to be honest, most good teams will against Derby.

I'll be installing Arsenal as No. 2 in the next SBI European rankings, unless Real Madrid manages to lose this weekend.

Women's World Cup: USA, Germany roll

Second-half goals from Abby Wambach, Shannon Boxx and Kristine Lilly helped the U.S. women's national team roll past England, 3-0, in the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup in China this morning. Yes, I was actually awake for the second half of this game, which I watched intently (well, as intently as you can watch while still being half asleep.)

In the day's earlier quarter (only seen by bakers, Germans, North Koreans and people coming back from the club) Germany trounced North Korea, 3-0. The shutout was Germany's fourth in four World Cup matches.

The other two quarterfinals, Norway-China and Brazil-Australia, will take place on Sunday morning. Germany faces the Norway/China winner on Wednesday while the U.S. team faces the Brazil-Australia winner on Thursday.

The World Cup final is set for Sept. 30th.

USL Playoffs: Seattle wins, Portland and Atlanta tie

The Seattle Sounders recorded a valuable 2-1 road win against Puerto Rico in the first leg of their home-and-home USL Semifinal series on Friday night. Seattle now returns for the second leg in Seattle on Sunday with a considerable edge. Oh, and Petter Villegas scored Puerto Rico's goal with a 25-yard blast (MetroStars/Red Bulls fans just spit up their Cheerios.)

Atlanta and Portland tied the first leg of their home-and-home series, 1-1, in Atlanta on Friday. night. Portland's vaunted defense was breached for a  first-half goal but Portland equalized early in the second half. The teams travel to Portland on Sunday for the second leg, which will air on Fox Soccer Channel at 8pm.

What do you think of these results? Share your thoughts below. 

Video of Michael Bradley's UEFA Cup goals

For those of you who haven't seen them yet, here is a highlight reel of the goals from Heerenveen's 5-3 victory against Helsingborg, including both of Michael Bradley's goals. Bradley's second goal is especially impressive, though the penalty-drawing tackle he delivers in the next sequence brings a cringe. Overall, still a great showing from a 20, yes 20-year-old American midfielder.

Kudos to SBI Mafia member Frank Perez, AKA FP from the Left Coast, for providing this one.

US-Catalonia cancelled (officially) with NO replacement match

The inevitable finally became official on Friday when U.S. Soccer announced that its proposed friendly versus Catalonia has been cancelled. What wasn't known until today though is that there will be no replacement match. This means the U.S. men's national team has just two games remaining this year, at Switzerland on Oct. 17th and at South Africa on Nov. 17th.

"We are disappointed that the match will not be played, since we believe playing Catalonia would be an excellent experience for our players,” U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said .  “Nonetheless, we respect the decision of the Spanish Federation.”

Too bad politics had to get involved in what could have been a pretty exciting match for the U.S. team. Despite what some suggested, I do believe the match would have had considerable value for the national team.

What do you think of this news? Share your thoughts below.

This weekend's European (and MLS) soccer on TV

If you're a true soccer fan then prepare to be glued to the TV this weekend.

A trio of can't-miss matches headline a full weekend of soccer action on soccer-heavy Fox Soccer Channel and GolTV. Barcelona-Sevilla, Juventus-Roma and Manchester United-Chelsea should all be top notch affairs worth TIVOing and watching repeatedly.

Here is a  detailed rundown of this weekend's TV schedule:

USL Semifinal Preview (The OTHER American pro soccer league)

Can't wait another month for some exciting playoff action? If not, then consider taking a peak at the United Soccer League playoffs. The semifinals start tonight with No. 1 seed Seattle facing No. 6 seed Puerto Rico and No. 2 seed Portland facing No. 4 seed Atlanta.

Red Bulls fans will find particular interest in the Seattle-Puerto Rico series..

TGIF: Birthday Greetings

Good morning folks. You probably didn't know it but today is an important day in American soccer. It happens to be the birthday of the best American player of all time (Tab Ramos), best American coach of all time (Bruce Arena) and best New Jersey-born, Peruvian-American soccer writer of all time. Yes, I mean me.

It's been a rough few days, from the hospital visit to my current fluid diet that was just upgraded to include toast and bananas this morning, but as many of you know, soccer makes things better. We've got a tantalizing slate of European games on television this weekend (watch out for the TV schedule post later today), some quality MLS clashes and some off-the-field news to round things out.

Here are just some tidbits to start the day off with:

Player banned for diving (and it wasn't Carlos Ruiz)

Everton fan accuses Cristiano Ronaldo of stepping on him (It might be Ronaldo's first tackle all season)

Alex Ferguson misses Jose Mourinho (who knew?)

Carlos Ruiz helps FC Dallas salvage tie vs. Fire (Cancels out a Chris Rolfe beauty)

That's all for now. Check back in later for more posts throughout the day (okay, not that many posts, it is my birthday after all. Bruce, Tab and I are having lunch. Okay, not really.)

UEFA Cup: Bradley scores twice in Heerenveen rout

   

U.S. national team midfielder Michael Bradley scored the first goal and last goal in Heerenveen's 5-3 rout against Henrik Larsson's Helsingborg in UEFA Cup action on Thursday. Bradley, who also scored in Heerenveen's league win last week, netted his second goal in a week in the 20th minute before adding an insurance goal in the 61st minute. Larsson scored twice for Helsingborg

Here is how the rest of the Americans did, or didn't do, in Thursday's UEFA Cup action:

You Write the Caption (9/20)

Okay, I know it's been a while since the last installment of You Write the Caption but part of that has been the lack of funny photos.

I was originally just going to post this picture under the title, "Best. Uniforms. Ever" but I figured I'd just let you all try to write some captions (Since I know some of you are just dying to show off your senses of humor).

So here it is, Marseille showing off the brightest uniforms in soccer history. Enjoy:

UEFA Champions League: A look back

Arsenal smokes Sevilla, Barcelona routs Lyon and Real Madrid keeps on rolling with a win against Werder Bremen. These were just some of the highlights of the first round of Champions League matches this week.

Chelsea's disappointing 1-1 draw with Rosenborg has turned out to have the biggest impact, with Jose Mourinho leaving the club afterwards. The biggest upset of the round goes to Fenerbahce, which knocked off Inter Milan, 1-0.

Here is a rundown of the Matchday One scores:

USA-South Africa friendly now official

The USA-South Africa friendly slated for Nov. 17th became official on Thursday.

No way Jose! (Mourinho leaves Chelsea)

After more than a year of rumors that Jose Mourinho might leave Chelsea the Portuguese manager followed through, leaving the English club a day after Chelsea suffered a disappointing tie with Rosenborg in Champions League play.

Chelsea director of football Avram Grant and assistant coach Steve Clarke will take over for Mourinho in the meantime. No word yet on whether they'll be permanent replacements.

What do you think of Mourinho's departure? Share your thoughts below.

Out sick (Well, I'm supposed to be)

Good morning folks. If you're wondering where I've been the past 20 hours I've been battling an illness that finally got the best of me last night. I'll spare you the details but let's just say I watched a "My name is Earl" marathon for seven hours before finally giving in and going to the hospital.

The doctor told me not to work for three days but you and I both know that's asking a lot. I can barely go a day without blogging and I know some of you might actually have to start doing work at your jobs if you didn't have blogs to read. So here I am, trying to figure out how I'm supposed to live on Gatorade and Jello for three days.

I'll be back in a bit with some new posts so check back in. I just wanted to let you all know where I was.

What would be your state's Best XI?

For those of you who missed it, I wrote a piece on Tuesday where I named the current Best XI of New Jersey-born soccer players. Ten of the 11 players are professional players at present, with Villanova defender Matt Sleece the only college player on the squad.

As I put that team together I couldn't help but wonder what some of the other All-State pro soccer teams would look like. I'm not going to say New Jersey has the strongest team, I think California would win that contest, but New Jersey may have the second or third best team.

Here's my question to you. Name your All-State Starting XI for your state. Pick a lineup that has at least three defenders and four midfielders. The criteria for the team are players who were born in your state OR went to High School in your state (And no, the kids that have passed through Bradenton don't count Florida).

Here is the New Jersey team:

Guevara on TV last night

I meant to post this earlier today but forgot to. Last night as I put together my posts for the morning I stumbled upon a Central American Champions Cup match between Motagua and San Francisco. As some of you may know, Motagua is where former Red Bulls standout Amado Guevara is playing these days. I couldn't resist a chance to watch him play and see whether he still has it or is mailing it in.

Guevara didn't really stand out in a game that was pretty uneventful and ended with Motagua winning 1-0 in the first leg of a home-and-home series. He can still pass well and move well but he didn't quite dominate the match. It was one of those forgettable performances he used to deliver for the Red Bulls when he wasn't dropping hat tricks on Chivas USA.

It seems as if GolTV is going to be broadcasting this tournament so you may want to check their TV schedule in the coming months. Not just to see Mr. Guevara, but also see some other top Central American teams. You never know when you may be watching the next David Suazo or even the next Luciano Emilio.

Red Bulls practice report (Jozy's Back)

Good afternoon folks. Here is the rundown from Montclair State today:

Off to Red Bulls practice

Good morning folks. I'm heading to Red Bulls practice today. Hopefully I'll be able to get some info on the injury status of Carlos Mendes, Mike Magee, Kevin Goldthwaite and Jozy Altidore. I'll check back in this afternoon with a practice report so stay tuned.

Women's World Cup: U.S. wins, North Korea ties

The U.S. Women's national team defeated Nigeria, 1-0, on Tuesday and will avoid facing defending World Cup champion Germany in the quarterfinals. North Korea suffered a 2-1 loss to Sweden and will now face Germany in the quarters.

SBI European Club Top 10

The Champions League group stage is here and you know what that means. It's time for the latest installment of the SBI European Top 10.

I know the first edition was a bit rough but I think I worked out the kinks with the latest installment. Obviously there are going to be differences of opinion. Some of you respect the EPL more while some others give Serie A or La Liga more of a preference when it comes to ranking.

I think I struck a good balance between all of Europe's top leagues and will try to do so throughout the year. If nothing else, it should give you all plenty to discuss and to debate.

I also added to the Top 10 by including each team's results from the previous week as well as their matches for the upcoming week. Good info to help you plan your soccer viewing. Enjoy.

Giusfredi midfield blast lifts Seton Hall

Eliseo Giusfredi has been Seton Hall's go-to goal scorer this season but even his teammates couldn't have imagined what he would do on Monday night.

The Paterson resident and Seton Hall junior took a back pass from the opposite side of the midfield stripe and blasted a 60-yard shot past the Princeton goalkeeper to give Seton Hall a 4-3 victory on Monday night. Props for MLSNET.com's Dylan Butler for pointing this out to me.

Giusfredi is only a junior but he's told SBI that he plans on turning pro after this season. MLS is a possibility but he could also return to South America. The Argentina native has the tools as a forward to be a first-round draft pick if he signs with MLS.

Women's World Cup: Germany, England advance

Defending Women's World Cup champions Germany clinched its berth in the quarterfinals by beating Japan, 2-0 on Monday. England joined the Germans with its own 6-1 rout over tournament punching bag, Argentina.

Mendes has ankle injury

Wondering where Carlos Mendes was on Saturday? It turns out he picked up an ankle injury late last week in training. Of course the Red Bulls chose to keep that fact a secret leading up to Saturday's match.

Magee and Goldthwaite suffer knee injuries in reserve game

Red Bulls midfielder Mike Magee and defender Kevin Goldthwaite both suffered serious knee injuries during the Red Bulls' reserve game against Chicago on Sunday. The team has yet to publicly announce these injuries (there's a shock) but a source close to the team confirmed that both players suffered major knee injuries.

There are no details on the injuries but sources say Goldthwaite's injury is the more serious of the two.

UEFA Champions League is Back

If you have been suffering from Champions League withdrawal since AC Milan lifted the trophy last May you are in luck. The competition is back and the action promises to be as entertaining as ever.

Eight group stage matches will take place on Tuesday, highlighted by Liverpool's trip to face Porto on ESPN2 at 2:30pm. Werder Bremen at Real Madrid is the best match of the day but it isn't being shown on TV (well, aside from ESPN Deportes).

Wednesday's matches feature Manchester United's visit to Sporting Lisbon (2:30pm, ESPN2), Lyon at Barcelona and Sevilla at Arsenal.

Here are the match-ups on this Tuesday and Wednesday:

DC closing in on Veron deal for '08

 

If you've been wondering if and when MLS front-runners DC United would ever get around to using a Designated Player slot, the time may be coming sooner than expected.

According to sources with knowledge of the discussions, DC United is deep in talks with Argentine star midfielder Juan Veron to sign him as a designated player for the 2008 season.

As promising as this news it, what will really be interesting is what DC does to the rest of its roster to accomodate Veron's arrival. One scenario could see former MLS MVP Christian Gomez leaving DC United after four seasons with the club.

Monday Morning Center Back (The Women's World Cup)

If you're wondering why there hasn't been any coverage on the Women's World Cup on the blog it is basically because women's soccer is something I've never really had to cover.

My newspaper, the Herald News, has long had a women's sports writer who handled the women's soccer coverage. That includes women's national team and WUSA when it was around. I can't say I was ever too upset about that. No disrespect to the women's game but there is so much to cover in the men's game that I never minded not having to learn about or keep up with women's soccer.

All this said, I have heard from some SBI readers who would like to get some women's World Cup coverage. I will try to oblige, particularly when the U.S. women play. Does that mean I'll definitely watch their games? Not really, but I've been watching the Women's World Cup lately and have to say the level of play is better than I remember it being at the last World Cup. I'm actually watching Germany-Japan right now (and let's face it, any game called by JP Dellacamera is just easy to follow).

In short, if you want some U.S. women's soccer coverage, I'll try to add that to the SBI menu during the World Cup.